House Ostricia

= History (chronological order) =

The Legend of the Three Ladies
The people of Ostricia once inhabited the lands of the north. The exact location is unknown, but it is said the people lived off the land and migrated when necessary. At around 500pre, the temperature in the region began to freeze to an inhospitable amount. Less food was growing, since the ground was becoming ice. A micro ice-age was beginning. Food was decreasing fast, and for most of the year the people were trapped in there leather tents. They knew this cold would probably end in a few years, but a few years is too long. They would perish before that. During a blizzard, a tribal member wandering said they found a lady riding a horse. She introduced herself as the Lady of Death, and they should take her warning and evacuate the region. The people knew they had no choice, and so they built seven ships and left into the sea. Only a few stayed behind. While out at sea, a violent storm struck the fleet. In the midst of the panic, another lady could be seen through the grey mist. She introduced herself as the Lady of Chaos, and she said they never should have left. Only three ships made it to shore. The rest sank, or ended up in another part of Kylorne. When they arrived, they found a forest of pines and the tip of the mountain swimming amongst the green. Here they met the Lady of Life, who led them to the perfect spot. A few years later the Lady of Chaos came back to help grow the settlement. She explained she never wanted for the tribe to leave, but it is too late now. It is here where Tsardømmet I Nord was founded. Over the years, the original ancient culture has been lost to time, although, some stories such as this remain.

Tsardømmet I Nord
Ostricia House officially joined the empire of Einsiedeln in 183pre, through a treaty promising protection and prosperity. Before this, Ostricia house was a small nation known as the Tsardømmet I Nord (meaning Tsardom of the North.). The creation date of the nation is unknown, although historians presume it was created around 450pre years ago. For the nations entire duration it was always ruled by house Ostricia under an iron fist. Suppression was common, and forts were constructed all over the nation to keep a watchful eye over the population. The main fort inhabited by the royals is still around today, although it was extremely damaged by The Solimnity.

Before the rise to power
When Tsardømmet I Nord joined Einsiedeln, they were reduced to just another noble house, or house Ostricia. For most people this would be a downgrade, but Ostricia no longer needed to deal with the threats from the power house nations that surrounded the region. This allowed the territory to relax conscription laws, and instead invest into the welfare of the people. Most historians still marvel at how in the span of around two decades, the authoritarian state of Tsardømmet I Nord became the most economically prosperous region in the northern hemisphere. This success however was short lived, and Ostricia new that, so the house head at the time decided to declare themselves king of the empire. They also established the council of Ostrician Lords.

The Council of Ostrician Lords
While Ostricia was in power, they established the Council of Ostrician Lords. There job was to appoint the people that would manage sectors of the nation, and vote on legislation. Now in present day the court is more symbolic, since the government took away most of it's decision making power many years ago. Titles however still can be given out by those in Ostricia, although they do not carry any government weight for decision making any more. Titles go as follows:
 * King (Leader of the nation, not directly involved in the court, can no longer be given out by the court.)
 * Tsar (Title of the court manager. The court votes on law, so think of this title as the king's leading decision maker. The name of the title is symbolic of Ostricia's past.)
 * Archlord (A senior title for notable lords that have served the empire well. It can still be given out by the head of house Ostricia on rare occasions)
 * Ostrician Lord (People worthy of being a key member of decision making in the empire. It can still be given out by members of Ostricia)

Life at the height of the empire
For a while the empire was at it's golden age, it was truly a site to behold. Most historians agree that the peak of the empires growth was at 129prs. Feasts were abundant, and gems decorated the castles. An all-powerful blade was also created, it was said to carry the force of a thousand soldiers. But alas, all good things must come to an end. The empire was starting to die down, and life was returning to normal. Ostricia was stagnating. Eventually, Einsiedeln was plunged into a downward spiral when Osterion troops pushed settlers out in 107pre. This was known as The Emerald War. Details have been lost around this time since it wasn't well documented, but most people agree it was around that time when the powerful blade was lost. A fragment of this blade was uncovered in Zollverein however. Most people knew the empire at this time was failing, and so uprisings started appearing all over the empire. Eventually, the empire reached it's tipping point when an affair with the king's wife was discovered. This caused The War of Imperial Regalia. It was here where the Ostricians lost their leadership over the nation.

Post-leadership
The war was officially lost five decades ago, and since then conditions have worsened. Immediately after the war finished, a military governor was implemented to stop Ostricians from rioting. The ancient castle was also vandalized along with many other important heritage buildings. This angered the Ostrician nobles, and so they seized the valuables from the peasants in order to repair it. This ended up creating a fancy castle filled with riches surrounded by slums. Most people that once lived in Ostricia City decided to flee to other towns in the empire. This continued up to the Solimnity.

Solemnity
News of a magical blast was slowly reaching Ostricia, but many had doubts. It sounded unbelievable. Eventually, the house-head of Ostricia decided it was best to send a diplomat to talk to Ascainia about the fuss. The guards told the diplomat that they all had it under control, and so when the diplomat got back, they said there was nothing to worry about. Only hours later possessed soldiers seiged Ostricia City. This would go on for months. It caused Kazmir (The archlord and house-head) to evacuate the city with other nobles. Many family members followed in his footsteps. In the commotion, young son Morrison Ostricia was left behind, and he was protected by the peasants now fighting for their lives. The peasants fought valiantly for months on end, but they were outnumbered 10 to 1. Most died in the process. Finally, when Morrison became an adult, he decided to take matters into his own hands to rebuild the city alongside the few citizens that remained.

Construction
Slowly the City was being built up by Morrison and the few who remained. Progress was slow, and it took a long time for the farms to be built. Eventually, they started work on the mansion. They decided it would be best to keep the ruins of the castle, and build the mansion around them. Around the same time, Morrison began to get really into cartography and painting. (ooc all of these paintings on this wiki page were supposedly made by Morrison Ostricia)