House of Valora

House of Alsalam
Country	Çakaristan
Anthem	(none)
Motto	Strength & Honor
Titles	King of South Valora 1715- AN Emperor of Valora (1704 AN-1715 AN)
Founder	Draeg'ar I & IX (1634 AN–)
Current head	Draeg'ar II & X since 1720 AN
Founding year	1704 AN
Parent house	House of Ralgon

The House of Valora is a royal house in South Valora. Formerly the ruling dynasty of Valora, it is a junior branch of the Ral Dynasty (known better as the House of Ralgon descended from Nobunag'an IV of Ralgon through his son Draeg'ar I & IX (one of many, and one Nobunag'an had later in life), being the first of Valora and ninth of the Ral Dynasty.

One of two sovereign branches of the Ral dynasty, the current House of Valora only consists of two members: the 105 year-old Draeg'ar Ral IX (at death's door as of 1734 AN, and the young king Draeg'ar X, currently 32 years old as of 1739 AN. The venerable 175 year-old Nobunag'an IV is considered an honorary founder of this dynasty by virtue of his extreme age and ancestry of this house, despite never having any formal posts within the former or current Valoras' ruling families.

History

Nobunag'an IV of Ralgon (1594 AN - )

Nobunag'an IV of Ralgon was the ancestor of both the ruling houses of the Imperial Federation and Valora, as well as King of Ralgon (retroactively declared Emperor by his descendant Shiro I of Ralgon). Born in 1564 AN, he reigned over Ralgon for a record-breaking 78 years before stepping down in 1673 AN in favor of Shiro I of Ralgon. Only later did he discover his extreme longevity was something akin to functional immortality. By that time, Ralgon had already broken up during the Ralgon Civil War, its attempted recovery during the Ralgon Reconquista, and the Ralgonese War of Succession. By 1705 AN, he had failed to prevent warring factions from claiming the throne for themselves, himself being ineligible as a former ruler to take up the crown again.

The fractured larger, Adrestia-based half of the polity saw a rapid ascendancy and rose as the Ralgonese-dominated (but multiethnic) Imperial Federation, and further unification was achieved by its ruling House of Adrestia in 1715 AN in the Conquest of Valora. The ruling eponymous house was not so fortunate, being shattered and fleeing south to rule the rump state of South Valora. Nobunag'an's efforts saw a general amnesty granted by the Adrestian Emperor Anarion. Reconciliation was reached by 1734 AN as peace was finally cemented, bringing the formal state of war between his fractured descendants to a close.

He is one of the longest-lived Ralgonese ever, and the longest with a verifiable birth date attached to his current identity. Further research in the 1730's found that his apparent immortality is experienced by between a minimum 1 in 250 thousand Ralgonese and 1 in 1 million Ralgonese, with mixture of human and elfinshi DNA playing no part in the process. It is thought some other recessive gene plays a role, but this remains unknown (and, to certain quasi-religious groups, should remain this way). Records do not exist for several reasons: Ralgonese would typically not see past 50 (most would remain in a combat capacity through most of the country's history), most would never discover (nor suspect) their immortality until nearly 100 years of age or more, and those few who did find a sudden reversal in aging would frequently change their identities before the era of good modern record-keeping to avoid discovery by both religious groups and jealous would-be killers. Nobunag'an was simply one of the few incapable of hiding this change into "true" immortality as he discovered it.

Nobunag'an's principle residences in Ralgonese territory lies in the city of Gondolin, Adrestia, and in Glacier City, Drag'os -- both in the Imperial Federation. He was named by Emperor Anarion of the Imperial Federation as the so-called "Chief Ambassador of the Imperial Federation" (a posted created specifically for him by the emperor).

Nobunag'an first married Princess Rani, the daughter of a daimyo of Nixtorm. He had several marriages with a great many children as issue, with the last ending in 1689 AN and the latest child born in 1640 AN. It is estimated that Nobunag'an has well over 200 direct, legitimate descendants eligible to claim a princely title. Most of these, however, are not in any lines of succession in any sovereign states on Micras, those few belonging to the House of Adrestia or the House of Valora.

Draeg'ar I & IX of Valora (1634 AN - )

Draeg'ar Ral I & IX was the true founder of the House of Valora, ruling Valora during the events following the Ralgon War of Succession in Template:1706. Draeg'ar was the ninth prince of that name in the ancient Ral Dynasty and the ruling House of Ralgon. Most of his life was spent in service to the Ralgon state, never seeking to marry, instead devoting himself to ambassadorial work to places such as Jingdao in the 1670's to 1680's, and to the International Mandate in the 1690's. He returned home during that time to a power vacuum forming in the wake of Emperor Shiro I of Ralgon final illness and (presumed) ascension by 1704 AN.

He was, also the founding member of the House of Valora, forming this dynasty to cement his place on the throne as Emperor of Valora by his marriage to Kitamura Valorum. The union between a Ralgonese prince and a Valoran chieftain carried the tradition of the latter's long history of intermarriage between families of Ralgonese and Jingdaoese descent for generations before. It also united the formerly competing Ralgonese and Valoran sects in the country, even if temporarily, into a confederation just strong enough to keep the far larger Imperial Federation at bay until 1715 AN.

During this time, a series of serious domestic disasters finally weakened the state enough for their opportunistic foes to simply come in and absorb nearly everything in a sweeping wave of conquest. An unlucky man, resistance to the Imperials' conquest of his lands only halted when the Imperials grew bored of chasing Draeg'ar and his family progressively deeper into territory infested with undead and devoid of human habitation. The Imperials apparently only stopped because they saw capturing Korzan and its surrounding territory to be a waste of time, with the southwestern end holding out long enough to make such an endeavor deeply inconvenient.

The territory was thus conquered, and after negotiations brokered by Mondo, Draeg'ar IX thus became king over a rump state. Already a very old man, he had not the energy to keep fighting, nor anything resembling local will to do so, only holding control of his own territory largely by proxy and his wife's negotiating power. Not one to give up, though, he accepted his fate and ruled the remainder of South Valora with his wife, and preparing to abdicate in favor of a far younger son. With his wife displeased by their poor ending to their ambition, she refused to allow her much more senior husband to sire more children in an effort to prevent even more rife division in the rump state.

By the time Draeg'ar was ready to set his 13-year-old-son on the path towards a regency-led reign, he was already 86 years old and had very little left to give as a military leader. His wife was too old to feel comfortable siring more children, so his so-called "miracle child" in Draeg'ar X (whose very existence helped keep greater Valora alive a little longer) was the sole heir to both the Ralgonese dissidents who had fled south, the Valorans living in the region, and the locals who had little over connection to any other so-called "unifying rulers."

In 1720 AN, Draeg'ar IX abdicated the throne to Draeg'ar II of Valora (and tenth of the House of Ralgon). While an old man, he was still energetic enough to chair the regency council. He retired from public life at the age of 99 following the new king's assumption of power in 1734 AN. He was never found in a notable role again, and reconciled with his wife before both apparently disappeared from the public eye later that year.

Genealogy

• Emperor Nobunag'an IV of Ralgon (♂ 1564 AN-; r. 1595 AN-1673 AN) -- m. Princess Rani (♀ 1562 AN-1649 AN),
  Nobunag'an was originally known as Prince Takeshi Ral XV until his coronation. His first marriage was to the daughter of a daimyo of Nixtorm. Had several marriages with a great many children as issue, with the last ending in 1689 AN and the latest child born in 1640 AN.
  • Draeg'ar Ral IX, Crown Prince of Ralgon; Emperor of Valora; (♂ 1634 AN-; r. 1706 AN-1715 AN;1720 AN), m. Kitamura Valorum
    Draeg'ar ultimately lost the Ralgon War of Succession to his rival, the latter now known as Emperor Anarion. He reigned over Ralgonese territory on mainland Cibola, named Valora, in concert with local rulers, starting his own Imperial line of succession there under the House of Valora. The territory was conquered, and became king over a rump state. He only married very late in life, and had a son in his old age during this time, passing the throne in 1720 AN and chairing the regency council. He retired from public life at the age of 99 following the new king's assumption of power in 1734 AN..
    • Draeg'ar Ral X, King of South Valora; (♂ 1707 AN-; r. 1720 AN-)
      Draeg'ar II & X became king only at the age of 13 at the helm of a rump state. Known for his much milder disposition compared to his immediate forbears, he took power in 1732 AN after a long regency headed by his mother.