Cambruin: Cambruin's Heir

Cambruin: Cambruin's Heir

Original Post: Just so I could get the input of every one else, I thought I'd announce that I'm giong to be starting a new guild of the Noble House template... House Cambruin.

I will play the role of Cambruin's heir, however, many many spots will be open for positions of power and fame. Right now I'm in the process of designing the webiste and adding all of the needed info, if you guys have any ideas or suggests I'd be glad to here them.

By TheSilentProphet

Answer: Figured I'd jump in here and clear a few things up.

First and foremost, I fully welcome the notion of people running around in game claiming to be Cambruin's heir. If a dozen people were all claiming the title and warring against each other, all we'd have is a pretty accurate depiction of several stretches of Medieval history.

Will there be FC's running around claiming to be Cambruin's heir? Bet on it. Will they "actually" be? One could argue that all of history is only hearsay, and that it's only results that matter. In the end, Cambruin's heir will be the person who can reunite the High Kingdom. I'm not sure that such a task is even possible, but I'm sure every attempt would tell a good story.

Basically, I figure there are lots of people running around the fragments of Aerynth claiming that they should be the High King. They all have some kind of claim: Dark Knights likely base their claims on strength and conquest, while others can base it on their adherance to the Code, or even claim (with written documents to boot) that Cambruin signed the kingdom over to them before the battle of Kierhaven. The ones claiming blood kinship to the High King are the boldest.

Personally, I figure most blood relatives are claiming an illegitimate relation to Cambruin. You know what they say - it's good to be the king... Who knows how many bastards the King might have sired while on campaign? Of course, these claims are just as hard to prove - there's no DNA testing, and even magic is only of limited utility: I'm sure for every mage that can detect the spark of Cambruin's greateness in a contender, contesting claimants can find dozens of mages who can magically verify that the supposed heir is lying.

In the end, everyone is going to have to decide who to believe. I expect the issue will be settled on the battlefield.

All that said, I don't want to invalidate your claim, but I would like to point out a few points that strike me as potentially fuzzy in the timeline. If your leader is claiming to be Cambruin's son, who's the mother? Bronwyn? She's probably going to be an FC too, you know - imagine Eleanor of Acquitaine. So far as I know, she's never had any children (Gods know she's tried - like Gweneviere, she's probably barren. A tragedy that wrecked Arthur's and Cambruin's kingdoms).
If you were to ask her to her face, she'd deny ever giving birth. So, if you are her son, either Bronwyn is lying (which is always possible) or she had a kid without knowing it. An interesting notion... I'd love to see the plot twist - but hey, this IS a fantasy world, so anything is possible.

Other issues you might want to consider - The birth date you give raises some issues. In 1094 the War of Tears was entering its final phase. Cambruin and company were on top. Why then hide the birth? Who exactly was Cambruin afraid of? I would think the production of an heir would be just the thing to pemanently legitimize his rule, boost the morale of his subjects, and perhaps even reunite the bickering champions.

Speaking of bickering champions, 1094 was also the year Bronwyn stood trial. If she was pregant (or had just given birth), its likely that someone noticed. Yet there's no record, and many of the principals, if asked, will say that she wasn't pregnant.
Again, they could all be lying, but why?

Finally, in 1094 the Holy Church was already estranged from Cambruin - the Patriarch had removed his blessing from the High King, so why send his heir to be raised by the Church?

Don't take this the wrong way - I don't want to tell you "no you can't say that." I'm only pointing out some apparent inconsistencies in your story, inconsistencies that other political forces will use against you. The notion of the foundling king, raised in secret by foster parents is a fine idea - it resonates very well with the Arthurian Legend, which so much else of SB's lore is already infused with. The devil, as they say, is in the details. So be careful. Look to the lore - there are other ways to bolster your story, and with minor changes it could become plausible (if farfetched). If Bronwyn, Malorn, or the Steward of Mellisar were presented with this claim as it stands, they wouldn't buy it. Their opinions should be enough to sway many other lords.

Of course, you'll be working, I presume, to sway some lords yourself. Which is all good. If you can gather enough power, you can force those pesky FCs to acknowledge your story.

It's the winners that write the history.

There you go. Silent Prophet (and all you other would-be heirs out there), if you want to claim to be Cambruin's heir, go to. Just be warned, claiming is one thing, proving is another, and taking the throne is a third thing still.

Anyone can say they're king. Making it happen is the hard part.