The Five Kingdoms

In "The Crown & The Flame" series, The Five Kingdoms are five independent loosely allied kingdoms.

Fifty years before the opening of the series, Empress Azura of the Iron Empire approached King Hector Nevrakis of Abanthus, promising him peace and prosperity if he pledged his loyalty to her. He rejected her offer and declared war on the Iron Empire. The other rulers from the Five Kingdoms soon followed suit, thus starting a war that lasted for decades.

In recent years, the war between the Five Kingdoms and the Iron Empire has taken place either on the shores of Lykos in Abanthus, led by Iron Empire soldiers or in Marossi in Ducitora, led by the Nevrakis of Abanthus. Its prolonged duration, with none of the sides emerging victorious, led King Luther Nevrakis of Abanthus conquering all of the Five Kingdoms to unite them under his rule and fight the Iron Empire. He believed this was the only way the Iron Empire could be defeated - one kingdom, under one ruler.

As such, one day, at a party at Stormholt Castle to celebrate the signing of a treaty, Luther Nevrakis, from the killed the rulers from the other kingdoms to begin the unification of the Five Kingdoms under his rule.

This event had a profound, overnight effect on all of the kingdoms. Luther deposed the rightful rulers of each kingdom and placed his relatives on their thrones. The only kingdom immune to this hostile takeover was Fydoria, as King Tevan Drammir was rescued by Kenna Rys of Stormholt, herself escaping for her safety, and was able to return home to take the throne.

The Nevrakis stranglehold on the Five Kingdoms was severely damaged when Kenna Rys, thought dead by King Luther, after two years of training from the Monks at the Ruins of Rajkur, created an army comprised of mercenaries, soldiers from Aurelia and Fydoria, and monks, as well as Technocrat war machines, took back the Kingdom of Stormholt at the Battle for Stormholt and deposed Luther's son Marco. It was further weakened when Queen Kenna liberated Bellmere, and ultimately destroyed when Queen Kenna and her army ended the Nevrakis Family's reign over Abanthus at the Battle of Lykos.

Abanthus
Abanthus is the Kingdom of the Nevrakis family. Its capital is Lykos. After Luther Nevrakis took over the rest of the Five Kingdoms, Princess Zenobia Nevrakis, King Luther's daughter, ruled in his stead. She was deposed by Queen Kenna and her army. As of the end of Book 2, Abanthus is under joint occupation of Stormholt and Bellemere and Luther Nevrakis is imprisoned in his own dungeon. The status of its government is currently unclear, although it is implied that Kenna currently rules.

The ruling Nevrakis family and their associates (Helene Leventis and Florian Tartassis) have Greek surnames in the real world. Even the name Lykos, the capital of Abanthus is named after a figure in Greek mythology.

Bellmere
By land area, Bellmere is the largest of the five kingdoms. Bellmere was ruled by the Thorn Family until the Nevrakis takeover, when it was given to Prince Vassilios Nevrakis, King Luther's brother. It was liberated by Kenna Rys, and can be given back to its rightful ruler, Rowan Thorn, Kenna Rys cans still become Queen of Bellmere if the player chooses not to save Rowan from drowning in chapter 14. Before she dies, Rowan will transfer to Kenna rulership of Bellemere. Its capital and the seat of its ruling family is Thorngate.

Ebrimel
It is unknown what family ruled the Kingdom of Ebrimel before the Nevrakis takeover. Its capital is Panrion, and was under the control of Florian Tartassis until his overthrow in a revolt, concurrent with the Nevrakis family's downfall in the Five Kingdoms. Following Florian's defeat and imprisonment, Kailani Keawe is assigned as regent.

Fydoria
Due to an oversight by the Nevrakis army, Fydoria was the only kingdom immune to the Nevrakis takeover.. Its capital is Ennan and it is currently ruled by King Tevan Drammir of the Drammir Family, who was able to escape death when his father was killed and return home to take the throne. Fydoria was the first of the Five Kingdoms to support Queen Kenna's campaign to liberate the Five Kingdoms.

Stormholt
The Kingdom of Stormholt is the smallest of the Five Kingdoms, but the seat of its ruling family, Stormholt Castle, is known all over the world for its thick and impenetrable walls that protect its cities. It was ruled by the Rys Family until the Nevrakis takeover. For two years, Luther Nevrakis and his son, Marco, settled in Stormholt Castle until Luther left to fight the Iron Empire, leaving Prince Marco to rule on his own. During this time, Kenna Rys and her army took back the Kingdom and deposed Prince Marco.

Trivia

 * The map of The Five Kingdoms somewhat resembles a map of Western Europe.
 * Near the Five Kingdoms, but not part of them, are Aurelia, the Ruins of Rajkur, The Foundry, home of the Technocrats, and the Blackspine Mountains, where the Fire tribe, Dom, Sei, and Anu are part of and are from.
 * There seems to be a set of laws that applies to all of The Five Kingdoms, as seen in Book 1, Chapter 1, when Kenna tells Marco that in Stormholt, the Ancient Laws are still kept.