The Five Kingdoms

The Five Kingdoms are five independent loosely allied kingdoms in The Crown &amp; The Flame series.

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 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. If King Tevan Drammir was rescued by Kenna Rys of Stormholt, herself escaping for her safety, he was able to return home to take the throne. If Tevan died, his sister Aurynn became queen.

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 Bellmere 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.

Before the defeat of king Luther in the Battle of the Bay of Lykos, Abanthus was the most militarily powerful among the five kingdoms. Under king Hector Nevrakis, they were even able to put up a great fight against the Iron Empire enough to force Azura to build a fortress wall to protect Marossi, the capital of the Iron Empire against the Abanthus Army and Navy. This military capability also later emboldened King Hector's grandson, King Luther Nevrakis to conquer the other four kingdoms so that Luther can end the war with the Iron Empire on his own terms and become the most powerful ruler in the world, simultaneously.

At the end of Book 3, it became clear that Abanthus is now part of the realm of the Rys dynasty. It is formally ruled by Kenna (and whoever her chosen spouse is) under personal union and ruled by a regent as Kenna's vassal, which according to the player's choices can be Zenobia, Diavolos, Adder, or all three. However, the Nevrakis family still holds prestige in Cordonia, the successor state of the Five Kingdoms, as rulers of the Duchy of Lythikos.

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 who can choose to return to its rightful ruler, Rowan Thorn. However, Kenna Rys may become Queen of Bellmere if the player chooses not to save Rowan from drowning at the Battle of the Bay or if Rowan didn't stay loyal and Kenna stabbed her. Before she dies, Rowan will transfer to Kenna rulership of Bellmere. Its capital and the seat of its ruling family is Thorngate.

Ebrimel
Queen Kalalei 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. Its capital is Alriel.

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 either King Tevan or his twin sister, Queen Aurynn Amanth, both of the Drammir Family. King Amanth Drammir, their father, along with Tevan, was at Stormholt when the Nevrakis takeover occurred. Amanth was killed, and depending on the player's choice, Tevan may be rescued by Princess Kenna Rys and managed to escape back to Fydoria. However, if the player chooses not to save Tevan, he himself is killed. In the event of this happening, Aurynn becomes Queen of Fydoria. However, this is entirely based on the player's choice. 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.

After the defeat of Empress Azura in Book 3, Stormholt became the most powerful kingdom among the Five Kingdoms. Stormholt, under Kenna Rys, eventually led the consolidation of the Five Kingdoms into Cordonia.

Trivia

 * The map of The Five Kingdoms somewhat resembles a map of Western Europe or Southern England.
 * 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 Tribes live. Dom, Sei, Anu, and Anton are part of the Blackspine Mountain tribes.
 * 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.