No.04 Ruler of Crest - Eskatia

 
Despite our shining civilizations, Lavato is still a world of mysteries.

Ruler of Crest Eskatia
 
Esaktia is famous for two things.  She took the role of the invader in the War of the Sun and Moon, and she was also the wife of Solar Prince Verlaat.  Very little is known about the details of her life outside these two events.
 
I'll begin with what is known about her personal life.
 
Ruler of Crest Eskatia was the only child of her Father, Hydenyubel, and her Mother, Diara.
 
Hydenyubel and Diara were well known for having an age difference of 30 years between them.  When their marriage was announced, it was something of a scandal and the royal family was against it.  But Hydenyubel was a such a sincere individual that he spent months traveling personally to every one of his relatives and feudal lords, convincing them one at a time.
 
Eskatia was the daughter born from this couple and their infamous age gap.  She was raised with tender love from the both of them and grew up happily.
 
Even though she was a woman, she was an enthusiastic and energetic fencer with a talent for strategizing.  She devoted herself to defending her people from a young age.  In countless surviving texts and letters she is described as a wonderful woman by local and traveler alike.
 
Most likely, The Messenger of Chaos, Elgandi, was able to take advantage of her because of her naive heart, set on defending the people.
 
It is hard to believe that the woman who is considered to be one of the wisest monarchs in history, was the direct cause of the War of the Sun and Moon when she was younger.
 
But even during the darkest times of war, Eskatia did not plunder or exploit the lands she occupied.  She ruled them and their people as equals to the subjects of Crest.
 
Even after Eskatia married Verlaat and began living in the Solar Kingdom, she heavily influenced the politics of both kingdoms.  It has been widely documented that Eskatia was always the power behind Verlaat's throne.

The Warriors that Protect Eskatia
 
Among Eskatia's ranks were a number of legendary warriors that had served the Duchy since the time of her father, Hydenyubel.
 
Of all these warriors, the most renowned is undoubtedly Abyss Centaur Dical.
 
Dical is the descendent of an ancient Centaur clan that has been serving the Duchy of Crest for hundreds of years.  In the time of Eskatia, he held the rank of general.
 
The secret of Dical's longevity is a mystery but local stories say it is related to intervention by an unknown figure known as "the Lord of the Dead" or sometimes, "Zugateroza."
 
It is said that Dical could race through the enemy army as if they weren't even there, and defeat several hundred soldiers alone if he wished.  His exploits earned him the names "the Black Hurricane" and "the Demon of the Battlefield."  His fame spread far beyond Crest, and warriors from all the nearby countries feared his name.
 
Strangely, Dical was best friends with the commander of all the military forces of the Solar Kingdom, Zagar.
 
After the great war started, they preferred not to fight each other.  Many times when their troops were likely to clash directly during the war, it was prevented by a convenient accident.  For example, one of their armies would be inexplicably delayed while marching, or the other would be caught up fighting another troop.  Because of this, it was rumored they had a secret agreement.
 
 Near the end of the war, the Abyssal Forces surfaced as the true enemies.  After that, it was said that Zagar and Dical fought each other in earnest.
 
But once the fighting drew to a close and the War of the Sun and Moon War ended, Dical disappeared and he never appears on the pages of history again.  
 
Eskatia later described Dical as a "clumsy warrior whose path was the protection of Lavato, and the only thing he knew how to do was charge down that path."

The Reasons Behind the War of the Sun and Moon
 
Although she would become a wise monarch, Eskatia is the one who triggered what is arguably one of the worst wars in Lavato's history, the War of the Sun and Moon.  Abyssal Messenger Annarose was orchestrating the scheme behind the scenes, but let's focus on why Eskatia started the war for now.
 
As has been discussed at length, the War of the Sun and Moon began when the famous Knights of Crest were sent by the Duchy into the neighboring Kingdom of Baltemet.  There is plenty of documentation that confirms the one who ordered this was Eskatia herself.
 
The official story is that the Cult of Argulus, an order responsible for heinous crimes in the Duchy of Crest, crossed the border and fled to the Kingdom of Baltemet.  In actuality, the existence of this cult has never been confirmed.  As a cult, it is likely they kept no records or other evidence of their existence.  Because of this, modern historians assume that this was a fictitious group invented by Annarose, or possibly controlled by her.
 
However, if one analyzes the politics of Eskatia before and after the war, it is hard to believe that she would invade a neighboring country over the actions of a simple cult.  Most scholars agree that there must have been a deeper reason behind it, perhaps a personal one.
 
One theory is that Eskatia's handmaids, many who had been with her for her entire life, were massacred by a person or persons from the Order of Argulus.  As much as this sounds more like fiction than history, the source is reliable.
 
When knights from the Duchy of Crest crossed over into Baltemet, Baltemet's soldiers retaliated in full force.
 
But that decisive action of Baltemet Kingdom only triggered the mobilization of Crest's main military force.
 
When the Knights of Crest were attacked, the Duchy's armies poured over the border and occupied two thirds of Baltemet Kingdom in just a few days.
 
Baltemet Kingdom, having almost instantly lost much of its lands, looked to its allied powers for relief.
 
Many nations answered, most notably the small but powerful Kingdom of Beltorat, ruled by the steady hand of its king, Dragoneye Ainhazard.
 
At this, the Duchy of Crest had no option but to prepare for all-out war.
 
With their overwhelming military forces and the special Augmented Soldiers created and personally led by Annarose, the Duchy of crest gained a distinct advantage.
 
When the Battle of Baltemet signaled the fall of the smaller nation's last stronghold, the Solar Kingdom decided to become directly involved.  At that moment, the war become one of the two biggest wars in Lavato's history.
 
However, before the Solar Kingdom officially declared war, Eskatia and Verlaat had a secret meeting in Regus, the Wizard Kingdom.
 
Apparently, this was because Eskatia wanted to make a formal request that the Solar Kingdom stay out of the war effort.
 
As history tells us, the conference was a failure and the Solar Kingdom did indeed become involved.
 
Still, it is important to note that some sources maintain the conference was a success and Verlaat promised not to get involved in the war.  But within days, a troop from the Duchy of Crest's main army invaded a town that fell within the Solar Kingdom's territory, possibly by mistake.  After that, Verlaat had no choice.
 
It is also widely known that Verlaat made several efforts to confer with Eskatia during the war, attempting to convince her to withdraw and bring an end to the fighting.
 
As for Eskatia, she made an effort to listen what he had to say, and apparently there were many occasions where the two discussed each other's countries.
 
These meetings are compelling, but there is no evidence that they were the impetus for their eventual marriage.  It is generally accepted that something else must have happened beyond the ears of history that led these two to trust one another.
 
It is likely that in the royal archives of the Solar Kingdom there are records on this, but unfortunately it is forbidden to read the personal documents of the royal family.
 
Ruler of Crest Eskatia was thought to be an excellent politician who always had the best interest of her people in mind, but because of her country's position and the evils hidden in her own castle, she was forced to walk the path of an invader.
 
Similarly, despite Solar Prince Verlaat's good intentions, he was pulled in entrenched in this bloody war.
 
Thankfully, these two were able to join their forces and fight side by side against the true evil, the Envoy of Chaos.  This was because of their advisers, the noble minded warriors who served each nation.
 
The contents of my next essay will cover the greatest of these warriors, Lion Baron Zagar and Abyss Centaur Dical.
 

 
The next installment of the Lavato Biographies will cover Lion Baron Zagar and Abyss Centaur Dical.