a’Pace”
521-544: Justi ca’Dakwi [JUSS-tee Kah-DAWK-whee]
(nee ca’Ludovici, nee ca’Mazzak)-also known as the “One-Legged.” Son of Marguerite.
544-548: The Regency of Sergei ca’Rudka: for Kraljica Audric ca’Dakwi [AHD-ric-Kah-DAWK-whee], son of Justi, who is still in his minority.
548-548: Audric ca’Dakwi [AHD-ric Kah-DAWK-WHEE]-for the last few months of Audric’s reign before his assassination, Regent ca’Rudka is dismissed and Audric (later known as “The Mad”) holds the Sun Throne.
548-548: Sigourney ca’Ludovici [Si-GOHR-nee Kahloo-doh-VEE-kee ]-great grand-niece of Marguerite.
548-present: Allesandra ca’Vorl [Ahl-ah-SAHN-drah Kah-VOORL ]-great grand-niece of Marguerite
THE RECENT LINE OF THE HIRZGIN:
493-516: Karin ca’Belgradin [KAH-reen Kah-bell-GRAH-deen]
516-548: Jan ca’Vorl [Yahn Kah-VOORL]-Son of Karin. Seceded from the Holdings in 522 to form the Coalition of Firenzcia.
548-548: Fynn ca’Vorl [Finn Kah-VOORL]-Son of Jan. Assassinated by the White Stone.
548-present: Jan (II) ca’Vorl [Yahn Kah-VOORL]-Grandson of Jan (via Allesandra).
THE RECENT LINE OF THE ARCHIGI:
503-521: Dhosti ca’Millac [DOST-ee Kah-MEE-lok]-“the Dwarf.” Committed suicide (though some still whisper that it was murder).
521-521: Orlandi ca’Cellibrecca [Orh-LAHN-dee Kahsell-eh-BREK-ah ]-Left the throne to join with Firenzcia during the War of Secession. This began the Division of the Faith (521-548).
The Line in Nessantico:
521-548: Ana ca’Seranta [AHN-ah Kah-sir-AHN-TAH]-Assassinated by Tehuantin sorcerer under orders from Archigos Semini.
548-548: Kenne ca’Fionta [KENN-ah Kah-fee-ONTAH]-Tortured to death by Kraljica Sigourney.
The Line in Brezno:
521-525: Orlandi ca’Cellibrecca [Orh-LAHN-dee Kahsell-eh-BREK-ah] -Died of natural causes.
525-548: Semini ca’Cellibrecca [SEH-meen-eh Kahsell-ee-BREK-ah ]-marriage-son of Orlandi.
The Line of the Reunited Faith:
549-present: Karrol ca’Asano [CARE-ohl Kah-ahh-SAH-noh]-Named Archigos after the deposing of Semini ca’Cellibrecca. The line is now seated at Brezno rather than in Nessantico.
HISTORICAL PERSONAGES:
Falwin I [FAHL-win]-Hirzg Falwin of Firenzcia led a brief, unsuccessful revolt against Kraljiki Henri VI, which was quickly and brutally put down.
Henri VI [OHN-ree]-First Kralji of the ca’Ludovici line (413-435), from whom Marguerite I was descended.
Kalima III [Kah-LEE-mah]-Archigos from 215-243.
Kelwin [KEHL-win]-First Hirzg of Firenzcia
Levo ca’Niomi [LEHV-oh Kah-nee-OH-mee]-Led a coup in 383 and was Kraljiki for three days. Forcibly removed, he would be imprisoned for almost two decades in the Bastida, and there would write poetry that would long survive his death.
Maria III -Kraljica of Nessantico from 219-237
Misco [MEEZ-koh]-The legendary “founder of Brezno.”
Pellin I [PEH-Lihn]-Archigos of the Faith from 114-122.
Selida II [Seh-LEE-dah]-Kraljiki of Nessantico. Finished building the city walls and the Bastida d’Drago.
Sveria I [seh-VERH-ee-ah]-Kraljiki of Nessantico 179-211. The Secession War occupied nearly all his reign. He finally brought Firenzcia fully into the Holdings.
SNIPPETS FROM THE “NESSANTICO CONCORDIA”
(4th Edition, Year 642)
Family Names in the Holdings:
Within Nessantico, lineage follows the matrilineal line. A husband might, in rare cases, retain his own family name (especially if it were considered higher in status than his wife’s), but the wife can never take his name. In the vast majority of cases, however, the husband will legally take on his wife’s family name, thus becoming a member of that family in the eyes of Nessantico law-the husband will continue to bear that name and be considered to be part of that family even upon the death of his spouse, unless and until he remarries and thus acquires his new wife’s name. (Divorces and annulments are rare in Nessantico, requiring the signature of the Archigos, and each divorce is a special situation where the rules are sometimes fluid.) Children are, without exception, given the mother’s family name: “One always is certain of the mother,” as the saying goes in Nessantico.
The prefix to a family name can change, depending on the relative status of the immediate family within Nessantico society. The prefixes, in order of rising status, are: • none • ce’ (keh) • ci’ (kee) • cu’ (koo) • ca’ (kah).
One of the functionary roles of the Kralji was to sign the official family rolls every three years wherein the prefixes are recorded, though the Kraljiki or Kraljica rarely determined any changes personally; that was the role of the bureaucracy within Nessantico known as the Gardes a’Liste.
Thus, it is possible that the husband or wife of the ci’Smith family might gain status in some manner and be awarded a new prefix by the Gardes a’Liste. Husband, wife, their children and any surviving maternal parents thus become cu’Smith, but brothers, sisters, and any cousins would remain ci’Smith.
Royalty Succession Within The Holdings:
Various countries within the Holdings, not surprisingly given the variance of customs, have various rules of succession within their societies. This is especially true when those countries are independently ruled. For instance, in East Magyaria, the closest male relative of the previous ruler who is also not a direct child of that ruler is named as the successor. However, with the ascension of Nessantico and the Holdings, those countries within Nessantico’s influence tend to follow the lead of the Kralji.
For the royal families of Nessantico, title succession is normally to the Kralji’s children by birth order regardless of gender. However, it is possible for the Kralji to legally designate a favorite child as the heir and bypass earlierborn children, if the Kralji deems them unfit to rule or if for some reason they fall out of favor. This is an uncommon occurrence, though hardly rare throughout history. For the Kralji, it means that his or her children will tend to curry favor so as to remain in good graces or perhaps to unseat one of their brothers or sisters from being named the a’Kralj.
The Ilmodo and Spellcasting:
Some people have the ability to sense the power that exists all around us: the invisible potent energy of the Second World that surrounds us. In the Nessantico-controlled regions of the world, usage of magic has always been linked to religious faith, all the way back into prehistory. The myth of Cenzi extends deep into the historical mist, and it is the followers of Cenzi who have always possessed the power to manipulate the Ilmodo through chants and hand-motions.
The chanting that binds the power of the Ilmodo is the “Ilmodo language” that all acolyte teni are taught. The Ilmodo language actually has its linguistic roots in the speech of the Westlands, though neither those of the Concenzia Faith nor the Numetodo realized that for centuries. Those of the Westlands also take power from the Second World via the instrument of religion, though through a different god and mythology, and they have their own name for the Ilmodo: X’in Ka
The Numetodo have taken the most recent path to this power: not through faith at all, but essentially by making a “science” of magic. The cult of the Numetodo first arose in the late 400s, originally from the Isle of Paeti, and spread mostly west and south from there, sometimes reacting violently with the culture of Nessantico and the Concenzia Faith.
However the power is gained, there is a necessary “payment” for spell use: using spells costs the wielder physically; the greater the effect, the higher the cost in exhaustion and weariness for the caster.
