The Lions' Feast

The Lion's Feast was a civil war from 153 A.K. to 158 A.K. between King Kayne Carlysle I and his nephew and the rightful king, Keith Carlysle. Their siblings played critical roles in the civil war.

Prelude
When King Kurtis Carlysle I became very ill, his rightful son, Keith, was prepared for the coronation. The Hall of a Thousand Tears was prepared and everyone was ready, when Kayne Carlysle broke into the Hall with his supporters and forced his way through the crowd. He succeeded and sat on the throne. With his large amount of supporters and soldiers, they had no choice but to accept him as their ruler. Kurtis died shortly after, and Kayne was Scaeptre's new king.

Exile of the Siblings
All this infuriated many people, but, surprisingly, most of the nobles took Kayne's side. Among the supporters and opposers were the many siblings of Kurtis and Kayne. Caela of course helped Kayne and even became his most trusted advisor. Trystan and Thessa sided with their nephew, and Calysta followed her sister Caela, with whom she was the closest. Kayne's first order of business was to remove all of his major opposers from the city, if not from the realm. He banished Keith, his mother Hadara, Trystan, and Thessa. Together, they were given one ship to sail to wherever they liked, only the Capital and Cape Royale were excluded.

At Seawharf View
Having two people aboard who ruled in the Bow, Hadara and Trystan, they set sail for the river's mouth. They eventually reached it at the start of 154 A.K., after sailing in heavy storms and getting lost a few times. The town at the entrance to the sea, Seawharf View, was where they could finally get some rest. They were received like heroes by the people, for they heard what had happened and the Bow supported Keith via Trystan, of course. The party was housed in the little castle and they were properly fed, bathed, and clothed. Lord Walsney told them how Kayne's reign had come along. He told them there were riots and revolts all over the kingdom, and that Kayne was struggling. Keith decided it was now or never to strike, and he asked for a host to safely lead them to Arrowton, where Trystan could offer them a small fleet and army.

At Arrowton
Once again they were received like heroes, for the smallfolk in Arrowton believed their lord had perished at sea. Trystan took his seat and from the town they prepared their invasion of the Capital. This proved to be difficult, as the Bow had suffered a tough winter, and many had died. The harvest had been a bad one as well, so Trystan's men were weak. For another year Keith and Trystan pondered together with Hadara and Thessa, while Kayne stabilized his position as king.

At the Capital
While half of his family was struggling in the east, Kayne had tripled the watch in the city and things slowly became more organized and calm. His sisters had helped him a lot, mostly Caela. Kayne received the nobles' trust after ruling justly and wisely for over a year. Most of them did not miss Keith, Hadara, Trystan or Thessa and preferred the three other siblings. When word came from Arrowton that Trystan had returned with his siblings and sister-in-law, Kayne appointed new titles to his little sisters. He named Caela Lady of the Claw, as she was the eldest sibling of the king, and appointed the title of Lady of the Bow to Calysta. They both travelled to their towns and Kayne remained in the Capital with Lord Eugan Carey as his main advisor.

The Massacre outside Tyranfort
Having arrived on the Claw, Caela was immediately escorted across the island toward what was now her town and seat, Tyranfort. About a hundred soldiers protected her on the Claw's Way, which was filled with little villages and people. When she approached the gates, farmers and Kurtis loyalists gathered around them and closed all them in. Caela Carlysle realised she was in trouble, and instinctly commanded her men to kill all who would seek to kill her. That day outside Tyranfort, over three hundred men and women were brutally killed at Caela's command. When the people inside the harbour saw what had happened, they let her through out of fear. Caela settled in the castle safely, but at night she would never feel safe again.

Calysta's Conquest
King Kayne sent his younger sister, Calysta Carlysle, to claim her seat at Arrowton. She took three thousand men and marched east, where Trystan would await her. Kayne had also commanded her to seize Keith, Hadara, and Thessa and send them back to the Capital, where they would be punished accordingly. In 156 A.K., Calysta reached Arrowton and broke down the walls. The strength were mere hundreds, and the castle was breached quickly. Calysta broke into the seat's hall and found Trystan on his humble throne. He was killed quite easily, for it was many against one, and Calysta claimed the throne of Arrowton. But where had Keith, Hadara, and Thessa gone?

Sisters Clash
Caela tried to establish peace on the Claw, but many more of Keith's supporters appeared on the island, and it seemed like there was nothing to be done. She grew restless and often wandered around the castle, with many guards out of fear. Anxiety overcame Caela, and Kayne did not seem to help her in any way. When she woke up one night to the sound of tolling bells, Caela knew something was finally, truly amiss. The walls had been breached and a large group of common men and women were storming through the town. Caela found her courage and took her sword outside, where she found her younger sister Thessa on the castle's porch. All made way for them to clash and the sound of their swords meeting filled the night air. Thessa came out on top with the help of the common folk and named Keith Lord of the Claw. This secured Keith's rule on the Claw, while Kayne now ruled the Capital and the Bow.

Grief in the Castles
The Capital did not see their king for quite a while after the death of Caela. Kayne had heard and stayed in his chambers for months, while Keith prepared and strengthened his claim and army. Lord Carey tried reassuring his king, but Kayne only kept blaming himself for the death of his sister. His soldiers grew restless and feared for what was coming from the Claw. In the meanwhile, Calysta had the same experiences in Arrowton. Caela had been her best friend for her entire life, and now she was gone. She blamed herself for seperating their ways and leaving Caela. Later however, when she had recovered and Kayne had not, she came to her senses. She realised it was Kayne who seperated them and who had not protected Caela.

The Carlysle Battle
The eventual conclusion to the civil war finally came in 158 A.K., when Keith sailed his fleet toward the Capital, like his forefather Tyran Carlysle I had done over 150 years before him. But this was not one family against the other, this was Carlysle against Carlysle. Keith landed and what was later called the Carlysle Battle began. He fought bravely like the man he was named for, but it did not seem enough. The strength of the Capital overpowered the entire strength of the island of the Claw and they were pushed back. Thessa led the vanguard and they met Lord Eugan Carey at the Eagle's Eyrie. Thessa met with him, and one of the last of James' children was killed and trampled. The sound of yet another horn did not please Keith. He saw Calysta Carlysle entering the city without anyone stopping her. She forced the enemy inside the castle, where Kayne waited on one side and Calysta on the other. Keith was surrounded and hopeless. Calysta took her place by her brother's side, but quickly moved behind his back and stabbed him in the back. She shook her nephew's hand and together they won the battle, and the war.

Aftermath
Keith placed himself on the throne and was crowned King of Scaeptre, and Keith Carlysle II, a few days later. At first, he did not completely trust Calysta, but the last of James Carlysle I's children proved to be his loyal servant and aunt. Hadara Deepwood took a place in his council as well, and Keith furthered the Carlysle line with Lady Mae Scarlet, whom he met on the Claw. Their son Keith III succeeded him forty years later.