Holy Kingdom of Faerghus

The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is one of three nations on the continent of Fódlan.

Profile
The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus lies in the frigid north of Fódlan, and is ruled by the royal House Blaiddyd and a number of knightly orders. The nation was founded by Loog, the legendary King of Lions, and commemorates its independence every 23rd of the Red Wolf Moon. Its capital city is Fhirdiad, which is also home to a prestigious school of sorcery.

Garreg Mach Monastery in central Fódlan organizes its students into three houses, with each house representing a different nation. Students from the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus are members of the Blue Lions.

History
Originally, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus was part of the Adrestian Empire. In Imperial Year 747, Loog of House Blaiddyd, a direct descendant of one of the Ten Elites of the War of Heroes, led Faerghus in rebellion against the Adrestian Empire in the War of the Eagle and Lion. Loog claimed victory in 751. The Church of Seiros mediated between Faerghus and the Empire, resulting in the creation of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and Loog being crowned its first king.

In 801, the Leicester region also rebelled against the Empire, which was unable to reassert control. The Kingdom intervened by occupying and annexing Leicester as a protectorate. In 861, the three sons of the late King Klaus I divided the Kingdom into three archduchies: the Eastern Kingdom, the Western Kingdom, and Leicester. In 881, upon the death of Leicester's archduke, the nobles of Leicester rejected his heir and launched a second bid for independence upon the instigation of House Riegan. The resulting Crescent Moon War ended in 901 with the nobles of Leicester seceding from Faerghus to form the Leicester Alliance.

In 1101, the Kingdom cooperated with the Empire and the Alliance to construct Fódlan's Locket, a fortress in the mountains of Fódlan's Throat, as a safeguard against further invasions from Almyra.

Around 1160, a plague ravaged the nation and the Queen Consort died shortly after giving birth to Crown Prince Dimitri in 1162. The mage Cornelia gained influence within the royal court after stopping the outbreak. Around 1168, King Lambert, accompanied by his trusted advisor Rodrigue, invaded Sreng and annexed the southern half of the region after the campaign's success. During the Insurrection of the Seven, Patricia von Arundel, the wife of Emperor Ionius IX of the Adrestian Empire, was betrothed to Lambert and did not return to the Empire when her daughter Edelgard departed Faerghus in 1174. Two years later, numerous nobles and royals, including King Lambert, Queen Consort Patricia, and Glenn, Rodrigue's firstborn son, were assassinated; only Dimitri survived. The people of Duscur were blamed for the attack and persecuted for regicide in what became known as the Tragedy of Duscur. The late king's brother, Grand Duke Rufus of Itha, assumed regency over the Kingdom in Dimitri's stead. In 1178, Dimitri distinguished himself by quelling a rebellion in the Kingdom's west.

Locations

 * Arianrhod
 * Charon
 * Conand
 * Fhirdiad (capital)
 * Fraldarius
 * Galatea
 * Gaspard
 * Gautier
 * Gideon
 * Itha
 * Kleiman
 * Magdred
 * Mateus
 * Rhodos Coast
 * Rome
 * Sacred Gwenhmyvar
 * Tailtean Plains
 * Teutates
 * Western Church

Royalty

 * Loog - Founder and first Ruler of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus.
 * Klaus I - Annexing Leicester region to Faerghus. His sons divided the Kingdom into three Archdukedoms after his death.
 * Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd - Ruler of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus until his death in 1176.
 * Rufus - Older brother of Lambert.
 * Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd - Crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Known for his chivalry, it seems a darkness may lurk beneath the surface. House leader of the Blue Lions.
 * Patricia von Arundel - King Lambert's second wife and former empress of the Adrestian Empire.

Nobility

 * Sylvain Jose Gautier
 * Miklan Anschutz Gautier (formerly)
 * Annette Fantine Dominic
 * Ingrid Brandl Galatea
 * Lonato Gildas Gaspard
 * Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius
 * Felix Hugo Fraldarius
 * Gustave Dominic (formerly)

Commoners

 * Dedue Molinaro
 * Mercedes von Martritz
 * Ashe Ubert
 * Cornelia Arnim

Etymology
Faerghus is a variation of the name Fergus; an Irish, Manx and Scottish name meaning "man strength" or "virility". Likely from Fergus mac Róich of the Ulster Cycle.

The locations in Faerghus are likely to reference the Irish Ulster Cycle, Welsh Mabinogion and Arthurian folklore from England. Ferdiad is Cú Chulainn's foster brother from the Ulster Cycle, Arianrhod and Gwydion are siblings from the Mabinogion and Gwenhwyfar is Welsh for Guinivere, the queen of Camelot. Teutates was a Celtic god, now mainly known from the Asterix comics by Goscinny and Uderzo.

Blaiddyd was a legendary Brittonic king whose son Leir was the basis for Shakespeare's King Lear. Leir founded Cair Lerion, now known as the City of Leicester.