Location: Ramez, Duchy of Atansha, Kingdom of Tildor
Date: Feb 2048
Founded in the early summer of 2046, Ramez was a growing town on the eastern shores of the continent of Anzac. With just over a thousand people, Ramez was small, rough, and even a tad provincial. They called the main valley and surrounding lands Atansha, or Pleasant Home. Atansha was part of Tildor, a kingdom that took its name from the great plains of grass that separated the far-flung cities on its edges. Tildor literally meant 'grass.' The duchy lay on the northeastern-most part of the great plains the comprised the kingdom, situated at the easternmost foothills of the continent-spanning Skyreach Mountains.
Royce Moramorian was Duke of Atansha. With him were his two wives, Susan and Charlotte Ann, the eldest two children of Dobson and Gale Starshine of Starshine. All three of them were namesakes, that is, they were named after existing adults. Royce's first name was Caernach – which was Irish for soldier – and Royce was named after his father, Prince Caernach. However, no one ever called him by his first name, not even his parents. Susan was named after her aunt. Charlotte Ann was named after Princess Charlotte, Royce's birth mother.
Royce and the two sisters had been lovers only a few months before their marriage. However, they had known each other since infancy and had attended elementary and secondary school together. While neither he nor the sisters were passionately in love with the other, they did have friendship, family, a long history, and a good idea of each other's character and temperament – all factors to making a good match. When he had proposed, Royce explained he admired them, and that with time, they could even grow to fall in love with each other.
After several days of discussion, Susan and Charlotte Ann agreed. Even though she was eldest, Charlotte Ann insisted that Susan be First Wife, as the dark-haired warrior was decidedly not interested in "kitchens or laundry." With a great deal of fanfare, the marriages were held in Tildor's capital city of Sharaton-Charlottesville.
At one hundred and eighty centimeters, Royce was nearly as tall as his father, Prince Caernach Moramorian. Both men had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes, strong chins and handsome faces. Prince Caernach sported a handle-bar mustache, while Royce was almost always clean-shaven, though sometimes he wore a short beard. Like his father, Royce was trained both as a holy knight of the church and as a wilderness ranger.
Susan had the height of her father, General Dobson Starshine of Sharshine, being just eight centimeters shorter than Royce. Her skin was light, lighter than either of her parents, with intelligent, hazel eyes, and her hair was pale blonde, straight -- and even braided, it hung to her bottom. A high priestess of the Lawgiver, Susan was strong and fit. Her breasts were full enough to fill a hand, she was narrow of waist, and had wide hips.
Charlotte Ann had her mother's frame, and though taller her mother, at one hundred sixty eight centimeters, was shorter than Susan. Charlotte Ann's hair was dark brown, and her eyes were a dark, smokey blue. Like Susan, her breasts were full without being large. However, her frame was narrower and leaner, and well-suited to her vocation as a warrior. Like Royce, she was trained as a wilderness ranger and had completed several courses at the military college in the capital. Even after her marriage into house Moramorian, Charlotte Ann wore a string of lapis lazuli and gold beads in the clan pattern of Starshine of Starshine in her hair. Charlotte Ann was extremely proud of her father and her family. Though it was within his rights, Royce took no issue with the bead pattern, especially since she wore his House arms on her clothing.
All three had had a strong liberal arts education overseen by the demanding Dr. Shalia Elvaraë, one of the most famous sages on the continent of Anzac. Each of them spoke at least three languages fluently, were trained in hand-to-hand combat -- Royce and Charlotte Ann taking it to expert and beyond -- and after graduating, each had completed the year-long Nobles College in the capital.
During their journey to Atansha, Charlotte Ann proved an able lieutenant to Royce and a canny military commander. After two months of travel they arrived in mid-June, scouted out the land, and began building.
Ramez, the main city of Atansha, was some fifteen kilometers inland from the eastern seashore. Royce and his wives had seriously considered a nearby sheltered harbor for their city, but the discovery of both gold and iron in substantial quantities, as well as the adjacent large and fertile valley motivated them to build inland, closer to the mines and croplands. A seaport could come later. Farms and orchards were planted, herds of horses and cattle set to graze, and with the mines, a smelter and foundry were built. Magical filters were designed to combat the harsh smoke of the factories, and druids were employed to keep the forests replenished, as the smelter, foundry, and growing town all demanded fuel in great quantities.
In the two years since arriving and establishing themselves, Ramez had suffered dozens of attacks, seven of them being significant. Two were raids by Melcotian pirates, coming down from the north. The first pirate sortie had been a single ship with almost a hundred armed men. The second attack, less than a year later, had involved three ships carrying over five hundred buccaneers. Fortunately, Charlotte Ann's active patrols gave them advanced warning, and the enemy was dealt with both times with minimal losses to the duchy.
In between the two sea-borne raid were assaults by hostile humanoids, determined to destroy their city. Two were by the Cloven Skull orc tribe, and the last was launched by the Razorbacks, a tribe of hobgoblins. Very quickly, a vigorous watch system was maintained along the northern, northwestern, and western approaches to Ramez.
To their surprise, they discovered they had neighbors several days ride to their northwest. Little Pine Hill was a small enclave of celtic and nordic humans and storm giants. Royce took an immediate liking to John Stark, their leader, and in a short while, trade and defense treaties were signed.
In between pirates and humanoids came a large raiding party from Sslandah, a city of ophidians, a race of xenophobic reptilian humanoids living some distance north of Ramez. Their poisonous bite had proved a nasty surprise. The healing powers of Susan and several of her subordinate priests were immensely helpful. In the end, the ophidians, too, were defeated.
The last and most recent attack was the sudden arrival of three forest dragons. Drawn by word of gold, they accounted for their worst casualties thus far, both in people and in livestock. Royce killed one dragon single-handedly, and had delivered the killing blow to another. The third had only been taken by a combined assault by two companies of determined pikemen and a third of archers, many of whom perished in the fight. In all, they had lost nearly a thousand people in two years, and two-thirds of those by the dragons. It was a devastating loss of life to their struggling city.
Yet in spite of the attacks, the harsh winters, and trying to build while keeping everyone safe and whole, the city of Ramez was slowly growing. There was money to be made, especially in the mines, and that brought immigrants from other cities in Tildor, and even from other lands.
As First Wife, Susan kept very busy with the duties of running their household, and as a high priestess and most senior member of the church for over a thousand kilometers, she was busy running the temple as well. Trained in administration and canon law, Royce quickly came to depend on her advice on civic matters. For her part, Susan made sure she did her wifely duty four or five times during the week, even if most of them were quickies. If she were really pressed for time, she would arrive, give Royce a few kisses, suck on him until he exploded in her mouth, and after licking him clean, dash off. Royce, knowing she had obligations just as he did, let it go. The simple fact that she cared enough and tried to keep him satisfied meant a lot to him. Most nights found her stumbling to bed, or Royce retrieving her from some chair where she'd fallen asleep at her work.
It was during their first winter that Royce informed Susan of a change in their routines. Once a week they would have a day off, a day for them to spend together. "We have to take time for ourselves," Royce insisted, "taking time to be together." On those days, Royce almost always started the morning with his face between Susan's legs, with her coming until she could barely stand it, then he'd ride her until he came at least twice. Afterward, they could work on whatever projects took their fancy, though it was mostly to allow Susan to recuperate. However, the rule was they had to be together. And during the day, they would make love several more times. The night in bed involved a lot of holding and talking together, and not always ending in sex. Susan quickly came to enjoy their time together a great deal.
As much as the schedule changes chaffed during these so-called days off, Susan appreciated that he, too, was trying to strengthen their relationship, that in the building of their home they didn't neglect each other. Too, she found that she truly enjoyed sex with him, even the quick encounters, as much for the pleasure she gave him as for the intimate contact. Royce had a strong sex drive, and his inherited ability to regenerate meant that he could have sex for hours, ejaculate several times during that time, and not lose his erection. Even though sometimes it was hard to put her legs together without healing magic after their "day off," Susan found she didn't mind. His desire for her was real, and she came to value that as the compliment that it was. Of course, some days, she was just as horny as Royce.
Royce saw Charlotte Ann much less often. As a skilled warrior and tactician, she spent many days at a time patroling their lands and protecting their people. After their first major battle, Royce appointed her officially as his second in command and as Lord Marshal. The soldiers liked and respected her. Whenever she returned from patrol, Royce debriefed her with his advisors, then in private, helped her clean off the sweat and grime from her travels in the bath. Most of the time she didn't make it out of the water before he was inside her. Usually by dawn the next morning, Charlotte Ann was out with the next patrol, and she would be gone for the next week or ten days.
By the second year out in the wilderness, they finished the second level of the manor, and began work on the third story.
About that time, Royce informed Charlotte Ann he needed her to help oversee more of the training, especially for their scouts. Royce hoped that it would also help give him more time with his second wife. She accepted the task without comment, but by her manner, he knew she wasn't happy with the change. Shortly after, Charlotte Ann added her own change to their relationship.
Next to the master bedroom on the second floor was a large indoor bathroom with both hot and cold running water, indoor toilets, a large open shower area and a huge hot tub with adjustable water jets. The cost had been enormous. Royce paid forty thousand gold royals for the enchantments on the pipes alone, and as much on the filters to purify the water coming in and going out. No longer did baths require a dozen people bringing hot water from the first floor. Though a rare event, the three of them could easily fit into the large tub with room to spare. Susan loved their completed bathroom, and made use of it every morning, and after a long day, in the evening as well. Royce considered the way it made them all feel and judged the expense worthwhile.
