| Isle of Havre | |
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Loyalty: |
Duchy of the Ashen Coast (allied) |
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Population: |
Human (majority) |
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Theater of Operations: |
Laffi (House of Laffitte/Lance Sanglante) |
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Leader: |
Viscountess Coralie Laffitte |
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Lordship: |
Viscounty of Havre |
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Status: |
Active. |
The Isle of Havre or simply just Havre is an island that was once part of the Tirassian archipelago. Having been abandoned by Kul Tiras following the death of Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, Havre was isolated from the world for years. Holding their banners of the naval kingdom, they eventually struck them down in favor of Gilneas after the removal of the Order of the Blood Wrought from their lands, only to raise them back up later on. The people of the island speak their own language, not Tirassi, but instead Havrei.
History
The Isle of Havre was one of many islands conquered by the Empire of Arathor during its sea expeditions. Formed with one of the many island dukes, Havre followed Arathor's word faithfully until the insurrection of Kul Tiras. Arriving on Havre armed, the Havreians agreed to secede from Arathor and join Kul Tiras peacefully, in exchange for keeping their government. Agreed upon easily, the Tirassians left and the House of Laffitte was named Count of Havre.
For many years, Havre was isolated as one of the furthest islands in the archipelago. As a result, a sub culture of their own was bred on the island. Due to the enormous amount of luxuries on the island, many of the people of the isle grew into a life of excess and eventually debauchery. Morals took second seat to the pleasures of life and hedonism, resulting in many of the cities flourishing.
Of this formed four key cities. The city of Turva, which was famed for silk and its vast vineyards, the city of Laffi, the largest port and most prosperous due to the Golden Fields from which the entire island obtained its food, the city of Kryti, the third largest port that made significant trade with the port-less Turva and exported Emeralds and the jewel of Nutour, the second largest port that sold pearls and blue colored diamonds from their hills.
Of the four cities, Nutour and Laffi prospered the most, with Nutour barely behind Laffi. Unfortunately, an extreme storm hit the isle and particularly Nutour devastatingly. Wiping out half of the city's populace, the ocean water flooded and wracked the eastern portion of the isle; covering its lands with water and destroying all of the diamond mines. Flooding the region irreparably, the hills of Nutour were turned into a torrid swamp and the city never recovered, going from the second richest to the slum of the island. Where diamonds and pearls once stood, prostitution and drug rings quickly took their place as the desolate people of the city searched for whatever comfort they could find.
Havre's history past the destruction of Nutour is relatively unremarkable, with the various nobility of Havre shifting in and out aside from the House of Deleon and the House of Laffitte, who rivaled with one another. The Deleons, the house in charge of Turva, had taken control of Havre several times in its history, only for the Laffittes to eventually take it back. As a result, the lords of Nutour and Kryti often sided with one or the other, paying the price when their favored lord lost.
Blood-Wrought's Arrival
Havre's scope changed after the Third War. Isolated from the rest of the world, it became a happily cloistered island that kept its self busy with its own delights. When the Order of the Blood Wrought arrived, however, all changed. The Order, at first, only busied its self with keeping the peace and training the populace's guards better, spreading word of the ravenous wolf men known as Worgen that had supposedly aided with the decimation of humanity in the north. Over time, the Blood Wrought amassed enough money and the favor of the House of Laffitte to create a home of their own, the Bloodgate. Housed within an abandoned fortress near central Havre, the Order expanded it until it encompassed the entire entrance into the Laffi valley. From here, they began to speak word of their god, the Blood-Father, and his rituals. Over time, the Order began to recruit from all four cities, gaining significant clout. Though at first this was of no worry due to their close connection to the Laffittes, Otto became progressively more and more difficult to handle and radical in his goals. Finally, when the Blood Wrought had become one of the most powerful organizations, the Laffittes feared for their power. Seeking to assassinate Otto Gorminstein, Edwin Laffitte sent his best men to dismantle the leadership of the Alteraci order. Instead, the would-be assassin's heads were returned to him.
In a brutal display, Gorminstein and his men slaughtered most of the House of Laffitte aside from the youngest daughter, Coralie Laffitte, and took over Laffi entirely. From there, Blood-father worship grew exponentially, with Otto becoming close to the House of Deleon. As the Blood Wrought became dictators, a splinter group formed from Havreians who were disgusted, some of them former Blood Wrought. This group, The Bastion, became a voice for the disgruntled middle class and merchants who had fallen from grace as their funds were taken from them. A third group also arose in the chaos, the Lance Sanglante, a group made of mostly the impoverished of Nutour, led by Coralie herself. The group sought to restore the Laffittes to power and to see themselves elevated to a better lot in life. The final group, the Ombragee, rose from within Otto's own ranks. The now empowered nobility and court of Havre had sought to remove Otto to return a non-dictator rule and allow themselves full control. Led by Artein Deleon, they carried out their goals in secret.
The Ombragee benefited from the Deleon's ruling of Turva, easily establishing themselves on the island. However, not all groups were as fortunate, the Lance Sanglante and the Bastion were unable to properly root themselves on the main isle due to significant Blood Wrought control and seated themselves on the shield islands, Bastion and Spear. With all three groups unaffiliated with each other for various reasons, they all vied for control of the isle with no effect; as Blood Wrought control was too thick. All of this changed, however, after the Blood Wrought began to attack the rebuilding Kingdom of Gilneas, namely, the Ashen Coast. Failing to properly dismantle the Ashen Coast leadership, the Gilneans launched a massive invasion on Havre, taking over the two shield islands and making contact with the Lance Sanglante and the Bastion. Allying quickly with Jean De'matrise of the Bastion and later Coralie Laffitte, the group took command of the impoverished Nutour, placing it under the command of Lady Coralie. As time went on, it was revealed that Coralie and Jean had a history together, and not one of well tidings. Formerly betrothed, Jean had committed some sort of treason to Coralie and was vehemently opposed to her coming to power, despite having reportedly been the one who saved her life.
The group then sent Jean's men into Kryti after Nutour was secure, having him subvert the populace against the Blood Wrought while the Blades held off the Alteraci attempts to dismantle their charge. Jean's status as an affluent merchant and his deep rooted connections paid off significantly, laying Kryti into the hands of the Gilnean forces under his command. With the Blood Wrought's control slowly faltering, the Gilneans set forth for the final city not under complete Blood Wrought control, Turva. It was revealed that Jean's significant benefactor had been the Ombragee and that they were using the same powers the Blood Wrought used to aid them. It was then further revealed that the Ombragee spearheaded the attack that slaughtered the Laffitte family, leaving Coralie deeply jaded against them. After she'd discovered Jean's involvement with them, her relationship with him soured significantly. Willing to betray his benefactors for the benefit of Havre, Jean led the Gilneans to the Ombragee who offered to join the growing coalition under them. However, this soon came into clash with Coralie's beliefs. Having stated prior to the Gilneans leaving for Turva she would never work with the Ombragee -and- Jean at the same time, she threatened to leave the coalition if they brought the people who slaughtered her family into the fold. Jean, on the other hand, had no qualms with allying with them, even if Coralie left. Ultimately, the group met with Artein Deleon, the head of House Deleon, and he presented his offer. As the technical count of Havre, Deleon held no true power while Otto controlled the Blood Wrought. Wishing for them dismantled, Deleon offered to marry Coralie as well to end the Laffitte-Deleon rivalry, by forcing her to bare his heir in his name rather than hers. The group ultimately declined the Ombragee's offer, turning them hostile. Fighting through forces akin to the blood seekers and reavers of the Blood Wrought, they found Artein channeling a devastating spell that he claimed would wipe their coalition out so he might take command of it. Interrupting the spell, the Gilneans were placed into a stasis state as the spell malfunctioned, killing the Ombragee and taking out a large portion of Turva.
For a month, the Gilneans remained in stasis as their allies and what remained of their own forces revitalized Turva, rebuilding it with Gilnean architecture and placing it in the hands of the Blades under the name of Greywall. At the same time, their coalition finished a pass through the Turvian marsh, leading them straight into the Laffi valley where the Blood Wrought hauled up to defend. When the spell ended after a month's time, the Gilneans groggily were informed of what had transpired, and how their own lands were attacked during the chaos. Thanks to the return of Lord Adrian Gregor, the Ashen Coast held a decent amount of control during the riots and attempt to over throw power within the lands that were fueled by the Blood Wrought. With the riots handled at home, the Blades continued on to finish what they had started on Havre.
As the Gilneans continued onward into Laffi, they found the Golden Fields barren and blood staining much of the ground. It was found that much of Laffi's populace had been turned into a blood farm, draining them of their vital fluid until some could not take it anymore. Moving quickly to liberate them and end the Blood Wrought, the coalition was captured and several of their troupe nearly executed in a ritualistic sacrifice to summon the Blood Father. Interrupted by the arrival of the military forces of the Gilnean coalition, Otto and his men desperately tried to prevent the ritual from failing. Ultimately, the ritual did fail, revitalizing those who were nearly sacrificed and bringing Otto into combat. Otto was unable to prevent himself from being defeated and retreated with his men off of Havre to Blutgericht, where the Blades ultimately cornered and defeated him there as well.
Under Gilneas
Havre was handed off to Coralie Laffitte, despite Jean's disgruntlement towards this. As a show of thanks to the Bastion, Jean was made governor of Kryti and Thomas Balamont DeFortiere as governor of Greywall. To further the loyalty of Laffitte, Thomas was then betrothed to Coralie. Swearing an oath of loyalty to Gilneas and the Ashen Coast, Havre suffered a loss in prestige as it was placed as a Viscounty instead of an Earldom, but was free once more.
Currently
After several months of rebuilding and prosperity, Viscountess Coralie was contacted by the Tirassians for her succession from the Kingdom. Seeking to avoid pressure from the Tirassians upon her isle in its poor state, she worked out a number of agreements, one of which was placing Havre back under Tirassian control. Remaining in close tie with the Ashen Coast, Coralie nullified her marriage as per one of the agreements but retained that Greywall stay in Gilnean hands as a pseudo-embassy.