The Full Story
The kingdom of Arthe
We were always here. We have always been here. Fantasy, history, reality. We have always been here. Write our stories out of history. Pretend we have no place in fantasy. We have always been here.
The kingdom of Arthe blends history with fantasy, future and science fiction to show what has always been true ... WE WERE ALWAYS HERE.
The Arthe stories were written many years ago and while some were lost, some were stolen and others died on a cloud that no longer exists. They are being rewritten and updated and hopefully I will have them completed this year.
The Kingdom of Arthe in Pictures
A concise, pictorial chronology of the lands, histories and peoples of the kingdom of Arthe.
Re-Publishing on my Patreon
Spring of 2025
artherule
An orphan finds herself the only heir to a kingdom at war. A war took her family away from her, and a war brought her back to her throne while still very young. Fear and disillusionment make it difficult for Aru to toe the lines that are constantly being drawn and then re-drawn for her and she fights to govern and learn ways that will bind her people together rather than continue to keep them apart.
COMING TO RAKUTEN KOBO
CHRISTMAS 2025
kartugarthe
While still seeking the knowledge she needs to rule well, Aru finds wells of power within herself and is taught to hone these powers by the seers on Arthe’s holy mountain. Bringing the interminable civil war to an end by mating with the son of a neighboring ruler and joining their strength to that of Arthe, Aru had no idea that this act alone would inflame the jealousy and anger in the lands to the south of Arthe … Kartugarthe. Their leader, Emperor Chauwma, relished in the discord and chaos of the northern kingdoms and encouraged the fighting in order to continue to steal from their southernmost lands.
By seeking alliances where she can, Aru manages to win some peace for her people. A peace that Chauwma regularly threatens. When he can no longer foment infighting, he begins to make incursions farther north with intent to create the havoc he seeks. With barely a season of peace under their belts, Arthians find themselves constantly defending their lands to the south against a people willing to destroy everything in their path.
COMING TO RAKUTEN KOBO
CHRISTMAS 2025
spirit of kartugarthe
Vire San finds a new life and a new purpose as consort to the queen of Arthe and makes it his mission to end the new war with their neighbor to the south. Every delegation he sends is returned in pieces, every message he sends is ignored, and every day brings more stories of destruction and refugees fleeing north. Against Aru’s judgement, Vire San makes a visit to the border to see if he can get a meeting with the Kartugarthe leader, emperor Chauwma. What he finds out sends him hurrying home with renewed hope. He sees a new way to end the war that might bring all of the clans together.
candoleigh
The seers of Simii Orie had joined Aru to the youngest son of the northern kingdom in the hopes of cementing a lasting peace. Somehow this backfired on Arthe and the seers. Tosco had hoped to gain more control over Arthe without sacrificing his older sons. He had hoped for lands and wealth and instead found himself invited to assist them in fighting Kartugarthe to the south. This did not sit well with the ruler and Vire San found himself having to choose between his new kingdom and his old family home.
the secrets of simii orie
The sacred mountain fortress on Simii Orie had been established centuries before the nations had formed their borders. The daajiin seers held the memories of when each of the clans were small families huddling over their individual fires. Sending their brightest young people to the fortress for training and sending what wealth they had in return for magic and favors, the clans grew and prospered and became villages, towns and kingdoms. The seers on Simii Orie had kept the history of the region, written on the mountain wall above the shrine. No one who wasn’t an inhabitant of the fortress was ever allowed to enter … until now. The world was changing quickly and Aru needed what they could give her. The seers had decided that now was the time to share some of their secrets with the rulers of Arthe.
rhyghune
After one tropical storm too many, the leaders of the island nation of Rhyghune decide that they need to investigate the mainland and see what they can find to help their families back at home. They make landfall in Kartugarthe and are met with hostility. They are fierce warriors but are quickly outnumbered and taken to the ruler of Kartugarthe. He is impressed with them and offers them provisions if they will help them fight Arthe. The Rhyghune warriors know nothing about Arthe and agree. Sending home for more fighters, they are given provisions to as a good faith payment and happily join the Kartugarthe ranks.
rhyghune's revenge
Unknown to the delegation that landed in Kartugarthe, another group had met up with some fishing Arthians on the island at the base of Simii Orie. They told the fishermen of their being depleted by several natural disasters and were given half of the fishermen’s catch with the promise of more assistance if they would venture to the capital and request aid of their queen. The fishermen assured them that their queen was the most benevolent ruler Arthe had crowned in ages and the Rhyghune refugees return home to be met by their brothers that had made a different deal with the Karthugarthe emperor. Now they had to decide which side of the war they wanted to be on.
urgone's find
By chance learning the history of Moiyna and Aru, Urgone believes that there might finally be some hope to end his own misery. His entire life had been a sham, hiding and lying. He was tired of it. Shedding his clothing in exchange for the robes of an elderly woman, Urgone travels by night from his home in Pritiki, across the rivers and channels and attempts to hire a fishing boat to take him to Simii Orie. He is captured as he attempts to breach the fortress and is taken to the queen of Arthe at Ruue where he finds solace for his misery and is invited to Simii Orie to hone his power, where he finally finds his place.
the conquest of dimitii rhine
Aru enlists Urgone’s assistance in trying to unite the tribes, clans and families at a meeting in Savon. Word comes that Kartugarthe and Rhyghune are advancing on the river at the mouth of the Dimitti Rhine and Aru tells Vire Manse and Vire San that they must gather the armies that they have been training. Many of the clans feel that a fight will be useless and wish to try to negotiate with Chauwma of Kartugarthe. No one wants to battle in the confines of the Rhine.
the return of artherule
Urgone has a dream from history and he and Panhel convince the three greatest houses to band together and create a book of codes to rule the kingdom with. Aru is elected to rule the entirety. Vire San decides to remain by her side and demands that Tosco promise fealty to the throne of Arthe in order to remain in power in his own homeland. Commanding such a fierce combined army, Tosco doesn’t argue and bends a knee to Aru.
the life of partii
A delegation from Earlie, near the border between lower Arthe and kartugarthe brings a gift to the queen. It is a book. A beautifully decorated book. A book of travel. A book that details lands that were far outside of the borders of Arthe. Lands that no one had ever seen or heard of. Aru asks them where they found the book and are told that it was given to them by a woman being held prisoner in Cano. A woman who told them that she was a seer of Arthe. Things were finally calming down with Kartugarthe. No one wanted to re-ignite a war with their southern neighbor. But they had to find out about the author of this book. Sending for elders to counsel, Aru is told Partii’s story. A seer, born of a seer, born of a seer, born of the first seer, Aru and Vire San are convinced that they needed to secure Partii’s release at all cost.
the destruction of simii orie
While studying the memoirs of Partii, the seers on Simii Orie are attacked and all but three of them are slaughtered, artifacts destroyed and the book stolen. Partii had been in Ruue with Aru and Vire San when it happened. Those that escaped to the mainland were unsure who had been able to breech the fortress but felt that there were Southerners and Kartugarthians among them. Partii was pretty sure they were from Kartugarthe. Vire Manse took part of the army to Simii Orie to re-take the citadel while Vire San took his army south to pursue clues that they might have come from Cano and had something to do with the capture of the daajiin Partii. And since her travel memoirs had been taken, they were believed to be the main motivation behind the attack. Half way through Dimitti Rhine, Vire San was met by a rag tag group of Kartugarthian villagers rushing towards them and warning them of a great army that had eaten right through all of their defenses and was traveling this way. Fearing a Kartugarthian trick, Vire San had the villagers taken to the queen under guard and continued on through the Rhine. Crossing the Dimitti river, they once more meet up with Kartugarthians. This time, an entire army column led by Chauwma’s consort Dwa. She said that Chauwma had fallen in battle and sent her to return the book to Aru. Something about this book was important enough to imprison a woman for many moons, to desecrate the temple fortress at Simii Orie, and for Chauwma to fight to the death to protect Dwa’s escaping with it. Vire San wanted to know what that something was.
the division filled
The fighting was long and hard, but the combined forces were able to demolish the rebellion in Kartugarthe and regain control of their government. Dwa admitted to murder and was sentenced to penance at the temple on Simii Orie for the remainder of her life. Aru traveled to kartugarthe to investigate what caused Dwa and the army to go against Chauwma. Partii translated parts of her memoirs to describe the lands and the peoples to the south and east of Arthe and Kartugarthe. She fears that her travels into their lands brought Arthe to the interest of those in the kingdoms on the other side of the Suwathee mountain range. Vire San called all of the armies of the three lands together and entreated them to fight together under Aru’s banner. The leaders knelt to the throne. The three kingdoms united for the new battle.
we were always here
Shoring up their defenses at all known opening passes through the Suwathee mountains, monitoring the overhaul of Kartugarthe as well as aid and rebuilding in Rhyghune and their holy citadel, the capital of Arthe is pulled in many directions. Capturing spies from the other side of the mountains, the Arthians learn much about their neighbors that is disturbing. These were a people very different from any in the three kingdoms. They are told that their lands will be annexed and stripped of their resources to serve foreign kings. United as they hadn’t been in centuries, the whole of the three kingdoms prepares for the fight of their lives.
Under the two moons of Arthe, magic flows, drums resonate and warring is a way of life. Can an orphan child and an immigrant bring the three kingdoms together against their enemies?