View source for Richael ab Harmon

On the 23rd of Quintilis, 282 a child was born to then Prince Iain ab
Harmon and his bride [[Iolaide le Fontaine of Tubor]].  Standing as godfather
was [[Jaccus op Svanfjeld]], the personal bard to the then Queen and present
Dowager, [[Caterana ab Harmon]].  Several years later, the face of the dynasty was to
change when Iain's elder brother passed away and Iain himself become the
Crown Prince and Richael his heir thereafter.  Her upbringing was rather a
secluded one, with Iain keeping Richael from much public interaction with
the nobility or the populace at large.  This changed upon her fifteenth
birthday when she was taken under the wing of [[Saint Paynifier|Dame Paynifier Ahalin]], the
Grand Master of the Knights in Lithmore.  Her study and training shifted
then, from a usual courtly education to swordplay, leadership and military
tactics.  At about this time, she began to be seen more and more about the
city- always under close watch from careful minders, but beginning to
interact with the citizens of Lithmore and to build a rapport.

Celebrating her [[En Passant]] in the year 298 was a bittersweet affair as it
coincided with the [[Harmon Plague|continuing plague]] within Lithmore and the loss of one of
her brothers to said plague.  Her other, younger brother Pieter suffered
from it too, and still survives although he is said to be bookish and weak
and even more sequestered by their father than Richael was in her own
youth.

At this stage, the future for the then Crown Princess could be seen in some
circles as a little undecided, it remained to be seen how well Lithmore
would respond to the prospect of its first female ruler.  This possibility
was only made as a side-effect of King Bran the Great's ruling the Decree
of Sodality, and blood had been shed over the matter in the past.

In her early years as a woman, Richael developed a reputation of being
approachable and friendly to people from most walks of life, a fact that
caused several eyebrows amongst other nobility.  During this time, her
military training with the Knights Lithmorran was often interrupted by the
burdens of rulership that King Iain played upon her shoulders to see how
well she would hold up under the weight.  She seemed to have been doing
well, making wise decisions and gaining the love and respect of many of her
people.

However, in 303, King Iain II began to grow steadily sicker, and was soon
bed bound as illness began to take it's toll on what had been a very fit
body and mind.  On Februarius 16, SC 303, King Iain II nulled the Decree of
Sodality, and thereafter announced that Richael's younger brother, Pieter,
would inherit the throne.  Richael withdrew from the public eye, and her
whereabouts became the subject of rumor and speculation.

The King's death and burial in early SC 304 gave way to Pieter's
coronation, but his reign was short lived under the regency of Bishop Narim
ab Dekarti.  The actions of Richael's disinheritance and the thought of
being ruled by the grasping Regent sparked the seeds of rebellion, with
people the realm over declaring for Richael and for the restoration of the
decree of Sodality.  

She didn't respond or take action at first, as the realm began to fall
apart she sought shelter in Farin and remained there for some time.  But,
on one famous day in the city of Montford in Farin, she stood before the
assembled nobility and declared that she would fight to restore Lithmore
to the vision of Bran the Great, her grandfather.  Along with this, she
declared her betrothal to Duke Cameron of Farin, thereby bringing the most
militarily-strong Duchy behind her cause.  Within three months of this
date, she sat in the throne of her forefathers, as Lithmore's first Queen
by birth.

Half a year after her ascendancy to the throne, the marriage between the
Queen and Duke [[Cameron de Montford]] was held on Quintilis 6, 305, with the
Duke becoming the Consort of the Realm.  Richael has been seen less in the
public eye as when she was the Crown Princess, busy shoring up a realm
still divided by the continuing tremors left by the civil war.  She has
been remarkably forgiving, and many former Regency men have maintained
their positions; although there is still an apparent mild tendency to favor
those that were loyal to her.  This has also seen a strengthening of the
Tubori and Farin factions at the court at the expense of the Vavardi and
Vandagans; both of whom sided with the Regency.  

Near the end of 306, and to coincide with the Yule celebrations, it was
announced that the Queen and her Consort were expecting their first child
and future heir to the throne, finally putting to rest the doubts of many. 

[[Category:History]][[Category:People]]