Novel Title: Broken
Time Setting: 1759†
Genre: Fantasy
Minimum Word Goal: 90,000
Timespan: September 23–29
Locations: Zolotoi, Korolevstvo Oryol, Imperia Severnaya; Molodonoi, Korolevstvo Lebed, Imperia Severnaya
Main Characters: Velikï Gertséog Emil Rudolfovich, Printsesssa Arina Stanislavevna
Background Information:
Seventeen years ago the Malenkï people, who live to the east side of the Imperia Severnaya's long southern border launched a large-scale and vicious attack on the Korolevtsvo Koza immediately north of them that quickly overwhelmed the Kozski troops.
Famed for his skill in war — much less considered the sole reason why the Imperia no longer had wars with the Kochevnyk people to the west of the Malenkï — the Imperskï Korol, husband of the Imperatritséa and father of the Velikï Gertséog, quickly rallied an army of all the available Severnayski men to combat the attack; and did so with ease.
The Severnayski were optimistic that with all of their best men going to attack the small and primitive Malenkï, the war would soon be over.
Despite the fact that the Severnayski army — by virtue of laws, as well as the exhortations of the Imperskï Korol — had charodei in its ranks that had been previously much maligned by the elite in Severnayski society due to their abilities to heal without using the science that was considered superior by these elites, the Malenkï had a larger population to draw from, and so the war dragged on for four years of impasse.
Being as the Malenkï had no charodei in their country they were at the disadvantage of running out of people, whereas the Severnayski wounded could be healed in the middle of a battle due to the charodei in their ranks. This, unfortunately, didn't prove to have effect on the war as soon as people had anticipated — possibly compounded by the fact that the Malenkï were quick to kill all the charodei they came into battle against.
Finally the Imperskï Korol received word that the Malenkï were really running low on men willing to fight, and so were rallying all the men they had into one last do-or-die charge.
The Imperskï Korol sent word to all units to report to the area directly across from the Malenkï camp from which the charge was to originate in all due haste, and due to the Malenkï not charging as soon as had been expected by the Severnayski, more soldiers were able to arrive than had initially been anticipated.
Despite the exhortations by his soldiers to dress as a common soldier and hide in their ranks, the Imperskï Korol dressed in his full regalia and put himself front and centre of the narrow, thick ranks of Severnayski cavalrymen astride his handsome grey stallion.
Letting the Malenkï charge first, with their wide, narrow rank of cavalrymen, the Severnayski were able to effectively rout the Malenkï, but at a great and terrible cost, as far as the people of Severnaya were concerned.
Severnayski soldiers found the body of the Imperskï Korol run through with his own sword so as to be fixed to the ground and he was numbered among the dead.
The Imperia plunged into mourning and his wife named the day of the battle as the Imperial Day of Remembrance for the Dead of War and promised her distraught young son that she would not remarry out of love for her husband.
Since then, the Imperatritséa has become symbolic of the strength and resilience of the Imperia as peace has reigned since, and more connections have been made with the nations to their west.
Having a woman helming the largest empire in the world is a source of pride for the Severnayski, as she has not given up despite the loss of her husband, who had sustained her through the deaths of her father and brother, and the difficult pregnancies which yielded only miscarriages prior to their son finally being born.
In fact, some of the rural-dwelling citizens of the Imperia have taken to calling the Imperatritséa Mother Severnaya, and she has permitted them to call her such in her presence, but to call her just Mother or any other maternal title is reserved for her son only.
In recent years the Imperatritséa has started to involve her son more and more in the affairs of the Imperia, in which he has taken great interest. The only thing that is causing any conflict between the pair at the moment is the fact that he remains obstinately unmarried.
The Imperatritséa wants to see grandchildren before she dies, most especially because she's loathe to see her next-youngest sister's family take the throne, and wants to know that the future of the throne is securely in good hands.
The singleness of the Velikï Gertséog is both exciting and annoying as far as the eligible maidens of the Imperia are concerned as well, being as he is considered ravishingly handsome, and yet at every ball he may dance with dozens of girls, but not one of them ever gets more with him than a dance.
In fact, the Velikï Gertséog has been single for so long that many of the girls who first entertained the idea of marrying him are now married to other men with children of their own, and some of the noblemen of the Imperial Court are concerned about the ever-widening age gap between him and the suitable young women of eligible age and position.
As for the Velikï Gertséog, those who are intimate with him know better than to bring up the topic of marriage with him, as he has the temper of the Imperial House, and not enough of the control his father was renowned for to rein it in effectively.
Pronunciations:
Zoltoi: zohltoy
Korolevstvo: kohrohlehvst'voh
Oryol: oryohl
Severnaya: sehvehrnighah
Molodonoi: mohlohdohnoy
Lebed: lehbehd
Velikï Gertséog: vehleekee gehrt'sayog
Rudolfovich: roodohlfohvich
Printsessa: prihntsessah
Arina: ahreenah
Stanislavevna: stahnihslahvehvnah
Malenkï: mahlehnkee
Koza: kohzah
Kozski: kohzskee
Kochevnyk: kochevnick
Imperskï Korol: ihmpehrskee kohrohl
Imperatritséa: ihmpehrahtreetsayah
Severnayski: sehvehrnighskee
Charodei: chahrohdye
†not equivalent to 1759AD
The novel begins on September 3.
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