Stone Bay
The Kingdom of Stone Bay is the nation that governs all of Kara. It was founded long ago by its semi-mythical first king, Jephdaphro, who led the earliest Baymen to war against the Drenorans. Stone Bay's victory secured its place as the hegemon of Kara, a title they hold to this day.
Currently, King Ulysses Mountbatten rules over Stone Bay.
The First King, Jephdaphro I
The people of Stone Bay were originally nomadic. Under King Jephdaphro, they valued conquest by the sea. Early Baymen travelled in fleets to conquer small city-states for their sprawling, seabound empire. Jephdaphro's reign saw Stone Bay declare war against the Drenorans for their crimes against nature. The Drenorans attempted to reach beyond mortal means by contacting the dragon Valynclex, tapping into the magic of Realitas, and accidentally creating the Curse.
These actions formed the basis of Stone Bay's casus belli against the Drenorans. During this time, the Drenorans forged many artifacts to defeat Stone Bay's forces. The Azure Blade, in particular, was one of several weapons built to slay the wizard Arimaex. The combined effort of Stone Bay's armies, fleets, and magical powers resulted in Jephdaphro leading the Bay to victory against the Drenorans. With their last-ditch attempts at godhood failing, the Drenorans faded into history, defeated and destroyed by Stone Bay. King Jephdaphro used this victory as an opportunity to settle his people. The age of sea conquest was over. Stone Bay built its Prismarine Citadel on Orlan, one of Kara's islands, and established their rule over the archipelago.
King Jephdaphro disappeared hundreds of years ago on an expedition outside of Kara. He brought with him the famed Prismarine Sword and Shield. He left Ulysses Mountbatten to rule in his stead as Regent and Lord Mayor of Stone Bay. Hundreds of years later, Jephdaphro never returned to Stone Bay. Thus, the kingdom entered its regency era.
The Regency Era, Ulysses Mountbatten
In the years following Jephdaphro's disappearance, power consolidated around Lord Mayor Ulysses. The 901st year of Jephdaphro's reign saw great change in Stone Bay. The kingdom opened its ports to the rest of Olvunter. As a result, immigration to Kara skyrocketed, with over a thousand people coming and going to the islands. Hundreds of wanderers settled in Kara, adopting Baymen traditions or synthesising them with their foreign cultures. The Kingdom of Stone Bay became a melting pot of cultures, resulting in the formation of institutions like the Church of the Deep and the Duchy of Stendahl.
This year also saw Arimaex's betrayal of Stone Bay. The former Court Mage revealed himself as a lich, and was consorting with the dark dragon Valynclex for power and control. Conflict erupted between Arimaex and Kara as a whole. The Battle of the Eternum Glades concluded this conflict, resulting in seventeen dead Karans, the neutralisation of Valynclex, and the death of Arimaex.
Arimaex's defeat did not spell the end of conflict during the regency era. Dragone Collins, a Nieseatian diplomat, was assassinated on Karan soil. This brought the ire of Macadier Maldore, archmage and Archon of Nieseat, who levied threats and intimidations towards Stone Bay. Mountbatten defused the political tension by signing a non-aggression pact with Archon Macadier. For ten years, there was peace in Stone Bay.
Peace was broken in the year 911. During the January 7th Parliament, Macadier Maldore interrupted the session by teleporting Ulysses Mountbatten, Lord Marshal Arthur Justice, and Lord Chancellor Blue Mountbatten to the Ahdredan. Leaderless, Stone Bay was occupied by the Nieseatian leadership.
Occupation by Nieseat
Nieseat's occupation of Stone Bay lasted for one month. During this time, Macadier Maldore labelled it the "Colony of Orlan", and installed the then-Nieseatian loyalist Elmes Fin as its governor. Without its key leaders, what was left of Stone Bay's government was folded into Nieseat's three powers: the Ordenza, the Halcyon Guild, and the Old Blood. Only the Church of the Deep, led by Synarch Fafnir Deepcreek, provided hidden sanctuary to Baymen loyalists.
To counteract Nieseatian influence, powerful Baymen like Benjamin Lascelles and Rowan Umber willingly entered Nieseatian institutions. Inside these organisations, they purposefully caused delays and mishaps to buy time for the Mountbattens and the Justice to return from the Ahdredan. Their plans resulted in the deaths of key Nieseatian officials, Folkmod Erendellen and Drace Latimeer, crippling Nieseat's governing capacity significantly until their revolution began. The rebellion occurred after a series of events led to the theft of the Lunar Crown. This artifact ended up in the hands of the Church of the Deep, who crowned Sillas Deepcreek as the second king of Stone Bay.
The Second King, Sillas Deepcreek
Sillas Deepcreek's accession to the Prismarine Throne was a direct act of rebellion against Nieseat. Using the magic of the Throne, King Sillas retrieved Ulysses Mountbatten, Blue Mountbatten, and Arthur Justice from the Ahedredan. Deepcreek remained king for the remainder of the war but returned executive power to Lord Mayor Ulysses. Following a declaration of war by the Lord Mayor, Stone Bay led a coalition of Karan nations against the Nieseatian invaders, kickstarting the Nieseatian War.
Following the Battle in the Battery, Stone Bay enjoyed a brief period of peace. During a session of Prismarine Court, King Sillas voluntarily abdicated on the condition that Ulysses Mountbatten would take his place. Mountbatten accepted, acceding to the Prismarine Throne as the third King of Stone Bay.
The Third King, Ulysses Mountbatten
King Ulysses' reign began in relative peace. His first act as king was to deliver various artifacts, stolen from the Fellrook, to the Behli Lothren for safekeeping away from Kara. The aforementioned peace would not last long. During a session of Parliament, the goddess Moder Jord appeared before the room. She made deliberate threats against Stendahl, specifically Bill Blackrock, before leaving. Stone Bay initially remained neutral in the conflict between Stendahl and Moder Jord, but entered the fight after the goddess' forces attacked Orlan. Stone Bay would provide military assistance to Stendahl during and after the Fall of Dhara, and its Navy was key to winning the subsequent Battle for Dhara at the end of Moder Jord's Invasion.
Only a few months later, the terrorist group known as the Cirallian Liberation Front (CLF) began their operations in Kara. They bombed several places, including Stone Bay. With assistance from Stendahl, Ibrithil, Meloria, and other Karan sovereignties, the CLF was destroyed on a mission spearheaded by the Stone Bay Navy.
The Fey Incursion heavily impacted the Kingdom of Stone Bay. Various archfey, under the influence and coercion of Granny Hildegard, attempted to take root in Kara. Captain Dalos, archfey of the Spring Court, levelled a courthouse in Stone Bay during his war games. The Fantastical Surveyor created the Mayhill underneath Steward's Cross. Lastly, and most importantly, the Lord of Rot created the Wolcott with Osten Credence's help just southeast of Stone Bay. After Hiildegard was defeated in her games, any interference from the Feywild in Stone Bay's endeavours was soundly halted.
King Ulysses also oversaw the DEW-Figh Conflict in Kara, opting to remain neutral rather than pledge Stone Bay's support to either side. When face-stealers were released due to this conflict, Mountbatten demanded that the Determiners and the Figh to resolve the matter. Stone Bay's forces assisted in defeating the face-stealers, of which included Mountbatten, who fought on the frontlines being one of the few Karans who could singlehandedly destroy a face-stealer.
Under his reign, the Kingdom of Stone Bay extended its reach beyond its city walls with the repealment of the Sovereignty Act; sovereign nations, such as Stendahl, have been vassalised; and Stone Bay's police and military have been expanded greatly, with the establishment of the Royal Guard and the Legion.
Ulysses Mountbatten is the current reigning monarch of Stone Bay, and is entering his second full year as king.