The Story - Granado Espada

Our History

"Your body may be in the new world, but your blood is of the old."
- Gilbert Granado

The Impetus to Explore

War had cast its vile shadow across the nations of Orpesia. Illier and Vespanola were locked in struggle with Opoluto, while rich Targa and mighty Bristia obstinately maintained their neutrality. Opoluto fared poorly, its forces outnumbered and ill-equipped. The armies of Illier and Vespanola won battle after battle, and threatened the main cities with invasion. Also, Targa's stiff tariffs on trade routes with Katai further drained Opoluto's coffers. To save his nation from the jaws of defeat, the king of Opoluto called upon his loyal subjects to brave the Dark Sea to the west.

A Desperate Journey

The explorer Ferrucio Espada answered his king's call. He believed an ocean route to Katai was possible, and led a flotilla of ships across the Dark Sea. During the long and treacherous voyage, ten of twelve ships were lost, but he made an amazing discovery. Ferrucio Espada had not found an ocean route to Katai; instead, he had come upon a vast new world. Granado Espada, named after the two surviving captains, Gilbert Granado and Ferrucio Espada, was to be Opoluto's salvation. Ferrucio surveyed the new world, and said to Gilbert, "We need Katai no longer. From this land we will draw the strength to vanquish our enemies. Truly, what a magnificent weapon we have discovered! " Gilbert agreed, and replied, "Let us arm our kingdom with the Sword of the New World."

A Home Lost for a World Discovered

Opoluto spent its treasury surveying the new world, building ports, logging forests, mining mountains and founding new settlements. Many merchants and wealthy families saw Granado Espada as a land of opportunity, as well as a place far removed from conflict, and so risked the dangerous crossing. But while Oloputians rushed to gather resources in the new world, war continued in the old. Alas, if only it had been discovered sooner!

Without warning, neutral Targa entered into alliance with Opoluto's enemies, swelling the ranks of Illier and Vespanola. Soon Opoluto, its army broken and its coffers empty, surrendered its sovereignty to Vespanola in return for mercy. Opolutians who could still make the voyage fled to Granado Espada. To bolster control over its new colonies, Vespanola installed Ferrucio Espada as Interim Governor.

The Three Years War

The powerful nation of Bristia, neutral during the hostilities between Opoluto and the allied forces of Illier and Vespanola (and later Targa), had not let the discovery of the new world go unnoticed. As Vespanola spread its might thinly over Granado Espada and the former land of Opoluto, Bristia saw the opportunity to topple its rival. It launched a surprise attack against Vespanola, provoking what would become the Three Years War. Though the battles were fierce and mostly waged on land, the war was ultimately decided at sea. At the Battle of Baleares, the light but swift galleys of Vespanola faced powerful Bristian dreadnoughts. Though outnumbered, the smaller ships won a miraculous victory, thanks in no small part to the arrogance of the Bristian admiral, who deployed his ships so close together so that fire attacks spread rapidly and destroyed the core of their fleet.

Expanding the New World and Reconquista

While Vespanola warred with Bristia, Governor Espada fought his own battles in the new world. Dangerous beasts lurked outside the cities, and bizarre tales spread of nameless horrors roaming the jungle deeper inland. Ancient ruins were discovered in the wilderness, and the handful of explorers who returned from the perilous dungeons alive brought back weapons strange and powerful. To make matters worse, resentment between settlers from vanquished Opoluto and victorious Vespanola began to boil over. Families dueled openly on the streets, threatening to plunge the settlements into civil war. In a bold plan to restore order, Governor Espada granted local offices significant powers, much to the displeasure of Vespanola.

In addition to mounting problems in Granado Espada, the queen of Vespanola faced a growing threat within her realm. After years of waging war against Opoluto and Bristia, a wartime nobility had arisen in her country. Ambitious military families contending for power surrounded the court. Meanwhile, her faithful subjects in the new world were outnumbered by former citizens of Opoluto, and these masses were more loyal to the governor. In a shrewd response, the queen proclaimed her policy of "Reconquista," urging adventurous Vespanolan families to settle in Granado Espada and granting monetary concessions to those who would help impose the queen's will across the sea.

Your Place in History

As influential families continue to arrive from across the old world, the fate of Granado Espada still hangs in the balance. What mark will your family make upon its history?