River of Crowns

River of Crowns
Also known as	borsiòyont duaòsegiòaliònt (Ekuostian) duaje nom (Neviran) Other language Other language Other language
Genre	Political period drama
Based on	Historical records, documents, and accounts
Starring	See "Cast"
Country of origin	Algazi Union Azerin Barradiwa Cerman Kedros Letzia Tabiqa Veridia Yorudbynbad Zhinayak
Original language(s)	Various, using the actual languages of each character and region; subtitles offered in upwards of 40 languages
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	100
Production
Location(s)	Various
Running time	55-60 minutes
Production company(s)	Ekuosian United
Release
Original release	April 10, 2008 (2008-04-10) – June 9, 2016 (2016-06-09)

River of Crowns is an award-winning Ekuosian television programme. It is a political period drama set in numerous locations within the socio-cultural region of Ekuosia during the transitional stage between the Late Medieval and Early Modern eras, with specific years varying depending on the season; the first season begins in 1452, while the fifth season ended with events taking place in 1594. The show has received critical acclaim throughout its run and is widely regarded as one of the best television series of all time (primarily by Ekuosian journalists). Frequent points of praise include the acting, cinematography, writing, and costume and prop design; the show is also beloved among history buffs for attempting to remain as close to historical events as possible while still keeping other viewers interested with the minor liberties taken.

The show is one of the most expensive TV shows to ever be produced; thankfully, ratings more than justify the budget, as the show is the most widely viewed television programme in Ekuosia, and it has a significant following in other regions of the world as well, with several million viewers tuning in every week for the next episode consistently since the series began.

The series is known for being gritty, violent, and exceptionally vulgar, keeping in theme with many shows airing in recent years; however, the level of bloodshed is generally agreed to be more or less accurate to the tumultuous period. It is also known for showing the lives of commoners during the era alongside the known political figures of the time, which at the time of the first season's initial run was a rarity in other political dramas of its ilk. The series increases realism further by having characters speak in their native language or another if the situation calls for it; meanwhile, subtitled text in several languages (including several from outside of Ekuosia) is available; this reduces the need for dubbed versions to be made, thus decreasing overall costs.

The show is produced by the multinational studio known as Ekuosian United and receives funding from various sources, the most prominent of which being the Letsic Cultural Association. A week after the fifth season premiered in February 2016, the producers announced that the show was renewed for a sixth season of another 20 episodes set to premiere in March 2018, said to likely be set primarily in the ailing Terminian Empire, the flourishing Ljezy Letsajsa (Letzian Empire), and possibly the as-yet untouched Lons and Asmal, which approximates a timespan between 1600 and 1615.

Plot

Overview

The first four seasons of the series depict the turbulent era of Ekuosian history during which large empires (Terminia and Ekuostia) were crumbling and new blood was on the horizon, itching for expansion. Alliances were often broken as quickly as they were forged, and the war of both internecine and international varieties was the norm. The once-grand empires that had so successfully held Ekuosia stable were coming to an end, and it was a long time coming. Meanwhile, a terrifying threat brews in the far east well across the continent, and men who would later become known for their conquests were just beginning to gain a foothold in the grand political game in Ekuosia.

The fifth season departs from the turmoil-wrought era and moves ahead to the 1550s when the region was beginning to get back on its feet (albeit very gradually), until an unexpected force from far west across the Taanttu Sea lands on the shores of the Vomzi people and begins expanding into lands very foreign to their kind. Large dynasties attempt to intervene but are either too caught up in their politics to do anything, or are simply unable to combat the ferocious Bavkir armies. Meanwhile, a recovered Ekuostia considers travelling across the Taanttu Sea to colonize lands far west, all while a massive and power-hungry Dzimur breathes down their neck. The Ekuostia arc in the fifth season extends decades past the other arcs of the season, showing initial Ekuostian colonization of Lorimer in 1573 as well as the colonial handover to Letzia in 1594, thus making the fifth season the widest timespan of any of the seasons, at ~40 years.

Season 1

Season 1 takes place over fourteen years, between 1452 and 1466, and depicts the state of Ekuosia as it reclines from the imminent fall of two of its largest empires.

Veridia

The show's first season begins in 1452, featuring the fallout of Terminia's decline, primarily the rise of the Kingdom of Veridia in Terminia's stead. Much of the initial conflict is based around Terminia trying its hardest to regain Veridia, initially via shrewd and manipulative (though unsuccessful) diplomacy, and later by fruitlessly throwing their weakened naval forces at Veridia's stronger, more unified navy (on account of their independence being a useful rallying cry). Later on, the conflict grows more abstract and internal as the first monarch of Veridia fights to keep his new kingdom unified, and ultimately being successful as he eventually proved to be a capable diplomat with quite the silver tongue. Most of this arc takes place in Frese and Panemi. There is a brief subplot centred on a young Ignez as he studies scripture and theology in Frese.

Letzia

The second arc of the season begins in 1455 and focuses on the Olboros dynasty, who is practically a household name in Ekuosia today but in 1455 they were only known as the rulers of the wealthy territory in and around Gšons. The arc overall spans 7 years, culminating in the War of Four Thrones in which four Letzian dynasties (Akaš, Najas, Delsa, and Guštam) who ruled their lands under the title of "king" were miraculously routed by Olboros retinues as the latter exploited the conflict for their gain, and as a result, rose to become the premier dynasty in Southern Letzia.

Dzimur

The third arc of the season begins in 1458 and features the politics of the crumbling Grand Ekuostian Empire, particularly the Archlordship of Dzimur which was itself on the cusp of civil war, as numerous anti-Ekuostian reactionaries made themselves a known presence in the major Dzimrani cities of Kostenbad and Uizkoztâma, initially attempting to gain traction in regional politics fair and square before a blood feud between two well-known peasant families fueled a period of extreme tension that lasted eight years. This ultimately led to the assassination of Archlord Äyôdyen Qödim and her kin in February 1466, leaving a power vacuum that sparked a months-long rebellion finally resulting in the rise of the rebel leader Ziuqän Yoitâikâ, who then formally severed ties to Palace City and declared himself the first King of Dzimur, fully independent of Ekuostian rule.

Season 2

Season 2 takes place over ten years, between 1467 and 1477, and primarily depicts the meteoric rise of the Neviran Empire.

Tabiqa

The second season begins in 1467 Tabiqa (then known as Adzamia), roughly six months after Dzimur declared independence from Ekuostia. Several noble Adzamasi families from Ziathi enter the domain of Mehyaran, seeking assistance as the newfound Kingdom of Dzimur is making visible gestures indicating their plans to expand east into Ziathi with armies the Ziathi nobles could not hope to match. The monarch of Adzamia believes that the Dzimrani can be dealt with diplomatically, with the best-case scenario pointing to them accepting vassalage under Mehyaran. To be safe, however, the monarch travels north along the Tabiq River with a sizable army ready to combat any potential hostility. Things go sour before negotiations could be made, however, as upon return to Ziathi the host found it under siege by the massive Dzimrani army with very high morale; realizing that immediate retaliation would be a poor decision, the monarch decides to retreat and return to Mehyaran whilst granting the Ziathi nobles asylum as the monarch and their advisors devise a plan of action to retake Ziathi and ultimately keep the Dzimrani at bay.

Upon return to the Adzamic capital, the monarch is visited by an Errekele messenger whose message entails a formal warning from Nevira that they plan to invade Adzamia very soon, and any resistance will be met with force. The messenger explains that his home town in Penaxxi resisted, and only he and two others survived (the others were sent to other realms with similar warnings in tow). The messenger described the unique weaponry the Neviran army was using, calling them "portable artillery cannons".

The monarch of Adzamia promptly attempts to allocate all Adzamasi armies around Mehyaran and Iqqtar (which angers the nobles from Ziathi among other cities) in an attempt to prepare for the invasion along the Ekuos River, hoping the Nevirans would fall for several well-placed chokepoints. The monarch was then taken by surprise when the Neviran army approached Iqqtar from the desert to its east (having used an oasis camp out there for rest and supplies), wielding extensive artillery weaponry including the fabled portable cannons. Iqqtar fell to Nevira within a week.

The ensuing war with Nevira carried on for four years; ultimately, the monarch of Adzamia signed a treaty with Nevira in 1471 allowing Mehyaran to be spared conquest.

Rosland

The second arc of Season 2 begins in 1474 and centres around political machinations in the Rosian capital of Komy, which at the time was enjoying independence from Terminia much like Veridia had been. Much of this arc depicts Olboros's attempts to expand their influence in the ancient Letsatian capital, much to the dismay of local noble dynasties (many of whom had been present in the city for over a thousand years by that point); ultimately their attempts at expansion are met with mixed success: although they obtain an estate in Komy, their business ventures continue running into setbacks and failing.

Another prominent factor in this arc is Ignez, 20 years older than in the first season, as he makes a gradual career transition from theology to politics, adopting a radical (though surprisingly popular) stance on politics and religion, consistently asserting that the two are meant to be intertwined. As the years progress, we see his "flock" grow exponentially in size until by 1476 he's frequently addressing several hundred followers at religious gatherings.

Ekuostia

The last arc of Season 2 spans 18 months, between April 1476 and October 1477. It details the final stretch of the Grand Ekuostian Empire as it's on its last legs, facing enemies both within and outside of the empire. Much of the arc is a buildup to the Siege of Palace City, which went on for upwards of eight months as Ekuostia kept exhausting its resources to keep the Nevirans back; despite Ekuostia's best efforts, Palace City fell to Nevira on 19 September 1477. The final episode of the season ends on a lengthy scene that frames itself around the minuscule Yobátmás host fleeing north to Rydkes as brief clips showing the state of things in other parts of the region explored this season flash by; the narrator monologues that Ekuosia's future is not a bright one.

Season 3

Season 3 covers eighteen years, between 1483 and 1501, and depicts the rise and height of the new juggernaut Ekuosian empires: Nevira and Ignezia. It also shows how other realms react to the advances of said empires.

Nevira

The first primary arc of this season involves Nevira's final few conquests, as it reaches the coasts of Vadesia in 1483. The arc goes on to show how Kauzasian politics worked and introduces another infamous historical figure: General Sao. Sao is angered that he was not awarded an amount of land meeting his demands despite consistently fighting and winning battles in previous conquests. Eventually, Sao is cleared to invade the peninsula of Hemesh to carve out his domain.

Hemesh, a former Terminian vassal state, retaliates upon invasion leading to a war breaking out in 1484. During the war, the King of Hemesh is killed in action. After the dust settled in 1485 and Sao was finished conquering, the remainder of Hemesh plunged into civil war due to the power vacuum left by the king's death and clashing values between the Hemeshis and more old-fashioned Terminian nobles. The civil war lasted 22 years, ending only in 1506.

The remainder of this arc shows the Neviran emperor negotiating alliances with border states he thought would be too much trouble to invade after learning his mistakes from the attempts on Mehyaran and Palace City. One such state belonged to a certain priest-turned-politician...

Ignezia

The second primary arc revolves around Ignez's conquests in northern Ekuosia. Famed for being the man closest to conquering all of Halaria, Ignez increased his influence by spreading his beliefs and rewarding people who converted to his sect of Iovism (now known as Ignizian) and fought for it. In a matter of one decade, Ignez amassed an army large enough to smash almost any non-Neviran retinue who dared challenge his rule.

Many Azri tribes indeed resist Ignez's advances, though only a few can put up any decent fight. The Kingdom of Amalo, the largest of the Azri tribes, is able to ward off Ignez's armies with clever tactics involving using the terrain against his armies; they only fall in 1491 when Ignez secures an alliance with the Neviran General of Vadesia, after which Ignez's armies are regularly accompanied by a squadron of musketeers and his siege units are frequently outfitted with cannons.

The remainder of this arc revolves around Ignez's attempted conquests of Ekuostia and Dzimur; although he is wildly successful with the former, he runs into issues fighting the latter and his mistakes fighting the Dzimrani accidentally supplies Dzimur with a large number of firearms to assist in their conquests.

The season ends in 1501 shortly after Ignez's death. The epilogue describes how weak an empire Ignezia was with no leader, collapsing mere months after the former theologian's demise; but his mark on history would not be forgotten, as his take on the Iovist faith remains the most popular in his homeland of Rosland even to this day.

Season 4

The fourth season of the show acts as a sort of end to the grand "Transition Arc" which details the transition between the Late Medieval and Early Modern eras. It shows how the cross-season arcs involving the Olboros dynasty, the Neviran Empire, and Ignez all come to intertwine.

The season covers eleven years, between 1506 and 1517. It breaks away from the previous seasons in that it doesn't divide arcs based on location; instead, the entire season is structured as an exercise in cause and effect.

Assassination

The first arc begins in Kuvsvjad in Hemesh, 1506, as we see the new Hemeshi emperor Adoz approached by a character introduced last season: Tekrat Šweley, the East Hemeshi mercenary who fought with the Izovangian army against the Nevirans and got involved with Mehyarani smugglers while his homeland and family were violated by the Neviran army. Emperor Adoz hired Tekrat with funding from Algaz merchants, as all parties wanted to see Nevira crumble.

Tekrat travels north to the Ekuos River using contacts in Algazi merchant circles. He travels to Noungata where he is ambushed by soldiers who then reveal themselves to be his old war buddies during the invasion of Izovangia; they'd been captured and pressed into service in the Neviran army. They pretend to be tasked with escorting "a prisoner" (Tekrat) to Iru for a manual labour sentence to sneak him in.

The group sails down to Mehyaran where Tekrat meets up with his contacts in the smuggling rings who agree to supply him and the soldiers with the weapons and supplies needed to assassinate the emperor and make their escape.

Finally, the group make it to Iru in March 1507 where they wait for a clear opportunity to sail past the royal palace and assassinate the emperor. However, Tekrat vastly underestimated the distance from which he'd be taking the shot with his gun. The bullet misses the emperor and instead hits the empress in her throat. Amidst the ensuing pandemonium, the emperor successfully raises a naval retinue in the Bay of Iru, which surrounds Tekrat's small fishing boat.

Following his capture, Tekrat is questioned as to his motivations and origins, and answers explaining his past run-ins with the empire, accidentally revealing that he is from East Hemesh--currently the domain of General Sao. The emperor then orders his messengers to dispatch a notice to all of his generals in Ekuosia between Palace City and Agose to send soldiers and resources to General Sao's domain in eastern Hemesh in an attempt to forcibly assimilate the local Hemeshis to adopt Neviran language, religion, and customs. Tekrat has his legs and trigger fingers cut off and is sent to notify Sao of the new situation.

The orders to reallocate resources did not go over well for every general, however...

Rebellion

Several Neviran generals who obeyed the order, such as the General of the Algazi Cities and the General of Palace City, promptly found themselves facing rebellion from their subjects, who often obtained firearms through the black market, smuggled into warzones from Vomusia through the Algaz municipalities. The formation and action of the Algazi League including their conquests and rapid diplomatic unification are covered in great detail in this arc.

Meanwhile, several Neviran generals outright refused to comply with the demands to assist Sao, leading to areas like Vadesia and Letzia becoming ruled by independent Neviran despots. However, Letzia's tenure under their tyrannical ruler was short-lived, as members of the Olboros dynasty sprang several ambushes on Neviran caravan routes and strong-armed their way to the political top of the heap in several cities in which they were not previously ruler. They achieved this under the leadership of their two heads: Ještrún V and Kjeros. After the Neviran despot was overthrown and put into prison, Ještrún left Letzia with a sizable host to assist other rebellions, including...

Palace War

This arc covers the Palace War, perhaps Olboros's boldest political move up to that point by a longshot. Ještrún V invaded a weakened Palace City in 1511, liberating it from Nevira. This prompted the Yobátmás host to march to the city from their refuge in Rydkes to thank Ještrún for helping to liberate their capital. There was just one issue: Ještrún had no intention of letting Palace City go. He denied Yobátmás entry into the city, and soon tensions escalated into all-out war.

After 5 years of fighting and conquering, Ještrún emerged victorious as Yesron I of Ekuostia in 1517. This was a landmark event in Ekuosian history because it marked exactly when the Olboros dynasty became a truly major player in regional politics, and they'd only continue to grow from there.

Season 5

Season 5 covers forty-six years, between 1548 and 1594, depicting the introduction of a new player in Ekuosian politics: the Bavkir Empire of northeastern Boroso. The season also shows Dzimur once again, even stronger than ever before, eying Palace City like a prize whilst the Emperor of Ekuostia is busy helping his kinsmen with the Bavkir threat and pondering the viability of colonizing Boroso in an attempt to get a foothold in that side of the world. Meanwhile, the "restored" Hemesh Empire has difficulty reintegrating the assimilated Saovia, and turns to the Algazi League for assistance; however, the League is not interested in a straightforward transaction, scheming and plotting their way to becoming the premier economic juggernaut in Ekuosia and one of the wealthiest organizations in the world at that point.

Season 6

A sixth season was confirmed to be in the works in February 2016. There are no exact details on the setting of this season, but a few rumours have been circulating and creators of the show noted that some of the more popular suggestions are indeed going to be covered in some form.

Cast

Controversies

One of the main reasons the show is not broadcast in Rosland is due to the frequent casting of Veridian actors to play Ros characters, namely Lúdvéč Zavé, the actor who was cast to play the infamous Rosian conqueror Ignez. This is despite many ethnic Ros people from the diasporas in Veridia and Barradiwa has been cast in other roles, some even as Veridian or Azri characters.