Imperial Althair Union

founded by High-Queen Melisende and her husband High-King Jasper as a replacement to the fallen Estherian Empire and blockade to the Grimmorian Confederated Empire, uniting the Estherian continent against them

Lady Marcia Van du Lanc was forced to walk off a tower of Castle Althair and fall down into Lake Clair to prove she was not a witch, if she flew she obviously was a witch, if she fell to her death and drowned she would die a good Crucian. Lady Marcia, Empress of Estheria, plummeted into the falls and down into the lake. She survived, but extremely and completely, utterly mangled, breaking almost every bone in her body.

Her judges had not considered this option, some argued she survived by witchcraft, others that it was a miracle from God. Alas, Marcia died just days later.

Her daughter, Meria Elysiona, would always remember her mother's body looking like a broken glass doll dressed all in blue in her crystal coffin as she was entombed among the groves of holy trees behind the very waterfall she fell past.

The reputation of the du Lanc dynasty was stained, her daughter and heir put on probation, Meria's imperial titles and dominion revoked, she became Crown Princess Meria Elysiona of the Estherlands, her father the Archduke became Regent Galen Ven Oldtburg-Wetha.