Argenti

Intro:
It has been a long many years for England- the Hundred Years War with France has just concluded, and the powers of Henry VIth have begun to turn upon itself. England is tense, and the King’s growing mental and magical instability has led to his cousin Richard, Duke of York, showing increasing interest in the throne.
Now is the time for a war between the Mage-Houses of Lancaster and York if there ever was one- now is the time for kings to be forged from blood and magic.

Context and Background:
The War of Red and White is set in 1400s medieval England, based on the real-life succession war for the English throne, the War of the Roses. The Two Roses refers to the heraldic symbols of two branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the White Rose of York and the Red Rose of Lancaster. We’re going to use a simplified version of the historical context that led to the real war as the backdrop for our much cooler and more magical RP. This is that history- but now magical

Edward III, king of England from 1327 to 1377, had five sons who lived into adulthood: Edward of Woodstock "the Black Prince," a mighty Rent mage; Lionel of Antwerp, a Shifter; John of Gaunt, A Sankta Mage; Edmund of Langley, A Veshu mage; and Thomas of Woodstock, a Conjurer. He created Duchies for his sons, Cornwall for Edward, Clarence for Lionel, and Lancaster for John. During his Grandson’s rule, Richard II of England (Edward’s son), Edmund became Duke of York, and Thomas became Duke of Gloucester. Duchies are more than just a title and land; they also come with magical power that flows from the Stone, granting their holder additional power in the Art or essence their founder was strongest in. 

Upon Edward III’s death, the title of king would have fallen to his eldest son, the Black Prince, but he died several years beforehand in an Experiment with the Void Essence. Instead, it fell to his young son, Richard. As he was so young, a series of councils was formed, heavily influenced by his uncles, John of Gaunt and Thomas of Woodstock. As he grew older, it became clear that Richard’s power lay primarily in Dera, which was only further strengthened by the Stone. Although he was initially well-liked due to his courage in the Peasants’ revolt, he was firm in restraining the power of the aristocracy. He relied on a private retinue for military protection instead of their support.

His reign was marked by growing tensions between the crown and several fo the most powerful nobles- he ruled without his council from a very young age to deny his uncle, John of Gaunt, from wielding authoritative power. High taxes fueled unsuccessful military endeavors, leading to the peasants’ revolt, which he suppressed with a great display of Arcana. 

His uncle, Thomas of Woodstock, threatened to depose him, but instead merely weakened his power- so then Richard had him killed and convicted of treason. This added to his unpopularity. 

Under Richard, much of the land conquered under Edward was lost, and Richard was nearly forced to make a disastrous peace treaty. Instead, he negotiated a de facto peace directly with Charles without seeking Parliament's approval and agreed to marry his six-year-old daughter, Isabella of Valois. He used this peace to punish his political rivals- spending the next two years as a Tyrant. 

Eventually, in 1399, John of Gaunt died, and seized the lands and titles of his son, the Future Henry IV, whom Robert had exiled to France the year before. Soon afterward, he left England for a campaign in Ireland, investigating an upwelling of Veshu. Henry invaded England with a small force that met little resistance and quickly gained the support of the discontented nobility. He sat upon the stone and gained its power. Richard was captured and starved to death.

Henry IV resisted many rebellions by the the House of Percy, although he eventually died in 1413, and was succeeded by his son Henry of Monmouth, who was crowned Henry V.

Richard of York, the son of Richard of Conisburgh, was four years old when his father was executed. So Henry V allowed Richard of York to inherit the Title and land of the Duchy of York, granting him added power over the essence of Veshu, on top of his already well-developed skills in Sankta and Manifestation. When Edmund Mortimer died childless in 1425, Richard of York also inherited the Earldom of March and Mortimer's claim to the throne through his late mother, Edmund Mortimer's sister.

Henry V gained on the French, wiping out significant parts of the French nobility, entrenching the legitimacy of the Lancastrian monarchy.
In 1422, he died of Dystantrty, and his son, Henry VI, became king at 9 months old. Henry V's younger brothers produced no surviving legitimate heirs. As Richard of York matured and Henry VI's rule deteriorated, York's claim to the throne became more attractive. The revenue from his estates also made him the wealthiest magnate in the kingdom.

Under the rule of Henry VI, England’s holdings in France were reversed. As France, under the seemingly divine Arcana of Joan of Arc and the powers of the Stone, began to grow unstable, Henry experienced severe bouts of mental illness, with the energy of his Akash magic becoming dangerously wild. 

In 1453, English forces in southern France suffered a catastrophic defeat at Castillon. As a result, England lost all its possessions in France except for the Pale of Calais, shifting the balance of power in Europe and ending the Hundred Years' War.

This lack of a strong central monarchy led to a continued deterioration of the politics of England, fueling feuds between powerful noble families, leaving a climate ripe for civil war. To ensure the country could be governed, a Regency Council was established and was led by Richard of York, who was appointed Lord Protector and Chief Councillor in 1454.  In 1455, Henry made a surprise recovery from his mental instability and reversed much of Richard of York's progress, leading to York being forced out of court into exile. However, disaffected nobles backed the claims of the rival House of York to control of the government. Fearing charges of treason, York and his allies gathered an army to intercept the royal party before they could their allies. The resulting struggle was a divisive York victory, leading to the capture of the King, and the breaking of the Stone.

Now it is war. (I’m splitting it from the real world.) The Lancasters must rescue their king and put down the Yorks, the Yorks must legitimize their rule, and defeat the Lancasters. This war will rip england in two, the soothsayers say.

Bastard Feudalism: Essentially, Dukes are a rather recent invention (~1340), and their implication created many issues. Since these dukes had claims to the throne and a source of income independent of the sovereign or larger state, they were able to create private military forces. This shifted power away from the King and towards the lords, meaning many lesser nobility now had stronger ties to the dukes, rather than the King. This is especially important for the House of York, which was able to use its networks of servants, mages, and retainers to resist the authority of Henry VI. 

The Claims: 
The House of Lancaster descended from John of Gaunt, the third son of Edward III. The name stems from his title of Duke of Lancaster. Their claim to the throne comes through a pronouncement by Edward III before his death, granting legitimacy and emphasis to the male line of descent- meaning the male children of the third son, John of Guant- rather than the female children of the second son, Lionel, Duke of Clarence. Henry IV based his right to depose Richard II and claim the throne on this.