The people of Komaru fear the ocean. Its great waves and treacherous currents seem guided by a sentient power, a power that seeks to destroy humanity. At night, mothers tell their children to be good, lest the ocean spill forth a monster that will come carry the child away. Every citizen of Komaru knows that the ocean is death.
It is said that the Touraine family has always had an unhealthy fascination with death. When Duke Onyx Touraine built his home on a seaside cliff, the court whispered that he was mad. As the Touraine family grew in power and prestige, they spread across the kingdom, earning titles and fame through their actions. But for centuries, the heart of the Touraine family has remained in their castle by the sea.
Duchess Verity Touraine is the current head of the Touraine family. Even before the Interregnum, she was known to be an intensely private woman who valued her distance from the capital. When the Church seized control of the kingdom, the Touraine family remained silent, doubtless seeking to avoid the Hawks of Light. When Alessandro raised his banner, many of the adventurous youths of the Touraine clan flocked to his side, but Verity herself sent no word from her seaside home. Even Alessandro's coronation could not draw her from her hermitage.
A year has passed since Alessandro's coronation, and the Crown Prince has chosen to take the first step in contacting the reticent Duchess. To that purpose, he has assembled a collection of noble volunteers to travel to the Duchy of Touraine and bring greetings to the duchess. Accompanied by a merchant caravan, the nobles have been tasked with bringing the Duchy back into society so that the head of the Touraine family graces the court once more.
Thus, in the year 205, a great procession of Komaru's finest followed the Western Road down towards the castle by the sea.