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Northern Growth
Until the truce with the Elves, the emphasis on expansion had been to the east, but now, with the mountains in sight, the Mercerians turned their attention north. In 520, King Talran ruled the land. He had two sons, Talburn and Talrath, both accomplished warriors in their own right. In that year, the eldest son, Talburn, deciding he didn’t want to wait to inherit the crown, launched a bid to seize the throne for himself by raising an army and marching on Kingsford, still the capital at that time.
King Talran’s army met Prince Talburn near the Margel Hills in a titanic struggle known as the Battle of the Hills. Talburn’s forces were defeated, but had inflicted such losses on the Royal Army that they were unable to pursue, allowing Talburn to escape north with his supporters, eventually carving out his own kingdom in Norland, but never giving up his claim to the throne.
King Talran died two years later, leaving his younger son, Talrath, to secede. King Talrath was a careful planner and instigated reforms in the army. He placed an emphasis on cavalry and wisely put funds into Redridge, which became an important source of iron ore. As they had in the past, they expanded by building a fortified base, this time in what is now called Tewsbury. From there, they expanded north, to the river, where the king wisely halted.
He had intended to continue his expansion even further north, but his untimely death in 542 put further thoughts of expansion from his mind. His son, King Halrath I, decreed that only the lands south of the river were considered Mercerian territory, though he did clear a road across the north and established Bodden in 553, at that time nothing but a simple keep.
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