SYNOPSIS:

Two hundred and fifty years after the Fourth World War, civilization has been rebuilt under a radical promise: no more war. From the ruins of Northeast America rises the Crownlands, a matriarchal society ruled by seven powerful bloodlines and governed by a single doctrine: men are given purpose, not power. At the center of this carefully engineered world sits Empress Shira Hawthorne, the longest-reigning ruler in modern history. Under her leadership, violence has been replaced with strategy, and conflict is resolved through ritual, politics, and control rather than armies. On the surface, the Crownlands are a utopia. But the system depends on absolute obedience—and legacy. When a failed assassination leaves Shira unable to produce a female heir, the foundation of her rule begins to fracture. Her son continues to father only boys, a fatal flaw in a society built entirely on matrilineal succession. As rival Baronesses quietly maneuver for power, alliances shift, favors are called in, and prophecy becomes a political weapon. Beyond the Crownlands lie the Outlands, a harsh region populated by those who rejected or were exiled from the matriarchal order. Long dismissed as irrelevant, the Outlands represent a growing threat to a system that cannot survive exposure. As Shira fights to preserve her bloodline at any cost, she begins secretly breaking the very rules she created—educating a male heir, reshaping cultural institutions, and introducing state-sanctioned distractions designed to suppress rebellion before it can begin.