The politics was fairly simple enough to understand.
When Azeroth the Merciless Orc and his combined forces of orc's elves and dwarves came sweeping in by sea from the east
it was pretty clear the pitiful human army of Good King Stephen and Catherines
Mother Queen Matilda
wasn't going to repel the invaders.
Stephen had instead decided to capitulate to the invaders demands,a strategy his brother Mad Philip
didn't agree with.
Mad Philip had gotten his name because as a reckless rake two decades earlier he'd entered the Troll Tunnels on a dare from his
cunning brother Stephen.
When all was said and done Philip found himself married to the daughter
of the Mayor of Goblintown
a horse-troll woman named Vargeisa.
More importantly it meant Mad Philip had suddenly become a
member of a extended family of the Kingdom's non humans
including ponygirl warriors and joint smoking dragons.
Basically thanks to a dare two decades earlier from his brother Stephen
Philips chances of ever achieving the Throne were ruined.
On that fateful night when King Stephen and Queen Matilda had wined and dined
Azeroth the Merciless Orc and his cronies
the Elven Highlord and the Dwarf Wizard Galoolf
nobody
not even spoiled Lady Catherine
had been thinking about Mad Philip and his non human relations.
The feasting and partying had gone on all night in
Ravenscroft Castle
and all the (terrified) human servants had clapped
and bowed appreciatively when Azeroth's son Ruumel
had asked Catherine for a dance
By that point Catherine was so drunk with mead she'd accepted the
7 foot tall orc's invitation
AN If I recall my Arthrian legends correctly Vortigern had invited the anglo saxon invaders to parley at some meeting and the anglo saxon guests used the opporttttttttttttttttttttuity to carry in concealed weapons.Hence whilst Vortigern had been planning to appease the barbarians the anglo Saxons actually offed many of the Celtic guests at Vortigerns parley
thus speeding along the collapse of post Roman British society
So orc= anglo Saxons with concealed weapons
That would make Mad Philip either Arthur,Merlin or Uther Pendragon and Catherines dad is 'Vortigern'