ArkonosBoard

Introduction:-
Amongst the ashes of the old empire rose a fledgeling union of Vahlaria. In Kyriea, two prominent families united the surrounding counties through diplomatic and military means. Humans make up a majority of the population, and most believe in the old empire's religion, Yazarasu the great and his star court. The area used to be ruled by a kind yet just governor who gave many counties high autonomy by handing out viceroys. As such, the people act very differently from the old empire even though they speak Kostuan and call themselves Kostuan, although recently they the people have started to call themselves Vahlarian instead, and commonly they call anyone from "Kostua Sol" Capital Kostuan or Capitals for short, and anyone from "Rolais" Lion Kostuan or Lions.

History and Foundation:-
With the fall of the old empire areas surrounding Kyriea were brought to lawlessness, not everyone had enough power to bring order and bandits groups were a common sight. Henceforth, the house of Vahl and the house of Aria joined together by a union of marriage to bring order to the surrounding areas. While the leader of the union is the house of Vahl, the house of Aria has a considerable influence that cannot be dismissed. The union then brought nearby areas under their control, the house of Vahl leading militaristic methods while the house of Aria uses diplomatic approach. House Vahl lead many campaigns to subjugate the surrounding nobles and bandits. Meanwhile, house Aria managed to convince the nobles and towns to join on their term. Henceforth, Many noble houses, and towns joined the union, which gave them enough resources to maintain order and help others in need. Conquered nobles resisted and created a lot of trouble. Still, the house of Vahl created a "Council" system and gave them some concessions which calmed them down. While they share similar views on equality with Rolais empire, they hold Kostua Sol in a special place and would want to see them reform and shed away the corruption that plagues them.

Not wanting to be considered as having an equal authority to the emperor the Vahl house named themselves High King of the area to rein in the nobles but still to be considered under the imperial authority.

Government:-
The ruler of the Union of Vahlaria is called the High King and is considered a monarchy. Many areas have a high amount of autonomy which people see it as Feudal state. Vahlaria has many councils which are: "Union Council", "County Council", "Emergency Council" and "The Great Council". A Union Council is a monthly meeting between influential houses, towns, and others and its main aim is to solve internal disputes and set goals and agendas for the month, it is mostly focused on making the union act as a centralized state while giving everyone high autonomy and making sure that the union does not eat itself. The County Council is a weekly meeting between influential characters in the same county which focuses on ways to develop and increase the power of the county. Emergency Council can be called by anyone influential enough provided that they have enough backing from others; the main aim is to criticize the High King for their actions and offer an alternative approach. However, it does not have any power to block or stop the action, and it can be called six times a year. The Great Council happens twice a year, most policies get created at that time, and it is a week-long council, all other councils are cancelled that overlap in the same month as "The Great Council", the High King review the progress of all its members and set the general agenda, members of the great council can voice their opinions, and the High King must listen to their views, but the High King can make the final decision.

Others:-
The Current High King is Aeron Eathe Vahl (Age 38), and the current Regent is Russal Kannor Aria (Age 46). Both house of Vahl and house of Aria served as viceroys for many generations, and they are well known in the area. Diplomatically they fully respect both Rolais and Kostua Sol, but they like to deal with Rolais more. They have a big fortress called "Silver Steel" Fortress which garrisons most of the Vahlarian armies.
Official name: Vahlaraian Union
Capital City: Kyriea
Currency: Vahl-Drachma

Crisis of Faith: Part I

Everyone who had grown up in Ralzawr, regardless of race or social status, and had been raised under the principles of the majority religion knew that nature often works in mysterious ways, many times making even the simplest things represent an endless number of processes invisible to our eyes, that is why at that time the fall of a leaf, something that used to be so common throughout the continent, was cause for alarm in the entire community of novices who were in charge of studying and contemplating the waters of the oasis that presided over the Sylanna Tree, symbol of the elven faith that practiced every inhabitant in the region.

Of course, everyone knew how the seasons worked and knew that plants changed their forage, it was also not a secret that the few remnants of life found in the desert used to be fragile and depressing, however, that millennial witness of the passage of time never In his life he had shown signs of illness or weakness since he mysteriously germinated, in fact no one had even seen him change its green color or lose its soft but resistant bark, despite all that it involved to be a plant in such an inhospitable climate, and now since the new duchess had moved there was not a day when corruption did not advance with violence on the leafy branches of the heart of that land.

For a year the nation was paralyzed to offer its prayers in each of the country's gardens and temples, regardless of their size, carry temperate waters from distant lands or sow life around each well and pond that there were, all lit candles and raised their voices on each dune, in such a way that at night the large number of candles seemed like a declaration of war against the stars to define once and for all who could provide more light to the world. Unfortunately all these efforts were useless, not even the investigations of the eight directors of the main academies of the country or the triple circle of druids that prayed around the thick stem to give their vitality to the dying goddess could reverse the effects of that corruption that was beginning to devour one of the newer branches that had developed.

Many days the dwarves in the catacombs spent registering scrolls to find antecedents of such an event while thousands of prophets began to announce the end of everything they knew, a catastrophe of extraordinary levels that would approach from the east to destroy everything. Not many heeded these words but by the time the sages made public knowledge that evidence had been found, in some chronicles of the early imperial era, that the north-facing branches began to rot before the Kostua Empire Sol expressed his expansionist ambitions over the rest of the continent, the panic became widespread and many of those who lived in this direction decided to migrate to the west to avoid suffering first hand the future sorrows that were to come.

History and conquest
After the fall of the Kostuan empire, the dominion that would be later known as Janaves fell in to war. The governor fled to Kostua proper and left his territory behind. The 7 tribes would fight over power, but none would achieve this. The tribes were: Fusté, Mesa, Herrera, Santisteban, Briones, Prado and Fraile. In 21 ATF Santisteban murdered the whole Fraile tribe, no Fraile survived. In 59 ATF years of fighting after the bloodbath Herrera came out on top, but due to infighting it failed. Fusté killed most of Herrera during the chaos, all of the surviving Herrerans became slaves. In 130 ATF Briones decided to leave the territory they went south and were never seen again. In 178 ATF Prado killed a big part of the Fusté tribe, the slaves and a few children survived. This led to inbreeding between former Herrerans and Fustians. The new Villegas tribe went to the south. In 188 ATF Prado conquered the only city most of it was heavily damaged, the city rose again and was named Martin, after the leader of the Pradonians. In 213 ATF Santisteban attacked Martin, this didn’t go right and the whole tribe was killed. However the rumor goes that a few survived and went to the Black Fault. In 272 ATF Villegas made a return and an alliance with the small Mesa tribe, the leader of the Mesa tribe was Arnau de Mesa, he conquered with help of Villegas most of the lands. 319 ATF Arnau de Mesa IV dies 30 years in battle of Martin against Prado. The Mesa leader was the grandfather of the current leader. In 339 ATF Marzio II dies and Marzio III becomes the new leader of the Mesa tribe, conquered Martin and united the land. He named it Janaves after his friend who died in the battle of Martin.
Government
The emperor rules the whole country and uses the council of 16 for help.
The council of 16 includes:
6 advisors without any special rank.
3 military creunodo’s, they lead the land forces, the navy and magic beasts.
3 food advisors, they oversee the harvesting of the food.
2 tribe leaders one of Villegas and the other one of Prado.
The leader of the city Martin.
The head advisor, he is always with the emperor and has the most power. He leads the administration too.
Important people
Marzio de Mesa III: current emperor, he isn’t married nor does have children.
Marzio de Mesa II: ex tribe leader, he died in the 50 years during battle of Martin.
Arnau de Mesa IV: ex tribe leader, he united most of Janaves and died during the battle of Martin.
Janaves Zanhuesa: friend of the emperor, he died in the battle of Martin, the country is named after him.
Martin de Prado I: ex tribe leader, he was the first to conquer the city, that he later named Martin.
Franco de Prado I: current tribe leader of Prado, has a place in the council of 16.
Guillem de Villegas IX: current tribe leader of Villegas, has a place in the council of 16.
Francisco Tejedor: Highest advisor of the emperor.
Arturo Alameda: creunodo of the land forces.
Joan Vallén: creunodo of the navy.
Alexander Penã: creunodo of magic beasts.
Rayan de Prado VI: leader of Martin, brother of Franco de Prado.
Mohamed Guerro: food advisor.
Victor Mayo: food advisor.
Alex Deron: food advisor.

Crisis of Faith: Part 2
Expantion Post 1/5

The noble Kewuit garden exceeds its maximum capacity when another small procession from the nearby semi-nomadic communities arrives to seek asylum from the inhabitants of the city, whom the priest Uthor leads from the battlements in his songs and prayers to the great Sylanna, who now required his fervent devotion so that he could later render his aid to the devotees who had to overcome the tragedy that they were first condemned to face, from that point to Zancasyi, if they wanted to preserve regional harmony. They were people who carried the mark of the sun on their faces, in such a way that their skin seemed to be confused with the same ground they stepped on, but they put the integrity of the city at risk and in an enormous moral dilemma to the recently elected leader who, fighting With his religious principles, he had flexed the limits in such a way that he was about to blow up the smoking boiler that represented the terrified and confused society that in their houses did nothing but light candles to combat the darkness and think that everything would happen with the arrival of a new day.

Every family feared in the place that they were about to face another plague like the one that had swept the population 300 years ago due to the incompetence of the Kostuanos who inhabited the Black fault, after all, it was to the east, by what despite refusing to refuse an aid request, the treatment of refugees was too severe and rudimentary to be considered hospitable. The only thing they knew how to give as an excuse to the demands of justice, tied hands by the situation, was that they were having to make the decision to protect themselves or be kind to the refugees and that, when the integrity of With their children, wives and parents in the balance, there would be nothing on earth that could be matched in weight or value to make them change the idea that the only viable option was to defend them at all costs. The "Faceless" brought the problem to their immediate superiors and these, in turn, to the ruler who did not stop waiting for the heavens or the earth to provide him with an answer that would satisfy all the children of the Great Mother.

Several days of contemplation and unrest led the military forces of the late Volos, the same ones that had been reinforced and promoted since half of them joined the Ralzawr legislation a decade ago, to take control over the city to achieve the imposition of the order. There had been many executions that had had to be carried out, even publicly, to offer warning to the rest of the possible quarrelsome who tried to attack their brothers or traffic their influences to make the system favor them even more than allowed and the people Fearful they closed their doors and guarded their children to prevent the Aetherios from draining them to the last drop of hope of survival. In a word, all that was in that prosperous place, to which the giant pachyderms came to satisfy their cravings for food and drink, was anarchy, a very pure and crude species of irrational unconsciousness that had led to the doors of the temple being closed even for the same faithful who served in the holy building.

Believe it or not, for the priest Uthor, this was the sign that he had been asking the goddess for so long and that until now he had refused to see. The tree was dying, and with it the whole of Zahedan, because despite the apparent hegemony of every citizen in the desert, there was no real unit to support the Silver League's attempts to protect everything it represented. Thus, gathering the few sensible people who still remained, mostly part of the elven clergy and the penal system, gave an order to advise the other cities of the Acooris Confederation to follow in their footsteps and summon the presence of the Grand Dukes. of Ralzawr so that officially, as it would happen in the presence of all the afflicted inhabitants of Kewuit, they began to remedy the problem with a few small drops of what was shouting at them, something perhaps as necessary as the air they breathed or the water that consumed, a simple connection with the original teachings of Netanya and the cult he professed.

For A Princess’ Hand II
Verlaise Expansion

“Your Highness, your esteemed guest has arrived.”

Queen Eva de Courtenay barely glanced or acknowledged the woman that informed her of this news, her attention solely focused on her twin daughters, the never-ending thorn in her side. They were twenty years old, unmarried, with no children, and it was the talk of the court. Aurimont was a city of false friends and false tongues, where one's social status was all that mattered. Eva had played the games of the Court of Royals her entire life, even when she was but a princess.

Part of that game meant putting on tournaments like this. A show of wealth, a show of status, a show of power. To keep the vipers in line. Weakness could not be shown in the Court of Royals for even a moment, or they would strike. Eva had to project confidence and power at all times to keep her crown, and to keep her children safe. The only way to stay safe in this Court was to be at the top.

And another part of the game was these clandestine meetings with her ‘esteemed guests’. Regrettable and unenviable, but necessary. She stood from her seat, excusing herself from the royal viewing box. The attention was on her daughters, the maidens of the tournament. Few would notice her temporary absence, with hope.

The Verlaisean queen made her way through the maze of tents that comprised the tournament, a specific destination in mind. One of the tents with a black stripe along the entrance, marking it for this purpose. Her esteemed guest would be inside if everything had gone correctly.

Eva moved the flap to enter the tent, the familiar sight of her guest greeting her. The other woman stood next to a table, where she stroked a raven resting on her arm. The woman had no true name, at least not one known to Eva or any within the Court of Royals. She was known only as the Raven Keeper, the queen of the Court of Ravens. A black bird-mask covered her eyes and nose, but her red lips could be seen curling into a smile.

“Ah, Your Majesty. How good of you to make our appointment.”

Her voice was sickly sweet, like honey. It made Eva sick, but she kept her revulsion in check. The Raven Keeper was useful to her, and there was no advantage in offending her. So Eva fixed a matching smile to her own face.

“I would not miss it for the world. What do you have for me?”

The Keeper slowly set her bird down on the table, patting its head.

“Oh, my birds have been hard at work, Your Majesty. But you know that my knowledge comes at a price.”

Eva’s smile twitched, and her eyes narrowed.

“You know I am good for it. Does my word mean nothing to you, now?”

The Raven kept her smile fixed, her eyes inscrutable behind her mask.

“In my line of work, words are devoid of meaning. But I shall hold up my end of our arrangement first. As a show of faith. Your enemies are on the move, Your Majesty. My birds in the estate of the de Lous tell me that there is malcontent at your lack of action as of late. Our queendom is so small, a shadow of its former strength. And as I am sure you are well aware, the de Lous claim on the Verlaisean crown is just as strong as your own. The wolves are howling, and they are trying to howl into the ear of the third Court.”

This news was. . . disturbing. The balance of power between the three Verlaisean courts was tenuous and fragile, built up over centuries. The Court of Royals, the Court of Ravens, and the Court of Artyan. The Queen, the Raven, and the Archservon. Eva oversaw the Court of Royals, and was the head of state for all who swore oaths to the crown. The Keeper kept her order of shadowy spies and assassins in line, offering their services to the nobility of Verlaise to play them all against each other, and regulate their squabbles and ambitions. The Court of Artyan saw to the peoples religious needs, and the Archservon held power over the Order of Sisters, the holy knights that answered only to the Archservon, the Voxartia, and Artyan. Between these three Courts, the fabric of Verlaisean society was kept healthy and beautiful.

If her ancient blood feuded enemies the de Lous were making moves, then she would have to respond in kind to keep up in this game.

“Keep me informed. Your payment is a maidservant in service to the Montinets. Black hair, green eyes.”

The Keeper smiled.

“I know the one. My birds shall collect her. It is a pleasure doing business with you as always, Your Majesty.”

Eva did not respond, leaving the tent to return to her box, and think on the ramifications of this meeting.

Death of the stupid
Expansion post

“Troops! Listen up, we’re going to march into terrain that is unbeknownst to us! So I would highly recommend to keep a good situational awareness. Even though we are the ones launching a surprise attack, there could be traps or ambushes! Keep track of your surroundings, because I wouldn’t recommend death! Now, go!”

And the Janavesan army marches into the the unbeknownst. Emperor de Mesa looked over the marching crowd. He could see a man running towards him.

“Emperor! Emperor! Up front!”

De Mesa looks with a dead facial expression at the bald man that came running through the lines to him. The emperor doesn’t march up front for his own safety.

“Let me guess, you spotted enemies? Or scouts? Or a watchtower? If so, go back and next time just give the message through the lines.”

“Uh yes, your majesty. We spotted group of hunters. They ran back to the east, so we will come across their village.”

The man had a crack in his voice and looked nervous.

“Great go back.”

The emperor looked over the marching men as the man walked back. This wouldn’t be hard, because standing at almost 2 meters tall he is taller than most people.

“Emperor? I think you should have specified this earlier. This man didn’t know this.”

The emperor looks at his advisor with a look of confusion.

“I think that they are able to think by themselves. They don’t need everything pointed out.”

“Well, some of them aren’t the most clever, some even joined this force because they’re to dumb for something else.”

The emperor doesn’t react, because he can see a few armed men coming up to their army. The clash went without any losses and they marched to the next village, in which is no resistance. After a few more villages they are almost done and nothing special happens, the men began to lose their awareness.

“What’s that commotion behind us Tejedor?”

“I don’t know emperor, I’m not tall enough to see it”

“I’ll go look there, Alameda, you have the lead.”

The emperor walks with haste to the back of the column. When he arrives there he only sees a lot of blood and leather.

“What has happened here?”

A tall tanned soldier with blood all over his clothes and weapons answers:

“An ambush emperor, luckily we could react fast.”

“How many did we lose? And with how many did they attack?”

“I think we lost about 50 men and they were with about 30, they’re all dead by the way”

The emperor shooks his head and murmur about their stupid awareness. And goes back to his advisor.

“What happened there?”

“An ambush Tejedor, they killed 50 of our men, at least that means we have lost 50 stupid soldiers.”

“You could see it that way, but I think 50 men is 50 men, right?”

“I agree with Tejedor, emperor 50 men is quite a lot for our army.”

“If you 2 say so, I’m probably wrong, but we can use the men of the conquered lands.”

Tejedor nods, but doesn’t reply, Alameda does reply with sharp words:

“Emperor 50 men that could have put up a decent fight being just assaulted isn’t something you should overlook. My advice is that you value every soldier not only the good ones, war and conquest is about numbers. If you have less soldiers than the opponent you’re probably going to lose.”

“If you say so”

The emperor doesn’t say anything else.
The march home doesn’t have any accidents nor does it have fights. The men arrive at the capital with a victory.

The Golden Alliance
Co-written with Rolais

Lydes, Rolais

The blue skies over Lydes were as clear as the waters of the Golden Bay. Spring was in the air, after a long and bitter winter. Greenery was bouncing back from the smallest sapling to the tallest trees all around the city. The city was unusually quiet, as the dawn began to break on account of everyone working towards the festivities of the night, for the burning of King Lucius the Tyrant. While the skies were blue, the mists of the city were starting to clear as the morning began to come into force. Yet it was broken further by the small group of Lord-Guardian Tong Jong-Yai’s entourage making their way through the streets for their meeting. Emperor Francois I had arrived two days earlier, and had taken over control of the Sokos Council building as it was not sitting. For now, it was clear for business to be conducted between the Rolesian Empire.

As they approached the Sokos Council building, the Lord-Guardian and a pair of his dsen guards departed from the rest, as he entered the building. Though Jong-Yai had ruled in Uyuti longer than Francois had sat upon the throne in the Rolesian Empire, they had never personally met or otherwise directly communicated. Though, as it would be fruitful to continue the good standing between their respective states, the Lord-Guardian thought it best to honor the Emperor’s invitation.

The halls of the Sokos council were not as quiet as the city of Lydes. Guards stood at attention all around, as men with books and documents continued about their business while the doors remained closed. Francois himself had spent the better part of the last ten years fighting a long rebellion instigated by his brother, and his followers. It had taken a toll upon not only him, but the Empire. Distika had long left, and Rolesian influence continued to wane on the global stage. The Legions, unable to keep up with the expenses that a standing army could manage, had slowly faded away, as the nobility were once again able to use the crisis to their advantage, and once again assert their power away from Tel Andes. Now all that stood was the Imperial Forces, which could no longer compare to the might that once was the Rolesian Army.

As Francois put his hand on the stone table, he took a deep breath and let it out. Without his father keeping things in line, the Rolesian Empire slowly bled, and he was powerless to stop it. As he moved to sit down, the Imperial Fire Guard stepped aside, and Jong-Yai emerged from the staircase. Francois stood, and beckoned him to enter.

The Lord-Guardian bowed before the Emperor, then moved further into the room.

“I am pleased to finally meet you, your Imperial Majesty. And I must say, your resemblance to your father is uncanny.” Jong-Yai said, studying every bit of Francois’s stance and face, this was the second Rolesian Emperor he had met, and it raced in his mind to see if there were any patterns to the bunch.

Francois gestured towards a seat on the other side of the large stone table. “You are too kind, my lord. I trust your trip on the roads was uneventful?”

Jong-Yai took the seat, “Extremely dull, if you must know, though there was some misunderstanding at the Distikan border, apparently my guard are unused to the fact that Rolesian flags no longer fly there. Regardless, I was safe the entire time; but I assume my travels are not the main topic of discussion. If I may be so bold as to ask…?”

“I find it interesting” Francois began, “that you have brought up a point that is probably the prime reasoning for our meeting.” He took his seat, facing across from Jong-Yai. “Distika, the traitorous state it has always been, has gone rogue the second they smelt the milk and honey of short term gains, as it always has not realising that honey attracts pests, and milk starts to smell. Distika has embarked on a series of international stunts and loud bellicose talk. It talks of ancient claims on ancient lands, and seeks to define its own sphere. Surely this is of deep concern to the Uyutahn Commonwealth, is it not?”

“Distika has always been of concern to us Uyutahns. Indeed, Distika, if it were to define such a sphere, would likely tread upon our lands and influences.” Jong-Yai explained, “But as much as I would love to correct the problem and ensure my peoples’ safety, the Distikans have aligned themselves with the Dwarves in a defensive pact.”

“A pact which has significantly rattled feathers within the Empire itself.” Francois explained. “With them so close to Lydes and Distika announcing claims on the Winged Throne, we seem to be faced with a similar problem. One that I feel there can be an easy way to balance the scales. If I were to be so bold, how would you like to offset this with an agreement of our own?”

“We would have the Distikans surrounded on all sides, and while this is advantageous, this ignores the fact that Rolais has been bloodied. A one-to-one war, we would be practically matching the Dwarven-Distiakn alliance, a stalemate in its own. But, I do see many benefits to have one such alliance between our states; I find it agreeable.”

“It would go a long way to curbing Distikan power in the region, and allow us to continue my father's policy of warming our relations. He always spoke highly of the Uyutahn Commonwealth. As for Distika, in the long term, our interests now align with rebuilding Rolesian influence. This, as far as I am concerned, does not require Distika to belong, in essence, physically or politically, to the Rolesian Empire, if you have an understanding of what I refer to.”

Jong-Yai smiled, “You are a sly man, Emperor. Such a thing would be very prestigious to Uyuti, I would foolish not to pursue such an avenue. This would go a long way to building the golden alliance that always should’ve been, a band across Sokos, from South to North. Uyuti and Rolais, hand in hand, a truly unstoppable force.”

“A truly powerful force, to be sure.” Francois explained sitting back. “It is interesting that Rolais and Uyuti have always been a constant in each others politics, I must say. Uyuti was brought low by the daggers of old states. The Rolesian Empire, brought low by the daggers of its internal affairs. I feel that we are due to face an interregnum. A period of chaos as a result of transition. With such shifting powers, war is slowly becoming an inevitability. It would be good to, at least, establish some form of security. As for my bitch of a sister, I would dare not hang her from the Westion Wall, but if she were to face an accident in such a disaster, I am sure it will benefit all in the pursuit of peace, by pure coincidence of course.”

Francois coughed slightly. “As for the Rolesian Empire, I must reiterate that our support, militarily, economically and diplomatically is with the Uyutahn Commonwealth. As such we can once again provide the issuance of trade rights to Uyutahn merchants whom deign to find themselves travelling the Imperial Highway to our cities. I hope it goes without saying, that this support is reciprocal?”

“It would be frankly ignorant and cruel of me not to reciprocate these. As Rolais has given to Uyuti, Uyuti will give to Rolais. If only you had wine brought, we could toast to a new friendship!”

A laugh sounded from deep in Francois’ throat. “I will be sure to next time, but the city has run dry. The festivities tonight you see. The merchants are all preparing for a brief gouge. But yes, a great success today. Let us hope that all our dealings are fruitful in the future.”

The Zahedan's Soul: Part I
Expansion Post 2/5

After the separation of Kewuit from the Acooris Federation had been notified and the visit of the Grand Duke Rodeck I had been received, along with a small military corps, the city's annex to the growing territories of Ralzawr was officially completed under the will of Priest Uthor on behalf of the people who refused to leave their homes for the reception of the dignitary. Even so, the process had popular assistance since many made their complaints and requests public about it, through letters or clamor from their balconies, all of which were heard although very little understood or capable of being taken seriously by their extremism and uniqueness. However, one fact was clear in the midst of disorder, people wanted to fight and could not deny them that sacred right to defend what they loved and believed to be correct or in the process they would carry the system if necessary.

The promise of bringing the matter before the Conclave was necessary so that the citizens, those who had formed the first existing military force in the desert since they ceased to be simple groups of marginalized people, would allow them to leave the city for the tour. that corresponded to the notification of the rest of the provincial communities that depended on Kewuit, now renamed Raelag after his change of administration, in fact they were the ones who prepared an adult elephant with long fabrics and a well-made cabin to take them to their first destination, which for everyone was logical was the home of Judge Asariel, spokesperson and administrator of the territories that comprised the access road from Rolais to the east of the country.

The good pachyderm behaved at the level of the fame that preceded it by giving its passengers a smooth and calm journey along the river bank, with its smooth trot and cheerful sounds, so for those who had never risen on their backs From one of these specimens it became clear that, in addition to a good market, these majestic animals that populated both ends of the Zahedan desert were indeed a perfect means of transportation and a major improvement to the workforce by the time they reached their destination. There they knew how to receive them with good food and drink, they exchanged cordial words and one or another criminal case of the town was debated before reaching the topic that interested the visitors, plus the honorable Asariel refused to allow them to continue and emphasize his words made it clear to them that "A man without law is not a man, a man without land is nobody." With these words he would dismiss the procession so that they could start the march again, implying that for the good of the nation he knew he was willing to abide by what fate ordered.

An Age of Introspection: A Leap of Faith

Its is well known that the Namori faith holds its place within Basileus Elysium as the sole religion. A pantheon of gods which explain the world around the Avernians of the west. The Elysian government however has yet to voice its decision or even thought of integrating the religion into the governance of everyday life. Behind the scenes however furious debate takes place with three main factions enthralled with arguing their point.

The theologian faction is those within the grand council who support the idea of the Khafir’s. Imineif and Azzem proclaiming their selves as idols of the gods, effectively deifying themselves. This intern would bring the Namori faith into the government but give full control of it to the Diarchy, strengthening their legitimacy as being chosen by the gods to rule lands of Basileus Elysium.

The moderate faction, which wishes for a Council of elders or “Buyuk council” with a nominated representative from each major city. These would gather when they see fit to discuss and put forward legislation which if agreed upon would then be passed up to the Grand council for their decision. If then approved this would be signed by the Diarchy to become law. This would create a structured form of religion for the state and allow for spending to be allocated to religion buildings and events much like what currently occurring in Basilea.

The radicals however apposed any and all representation of the Namori faith within the Elysian establishment believing it to be above the control of men and to be left to its own devices. These claim that the gods shaped us to perform their will not us shaping them to have them perform ours. Despite being a small minority of only two to three council men these were the most outspoken in their beliefs. Extremely devout and radical which garnered their name.

After two years of debate, In Highsun 331 AFT an agreement was finally met, Many of the theologian faction slowly began to sway to the moderates ideals as it was more practical and created long term stability while the radical movement slowly died down due to little support and fatigue of arguing the same points repeatedly .despite some of the council still disagreeing with the idea, the moderate faction had their proposal approved. The Namori Buyuk council was officially formed and the temples of each city elected their representatives to it.

An Age of Introspection: Military Reform

Unlike the other issues plaguing Basileus Elysium the issues facing the military were blatant and obvious to anyone. First of all, the military itself ran as individual forces conscripted for the city they served. Each of the main cities held its own army and controlled its own Garrison. Azzem and Imineif set out to establish legislation to create a centralized army loyal only to Basileus Elysium, not the city they hail from. Each city would offer military training to those who enlisted however once trained may be transferred to another city for duties. The Garrisoned troops of each city would also be decided by Drakkulesti’s Imperial Elysium Arsenal which became the defacto headquarters of the military. In addition, a full reshuffle of the higher ups with the military occurred, this was done to strip any idea of loyalty to a specific leader other than Azzem and Imieif.

The Imperial guard or Secilmis Olanlar was established within the capital of Drakkulesti, this took the most decorated warriors of Basileus Elysium and brought them into a highly paid force which aimed to protect the key areas of the capital such as the Government building which became known as “Dort Sutun”, The Imperial Elysium Arsenal, Imperial bank and mint ,and later the University of Basileus Elysium as well as the Magus college of Drakkulesti. Despite their high calibre of the Secilmis Olanlar they saw little combat on the field, removing these specific figures from the frontline did lower the overall capabilities to an extent however the idea of proving yourself and being given such a high prestige job cause a huge spike in moral among the common soldiers and even lead to a increase in those enlisting who hope to join the ranks of the Secilmis Olanlar one day.

After the establishment of the Free trade act of 335 AFT the military saw a huge expansion. Trade with Aelythium for Cannons and Rolais for guns created entirely new ranks within the military never seen in Basileus Elysium. The Topcu became the first new regiment to be created, with the use of cannons imported from Aelythium these soldiers were trained to use the destructive power to its full purpose. The Amami Topcu were those trained to harness this during sieges of hostile forts and castles to bring down the protective walls. The Eawda Topca however, specialized in its defensive capabilities. Primarily stationed on outer city walls and forts around the kingdom these rain cannon fire on anyone attempting to attack sovereign Elysium land with deadly accuracy. Their more common, less explosive counterpart the Alfaris however took takes its stand on the frontlines. Armed with muskets and flintlocks these are the pride of the Elysium military. Their guns supplied by trade with Rolais pulled Basileus Elysium into the modern age of warfare. Making up around ten per cent of the entire military they acted as an elite force who many came to fear for their quick and effective brutality not see before by Avernians.

In addition to the full-scale changes to the military Mizan itself began mass production of armour and weapons for every soldier, each made with the Mizanese steel and inscribed with “savaşa hazırlanın. barışı sağlamak.” Meaning: prepare for war, forge our peace. Those of the highest rank within the military have copper dragon scale like plating along their left breastplate and arm to symbolize keeping Drakkulesti at heart.

Ten years is all it took for the Elysium forces to jump into modernity, despite the small size everything else became a paragon of its kind. Crime drastically dropped with the new organized patrol routes and properly equipped garrisons. Despite being a gradual change over the years, the difference was that of night and day.

The Zahedan's Soul: Part III
Expansion Post: 4/5

The more numerous part of company had to be abandoned in Judge Tenebar's small house so that a sick young man could be returned him to the city while the mounts were exchanged for a few dromedaries who would take them through the desert to the small community where the honorable Saleriam and a few elves They served as a meeting point for the nomadic peoples of one of the largest eastern provinces of Yiywa. Several days they walked on the scorching sands and resting among the frigid winds of the night, with the help of a map they had acquired in the city and the guidance of a dwarf villager who had been assigned to them under the promise of a few coins, before getting to the small town where the only well in many kilometers around was located. Satisfied they dismantled and recharged their empty leather canteens of the so vital liquid that gushed from a small spring to the natural enclosure made by a few rocks around the oasis, however, only silence responded to their actions and not a soul appeared to receive them even when entering the main tower they made such a noise that the inhabitants of Takhabris could have heard them.

A quick inspection among the few surrounding houses could determine what was already known by simple deduction, the place was totally abandoned despite the fact that the belongings of the citizens and the food in their pantries were still present. They decided to wait and see if, as the day wore on, they would find that they had marched for some reason to a nearby place, but, two days after having spent the night outside the homes of the disappeared, they could not find any indication that it had happened in this remote area. They were about to collect their things to travel the road to Yiywa for when a shadow rose on the horizon, then a smoke similar to those that used to cause the great storms began to rise after this figure still too diffuse to be identified and finally sprouted of this a massive caravan that seemed to threaten to run over them if they did not do something to get to safety. They immediately took refuge in the judge's tower and remained there, knowing that fleeing was impossible in such a scenario, but the unexpected earthquake never seemed to destroy the flimsy structure and instead delivered a loud knock on the door and a shrill scream asking the bandits who were hiding in the town to come out and appear before the authority of that county, a call that was answered in the same way by the dwarf that with her voice, much more powerful than expected, asked that this authority appear before the eminences of the Grand Duke of Ralzawr and the Governor of Kewuit.

It was a great debate that followed this since the people who had arrived were almost a thousand, in fact it was the entire nomadic population of the county that had been summoned by Judge Saleriam so that they could be safe in the capital of the League de Plata, and they did not stop drawing conclusions or launching threats to the alleged criminals who had taken advantage of looting the place at a bad time. It was not until the young Aetherios made his way to the front and both leaders leaned out the window that all the noise that had been silenced so that the relevant conversations could be started, implying the misunderstanding and explaining that only the orders to move to Yiywa and swear allegiance to the Grand Duchy, who was to send a representative to the court of that port city to hold the relevant ceremonies. With this resolved, the formerly aggressive men and women who besieged the small town were so friendly and receptive that they decided to organize a party to commemorate the fact that for the first time in a long time they were all in the same place, giving place to the seating of the Hundreds of citizens in their stores and one of the most beautiful scenes that could unfold, one in which all the races present shook hands to cover their deficiencies with the strengths of the others despite their notorious differences in size, age or culture.

Crisis of Faith: Part III - The Zahedan's Soul: Part IV
Expansion Post 5/5

The thousand people located in the village of Judge Saleriam did not want those celebrations to be forgotten and, after making a pact, they agreed to meet annually to meet again at that same point once again when all the madness that bothered them was to become a problem of the past. With this done and the invitation extended to both diplomats, it was time to see them leave and try to fight to see who could deliver the best of those present, although in the end all the gifts had to be rejected by the significant number of elements of all kinds. they represented and because in the end the greatest gift they could give them was the example they had given, the same one that left in the priest Uthor the idea that he had done the right thing by joining the Grand Duchy, since it was precisely that level of values social what the clergy hoped to promote within his own community, even then divided and waiting for his return according to how far he had managed to know by a messenger who would cross with him after days of waiting on the Yiywa-Takhabris route.

The only thing they could not refuse was a considerable improvement in their means of transport, now a wagon with cotton canvas and a Rolesian wooden frame, which had to make use of some unique adaptations so that it could slide on the sands instead of rolling. , as was the custom of the trade caravans that walked from one side to the other on the roads of the nation, until they finally found the road that would lead them to the gates of the main port of the kingdom. Being to arrive, during the night, they could hear the murmur of the waves hitting the imposing stone walls that the powerful White Ocean had long ago appropriated to form an artificial bay that, for the largest fleet than any state that had ever existed In the desert he could see, it represented an imposing defense against any attack that might attempt to orchestrate himself from the seas against the population of merchants and artisans that was concentrated on those coasts.

In fact, just like those destined to receive travelers arriving by land, the gigantic Gates of the Sea were still open to receive and release the ships that carried in their womb the valuable product of the effort of those sailors and artists consecrated, who despite the late hours did not seem to want to rest until dawn again announced in the sky and could not be interested in the arrival of any of the nobles who now tried to navigate the streets of the city in search of the palace of government or the reception party of the Priestess Dendena. It was an old woman who, after having bought him a few candles for the altars of the heart tree, knew how to guide them after a light greeting without any ceremony towards the point referred to by the letters they carried, which was a very well decorated square and lit by oil lamps, where several young women dressed in fine silks prayed on their knees in front of an immense park where multicolored flowers made a carpet for the center of their adoration.

Both knights, even though they were married, were totally lost to the soft songs that the girls gave to Sylanna through the vital energy of that centennial specimen, the second oldest of the desert tabernacles and one of the most legendary since many said that it only fed on the foaming waters that used to hug the coastline, but after leaving that deadly charm trap they were able to get close enough so that, standing behind the ladies, they began to sing along with them the sacred liturgies that his goddess deserved. The serious and masculine voice of the new members of that choir was noticed by the maids but they refused to stop or react, instead they only smiled to thank the strangers who had abandoned their greedy desires to join in the defense of the faith that until then he had blessed them with that monumental body of water in which nature gave an eternal sign of its revitalizing power, the one that all the citizens of Zankasyi, Farheim and Mhorbad boasted of their kindness since they represented the gold mine that made them creditors of its overwhelming wealth.

That is how time passed and the moon took care of reaching its highest point for when a few infants began to arrive curious, they had never seen a man do that job, and thinking within their eternal innocence that those foreigners did not know what They approached him to tell him that only the priestesses could do that. Uthor looked at them perplexed and abandoned the ritual to ask why they were told that, realizing the reality that they suffered in that place where everyone respected religion but no one practiced or taught their customs and principles since they were always busy to lose His day in such things, this was followed by Rodeck to invite the boys to join them, although he never told how everyone would run away laughing to avoid being involved before he could even tell them what to do to integrate. That was a shame but it didn't make the knights give up the idea of ​​participating, not at least until the childish little voice of some three young men tried to babble something unintelligible next to them almost at the same time that the entire ceremony stopped due to a order of who should be the political leader of that region.

The astonishment became widespread, none understood that it had happened and several passers-by stopped in alarm, apparently it was not common for the symphony to stop at that time, much less that Dendena extended his arms to try to calm the girls next to him. For a second, the Grand Duke, like the children, thought they had gotten into trouble and waiting to be scolded, he was prepared to take responsibility, but there were no complaints or discussions, apparently that uproar was due to the fact that at the feet of that tree something that had never been seen before had occurred when it found itself among several petals and fallen leaves, which was evidently a seedling of that immense and imposing sacred tree. Immediately she ran to the temple to fetch water from the altar and bathe the fragile roots of that new life, while using her authority, the priestess Dendena, called the two dwarves and the elf to come forward and allow her to give a speech about how that act of purity on the part of those three beings had allowed the greatest gift that on that day could be given to the population of Morbhad, who lacked a heart tree.

So he was praising the virtues of young people and calling others to imitate his example before he called the two guests of his house who had made them perform that miracle, who ashamed could not help but obey between the amazement and the expectation of all the bystanders, being even more sorry for when they felt the woman's lips on his cheeks and saw him place one of the most tender branches on the forehead of the five. He made a slight bow before them by giving each one a candle and arranging them in front of all, while five novices gave them light and announced that this event was the confirmation that the divinity gave so that the Great Port of Zancasyi began to commune with the rest of Zahedans who lived under Ralzawr's sphere of influence, since it would be the only way to break the spiritual chains that the Kostuan Empire had left after physically withdrawing and allowing them to return to the old customs. Despite this, everyone returned to the routine, except for the young people who marveled at the small tree and with singularity offered to baptize that newborn plant.