Work in Progress, mainly just up now in case I've messed up the maths horribly. [b]Nation Name:[/b] The Hegemony of Dal'Guatha [b]Races of the Nation:[/b] (15 used) Dark Elves (3) Coastborn (3) Naga (3) Draconians (3) Saur (3) [hider=Nation History] Dal'Guatha, in ages past, was a sprawling empire, ruled by Dragons, its inhabitants were slaves to the powerful will and might of the great creatures. Legions of lesser creatures fought and died on the whims of their ancient overlords. While the exact limit of this nation, existing as it did in the pre-history of most nations, in any surviving literature it is suggested the reaches of this Empire spread far beyond the borders of the modern nation, and that an even greater number of races was held in its oppressive claws. Having been forged briefly after the end of the Cataclysm, the Empire remained for but a blink of an eye in the lifespan of the dragons, but for the lesser races centuries went by before the whispers of rebellion turned to action. The first blows came from the homeland of the Dragons themselves, the Draconians and Dark Elves who formed their first vassals, and had been presumed to be the most loyal of their subjects, took battle to their draconic overlords, some two centuries ago. High Councillor Cicero led the rebellion, previously seen as the closest to an equal by the Dragons among their humanoid slaves, Cicero had advised the ancient beasts on matters of state for years, but now turned his knowledge of the dragons on themselves. A powerful Archmage himself, the story goes that Cicero killed the Dragon-King Kalgath himself, before feasting on the heart of the dead monarch. This has become a part of the core belief of the Hegemony, it is at this point that the age of the Dragon ended, and they, as their usurpers, are destined to the same greatness if not more. Cicero himself seemed to push for a republican system to replace the sprawling Empire, but he fell before the war would reach its end, afterwhich the rebellion would splinter, resulting in the rebels eventually controlling a much smaller nation. Cicero’s son, Marius, had no intention of sharing power and established the Hegemony in its current form, a loose collection of sub-states, united only by an organised military system and a divine dedication to the Hegemon. Over the following centuries, the Hegemony launched a series of military campaigns, striking out from its homeland among the plains, into the desert and towards the coast, conquering those which had once been a part of the Draconic empire. In this way, the Naga and Coastborn were brought back into the fold, while dissident Dark elf tribes, native to the desert, were also subjugated. The last great push under the reign of Marius conquered the Dark forest of Tel’Amon, a land that had never been a part of the Empire, and thus forced subjugation upon the savage Saur. 50 years prior to the current date, Marius died crushing a Saur rebellion, his nephew, Agrippus, inherited the Hegemony due to Marius’ lack of biological children and his failure to adopt an heir during his lifetime. Immediately Agrippus crushed the remnants of the rebellion and formed the Saur legions, bringing them into the fold as citizens, but only if they would serve the Hegemony like its other components. [/hider] [hider=Important Characters] WIP [u]Hegemon Agrippus Crassi (Mage-Fire/Air/Force):[/u] [img=http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/196/7/3/Black_Dragon_Prince_by_Athena_Erocith.jpg] Overlord of the Hegemony and current head of the Crassi family, Agrippus has ruled for the short span of 50 years, his training as a mage under High-Magos Aurelia being cut short by his inheritance. Agrippus has much to prove, given the previous two leaders the Hegemony identifies with have firstly, overthrown a caste of Dragon overlords and secondly, rebuilt a powerful nation from those ashes. So far the relatively young Dark Elf has proven that he may just have the ability to measure up, or even surpass, as a ruler. While advised on the matter, his handling of the troublesome Saur population was seen as a key first act to solidify his rule, particularly as the line of succession was not as direct as it had been the generation previously. Agrippus is not an evil being, although he is decisive and will be harsh to achieve his goals, although favouring options that do not require such drastic action (e.g. assimilating the Saur into the Legions, rather than decimating the population as had been planned). Agrippus is well aware of the fact he is not the most powerful, in terms of magical ability, individual in the realm, instead relying upon his position and his vast Imperial authority to maintain his position. At his core, he is a pragmatist, loyal only to the God that is the surival and power of the nation. Despite his ability as a ruler, Agrippus still has much in the way of dissent to deal with, although not a wild scale threat from the populace, the other major noble families of the realm continue to eye the prominant position of the Crassi and even within the family there are those who feel Marius would have declared another heir, had he not been struck down. In light of this, to both maintain a position and to escape the politics of court, Agrippus often departs on militant expeditions himself, although when representing the nation on foreign field, he often masks his true identity. [u]Consort Julia Janae-Crassi:[/u] [img=http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/133/7/6/queen_azshara_by_mr__jack-d654zpb.jpg] Spouse to the reigning hegemon and member of the wealthy Janae family, Julia is an individual used to getting her own way, even more so than the Hegemon himself. Thankfully for pretty much everyone involved, Julia has very rarely failed to achieve her 'own way' spoilt first by a doting family and then a position of supreme power, if Julia was not a fairly capable individual in her own right, she would be little more than an attractive brat. Cunning, with a flair for courtly politics which her spouse lacks, Julia has taken very well to becoming a member of the Crassi family, not in fact, the Janae pawn her family had hoped her to be. Influencing fashions within (and to a less extent without) the Hegemony, the Hegemonic Cout has become famously aesthetic and decadent under her supervision. Although possibly treating such events a little too lax (as a holiday no less), Julia doubles as a diplomat, both for her adoptive house within the Hegemony and outside the realm for the nation as a whole. [u]Maria Crassi, Heir to the Obsidian Throne (mage, fire/force/shadow):[/u] [img=http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/002/3/a/dragon_by_andarix-d70im2g.png] Unlike her brother (the Hegemon), who rather unfashionably has so far avoided illusion magic, Maria has taken to the noble magic fashion of the draconic style with gusto, very rarely letting the magic slip and returning her form to the entirely mammalian look she was born with. As a Crassi, Maria was raised hard, taught how to fight and survive before she was introduced to the more traditional fields of nobility. This, at first, put her at odds with her brother's wife, however, in the years that have past, she has began to appreciate the Consort as an ally and friend, often working in tandem, rather than on seperate diplomatic duties. That said, Maria is still a powerful user of the arcane and thus a military boon for the Hegemon's armies and has a list of military achievements to her name, most notably during the Frogmen scourge which attacked the Coastborn and Naga dominant provinces of the Hegemony from the Sea. With a cutting wit, but equally soothing charm, Maria is rather more intelligent than many expect of her, being fooled by the whimisical, hedonistic display she may show at court. [u]High-magos Aurelia Kaenun (Arch Mage):[/u] [img=http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2010/120/6/0/queen_of_abyss_by_breathing2004.jpg] Turned ageless, or near enough to it, by the power of her magics, the first High-Magos is one of the few remaining individuals within the Hegemony to have lived during the reign of the dragons, and to have personally known all three of the leaders of the Hegemony (even though, technically, the first was simply a rebel leader). Aurelia was once a courtesan in the royal hold of Prince Taelor, the ruler of the Naga city-state of Sprinya, a nation that would be swallowed up by the encroaching Dragons, forming a part of their empire. The Royal Hold was destroyed, Aurelia only surviving due to her ever-growing magical ability. Despite the inconvenience of her species, the Dragon-Mage Igon began to teach Aurelia, sensing in her great potential, hoping to use her as scion for situations in which dragons were unsuited. Typical of the Dragons of Dal'Guatha, Igon was entirely out of touch with reality, forgetting, or more likely overlooking, that Aurelia had seen her friends and family melted by dragonfire. No amount of supposed favoritism would overcome that and so when the rebellion began, Aurelia not only slew her master, who she had unknowingly surpassed in ability, before becoming a key player in the civil war. Many Naga expected her to take leadership of the general effort, however, then fairly young archmage decided instead to follow the leadership of the High Councillor, a choice which confused many at the time and has often been chalked up to rumors of a previous friendship between the two notable rebels. Whatever her reasons may have been, uniting her magic with the leadership of the dark elf was instrumental in bringing down the dragons. Remaining in the new royal court after the war and death of the rebel leader rather than return home, she advised the first Hegemon and, after threatening her own people with her arcane power, brought the Naga people into the fold, before retiring to watch over the construction of the new capital while the Hegemony set about conquering the Coastborn, Saur and dissident elves. She spent the intervening years studying yet more of the arcane arts, while also tutoring the now-Hegemon in the ways of magic. [u]High-Magos Skaalar Lu'Chek (Arch-Mage)[/u] [img=http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs35/i/2008/290/3/5/Draconian_by_gildeneye.jpg] The second individual to earn the title of High-Magos in the history of the Hegemony, Skaalar spent decades perfecting his arcane ability in the deserts of the Hegemony, living in isolation, beyond contact with a few small hamlets when he required supplies, the process of which has turned him slightly disjointed. Skaalar is tolerated, if not liked, by high society and the military, his eccentricity putting him at odds with the latter, his general malcontent for opulence the other. That said, he remains a loyal, if cynical, citizen and tool of the Hegemony, even if he has contributed to few military campaigns yet. His age is unknown, nor is the exact time span he spent away from civilization, his magical talents not even known until his return, he had been simply another Draconian farmer in the hegemony before then. Shirking both the responsibility to report magical gifts, and later contribute to the nation, are rather forgiven due to the vast power he now wields. [u]Maliaya Nassos, Jewel of the Desert (Mage, Shadow, Force, Air):[/u] [img=http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/320/4/1/summoning_the_goddess_by_artofty-d6uh14g.jpg] [u]Sword of the Hegemon, Tyla Canius (Hero of the Realm)[/u] [img=http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs48/f/2009/210/6/b/Night_Elf___Dark_Knight_by_Ketka.jpg] [u]Legate Jarrus I'Charius (Great General)[/u] [img=http://th00.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2011/160/d/0/rimas_the_dragonborn_by_fushark-d3iiidf.png] [u]Legate-Admiral Vaela Kaenun[/u] [img=http://th01.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2014/036/a/b/red_tide_by_chenbo-d757ffk.jpg] [/hider] [hider=Traits] National Traits: X=(8) Size Matters (-1) Monolithic (-1) Manipulative (-1) All Roads lead to Rome (-1) Bread and Games (-1) Victory Arches (-1) Arm of the Empire (-1) Watchtowers (-1) Population Traits: X=(8) Loyal (-1) Brave (-1) Brutal (--1) We Stand as One (-1) March to War (-1) Public Baths (-1) The Peoples 'Entertainment' (-1) Know your place! (-1) Academic Traits: X=(4) Medicine (-1) Schools (-1) Academy of Power (-1) University of War (-1) Military Basic Traits: X=(9) Fearless (-1) Strategists (-1) Bring down the walls (-1) Superior Training (-1) Live off the Lands (-1) Camoflaged Sally Points (-1) Many Walls (-1) Siege Train (-1) Right of Conquest (-1) Archery Traits: X=(1) Monster Hunters (-1) Infantry Traits: X=(6) Hold the line (-1) Monster Hunters (-1) Witch Hunters (-1) Testudo (-1) Legion (-1) Swordsman's School (-1) Cavalry Traits: X=(3) Thunder of Hooves (-1) Masterful cavalry (-1) Monster Cavalry (-1) Navy Traits: X=(4) Ramming Speed (-1) Dragonships (-1) Heavy ships (-1) Warriors of the Sea (-1) Airborne Traits: X=(4) Runes of Flight (-1) Wyverns (-1) Chimera (-1) Mageflight (-1) Tradesman Traits: X=(4) Ranchers (-1) Strong Stone Foundations (-1) Siege Walls (-1) Siege Stores (-1) Merchant Traits: X=(2) Deep Pockets and Long Arms Diplomatic Savant Magecraft Traits: X=(5) Elemental Fires (-1) Elemental Air (-1) Element of Shadow (-1) Force Magic (-1) Arch-Spellcaster (-1) Monster Traits: X=(2) Drakes Mechanist Traits: X=(0) Flaws: All Roads lead to Rome Gluttonous Pigs Raiding Season, Not Raiding Season Custom Traits Custom Trait 1: Life in the Legions: The legions aren’t just fighting bodies, they build roads, forts and patrol the realm. Those who survive are eventually rewarded with a comfortable retirement and so a culture has developed around this fighting force. The Hegemony takes pride in the Legions and will celebrate any victory, no matter how morally dubious. The morale and popularity of the legions is always high, although the loss of a Legion is considered a dire omen and will overshadow a campaign, even if it is an eventual victory. Custom Trait 2: Maintenance: Due to the efficiency with which the legions maintain the infrastructure of the realm, important roads and buildings very rarely fall into disrepair and thus the military is often rapid to respond to any threat, not having to deal with roads worn down over years. [/hider] [hider=Territory/Military] Territory: (100) (278 rp) Plains Capital (2pts) Coastal Large City Medium City Plains Fortress Desert Fortress 9 Plains 9 Desert 5 Coast 5 Forest 3 River Army: (280 RP to Spend) 10 Dark Elf Legionnaire Regiments (8 Experienced) (2 royal Guard) 10 Draconian Legionnaire Regiments ( All Experienced) 5 Saur Legionnaire Regiments (3 Experienced) 5 Saur Heavy Beast Cavalry ( 3 Elite) (2 Experienced) 10 Dark Elf Monster Hunter (8 Experienced) (2 Elite) 5 Dark Elf Light Cavalry (All experienced) 5 Draconian Witch Slayers (1 Royal Guard) Command: (70) 1 Normal Hero of the Realm 2 Normal Arch Mages 3 Normal Mages 2 Normal Great Generals Monsters: (69) 6 Drakes Air Force: 69 Flying Ship 1 Wyvern 1 Chimera Navy: 4000 1 Galleon (250) 15 Trireme (600) 15 Quinquireme (750) 7 Galley (560) 7 Galleass (840) 5 Longships (1000) [/hider]