Name: (The name of your Archon/Exarch. This character is your leader, and is going to be essential in the times to come)

Titles: (Self-given or earned. Fame is an essential part of an Archon/Exarch’s power these are often long-winded creative.)

Type: (What is your Champion? The choice is between either the more powerful and influential Archons or the still formidable Exarchs. Take note most players will play as Exarchs as there will only be a select few Archons. PM me if you are interested in an Archon spot. Otherwise, you're an Exarch.)

Rivals&Allies: (Given Archon/Exarch's long lives and time spent in the political sphere, you no doubt have a few enemies or those you dislike for one slight imagined or not. This is not always two-way and is optional though advised. Be Sure to added allies here and your exact reltions to them as well.)

Appearance: (Pretty self-explanatory. Pictures or Description. Both preferred)

Loyalty: (The Archon your Exarch serves.)

Personality and Drive: (What drives your leader to do what he does? What is his or hers ultimate goal?)

History: (A little something-something about the history of the Exarch/Archon. How have they gotten to the point they are at, and how did they become famed across the land? Some feats here are also advised, they can even be slightly exaggerated.)

Armaments: (These are a list of powerful magic relics that belong to your character. They can be a weapon, piece of armor, jewelry, etc that have some unique power. These are not just mere enchanted items, they have been given further power from the virtue that you wield them. Give each one a small bit of lore, how you got it, and most importantly what they do. Think the artifacts from D&D or most any item used by heroes in Warhammer.)

Abilities: (What powers does your Archon/Exarch have? This includes magic or anything of the sort. Exarch can be pretty damn powerful, Archons many times more so, so feel free to play around. I will be taking special notice of this category, however, so don't be a brat with this freedom.)

Name: (The name of your Hero. These characters are alternative POV's as well as trusted advisors, or generals. )

Type: (Are they a Mage? Warrior? Spy? etc)

Appearance: (Pretty self-explanatory. Pictures or Description. Both preferred)

Personality and Drive: (What drives your leader to do what he does? What is his or hers ultimate goal?)

Background: (You know what goes here. Be sure to add when they joined the services of your Exarch/Archon, along with their accomplishments in your service.)

Armaments: (Normally heroes will have basic or sometimes Enchanted items, however, if you have granted one a relic item from your allotment be sure to mention that here. Remember Exarch's only get three relic items to distribute.)

Skills: (What they are capable of, note these are skillful men and women but are nowhere near the power of an Exarch. Think more along the lines of badass normals.)

Holdings
Name: (What is the name of your holding?)
Type: (What is your holding? A fortress-city maybe? A major castle city fortification perhaps? A conjured tower of flames?! Tell me!!)
Culture: (What are the people like in your holding?)
Description: (Tell us all about your Holding. it's layout and design, it's function and capabilities. Everything. Damn it, everything.)
Laws: (What are the unique tenets or laws you have established in your province?)
Military: (What kind of system does your hold use to raise troops? What about their training? What kind of units could you call on? Remember this is grimdark high fantasy, So if you want pegasus knights or wyvern riders go for it.)

Faction
Name: (What is your Faction/Warband/Guild called?)
Size: (How many followers are considered a part of your faction/Guild? this usually varies between 100-5000. Remember, it's a faction, not a nation!)
Hierarchy and Culture: (What is life like within your faction?? How does one advance, and what ranks are there? What is their reason for following your Lord?)
Goals: (What are the main aims and goals of your faction?)
Specialization: (What do they specialize in, a merchant guild focus? Healers? Perhaps focus in magical studies? War?)
History: (Tell us of the founding of your Faction.)
Military Capabilities: (List all your unit types, and their capabilities along with arms and armor. This is mostly to help others grasp the feel of how your faction will fight - this category is not a power play, so don't be snobby.)
Warcry: (Totally optional)

Name:
Manuel Skleros, Lord of the Free City of Ardaza

Titles:
The Many Faced, The Fowl ((pun pun pun))

Type:
Exarch

Rival:
Manuel has a lasting feud with Kalon, both parties being all but polar opposites the only thing preventing an illegal war is distance.

Appearance:

The idea of truly knowing the look and build of an illusion wizard is a tenuous and often untenable one. When such a wizard has specialized in the art of tricking the throng for the better part of their life, the proposition is outright ludicrous. That said, Manuel has worked tirelessly to cultivate a recognizable image, a visual identity as it were. High and defined cheekbones, clean shaven but for a closely trimmed beard, perfect hair all but frozen in place, Manuel's visage is one that reeks of design and vanity, but is seldom forgotten. Of a somewhat above average height and seemingly fit build Manuel looks to project an image of class at all times, wearing the finest jackets and rings.

Personality and Drive:
Manuel is a conceited and petty man, and he has always been one. That having been said, he is not a fool. Perhaps a result of his former life as a street urchin, perhaps a result of some conscious effort, Manuel is a rigorously cautious man. While he may lack the vast knowledge or refined wisdom of other Exarchs, Manuel takes care in every action and often finds himself gaining the upper hand on account of this. Fickle, amoral, and often brutal in even the most trivial reprisals, Manuel ensures that his most depraved acts are carefully committed and even more carefully buried.

Once having nothing and now having gained everything, Manuel is surprisingly content in his position. Regardless of how grasping he might seem, for the moment Manuel is free to enrich himself beyond the wildest dreams of most men; for him this is more than enough. To Manuel what is good and just is what makes his pockets swell, and with the Empire looking south he would prefer to be exactly where he is. So long as the money flows the right way and he is left to his little fiefdom, then all is well and right in the world.

History:
Born in the slums of the Imperial port city of Ardaza Manuel's earliest memories are those of being a nameless orphan, begging on the streets and suffering the beatings of those that fed him if he didn't produce enough coin. For many years he was nothing, an urchin, a rat, a beggar. Once he was old enough begging became pickpocketing, and sooner rather than later he was the one giving out the beatings. Life seemed to be following the predictable path, and somewhere inside he loathed it.

The moment that would change Manuel's life came when his distaste for his circumstances led to him working up the nerve, and the gang, to rob a local Magician. Even though everything would change from that day forward, Manuel would never recall the old man's name, nor those of the starving boys the wizard took with him into the dark. Taking the old wizards tomes Manuel first taught himself to read out of curiosity, then he taught himself magic out of pragmatism. In the beginning the tricks were simple, a ball that doesn't exist appearing under the cup you want it to be under, an obnoxious fog before the eyes of a mark blinding them before the gang moved in. That was just the beginning.

Before long Manuel was hustling card games, cheating travellers of all their coin and slipping away before they got drunk enough to do something about it. He became known in the taverns of the port and fewer and fewer would play, soon enough forcing him to escalate yet again. Manuel's first real rise to prominence came when he led a small ring of illusion magicians to con hundreds of sailors. Incredible deals would be offered for nonexistent goods, and the fools that swabbed decks all day would fall for the ruse time and time again. His ring of underworld amateur wizards expanding Manuel soon came to be a figure known among the huddled poor of Ardaza. He was a thief who would trick anyone with anything and for no reason at all, but he was a problem for the poor alone.

That changed when the Exarch of the city discovered Manuel's ring fixing the local gladiator matches. Apparitions would be used to distract or throw off one of the fighters as an interested party desired, and Manuel and his gang would make off with a share of the gambling profits. Once his little operation began to affect the upper classes Manuel's time was short, and he knew it. Eventually the hammer fell and while his men were arrested one after another Manuel spent weeks in hiding, studying as best he could while his magic grew with the word of his crumbling gang spreading. When the city guard finally cornered him, Manuel was more than ready. Using all he had learned he managed to trick the thick skulled soldiers into arresting a chicken instead. Once news of the bird attacking the city's Exarch after it had been thrown at his feet spread, Manuel became a powerful wizard in his own right. The humorous tale spread far and wide, feeding his ability to trick the senses of others.

Impressed by the young man's potential the cities Exarch offered to take Manuel in, to bring him out of the filth and shadows and to appoint him the successor Exarch. It was an offer only a fool would refuse, and the hundreds Manuel sold out in taking it meant nothing to him. Even when they would come after him in the years to come most would find themselves stabbing their spouses or mothers instead of their arch enemy. Manuel had gotten what he wanted, he had escaped the fetid lower classes and in doing so broken away from the typical path he’d come to loathe more than anything. Nothing would reduce him to what he was.

Time went on, and eventually Manuel was able to orchestrate the demise of his former master. It was done subtly, slowly, and though many suspected it the day the old Exarch tripped down the stairs and didn’t stop his fall was never connected to Manuel. Ascending to Exarch Manuel quickly looked to sate the taste for finer things he’d acquired. At first he ran the city much like those before him, but over time he saw where there was more profit to be made. Deals could be made with certain shipping companies and merchants. Soon enough inexplicable taxes came to levied on some companies, whereas others found themselves docking without fee. Those who didn’t pay the new taxes found that contraband was all but omnipresent on their ships, and though they avoided criminal charges they were left to go to the next port without food or cargo. Local merchants soon found themselves the sole recipients of city contracts, so long as they made sure to send a gift to the Exarch every so often. With time these new arrangements came to be enforced by a city guard that looked out for dissent as much as they looked for crime. Those complaining too loudly found reason not to, and those stealing from the favoured local merchants found themselves without their heads.

Ardaza is still the major trading hub it's always been, even with what many would call the Exarchs corrupting influence, and Manuel's rule has been left unmolested by the aloof Archon of Change. Manuel has managed to live comfortably, and has perhaps mellowed somewhat from his fiery youth. He still gets what he wants, but these days he’s far more careful in covering his tracks. Ardaza looks forward to the new southern war many expect will come any day, and Manuel looks forward to the next arrangement he’ll make.

Armaments:




Abilities:
Manuel's abilities are what could be expected from any master illusionist, though taken to another level. Manuel has specialized in the art of mass deception, the ability to make an illusion all but real to everyone who sees it. The applications of such an ability are many, but Manuel has learned one of the greatest ones is in the creation of false persons. A draining spell which takes not only magical potential, but creative ability, the construction of a false person is quite the task.

In effect a false person is a collective hallucination. Seemingly tangible to everyone they encounter this false person is a construction first roughed out by the caster and then refined by its interplay with all those it meets. Often times a false person is indistinguishable from a real one, acting independently and seemingly making decisions. However, an act built upon the assumptions of the many is an act no matter how good.

False persons can last indefinitely if their caster continues to replenish the spell, and they will always follow the orders of the caster. They can act as spies, deceivers, anything that can be imagined.

Name:
Nilos Metaxas
Type:
(Are they a Mage? Warrior? Spy? etc)
Appearance:
(Pretty self-explanatory. Pictures or Description. Both preferred)
Personality and Drive:
(What drives your leader to do what he does? What is his or hers ultimate goal?)
Background:
(You know what goes here. Be sure to add when they joined the services of your Exarch/Archon, along with their accomplishments in your service.)
Armaments:
(Normally heroes will have basic or sometimes Enchanted items, however, if you have granted one a relic item from your allotment be sure to mention that here. Remember Exarch's only get three relic items to distribute.)
Skills:
(What they are capable of, note these are skillful men and women but are nowhere near the power of an Exarch. Think more along the lines of badass normals.)

Name:
(What is the name of your holding?)
Type:
(What is your holding? A fortress-city maybe? A major castle city fortification perhaps? A conjured tower of flames?! Tell me!!)
Culture:
(What are the people like in your holding?)
Description:
(Tell us all about your Holding. it's layout and design, it's function and capabilities. Everything. Damn it, everything.)
Laws:
(What are the unique tenets or laws you have established in your province?)
Military:
(What kind of system does your hold use to raise troops? What about their training? What kind of units could you call on? Remember this is grimdark high fantasy, So if you want pegasus knights or wyvern riders go for it.)

Components: Fur or feathers of an animal
Casting Time: One minute to instantaneously depending on caster skill
Range: Self
Duration: Depends on caster skill but can range from ten minutes to infinite (most users top out at an hour)
Effect: Shapeshift into an animal

Components: A drawn magic circle
Casting Time: About ten seconds to a minute to draw the circle, then ten seconds for the spell to activate
Range: A few feet.
Duration: Permanent
Effect: Creates a ten foot tall wall with a length of ten feet out of materials in the ground. Additional magic circles can be used to increase the wall’s length.

Components: A drawn magic circle and additional materials
Casting Time: Ten seconds excluding the drawing of the circle
Range: Touch required
Duration: Permanent
Effect: Repair tool, weapon, or armor. If additional materials are not available they will be taken from elsewhere on the item being repaired, weakening it elsewhere.

Name: Lonassa


Type: Royal capital. The heart of Soraya’s administration, such as it is, it is a metropolis that, while certainly not a fortress-city, is still surprisingly defensible.
Culture: It would not be an exaggeration to call Lonassa a major center of art. Its people are well known for being exceptional sculptors, painters, musicians, tailors, philosophers, and builders. Lonassans are well known for their almost fanatical worship of the Mother of Night; some of the largest buildings in Lonassa are great cathedrals built in her honor. Plays, performed on both the street and in theaters, are daily occurrences and a form of entertainment for poor and rich alike.

Lonassan outfits are made up primarily of two pieces: a chiton and a himation. The chiton is a simple tunic garment that usually falls to the ankles of the wearer, although shorter chitons are worn during vigorous activities. A himation is a basic outer garment worn over the chiton; it is made of a heavy rectangular material that went under the left arm and secured on the right shoulder. A garment called a peplos is sometimes worn over the chiton and under, or in place of, a himation. A peplos is a square piece of cloth with the top third folded over and pinned at both shoulders, leaving the cloth open down one side. Sometimes the peplos is worn alone, in place of the chiton. During colder seasons it's not uncommon for Lonassans to wear a heavy cloak. Sandals are the most common form of footwear, but soft shoes and boots are not uncommon, especially when not in an urban setting. Traditionally silk, linen, and wool are used to make clothing. Dyes are used to make Lonassan clothing vibrant and colorful. Women commonly wear jewelry, both as rings and necklaces, as well as small ornaments that are sewn into their clothing. They also usually have elaborate hairstyles and makeup, both of which, in conjunction with jewelry, are used as a status symbol.
Description: Built in the lake itself, Lonassa is only accessible by its sole bridge and by boat. The city itself houses some hundred thousand people with another hundred thousand living in nearby settles that also contributes to its economy. The massive amounts of statues found throughout the city has resulted in it being called the City of Statues; the two massive states found on either side of its entrance were created by Soraya herself when she founded it over a hundred years ago. By far the most impressive structure in Lonassa is the Pantheon, a massive cathedral dedicated to Mother Night and her archons. The cathedral is adorned by massive statues of Mother Night and each of her archons and commonly serves as a place of worship for the people of Lonassa.
Laws: The laws of Lonassa are much what one would expect to see everywhere else in the empire. What makes Lonassa stand out is how strict it is in its ban of using magic to create precious metals and the fact that the punishment for nonviolent crimes is mandatory civil or military service.
Military: (What kind of system does your hold use to raise troops? What about their training? What kind of units could you call on? Remember this is grimdark high fantasy, So if you want pegasus knights or wyvern riders go for it.)

Name: Shrine of Eternity

Type: Religious site and school of magic
Description: A massive shrine or monument built over the religious site of a civilization now long dead, the Shrine of Eternity was created by Soraya some two hundred years ago. No one is quite sure why Soraya built the shrine or who the massive statue is portraying. Most people believe it is a shrine to Mother Night, but many others believes its a monument to Soraya's mother or a dear friend. Regardless the Shrine of Eternity has become an important religious site in the empire and draws visitors and pilgrims from all over. It also serves as the home for the Acolytes of Change as well as an important school of magic in the region.

Name: Fortress of Hellara

Type: Major castle fortification
Description: An ancient fortress built hundreds of years before modern Lonassa, Hellara serves as an important defensive fortification in the region as it overlooks one of the main routes to the Hollow Moors. While the fortress predates Soraya, she created the massive statues it is now known for.

Name: Siteia

Type: Trading port
Description: At one point the largest settlement in the region, Siteia has decline in importance ever since the creation of modern day Lonassa. Even so it remains an important city in the region. Its location helps the Empire maintain control over the eastern portions of the lake, while also acting as an important trading port. While it does not possess the greatest fortifications, what it does have is enough to slow down invaders. It also controls the river route to Lonassa through the presence of massive chains that can be held across the river, effectively halting shipping.

The army of Lonassa, as a whole, has specialized in the support of other armies. This includes increasing the mobility of friendly troops while attempting to harm the mobility of hostile forces, the construction of fortifications and siege weaponry, skirmishing and screening for friendly troops, protecting important locations, and the construction and maintenance of infrastructure during peacetime.

Lonassan troops are very well equipped and organized, but tend to suffer from inferior combat training and lower morale. This has resulted in an overreliance in the use of phalanx formations and defensive strategies in an attempt to make up for this. Most Lonassan foot soldiers carry javelins into battle and the use of magically enhanced and controlled animals is common in battle.

Sergius is a man of average appearance. He stands at a fair 5’10”, weighing in at 166 lbs. His hair is jet black, well kept and short. He sports a thick patch of stubble of the same color. His eyes are darkened brown. His complexion is tan from years subject to the sun, and his skin is marked with scars of battle at many ends. A jagged slash on the right shoulder from a Northern warrior’s blade, the gruesome remains of a dagger into the left thigh.

Sergius is a man of servitude. Born within the Empire, he became a leader of men. His campaigns in the North have made him cunning yet cautious. Despite the victories which brought glory, the defeats were ever so bitter, transforming him into one of caution and of cynicism. His current drive, despite all he has lost in the campaigns in the North, is eternal servitude to the Empire.

Sergius was born in the Empire, into its very west, where the forests and the rolling plains clashed. He was born into a family of a good wealth and a fiery loyalty to the Empire. He was instilled with the passion of honor, loyalty, and service. Never once did he have a debt that he did not pay off, and never once did he betray or cross his own blood.

He entered his teenage years longing for the fray. He was obliged, and over those years became a leader of men. He gained the traits of the tactician, the strategist, and the logistician, and as well became an impeccable physical specimen of true skill with the blade, polearm, pilum, and bow. He was granted his own complement of troops, mainly loyalist levies led by small detachments of professional footsoldiers, and just in time for the conquest of the North.

He led his troops in many a battle. Victories and losses marked the band’s record, and with each, Sergius’ scale of command grew, as did his zeal and cunning. This marked up until a battle of which his entire force was routed and his own mounted guard decimated in the effort to cover the retreat. It was here that he sustained most of his injuries, and made a full recovery and returned to service against all odds.

He learned a lesson. He became cautious, cynical, calculating. His sense of servitude grew despite this, and continued his service well into his third decade of life.

WIP

Archon of War







He is no magician, nor is he a mage in any right. His skill as a warrior is unrivaled, and he is said to possess a supernatural power, an air of command which sends the morale of his men soaring and making his authority and orders of utmost priority among his men.

The eighth military district is an absolute military governorship under Sergius Aetius, working under orders from the Empire to assimilate and recruit the conquered Northmen.

While the peoples of the North are generally let alone with their domestic practices, they have been constantly exposed to Imperial culture with the influx of migrants from the inner Empire looking for new lands to settle. In tandem, construction efforts were put forth by Sergius, and carried out by his own men and a crew of slaves, which brought Imperial architecture to the conquered populace. The Imperialisation process is in full swing within the North, with the old ways of the subjugated gradually fading away.

Villages within the district would often look similar to above in architectural style, based upon Imperial architecture but built with locally available materials, creating a blend of both the Imperial and Northern architecture.

As for layout, villages dotted across the district vary greatly in scale and shape, making a description of uniform layout impossible. The same cannot be said for cities, however, which are constructed in neat ‘block’ systems that account for a specified length between roads running four directions, that intersect every so often and connect to an outer square or rectangle of paths connected to each and every one of these roads. This makes navigation of the city extremely easy, and makes it extremely defensible from the city square/forum. To add to the defensibility of the cities, often barricades are constructed around it, whether it be a wooden palisade, clay construct, or complete stone wall.

The main exports of the district include animal hide, salted meat, freshwater fish, and grains, attributed to its lush forests, two bordering rivers, and fertile soil, respectively. Public order is kept in check easily by martial presence and the coexistence of the Northern peoples and the Imperials.

The tenants and laws of the district do not differ from that of the Empire in any fashion, save for the enforcement of said laws. Instead of punishments being carried out by town watches, they are performed by the local martial presence. As a result, the sentences are often harsher and carried out summarily. Despite its short-term effect on public order, this method has significantly staunched the crime rate.

The military of the district is that of Sergius. Sergius is the commander of all forces within the district, and thus has set out a prevailing system of military he had found effective after the subsequent decimation of his force at the Wreberst Crossing on the Aolz River.

This system is on the basis that all citizens are eligible to volunteer, be levied, and be conscripted into the armed services as a civic duty in exchange for the privileges of citizenship offered to them. Similarly, non-citizens can volunteer as auxiliaries, reserve and specialised forces, and they can also be levied and conscripted, but only in times of war with another sovereign body or with the express permission by a local leader.

Another revolutionary concept is that this system does away with the soldiers buying their own equipment. Instead, their equipment is provided through lump sum shipments bought by Sergius, and the costs are levied from their wages over the course of their service. Another perk of this is that reprocuring equipment from the fallen on the battlefield can be done easily, with the standard issue kit being able to be reissued.

Though this relies on citizen initiative and levies, it is anything but unprofessional. A standard of training has been established by Sergius, and volunteers and levies, citizens and non-citizens all receive the same basic combat training over a period of roughly 4-6 weeks. The standard equipment has also eliminated the class division within the services, equating even the poorest footsoldier to the wealthiest one in equipment and ability.

Name: THE BEAST OF BATTLE, THE CAESAR OF CRUSH, THE SHOGUN OF SLAUGHTER, THE KING OF THE RING: IIIIIIAAAAAAOOOOOOO! (Iao, pronounced EYE-AY-OH)

Titles: Archon of War and Battle, Ark of War, Begatter of Armies, Champion of Roses, Minister of Might, Bulwark of the Battlefield, Balwark of the Battlefief, Winner of Wars, Bringer of Battle, The Slumbering Soldier., The Scholar of Slaughter, The King of Fight, MASTER OF MUSCLE, HERCULES OF HUGE, GLADIATOR OF GAINS, PROVOST OF PROTEIN SHAKES, WRESTLER OF WEIGHTS, BANDITO OF THE BUFF.

Type: Archon of War

Rival:

Appearance: Once a hulking mass of iron, muscle and divine flame, now a sleeping old man of hulking mass of iron, muscle and divine flame. He rests ironically peacefully on a velvet bed of red, his many weapons cluttered about his sheets as he awaits a true challenge to awaken him from his warriors slumber. His skin is a deep scarlet, said to be stained from the blood of his enemies.

When awake he stands nine feet tall and when not covered head to toe in his trademark armor he is dressed extremely simply in woolen whites to contrast his deep red body and bulging mass.

His face is wrinkled and long shocks of cloud white hair hang from his scalp as well as his chin, with two eyes the color of the sun burning from the center of his intimidating visage. His nose is flat, and his lips in a frown, and his chin is square, and cheekbones high and pronounced.

His body is well sculpted, and a prime example of a perfect balance between bulk and agility. Despite his massive frame and impressive gains he moves swiftly on his feet (and sometimes his hands) in a way that is almost unbelievable to the eye.

When enraged, or feeling the heat of the battle, his entire body erupts in a divine flame of burning white. His hair is thrown around his head in a wild crown and phantom arms appear from his torso to aid him in battle, they too being masters of every form of martial art imaginable.

Personality and Drive: While boisterous and loud, much like the horn of war, he is also subtle and clever in his own right. He represents the two sides of a war very carefully, being a sharp mind as well as a sharp blade. He can be defined as robust, wise, loud, and intimidating, but also strategic and pragmatic. He searches for a true opponent in his dreams.

He is a renown champion of strategic board games and games of wit off the field, to the point some claim he can read minds. He loves riddles and games of thought as well as those that test his cat like agility and monsterous strength. He believes in a balance between the perfect mind, and perfect body, considering it an art. He is always up for a challenge. When not in his slumber he is perfecting this art, and his discipline, and when in his slumber, he is perfecting his mind and his machinations towards the ultimate perfection.

History: One of the first two Archons ever to serve under Mother Night, he and his counter part, the Archon of Shadow, helped carve the very Empire you now live in.

After many conquests, and defeating many warriors of legend in glorious mortal combat, he found himself unchallenged and weary of the ease he was witnessing when cutting through even the most glorious legends. His boredom grew unbearable, and no number of challengers or battles broke this spell. Eventually he fell into a warriors slumber, only to awake when prompted with an appropriate challenge.

Luckily before he fell asleep he had thousands of children in an early attempt to create his own army with his own personal hammer and anvil. His favorite thirty children grew up to be his heroes and now, his administrators while he slumbers. His eldest, Ai, heads this bureaucracy.

Armaments:

Scepter of Slaughter- This mighty weapon is Iao’s signature arm and usually held in his left. It is a mighty blade of indistinct length and weight, it’s clever power the ability to change into whatever weapon is desired of Iao, and it’s blade, point, and blunt able to slice, pierce, or crush anything before it.

The Axe of Freg- The axe of Iao’s right hand, lent to him by Freg. This mighty Axe is five feet tall and well over 100 pounds of destruction. Iao holds it and uses it skillfully in one hand, the weight seeming to not impact his swings and parries. The axe itself is considered one of mass destruction and can turn the tide of any battle, as it’s runed blade causes fiery explosions on impact, helping control any area. It is rumored to be so sharp, that it slices even your very soul.

Armor of Attack-

Mount/Other:

Pain- Pain is Iao’s mighty steed. She stands at fourteen feet and is the color of soot and ash, and in total is a pegasus. Her eyes burn the color of Iao’s and her hide a strong as iron. She does not fear battle, but welcomes challengers similarly to her master. When not being used to plow through entire armies, Iao will sometimes fly her well above the enemy only to leap off of her and directly into the center of the fight, or even as a surprise.

The Battle-bed: This is a simple mahogany and velvet bed fitted with arms, a parasol like hood and even curtains. It can be carried by eight at once, and usually is. It is used as an ark of battle while Iao sleeps in it, often paraded around during a massive battle. Just his presence on the battlefield engorges his troops with amazing strength and power. It is rumored to be extremely comfortable and has claimed the lives of many tired servants who touched it, unknowing of its alluring softness.

Discipline:

-Stromism

Stromism is a unique discipline that is difficult to acquire without proper training by experienced Stromists, and even then to master it s a rarity, as it does not have a completion bracket and is always improving.

Stromism in simple terms is the creation of a perfect body, perfect mind, and a perfect unity between the two to create the means to perform feats otherwise deemed supernatural or magical. A true Stromist can not only pull from his own source of body, mind, and spirit but also from his ancestors and relatives, calling forth their passed strength to increase their own, or speed, mental capacity, and so on. Some extreme Stromists, such as in the case of Iao, even have a mental link with their living family and not just the dead.

Some notable and common feats of the stromist is body enhancement to help leap incredible distances, lift unliftable objects, create massive amounts of will and restraint, call forth the spirit to enhance your body, and even add force to your own voice. Some Stromists can even grant their own power to another, or even in extreme cases call forth fallen Stromist ancestors to fight side by side as a shade.

A Stromist shies away from dulling their senses and therefore tends to not drink alcohol or take substances. However, a classic Stromist exercise is to attempt to heal ones own wounds or strains through sheer will, to which the masters even succeed, having taken such tedious control over every inch of body, mind and soul. This perfect control over perfect balance couples with the ability to absorb and release further powers allows for a wide variety of enhancements, making the options near limitless in regards to the body, spirit and mind. A great example (albeit one not attained by anyone else as of yet) is Iao’s own warriors slumber, to which he does not hunger, thirst, or age, and while fast asleep, he is completely aware of his surroundings at all times and in complete control of himself.

A fun side effect of Stromism is that as an added bonus to your own discipline, you can also gain extra power from the cumulative generations of Stromists in your family before you, as they are able to grant your their own Stromist spirit and strength. This leads to many specialized Stromist soldiers painting thanks to their ancestors on their shields.






Abilities:

Absorbs the strength and martial ability of each defeated enemy, his mere presence empowers his army beyond human means.

The military of the north functions through a few different branches and levels of command. Due to the Empire’s restrictions on the Archon’s ability to control an Exarch’s military, the northern forces can accurately be split into two main categories, the Archon forces, and the smaller but at the freedoms of the Exarch to organize*, Exarch forces. In the North, the Exarch forces while at the will of the Exarch by coincidence most of them use a legionnaire system. Further information on Exarch armies in the north should be found under the appropriate Exarch page, and the remainder of this will be about the Archon forces of Iao.



The Iaon Military is broken into three branches not counting the Exarch branch: The Stromist Vanguard, The Iaon Auxillaries, and The Iaon Navy. Every branch is lead by a General who answers to Ai, except for the Stromist Vanguard which is headed by Ai nad has their own generals.


The branched military works alongside a propaganda and good of the state force. This force is an agency under the Minister of Propaganda and is responsible for spreading the news of victories, the great rule of Iao, and other things that shed the Empire in a great light as well as Iao. Another duty of the PaGotS task force is to convert foreign powers and assimilate foreign citizens both before and after wars.

Assimilation forces are often sent to foreign areas pre-war to avoid war in general and often provide very tantalizing offers to citizens, nobles, and tribal leaders, if they were to join the Empire without a fight, such as an indeterminant tax break for a select period, bonus’, a payoff, or other social benefits. Assimilations forces often recruit for the military straight out of foreign areas known to have troubles with another, and often advise them and use them for the upcoming war to lessen the use of Imperial troops if they can not outright just assimilate the area first. It is very much a carrot and stick policy, whereas those who comply to assimilation are subject to various benefits and stability (higher up even keeping offices), while those who defy the assimilation tend to face drastic punishments and could even lead to war.

Each assimilation through war and battle is unlikely to ever be the same, as Iao and his son Ai are careful in planning the best way to take a place through assimilation tactic and ultimately all out war far before the foreign power knows what’s going on. A clever example was when the Propaganda task force sent out two treatises of benefits (in return for assimilation) to two neighboring tribes. Iao knew one tribe would not take the deal, and he knew the other one would be hesitant if the first tribe didn’t take it. So the day after the treatises were sent, the defiant tribe was obliterated in a sudden ambush, giving the second tribe the right about of push to make the deal. Not all assimilation practices end up being violent, but some do. To win a war without fighting is extreme excellence in warfare in the eyes of Iao, and if that fails, minimize input but obtain maximum output where necessary.



Contrary to popular belief in the actual fighting tactics of Iao, not every war and not every battle is fought with a massive army, in fact, the Stromist Vanguard is a prime example of the use of small numbers to take big victories. They can often be described as a special operations force broken down into specialized units, all of which are Stromist. They can take many forms and are perfectly adaptable to most situations, as Iao prefers his entire military to be, knowing not every battle is the same. Whether he is using them as the hammer in a hammer and anvil tactic alongside larger armies, or using their increased mobility due to small size to sneak far behind the front and attack from an angle never expected, or as a powerful ambush tool to in essence assassinate an entire unexpecting warband headed by the one leading the resistance. In every sense of the idea, they are the perfect blade for chopping off the head of the snake, or being the final straw on the camels back, to even just being the single tool used to snuff out any flame of resistance.

When a big bad army is needed however, and sometimes it is when small tactics fail, the vanguard can quickly link together to form an army that could block out the sun due to a unique rank and file system that does not sacrifice utility for specialization while maintaining the unique specialization that the vanguard is known for.



The rank and file system is a very unique feature of the Stromist vanguard and from it revolves numerous ranks and organization features. The entire system revolves around a rotation system, which starts at recruitment.

At recruitment the soldier to be is inspected and tested by councillors who are usually Dusk rank, meaning they are honorably retired soldiers who chose to remain in the Vanguard as councillors, trainers and to aid in other helpful mentor positions. The inductee is tested on many things both physically, mentally and spiritually to determine the inductees starting branch, or the branch they will begin their career in, once recruited and given one out of seven of the branches to start out in, they are known as Dawn rank, or rotation zeroes. The following rules about the rotations and ranks applies to six out of the seven branches, excluding the Staff of Mercury which has it’s own system outside of the Rank and File System (except for this inductee testing stage) which will be touched upon in it’s own segment.

A dawn begins their journey as a rotation zero in one of the seven branches, for the sake of simplicity we are going to assume they started out in one of the six regular branches (excluding Staff of Mercury, the only nonregular branch), the six regular branches are the Avil of Eden, Hammer of Jupiter (formally known as the allied cavalry), the Suns of Mars, Shades of Pluto, Saturn’s Rangers, and the Fallen Stars.

Each branch has its own sizes for basic units but follows the same organization pattern. The Dawn/Rotation Zero joins a party, or the smallest workable unit in the branch, such as the ten person parties of the Anvils of Eden which make up a larger group which in turn make up a larger group and so forth. A basic party consists of Dawns but also higher ranks, such as rotation ones and rotation twos, rotation twos and up (or appointed by merit) are called Advisors and play an important part in the rotation system as each party has at least two Advisors and one Lead Advisor (the superior ranking leader of the party who reports to the Commander (Rotation 10 at least or appointed by merit) [Commanders lead ten parties in something known as a Battle Unit])

A rotation is a rank achieved by being either rotated to another on of the six branches or promoted directly up in your own branch through the sheer ability you bring to your party. You are deemed ready to move onto the next branch (or up if the branch you are currently in is deemed your niche) by the advice of your advisors when the councillors come to evaluate you every year, that or you are promoted due to merit. Most Vanguard Soldiers have fought in many if not all six branches before getting a niche declared, as in to say, declaring the branch they are most suited in to continue promotion specifically for that branch.

Example: A soldier is inducted into the Stromist Vanguard and after passing his tests the councillors deem he is most fitted to start his rotation as a Sun of Mars. He joins his party under the command of a Rotation four Lead Advisor and two Rotation two Advisors, he himself being a Dawn Rotation Zero accompanied by another Dawn Rotation Zero and five Rotation ones.

After a significant battle his fellow Dawn is merited by bravery and sheer skill to be Rotated automatically to rotation one and to remain in the Suns of Mars since he is too valuable in the branch (rarity for rotation 1-6), meanwhile a year is up for one of the Rotation ones and by the advice of the advisors and decision of the Councillors he is to remain a Rotation one and remain in the branch until he improves on his flaws.

A year has passed and the initial soldier, a Dawn Rotation Zero is ready for his evaluation. By the praise of the advisors the councillors agree it is time to rotate the Dawn, earning him rotation rank one and his movement to the Hammer of Jupiter. Having the skills of a Sun of Mars he quickly merits himself a Rotation and rotates to the Anvil of Eden. then eventually to the Shades of Pluto, then the Saturn’s Rangers and the Fallen Stars, until he has rotated across all branches. He may now (as Rotation 6 Cycle 1 [Cycle is achieved by completing full rotation across all branches] by the resume of his record choose the branch he was most fitted in to become niched (this can be revoked later on) or he can opt to try for Cycle 2. This happens every completed cycle.

A cycle 5 is known as a Eclipse and are the bane of all enemies of the nation. Being a master in every branch five times over, an Eclipse tends to go on to be a General under Ai himself or opts to be a wrecking machine called for personally when the going gets tough. Often a Cycle 5 is allowed to keep his Golden Eagle he rode with in the Fallen Stars. A great example of an Eclipse is Ai and his half Brother Errocas, who both rose so quickly through the rotations by merit they both achieved full rotation 30, cycle 5 in less than thirty years, in fact at such an unnatural rate Errocas is only 24, six years younger than the allotted time for someone to naturally become Full rotation cycle five eclipse.

A quick rundown: A dawn joins a party with at least two advisors, they all are lead by a Party Leader, or head Advisor who answers to a Commander who leads ten parties, Commanders answer to a Lieutenant who controls ten commanders, a lieutenant answers to a general who controls five lieutenants, all General answer to Ai, there is a total of seven Generals.



It is important to note that while the Stromist Vanguard is indeed named after the crushing amount of Stromists present in the branches, it is not strictly for Stromists and so long as an individual can reach the branches criteria, the councillors don’t care how you got there for the most part, be it through Stromism, pure skill and genius, or another magical potential. This of course means that some branches are easier on and more accepting of non Stromists than others, while some are near impossible to be apart of while not a Stromist and certainly near impossible to rotate in.

The most common branch that non-Stromists rotate to, and the most common starting branch or Stromists and non Stromists alike is the Anvil of Eden, seconded by the Hammer of Jupiter.

The Anvil of Eden is the most common starting branch and consumes a large amount of rotations as the branch is a staple to any confrontation. The branch focuses on a large variety of scenarios but it can be whittled down to a few basic (and general) functions: Confrontation (large/small/open/closed/defense/offense/siege/besieged), Logistics (be it building forts or taking them down), and backbone fighting (taking the brunt of assaults and defenses).
Like all Branches the Anvil’s have aspects and specialities that make them different and unique from the rest and add certain skills to any cycled soldier. The Anvil soldier focuses on cohesion with others as well as battle adaptability in an open confrontation, meaning the troops work close together in a variety of battle scenarios that tend to be open conflict. Because of these criterias and scenarios the troops have to meet they have some functions up their sleeves.

Similar to the legion system, the Anvil’s do have a column and rotation based (cohort) fighting style for large open scale battles, complemented with maneuverable thrusting swords, large shields, and armor piercing javelins, despite this, that’s where the similarities end.

Due to the party system, the parties can be linked and unlinked accordingly and to the appropriate size of the battle to the tens of men, and including in their cohesion and formation training is a flexible adaptability training. In this specialized training by the councillors the troops learn to not only effectively use their legion kit, but one other to improve adaptability in case the face of the war changes to remain always on top in open battle.

The first kit being the legion kit, the second being an assault (nicknamed the Hero's assault) kit, where each soldier is armed with a favored weapon to fight unmatching for the duration of the battle to better increase chances of disrupting new enemy formations and scoping weaknesses, battles in the assault kit are normally short and reserved for testing armies where the legion kit would most likely fail. Due to increase training and stress on perfection, the assault kit works wonders with types of battle formations the legion kit is incapable of such as blob and dissolve tactics of sundering tight enemy lines. Luckily the training of both kits are so similar that only the added stress of learning tactics and formations a regular legion wouldn’t learn is the only added factor to the lengthy training of a good Anvil soldier.

In addition to these two open battle kits, the Anvil’s are also responsible for building fortifications (just another reason for their name) in between battles and logistic strategy points. This allows for fortified retreat as well as quick recovery, not to mention the added bonus of having workable forts in enemy territory. Because of their quick ingenuity in building, this cohesive force is also very well suited for building engines and other tricks to take down enemy fortifications.

A lot is requested from an Anvil, including amazing march times, quick logistic resupplies and the ability to rotate mid battle. However, this all scratches the surface as they are still Stromist Vanguard and therefore have more requested of them.

In line formations the front lines of the Anvil’s quickly remind their enemies who they are, as the Stromist powers favored by the Anvil’s are the community powers and shared strength. Stromist energy flows like a river through the ranks of the Anvil’s, hardening the skin, strengthening the bone, steeling the resolve, and pumping the muscles full of energy. The more Anvil’s channeling energy, the larger the effect to the point that from the enemy point of view, they indeed face a massive Anvil of Stromist Perfection. During Assault kits, the weapons even seem to benefit as their wielders begin to channel wild Stromist energy into the weapons for brutal effects. Some fallen tribes even claim that during assaults and legion advances, powerful thunderous claps boomed from the Anvil’s as they marched forth, disrupting enemy lines with waves of energy, knocking over tribesmen before the clash even happened, and out right instilling a great fear as Iao’s name was chanted over the explosive sounds. Should Iao himself be in the battle bed with his Anvil’s, the collective Stromist power tends to be devastating and perhaps not even walls could stand at the sheer power.

In short, both armies of tightly trained soldiers, hordes of scattered champions, and tall city walls have fallen before the ever changing, ever adapting face of the Anvil’s and their mighty power to always be one step ahead. Another point to be made is that this is simply only the first branch of Seven.




MORE TO ADD

The Shades of Pluto are a very special branch that sees most of its new recruits being pulled from the Anvil of Eden and Saturn’s Rangers (and vice versa). Not described in the Rank and File section is a very special cross training regime all branches go through in which valor victorians of other branches as well as their councillors and dusks go into different branches to teach niche and specialized soldiers skills from other branches to further help the elite advantage of the Vanguard, especially when Niches out do Cycles as they normally do. This is important because the Shades of Pluto are not only some of the largest cross branch trainers alongside the Suns of Mars, but also the branch that works very closely with most other branches.

The Shades of Pluto specialize in fighting fights on battlefields completely unexpected or hardly fought on, for example, at night. Using Stromism the Shades of Pluto are trained in night vision and night combat, and doubly trained in flanking and urban combat. Because of smaller unit sizes, the Shades of Pluto often either attach to a larger unit as specialized arms in case of need, as counter moles in other branches, or undergo special missions required of small units with a specialization in urban or infiltration warfare.

Some common tasks the Shades of Pluto often see are leading night time raids, counter attacking besiegers, sapping, maintaining the integrity of other branches (counter-spies and counter-moles etc) disrupting cities and siege defenders, heading unexpected assaults (such as on encamped armies) as well as tidying a city, fortress, or region so that by time a larger army comes through, it will be an easy conquest.

Because of their need for discretion and small sizes, the Shades of Pluto often train their bodies to limit sounds and unnecessary movements, as well as hone their senses to supernatural levels along side their ability to fight ferociously in single quiet combat.

A very famous use of the Shades of Pluto was when months before a targeted city was besieged by Iao, the shades quietly swelled the municipal ranks with their own as sleeper agents while running nighttime raids on figure heads that would create the most unification among the enemy. The night the siege began, the Shades sprung into action and on a moonless night lead an all out invasion of the city, both the element of surprise, the careful pruning, and the strict advantage the Shades had in the dark all came down at once and toppled the confused enemy who hadn’t a chance to even see what had hit them before the flag of Iao was being hung over the keep’s gates.

In short these highly trained commandos are equipped with the skills and tools necessary to disrupt and kill from the inside out and pave the way for the other branches. These specialized troops are renown for their ability to destroy any organized resistance in the form of fortification or encampment, and when that fails, they can at least fight where no ordinary soldier can see. A Shade of Pluto is often compared to a snake with the head of a lion, quiet and waiting, and when the time is right, it strikes with the ferocity of any champion warrior. With the Shades of Pluto around, that group of merchants you just let in might have actually been a full scale assault in a simple blank package.




One of the more unique branches of the Stromist Vanguard is the Fallen Stars, starting rotation of Iao’s son, Jericho. The Fallen Stars are unique in that they work both high in the sky and on the ground, but never start on the ground. This is considered the most dangerous branch to rotate into and save a few amazing exceptions, no non-Stromist has ever rotated through it at the branches full potential.

In the branch there are three primary jobs, those that ride in comets as per described in the next section (usually by non Stromists), those that pilot the Great Golden Eagles, massive creatures large enough to pluck a wyvern from the sky and eat it in a gulp, and then there are the Fallen Stars themselves.

The Eagles are important to note as they are massive both in size and importance. While their combat capabilities are not questioned, the Fallen Stars opts to keeping them out of the line of fire due to how rarely they breed and produce more eagles. They are given a pilot who is usually a Fallen Star in training or a non Stromist trying to cycle through, and often protected in flight by accompanying comets, and by sheer altitude. The birds tend to fly over key points at extreme heights, to the point the pilots tend to wear thick winter clothes, even in hot battle zones, and while the pilot stays on the bird's neck to pilot, and comets cover the flanks, the Fallen Star(s) ride on the back.

As the bird flies above the key point, be it a battle zone, a city, or any other area that is required of the Fallen Stars, the special soldiers on the back jump off from the bird. Most people do not start in the Fallen Stars and fewer still ever become the soldier named the Fallen Stars right off the bat due to the nature of the job. These soldiers are to use all their stromist ability as they plummet from unimaginable altitudes, causing bright colored streaks through the sky as they fall.

As they approach the ground their abilities reach paramount and a pure spiritual blast of their will explodes around them in a bright white flash, saving them from the deadly collision and causing mayhem and panic in the drop zone. These specialized troops are then tasked with (if they dropped into the middle of enemy ranks) glorious single combat. As much as the Anvil’s fight side by side, these air dropped soldiers are trained to use weapons such as flame lashes and long swords to aid them in a fight of numbers against them. Due to the extreme tasks of the Fallen Stars, successful ones are known to be some of the most terrifying single warriors to ever face, if you even orientate yourself after their impact.

In short these troops are used to disrupt enemy lines, fortifications and otherwise spread panic and death. Should you be fighting Iao’s Stromist Vanguard and notice streaks in the distant sky, know that whatever the streaks pointed at is already Iao’s.


The Iaon air troop branch of the military is unique indeed. While most nations and factions ride around on massive wyverns and griffins, the Iaon Military has a unique ace up their sleeve: creatures known as the Comets.

What is best described as green man sized blobs, Comets are a unique creature found floating above massive meadows or small forests in bobbing swarms. By some unknown means these permeable blobs float above the local flora, undergoing autotrophic processes such as photosynthesis (at such a rate that allows an exothermic body temperature. The strange creature has two noticeable features on what is otherwise a blank blob of strange flesh: a anterior cap and a posterior mouth.

Their anterior is armored with a super thick calcium bone cap used for self defense as well as for ramming (flight speeds reaching over 60 mph). When ramming does not work the creature usually resorts to it’s namesake feature, and completely ignites in flames as it flies around like a tiny comet.

The second noticeable feature is the posterior mouth, a strange cavity used to digest soft rocks and rotting corpses or otherwise bone piles through the use of highly acidic acids produced as a mucus in the stomach cavity past the mouth cavity. It is clear the comet used to be carnivorous before slowly beginning to rely on autotrophic means of energy, and the mouth cavity has become vulnerable to a few exploits sought out by comet riders, the unique soldiers who climb inside the comets and wear them as flaming flight suits in battle: and that is the exposed nerve endings.

By climbing into a tamed comet’s mouth the pilot is in control of the comet entirely by stimulating the nerves present in the mouth cavity, giving the pilot control over flight and the self defense flame mechanisms. In large battalions the comets are usually armored more on the anterior crest while the pilots flood the skies and even skillfully weave through trees and close to the ground in swarms of comets, leaving the enemy bewildered and obliterated all in one.

Lich Khan - Today at 11:32 PM
I assume if a band of zombies attacked a garrison that had some of Iao's children there he would not take that sitting down?
aLovingFather - Today at 11:33 PM
Well, actually he'd take it laying down
Lich Khan - Today at 11:33 PM
XD

Holdings
Name: Doma
Type: Doma is also known as the bullseye city or the ringed hill, as it in actuality is a massive green hill surrounded by pastures one one side and extends all the way to the shore on the other. Around the base of the hill is the city of Doma (which then stretches to the shoreline) and at the very peak past the Stromist gardens is the Tower of Iao. This was once the site of a major tribal community as well as a massive battle.

Culture: Doma has a very jingoist society but also extremely cosmopolitan due to the melding of various cultures both conquered and assimilated through peace. From Southern Heartland, to Far west and cold north, you can find every culture available to the Empire mixing here in an explosion of art, theatre, music, food, and other pleasantries. Here Iao is hailed as the king of the North, and even the bringer of unity to his greatest fans who flock around his statues to discuss politics.

Kids here run free, but only after morning lessons at the Gymnos, where the rich hire tutors for their children to be well versed in rhetoric and even strategem, while the poor settle for public speakers, yamming about theories and philosophies. All of which however, as welcome to train with the city guard in physical regiments.

A famous attraction of Doma are the riddle houses, personally sponsored by Iao. Here you can unwind with any mix of fine cuisine and take part in casual board games and riddles with those of similar intellect.

Feasts are common among all classes of the city, and districts often throw elaborate parties to celebrate one of the many holidays admiring one of Iao’s victories and steps towards unity. Physical displays, dances, games and challenges are abound in these festive times and only matched by their intellectual counterparts!

Description: The main ring around the hill is the oldest district and split into a north, west, east, and south, with a long expanse coming from the eastern district to eventually link the city with its shoreline ports. This expanse houses five more districts up unto the shore and goes on for miles. Around the original four districts (the ring districts) is a stout wall with accompanying bastions that was an improvement from the previous settlements defenses while the expanse districts remain open and ever growing. While lacking in notable feats of fortifications, the city instead funnels most of its money into local social programs, infrastructure and in the local economy, making it a very desired place for both workers and northern businessmen to take residence. (not counting the flocks of locals who prefer the security provided by the city and its personal champion, Iao.)

The hill itself is privately owned by Iao, and it is dotted with government buildings and barracks making it heavily guarded, with only guests by invitation allowed up into the Stromist Gardens (past the barracks). The Stromist Gardens is a massive maze of plants that lead up to the tower, and it is said that only one of Iaon Blood can pass these trees and only in the correct order if uninvited.

The tower is grand and can be seen from far away. It is a plaster white and extremely thick and well decorated with the symbols of Iao. Not many know what it looks like inside but this is where Ai and the slumbering Iao reside.

To the west is a massive expanse of farmland and pastures, where farmers are overjoyed in the great demand of their products in the city to the east and the food supplied compliments the fishing ports. Surprisingly, the most lucrative trade going on in Doma isn't so much done with other established cities of the Empire, but rather with the locals, who now have a faucet to the luxury of the Empire (from imports) as well as a secured way to save items and money in municipal banks, food storage, and many tradesmen and tools. Its very north location makes it one of the sole faucets of these securities and luxuries for miles, reducing competition incredibly and boosting local economy.

Laws: (What are the unique tenets or laws you have established in your province?)
Military: (What kind of system does your hold use to raise troops? What about their training? What kind of units could you call on? Remember this is grimdark high fantasy, So if you want pegasus knights or wyvern riders go for it.)

Name: Kalon
Titles: The Observer of Falsehoods, Lord of the Tithing, Guardian of the Sacred Oath, Grand Cleric of the Order of the Justicars
Type: Exarch

Loyalty: Soraya, Archon of Change

Opinions:




Appearance:
Kalon is not the largest of Izalith’s servants, but his is nevertheless an imposing figure, with a height well above the malnourished common-folk, and a bulk to match. Many are the rumors about the horrid grotesquerie he must have hidden behind his mask, but truthfully his face is rather unremarkable—dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin from wearing his mask—The Observer of Falsehoods—at all times. The face of the mask is bare of any feature—save a pair of slits through which Kalon sees, though what lay through them is shrouded in darkness—so that the polished silver reflects light. He only ever removes it in private.

His head rests deep within the cowl of his cloak, which is made from a heavy, thick, cloth and a small trim of white fur. Beneath the cloak, Kalon will, when fulfilling his duties as Exarch, be dressed as if for battle. Above the waist, this means a thin cloth tunic, for comfort, overlaid with an iron hauberk, in turn overlaid with a padded linen gambeson. Beneath the waist, his tunic and part of his hauberk hang down below the gambeson, covering a portion of his thighs, while iron greaves and leather boots protect everything from the knee down—any exposed skin between the two is protected from irritation by yet more linen, but here too thin to provide much in the way of protection. His hands bear moderatle thick linen gloves.

Personality and Drive: Kalon’s worldview is one of strict, hard lines; Loyalty, obligation, duty, and reverence are the fundamental forces of society. At the center is the state, the beating heart of society that is defined by society—that is, the state is the thing to which the people of society are loyal. In return for loyalty, the state is obliged to provide certain protections to the people, in the form of Law. To ward against the transgression of Law, and thus the harming of the people, agents of its enforcement are endowed by the state with the power to wield the power of the state upon any transgressors, but are bound by duty deal honestly on the state’s behalf—what Kalon would call the Sacred Oath. To those agents who do not themselves transgress their duty follows the reverence of a grateful populace.

But some such agents do transgress their duty: Graft, Abuse, and Betrayal. Kalon harbors an unmitigated hatred for any person who transgresses their duty in any of these ways, especially betrayal, to the point that it in large part defines his identity. That is to say, while he can govern without constantly screening for traitors, and while he can enjoy a multitude of pleasures both worldly and spiritual, always in the back of his mind lurks an unabating fury, ready to emerge and exact a tithe of retribution from any who violate their Sacred Oath.

Knowing all this, it may not be entirely surprising to learn that Kalon does not desire personal advancement for his own sake. Instead, what he seeks is to see the order of the Law spread to the whole of the world, with all deviations purged, under the aegis of Mother Night.

History (I would suggest that, if you’re reading these parts out of order, you at least read the first paragraph of the previous section before this one, as understanding how Kalon conceives of legitimate governance will be of use.):

Armaments:

• The Observer of Falsehoods [+]

  The Mask that Kalon wears. In form, it is a single piece of smooth, reflective silver that curves around his face. It bears the same name as his foremost title, and this is because it has grown with him. At the Burning of Sanc Tevor, it was little more than an expensive slab of metal. But today it is something greater. Foremost, the reflective surface of the mask gathers light into his vision, allowing his view o be wholly unobstructed by the mask itself. Second, it filters breathable air out of whatever the wearer is currently surrounded by, be that a cloud of poison, or even water. Third, and this particular function occurs without enchantment, fighting someone whose face is effectively your own image, as happens when their actual face is covered by a reflective mask, is unsettling, and can throw off less experience opponants.
• That-Which-Is-Due [+]

  A blade half-again the length of Kalon’s head, affixed to a haft that reaches from his shoulders to the ground, with a circular jutting out where blade meets staff to catch enemy weapons. The blade and disk appear to be made from bronze, but never tarnish or dull, and the haft is made of some unknown wood as hard as iron.
  In truth, this weapon’s precise history is unclear, save that it is very old. When he was young, Kalon was told that it had been passed down his family line since the War in the Heavens, but it has had no especial effect during those instances where he has used it to battle Vilespawn. When—shortly before becoming a vassal of the Empire—he inquired with a master of laws within the Empire as to whether or not was Antediluvian in origin, which would warrant immediate action, he was told that it was not.
  What power it does possess is thus: at the wielder’s command, the head of the spear effuses a ghostly silver flame. This flame serves two functions. First, it acts as one would expect fire to, and can set things alight (though with naturally colored flame) and cauterize flesh. Second, the light of the flame immediately dispels illusions. Kalon has never (knowingly) used it in the presence of the work of the Archon of Shadow, but would not be surprised to learn that it would prove resistant.

Abilities: Kalon is possessed of a great number of more mundane abilities—hard-earned skill with both the ordinary longsword and That-Which-Is-Due, understanding of multiple languages, mathematical acumen, and so on—owed either to his privileged education or the long hours of practice he has taken over his tenure as an Exarch, but he still possesses a some considerable magical ability.

His foremost magical power is that he can mentally communicate instantaneously with those sworn to his service. In most instances, he will limit this to his most senior of subordinates—his Steward, the Captains of the Guard and of the Garrison, and so on, and even then he keeps it inactive when not in use —but it extends to every person beneath him in the chain of command, over unlimited distance, and until such time as they ae no longer in his service. The sole caveat is that he requires the full name and rank of the servant in question to open the connection, and it would likely behave rather strangely if he had two or more servants of the same name and rank. Additionally, any one of them could communicate with him in the same manner in a moment of crisis, allowing him to be instantly alerted to the problem, with the ability to do this deriving from their link to Kalon, but the power required to do so drawing from the area they are in.

In addition, he makes use of magic to apply and redirect mechanical forces. This can take the form of a shockwave as something of a standard attack, but Kalon has trained to use this magic to reduce the impact of blows that land on his person. It has is limits, of course—it would be a drop in the bucket compared to the full force provided by an attack from the Archon of War, for example, and using it too frequently is a good way to leave his preset location mana-starved—but it is more than enough to turn a solid strike from most foes into the equivalent of a glancing blow, which his armor is more than enough to handle.

Also, over his time as the ruler of Sanc Valatir, he has learned how to ride griffins, as his servants in the Tithing do, though he does not currently possess a mount.

Type: In the most technical sense, Kalon has been entrusted with a significant portion of the Tiranine Mountains to control and defend. In practice, given the accessibility of most of the landscape and the locations where people are actually present, he governs the fortress-city of Sanc Valatir.

Culture: Sanc Valatir is an old city. Founded sometime after the War in the Heavens, and has guarded against invasion from south of the Tiranine mountains since before the rise of the Empire of Mother Night, and, unlike most other such fortifications within the Empire, it is unblemished by having been brought into the fold. In all its long history, it has played host to countless warriors, and it has never fallen to invasion. Its people, at least those who could afford to, have always been proud of that fact, even after having been brought to heel by Kalon. They have a strong identity as a center of martial power, which Kalon has seized upon in public statements by calling its inhabitants “The Gatekeepers of the Empire.”

Largely as a reaction to the significant Vilespawn populations in the unpopulated portions of the mountains, the citizens of Sanc Valatir take ritual purity very seriously. This began when trading posts began cropping up around the original fortifications, where people would conduct purity rituals in nearby hot spring. As the settlement became a city, walls were built around the hot spring, and a combination bath house-temple was built on top of it, which the city’s Exarch entrusts to the “Priesthood of Waters,” who are loyal to him. As a result of all this, the populace of the city has largely taken well to the worship of Mother Night, who takes upon herself tohe duty of keeping the last of the Ancient Ones in the world imprisoned.

Its people are mainly the stock of what Is now southern Illyrica, the city having been founded by those living on the north side of the Tiranine mountains, but it has a notable minority of emigrants from the northern marches of Lesmiana, and the inhabitants have adopted a handful of practices from south of the mountains. A majority speak the native tongue, including the city’s own dialect and that of the region immediately north of it, and those of Lesmianan heritage speak their own natve language, but everyone knows at least enough Illyrican to get by—enough to ask for directions or conduct a basic business transaction. The city’s criers make their announcements first in Illyrican, then the local dialect.

There is a small contingent of the upper class, and some tradesmen, who harbor a distinctly anti-Illyrican sentiment, and who see Kalon as having betrayed their people. However, as he cracked down on official corruption and dishonest trade practices immediately on taking control of the city, and has dealt harshly with any who would violate his prohibitions on the same, the Exarch enjoys a good reputation among his citizens For this reason, and the aforementioned zeal for the worship of Mother Night, any anti-Illyrican sentiment is kept hidden.

The city’s standard is a golden Griffon in profile, rearing up on its hind legs, talons raised, facing left, with a black spear behind it pointing from the bottom-left corner to the top-right, all over grey field.

Description: Sanc Valatir enjoys a position on the eastern side of the Great Tiran Pass, the largest pass through the Tiranine mountains, and one of those which remains open during winter. In addition to its prodigious lifespan, this has made it into a bustling, 52,000 strong metropolis. The city’s water needs are primarily filled by an aqueduct that carries in water from a reservoir east of the city, and which is only accessible by passing by the city itself. All citizens have free access to any of the city’s public fountains, which are distributed roughly evenly throughout, and fed by bronze piping. Its foodstuffs are imported from the prosperous grasslands to the north.



Beyond Sanc Valatir, Kalon’s dominion consists largely of territory uninhabitable to significant numbers of intelligent races. Aside from a handful of registered hermits, the only habitation outside the walls of Sanc Valatir are those forces stationed at the two other, lesser mountain passes—the Lesser Tiran (Solutir, in the local speech), and the Wend (Akatir)[the latter of which is technically a strip of land between the mountains and the sea, but still falls within Kalon’s dominion]—who dwell in their stone fortifications. Each of these are guarded by the Sanc Kalutir and the Sanc Akatir, respectively, fortresses which each hold a commanding position over their respective charge, has had the surrounding woodland cleared out.

Laws: Befitting its master, Sanc Valatir has a significant number of laws on top of those of Mother Night and the Archon of Change, and those standard prohibitions on things like murder and theft. Of especial note are the Right to do Business, and the Fine of Service. The Right to do Business is the right of a person to sell goods or practice a trade within the walls of Sanc Valatir. It is the natural status of any person to possess this right, and it is only revoked for those originating in a region with which the Empire is at war, or who have had the Right revoked. The Fine of Service is a measure for when a person found guilty of committing a crime cannot afford to pay their fine at all, or cannot do so without starving themselves. In these cases, the guilty party is pressed into some form of service for the city without pay—if they know a trade, than they perform that trade, if not than they can perform one of a myriad of tasks which do not require skill—until they have worked off what they owe.

Of course, Sanc Valatir has a number of less important laws. Here is a sampling.



Military:
After the Burning of Sanc Torval, one of the first actions that Kalon took to secure the region, to prepare for his impending oath of fealty, was securing Sanc Valatir. The fortress city holds a strategic position overlooking the Great Tiran Pass—Valatir, in his mother tongue—which is the largest such pass through the Tiranine Mountain range. Should an opposing force attempt to pass through without taking the city, it would be child’s play for the defending forces to fall upon them from the rear.



The primary military forces within Kalon’s domain are conscripted from the city of Sanc Valatir itself. Given the nature of the duties of the garrison, their training primarily focuses on defending the region’s extensive fortifications, which involves use of bows and throwing spears, as well as close-quarters sword-fighting on walls and in towers. That said, they do undergo regular drilling on fighting in formation, so as to actually be able to defend against an army that attempts to just walk past the city.

Of especial note are the Exarch’s personal unit of griffin mounted cavalry, the Tithing, who number one thousand warriors. The Tithing maintain positions at a number of the military installations throughout Kalon’s dominion, with the largest easily being the Eyrie in Sanc Valatir, with their presence at the nearby Lake Vala (the source of Sanc Valatir’s water) being second. Their in-battle capabilities are discussed at greater lengths in the relavent section of their sheet.

Size: Thirteen Hundred Sixty (1360) Total Members, One Thousand (1000) Griffin Mounted Cavalry, Three Hundred Sixty (360) Logistical/Support Personnel [Slaves]

Hierarchy and Culture: The official leader of the Tithing is the Lord of the Tithing, a rank which has been held by the Exarch Kalon since the group’s inception seventy years ago. However, the day-to-day business of running the organization falls to whoever holds the rank of Sky Captain, which at the beginning of our story is a man named Cirile Kalaster. Beneath the Sky Captain are five lieutenants, each of whom commands a two hundred-man group called a Loft. Each Loft is divided into ten groups of twenty men called “Wings,” and each Wing is commanded by a Prefect. Each mounted soldier is called a “Rider,” and when in the air, Rider-Griffin pairs are simply referred to as Riders. Of the logistical/support personnel, each Wing is assigned four slaves responsible for the care of five griffins each. They are treated rather poorly by the Riders, and are occasionally killed and partially eaten by their charges. An additional four slaves are assigned to each Wing to tend to their equipment and their meals.

Though the five Lofts are all officially equal—as in, no Lieutenant can claim authority over another, nor over any of each other’s troops, under normal circumstances—membership of the “Loft Valatus,” which is stationed in and around Sanc Valatir, is the most prestigious. Of the Prime Loft, the three Wings stationed within the Eyrie in Sanc Valatir (the “Eyrian Wings”) are the most prestigious of all. Two of the other Lofts are assigned to the two other passes (including the coastline) through the mountains (“Loft Kalutus,” “Loft Akarus,”) such that they and the Loft Valatus cover an unbroken stretch of area without overlapping. The remaining Lofts, the “Loft Anterius,” and “Loft Osterius” are assigned specifically to the southern border with Lesmiana. While the ‘territories’ of the three interior Lofts form shorter, broader bands when drawn on a map, the Loft Anterius’ and Loft Osterius' form long, thin bands laid end-to-end stretching across (and overlapping with) each of the three others.

In times of peace, up to five Riders can be on leave in the city at any given time, at which time they can either reside within the Eyrie or their own homes. In time of social unrest, anticipation of war, or war itself, this maximum drops to three, and leave for all Riders is less often.

Advancement in the Tithing is understood in two ways—transfer into the Loft Valatus (and the Eyrian Wings), and acquiring higher rank. As it is responsible for protecting the region’s only major settlement and largest trade route, the Loft Valatus is composed of the best Riders that the Tithing has to offer, and admission is a testament to one’s skill. Those Riders who show ingenuity, and prove themselves eminently capable of thinking around the problems posed by aerial combat, are marked as candidates for promotion, and added to a list of suitable candidates for the event that a position as a Prefect should open up within the Tithing. Candidates are not required to accept offered promotions, and face no reprisal should they decline. Similarly, the Sky Captain maintains a list of Prefects that might be suitable for the challenges of commanding an entire Loft should a position as Lieutenant open up, and the Lord of the Tithing selects a new Sky Captain from among the Lieutenants should the old one die or retire. Advancement is strictly meritocratic, and the Exarch Kalon harshly punishes any behavior contrary to that rule with immediate expulsion.

Reasons for joining the Tithing are varied. Some are the sons of wealthy merchants seeking adventure, others are born to poor laborers and seek advancement in society. Admission is based on how suited an applicant is to the demands of a Rider, which—as even few of Sanc Valatir’s wealthy class actually keep griffins, and only very rarely teach them how to ride—are largely class-neutral. As the number of positions within the Tithing are limited, they are highly sought after by those with Sanc Valatir who wish to enter military service. Training his extensive, covering how to ride a Griffin in the air, on any of the terrain presented by the Tiranine mountains—mountainsides, woodlands, valleys, etc.—as well as how to transition from the air to the ground, and vice versa, should the need arise. Weapons training primarily focuses on use of the mace and the spear while mounted, with a lesser focus on the use of both while on foot.

Aside from the Eyrian Wings, each Wing is stationed within their own tower constructed within Kalon’s dominion, to which supplies are delivered over-land on a regular basis. Riders do not, generally speaking, have much interaction with non-military personnel while not on leave, even those stationed within Sanc Valatir. Camaraderie is nurtured within individual Wings, though the necessarily close quarters of those on-duty have been known to cause tensions on occasion, though this rarely, if ever spills over into operations. Of especial note, however, is the bond between Griffin and Rider, which, as a result of Riders being paired with their mount from the start of their training, tends towards being exceptionally strong.

Range:


Goals: The Tithing is charged with defending the air-space of Kalon’s dominion, and with apprehending enemies of their Exarch, Archon, or Empire within their territory. However, they do this at their Exarch’s command, and could feasibly switch to a more offensive role if it was commanded of them.

Specialization: War. Specifically, they are a division of elite, Griffin-mounted cavalry.

History: The Tithing was founded seventy years ago by the Exarch Kalon, but its roots go back further. Sanc Valatir has a history of Griffin-mounted Cavalry units, several of which have been founded and dissolved in recorded history. There arelegends about Griffin-mounted Cavalry from what are now the Tiranine mountains having fought in the War in the Heavens, but these are unconfirmed at best.

Starting from when he seized control fo the region, and took Sanc Valatir for his capital, he knew that he wanted to embrace this tradition himself. His preparations began with construction of the Eyrie—the central headquarters of the Tithing—which ran concurrently with the rearing of young Griffins. Once the Griffins had neared sufficient maturity to be trained, a large recruitment drive began, and the Tithing was born.

No invasion has come from the south, so the patrols of the Tithing have gone largely without incident over the years. During each of the Empire’s invasions since it was established, the Tithing has contributed a half Loft’s worth, two Wings from each ordinary Loft, to the invading army.

Military Capabilities: The Tithing consist of a single, standard unit: the Rider. The Rider is dressed in a heavy gambeson, which functions both as protection against enemy weaponry and the cold, and is strapped to their mount with leather in multiple places, as are one mace and one spear. Each Rider is issued a bronze helmet, lined with linen, which has been enchanted to allow them to breathe at high altitudes, and to protect their eyes from high-speed winds. Given the impossibility of communicating at high altitudes, individual Riders have a much higher degree of autonomy in the maneuvers they use to carry out their assignments than most soldiers. Riders carry enough food to survive off of for three days without rationing for themselves and their mounts. These Griffins can also carry, in addition to their standard load of Rider and equipment, a load of approximately one hundred seventy pounds (a little under 80 kilograms) in its talons. However, the greater weight limits their endurance, so weights approaching their maximum can only be carried for short distances. Each Griffin is equipped with a type of harness designed to fit their head, a type of saddle that directs the legs of the Rider forward, and out of the way of the wings, and special, hardened leather barding to protect its underbelly and flanks. With only their standard load—that is, not carrying anything in addition to their Rider and their equipment—Griffons average about twenty miles per hour (about thirty-two kilometers per hour), with a redline (max, non-diving) speed of approximately seventy miles per hour (just over one hundred ten kilometers per hour) and a diving speed of one hundred fifty miles per hour (approximately 240 kilometers per hour). Tese Griffins are capable of flying up to eight leagues without rest with a standard load, assuming their average traveling speed, but tire much more quickly at higher speeds. Griffins eat a diet consisting entirely of meat.

In terms of battlefield tactics, Riders can serve as effective scouts on locations where scrying spells are blocked, and can utterly demolish disorganized infantry. In the thick of battle, one especially favored tactic is to lift an enemy into the air and drop them on their allies, which is especially effective against cavalry. Additionally, they can engage enemy formations by dropping large rocks on them, or swinging around and landing on their back line and tearing into them with talons and beaks.

Griffons are the historical predators of horses, and so their appearance and the sound of their cries, so their presence disrupts enemy ground-cavalry and chariots.

Warcry: “Death Descends!”

Size: Eight Hundred Sixty (860) Total Members—Two Hundred Fifty (250) Standard Temple Priests, Four Hundred Sixty-Three (463) Standard Priory Priests, Fifty (50) Lay Members, Ninety (90) Archivists, Five (5) Members of Leadership (Exarch, High Priestess, Steward of the Waters, Archcurate, Grand Archivist)



Goals: The Priesthood of Waters serves the Exarch Kalon, and follow his commands, but generally serve to minimize the threat that Vilespawn pose to civilization. There is not a person among them who would not like to see the Vilespawn eradicated, but none honestly believe that such a goal is feasible in their lifetimes, if at all.

Specialization: The purpoe of the Priesthood of Waters is to kill Vilespawn first, and serve as priests in their communities second. To these ends, they are trained as clerics of the dead god Akaeron, from whose power they are guided towards clerical healing and purification, as well as magical control of water. In addition, all members are trained in the use of blunt objects in warfare, usually some form of mace, which inhibits the spread of taint by not making Vilespawn bleed.



Military Capabilities: The standard military “unit” of the Priesthood of the Waters is the Canons Regular, who is trained in the use of a mace, the clerical arts of the god Arkaeron, and some measure of skill in tracking. When out hunting Vilespawn, they move in hunting parties of no less than three, and as many as seven. When purging a Vilespawn den, their numbers may be even higher. They are equipped with one iron mace to use as a weapon, and a round iron shield for defense. The shields are generally smaller than might otherwise be the case for soldiers, to allow for greater mobility in the potentially difficult terrain they may encounter Vilespawn in. For armor, each Canons Regular is provided with a set of gambeson and riveted mail. Additionally, Priests are issues a runic pendant capable of catching a fleeing Vilespawn spirit that passes to close for the wearer, but which cannot serve as a container indefinitely. Some Priests specialize in physical combat and tracking, and are known as Canons Fer. Some Priests specialize in the healing and cleansing aspect of their clerical arts, and are known as the Canons Agir. Some Priests specialize in the water magic gleaned from their fallen god, and are called Canons Akar. All specialized individuals are superior to the Canons Regular in their chosen area of focus, but the Canons Regular is superior in the other two.

Additionally, at any time, approximately ten percent of the Combat forces of the Priesthood at any time are Acolytes, who are lesser trained versons of the Canons Regular.

Also, the Priesthood trains primarily to fight Vilespawn, and while many of those skills may carry over to one-on-one duels, far fewer correlate to appropriate skills for battlefield tactics. Their discipline matches or surpasses almost any soldier, but they would need considerable training to be battlefield-ready.

Critically, they are spread very far out, amongst the Great Baths of Sanc Valatir, and their various Priories. It is not realistically feasible to muster them all into one location.

Warcry: “Akaerono dollak sollot!” (“Akaeron’s fury lives in us!”)

Titles: The Conqueror in the West, Djaam-Bane

Type: Exarch

Appearance: The harsh and varied climates in which Vadigar has spent the last thirteen years have aged the Conqueror in the West beyond his years. The typically pale skin of the Borian people is tanned and leathery from a years of exposure to wind and sun on his campaigns. On his current campaign, Vadigar generally wears only light trousers and a celemworm-silk shirt, as the Shattered Wastes are too hot for heavy clothing. He is almost always seen wearing a cuirass of ringmail, with a plate on the chest embossed with the Night Mother's rose silver-gilt upon it. A red cape of true silk, frayed and tattered, is clasped around his wide shoulders - a cherished gift from the Archon of War that Vadigar is seldom seen without. Vadigar's sun-grayed hair is kept short and his face closely shaved in the imperial fashion. The long, silky horsetail he once wore in keeping with Borian tribal tradition has not been seen since Vadigar swore fealty to the Night Mother.

History: Vadigar is perhaps the newest of Izalith's servants. Born to Vescar, a tribal lord of the Borian hinterlands, Vadigar had nearly reached manhood when two legions of the Night Mother crossed the River Khad with the intention of claiming Boria for Izalith's already-massive dominion. Vescar committed his tribe into an alliance with the other Borian tribes in order to repel the incursion. Vescar, aware that this was going to be a savage and protracted conflict from the beginning, brought his son Vadigar and his daughter Helkha to ride out with him and his tribesmen so that they might be educated in the ways of leadership and warfare.

The Narzad, the ruthlessly-effective light cavalry of the Borian tribes, proved successful at harassing and weakening the lumbering legions of infantry hailing from the Motherlands. In these early skirmishes with the Night Mother's forces, Vadigar was permitted by his father to ride out and accompany the Narzad javelin-throwers. This proved to be a very formulative time for the young tactician; Vadigar was able to see firsthand how small numbers could, with appropriate application of force and superior strategems, could disperse even large numbers of enemies.

The initial forays against Izalith's legions were effective in delaying a major incursion into the Borian tribelands, but in the second spring of the war with the Night Mother, eight legions under the command of the Archon of War arrived to put paid to Boria's resistance and make loyal subjects of the restless hillfolk of the North. The Night Mother's invasion had begun in earnest.

The Night Mother's armies at last began to gain ground, conquering the more hospitable southern reaches of Boria and forcing the tribes to retreat into the windswept foothills of the Crown of the North. The Borian tribes continued to ride out to harangue the Night Mother's legions. But with a strong contingent of archers and the powers of the Archon, the Borian riders were now taking substantial casualties with each raid. It was during one such raid that Vescar took an arrow to the clavicle that ended his life. Vadigar took command of the tribe and took it upon himself to resume his father's war against the Archon and the Night Mother.

Emboldened by the death of Vescar, the Archon of War sought to capitalize on the demoralizing effect of the dead chieftain and led 5,000 of his men from his fort in the south of Boria against the tribes. The Archon attempted to cross the River Khad at a shallow stretch deep in forest, hoping to catch the tribes off guard during their funerary rites. Instead, it was the Archon that was caught off guard; Vadigar had intercepted the legions and met them across the banks of the river. Among the trees, the Archon's archers could not fire effective volleys, but the Borian javelinmen were perfectly capable of skewering the Night Mother's infantry as they waded across the Khad. Were it not for the Archon's terrifying powers, the Borians would have killed the Night Mother's forces to the last man. Humiliated, the Archon and his survivors were forced to fall back and retreat south. Having avenged his father in some small measure, Vadigar returned to his camp to mourn Vescar's death in earnest.

During the funerary rites on the following day, Vescar was laid out upon a funeral pyre. As the pyre burned, a bolt of lightning struck the burning wood, completely scattering the pyre. Vadigar and Helkha were astounded, for the lightning bolt had come from a clear, sunny sky. Where the roaring pyre had burned only minutes ago, only a circular heap of coals and ashes remained. The wooden logs of the pyre - still burning, had been cast out such that they pointed toward the burning cinders. Vadigar and Helkha, upon inspecting the scene, found the remains of the pyre much resembled a symbol of the sun - a circle with rays radiating outward. A black, fire-scorched sun.

For the rest of the day, Vadigar and Helkha consulted with the priests, attempting to determine what this portentous occasion signified. Satisfied by none of the answers given, Vadigar and Helkha discussed the day's happenings all through the night themselves amongst themselves. They could only come to one conclusion that made any sense to them: the destruction of Vescar's funeral pyre was the work of the Night Mother, her black sun symbol created from the ruined funeral pyre was meant as a sign that Boria owed fealty to to Izalith.

The other tribal leaders were naturally dismayed by Vadigar's conclusion. Vadigar and Helkha were able to persuade a modest few that the destruction of the pyre was a miracle meted out by the Night Mother. Most, however, had assumed that Vadigar and Helkha had lost their minds. The disagreement broke out into a civil war among the tribes between those who supported Vadigar and Helkha, and those who would not suffer the perceived turncoat in their midst.

After the stinging defeat at the Battle at the River Khad, the Archon of War was delighted to hear of the infighting among the Borians. He sent emissaries to Vadigar's camp, congratulating his turn toward the Night Mother and offering assistance in making the rest of the Borians submit. Vadigar thanked the Archon for his offer, but denied his help. For he knew that if the Borians were to ever accept the way of the Night Mother, it would have to be brought to them by one of their own - not a foreign invader.

After a series of defeats against Vadigar, the hostile Borians at last came before him and announced their wish for peace in the Boria. They knew that even if they could destroy Vadigar and his forces, they would not be able to oust the Night Mother's legions stationed in the south of the realm. They knew Vadigar to be wise and gracious, and knew that peace struck with him would be far more agreeable than surrendering to the Archon. With that, Boria was pacified, and Vadigar went before Archon of War to officially swear fealty to the Night Mother.

Pleased with Vadigar's conversion, the Archon name Vadigar an Exarch and Master of Boria. Recognizing his battlefield prowess, the Archon selected Exarch Vadigar as his general, and sent him to lead his campaigns in the various wars throughout Ethica. Vadigar's skill as a tactician was made clear after several great victories on foreign battlefields. After three years of ceaseless campaigning, the Archon of War offered his celebrated Exarch some time to rest and tend to matters within his wards in Boria. Exarch Vadigar thanked his Archon for his reassignment back home, but petitioned his lord for an alternate assignment. Vadigar wanted to expand Izalith's sprawling empire. He offered instead to traverse the Erg Sea, the trackless expanse of desert in western Ethica, and conquer the fabled lands on the other side in the name of the Night Mother. The Archon of War was pleased with this request; he named Helkha as Regent Master in Boria and gave Vadigar his blessing to carry out his conquests in the far west.

Nearly ten years later, Exarch Vadigar finds himself in the extreme northwest of Ethica, beyond the Erg Sea at the foot of a great mountain range. Here he has encountered a depauperate, sparsely-populated land inhabited by a people who have only heard legends of Izalith. They speak of the Djaam: an empire beyond the mountains ruled by powerful sorcerers who draw their power from a moon god they call Rabal. Determined to put paid to this heresy and bright the Night Mother's rule to this exotic land, Exarch Vadigar forms an army to vanquish the Djaam. But a thousand leagues separate Vadigar from Izalith and her empire, and it has yet to be determined if she has any power over this strange land.

Armaments: Malperkh - A fearsome pole-mounted glaive. Malperkh was crafted in the Borian tradition and wielded in battle by Vadigar's father Vescar. The Archon of War graciously offered to have the weapon imbued with powerful enchantments befitting of an exarch's weapon. Vadigar kindly declined his Archon's offer, for he felt that a blade that ended the lives of so many of the Night Mother's loyal servants should never receive Izalith's blessing.
Abilities: While Vadigar possesses superb tactical acumen, he is not blessed with the great powers that his peers have been bestowed with. With so much of his life spent in foreign lands, Vadigar has not been afforded the opportunity to visit the Night Mother and partake in the Rituals of Imbuement from which most of the exarchs gained their powers.

Type: Exarchial desmesne under the vassalage of the Archon of War

Culture: The Borians are a primitive and insular people compared against the more cosmopolitan folk of the Motherlands to the south. Few people from the south come to this sparse, remote land. With such little guidance, the transition from the old ways of the Borian people to the new realities of Imperial society has been slow and awkward. The tribal lords of the hill country have simply become Imperial Baronets, peasant rituals are directed to Izalith now rather than the old gods. The masters and names may have changed, but life is much the same as it always has been for the denizens of Boria.

Description: Boria is a windswept realm in the rugged northwest of the empire within the dominion of the Archon of War. Up until thirteen years ago, this was ruled by a fractious confederation of mounted herdsmen. Exarch Vadigar has been charged with commanding the wards of Boria, but on the account of his constant absence, the Exarch chose his sister Helkha to serve as Regent of Boria in his stead. While Vadigar wages war against foreign adversaries, Helkha has had the unenviable task of transforming the tribesmen of Boria into a functioning feudal society like those seen in the Motherlands. Stewardess Helkha's rules Boria from Eskar, a small town in the south of the realm situated on the confluence of the rivers Khad and Isna. While Eskar, with it's small fortified keep, boat jetties, and smattering of craftsman's shops make for a convincing simulacrum of a minor imperial town, Boria is culturally distinct from the rest of Izalith's Empire once one leave's Eskar's immediate environs.

Military: In times when the Archon of War demands levies for his numerous wars abroad, Stewardess Helkha can reliably call upon the Narzads of the hill country to heed the call. The Narzads - perhaps the finest light cavalry in the land - are effective at softening infantry formations with withering javelin volleys and can inflict surprisingly-powerful charges despite being lightly-equipped and armored. In times of more urgent need, the baronets of the hill country are able to provide levies who fight rather well despite being untrained peasants on the account of their upbringing in a relatively inhospitable land and clime.

Name: Manius Quinctilus Dolabella

Titles: Legate of the VIIth, Dux Noricum, Magister Militum Manius, Exarch Manius, Imperator Manius,
Nordicus

Type: Exarch

Rivals & Allies: Manius maintains a good working relationship with his fellow Legate in the North, Sergius.

Appearance: A man of average appearance, Manius nevertheless stands tall and strong thanks to his decades of training and dedication to Stromism. Like any self-respecting nobleman, Manius takes pride in his appearance. Keeping his hair short and face shaved. Years in the field have given his skin a healthy tan and a series of scars that he proudly display as proof of his martial prowess.

Loyalty: The Archon of War

Personality and Drive: A loyal servant of the Empire, Manius is nonetheless determined to make a name for himself while leading the armies of the Empire against the Mother's enemies. The war in the North provided him the chance to achieve exactly that. And though his eagerness for battle and glory oftentimes led to his forces being outmaneuvered and outsmarted by the tribesmen, the victories outweighed the defeats and by the end of the war, Manius had been awarded authority over a section of the new province. Now he seeks to prove his worth by ruling these lands in an exemplar manner. Bringing proper civilization and subduing the savages.

Born in the Empire's aristocracy, Manius believes himself superior to the "common pleb". And though he recognizes that once in a while the "rabble" may exceed his expectations (the war giving him many examples of that) that is more of an exception than the rule. Likewise, he's a firm believer of the superiority of the Empire's people and culture over that of the lesser peoples.

Manius however, also has a deep need of validation. The Exarch needs to have his deeds and achievements recognized by others. Those who fail to do so, as far as Manius is concerned, are committing a slight against him. Likewise, refusing to give him the respect he thinks he deserves or disrespecting his honor is also another grave insult. And Manius is one for holding long grudges.

History: A scion of the noble Quinctilius family, Manius was raised in the Capital, where his family held business and estates, to believe in duty, loyalty and honor. But also to seek the glory both for himself, the Empire and his clan. Lessons that he took to heart. Dedicating himself fully to learning the finer arts of command, rulership, philosophy and other cultural pursuits fit for a noble of his standing. Likewise, as any good Stromist, Manius worked to hone his body in preparation for a future serving the Empire.

When he came of age, Manius joined the Legion. Proving himself a competent commander and using his family's influence to rise through the ranks. When the War in the north started, Manius had risen to be the right hand man of Gnaeus Publius Macceallum, the VIIth's commander. And when he was killed in an ambush in the early stages of the war, Manius took command of the Legion. Leading them into victory after victory (and the occasional defeat).

At the war's end, Manius and his men were granted lands in the new province. Turning their old fort into a proper city and starting the struggle to civilize the neighboring barbarians

Armaments:







Abilities: Manius' abilities are focused on bolstering the strength and will of his men. Despite being a mighty warrior, the Exarch has decided to sacrifice some of his personal power in favor of sharing it with the Legionaries under his command. Ensuring that in battle his men are able to fight beyond the limits of normal humans.

Name: Titus Septimius

Type: Warrior/Commander

Appearance:



Personality and Drive:

Titus is above everything, a man defined by his duties. His duty to the Empire, his duty to the Legion, his duty to the Exarch and his duty to the Goddess. He's an obedient man, mindful and accepting of his place in the world, for it is as it things should be.

Despite his dutiful nature, Titus is not a dour or joyless man. He craves and prizes the companionship and camaraderie of his fellow soldiers, Titus spends his free time at the taverns, drinking and making merry with his fellow Legionaries. Who are like brothers to him. And carries out his duties with a smile on his face and a melody on his lips, for serving the Empire brings as much as joy to him as any drink or woman could.

Like most others in the Empire, Titus looks down upon the savages and barbarians standing in the path of civilization.

Background:

The son of a butcher and his slave, Titus grew as a half wild child in the streets of the Capital. Life for Titus was fair, certainly lacking in luxuries and excess. But at least he never starved and could count on a job in his father's butchery, even if under his half-brothers. But then again, the boy never had any problems obeying his betters.

Disaster struck however, his father's butchery burned down in a blaze that consumed part of the city. And although the family's patriarch still had enough means to provide for his family and start his business back from scratch, Titus was one mouth too many for that plan to work. And so he was cast out.

Lacking any kind of formal education or contacts that could help secure his future, the young man joined the Legion. There, his natural subservience was transformed into loyalty to the Empire and strict discipline instilled into his personality.

It was during the War in the North that Titus really rose to prominence. Proving himself to be a dutiful servant, skilled warrior and competent (if not entirely creative and bright) leader. Three qualities that were held in high regard by the new Legate of the VIIth. He rose through the ranks, eventually becoming Manius' right hand man when he single handedly saved the Exarch from an ambush by traitorous chieftains pretending to surrender.

Armaments:

Thinking about giving him just normal equipment

Skills: There are few in the VIIth who can match Titus' skills with the gladius or the pilum. In battle the Primus Pilus acts as an anchor and bulwark to his fellow soldiers. Outside of the field, Titus has also learned a great deal when it comes to leading and organizing men. His humble origins allowing him to relate more easily to the common soldier and years of experience giving him a good head when it comes to making do with what supplies are available.

Holdings

Name: Colonia Mania/ Regio Militum VII http://imgur.com/a/y6O2L

Type: A city built out of the VII's original fort and the surrounding lands. Ruled by Exarch Manius in the Empire's name.

Culture: The city is inhabited by the Legionaries, their families, an increasing number of Imperial settlers and assimilated tribesmen. Outside of the citadel, where the military aristocracy lives, an interesting mishmash of Imperial and Northern influences has developed.

The surrounding lands however, are mostly covered by thick woods, tundra and the occasional Northmen village. Nevertheless, the Empire is working hard to bring civilization to these outlying territories. Mostly through massive construction works and planned resettlement.

Description: The Colonia is a planned city. Or at least the area inside the walls is. As it originated out of a Legionary fort, the blocs and sections are neatly organized. The streets are wide and paved. The market rests in the shadow of the Citadel, a strong stone fortress where the Exarch and the other officers (the city's upper nobility) live. Wealthy merchants and bureaucrats live around the Citadel. Temples and a theater are also located close to the Citadel. And the city also counts with a sewer system and baths.

Beyond the stone walls of the city, the Colonia is surrounded by a semi-chaotic mess of huts, houses and workshops built by the arriving immigrants and tribesmen. Living inside the walls is a privilege limited to the Imperials. And as such, the local Northmen have to make do outside the protection of the stone walls. More recently, the Exarch has ordered the construction of a tall wooden palisade around this area.

Beyond this second wall are the farms, rural estates and woodland that feed the city. Many of these owned and lived in by veteran legionaries, their families and slaves.

The rest of the region is seeing increasing levels of development as the Legion's engineers and their slaves cross the land building roads, outposts, aqueducts and new villages to house Imperial settlers

Laws: The Laws of the Empire are the laws of the region. Enforced by both Legionaries and their local allies.

Military: As a military colony of the VIIth. The Colonia can field the entire Legion and its auxiliary units made up of local allied tribesmen. Most of the manpower comes from volunteers (both Imperial citizens and local natives as Legionaries and Auxiliaries respectively) who receive their equipment from the Legion's stocks.

Training is strict, standardized and demanding. The Legion has high standards and even the Town Watch is expected to be a little better than the norm. Equipment is provided by the Exarch, who by his own laws, owns and commands the military industry in the District. Thus ensuring that the troops are always well supplied and equipped.

Besides the Legion, the VIIth district also fields a Town Watch force. Whose training and equipment is far inferior to that of the Legion. Local tribal chieftains can also be called up to muster their own forces to support the defense of the region.

Faction

Name: The VIIth Legion "Nordica"

Size: 5000

Hierarchy and Culture: There is a strict military hierarchy within the Legion. From the lowest Legionary to the Legate himself, everyone has his own duties and obligations to the cause. Obedience is enforced by strict disciplinary measures and the men are pushed to always strive to be at their absolute best for the glory of the Mother and Empire.

Organization-wise, the VIIth is organized at its lowest level with centurias of 80 men. 10 centurias make up a cohort. The First Cohort fields twice the normal number of men and is composed of the best Legionaries of the VIIth. While the last two cohorts are composed of Nordheimer auxiliaries. Battle mages are organized in their own independent unit.

Goals: Serve the Empire, pacify the North.

Specialization: The VIIth, like the rest of the Imperial armies is able to carry itself well in both pitched battles and sieges. The continued fight against the Nordic rebels however, has also forced the Legionaries to adapt develop counter-tactics to their hit and run style of fighting.

History: The VIIth traces its history back to the time before the Mother. Claiming to be founded by Julius Quinctilius Massa, centuries before the rise of the Empire. The Legion gained prominence and glory in the neverending wars that plagued the land before the Mother came. Eventually being destroyed in one of those nameless conflicts.

The rise of the Empire however, saw the Quinctilius and other likeminded clans managing to lobby for authorization to field and arm an army out of their own pocket for the War in the North in exchange for political favors and influence in the South. The new Legion was named after the semi-mythical original VIIth, already giving the new Legionaries a tough legacy to match.

The new VIIth, fortunately, proved more than a match for the armies of savages arrayed against it. Earning glory and praise in the battlefield and being bestowed with the cognomen "Nordica" to record their successes against the Northmen.

Military Capabilities:

Following the Imperial standard, the VII's major component is heavy infantry. Legionaries armed and protected by iron organized in 10 cohorts supported by a cavalry, a mage and an auxiliary cohort.

In battle the Legionaries are the anchor of the Legion. The Legion usually deploys in three lines, with the youngest troops at the front (hastati), followed by the veterans (principes) and then the elite (triarii). The lines themselves are left with gaps. With the second line standing directly behind the gaps of the first and so on. Skirmishers are deployed in front of the main infantry body and retreat through the gaps once the skirmishing is done.

Before battle is joined, the first line closes the gap and presents a solid line to the enemy. If they prove unable to break the foe, the maniples maneuver to open the gaps and let the principes move forward to engage the enemy while retreating to reorganize and rest. If even then the enemy resists, the principes repeat the same maneuver, letting the triarii engage and either break the enemy once and for all or allow the Legion to retreat in good order.

Maneuvering is a vital part of the Legion's tactic. Each men is drilled incessantly on his proper place inside the formation and what is expected of him in battle.

Legionaries in the field.



Warcry: The sons of the Night have come!

Lady Margaux De'Bois shares the same trait as all those who have taken the Blood Kiss, namely the piercing red eyes showing their fealty and total existence to the power of the Great-Father, Kuth Irkalla. On an individual level, Margaux is strikingly beautiful in her own right, a trait of the selective pool of nobility marrying amongst one another. She has long auburn hair, reaching past the small of her back. Margaux stands a little over five feet and eight inches, and while she is by no means a tall woman, she stands over many of the females under the dominion of the Great-Father. Her skin is pale, though perhaps not as pale as the Great-Father, owing such a relatively passable complexion to her long family lineage. Last, Margaux's physique is akin to all those who have received the Blood Kiss, lithe, and with almost a predatory like animal visage.







Unwavering loyal, is the best description of Margaux De'Bois. First and foremost of who Margaux is as an individual, is her unquestioning fealty to the Great-Father. Perhaps more than most, Margaux understands that all she has, her power, wealth, and station, are because the Great-Father allows her such things. In return, she offered up her undying service, in this life and the next, as all who live within the domain of the Blood Archon should. Furthermore, Margaux places integrity above everything else, aside from her loyalty to the Great-Father. To invite dishonor through lying, and by extension, lacking integrity, is to invite dishonor and besmirchment unto the Great-Father, and such a crime is most reprehensible.

Margaux is a singular individual, a woman that looks not to the past nor the future, but rather the present. Her every move and action is done in order to ensure that the Great-Father retains his rightful rule over Sheol, and whatever else he deems needing to be done. This is not to be confused with Lady De'Bois being mindless or without her own desires, but simply put, the Great-Father comes first, and one shall always serve without question. On a personal level, Margaux enjoys gardening, tending to a modest rose and vegetable garden within her Chateau, wine-making from the island vineyards, and last, she enjoys swimming in the waters of natural hot springs of the Ruby Isle.


Lady Margaux De'Bois was born eighty seven years ago, on the night of a great lunar eclipse which the likes have yet to be seen since. Her parents were among the former rulers of Ruby Isle, in truth little more than a petty duke and duchess in the service of a petty king. Roughly one hundred years ago, when the Great-Father came to power, systematically taking over the land of Sheol, the petty king of Ruby Isle rose up to fight alongside his mainland allies. His name and heraldry have been lost to time and the crushing defeat he suffered. Seeing a chance for greater power and salvation from the unstoppable might of the Great-Father, the De'Bois family did not come to the calls of vengeance from the remaining nobles, and instead swore fealty to the Great-Father. Duke and Duchess De'Bois sold out their short sighted former allies to Sheol's new master, Kuth Irkalla. As most of the former estates were brought to ruin, their loyal servants enslaved and put to work within the island's ruby mines, the De'Bois's rose in power, from petty dukes to robber barons, overseeing one of the main prisons within the domain of Sheol, the ruby mines.

Yet, even though the short sighted enemies of the Great-Father had been defeated, they did not go down without one last fight. On the eve of Margaux De'Bois fourteenth birthday, a massive prison right ensued, wherein the remnants of the Ruby Isle's former rulers and their armies sought their vengeance. As the rabble of agitated criminals broke free from the mines, scattering to the wind as Sheol military forces began purging these fools unworthy of even being slaves now. But, this riot and breakout was all a diversion, for once the dust and blood had settled, the Baron and Baroness De'Bois were found dead, slain in the commotion by enemies of the Great-Father. While a few dead prisoners were found on the estate, signs pointed to outside help, to those from the mainland who would seek the demise of the Great-Father and his servants. Margaux was left without her family, having seen the slaying of her parents herself, by masked vermin who snuck in through a servants passage and murdered her parents. It was in this time of utter darkness and despair, that the loving and guiding hand of the Great-Father pulled Margaux from oblivion. It was Kuth Irkalla, the Blood Archon, who took sympathy unto this young woman. The Great-Father adopted her, inducting her into the Coven, and granting Lady Margaux the power to carry out revenge upon those that had wrong the Great-Father and his servants.

After her parents were laid to rest, Margaux set out to purging those within the ranks of her family's household who were found to be complicit in the murder of her parents. No traitors to the De'Bois family, and far more transgressing, traitors to the Great-Father, would be allowed to walk unpunished for their crimes. Of the eight individuals found to have taken part in the conspiracy, all were handed over to the Great-Father himself for their final judgement. Margaux knew such cowardly and traitorous filth must be made example of, and only by the show of the Great-Father's power could such lessons be taught to the rest of Sheol. Margaux reveled in the screams of the condemned, knowing such cries of anguish were but a gift and privilege of the Great-Father. Curiously, the outside puppet masters were never identified, the contacts having either been murdered in back alley muggings, or far beyond the reach of the Coven, for the time being at least.

As time moved ever onward, Lady Margaux set to increasing production quotas on the island, ensuring a continuous supply of high quality rubies for the Coven, and for the Great-Father. Perhaps the greatest quality of these rubies, aside from their use in the adornment of clothing, armor, and weapons, was their use for enchanting. Yet for Margaux, this was not enough. Realizing that acquiring money and mundane power would not be enough, Lady De'Bois began to delve into the dark arts of Blood Magics and Necromancy. As a member of the Coven, she was able to access the tomes and stacks of the Great-Father's library, an invaluable resource in her many years of self taught magical study. By the end of the first decade, Margaux was able to proficiently raise the dead, and hold them together and upright for many hours, if not days.

By the end of four decades of arduous and ceaseless study, Margaux had developed sufficient ability and skill to safely cast four spells within the tomes of the Dark Arts. Only a fool would believe they could ever surpass the skill of the Great-Father, but to Margaux, this small feat was just another way of showing her devotion to the the Blood Archon. For it was he who gifted those of Sheol with the ability and mastery over blood and death, and only through him and his will, could one advance over time. With the gifts of the Great-Father now bestowed upon Lady Margaux, she returned in earnest to her island home, using her new dark powers to further increase ruby mining production, namely in now using the dead to mine such minerals in the more dangerous veins.

The past has been written, and now the present brings deep seeded rivalries and disdain to all those who would dare oppose the Great-Father. Those of the mainland were no doubt complicit in the deaths of the De'Bois forbears, along with who knows how many other clandestine deaths and acts of sedition. Margaux carries out the will of the Great-Father without question or hesitation. Within the last seventy years, she has caught her fair share of spies and traitors, always turning them over to the Great-Father through his forces at Fort Irkalla. Duty render unto the Great-Father is its own reward, and in the end, the Great-Father always gets his due, so Margaux found it best to pay early, and pay often. For now, Margaux continues her duties, mining rubies, and practicing her dark arts to become a stronger weapon for the Great-Father.


The Ruby Runefang – A divine gift from the Great-Father, the Ruby Runefang is a symbol of power and status for those that rule over their respective regions within the dominion of the Blood Archon. This particular Ruby Runefang has been passed down for generations within the De'Bois family, a testament to their unwavering loyalty to the Great-Father. Wounds caused by the blade burn and cause great pain, and should those wounded by the blade survive, the process of healing is long and leaves a terrifying scar, a reminder to those who dare stand against the indisputable will of the Great-Father.

The De'Bois Family Armor – An old and antiquated set of armor, forged long ago by the Great-Father, it imbues the user with an increased defensive ability, namely in the armor being able to ward off the first blow that would mortally would the wearer of the armor. This ward save only works once per day, afterwards it must be prayed over and have at least fours hours of energy channeled into the item..



While not as skilled as some of the older Exarchs within the Coven, Lady Margaux De'Bois has taken the time to not only teach herself, but actively practice these dark arts to ensure that she was constantly becoming a more powerful and useful weapon of the Great-Father. She chose to delve down the path of Necromancy and Blood Magic, hungrily reading the dark tomes written and penned by the Great-Father himself. After decades of hard work, ceaseless study, and a little bit of luck, Lady Margaux De'Bois could proudly claim she was able to cast a handful of spells without fear of miscasting or worse.

Errocas’s flesh has a deathly pallor, inlaid with branches of grey-blue veins. His skin clings taught to his bones, giving him a strong jaw and set of cheekbones. The hairs on his head are black, marred by streaks of grey at his temples. Pale blue eyes peer beneath a sturdy brow. Errocas’s build is that of a soldier – solid and well-defined, with rough, calloused hands. His height is not altogether impressive. When clad from head to toe in his plate armor, Errocas is an awesome, and dreadful sight. His armor is lacquered black, and on it cascades thorny roses, the insignia of Mother Night.


Allies:

• Iao, Archon of War

Rivals:

COUNT OF CADAVERS, ORCHESTRATOR OF ORPHANS, MARQUIS DE MURDER, IAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOO!!!


Openness to experience - Mild. Errocas will entertain a wide range of methods at his disposal to achieve results, even if they would be controversial or otherwise nefarious. He has an intense appreciation for art, emotional experiences and romanticism. On the other hand, total euphoria is kept in check by the rigors of a Stromist lifestyle and training.

Conscientiousness - High. Errocas tends to be efficient and organized in his duties as Exarch. He is steady and unrelenting in his pursuit of personal goals. He is particular about the way his possessions are organized, how he writes his letters, how he commands men, and countless minor trivialities. His study of Stromism has instilled him with self-discipline over his body and mind, though this sometimes gives way to stronger bouts of emotion.

Extraversion - High. Errocas is assertive in his interactions with others, seeking dominance above his peers. This desire likely stems from a sense of contention with Iao’s other children; in which Errocas feels he competes for the appreciation of his father and the Empire. His position within Severen’s hierarchy, as well as his reputation nourishes his need for approval.

Agreeableness - Low. Few would use “compassionate” to describe the Scourge of Atar. Errocas does not seek friendship, nor require cooperation. He has earned the ire of many an Imperial officer: “usurping” command of soldiers on unofficial business, disregarding protocol, “blatant disregard” for the well-being of personnel, etc. At the same time, he is feared for his Stromist aptitude and ruthlessness. Errocas makes no attempt to reconcile past grievances. He is, however, popular among the regular soldiery, often fighting among them on the front lines rather than commanding from a post. He embodies the saying, "If you want a thing done well, do it yourself."

Neuroticism - High. Errocas is emotionally impulsive; easily agitated and excited. He responds poorly to criticism and negative stimuli, and will try to challenge, or match perceived slights instead of ignoring them. On the other hand, his accomplishments are a source of pride, and he is easily moved by things of great beauty.


Errocas is among the many sons Archon Iao sired prior to falling into his slumber. He is the only son Iao had with the Graeling princess, Dagnija. He was conceived very early in the Empire’s Northern Conquest. Dagnija’s tribe was among those that chose to submit willingly, and its warriors were some of the first Nordheimer auxiliaries to be fielded by the Empire.
Errocas’s tutelage as a youth was left to numerous instructors, generals and scholars close to Iao, a roster without regularity on a constant campaign trail. As such, his cycle of teachers gave him advice both redundant and conflicting, much to his irritation. Errocas’s older brothers Ai and Jericho became something of mentors to him outside the lectures, providing him with an opportunity to shed his frustration in sparring. They taught him the nuances of swordplay, how to fight and when to run. And when he lost, they didn’t let him forget it.
Between the two, Errocas favored Jericho’s brash, to-the-point attitude. In him, Errocas learned about the world the way things were, not an idealized vision of how they should be. Jericho confided to him what it meant to “be a man.” His disappearance during the climax of the Northern Campaign’s last siege hurt Errocas deeply.
Ai, on the other hand was seen as the ‘model child’ of the Northern Campaign. He was everything Errocas felt he could not be, and he envied him for it. Whereas Jericho laid bare the core truth, no matter how ugly, Ai found a way to romanticize his perspective, a “positive spin.” Ai was the untouchable standard, and Errocas developed an emotional distance from his brother.
Iao fell into his slumber when Errocas was twelve years of age, one year after Jericho’s disappearance. At twenty years of age, Ai took on his father’s former responsibilities, administrating Severen and keeping the Nordheimer under control. For the next several years, Errocas stayed with his mother and continued his tutelage. This, he thought, was a waste of his potential. Without the routine presence of Iao to guide him, Errocas needed to find his own direction in the web of Imperial hierarchy. As soon as he learned all his mentors could teach, he left for the frontlines in the North.
Errocas’s first taste of combat came at age fifteen, under Ai’s Stromist Vanguard. Errocas’s unit was stationed at the fringes of Aesling territory, tasked with putting down separatist revolts and stamping out the Aeslings’ bloody religious practices. On the campaign trail, Errocas befriended Stolas, a soldier not terribly older than himself. Stolas’s brash, to-the-point mannerisms reminded him of Jericho, and they became fast friends in short time.
The sights the Vanguard came across during its foray in the North were harrowing. Many ruined settlements bore signs of looting and slaughter; worse still, evidence of blood magic. They found mass graves of whole communities bled dry, idols to the dark gods draped with entrails and painted in gore. The closer to Aesling lands they ventured, the worse it got.
The Stromists finally met them in battle in a night raid, orchestrated to disrupt one of their despicable rituals and eliminate a local sect of Bloodfathers. Errocas killed his first man that night, buried his sword hilt-deep in the chest of a howling Nordheimer. The raid was by-and-large a success. Two Bloodfathers had been slain and a sizeable entourage of Aesling warriors went with them. However, Stolas and a few others were lost in the fighting, presumed dead or captured for a profane purpose.
Errocas lamented the loss of his friend after the battle, and many of the men were frustrated with Ai’s order not to pursue. He deemed it too dangerous to march into the heart of Aesling lands with so small a contingent. The unit had accomplished what it set out to do. This did not sit well with Errocas, and when a handful of men rumored they’d act on their own to free their comrades, he joined them willingly.
The band of rogues snuck out from camp the night after the raid, determined to avenge or save whoever they’d left behind. When they’d reached the Aesling campground, they were mortified by what they saw. The mutilated remains of their companions, including Stolas, were cast up on pikes, hanging from banners, burning on pyres and thrown onto altars. With hatred in their hearts, they descended upon the Aeslings, still asleep and drunk on mead and blood-stupor. The Stromists turned the place into a charnel house, sparing neither the young nor the fairer sex. Errocas’s bodycount nearly matched his age that night. Beyond the experience of campaigning, drills, fighting and killing, the expedition taught him how to hate.
As years passed, Errocas rose to prominence as a Vanguard commander. Each year, he grew more and more distant from his brother, Ai. His orders were to be followed, certainly. But he never gave his sibling the pleasure of reading them to the letter. It would be at his discretion how he got things done. As Errocas’s position of command rose to prominence, so did his penchant for brutality. He gave independent Nordheimer a simple offer: Join the Empire or die. He made examples of tribes that refused and avenged insults tenfold. His actions would earn him the moniker, “Scourge of Atar.”


The Dustblade - A longsword of black steel enchanted with the power to turn its victims to dust. When the blade cleaves flesh, it spreads a magical infection, causing the body to crumble. The infection is proportional to the bodily damage done (a small nick will only shed the flesh on the surrounding area, while driving the sword through an abdomen will cause a rapid deterioration of the body). When enough damage is sustained, the body crumbles, leaving only a pile of clothing, armor or whatever else was on their person. What becomes of their soul, or essence, is unknown. Only beings of exceptional power, such as Archons or Exarches, have the chance to resist this fate.


Stromism - See Goldeagle’s description:

The Empire of Oyama, often referred to as Oyama, is not a holding but a nation. It holds great culture of foreign, dead concepts and virtues. But even as it is a nation, it is no ordinary nation. What holds it together in these changing times is not borders but the rigorous, undying efforts of great men and women; of great warriors. To some this may seem odd, that a nation has to work ceaselessly to even exist, but when your nation is forced into nomadic life during the time of a great apocalypse, few saw any other alternative. Now they have lived nomadically, divided, and weak for many centuries. Their weakness was not in their power, or their warriors, but their division. Even a great sword can be destroyed with a single touch, provided it is sufficiently cracked; Oyama was cracked to the brink after they fled from the Solar Empire which once occupied much of the west, but they are now whole again. The reunification of the Oyaman people under the Sun has just occured, and the Western Sun shines bright. Oyama will manifest its destiny; the golden sun promised them the world, so they shall have it now.





Oyama is a nation of foreign, alien culture, when looked upon from by the Easterlings. First and foremost a warrior's culture, but great civility and education dominates what should logically be a lawless wasteland. The great clans of Oyama have all very different cultural ancestry and lineage, but the permeating thought is the survival of tradition. Art and poetry, wisdom and wit, all prized aspects of their culture, the people of Oyama entertain themselves not in blood games or in horrific brawls, neither do they spend their money whimsically on gambling or tavern life, instead they play games of wit and smarts, duels where clashing of swords is substituted by the clashing of ideas. With the death of the fabled Solar Empire during the War in Heaven, Oyama, a crown province of the Empire, was forced to exodus. Over the journey to new homes, countless millions died, and many took their lives in spite of promised future. Strenght is priced beyond simply convenience; it is a necessity. The life of a warrior of the sand does not suit this noble warrior's people, but it is a life of which they were forced to adopt. Too weak to invade the east, and impossible to live in the west, they settled the Draor Chor Reaches and have adopted an odd lifestyle of living in mobile palaces and cities built on the back of domesticated wild life. These mobile structures can range in size and scale, with the biggest being the Imperial "City" of Yamano, which is built on the back of a rare breed of Oro, which can most simplest be described as a gigantic form of pack animal. The people of Oyama are indeed a strange ensamble, spiritual yet skeptical, warriors of mind and body yet without the desire to wield their blade at every possible convenience.

Still, if one were to simplify Oyaman culture into a sentence, I suppose it would be this: Oyama is an alien people of warriors; warriors of necessity. What I mean is that Oyama is a warrior's nation, where the power of each soldier is amplified by the desire, duty, and honour of their past. But these warriors are not exclusively soldiers, they are warriors of mind and of body, personifications of necessity. The people of Oyama are wise, so they sharpen their swords, but they'd rather be blissful, so they could sharpen their minds. There are still few within Oyama whom hold their ancient warrior traditions alive, and they became the Great Clans. Chief amongst them are the Kaga, whom hold the Shogunate.





The Empire of Oyama is a nomadic nation which inhabits the vast reaches of Draor Chor, but it's origin reaches into the Shattered Western lands. The people of Oyama were once part of a great nation known as the Great Solar Empire, a nation which was founded and ultimately destroyed in the west. It was a nation in which the Emperor of the Sun had not only the Sun's blessing, but also the power to manifest his desires upon the world. Its armies were vast and its influence was massive, but its people were benevolent and wise, but not ignorant enough to discard the blade. It held onto its rigid existence in the world through authority and respect amongst its equal neighbours, and made itself known throughout the world through innovation and enlightened ideas.

Its culture was one of great quality. So great a culture was that of the nation under the golden sun, that it was not afraid of foreign influence, but welcomed it greatly. The Solar Emperors were wise men of both old and young age, and did not discriminate. Its warriors were noble and just, and did not thrust the sword upon those whom had deserved no greater harm than defeat. Prisoners were therefore kindly treated, and innocents were spared. Refugees flooded to the nation, but it welcomed their integration, and allowed them equal opportunity and freedom within its illustrious and expansive borders.

One of these refugees would become the first of the Oyama, and the Oyama would then come to ascend into the very core of the Solar Empire. Upon the death of the first Solar Dynasty, the nation was thrown into chaos. It's once gold-paved streets reduced to broken cobble. After a hundred years of ceaseless war, and the cowardly influence of alien powers, the Solar Empire was later unified when the King of Oyama, Yamato, rose into the heavens, and recieved the blessing of the Sun. The Golden Sun had told him, "Ye are my sons and daughters, ye people of Oyama. Ye deserve the world, so I shall give it unto ye". The people of Oyama then manifested their destiny and ascended from nothing into everything, unifying all the shattered nations under the Sun into one Great Solar Empire. From then on, the power of Oyama could not be questioned, and the newly reformed and reunified Solar Empire could not be conquered, nor could it be defeated.

Thousands of years of peace was however raptured when cataclysm laid waste to the world, and the west was forever destroyed henceforth onwards. The people of Oyama were able to escape, escape in all the frivolity expected from former Emperors and royals now turned into refugees. The golden lifeline survives still, however. The lineage of Yamato lives on in the present Solar Empress, whom is seen as the icon of her people, the power of her lineage still very apparent even almost a thousand years after the destruction of the greatest nation amongst man. However prestige cannot be measured in times of war and strife, or so the present warrior-elite of Oyama believe. The nation is presently governed by 20 Great Clans, Kaga of which is Chief amongst them, and holder of the Oyaman Shogunate. The 20 Great Clans organize and administrate the numerous Imperial Hordes, but most importantly, they direct defensive and offensive efforts. They organize raids, raids of which are done in absolute necessity, and plan future conquests of the Easterlings from within the Great House of Yamano, also known as the Imperial Palace.


The life of Oyama is a dangerous one, seemingly always walking side-by-side with annihilation and destruction. Only in recent times, the last few years in fact, has order been restored to the once great nation of Oyama. As Taiyo-no-Kami exclaimed, "We shall be great again", and so they have attempted to become. One thing that remained the same, however, is the laws and systems of the Empire of Oyama, and more importantly, the importance of the Shogunate.

The nation is governed by the Way of the Warrior, sometimes referred to as the Way of the Samurai, and the reason for such is simple. The way, or laws, of the warrior, have always applied for warriors since the rise of the first solar empire. But due to the Imperial Necessity which occupies Oyamas present state of social affairs, most people are considered warriors, with only those too young to fight, or those too old to properly wield their blade, remaining within the Ie, or house, of the Caravans (The Ie is the name of the structure on the back of each pack animal). All criminal acts are solved individually, but through regional courts. These courts can decide on any punishment, but they have to chose amongst one of the punishments available for each path. These punishments are decided upon by the Triumvirs. Most punishments are the same, no matter which path, but depend on severity.

Therefore, due to the divide, there are three laws which govern the nation and three warlords which govern the laws. The laws are often referred to as the Three Solar Paths, and their governing warlords are known as the Triumvirs of Yamano. The first solar path is the Path of Youth. These laws include sections such as "respect those whom are elder" and "learn, for the life of the desert is dangerous and full of evil". The Path of Youth focuses on diligence and respect, loyalty and dedication. To break these laws is an affront to the nation, although the punishment is far more lenient than any of the other paths, but can extend to upwards of death.

The Path of the Warrior, the Way of the Warrior, or the Way of the Samurai, is the path which governs over all whom have graduated from their youth, which means that the moment your might and mettle as a warrior is recognized, you will ascend to these rules and doctrines. The laws of the warrior are mostly moral, such as "they whom have no blade have done ye no wrong" as well as "fulfil your duty until death, only death may set you free from obligation".

The last path, the Path of the Old, is a path which applies for those who have grown too old, too weak, to wield their blade for the betterment of the nation. Instead, they are told to wield their wisdom for the betterment of the people. "wise are ye, so teach others wisdom", "discipline those whom know not wrong from right", and "obliged are ye whom know much, obliged to help those whom require aid" are all excerpts from a few of the tenants of the Path of the Old.





Oyama is a nation which is governed by the Solar Decree of the 86th Emperor of the Sun, it states: "When times are dark, fret not the winter sun. It may bring the snow, the death of nations, but when times are dark, rally to the strongest men amongst ye. They will be your guide". The Solar Decree is called "Imperial Necessity" and demands the adaptation of its people during times of crisis. This means that any abled body must learn the ways of the sword, every capable blacksmith must forge for the sake of the nation, every carpenter must act for the betterment of the people. The strong, in turn, are obliged to govern and rule the country before all else, forced to forsaken family and ambition. The strong amongst the Oyama are known as the Great Clans, of which there are twenty. These twenty clans trace their lineage through countless generations of warriors, even during their time in the Solar Empire, and have been relied upon to rule and govern Oyama, but most importantly, to rally them together.

Ever since the arrival of the Great Horde to the Draor Chor Reaches several hundred years in the past, the Great Clans had forsaken their sacred duties of protecting the Solar Empress, sometimes speaking of the Imperial Family since the cataclysm as a meager "branch family" of the pure solar lineage. In turn, due to conflicting with the ways of the warrior, the Imperial Horde excommunicated them into the furthest depths of the reaches. So it remained, more and more clans diverging from the Imperial Horde as time went on. In the end, during the reign of Taiyo's father as Shogun, only the Kaga clan remained.



Even though everyone is forced to become a warrior during times of necessity, the Empire of Oyama employs strict regulation of warfare and how it is performed. By the age of 12, the Art of War is a necessary educational instrument amongst the future generation of warriors, same applies for countless other literary works. By the age of 16, one is expected to have mastered one sword style of the several hundred different ones found within the Seven Star Sword Doctrines, and by the age of 18, one is forced to slay a beast of the desert to prove their worth. Soldiers amongst the Oyama are called Samurai, so effectively everyone is a Samurai. Loyalty and duty are cornerstones of that lifestyle, but their ability as warriors is fathomless. Once one has slayed a beast of the desert, one becomes a Samurai, and are typically gifted the Imperial Medallion, which is supposed to extend the Stellar protection of the Imperial Family unto its people. Samurai are warriors of many skills, and are typically capable of wielding not only multiple weapons effectively at the same time, but also overcoming overwhelming military odds.

Due to various reasons, mainly domestic security, the times where military actions have ranged beyond the protection of the caravans are few. Due to the nature of aging, the warriors of Oyama grow fewer, and thanks to maturity, the Samurai of Oyama grow even fewer in size. Most soldiers are employed in the defense of the caravans and trade routes because they're simply subpar in the Shogun's eyes, with only a retinue of 10 000 contributing to the entire offensive power of Oyama. Although these 10 000 warriors are beyond any other warriors of their supposed equal, for these warriors are the Shogun's own, and study his own warpath. Though they are called the Shogun's Own, they are not necessarily lead by the Silver Sun. Instead they are often lead by one of the Silver Triumvirs of Yamano; powerful Daimyo, otherwise known was warlords, who have devoted their life to Taiyo-no-Kami's philosophy of war.



+ "War is like the equilibrium between sun and moon; harmonious. Without darkness life would have overgrown, and without light life would have never existed. War is necessary for the bud of life to grow beautiful, but balance between loss and gain is vital." - The Shogun's Own, a warband of ten thousand of the mightiest warriors of Oyama, adhere to Taiyo-no-Kami's teachings. As mentioned above, the warpath of Taiyo is a meticulous one, and is decided less by ambition and prize, but more on the ability and power of his people. He is aware of their skills and their ability, and therefore he is aware of the enemy that he is able to defeat, no war is won through ambition, and therefore the Shogun's Own horde fights only when it wants. Through cavalry they are maneuverable; like the wind, they are everywhere yet nowhere. They strike with precision and overwhelming power, they hit the enemy with the impact of a falling star, yet as quickly they disappear into the distance. The condition and severity of Oyama demand the survival of its warriors, and as such the Samurai use decisive and precise strikes to win wars with haste and precision.

+ "The Way of the Samurai is a demanding one, with few capable of bearing the burden of a great warrior. I know first hand the weight of the Sun in the desert, the overpowering burden of carrying it onto new dawn. We are few, therefore we must wage war with our minds, not our brawn; like the cobra we must seem powerful even in defeat. Like the viper we must strike rapid and swiftly. And lastly, like the Python, we must crush our enemies and starve their resistance. We are few, but our power is amplified a thousand fold." - Proper Samurai in the nation of Oyama are of few number and high demand. Their abilities must extend past four sword styles, and they must be able to use any weapon. Their training is constant, and no warrior is ever at their peak, with their skill in a constant state of improvement. Only age may set the warrior's soul free from their shackles of duty, but seldom does age show on these great warriors of the Dune Sea. The Samurai must therefore be strong, to overpower the numerical advantage of the seemingly overpowering obstacle of the Eastern strongholds of both the Republic and the Empire. Each soldier must be capable enough to accurately slice water as it falls from the heavens, and each warrior must be capable of overcoming overwhelming odds. Most importantly, each warrior must fight until death, for only in death does duty end.

+ "Do not underestimate the power of mobility. Even the wind may seem trivial, but it spreads disease and death without equal. We must be like the wind, we must spread the disease of which the Easterlings cannot conquer, a threat that they cannot quell. We must conquer and establish, uproot and plant a new seed of civilization. To do this, to revive the root of the Solar Empire, we must be swift and decisive. A good horse is worth a hundred men, and a good Samurai on a good horse is worth an army." - The power of cavalry cannot be overstated, but its superiority is not guaranteed. Spears can destroy any cavalry charge, and hail of arrows can destroy any immobile force. Therefore one must know the battlefield, and that is what the Shogun's Own have learned to do. The hierarchy and the system of the Shogun's Own is strict, but its stratagems are in constant motion. Horses and Samurai are often used to great effect through the medium of horse archery. Though the beauty of the Samurai is not in their singular doctrines, but in their liquified behaviour. One could compare the Shogun's Own, and the military doctrines of the Shogun himself, to be like the seasons; all of them beautiful, but all of them specialized. One must know what to do during the seasons, and therefore the Shogun's Own must know what to do when their tactics do not succeed. The constant, ceaseless motion of the Samurai's tactics and military thinking allows them great versatility on the battlefield, but it requires great leaders. The generals of the Shogun's Own are therefore nigh-irreplacable.

+ "The power of the bow is forgotten in this age of might and magic. A proper bow, crafted by the best carpenters of Yamano, can be worth more than any mage when put in the right hands. But a Samurai should not be led into a tunnel, their minds must be open. War is order and chaos, we must be the balance; to create order when there is chaos, and to become chaos when there is order. Therefore we must adapt, and therefore no Samurai should favour no single weapon, be it sword or bow; spear or javelin." - Force amplification is a specialty of which the Samurai have learned to master in their times of desperation in the desert, and that concept has been expanded upon further by the Shogun's own teachings on the matter. A proper Samurai does not wield a single weapon, but several, each for their own aspect of the battle. One must be able to adapt to the constant flow of the battle, and a Samurai is someone who is not only capable of adapting, but of overcoming seemingly unbeatable obstacles.

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