Darkspleen

The Restless Fires

Shit is getting real.

The Restless Fires

Astraea, Ethean Empire

There was a chill in the air, the kind one would not normally expect given the time of year. A gentle breeze from the east chilled those standing atop Astraea’s walls even further. Those who stood watch could feel a storm coming, and not the figurative kind. There were some, however, who did sense the brewing of a figurative storm as well.

Emperor Orion looked out beyond Astraea’s walls as he commented “Should we weather this storm all will be well.”

“And which storm is it that you are referring to?” Brygus inquired. Orion shifted his gaze to the form of his right hand man. Brygus was a giant of a man, standing at almost seven feet, and his form was even larger when he was in his armor. It was a rare sight to see the man without his armor on. Many in the court had never seen his face.

“Both” Orion replied after a moment, allowing his gaze to shift away from Brygus. The two men watched the ruins that lay beyond Astraea’s walls in silence for a moment. Finally Orion broke the silence. “What’s the situation?”

“We have several hundred infantry occupying the ruins right now” Brygus reported. We’d have found the Eye by now, I’m sure, except the nomads keep raiding our soldiers’ camps. Thank the world-mother there were only a hundred of them in the area when the Bannik informed you of the Eye’s location.”

“Were?” Orion asked.

“Aye. More show up every day.” Brygus shifted his stance slightly, allowing his arm to rest on the hilt of his falcata. “There must be at least a thousand of them in the area now. By tomorrow there may be two thousand. I’d send more infantry out, but we only have a hundred more here anyways. As it stands the nomads have managed to take the southern most reaches of the ruins and appear to be conducting their own search for the Eye.”

“That confirms it” Orion said as he stroked his chin. “The Bannik told everyone about the Eye’s location, not just us. Foreigners will come for the Eye, and the nomads will try to stop them. We cannot let this opportunity go. Even if we lose the Eye it will be worth it should we make contact with the outside world.”

“We have five hundred heavy cavalry here already.” Brygus stated. “And the rest should finish mustering within the next few days. We should also have a thousand infantry ready soon as well. If we have enough time we may be able to gather two thousand.”

“Excellent” Orion said. “Soon we will march towards victory.”

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I'm impartial. If anything the second option is skewed in my favor since I'm, by default, already in the area.

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@Isotope Pooooooooooooost!

The Restless Fires

Need....more....POSTS!

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There we go. Not much, but it helps set the scene.

The Restless Fires

Satrea, Ethean Empire

The woman let out a long sigh as her eyes wandered lazily over the mural on the far wall. She knew she was making progress, but at times, such as currently, she felt like she would be more successful in scooping water out of a sinking ship with her bare hands. Even so she wouldn’t, couldn’t, give up so long as she drew breath.

The sound of a door opening drew her gaze away from the mural. Odd. She had made it clear that she was not to be disturbed. The woman sat up slightly straighter in her seat, assuming a more regal appearance as she looked towards the door and the individual who slipped through it, almost like a shadow. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she caught sight of the individual’s outfit.

“I have been expecting you for some time” The woman said, doing her best to keep her voice steady. “I have longed to speak to you.”

“I’m sure you have.” It was unclear whether the gruff voice was responding to a particular statement or both. “But you will find your honeyed words will fall on deaf ears this time, temptress.” The man placed a hand on the hilt of his sword as he approached. His clothes, fashioned from the pelt of a great bear, gave him the appearance of some primordial god.

“Surely you could spare a moment to speak with me Kau Sheng” The woman said. The man, Kau Sheng, seemed to hesitate as he approached the woman.

“Very well Empress Euphemia” He said as he came to a stop a few strides away from where she sat on her throne. “I shall bear witness to your final words.”

“I seek peace” The empress said after a moment. “There need be no more bloodshed.”

“You tempt us to put down our arms,” Sheng looked at the empress with wary eyes, “so that you can enslave us once more. You may fool some of my brothers, but I see you for what you are temptress.”

“My people have wronged yours, this I do not deny. You are angry and rightfully so, but do you really want our peoples to continue down their current path.” The empress paused. Even a blind man could see the anger in Sheng’s eyes, but she also caught a hint of hesitation. “What occurs right here and now will have resounding consequences for a millennium. Our children and grandchildren and our grandchildrens’ grandchildren will have to bear with these consequences. Would it not be better that we give them the gift of peace instead of the curse of war?” The empress slowly rose from her throne. “You and I together can bring this conflict to an end.” She took a step towards Sheng, reaching out to him. “Will you help me?” Sheng eyed the empress in silence. For a moment she allowed herself to believe that her words might reach him.

“No” Sheng finally replied. “I cannot risk trusting you for you are the lord of demons.” The empress allowed her arm to drop to her side, feeling as if someone had punched her in the gut.

“Why have you come to this place, alone, if not to seek peace.”

“Peace will be had, once you are gone.” Sheng’s reply caused the empress to raise an eyebrow.

“Ending wars is the job of armies and diplomats.” The empress commented. “The one who ends the life of the enemy’s leader is little more than an assassin.”

“Be that as it may” Sheng slowly drew his sword “I shall be heralded as the hero who brought you to an end, thus saving my people.”

“My Praetorian will not allow you to leave here alive” The empress said. She would not give this “hero” the satisfaction of seeing her shake in fear.”

“For some reason I knew you’d say that” Sheng said as he approached the “demon lord.”

At the southern border of the Tribe of Long Night’s territory

The wanderer had traveled a long and hard journey. Many comrades and friends had left Ethea with the wanderer, comrades and friends that the wanderer had lost. The journey had led them over hills and plains. They had weathered terrible thunderstorms with little more than blankets for cover. Wolves are large felines had at times hunted them. The worst had been the nomadic inhabitants of the land. The wanderer had left Ethea with twenty others, yet any who saw the wanderer from a distance would fail to see any other person; assuming one didn’t count a dog as a person.

From a distance the wanderer looked like any nomadic. A cloak made from the pelts of wolves certainly hinted towards being a nomadic, but a closer inspection would reveal the cloak to be of much higher quality than one would expect. The cloak itself also made it difficult to distinguish exactly how large the wanderer actually was.

“Soon we can rest” an impossibly small voice drifted from under the cloak’s hood. “We just have to go a bit further.” The wanderer looked down at the dog and patted it on the head with a gloved hand. The dog, a breed of mastiff, looked like it was little more than a ball of fluff. A ball of fluff with teeth. A ball of fluff that wouldn’t hesitate to attack anything that threatened its master, whether that threat be a human, wolf, or tiger.

“Shall we look for a place to ford this river?” The wanderer observed the massive river that marked the tribe of Long Night’s southern border for a moment before walking along its bank towards the east. East was where the wanderer would hopefully find the help the Ethean Empire so desperately needed.

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Gotta love those games where the Livionian Order somehow manages to take over Russia despite you giving them zero aid in doing so.

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Cheers to having a non-nomadic faction near me.

The Restless Fires

The Ethean Empire

Nation

Nation Name: The Ethean Empire
National Flag:
What do you call the denizens: Etheans
Government type: Monarchy
Leader/Leaders: Emperor Orion II “The Avenger” - A competent ruler, Emperor Orion is best known for leading a retaliatory military campaign after a number of Ethean cities were attacked. He has traditionally favored military campaigns against the nomads surrounding the empire, but has listened to his son’s requests to seek a more peaceful alternative. Over the past few years he has delegated more and more responsibility and power to his son.
Ruling dynasty: Katsaros
Other Important political figures: Prince Farris Katsaros “The Just” - The heir apparent of the Ethean Empire, Prince Farris is a very skilled administrator and charismatic leader. The people refer to him as “Farris the Just” due to his strong sense of justice. At one time he sought coexistence with Ethea’s traditional enemies, but after his eyes were gouged out by some nomads during peace talks he has given up on coexistence.
Currency: durgma
State Religion: Northern Orthodoxy (Ilinucism)

Demographics and Geography

World map location: Purple territory

Interior map:

Major cities: Astraea, Tylissio, Colonnos
Major military installments: Kosila, Milicea, Nicopossos
Important locations and buildings:
Capital: Satrea

Population: 53,920
Race and Ethnic demographic: The Ethean Empire is racially and ethnically homogeneous. Etheans are a near human race made distinct by the presence of horns on their heads. Their skin ranges from bronze to golden beige in color.

There are also a species of hand sized faeries, referred simply as the fae, that also lives within the Ethean Empire. The fae are generally not recognized as part of the empire due to usually not contributing to the economy or military.

Economy: Decently strong, all things considered
Wealth balance: Balanced
Major exports: None
Major Imports: None
Staple agricultural crops: Barley, Olive trees, Garlic, Figs, and Mint
Trade partners: None

Culture

Religion demographics: 100% Northern Orthodoxy (Ilinucism)
Religious heads: Matriarch Cynthia

Popular opinion on the volcano: It is the mother-goddess’s greatest servant
Popular opinion on wars: War is a necessity for survival
Popular opinion on magic: Magic is a sign of divinity, something to be cherished
Popular opinion on religion: Highly pious
Popular opinion on the Aristocracy: They are the intelligent and strong that make up the government
Pauper opinion on the Government: It is what keeps the the “xenos” at bay
Popular opinion on foreigners: Very wary of foreigners, the only foreigners they have ever met wishes to destroy them. They have a word of foreigners, xenos, which literally means “not us”, though it could also be translated as “barbarian.” While it is not inherently a derogatory term it is usually used as such.
Popular opinion on other cultures: Xenos cultures are inherently inferior to that of Ethea’s, naturally.

Cultural name for the Volcano: Magalis, which literally means “great servant”

A look into the unique culture: To understand the culture of the Ethean Empire, one must look at it through the lens of religion. The people of Ethea are followers of the faith of Northern Orthodoxy, the oldest denomination of Ilinucism. Northern Orthodoxy has three important deities: Aketa the world-mother, Fengri, and Kafto. Fengri, the diety of the the moon, and Kafto, the deity of the sun, are both rivals for Aketa’s love, thus rarely meet in the sky. Magalis, which literally means “great servant”, is the name by which the Etheans refer to the volcano by. It is the world-mother's first and greatest servant. Ancestor worship is an important facet of Northern Orthodoxy. This practice is based in part on respect and love for the dead, but also because it is believed that the deceased have a continued existence as part of Aketa and are capable of exerting some influence over the living. According to Northern Orthodoxy there are two holy lands, the volcano and the city of Satrea, which was the birthplace of Northern Orthodoxy’s prophet and first saint.

Ethean culture views the hair and body as a gift from one’s parents, thus it is something of a taboo to damage them under normal circumstances once an individual has reached adulthood. Adults would typically allow their hair to grow long until death, although most men would cut their facial hair. Cutting one’s hair off and tattooing is a punishment for humiliating criminals. An Ethean’s outfit is 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 Etheans 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 were used to make clothing, but currently wool is the most common material. Dyes are used to make Ethean 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.

Cultural history:

Notable figures: Prince Xanthus Katsaros

Princess Aleris Katsaros

Praetorian Brygus

Ionessa Soukis

Talia the Fae

Empress Euphemia I (deceased) - Seen by her people as the empire’s greatest hope of achieving peace, her assassination assured centuries more of warfare between Ethea and the Egun Senxi.

Military and History

Type of Military: Standing - The military is well equipped and well trained; recruits go through four months of training ranging from marching to weapons training.
Total Military fighting units: 13,480 troops

Unit demographics: Roughly sixty percent of Ethea’s soldiers are heavy infantry, thirty percent are archers and other types of auxiliary troops, and the remaining ten percent are heavy cavalry.

Notable figures:

Past wars and notable events: A thousand years of war with the Egun Senxi

Other

Artifacts and famous enchantments:

Anything else we should all know: The Ethean Empire has been presumed destroyed by the rest of the world, besides the Tribe of Long Night of the Egun Senxi.