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- ZB1996 10 yrs ago
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7 yrs ago
A run-on sentence does not mean a long sentence.
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7 yrs ago
@Ophidian Funny thing, that was always my court.
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7 yrs ago
Nanowrimo time.
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7 yrs ago
I didn't even know Life is Strange had a prequel before Fabricant mentioned it. Going to have to pull some money out of somewhere.
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7 yrs ago
@Fabricant, I think I understand what you're saying, but it still made no sense.
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Most Recent Posts
Is this full, or is it still accepting people?
Though Lycaon is a demagogue, I don't want to make him very anti-mage. That being said, I can still see him opposing Lana, especially if she aggressively seeks to politically empower mages.
@Sundered Echo
He's definitely a moderate compared to Lana, but he's more accepting than many others. He has no problems with mages or magic, thinks that they should live without fear of persecution or prejudice, and thinks the Circle deserves the full support of the state. He could never support Lana's magocracy, however.
He's definitely a moderate compared to Lana, but he's more accepting than many others. He has no problems with mages or magic, thinks that they should live without fear of persecution or prejudice, and thinks the Circle deserves the full support of the state. He could never support Lana's magocracy, however.
I'd like to get Lycaon and his forces to do more than just interact with Duncan, though I'm not sure if that is possible at this exact time.
So, is this actually still a thing?
For now Lycaon had served his time in the King’s Court, at least for today. For now he would have time to think on what he had saw, but he would not be able to rest. He could never truly rest. Yet at least it was better than during his days in the war. There he never knew peace. As his mind wondered, he thought of how those armchair aristocrats had never and would never really get a taste of the battlefield, even though there was a war on now.
“The more I learn about these aristocrats the less I like them,” Sir Daeleth said.
“I expected that you say that,” Lycaon said.
“They tried to kill a little girl,” Sir Daeleth said. “The only one of her entire family who has a soul worth a thing.”
“They are honorable men and women,” Lycaon said.
“Could’ve fooled me,” Sir Daeleth said. “To a simple man like me they simply look like a bunch of bullies and plotters.”
“I appreciate your honesty, Daeleth,” Lycaon said. “But we have more pressing matters to attend to than complaining about barbarians.”
“The Grand Cleric,” Daeleth said.
“Yes,” Lycaon said. “I’ll make no qualms about it. She has been obstinate, preventing us from using the resources of the Church to our own advantage and fighting with us every step of the way. She will prevent us from getting anything worthwhile done, so she must be eliminated.”
“Make it look like an accident, then?” Daeleth said.
“No,” Lycaon said. “I already have it all planned out. She has long lived passed her prime, and everyone knows that luxury is her only true friend, other than decadence. No one shall be surprised of a little heart attack. I have sent Antony to get it done. He will be able to get close, and the lad is well enough that he knows how to get them both alone and get her a drink while he’s at it, and to tamper with the drink.”
“I see,” Daeleth said. “And what then? What is my part in all this?”
“Killing Mildred is the easy part,” Lycaon said. “The hard part is ensuring that Yvainne becomes Grand Cleric. If he doesn’t, then the whole enterprise was merely a waste of time and energy. I need you here, Daeleth, because though you may hate the noble’s tact and their masquerades of geniality, of all the men and women I have besides me that I trust, you are the smartest.”
“I’d rather be out fighting than stuck up in here,” Daeleth said.
“You may get your wish in time,” Lycaon said. “The Order is not fighting – not yet – but it is only a matter of time, I am sure.”
“The more I learn about these aristocrats the less I like them,” Sir Daeleth said.
“I expected that you say that,” Lycaon said.
“They tried to kill a little girl,” Sir Daeleth said. “The only one of her entire family who has a soul worth a thing.”
“They are honorable men and women,” Lycaon said.
“Could’ve fooled me,” Sir Daeleth said. “To a simple man like me they simply look like a bunch of bullies and plotters.”
“I appreciate your honesty, Daeleth,” Lycaon said. “But we have more pressing matters to attend to than complaining about barbarians.”
“The Grand Cleric,” Daeleth said.
“Yes,” Lycaon said. “I’ll make no qualms about it. She has been obstinate, preventing us from using the resources of the Church to our own advantage and fighting with us every step of the way. She will prevent us from getting anything worthwhile done, so she must be eliminated.”
“Make it look like an accident, then?” Daeleth said.
“No,” Lycaon said. “I already have it all planned out. She has long lived passed her prime, and everyone knows that luxury is her only true friend, other than decadence. No one shall be surprised of a little heart attack. I have sent Antony to get it done. He will be able to get close, and the lad is well enough that he knows how to get them both alone and get her a drink while he’s at it, and to tamper with the drink.”
“I see,” Daeleth said. “And what then? What is my part in all this?”
“Killing Mildred is the easy part,” Lycaon said. “The hard part is ensuring that Yvainne becomes Grand Cleric. If he doesn’t, then the whole enterprise was merely a waste of time and energy. I need you here, Daeleth, because though you may hate the noble’s tact and their masquerades of geniality, of all the men and women I have besides me that I trust, you are the smartest.”
“I’d rather be out fighting than stuck up in here,” Daeleth said.
“You may get your wish in time,” Lycaon said. “The Order is not fighting – not yet – but it is only a matter of time, I am sure.”
Sir Antony was there, standing over High Cleric Mildred. He felt very uncomfortable around her, but at least today he was not there to grant her any “favors.” Antony did not poison the drink himself. That was left a young, handsome youth about twenty who had suffered the same fate that Antony had at the fate of Mildred, though he had suffered it repeatedly. He was given a small bribe and then eagerly inserted the poison into Mildred’s goblet. Antony was glad that Mildred could finally die. He was sure that no one would ever miss her, and he was glad that her legacy would consist mostly of a name, scrawled on lists of the heads of the Church. Fellow Knights of Order were stationed outside, so no one would disturb them. No one would know that Mildred had been assassinated, maybe even Mildred herself. Only a select few within the Order would know.
“My, if it isn’t my favorite young squire from that little Order,” Mildred said. “Is that a drink for me in your hand there?”
“Yes, your holiness,” Antony said. It made him angry that she had called him a squire. He wasn’t a squire anymore, he was a knight. He had worked for this job. He swallowed his pride and ignored it, and he put the goblet filled with poisoned wine on a finely-crafted wooden table. Now Antony only had to wait for Mildred to take a drink from it.
“But I much prefer you on your knees,” Mildred said. “So why not take a little kneel for your holiness?”
Antony did not argue. He took a kneel.
“Ah you are one of the few-” and Mildred could not help but laugh at that word. “-Who knows that I am not a saint. So let me ask you, did you not enjoy your night with me? Tell me that you enjoyed it.”
It was an order, so he could not refuse. He knew that she was taunting him, tormenting him. “Yes, your holiness, I enjoyed it,” Antony said.
Mildred uttered a wicked laugh. “I could not help but bring it up, for when you called me holiness I could not help but stare the irony of it in the face. But, you know, boy, that you were not the only one I enjoyed. There was also your leader, Lycaon. When he was a youth he was a much better sight than you, with his long, flowing blonde hair. How do you think he got a holy order of his own?”
Mildred took a big gulp of the gobley. Antony waited for the poison to take effect. It was supposed to take effect immediately. To his surprise, it didn’t.
“I give favors, you know?” Mildred said. “Sexual favors for a favor of my power. Material favors for material favors, in a way. I help give Lycaon everything he now values. How else could he hope to make his way up in the ecclesiastical hierarchy than by impressing a cleric or bishop? You wasted your favor by giving it to Lycaon. As for that boy in the kitchen, I gave him everything that his life as a pauper deprived him of, and more. As a result he’s more loyal than a puppy, and would do anything to keep me alive, for otherwise his useless self is back on the streets.”
When Mildred began to talk Antony was nervous. Now he was horrified.
“You know, that Lycaon is an impressive man,” Mildred said. “He has a superb intellect, he’s a great visionary, but he doesn’t read people well enough to belong in the capital. Did you really think you could outsmart me with such a simple plot? If I could be killed that easily, I would have died years ago. I am aware I am not the most popular woman in the country.” She laughed.
What was he supposed to do now? He now realized why he had been stripped of his weapons when he came in here. This was all very bad, and Antony was not sure exactly what he was supposed to do. He didn’t want to die, but if it came to that, so be it. That, however, would not be all. If a member of the Order was implicated in an assassination attempt, it would end up trickling upward to Lord Lycaon. Lycaon could prepare an excuse, to be sure. “Antony was abused by Grand Cleric Mildred, so he had her assassinated,” Lycaon could say. But it would not be enough to avoid scandal, if a member of his Order was involved in something something so shocking.
“Clever, I’ll give you that,” Antony said. “But there’s one thing that you didn’t account.”
Mildred laughed. “And whatever could that be? My guards will be here in mere moments, and both you and your fellow Orderlings will be dispatched.”
“When you had my weapons stripped from me,” Antony said as he pulled out a knife. “Your lackeys forgot to search me. They accepted my honesty by faith.”
“Those fools!” Mildred said.
Antony ran forward. Mildred uttered a scream, but it was quickly silence. Antony with a first slash slit her throat, and then he stabbed his knife into her heart. She died relatively quickly, for Antony cut at her furiously and with much strength. Now that this part was done, Antony had to deal with the hard part. Antony had only one hope, and he had been lucky for it. There was a fireplace here, and Antony knew where Mildred kept the oil lamps. That left only choice. He went to the cupboard where the oil lamps were kept, and one by one emptied their oil on to the ground. Then he picked up a stool and like it was a torch led it into the fireplace. Once it was on fire he took it from the fireplace and made sure it touched all the paths of oil before letting go of it and allowing it to disintegrate in flames.
Then once everything in the room was firmly being set ablaze, Antony left the room, and went out to meet his two fellow knights who standing outside. They were both dutifully continuing to guard the room, but when Antony came out they could hear the cackling of the fire and the heat of the flames.
“So, uh, what’s going in there, Antony?” one of them asked.
“Continue to this guard this room,” Sir Antony said. “Do not let anyone in, and I mean anyone, even under the threat of imminent death.”
Then they saw soldiers who served the Church, but were not part of their Order, approaching them. They looked guarded, and had one hand on the hilt of their swords. As he saw them approaching Antony sighed, and then drew up his sword.
“I do not like where this is going,” the other Knight said.
“My, if it isn’t my favorite young squire from that little Order,” Mildred said. “Is that a drink for me in your hand there?”
“Yes, your holiness,” Antony said. It made him angry that she had called him a squire. He wasn’t a squire anymore, he was a knight. He had worked for this job. He swallowed his pride and ignored it, and he put the goblet filled with poisoned wine on a finely-crafted wooden table. Now Antony only had to wait for Mildred to take a drink from it.
“But I much prefer you on your knees,” Mildred said. “So why not take a little kneel for your holiness?”
Antony did not argue. He took a kneel.
“Ah you are one of the few-” and Mildred could not help but laugh at that word. “-Who knows that I am not a saint. So let me ask you, did you not enjoy your night with me? Tell me that you enjoyed it.”
It was an order, so he could not refuse. He knew that she was taunting him, tormenting him. “Yes, your holiness, I enjoyed it,” Antony said.
Mildred uttered a wicked laugh. “I could not help but bring it up, for when you called me holiness I could not help but stare the irony of it in the face. But, you know, boy, that you were not the only one I enjoyed. There was also your leader, Lycaon. When he was a youth he was a much better sight than you, with his long, flowing blonde hair. How do you think he got a holy order of his own?”
Mildred took a big gulp of the gobley. Antony waited for the poison to take effect. It was supposed to take effect immediately. To his surprise, it didn’t.
“I give favors, you know?” Mildred said. “Sexual favors for a favor of my power. Material favors for material favors, in a way. I help give Lycaon everything he now values. How else could he hope to make his way up in the ecclesiastical hierarchy than by impressing a cleric or bishop? You wasted your favor by giving it to Lycaon. As for that boy in the kitchen, I gave him everything that his life as a pauper deprived him of, and more. As a result he’s more loyal than a puppy, and would do anything to keep me alive, for otherwise his useless self is back on the streets.”
When Mildred began to talk Antony was nervous. Now he was horrified.
“You know, that Lycaon is an impressive man,” Mildred said. “He has a superb intellect, he’s a great visionary, but he doesn’t read people well enough to belong in the capital. Did you really think you could outsmart me with such a simple plot? If I could be killed that easily, I would have died years ago. I am aware I am not the most popular woman in the country.” She laughed.
What was he supposed to do now? He now realized why he had been stripped of his weapons when he came in here. This was all very bad, and Antony was not sure exactly what he was supposed to do. He didn’t want to die, but if it came to that, so be it. That, however, would not be all. If a member of the Order was implicated in an assassination attempt, it would end up trickling upward to Lord Lycaon. Lycaon could prepare an excuse, to be sure. “Antony was abused by Grand Cleric Mildred, so he had her assassinated,” Lycaon could say. But it would not be enough to avoid scandal, if a member of his Order was involved in something something so shocking.
“Clever, I’ll give you that,” Antony said. “But there’s one thing that you didn’t account.”
Mildred laughed. “And whatever could that be? My guards will be here in mere moments, and both you and your fellow Orderlings will be dispatched.”
“When you had my weapons stripped from me,” Antony said as he pulled out a knife. “Your lackeys forgot to search me. They accepted my honesty by faith.”
“Those fools!” Mildred said.
Antony ran forward. Mildred uttered a scream, but it was quickly silence. Antony with a first slash slit her throat, and then he stabbed his knife into her heart. She died relatively quickly, for Antony cut at her furiously and with much strength. Now that this part was done, Antony had to deal with the hard part. Antony had only one hope, and he had been lucky for it. There was a fireplace here, and Antony knew where Mildred kept the oil lamps. That left only choice. He went to the cupboard where the oil lamps were kept, and one by one emptied their oil on to the ground. Then he picked up a stool and like it was a torch led it into the fireplace. Once it was on fire he took it from the fireplace and made sure it touched all the paths of oil before letting go of it and allowing it to disintegrate in flames.
Then once everything in the room was firmly being set ablaze, Antony left the room, and went out to meet his two fellow knights who standing outside. They were both dutifully continuing to guard the room, but when Antony came out they could hear the cackling of the fire and the heat of the flames.
“So, uh, what’s going in there, Antony?” one of them asked.
“Continue to this guard this room,” Sir Antony said. “Do not let anyone in, and I mean anyone, even under the threat of imminent death.”
Then they saw soldiers who served the Church, but were not part of their Order, approaching them. They looked guarded, and had one hand on the hilt of their swords. As he saw them approaching Antony sighed, and then drew up his sword.
“I do not like where this is going,” the other Knight said.
Lycaon still had on his mind what happened to Mildred, and to his Knights. It was very clearly not what he had in mind. There had been a fire at Mildred’s country estate, and nearly everyone inside, including all of his knights, had died. So far, they had been unable to identify the Grand Cleric’s body. This was supposed to have been simple, easy, and clean. Instead there was this fire. He had large plans for Antony. He was so young, but already a knight. He was bright, and he learned easily, but also was a warrior some skill. Every week it seemed he was a better fencer. Now he was gone.
“Sir,” Tydeus said.
“Yes?” Lycaon said. He had become distracted by fonder memories.
“If you were serious about meeting the King, then we better be on our way,” Tydeus said.
The priest was right. So Lycaon entered into the Carriage, and Tydeus entered in behind him, and both of them took their seat. As the driver let loose the horses with a slap of the reins, Lycaon for a moment allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts. There had been many men and women who Lycaon had known that had died – Yzebel, Hanot, Harnish, and now Antony – and the answer to it all was not to let some passion overwhelmed you when it happened, or you would go crazy. Lycaon did not talk to Tydeus, for he had nothing to say to the priest, nor did he have anything to say to him. He had only brought Tydeus because unlike himself, Tydeus was not here to make friends and allies, and so his statements towards the King could be bolder.
The guards were hesitant to let them in at first, and blocked their way. It was because of the death of Aurelia. After she had briefly gone missing, her body was found. Assassination. He honestly did not know enough of her, only that she was a great mage, and one with a considerable degree of influence.
"Peace, men," Lycaon said. "I am Lycaon, Grandmaster of the Order of Saint Elenor, and chosen represented of His Majesty between the Church and the State. I have business with him, and I cannot promise His Majesty's approval if you do not move your spears."
Lycaon's expression, serene, remained unchanged throughout.
Then They entered into the Kingly hall, where King Duncan was on his throne and the conniving and whispering aristocrats were all around. Lycaon with Tydeus close behind him approached Duncan with reverence, and then kneeled before their King.
“Salutations, my King,” Lycaon said. “For what is worth, her holiness Grand Cleric approved of my position as a representative between you and the holy Church. Though the Church has been thrown into limbo by the death of her holiness, my position still stands. I am sure you already are fully aware of that situation, however, so I shall pass over it. I understand that in these times of conflict and war, soldiers and the supplies needed to supply them are always running short. If you do not mind, my King, would you be willing to hear a proposal of mine in that respect? I have brought with me a priest. A scholastic. He specializes in the theorizing and speculations that the scholastics do.”
"Salutations, my King," Tydeus said.
Duncan stared intensely at Lycaon as he walked towards the throne. Duncan had only found out about Mildred's death a few days prior to the days hearings and had had little time to prepare a solution for the problem. Duncan found it suspicious that Mildred's death happened so soon after Lycaon's promotion.
"Greetings to you Sir Lycaon. I am greatly saddened to hear of the death of her holiness. Someone as pious as her did not deserve such a cruel fate. Tell me, what do you wish to propose to me?"
“What I propose, my King,” Lycaon began. “War is always wears a heavy price on the nation, especially on its treasury, so I aim to lift the burden slightly. I can raise a brigade from the populace, train them, and supply them, all without your Majesty paying a single piece of gold.”
Duncan raised an eyebrow at Lycaon's proposition. He was skeptical of how Lycaon planned to achieve his offer. "A most generous proposal, in response of which I have three questions. Firstly how many soldiers do you think you can raise? Secondly how do you plan to arm them? weapons and Armour are hardly cheap, after all."
"A full brigade, your Majesty," Lycaon said. "One-thousand strong. Indeed, it will not be a cheap endeavor, but at the moment the war is not so desperate that the supplies are not available at a price. The Church has the funds to provide it."
Indeed, Lycaon could gather the funds from within the Church. At the moment, while the Church was in limbo, he had never been more influential.
Duncan remained silent for a moment. In principle there was no reason Lycaon couldn't achieve this goal. He now had full access to the Church’s funds, and his influence over both the clergy and people would make it easy for him to find recruits across Sypius.
"Very well. I don't doubt that you can achieve this, but that bring me to my next question. What do you want in return?”
"Nothing, your Majesty," Lycaon said. "But the satisfaction of helping in the war effort."
Duncan didn't believe Lycaon for a second. Though he hide behind the pretense of good will, Duncan knew that Lycaon wanted the one thing that everyone in this room desired; power. No that this was a problem, Lycaon was loyal to him, and whatever power Lycaon attended would ultimately belong to Duncan.
"A most noble gesture, Sir Lycaon, and I gracefully accept. Tell me, has any process been made by the clergy to elect a new leader of the church. After all, in such perilous times it is of paramount importance that the Church elects a Grand priest quickly and decisively."
"The initial panic, your Majesty, has subsided," Lycaon said. "And by now letters are being sent to our priest-electors and cleric-electors across the Kingdom. Once they have arrived, there begins the real challenge of getting a majority to agree on who shall lead the Church."
"Will you be taking part in this vote? If so, who do you plan on supporting? I am sure that someone of your influence would provide substantial aid to whomever you decided to vote for."
"I myself take no part in the vote, your Majesty," Lycaon said. "Though for my part, I have been hoping that Secretary of the Grand Temple, Marcus Irenaeus, shall go into the running, for I know him, and he is a man of good character and reputation. But, your majesty, I shall not bother you anymore with this, and I thank you for your generosity."
"Very good, Sir Lycaon," Duncan said as he gestured at Lycaon to leave. "I hope your brigade truly can help bring peace to the lands of Sypius."
Lycaon bowed to King Duncan in respect, as did the scholastic Tydeus next to Lycaon.
“Tydeus, your Majesty, shall remain here at your honorable court should you have any questions on any of my plans.”
Then Lycaon soon left, departing from King Duncan’s court and heading on his way to the future business at hand.
“Sir,” Tydeus said.
“Yes?” Lycaon said. He had become distracted by fonder memories.
“If you were serious about meeting the King, then we better be on our way,” Tydeus said.
The priest was right. So Lycaon entered into the Carriage, and Tydeus entered in behind him, and both of them took their seat. As the driver let loose the horses with a slap of the reins, Lycaon for a moment allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts. There had been many men and women who Lycaon had known that had died – Yzebel, Hanot, Harnish, and now Antony – and the answer to it all was not to let some passion overwhelmed you when it happened, or you would go crazy. Lycaon did not talk to Tydeus, for he had nothing to say to the priest, nor did he have anything to say to him. He had only brought Tydeus because unlike himself, Tydeus was not here to make friends and allies, and so his statements towards the King could be bolder.
The guards were hesitant to let them in at first, and blocked their way. It was because of the death of Aurelia. After she had briefly gone missing, her body was found. Assassination. He honestly did not know enough of her, only that she was a great mage, and one with a considerable degree of influence.
"Peace, men," Lycaon said. "I am Lycaon, Grandmaster of the Order of Saint Elenor, and chosen represented of His Majesty between the Church and the State. I have business with him, and I cannot promise His Majesty's approval if you do not move your spears."
Lycaon's expression, serene, remained unchanged throughout.
Then They entered into the Kingly hall, where King Duncan was on his throne and the conniving and whispering aristocrats were all around. Lycaon with Tydeus close behind him approached Duncan with reverence, and then kneeled before their King.
“Salutations, my King,” Lycaon said. “For what is worth, her holiness Grand Cleric approved of my position as a representative between you and the holy Church. Though the Church has been thrown into limbo by the death of her holiness, my position still stands. I am sure you already are fully aware of that situation, however, so I shall pass over it. I understand that in these times of conflict and war, soldiers and the supplies needed to supply them are always running short. If you do not mind, my King, would you be willing to hear a proposal of mine in that respect? I have brought with me a priest. A scholastic. He specializes in the theorizing and speculations that the scholastics do.”
"Salutations, my King," Tydeus said.
Duncan stared intensely at Lycaon as he walked towards the throne. Duncan had only found out about Mildred's death a few days prior to the days hearings and had had little time to prepare a solution for the problem. Duncan found it suspicious that Mildred's death happened so soon after Lycaon's promotion.
"Greetings to you Sir Lycaon. I am greatly saddened to hear of the death of her holiness. Someone as pious as her did not deserve such a cruel fate. Tell me, what do you wish to propose to me?"
“What I propose, my King,” Lycaon began. “War is always wears a heavy price on the nation, especially on its treasury, so I aim to lift the burden slightly. I can raise a brigade from the populace, train them, and supply them, all without your Majesty paying a single piece of gold.”
Duncan raised an eyebrow at Lycaon's proposition. He was skeptical of how Lycaon planned to achieve his offer. "A most generous proposal, in response of which I have three questions. Firstly how many soldiers do you think you can raise? Secondly how do you plan to arm them? weapons and Armour are hardly cheap, after all."
"A full brigade, your Majesty," Lycaon said. "One-thousand strong. Indeed, it will not be a cheap endeavor, but at the moment the war is not so desperate that the supplies are not available at a price. The Church has the funds to provide it."
Indeed, Lycaon could gather the funds from within the Church. At the moment, while the Church was in limbo, he had never been more influential.
Duncan remained silent for a moment. In principle there was no reason Lycaon couldn't achieve this goal. He now had full access to the Church’s funds, and his influence over both the clergy and people would make it easy for him to find recruits across Sypius.
"Very well. I don't doubt that you can achieve this, but that bring me to my next question. What do you want in return?”
"Nothing, your Majesty," Lycaon said. "But the satisfaction of helping in the war effort."
Duncan didn't believe Lycaon for a second. Though he hide behind the pretense of good will, Duncan knew that Lycaon wanted the one thing that everyone in this room desired; power. No that this was a problem, Lycaon was loyal to him, and whatever power Lycaon attended would ultimately belong to Duncan.
"A most noble gesture, Sir Lycaon, and I gracefully accept. Tell me, has any process been made by the clergy to elect a new leader of the church. After all, in such perilous times it is of paramount importance that the Church elects a Grand priest quickly and decisively."
"The initial panic, your Majesty, has subsided," Lycaon said. "And by now letters are being sent to our priest-electors and cleric-electors across the Kingdom. Once they have arrived, there begins the real challenge of getting a majority to agree on who shall lead the Church."
"Will you be taking part in this vote? If so, who do you plan on supporting? I am sure that someone of your influence would provide substantial aid to whomever you decided to vote for."
"I myself take no part in the vote, your Majesty," Lycaon said. "Though for my part, I have been hoping that Secretary of the Grand Temple, Marcus Irenaeus, shall go into the running, for I know him, and he is a man of good character and reputation. But, your majesty, I shall not bother you anymore with this, and I thank you for your generosity."
"Very good, Sir Lycaon," Duncan said as he gestured at Lycaon to leave. "I hope your brigade truly can help bring peace to the lands of Sypius."
Lycaon bowed to King Duncan in respect, as did the scholastic Tydeus next to Lycaon.
“Tydeus, your Majesty, shall remain here at your honorable court should you have any questions on any of my plans.”
Then Lycaon soon left, departing from King Duncan’s court and heading on his way to the future business at hand.
Lycaon left the Palace grounds, having let the scholastic stay back at the Court. He would be able to care of Lycaon’s business there if anything came up, and he could more frank about it than Lycaon could. For now, Lycaon had business to take care of elsewhere in Nyhem. He went into his carriage, and took a seat upon the leather.
“Driver,” Lycaon said. “To the Grand Temple.”
The Driver asked no questions and quickly got the horses moving with a crack of the reins, and drove quickly along the bumpy roads of the city. Lycaon paid no attention to the bumps in the road, however, and mere lost himself in the thought of what his next move was be. He did not know what Duncan would do. For the time being his position seemed unassailable as King. However, he had been quite cooperative, and for Lycaon that was a good thing. Lycaon’s next move did not involve the King, however. For now, Lycaon needed to speak to the Secretary of the Grand Temple. His position not only made him an elector on his own terms, but also the closest thing to a leader of the Church during this transitional period.
He gave the driver the money he was owed to him quickly, and then Lycaon was quickly on his way. He quietly entered into the Grand Temple, which at the time was quite empty except for the caretaker-cleric inside.
“Greetings, Mother,” Lycaon said. “Is the Secretary here?”
“Greetings, Lord Lycaon,” she said. “Yes, he is here, at his desk. Would you like me to fetch him for you?”
“Yes, if you would be so kind,” Lycaon said.
So the caretaker-cleric brought Secretary Marcus Irenaeus, dressed in garish clothes and an obnoxious smile, to the front of the Temple.
“Ah, if it isn’t Lord Lycaon,” Secretary Irenaeus said. “I am told that you have some business with me? Pray tell me then, Grand Master, what is it that you seek from me?”
“Nothing too great, your excellency,” Lycaon said. “Only that with a heavy heart I must speak to you more on the tragic death of her Holiness.”
“Yes, yesterday was a great loss for all of us, indeed,” Secretary Irenaeus said. I knew her well, and she was a great friend, honorable and trustworthy. But what was it that you wished to speak to me about, Lycaon?”
“The election,” Lycaon said.
Secretary Irenaeus’ face darkened at the word, but then quickly was filled with greed.
“With her Holiness’ death, we must make it so that there is a candidate put forward that can properly replace her,” Lycaon said. “Put forward your name, your Excellency, into the conest and I will do everything I can in order to ensure that your victory is assured.”
“Then I shall,” Irenaeus said. “Thank you for your words, Lycaon, and for your declaration of support.”
“I will return later,” Lycaon said. “For now, your Excellency, there is much work to do.”
“Driver,” Lycaon said. “To the Grand Temple.”
The Driver asked no questions and quickly got the horses moving with a crack of the reins, and drove quickly along the bumpy roads of the city. Lycaon paid no attention to the bumps in the road, however, and mere lost himself in the thought of what his next move was be. He did not know what Duncan would do. For the time being his position seemed unassailable as King. However, he had been quite cooperative, and for Lycaon that was a good thing. Lycaon’s next move did not involve the King, however. For now, Lycaon needed to speak to the Secretary of the Grand Temple. His position not only made him an elector on his own terms, but also the closest thing to a leader of the Church during this transitional period.
He gave the driver the money he was owed to him quickly, and then Lycaon was quickly on his way. He quietly entered into the Grand Temple, which at the time was quite empty except for the caretaker-cleric inside.
“Greetings, Mother,” Lycaon said. “Is the Secretary here?”
“Greetings, Lord Lycaon,” she said. “Yes, he is here, at his desk. Would you like me to fetch him for you?”
“Yes, if you would be so kind,” Lycaon said.
So the caretaker-cleric brought Secretary Marcus Irenaeus, dressed in garish clothes and an obnoxious smile, to the front of the Temple.
“Ah, if it isn’t Lord Lycaon,” Secretary Irenaeus said. “I am told that you have some business with me? Pray tell me then, Grand Master, what is it that you seek from me?”
“Nothing too great, your excellency,” Lycaon said. “Only that with a heavy heart I must speak to you more on the tragic death of her Holiness.”
“Yes, yesterday was a great loss for all of us, indeed,” Secretary Irenaeus said. I knew her well, and she was a great friend, honorable and trustworthy. But what was it that you wished to speak to me about, Lycaon?”
“The election,” Lycaon said.
Secretary Irenaeus’ face darkened at the word, but then quickly was filled with greed.
“With her Holiness’ death, we must make it so that there is a candidate put forward that can properly replace her,” Lycaon said. “Put forward your name, your Excellency, into the conest and I will do everything I can in order to ensure that your victory is assured.”
“Then I shall,” Irenaeus said. “Thank you for your words, Lycaon, and for your declaration of support.”
“I will return later,” Lycaon said. “For now, your Excellency, there is much work to do.”
Collab with TheDuncanMorgan
@neogreggory
I finished mine, though I was going to add a few more minor characters. I've been thinking about how my interactions with other nations will go, considering I'm a hostile pagan country.
I finished mine, though I was going to add a few more minor characters. I've been thinking about how my interactions with other nations will go, considering I'm a hostile pagan country.
The Kingdom of Attis
Ruler’s Name: King Tyrgen III
Population: 7,000,000
Syros: The capital of the country, as well as the largest settlement in the Kingdom. It is noted for its large, sturdy, and recently built stone walls. This was to keep the city safe from the new technologies that were discovered by the outsiders. It lies inland, behind a thick forest, so generally it is safe from invasion. Its population prospers from trade and goods from the provinces, and it is noted for its many temples that are filled with many riches.
Calipa: A very old city, known for its tall wooden walls and structures, as well as it religious and historical significance. It was the home of both Pithias and Kaergyn. It has a number of military bases situated here, and the venerable Society of Gariniys, a sort of military academy, is situated her.
Synerze: The most westward major city, as well as the main port-town of Attis. Though it is known as a port town and center of trade in Attis, to outsiders it is better known as the center of Attian piracy.
Caesis: A major city of Attis. Though having plenty of power in manufacturing, trade, and manpower, they are best known for their ready supply of talent. Many individuals in Attis who are responsible for innovation in the country come from Caesis.
Valias: The most populated city behind Syros. It is known for being a center of manufacturing and trade.
Zaera: The largest manufacturing center in the country.
Calipa: A very old city, known for its tall wooden walls and structures, as well as it religious and historical significance. It was the home of both Pithias and Kaergyn. It has a number of military bases situated here, and the venerable Society of Gariniys, a sort of military academy, is situated her.
Synerze: The most westward major city, as well as the main port-town of Attis. Though it is known as a port town and center of trade in Attis, to outsiders it is better known as the center of Attian piracy.
Caesis: A major city of Attis. Though having plenty of power in manufacturing, trade, and manpower, they are best known for their ready supply of talent. Many individuals in Attis who are responsible for innovation in the country come from Caesis.
Valias: The most populated city behind Syros. It is known for being a center of manufacturing and trade.
Zaera: The largest manufacturing center in the country.
Chaos – The most primordial deity. Only the most esoteric of the religious traditions have shrines dedicated to him.
Haia – The first of the gods birthed by chaos. She is Mother Earth, and revered highly by some aspects of the religion.
Calimnaes – Son and Husband of Haia, he is the god of time, and his symbol is the scythe. Fearful of his children, he devoured them, and was torn apart from within. He was not destroyed, however, and was rejuvenated, but was sent hurling down into hell.
Hypgenaes – The primordial god of the air.
Ocea – The primordial goddess of the ocean.
Hestos – The primordial god of fire.
Veryea – the primordial goddess of the heart.
Lyeana – The goddess of love.
Targrys – the goddess of the heavens.
Ivirunys – The god of thunder and counsel, and ruler of the gods. He overthrew his father Calimnaes.
Adrea – Consort of Ivirunys, and goddess of empires and marriage. Her symbol is the peacock. Worship of her is widespread.
Disquirgos – the god of the sea and the ocean, as well as the god of earthquakes.
Fantus – The god of the underworld and hell, and the god of death. He is the ruler of the lower world where all souls go when they are separated from the body.
Kalea – The goddess of the hunt and archery.
Agea – The goddess of the seasons and the weather.
Atargatis – A goddess associated with both the sexual fertility and the fertility of crops. Despite her mysterious origins and the curious rites of her Mysteries she is the most widely worshipped goddess.
Hespaunte – The god of the forge and fire.
Bacchis – The god of wine and celebratory madness, as well as theater. Widely worship in the Mysteries across the country.
Appulia – The goddess of wisdom.
Bavric – The god of warfare, bloodshed, and violence.
Raelin – The god of the arts.
Soris – The god of the sun.
Mourialia – The goddess of the moon.
Syx, Twyx, and Klyix – the three fate sisters.
Lorana – The goddess of the hearth.
Haia – The first of the gods birthed by chaos. She is Mother Earth, and revered highly by some aspects of the religion.
Calimnaes – Son and Husband of Haia, he is the god of time, and his symbol is the scythe. Fearful of his children, he devoured them, and was torn apart from within. He was not destroyed, however, and was rejuvenated, but was sent hurling down into hell.
Hypgenaes – The primordial god of the air.
Ocea – The primordial goddess of the ocean.
Hestos – The primordial god of fire.
Veryea – the primordial goddess of the heart.
Lyeana – The goddess of love.
Targrys – the goddess of the heavens.
Ivirunys – The god of thunder and counsel, and ruler of the gods. He overthrew his father Calimnaes.
Adrea – Consort of Ivirunys, and goddess of empires and marriage. Her symbol is the peacock. Worship of her is widespread.
Disquirgos – the god of the sea and the ocean, as well as the god of earthquakes.
Fantus – The god of the underworld and hell, and the god of death. He is the ruler of the lower world where all souls go when they are separated from the body.
Kalea – The goddess of the hunt and archery.
Agea – The goddess of the seasons and the weather.
Atargatis – A goddess associated with both the sexual fertility and the fertility of crops. Despite her mysterious origins and the curious rites of her Mysteries she is the most widely worshipped goddess.
Hespaunte – The god of the forge and fire.
Bacchis – The god of wine and celebratory madness, as well as theater. Widely worship in the Mysteries across the country.
Appulia – The goddess of wisdom.
Bavric – The god of warfare, bloodshed, and violence.
Raelin – The god of the arts.
Soris – The god of the sun.
Mourialia – The goddess of the moon.
Syx, Twyx, and Klyix – the three fate sisters.
Lorana – The goddess of the hearth.
The religion of Attis is simply called Attianism. Attians themselves simply call in “religion.” They deny all the doctrines and precepts of the Abandonittes, Strandistants, and Usurpians, and accuse these religions of blasphemy and atheism. Attianism is at its core polytheistic, and they assert that, contrary to the claims of the doctrines of the outsiders, the divine has never left. If pressed to prove this, they would merely point to a tree or a river, and would see that as sufficient proof of the continued providence of the gods. Moreover, there is always the three sister pulling the strings behind everything, making sure everything is going according to (their) plan. Only Ivirunys is powerful enough to defy fate.
The creator deity is none other Chaos. All other beings sprung from the primordial chaos. The mother of the gods was Haia, but the chief deity of the pantheon is Ivirunys. However, among the populace another goddess is highly worshipped, and her number of shrines surely outnumbers that of Iviruna. Her name is Atargatis, and she is a goddess of fertility, as well as the goddess of piety and protection. The famous great temple at Syros is dedicated to Atargatis.
There are aspects of Attianism considered incredible to outsiders. The priestly duties are in general considered to have a womanly aspect to this. This has the result of a creating many female priests, but it also has other results as well. The priestess’ of Atargatis are men who castrated themselves and cross-dress. The priestess’ of the love goddess Lyeana meanwhile engage in sacred prostitution. Attians know outsiders abhore these practices, and this is one of the reasons Attians believe that they and outsiders can never peacefully co-exist. There are many other Mysteries as well. At the Mysteries of Bacchis, people get drunk and engage in sensuous revelries, and women and slaves participate as well, so this Mystery is popular in cities across the country. In the Mysteries of the fate sisters people thoughtfully ponder on the orderliness of the universe and fatalism while they engage in their wine-based ritual. In the Mysteries of Adrea, the ritual is orderly and austere, but pomp and with much feasting.
Meanwhile, worship in the countryside is very different. The worship is simpler there, with there simply being small shrines. The priests are exclusively male in the countryside, for there is no need for the complex Mysteries of the city folk. Worship of Adrea, Agea, Lorana, Kalea, and Soris is strong there, for they are the most relevant to the farmers and hunters of the countryside.
Leaving God Era
According to the Attians, the history of their country extends beyond that which the Outsiders call as the Leaving God Era, and continued passed it without interruption. This is according to their account as told by the rhapsodes and poets. This they offer up as their ultimate refutation to the outsiders of their doctrines, but on the contrary the outsiders consider the “heathenish whispers,” as but silly legends. We shall pass over these legends for the most part, but we ought to note that the Attians claim that the most ancient of the myths, such as the tales of Taergynis and his exploits.
Many Shields Era
Whatever the case of these tales, it is agreed that when the Many Shields era began, the Attians were suffering. The rhapsodes and poets are in agreement when they say that from the far north they migrated to the continent which thereafter they made their home. Drought had struck all the Attians’ lands and brought hunger to many. The people would have perished, but the man named Attis named with deft words persuaded the chieftains to leave all possessions excepting their boats and their sails and take their people on a voyage across the sea. Yet many were not convinced by the words of Attis, and the ninty-nine tribes originally, only thirty-three heeded his words. Of the remaining forty-four, their fate remains unknown. According to the outsiders, there is no land to the far north, but the Attians take no heed of this.
The fleet of Attis arrived stricken with hunger and poverty. Of the thirty-three tribes who had set off with Attis, only eleven survived to see land. Once arriving, they foraged for food, but found little. Many spoke loudly of their disapproval to Attis, so Attis promised that he would soon lift hunger from them. So he took a man out of every eight men from all eleven-tribes, and ventured deep into the mountain, where he found the Cremins (“kindly ones”). They went into their villages and became mad, and slew the men, took away all their food, and took away their women by means of violence, and the most notable of these women was Kaergysa, who was consort of the King of the Cremins.
Then the Cremins moved in retaliation, and moved against the Attians, and slew three tribes and Attis. Attis was succeeded by Daervys, beloved to him above all women, bearing these events in mind, went forth with a hundred men from each tribe and prepared a second violence unto the Cremins. Daervys next met with the King of the Cremins on the battlefield. There it was agreed that Daervys would marry Kaergysa and they would in addition keep all the women which they had carried off, and in return the Attians would give up a fair amount of their own women. This was agreed to, and both parties left satisfied. This was the first period when the sons of Attis were unified. Others say that this is a myth, and a residue of the history of the intermixing of Attians and the island natives.
During the reign of Corgis the descendants of Attis and their Cremin allies were assailed by Daeles, who marched with his great army, and would in time form a great empire. Yet the Attians and the Cremins did not wait to serve within it, and sent a force against it, and when it was vanquished and Daeles destroyed two tribes of the Attians and killed their King Corgis the Atians and Cremin fled south beyond the Mountains of Decaelo and the river of Haliyes.
Thus the Attians settled into the parts which they now inhabit. When the Attians crossed the Mountains of Decaelo and the river of Haliyes they were kingless and disorganized, and scattered into seven. In their division, there was a quarrelling amongst them. Amongst these seven greatest were Fyrganis, Cremin, and Lanis. The Daraenae were content to rule in peace their own lands, and dwell in continuance in their own country without molestation from their southern friends. Yet for the others it was not so in their minds. Petty quarreling and raiding began amongst the southern tribes, yet all tribes continued in existence until 106, when Myr was conquered by Zaganis and its people forthwith enslaved. Fyrganis, under rule of Corgis, was through marriage allied with the Chieftain of Myr, for his son Dordano was married the daughter of the Chieftain of Myr, and so in retaliation retaliated. Yet when his force of arms was brought to Myr, Raersyn II, Chief of Zaganis annihilated his army and demanded a great ransom before Corgis would be allowed again his freedom.
Arathor, Chieftain of Lanis, saw now the opportunity to extend his dominion beyond its current borders, for it seemed that Fyrganis was weak and Cremin was passive. Thus began the rivalry of Fyrganis and Lanis. Arathor came to the tribes of Dalr and Raernys were enslaved, and took the daughter of the Chieftain of Zaganis in marriage. When Arathor came to Fyrganis the two armies met, and Arathor’s was the victor, and he demanded from Corgis and his tribe a fixed tribute taken annually. So Fyrganis suffered while Lanis prospered.
It was in 118 that Corgis died and his son Dordano ascended to the throne of Fyrganis. Skilled in the art of finance, Dordano secured for his people the resources necessary so that they could flourish. Yet only briefly were they content, for with eyes of hate they looked towards Fyrganis, and in this Dordano was sympathetic. On advice of his wife Dordano sent warriors into Myr and liberated the slaves and made them one with Fyrganis. Zaganis took offense and asked for aid from Lanis, but Arathor, concerned mainly with keeping under control his empire of slaves, offered promises, but little which was concrete. So Fyrganis went to war with Zaganis, and Dordano, far the superior in resources and ability, defeated them and demanded from them a tribute.
Arathor, Chieftain of Lanis, was not keen on this turn of events and so took his army to meet Dordano, and both met in a plain among the lands of the tribe of Raernys, and both fought valiantly, but it was Dordano who routed his foe. Arathor then retreated and settled for a reduced empire. Under Dordano were the lands of Fyrganis, Myr, and Zaganis, while under Dordano were the lands of Lanis, Dalr, and Raernys. So under Dordano, Fyrganis prospered, but in 150 Dordano died, and it seemed that the task of rulership was a burden too great for Daevrys, son of Dordano. As he stepped on to his father’s throne, the prestige and luster of Fyrganis began to fade under his weak reign.
So quarreling once again began among the tribes. In both Fyrganis and Lanis the lesser tribes had become one with the greater, and so now there remained only Fyrganis and Lanis, as well as Cremens to the north, who remained passive. There now remained but three tribes. It is recorded that Fyrganis and Lanis once again began to raid one another. According to the words of the poets and rhapsodes, the Lanisians kidnapped Dyrenea, a great beauty among Fyrganis, which began a great war. Yet the historian Kaervyns writes that on the contrary, Dyrenea was but a legend, and the true cause was merely the heightening of the hostilities that already were existent.
Fyrganis and Lanis began to war for years without end, with much death being the result. According to the legends, they built a truce with each other through the mediation of Cremens, with the three of them forming a single nation. Kaervyns instead says that Cremens attacked the other two tribes when they were weak and conquered them. Whatever the case, Cremens subsequently ruled the Attians, first under Daelysn, starting in 167. Cremens rule continued without complication until 234, when outsiders to the east called Xerantes invaded, whose bronze had the advantage over the Attians’ stone and wood. Lead by High Chieftain Daevrys, a descendant of Fyrganis, the Attians retreated south-west to escape from the Xerantes. Daervys established a kingship there, and halted the Xerantes advance when they tried to chase them. The new land that his people established themselves in he dubbed Attis, after their founder, and the people began to call themselves Attians. It was during this period that Hesias lived.
In the meantime, Attis focused on recovering and expanding. After Daervys’ death in 250 Attis began to divide once again, separating into independent tribes, though they still all said that they were part of Attis. They were to be united by the next great leader of Attis, Nyvaernys. In 300 the Xerantes attempted to invade Attis. They would have succeeded, but Nyvaernys, Chieftain of the largest and most powerful tribe, served as a unifier, and made the tribes into a united front that he led, and now having bronze weapons as well, Xerentes no longer had the advantage. Together Attis defeated Xerantes, and Xerantes would never truly recover. The tribes, however, were not keen to keep unity, and defied Nyvaernys when he tried to make himself Overking. Nyvaernys fought back, waging a war to make to control the tribes. He succeeded, but the war was long and hard, waged from 304 to 311. Nyvaernys then died in 321, and he was succeeded by his son Dordano. Dordano was assassinated in 323 by those who did not approve of unified rule, and was succeeded by his son Avlys, who was very young (24). Civil war soon began, and Avylys provided ineffective leadership, and was killed by the tribes in battle in 326. The war did not stop, however, and continued amidst factions among the tribes, each faction hoping their contender could become Overking. In 329, Chieftain Leavrys became Overking among Attis. It was during this tumultuous period that Pithis lived, and his teachings offered an escape from it all.
Leavrys did not want his legacy to end up like Nyvaernys and Daervys had. He centralized the state by reducing the power of the tribes, fighting a war between 332 and 337 against tribesmen who resented this, in order to create a stable dynasty. In 340 Leavrys died, but his son Dordano II was able to a have a stable reign. He relaxed tribal restrictions, creating a golden age of art and culture.
Suuban Imperial Era
The Laveryaed reigned over a free, decentralized, and prosperous golden age in Attis. This all came to an end when Suuban Empire came around. In 531, the Suuban Empire sent a fleet to subjugate Attis. Attis of course resisted, but the iron weapons of the Suuban Empire overpowered them. Attis was subjugated by the Suuban legionaries. Some Attians migrated north, away from Suuban, taking their culture and religion with them, and consequently safeguarded much of the original culture and religion of Attis. Attis (Bythia according to the outsider Suubans) was considered a backwards province that was not deserving of much attention.
The Chainmail Era
When Suu sank in 900, the enslaved Attians revolted immediately, and they were aided by the Attians to the north. About three-fourths of the Suuban garrison left immediately in order to meet up with the mainland, and the remaining garrison would receive no reinforcements and were soon overwhelmed by the Attians.
The Attians were led by Qaevrys, whose family had long led the Attians who had lived in exile in the north. As usual, the Attians possessed a fierce independent spirit. When Qaevrys was crowned as overking, there was a fierce controversy over it. A civil broke out between the “Monarchists” and “Tribalists.” The war was waged between 901 and 908. In 908 Qaevrys was betrayed by his close aids and given up to the Tribalists, and was ambushed and killed. By then, however, the war was already over. Qaevrys son-in-law, Daevrys, defeated the remaining of the Tribalists and created a dynasty. The Qaervryiads had to begin a long and arduous rebuilding of their nation. Many things had been lost due to the oppression of the Suubans, and their country was in a desperate state. However, peace allowed the process to be carried out. Daervys was deeply disturbed by any sign of Suubanism among the Attians, so he banned the Suuban language, as well as their culture, literature, arts, and religion. He, however, did favor Suuban technological achievements. Attis traditionally was an oral society, but for the moment simply oral communication would not be sufficient in order to restore Attian culture. Encyclopedias of medicine, religion, history, myth, and even mathematics and science (these were fields almost exclusively known through Suuban knowledge) were written. Poems, hymns, and theogonies were written down. Iron was adopted in favor of bronze, and stone walls were adopted in favor of wooden ones.
While the outsiders to the west were engaged in fierce and bloody struggles, Attis was at peace while they revived and rejuvenated their culture. Nonetheless, a great many of important cultural and religious artifacts were lost during the occupation, to the lament of Attis. Additionally, despite defeating the Tribalists to become King, Daevrys did not infringe too greatly on the rights of the tribes. As a result, Attis remained highly tribalized, with Attians having greater true ties to the tribes of their ancestors than to their king.
Peace continued until 1078. Discontent had been rising with King Arathor III, who had mostly withdrawn from politics, his strings being pulled by his advisors, especially by his top advisor Brysiays of Cremins. It was Arathor’s wife, Caela, who led the rebellion against Brysiays in Arathor’s name. In 1082 Brysiays fled after a bloody civil war, and Caela declared royal power restored, though it was Caela herself who actually was in control.
The Plate and Fire Era
The Plate and Fire Era in Attis began with Caela’s death in 1101. Her crisis began what is called the Crisis of the 11th Century. Caela’s son Arathor IV ascended to the throne, but the tribes unanimously announced that they would not be accepting his reign. Instead, factions among the tribes put forward their own candidate to the throne. Bloody civil war occurred for many years. From 1101 to 1127, there were 16 men who held the throne and 30 men who claimed it. During this period, there was a burgeoning of religious activity and participation in the mysteries, for these activities allowed people to withdraw from the world. This period produced the finest Attian philosopher, Aegyris. There had been previous Attian philosophers, but none had engaged in this practice as deeply and as seriously as Aegyris. Philosophy was mostly a western discipline practiced by outsiders, so Attian philosophy was still in its infancy when Aegyris came along.
In metaphysics, Aegyris was an idealist who believed that there was a higher, immaterial realm. He thought that it could never be fully reached by mortals, but could be approached through religious ecstasy. In cosmology, Aegyris says that existence, both the lower material and the higher immaterial realm, were created by the eternal, transcendent One. The One is not a normal god, and is not knowable because though the One is conscious and sentient, it is only so by a definition incomparable to the definition used to describe humans. In epistemology, Aegyris is a rationalist. In science, Aegyris’ main contributions is in astronomy, where he divides the heavenly bodies into stars and suns. The smaller heavenly bodies are stars, while the larger and brighter ones are suns. He says, additionally, that the heavenly bodies are made up mostly of fire, but also of air. In ethics, he stresses virtue, altruism, and stoicism. In political philosophy, he supports withdrawing from the world and says communal villages are the ideal state. In logic, Aegyris worked with formal or term logic, and though knowledgeable and eager to improve on his western predecessors, is not a revolutionary. In aesthetics, Aegyris was keenly interested, and wrote several works on poetry and literary theory and criticism.
In 1127, Daevrys VI became King, defeating the remainder of his rivals. Peace did not come, however. In the north, the region of Vaels seceded and tried to become its own country, and the rest of the tribes united in their enmity against Vaels. Vaels was defeated by 1130, and Daervys began the process to recovery. However, divisions among the tribes were deep, and it seemed conflict would eventually resume. Daevrys convened a council, and redressed the wrongs of the tribes and addressed their desires. This, however, seemed that it could only provide a temporary solution, because there was no real loyalty. With Daervys’ death in 1136, chaos and civil war once again reigned. Daervys’ own heir was promptly assassinated by his own guards, and war emerged between three factions, the Vaeiliad, the Caeliad, and the Hauliad, each with its own claim to the throne. They warred for a number of years, breaking apart the Kingdom by the seams and stirring deep divisions. However, the army also began to modernize.
A truce was signed in 1144, and Valdos, who was of a neutral party, became King. This did not help things. Rather, it allowed divisions to deepen. It looked that the final days of a unite Attis had reached its final days, and the days of divided tribes like the years before the Second Xerantes Invasion would once again return. The situation changed completely in 1152, the year the First Bythian Crusade began. All Attians put aside their differences and united against a common goal, fight against the invading blasphemers. At the Battle of Phielesian Fields, the Attians suffered a great defeat at the hand of the crusaders in 1153. Things seemed to be going well for the Crusaders and bad for the Attians until 1156, when a more organized Attian army crushed the crusaders at the Battle of Syros. After this decisive defeat the crusaders were on the defensive, and held on until 1158 when a full retreat was sounded. Victory was considered to have been ordained by heaven. Attians later called Valdos by the epithet of the Great. In 1160, Valdos officially ended the truce between the tribes and declared a unity in the country. This was the real beginning of a new dynasty.
In 1168, Valdos died at the age of 65. He was succeeded by his son, Dardano V, aged 43. Dardano was ambitious, and aimed to create a great country. One of the first ways he did this was reform. He patronized science, medicine, and the Aegyrian philosophers. He ensured that the army was armed with good steel and had plenty of plate armor and catapults. When the Second Bythian Crusade began in 1192, the Westerners invaded. The war was hard-fought, but many of the crusaders were too disorganized, and the Attians knew the terrain while the outsiders didn’t. In 1199 the Crusaders were completely crushed. Valdos died not long after in 1200.
The Third Bythian Crusade began in 1285. Most of the Crusaders ran into problems on the way, and only one of the Crusading armies actually landed on Attis. Though the Crusaders fought fiercely, they did not have the numbers or knowledge of the land in order to gain victory. In 1289 the crusaders withdrew and the Third Bythian Crusade ended. Meanwhile, Attian seamen were beginning to raid the countryside of the outsiders, gaining loot and resources.
There was a small Fourth Bythian Crusade that was fairly insignificant as far as the Western Lands are concerned. To Attis, however, it is very important because it showed the vulnerability of Attian armies. The Fourth Crusade consisted of a brief Outsider invasion and battle in 1338, and though the Attians were successful they suffered disproportionately large casualties, showcasing certain errors within the Attian army. This would eventually lead to the overthrow of the Valdan Dynasty. The Valdan Dynasty was no as fresh and talented as it once was, and a combination of a refusal to properly modernize and an obstinate clutching to power led them to be ousted by the power of the tribes. Instead, the general and religious leader Faevrys was made King in 1399. He put a focus on reforming the military in general, and ensuring that Attis did not fall behind in technology.
In the Fifth Bythian Crusade, circa 1494, was like fourth one and was crushed quickly. The Westerners were surprised to learn that the Attians had modern weapons alongside them. Today Attis remains on guard for invasions from the westerners. The Westerners are nearly always the original innovators in technology, so Attis is always careful that it does not stagnant too much in military technology. Even so, Attis has remained true to its cultural roots, and many things go on as they have for the last thousand years.
According to the Attians, the history of their country extends beyond that which the Outsiders call as the Leaving God Era, and continued passed it without interruption. This is according to their account as told by the rhapsodes and poets. This they offer up as their ultimate refutation to the outsiders of their doctrines, but on the contrary the outsiders consider the “heathenish whispers,” as but silly legends. We shall pass over these legends for the most part, but we ought to note that the Attians claim that the most ancient of the myths, such as the tales of Taergynis and his exploits.
Many Shields Era
Whatever the case of these tales, it is agreed that when the Many Shields era began, the Attians were suffering. The rhapsodes and poets are in agreement when they say that from the far north they migrated to the continent which thereafter they made their home. Drought had struck all the Attians’ lands and brought hunger to many. The people would have perished, but the man named Attis named with deft words persuaded the chieftains to leave all possessions excepting their boats and their sails and take their people on a voyage across the sea. Yet many were not convinced by the words of Attis, and the ninty-nine tribes originally, only thirty-three heeded his words. Of the remaining forty-four, their fate remains unknown. According to the outsiders, there is no land to the far north, but the Attians take no heed of this.
The fleet of Attis arrived stricken with hunger and poverty. Of the thirty-three tribes who had set off with Attis, only eleven survived to see land. Once arriving, they foraged for food, but found little. Many spoke loudly of their disapproval to Attis, so Attis promised that he would soon lift hunger from them. So he took a man out of every eight men from all eleven-tribes, and ventured deep into the mountain, where he found the Cremins (“kindly ones”). They went into their villages and became mad, and slew the men, took away all their food, and took away their women by means of violence, and the most notable of these women was Kaergysa, who was consort of the King of the Cremins.
Then the Cremins moved in retaliation, and moved against the Attians, and slew three tribes and Attis. Attis was succeeded by Daervys, beloved to him above all women, bearing these events in mind, went forth with a hundred men from each tribe and prepared a second violence unto the Cremins. Daervys next met with the King of the Cremins on the battlefield. There it was agreed that Daervys would marry Kaergysa and they would in addition keep all the women which they had carried off, and in return the Attians would give up a fair amount of their own women. This was agreed to, and both parties left satisfied. This was the first period when the sons of Attis were unified. Others say that this is a myth, and a residue of the history of the intermixing of Attians and the island natives.
During the reign of Corgis the descendants of Attis and their Cremin allies were assailed by Daeles, who marched with his great army, and would in time form a great empire. Yet the Attians and the Cremins did not wait to serve within it, and sent a force against it, and when it was vanquished and Daeles destroyed two tribes of the Attians and killed their King Corgis the Atians and Cremin fled south beyond the Mountains of Decaelo and the river of Haliyes.
Thus the Attians settled into the parts which they now inhabit. When the Attians crossed the Mountains of Decaelo and the river of Haliyes they were kingless and disorganized, and scattered into seven. In their division, there was a quarrelling amongst them. Amongst these seven greatest were Fyrganis, Cremin, and Lanis. The Daraenae were content to rule in peace their own lands, and dwell in continuance in their own country without molestation from their southern friends. Yet for the others it was not so in their minds. Petty quarreling and raiding began amongst the southern tribes, yet all tribes continued in existence until 106, when Myr was conquered by Zaganis and its people forthwith enslaved. Fyrganis, under rule of Corgis, was through marriage allied with the Chieftain of Myr, for his son Dordano was married the daughter of the Chieftain of Myr, and so in retaliation retaliated. Yet when his force of arms was brought to Myr, Raersyn II, Chief of Zaganis annihilated his army and demanded a great ransom before Corgis would be allowed again his freedom.
Arathor, Chieftain of Lanis, saw now the opportunity to extend his dominion beyond its current borders, for it seemed that Fyrganis was weak and Cremin was passive. Thus began the rivalry of Fyrganis and Lanis. Arathor came to the tribes of Dalr and Raernys were enslaved, and took the daughter of the Chieftain of Zaganis in marriage. When Arathor came to Fyrganis the two armies met, and Arathor’s was the victor, and he demanded from Corgis and his tribe a fixed tribute taken annually. So Fyrganis suffered while Lanis prospered.
It was in 118 that Corgis died and his son Dordano ascended to the throne of Fyrganis. Skilled in the art of finance, Dordano secured for his people the resources necessary so that they could flourish. Yet only briefly were they content, for with eyes of hate they looked towards Fyrganis, and in this Dordano was sympathetic. On advice of his wife Dordano sent warriors into Myr and liberated the slaves and made them one with Fyrganis. Zaganis took offense and asked for aid from Lanis, but Arathor, concerned mainly with keeping under control his empire of slaves, offered promises, but little which was concrete. So Fyrganis went to war with Zaganis, and Dordano, far the superior in resources and ability, defeated them and demanded from them a tribute.
Arathor, Chieftain of Lanis, was not keen on this turn of events and so took his army to meet Dordano, and both met in a plain among the lands of the tribe of Raernys, and both fought valiantly, but it was Dordano who routed his foe. Arathor then retreated and settled for a reduced empire. Under Dordano were the lands of Fyrganis, Myr, and Zaganis, while under Dordano were the lands of Lanis, Dalr, and Raernys. So under Dordano, Fyrganis prospered, but in 150 Dordano died, and it seemed that the task of rulership was a burden too great for Daevrys, son of Dordano. As he stepped on to his father’s throne, the prestige and luster of Fyrganis began to fade under his weak reign.
So quarreling once again began among the tribes. In both Fyrganis and Lanis the lesser tribes had become one with the greater, and so now there remained only Fyrganis and Lanis, as well as Cremens to the north, who remained passive. There now remained but three tribes. It is recorded that Fyrganis and Lanis once again began to raid one another. According to the words of the poets and rhapsodes, the Lanisians kidnapped Dyrenea, a great beauty among Fyrganis, which began a great war. Yet the historian Kaervyns writes that on the contrary, Dyrenea was but a legend, and the true cause was merely the heightening of the hostilities that already were existent.
Fyrganis and Lanis began to war for years without end, with much death being the result. According to the legends, they built a truce with each other through the mediation of Cremens, with the three of them forming a single nation. Kaervyns instead says that Cremens attacked the other two tribes when they were weak and conquered them. Whatever the case, Cremens subsequently ruled the Attians, first under Daelysn, starting in 167. Cremens rule continued without complication until 234, when outsiders to the east called Xerantes invaded, whose bronze had the advantage over the Attians’ stone and wood. Lead by High Chieftain Daevrys, a descendant of Fyrganis, the Attians retreated south-west to escape from the Xerantes. Daervys established a kingship there, and halted the Xerantes advance when they tried to chase them. The new land that his people established themselves in he dubbed Attis, after their founder, and the people began to call themselves Attians. It was during this period that Hesias lived.
In the meantime, Attis focused on recovering and expanding. After Daervys’ death in 250 Attis began to divide once again, separating into independent tribes, though they still all said that they were part of Attis. They were to be united by the next great leader of Attis, Nyvaernys. In 300 the Xerantes attempted to invade Attis. They would have succeeded, but Nyvaernys, Chieftain of the largest and most powerful tribe, served as a unifier, and made the tribes into a united front that he led, and now having bronze weapons as well, Xerentes no longer had the advantage. Together Attis defeated Xerantes, and Xerantes would never truly recover. The tribes, however, were not keen to keep unity, and defied Nyvaernys when he tried to make himself Overking. Nyvaernys fought back, waging a war to make to control the tribes. He succeeded, but the war was long and hard, waged from 304 to 311. Nyvaernys then died in 321, and he was succeeded by his son Dordano. Dordano was assassinated in 323 by those who did not approve of unified rule, and was succeeded by his son Avlys, who was very young (24). Civil war soon began, and Avylys provided ineffective leadership, and was killed by the tribes in battle in 326. The war did not stop, however, and continued amidst factions among the tribes, each faction hoping their contender could become Overking. In 329, Chieftain Leavrys became Overking among Attis. It was during this tumultuous period that Pithis lived, and his teachings offered an escape from it all.
Leavrys did not want his legacy to end up like Nyvaernys and Daervys had. He centralized the state by reducing the power of the tribes, fighting a war between 332 and 337 against tribesmen who resented this, in order to create a stable dynasty. In 340 Leavrys died, but his son Dordano II was able to a have a stable reign. He relaxed tribal restrictions, creating a golden age of art and culture.
Suuban Imperial Era
The Laveryaed reigned over a free, decentralized, and prosperous golden age in Attis. This all came to an end when Suuban Empire came around. In 531, the Suuban Empire sent a fleet to subjugate Attis. Attis of course resisted, but the iron weapons of the Suuban Empire overpowered them. Attis was subjugated by the Suuban legionaries. Some Attians migrated north, away from Suuban, taking their culture and religion with them, and consequently safeguarded much of the original culture and religion of Attis. Attis (Bythia according to the outsider Suubans) was considered a backwards province that was not deserving of much attention.
The Chainmail Era
When Suu sank in 900, the enslaved Attians revolted immediately, and they were aided by the Attians to the north. About three-fourths of the Suuban garrison left immediately in order to meet up with the mainland, and the remaining garrison would receive no reinforcements and were soon overwhelmed by the Attians.
The Attians were led by Qaevrys, whose family had long led the Attians who had lived in exile in the north. As usual, the Attians possessed a fierce independent spirit. When Qaevrys was crowned as overking, there was a fierce controversy over it. A civil broke out between the “Monarchists” and “Tribalists.” The war was waged between 901 and 908. In 908 Qaevrys was betrayed by his close aids and given up to the Tribalists, and was ambushed and killed. By then, however, the war was already over. Qaevrys son-in-law, Daevrys, defeated the remaining of the Tribalists and created a dynasty. The Qaervryiads had to begin a long and arduous rebuilding of their nation. Many things had been lost due to the oppression of the Suubans, and their country was in a desperate state. However, peace allowed the process to be carried out. Daervys was deeply disturbed by any sign of Suubanism among the Attians, so he banned the Suuban language, as well as their culture, literature, arts, and religion. He, however, did favor Suuban technological achievements. Attis traditionally was an oral society, but for the moment simply oral communication would not be sufficient in order to restore Attian culture. Encyclopedias of medicine, religion, history, myth, and even mathematics and science (these were fields almost exclusively known through Suuban knowledge) were written. Poems, hymns, and theogonies were written down. Iron was adopted in favor of bronze, and stone walls were adopted in favor of wooden ones.
While the outsiders to the west were engaged in fierce and bloody struggles, Attis was at peace while they revived and rejuvenated their culture. Nonetheless, a great many of important cultural and religious artifacts were lost during the occupation, to the lament of Attis. Additionally, despite defeating the Tribalists to become King, Daevrys did not infringe too greatly on the rights of the tribes. As a result, Attis remained highly tribalized, with Attians having greater true ties to the tribes of their ancestors than to their king.
Peace continued until 1078. Discontent had been rising with King Arathor III, who had mostly withdrawn from politics, his strings being pulled by his advisors, especially by his top advisor Brysiays of Cremins. It was Arathor’s wife, Caela, who led the rebellion against Brysiays in Arathor’s name. In 1082 Brysiays fled after a bloody civil war, and Caela declared royal power restored, though it was Caela herself who actually was in control.
The Plate and Fire Era
The Plate and Fire Era in Attis began with Caela’s death in 1101. Her crisis began what is called the Crisis of the 11th Century. Caela’s son Arathor IV ascended to the throne, but the tribes unanimously announced that they would not be accepting his reign. Instead, factions among the tribes put forward their own candidate to the throne. Bloody civil war occurred for many years. From 1101 to 1127, there were 16 men who held the throne and 30 men who claimed it. During this period, there was a burgeoning of religious activity and participation in the mysteries, for these activities allowed people to withdraw from the world. This period produced the finest Attian philosopher, Aegyris. There had been previous Attian philosophers, but none had engaged in this practice as deeply and as seriously as Aegyris. Philosophy was mostly a western discipline practiced by outsiders, so Attian philosophy was still in its infancy when Aegyris came along.
In metaphysics, Aegyris was an idealist who believed that there was a higher, immaterial realm. He thought that it could never be fully reached by mortals, but could be approached through religious ecstasy. In cosmology, Aegyris says that existence, both the lower material and the higher immaterial realm, were created by the eternal, transcendent One. The One is not a normal god, and is not knowable because though the One is conscious and sentient, it is only so by a definition incomparable to the definition used to describe humans. In epistemology, Aegyris is a rationalist. In science, Aegyris’ main contributions is in astronomy, where he divides the heavenly bodies into stars and suns. The smaller heavenly bodies are stars, while the larger and brighter ones are suns. He says, additionally, that the heavenly bodies are made up mostly of fire, but also of air. In ethics, he stresses virtue, altruism, and stoicism. In political philosophy, he supports withdrawing from the world and says communal villages are the ideal state. In logic, Aegyris worked with formal or term logic, and though knowledgeable and eager to improve on his western predecessors, is not a revolutionary. In aesthetics, Aegyris was keenly interested, and wrote several works on poetry and literary theory and criticism.
In 1127, Daevrys VI became King, defeating the remainder of his rivals. Peace did not come, however. In the north, the region of Vaels seceded and tried to become its own country, and the rest of the tribes united in their enmity against Vaels. Vaels was defeated by 1130, and Daervys began the process to recovery. However, divisions among the tribes were deep, and it seemed conflict would eventually resume. Daevrys convened a council, and redressed the wrongs of the tribes and addressed their desires. This, however, seemed that it could only provide a temporary solution, because there was no real loyalty. With Daervys’ death in 1136, chaos and civil war once again reigned. Daervys’ own heir was promptly assassinated by his own guards, and war emerged between three factions, the Vaeiliad, the Caeliad, and the Hauliad, each with its own claim to the throne. They warred for a number of years, breaking apart the Kingdom by the seams and stirring deep divisions. However, the army also began to modernize.
A truce was signed in 1144, and Valdos, who was of a neutral party, became King. This did not help things. Rather, it allowed divisions to deepen. It looked that the final days of a unite Attis had reached its final days, and the days of divided tribes like the years before the Second Xerantes Invasion would once again return. The situation changed completely in 1152, the year the First Bythian Crusade began. All Attians put aside their differences and united against a common goal, fight against the invading blasphemers. At the Battle of Phielesian Fields, the Attians suffered a great defeat at the hand of the crusaders in 1153. Things seemed to be going well for the Crusaders and bad for the Attians until 1156, when a more organized Attian army crushed the crusaders at the Battle of Syros. After this decisive defeat the crusaders were on the defensive, and held on until 1158 when a full retreat was sounded. Victory was considered to have been ordained by heaven. Attians later called Valdos by the epithet of the Great. In 1160, Valdos officially ended the truce between the tribes and declared a unity in the country. This was the real beginning of a new dynasty.
In 1168, Valdos died at the age of 65. He was succeeded by his son, Dardano V, aged 43. Dardano was ambitious, and aimed to create a great country. One of the first ways he did this was reform. He patronized science, medicine, and the Aegyrian philosophers. He ensured that the army was armed with good steel and had plenty of plate armor and catapults. When the Second Bythian Crusade began in 1192, the Westerners invaded. The war was hard-fought, but many of the crusaders were too disorganized, and the Attians knew the terrain while the outsiders didn’t. In 1199 the Crusaders were completely crushed. Valdos died not long after in 1200.
The Third Bythian Crusade began in 1285. Most of the Crusaders ran into problems on the way, and only one of the Crusading armies actually landed on Attis. Though the Crusaders fought fiercely, they did not have the numbers or knowledge of the land in order to gain victory. In 1289 the crusaders withdrew and the Third Bythian Crusade ended. Meanwhile, Attian seamen were beginning to raid the countryside of the outsiders, gaining loot and resources.
There was a small Fourth Bythian Crusade that was fairly insignificant as far as the Western Lands are concerned. To Attis, however, it is very important because it showed the vulnerability of Attian armies. The Fourth Crusade consisted of a brief Outsider invasion and battle in 1338, and though the Attians were successful they suffered disproportionately large casualties, showcasing certain errors within the Attian army. This would eventually lead to the overthrow of the Valdan Dynasty. The Valdan Dynasty was no as fresh and talented as it once was, and a combination of a refusal to properly modernize and an obstinate clutching to power led them to be ousted by the power of the tribes. Instead, the general and religious leader Faevrys was made King in 1399. He put a focus on reforming the military in general, and ensuring that Attis did not fall behind in technology.
In the Fifth Bythian Crusade, circa 1494, was like fourth one and was crushed quickly. The Westerners were surprised to learn that the Attians had modern weapons alongside them. Today Attis remains on guard for invasions from the westerners. The Westerners are nearly always the original innovators in technology, so Attis is always careful that it does not stagnant too much in military technology. Even so, Attis has remained true to its cultural roots, and many things go on as they have for the last thousand years.
Pagan Culture – Unlike other countries, Attis still holds strong to its roots of paganism. This, of course, has the consequences of attracting a lot of unwanted attention from unsympathetic neighbors, who have declared holy wars on them in the past. This goes hand in hand with their generally more rustic culture.
Permeation of Religion – Religion permeates most areas of society. All art, poetry, and the like is of course religious in nature. The Pithian Societies, which all men of political prominence join in order to engage in politics, are religious in nature. Ostensibly devoted to the teachings of the legendary sage Pithis, they are actually quite syncretic in nature, and are more of political councils. Even in mathematics and in the sciences (or what is known of them) things are cast in the veil of religion. All art, poetry, and the like are intensely religious in subject.
A More Magical Society – Magic tends to survive better in places that are relatively isolated from the metropolises of civilizations. Attis has plenty of places like this, so it is little wonder then that there are more witches here than in other lands, and its strange beasts run wild.
Curious Culture – To the few westerners who have seen it, Attian cultural norms are a shocking sight. The Attians still practice paganism, they disbelieve in the “Leaving God” concept, and they scoff at the notion that divinity is not still with humanity. This, however, only scratches the surface of what would shock a westerner. More shocking to westerners is the castrated and cross-dressing Priests of the goddess Atargatis, and the existence of sacred prostitution. Sometimes these two things overlap, though in general they do not, for they apply to different deities. In general there are many women and transgender of the priestly class, for it is considered a womanish task, but there are many men who take up the task as well. An Attian would point out that the two societies are so different only because they went in different directions, but in reality a real Attian would never bother to tell a foreigner so. A real Attian does not believe that a foreigner has any place among them, for the Westerners and the Attians are so incompatible that they may as well be different sorts of animals, though they are both men.
Knowledge of Medicine – Attis has advanced (for the time) medicine. This occurred through a combination of coincidence, necessity, and the veneration of the medical profession. Pithis was a physician as well as a mystic and theologian. Nowadays, the Western countries have (presumably) about equaled Attis in medical technology.
Xenophobia – There may have been friendly encounters in the past with outsiders, but that is far in the past now. Now Attians can only recall hostilities when they think of foreigners. In the past Westerners have tried to conquer Attis and convert them to their peculiar and blasphemous religion, though they have so far failed. Currently it is only their shared xenophobia that is keeping the kingdom together as one coherent whole.
Laconic – One of the great sages of the distant past, Pithis, valued silence and a quiet demeanor. Many others have fallen suit, and as a result a quiet and reserved demeanor and attitude is noted in many Attians. This does not mean they are shy, however, for they regard directness as a virtue and shyness as a vice. As a result of this, they are not known to be the most talkative of fellows. However, they have turned sarcasm into an art form, and it is the Kingdom’s most popular pastime.
Sea Expertise – Attians know how to build great longboats, and use their expertise at shipbuilding, navigation, and piracy to raid for more guns.
Permeation of Religion – Religion permeates most areas of society. All art, poetry, and the like is of course religious in nature. The Pithian Societies, which all men of political prominence join in order to engage in politics, are religious in nature. Ostensibly devoted to the teachings of the legendary sage Pithis, they are actually quite syncretic in nature, and are more of political councils. Even in mathematics and in the sciences (or what is known of them) things are cast in the veil of religion. All art, poetry, and the like are intensely religious in subject.
A More Magical Society – Magic tends to survive better in places that are relatively isolated from the metropolises of civilizations. Attis has plenty of places like this, so it is little wonder then that there are more witches here than in other lands, and its strange beasts run wild.
Curious Culture – To the few westerners who have seen it, Attian cultural norms are a shocking sight. The Attians still practice paganism, they disbelieve in the “Leaving God” concept, and they scoff at the notion that divinity is not still with humanity. This, however, only scratches the surface of what would shock a westerner. More shocking to westerners is the castrated and cross-dressing Priests of the goddess Atargatis, and the existence of sacred prostitution. Sometimes these two things overlap, though in general they do not, for they apply to different deities. In general there are many women and transgender of the priestly class, for it is considered a womanish task, but there are many men who take up the task as well. An Attian would point out that the two societies are so different only because they went in different directions, but in reality a real Attian would never bother to tell a foreigner so. A real Attian does not believe that a foreigner has any place among them, for the Westerners and the Attians are so incompatible that they may as well be different sorts of animals, though they are both men.
Knowledge of Medicine – Attis has advanced (for the time) medicine. This occurred through a combination of coincidence, necessity, and the veneration of the medical profession. Pithis was a physician as well as a mystic and theologian. Nowadays, the Western countries have (presumably) about equaled Attis in medical technology.
Xenophobia – There may have been friendly encounters in the past with outsiders, but that is far in the past now. Now Attians can only recall hostilities when they think of foreigners. In the past Westerners have tried to conquer Attis and convert them to their peculiar and blasphemous religion, though they have so far failed. Currently it is only their shared xenophobia that is keeping the kingdom together as one coherent whole.
Laconic – One of the great sages of the distant past, Pithis, valued silence and a quiet demeanor. Many others have fallen suit, and as a result a quiet and reserved demeanor and attitude is noted in many Attians. This does not mean they are shy, however, for they regard directness as a virtue and shyness as a vice. As a result of this, they are not known to be the most talkative of fellows. However, they have turned sarcasm into an art form, and it is the Kingdom’s most popular pastime.
Sea Expertise – Attians know how to build great longboats, and use their expertise at shipbuilding, navigation, and piracy to raid for more guns.
In general, the Attian military prepares mainly for defensive warfare.
Janissaries: The elite of the Attian military. They are recruited generally from the far northern regions of the country and beyond. Many of them are not Attian, but are outsiders who come from the harsher, more northern sections of the continent. The Janissaries are from these harsher regions because it is thought the harsh climate has allowed them greater skill and mobility. Their ranged weapons are muskets, while their close-ranged weapons are swords and axes, forged in the modern style.
Musketeers: Attian soldiers trained in the use of the musket. Though trained in the traditional tactics of muskeets, their speciality is “Attian tactics.” They know how to hide, ambush, and aim within the thick forests of Attis. Even when found, the enemy always has a hard time fighting back.
Pikemen: Infantrymen equipped with a pike, especially useful when defending against cavalry. They are often paired with musketeers and guard them from cavalry attacks. They form the bulk of the infantry alongside the musketeers.
Bowmen: Attian soldiers who do not have the luxury to have a musket. They fight with longbows and can in general aim more accurately than musketeers, but their destructive power is below that of musketeers. Like musketeers, they feel most comfortable when hiding within the forests. They are mostly a reserve force.
Demi-Lancer: Heavily-armored cavalry, who fight with lances. They lead charges.
Light Cavalry Lancers: Lightly-armored cavalry who have quick mobility, allowing them to harass and ambush the enemy.
Falconet: A light cannon commonly used by Attis. Far more mobile than heavier cavalry, it is used far more often by the Attian army.
Saker: A “medium” cannon, it must be dragged and carried to be taken anywhere. As a result, they are mainly used for defense.
Modified Longship: The traditional Attian longship, modified so that they can fit cannons on to their
Janissaries: The elite of the Attian military. They are recruited generally from the far northern regions of the country and beyond. Many of them are not Attian, but are outsiders who come from the harsher, more northern sections of the continent. The Janissaries are from these harsher regions because it is thought the harsh climate has allowed them greater skill and mobility. Their ranged weapons are muskets, while their close-ranged weapons are swords and axes, forged in the modern style.
Musketeers: Attian soldiers trained in the use of the musket. Though trained in the traditional tactics of muskeets, their speciality is “Attian tactics.” They know how to hide, ambush, and aim within the thick forests of Attis. Even when found, the enemy always has a hard time fighting back.
Pikemen: Infantrymen equipped with a pike, especially useful when defending against cavalry. They are often paired with musketeers and guard them from cavalry attacks. They form the bulk of the infantry alongside the musketeers.
Bowmen: Attian soldiers who do not have the luxury to have a musket. They fight with longbows and can in general aim more accurately than musketeers, but their destructive power is below that of musketeers. Like musketeers, they feel most comfortable when hiding within the forests. They are mostly a reserve force.
Demi-Lancer: Heavily-armored cavalry, who fight with lances. They lead charges.
Light Cavalry Lancers: Lightly-armored cavalry who have quick mobility, allowing them to harass and ambush the enemy.
Falconet: A light cannon commonly used by Attis. Far more mobile than heavier cavalry, it is used far more often by the Attian army.
Saker: A “medium” cannon, it must be dragged and carried to be taken anywhere. As a result, they are mainly used for defense.
Modified Longship: The traditional Attian longship, modified so that they can fit cannons on to their
Name: Galenvys III
Description: The King of Attis. He is ambitious, and aims to create a stronger empire, better capable of resisting against the threat of the western Outsider countries. He does not intend to do this through war, however, for he wishes to continue the policy of relative isolation from the westerners.
Personality: Galenvys is physically strong and of a sound mind, as well as intelligent and decisive as a military commander. However, he is also a drunk, and wrathful, quick-tempered and prone to unnecessary violence.
History: Galenvys is thirty years old. Being royalty and the heir to the throne, he was born into great wealth. In general he enjoyed leisure, especially liking hunting and horse-riding. He was always a faithful follower of the rituals and rites of the temples and Mysteries, but he was never particularly profound in his religious belief. He was always mostly concerned with his future reign, and always harbored a strong ambition for power. He always adored his mother, who lavished him with gifts and praised, but always abhorred his father, King Arathor VII, who was endlessly strict and disciplined with him. In fact, he would later end up marrying a woman who resembled his mother. Galenvys ascended to the throne when his father died. It has always been rumored that his father, who died suddenly, was assassinated by Galenvys. Whatever the case, Galenvys is now King, as has a firm grasp on the throne. He does not yet have any children, but his wife is heavily pregnant.
Description: The King of Attis. He is ambitious, and aims to create a stronger empire, better capable of resisting against the threat of the western Outsider countries. He does not intend to do this through war, however, for he wishes to continue the policy of relative isolation from the westerners.
Personality: Galenvys is physically strong and of a sound mind, as well as intelligent and decisive as a military commander. However, he is also a drunk, and wrathful, quick-tempered and prone to unnecessary violence.
History: Galenvys is thirty years old. Being royalty and the heir to the throne, he was born into great wealth. In general he enjoyed leisure, especially liking hunting and horse-riding. He was always a faithful follower of the rituals and rites of the temples and Mysteries, but he was never particularly profound in his religious belief. He was always mostly concerned with his future reign, and always harbored a strong ambition for power. He always adored his mother, who lavished him with gifts and praised, but always abhorred his father, King Arathor VII, who was endlessly strict and disciplined with him. In fact, he would later end up marrying a woman who resembled his mother. Galenvys ascended to the throne when his father died. It has always been rumored that his father, who died suddenly, was assassinated by Galenvys. Whatever the case, Galenvys is now King, as has a firm grasp on the throne. He does not yet have any children, but his wife is heavily pregnant.
Dordano, Prince of the Realm
Description: Dordano is physically strong and athletic, but he is also much leaner compared to his brother, King Galenvys. He dresses simply and often wears a solemn expression. In battle he always wear a full suit of plate armor, and has at his side a saber and rifle.
Personality: Dordano is quiet and solemn, and not the most approachable type of man. He is athletic and skilled in combat, and also kind-hearted. However, he has the tendency to be easily-manipulated and weak-willed, and has the tendency to let things spiral out of control.
History: The King’s younger brother, twenty-seven years of age. Like his older brother he was born into royalty. The two of them were always opposites and never got along, despite their shared interests in athleticism. As he grew older he demonstrated his skill in military strategy and tactics, and was named a general at a young age, as is customary for royalty and high nobility who display skill in warfare. Today he is the highest-ranking army commander below Gaelenvys.
Description: Dordano is physically strong and athletic, but he is also much leaner compared to his brother, King Galenvys. He dresses simply and often wears a solemn expression. In battle he always wear a full suit of plate armor, and has at his side a saber and rifle.
Personality: Dordano is quiet and solemn, and not the most approachable type of man. He is athletic and skilled in combat, and also kind-hearted. However, he has the tendency to be easily-manipulated and weak-willed, and has the tendency to let things spiral out of control.
History: The King’s younger brother, twenty-seven years of age. Like his older brother he was born into royalty. The two of them were always opposites and never got along, despite their shared interests in athleticism. As he grew older he demonstrated his skill in military strategy and tactics, and was named a general at a young age, as is customary for royalty and high nobility who display skill in warfare. Today he is the highest-ranking army commander below Gaelenvys.
Nevearys
Description: Dordano’s wife, twenty-three years of age. She enjoys luxury and often is dressed in expensive clothing. She is seen by others as beautiful.
Personality: Nevearys is intelligent, but she is also prideful and incredibly ambitious. In public she is friendly but distant. Being prideful, she does not react well to slights, and even worse to insults. Nonetheless, she knows how to keep her calm always, and can play her part well.
History: Nevearys was by birth of former royalty, of the Valdan Dynasty, but that dynasty is not what it once was. She was born very poor, and had to work in order to make a living. However, due to the prestige of her family she was taken notice of by the ruling dynasty. She was betrothed to 2nd Prince Dordano, and convinced the authorities to allow her to move in early (that is, before the marriage ceremony). She did this so she could escape poverty. While at the palace of the King, she quickly adopted to her new environment. However, she was not satisfied. Her pride had already been too wounded in her youth, and she wanted greater power.
Description: Dordano’s wife, twenty-three years of age. She enjoys luxury and often is dressed in expensive clothing. She is seen by others as beautiful.
Personality: Nevearys is intelligent, but she is also prideful and incredibly ambitious. In public she is friendly but distant. Being prideful, she does not react well to slights, and even worse to insults. Nonetheless, she knows how to keep her calm always, and can play her part well.
History: Nevearys was by birth of former royalty, of the Valdan Dynasty, but that dynasty is not what it once was. She was born very poor, and had to work in order to make a living. However, due to the prestige of her family she was taken notice of by the ruling dynasty. She was betrothed to 2nd Prince Dordano, and convinced the authorities to allow her to move in early (that is, before the marriage ceremony). She did this so she could escape poverty. While at the palace of the King, she quickly adopted to her new environment. However, she was not satisfied. Her pride had already been too wounded in her youth, and she wanted greater power.
Marliyna, the King’s Consort
Description: The King’s wife. She is fair to look at, with a gentle appearance. She dislikes her marriage to Galenvys, because he tends to beat her he becomes angry. She is sickly and physically frail. Right now she is heavy with child, and due to deliver very soon.
Personality: Marilyna is very quiet and even at public events tends to not talk very much, though she will give a gentle smile. She resents her powerlessness, something which comes from her frailness. Normally she is genuinely kind-hearted, but if pushed far enough she will react.
History: Marliyna is the daughter of the High Priest of Ivirunys, a very prestigious and important position, and therefore prince, later King, Galevnys took her hand in marriage. Marilyna was at first fine with this, for arranged marriage was the usual, but soon she began to resent it. Galevnys was rough and abusive, and she did not enjoy his company. Right now she is heavily pregnant, and hopes that her life will improve if her child comes into her life.
Description: The King’s wife. She is fair to look at, with a gentle appearance. She dislikes her marriage to Galenvys, because he tends to beat her he becomes angry. She is sickly and physically frail. Right now she is heavy with child, and due to deliver very soon.
Personality: Marilyna is very quiet and even at public events tends to not talk very much, though she will give a gentle smile. She resents her powerlessness, something which comes from her frailness. Normally she is genuinely kind-hearted, but if pushed far enough she will react.
History: Marliyna is the daughter of the High Priest of Ivirunys, a very prestigious and important position, and therefore prince, later King, Galevnys took her hand in marriage. Marilyna was at first fine with this, for arranged marriage was the usual, but soon she began to resent it. Galevnys was rough and abusive, and she did not enjoy his company. Right now she is heavily pregnant, and hopes that her life will improve if her child comes into her life.
Prince Landeragon
Description: The King’s youngest brother, twenty-two years of age. He is smaller, both shorter and frailer than his brothers. Despite this, he has been made a general in the army.
Personality: Landeragon has all the obstinacy, naivety, and foolishness of youth. He wants to see the world, and also takes pride in the fact that he is being trusted to be a general in the army. The fact that he knows it is because of his royal birth does not matter. He is friendly, and is not afraid to be bold, having as well a tendency to try and commit heroics.
History: Landeragon was never especially close to his brothers. The two of them always had a connection to the two of them, and although it was a very strange and hostile connection, Landeragon never fit in to it. He did not have many friends growing up, except for a young woman dressed in black whose name he never discovered. Like his brothers his education consisted of a lot of physical activities and military training, but he never fit into it as naturally as his brothers did. He found it grueling and boring, and would have preferred to go on an adventure that was more exciting. Landeragon tried to avoid it as much as he could, and as a result his parents and brothers thought of him as wayward and troublesome. Despite this, he was skilled enough in his duties, and he was recently made a general, for which Landeragon was joyful.
Description: The King’s youngest brother, twenty-two years of age. He is smaller, both shorter and frailer than his brothers. Despite this, he has been made a general in the army.
Personality: Landeragon has all the obstinacy, naivety, and foolishness of youth. He wants to see the world, and also takes pride in the fact that he is being trusted to be a general in the army. The fact that he knows it is because of his royal birth does not matter. He is friendly, and is not afraid to be bold, having as well a tendency to try and commit heroics.
History: Landeragon was never especially close to his brothers. The two of them always had a connection to the two of them, and although it was a very strange and hostile connection, Landeragon never fit in to it. He did not have many friends growing up, except for a young woman dressed in black whose name he never discovered. Like his brothers his education consisted of a lot of physical activities and military training, but he never fit into it as naturally as his brothers did. He found it grueling and boring, and would have preferred to go on an adventure that was more exciting. Landeragon tried to avoid it as much as he could, and as a result his parents and brothers thought of him as wayward and troublesome. Despite this, he was skilled enough in his duties, and he was recently made a general, for which Landeragon was joyful.
General Vaerys
Description: A high-ranking, common-born general, aged fifty-five. He is old and gruff, with a large and long grayed beard. Physically, he is no longer in his prime, but he is still very fit and muscular. He serves as the guide to the still naïve Landeragon.
Personality: Vaerys is naturally boisterous. Vaerys in the past was second-to-none in combat, and to this remains a great fighter and fencer. Additionally, he is the greatest of the commanders among the generals of the Attian army. However, he has a tendency to be tactless and prideful. He has a strong hatred of foreigners.
History: Vaerys was not always an army general. In fact, he originally had been in the navy before that. Not a lot is not known about his childhood, only that he was definitely the son of farmers who lived in the countryside far away from any cities. When he was sixteen he left home after a drought in his village brought about poverty and starvation, and, after a hard journey, went to the city of Zaers. There he became a privateer, engaging in a piracy against the westerners. He was very skilled at it. He eventually became a commander, and infamous among the Westerners for his sinking of ships and looting of towns and villages. He eventually retired from sailing, but the Monarchy afford him a position in the army. He accepted, and in time became a highly respected, high-ranking general.
Description: A high-ranking, common-born general, aged fifty-five. He is old and gruff, with a large and long grayed beard. Physically, he is no longer in his prime, but he is still very fit and muscular. He serves as the guide to the still naïve Landeragon.
Personality: Vaerys is naturally boisterous. Vaerys in the past was second-to-none in combat, and to this remains a great fighter and fencer. Additionally, he is the greatest of the commanders among the generals of the Attian army. However, he has a tendency to be tactless and prideful. He has a strong hatred of foreigners.
History: Vaerys was not always an army general. In fact, he originally had been in the navy before that. Not a lot is not known about his childhood, only that he was definitely the son of farmers who lived in the countryside far away from any cities. When he was sixteen he left home after a drought in his village brought about poverty and starvation, and, after a hard journey, went to the city of Zaers. There he became a privateer, engaging in a piracy against the westerners. He was very skilled at it. He eventually became a commander, and infamous among the Westerners for his sinking of ships and looting of towns and villages. He eventually retired from sailing, but the Monarchy afford him a position in the army. He accepted, and in time became a highly respected, high-ranking general.
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