Geopolitics Roleplay

The Old Teachings explain of how Roz, the Greatfurir, came upon the universe as it was an empty plane of soil. He had with him nothing but a seed, which he planted in the fertile ground. This seed grew to be a great tree, bearing fruits that were the stars and planets, out on the far reaches of the branches. One of these fruits came to be known as -planetname-. Satisfied with his creation, Roz took up residence in the great tree, so he could admire his work. Though proud at first, Roz soon became bored and lonesome living in the great tree. He took a piece of himself and crafted the goddess Resi, whom he married. All other gods are their descendants, the eldest of them Valrus. He then breathed into the wind, and his breath landed on Hostren, blessing it with life. The greatest of this life was Man, made in the image of Roz himself. Roz took special care in governing these men justly and bestowing them with many gifts. As Roz grew older, he became bored with even his new creations, and took leave of the entire realm, to walk amongst the heavens for eternity. Before he took his leave, Roz left his eldest son Valrus in charge of both the realm of gods and the realm of mortals, as he favored Valrus more than any other of his children. Baz, Valrus’ younger brother, took spite at this and revolted, beginning a great war between the gods. This was a time of chaos and bloodshed, so much so that Roz saw it necessary to return and sort it out. He banished Baz to the roots below the great tree, where he would shepherd the lost souls of cowardly mortals, and those of false heart. He placed Valrus in charge of Hearthaeven, the realm where brave and true spirits would be admitted. Roz left again, and the gods have remained relatively without conflict since.

In 1 AD, King Alexander I published “The Nosiben,” which consisted of the New Teachings. It is a universally accepted addition to the religion describing a more modern direct interference of the gods in the mortal world. It is described that when the fractured Emmerians were at their weakest point, during the center of the dark ages, the god Valrus rose from the sea to speak to an Aeserian hunting party. He said he would only provide the power they needed to be reborn as a people to those who would use it correctly, and he trusted the group as one of the bravest, most pure of heart in the kingdom. The Aeserians accepted and were taught the ways of thriving in their climate. In return he asked they spread their influence, and his word, by means of glorious conquest. And so they did. The hunting party became a band of great warriors, traveling far and wide spreading their message and knowledge to the worthy, and slaying peasants in righteous combat. Their message became gospel to the people of Aeseria. The leader of the party, Alexander I became the next king of Aeseria, and a new golden age came upon the kingdom. This golden age and the scripture of the Nosiben prompted the transformation of the Kingdom into an Empire, and initiated a series of crusades against the Arxians in the north and the Estovasians in the east. From this period until the Aeserian Revolution, the king was considered divine and blessed by Valrus’ will.

After the collapse of the Aeserian Empire, the destruction of the monarchy and the Emperor’s execution proved they were not immortal; consequently, the Old and New Teachings (now commonly referred to as “Valrusianism”) faced a series of reformations. Separation of church and state was enacted, and the government no longer spread the religion as official mandate. The Nosiben’s teachings now are interpreted in a less militaristic manner, which promote bravery, courage, and chivalry for all actions in one’s life.

As years progressed, most of the Old Gods ceased to be worshiped, save for Roz and Valrus. Currently, about 70% of the Aeserian population consider themselves Valrusian.

   Not much information is known about the Proto-Emmerian cultures. It is believed in popular theory that the first inhabitants of the continent migrated north from East and West Cascadus, between 35,000 to 30,000 BC, using now nonexistent land bridges. The first use of bronze weapons originated along the southern coast in 3,000 BC, and iron tools were developed during the 8th Century BC. It was about this time that the term “Aeseria,” Proto-Emmerian for “our land,” first began use.

   By 700 BC, the Western Emmeria consisted of several fractured kingdoms. The two largest kingdoms were the kingdoms of Califia, to the east, and Orenia, along the western coast. Through a series of conquests, these two kingdoms conquered the smaller provinces between the coasts and modern-day Kivoland. In 530 BC, the royal families of Califia and Orenia merged through several marriages, combining the two kingdoms to form the Kingdom of Aeseria. From 400 BC until 1 AD, the Kingdom began a series of conquests, in order to expand northwards and eastwards. Initial conquests were successful, but by the turn of the millennia the indigenous tribes to the north and the Kivs to the east grinded the invasions to a stalemate. The previously-taken land was annexed into the Kingdom, and with the crowning of Alexander I and the publishing of the Nosiben, the Kingdom entered its first golden age.

 After the crowning, the golden age lasted until 510 AD, when the Kingdom came into contact with the newly-discovered Estovasian Empire. Powerful from their recent expeditions into Arxian territory, this empire was immediately considered a rival, but a steady peace continued for several centuries. In 1000 AD, Aeserians began to explore the lands to the south, trading and making contact with Hysjann as well as the ancient peoples of West Cascadus, whom the Emmerians first descended from. At this point, the large islands of Khesed and Newfield to the west were colonized. These colonies marked the evolution of the Aeserian Kingdom into the Aeserian Empire.

In the mid-fourteenth century AD, Aeseria entered the Age of Exploration. Major trading initiated a naval rivalry between Estovasia and Aeseria, and by the turn of the century each empire’s navies engaged each other upon contact. However, none of these naval skirmishes snowballed into a major war, and peace was maintained. In 1403, Estovasia began their conquest of Kivoland. After the Kiv king Sobieslaw was assassinated, and the Kivish territory began to fold, Aeserian troops entered the western regions of the Kingdom in order to protect it from the approaching Estovasian armies. With the Estovasians quickly approaching from the east, the Aeserian armies were met with little resistance, and the takeover was bloodless. The territories conquered by the Estovasians were annexed into their empire, and the eastern portions of Kivoland were similarly annexed into Aeseria.

In 1530, gunpowder was introduced to the continent, and by 1600, muskets and cannons were the main weapons in the Aeserian arsenal. This led to declaration of an Aeserian “manifest destiny” to the lands of Cascadus, and the land was invaded in 1656. The West Cascadian tribes put up a fierce resistance, but in the face of large numbers and superior technology, they eventually faced defeat. In 1672, the resistance capitulated; afterwards, the Aeserian colonies along the northern shore began to settle farther and farther south. Later, in 1730, war broke out between the Aeserian Empire and the -GAB-. A naval war stalemated until 1735, when Aeserian marines successfully landed on the island. Soon after, the kingdom capitulated, and it was similarly annexed into the Empire.

A period of peace lasted until the 1760s, after which the Industrial Revolution began. After the discovery of coal in the mountains of West Khesed, Aeseria began to rapidly industrialize. This industrialization, coupled by the increased loss of resources to maintaining control in Cascadus and -GAB-, led to poorer and poorer life quality for the Aeserian lower class. Tensions between the lower and upper class reached a breaking point in 1787, when Imperial troops opened fire on a crowd protesting outside the Royal Palace in Avalon. This led to a massive movement to overthrow the monarchy; workers in factories and coal mines declared the National Strike, grinding the economy to a halt. Imperial attempts to end the strike through military force resulted in Republican militias engaging the Loyalist troops. This first skirmish, the Battle of Vitoze, marked the beginning of the Aeserian Revolution. The island of Khesed quickly overthrew the Imperial garrison, and a de facto democratic capital was established in Northpoint. Rural areas soon threw off Loyalist control after a majority of the military defected to the Republican forces; shortly after, the Royal Family’s sphere of influence hardly reached past Avalon’s borders. In 1799, Republican forces overran the garrison of the Royal Palace, which resulted in reigning Emperor Hasim II quickly being executed by guillotine. The rest of the monarchy followed suit; the Royal Palace was burned to the ground, and everyone connected to the Royal Bloodline were captured and similarly put to death. After the Revolution, the monarchy was abolished, and the First Aeserian Republic was formed.

On January 1, 1800, the First Constitution was adopted. The colonies of West Cascadus and -GAB- were allowed limited independence, evolving into federal protectorates known as Dominions. However, this government was created in haste, and several flaws became present through the decades. The Republic remained steady until 1860, were a series of internal disputes corruption created a hateful sentiment towards the First Republic government. Skirmishes between the state militias of Califia and Orenia over trade proved that the weak central government was inadequate to maintain peace. Consequently, Federalists gained power after a landslide election, and a Second Constitutional Convention was arranged. This constitution detailed a stronger central government, and created a presidential system. The ratification of this Constitution changed the name of the Aeserian Republic to the Federal Republic of Aeseria, commonly referred to as the Second Republic.

The turn of the twentieth century saw continued peace and economic progress; In 1903, the first powered flight was achieved by Aeserian bicycle smiths in Comberth, which pioneered the way of aerial warfare. This groundbreaking invention was immediately put to use in the following Great Emmerian Continental War of 1906, when Estovasia declared war on the Federal Republic. After a period of economic depression, the Estovasian Kingdom decided the only way to survive would be to annex eastern Aeserian territory. Estovasia slowly advanced until 1910, when Aeserian and Cascudian troops counterattacked and pushed them back to the original borders. From 1910 to 1912, the war, now fought over modern-day Frivoland, stagnated into trench warfare. This led to the war ending in a white peace through the Treaty of Kaan-Gurru. As part of the treaty, an independent Frivoland was founded from territory gained from the Estovasians during their conquests several centuries earlier, making Kivoland independent for the first time in over 400 years. Later, in 1914, Aeseria agreed to cede their ethnic Kivish territories along their eastern border to Kivoland, creating the modern Emmerian borders. As of 1920, there has been a lukewarm peace between the three countries for eight years.