The Fall of the Elentian empire thrust Hasra into utter chaos. The province was just over three decades old and a city of over fifty thousand had grown around the twin catalysts. They were completely dependant on regular shipments of food from Silesia, and The Fall ended those shipments overnight.
One in five citizens died of starvation during the first winter. This forced Governor Avitus to not only declare martial law, but also to expel citizens he didn’t believe were integral to maintaining Hasra. Over ten thousand citizens fell victim to the Governor’s brutal purges. Merchants suffered the most heavily from this banishment, many of whom had their wares seized before being tossed penniless outside the walls.
Free workers also suffered heavily, with only the most skilled craftsmen allowed to remain. This bred bitter resentment, especially because Avitus allowed slaves to stay. The free men ejected from the city were forced to fend for themselves, knowing that the nobility would have full bellies from the work done by slaves.
The refugees had three possible destinations, all of which required a dangerous journey. They could make the six hundred mile trek north to the kingdom of Calmora, head west into the Blasted Lands or head southeast to the plains of Ebat Cen.
Very few survived, but enough reached their destinations to spread word of the Governor’s brutal edict. This caused a backlash of negative sentiment towards Hasra, especially since the neighboring kingdoms knew they no longer had the support of the now defunct Elentian empire.
The northern kingdom of Calmora put forth an edict that they would accept any refugees who wished to swear allegiance, a move that caused no small animosity with Hasra. Hasra sent an emissary to Calmora in an attempt to improve relations, and to form an alliance if possible.
Calmora received the emissary with stiff politeness, but let Hasra know that they had no interest in allying with anyone so callous as to eject free men in favor of slaves. They did not wish war, but neither were they interested in any sort of alliance. It was a decision that would come back to haunt Calmora in the decades to come.
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Forging a New Empire
Hasra’s first challenge was securing adequate food for its people. Governor Avitus ordered the slaves to create terrace gardens on the hillsides of the mountain where the main citadel was built, which were tended by Dedicated of the Steward Amarigen. They ensured that the first harvest was bountiful enough to support the current population and to stockpile enough grain to see them through the winter.
Unfortunately famine was far from the only problem Hasra faced. Valys, Arlen and many other outposts along The Pipe sent urgent requests for aid. Without the protection of the Elentian Empire many were in danger of being overrun by orokh, horselords or trolls. Some required food, others desperately needed medical supplies.
Governor Avitus sent the same message to each and every one. Every godtouched or godmarked was required to come to Hasra with all possible haste. There was no mention of aid. No supplies or assistance were sent to those petitioning Hasra, and most of the outposts were either overrun or fell victim to famine.
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The Plight of Valys
One of the chief exceptions was Valys, an outpost that managed to weather the turmoil surrounding The Fall. They were home to both a large contingent of the famed Knights of the Dawn, and one of the largest temples of Celeste, Stewardess of Knowledge and Magic. Valys had been built to capitalize on a Catalyst called The Hammer of Reevanthara, which contained an abundant source of both earth diamonds and enchanted iron.
Since Valys was able to produce godmarked and had forges capable of creating eldigmagus weapons and armor they fought off the constant orokh attacks. Their survival was always in doubt though, as every ten years or so a massive orokh horde would descend on their city.
Valys never forgot Governor Avitus’s refusal to send aid, and resented his call for their godtouched to journey to Hasra as it weakened their nation. This combination birthed a hatred that never fully died, one that would have far reaching consequences for centuries to come.
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Arlen is Overrun
The small outpost of Arlen was completely overrun by Orokh, but a group of knights managed to break away and seek refuge in the mountains. Like Valys they were shocked by Governor Avitus’s edict, and nursed a quiet hatred at his betrayal.
They became a semi-nomadic people, always struggling to stay one step ahead of the Orokh as they sought a permanent home.
(Insert section on Arlen)
Invasion from Below
The Fall of the Elentian Empire meant that The Pipe no longer served the purpose is once had, so most outposts abandoned it. It didn’t remain empty long.
Untyped trolls originate from deep in the earth, gradually making their way to the surface through a series of subterranean tunnels. Many of these trolls found The Pipe, which seemed like a safe haven. Word quickly spread and before long dozens of tribes moved into deserted sections of The Pipe, claiming them for their own.
The rapid expansion of these trolls has made The Pipe extremely dangerous, to the point that most travelers avoid it. Hasra devoted much effort to keeping the area around them clear and uses it to travel through their lands, but made no effort to control the rampant outbreak of trolls beyond their borders.
Nations like Valys were not so lucky. They were already thinly stretched by the constant orokh assaults, and had no choice but to block off the tunnels, abandoning them to the trolls.
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Hasra’s Rapid Expansion
Once Hasra had secured a source of food Governor Avitus found the immediate crisis abating. His nation benefited from an influx of godtouched from all over the west as people responded to his command to return. This granted Hasra greatly increased strength during a time when most other kingdoms were struggling for survival.
More importantly Avitus still controlled The Arm and The Reactor, which meant he could create more Battlemages, and equip them with enough Fire Rubies to decimate enemy armies.
Governor Avitus decided that a demonstration of Hasra’s might was necessary to secure their future. If their neighbors thought them weak they’d soon grow bold, and that was something he couldn’t allow.
Avitus waited a full year for the godtouched he’d recalled to make their way to Hasra. During that time he trained a new crop of battlemages, and nearly doubled the size of his armies. When he finally felt ready he gathered a host of nearly twenty thousand men backed by over two hundred battlemages.
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The Annexation of Calmora
Avitus brought this force north in a swift march. They kept to the wild regions, avoiding large towns and ruthlessly killing anyone unfortunate to discover their army. They stole into Calmora undetected and set off for the capital with all possible haste.
Calmora was built atop a mountain that housed a powerful Life catalyst known as The Radiant. Their city was hidden behind a walled city that many called impregnable, and while their armies were small they were well armed with enchanted steel made by their enchanters.
Avitus was well aware of this and did not underestimate his foes. He stole up the mountain in the dead of night, careful to allow no light amongst his troops. By the time the Calmorans knew they were under assault the Hasran’s had very nearly reached their gates.
Avitus used his battlemages to batter down the front gates of the citadel with powerful destructive magics. Fireballs, lightning bolts and void bolts were used en masse to destroy the night impregnable walls.
Calmora was still gathering their defenders when the first Hasran legion burst through the gates and into their city. What followed was some of the fiercest fighting in history, but by dawn the Calmorans were overrun.
The Hasrans suffered heavy casualties, but that mattered little to Avitus. In capturing the kingdom of Calmora he’d demonstrated to the West that Hasra was the undisputed power in the region.
Avitus made a great show of sparing Gefford Calmora, the former king’s youngest son. He even went so far as to appoint Gefford Praetor of the new Calmoran province, a move that mollified the citizens of the newly conquered nation.
All he asked was that Gefford bend knee to Hasra, allow the Hasran’s access to the air catalyst and that they send troops to fight when commanded. Avitus didn’t even tax the new province, as he was wise enough to know that such a move would drive the citizens to rebellion.
Instead he sent shipments of fire rubies to be sold in their markets at greatly reduced prices. This improved the standard of living for most peasants, converting many to loyal Hasrans.
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House Ildonis & The Canal
When the Elentian Empire first discovered the Heart of Fire they needed a way to ship the Fire Rubies back to the heartland. Their first attempt was by sea. They sailed around the southern coast, up to the very tip of the south sea.
This still required a long overland tre through the very dangerous plains of Ebat Cen. In order to bypass them the Elentians dug an enormous canal between the south sea and the Endless Lake. It shortened their overland trek to just a few hundred easily patrolled miles, making the journey both safer and shorter.
After The Pipe was constructed there was less need for the canal, but it was still used by the Elentian navy to patrol both the south sea and endless lake. They constructed four fortress, two at the northern end of the canal, two at the southern. This gave them complete control over all traffic between the Endless Lake and South Sea.
After The Fall the Hasrans were not powerful enough to maintain control of the canal, so they reluctantly abandoned it.
An enterprising sea merchant by the name of Ildonis gathered a cadre of mercenaries and seized control of the lochs. Ildonis and his mercenaries cleared the canal of all threats, eventually re-opening it to commercial travel.
He charged a reasonable levy to all vessels wishing to use the canal, and used the funds to expand his control in the surrounding area. Before long he’d garrisoned all four Elentian keeps, and declared the birth of the kingdom of Ildonis.
His fledgling kingdom depended almost entirely on the canal for revenue, though they were able to build a number of farms and fishing villages along the border of the south sea and endless lake. Ildonis skillfully guided his kingdom to prosperity, striking deals and making alliances with each faction he came into contact with. From the Merfolk to the pirates of the South Sea, he made friends of them all.
When word of Calmora’s fall reached him Ildonis was shocked. He’d undestimated the raw power of the Hasrans, and now that he knew what they were capable of he realized his kingdom could be one of their next target.
Rather than await such a fate he sent an emissary to the newly crowned Imperator. The emissary delivered many lavish gifts to sweeten Ildonis’s request. Could they petition to join the mighty imperium as a vassal state?
Ildonis knew he was gambling, but his gamble paid off. His request flattered Avitus’s ego, and the new Imperator graciously accepted. He promoted Ildonis to Praetor of the Ildonis province, and sent a large garrison of troops to help secure the four fortresses.
Unlike Calmora the new Ildonis province was taxed, though not heavily. Ildonis gladly sent his tithe to Hasra, enjoying the protection of the rapidly growing empire.
Ildonis’s move sent shockwaves throughout the west. The event neatly contrasted Calmora’s fate. If you resisted Hasra you ended up a broken nation, falling before the mighty battlemages. Yet if you joined them they would be merciful and magnanimous.
Many smaller citystates and kingdoms followed Ildonis’s lead, petitioning for membership in the new Hasran imperium. Those with something to offer were accepted. Those with little to offer were ignored, often being overrun and destroyed by orokh plainsrunners, bandits or other threats.
Within a decade Hasra extended from the northern peaks of Calmora, to the wide plains of Ebat Cen. With access to life, fire and void catalysts they could create a variety of godmarked, and continued to grow in strength as time passed.
*Insert Section on war with Lukantria
*Insert conquest of Teophilus
