Solurian Empire

Overview

The Solarian Empire is the Shire's newest superpower, coming onto the stage after a long period of civil war and instability in the far west. After the war, the Solarian Empire is considered to have a very high level of technology, easily rivaling the other powerful empires and nations. From the capital city of Sol, the Solarian Empire protects its' holdings and ensures peace and stability in the region through economic and military dominance. the Solarian Empire's motto is Ex statuto ad ortum, et Sol vigilent manet.

History

The history of the Solar Empire begins with the founding of the original capital city, Puesta del Sol. Puesta del Sol was founded in the early days of the Shire, so far to the north-west that it never even came into contact with the large majority of other budding nations and empires. This beginning period is now known as the Age of Night, and is the harshest and most violent period in the Solarian Empire's history.

Age of Night

The Age of Night was the period in which the Solarian Empire expanded to its' Pre-First Age size. According to historians, the Age of Night began with the short war between Puesta del Sol and the neighboring city of Malk, across the large bay. Under command of the military general Pelagin Mistus, the Solarian Empire saw its' first conquest and expansion. After this, the empire went on to conquer and claim seven other major cities in the region, vastly expanding its' area of influence. During this time, the northern territories of the empire saw a rise in plague and disease victims.

At this point, the assassination of the Solarian hero and general, Pelagin Mistus (now in his old age) sparked a war with the nearby city-state of Hardfaste. To combat this, the leading general forcibly appointed the First Emperor of the Solarian Empire, Titus Cematin. Under his rule and command of the military, the empire managed to fight the Hardfaste armies and navies to the outskirts of their capital city. The city of Hardfaste was where the assault stalled, as it was located high upon cliffs overlooking the only entry to the plateau that lead up to the city's walls. This deadly command of the assault's position led to the long Siege of Hardfaste, which was said to have lasted nearly two hundred days. Historians have determined that during the Siege of Hardfaste the first outposts and forts in the deep north went silent. At this point, the Solarian Empire's holdings included over forty-three minor towns and nine major cities, with almost one hundred thirty-seven forts and outposts. This age has been seen as the point were the Solarian Empire's holdings were the largest. Small wars and conflicts occurred with neighboring cities and holdings of other western empires, but the Solarian Empire's holdings generally held even. Puesta del Sol went through sixteen more emperors during this age, culminating with the last emperor of the Age of Night, Celtan Puest IV.

During the rule of Celtan Puest IV, a patrol in the northern territories stumbled upon a gruesome sacrificial cult which had been abducting civilians and sacrificing them to some unknown horror. Following this disturbing revelation, and the resulting reports, armed forces among the northern towns, villages, outposts, and forts discovered members of the same cult who had been spiriting unassuming citizens of the empire past the northern borders for sacrifice. After the interrogation of one of the few cult members that had no taken their life during capture, Celtan Puest IV and his council discovered that these abductions had been occurring over the time of the past twelve emperors, or nearly two-hundred cumulative years. During the investigation by a squad of knights from the capital city itself, the result of these sacrifices was dragged into the light.

Over the past years, the dark entity that had been accepting sacrifices had been gathering a vast army of undead humans and creatures of the north. Numbering in the millions, the following invasion was the reason for this age's name. The mass exodus from the north, coupled with the mass movement of military forces to combat the new threat, resulted in a level of chaos previously unseen by any other nation. Refugees from the north and injured soldiers strained the Solarian Empire's capacity for food collection and distribution, sparking riots and small conflicts all throughout the north. Nearby empires and nations began chipping away at the edges of the empire's holdings, and with the threat in the north, the empire could not respond. Due to their focus on revenge, the other nations quickly fell to the hordes of demonic undead from the north. Shortly after the loss of its' fifth major city, Emperor Celtan Puest IV began manditory evacuations from the Solarian Empire's territory.

A surviving text from a historian at the time details the terror as Puesta del Sol was evacuated:

Upon the hills surround the city, fires rage as armies meet one with the intention to destroy and one with the intention to die. Each soldier that fell gave us a second of time but gave the dead another weapon. ... As the evacuation ships cast off, the great navy of our empire fought off the horrific atrocities the dead called boats. Even now, as we cast off, I see burning husks of great naval vessels and terrified peoples of our city swimming for safety. I fear [the empire] might not make it from this calamity.

As the surviving ships fled the empire, it was said that the great capital could be seen burning far on the horizon for many days. An estimated 73 million citizens of the Solarian Empire died during the invasion of the demonic undead. Every other empire and nation known to the Solarian Empire fell.

First Age

After fleeing for nearly a year, scrounging supplies and food from the land they could find, the survivors of the Solarian Empire's Age of Night landed on the peninsula where Sol currently exists. After almost four years of building and farming, the main foundations for what would become Sol were laid. To commemorate the grandeur which was once the Solarian Empire and to remember the horrific invasion during the Age of Night, the city was named Sol and the first emperor, Pelagin Symbel, formerly the last surviving admiral of the Solarian Empire's navy, was appointed.

(editing to be continued)