Post new topic   Reply to topic    Galad én estel Forum Index -> Creativity!
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Snickerdrewdle
officer
Journeyman

user avatar

Joined: 27 Mar 2014
Posts: 44

Send private message
Reply with quote

re: Ilridion!

0

Ilridion

 

By

 

Zachary Baird

 

And

 

Drew Knuffke

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                               

 

 

                                  The History of the Empire

 

        Thousands of years ago, the valley that we live in, Ilridion, was inhabited by an ancient people known as the Elves.  They had found the valley through hidden and unlooked for passages, fleeing from the chaos and persecution of the lands beyond the mountains.

        To this end, Ilridion served them well.  The valley was almost entirely isolated from the outside world; steep mountains surrounded the bountiful land, dressed with a thick sheet of treacherous snow.  The Elves had found passes allowing access to the valley purely by accident and in great desperation.  In fact, there is archaeological evidence that, after the Elves realized their good fortune, they destroyed the paths they used to permanently halt aggressive pursuit.  Great slabs of rock were found displaced along the old roads, cemented by ice and gravel, though the actual implement used in the movement of these massive boulders is unknown to this day. Who or what the Elves fled from is also shrouded in the obscurity of time.

        Within the safety of the valley, the population of the Elves flourished.  Mountain springs and strong rivers coursed through Ilridion like veins in a body, providing nourishment and creating fertile soil for the population to live on.  As their numbers grew, Elvish civilization developed, making gains in medicine, philosophy, mathematics, government, and education.  Every member of Elvish society was well versed in the matters of the mind; a critical thinker, and an important member of their civilization.   They instituted a limited monarchy, placing a considerable amount of power in one individual who they called the king.  The king’s power was carefully controlled by the Elvish population itself, due to its advanced members.  The king could not commit an act of tyranny without the protest and uprising of the populace.  This precipitated peace and balance for them, allowing for a golden age to permeate their people that lasted roughly a thousand years.

        It was after this golden age that Elvish records and artifacts suddenly ceased to exist, save for a few ancient chronicles describing a massive war that erupted within the valley.  Only the scale of the conflict was ever detailed, but not the enemy they fought nor the outcome.  Due to the lack of relics being dated past the supposed time period of the altercation, it is surmised that the Elves were eradicated.

        Hundreds of years passed before sentient life again settled in Ilridion.  A terrible quake swept through the massive region surrounding the valley and freed numerous new paths therein.  Two races took advantage of these routes; the humans and the Numilians.  Though neither could explain the geological upheaval, many traversed into Ilridion for varying reasons regardless.  Both races continued to trickle in until, one by one, all the passes were sealed by the unusual, yet benign, alterations of the earth, in the same fashion in which they were opened.

The humans were an uncivilized group, migrating in piecemeal numbers from every side of the valley, and forming micro-nomadic tribal societies throughout its interior.  Despite their fragmentation, however, the humans shared a common nomenclature.  Insofar, that is to say, if one tribe of humans came into contact with another, they would more or less be able to understand the differing tribal terms of name and status.  Such an example was Qavan a’Amuris, where Qavan would be the “source” and Amuris would indicate the “person” or “people”.  The relationship letter between them, in a’Amuris, was to specify the type of relationship between the “source” and the “people”.  If it was an “a”, then it was a place, suggesting Qaran was the home of the Amuris people.  An “i” was parental, the source being the name of the father, as they were a mildly patriarchal society. One could argue that due to the nature of the differing tribes, war was commonplace.  As a result, many men died young, and the tribes acquired a grim perspective of death, reflected in the “relationship letter”, and a reverence of ancestral pride.  If a boy’s father died, then the “i’” was changed to an “I’”.

Unfortunately, this was, by and large, the most complex the human societies were at the time of their migration, 0 M.  The Numilians were more culturally advanced in comparison to the humans.  They commanded a certain respect from the neanderthal-esque tribesman, seeming god-like to their eyes, allowing them to avoid conflict with the humans for hundreds of years.  They were not gods, but rather half-elves, the relatives of the ancient Elves, those who had not followed the others in the initial migration, and assimilated with, presumably, human groups over the centuries.  They struggled to have children, and thus had a very small population relative to the humans.  The Numilians settled in the far west of Ilridion, founding the miniscule Kingdom of Terinnen.  Their culture and civilization grew while the humans remained largely stalled from their state of constant war.

        For nearly three hundred years Ilridion remained in this geopolitical state, until one of the more advanced tribes came into power.  It was the Vol a’Dinai tribe, who resided in the far east of the valley.  They had settled in ancient ruins left by the previous inhabitants of the valley. Long flowing symbols decorated their new home and, with time and no small amount of ingenuity, the humans began to read the characters. From the knowledge embedded into the rock and in tomes found, quite by accident,  the Vol a’Dinai flourished in their new environment. Soon their culture was more advanced than the other humans, the Dinai also being gifted with a string of leaders who promoted education and self-improvement amongst its people.  This benediction did not just pertain to the common man, but to its military leaders as well, a small council they called the cilius. The cilius, pluralized to cili’i, was instituted as a means of  delegating the responsibilities to more effectively defend the citizens from any and all unsavory encounters. Such action was in regards, largely, to foreign military excursions, and so the cilius became the military leaders of Vol.

        The cilius were intelligent, practical, and inspiring leaders.  Each member was a warrior who, not only fought with honor, but also fought tactically. Despite this they were frighteningly outnumbered.  After a particularly costly war between the Dinai and several neighboring tribes, these traits helped the cilius realize that change was necessary for their people, not only to survive, but to continue advancing as a socio-political state.  Their neighbors wished to see them eradicated, jealous and feeling threatened by the superiority of the Dinai. There was subsequently a shared xenophobia from the other nearby tribes against the Dinai, due to the difference in language.  The Dinai’s affinity to read Elvish noticeably impacted their language; the Dinai spoke Volreir - which is our current language.  Volreir is colloquial, modified Elvish, similar to the tribal languages but far more advanced in thought and grammar, and was spoken by the common people  in Vol.  Elvish, also coined by the Vol as “High Volreir” was used in official state matters.  Such a cultural barrier prompted the neighboring tribes to unite under the Avre t’Mortis d’Vol with the goal of ending Dinai civilization.  Though the Dinai could withstand the numerically prevalent invaders for a time, they would ultimately capitulate under the overwhelming hostility.

        The changes that the cilius instituted were by and large entwined with the military, the cilius believing it was the obvious and logical thing to reform to better protect its people.  They increased the defenses of their city, Vol, making it a stalwart bastion for the Dinai, and changed the composition of their army.  They contemplated all the battles they had fought, and tried to discern the most impervious battle strategies and military compositions.  They came to the conclusion that every battle was determined by the resolve and strength of the infantry.  So, the Dinai went on to perfect their foot soldiers:  training professional legionnaires and developing ways to utilize their army with brutal efficiency.  

        The result of these improvements led to the establishment of the Silver Legion.  It consisted of hundreds of men arrayed in close-ranked ordered formations to grind down enemy soldiers.  Every legionnaire had a large buckler and a gladius; a small sword slightly longer than a dagger yet far broader, allowing them to fight effectively in extreme close quarters.

        After the Legion was readied, it wasn’t long before a threat came against the Dinai.  Several forgotten tribes on the northern border invaded in a host of more than a thousand men bent on sacking Vol.  The Legion, consisting of only three hundred men,  met the invaders on an open field, and the battle was joined.  The new infantry took the victory with minor casualties; they went on to pursue and slaughter their routed enemy in a disciplined, yet vengeful, fashion.  Afterwards, there was little military resistance left from these tribes, so the Dinai pressed on and conquered them.

        Twice more this pattern of hostile invasion and retaliation occurred, and after the third conquest, the easternmost side of Ilridion was under Dinai control.  With about a sixth of the valley under the rule of one group, a new political state was founded:  the Empire.

        The Empire was content with this new territory, consolidating its position and promoting unity throughout its land.  The Silver Legion grew as young boys from all over the Empire; many of the newly assimilated cultures – not just Dinai territory – enlisted.  The new members of the Empire saw only potential and benefit in remaining a part of this new domain, and they started to place their loyalty in its legions and not in their tribal ancestries.  Dinai culture and language spread like wildfire throughout the Empire. Its citizens became educated and capable men and women.  The old custom of a male-dominated society fell away and women played a larger role in imperial life. Many notable women began to hold more prestigious responsibilities, a sizable amount of them went on to be influential members in the cilius. Their insights’ proved most valuable to the prevention of the vindication of their conquered foes; with this in mind a large number of the defeated tribes felt none-too oppressed in the days of their conjunction with the Dinai. With the Empire’s domestic position fortified it turned its attention to the Heartland. In Ilridion’s central plains many sovereign, nomadic tribes still posed a direct threat to the well-being of the fragile infrastructure the Empire strove to protect.  Soon the Empire was attacked, and the bolstered Silver Legion resumed its conquest westwards towards the Heartland of Ilridion.

        The cilius, who still led the Legion and the Empire, almost never expanded out of imperialistic greed.  Most conquests were similar to the first ones; retaliation against foreign invaders from bordering tribes.  In the end, all the Legion’s wars were a result of defensive expansion.  As the years slowly passed, the Legion became more experienced and efficient while prosperity was brought to the Empire as more people, ideas, and territory was absorbed into its overwhelming superiority.

        However, at a certain point, the enemies they fought changed.  The Empire now faced armies heavily reliant on, and – in some cases – entirely composed of cavalry, which had the capability of breaking up the infantry formations of the Legion.  To counter this new style of warfare, the cilius added anti-cavalry units to the military:  legionary formations armed with long pikes were installed into imperial deployments.  This addition proved effective against the enemy tribes in the central plains of the valley, and they fell one by one to the professional military might of the Empire.

        Some years later, the Empire had control of the eastern half of Ilridion; the most territory any civilization had acquired since the ancient Elves.  Bringing about thirty tribes together, peace became more than a dream in the more eastern sections of the Empire, who hadn’t seen war for several decades.  People started to forget their old hatreds that they had previously clung on to and began to come together under the imperial banner.  Commerce increased as roads were built, and a legal structure began to finally emerge within the Empire; breaking from the traditional de-facto Dinai rule.

        In the massive, all-encompassing matters of the Empire there were two bodies of government:  the Arneni and the Council, earlier known as the cili’i.  The cili’i organized itself into the Council, wherein, each of the tribes could have a representative speak upon their behalf. Due to the nature of the Council, it was composed of high-ranking members of every old tribe in Ilridion.  The only thing the Council had complete control over was the Silver Legion.  The members of the Council were responsible for the protection and military operations of their respective territories. The second body of political oversight, the Arneni, were the progressive, legislative body of the imperial government.  They were a senate of men from all walks of life and from all territories under imperial control.  They voted on taxation, construction, and solved disputes between citizens of the Empire.  It wielded nearly sovereign rule.  The Council, however, was its check of power.  It was more conservative and traditional, and made sure that the Arneni passed no laws destroying the ancestry, tradition, and history of the Empire.  The cilius, who formed this government for practical purposes, felt it was necessary to remember what the Empire was born from, so that it would never fall apart due to internal fragmentation lest Ilridion be plunged into constant warfare once more.  

        Among these political changes, there were other domestic improvements as the warring died down; advances in architecture, re-discovery of some of Elvish medicine, engineering, and agriculture.  Imperial buildings were capable of withstanding the strongest of storms and surviving the most terrible of floods.  Great monuments and landmarks were erected with engineering innovations including aqueducts and mechanisms which allowed for the installation of grand portcullis. Similarly, the population swelled as advancements, which led to stronger plows being invented, caused agriculture to become more efficient..  Vol rose above the forests and fields as the symbolic center of the Empire in the east.

        The culmination of all these technological improvements made by the Empire was the construction of Ridion, the imperial capital.  It was situated in the Heartland of Ilridion.  It was surrounded by high white walls, and consisted of beautiful and clean imperial buildings.  Roads came out of its nine portcullis-style entranceways to lead all over the valley, and the greatest of monuments were built within.  The old capital of Vol was no longer the epicenter, but still remained as a vital and indeed the most powerful city in the east of Ilridion. Where Vol was reminiscent of the power a centralized government had Ridion exemplified the ultimate achievements of the Empire for all of imperial Ilridion, and the movement of the capital was appreciated by all citizens.

        Unfortunately though, the peace did not last.  The western tribes, inhabiting the area between Terinnen and the Empire, had formed a shaky military alliance with one another.  They felt threatened by the Empire, and searched for an excuse to invade and prove their might against it.  That excuse came when the wildlife and game migrated east into imperial lands.  Though the chiefs never petitioned to the Empire to hunt in their lands, they nevertheless blamed it for the lack of food and used this to justify invading the Empire.

        Prompted to war once more, the Legion assembled and marched on the enemies of the Empire.  The Last War was the most resistance the legionnaires had ever encountered, the remaining tribes fighting with a great fear and hatred against them.  A large, tall, rectangular shield was introduced to equip the soldiers with greater defensive capability against archer units and, simultaneously,  gave legionnaires an increased melee versatility.

        The Last War endured for four  years, ending when the final tribes were subdued in the Battle of Eran Hill.  The conflict had bequeathed the rest of Ilridion to the Empire, and brought its borders to the Kingdom of Terinnen.  The question on what course of action to take concerning the Numilians was heavily debated amongst imperial citizens.  The proposal of military action against them was suggested in the Arneni out of concern for a form of racist hostility, but the Council immediately opposed the idea based on the historical reverence for the Numilians.

        Most citizens agreed with the Council, seeing the potential in peaceful relations with Terinnen.  Terinnen was an advanced civilization, on par with that of the Empire.  Both sides were assured of mutual gain from an alliance, providing the potential for an increased quality of life in Ilridion; one many could scarcely imagine.  As fate would have it, the Numilians saw a lack of quiescence to the proposed alliance with the Empire as well.  They had observed the Empire:  its advancements, its role in unifying Ilridion, and its culture.  Impressed with the feats of the Empire and viewing it as an equal and not a conglomeration of barbarians, Terinnen sent diplomats to Ridion with the intent of beginning collaboration with the Arneni and the Council.

        A diplomatic treaty was created.  It joined the two domains in a commerce-heavy, ideal-exchanging superpower.  Militarily, there was complete cooperation between the two forces, and all barriers on trade were eradicated.  Intellectual achievements and ideas were shared, allowing for new philosophies and discoveries to become possible.  The treaty was solidified by having members of Numilian royalty wed persons of merit from the Empire, creating a strong familial bond between the two peoples.  The social hierarchy in Terinnen was dominated by the royalty, and the Empire’s by its exemplary characters.  The union of the two leaderships stemmed off any misunderstandings between the two ruling groups.  And for a decade and a half Ilridion has existed in this state of total and unified peace.

--Scribe of the Vol a’Dinai, Trithus I’Tothorus

Tilliana

user avatar

Joined: 22 Feb 2014
Posts:

Send private message
Reply with quote

re: Ilridion!

0

Where is that freaking like button :D 



_________________
Why not help one another underway?... make it much easier..- Bob M.
Snickerdrewdle
officer
Journeyman

user avatar

Joined: 27 Mar 2014
Posts: 44

Send private message
Reply with quote

re: Ilridion!

0

Thanks so much! I'll post chapter 1 tomorrow!

Posts from:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Galad én estel Forum Index -> Creativity! All times are GMT - 6 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum