Of Swords and Stars

"Of Swords and Stars" is a compilation of writings by the first four kings of the Corteir dynasty, who ruled first the Kingdom of Corigan and later the Kingdom of Acenoty-Corigan and the Xing Empire between the years of 1 and 35 VE. It includes the memoirs of the famous Sorath the Conqueror and Mairon Corteir, founder of Corteirism.
The original writings were collected by the last Corteir king of Corigan, Sorath III, in 34 VE as he prepared to abdicate from his office. He gave the manuscript to the Cheesegorodian Sasha Suvorov in 35 VE before his abdication and departure from Abexilas. Suvorov edited and translated the writings into Kescherian with an afterword by himself, and published it under the title "Of Swords and Stars" in 53 VE to great astonishment and shock by the Acenotian populace, most of whom had not known of the darker sides of Coriganese history.
The most historically significant section of the book by far is the chapter by Mairon II (better known as Mairon Corteir), who is an extremely important figure in Vrijstedian history as the founder of the dominant Corteirist faction and many of its dominant policies. It contains Mairon's own description of his genocides of Xing Island's native Maecenian inhabitants, and atrocities committed in his failed nation-building of the Xing Empire. Despite the outrage that the publication of this chapter provoked, even die-hard Corteirists accepted the validity of Mairon's own writings, especially as Suvorov corroborated his translation by donating the original text to an Acenotian museum, with an ideological schism ensuing between the neo-Corteirists who distanced themselves from Mairon's actions and anti-Maecenian beliefs, and the apologist Classicalists who defended his actions as necessary for Corigan's survival.
However, Suvorov's afterword received significant criticism for his slander of Corteir as a Murim-obsessed racist and womanizer, and the afterword's strong anti-Corteirist biases. Suvorov was Mairon's longtime political foe and the leader of the rivalling Svobodist faction in the Vrijstedian Councils, and much criticism has been leveled towards his being given the job of translation of these works.
== Of Swords and Stars ==
An essential history of the Bay of Fangs in South-West Tiberia
I am Sorath III. Emperor of Xing, Sorcerer-King of  Acenoty-Corigan, and Protector of the Confederacy of Vrijsted.  I put these words to paper, that my time in this world need not be lost to the sands of time.
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====Sorath I "the Conquerer"====
When the comet carried us to this strange world, I was of the first of the sons of Rathnir to watch the first sunrise. Who I was before that, before the comet, I do not know.
I found myself first in the region now known as the Serene Realm of Murim. In these chaotic hours, Rathamites swarmed the local fiefdoms of Testificates and stole everything they could. I was no different, in truth. These were savage times.
I moved southward, raiding and reaving as I went. Upon my way I picked up several wild wolves to serve as my guards, tempted with cow flesh.
In time as we travelled across through the tundra, I came across several individuals who I brought into my travels. Eventually, we were twelve strong men, and we purged on last settlement as we could travel no further with such size, while sustaining our wolves on wild beasts and I feared they would turn on it.
This town we had found of Testificates, was called “Corath”, which translated as “Ice-Fang”.
Thusly we slew them, and renamed the city “Corigan”, which meant “Ice-grave” on account of the fact that they were now dead.
We set about fishing and found the waters around the peninsula to be incredibly fertile.
Two months after our arrival and settlement a nearby warlord named Elesyi arrived and demanded that we join her new so-called “Empire” of Anrolya.
We declined with prejudice and asserted she not return.
After this, we established simple relations first with the nearby City-State of Arglos. Being possessed of much in the way of fertile land, they sold us grain in exchange for our bread.
In the south, we found the city state of Acenoty who had rendered us their consent to take or use the forest between us as we pleased. This gave us a good initial opinion of them. Further south than they, was the city of Havenbrun who had been a fertile state and rendered us trade in leather for our lumber and charcoal.
With my final days approaching in this world, I have begun construction of the Ice-berg fortress of Evermore, in hopes that what I have done onto others will not be done onto my children, nor my children's children.
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====Sorath II====
Though we initially signed a contract of mutual aid with the realm of Havenbrun, they have signed away their fealty to a new realm called “the Strakos-Oldham Interim Union” allegedly a state because dedicated to the construction of the means by which to defend against some other eastern power of which we know nothing.
I see through these lies. As easily as I see the stars above. They intend to gather lands to their cause and form an empire.
I shall have no part in it.
On our part, all is well. We found two large deposits of amethyst on our land. A valued material in all matters. Such gemstones are easily the greatest economical resource we have at our disposal. I have authorized their mining.
More than this, my miners have discovered something deep within the caves. A form of fungus it seems, called by foreigners “sculk”. They speak of it in hushed tones and of dreadful things within, but I see it for what it is. The lifeblood of our future. Breaking the sculk yields magical essence with which our mages may enchant our weapons and strengthen our armours. Even as I write this, my slaves are stripping it from the earth. Bottling this essence has proven very profitable indeed.
We have stripped the caves of iron and some manner of gold, much of which we sold off to Anrolya. We have also discovered skeletal remains of long dead leviathans on the sea floor beneath our ice bergs in the bay. My small navy has been dredging these to the best of their ability, though it is slow going.
My state is immensely rich. Now is my opportunity to weaken my enemies. I have ordered sheep to be herded close together that they may grow sick. Then I ordered soldiers to dress as shepherds and bring them to Argalos. Their flocks and herds are dying by the hundreds. This will cripple their economy, and thusly we will demand of them lower prices for more of their grain and they will have no choice but to accept.
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====Mairon I====
This is our darkest hour.
There was a war between Stakos-Oldhan and the kingdom of Stellare in the south. As a result, our grain shipments from our people need would not arrive. To counter-act this, I ordered the fishing industry to stop exporting and to limit they're fishing that the waters may yield only what we need. Through these means they would be able to survive but as a result of no longer being able to export fish, the economy has taken a huge downturn. The people rose up and called for my head. They slew my golem-guards, and I was forced to flee the city.
The culprit behind this mass protest was a Macenian princess named “Ellie”. She now sits my phone and convinced the Acenoty people and the people of Reikland and a foreign city called “Cheesegourd” to form a nation called “Phoeneca”. She is backed by the Macenian Court. I have since been hiding amongst the city of Karimsilia, one of the Anrolyan cities. The Emperor’s guards keep me safe for the time being but I know not how much longer. Every day that passes is more legitimacy to that bitch, and a day closer to the hilt of a dagger. However, there is hope.
Anrolya is a vassal of the nomad empire of Vladistan. The Vladistani’s are enemies of the Macenian Empire. They have offered to back my bid to return to power in exchange for a tithe to the tune of 1,000 gold ingots. I have the price to pay but I have no choice.
Let us hope fate rides with me, and these brigand mercenaries from gods know where stay true to me.
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====Mairon Corteir====
Those filthy Macenians got exactly as they deserved.
After my father returned to his throne, he offered the Macenians amnesty and let them peacefully stay here. Nonsense. They had caused a group of our people to flee Corigan and settle in Anrolya, forming a city called “New Corigan”.
My father passed not long after his return to power. With the throne in my hands I commanded my army to exterminate the pests, and they are no more. Ellie has fled back east to their barbarian empire. I have sent assassins after her and her ill-born father.  Although I would be satisfied with her end I would very much like the assassins to return her head here, that I may place it on a pike outside the city walls as my ancestor Sorath I did. Now he was a king.
If my father hadn't been so weak and had executed the rioters the nation would be in a much better state. Instead, we are some 3,500 gold ingots in depth from whence my grandfather ruled. What an obscenity. The resources that allowed us to become a regional power is no more. We have no more in our mines. What a little scraps of sculk remain is nothing to bother with. Our iron mines are running dry. Where once miners would return with hundreds of ingots, now they return with less than thirty for the same time it took.
Moreover, my father commissioned a singular grand ship to operate as our navy, being that we have naught more than a single skiff. He paid the Anrolyans 300 gold for such. It has been four years since that day and it is still not complete. Moreover, in “New Corigan”, I have heard words that Anrolya conceives to have war with us. Ridiculous.
It is my intention now, to see my dynasty returned to its proper place!
I approached the Acenoty government with an offer. My lands to theirs, and I will be their new king. They accepted and thus I became king of Acenoty-Corigan. Further more, I purchased a small island off the coast that had belonged to Anrolya for a cheap price. I have ordered builders from Murim to construct a city upon it, in their eastern aesthetic. The population of the island was in fact Murimese in origin, mixed with some filthy Macenian blood from migrants that had moved there. I ordered the men killed but the women could stay.
Thus I have created for myself the title of “Emperor of Xing”, and now I shall henceforth call my dynasty the “Xing Dynasty”. Meeting “Star Dynasty”. I shall retroactively declare my ancestors also Emperors of Xing.
Now, I have an island where I am an absolute monarch instead of a constitutional one. Why do this, you may ask? Well, apart from the obvious, any state that is part of the Vrijsted Confederacy gets one vote in the grand council.
By acting as King of Acenoty-Corigan, and Emperor of Xing, combined with a very, very tiny island off the coast of the Lotus Isles, this technically gives me a total of 3 votes in the council.
I intend to use this to seize control of the Confederacy, but not in an obvious way. I will constitutionally vote for the creation of a new army, with myself as its head. I shall be entitled to a manner of their taxes and be possessed of the title “Protector of the Confederacy”. What happens to Corigan proper shall mean nothing now. The Acenoty people can do as they please, I have moved the scions of these ancient bloodlines here, to my Xing Empire, to live in luxury as they deserve as the descendants of those that rode with Sorath the Conqueror.
The writing ends here. The remainder of the notes appear stained by blood and traces of a caustic blackish oil, as well as having been pierced by what appears to be a crossbow bolt, and cannot be read.
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====Afterword by Sasha Suvorov of Cheesegorod====
As bound by my word to young Sorath III, I have reproduced the excerpted writings of his ancestors as accurately as possible, making no changes save for those necessary in translation.
There are a few errors in this manuscript which necessitate correction, primarily in regards to Phocaea and the Usurpation. Neither Reikland nor Cheesegorod ever joined the Realms of Phocaea; Reikland remained its own separate kingdom at the time and only joined the Vrijsted Confederation after Corigan's absorption (I presume this is an error introduced by Mairon), while Cheesegorod was a part of the Confederation but strongly opposed the formation of Phocaea, and, indeed, forced a halt to Ellie's attempted takeover in its tracks by its threats to leave the Confederation and form its own unassociated city-state. It is also frankly still unclear whether the King of Maecenia was truly in cahoots with his daughter or if she acted as a rogue agent against the Confederation.
While I regularly clashed with his brother Mairon II in our conflicting ideals and goals for the Vrijsted Confederation (and I must say reading through Mairon's plans for the Confederation make me feel rather vindicated in my suspicions of that one), I respect young Sorath despite what I see as his mistakes, and we have had a significantly better relationship in his brief time as King than I have with any of his predecessors (and there have been a lot of kings, with how bloody and violent Corigan's history has been!). With that said, bear in mind my following writing is laden with my own biases, and not an objective view on its history.
Due to water damage on my voyages and Mairon's assassination, I have no other material written directly by young Sorath, nor the ending to his brother Mairon's reign, so I shall summarize their reigns here.
Mairon never finished his grand project of moving the people of Corigan to the Xing Empire. The Coriganese people resisted the change, having grown fond of their homeland over the decades and not wishing to leave the ground where so much of their ancestors' blood had been spilled in its conquest and defence, and the project was entirely ended. He undertook multiple large and more successful projects, such as beginning the construction of a large market on his claim near the Lotus Islands, and the establishment of a national mercenary force for the Confederation called the Black Trident, which was one of a few projects he and I allied on. (Seeing his plans for a military force and control of the Vrijsteden, perhaps it is for the better that the Black Trident fizzled out...) His primary legacy today remains his controversial Corteirist theory, which continues to influence Vrijstedian politics to this day, and his formation of the Corteirist faction in Corigan, which continues to clash with more idealistic statesmen to this day.
Corteir was assassinated in 33 VE while in Xing. The circumstances of his death have long been concealed by his followers, who have feared the consequences of revealing to the Acenotian people that their heroic ideological forefather was less heroic than he presented himself. Out of respect and so as not to appear a slanderer, I have held my tongue on what I learned in seeking his murderer, for it is a tragedy for any political. But I shall finally now reveal the truth to you, for truth will always eventually outcompete lies eventually. His assassin was a native Xingan woman of Murimese descent named Qi Sha; Mairon had executed her husband, who was a descendent of Maecenian settlers, two years earlier as part of his mass killings of Maecenian men to "purify" Xing and lay the ground for his grand plan of creating a superior Coriganese-Murimese hybrid culture. Planning to start this creation of a new race with his own bloodline, he began to collect Xingan concubines, but made the fatal mistake of attempting to take Sha as his third mistress; when he was unguarded, she shot him with a crossbow bolt, tipped with some fast-killing black poison whose origin is unknown, and fled Xing, leaving him to expire on the forest floor.
Upon his ascension to the throne, young Sorath decided the cost of the Xing relocation was not worth it for the grand dreams of his brother, and ended the project. He then purchased the Empire of Rozul in the north of Halinn, becoming the Emperor of both Rozul and Xing. decided that there was little left to do in Corigan with how intertwined it had become with Acenoty Unfortunately, it soon became clear that he had been lied to by the former emperor Adino, who had been facing the prospect of open war against Scaliga for some years; the Scaliga-aligned Halinn League, which Cheesegorod was a member of at the time, pressured Sorath to depart Rozul and allow the former emperor to face justice.
By this point, however, Sorath had grown deeply tired of the struggles of ruling. I think he came to believe that, as an Emperor twice over and a King to boot, he could never top his current achievements, and decided to quit whilst ahead. He abdicated in the summer of 35 VE, handing over the crown to Acenotian burgher Charles Humboldt-Dee, ending the Corteir dynasty.
Following the coronation, I met with Sorath outside the steps of Evermore, that iceberg fortress built by his great-grandfather so many decades past.