Kingdom of Hybretia

As a Kingdom: 241 KOR

### Population

135,000 Serving Hybretians (36,000 Children reaching Military Maturity in 262, 21,000 in 264, and 15,000 in 267)

### Motto

"Mesi pistik neir viknis""Through Loyalty Comes Victory"

## Territory

Hybretian Imperial Borders after the 252 Kygonese Surrender

The **Kingdom of Hybretia** is a state in the Western Reach that succeeded The Order in 233 as a Duchy under Daelin I. After the War of 241 the Duchy was elevated to a Kingdom. Briefly deposed during the Great War, the Kingdom was restored following the Third Battle of New Hybris in 244. Hybretia is considered heavily reactionary and is often viewed as antagonistic to the rest of the Subject States, however has remained a loyal supporter of the Empire.

## Background

The Kingdom of Hybretia is a Quasi-Military government located on the western frontiers of the Empire. Founded from the ancient city of Endiolaudum centuries ago as their military outpost, survivors of The Great Cataclysm formed The Order at The Citadel.

In the centuries since the collapse of Endiolaudum, The Order has gradually progressed from a fanatical military organization to a mercenary state. While the Army is not to be trifled with, the Order's strength came from its Navy.

The Order was one of the final states to fall to the Empire of Kordowyn alongside the Grand Duchy of Kolangrad. In 233 both sides fell to the forces of Arthwr III in The Second Invasion of Kolangrad. Commandant Felrik III fell in battle alongside his eldest sons, Velron and Caelar, leaving his only surviving son to take the throne as Daelin I. With Kordowynian troops entering The Citadel, Daelin switched sides, earning him the title Daelin the Dishonorable by the Kolanski. For his assistance in ending the war, Emperor Arthwr III crowned Daelin the first Duke of Caestor, forming the Duchy of Hybretia.

Despire numerous small outposts and attempts at forming a colony, The Order is unique in not having a city to its name. Under the command of Daelin I, a new Capital, Novohybrilaudum was founded in 239 KOR. Following Hybretian contributions in the War of 241, Emperor Arthwr III declared Hybretia a Kingdom.

## Historical Origins

8 centuries ago, the city of Endiolaudum was the premiere city in the known world. She conducted trade with powers across the Far West and with the pre-cursors of modern nations. Endiolaudum was a shining city of white marble and fine cut stone, ruled by an Autarch and City Council.

Between 640 and 600 BKOR, the Autarch ordered the construction of The Citadel, known as the Caestoreacht. The Citadel served as the seat of the army and navy of Endiolaudum. It is unknown what prompted the moving of the armed forces out of the city and into the bay.

## Early Years

When The Great Cataclysm destroyed Endiolaudum in 562BKOR, the military survived and reformed into The Order. Until 350BKOR, The Order kept few records, and what records kept tended to involve only troop deployments and training. Through oral tradition, it is believed that The Order spend its first two centuries trying to carry on as they had before the cataclysm, as a military force for a civilian city that was now dead.

## Reforms of Cornis I

In 356BKOR, Cornis I was made Commandant of the Order. He immediately set about reforming The Order, having recognized that at its present course The Order would exhaust itself in less than a century. His first act was to order the codification of history and the laws of The Order, as well as to begin proper record keeping. He created the first library in The Citadel soon after.

In 344BKOR, Cornis I restructured the army and established training grounds on Endiolaudika. Soon after, he began using The Order as a mercenary force, growing The Order's infamy as a devastating military state. His reforms were contentious and cause numerous coups from his Generals, but he managed to defeat all of his dissidents and died leading the troops in 314BKOR.

## Civil War and Lenara I

In 314 BKOR after the death of Cornis I, conservative elements of The Order staged a coup and murdered Cornis's only son and his children. Cornis's surviving daughter, Lenara, declared herself Commandantia and organized troops loyal to her father against "The Pretender General" Krynak of Torilae. After drawn out conflict, Lenara finally captured The Citadel in 300BKOR. The first and only female leader of The Order, Lenara opened up military positions to women, claiming that blocking half the population from serving was a waste of bodies and resources. With the Civil War still fresh in the minds of the people, and with a loyal General's Council, this met little opposition.

## Lull

Over the course of the 3rd Century BKOR and into the 2nd Century BKOR The Order operated much as it had over the last few centuries. Her navy continued to outperform the fleets of contemporary states, and whichever side of a war hired The Order won their war. Nothing of note was reformed or updated until the 1st Century BKOR

## Expansion

Under Basilean I, The Order began aggressively establishing outposts and naval stations across the seas to extend the operating range of their fleets, and to combat the problem that had plagued The Order for most of its existence: Overcrowding.

The Citadel is estimated to be capable of comfortably housing 5,000, but in the 1st Century BKOR The Order was operating with at least twice to three times that number out of the Citadel. In 83 BKOR, Basilean I ordered an expedition into the Far West. After five years the convoy never returned as ordered, and The Order became wary of what might lie in the unknown.

The Gorathic Kingdom entered a period of major civil war in 17BKOR, when the Kygonese supported legal heir to the monarchy challenged the military government. By 15, both sides were stuck, until Dullust VI promised a cut of the military's possessions to The Order, which was agreed to. By 14BKOR, the Order seized the Gorathic capitol of Viserothis, and made off with weapons, gold, and some ships.

Emboldened by this victory, that captured gold was invested in a settlement in the south, to be named after a Hybretian martyr of the war, Generalia Tarisia. Taris as it was known started off well, but was abandoned less than 20 years after its foundation in 10KOR.

## Kordynian Arrival

When the Kordynians arrived in the New World, the Order immediately became wary of them. Veltran I was contracted to support the empire in Cynan's Rebellion in 17KOR. Felrik then normalized relations with the Kordynians. After Taris failed again in 44BKOR, The Order went bankrupt, and with the rise of Kolangrad, was forced into a sudo-vassalship, which led to over a century of cries of the loss of autonomy and pride. In 75KOR, the Order was hired to defend the Viserothic Republic.

## Modern Warfare

In 55KOR, The Order led a crusade in the north of the Frozen Steppe against native tribes in that region, the causes for this war remain cloudy, but was a resounding victory for the young king at the time, Felrik II. In 89, the Order waged a war against Ostindien Pirates, which resulted in a major victory, however Kolangrad laid claim to the region before the Order was able to muster occupational forces. When the Viserothic Republic failed to pay their bills, The Order seized their treasury and all valuables before leaving the city, bolstering The Order's fortunes and allowing them to begin to break their hold with Kolangrad, shortly after a war broke out with Kygon that remained equal footed for the better part of the century. A third attempt to resettle Taris was cancelled in 144. The war did however weaken Kygon enough to aide the Kordynians into a sweeping victory.

## Waning years of Independence

After the Kordynian Invasion of Kygon, the Expanse descended into Total Anarchy, giving the Order plenty of high paying clients; Kygonese Warlords. Doing fantastically financially, the Order constructed a massive fleet in preparation of the The First Invasion of Kolangrad, which quickly destroyed the attackes in 223. Felrik III did not adequately monitor Kordynian advances however, and The Second Invasion of Kolangrad destroyed the Order Navy, massacred the Army, and left the government in shambles. The 26 year old third son of Felrik, Daelin, surrendered the government and turned forces against Kolangrad after accepting Kordynian over lordship.

## Duchy and Kingdom

Following the reformation of the Order into a Duchy, the General's Council became increasingly alarmed as their power began to wane. In 235, after Daelin ordered the construction of a new Capitol to begin within the year, a coup occurred, however the Monarchy was able to quickly suppress the action and the Generals responsible disappeared.

In 238, Novohybrilaudum began to be constructed on the western side of Endiolaudika, progress continued quickly over the next two years. In late 240, the Duchy declared support of the Kingdom of Garman in the Garmanese Secession Crisis, leading to the War of 241.

The war proceeded well at the start, with the Duke personally leading forces against the Varisian army, until they became stuck in the steppe. After a tactical blunder by the Varisians, the lines broke and the Hybro-Kygonese army swept further south. In the First and Second Battle of Maereynde, Daelin became seriously injured when he was knocked from his horse and almost killed. When the war ended following the Burning of Varsais, the Duchy was made a Kingdom as a thank you from the Empire.

## Piracy & War

The Fire of New Hybris devastated a third of the city in March 242, and to worsen matters, a string of pirate raids began shortly after. The resulting Inter-Coastal War against Iksis formed a coalition of states which successfully burnt down the enemy capital, but inadvertently caused the Great War.

Endiolaudika was the first major area to be attacked in the war, and the Gretian Navy quickly captured the city in the Battle of New Hybris. Fleeing the city with only half his forces, Daelin I moved to reinforce Kygon, but did not arrive before the Battle of Haven started and finished the War in Kygon. From there, he moved to defend Fearna in the Kingdom of Garman.

A puppet state was set up under the rule of Daelin's thought-dead brother Caelar VII, but after much time, Caelar's wife surfaced and revealed the man was a look-a-like and not the true Caelar. This led to a series of violent uprisings before most of the Hybretians remaining in Endiolaudika defected back to the Kingdom, accepted begrudgingly by the King.

The Hybretians eventually mobilized the entirety of their forces with the Kygonese armies they had control of, and joined with the Templari'i in the December Offensive, weakening the enemy. New Hybris was eventually recaptured in the Third Battle of New Hybris after the HMIV *Empress Elizabeth* was destroyed in an act of sabotage, and the Gretian Navy withdrew due to hunger, fatigue, and lack of supplies.

## A Nation Divided

Following the war, the Kingdom was split down the middle with those who followed the King out of the country in the Battle of New Hybris and those who remained under Caelar VII. Daelin signed the Reconstruction Decrees which aimed to punish those who expressly sought to betray the nation. The Decrees were controversial for a time, but a brutal crackdown on reasserting military order and the aggressive rounding up of traitors discouraged any widespread grumblings.

Daelin I left the country temporarily to attend the Congress of Dirirabwyn and left General Kalkhas behind as Regent, as his sister, Princess Mila, was busy being Empress Regent in Kordowyn for her husband. He returned with a large settlement and insurance that the Kingdom could keep their captured spoils, which brought much fanfare.

Shortly after his return, an expansion of the Navy was ordered, as research into a new Ironhulk class began. A new flagship, the HWS Arthurous, named for the deceased Emperor Arthwr III was re-launched with improved armaments. In a surprise move, the King declared that the Kingdom would pursue the Gorathic War which launched in mid November, after earlier expeditions into the area under Vina Korza's command.

With victory assured by May the following year, a Gorathic Republic was declared under Korza's direct command, subject to Daelin's oversight. In the subsequent few years, the city of New Viserothis was constructed, and the Naval Reconstruction furthered the Nation's influence. Agreements with Kygon lead the Hybretian Navy patrolling most of Kygon's waters. Despite this, Hybretia remains diplomatically isolated, with pent up anger and hotheadedness from the government doing little to solve the issue.

Western States: **Kingdom of Hybretia**, Grand Duchy of Kolangrad, Cigaltria
Northern Reach: Neo-Kygonese Empire, Drekheim, Inaria
Southern States: Second Kingdom of Varsais
Other: Templari'i Republic, Prince-Bishopric of Saint Laurent
Old World: Gretian-Sidonian Empire, Lirrachan Republic, Empire of Tyris
Defunct: Empire of Kygon, Kingdom of Varsais, Republic of Kygon, Gorathic Kingdom, First Kingdom of Kordowyn, Adonia, Endiolaudum