The Federation of Ordo

The Federation of Ordo is one of the three major factions located on the continent of Draivros.

## **History**

#### **Era of the Royallian Kingdoms**

Before the Curse of the Beacon split apart the land, several Royallian Kingdoms existed on Draivros, ruling the continent between themselves. Most of these kingdoms were located in modern-day Ordo, and wereb once mighty powers who saw their names spread far and wide across not just Draivros but other lands, though their decline would start with the advent of the First Demonic Invasion in 250 BCE.

#### **First Demonic Invasion**

In 250 BCE, the First Demonic Invasion would begin as several gates to the Demon Realm opened upon Draivros and many of the surrounding continents. Ravaging much of the land and corrupting it for their use, modern-day scholars believe at least a quarter of ancient Draivros was held by these invaders before the Alliance of Ordo, a coalition formed by the surviving Royallian Kingdoms, fought back in unity against the Demons and drove them back into their realms.

While the invasion itself did effectively end on Ordo, the rest of Draivros and many of the lands surrounding it were still plagued, and thus the Alliance of Ordo sent many of its military might to assist in ending the invasion wherever they could find reports of Demons invading and corrupting the land.

Though the First Demonic Invasion ended in the victory of the Alliance of Ordo and its allies, the Royallian Kingdoms making up the bulk of the Alliance began bickering once the Demons no longer threatened the mortal realm, causing the Alliance to fall apart. Many Kingdoms who had been relying on the Alliance for support suffered from its collapse, as instability and warfare wrecked the land, this time by mortal hands.

#### **Curse of the Beacon**

By 100 BCE, the Royallian Kingdoms had suffered in a decline of their technology, power, population, economies, and much more from fighting one another, thus preventing them from effectively taking action against the Beacon when it first arrived. As a result, when the Curse of the Beacon struck and broke Draivros into 4 main pieces and sinking much of it, the Royallian Kingdoms too shattered apart as many of the ruling dynasties died during the event.

#### **Second Demonic Invasion**

The few Royallian Kingdoms that did survive the collapse did not survive the Second Demonic Invasion, as the Demon Gates opened once more, pouring out the otherworldly invaders to once again terrorize Draivros. Though smaller than the First Demonic Invasion, there was little the ill-equipped and already broken Kingdoms could do as their subjects were slaughtered and cities were completely razed to the ground. Many refugees escaped wherever they could, with many escaping to the northern frontier where many barbarian tribes lived, and many escaping east, towards Eastern Ordo, where there laid fewer demon gates.

However, all was not lost, as in 97 BCE, a former Royallian officer by the name of Versatio would arise and rally the survivors of Eastern Ordo under his banner, leading them against the Demonic forces that were ravaging Draivros. Having successfully destroyed many of the Demon Gates within Eastern Ordo, Versatio would lead his armies to Western Ordo, relieving the dwindling forces of the Seventh Prince at modern-day Onradius. Though the Invasion had already been going on for 2 years, many towns within western Ordo had managed to successfully withstand the Demonic sieges of their settlements, such as Bari, one of the most influential cities within the Federation of Ordo today.

Just as with Eastern Ordo, Versatio and his forces would march throughout Western Ordo, targeting and destroying many of the Demon Gates. By 96 BCE, Western Ordo was finally freed and the Invasion declared over with the victory at the Battle of the Snowy Gate at modern-day Rorus Gate.

#### **Aftermath of the Second Demonic Invasion**

Following the Second Demonic Invasion, many of the remaining Royallian cities offered kingship to Versatio, many out of respect and many more out of fear, due to Versatio's forces being the greatest military in Draivros at that point. The offer was refused, much to the relief of many of the citystates, as Versatio disbanded his forces and went back east to his hometown, eventually going north with his followers into the Dark Forest and establishing the Dominion of Storia.

#### **Citystates of Ordo**

For the next 2 decades, the settlements of Ordo would recover from the devastation, forming into citystates more interested in their own goals than helping out their neighboring citystates. This would change by 76 BCE with the conquest of Pechae by the Kingdom of Novrus. This act would terrify most of Ordo, with many fearing the sovereignty of their cities, especially as they had grown use to the idea of not being ruled by a monarchy for the last few decades.

#### **Founding the Federation**

By 75 BCE, talks had begun between the one squabbling citystates on the formation of a defensive alliance, similar to that of the Alliance of Ordo, meant to prevent the conquest of the entirety of Ordo under the rule of the Novrus King, Hord the Conqueror. These talks would eventually result in a semi-unified Federation, ruled loosely by the Patriarchs of their respective cities, as many saw the Federation as merely a means to defending Ordo from the current Novrite threat.

This idea of the Federation would be tested with the Battle of Marchae in 73 BCE, where the forces of Hord the Conqueror met against the united forces of the Federation. Here, the Novrite forces were pushed back and routed, securing victory and with it, the legitimacy of the Federation of Ordo as the nation for people of Ordo.

In 72 BCE, the Federation's fear of Hord's continued attempts at conquest of the Ord lands was unrealized with his death, with which his crown was passed down to his son, Mord Karling. Mord, more interested in stabilizing his realm rather than attempting to continue his father's conquests, would sign a peace treaty with the fledgling Federation, which also saw the return of Pechae into becoming yet again an independent Ord city, and a truce between the Kingdom of Novrus and the Member-citystates of the Federation of Ordo for at least 10 years

#### **The First Federation**

The Federation of Ordo, having been form out of a necessary need to defend Ord interests against their northern Novrite cousins, would soon collapse as its members began fighting one another out of self-interest, especially with many of the Ord patriarchs seeing the decade-long truce between their city and the Kingdom of Novrus as ample time to conquer the entirety of Ordo for themselves and thus establish their own rivaling state.

Two of these citystates, Marchae and Bari, were the most successful in the conquest of much of Ordo, splitting much of the lands between themselves. This would eventually result in several skirmishes between the two citystates that eventually culminated into the War of the Wagon, forcing Ord citystates to either pick a side within the Federation or declare the neutrality in the ordeal. This resulted in the disbandment of the First Federation of Ordo.

#### **Second Novrite Invasion**

By 60 BCE, Mord Karling had died, killed in the middle of a rebellion by the nobility opposed to his reforms to the Kingdoms. Civil war would ensure a relative state of peace for the Citystates of Ordo until 53 BCE, when Gunnar the Red was crowned king of Novrus. An ambitious king, Gunnar Karling believed that he was destined to rule the entirety of Draivros as was his birthright by being a descendant of the famous Versatio, and thus declared a second invasion campaign against the Citystates of Ordo in 52 BCE. At this point and time, Bari and Marchae had declared a ceasefire over their wars, neither being strong enough to forcefully subjugate the other. As a result of the Ord division, Pechae was quickly retaken by Novrite, and many of the lands of Ordo were quickly overrun, barring the exception of Eastern Ordo, where the lands were protected by the South River's strong flow preventing the mighty Novrite army from crossing over easily.

#### **The Second Federation**

By 47 BCE, the situation for the Ord citystates had deteriorated, as the Novrite armies had laid siege to the grand cities of Marchae and Bari for over 3 years now. While both still commanded their mighty navies, which allowed for both cities to easily resupply one another over the waterways, the situation would not improve unless the Novrite forces were once again routed.

Talks would soon begin between the two cities, where agreements were made that a new Federation would be founded in Bari, while Marchae would receive monetary aid for a century in exchange for agreeing to having Bari host the Second Federation's government. Their forces combined, Federalists forces in Eastern Ord began marching west to relieve the sieges and restore the Ord lands back to their control. Reinforced with Bari Runemasters and Marchae Engineers, the combined Federation force successfully broke the Novrite army at the Battle of Mirral's Plains, near the ruins of Mirral's Wall. With it, the Novrite stranglehold over Western Ordo was vanquished. Gunnar the Red would host another 2 campaigns against the combined Ord forces, but eventually agree to a peace treaty following the death of his son and the Crown Prince of Novrus, Hord Karling Junior, in the battle of Pechae Bridge.

While the restoration of Pechae into an independent Ord city was one of the Federation goals, they consented to allowing Novrite control of the city in exchange for Novrite monetary reparations and the stoppage of Novrite piracy on Ord merchant ships. Gunnar would never again threaten the Citystates of Ordo after this, having had his will broken with the death of his only male heir.

#### **Current Day**

Today, the Federation of Ordo stands strong and united, with many new technological wonders and many old forgotten discoveries coming every year from the Federation. As it stands now, the Federation is in the midst of a golden age, with little to stand in the way of that. However, underneath the peaceful lull of everyday life, Federation politicians bicker and fight for control of the Senate, in hopes of benefiting themselves and their patrons....

## **Government**

The Federation of Ordo is less a state and more a set of squabbling city-states that have banded together to defend their common interest against the Kingdom of Novrus. When the Federation isn't fighting against an outside force, the city-states that are part of the Federation can often be found fighting one another, usually in the court of law rather than the battlefield. However, it isn't rare to see a small-scale war between two rival city-states, such as the War of the Wagon in which a stolen Wagon quickly escalated into a war between the two most influential city states of the Federation, Bari and Marchae.

Within Bari, which was agreed upon by vast majority in the Federation's early years to be the capital of all of Ordo, senators and representatives from the various Ordo city-states meet one another in order to discuss matters of importance.

## **Leaders**

The Federation of Ordo has no clear leader, as it has no clear central Government. However, two clear political factions have emerged, led by two figures.

Gaius Iulus de Marchae - Leader of the Trades Guild Party, his party represents the merchants and craftsmen of Ordo. Their overall goal is to establish better relations with the other states, in order to have better trade deals that would prosper Ordo.

Divi Filius de Bari - Leader of the Restoration Party, his party represents the old families and the warhawks of Ordo. Their overall goal is to restore Ordo to the height of its glory during the Royallian era, and to see the return of Pechae back to Ord hands.

## **Military**

The city states of the Federation are guarded by master Runekeepers and Engineers; a clash of ancient runes and new technologies that ensure that no matter what, Ordo will remain free of outside influence. However, it is also not rare to see Adventurers and levied Citizens within Ordo's army when the city-states mobilize for war.

## **Important Settlements**

* Bari - An old city rife with corruption and pride. The central seat of power in Ordo.
* Marchae - A large military and farming settlement. Often contends with the city-state of Bari for influence over the Federation.
* Onradius - A small farming town. It is the twin town of the town of Onra.
* Onra - A small military town. It is the twin town of the town o Onradius.
* Navire - A Barian colony village established to create a port for Bari.
* Mirral's Wall - A former Royallian ruin. The ruins have been occupied and rebuilt by Ordo settlers and adventurers.

## **Geography**

   The Federation is located in the south of Draivros, controlling enough territory to rival the Kingdom of Novrus in size. Full of vast plains and ancient ruins of once-great kingdoms, many of Ordo's land is incredibly fertile, but unclaimed due to the vast depopulation caused by the various apocalyptic disasters cursing the land within the last century.