Northern Triumvirate

> "*In a world of unforgiving plains, ruthless monsters and beasts and powers well beyond mortal comprehension, let this alliance be one of defence and peace. Striving for the protection of its citizens, this alliance stands as a bulwark against the forces of evil that mar this world, a wall against the flood of injustice. We shall stand now forever more as the Northern Triumvirate!*"
> ― Princeps Lara Castus
>
>

## Northern Triumvirate

### Head of State/s

Princeps Korvus CastusHigh King William Daraxios

Imperator Baeorth Alfrell

### Other major cities

Terrar AlfrellAstrogar

The **Northern Triumvirate** is an alliance of three factions in the northern area of Teriam. These three factions are the humans of the **Caelish Princepality**, Dwarves of the **Alfrellian Imperium** and the dragonborns of the **Kingdom of Astrovius**. This alliance is held by honor, bravery and loyalty. Each nation has come to each other's aid in the past and will continue to do so.

This alliance was once known as the Alfrell-Caelum League, before the Dragonborns of Astrogar were incorporated into the alliance. This original alliance was founded in 152 AFT when the Caelish aided the Alfrellians in driving off a massive goblin incursion. This alliance was succeeded in 193 AFT when Gald Alfrell and the Caelish came to the aid of the Dragonborns and defeated the Storm Lords in a swift but brutal war. After this war, the dragonborns were welcomed into the league. This new addition resulted in the league being reorganised into the Northern Triumvirate.

## **Major Members**

### **Major Partners**

**The Caelish Princepality of Caelion**

* One of the founding members of the original Alfrell-Caelum League and is one of the three principal members of the Triumvirate.
* Is led by a Princeps and is currently led by Princeps Korvus Castus I.
* The capital is the city of Caelum located in the northeastern part of Teriam.

**The Dragonborn Kingdom of Astrogar**

* One of the principal members of the Triumvirate and were added to the Alfrell-Caelum League following the end of the Storm War in 192 AFT.
* Is led by a High King and is currently led by High King William Daraxios.
* The capital is the city of Astrovius located in the central area of the island of Astrogar.

**The Dwarven Imperium of Gald Alfrell**

* One of the founding members of the original Alfrell-Caelum League and is one of the the three principal members of the Triumvirate.
* Is led by an Imperator and is currently led by Imperator Baeorth Alfrell.
* The capital is Terrar Alfrell located in the central underground of Teriam.

## **Organisation**

The Triumvirate is an alliance of mutual trade and defence. The three nations stand as equals to each other and freely trade in many matters such as food, coin and technology. Currently Caelum is the headquarters for the Triumvirate and was also the headquarters for the Caelum-Alfrell League. Each city in each nation has an embassy for the other's allies i.e Caelum has embassies for the Alfrellians and Astrovians. Although each nation governs itself with its own government, the Triumvirate is governed by all three nations in the form of a High Council. This High Council is headed by three leaders who are known as Triumvirs. Triumvirs are not necessarily restricted to only the main leaders of each nation (Princeps, Imperator and High King ) but historically, the past four generations of Triumvirs have been the ruling leaders of each nation.

### **Population**

Currently the Triumvirate has over two million souls overall in its combined territories and can call upon a standing unified army which consists of over a dozen races such as humans, dragonborns, dwarves, goliaths, elves, and wyverns.

### **Military**

The Triumvirate currently has a standing army that is funded by each nation. The responsibility of recruitment is divided between each nation. A Triumvirate army is known as a Triari and consists of twenty thousand soldiers.

Each soldier is armed by the Triumvirate and trained by the Triumvirate. They are armed accordingly to their citizenship but each wear a surcoat of a trio of swords, the symbol of the Triumvirate.

## **Background**

### **The Alfrell-Caelum League - 152 AFT**

In the early years of the first century of the Third Age, the Caelish and Alfrellians had a friendly trading relationship. The Dwarves and Humans often exchanged goods and services and generally got along well. However this relationship would never transition into true partnership until the Eastern Imperium was assaulted by a massive goblin blight. The Dwarves had the home field advantage but with so much territory being attacked at the same time, the Dwarves could not respond to every attack and so many colonies in the underground of Teriam were razed and raided by the goblins with impunity.

Thousands were killed in the first six months of the Blight. For every piece of territory retaken, two more would find themselves under attack. In the first year of the Blight, there were nearly ten thousand dead with a quarter of the eastern Imperium defeated. Throughout this first year, the Caelish lent many supplies in the form of munitions and food. Yet the Caelish would not lend soldiers to aid in the defence. The Blight continued for another year and by then, half of the Eastern Imperium had fallen. The other half was barely standing. If this half fell, the war would continue on the Western Imperium, where the defences were not as strong. Finally, the Caelish were persuaded to finally enter the war. Together, the Caelish apologised for their reluctance and sent twenty thousand soldiers. These twenty thousand, alongside the entire military force of the Western Imperium, which numbered thirty thousand, took back the Eastern Imperium and expelled the goblins with such ferocity, that the goblins would not return for decades.

With the war over, the Dwarves thanked their new military ally and together, the two nations forged an alliance that would act as a precursor to the Northern Triumvirate. This alliance was called the Alfrell-Caelum League.

## **Establishment of the Northern Triumvirate - 182 AFT to 192 AFT.**

In 182 AFT, the settlements of Astrogar were suddenly assailed by seemingly unstoppable beings. These brazen acts caused the Astrovians to declare war upon the culprits. These culprits were a mighty Storm Giants ordning. This group called themselves the **Storm Lords** (ordning is the social structure all giants adhere to). These storm giants were above 25 ft on average, wielding massive spiked clubs and wore thick iron chest plates. They were intelligent and though there were only about 50 giants, they also had a number of ratmen clans they had threatened into fighting for them. Most Giants were very hard to kill but the Storm Lords in particular were in particular, tough to put down. During the entire war, Astrogar’s armed forces managed to kill around 27 giants out of the fifty, each giant causing large amounts of casualties before finally dying. The losses caused the Dragonborns to adopt a hit and run doctrine of war rather than directly engaging the Giants on the field. The Alfrell-Caelish League offered on multiple occasions, to give aid in the form of munitions and manpower but Astrogar refused, its people too proud to accept the aid from humans and dwarves. Astrogar would have fallen had it not been for the Fire Drakes intervention. The Fire Drakes, along with the rest of their Draconic kin, held a fierce hatred for giants and so formed a partnership with the Dragonborns to wipe out the Storm Lords. This war with the giants and Astrogar had lasted ten years, a stalemate as Astrogar could not defeat the giants in the field while the Giants could not bring down the walls of the Cities of Astrogar, not with the fleets of drakes guarding them. Any attempt to actually face them in open battle ended in a one sided massacre for the Dragonborn. So the Dragonborns hid behind their walls. However they could not hold out for much longer. Finally, in the tenth year of the war, the Giants strong armed even more ratmen clans into fighting for them and amassed a truly massive army of 100 000 to besiege Astrogar. With the overwhelming odds facing them, the Dragonborns finally swallowed their pride and called for aid.

The Caelish and Alfrellians would have prefered to avoid war with the storm giants, a result of not just fear of facing the giants in battle but also bitterness at being spurned by the Dragonborns great pride. When a delegation from the Dragonborns came, humble and desperate, Caelum and Ithil were reluctant to aid the arrogant Draconic Dukes. However, upon hearing that it wasn’t just Giants that Astrogar faced but an ocean of ratmen and that if the Astrovians fell, Teriam would be next, the Caelish finally mustered their armies, Gald Alfrell following suit. Led by the Princeps Lara Castus, 30 000 League soldiers marched into Astrogar and relieved the beleaguered defenders. In the ensuing battle (now known as the Battle of the Fire Plains), the alliance of humans, Dwarfs and Dragonborns pushed the Storm Giants back to the mountains of Hagard. The Storm Giants were wiped out with no mercy shown. The Ratmen would have been slaughtered as well but were spared when they explained that the Giants would have killed them too if they didn't comply. The Dragonborns thanked the Caelish and Alfrellians and agreed to join their alliance. Thus the Great Human, Dwarf and Dragonborn alliance was born, an alliance that still stands to this day. This alliance is known today as the Northern Triumvirate.

## **The Caelish-Ithilian War** **- 301 AFT to 306 AFT**

### **Prelude - 300 AFT**

Prior to the war, the Northern Triumvirate had experienced relative peace. The goblins had been repelled by the Triumvirate in 284 AFT, so the underground of Teriam was still recovering from the massive invasion. The surface of Teriam had yet to experience a massive full war while Astrogar had long since recovered from the Storm Giants wrath in 190 AFT. Largely, Teriam was peaceful, with the Northern Triumvirate watching vigilantly. This would change with the Great Expedition of 300 AFT.

### **The Great Expedition - 300 AFT**

At the beginning of the year 300 AFT, Princeps Caem proposed to the Concilio, an expedition into the southern parts that extend past the borders of the Princepality. The Princepality had explored the underground of Northern Teriam and the island of Astrogar but had yet to explore the mysterious jungles south and beyond. Caem's proposal was simple: let a team of cartographers, guarded by Arc Rangers, explore the southern areas of Teriam. The proposal was met with no opposition and so in early January, a team of cartographers travelled well past the borders of the Princepality and made their way to the southern jungles of Ferox. It would be months until news of the team arrived. It was during the Festival of the Rhovorn, that the news arrived. It was dire and grim. The team encountered a hostile civilisation, the Orks of Ithil. The Orks issued a challenge. War was coming for the Caelish. The Caelish were given no choice but to prepare for war.

The Caelish requested aid from their allies with the Dragonborns sending hundreds of soldiers to help garrison the military outposts positioned in the border territories. The Dwarves however could not afford to send soldiers immediately as they were still recovering from the devastation of the most recent Goblin Incursion. Instead, they sent sent their surplus of artillery and munitions, with promises of soldiers being mustered within the next two years.

### **The War - 301 AFT to 306 AFT**

The alliance between the three nations stayed strong throughout the war. The Dragonborns sent a total of 8000 warriors to defend the Princepality, alongside a fleet of 20 fire drakes. The Dwarves were able to muster 5000 warriors in total but their main contribution was the countless ammunition and artillery they sent to the Caelish. The Dwarves sent half of their surplus (around 100 cannons and 1000 firearms) and also built an additional 50 cannons for the Caelish, with a huge amount of ammunition for the weaponry. About 30% of the ammunition used in the war was crafted by the Imperium.

The Dwarves mainly provided the supplies while the Caelish and Astrovians mainly provided the soldiers. Eventually however, the Dwarves had managed to muster an army which could be sent to the Caelish. This army of 5000 formed one half of Secundus Lariel's army which consists of 4000 Caelish, 1000 Dragonborns and 10 fire drakes. This army were able to not only expel the orks from the gate of the Inner Territories (Castle Asurial) but retake the entirety of the Outer Territories, which at that point had essentially belonged to the Orks, with Castle Asurial, and Aeritium both under siege and Castle Caelos itself long since razed. By the time of 306 AFT, the combined alliance army had retaken both the Inner and Outer Territories and was chasing the remaining 2000 Orks to Ithil, where the war ended there with the Honour Duel between Korvus Castus and M'roth Calamatos, with Korvus' victory ending the war.

With the end of the war, the Caelish thanked their allies, mourned their losses and began the healing process to mend the damage wrought by the Orks during the war.