Empire of Aridia

The Aridian make up the largest group in the Pyrian desert, consisting of mostly drows. They are a proud people, who’s history has been drenched in perpetual war and conquest ever since their founding.

### Population

Drow majority; with prominent minorities of Kylvens, Feyans, etc.

## **History**

Following the collapse of the Pyros civilization, the elves of Northern Latteras remained in constant chaos and confusion. What was once a unified elven people now consisted of scattered tribes and primitive civilizations, all vying for the slim resources provided. While the lesser groups would die off, two distinct elven peoples would form out of this chaos into the present day; the Silvic in the East, and the Aridians in the northewestern peninsula. And while the Silvic would grow into a prospering kingdom through their use of knowledge and the arcane, the Aridian would gain their kingdom through brutality.

At the beginning, the Aridian were little more than a gathering of small nomadic tribes seeking to escape the chaos of more populated regions, scavenging for food and water wherever possible. However, as the years drew on, their knowledge of the desert grew to surpass any other, able to cross the inhospitable expanse of sand with surprising ease, even learning how to grow arid crops. This newfound mastery of their environment allowed them to swiftly conquer rival Pyrian tribes, usually being annexed into their small but growing state. Soon, the Aridian had formed into a proper nation, with the capital of Aridam now standing as the nation’s crown jewel.

The Aridian were seldom done in their conquest however, and as they consolidated their resources, their sights now turned to the rest of the continent. As they began invasions into the East and South, the Tescan civilization of the tundra would ally with the Aridian, allowing them to completely annihilate the Electi from the grasslands.

Seemingly from nowhere, the Aridian began to encounter a rampaging force from the north. These were not elves, they were humans, and ones seeking conquest just as the Aridian did. The “Lattish” as the called themselves did little to negotiate with the Aridian as they began their push west. Mercilessly the Lattish carved through the Plains, forcing the Aridian back further towards the outer reaches of the Plains. The Silvic while not in the path of the warring Lattish did attempt to aid the Aridian, but were forced into defending their own homeland, leaving the Aridian to their fate. Eventually the Aridian were forced back into the desert, where they remain to this day.

In the present day, the Aridian seek to rebuild their empire once more. Two civil wars have greatly delayed this goal, but despite this the people still wish for the day when they can crush the foreign humans for the suffering that they have caused. Thanks to millenia of life in the desert, the Aridian are able to cultivate arid crops with ease, as well as fish and mine for rare minerals just beneath the sands. Their ancient capital of Aridam, while lackluster compared to its past, sits as the primary trade hub within the Desert, and as a constant reminder of the Aridian’s resolve against all odds.

The Aridian focus all they can on ensuring the survival of their people. Any job or position is treated with respect regardless of how meaningful it is, and each citizen sees one another almost as family. They are extremely resentful of outsiders due to how greatly they have suffered at the hands of humans, but they will still show some respect towards their fellow elven brethren.

## **Economy**

There is no trading with the enemies of the Aridians. To earn their ire, their scorn; is to achieve a grudge that bears even the surprise of a Khollik Dwarf. Nothing more echoes this than the economy itself, which favors not only self-reliance but abundance. For Aridia, there is war. When there is not, there is preparation. Stockpiles must be built up, supplies gathered, and weapons forged. All material that matters is to be put forward, readied for the next conflict, and ensure that the damages gained are repaired. It is helped by the gifts and the nurturing land of the Desert, in which great bounds of Izthmara steel can be discovered without issue, and of ancient Arionyx, rumored to protect against all but the most deadly of blows.

Its great farms are aided by intricate meshes of irrigation, which blows upon the barren surface with water and soil, to ensure that the harvests that forever preserve Aridia's people are bountiful. However, for those who wish to trade with the Drows of the Desert, there are silks and enticement; riches like spice and salt. The journey is arduous, and the reputation of those who bear nothing but disdain for outsiders certainly can dissuade all but the most desperate or bold, yet some will say the payoff is superb. There shall always be a flow of income for Aridam, and that income shall ever be made to prepare for whatever conflict may come upon His nation in the present or the future.

## **Military**

To the glory of Aridam in its rich sands and its lucrative exports, none serve as the nation's pride more than the Military. To the Aridians, the Military is the highest honor, a class of soldiers in a time of feudalism- where men destined to be nothing more than farmhands can rise to bear great armies and lay ruin to the foes of Aridia itself. Its forces are pinpoint, comprised of a ruthless training regime that favors ability over numerical advantages. The Nixmen people may rely on numbers to finish the job, or Lattish dependencies on combinations of armor and men, but the Aridian Military serves as the end of the spectrum. It is superior armor that they clad their men in, of reliant lamellar and scale that breaks against the never-ending tide of the foes who which to see the light of the Pyrosi forever extinguished. For multiple wars have been waged by the men of the Military, against all other kingdoms to one's own kin they have fought- forever gaining more experience and veterancy as a force that can be reckoned with, even when it is at its weakest. Although once the Aridian Military marched in legions, the times have changed. Reforms are constant, and the new Aridian Military now begins once again to shift into that of a stance to attain a modern edge in which they may fight their foes once more.

## **Government**

Aridia is currently ruled by Heraclius aep Arius, the Atrioch and Emperor of Aridia. Two civil wars in recent history has reduced the council to passing legislature and commandeering part of the military . Regarding the monarchy, the Aridian royal family is said to be as old as Aridia itself, with their lineage tracing back to the elders of the original unified tribes. Aridam is an absolute monarchy, meaning the sovereign's power is also absolute.

## **Society**

For as long as Drowkind has treaded the dunes of Pyrosi, so have they felt the war with it. It has bred a society that sees nothing more than the importance of seeing the next day. Every rise of the sun is a procession of new situations; to conquer and push forward despite every odd that seems to be so stacked against them. To the Aridian Society, there is nothing more than the glory of serving Aridia itself. Many families bear the honor of a warrior's history, with many family members serving as soldiers in the Army; and other stations that push Aridia forward. Wherein other kingdoms shall venerate the family structure and use it as a building block, the Aridian people forgo it with only the highest loyalty to the banner of Aridam. To the Aridians, there is no higher honor than diligent service within Aridia; there is no room for failure within the Children of Pyros's duty. But that does not mean that Aridia yields only to the military. From farmers to bread bakers, smiths to poets are considered crucial to Aridian society's thrust into the next century.  But there is only one thing that is unanimous among the Aridian community- that despite every wound they shall take, they shall rend ten more on their foes. Aridia has held for one thousand years, and the Drow of the desert will never yield to outside invaders.