Pyrrhian Imperium

## Map

In black, the current holdings of the Pyrrhian Imperium. In red the future planned claims of the Pyrrhian Imperium

## Government

### Government

Semi-elective, functionally absolute monarchy

## Summary

The **Pyrrhian Imperium** (Pyrrhian: *Imperium Pyrrhium)*, more commonly referred to as *Pyrrhia* is the post-Exodus period state of the Pyrrhian people. The Imperium was founded with the accession of Melevor Magnus to Imperator and the Imperium has continued to expand, with Greater Pyrrhia as metropole of the provinces and the city of Holy Pyrrhus as sole capital.

The official state religion of the Imperium is Solaris, which is a monotheistic religion which worships the God Sol Invictus, who in legend was the deity who appeared before Melevor Magnus as the Pyrrhian fleet approached Theia for the first time and told them that they will conquer this land in his name only.

The Imperium is effectively an absolute monarchy, with the Imperator having absolute power over the government, army, citizenry and judiciary. However, there are two legislative houses which have the power to propose and vote on laws with final approval of the Imperator. The first and most important of these houses is the Senate of the Imperium, which is comprised of Patricians, the most important and influential citizens of the Imperium, and who are directly appointed by the Imperator. The Senate is also comprised of the Governors of the different Provinces of the Imperium, who are appointed by the Imperator and given seats in the Senate for life, or until they are replaced as Governor. The second and lesser house is the Plebeian council, which is comprised of Plebeians and Equestrians, wealthy businessmen and popular citizens who are directly elected by citizens of the Imperium. Each town gets 1 Councillor per 5 town members, towns with less than 5 town members still get at least one Councillor.

The head of the government is the Consul of the Imperium, who also chairs the Senate. The Consul attends to the day-to-day running of the Imperium's Government alongside the Imperial Council which is comprised of the Supreme General of the Legion, the Imperial Ambassador and the Consul himself. The chair of the Plebeian Council is the Tribune of the Plebs, who is directly elected by simple majority by the Plebeian Council itself.

## History

### The Exodus of the Pyrrhians

The Pyrrhian people are not native to the continents of Theia, and come from the lands directly to the South of Theia. These lands are not referred to directly by a name, but simply by "the ancestral homeland". The reasons for the "great exodus" are clear, but the exact details and names of certain aspects are lost to history.

From what historians can gather it appears as if the Pyrrhian were involved in a coalition called "the old alliance", and went to war against "the ancient foe". This war did not end for the alliance, leaving many dead including the son of Melevor, who was the King of the Pyrrhians at the time. Following this, the remaining citizens and soldiers burnt the original city of Pyrrhus to the ground, not leaving a single belonging for the ancient foe to use. Embarking on wooden ships, the Pyrrhians then left their ancestral homeland, heading north and eventually discovering the continents of Theia.

### The Arrival of the Pyrrhians in the Marble Bay

Weeks after embarking from their ancient homeland, the Pyrrhians were on the precipice of discovering new land, previously unknown to them. The foremost ship of the Pyrrhian fleet was the "Domitus", the personal flagship of Melevor.

Legend states that Melevor stood on the bow of the ship looking out and attempting to be the first one to spot land when suddenly the sun blinded Melevor for a moment and an apparition appeared from it, his features un-distinguishable due to the fact that the figure was appearing directly in front of the sun. This divine figure did not state his name, nor his intention, bringing Melevor to his knees and booming the words throughout his head: "This land, thou shalt conquer in my name".

As the figure disappeared, the fog which was before the Pyrrhian fleet began to lift, and in the horizon land could be spotted. Approaching the land closer, the Pyrrhian fleet entered a bay underneath an arch of stone and dirt, and disembarked on within the bay itself. Upon disembarking within the bay and beginning to encamp along the shoreline the settlers decided to name the bay the "Marble Bay" due to it's abundant natural resources including marble, which would later be used to construct the city of Holy Pyrrhus.

### The Establishment of Holy Pyrrhus and the Declaration of Imperium

After loading all of their materials and belongings off the ships which ferried them to Theia, the Pyrrhians then stripped almost all of the boats for their wood to construct temporary houses. On the arch which is the entrance to the bay the Pyrrhians created a large campfire where Melevor summoned a moot, a traditional assembly of the most important citizens of the Pyrrhian people, in which they would decide their plans going forward.

At the moot various government structures were proposed, but it was finally decided that Melevor should be honoured in the ancient tradition of the Pyrrhian people by being declared Imperator. This title, originally was one of the military - meaning commander - but had grown into much more and could be translated into Common Theian as "Emperor". The Pyrrhian Kingdom was officially destroyed and The Pyrrhian Imperium has taken it's place. Melevor was honoured by his people by given the epithet "the Great", translated into Pyrrhian as "Magnus", and henceforth was named Melevor Magnus.

With this, a Senate and a Council of the Plebeians (commoners) has been established. The capital of the Pyrrhian Imperium is to be the first settlement of the colonisers, Pyrrhus, or as it is now being referred to "Holy Pyrrhus", in honour of the diety which bestowed upon Melevor Magnus the right and knowledge to settle these lands.

On order of Imperator Melevor Magnus scouts were sent out in all directions from the Marble Bay, discovering natives of the land they now knew was called "Theia", and discovering that they are the first true nation state to arise on the continents. In a famous speech on the site where the Forum Pyrrhium was to be constructed at a later date Melevor Magnus promised his people peace, stability, and domination over the lands promised to them by their God, Sol Invictus.

#### The Creation of the Colony of Melita

Following the command of the Imperator, a scout group including the Patrician Goldoguy and the Equestrian PreferredAxe had stumbled across an uninhabited island to the north-east of Holy Pyrrhus. Reporting back to the Imperator in Pyrrhus, permission was given to Goldoguy to establish a colony there under the name of Melevor. After a group of settlers arrived to the island houses were constructed on a hill overlooking a beach would be named "Golden Beach", the spot where the explorers had first landed. With this, the settlement was called Melita, and the first Imperial Province outside of Pyrrhia proper was established, with Goldoguy as Governor.

#### The Establishment of the Senate and Plebeian Council

With the creation of the Imperium and the founding of Melita, it was a necessity that the people of Pyrrhia had representation in government. It was decided by the Imperator that this would be done in two ways: the most important members of Pyrrhian society have always been the Patrician class, the families that make up this class have always been the nobles of the Imperium, the most influential and the most established of them all. Their loyalty, history and willingness to server the Imperator and Imperium was therefore rewarded with the creation of the Senate, a body entirely comprised of Patricians who are appointed by the Imperator. The Senate of Pyrrhia is made up of not only these influential, powerful and deserving citizens of the Imperium, but of Governors of Provinces, who have been granted seats for the rest of their lives, or until their term ends.

The Senate however, was only the first of two bodies to be created by the Imperator. The second house that was created was for the Plebeian (commonfolk) and the Equestrian (middle-class) classes. This body is called the Plebeian Council, and is entirely comprised of Plebeians and Equestrians. The Plebeian Council is the directly elected body of the Pyrrhian people, with each town in the Imperium having 1 member per 5 members (with towns less than than 5 still having 1 representative). The Council is the only body within the Imperium which can propose laws, as the Senate is limited in this capacity and can only review, amend and veto laws proposed in the Plebeian Council.

When these legislative bodies were created, they strengthened the resolve of the Pyrrhian people of their faith in the governance of the Imperium. Although Pyrrhia is far from a direct democracy, being ruled absolutely by the Imperator, the introduction of a parliamentary system allows all citizens of the Imperium to be heard be they Patrician or Plebeian.

### The Birth of Solaris

When the Pyrrhians discovered Theia and settled in Marble Bay, they did only with the blessings of an unknown figure which appeared in front of Melevor Magnus, the future Imperator of the Pyrrhian Imperium. This figure repeated words "This land in my name, thou shalt conquer", although the figure did not tell his name to Melevor, nor any other man aboard the ship Domitus as it sailed into seeing distance to the Marble Bay where the Pyrrhians now reside in Holy Pyrrhus.

As the founding documents of Solaris state, this figure once more appeared to Melevor Magnus, who since he last saw the figure was now Imperator of Pyrrhia, and who was overseeing the construction of the Forum Pyrrhium when he suddenly collapsed. When he awoke he told wonderful stories to the Imperial Architects and workers that surrounded him of the visions that he had, claiming that the figure which appeared to him as the Marble Bay was discovered had appeared once more, but was fully visible.

He claims that the figure called himself Sol Invictus, creator of all the Earth and all those in it, and God of the Sun. He described the figure as having gold fire-like hair and a crown of pure sunlight acting as a halo behind his head. He had instructed Melevor to build a temple on the Forum dedicated to him and that he would visit him further upon doing so. And so, with the support of the Pyrrhian people, Melevor Magnus and the College of Imperial Architects began construction on the temple of Sol Invictus Optimus Maximus Capitolinus on the Forum, directly behind the Rostra.

### The Azure Azarchy Crisis

Since the time of the establishment of the Imperium to the appearance of Sol Invictus to Melevor, various Kingdoms, Republics and Empires had sprouted up across Theia, some created by refugees from the lands in the south, some from the native peoples and some from colonisers beyond the waves. The Imperium had established relations with some of these nations and had formed mutual defence pacts and alliances with them.

Some such of these nations were the Republic of Sollas, the Kingdom of Parthevia and the Imperial Colonies of Irithil. However, the Imperium was pledged to protect minor nations on the mainland of Theia from any outside force threatening them. And so it was when two thieves stole from the state treasury of the Azure Azarchy that the Imperium was obliged to join in the defence of the Azarchy from the larger United Ape Emirates from which the thieves had come from.

After an ultimatum was sent to the United Ape Emirates by the Azarch Artimus III, and denied by the Emirates, the Azarchy declared war on the Emirates which led to declarations by both the Pyrrhian Imperium and Sollas Republic in defence of the Azarchy from this international wrong-doing. The crisis was defused and the declarations of war revoked as the Emirates decided to pay the sum of 30,000 to the Azarch in compensation. This would lead to Pyrrhia being the second nation in the WUC