Jericho

Map of Jericho

### Allied Countries

Sym’fadè Confederacy, Marza, Daris, Kha, Aldenlied (Temporary), Brogkt (Temporary), UDDO (Temporary), Malovazen (Temporary), K'Vesten (Temporary), Myrdirit (Temporary)

### Enemy Countries

K'Vesten, Meztec Empire (Former), Old Binturia (Former)

## Common Knowledge

A massive city in the Apotheosis Desert, surrounded by a perpetual storm. It was destroyed during the Fel Invasion, and has been abandoned since.

## Topography and Climate

Jericho was a single city, surrounded originally by flat grassland but by its own hand became a desert oasis. Its climate was dominated by a massive artificial storm, known as the Jericho Stormwall, which could block nearly any land invasion. In order to compensate for the dryness the Stormwall caused, a team of specialized druids would regulate the climate in and immediately around the city.

## Population

Jericho was mostly inhabited by Plains Elves and Humans, with High Elves, Orcs, and Ifrits making up the next substantial chunks of the population.

## Exports and Trades

Jericho was mostly self-sufficient, with most agricultural goods made within the city walls. It would export magical equipment, magical texts, scrolls, and artifacts, and would import almost exclusively water from Aoelia. Most of its people practiced magic, studied in academia, or alchemy.

## Government

Jericho was ruled by a democratically elected council, operating from Jericho Congressional Hall.

## Military

Jericho’s military was stylized to be holy crusaders working in the name of Elysium herself. The individual soldiers were informally known as “Paladins”, a title which the Silver Horn would later appropriate for its Radiance-using warriors. Some of its soldiers were also mounted on the backs of large saber-tooth cats, called Mistsabers, who were bred and enchanted specifically for high mobility in the desert. Jericho also employed a number of artificers for research and development of new weaponry and equipment. The last artificer to bear that title was Theo Rothin, who would cooperate with the Seven Nations’ Alliance and later train the Binturian Maldour Forgearm as their pseudo-successor.

Their military was organized primarily for self-defense.

## Social Hierarchy and Culture

Jericho had a strong cultural focus on magic, and worshipped the Constellation Elysium as its matron deity. Despite their origins, they also did not often welcome outsiders.

## Cities, Towns, and Villages

### Jericho

The titular city-state, with massive stone walls and surrounded by a thick artificial storm.

#### Mage Row

One of the major thoroughfares of Jericho, which connected the Wizard Council Headquarters to the Jericho Congressional Hall. Many members of the Wizard Council and their families lived here, for easy access to their Council position.

#### Jericho Celestial School

A famed academic center, focusing on the study of Celestial Magic and the crafting of rituals.

#### Stormwall

Jericho’s primary defense against invasion, a massive artificial storm blocking the city’s northern, western, and southern flanks. The Stormwall was powered by a massive, subterranean ritual, and channeled through twenty focal crystals beneath the surface. The ritual was maintained by three to five mages at a time, with participants rotating off every couple hours to prevent exhaustion. Upon request, the ritual’s conductors could open narrow passageways for trade caravans or other important travelers.

## Alliances

Jericho had a trade agreement with the city of Aoelia, a member of the Sym’fadè Confederacy, as well as Marza, Daris, and Kha.

Jericho was a member of two mega-alliances; the first was the coalition against Old Binturia, made from Jericho, Malovazen, Aldenlied, Brogkt, the United Delegate Dominion of Oraefin (U.D.D.O.), and the various city-states left near Jericho; and the second was the coalition against the Meztec Empire, composed of Talios, K’Vesten, Myrdirit, the Sym’fadè Confederacy, and various rebelling Meztec slave factions. Neither alliance lasted long past their original functions.

## Enemy Countries

Jericho held a strong distrust of Dilghao and K’Vesten (which was later justified by the Jericho-K’Vesten war in 10,015 A.B.). Before they aided in its destruction, the Meztec Empire was one of Jericho’s only real enemies.

## Historical Timeline

* C. 30,000 B.B. - Settlement of Jericho is founded by Plains Elves on the advice given by a wish upon a star (Elysium)
* C. 29,000 B.B. - Jericho is one of many city-states in the eastern grasslands of Orelisle
	+ City-State Region extends all the way up to peaceland commonwealth, north coast next to Duryem (maybe even ON duryem), where dilghao is, etc
	+ Lots of infighting
	+ Starts as a monarchy because Of Course It Does
* 28,474 B.B. - 28,205 B.B. - Dusk Wars (Maelstrom Does a Race War)
	+ Jericho teams up with its city-state neighbors to beat the tar out of the drow
* C. 26,000 B.B. - Infighting Resumes
	+ Whenever infighting happens, people from other city-states who are captured as POWs are offered a chance to live in Jericho, and a lot of them agree
		- Given like a parole period (in case of spies) of a couple decades, but they can still do business and own property. Just can’t vote or hold govt/religious office
		- Any children they have in the city are assumed to be legit, so they get full citizenship w/rights
	+ Humans, Ifrits, Orcs, High Elves, Others end up starting to live in Jericho over time
* C. 23,000 B.B. - Elysium delivers Jericho a miracle of some sort, they begin to worship her in earnest
* C. 18,000 B.B. - Church of Elysium becomes massively powerful, begins an Inquisition
	+ Lots of groups promptly Fuck Off to other parts
		- Some high elves go south and create Zondros
		- Some plains elves go north and will *eventually* create the Peaceland Commonwealth
	+ Elysium starts answering less and less wishes to Jericho
* C. 17,300 B.B. - Church of Elysium seizes direct control of the government
	+ Now a Theocracy
* C. 17,250 B.B. - Elysium stops answering prayers to Jerichoans altogether
	+ Elysian Church insists that this is because the people aren’t devout enough, berate them constantly, oppression, etc
* C. 16,843 B.B. - Elysian Jericho creates Wizard Council to advise theocratic leaders
* C. 16,283 B.B. - Elysian Wizard Council and Gov’t conspire to puppet a “fake” Elysium to keep their positions of power
	+ Illusions to vanish her constellation from the sky and make her physically appear (just make something up based on church descriptions)
	+ “Grant wishes” using a fuckload of magic, deliberately choose pretty easy wishes
* 16,263 B.B. - Jericho stages an appearance of Elysium, population buys it for the most part. When the illusion is lifted Elysium stays gone from the sky
	+ REAL Elysium popped down because she’s sick of Jericho doing atrocities in her name, so she’s gonna fix it herself
* 16,129 B.B. - Elysium makes herself known to a woman named Elisheba, and directs her to start a revolution against her own Church
	+ She agrees, and revolution goes very well
* 16,124 B.B. - Revolutionaries retake control of the capital, install a democratic system
	+ Former gov’t and church officials who escape guillotine flee to enemy city-states, who immediately go to one of their enemies and give them a lot of gov’t secrets
* 16,067 B.B. - Another city-state, using information given to them by previous regime, attack Jericho
	+ Instead of successfully conquering it, Elysium ACTUALLY appears, kicks out the invaders, safeguards the city, and yoinks the traitorous escapees back to Jericho for proper punishment
	+ Elysium makes it very clear that while she doesn’t mind the worship, she DOES mind the atrocities committed in her name
		- Elysium becomes recognized matron of Jericho
* C. 13,000 B.B. Jericho completely recovers from Theocratic oppression, but still gets invaded by neighbors every so often
* C. 13,000 B.B. - C. 7,000 B.B. - Jericho tries a bunch of different magical barriers
	+ Probably around like twelve to fifteen different designs
* C. 6,730 B.B. - Wizard Council receives approval for the Stormwall Barrier, a huge artificial storm that can block intruders on 3 sides with potential openings for trade, while leaving the coast open for either supply routes, trade, or and escape if need be
* 6,529 B.B. - Jericho Stormwall created
	+ Powered by a continuous ritual, and twenty foci beneath the grasslands
	+ Desertification Begins
* 6,527 B.B. - 6,185 B.B. - City-states try to get through Stormwall all fail
* 5,816 B.B. - Old Binturia sends delegates to Jericho, demanding tribute of artifacts and resources to the masters of the continent. Jericho refuses, even after threats of violence
	+ They tried to extort pretty much every city-state in the region
* 5,812 B.B. - As a show of force, the Seven Mortal Mages of Binturia temporarily dispel the Stormwall for 24 hours, and emblazon the symbol of Binturia on the city wall in what amounts to cursed graffiti paint
	+ Jericho asks Elysium to do something about Binturia, and she basically responds a shrug emoji and a “sorry fam”
* 5,811 B.B. - Jericho begins to begrudgingly pay tribute to Binturia
	+ Tributes harder for smaller nations to manage, and desertification not helping. By fall of Binturia all other city-states in the region except for Jericho and the nascent Dilghao will have collapsed
* 3,812 B.B. - Jericho begins trading with Aoelia for water, to avoid the problems of living in a desert
* 500 B.B. - Jericho learns from Malovazen about the Conduit, the source of the Binturians’ power
	+ Jericho begins to prepare for war
* 0 A.B. - Jericho involved in attack against Old Binturia, which drastically weakens them
	+ Thankfully all their enemies were gone by this point, so they weren’t in any real danger
* 100 A.B. - Desertification Completes
* 150 A.B. - Jericho finally gets Old Binturia’s symbol off of their wall
* 1,559 A.B. - 2,065 A.B. - War with the Meztecs
	+ 2,065 A.B. - Jericho Mages work with K’Vesten Mages to blow up Meztec Capital
* C. 4,000 A.B. - 4,300 A.B. - Jericho-Dilghao War?
* 10,016 A.B. - Jericho protects Elysium, Jericho-K’Vesten War
* 10,016 A.B. - Fel Invasion, Fel Kaiju destroys Jericho
	+ Storm Ritual disrupted, grassland begins to return
* 10,016 A.B. - Tent Town founded from Jericho survivors
* 10,017 A.B. - Jericho survivors, some from Tent Town and some from elsewhere, join the Seven Nations’ Alliance to take revenge on the Binturian Party for not saving their city during the Fel Invasion

## Further Information

* Apotheosis Desert
* The Binturian Party
* Elysium
* Fel Invasion
* Fel Kaiju
* K’Vesten
* Magic
* Meztec Empire
* Old Binturia