Second Theddite Empire

The Second Theddite Empire at the height of its power, in Spring 16277.

The **Theddian Empire**, retroactively known as the **Second Theddite Empire**, was a Theddite kingdom declared by Nisemicas V Lobancas upon his capture of the city of Lobanc from his brother Lastilas' kingdom. It gained hegemony over the eastern reaches of the Great Gulf and the entirety of the Lower Thedda region, but failed to regain the level of dominance of the First Theddite Empire which it was preceded by.

## History

### Collapse of the First Theddite Empire

*Main article: Great Theddite Succession Crisis*

In 16022, the current Theddite Emperor, Nisemicas IV, had three sons but had not decided on his preferred heir. His children, Nisemicas V, Atsicras, and Lastilas, were granted governorship of individual provinces in the Empire: Lower Volty, Upper Volty, and the Mouth-of-Thedda respectively. After Nisemicas IV's assassination by an Osthedian nationalist, the empire splintered as each of his sons declared themselves king and local rulers either took a side or declared independence.

Nisemicas V marched into Theddias with his personal army shortly after his father's death. The city surrendered to him without bloodshed, thus securing Nisemicas' hold over the East part of the Theddite heartlands. There he declared himself Nisemicas I Theddicas, proclaiming his title of King in Theddia. This Kingdom of Theddia pushed claims over Lastilas' Kingdom of Lobanc, which had a shaky hold over the Gulf colonies and densely populated Thedda Delta. Nisemicas gathered an army from the Theddias region, which was loyal to him, as he was the eldest of the three brothers and such was seen as the legitimate heir by most of the West Theddite population (The people of Osthedia and the Gulf felt differently: by this point they held little allegiance to the Lobancas dynasty, due to a cultural shift away from the classical Theddite civilization in both East and West).

### Imperial Ambitions

*Main article: Theddican-Lobanc War*

In the spring of 16023, with his newly created army, Nisemicas I set out to conquer Lobanc, the largest city in the Theddite world at the time and the home of his ancestors. Picratas, a key city at the confluence of the Thedda and Carboq rivers, pledged its allegiance to Nisemicas as soon as he arrived at its gates. Lobanc itself was not as quick to surrender, because despite public opinion shifting away from Lastilas and toward Nisemicas, a massive garrison had been put in place to enforce royal authority over the city. Lastilas himself was barricaded in the central fortress of the city. After a siege that lasted a few months, the outer city walls surrendered, leaving Lastilas and his personal guard encircled within the fortress' keep. Nisemicas took care to prevent his forces from sacking and looting the city, preferring to keep his public image intact among those in the Prienithedas region. The fortress of Lobanc held out until the early weeks of 16024, when it ran out of water: the sewage and pipe systems of the city had been strategically blocked by engineers within Nisemicas' ranks. Despite its surrender, Lastilas managed to escape, disguising himself as a beggar and fleeing through a tunnel under the fortress that led to the outskirts of the city. He then rendezvoused with a few of his supporters remaining in the city, and they set out toward Atholiec in hopes of continuing the war. However, news of Lobanc's seizure reached the cities in his dominion before he could, and when Lastilas reached Atholiec he was put to death by the local administration. Lastilas' head was delivered to Nisemicas by an Atholian envoy. Nisemicas brought his army Northwest up to the mouth of the Tevuler river, securing the allegiance of Atholiec and Levidoc, before moving south to Poross, which surrendered without a fight. The remainder of Lastilas' domains split off, becoming independent city-states (such as Pinarea and New Volyter) or becoming absorbed by the Nordish tribal kingdom of Terpeoz. Upon returning to Lobanc, Nisemicas declared himself the Emperor of all Theddites, and the Second Theddite Empire was formed.

Clashes with Osthedian forces loyal to Atsicras also occurred around the city of Wulburg after the succession crisis, and the city changed hands multiple times. After the deposition of Atsicras and ascension of Priepoas I, Osthedian forces withdrew from the city to focus on maintaining the volatile frontiers of their country.

### Hegemony and Decline

Nisemicas I spent the remainder of his reign securing his empire's frontiers and maintaining the allegiance of local leaders. He moved the capital of the Empire to Lobanc, and fortified the strategic city of Wulburg to prevent Osthedian invasion. Despite naming himself Emperor of all Theddites, he was unable to find an opportunity to make inroads into Osthedia: it was a nation far too large and culturally distant to be easily reincorporated. Terpeoz, a minor Nordish tribal kingdom that had gained independence during the succession crisis, had conquered Shepercap and other Theddite cities in the North Gulf during the Lobanc War, and raids from the Terpeoz warlords plagued Nisemicas I's rule. By the time of his death in 16083, Nisemicas had fought seven minor wars against the Terpeoz, none of which led to a decisive victory for either side. His son and successor, Nisemicas II, was determined to subjugate the Terpeoz. He led his main army up the Tevuler until he reached the city of Terpesog, the de facto capital of the Terpeoz confederation. There, he challenged the Terpeoz tribal king to single combat. The ensuing duel was quick and one-sided (Nisemicas II spent his youth as an officer in his father's elite personal guard), leaving the king of Terpesog dead in the dirt. Most of the Terpeoz tribes offered fealty to Nisemicas II at this point, and he elected to make the various Terpeoz nations into a new confederation, under Theddite suzerainty. The Theddite cities within the borders of the confederation (which stretched from the Flittien river in the west to the Tevuler in the east) were granted autonomy.

The Vokissen, another group of Nordish tribes who were previously under Theddite rule, established an alliance with Nisemicas II in 16095. By the mid-16100s, the Vokissen had been reduced to a client state whose government was monitored closely by the Theddians.

Emperor Valas I died in 16222, leaving the throne to his adopted son of 25, Tranicopas. Tranicopas would rule for nearly sixty years, with his primary goal always being to defeat Theddia's ever-present rival, Osthedia. Felstone and Wulburg were fortified further in an effort to secure the vulnerable Volty and Thedda river trade networks. The Volty War was fought between Osthedia and Theddia in 16231, resulting in nothing more than stalemate and further animosity between the two kingdoms.

In 16258, Tranicopas demanded the regional power of Pinarea in the South Gulf pay tribute to him, in return for assistance in defending against Carboqi nomadic raiders that often pillaged the southern villages of Suthebas. Thus West Theddite suzerainty extended across most of the former Theddite lands in the Gulf, and Theddian indirect rule encompassed a massive area.

#### Second Volty War

In the fall of 16276, Tranicopas, growing impatient, saw an opportunity to strike a decisive blow against Osthedia. Revolt had broken out in the far eastern cities of Osthedia Major, and the Osthedian king was preoccupied far away from the capital. Tranicopas' army had not yet seen major combat, but many of its soldiers had experience fighting against Carboqi bandits and Nordish raiding parties. Tranicopas coordinated a simultaneous invasion to be carried out from three locations; Vokissburg, Wulburg, and Felstone. His primary force began its march up the Volty in September 16276, capturing the cities of Tampalic and Elenas that year. The Vokissen army besieged the city of Opelsa in western Osthedia, which fell in early 16277. Derricas and New Trimen had fallen into the hands of Tranicopas' secondary army, under general Prume Cataranas. Cataranas then turned his army around to assist the main force in the siege of Bolfurt. However, the Osthedian army, regrouping after its march through the great forests, intercepted Cataranas' army before it could rejoin Tranicopas near the Voltic city of Epetrias. Outnumbered and caught off guard, Cataranas was killed and the majority of his forces killed or captured. A small portion of scattered remnants of the army regrouped and informed Tranicopas of the defeat at Epetrias. He immediately broke off the siege to counter the Osthedian army. The armies met near the occupied city of Tampalic. The ensuing Battle of Tampalic resulted in the death of Tranicopas, crushed by his horse after an Osthedian cavalry charge routed his left flank and circled behind the main lines to harass the Theddian rear camps.

The death of the Theddian king left the remainder of their army in disarray. The Osthedians under Felonias Terenuplanas retook the major occupied cities of the Upper Volty soon after the battle, and began a push into the Lower Volty region. They reached Trimen in the fall, the capture of which forced an end to the war. Osthedian victory pushed the border between the kingdoms to the south, and created the Principality of Voltia, which acted as a buffer state. Theddia's defeat caused widespread unrest, especially in its southern territories. The Kingdom of Poross broke off from the Empire, breaking the land connection to Pinarea, who had stopped paying tribute to the Theddite royalty in Lobanc.