Crimson Dynasty

Flag of the Crimson Dynasty

Map of the Crimson Dynasty

The Crimson Dynasty was a civilization in Dimension T-2022 which was later transported to Dimension S-2012 following the sabotage of the Device by Kojiman spies. It is located in the Crimson Mesa west of Mount Tonguska.

## History

The Crimson Dynasty was established in the mid 15th century by the Dailing Dynasty. Using their magic, the Dailing Dynasty tamed the unhospitable lands of the Crimson Mesa, allowing them to colonize the region which was void of native inhabitants. As a result, the Dailings didn't affect the natives with disease as much as the other nations, resulting in relatively positive relations. In the 16th century, the colonies in the Crimson Mesa had grown considerably. As a result, the Dailing Dynasty decided to reorganize the colonies into a Viceroyalty ruled by an offshoot of the main ruling dynasty. Quickly, this offshoot began to call itself and the land it ruled 'the Crimson Dynasty', after the most prominent features of the land.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Crimson Dynasty continued to flourish as a result of its relation with both the natives and the Dailing Dynasty. The Crimsons were able to continue their research into eternal life and discovered a local myth about a mysterious golden tome that would elongate their lifespan evermore. The search for this mysterious tome eventually grew into an established religion known as the 'Cult of the Sacred Flame', based on the flame magic commonly found within the mesa plateau.

During the Great Kojiman War and the ensuing independence wars in Orwald, the Crimson Dynasty peacefully proclaimed its independence in order to avert attacks by the Empire of the Setting Moon. The Crimson Dynasty now had to divert its attention towards the newly independent nations of Orwald and to industrializing so that it could eventually come to the Dailing Dynasty's aid against the Empire. As a result, King Caratas decided to move the capital from Ruberton to a nearby mesa plateau in order to forge a stronger kingdom. Having moved the Capital and focusing on forging a stronger kingdom to achieve immortality and knowledge of the ancient arts, the Crimson Dynasty found themselves achieving higher living standards with the industrial revolution allowing for construction of a mighty fortress and capital city named Calindua. The Crimson Dynasty remained neutral in all stance regarding Orwald, but quickly engaged in espionage in Kojima to establish influence in the Dailing Dynasty.

As the Great Kojiman War drew to an end in 1850 with the collapse of the Dailing Dynasty to Imperial forces, the Crimson Dynasty did everything it could to avert disaster. As the Dailing capital was besieged by General Tamoto and his forces, the royal family refused to surrender as important buildings such as the library containing thousands of sacred texts went up in flames. Eventually, the monarch decided to give up the capital and use the remaining Dailing forces to evacuate the city's elite. Using a ship containing an experimental steam engine, the royal family managed to escape. However, a storm threw them off course and an outbreak of the zombification virus killed everyone on board. Eventually, the ship washed on Orwald's northwestern shore where it was recovered by sailors from the Grenivik Chiefdom. Over on Kojima, a peace treaty signed between the remnants of the Dailing Dynasty and the Empire of the Setting Moon. A puppet regime of the Empire was installed in the former Dailing Dynasty, now known as the Dailing Autonomous Government. The Great Kojiman War formally ended.

After the end of the Great Kojiman War, efforts to break away the Dailing territories from Imperial influence became the Crimson Dynasty's number one priority. News about the Great Kojiman War was followed with great interest in Calindua. Upon hearing the fate of the Dailing Dynasty, many within the entourage of the Crimson Dynasty were shocked. However, an opportunity presented itself. With the biggest rival to the Dailing throne gone, King Caratas could press his claim as the only living descendant of the Dailing dynasty. However, since the motherland was now under the control of the Dailing Autonomous Government (DAG), they needed to tread carefully as to not bring the anger of the Empire of the Setting Moon upon them. When a member of a small resistance movement in the DAG approached King Caratas and offered to reinstate his Dynasty as the reigning dynasty in Dailing in return for financial support, the King did not hesitate one moment to accept the offer.

Large shipments of crossbows and gunpowder were soon smuggled across the border. However, with each shipment, the chances of getting caught increased, so the resistance decided to smuggle the weapons through a treacherous mountain pass in the north. Meanwhile, two different factions were emerging in the resistance movement, each proposing a different tactic of fighting the government. The first faction, the Dailing Revolutionary Guard, a left wing movement, wanted to mainly focus on propaganda to win the people over to their side. The second faction, the Sons of Dailing, a right wing movement, didn’t want to waste time and were planning several sabotage actions. King Caratas, as the main funder of the resistance, opted to suppport the latter. The Resistance soon moved on to violent action against the Imperial occupier.

Strategical bombings, sabotage actions and raids became increasingly common as the Sons of Dailing received support from the Crimson Dynasty. The DAG government had become aware of the growing resistance movement and was taking countermeasures to prevent a revolution. However, the Crimson Dynasty simply responded by giving more resources to the growing rebellion. Soon, the Sons of Dailing begun spreading their demands more openly; a departure of foreign troops from all DAG territories and a restoration of the Dailing Dynasty. The government responded by enforcing a curfew and by putting more soldiers in the streets. The resistance smelled an opportunity. Many within the DAG army were unhappy with the current political situation and some high-ranking officers might be open to the idea of supporting a revolution. Some voices supported approaching the army to win them over to the Resistance's side. However, the resistance didn’t want to risk getting discovered, so they didn’t contact the military. Instead, they went ahead with the final steps towards a coup. More equipment was secretly smuggled from across the border. Key government officials were shadowed to document their daily routine. A detailed location of every Imperial army base on DAG soil was recorded. For the final execution of the plan, there still were some disagreements however. Everyone agreed that the government should be ousted, however the manner in which that should happen was unclear. The more radical members of the resistance wanted to start an all out revolt across the entire DAG, mostly focussing on quickly taking out the DAG army and hoping that the Empire would have no time to respond. The more moderate members of the resistance instead wanted to stage a massive protest in the capital, followed by a storming of the governmental buildings by the masses and the declaration of a new revolutionary government. The moderate wing hopes that by avoiding a direct confrontation with the Empire, there would still be room for a renegotiation of the peace treaty that established the DAG. The radical members eventually won the support of King Caratas and the plans to stage a revolt went ahead.

On the faithful day, all pieces were set in motion. Across Dailing, rebels were armed, military convoys were raided and barricades were set up in the major cities. At the sounding of the noon bells, the order was given to start the revolt. In the capital, barricades were set up in strategic locations and rebels made their way to the capitol building, where a majority of the highest ranking government officials were currently holding a meeting. Across the country, DAG military outposts were attacked by rebels. However, the revolutionaries heavily underestimated the army’s willingness to prevent a revolution from succeeding. While trying to storm important government buildings in the capital, the outnumbered revolutionary forces were quickly taken out by the DAG army. The army, strengthened by the curfew and the state of emergency, took advantage of the situation. Over the coming days, General Pyuying, veteran of the Great Kojiman War and Minister of Defense in the DAG government, usurped more and more power within the government until the point where a military coup was inevitable. Weeks into the civil war, Pyuying arrested other members of the government and proclaimed himself as the new leader of the DAG. In the following days, the Sons of Dailing surrendered and the civil war ended. Using his new position, Pyuying renegotiated the peace treaty with the Empire. In return for giving up the border province of Taimin, the Empire would recognize the new government and would retreat its troops from Dailing. The DAG was essentially disbanded and transformed into the Dailing Junta. Despite all its efforts, the Crimson Dynasty was unable to enforce its claims upon the Dailing throne.

As a result of the failed revolt in Kojima, the Crimson Dynasty once again turned towards diplomacy with the other nations of Orwald. In 1851, King Caratas offered gifts to the Kingdom of Duyn in an effort to attract investors to his country. His efforts paid off when gold was discovered near Targul in 1852. While digging in the gold mine, workers came across an ancient scroll. The scroll appeared to be imbued with ancient magic and contained a puzzle. One of the court magicians recognized the scroll as the long lost Path of Elixon, a sacred text said to contain the location of a holy artifact. After decyphering the scroll, the Crimson Dynasty managed to obtain an ancient beacon which gave the inhabitants of Calindua strength.

After the collapse of Dimension T-2022 and the transportation of Orwald to S-2012, the Crimson Dynasty was once again forced to re-evaluate its position in the world. All prospects of a return to the glorydays of the Dailing Dynasty were now firmly behind them and a lot of ancient magical knowledge had been lost in the collapse. As a result, an exodus of people struck the Dynasty as it struggled to maintain its ancient faith in magic. Today, Calindua sits as a ruin of its former glory, an unfinished castle in an inhospitable environment, while cities like Duynburg and Coldram have flourished in this new world. Nonetheless, the Crimson Dynasty has integrated itself in S-2012 and joined the United Nations in 1090AA (S-2012 date).