Aoshanti Empire (Pomaria)

NPC AllianceAoshanti Empire

**Legislature:** Grand Council

 Overview Population Military Espionage
The **Aoshanti Empire**, known as the **Pomarian Empire** or **Pomaria** to distinguish it from its many predecessors, is a reformed imperial monarchy in the Concourse region of the Aoshtai Galaxy.

It was created by the princes and officers of the fallen Ascendancy of the Broken Ring during the Veritas Crisis, in response to the abolition of the Naissian Empire and the proclaimation of the Aoshanti Republic. It is also known as the **Pomarian Ascendancy** due to its ties to the old Ascendancy.

## History

After the fall of the ancient Aoshanti Empire, the Concourse Region — which made up the eastern portion of the Empire — fragmented into smaller polities which struggled to deal with the influx of refugees which resulted from the total collapse of civilization in the western part of the empire. Over 14,000 years, the region saw many political and social developments, although a pattern emerged by which the Patriarchate of Lessos, the centralized religious authority of the Old Empire, worked to maintain a balance of power between disparate political entities and to encourage them to work together against external threats and internal problems through the church.

Within the last 200 years, a revisionist school of Rhyanism emerged out of Orbitritum. It called itself the Reformed Church and believed itself a restoration of the ancient imperial faith, elevating the Aoshanti Emperor as absolute ruler both over temporal and spiritual matters. Reformed Rhyanism became the faith of centralizing autocrats who sought to recreate a version of the Aoshanti Empire centered around a strong emperor, eventually giving rise to the Ascendancy of the Broken Ring.

### The Concourse Wars

In the hundred years prior to year 0 on the new calendar, the Concourse became a battleground between princes and principalities aligned with the Lessoan faith in pluralism and process and the Reformed belief in centralization and order. Rival leagues were assembled and faced off in many wars, drawing in outside powers such as Karstedt, Naer'si, the Phero Ecumene, Neegwein and others who attempted to maintain balance or preserve their interests. However, during the Concourse War of -20 NAC, Orbitritum managed to overwhelm the Lessoan League and defeat their patrons, leading to forty years of Reform dominance in the Concourse.

Over that time, the Reformists thoroughly dismantled and reconstructed previously independent Aoshanti principalities which were controlled by their erstwhile Lessoan rivals, stripping them of property and exiling or jailing those who would not convert. Many Lessoans fled to Aoshanti colonies in the outlying regions of Aoshtai, biding their time, assembling their forces, and participating in holy causes and conflicts.

These exiled Lessoan princes, clergymen, templars, scholars, and adherents participated in the Second and Third Concourse War on the side of the Grand Alliance, eventually returning to the Empire with the fall of the Ascendancy. In the western half of the Empire, Reformist princes, governors, and institutions were replaced with Lessoan crusaders, while in the Eastern half of the Empire the Reformed institutions and personalities were left largely intact.

### Coalescence of the Reformed League

The Fall of the Ascendancy and the ensuing occupation resulted in the creation of a new but weaker imperial government based out of the northern city world of Naissus, dominated by Lessoan crusaders. Whereas previously Reformers had total supremacy over the Empire through the imperial hierarchy, they found themselves outnumbered in the newly-empowered Senate. Opposition to the Karian occupation and Lessoan rule was undertaken sporadically and in a decentralized and disorganized way for years, with most Reformed Rhyanist princes falling comfortably into a pattern of boycotting of senate sessions, non-payment of imperial taxes, and non-conforming with senatorial laws and commands once it became clear that there would be no consequences for ignoring the government in Naissus.

Over eight years, the hollowed-out and scattered Reformist hierarchy began reforming, with the city world of Vigila emerging as the capital of the movement, the place where dispossessed Reformist officers, soldiers, statesmen, princes, administrators, specialists, and other exiles congregated. Kathura Vigilus, the King of Vigila, emerged as the informal coordinator, organizer, and protector of an emerging league of like-minded states. These princes, accustomed to operating in a disciplined hierarchy, cooperated easily and accepted moves towards greater integration into what would very quickly become a unified Reformed Navy and Reformed Army with its headquarters on Vigila.

### Imperial Crisis of 18 NAC

In 18 NAC, Kathura organized a summit of Reform princes which resulted in the official refounding of the Reformed League and a declaration of its intent. This occurred in response to the refounding of the Lessoan League in the western part of the empire. With the divisions in the empire so bared for everyone to see, a neighboring power – the Imperium of Ur-Tesar – decided to opportunistically take advantage of the divisions of the NAE to invade the eastern provinces, the members of the Reformed League, triggering the Battle of Vigila.

While heavily outnumbered, the disciplined Reformed Army and Navy scored a stunning victory, shredding the Tesar's capital fleet with minimal losses of their own. They proceeded to strongarm Ur-Tesar into a peace agreement, creating the Dominion of Cormeum. The military competence of the Reformist movement caused alarm in foreign capitals and raised the morale of reformers everywhere.

Even though they were still members of the Naissian Empire and loyal to its emperor, the Reformed princes began to contemplate creating a state in the Eastern Concourse from their fragmented principalities. For four years, the League continued under the unquestioned leadership of Kathura Vigilus, pursuing a moderate and ambiguous policy of coexistence with the Lessoans in the west. While many hardliners were eager for confrontation, moderates who sought to avoid and defuse conflict were firmly in power in both east and west.

### Veritas Crisis

Veritas III died in 22 NE, plunging the Naissian Empire into a succession crisis. The question at issue was who should assume the imperial throne, which was not a question with an obvious answer. Most of Veritas III's direct heirs died during the Ascendancy Wars, and the direct-line heiress was a young princess who had recently married the son of a prominent Lessoan moderate, which made her unacceptable in the eyes of Reformists. Reformist moderates seemed to be counseling that another candidate should be considered in the interest of preserving the uneasy peace which the Naissian Empire, for all of its flaws, was maintaining.

Meanwhile, Lessoan radicals saw Veritas III's death as the perfect opportunity to abolish the last vestiges of the Ascendancy once and for all. Whipping the Senate into an ideological frenzy, the radicals succeeded in doing just this, abolishing the monarchy and proclaiming the foundation of the Aoshanti Republic. This extreme act put the Aoshanti Concourse on the path of war and seriously undermined the positions of moderates on both sides of the Concourse. Hardliners who sought conflict and confrontation began to guide events.

Reformist and Lessoan forces clashed in a border conflict over the Reformed county of Shesta, resulting in a crushing Reformist victory at the beginning of 23 NE. In the aftermath of that victory, Reformist forces seized a number of provinces in the strategic Cibalaean region at the heart of the Aoshanti Concourse and encircled the city-world of Cibalae. The Aoshanti Republic's defeat and the expansion of the zone of conflict led the Republic to begin a partial mobilization, prompting the principalities of the Reformed League to prepare for war. The victorious reformists returned from Shesta and crowned Karathon Pomarius Emperor, proclaiming him Veritas IV, the leader of the Empire. Hostilities were suspended during the Vigilian Games, though over the six month truce, no solution to the Veritas Crisis was found.

## Stats

* STATS
* TRADE
* INCOME
* FORTRESSES

CUBITS

**Helvetion, 23 NE -** +𝔛600 trillion from surplus
**Aresen, 23 NE -** +𝔛600 trillion from surplus
**Murrius, 23 NE -** +𝔛600 trillion from surplus
**Aulus, 23 NE -** +𝔛600 trillion from surplus

SOURCES

* Aoshanti Empire - 3
* Kingdom of Vigila - 3
* Dominion of Cormeum - 2
* Kingdom of Neodorum - 2
* Arboros - 2
* **Total -** 12

FORTRESSES 11/12

NORTH

* Theophylact Realspace - 2
* Shesta Realspace - 1

CORE

* Abakar Etherspace - 1
* Cormeum Realspace - 1
* Vigila Etherspace - 1
* Abila Etherspace - 1
* Neodorum Realspace - 1

SOUTH

* Daam'sar Etherspace - 1
* Chi Lucolia Etherspace - 1
* Tamarlorn Etherspace - 1

## Members and Territories

### Imperial Provinces

Imperial provinces are provinces held directly by the Emperor as his personal holding.

### Principalities

Principalities are the domains of the Orbitritan aristocracy, possessing special privileges, incomes, rights, and representation in the imperial government. Titles associated with principalities are often awarded to members of the imperial government in good standing

### Vassals

Vassals are conquered polities and peoples which have lesser political and social rights due to the religious, ethnic, and racial character of their leaders. Vassals are largely self-governing but have very limited representation in imperial councils.

### Territory

Territories are regions of space which are in a transitory status, pending a more permanent resolution of their status. These are typically recently conquered territories under military administration.

 Vinovia

## Gallery

The Reformed Battle Flag, combining Reformed colors with the flag of the ancient Aoshanti Empire (which were already employed by the Republic, were used most frequently as the flag of the Pomarian Empire.The Reformed emblem was inspired by the design of the logo of the Ascendancy of the Broken RingThe *Spetum*-class battleship, the primary warship of the Ascendancy, was used extensively by the forces of the Pomarian Empire.