Eoralia

The Eoralian Empire is the largest and most influential nation on the continent of Quivor. On its eastern border lies the **Daethic Ocean**, to its north lies the **Abysin Sea** and the **Orthic Ocean**, to its south lie the smaller nations of **Ithaca**, **Nethica**, and **Vilatrau**, and to its west lies the theocratic nation of **Xerelyn**.

Eoralia is comprised of the four former nations of **Morsil**, **Feylan**, **Skybreak**, and **Khiira**. Now, the four districts make up the entirety of the empire and each district gets its own emperor/empress. The four rulers are **Hemoran Veindel**, **Alys Nightflower**, **Brathig Stormhide**, and **Zhara Tal'Khiir**.

The campaign is starting in the summer of 1013 EOI.

## History

**Beginning of the Empire:**

The idea to create a unified empire of Quivor was first conceived by **Ikoar Veindel IX**, King of **Morsil**. Morsil had seen a long history of violence that he wished to end. His diplomatic missions were often scoffed at. In 384 of the Era of Shards, the island nation of **Khiira** had just emerged after a brutal civil war. Ikoar Veindel IX reached out to the fledgling nation and offered them land and resources if they would join Morsil in creating a unified empire of Quivor. The Tal'Khiir **Teryba** agreed to this and the empire of Eoralia was born.

It wasn't until 405 EOS until Eoralia would add another nation to the empire. The nation was **Skybreak** and it was suffering tremendously. Extremely cold weather combined with goliath attacks had caused a famine to sweep across the mountainous nation. Eoralia supplied food and helped hold off the goliath tribes for the entire winter. Once spring came again, the twelve dwarven lords asked to join the empire to which Ikoar Veindel IX and Teryba Tal'Khiir both agreed.

**The Dreb War:**

From the years 562 to 571 EOS, Eoralia fought in a war with the goblinoid nation of **Drebniz**. The Dreb War took place in the west and it was the Mountainfolk who proved to be the best warriors. Key victories such as the Battle of Kôm, Battle of the Crying Mountains, and the Siege of Perise led to the Eoralian victory and the end of the Dreb's power.

**The Acquisition of Feylan:**

During the summer of 1090 EOS, High Emperor **Asmarian Veindel** wished to acquire the land of **Feylan** because of its plentiful resources and advantageous location. However, the leader **Elvima Archina** was against the idea as the nation of Feylan had remained very independent for far longer than Eoralia or even Morsil had been around. Eoralia found it difficult to attempt to exert their influence in the nation due to its hard to reach location in the heart of the **Twilight Forest**. It wasn't until the autumn of 1099 EOS when Feylan was hit by the **Plague of Creeping Death** that Asmarian managed to get Elvima to agree on the conditions that the **Fey Gods** would be added to the **Eoralian Pantheon** and that they would have certain freedoms and independencies from the Empire. The addition of Feylan would initiate the end of the Era of Shards and begin the Era of Ivory.

**The Assassination of High Emperor Antiphonus Veindel:**

**Antiphonus Veindel** was High Emperor from the years 7-12 of the Era of Ivory and entered power at the age of 29, rather young for an emperor. He had seized power after his father Asmarian unexpectedly died of a unknown illness. Antiphonus was rather inexperienced when it came to governance, but he came in with many strong ideals and moral beliefs. Up until this point, Eoralia had been a very tolerant and appeasing nation which is how it managed to combine four nations to one, but Antiphonus wasn't as diplomatic. He began to fight against religions that he viewed as more heretical, such as infernal, abyssal, and draconic faiths. While this did rustle the feathers of members of these faiths, the majority of the populous supported Antiphonus in this venture. However, a radical member of a now outlawed draconic faith would not stand for this. **Xy Zovian** would spend the next few years plotting the assassination of the High Emperor. They would eventually enlist the aid of their partner **Hapthi Zovian** to help them infiltrate the **Veindel Palace** where Xy would disguise themselves as a guard before using a poisoned dagger to kill Antiphonus Veindel. In the following days, Xy and Hapthi would both be caught and arrested trying to flee to the west. The two of them were swiftly thrown into the **Black Garden Prison** to rot away for the rest of their lives. Once news reached the public, the anti-draconic sentiment would drastically increase which would lead to the hatred for everything draconic in Eoralia that would be prevalent for the next thousand years.

**The Draconic Purge:**

Although there was no official declaration of war, dragons and draconic cults were hunted out by the empire's armies. The height of the purge lasted from 12 to 198 EOI and during this period, mass hysteria and suspicion flooded the streets. Citizens accused their neighbors of being dragon worshipers and, in some extreme cases, sometimes even of being dragons in disguise. Some notable dragons that were slain were the red dragon Tyradyreth, the dracolich Zorrú, the black dragon Mirgeo, the silver dragon Ione, and the emerald dragon Cheimeleth. Many emperors were allowed to take trophies of the slayed dragons and some even went out and allegedly dealt the finishing blows on some. Within the Veindel Palace there is the **Hall of Shattered Scales**, a large room that displays trophies and artifacts taken from slayed dragons. The fear and hatred of all things draconic still has not faded, however, after the 186 year long period of all out war on dragons, the few remaining cults and dragons retreated into the shadows, knowing if they were found they would most likely be killed.

**The Khiiran Ruin:**

From 511 to 513 EOI, the District of Khiira befell a series of devastating events. Starting it off, a severe tropical storm destroyed many homes and flooded towns. Many Khiirans were forced to head inland. The next event was foreshadowed by the mysterious sinking of the Serenity. A large passenger ship that was being used to transport lots of cargo to help the struggling District mysteriously sunk and no survivors were found. At first, people were just disheartened, however it quickly turned to suspicion once more ships began to disappear. The culprit was a dragon turtle who was attracted by the valuable cargo that was being transported in and out of the Khiiran ports. The Eoralian navy quickly hunted down the dragon turtle and recovered most of the valuable cargo. The final event that happened in Khiira was the theft of the **Talisman of the Elementals**. The necklace was a important cultural object believed to have strong magic tied to the elemental planes. To this day, it has still never been recovered.

**The War of Fractures:**

The War of Fractures began in 708 EOI, but Eoralia did not get involved until 711 EOI. The war began in the west where for much of history, many nations quickly rose and fell even faster. After the failure of the attempted creation of a united nation much in the image of Eoralia, many small nations all wanted to become the new predominant figure. The war was started after the halfling nation of **Hagilesh** massacred the town of Moon's Barrow in the nation of **Wykad**. Quickly, the conflict spread to include **Caston**, **Jun**, **Rholand**, Xeres, and **Ythi**. At first, Eoralia did not want to interfere with such a bloody and chaotic war, but as the battlefront edged closer and closer to its borders, they decided to step in. Sympathizing with the Wykadi, they decided to back their troops. Battles did not often occur inside of Eoralia, but there were a few instances. Most notably, the Burning of Twilight. In the middle of the night, Rholish spies snuck past the border into Feylan and set some trees of the Twilight Forest ablaze. The wildfire lasted for 2 months and this greatly angered the empress at the time, **Ophelle Qe**. She made the decision for Feylan to disregard its normally peaceful attitude and sent her personal guard, the **Midnight Blade**, to fight against Rholand. After Feylan joined on the front line, the war ended fairly quickly in 713 EOI with the Treaty of Paela. There wasn't really a victor, however, the nation that most came out on top was Wykad. Wykad would become the most dominant power in the west, but it struggled without the constant backing of Eoralia and was target of a lot of resentment from the other 6 nations that were involved.

**The Dyonian Renaissance:**

The nation of **Dyonos** began to have huge developments in art, music, and invention. This movement of new ideas began to cross over the **Abysin Sea** to influence Eoralia in 717 EOI. Notable Eoralian artists include Marafé Gambeline, Cyrin Cabuul, and Dox Jaharr. Some notable Eoralian inventors were **Ukolas Tré** and **Ryo Endha**. This period led to a modernization of Quivor and increased relations between Eoralia and Dyonos. The period ends around 821 EOI.

**The Abyssal Scourge:**

One night in Feylan in 870 EOI, a rift was opened from the material plane to the Abyssal. Demons of all sorts began flying out and wreaking havoc. Their goal was to spread their abyssal forces throughout the world, however, the best mages from Morsil, Feylan, Khiira, Skybreak, Dyonos, and Wykad gathered to seal the rift. Most of the demons were vanquished, however some are believed to still be in hiding. It is still unknown who or what opened the gateway.

**The Xerelyn Revolution:**

The nation of Xeres, still jaded about their loss in the War of Fractures, was in economic turmoil. The people were starving and being oppressed by the surrounding nations. This environment fostered some radical views. One particular group began to gain some traction among the Xeresi populous, the dragon worshiping Xerelynites. They began preaching the words of their gods and talked of a divine right to happiness and equality. Their message of forgiveness and eternal life resonated with the downtrodden folk. In 993 EOI, the **Church of Xerelyn** staged a coup and seized control of the small nation. By 995, **Xerelyn** had taken control of the west. Their quick rise scared Eoralia and many citizens especially disliked the fact that dragon worshipers were so close to their borders. Tensions are high, but Eoralia is cautious to declare war yet for a variety of factors. Some such being the costs of war, their relationship with Dyonos, and not wanted to anger Empress **Alys Nightflower** with a war that would be predominantly on her borders.

## Geography

Eoralia is located on the northernmost part of **Quivor**. To the south in **Skybreak**, the terrain is extremely mountainous and cold. The **Skybreak Mountains** house the tallest mountain of the continent, **Mount Cloudreach**. To the east and in the northern islands of **Khiira**, the climate is fairly tropical and it is often target of tropical storms from the **Daethic Ocean**. In the central portion of **Morsil**, there are many beaches and the plains. Along the **Bay of Kings**, there are many cliffsides that overlook the water often with cities atop them. **Feylan** is home to the magical **Twilight Forest** that is incredibly dense and near impenetrable if one does not know how to navigate it. There are many mysteries within the forest that often are missing from maps of the area.

## Holidays

**The Union Festival:**

Celebrated in the summer on the day that **Khiira** joined with **Morsil** signifying the beginning of Eoralia, the Union Festival is a time of national pride. Large parties happen in the streets with song and dance native to the former nations. It is a time of brotherhood were people celebrate what makes them unique while also learning about their neighbors by trying new cultural foods and listening to traditional stories. The festival finishes with a fireworks display.

**The Irizian Games:**

Founded in 1080 EOS, the Irizian Games take place once every five years in the spring in the Morsilic city of **Bråfield**. The best athletes, warriors, and mages from across the empire gather in the arena to compete to be the best in the nation. It is an event of strong national spirit and crowds can get pretty rowdy. Many sports fans wish to see the Games at least once in their lifetime. Some of the most famous winners are the orc runner Erik Gorrbrand from **Skybreak**, the gnomish wizard Hilbert Heffenbottom from **Feylan**, and the earth genasi barbarian Luka Panri from Khiira. More recent winners that have garnered a fanbase are the eladrin druid Emile Larikstead from Feylan and the tiefling paladin Nadea Vanderman from Morsil.