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World of Kulan
[Harqual] Mythology and History
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<blockquote data-quote="Knightfall" data-source="post: 5206049" data-attributes="member: 2012"><p><strong>The Empire of Swords</strong></p><p>The Empire of Swords was a militaristic, despotic kingdom that held ultimate power over much of the lands of Harqual. (Not including the Great Forest of the elves, the Greystone Mountains of the dwarves, the Storm Jungle of the tabaxi, or the Far South.) The Empire, at its height, controlled all the lands from the Ragik Peninsula on the western coast of Northern Harqual, to the Spirit Rift near the eastern coast of Northern Harqual, to the northern edge of the Great Expanse in Southern Harqual.</p><p></p><p>The Empire paid homage to Hiisi’s dark pantheon. It is unknown whether the Empire took its name from the pantheon (likely) or if it was the other way around (not so likely). All that is known is that the Empire of Swords was the largest human empire to ever exist on Harqual. It ruins can be found all over Northern Harqual, lost to time and the ravages of war. For over 1,400 years, the Empire of Swords dominated the continent, no one able to break its dark power.</p><p></p><p>At the height of the Empire’s power, King-Priests of Hiisi controlled the Empire of Swords, with each successive King-Priest ruling for their entire lifetime. The power of the King-Priest was absolute and it was rumored that each King-Priest was, in fact, a powerful proxy of the Lord of Darkness. However, this rumor goes against the Dark Ones very nature, as he loathed too give out power to anyone. The truth may never be known. What is known is that a King-Priest could destroy entire legions of soldiers with even the simplest spells and granted powers. They were a terror to face on the battlefield and were protected by incredibly powerful magical enchantments and armor.</p><p></p><p>Most of the names of the King-Priests that ruled the Empire of Swords during its existence have been lost to time. All that is left of their legacy are the ziggurats lining the Empirisk River from the Imperial City of Yösydän (now called Vapaa) to the town of Fjärranstade. These ziggurats are the resting-places of the King-Priests of the Sword Imperium.</p><p></p><p>Hiisi’s banishment to Carceri left the Empire of Swords without their patron and the Imperium suffered as a result. The King-Priest was powerless against the combined clergy of the remaining Sword Gods. Nether’s clerics of pain took great pleasure in torturing the King-Priest and his followers, while Mussin’s clerics spread disease and destruction throughout the Empire.</p><p></p><p>Mussin cared nothing for Hiisi’s mortal followers or the Empire they built and he took great pleasure in tearing it apart. Distant protectorates broke away from the Empire one by one and the Old Sword Imperium collapsed beyond the Ragik Peninsula. The throne of the Empire passed from one petty dictator to another, along the lines of might makes right. However, ruthless warlords held sway over the remains of the Empire and the Emperors had little real power beyond the walls of Yösydän.</p><p></p><p>These Dead Emperors, as they were often called by the masses, usually didn’t rule long. Assassins loyal to the dead god Vespin slew Emperor after Emperor, as none of them were “right for the throne” in the eyes of the followers of the Sword God of Thieves and Assassins. The Dead Emperors lived in fear for centuries of the group that would become known as Vespin’s Lost and most went mad. Most of their edicts were simply ignored by the populace, as the Emperor that proclaimed them would soon forget all about it.</p><p></p><p>Vespin’s Lost weren’t the only ones that opposed the Dead Emperors, as dozens of ex-priests of the Pantheon of Swords banded together to form the society known as the Yosyntya or the Dark Reborn. Dedicated to raising the fallen gods of the Imperium, this society had little luck regaining worshipers for the dark gods. They still exist to this day but are hunted by the priests of the remaining gods of Pantheon of Swords, not to mention everyone else. Of all of the dead Sword Gods, only Vespin's loyal families of assassins refuse to convert to worship another god.</p><p></p><p>In current times, the Imperium Royal House was seen more as a bunch of squabbling fools and had little power over the Ragik Peninsula. The last Emperor (now deceased) was quite mad and had been known to ride backwards through the imperial city on a donkey laughing, “I am all powerful, tremble before me!”</p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, an elite force of mercenaries known as the Blades of the Emperor, who once protected the Imperial family, still exist in the Old Sword Imperium. The leaders of this force are no better then petty warlords now, but they still hold power in the region, especially in the Imperiumi Forest. They oppose the changes happening in the lands now known as the Sword Protectorate. (See below, under the current events of the Year of the Return: The Transformation.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Knightfall, post: 5206049, member: 2012"] [B]The Empire of Swords[/B] The Empire of Swords was a militaristic, despotic kingdom that held ultimate power over much of the lands of Harqual. (Not including the Great Forest of the elves, the Greystone Mountains of the dwarves, the Storm Jungle of the tabaxi, or the Far South.) The Empire, at its height, controlled all the lands from the Ragik Peninsula on the western coast of Northern Harqual, to the Spirit Rift near the eastern coast of Northern Harqual, to the northern edge of the Great Expanse in Southern Harqual. The Empire paid homage to Hiisi’s dark pantheon. It is unknown whether the Empire took its name from the pantheon (likely) or if it was the other way around (not so likely). All that is known is that the Empire of Swords was the largest human empire to ever exist on Harqual. It ruins can be found all over Northern Harqual, lost to time and the ravages of war. For over 1,400 years, the Empire of Swords dominated the continent, no one able to break its dark power. At the height of the Empire’s power, King-Priests of Hiisi controlled the Empire of Swords, with each successive King-Priest ruling for their entire lifetime. The power of the King-Priest was absolute and it was rumored that each King-Priest was, in fact, a powerful proxy of the Lord of Darkness. However, this rumor goes against the Dark Ones very nature, as he loathed too give out power to anyone. The truth may never be known. What is known is that a King-Priest could destroy entire legions of soldiers with even the simplest spells and granted powers. They were a terror to face on the battlefield and were protected by incredibly powerful magical enchantments and armor. Most of the names of the King-Priests that ruled the Empire of Swords during its existence have been lost to time. All that is left of their legacy are the ziggurats lining the Empirisk River from the Imperial City of Yösydän (now called Vapaa) to the town of Fjärranstade. These ziggurats are the resting-places of the King-Priests of the Sword Imperium. Hiisi’s banishment to Carceri left the Empire of Swords without their patron and the Imperium suffered as a result. The King-Priest was powerless against the combined clergy of the remaining Sword Gods. Nether’s clerics of pain took great pleasure in torturing the King-Priest and his followers, while Mussin’s clerics spread disease and destruction throughout the Empire. Mussin cared nothing for Hiisi’s mortal followers or the Empire they built and he took great pleasure in tearing it apart. Distant protectorates broke away from the Empire one by one and the Old Sword Imperium collapsed beyond the Ragik Peninsula. The throne of the Empire passed from one petty dictator to another, along the lines of might makes right. However, ruthless warlords held sway over the remains of the Empire and the Emperors had little real power beyond the walls of Yösydän. These Dead Emperors, as they were often called by the masses, usually didn’t rule long. Assassins loyal to the dead god Vespin slew Emperor after Emperor, as none of them were “right for the throne” in the eyes of the followers of the Sword God of Thieves and Assassins. The Dead Emperors lived in fear for centuries of the group that would become known as Vespin’s Lost and most went mad. Most of their edicts were simply ignored by the populace, as the Emperor that proclaimed them would soon forget all about it. Vespin’s Lost weren’t the only ones that opposed the Dead Emperors, as dozens of ex-priests of the Pantheon of Swords banded together to form the society known as the Yosyntya or the Dark Reborn. Dedicated to raising the fallen gods of the Imperium, this society had little luck regaining worshipers for the dark gods. They still exist to this day but are hunted by the priests of the remaining gods of Pantheon of Swords, not to mention everyone else. Of all of the dead Sword Gods, only Vespin's loyal families of assassins refuse to convert to worship another god. In current times, the Imperium Royal House was seen more as a bunch of squabbling fools and had little power over the Ragik Peninsula. The last Emperor (now deceased) was quite mad and had been known to ride backwards through the imperial city on a donkey laughing, “I am all powerful, tremble before me!” Unfortunately, an elite force of mercenaries known as the Blades of the Emperor, who once protected the Imperial family, still exist in the Old Sword Imperium. The leaders of this force are no better then petty warlords now, but they still hold power in the region, especially in the Imperiumi Forest. They oppose the changes happening in the lands now known as the Sword Protectorate. (See below, under the current events of the Year of the Return: The Transformation.) [/QUOTE]
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