Empyrean Darminia

Capital: Cairn Istis

Ruler: Lelvieta, Regional Lictor

Government: Limited Theocracy

Primary Races: Human, Halfling

Primary Language: Imperial Common

Regional Bonus: Vigilant in Victory - The people of Darminia have won their freedom but refuse to surrender to laxity, giving you a +2 racial bonus to Stealth and Knowledge [Geography].

Regional Feat:End it Quickly

Description

Once a nation at the mercy of the Republic of Sylat, the beleaguered Darminians threw their lot in with the Empyrean Academy early in the Sunset War and they were rewarded for their loyalty by Istis, one of the two most powerful Lictors and the leader of the moderate faction that felt open war was undesirable.  Nevertheless, war is what they had, so Istis vowed to make some meaningful change for the better.  What he got was a slaughter unprecedented in modern history and unrivaled until the bloody battle at the foot of Godsfall itself.

But by his sacrifice, Darminia was given a new future and hope for the first time in their meager century of existence.  Now it is a part of the greater Empyrean Alliance, taking its cue from Far Vahandir, and bustles with a prosperity that seems at odds with the world's current state of crisis.  Freed from the oppression of Sylat, they have begun making their land prosper, opening thousands of acres of farmland to refugees seeking new homes in more stable lands while vast Academy monasteries train hundreds of students who dream of being Blooded to the Academy.  Indeed, in the two decades since Empyrean Darminia was born, almost one in five people have succeeded in being reborn, this country alone providing more Academicians than at any other time in history.

Most of those Blooded are sympathetic to the ideals of Istis' moderate faction: the slow, non-violent accumulation of influence coupled with a campaign of enlightenment to help the 'ignorant' understand the true nature of the world.

History

In Tower Age 1186, colonists from the Empire of the Sun, the Elven Ascendancy, and the Malakute Confederacy came together to create a new nation in the hopes of re-energizing the people of the world and pushing back the shrinking borders of civilization.  For the first decade or so, everything seemed to be going well, with everyone working together to raise a nation out of the wilderness.  Everything changed during the Blight Harvest of AG 1199, when disease swept through the crops across much of the land.  The Republic began to split along ideological and racial lines, until it devolved into five warring camps.  Over the next three generations, the elves of Sylat managed to overwhelm three of their four competitors, forcing them back into the Republic "for their own good."  All that remained of the unconquered territory was a loose alliance of human and halfling towns known collectively as Darminia.

That changed in AG 1260, when Lictor Istis of the Empyrean Academy arrived with the promise of support for Darminia's plight in return for the chance to preach his message.  Once that leniency was granted, Istis quickly proved himself skilled as an administrator, leader, and strategist, replacing the ineffectual General Prein as the de facto leader of the nation within months.  He launched an ambitious campaign of training and defensive reinforcement so effective that Sylat sought outside help for the first time in their conflict, beseeching the Empire of the Sun for support.

The Empire answered and the conflict swiftly escalated, the Empire breaking through the defenses and advancing despite ruinous costs, taking Istis' life as the Lictor tried to buy a chance for his forces to escape.  Finally, at the very gates of New Rell, the old capital, High Lictor Hathad intervened and snatched a grim victory away from the Empire, costing them an Imperial princess in the process.  Those were the bloody birthing pains of Empyrean Darminia, but they will never forget the debt they owe the Academy for their freedom, nor the debt they owe the Empire.

Foreign Relations

Recent history has changed much for Darminia, and their closest ally abroad is the Empyrean Alliance, whose lead they follow while remaining only nominally independent.  Indeed, the Regional Lictor of Empyrean Darminia has a seat on the Lictor Council second only to High Lictor Invidis himself.

That, of course, puts them in direct opposition to those nations who still harbor ill will towards the Academy: the Empire and the Ascendancy chief amongst them, though most nations still cling to grudges.  The Republic of Sylat, of course, uses that divide to agitate for international action against Darminia almost constantly, fearing their one-time province's miraculous new strength.