Chronicles of Petra, The Seven Continents, Earen and Eoza- WIP

[themadmonarchist]

Earen
land of knowledge
water/ice based magic

• resource rich, trade, culture, rare jewels, snow, ice, cool climate, gold, salt, sophisticated, politics, extravagance, colonial, imperial, manipulative, politic-savy, sailors, homogeneous, ambitious "global," highly advanced

Head of State: Empress Amarissa

• Empress of Ice.
• Cold, aloof, regal, commanding, authoritative, uncomprimising. She always gets what she wants.
• First Rourani ruler post the "Rourani Purge"- distantly related to the previous Rourani Emperor, claimed the throne as per her relation to him, Brought stability and glory to Rouran.
• Ice-based magic

Ruling Dynasty: Rohan

Earen is one of the more advanced continents of Ishgar. Ishgarian history suggests that civilization itself began in Shishura. From Shishrua, civilization migrated to the other continents- Earen, Eoza and Karoyagi first of course. After this migration, these continents were connected by the trade of the Silk Road- a network of intricate trade routes that extended from Karoyagi to Shishura, and eventually the Rourani Kingdom in what today is considered to be Earen. The trade route was famous for introducing silk, spices, tea and precious stones to Earen; while horses from Earen were transported to Karoyagi's green pastures.

The trade route transformed the trajectories of the world of Ishgar forever. By the mid-6th century, the balance of power had shifted. The trade routes had given birth to autonomous cities who grew wealthy from the trade. Their sudden growth destabilized the entire trade route, resulting in the creation of several autonomous kingdoms and city-states across the trade route. The rapid growth of these new powers meant that the free-flow of goods across the Silk Road was restricted. And without the wealth from the Silk Road, the entire ecosystem of the continents of Earen, Shishura and Karoyagi was threatened. The only way to restore the Silk Road was through the establishment of "Continents," as opposed to individual kingdoms and countries, ruled by separate kings and leaders. It was on the basis of this logic that the Noble House of Rouran came to dominate all of Earen. The Rourani nobles had grown wealthy from the trade of the Silk Road. The original traders, the Rourani nobles quickly began to use their wealth to conquer their neighboring powers. This was done through a combination of active warfare and strategic diplomacy which included marriage and trade alliances alike. Since the Rourani nobles themselves lacked human resources to raise a permanent military force, they relied on mercenaries from other continents. Most often, these mercenaries were either from Shishura or Eoza. With their help, the Rourani nobles managed to conquer all of Earen by the late 8th Century.

After successfully gaining control over the continent, the Rourani nobles set their sights on expansion. Already wealthy due to trade with Karoyagi and Shishura, the Rourani nobles wanted to sustain their wealth through building infrastructure. And the most efficient way to do so was by using cheap labour, which was found in Eoza. And thus, began the Slave trade.

At first, the Rourani nobles simply used Eozaian labour contractually. However, as their plans for infrastructure became grander and grander, the demand for cheap labour increased drastically. Soon enough, the contracts of the Eozaian labourers became longer, and they started to stay in Earen for longer period, paid increasingly less for their work. Soon enough, the pay vanished all together. The Earenian Slave Trade lasted for centuries.

But that was not all. After gaining control of the continent, the Rourani nobles established the Empire of Rouran in the 9th Century. As the name suggested, the empire was ruled by the house of Rouran, and it was not a peaceful state. Constant warfare, political manipulation and strife was a characteristic of the Empire. Before the 10th century, the nobles of the Empire often grew rich due to trade with Karoyagi and Shishura. After the 10th century, individuals grew rich on the back of the Eareni slave trade, disrupting the balance of power and hierarchy of within the empire. Very soon, there was a clear distinction within the empire itself- the Nobility of the Sword, and the Nobility of the Paper. The Nobility of the Sword encompassed all the traditional Noble houses that had existed in Earen since the inception of the Empire. The Nobility of the Paper on the other hand, were all those individuals who had rapidly gained their wealth post the 10th century, most commonly through slave trade. Thus, they were known as the "New Nobility," and were generally looked down upon by the Old Nobility. By the 13th century, the conflict between the Old and the New nobility had become so bad that the entire empire seemed to be on the brink of a Civil War- the first of many. The reasons were simple- the ruling monarch was only chosen from the Old Nobility. Wishing to preserve their wealth and their high-born culture, intermarriage was common among the Old Nobility. This ensured that the ruling monarch was always from the Old Nobility. However, when Emperor Alexander suddenly died childless, it was assumed that the next ruling monarch would be his favored General- Louis Bernard, a noble from the "Nobility of the Paper." Instead, the crown passed to Emperor Alexander's infant nephew- Nicholas. And until he came of age, his father, Vasily a Duke from the noble house of Narshkiyaan would be his regent. The decision resulted in wide-spread outrage across the continent, leading to the first Civil War in the early 16th Century. The war was eventually resolved in the mid 16th Century, with the Emperor Nicholas ascending the throne.

However, Emperor Nicholas' reign was less than successful. While Earen was occupied with the Civil War, Eozaian forces had begun to consolidate on the continent of Eoza. For over a century, there had been strife among the slave traders and Earian colonial overlords against the Eozaian people, among whom a dangerous anti-colonial sentiment had begun to spread. However, until the Civil War, the Eozaian people were largely disadvantaged due to the superior weaponry of the Eareni soldiers. However, when they were occupied with the Civil War, Eozaian forces slowly began to consolidate under the authority of Queen Gudit, and eventually managed to overthrow the Earanian officials in the continent of Eoza. Seeing this, Emperor Nicholas declared war on her, hoping to subdue the continent once more. However, Earenian forces had already been exhausted by the Civil War, and Queen Gudit took full advantage of this fact. The result was a crushing defeat for the Earnian forces, and liberation for the continent of Eoza. As Queen Gudit had liberated them, she was chosen to be their first leader, leading to the establishment of the Zagwe Dynasty in Eoza which has retained power ever since.

The results of the Earian War against Queen Gudit had major repercussions in Earen too. The entire continent was in shock that their superior forces could be defeated against the Eozai forces so easily- at the time, the Eozai forces had little more than sticks and primitive weaponry to arm themselves with. The defeat was humiliating to say the least and resulted in a throwing the entire Earian economy into a deep recession. Without the slaves and natural resources of Eoza, the Empire was left unable to sustain itself. Because of this, Emperor Nicholas was forced to abdicate, and his family imprisoned. Following his abdication, the Empire of Rouran was officially dissolved. In its place, the Confederation of Earen came to power.

The Confederation was dominated by the individuals from Lower Earnian society. These individuals had previously been merchants, and peasants under the Empire and had been deeply unsatisfied by the grossly extravagant lifestyle of the Nobility, which was often at the cost of the Lower Earenian society. The crushing defeat against Eoza served as the final spark, following which the lower Earenian society revolted and seized control of the Empire. Under increasing pressure, the Emperor was forced to abdicate. But the Confederation did not stop there. It killed the Emperor and his immediate family, branding them as "Enemies of the State." This event shocked Earenian society to the very core, leading to the second Civil War in the 17th century. This Civil War however, lasted for over a century and ended with the brutal assassination of all of the Emperor's supporters, otherwise known as the "Royalists." Following the war, the Confederation ruled Earen until the mid-19th century. During this period, the Earenian economy was driven into the ground. Insisting on being self-supporting, the Confederation attempted to rapidly modernize the country, all while being self-sufficient. This meant that it isolated itself entirely from the other continents and withdrew from international trade all together. The result was disastrous to say the least. Without transitioning the economy from agrarian to industrial properly, droughts and famines had become a constant in Earen. Anyone with wealth had already left the continent for the far wealthier and greener pastures of Karoyagi and Shishura.

By the 19th century the situation was so bad that it was predicted that most of Earenian industries were dominated by foreign powers- Karoyagi, Shishura and of course, Eoza. The Confederation's powers and authority had been weakened greatly, and the country was on the brink of another Civil War. It was at this point that Amarissa de Rouran was discovered in Shishura.

Amarissa was somehow distantly related to Emperor Nicholas, and when the royalists discovered this, they advocated that she was the rightful claimant to the throne of Earen, not the Confederation. Because of the wide-spread suffering, the people of Earen had lost faith in the Confederation entirely and quickly turned to embrace Amarissa as their future Empress.

Initially reluctant to ascend the throne, Amarissa eventually was persuaded to do so by her husband, a wealthy Shishurian noble. They established the Second Empire of Rouran. When Empress Amarissa ascended the throne, her husband became the first foreign-born noble in Earenian history. Using their vast personal wealth, Empress Amarissa is often credited with the "rebirth of Earen." Using a vast amount of Shishurian wealth, Empress Amarissa was able to revive the great Earenian army, and its industries but at a great cost- the half-bloods. Across Ishgar, the persecution of half-bloods has become unnervingly common. Half-bloods, as per the technical definition are those individuals whose close relatives (Parents, or a grandparent) are from two different continents, and thus wield two different types of magic. In such cases, the offspring may be born without the ability to perform magic all together. To avoid this, marriages between individuals from different continents is generally discouraged. And if that won't do it, the societal pressure is bound to do so. Half-bloods often occupy the lowest strata of society, but in rare cases may end up at the very top. Such was the case for Empress Amarissa's own children and grand-children. Despite being half-bloods themselves, Earen is one of the worst places for half-bloods in all of Ishgar. Their persecution is not as open and as harsh as the persecution suffered by the half-bloods of Eoza, but the individuals living in Earen don't fare too much better. With no slave trade to turn to, the Empire has often been accused of exploiting half-bloods as a cheap source of labour. Naturally, such accusations are rarely taken seriously in Earen.

Along with this, Empress Amarissa and her children are also considered to be highly skilled and talented diplomats, who have engaged in various trade alliances which eventually helped restore Earen to its former wealth and glory over the years. Now, poverty is a rare sight in Earen- it still exists of course, but not openly. But it is not just trade alliances that have contributed to this dramatic increase in the general standard of living within Earen. Empress Amarissa's increasing influence over the High Council in Petra also plays a large role in the general increase in wealth of Earen. With increasing influence over the High Council, Empress Amarissa ensured that the a sizable portion of the wealth of the Silk Road trade is controlled by Earen, allowing the continent to rapidly expand both its wealth and its influence internationally, much to Eoza's displeasure.

Eoza
land of strength
earth & metal-based magic

• Ambitious, resource-rich, tribal, regal, communal. militaristic, proud, originally nomadic, humble, strict, authoritarian rulers, disciplined, loyal, rare jewels, gold, desert, wild animals, geographic diversity, historical ruins, fiercely anti-colonial, seasoned warriors

Head of State: Emperor Zerihun

• Revolutionary, hero king turned ruthless military dictator.
• Paranoid, calculating, sadistic

Ruling Dynasty: Zagwe

Eoza is known for its rich cultural diversity, colorful customs, and generally cheerful people. Everything in Eoza begins and ends with a song and a celebration, complete with tons of food. It then comes as a surprise that the Eozai culture is a deeply proud, militaristic one. The reason for this is deeply connected to the continent's history.

The history of Eoza began with the migration from Shishura. The first wave of migration was actually to Eoza, followed by the migration to Karoyagi, and then to Earen. Because of this, Eoza is home to some of the oldest cultural traditions in all of Ishgar- and the people of Eoza are deeply proud of this. The continent of Eoza itself is composed off hundreds of various tribes such as the Xulu, Masai, Tutsi, and the Yoruba, to name a few. Historically, the continent was divided among these tribes, all of whom were land-owning. There was no concept of a "continent" as such before the 17th century, making Eoza one of the youngest continents as well. Prior to the slave trade, the continent was marked with a large amount of cultural diversity, as well as conflict- wars over land among tribes was common. The Earenian colonizers used this conflict to manipulate tribe leaders against each other, and ultimately conquered a significant portion of the continental land for themselves. And if they were unable to manipulate tribe leaders into submission, the colonizers simply overwhelmed the tribes in battle. At the time, the Eozai tribes were armed with primitive weaponry when compared to the superior military weaponry and techniques of the Earenian forces. Because of this, the Earenian forces were easily able to conquer the entire continent, and were able to colonize it for centuries, subjecting the people of Eoza to the horrific fate of slavery for centuries. Under the Earenian influence, a significant amount of wealth was also drained from the continent as a whole. This included natural resources, as well as other treasures. Particularly those Eozaians who had affinities for metal-based magic (precious metals such as gold, silver, brass, iron, etc particularly) were exploited for centuries, worked to the bone for the benefit of Earenian development, literally. Children were separated from parents, wives from husbands- families were torn apart, and communities destroyed entirely. The tribes that were on good terms with the colonizers enjoyed relatively comfortable lives- they were allowed to retain a portion of their wealth and had freedom of movement across the continent. They were allowed to speak their native language, and practice their cultural customs and traditions. But the tribes that were not were subject to unspeakable atrocities including slave trade, genocide as well as cultural genocide. Because of this, the Eozai continent today is far less of a diverse place than what it used to be.

Change finally took place in the mid-16th century, when a soldier by the name of Gudit killed her superior officer after a heated disagreement. She was arrested swiftly, and what was supposed to be an open-and-shut case quickly evolved into a continent-wide protest. This was because she was sentenced to death- the prosecutors never even heard her explanations. She had been defending herself from the advances of her superior officer for years, and when he finally began to use force against her, she retaliated and killed him whilst defending herself. The judge took no consideration of this. At the time, Earenian colonizers were famous for treating the Eozai cruelly. Eozai women particularly were often subject to acts of sexual violence, leading to a sizeable half-blood population across the continent. Gudit's conviction sparked a rebellion in the Eozai officers, which later spread to the Eozai soldiers, and eventually the citizens. All of a sudden, the continent had erupted in rebellion. What set this rebellion apart however was the fact that Gudit was able to capitalize on it. A gifted strategist, she helped turn a series of sporadic revolts into an organized rebellion, eventually leading to the death of several Earenian officers, evictions of their families, and eventually the complete defeat of the Earenian forces in by the late-16th century. Her role in removing the colonial influences from Eoza was crucial. In order to commemorate this, she was named the first leader of the newly established Eozai continent, and established the Zagwe Dynasty.

Queen Gudit was a great advocate for cultural diversity and encouraged the tribes to take back their traditional lands. However, to prevent internal strife and conflict, she decreed that the leaders of the tribes would form the Governance Committee, which would oversee the administration and welfare of the entire continent. The president of this committee would hold the title of Chairperson, and would hold the second highest authority within the continent. The highest authority would be retained by the reigning monarch. The Chairperson would be elected among the committee, and would serve to advice the reigning monarch on issues to do with administration and welfare of the continent. Though Queen Gudit unfortunately died shortly after her reign began, her influence over the Eozai continent was long-lasting. Her reign saw the establishments of schools, and various other educational institutions, as well as the establishment of the Eozai military forces. The forces today are considered to be one of the most efficient military forces in all of Ishgar. Today, Queen Gudit is not only viewed as the liberator of Eoza, but she is also recalled to be one of the continent's most successful monarchs.

Following her death, her son, King Yetbarak ascended the throne. From his reign onwards, the Zagwae dynasty followed the principle of primogeniture for their succession, according to which, the oldest legitimate son would inherit the throne after his father. King Yetbarak's reign saw the expansion of education in Eoza, and the development of various other institutions in the continent including the judicial system and the medical sector. His subsequent descendants contributed to the existing development, and made Eoza one of the most advanced, technologically advanced, and richest continents in all of Ishgar. This was done through crafting strategic trade alliances with other continents, Shishura and Karoyagi at first, and the other continents later. The only continent which Eoza never had any direct ties with was Earen. Like Queen Gudit, her descendants maintained a strong anti-colonial sentiment towards Earen, and often treated any Earenian aid package, organization, or program with great suspicion. Till today, neither the Earenian continent, nor its citizens are welcome in Eoza.

One of the major drawbacks of King Yetbarak's reign was the failure to address the half-bloods. Anti-colonial sentiment, and general negative attitudes towards half-bloods resulted in the severe marginalization of the half-bloods in Eoza. Over the centuries, this marginalization eventually resulted in persecution as well. Today, half-bloods are treated exceedingly poorly within the continent. Heavily exploited, the half-bloods often live in slave-like conditions, and are one of the most disadvantaged groups within the continent.

Present day Eoza is also known for its militaristic reign. Over the centuries, the importance of the military has grown significantly in Eoza. The need to have a strong military force stems from the threat of invasion of a foreign power. Because of this, the military plays an important role in Eozai culture. Presently, the governance of the continent resembles a military dictatorship far more than it does a monarchy. The reigning King is often one of the finest soldiers of his generation, and most tribe leaders too are military officials. This has led to the transformation of the Governance Committee from an administrative body, to a military one. Even the judicial system of Eoza now is overwhelmingly dominated by the military- military trials are exceedingly common today. The importance of the Eozai military has grown more important in recent years due to increasing Earenian influence, particularly over the High Council in Petra.

Broad Timeline of Earen and Eoza's History