Nador'at | The Mage Guild

Nador’at

“If you value your tongue, you call that island one name in Lugdurum and another in Eoferwic. Here in Merikel, we just call it ‘the other place’.”

- Uncredited Tarumeli citizen, 499 AR

Early Settlement

The first half-century after The Rending was a time of anarchy and, with exception, a return to barbarism for the shorter lived species of Kǝʂän. Tarumel was forming on The Crescent Islands, but was so exclusive to elves in those early years. In search of their own community and foothold for civilization, many humans congregated on the other large landmass in the North Sea, Nador’at; translated from elvish it means “the other place.” For thousands of years it had been inhabited almost exclusively by dozens of small aarakocra tribes. These natives had deep roots in the land and had strict codes of conduct when it came to warfare; they were not prepared for the unruly strength of desperate men. As human warlords and cults vied for control over Nador’at, its native population succumbed, and receded into the peripheral regions of the island group. From these human factions, one began to stand out from the rest: a cult of Adämēǝ centered around a charismatic aasimar named Gaius Endymion.

Susseliador

“He sees you through my eyes. Show him your faith and he will light your path; walk his path and be welcome upon reaching its end.”

– Emperor Gaius Endymion I, The Pious c. 60 AR

Susseliador is a human-dominant imperial theocracy established in 62 AR by the prophet Gaius Endymion I. Gaius I was an aasimar priest of Adämēǝ who attracted a massive religious following; it is said he spoke with Adämēǝ and carried the words to his people. The movement grew quickly amongst humans, as did their influence over Nador’at. His zealous followers overpowered many local warlords that had cropped up since The Rending and gave people hope of a new civil society based in faith. Gaius I became known as a prophet and entire towns were built to house the pilgrims that flocked to his call. It was then a small matter for Gaius Endymion I to make official the establishment of his non-secular imperium, Susseliador, and declare himself Emperor of it. For this the people loved him and came to call him Gaius the Pious. Five centuries later, the imperial crown remains in the family, with Emperor Gaius Endymion IV.

Susselian Emperors

Gaius Endymion I, the Pious.......................... 62 - 137 AR
Anthony Endymion, the Bloodless................. 137 - 154 AR
Frederick Endymion, the Wise....................... 154 - 208 AR
Gaius Endymion II, the Explorer.................... 208 - 281 AR
Wilhelm Endymion, the Gifted....................... 281 - 311 AR
Gaius Endymion III, Elf-Friend...................... 311 - 372 AR
Casian Endymion, the Humble....................... 372 - 390 AR
Hector Endymion I, the Builder...................... 390 - 427 AR
Hector Endymion II, the Redeemer................ 427 - 465 AR
Gaius Endymion IV, the Silver........................ 465 AR - present

Imperial Free Economy

Susseliador’s abundance of natural resources have bred a thriving economy for most of the imperium’s existence. The fertile fields surrounding The Creeping Lake are a great boon; food is the primary export of the imperium. The Whistling Mountains, south of Echo Lake, are rich in gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin. The Imperial Mint and Imperial Forges are well placed to fund and equip the impressive imperial war machine. Besides arms and armor, most artisan goods are imported from Tarumel. The exchange of culture is evident, as elvish products are always in style in Susseliador and many children of noble families spend time abroad in Tarumel, often studying at their “Collections.”

Susseliador’s free market system ostensibly offers anyone a chance at striking it rich, but in reality, economic power in the imperium is largely held by a small group of oligarchs and noble families; of course, the imperial crown strictly regulates it all and takes a significant cut in taxes. Susseliador is home to some of the richest and some of the poorest folk in the new civilized nations; there is a relatively small middle class.

One Empire, Under AdämēƎ

Susseliador was founded as a religious state by a prophet of Adämēǝ. Gaius the Pious’s voice was Adämēǝ's voice, and it shepherded the frightened and lost humans to a new future after The Rending. Religion is deeply seeded in the empire, and belief in the emperor’s divinity maintains loyalty as much as the imperial military. The Emperor’s voice is Adämēǝ’s voice, and humans who do not follow in his path are heretics to their god. Most humanoid species are welcome in Susseliador; their cultures and religious beliefs are respected, although not provided for. For humans in Susseliador, impiety is taboo.

Mantidor

“Let them fight! The victor shall share my table and the loser shall take the next watch on Macon’s Wall.”

– King Conalt Stormbringer, of the Bronmark c. 490 AR

Mantidor is a monarchical confederation of human clans. Its dominion lies on the northern side of The Sightless Wall and includes The After Isle in the North Sea. The rocky terrain, wild forests, frozen winds of northern Nador’at have bred a hardy and independent people who hold strength, loyalty, and craftsmanship among their key principles. Mantidor is ruled by The Wierdan, a council of the nation’s most powerful clan leaders. A single monarch is elected from the pool of jarls in The Wierdan; this monarch does not wield total authority, but has two votes to every other jarl’s one. The monarch also gains ownership of Eoferic castle, control of The Mantidoran Metalwork Exchange, and can exercise executive authority over the militaries of Mantidoran jarls during wartime. Elections within The Wierdan take place upon the death of a monarch, whose votes are cast posthumously via will and testament. The Wierdan currently consists of nine jarls, including King Conalt Bronmark.

The Wierden (499 AR)

King Conalt Stormbringer, of the Bronmark - governs Eoferwic.
Jarl Johan Wolfhelm, of the Bronmark - governs Fulsburgh and Haggisfeld
Jarl Thruva Ravenbreath, of the Grimholf - governs Ilsbridge
Jarl Olin Oakheart, of the Grimholf - governs Anderwic
Jarl Grigor Coalbiter, of the Allanoch - governs Blackbreach
Jarl Sindula Lighthair, of the Vallasung - governs Dawnfalls
Jarl Hughoc Trueeye, of the Iomangeir - governs Greyport
Jarl Ringean Iceshield, of the Fjordbane - governs Frostguard
Jarl Balan Bloodtooth, of the Vestegeir - governs Corinsburgh

Independence Through Strength

The jarls themselves pass their titles most often through bloodlines however it is not uncommon for clan power struggles to lead to alternative lines of succession. New jarls rise and new clans may earn membership in The Wierdan by proving their strength in relation to other clans. In instances of clan rivalry or internal struggle within a clan, it is taboo for other clans to interfere, including the monarch; it is the Mantidoran culture’s way of producing the strongest leaders. They believe that, in this way, the rulers of Mantidor will never get complacent and weak like the tired Susselian imperial bloodline. These same practices give Mantidor a confrontational and blunt reputation; others would call it being headstrong and forthright.

The clans of Mantidor enjoy a significant amount of independence from the crown; this emphasis on independence was a major reason for the initial split with Susseliador. Jarls lay the law in their own lands and are responsible for policing them; their militaries are wholly their own outside of wartime. The only tax collected by the Mantidoran crown is on metalworks and materials via The Mantidoran Metalworks Exchange.

The Mantidoran Metalworks Exchange (M.M.E.)

The Mantidoran Metalworks Exchange is the state run smithing guild that controls the metallurgy industry in Mantidor, among other things. Iron, gold, and other precious metals are scarce in the north of Nador’at; Susseliador still controls most of the landmass’s mineral deposits. When Mantidor won its independence, there was a great need for every gold coin and scrap of iron they could get their hands on to forge its new kingdom. King Macon Eoferson, founding ruler of Mantidor, socialized all mining and metalcraft in the fledgling confederacy; he created the M.M.E. and made it illegal to practice metallurgy or mine metal ore for non-members. The guild has outposts, mines, and smithies in every town. It is headquartered in Eoferwic and controlled by the king/queen’s clan.

The Mantidoran Metalworks Exchange is one of the greatest authorities in Mantidor The guild is responsible for every legal weapon and piece of armor made within its borders, but the M.M.E. is much more than just an artisan guild. It is a bank and the mint that makes the official coin of Mantidor. It is the scrupulous regulatory agency for the nation’s natural resources. It is a state-wide trade and distribution network that would rival the largest private trade conglomerates in Susseliador. Jarls are permitted to maintain militaries of a certain size, while the monarch is permitted a notably larger retinue. The M.M.E. helps enforce this by ensuring that the jarls only have access to the requisite equipment for such a force and no more; surplus equipment is confiscated with compensation by the M.M.E. This breeds numerous modestly sized military forces made up entirely of well-equipped professional soldiers.

The Mantidoran Metalworks Exchange’s mission statement speaks to the necessity of their work for the sturdiness of all Mantidoran’s and their readiness against outside threats.

Wars of Nador’at

“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”

– George Santayana, Susselian legionnaire, 441 AR

The Susselian Civil War /
The Mantidoran Revolution 139 - 144 AR

When Emperor Gaius Endymion I died in 137 AR, his throne passed to his youngest and last surviving heir, Anthony Endymion I. There was controversy over the divinity of Gaius I’s lineage and questions raised concerning his teenage son’s ability to rule. Loyal and pious Susselians believed that the entire Endymion bloodline was touched by Adämēǝ and that Anthony I is their rightful and righteous; skeptical and disabused lords believed that Gaius I was unique in his divinity and that his runt son would make a weak ruler. Many Susselians were already disenfranchised by the strict theocracy imposed within the imperium for centuries by Gaius I; others saw their opportunity for power in a moment of uncertainty.

The rebels had several leaders over the course of the war; most were either killed in battle or assassinated. In the end it was Macon Eoferson who led the rebels to victory and was crowned the first King of Mantidor. It was Macon who convinced local aarakocra tribes to join the fight against the Susselian imperial army, and it was Macon who held the shield wall on the snowy hills above Fulsburgh against young Emperor Anthony I’s imperial legions. The ridgeline of those hills is hence known as Macon’s Wall and its low round peaks are now the barrows of dead Mantidoran kings and queens.

After five years of bloody civil war, Mantidor won its independence and peace was made with Susseliador; the declaration was signed by Emperor Anthony at sword-point after the Siege of Macon’s Wall. To emphasize their separation from Susseliador, the Mantidorans built a low stone wall extending eighty miles from The Bay of Whales in the west to Echo Lake in the east, named Eofer’s Wall after King Macon’s fallen father and once leader of the rebellion. This wall became the first official border of the two nations.

The Mineral War 366 - 374 AR

More than two centuries passed without another major war, although few of those years were bloodless. As each nation continued to grow, small skirmishes and frontier engagements persisted on the tightening borders and around precious resources in the heartland of Nador’at. Mantidor had grown to rival Susseliador in size; the rapid growth came to a head in the mid-fourth century.

Mantidor had found a dearth of natural resources in the north of Nador'at and the harsh landscape made it difficult to grow crops. King Isaac Dhoritak, the Half-Dwarf, identified key mineral deposits in The Whistling Mountains and fertile fields surrounding The Redroot Forest and sent his strongest jarls to claim them from the Susselians in 366 AR. There was a great slaughter from the fields of Midcairn to the Wanwelar’anda swamps, and Thunder Run ran red for eight long years.

Emperor Gaius III of Susseliador was a sickly man and no warrior, but he was no fool either. He conducted a well organized defense of Susseliador’s borders and frontier assets until his untimely death in 372 AR from illness. His successor, Emperor Casian, would prove an inferior wartime leader and led imperial forces to a series of major defeats. Susseliador began suing for peace shortly thereafter, but did not see it granted until almost two years later, in 374 AR; by then, the Mantidoran army had captured large swathes of Susselian territory. They may have continued all the way to the Susselian capital city, Lugduram, were it not for Tarumel’s efforts to broker a peace.

The Nel Venthrum Accords were struck on the Tarumeli isle Marulen, under the twin harvest-moons of early autumn 374 AR. Susseliador was forced to cede much of the land and resources captured by Mantidor during the war. The border shifted fifty miles south from Eofer’s Wall to the edge of The Redroot Forest, the town of Midcairn was ceded to Mantidor, and The Fish & Hook Isles became Mantidoran territories.

The Little War 432 - 446 AR

Susseliador was injured by the loss of land and resources in The Mineral War; Emperor Hector the Redeemer sought to right those perceived wrongs through force.

The Little War’s seemingly ironic name was given for the small yet brutal encounters that characterized the conflict. The soldiers were fighting largely in small groups; they fought in frigid alpine posts, constricted underground networks, and isolated woodland skirmishes punctuated by devastating arcane abilities that were not much seen in previous engagements between the nations. Tarumel’s Collections had opened their knowledge to others since the Susselian Civil War/The Mantidoran Revolution. From the west coast to The Whistling Mountains, Mantidoran and Susselian battle lines dug in across from each other, giving little ground. Trench warfare saw the lines move little on the western front, while on the eastern front, little wars for each peak in The Whistling Mountains.

For more than a decade war was all the people of Nador’at knew. It required another, lengthy, intervention from Tarumel to broker the Treaty of Merikel in 446 AR. There was little gained and much lost in 14 years of war; in some places the border moved no more than ten miles. Midcairn and most of The Fish & Hook Isles reverted to Susselian control along with a few mines in The Whistling Mountains, but Mantidor retained most of its significant gains from The Mineral War. The cost in blood and gold was devastating to both nations, however there was a clear victor in Susseliador who held most of the cards during the years-long peace talks held in Merikel. A well renowned condition of the treaty was that a new border wall be built. This wall would belong to neither nation and be totally unmanned; it would have no towers, nor allure, nor parapet. The Sightless Wall still divides Mantidor and Susseliador more than fifty years later.