The Republic of Merchants - Full Album Here

The Republic of Merchants is a country located in the far-south of the Aquarius Continent. It shares a land border with the Xin Eitu Claim of the Al'Modian Empire to its north. To its east is the volcanic land of the Imperium of Rekkaku with the Ashed Isles found to its south-east. The country itself is made up of multiple small territories and islands that border the Southern Sun Sea wherein ships are the usual mode of travel from one area to another. The country is made of 4 main states with multiple sub-territories. The small country boasts a vast sum of wealth with a yearly sum of trade valued in the 4th spot for largest amount of trade only beaten out by the three major empires of the world. The Republic was founded during the Infernal Transgressions and would boil over into the Sunless Sea War which saw the rise of new power shift throughout Southern Aquarius.

The Infernal Transgressions

The Infernal Transgressions was a time period between 786 P.E and 788 P.E in which the Al'Modian Empire launched a series of domestic inquisitions to kill followers of Humarian religions. Tensions had been building over the last several decades after the Silence of Saints brought an end to the Ēlian pantheon. Despite this, many still followed the old ways within Al'Mod for years and this would ultimately culminate in violence against those that followed the Humarian religions in an attempt to keep the growing influence of the new god out.

When the Infernal Transgressions reached the south-western trade cities of the Empire in mid-786 P.E, many of these cities were already hosts to the newly established pantheon brought in by Blackreaver and Aquarian merchants. The influence they brought in helped the pantheon spread further throughout the southern hemisphere which ultimately caught the eye of the Al Inquisitor. Two ships carrying 500 Al'Modian Legionaries docked in the city of Aelsaal and immediately marched on the Governor's Plaza where they proceeded to arrest many government officials and dragged them back to the ships for interrogation by Inquisitors. Several dozen troops went to a shrine dedicated to the new god where they tied ropes to it and yanked it from its base. The event sparked an angry mob from nearby followers of the Humarian faith as they began throwing stones and bottles at the soldiers. The soldiers retaliated with spears and arrows on the civilian population which only added to the chaos; by the end the event known as The Sanguinar it had left 22 people dead and another several dozen injured. In haste to retreat from the growing anger of the crowd, a soldier tossed a firebomb into a nearby stable which caught fire. It spread rapidly, engulfing the entire Varrian District in smoke and flame.

Back at the docks, crowds were already beginning to gather around the event that was taking place as their government officials were being led onto the ship in chains. Soldiers from the Aelsaalian Guard would eventually show up followed by a commander who ordered the officials be let go and to provide evidence of wrongdoing. The order was denied and were told to return to their barracks by the Legionaries who were becoming more worried about the vast number of people. Anger erupted from the far crowds as the retreating Legionaries were now in eyeshot as they shoved their way through the crowds trying to get back to the docks, with smoke quickly rising over the city. The docks turned into a full scale riot.

In the madness of the clashing with the Legionaries and the people, an official of Aelsaal shouted to the Guard to attack the Legionaries before being struck down. The commander, initially hesitant, ordered his troops to attack and rescue the officials. The troops did as ordered and were quick to establish a foothold on the dock entrance where they clashed with the Al'Modian Legion. A firebomb was once again used, this time by the Guard who managed to toss one onto one of the two ships. The explosion would spark an oil fire aboard and detonate several barrels at once. The explosion blasted out the windows of the surrounding buildings and Legionnaires began retreating back towards their remaining ship. The ship would take off early, leaving many trapped behind as well as taking several officials with them. Remainders were either killed or arrested, many drowned.

News of what had happened in Aelsaal would reach the other trade cities but most of the interest fell on the ears of the island of Iewain. The island had been an independent country nearly 50 years prior before it was invaded by Al'Modian forces. An armistice would be established within 3 days where it was promised that the government could continue to rule over the island but under the control of the Empire; the deal was accepted and the population's resentment towards the Empire grew in the decades after. The Iewain Nobility saw the bloodshed in Aesaal as an opportunity to free themselves from the Empire's control and even further damage the Empire through its finances. A hand was reached out by Iewainian Lord Prokol Ver to Aelsaal and help repair their city as well as offer up finances for new weapons and soldiers.

On 27th of Sun's Rest, nearly 5 weeks after the riots in Aelsaal, five ships docked in the Iewainian port city of Niseh. As they marched through the streets many of the Legionaries took notice of the lack of crowds in the streets. Upon reaching the first plaza, Iewainian fire mages lit explosives beneath the street causing a cave-in directly into the sewer below. In the midst of the panic, archers from the rooftops began firing down into the masses of soldiers. Those that managed to claw their way out of the rubble dropped their weapons and ran towards the harbor where they were met with a horrifying sight -- all their ships had been sunk. Iewainese soldiers would arrest those who surrendered and killed those who did not.

Iewain would aid in sparking several other attacks on Al'Modian ships throughout the Southern Sun Sea, the Empire would begin attacking merchant ships within the region which only added fuel to the growing issues. As tensions in the region increased, Al'Mod soldiers were stationed in the region of Tufaro to act as a barrier between Iewain and Aelsaal with ships. Portions of the cities of Al'Aenalieh and Shoka'm would force out citizens from their homes to house the soldiers, all the meanwhile still carrying out the Inquisition Orders. In what would become the bloodiest day so far of the Infernal Transgressions, on the 58th of Moon's Light, 766 P.E, Inquisitors and Legionaries would kill 253 people including children in Al'Aenalieh. One of the people unknowingly killed that day was the son of Sorya Abal, a high ranking Al'Modian noblewoman. When word reached Sorya in Ai-Sri, she gathered her army of 3000 and marched on the city wherein she ordered the bloodshed of all the Inquisitors and Legionaries. The fighting would drive-out the Empire's presence from Tufaro and Sorya would be declared a traitor to the Empire.

The Battle of the Three Crowns

The largest battle of the Transgressions would take place in the late-winter of 787 P.E with The Battle of the Three Crowns. An Empire patrol ship would be spotted off the coast from Tewei and the Iewainese navy would make chase after it. The small ship would duck between the Three Crowns islands where the Iewainese would come into direct conflict with a formation of Al'Modian Ships. Fighting would commence just shy of noon with a volley of fire from Al'Modian fire mages. Raids on ships was the most common way of fighting due to the lack of room to maneuver ships. By the mid-afternoon another dozen Iewainese ships would come in from Niseh and Tewei, with half-a-dozen Al'Modian Ships from Nariin. The fighting would last until nightfall where locals on the Three Crowns described the battle as 'the ocean itself set ablaze', but would finalize in a Iewainese victory as the last ship of the Al'Modian formation went down in flames.

The battle would signal that the Infernal Transgressions were a much larger situation in the south-western reaches of the Empire. The victory would also flip the opinions of several Al'Modian Nobles in the city of Al'Midden who believed that the Empire was starting to lose its strength. They would instigate an insurrection with the help of Iewainese soldiers and by the end of 787 P.E The Horn was united with the other southern trade cities in their fight against the Empire and would officiate themselves as 'The Republic of Merchants'.

Arius

Arius, where legends are born, heroes never die, and hope remains immortal. From the time of the Exile Event when humans crossed the multiverse from their dying world through a magic portal, into the centuries of theological warfare in the name of false-gods, to a time period when humanity was the only line of defense against an enemy that lurked in darkness; Arius is a world forged by a history of the many peoples, their cultures, and their stories that have been written through the ages.

Even before humans arrived from their journey across the multiverse to the world of what would become Arius, the history ran deep and would set the stage for the course of human involvement for the centuries to come. The typical historical timeline of events that many follow when dating times exclusively from Arius are broken apart by B.A (Before Arrival) and P.E (Post Exile), with the latter being marked by the 0-year. Where as B.E (Before Exile) only refers to human history.

Before (Human) Arrival

Before humanity's arrival in the new world, the Emari people had been active globally for millions of years. Their culture and society were proficient in Magi-Technology and excelled in the usage Magical Theory. With it, they cultivated the planet as they saw fit, changing entire regions to fit their needs and creating a suitable environment for them to live in. Vast cities were built up using synthetic materials that allowed them to create displays of abstract beauty within population centers. Animals were genetically reshaped to fulfill more niche needs that their society sought after. However, the greatest achievement was arguably the usage of their magi-technology to prolong their lifespans by hundreds of thousands of years. They would transmogrify their bodies, altering them as they saw fit, constantly seeking to expel death from their society at all costs to hopefully one day solve the Immortal Code. This however reached a ceiling and despite everything they attempted death was still something they could not rid themselves of entirely.

That was until a group from what is currently the central Aquarius continent looked beyond the physical world and into the meta-physical. Realizing that reality was nothing but layers upon layers seeping further and further downwards forever, they discovered that time eventually became irrelevant at a certain point yet maintaining the stability of physicality. The only issue to this was the amount of magic required to physically descend deeper into reality was nearly unachievable. But it wouldn't take long to figure out that the amount of magic required was currently present in nearly 90% of the world's population. Plans were drawn up of a massive machine that would span outwards in hundreds of directions to intake as much mana as possible. Not long after the Emari civilization entered its last chapter that human historians would call The Extinction War.

It's unknown exactly in what order the events that transpired during the Extinction War. But what is known is that high-yield magical weapons were utilized in the far south of the modern day Southern Aquarius Continent and more traditional combat took place in the Northern regions of the world to varying degrees. In time however, the mana required would be gathered and the Deep Root was awakened. A majority of the Emari race would vanish almost entirely from Arius. Those that managed to survive the onslaught and harvesting of their mana were left with an empty world and too few to repopulate. Many would die from the hazards that now plagued the world, some would wander pointlessly for decades until their magitech ran dry before dropping dead, while some others just chose the easy way out.

For the first time in a long time, the primeval world of Arius fell silent.

Post-Exile

The 1st of Sun's Light, Year 0.

After 3000 years, Arius was awoken from its deep slumber as a fleet of large wooden ships slipped through a portal. Aboard these ships was a total of 853,102 people from the Blackreaver Kingdom. Another roughly 50,000 came from surrounding countries that bordered Blackreaver. These voyages carried the first intelligent life that the world had not seen in nearly 3,000 years and they had just survived the end of their world.

Conditions aboard these ships were heavily cramped and unsanitary. As much room as possible was spared for children and elderly, yet this was hardly easy to do. Poor, Rich, Working Class, Noble, Farmer or Scholar; everyone suffered the same conditions even King Natten Blackreaver who was cramped in with the government officials. Food was rationed heavily, only allowing a single meal a day. By the time of the 4th day, many were starving. Parents regularly denied themselves food to feed their children and pregnant women.

After 6 days of time at sea, land was finally spotted and roars of cheers were heard throughout as a notice flag was flown from the lead ship. Due to the currents, many of the ships were displaced in their landing areas but the first to make landing was at what is known today as Sdarder Point. From the ship emerged the King and his Court, at the very front was a man dawning a red and black cape. He stepped upon the grassy fields of the new world and sobbed as he collapsed to his knees. The man, Abidius Stylether Valtor was the one who had orchestrated the entire Exile over 3 decades prior was finally seeing the seeds he had sown so long ago begin to bare fruit. Humanity had survived. And in their new world they would thrive. History would once again be carved out piece by piece through new discoveries, new conflicts, and the stories that would carry on through the ages.

The year is 1308 Post-Exile. The world, while imperfect, has experienced an age of prosperity for the last several centuries due to changes brought on by those that have greatly altered history's path. But on this very year that course would greatly change once again. For out in the Salted Wastes near the Blackreaver border, a prince would collapse from exhaustion and rescued by a young boy. A meeting that would change their lives forever.

Etymology

The name deriving from the ancient Talgian word Ariatē meaning 'immortal' which was then translated to the modern Rievish word of Arius.

The Lords of Silnas, also known as the Gleaming Isles, are an island chain out in the Tempus Ocean to the west of the Aquarius Continent. These isles contain the largest natural supply of Gleamstones on Arius. These magic prone gems are used to create magical catalysts which can be used to enhance magical and physical abilities and as such have created a wide range of demand globally for their constant supply. The 5 Lordships of these Isles are backed by larger countries and their governments to allow for the largest supplies possible and many wars have been and will continue to be fought over the isles.

The Everhart Lordship has been backed by the Blackreaver Kingdom since the claim was established in the early 600's P.E. They dawn their fabulous Blue and Steel garments resembling that of another noteworthy country to the furthest Northern parts of the world. They control the entire Northern part of isle where their territory is split in half with Firfyr Mountains making it appear much like a crooked horseshoe. Their wealth is only guaranteed so long as Blackreaver receives its regular shipments lest they force the hands of the territory with trade and military action.

The Vogiel Family is backed by by the Imperium of Rekkaku. Notably the family was installed through revolution at the height of the Sunless Sea War which had briefly reached the isles between the Republic of Merchants and Al'Modian Empire. A small gambit had a big payoff as the family managed to secure power over the south-eastern territory of the isle. The shift in power caused Blackreaver to further arm their respective side which has left a sour taste in both sides mouth.

The Witten Lordship is backed by the Al'Modian Empire. The Empire managed to buy their way into the isles not long after Blackreaver aided in establishing the claim which divided the isles into North and South. When civil unrest broke out in the southern stretch of the main island the territory once controlled by Al'Mod was shattered and it left much of the land up for claim. Witten would remain backed by Al'Mod til the end of the war and managed to succeed in keeping control of their territory. Though the war was over, it would not last as further tensions between the Lordships would force internal conflicts.

The Marren State is an independent island controlled and backed by the Republic of Merchants. The island itself gaining the name Emerald Isle is notable because of its green-tinted Gleamstones that are said to offer a more potent effect than that of the ones found on the main island. The Marren State is probably the one that has shifted the most over the years with it originally being Blackreaver before being sold to an Al'Modian Prince before then being sold to the Empire directly then eventually joining the Republic of Merchants during the Sunless Sea War. Its history is mired in war and economics that its alignment with the Republic of Merchants makes the most sense.

The House of Rutega is the only independent and neutral faction within the isles, they were able to break free from the shackles of Blackreaver's control on the isles after a short-lived revolution proved to be costly for Blackreaver. In just 8 weeks Blackreaver managed to lose 20,000 soldiers at sea after it was deemed far too difficult to take the island under the conditions that they accidentally created with the large amount of wealth on the island alone as well as unfavorable weather conditions which resulted in many ships crashing on the rocky coasts. A deal would be worked out between them that trade with the Lordship would continue as the Golden Gleamstones were seen as the most valuable among those found on the isles.

To this day, these territories continue their conflicts with one another in the hopes of one day conquering the wealth and power contained in the politics of this island nation yet history has proven no victors last forever.

Reposting some of my stuff from reddit.

The years of 1640 to 1648 are most notably remembered for years of meaningless bloodshed, loss of life, and destruction of thousands of miles of land by chemical weapons, artillery, and powerful magical spells. All nations involved in the infamous war, now called the Aquarius Conflict, sought to break the front lines of the other side that bound them to the trenches for years on end. Technology had to advance to break the stalemate and over the course of the war each nation would develop new automatic weapons for fighting in close quarters combat.

Blackreaver Kingdom:

Justacier M.2: The Justacier M.2 was an early attempt at Blackreaver trying to refine the Rivirian Order's PAR-43A which could only fire 8 rifle rounds before needing to reload. The Justacier reduced the ammo size and weight of the weapon, going for a more sleek look such as that of a Revolver. Its downside though was that it it only held 20(+1) rounds that would be fired at upwards of 1300 rounds per minute, leading to issues of ammo consumption and requiring the user reload often.

Vurvick Automatica M.2: The Vurvick Automatica was developed by the Vurvick Arm's Company who handled the manufacturing of Blackreaver's standard issue rifle. Firing at 450 RPM, the weapon, while lacking a stock, was a moderately controllable firearm in close-quarters combat due to its heavier barrel. The M.2 Model would eventually receive an attachable stock but not before it had been used by thousands of soldiers jumping into enemy trenches.

The Rivirian Order:

PAR-43A: The first ever militarized attempt at a compact automatic weapon. With the design philosophy of dropping a soldier directly into a trench and something compact to fight with, the PAR-43A set the gears in motion of what was to come from the future of the war. It would also begin the Rivirian Ministry of War's project to actively upgrade and make changes to the weapon as results came in from the frontline in which a large list of nearly 18 different models total by the end of the war.

PAW-43/45M: While the weapon would see continued upgrades from the Rivirian Ministry of War until the war's end in 1648, the design that would see the most use was the 43/35 M Model. The weapon fired at 600 RPM and was featured prominently in Rivirian Shock Squadrons that would actively attack Cydonian trenches at given opportunities. Post-war, this weapon would become a favorite of local militias around the Aquarius Continent in the rebuilding era.

Empire of Stratusfall:

Westernsmith Alexatov M.43 RF: Using parts from existing Spader M.95 Rifles, the Alexatov M.63 was originally built as a semi-automatic rifle for airship raids and downed pilots. Eventually, the receiver would be altered slightly to allow for automatic weapon fire as well as having the barrel reduced in sized by several centimeters. It would also be given a 25-round stick magazine that would be mounted to the left of the rifle. For the remainder of the war, this would be the chosen use of compact automatic weapons by Stratusfall even as more designs would come out and be used on the Airbourne Front.

Kingdom of Al'Mod:

Yongson Automatic D.45: Developed as a late-war weapon, the YongSon D.45 was supposed to be the answer to rival Blackreaver's Vurvick Automatica that was being used to great effect in the Southern Front. The weapon itself would see a plethora of developmental issues, and only a batch of less than 1,000 would ever get deployed before the surrender of Al'Modian Kingdom in 1645. A modified version would come out several years later and be actively used in the military of other Southern Aquarius armies.

Federation of Cydonia:

Stratzin Automatic Raider A mass developmental and manufacturing job created by the Cidon Government, the weapon was sped through the developmental period in the summer of 1642 and was finalized that winter. Once approved, it was thrown into mass-manufacturing and only accomplished 14,000 of the 20,000 needed by the Spring of 1643 in order to prepare for the massive offensive that was to take place. It would cement the designs of the future weapons on the battlefield after the Cydonians managed to push the entire Northern Front hundreds of miles North. It would be the inspiration for the Yongson, the Vurvick, and the PAW collection.

Show is Komi Can't Communicate.

The Warrior Guild

The undying flame that is Blackreaver’s Military.

Officially formed during the Hierarchy Restructuring of Blackreaver in the 750s P.E, the Warrior Guild is a conglomeration of the three former provincial clans from Crynia, Althea, and Gold Wildes that would fall under a single title. Warriors.

The Guild contains three sections: the Wolf, the Bear, and the Shark. Each clan is highly specialized in unique combat traits from their original environments and these were carried into the modern adaptation. These clans, originally split, would ultimately form the Warrior Guild and would bring an era of peace to Blackreaver not seen since the centuries following the Exile. In the hierarchy, they are the only Guild that everyone in Blackreaver must go through for two years at the age of 16 after completing their primary education. The Guild provides the Kingdom with numerous services besides just the military; such as Scientific and Magical Research Institutions, Healthcare, and Education. Everyone in Blackreaver must serve 2 years here after primary education at the age of 16.

Wolf Clan Specialty

Originally from the Crynian province, the Wolf is highly specialized in fast, quick striking combat. Trained in their speed and agility, the Wolf Clan is accustomed to long range fighting with bows and utilizing their environment to their advantage. In times of closer fighting however, they’ve been trained specifically in arming swords, bastard swords, long swords (pictured above), maces, and other short to midsize weaponry. Spears can also be found among their ranks but are not regularly carried on their person and are instead found in the encampments and only truly used in times of war. Cavalry are not an uncommon sight in the Wolf Clan but are more of a situational as not everywhere in Blackreaver is suited for it.

The Wolf Clan Armor

Their armor, in opposition to their Bear Clan brethren, comes in two forms on the lighter side. The first being a leather and cocoon cloth uniform designed to take minor blows and can be seen oftentimes in a brownish red to blend in with natural elements, it comes with a cowl to break up the head shape when hunting at night or in dark areas. Makeup was sometimes applied to the face to hide any remaining features. Their heavier armor (pictured above) is a sturdier design dating back to the Second Inquisition War that remained prominent in the Crynia province up until the current year of 1308. It features steel gauntlets and boots built for kicking and punching. A steel breastplate sits over the heart and thinner woven plates sitting beneath the corset for the stomach. The glaring red and black coloring provides a focus point for enemy combatants to draw them in during battles. Each helmet is unique for each Warrior with different designs carved by them personally or a special order from a blacksmith. Those who are stationed in the Eoghan province wear thicker designs with fur cloaks being a means to keep warm in the freezing mountains.