‘History of unorthodox Ruling

Date: The year 1262 of the 6th Era.

Author: High Scholar, Historian, and Archeologist Jonathan Gyr Boulard

Chapter 1: The Militant Syndicate

In the year 151 of the 6th Era, the Human Continent saw an influx of immigrants from the devastated Western Continent. Most of them were the fallen Aristocracy of the once-thriving Western Empire, however, in the wake of the bloody war, they were forced out of their home and fled to the fertile land of the Human Continent.

Thanks to their unique magical abilities, which were genetically transferred to their progeny, they were able to establish a solid foothold and build a functioning ruling System despite the opposition of the Despot Collective and the Global Azakin Empire.

After 75 years, the Militant Syndicate officially came into being. However, unlike its Southern and Nothern neighbors, it did not rely on one entity, like a King or an Emperor, to rule over the recently-subjugated lands.

It was neither a dictatorship like the South nor a monarchy like the North. It was more like a republic, in which ten people were initially elected to manage the nation and its lands. The ruling entity was soon named the Aristocratic Consortium.

In the year 249 of the 6th Era, after many diplomatic talks and cold wars, the Militant Syndicate grew strong enough and no longer required the assistance of its neighbors.

Although its mages were not as powerful as those of the North, it made great use of slavery to build its cities and increase its military powers. Whether it was Beastmen, Dwarves, or Black Mages, they were all welcomed with open arms and granted status befitting of their individual powers.

For 200 hundred years, the Militant Syndicate grew unabated, so much so that it surpassed the Northern Empire and was looking to conquer the whole continent. Unfortunately, such ambitions were laid to waste when a notorious Necromancer by the name of Sumbus amassed his undead and turn against all of Humanity, slowly spreading marching over the land and laying everything to waste.

During the Death Legion Invasion , the Militant Syndicate suffered the most and, by the end of it, its economy was on the brink of collapse.

Chapter 2: The Aristocratic Consortium.

The heart of the nation, composed of Ten Seats, each holder originating from an old family.

The Seat of Honor

The Seat of War

The Seat of Nobility

The Seat of Protection

The Seat of Deliverance

The Seat of Order

The Seat of Purity

The Seat of Power

The Seat of Tranquility

The Seat Retribution

Rarely was a holder of one of the Ten Seats exiled or replaced by another. Tradition dictated that, as long as one showed enough contribution toward the nation, they would be eligible for the Seat of their father or mother.

Not all the Ten Seats were necessarily in charge of a specific territory. In fact, three of the Ten Seats were integrated into the Militant Capital, preferring to build their influence and forces there.

Most of the details regarding the Ten Seats are comprised of either hearsay, rumors, or Intelligence obtained by Southern Spies.

The Seat of Honor: Held by Sancha Sanguis (34 years old), current head of the Sanguis Family. The youngest member of the Aristocratic Consortium and a woman with a notoriously fiery attitude and distinguishable prowess.

Although this has yet to be verified, she apparently wrestled the Seat of Honor from her uncle and gained the approval of her peers by single-handedly felling a Water Wyrm that was rumored to have dwelled deep within the Phanton Ocean.

Sancha was granted the title of Duchess subsequent to joining the Aristocratic Consortium, but she refused to leave the Militant Capital and, in time, managed to gain control of almost half of the city.

Approximately, Sancha has over 2,000 veteran Knights under her family’s banner, and an additional 1,000 provided by the nation.

Furthermore, it was said that Sancha has two unidentified and remarkably strong secret protectors, following her around the clock.

Before ascending to the Seat of Honor, many assumed that her cousin, Leonis Sanguis, would become the family head. However, his entanglement with, supposedly, a commoner, caused a large scandal and consequently led to his exile.

The Seat of Protection: Count Hector of Raziwon (81 years old), the oldest member of the Aristocratic Consortium and the ruler of Daggerstow Fortress and its surrounding lands.

Hector was the commander of the Lion Legion before Terden Sidus took over. His age notwithstanding, the Count was a force to be reckoned with, not only thanks to his impressive swordsmanship but also his talent in Holy Magic.

Hector of Raziwon was a believer of the Holy Church and was also a High Priest. His amicability with the Holy Church deepened its relationship with the Militant Syndicate and gained him praise from the populace, as well as an unshakable position in the Aristocratic Consortium. He always refused to step down, instead, opting to maintain his position till his dying day.

Ever since a young age, Hector abhorred Demons and taboo magic, including but not limited to Black Magic and Necromancy.

The Seat of Nobility: Held by Marquess Olivia Vir Divitae(70 years old), an extravagant woman of Arman descent, the ruler of one of the four main cities: Spectral Steel.

Besides her strong belief in the supremacy of the aristocracy and her enthusiastic encouragement to enslave the Elves, not much was known about Olivia due to her discreet nature and rare public appearances.

Unlike the rest of the Consortium, Olivia wasn’t gifted with a physically strong body or talent for magic, nevertheless, she managed to ascend to the Seat of Nobility after using Black Magic to enslave an Elven Sage to do her bidding.

After gaining control over Spectral Steel, she eradicated any and all Elves, brutally executing them in front of the public to showcase ‘humanity’s dominance.

The Seat of War: Held by Terden Sidus(48 years old), Duke of Blackcrest and ruler of Central Archwood. An authoritative individual, once the Commander of the renowned Lion Legion and the progeny of the famed Frederic Yun Sidus.

It was said that, across all of the Human Continent, Terden’s Pyromancy was rivaled only by Archmagus William Mitron of the Red Mage Tower. A military leader, a distinguished Knight, and a shrewd diplomat, Terden had single-handedly regained his family’s honor after his father almost caused its downfall.

Less than a year after his retirement from the military, he was approached and later recruited by the Aristocratic Consortium, taking back the vacant Seat of War left by his grandfather, George Sidus.

The Seat of Deliverance: the eccentric and blind Kirn Sparrow(53 years old), exceptionally good at Summoning Magic and Alchemy.

Unlike the rest, Kirn had no interest in Social Status and was content with earning the title of a Viscount, which he used to rule over a small territory North of the Archwood Ridge.

He took over the Seat of Deliverance when he had successfully apprehended his uncle, the Mad Prophet, who was terrorizing the Ember Lands right before the Fishland war.

The Seat of Order: An enigmatic man by the name of Sulong, originating from the ancient Royal Family: Blue Grass.

Sulong ruled over the Southern-most part of Archwood and had an important role in watching over the border and fending off any attacks from the Despot Collective. Many say that Sulong had been blessed by the Monkey King, one of the Mythical Beings. Those claims stemmed from his heaven-defying physique and his magical staff, capable of harnessing all the basic elements.

Amongst the Aristocratic Consortium, Sulong was a patriotic zealot, obsessed with order and stability, sometimes resorting to extreme methods to ensure the prosperity of his nation.

Apparently, Sulong was on particularly good terms with Terden Sidus and, for years now, they have been in joint cooperation and managing Greenbell Forest, The Pigs Farms, and the Sanguins Valleys together.

Blackened History of the Human Continent

Date: Year 1263 of the 6th Era

Author: Historian and Geologist Frank Roseberry

Chapter 1 : The Fishland War

Although the Fishland War occurred recently (Year 1249) and lasted only 6 months, it was bound to have an ever-lasting effect, not only on the natives of the continent but on the land itself.

The first signs were seen in Lark Fish Town, situated South-East of the Militant Capital. Disease-carrying monsters from under the ocean abruptly appeared and, without any prior warning, started attacking everything in sight.

The monsters themselves, labeled ‘Crying Fish’, were not individually strong, the danger was from their mind-boggling number and abnormal regenerative capabilities. Still, their arrival did not warrant the attention of the Ten Seats, which was why the first recorded event was ignored and managed by the local lords. However, subsequent to their first appearance, the Crying Fish dominated the shores of the whole continent and launched a bloody offensive that led to the death of thousands.

Veteran Knights, renowned Mages, and brute warriors were dispatched from across the three nations, joining hands in eradicating the impending threat.

Barely a month had passed since the first incident when stronger variants of the Crying Fish appeared, creeping on the shores and showcasing sentience and human-like tactical maneuvers.

With Archmagus William Mitron of the Red Tower and Archmagus Rosvalt Dendri of the Blue Tower from the North, The Seat of Power and The Seat of Tranquility from the Militant Syndicate, and the Vice-head of the Red Wyrm Dojo from the South, a large operation of an unprecedented scale was initiated.

They delved into the ever-empty Phantom Ocean and struck at the core of the invaders, which resulted in a 5-months long brutal battle in the middle of nowhere.

Although the humans were victorious, they suffered a lot of casualties, including the death of Archmagus Rosvalt Dendri.

In terms of environmental consequences, the coastal winds ran dry, the lands buckled, and the seas raged. Visible degradation of the flora and noticeable lack of ambient energies were amongst the first documented changes. However, the worst of all was the unabated spreading of unknown and known plagues and diseases, which -albeit 'halted'- still ran rampant in certain regions, notably: Spectral Steel city of the Militant Syndicate, and Lost Forge Keep in the solitary island East of the continent.

Geological discoveries:

The Crying Fish showcased a never heretofore seen evolution rate as well as abnormal adaption to unfavorable environmental conditions.

Upon further thorough studies and experimentations by the Scholars of Saint Boulard City, the brown and slimy scales of the lesser Crying Fish turned out to be imbued with a minimal quantity of Void Energy, Darkness energy, and Faith Energy.

To this day, it is hypothesised that the Crying Fish were the byproduct of a failed attempt at re-creating the savage and malformed Cthulhu Race.

A common and highly-plausible counter-argument, however, stated that Faith Energy, originating from Holy Magic, was proven to be incompatible with either Darkness or Void.

Almost in all the recorded regions in which any of the variants of the Crying Fish were slain, the earth itself twisted and deformed, transforming into a poisonous organic puddle, fatal to any who touched it.

In some extreme cases, mountains storing astronomical quantities of Darkness Energy rose from the ground. The air around said mountains grew still and the Mana became corrupted and practically unusable.