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Liohnese Warriors

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Bloodsnakes by Shabazik Slavers understand each other by Shabazik The Lion of the Mountain by Shabazik

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"Can you believe them?" one of the warriors said, as the emissary passed, walking by them across an old wall that once served as marker of one of the kingdoms that had ruled the island -kingdoms that had been conquered by the Sargonic.

His comrade, sitting on top of the ruins, stared at the horizon, without saying a word.

"I mean, they invaded, destroyed and sacked everything that we hold dear... and now they come crawling back at us, asking for help and support?

Do they think we will forget, how they did the same by the First War of the Power, when the demons attacked? And how all their promises were broken? And all that costed us trusting their words?"

"Don't forget that humans live short lives, brother" his comrade said, atop the broken wall. "What will be forever burnt as a scar in your memory, often they only may remember as myths and stories of their forefathers.

"Other reason to not to deal with them" he answered "They can't be trusted, as their fathers couldn't be trusted, and as their grandfathers and great-grandfathers couldn't be trusted."

His comrade remained in silence for a while, looking at the birds in the sky.

"Winds are changing" he stated, before jumping down the ruined wall.

His friend frowned. In the way he said it, he felt it could either be only an observation on the climate or, instead, be of a deeper meaning.

Both of them followed the embassador and their guides back to the camp.




A Liohnese-Sargonic knight, serving as emmisary of the Viceroy it's guided to a grey elven camp in the island of Liohn at the end of the Sargonic Wars, when the court of King Don Camilo II the Magnificent had temporary settled in the island in the Alan ocean, before continuing to the west



After a couple of "dry" days -travelling, getting sick and then being sick getting caught in TV series and computer games: bad for production-, here a little WIP... that needs much work to be finished I'm afraid.

EDIT 12.06.2017: Finally finished it!!


LIOHN


The Island of Liohn, sometimes known as well as Novanliohn was an Aelian island in the Alan Ocean, being for long the largest of the Alan Isles.

The provinces of Liohn was Vretagnia to the north, Pontiorsones to the northeast, Suriunga to the southwest and Noriunga to the Southwest, while the central plains and western shores were known as Novanliohn.

Early History

Protohistory of Liohn

Liohn can be said to have had a protohistorical period, when, in prehistory, the literate cultures of the zuleis Lantanidos elves began to take notice of the local rossnes tribes, and a further proto-literate period of hamog epigraphy, before the early historical period began with the adoption of Lantanidan writing. Attempts have been made to reconstruct the political developments of this period by reference using Early Elfic Age genealogical texts.

Ofen these local rossnes tribes had been called Liobhragán, but it's unknown if this was a self-given name, or a name of Lantanidan or High elven origin.

Lantanidan Colony

By around the 1800-1750 b.a.H, Lantanidan sailors began to establish ports and bases in Liohn, from which they will influence the tribes of the interior: The Lantanidan never advanced to the interior, ruling from the shores, and while there were never important Lantanidan settlements, there was some inter-marriage between the rossnes and zuleis elites.

One of the most important Lantanidan palaces will be Telperï.

Lantanidan hegemony over Liohn lasted until the end of the golden age of the Unnline civilization: by the 1050 a.a.H, with the decay of the trade in the northwest of Aels, the presence of the Zuleis was weakened, and some of their palaces were abandoned, and much of the garrison of the ports were retracted to the mainland, to be used in the civil wars and coups that the Unnline Empire suffered.

In this situation, the chieftains and petty kings of the interior -rossness, or of mixed heritage-, began to attack the Zuleis palaces and ports, to take them for themselves.

High Elven Period

The High Elven Kingdom of Mithrin'Tol 

At the beginning of the High Elf imperialism, as part of the High elves' strategy in their Elf wars to flank and overcome the opposing Hake Empire through colonization, one of the first territories where the High Elves ventured, was be the Alan Isles. The High elf explorers reached the Island by the 942 b.a.H. The first high elves called it Siniath'Liohn, New Liohn, after a high elven province that had been destroyed during the Elf wars.

The High Elves, discovering the presence of the Liobhragán -Rossnes elves- who had been under the rule of Zuleis, attacked the remnants of the Unnline civilization in Liohn, originally supported by the local rossnes: against the landing High elves and the warriors of the interior, the weakened Unnline settlers couldn't face the enemy and were quickly defeated.

In the last zuleis palace, Telperï, the High Elves rounded up all the zuleis elves -and half-blooded rossnes- and killed them in the Telperï Massacre: this will mark the beginning of the bloody occupation of Liohn, as the local rossnes, horrified by the massacre -as many of the half-blooded assassinated elves were members of the Liohn elite of the interior petty kingdoms-, will oppose the High Elves, who began to attempt to directly conquer the Island.

The conquest of the island will last for about 40 years, until the elves founded the Kingdom of Mithrin'Tol, the Grey or Misty Island. The King of Mithrin'Tol, was called the High King of Liohn.

The High Elven settlements focused around the shores -like the Zuleis did before-, sometimes founding them over the previous lantanidan settlements, to further erase their history, while the interior continued to be largely rural.

After the population collapse derived from the High Elven conquest, the native rossnes population was entirely rural and dispersed, with small ring forts the largest centres of elven occupation . Souterrains, underground passages and chambers for hiding in or escaping through, were common.

Mithrin'Tol, a first step of High Elven imperialism toward Aels, served as a first stepping stone for the High Elves, and the raiding of northern Aelian shores for slaves and other loot gave an important boost to an otherwise almost entirely agricultural economy.

By the 400 b.a.H, small towns had started to form around some of the larger High Elven Palaces and ports.

With the consolidation of the High Elven realms in Aels, Liohn prospered for as a midpoint between Aels and Ushaenor: this will be golden age of Mithrin'Tol and will mark the apparition of the first proper cities of the Isle:

However, the riches provided by trade and shipping largely remained in a small political and economical high elven elite, and the exploitation of Liohn forests for timber for ship building will put at increasing odds the Liohnese Liobhragán elves.

The Age of Invasons 

The Apparition of Humanity -and the global cataclysms that followed it-, will largely interrupt the Alanic trade, and the island will come to be under its own devices. The ruling High Elven elite of Mithrin'Tol turned then more and more their economic interests towards the interior rural lands, which will increase the conflicts between Mithrin'Tol and Liohbragán elves: this, together with religious tensions due the exploitation of the sacred forests -that the Liohbragán druids blamed as cause for the storms and cataclysms- will devolve into rebellions that raged in the countryside.

The High King of Mithrin'Tol, only with marginal support from the Empire of Whide Axis, had his control of the island retreat to the shores, while in the interior the petty kings no longer recognized his superiority.

The island was in this state of weakness, when arrived the human sea peoples, the Momb. At first, their raids continued to erode the already weakened authority of the High King, before they arrived to settle, mostly in the western part of the island: along with humans, arrived the Curse of the Doroz.

Many of the High Elves, survivors of the catastrophes, will escape to Ushaenor, their ports and palaces in ruins. Petty human and elven kingdoms clashed on a fragmented island, with a marginalized population of Doroz.

The Kingdoms of Liohn 

By the VII century a.a.H, the High Elven rule of Liohn was considered to be defunct. While there still were invasions of human sea peoples on the islands and raids that made the population decline even further, the human sea peoples would continue their emigration to Ushaenor, becoming some of the last trbes of what will be the Ushavericans.

Many humans that had settled in Liohn will decide to join them, as they found the island too reduced, poor and small for their ambitions: with an important initial emgration to Ushaenor initially -and later, Valknyria-, human emigration of Liohn will be constant during this period.

While the human population growth stagnated and was reduced, with the end of the invasions to the island the situtation will stabilize, with the Liobhragán rossnes elves kingdoms of the island reaching a much needed peace, in which the semi-independent kingdoms recognized a Lobhragán High King of Liohn, an elective monarchy for life that often will fall upon members of the Neil'Col clan.

The remaining humans, under a continuous cultural exchange with elves, pledged as well to the High King: they learnt the Liohn elven language and their primitive form of Momb Christianity was progressively abandoned, adopting the druidic religion of the Liobhragán.

Having suffered invasions from humans from the west -that rather marched to the east- and the high elven empire from the west -from which they didn't have news for long time, which was seen in a positive manner-, the elves of Liohn became increasingly isolationist, and they grew with their back to the sea: while they continued to fish, they no longer engaged in long range trade, and since the retreat of the high elves ship builders and the human sea peoples, the naval knowledge of Liohn was largely forgotten. The island was still visited by Valknyrian and Dumian traders irregularly.

Early Christian history 

The visits of Dumian traders will precisely spark the concern among the recently re-Christianized Dumian empire about the destiny of the souls of the humans of Liohn who had abandoned their Christian faith, and was sent a mission on the 1631 a.a.H to "make the barbarian island Christian".

The first Dumian Christian bishop, directly translating the high elven name of Siniath'Liohn -New Liohn- addressed his letters to the continent as written in Nova Liohn, from which originated the name often used of Novanliohn.

However, the fall of Dume will cripple this first re-Christianization attempt, and it wouldn't be until the Karentian church decided to continue it, that the Liohnese dioceses remained largely abandoned.

By the early XVIII a.a.H century the church had developed separate dioceses, with bishops as the most senior ecclesiastical figures, but the country was still predominantly pagan.

Valknyrian conquest 

In the south, the Kingdom of Valknyria was on the rise and expanding, and the arrival of Valknyrian traders became more and more common -and as well, worrying stories of the rule of Argos XIII The Crazy, his claims of being a deity and about his persecution of elves and Christians: many Valknyrian refugees, escaping from his rule, settled in southern Liohn.

By the 1749 a.a.H, Argos XIII The Crazy will invade Liohn, under the excuse that they were harboring political enemies that were conspiring against his rule: however, the true cause was Argos XIII ambitions to found a Valknyrian Empire.

the High King and the Kingdoms of Liohn were quickly and swiftly defeated, and by the 1753 the island had already been conquered: however, the persecution and massacre of elves made by the Valknyrian army, will leave resistance as the only possibility to the elves of Liohn.

During the next years, they waged a guerrilla warfare against the Valknyrian invaders: however, only the demise of Argos XIII in Valknyria and the internal struggle the Valkyrians suffered, put an end to the Valknyrian occupation at the 1757 a.a.H.

Grey Elven Kingdoms 

This period was marked by Valknyrian pirate raids, up to the Sargonic Invasion. The first two centuries of this period are characterised by Valknyrian raids and the subsequent Human settlements along the coast. Human ports were established at the eastern shores, which became the first large towns in Liohn.

While political organization was dependant of the Grey Elven kingdoms, the Christian monastic movement, headed by abbots will gain strength, and monasteries will rise in power -specially in Korsea and eastern Liohn, with an increasingly human Christian population.

During the period between the fall of Argos XIII the Crazy and the defeat of the Valknyrian, Liohn consisted of many semi-independent kingdoms, and during the entire period, attempts were made by various factions to gain political control over the whole of the island. For the first two centuries and half of this period, this was mainly a rivalry between putative High Kings of Liohn from the northern and southern branches of the Neil'Col. The one who came closest to being de facto king over the whole of Liohn, however, was Aunaliehn, the first high king in this period not belonging to the Neil'Col.

Following Aunaliehn's death at the Battle of Vret in 1914, the political situation became more complex with rivalry for high kingship from several clans and dynasties. Aunaliehn's descendants failed to maintain a unified throne, and regional squabbling over territory led indirectly to the invasion by the Kingdom of Sargos in 2048 a.a.H.

Sargonic Liohn 

Arrival of the Sargonic 

The first Sargonic invasion of Liohn was a two-stage process, which began on 1 May 2008 when a force of individual Sargonic knights led by Calmond Huneerald landed in northeast Liohn, in what will later become Pontiorsones. This was at the request of the ousted King of Vret who sought their help in regaining his kingdom.

Then on 18 October 2011, the Kingdom of Sargos landed a much larger force in the northwest to at least ensure his continuing control over the Sargonic force. In the process he took Suriunga and had accepted the fealty of the Liohnese kings and bishops by 2012, so creating the "Lordship of Liohn", which formed part of the Sargonc holds.

However, this initial lordship of Liohn will be short lived: the Akresh-Sargonic war proved to be a catastrophe to the Sargonic hold in the island, and they were forced to leave the Island by the 2016.

However, Sargos hadn't forgotten about their Lordship of Liohn, and as the elven kings clashed and there were scandals of corruption amongst the Liohnese church, the Archbishop of Karentia -then, of Sargonic origin- issued a bull giving authority to the Sargonic King to invade Liohn as a means of curbing ecclesiastical corruption and abuses at the year 2048 a.a.H.

What eventually occurred in Liohn in the late 21 and early 22 century a.a.H was a change from acquiring lordship over men to colonising land. The Sargonic invasion resulted in the founding of walled borough towns, numerous castles and churches, the importing of tenants and the increase in agriculture and commerce; these were among the many permanent changes brought by the Sargonic invasion and occupation of Liohn. Sargonic altered Liohnese society with efficient land use, introducing feudalism to the existing native tribal-dynastic crop-sharing system. Feudalism never caught on in large parts of Liohn, but it was an attempt to introduce cash payments into farming, which was entirely based on barter. Some Sargonic living further from Pontiorsones and the east coast adopted the Liohnese language and customs, and intermarried, and the Liohnese -grey elves and humans alike- themselves also became irrevocably "Sargonised". Many modern Nicolians from Liohn today bear Sargonic-derived surnames, although these are more prevalent in the provinces of the east, where there was a larger Sargonic presence.

A new political organization was introduced with new provinces, and the karentian church attempted to center congregations on the parish and diocese, not as formerly on abbeys, and built hundreds of new churches in 2048 - 2209 a.a.H.

While the Sargonic political impact was considerable, it was untidy and not uniform, and it meant sometimes the de facto control of most of Liohn slipped from its grasp.

Lordship of Liohn (2048-2209 a.a.H) 

Initially the Sargonic forces controlled large swathes of Liohn, securing the entire east coast. The most powerful forces in the land were the great Liohense-Sargonic Earldoms, who controlled vast territories which were almost independent of the governments in Pontiorsones or Millbridge. The Lord of Liohn was the Sargonic King, who in his infrequent visits had helped secure the Sargonic areas from both the military and the administrative points of view, while at the same time ensuring that the many Liohnese kings were brought into his fealty; many of them owed their thrones to the Sargonic King and his armies:

The Lordship of Liohn reached its highest point at the early XXII century, when was formed the Liohnese-parlament: however later, it began to decline.

The Sargonic-Liohnese then suffered from a series of events in the second half of the XXII century that slowed, and eventually ceased, the spread of their settlement and power. Firstly, numerous rebellious attacks were launched by Grey Elven lords upon the Sargonic lordships. Having lost pitched battles to Sargonic knights, to defend their territory the Elven chieftains now had to change tactics, and deal with the charging armoured knights. They started to rely on raids against resources, and surprise attacks. This stretched the resources of the Sargonic forces, reduced their number of trained knights, and often resulted in the chieftains regaining territory. Secondly a lack of direction from the Sargonic kings of the XXII century -who were more concerned with events in the Five Kingdoms - meant that the Sargonic colonists in Liohn were to a large extent deprived of -financial- support from the Sargonic monarchy. This limited their ability to hold territory. Furthermore, the Sargonic' position deteriorated due to divisions within their own ranks. These caused outright war between leading Liohnese-Sargonic lords. Finally, the division of estates among heirs split Sargonic lordships into smaller, less formidable units.

First War of the Power 

It was during this situation of a weakening Sargonic presence in Liohn, when the Dark Legion of Demons launched their invasion of the human realms of Aels in the First War of the Power.

The Sargonic -and refugees of the other fallen human nations-, wanting to escape the wrath of the Dark Legion, escaped from the Five Kingdoms and arrived en masse to Liohn, hoping to find a safe haven: among these refugees, was the Sargonic king and his court, along with the remnants of his armies.

However, the tensions with the Grey Elven population, between the refugees and the Liohnese-Sargonic settlers, the fear of famine and of arrival of a demonic invasion to the island prompted the Sargonic refugees to sail to the west, to the rumored lands of the High elves: and meanwhile some migrated to the west, the king and his fleet continued to do raids on the shores of Aels against demonic rule, trying to provide support to the ones still rebelling and resisting against the demonic rule.

The success in contacting the Venerable Empire of Whide Axis in Ushaenor, and the signing of the alliance of the Whide Axis between humans and elves will put an official end of the Lordship of Liohn, as was expected due the treaty that the island would become an imperial province under the crown of Emperor of the Elves Altarin , with the grey elves of Liohn accepting one more time High Elven Rule -that after the centuries and after human invasions, had been softened in the memories of the Liobhragán.

Liohn will be key during the war as halfway point between Aels and Ushaenor, serving as a supply base for the Army of the Whide Axis:

However, with the disappearance of Altarin during the First War of the Power, the transfer of the great island from Sargonic rule to that of Whide Axis rule never happened, and a Liohnese-Sargonic dynasty of Camilare will rise in power.

Kingdom of Liohn (2271- 2501 a.a.H) 

Conquest of Martin 

From 2266 a.a.H Martin the Conqueror decided to conquer Liohn and bring it under crown control. The Liohnese-Sargonic dynasty of Camilare, who had become the effective rulers of Liohn in the aftermath of the First War of the Power, had become unreliable allies of the Sargonic monarchs. 

As Lord Camilare went into open rebellion at the 2266 a.a.H against the crown, as Martin the Conqueror put down this rebellion, he resolved to bring Liohn under more direct Sargonic government control so the island would not become a base for future rebellions or foreign invasions against Sargos and its possessions.

In 2271 he upgraded Liohn from a lordship to a full Kingdom. Martin was proclaimed King of Liohn at a meeting of the Liohnese Parliament that year. With the institutions of government in place, the next step was to extend the control of the Sargonic Kingdom of Liohn over all of its claimed territory. This took nearly a century, with various Sargonic administrations either negotiating or fighting with the independent Liohnese and Liohnese-Sargonic lords.

After this point, the Sargonic authorities in Pontiorsones established real control over Liohn for the first time, bringing a centralised government to the entire island, and successfully disarmed the native lordships. 

Kingdom of Liohn 

The link of "personal union" of the Crown of Lioh to the Crown of Sargos became enshrined in Karentian canon law. In this fashion, the Kingdom of Liohn was ruled by the reigning King of Sargos. This placed the new Kingdom of Liohn in personal union with the Kingdom of Sargos.

The Kingdom ofLiohn was governed by an executive under the control of a viceroy. The post was held by senior nobles. While some Liohnese held the post, most of the viceroys were Sargonic noblemen.

the Sargonic kings often saw Liohn in a functional way, as an origin of revenues and income to Sargos, and exception being made by Martin the Conqueror and Don Camilo II, they largely left the rule of the island to the viceroys: many Sargonic kings didn't even used the tittle of King of Liohn officially, exception being made in the official acts directed at Liohn.

During the Sargonic Wars, Sargos used the island to launch raids against their enemies, and its additional manpower to man the Sargonic navy and for the royal armies. With the fall of Sargos -like before in the first war of the power-, the isle will be again a refugee to the Sargonic King and his court, as well of many of the escaping nobles and loyals to the king, and once more time, the proximity to their enemies and fear of a naval invasion -as well, the perceived limits of the island for the ambition of the kings- will decide them to continue westward, and found the Kingdom of Ne'Sargos.

In the early Second War of the Power, after the Campaign of Sargos of the 2440 a.a.H, Ne'Sargonic and Liohnese troops will help to replenish the exhausted Sargonic army in the immediate aftermath, later participating Liohnese troops in the naval raids in Polforia and in the Holy Wars of Eden.

Due the experience of the island to be a safe haven for the Huneeus Dynasty during times of strife from their Aelian enemies, the Sargonic kings will decide to reinforce Liohn, becoming it the main naval base of the Sargonic Royal Fleet.

The Kingdom was abolished with the conformation of the Holy Sargonic Empire at 2501 a.a.H

Imperial Province of Liohn (2501 - 2675 a.a.H )

With the proclamation of the Holy Sargonic Empire, the kingdom and parlament of Liohn were abolished, as it became an Imperial Province.

Halfway point between Aels and Ushaenor in a transoceanic empire, trade flourished -but enriching a small trading elite, while most of the population remained rural and related to an agrarian economy.

During the Sargonic Religious Wars (2587-2621 a.a.H), Liohn remained loyal to The Apostate, being one of the last remnants to fall against the Jesués. These wars proved to be catastrophic for Liohn, and for long the heressy -and it's prosecussion- marked the live in the Imperial province.

During the Third War of the Power, there would be rebellions in Liohn by heretics and demonic cults, who often used as well the feelings of the local population against the Ne'Sargonic rule -and it's said, often the Ne'Sargonic accused rebels as heretics and cultists, to justify their supression.

The Cataclysm of the 2675 a.a.H will put an end to the Imperial province of Liohn: however this is more a conventional date than a factual one, as in the inmediate aftermath there stil where authorities trying to enforce the rule of the defunct empire.

Modern Age: the Rise of Nicolia

As the apocalyptical events cut off the Alan Isles from continental Aels and the political authority of the Empire. The Sargonic nobles that leaded the society in Liohn claimed one of their own as King in Liohn, but this will be contested as some of the provinces tried to proclaim their own kingdoms, which lead to a series of wars: these wars will end with the unification of Liohn under Queen Nicole Cares of Liohn: After her, the state will become known as the Kingdom of Nicolia


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cullyferg2010's avatar

The one on the wall had a vision, and things will be getting better for the elven kingdoms.