Era 5: Era of Absolutism Year c4500 - Year c5500

Centralized Rule: Authoritarian regimes and absolute monarchies emerge, centralizing power. Societies witness grandeur, but dissent simmers beneath the surface, leading to social upheavals.
The millenium prior to the Second Great Disaster saw the societies of Edane once again reach a pinnicle of civilisation and gradeur. A period that saw the individual cities across the continent becoming increasingly authoritarian in their rule, with a class system developing across most of the nations, led by a very powerful ruling family with a strong military.
These families, although initially descended from the Hizbrann raiders who occupied the region, were very quickly intermingled with their respective cultures that they ruled over. The period saw an uneasy peace descend over the region with wars rarely developing beyond regional conflicts and small territorial gains. Most competition between the city states developed through the desire to outdo one another with building projects.
These vanity projects often involved the exploitation of huge numbers of citizens. The families of the city states often intermarried, with closer and closer ties being drawn between neighbouring states.
By 5000, most of the nations had been redrawn under more modern nation lines. The Litikanians had united again under one ruling family and pushed back control to the central mountains. The Eksil had formed into two nations - the ruling families of the outer islands and of the mainland. The vast lands of the Hizbrann had formed the tightest and most centralised control of all of the nations and was beginning to become a significant threat to the Anshar nation in the far east. Trade with Anshar had flourished in this period and Edane increasingly demanded Ansharan jewelery and pottery to fill the lavish homes of the ruling classes.
In the south, the city states were unified under the control of Rinascere, the eternally reborn city, which became even more a symbol of the growing decadence of the continent - building projects so vast they were designed to be in deliberate defiance of the danger that lurked beneath the city streets.
The Eksil on the mainland were one of the first societies to unite. Never directly invaded by the Hizbrann, they were able to forge alliances between the various communities in the north through fear of occupation and a shared ancestry. Keen to avoid further occupation by the Litikanians, their leaders fostered a nationalistic fervour among their citizens that attempted to reclaim their heritage as seafarers and pirates.
The Eksil, through their alliance with the Hizbrann, sought to reclaim their heritage as the founders of Edane. A succession of rulers, obsessed with the myths and legends of the west, dug deep into what little was known of the tribes before they left the Sacred Lands. These rulers attempted to trace their lineage all the way back to Havrei Sende as a way to add validity to their rule. By 4800, the mainland was ruled by the tribes that had grown up around the mouth of the Elvemunn.
Between 4900 and 5000, these rulers used a huge labour force to contruct the city that was to be named Nordrest. The city itself made little strategic sense being built so far from the sea. It was designed to be a seat amongst the Gods. A vanity project aimed at showing the world that the rulers of Nordrest were divinity personified. Within a generation, the written record suggests the Eksil were increasingly known as Nordrestians.
In 5021, shortly after the city of Nordrest had been completed and the royal family relocated here, the current ruler, King Hybris, instigated a massive excavation project underneath the palace. Rumours abounded of relics hidden by their Eksil ancestors in the cliffs, fjords and mountains of the Taggfjell Range. It is not known whether Hybris was successful, but the hushed, revered tone with which his reign is spoken lends creedance to the stories. His extraordinary longevity is born out in many accounts of the period. With a reign lasting 87 years, he outlived all of his children and most of his grandchildren. Many believed he had discovered the secrets of their ancestors who were rumoured to have lived for hundreds of years.
He also created the Stygian Enclave, a sect of followers who devoutly worshiped the lost lands of the west. This group quickly grew in power, although the numbers of priests remained very small. Hybris was known as the Supreme Hierophant. Many grew fearful of the power behind these shadowy figures, some claiming that Hybris has stumbled across powers best left forgotten.
In the west, the remaining lands of the Eksil also united in this period. The original settlers of Edane, these people never lost their affinity with nature and the sea. A wild and unruly people, their style of government was equally unruly. Often, decisions were decided by congregations of major tribal leaders who would drink heavily and hammer out their arguments, often ending in violent scuffles. In order to achieve some sense of order, one of the tribal leaders would be elected as the Ark-on-High, the one who bore responsibility for making the final decision.
The fear of growing threats all around, led to this position increasingly being passed down through one tribe, those who could trace their heritage all the way back to the first settler family. The western tribes grew increasingly fearful of the unifying mainland, especially under the reign of Hybris. His Stygian Enclave were of grave concern to the people of the islands and for a time, contact with the main land was severed in favour of increasing ties and alliances with the Litikanians.
Litikania very easily established a strong, autocratic leadership. The collapse of the empire had not weakened the central control of their homeland and Litikania continued to be ruled by the same, hard headed and taciturn rulers who had led to the expansion of the empire. The resources of the Litikanian mountains were still very much in demand so wealth poured into the nation, much of it being spent on the epic carvings of the mountains. The palaces of the Litikanians were huge, marble constructions that filled the halls of the mountain kings.
In the south, the various cities of the Fortunari were dominated by the military leaders of the Hibrann invasion. However, the Fortunari were a resourceful and cunning people who actively encouraged the occupiers to marry into the great households of the city states. This put tremendous power in the hands of their wives, many who became defacto rulers. Many of the occupying generals were more interested in gaining wealth, drinking, gambling and whoring than the business of running a city state. This led to much of the day to day running of the cities being led by their wives. They forged alliances with local businessmen and built up a cult like following around themselves.
Some of the military leaders grew incensed by the influence their partners had gained but their jealousy did little to avail them. Many of them were silently removed, either 'accidents' or their wives led open coups against them. By 4600, all of the city states were led by women. Over the next 400 years, these women would become worshiped as if they were goddesses themselves. A period of artistic growth flourished as artists, sculptors and muscians competed to impress their patron. Many of the buildings in the city states today were originally constructed in this period and dedicated to various rulers from this period.
The Hizbrann were ruled by Emperors that claimed dominion over all of the city states controlled by military leaders from the Zhdanese Surge - when they had swept out of the Golden Pass and dominated the continent. In reality, their influence only extended as far as they were willing to collect taxes and gradually over the 4600s, this petered out as they focused on consolidating and centralising control over their dominions east of the Backbone mountains.
This centralisation was hampered by the personal power and influence of the different military leaders. In 4756, this was conclusively dealt with by the mass execution of huge numbers of the military leaders and their armed forces swearing direct alliegience to the Emperor.
This was combined with a resurgence in piety. The Hizbrann became known as the Zhdanese in this period. They viewed themselves as 'other' from the rest of the Edane continent and tried to distance themselves from their links to the west. Any indication of a belief in the mystical ways of the west was heavily suppressed. This particularly caused them to come into conflict with the Nordrestians and trade with Nordrest significantly decreased. Their economic ties with Anshar in the east quickly expanded and the two nations, normally quite insular, saw an influx of immigration between the two nations. By 5000, the Zhdanese were beginning to gain a reputation for significant increases in technology. Unlike the pure vanity projects in the west, most of the buildings in Zhdan were a combination of religious devotion and scientific discovery. A desire to reach the heavens and learn more about the world around them.
Across the rest of the continent, a fascination with the magi returned. They were viewed either as a tool to strengthen the power of the autocracies across Edane, or captured and kept as knowledge that is forbidden or needed to be controlled by the elites. Regardless of the method used, a growing mistrust of those born with unexplainable powers would lead to catastrophic consequences for the magi come the dawn of the Bleed.
Two tribes appeared to not succumb to the temptations of autocracy; those nations least understood by the more settled tribes of Edane, the Hatnu Pachi and the Verspera. The tribal families of the Verspera were spread across the Steppes, using their unique positions to act as mercenaries supporting the trade through the Golden Pass and across the vast open wastelands of the Steppes. Survival depended on them remaining in small groups which did not lend itself to centralised power.
However, one group did settle north of the Golden Pass on the shores of the Bestridt Sea and began to dominate local politics. They were keen to separate themselves from their breathren across the Pass and became devout followers of The Order of the Crimson Blade. They believed that warfare was the most devout of all occupations and would become a consistent thorn in the side of nations across the next 500 years.
The Hatnu Pachi came out of their secclusion in the mountains in this period, opening their doors to any pilgrims who wished to make the journey into the mountains. They claimed to hold sacred knowledge of the west that no other nations were aware of. This was largely dismissed by most of the nations of Edane, but that did not stop a steady stream of pilgrims making the journey to the mountains from across the realm, many who did not return. Small temples devoted to the beliefs of the Hatnu Pachi sprung up across the continent. These temples were viewed with great suspision by the locals, which became the focus for a witch hunt come the arrival of the Bleed.