3. Founding of the Dwendalian Empire

In the frigid fields north of the Marrow Valley, the survivors of the Arcanum city of Zemniaz scraped by in the snow for centuries, clutching their surviving scrolls and fragments of cultural history. They established the dour outposts of Icehaven and Yrrosa, but it wasn’t until the Zemnian people wandered east to the Pearlbow Wilderness that they found fields that were fertile enough to nurture a new society.
Founded atop the ruins of an ancient temple to the Dawn Father, the city of Rexxentrum rose to become the hub of Zemnian culture. Now that the Zemnian people no longer had to struggle for survival amid the harsh elements, their leaders argued over how to establish a centralized government. Some wished for a republic, while others sought a theocracy under the priests that shepherded the people into this new age. Eckhardt Dwendal, a well-respected merchant and tremendous force behind the development of Rexxentrum, wished to institute a monarchy and place his son Manfried on the throne. Debate spun wildly for over three years, while Eckhardt privately made deals with the heads of the emerging guilds, using promises or blackmail to secure their cooperation. With the resounding support of the flourishing guild heads, the throne was established. In the year 539 of the post-Divergence era, Manfried became the first emperor of the Dwendalian Empire.