The Vanyal Empire
Until recently, the Vanyal Empire was a continent-spanning superpower, and the oldest tribe of elves to rise from beneath Mitia's surface after the Reignition. An ethno-fascist oligarchy, the Vanyal Empire encouraged progress and rampant colonialism at sword-point, subjugating many of the nations of Henos. Now, there is naught left of the Empire but a remnant in Aurelia that clings desperately to the vast sovereignty it once commanded.
When the world darkened, the Vanyal took as many Eladrin into their deep holds, and sealed them shut. Those tribes that entered the vaults with them gave up their clan names. In the Twisting Deep, all were Vanyal. For years beyond reckoning, the Vanyal carved out a living in hollows lit by bioluminescent fungi. Their elemental Eladrin roots were lost, and the pigments of their skin, hair, and eyes changed dramatically, but they maintained a strict tribal cohesion that carried them through all perils. During their time in the Twisting Deep, they would eventually encounter the Hévulk, who had magically dug through the boundaries of their own reality to escape an apocalypse of their own in a neighboring reality. They proved great allies in the ancient days of the Vanyal Tribe's underground society, as the the Hévulk were already adept stonemasons and miners that had long ago grown accustomed to creating sprawling subterranean habitats for themselves.
Origins in Antiquity
The people of the Vanyal Tribe were the most successful group of Eladrin to retreat into Mitia's depths at the time of the Sun-Slaying. According to their historical records, their tribe was a major producer of mined ore in the harsh and wintery Twisted Spine Mountains of Eastern Henos during the Elder War. When the time of Sun Slaying came, they had already somewhat adapted to living in their vast mines, and possessed fungal farms surrounding thermal vents.When the world darkened, the Vanyal took as many Eladrin into their deep holds, and sealed them shut. Those tribes that entered the vaults with them gave up their clan names. In the Twisting Deep, all were Vanyal. For years beyond reckoning, the Vanyal carved out a living in hollows lit by bioluminescent fungi. Their elemental Eladrin roots were lost, and the pigments of their skin, hair, and eyes changed dramatically, but they maintained a strict tribal cohesion that carried them through all perils. During their time in the Twisting Deep, they would eventually encounter the Hévulk, who had magically dug through the boundaries of their own reality to escape an apocalypse of their own in a neighboring reality. They proved great allies in the ancient days of the Vanyal Tribe's underground society, as the the Hévulk were already adept stonemasons and miners that had long ago grown accustomed to creating sprawling subterranean habitats for themselves.
Imperial Evolution
When the sun was re-ignited, the Vanyal were greeted by a brightly-lit wasteland. Sacred Vanyal texts record that, shortly after their emergence, they encountered the Archsaint, who bestowed dominion of the world upon them as the only remaining, contiguous civilizations to survive the Sun Slaying. From their vault dwellings, the Vanyal and their Dwarven allies struck out in all directions to reclaim the lands via magic and old-fashioned sweat and toil. This period constitutes the Reconstruction Era, and encompasses roughly 5000 years of history. Over time, Mitia healed and was once again fruitful, as were its people. Human tribes emerged in the wake of the Giant's Dwindling, while hearty, militant Dragonbred clans, pockets of orc savages, goblinoid kingdoms that had emerged after following the Hévulk from their shared reality, and other factions severely hampered a rapid Vanyal advance. The Vanyal, however, were not to be deterred. The Vanyal leveraged their vast mineral wealth to buy slaves from any tribes willing to sell, whether human, dragonbred, or orcish. These slaves were trained by the elite veteran warriors of the Vanyal to be eminent soldiers, and eventually formed the backbone of Vanyal military doctrine for many centures, the Janissary Corps. Using loyal auxiliaries from their Dwarven tributary states in tandem with their ruthlessly drilled slave armies, the Vanyal swept through much of the continent of Henos, and declared themselves an Empire in 2600AR. Despite the loss of their immortality and their devolution from Eladrin to Elven, the Vanyal bloodline remained potent for centuries upon centuries, even throughout their conversion to Empire. Vanyal society is strictly dictated by blood purity, and executive positions of a certain tier must be held by an elf, preferably a Vanyal elf. The Hévulk are also able to ascend in military and academic rank, but are restricted in their ability to hold noble title. While regional governors in the Empire's various tributary states were occasionally allowed to be non-Vanyal, it was exceedingly rare that they would be allowed to operate without supervision by a token Vanyal official of some kind. Finally, late Vanyal culture became simultaneously obsessed with decadence, self-fulfillment, and personal exceptionalism. Every Vanyal elf, and elves in general, are viewed as wholly superior in their potential to simply achieve more in their exceptional lifetimes. The Janissary Corps were organized primarily to prevent the Vanyal from having to fight wars as the primary combatants and threaten their mortality. Their hunger to fill the hole left by the loss of their immortality is almost insatiable, and a Vanyal elf will reliably act in a self-preserving way because of the desire to continue their substantial personal story.Colonization of Aurelia and the Liberty War
In 4406, the manastormThe One Week War
Despite the Vanyal's attempts to maintain absolute order throughout their empire, no significant governance is immune to factionalism, and the Vanyal Empire was no exception. Over time, two significant political orders arose: the Exsanguinists, and their shadowy counterparts, the Sanguinists. Both evolved as opposite sides of the same issue of vampirism as a solution to the elves' lost immortality. The Exsanguinists were often steeped in church doctrine that their mortality was their penance for their original sin of the Sun Slaying. The Sanguinists believed that their original solution to their fragility, vampirism, was as valid in modernity as it was during the Elder War. Unlike the Vampire Hordes of Yohm-Kai, the Sanguinists were subtle and cunning, working via secretive cults and proxy militaries to achieve their shadowy ends. In 4692, their methods became far less subtle. On a bright Aestan day, something happened for which there was no known word. The lost moon passed in front of the sun, completely blocking its light. To the horror of everyone living in Mitia, Lost Lunos remained in place for an entire week, depriving Mitia of its protective light. During this time, the Sanguinists executed a centuries-old plan of conquest by employing their kindred from the Yohm-Kai hordes as a vast mercenary force. In that single, dreadful week, the Vanyal Empire in Henos was all but obliterated, and its core provinces ransacked. Moreover, aberrant terrors and demons grew brave in the dark, and ran rampant in what many now call the Long Night. The Raw bled rippling, chaotic magic across the surface of Mitia, and many lived in terror that this was once again the end of Mitia, only to have the moon return to its orbit at the end of the week. In the aftermath of the One Week War, the Aurelian Liberty War was prematurely terminated. An official peace treaty was signed around two years later, and the Vanyal Aurelian Remnant became part of the Republic (WIP NOTE, set link to Remnant article), much to the chagrin of many an Aurelian colonist. While Empress Mylvain III and the Imperial Consort are assumed dead, a desperate reconstruction effort continues under the auspices of her children. All of her children were in Aurelia at the time of the invasion and are contributing in their own ways to the rebirth of Vanyal society, though some in more openly disagreeable ways than the rest(WIP NOTE: link to Garian iet Vanyal article)
Unreliable Narrators of History
For centuries, historians have questioned the veracity and integrity of Vanyal historical record. Indeed, there have been many academics who have insisted that ancient Vanyal history is without merit, as the Vanyal have shown a propensity for twisting history to their own designs. Vanyal archaeology is a jealously protected science, and rumors abound that adventurers hired to recover Vanyal artifacts for outside parties are rarely heard from ever again. The Empire is very careful to control its image, and if that means cleansing ancient lore of any ill depiction or disentor, so be it. Since the fall of the Empire, a new order of historical sceptics have emerged, the Nullifidians. They doubt all aspects of the Empire's claims upon history, from their survival of the Deep Dark, to their claims of interaction with the Archsaint, believing that history was rendered nothing more than the weapon of an oppressive dominion. The Nullifidians believe that it is their duty to reveal the truth of the Empire. This has largely proven to be a naïve goal, as most of the Empire's lore and domain lies far across the sea in Henos, now infested completely by hordes of vampires and their barbarian chattel.Opinions of the Empire
Before its collapse, general opinion towards the Vanyal Empire was polar, to say the least. On one hand, Collaborators who were born and eagerly subservient to the Empire lived in relative peace and luxury, though many non-Elves were ultimately incapable of achieving high stations within the government. Resistors who were violently absorbed into the Empire or persecuted for being cooperative held a far less kind view of the Vanyal way of dealing with obstacles to their Grand Agenda. Many who had never even seen an Imperial Janissary lived in fear that someday some Vanyal official would come to claim their livelihoods in the name of the Empress. In summary, the Vanyal Empire was an organization that was intent upon achieving its goals by any means, be it guile or force. Service was rewarded while resistance and disorder were swiftly culled. Despite its fascist nature, the gilded cage of security in exchange for unquestioning service largely appeased the populace, and there are as many in Aurelia who are disturbed to see the Empire fade as those who rejoiced in its demise.Character Hooks
Despite its ethnic restrictions, the Empire was a rather metropolitan society by virtue of its methods of forced integration. Here are some concepts for adventurers from the old empire:- Veteran Janissary
You come from a long service to the Imperial Military, and have seen the world because of it. Perhaps you're tired of service, but don't have any other skills, or maybe you're looking for a new lease on life.
Suggest Class/Specialty Combinations
Artifcer (Armorer, Artillerist)
Fighter (Battle Master, Cavalier, Champion, Eldritch Knight, or Samurai)
Paladin (Oaths of Conquest, Redemption, Vengeance)
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
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