Seventis

Kingdom of Seventis Capital: Grata Other Cities: Rienna Ursakar Eden Green Point Languages: Common Auvergne (regional) Religion: Imperial Traditionalism The Seventis Pantheon (brief) Royal House: House Vallark Royals of Import: Dezios Vallark Renati Vallark Rose Vallark Maria Vallark Noble Houses: House Dracaena House Gracchi House Ironheart House "of Andromeda" House Guivret Nobles of Import: Symodimi Dracaena Ariana Gracchi Baldur Ironheart Jullius of Andromeda Damien Dracaena Bitazity Dracaena Gothic Knights: Claudius Centaurum Fionn Frostsword Maximilian Koenig Important Citizenry: Mastersmith Kilgrim Blackaxe Kaun the Ancient Norral of Azar Rhaegar the Cat Gnorl Preceded by: The Town of Azar Succeeded by: The First Empire

Seventis is a former Human nation of Asulon. Beginning with the founding of the Town of Azar and noted in its infancy for its convenient distance from the Cloud Temple Sanctuary, it rapidly grew in size and chartered itself as a nation within an eastern desert region of Asulon. Seventis ceased to exist after the Plague of Asulon began in and devastated the nation, leading to annexation by the Kingdom of Renatus and the eventual formation of the First Empire.

History

Imperial historiographers might paint Seventis as many things. The backwater from which the most devastating plague of all history was released, or the burgeoning city-kingdom that gave birth to the future first Empress of the Holy Orenian Empire. To me, it was home.

-Bitazity Dracaena, Magnate of Seventis before and during the Fall

The Gathering

The orphan son of a deceased Aegisian warrior, a young Renati Vallark was left but a letter, the contents of which have long since been lost to history. Little more than a stone's throw from the Sanctuary of the Monks, this young man in bright clothing found himself before a con artist. Introductions were given and money almost stolen before the con artist realized that the naive child in front of him was the son of his friend of many battles. Claudius Centaurum, whose name would in future be ironically synonymous with loyalty, quickly made amends, employing himself (rather forcefully, so the story goes) as Renati's guard. Renati's father, as he would later find out, had been the smiling lord of the northern settlement of Aurum, and though little more than a tribal chief, had inspired confidence in his citizens.

It was during a stop in a Salvus tavern that they found another family of Aurum refugees, the Dracaenas. Symodimi, his brothers Dimatrik and Damien, and their nephew Bitazity had purchased a small farmhouse by the wayside, working small hunting contracts for King Sheffield (as this was long before his...unfortunate disappearance, and his wife's near-immortal reign) and farming, as peasants do. Symodimi had been his father's constable, of a sort, and Damien a well-known builder. In that small tavern they discussed Renati's ambitions and wishes, and, following a few drinks, Renati disclosed his wish to build a town named Azar, to reunite their people. The others agreed, and Damien left that very night to collect resources.

Their group would not stay small for very long. Soon, talented individuals flocked to that new lordling's banner. Kilgrim Blackaxe, better known later in life as the Mastersmith of Seventis, was the first to be attracted to the burgeoning town, followed by a very attractive young woman that would eventually give birth to a son for Renati (to be covered later). Casimir Amedaius, a graduate fresh from the schooling of an old architect once from Al'khazar, would become their High Architect of Azar, built to be a quaint town, strategically placed near the Temple to attract faces new and old. Casimir, though, would not have the same intentions as the others. He demanded greater and greater pay, until finally Renati could not retrieve more from his coffers. Then, he rebelled.

"Seventis"

The Andromedan Rebels, as they were known by the Azar Loyalists, launched a powerful attack under the command of Markus Powell, a former Galahar rebel and knight in Aegis. In history books, it is recorded as the "Battle of Azar", and ended in a massacre of the Azarian Armed Forces, their town guard, who lacked at the time their Guard Captain. Queen Dawn of Salvus gave them refuge in their time of loss, a small white tent on the outskirts of her grand capital city - on the condition they become a security force for Salvus. That white tent would become a new headquarters, for a resurgence of the Azarians. Renati was clear, after all, that a nation could not be born out of a tent, and so they gathered resources, new soldiers and followers, and established themselves among the populace. Finally, they set out once more, and just across the main highway from their old town of Azar, now renamed Ascella, they chartered and built the Town of Seventis.

The Seventians pledged themselves to the creation of the city they had always dreamed Azar would become. More resources and more funds were constantly acquired and spent, even going so far as to continue to live in Salvus to earn capital, while their new town was planned. Finally, they commenced construction, and with ample coin and ample arms, it was built in a single fortnight. Surprised, Markus moved his plans forward. He ousted Casimir from the lordship of Ascella, establishing village-states and manors in his countryside to form the "Kingdom of Andromeda". Tense relations and a cold war began between the two neighbors.

Fire and blood would not come, though, and Seventis grew far faster than Andromeda, becoming the first chartered City in the Cloud Temple's vast regions. Seventis continued to expand, building a college for Golemancy and History, new districts for its ever-growing population, and increasingly large guild halls. When Ascella launched a small foray once more, a Renatian citizen sent word to one of their commanders, bringing the entire army of Renatus to Ascella's front door. Markus' posturing and threats did not bother Seventis after that, though a side effect was the increasingly friendly relations between Renatus and Seventis, with Seventis fighting as one of Renatus' only allies in the Battle of Das Boot.

With their security generally ensured, Seventis looked outwards. Renati dreamed of an empire, and so sent Damien to claim land for a town to be called Pine Harbor, which would be a massive naval port and center of the economy. Such a thing never happened, and the village built there would eventually be used to pacify Casimir Amedaius II, Count of Somerset and the son of that ill-fated architect of years past, though that is not quite so relevant to this retelling.

Months after the peace between Seventis and Andromeda was essentially secured, Markus Powell died, leaving a man named Jullius in charge of his minor kingdom. Jullius was a kind, though calculating, lord, well-respected among the Andromedans, going so far as to tear down and rebuild Ascella (with the help of one Ariana Gracchi, best known for her later contributions to Auvergnat culture) into a clean and open town. During his reconstruction process, Renati approached him personally to compliment his work, and Jullius, weary of tensions and war, offered to incorporate himself into the city-state Seventis had become. Renati accepted, and Ascella, previously Azar, was peacefully reclaimed, becoming the new capital of their assortment of territories. Seventis continually expanded, and with expansion comes nefarious plans. One Ursolon Ironheart, previously a steward of Ascella, attempted a debate with Jullius in a bid to send him out of his stewardship of Ascella, but was thrown out of the debate (a Loyalist bard might claim he was laughed out, though I seem to remember something a little more military) and his ambitions squashed by Renati, who promptly removed him from his new demesne. Ursolon would later go on to found Fairfield, a quaint farming town along a different road from the Sanctuary. Later, he was said to have died in a mining accident. He showed up later, begging Renati to become a councillor, and an able one he would be.

Mandarin's March, an incident well known for the "Mandarin Head", began shortly after. A mercenary company-turned-outlaw group headed by a man calling himself the Mandarin launched an attack on Ascella in an attempt to kill Jullius and take Lady Ariana Gracchi as his wife. He was foiled by Seventis and its allies, and his head placed on a pike of fine petrified wood. Mandarin's head is said to still be on that pike, rotting away in what should now be the ruins of Ascella.

The Desert(ed) Kingdom

Finally, the time came for the Kingdom of Seventis to truly build itself. Time had led to the loss of Damien Dracaena, but resources were no longer the issue of what was now a relatively large nation. Renati, Ursolon, and Ariana began the long and arduous task of implementing dozens of policy changes and national organization structures for Seventis, while Symodimi built up a real military and Claudius guarded still the back of Renati. The young woman Renati had fallen for in the days of Azar had a son, and that son whose name was Trivane came years later to Seventis. The Kingdom claimed for itself a vast savanna and desert, edged with thin forests to the west and an ocean to the east, splitting it.