Monthly Progression World Progression For May 2016

It has been a while since the last world progression post and since the Player Quest system failed, we will get back to the old usual world reports. Some terminology on this progression post may conflict existing Qadir lore, largely because it will make use of the planned changes in Qadir lore for future reference.

The Songaskia Masaya
With the dethroned Askiya Dar-Ishaaq, Masaya-Mara, (new term for the Qadir Sultan) successfully fleeing to Regalia with the assistance of some Regalian nobles, Regalia formally established its stance on the civil war in Farahdeen. The current Masaya-Mara of the Songaskia Masaya (new term fo the Qadir Empire/Sultanate), Suu-Buru Dar-Ishaaq, expressed outrage at the Regalians involving themselves in what he referred to as “local politics”, vowing to destroy both his nephew that he dethroned in his coup, as well as the Regalian Empire itself. As the Grand Marshal von Treppewitz of Regalia had predicted, the new Masaya-Mara, would immediately turn on the Regalian Empire as soon as he gained power, a platform he was campaigning on among his generals even before the coup was going to start.

With Askiya safe in Regalia however, the Empire was gearing itself for round two in the conflict against the Songaskia Qadir, sending various battle fleets to engage in a blockade of the Farahdeen trade routes while also sending shipments of supplies to the estranged Dwarves and Orcs who were still ravaging the southern parts of the Farahdeen landmass. It was uncertain at this point whether Regalia was actually intending to send troops to Farahdeen itself to fight battles and attempt to re-establish Askiya as the rightful ruler, but it was clear that the Emperor was entertaining the idea of further fostering the civil war among the Songaskia to prevent their Empire from competing with Regalia. Certainly the teenage Askiya had expressed his desire quite openly at court to retake his homeland and dethrone his usurper uncle. There were still generals and cities in Farahdeen loyal to his rightful rule, predicting that they would rise up for his cause should he return to his homeland.

The Arloran Kingdom
With the Kingdom of Torse subjecting itself to the Empire, it came to no surprise to anyone that the Emperor of Regalia started sending emissaries to Arlora in attempts to woo the King to join the Regalian Empire as a client state as well. Several diplomatic overtures failed however, the King expressly irritated at the fact that Regalia chose to subjugate the King of Torse first when Arlora was about to win the war. After all, the mysterious fog creatures months before had seriously weakened the Torse Kingdom’s military defences and Arlora expected to need only one decisive battle to annex the Kingdom once and for all.

Negotiations took an abrupt turn into the deep end when the Arloran King decided he had enough of the Emperor’s lackeys and ordered his coastal batteries to shoot down the next emissary’s vessel. This vessel was indeed bombarded and sank, several dozens of sailors losing their lives while the military escort quickly returned fire on the coastal defences. Casualties were reported on both sides and eventually the military detail retreated back to Regalia to report the death of the embassador. Back in Regalia meanwhile, questions arose over what to do next. The military high command presumed to predict that the Arloran Kingdom would act impulsively and invade sovereign Regalian terrain, after all, only a token military force was left behind in the Kingdom of Torse and the King of Arlora wasn’t exactly known to be a cautious and planning individual.

Opinions in the country were split on whether the Empire could afford a two front war with the Songaskia Qadir and Arlora at the same time, certainly naval superiority made it easier, but a decisive victory would have to be forced by land battles. Arloran merchants in Regalia were already getting restless with the risk of Regalian privateering attacking their ships, though the Regalian judiciary quickly released a communique detailing that Arloran Merchants had nothing to fear, and that any punitive actions would only be directed at the Arloran King, not its people whom the Regalian Empire considered its brothers and sisters, and rightfully belonging under the Regalian Imperial banner.

Elven Resurgence
The Talar Kingdoms of southern Hyarroc fought valiantly against the Orc hordes of Daendroc, but their attempt to re-establish the Empire at the expense of the weakening Orcs only proved to provide the Orcs with the adrenaline rush they needed to cause their very own resurgence. Aided with Human mercenaries, the Orcs successfully held the line against the Elven Armies and even pushed some of them back into Elven territory that had been relatively stable for decades. With the collapse of the forward armies of the Elven Kingdoms however, the lesser successor states of the East feared a new wave of Orc invasions, and rightly so. One by one the lesser princes combined their lands under the banner of the new Elven Empire, replenishing the losses the Elves suffered early on in the conflict.

The conflict started getting more complex when the Orcs, finally having their thirst for war re-ignited, started raiding Human work camps close or inside their territory. Believing once more in their combat superiority, the Orcs chose to ignore diplomatic agreements and simply raid anything that wasn’t green, which caused some severe embarrassment for the local military leaders who always advocated allying the Orcs over the Elves. The governor in Daenshore started advocating for a Holy War against the Orcs, while the Emperor recalled all mercenaries and fighting troops still engaged with the Elves one way or another. It seemed like the government was more of the opinion that the fight should simple be watched from a distance and any military troops should be used to ensure the safety of the Human populations of Daendroc.

The Imperial Inheritance
The Imperial inheritance in Regalia had always been a bit shaky in the past few years. With the ascension of Emperor Alexander the first, the previously unthinkable had happened in that the Imperial succession may fall to a different family than the original Ivrae Family. For several years, Prince Reynaud, Alexander's oldest son had been the heir apparent. Still, many at court considered him an idiot and completely politically incapable, almost downright inbred given he was sired between two cousins. The Emperor had never been vocally fond of the idea of any of his sons in particular succeeding him, so it was only a matter of time before he would validate some law or holy writ on the matter of succession, as his predecessor had done before him. Unlike his predecessor however, Emperor Alexander used religious context to enact an even more radical succession law change that had never even been conceived possible among the ruling elite. The Emperor announced the following:

"For three centuries, this Empire has been lead by succession of the eldest sons of the Emperors. With this line of succession, we have seen the best and the worst the Imperial lineage has had to offer, from incompetent and weak Emperors to paragons of virtue and conquest. I aim today to change the succession line to ensure a successful inheritance every cycle, so that the Empire should never be bothered again with an incompetent Emperor or an Emperor who is out of graces with the nobility. At the risk of harming relations with my own sons, I will institute that the Empire's succession shall forthright be determined by Imperial Elective Prerogative, meaning the Emperor shall at all times have his own preferred list of inheritance regardless of patrimonial relation. This means to say that anyone who is male, directly related to the Emperor by blood and also directly descends from Liliane Ivrae trough Charles the second shall be viable to be placed on the preferred list in order determined by the Emperor. This list shall at all times be guarded heavily by the Grand Ekhein, and various copies shall be available to the Imperial Guard Commander as well as the Sanchella of Union. To ensure complete safety in the succession, this list shall never be made public until the timely event of the Emperor's death. I deem this in line with the Creeds which dictate that the Emperor's word and decisions are divine and holy by law. That is to say if the Emperor appoints another Emperor in his lifetime, this decision should remain in force after death. We must ensure the Empire shall forever be ruled by competent and strong willed Emperors for the good of Unionism and Humanum."

The immediate reactions to the law change seemed supported by large swathes of the population. The religious context was approved by the Sanchella, after all the Emperor appealed to Holy Prerogative to support his decisions, and the Sanchella indicated it would be satisfied as long as a male sat on the throne who was directly descended from Theomar the First. Still, not everyone was fully satisfied. The courtiers who supported prince Reynaud, or perhaps hoped for a weak Emperor who could be puppeteer-ed, expressed irritation at the decision. Furthermore, the Etosian Church expressed its objections to the law change, or more specifically to the Emperor denouncing ex-Emperors as weak and incompetent. While fully legal in standard Unionism, many of those Emperors were still worshiped as saints among the Etosian Unionists. This caused the legal paradox where the Emperor's word is technically divine and always right, yet he also commits heresy by critiquing his own previous incarnations who are seen as holy. The complex moral matter of the Emperor both dictating Holy fact and heresy caused a severe headache among the Etosian clergy who were entirely divided and unclear about how to respond to the matter.

Assorted Events
In Ellador, increasing reports came through merchants and hunters that large groups of Isldar have been witnessed moving south out of the frozen wastes and into the tundra basins where the Dwarves and Humans lived. They seemed less aggressive than usual, preferring to avoid whoever saw them as opposed to outright killing anyone laying eyes on them. It is still entirely unclear why the Isldar are moving south, as none have had the courage or stupidity to approach them in person and ask about it. What is worrying about the reports of the Isldar however is that with every sighting, the number of rumors and whispers of Dragons in the skies increases.

Excavations in Ithania took a drastic turn when a group of Human extremists stormed the Tigran excavation site. The Tigrans did not have enough guards to keep the area secure and retreated, leaving many poor Tigran workers and slaves behind. They were all massacred and the Human extremists then took large kegs of gunpowder and blew up all the thousands years old ruins and wall paintings, completely devastating any historical record of the Tigran race in the process. The Tigran leaders who funded the excavation lodged complaints with the Grand Prince of Ithania, however they were promptly ignored. Promising revenge, the Tigrans took back to the Corsair fleets and announced a hundred nights of claw raids, vicious Tigran piracy raids on Ithanian shipping until their demands were met in exposing the culprits. Ithania immediately appealed to Regalia for military protection, however some elements in the government voiced their unwillingness to send fleets to Ithania. In the past years, Ithania had both been a huge income boost, but the military forces required to secure the continent from invasion and slave unrest far outweighed the actual tariffs and taxes collected from the Grand Principality. It was yet unclear whether the Empire would actually send anyone to assist the Ithanians or force a program of armaments onto the Ithanians for self-defense sufficiency.

The civil unrest in Daendroc was meanwhile calming down, though perhaps not in a way people had expected. In the power vacuum of authority, caused by the inability of the local governor to deal with the riots, gangs and crime lords moved in to strongarm the populace into calmness. This had the intended side effect of pacifying the population in fear of the crime rings, but also putting them in service to said crime rings. Reminiscing of Hallonq, the crime lords became increasingly demanding on the Governor, threatening to re-ignite the riots on their command if their demands were not being met. With the decrease of civil authority and guards in the region, the Governor eventually even recalled the military garrison of Fort Draquon, the citadel overlooking the bay of Daenshore. It was generally assumed at this point that the city had fallen into the hands of the crime lords, a situation somewhat disturbing to the Regalians back in the Imperial City. Yet, despite this unlawful situation, some voiced the opinion that this crime induced peace was still better than wanton murder and rioting the people had been engaging in before. Certainly the general Regalian lethargy to the crime riddled Daendroc governorate was never more evident than now.

OOC knowledge:

• Everything in this post is 100% knowledge available to everyone.
• What will happen next? Maybe the Noble Assembly can vote on one of the matters and choose to involve themselves with numerous situations.