Leir Empire

This article is about the kingdom. For the region in Eidyn, see Leir.

The Empire of Leir was an empire that rose to dominance in the early Renaissance Era. It was located in the northern section of the namesake region.

History

See also: History of Leir

Obtaining the Worldstone

After the Worldstone spent centuries in the hands of an Arbiter named Lucien, an entity known as the Freelancer obtained it in order to use it to stop the Demon known as Abraxas. Abraxas was the perpetrator of the Demon Wars within the Eidyn region. After Abraxas was defeated, the Freelancer returned the Worldstone to the Jad nomads, the previous owners of the Worldstone before it fell into Lucien's hands. The Jad nomads began to use the Worldstone to terraform and reshape the earth. They began by constructing a stronghold known as Leir Castle where they could take shelter from the dangers of the desert.

Rise to power

Leir saw a major economic boost by learning to utilize the salt and export it afar. While its predecessor of Gammel had also used salt as their primary trading good, Leir had taken advantage of the more advanced technology of their era as well as the new trade routes that had been established among Fraengal, Kronen and the Ascensores.

Destruction

The Kingdom of Leir would later be destroyed after they assembled all of the Aard'Vorn in one location in attempt to use it against the Third Heilinthar Empire who had provoked them into war. After the ritual to harness its energies was sabotaged, a resulting explosion destroyed the entire Kingdom of Leir and the Third Heilinthar Empire. There were only about 44,000 survivors after this incident, all of which migrated to the continent of Emsius after the Leir desert was rendered uninhabitable.

Government

Leir is divided into five provinces. At its southern border is a region called No Man's Land which servers as the border to the Third Heilinthar Empire.

List of provinces

Capital Province

The Capital Province, also known as the Imperial Province, is the hub of the Leir Empire. It is the place where the top level governing authorities congregate. It is located in the northwest corner of Leir's territory.

• Leir Castle - An enormous fortress carved into the side of the dormant volcano Mt. Nerthus through the use of the Worldstone. At the castle's base is the River Wasa which serves as a primary water-based trade route to the Kingdom of Fraengal. It has so many floors and rooms in it that this single structure is large enough to be considered a city on its own. It is considered the pride of the Leir Empire.

Wasa Province

A comparatively green province compared to the rest of Leir, the local climate is temperate - making it an ideal location for agriculture and trade.

• Vanhaven - A city situated in the Great Caldera, a large lake believed to have formed from the entry point of an enormous demon invading Erudite in the ancient past. Vanhaven is a border city that houses much of Leir's naval forces. Vanhaven enjoys prosperous trade from Fraengal.
• Arklight Estate - Home to the nobles of the Arklight family, who married into the LeVasseur family from Fraengal. The marriage between the families was planned as a diplomatic gesture to strengthen relations between the two nations, but unfortunately, the estate was decimated by a red ekati plague, leaving the young Stayla LeVasseur as the only survivor.

Ardas Province

Ardas Province lies in the south of Leir. It has a harsh climate and suffers regularly from Heilinthar invasions. The snow-capped Mt. Ardas is the defining landmark of the region. When the region of Leir used to be a great sea, Mt. Ardas was thought to be an island of great importance.

• Castle Dorchester - A castle owned by the Dorchester family, the descendants of the Kronen knight Ventan Dorchester who aided Leir in reclaiming the ruins of Gammel during the Demon Wars.

Nomes Province

An open desert area that enjoys a wealth of resources from its mining industry. During the Heilinthar War, the Duke of Nomes attempted a rebellion before being stopped by the Steel Sisters.

• Uddenfell - A mining town that has invited many entrepreneurs from all over Eidyn. It prospers from its trade of salt. The cities opportunities tempted the Heilinthar into invading it.

Jadda Province

An old province filled with many ancient ruins. It embraces many of the original traditions and culture of the Jad people.

• Nal'Jadoria - An ancient city was inhabited by the Jad peoples, the ancestors of the Leirians. It is a humble city, yet with great value to archaeologists.
• New Gammel - A new city built from the ruins of the Gammel civilization. It is situated over the River Alva which the ancient Gammelians used as a primary source of water.

Culture

Leir is quite proud of history and legacy as owners of the Worldstone. Although the Worldstone is divine in origin, Leir doesn't consider it a holy artifact or anything worthy of worship. Moreover, they see it as a tool to advance their technology and improve the lives of their citizens.

Despite the harsh climate, the Leir Empire is a diverse nation home to people of many different backgrounds. During the Demon Wars, many refugees fled to Leir from the Kronen Empire after it was attacked by the demon Abraxas. The emperor's ability to use the Worldstone to terraform the soil to be more fertile also invited many agricultural experts to tend to the land further to make the desert more livable. As such, for many people, Leir was considered a fresh start, though a challenging one for those who could brave the hostile environment.

Elves are somewhat looked at with suspicion as a consequence of the war with the Heilinthar Empire. Elves are commonly stereotyped as at best, self-righteous narcissists and at worst, racial supremacists. As such, even non-Heilinthar face some significant discrimination. In spite of this, the Leir Empire still accepts Heilinthar refugees seeking asylum from their oppressive government.

Fashion

Earth tones are a popular choice for clothing among Leirian citizens. Metal gears - the symbol of automatons - would be used as adornments and motifs. Commoners tended to wear loose-fitting clothing and robes that covered their skin almost entirely to protect against the sun.

Among nobles, elegant dresses and coats were commonly seen, even in spite of the desert heat. These high fashion trends are thought to have originated from other neighboring nations such as Fraengal and Kronen, while the use of magic and other intricate cooling systems made it practical to wear in the heat.

Religion

Main article: Asmosianism

The people of Leir are worshipers of Asmos, a controversial god among the people of Eidyn. According to legend, Asmos was the indifferent creator of the world and allowed the Shattering to take place. Followers of Asmos believe that nothingness and oblivion are the truest form of peace. A mortal life in their opinion should have a definitive beginning, middle and end. An afterlife of eternal suffering is considered a worse fate. Believers in Asmos have their souls disappear completely when they die with one notable exception. Suicide is considered one of the highest crimes among the Leirians as it is viewed as defiling the natural path to peace or taking a sacrilegious shortcut. Thus, Leirians believe that those who commit suicide are doomed to trap themselves in a cycle where they relive the moments before their death for eternity.

Bringing someone back from the dead is often looked down upon by many Asmosians, but it is considered acceptable if that person died too early for their personal journey to be complete. Golems and automatons on the other hand are considered sacred to the Leirians. Their resiliency and ability to last beyond the lifespan of most humans places them in the role of caretakers and legacy bearers for future generations. This belief goes back to the days of the Jad nomads and has carried over even into Leir's mechanized era. A tradition preserving and passing down golems through generations is common in Leirian noble households.

Language

Most citizens are fluent in both Tradespeak and the native Leirian language. Both languages are used equally throughout the empire.

Technology

Automatons

Leir was ahead of its time when it came to the creation of artificial beings. Having historically descended from a people that heavily utilized clay golems as autonomous servants, Leir was able to use their ancestor's technology into new forms of advanced robotics. The golems were modified to be made of metal with a consciousness powered by soul magic and came to be known as automatons. While the automatons could receive and execute orders, they had no independent thought. Thus, things were taken a step further with the creation of mechanis which were powered by a human soul. The first three mechanis were created from three dying women who wished to continue in the next life, thus the Steel Sisters were created.

Water collection

Although Leir has advanced very far in mechanical engineering and steam technology compared to its contemporaries, they significantly lagged behind in other modern conveniences. Most settlements in Leir do not have plumbing systems due to the scarcity of water in the region. As such, flushable toilets were considered something only reserved for the absurdly wealthy. Electricity was another luxury for the nobility that was incredibly rare in common settlements. Thus, gas lamps and coal were often considered a more viable alternative to lighting and heat. Most of these poor areas frequently rely on magic to obtain basic necessities. For example, spells being cast to collect moisture in the air.

Despite these setbacks, aqueducts and irrigation technology has allowed Leir to settle what is otherwise an inhospitable region of Erudite. Most provinces import agricultural products from the greener Wasa region, but the use of magic makes it possible to build farms often by summoning groundwater from beneath the surface.

Law enforcement

Garrison soldiers serve as guards throughout the empire. They are often necessary in remote locations such as mines due to hostile wildlife as well as the war with the Heilinthar.

Military

Leir's military is built largely around guerrilla tactics. Scimitars and automatic crossbows are among the weapons used by soldiers. Cannons and other forms of artillery are also common. With the invention of mechanis, golems and other automatons are a common sight in Leir's ranks.

Gunpowder is used for explosive barrels and cannons although their use in handheld firearms was rare. Small, gunpowder-based firearms were usually foreign imports although their use was more for novelty due to their clumsiness compared to more accurate weapons such as a crossbow.

Ekati-based weapons were also used. They came in the form of modified handguns which can fire either concentrated beams of energy or in bursts as a gatling gun. These weapons were usually used by either mages or golems due to special care required in handling them.

Steel Sisters

Main article: Steel Sisters

The Steel Sisters are a trio of mechanis that serve as a special ops team and policing unit. Each of them were former humans that had their souls transplanted into a mechanis frame.

• Vinda Dorchester - A graceful academic and leader of the Steel Sisters. She wields a sword and can create illusionary copies of herself.
• Yora Eddie - A former mining foreman that has piston arms to deal heavy melee damage.
• Stayla LeVasseur - A former noblewoman of Arklight Estate. She wields a machine gun.

Magic Knights

The Magic Knights are a group of elite soldiers who are skilled with magic. They are one of Leir's oldest serving units and often have a rivalry with the Steel Sisters.

• Mago Frihet

Navy

Unlike most naval forces throughout the rest of the world, Leir has not only seafaring vessels but also sandfaring vessels in the form of sandships designed for crossing the desert. They were far more reliant on their sandships given that they were a landlocked nation. Their only access to bodies of water were the rivers outflowing from the Great Caldera.

• IMS Sojourner - A sandship whose captain, Arcturus Valiant, defected after the Duke of Nomes had ordered him to attack civilians.

Sky Force

Using domesticated Sandstorm Dragons, Leir has their own complement of dragoons who would ride them as mounts. These dragon riding techniques were adopted from foreign nations to the east such as the Palvari who also trained dragons for riding. Additionally, many Hegaska served in the Sky Force due to their natural ability to fly, participating in specialized units that involved reconaissance and air strikes.

Leir also had a small fleet of airships at its command to patrol the skies. Given that airships were a fairly recent invention during the time of the late Renaissance, Leir only had twelve airships in total. Nonetheless, they were formidable in power, and a sight to behold to other nations who had never seen anything like them before. Not only were the airships loaded with cannons and magical artillery, but they also carried soldiers who would leap down as shock troops. These soldiers were usually Hegaska airtroopers who could naturally fly, while other soldiers would drop straight to the ground and use a spell to dampen their fall upon impact. These airships were also large enough to carry Sandstorm Dragons aboard to transport them all at once.

• IMS Gilavar - The flagship of Leir's Sky Force.
• Formynder - A Sandstorm Dragon serving as the emperor's personal dragon mount.
• Strale Kollins - A Hegaska that holds the rank of general.

Races

• Human - The most predominant race in Leir making up at least 90% of the Leir Empire's population.
• Notios - The second most common race in Leir. Due to their meek stature, they usually take on roles as merchants and magic users.
• Atl - Atl mostly live in nomadic camps though they occasionally come into the main cities to trade.
• Hegaska - Hegaska are one of the native species of the region. While they mostly live in independent nomadic tribes, some of them are assimilated into Leir society. They often compete with the Atl for territory.
• Orc - Some Orcs from Ogruna migrated north to live in Leir to escape the Demon Wars.
• Golem - Golems from Leir are of the artificial variety. Having started out made of clay, their appearance was refined over the years, eventually becoming made of metal with mechanical moving parts.
• Heilinthar - Due to the war with the Heilinthar Empire, most Heilinthar are immediately viewed with suspicion although the occasional defector or a civilian seeking asylum has shown up.

Relationships

Kronen

Kronen is a long time friend of Leir. During the Demon Wars, Leir came to Kronen's aid in quelling the demon invasions. As a means of thanks, Kronen returned the Worldstone to them after it was used to stop Abraxas.

Fraengal

The Kingdom of Fraengal is a trading partner. Their geographical made trade between Leir and Kronen advantageous. Relations are healthy although Leir is not particularly fond of Fraengal's tariffs.

Heilinthar Empire

Leir has been bitter enemies with the Heilinthar. Heilinthar provoked Leir into a war in an attempt to teach a lesson about elven superiority. The war has strained Leir economically often forcing them to take rash actions that their allies would often find questionable.