Kronen Empire
The Kronen Empire, more commonly known as simply Kronen, was an Eidynese nation that occupied areas of Varden and Oceanfell. It bordered Ogruna to the south and the Ko'Atl to the north.
Kronen’s king Valdimar perished upon the appearance of the Demon Abraxas. Valdimar's daughter Princess Moria had been taken into hiding by Timothy, the Chosen of Kronia. While Timothy kept Moira safe in order to restart the Kronen bloodline anew, the surviving houses of Kronen grew impatient. The lack of a king resulted in the collapse of the Kronen Empire resulting in a civil war. With the likes of the demon invasions as well as the watches of the Deep Knights, the former lands of the empire of Kronen had become a dangerous place. There were four major cities that desired a claim to the throne: Aegis, Zynida, Prospor and Mazevo.
History
Government
Cities
Valdin
Valdin was the capital of Kronen. A great white castle once stood as its signature landmark. However, upon the onset of the Demon Wars, a colossal demon known as Abaraxas emerged from underneath the castle, destroying it and charring the land around for miles. The land was charred for miles and upon where the castle once stood formed a giant sinkhole known as Brunikor's Maw. The destruction of Kronen's capital meant a civil war would follow over who would take the throne. Much of the castle's vaults remained intact, however, and during the chaos of the demon invasions, raiders sought out ways to loot the vaults for treasure.
Aegis
The city of Aegis was led by Duke Percy Galewarden. The Knights of Aegis were honorbound warriors who wisedh to uphold the legacy of the just king Valdimar. They believed they needed to atone for their failure to protect the city of Valdin, and as such, wished to make Kronen a safe place for all. Seeking to make things right, they have sworn to rebuild Kronen to be a safe place so that Moira could one day return. However, they will only do so by abiding by the laws that King Valdimar desired upon his people. Deviating from what King Valdimar willed for his empire is unacceptable.
Zynida
The city of Zynida was led by Duke Leo Artem. Like Aegis, they were a warrior culture but did not hold strongly to Kronia’s history. They believed that Moira has abandoned Kronen for good and that it was time for Kronen to start fresh under new leadership. They did not want to bind themselves to the ancient ways. Zynida often engaged in practices that may be considered outside the bounds of the law, but they ultimately believed that it was necessary for Kronen to have a future and to evolve to not only survive against the demons, but to also become something greater.
Zynida was formed from the descendants of a forgotten, a prosperous civilization that mysteriously vanished. Their ruins could be found dotted all across Oceanfell.
Prospor
The city of Prospor was led by Archmage Sofia Melorious. Having roots as an academy of wizards, Prospor evolved into a full-fledged house after making numerous magical discoveries related to ekati. Prospor was home to a group of gifted wizards known as the Scryers who had the ability to see a person’s fate. Archmage Melorious had claimed to have seen a future where Prospor and its wizards ruled a golden age for Kronen. Freely channeling the power of the gods to them was the only logical future for mortals.
Some parts of Prospor had been infiltrated by the Shadow Force, a secretive organization trying to control the demons in an attempt to take the throne for themselves.
Mazevo
The city of Mazevo was led by Duke Eiros Komidi. Mazevo was among the more peaceful factions preferring to stay neutral in the civil war. Having oceanic access to other nations, Mazevo had become wealthy with many resources. Although they had not made their involvement in the civil war very clear, they still traded with other cities skirting the lines of war profiteering. It seemed Mazevo was far more discreet about its intentions to acquire the throne, but it was difficult to claim whether they were surviving out of necessary practicality or if they were truly corrupt.
Ouropoli
- Main article: Ouropoli
The forgotten, floating city of Ouropoli was an ancient location high above the Kronen Empire. Ouropoli was built more than 4,000 years before the appearance of Abraxas. Under Kronia’s guidance, the city was to be a cradle for humanity to protect them from the malevolent gods and giants that terrorized the world below. Ouropoli became a highly advanced civilization thanks to the wisdom and knowledge Kronia imparted.
It was not Kronia’s intention, but Ouropoli soon began to create extremely destructive weapons of war using the technology they were granted. The Celestial Council did not allow Ouropoli to advance any further or else the disaster that was the Shattering could be repeated. As such, Kronia was forced by the Council to close down the city. She guided the citizens to the surface to start their own civilization from scratch by letting them build technology using their own ingenuity. Beyond that, Kronia was forbidden by the Council from directly intervening with civilization any further.
Ever since that time, artificial sentries began to patrol Ouropoli’s empty streets to protect the ruins from would be intruders. The only way to reach the city was through flying on the back of a dragon. With Kronen looking to gather resources to defend themselves against the invading demons, the lost relics of Ouropoli became a popular target for adventurers. However, because of the dangers that lay about, very few adventurers ever returned from a trip to Ouropoli. Even so, many treasures lay hidden within the city to discover.
Culture
Religion
The Kronen Empire's matron deity was Kronia, the goddess of time. By channeling the powers of Kronia, one could create prophecies and see the future. Timothy, the Chosen of Kronia, was a man granted a prophecy of the arrival of Abraxas so that he could save the royal bloodline by protecting Princess Moria. Kronia still helped her people however she could, but because of rulings by the Celestial Council, she could only take the form of a small, floating crystal.
Another important figure was the Freelancer. The Freelancer was a mysterious demigod that arrived on Erudite through a meteor. The Freelancer had no memory from before their crash onto the surface but was gifted with extraordinary magical capabilities. The people of Kronen revered them to be a savior for their help in stopping Abraxas during the Demon Wars. Kronia assisted the Freelancer on their quest.