Domeris
The Kingdom of Domeris is an occupied nation struggling to recover from a disastrous war. The United Republics of Lorand maintain an occupying force, but overall authority within the kingdom theoretically rests with Queen Andria. In actuality High General Doran maintains a brutal military dictatorship with the tacit approval of Lorand, and Andria is little more than a puppet locked inside her own palace. Doran's rule is far from secure, and the Domerian army is currently engaged with quelling several rebellions. The future looks bleak for the birthplace of the Crux.
Structure
On paper Domeris is a constitutional monarchy, with powers balanced between the reigning monarch and the national diet. In reality the diet has long since been dissolved, and High General Dorian rules through decree. The military is the highest authority in the land, and Queen Andria has little influence on politics, at least in an official capacity. Doran accepts no council beyond his six regional generals, which handle military affairs within the six regions of Domeris.
Traditionally divided into several feudal fiefs, with each lord operating semi-autonomously, the governance of Domeris has radically shifted after their defeat at the hands of the Lorand. High General Dorian issued General Reorganizing decree 01 shortly after the start of his reign, permanently abolishing all aristocratic privilege and seizing all land in the country for the state. Domeris has been split into 6 regions, with a regional governor assigned to each region, while Dorian exerts personal control over affairs in the capital.
Theoretically each regional governor is beholden to respect the directives of the devolved regional diets, which are beholden to the national diet. But in practice every region has declared a state of emergency as pertaining to Dorians decree on emergency measures. Per the decree any governor who presents sufficient evidence that their region is under the threat of immediate collapse due to rebellious elements to the queen will be granted the authority to rule by decree until the emergency has passed.
Each governor serves as a tyrant within their region, and directly appoints mayors and local functionaries according to their whims. Accordingly, the rule of law is rarely respected, though some regions are far more peaceful than others. Loriver in particular has earned a reputation as a beacon of stability, and acts as the prime manufacturing hub for military equipment beyond the capital. High General Dorian has also recently created the office of planning captain, industrial officials assigned to manufacturing hubs with authority to conscript workers and material as needed for state use.
Culture
Roland the first carved Domeris out, not through diplomacy or hidden plots, but blunt and unapologetic conquest. The Domerian nobility consider themselves fundamentally separate from people of common stock. But centuries of their rule have nonetheless shaped Domerian culture. A typical Domerian is raised to value action over words and bluntness over decorum. The physical will always hold dominion over the spiritual in Domeris. Society is hierarchical down to the familial level, and obedience is not only expected but demanded from the head of a typical family. But the family head is also expected to provide for their family, and a man or woman unable to feed their dependents are considered little more than scum in Domerian society. Despite all this, Domeris is a place of relative equality between genders, a factor that some attribute to the high amount of Crux wielding heroines in the nations history.
As the birthplace of the Crux, craftsmanship and smithing hold important places within the hearts of Domerians. Combined with the many metal deposits that dot the land, this cultural quirk has resulted in Domerian craftsmanship being famed around the world. Domeris is the birthplace of both the telescope and modern microscope. Recent industrialization has harshly cut down on the artisan class, but the hundreds of thousands of men and women who join the industrialized workforce each year still bring the old ideals of precision and craftsmanship to their work. While manufactured goods from Domeris will never reach the famed excellence of their artisanal forbearers, they are still superior any other countries products.
But another factor towers over all other aspects of Domerian society. To be Domerian in this age is to live under the shadow of a defeat. To know that foreign soldiers hold dominion over you, and that they consider these roles fixed. To be Domerian is to feel hatred for the invading enemy, a feeling so strong and terrible that it drives many to madness. Many have fallen back to pure nationalism, and Doran Regnar's policy of rapid military and industrial expansion has seen many devote their entire being to the state. Others raise their flag in rebellion, hoping to overthrow the Doran's dictatorial regime and expell the invaders in a righteous tide of justice. Others still simply resign themselves to fate, and simply wait to see where the tides of fate are carrying Domeris.
History
Domeris was once a regional hegemon, now it struggles to control it's own borders. King Andras the fifth believed that the Strength of Domerian knights armed with Cruxes would sweep aside the Lorandian rabble, securing new territory and riches for Domeris. His name is now cursed by those who survived his reign. The war was lost, the Lorandian occupation has continued for 15 years with no end in sight.
Traditionally one of the regional powers of the continent, Domeris was ultimately undone by it's backward economic structure. The nobility had strongly resisted attempts at industrialization and mechanization, fearing that the limited powers of the legislature would inevitably be expanded at their own expense due to the societal chaos caused by urbanization. As a result, despite having a larger population than Lorand, the military of Domeris was in actuality smaller and less advanced in the fields of artillery and mage integration. After an initial offensive floundered, the armies of Domeris were placed on the backfoot by mass produced Crux maneuver elements, and would slowly be annihilated over the course of the next three years.
The war reached it's climax when Andras and his heirs donned their Cruxes and sallied forth to meet the main Lorandian force at Holdfast, hoping to deliver a decisive blow before peace negotiations would start. The ensuing massacre at Holdfast accomplished exactly that, though not in the manner that the late Andras intended. The royal army was routed, and Andras and his close family were cut off and killed by the Lorandians. His last surviving heir, Gerald Aves, marshalled the shattered survivors of the royal army and made for the capital at Darchen.
Unfortunately for Gerald, Andria Aves a distant relation of the late king, had already carried out a coup in the capital. Unrest had been growing in the city, and royalist elements had flocked to her leadership in response. The events that followed would be known as The Twin Coups. Andria did not immediately declare herself queen but did take the title of regent for herself. The royal garrison at Starfall, strategically established to check a rebellion from the capital, relayed the news to Gerald through Crux communication. Over the next few days Andria and Gerald would negotiate, using their respective Cruxes to pass along messages far faster than any other method.
Andria demanded an immediate conditional surrender to the Lorandian invaders, as well as her own appointment as prime minister, in exchange for declaring her loyalty to Gerald. Gerald eventually gave in, though not until Andria was forced to concede several restrictions upon her power as prime minister. It is at this moment that the future dictator of Domeris would intervene, as general Doran Regnar arrived at the capital after having marshaled whatever reserves remained in the immediate vicinity. Mysteriously, his forces possessed heavy artillery and stocks of ammunition that had been sorely needed by the royal army, and he managed to convince Andria that she was the only one fit to rule Domeris. Gerald and the remnants of the royal army were ambushed and mercilessly crushed, and Andria was crowned as queen.
With a Lorandian host bearing down upon her, the new Queen had little choice but to open negotiations for a Domerian surrender. The peace treaty that followed was harsh, with Lorand angling to turn Domeris into a sister republic. A civilian legislature was set up, with a referendum on the monarchy to be held within five years, under supervision of a permanent Lorandian garrison. Many considered the treaty a stepping stone on the road to complete annexation, but Domeris was powerless to resist.
General Doran quickly assumed the reigns of government after the peace treaty was signed, and has since embarked on a ruthless campaign of economic development and military reform, while abolishing most civil liberties. The nobility were abolished outright, with only the king and the royal family maintaining any degree of aristocratic privilege. Doran's iron fisted rule would be resisted by both popular uprising and noble rebellions, but all have been crushed so far. The promised referendum on the monarchy has been delayed indefinitely due to a unofficial understanding with Lorand. The garrison had steadily been bled dry of it's best forces, and Lorand had no intention of holding any referendum which could not be "Directed" by their own troops. Continual chaos in the countryside was cited by Doran as the reason for the delay, and Lorand accepted without much complaint.
With economic growth slowly returning, especially in the capital, many have resigned themselves to endure Dorians regime for the foreseeable future. Intensifying propaganda has also started to create a renewed sense of nationalism, with military enlistment reaching a record high. The Lorandian garrison has grown lazy, with their best elements long having been rotated out to other fronts with more pressing threats to address. Doran is content to slowly build up his forces, though for what purpose nobody but the general could answer.
But the lands of Domeris are far from quiet and strange reports from the countryside swirl about. Travelers speak of villages reduced to ashes, scenes of horrific and beautiful violence. Occasionally a patrolling force sent out to clear rebels will simply disappear, never to be heard from again. Those wielding Cruxes have heard strange whispers in the remote corners of Domeris. Midnight has come, and the true scale of the disaster unfolding has yet to be realized.
Territories
Domeris is a vast and diverse country, carved out of several former states that once resided in what are now it's borders. After High General Doran Regnar reorganized the administration of the country, the old feudal borders gave way to six new administrative regions. The six regions are Loriver, Komeria, Upper Vardia, Lower Vardia, Lestia and Aronica. These regions are further divided into urban, rural and special industrial districts. Urban districts center on a large settlement, generally containing over 100,000 people and assume responsibility over providing district services such as law enforcement and medical services. Rural districts are generally far larger than urban districts, and cover the majority of Domerian territory. Special industrial districts are a rather new creation, and are under the direct supervision of industrial captains appointed by Doran Regnar. Special industrial districts are regions deemed vital to the economic and military development of the nation, and generally make heavy use of conscripted labor and materials.
The regions of Lower Vardia and Aronica have generally been the most troublesome for the government, with Aronica in particular having been in a state of near constant revolt for the past 10 years. Loriver and Upper Vardia in contrast are generally considered to be the most stable regions of the countries, with the exception of the capital zone.
Military
The Armed Forces of Domeris represent an almost total break from the old royal army of Domeris. The aristocratic core of the old army was almost completely killed off during the war, and general Doran had a rather dim view of it in the first place. Instead the AFD are primarily inspired by the Lorandian Free Forces , the very army that defeated them.
High general Doran is the highest ranking officer in the entire military, as well as the minister for warfare. Under him are the six regional generals, which each oversee a distinct region of Domeris, and are responsible for it's pacification. Each regional general commands a field army and it's assigned generals, which is further divided into divisions and battalions.
The infantry are the bread and butter of the Domerian armed forces, and exist to act as an anvil for the twin hammers of the mages and Cruxes. Armed with bolt action rifles, artillery and bayonets, the Domerian infantryman is capable of carrying out most battlefield tasks with efficiency and competence. Rigorously trained and highly experienced from surprising rebellions, the average Domerian soldier is more than a match for any mundane adversary the world can throw at him. Specialized sniper units exist to counter enemy mage formations, and development on high caliber anti Crux rifles continues with mixed results.
The mage company is a relatively new innovation in warfare, pioneered by the free forces of Lorand. Previously the rarity of wizards and their general independent streak rendered most of them unwilling to participate in mundane battles for nations they cared little for. The occasional wizard who would pledge his services to a kingdom was usually employed as a strategic asset, not worth risking to the chaos of battle. This would all change when the republic of Lorand founded the first state controlled magic institution after gathering as many magical texts as they were able to get their hands on.
The Arcane institute of Arenel would teach only a small selection of spells deemed militarily useful, with a focus firmly set on quantity and standardization over quality. The result was the modern combat mage, almost entirely divorced from the traditional idea of a wizard. Specialized in flinging fireballs and mass ritual spells, these men and women act in concert to unleash destructive energies on the battlefield using predictable and reproducible methods. Mage companies are employed to devastating effect on the battlefield, as the right spell at the right time is capable of incinerating hundreds in the blink of an eye. As a result more and more effort has been placed into counterspell research, with an arms race slowly emerging between the world powers.
The Domerian mage corps has been a large focus of expansion in recent years, with an ever larger share of recruits being sent to military mage colleges. While the common Domerian combat mage is not the equal of one from Lorand, the gap in experience and knowledge is quickly closing as more and more effort is put into the development of the mage corps. Domerian mages focus on learning elemental spells of lighting and fire, as well as the haste spell at higher levels. Any other spells are considered superfluous for the time being. An interservice rivalry has slowly developed between the mage corps and the Crux corps, but for now the conflict is mostly benign.
The very first Crux was created in Domeris, and through it's power the house of Aves and their noble allies carved out a kingdom to call their own. Created through the power of human sacrifice, a Crux weapon grants its wielder supernatural skill and strength, alongside the power of flight and other enhancements. Yet the modern Crux corps bears little trace of the original knights that wielded them, as the invention of mass produced Cruxes has completely shifted the military application of the Crux. Using alchemical processes to emulate a human sacrifice, a mass produced Crux is inferior in every way to a traditional Crux, but a thousand mass produced Cruxes can be produced for each traditional Crux, and quantity represents a quality of it's own.
A typical soldier in the Domerian Crux corps wields the capable Type-10 "Raven" sword Crux alongside a revolver. Some reserve units still employ the venerable M-02 "Liberty" model taken from Lorandian stock. While wielding it the soldier granted the skill of a veteran soldier, alongside the power of flight and enhanced durability. By combining the powers of the Crux with heavy body armor Crux formations fly above the battlefield, waiting for enemy formations to engage allied infantry before swooping in for the kill. A Crux formation can easily destroy a formation of infantry ten times their size by descending down on them from above at the right time. Their heavy armor combined with the durability enhancement from their Cruxes renders them almost impervious to regular arms, and concentrated mage fire or other Crux users are usually required to take them down.
The Domerian Crux corps is one of the most experienced mass produced Crux forces on the planet, and continual investment in the development of the cutting edge Type-15 "Crow" Crux has the Domerian Crux corps on the verge of being the most technologically advanced force of its kind on the planet. Exactly how Domerian Crux development has surged so far ahead of their occupiers has remained a mystery, though as the birthplace of the Crux it is hardly considered surprising that Domeris would be gifted at Crux development.
Through soul and sword
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Demonym
Domerian
Leader
Leader Title
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Dictatorship
Power Structure
Client state / puppet state
Economic System
Market economy
Legislative Body
The National Diet
Subsidiary Organizations
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Related Myths
Occupation
Domeris is currently partially occupied by a Lorandian garrison.
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