Silven
Silven was once an empire in its own right. It has since been absorbed by the Triamic Empire and then promptly forgotten about by said Empire.
Geography
Silven is located on the dry grasslands between the Silent Mountains and the Nebezni Wasteland. The Wasteland's magical fallout is known to sicken or cause strange effects in those who live near it.
Structure
Silven is overseen by a provincial king. This king answers directly to the emperor, but is generally given dominion over his own lands.
History
Once, the area now known as SIlven was the western frontier of the Nebezni Empire. The dry grasslands were less conducive to farming than the lands around the Nebezni Gulf, so the population of the area was relatively sparse, used for herding and growing hardier crops.
Mage War - 930-922 BEC
In 930, the Nebezni erupted into a civil war called the "Mage War," wherein different factions of the mage class ravaged the area. The frontier land was occasionally used as a staging ground.
Then, in 922, the city of Vastrei was the epicenter of a massive magical burst that instantly killed everything within leagues. Over the course of the following years, the magical fallout from the "Vastrei Incident" poisoned and maddened a large portion of the Empire. The frontierlands saw an influx of refugees as the heart of the once great empire was swallowed by a magical wasteland. Most refugees continued on to the Silent Mountains (where they became the Valeans), but the hardier (and more desperate) settled on the grasslands.
Feudalism - 922-800s BEC
The remnants of the Nebezni Empire attempted to reconcile what few communities survived, but with little success. Culturally, most inhabitants of the area rejected the rule of the mage classes, given the trouble they'd caused, and the mages were pushed west into the Silent Mountains.
Instead, the area retained its relatively sparse, insular community, any overarching government structure collapsing, but tradition keeping trade and culture among the communities alive.
Mukala Conquest - 800s-410s BEC
Over the course of decades in the 800s, the Mukala Dominion overtook the land east of the Silent Mountains. What weren't deemed of use to the Dominion were laid to ruins. A few surviving pockets persisted under Mukala rule. When the Dominion fell in the 410s BEC, the area was quietly released from Mukala control and reverted back to feudal groups. New communities of Dominion descendants were looked at with suspicion. Wars between the two cultural groups were common.
Silven - 267 BEC
Beginning in 267 BEC, the Silvenna Dynasty began conquering the Nebezni Gulf, beginning with grasslands west of the Wasteland, then creeping around the Wasteland to the communities that had established themselves around the Gulf itself. By 182 BEC, Silven had taken become the sovereign state of most land east of the Silent Mountains.
In 152 BEC, the king of Silven began sending out diplomatic envoys to their neighboring states. The Crimson Sands and Vale proved just on the edge of hostile, but Silven found allies in the Wights who dwelled in the northern Silent Mountains. In the coming centuries, Silven would prove a strong ally to the Wights against the encroachments of the Vale and Triamic Empire, as they could provide military assistance to the pacifistic Wights.
In 126 EC, Shaal invaded Manea and the entirety of north Estana was pulled into the Black Powder War. Silven initially watched from afar, as Shaal moved against the Triamics (with Et'cha caught in the middle). However, their alliance with the Wights had them moving across the Wight Valley to bolster the Anolic Kingdoms on the northern front, dragging Silven into it.
The Black Powder War lasted for nearly twenty years, finally ending with the Manea Pact in 145 EC. While all nations on the western coast were devastated, Silven took little direct damage from the war outside lost troops, allowing them to rally their strength while their neighbors were rebuilding.
Thus, Silven had little worry about breaking the Pact in 167 EC by seizing Lake Vassor--an area of the Wight-controlled Silent Mountains known for being resource-rich. The Triamic Empire responded by pushing Silven out, but taking "protective control" of the area themselves. This stoked tensions between the two powers that had already been boiling for centuries. However, the Bicentennial Plague of 201 caused Silven to withdraw interaction from the Triamics for a generation's time--long enough that they did not establish contact again until the Reign of Terror, wherein the entire Empire was held captive by a mad emperor. The old, frayed alliances with the Wights called Silven in to defend the north end of the Wight Valley against Imperial forces. Thus, the Wight Valley became a militarized zone that fluctuated between Silvenni and Triamic control.
Following Donovan's defeat in 298 EC, Silven retained control of the valley under treaty with the newfound Triamic Republic. They renamed the region Norslov, declaring it a principality in their own burgeoning empire.
Imperial War - 311-333 EC
However, Silven was not content to watch their western neighbors after a mess like the Reign of Terror. Silven pushed against the weakened empire, once again moving into the northern Silent Mountains, this time successfully in 315. Their goal was to bring the Triam under their own rule, for their own good.
After establishing their base in Norslov and the Silent Mountains, Silven headed south into the Crimson Sands. They used Mekulet honor codes to gather support, first by the codes of honorable duel, and then by using the initial clans to overtake their neighbors and invoking terms of honorable surrender (forcing many to choose between honoring their codes and staying loyal to their nation). Thus, Silven was able to amass southern Mekulets to their ranks by 326 EC, speeding their roll over the rest of the Empire. By 330 EC, Grennire and Heartland were occupied by Silven.
The Seige on Imperia (332-333) and subsequent sacking forced any resident powers to flee to either Lumina or the Vale.
Silven Interregnum - 333-344 EC
Prince Einat i’Sierven was placed on the throne, ruling the east empire as a principality under his father, King Sierven. Prince i'Sierven immediately instituted a number of harshly progressive policies, including introducing more modern medicine and alchemical practices, funneling funds away from the Houses to go to public works, and cutting the knees out of the local Kaelic Temple in every way he could.
Resistance rallied in Lumina and the Vale, even as Prince i'Sierven continued to push against the Lumina borders. In 344, the Vale-Radience maneuver--an ingenious takeover involving the Imperial Psychic Network, the Kaelic Temple, and a double-cross--ousted the Silvenni prince. The Deathmage was even rumored to be involved.
Rather infamously, this is one of the only times in history that the Kaelic Temple and House Voldr worked together toward the same goal, and they proved a formidable force.
Imperial Restoration - 366 EC
In the wake of the Interregnum, Silven was offered inclusion into the empire, including concessions such as the Lake Vassor region. Silven accepted, with specific stipulations to allow the Silvenni King exceptional sovereignty over his lands. This arrangement proved beneficial to both parties, increasing trade and allowing the isolated area of Silven to have easier access to trade and other imperial perks.
Even as a province, Silven's relationship with the Crimson Sands remained shaky.
Demography and Population
Silvenni are descended from the Nebezni Empire. In this way, they share history with the Valeans, but that is where their similarities end... not the least of which is because many Silvenni also boast Desert Imperial blood.
Silven is highly progressivistic, but aggressively so. There have been instances of them going to war with religious cultures, most notably the Imperial War. They practice no religion.
Silven is geographically large, but relatively sparsely populated. The dry grasslands are resistant to farming, so most of the population is congregated into hardy small communities, with a few small cities to join them.
Type
Geopolitical, Province
Demonym
Silvenni
Parent Organization
Location
Related Ethnicities
The Triamic Empire
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