Coeros (SEE-rows)

Conquering Empire

Unremarkable

Coeros is a land of the lost. A small, rocky island off the coast of Erakros, its first settlers must've been lost to have settled there. Lush in the spring, humid in the summer, and stormy in the winters, it's home to a few goats, birds, and lots of alley cats. Jagged cliff faces cut off most sea access, and rocky mountains make most of the land infertile. Among the craggy peaks are hundreds of ruins -- forts left by long-forgotten warlords, a basic temple constructed to worship one of Coeros' many deities, a village abandoned, razed, or taken by storm. Upon an acropolis near the south of the island is the ninth reincarnation of Etha Bluespell's Bluespell Keep.

Humble Beginnings

For thousands of years, Coeros was just another island in the Erakroan Sea, forgotten and worthless. Local warlords rose to power, fought, and fell, over and over until finally, just over a hundred years ago, the warlord Etha Bluespell defeated all the other factions warring on the island. He named the island Blueland. Soon after, he ventured out to pledge fealty to the king of Erakros. Though he gained the title of viceroy, he found what the rest of the world called the Blueland he had bled and fought over: Coeros. Zero. Nothing. Coeros stayed in obscurity for another few hundred years. With the collapse of the First Kingdom of Erakros, Coeros was diminished to a city state, known for its casinos and gladiator fights. Then came the warlady Avia Bluespell. Though the rest of the world had forgotten the name Coeros, a young slave girl of unknown origins, named Maram, slowly rose to popularity on the island as a gladiator of extraordinary prowess and wild beauty. The Viceroy of Coeros took her as a consort, but within the year, rebels attacked his castle, slaughtering him, his wife, and many others. In the chaos that ensued, several prominent lords sought to take control, but when the dust settled, Maram had won the island. She named herself Avia Bluespell, Queen of Coeros, and began the campaign to conquer the world.

The Blue Plague

The world was not ready of Avia Bluespell. When the King of Erakros challenged her authority as queen, she claimed that one day, he would be as much a king as she was a queen. Erakros declared war, but when Coeros didn't immediately fall, Erakros called the armies of its vassal states to war. The armies arrived flying Coerese-blue banners, and Avia Bluespell was named Empress of Erakros.

The Best Defense

Erakros officials sent letters refusing to accept "Maram's" sovereignty and Coeros' independence. Bluespell replied blithely, claiming that she didn't care and she would continue to do as she pleased as Queen of Coeros. Erakros sent a small fleet to take care of the problem. Bluespell, having purchased and freed almost all the gladiators on the island, rehired them to be her mercenaries. Bluespell and the mercenaries heckled Erakros' fleet until late fall. Then they fled back home, chased by Erakros. Back at home, defenses were ready. They showered Erakros with arrows from the cliff face while Bluespell's fleet snuck out the sides and came out surrounding Erakros. At night, the current pulled Erakros' ships into the cliffs. Erakroans surrendered, taking the few remaining ships back home. Erakros called in the whole might of its armies this time, adding the armies of all its island states to its mainland fleet. When they arrived at Coeros, however, all the islands turned against the mainland, uniting with Bluespell. They chased the Erakroan fleet home. In Iarei, Bluespell was crowned Empress of Erakros and the dukes and viceroys of the islands were elevated to kings or princes. In Coeros, Oveia became Regent. It seemed Bluespell was content to enjoy what she had earned, but then the neighboring kingdom of Alves -- the royals were related to the former king of Erakros -- began talking to Croathos, hinting that they should depose of Bluespell. Bluespell, pretending to be unaware, launched programs to build up the outskirts of Erakros (building military forts secretly while building temples and schools and arenas) and to gather public favor (lowering taxes, helping doctors, importing the latest agricultural technology, while offering to hire young men and women in the army -- which other nations considered cheapening the noble concept of being a warrior). When Alves and Croathos attacked, half of Bluespell's troops held off Croathos while the other half cut off Alves' supply lines. Alves' attacking armies surrendered, and while Croathos slowly gained Erakroan territory, Bluespell offered every Alvesian city a chance to join or be destroyed. By the time Bluespell reached the capital, Alves was so terrified, they surrendered without a siege. After that, Bluespell and reinforcements sprinted all the way through Alves and Erakros to catch the advancing Croathoans. Bluespell slowly pushed back Croathos, finding the Erakroan countryside razed, civilians unspared. Enraged, she called for more forces. She sent a team of mercenaries, privateers, and knights ahead to pillage and raid Croathos, making the Erakroan advance easy. A few months in, Croathos surrendered. The West chose to ignore the problem, expecting that someone else will do Bluespell in. At the time, General Dhaggs just finished conquering Koarth, and he began moving into Erakros. As the undefeated warrior of the East, everyone expected Erakros to become crushed immediately -- in fact, Afavis began gearing up to defend itself against Dhaggs. Koarth seemed to be winning in the winter, but as spring rolled around, they came to a stalemate. In the end, Bluespell won by sneaking into Koarth, taking General Dhaggs's children hostage (the wife she leaves because the wife is pregnant). She sent the children off to Elevis. Dhaggs agreed to work with Bluespell, and they staged it so it looked like Dhaggs lost in battle (in Koarth one always chooses honor/greatness over family). Bluespell personally killed the Sixth Son of Stars and claimed control of Koarth. Bluespell meant to conquer Othrins, but when Mairwen (anonymously) began sending her letters, she halted those plans. They exchanged several letters, and Bluespell even sent people to go investigate her secret penpal.

Key Info:

Status: Conquering the world
Leader: Empress Avia Bluespell
Royal Family: House of Bluespell
Capital: Bluekeep
Known for: Gladiator fights, casinos, the Blue Plague

Type

Geopolitical, Empire