The Aurean Kingdom
O' Ader greatest of kings, bring light upon these lands and bend them to your will. Bless us the strength to protect your glory, for it is also ours.
-Excerpt of an Aderic Cult hymn
Among the new players that came with the Iron Age in the Blue Sea, were the Adians; a group of seafarers and farmers that lived in the center east hills and valleys of the Adix peninsula. The peninsula being named in honor of these people thanks to one specific settlement of Adians, the city-state of Aurea. Founded along the Rhet river, this city would be founded in the name of conquest. Ader Aureus, the founder, would immediately follow this founding with a war of conquest against Tyrus, a nearby city-state that Ader's father, Tullus, was exiled from in a coup by his brother Herodin. Ader would easily conquer Tyrus and upon the execution of Herodin, declare himself king of both Tyrus and Aurea. This would mark the true beginning of the Kingdom of Aurea or, more commonly referred to as the Kingdom of Ader.
Structure
As in all monarchies, the King of Aurea is at the top of the heirarchy of the kingdom. Much like the Skedian city-states dotting the sea, there was a group of elders , referred to as the "Aurean Senate", and a popular assembly. The founding clans of Aurea, joined together by Ader, made up the aristocratic population of the kingdom and as a result, their elders staffed the senate and their people were those given voting power. Over time and conquest a commoner class would come about but they did not gain any real political influence in the time of the Aurean Kingdom.
The first kings of Aurea would pass their title down hereditarily
Culture
A strict and orderly society. There is a very vigorous pressure to conform to norms and traditions coupled with a highly militaristic patriarchal mindset enforced through religious norms which are especially entrenched. Outsiders are not only mistrusted but actively looked down upon by most Aurean aristocrats and commoners were not considered true Aureans.
History
Legendary Origins
The history of this kingdom is directly entwined with that of a certain man. Named after its mother city, which was itself named for its founder Ader Aureus the Golden Eagle, the Kingdom of Aurea would, at its height as the Aurean Empire, lay claim to the entirety of the Blue Sea and quite a bit of the surrounding territory. The origins of Ader are shrouded in legend, but according to the teachings of the Aderic Cult, Ader descends from a line of nobles tracing back to the powerful ancient Himan city-state of Kalsa. After the fall of the ancient city, the Aureus family would supposedly arrive on the Adian peninsula near the island of Clevia and found their own city-state, Tyrus, along with other refugees setting up similar settlements nearby. Before Ader was born, in an effort to usurp Tullus Aureus, a rogue brother named Herodin deposed the king and drove him from the city. The queen, Palpellia, was kept by the brother to be his wife but was already secretly pregnant. To protect her unborn children she hid in the wilderness for five months alone, saved by the favor of the Adian goddess Stellis and god Caelus, goddess of nature and hunting and god of war and protection respectively. Stellis would provide Palpellia with food and guide her to shelter, blessing her unborn child. Caelus would protect the queen from harm and ensure no person lived with knowledge of her location. Once born Palpellia tried to care for Ader in secret but when she heard of the death of Tullus she went to pay her respects and mourn and was discovered. To keep Ader safe she hid him in a marsh wrapped in cloth. From that point the legend says he was nursed and warmed by wild animals sent by Stellis and once grown, trained in combat by Caelus taking the form of a wolf. Once Ader had grown old enough, at the age of sixteen, he travelled the country side and gathered settlers for a town further along the Rhet River from Tyrus upon several hills. Ader would found his town in the year 1000 BCE, naming it Aurea and designating a group of ten men to serve as a senate to advise his rule and propose legislation. Immediately after its founding, Ader would lead his newfound people to conquer Tyrus and free his mother from Herodin, making himself the king of both cities. This would be the first conquest in a series of many. This acquisition would also neatly solve another issue Ader had seen coming, his population. Unable to travel into town easily he mostly recruited men who were seen as criminals and undesirables. The subjugation of Tyrus would provide Aurea with the chance to increase its female population. This legend of the founding of the Golden City, Aurea, may have insight into history but its status as myth should not be ignored.The Expansionist State
A highly religious and militaristic nation, it grew from a small city-state through constant conflict and bitter determination. The city would claim twin protector deities, Stellis and Caelus arguing for possesion of their favor in the common pantheon of the region. The two deities would be the center of religion for Aurea for centuries, based around two temples allegedly built by Ader following his victory over the other Adian tribes and subsequent annexation of the rest of the central lands of the peninsula. By the time Ader was sixty, the kingdom had grown to encompass all of the other Adian tribes and even the northern city-states of Larthan and Semni in the fertile Laris river valley. To secure the loyalty of the other Adian tribes after a near revolt, Ader would expand the senate to one hundred members chosen from noble Adian families. Ader would live impressively long, well over a century. As he aged, he began to indulge more and more in his position as religious leader. He would speak of him being chosen by the gods, creating the Aderic Cult and declaring himself a demigod. He would from that point crown himself Pontifex Rex, highest ranking priest, of the Aderic Cult, and name his adult son, Kaeso Aureus as the next king of Aurea. Kaeso would subsequently take over the minutiae of running the kingdom, although Ader would still direct military and diplomatic strategy through his title of Pontifex Rex and status as a demigod. From this position he would direct the subsequent conquest of the rest of the northern Adian peninsula as well as the western island of Cyreneia and finally set his sights upon the lands to the east, the skedian city-states along the south east and on Clevia. This would leave an impression of Kaeso by his contemporaries as being a puppet for his father.The End and Beginning of Ader Aureus
Unfortunately for the now aged Ader, his ambitions would have to wait. Rebellion in Cyreneia, encouraged by the city-state of Coryander, would tie up the Aurean military for well over a decade as it lead to the First Corite War. This war would devastate both sides, including the death of Kaeso and ascension of Lar Aureus. With Aurea nominally coming out the victor, they imposed hefty fines upon the Coryander, trying to save its war torn economy. This would grind military progress to a halt to the end of Ader's life, who would die as part of an ascension ritual. He would be inducted into the official pantheon of Aurea and the teachings of the Aderic Cult merged with that of the two guardian deities. A new grand temple was erected in the place of the twin ones, dedicated to all three gods. His title of Pontifex Rex would stay with him in death, but a new archbishop position would be created and filled by a devout Aderic follower that Ader chose, a noble named Mettius Novius. Shortly after the ascension of Ader, Lar would himself die of disease and left no heir of his own. This would lead to a power struggle among Ader's descendants that the senate attempted to stop early by crowning a new successor among the Aureus tribe themselves, the fourth king of Aurea and nephew of Lar, Octavius Aureus.The Adian Civil War
Upon the coronation of Octavius, every other Adian city-state would refuse to accept his rule and would go into open revolt in favor of their own ruler becoming king of the Adians. Even the sister state of Tyrus would throw its support behind a different Aureus, Proclus Aureus. The result would be a near total collapse of the kingdom as Octavius bitterly reclaimed each city and subdued it to his rule over the course of twelve years. Despite the success, the Umbran city-states of Larthan and Semni declared their independence from the kingdom and left its sphere of influence. The only reason Cyreniea didn't follow suit was because of how impoverished it had become in the destruction of the First Utican War.The Umbran Wars
As the Aderic dynasty continued, the powerful kingdom would begin pushing against the Umbran city states in the north of the peninsula. This would lead the Aurean Kingdom to war and start the First Umbran War where they attempted to retake the cities of Larthan and Semni. This would lead to the capture of Larthan but not Semni and the war would taper off following the death of Octavius and ascension of his son, Nonus Aureus. Before Nonus could turn his focus back towards the Umbrans, they would themselves invade, emboldened by the patronage of a clutch of dragons that brought a towering earthen spire up in the center of the Clevian Sea. Dubbed, "The Umbran Invasion" this conflict would lead to Nonus allying with Skedian city-states to the East for military aid. The ensuing conflict would last fifteen years and would see the rise of the sixth king of Aurea upon the death of Nonus in combat, the conqueror Gallio Aureus. Gallio would lead the Aurean and Skedian army to victory over the Umbrans and the destruction of the dragon spire, named the Tooth. He would subsequently annex the entirety of the Umbran territory in the Laris river valley and use the loot to pay off the skedian mercenaries. However, the magic skills and knowledge of the skedians concerned Gallio and the Aurean elite.A Dream of a Unified Peninsula
Following the breaking of the Tooth and end to the war, the Aderic Kingdom would turn on the skedians in Adix and Clevia and cause them to semi-unify into the Colonial Skedian Federation. This conflict was ultimately cut short by the death of Gallio in battle and the ascension of his nephew Servius Aureus. Servius suffered numerous failed campaigns against the skedians and was forced to withdraw from Clevia entirely when Cyreneia and Umbra revolted. This would strain his relationship with the priesthood of Ader, which would grow worse when he was unable to hold onto either territory, with everything but Larthan leaving the kingdom. As the failed wars were expensive with little reward, Servius found it necessary to increase taxes significantly on the upper class which soured his relationship with the elites and the senate especially.The End of Kings
The final straw was when Servius had a popular noble family executed on allegedly false charges. Factions within the senate, led primarily by ambitious senators named Publius Calogerus and Arruns Tertinius, riled up the populace using a famine plaguing the countryside, blaming it on the tyranny of the kings, to ransack the royal palace and free themselves from the tyrant. Servius himself was imprisoned and executed and his palace was transformed into a government building. The cult of Ader was turned on and barred and driven from the city as the conspirators within the senate began restructuring the politics of the region, starting the period of the Aurean Republic headed by the Senate that Ader originally set up to pacify the elite families, now empowering them. In the first election Publius Calogerus and Arruns Tertinius were elected consuls in joint rule.Disbandment
During the reign of Servius Aureus, poor military performance, and disgruntled and opportunistic noble families and priests would lead to the king being deposed and executed. The senate that served under the king would seize power and transition the kingdom into the Republic of Aurea.
Religion
The primary religions are that of the Blue Sea Pantheon and the Cult of Ader. The latter of which being a more politically focused entity.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
Ader Aeternus
Founding Date
-1023
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Alternative Names
Golden Kingdom, Aurean State, Kingdom of Ader
Predecessor Organization
Successor Organization
Demonym
Aurean
Leader Title
Government System
Monarchy, Theocratic
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Market economy
Currency
A variety of coins made of copper, silver, and gold. Value increasing in that order.
Legislative Body
The King is the absolute authority on all laws but is advised by his senate made up of noble families of Aurea.
Judicial Body
The King is the highest judicial authority but magistrates are appointed among the senate to oversee day to day disputes.
Executive Body
The king and his cohort use military force to enforce the laws of the land.
Official State Religion
Location
Related Ethnicities
Comments