03 - The Treaty and the War's Progeny
The Treaty of Praneya was signed 1396 years ago, beginning the first Treaty Year (TY). This formally ended the War of the Gates, begun over four centuries earlier by the three great nations of the world: Cremaia, Asuris, and Haicon. By the time of the treaty however, all three nations had been so devastated that their leaders, though present at the peace talks, were merely figureheads destined to be overthrown within a year or two. They had changed the face of the world and had become little more than names of areas on maps. Now, the three great continents of Volara bear the names of these once great nations, but the nations there have little connection to those that once dominated the world.
Of Volara's nations of that time, only Praneya continued to exist in a form similar to what it was. Scholars debate how it can be that this nation's monarchy survived from before the beginning of the war, but the physical resemblance of that nation's leader to the portraits of ancient leaders is uncanny enough that none would dare doubt the longevity of that bloodline. Praneya's location and small population would seem to have made it a perfect staging area for the other nations in the war, yet, to the best of current knowledge, it was never even attacked, let alone subject to a full-scale invasion. The reasons behind this remain unclear, though it is suggested that its ruler of the time was a particularly skilled negotiator. The fact that it was considered neutral enough to be the location for the final peace talks seem to confirm this fact, though its isolationist tendencies since the time of the treaty prevent any true research into this area. Indeed, some have argued that these isolationist attitudes may simply be covering a national shame related to its true humiliation in the war. While I disagree with this theory, it needs to be mentioned.
Some claim that the leaders of the three nations that form present-day Haicon are all descended from the former emperors of that nation, but most doubt it, suggesting that this merely adds to their public appeal. As the peoples of that continent have their Imperial rulers tied to the gods, it is only logical that the rulers would seek to connect themselves to such lineage.
The nations occupying former Cremaia and Asuris make no such claims about their rulers, with most of the countries of Cremaia and Asuris being proud of their separation from the war-mongering nations of the past. Indeed, the modern nations of Dasmoral in southern Cremaia and Zekalah in Southwest Asuris are particularly known for their non-offensive policies.
In all of this, we have yet to mention either of the lesser continents, Tinabir in the southeast or Kafre'en in the north. The former nation is known to have been a protectorate of Haicon prior to the war, and it was subject to numerous attacks from Cremaian forces. The numerous states of Kafre'en, like Praneya, attempted to stay neutral in the war, but experienced their own troubles from invading Asuris. Regardless, when the time came for peace talks, the (temporarily) unified nations of the continent represented the most powerful voices following the decline of the other countries (though even these nations have little in common with the current city-states of the Northern Continent).
Emphaladar, the furthest known island to the southeast, is said to have been a part of Asuris prior to the war. Legend has it that a weapon was used that actually separated Emphaladar from the continent, though that is mentioned here only for interest's sake. Whether this is true or not, Emphaladar is known to have been Asuris' ally in the war.
Of the smaller island nations little is known, though it is speculated that many were overrun by the larger nations' forces en route to their true enemies. These islands have since either regained their independence (as with Kend'ran) or fallen under the sway of the more recent countries (as with Fandraya).
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