Cambrecia

Long the center of the worship of Zelos, God of the State, in the Imperial Pantheon, The Holy See of Cambrecia was long the last nation loyal to the Great Empire in Duria, despite being an essentially independent state. Cambrecia suffered greatly during the Third Interannum, with chaos and rebellion ravaging the land after the fall of the Mage-King Lucasa and the Crimson Plague decimating the population thereafter. At the dawn of the Fourth Age of Man, the Potentate of Zelos has begun to slowly re-establish control, though there are no small number of rebels seeking to replace the theocracy with a monarchy.

Cambrecia

The Holy See of Cambrecia

Potent, a book argent bordered by two altars argent with flames gules, to chief a crown or.

Geographic Info

Continent: Duria

Location: Along the shores of the Maroshan Sea

Government

Government Type: Theocracy (Potentate, Episcopus, Sacerdos, Flamen, Urbis Praefectus)

Ruler: The Pontifex of Zelos, Potentate Horatius IV (Clr 18 / Ftr 6 / Hie 5)

Arms: Potent, a book argent bordered by two altars argent with flames gules, to chief a crown or.

Coinage: 10 siliquae = 1 denarius (1 sp), 2 denari = 1 double denarius, 25 denari = 1 aureus, 4 aurei = 1 solidus

Capital: Zelosia City (pop 23,450)

Alliances: Allied state to the Empire, trading partners with Enesia and the Freecity of Neptaris

Hostilities: Koramia, Marosh, Tamerynd, the dwarves of the Cambrecian Mountains

Society

Population: 3,500,000 (93% humans, 5% hobbits, 2% other)

Languages: Zetian

Important Persons: Various Episocopi of great influence and power, the Praetor of Cambrecia and some handful of powerful Quaesitors.

Religious Info

Pantheon: Imperial

Patron: Zelos

History

Foundation of Cambrecia

Original article: Foundation of Cambrecia

The See of Cambrecia was founded in 664 NC by Septimius Varros, a praetor of the Zetian Republic seeking new lands to conquer. He found easy prey amongst the Kamaros and the Melvartans. The Kamaros, renamed the Cambrecians, seemed to assimilate themselves into the Zetian culture the easiest, so the newly-founded territory soon became a retirement community for old Zetian soldiers. When the Empire was founded by Octavius of House Zetar, Cambrecia, as it had become known, was one of the last of the outer territories of the Old Republic to swear allegiance to the Empire. Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of Septarium. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in 149, the Emperor Metius the Elder decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as Pontifex Maximus of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the Pontifex of Zelos, god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to Zelos. The Pontifex of the time, Ionnanes II, was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By 1284 NC, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.

The Cambrecian Civil Wars

Original article: The Cambrecian Civil Wars

After years of neglect for its colony, the Empire informed Cambrecia that it would have to see to its own affairs of defense in 1474 NC. The Cambrecian nobility, so reliant on the Emperor's support and guidance, immediately began to fall to internal bickering and strife, as civil war broke out across the land. For the next thirty years, war was the mainstay as monarch after monarch fell. Eventually, no heirs became apparent to the throne excepting a three year old child and the nobility, not trusting one another with the regency, elected to place the Pontifex of Zelos as regent to the crown. The Pontifex moved quickly and relentlessly in destroying the economic power of the local nobility, particularly the economies of those who opposed the Empire, Zelos, or him personally. By the time that the King came of age, it was apparent that the monarchy had power only so long as it was supported by the clergy of Zelos. That King's son, Jeremiah Tovex, abdicated his power of rulership to the Pontifex, making Geraldus the first Potentate of Cambrecia in 1512 NC. Civil war again erupted over the rulership of the Potentate, but, unfortunately, the power of those rebellious nobles had already been waning over the last few decades, and they proved no match for Geraldus. However, instead of replacing the defeated nobles with more nobility, they were replaced by priests of Zelos. By 1550 NC, the rebellions had ended, with nearly sixty percent of the nobility having been replaced by the church hierarchy. In 1584 NC, the Potentate declared the laws of inheritance by primogeniture anathema, and by 1637 NC, the entire noble hierarchy of Cambrecia had been replaced by the priesthood of Zelos. In 1650 NC, the Emperor Metaurus of House Drusus recognized Cambrecia officially as the Holy See of Cambrecia, and the noble class was irrevocably and completely removed from its position of rulership in the nation. It was at this time that the name of the Cambrecian capital was changed from Septarium to Zelosia City. Only the lowest position of secular rulership, that of Urbis Praefectus, remained, and even they were chosen by the religious hierarchy and not permitted position by heredity.

Cambrecia and the Rise of Koramia

Original article: Cambrecia and the Rise of Koramia

After the conclusion of the Cambrecian Civil Wars, the Holy See remained a stalwart supporter of Imperial interests on Duria, assisting in the defense of Imperial naval interests in the Maroshan Sea and in the petty kingdoms of Koramia. When, in 1951 NC, the self-styled King of Koramia placed his own Prelate of Vortumnus in the holy seat of Paeldain, the Pontifex of Zelos handed that king and Prelate an even stronger denunciation than the Pontifex Maximus himself: the See broke off all trade relations with the Kingdom of Koramia, refusing to recognize its sovereignty. This harsh treatment sparked off a minor war between the two nations in 1954 NC and, though the initial fighting lasted only a decade or so, no official treaty was established between the two nations. By 2000 NC, despite a minor movement among some of the priests of Cambrecia, the Potentate was still strong in his opposition to the concept of an independent Koramian Kingdom.

Cambrecia and the Mage War

Original article: Cambrecia and the Mage War

When the Great Empire began its reconquest of Koramia in 2000 NC, Horatius IV, the Potentate of Zelos eagerly joined in the fray. The Potentate not only reiterated that all of Koramia was anathema to Zelos, but declared anyone willing to assist them and/or trade with the Koramians on an individual basis anathema. Despite the Potentate's personal eagerness, he could not commit all of the Cambrecian forces against Koramia: Cambrecia had long, sporadic conflict with the dwarves of the Cambrecian Mountains and soon after the Cambrecians began to withdraw from the mountains to attend to the Koramia campaign, the dwarves suddenly rose up en masse to attack Cambrecia from their ancient strongholds. Unbeknownst to the Potentate, the dwarves of Duria had allied with Koramia and were coordinating against Imperial forces.

While Imperial forces established a beachhead in Koramia, the Cambrecian front began to falter. Unexpectedly, the Mages of Lun Dorak, having quelled resistance among the clans of the nearby Calmerian Marches, began moving troops into the Cambrecian Mountains from the east. The Potentate quickly allied with the Mage-King Lucasa and the Dorakian forces under his command and the dwarves of the Cambrecian Mountains were driven underground. With the dwarves quelled, the combined forces of Cambrecia and Lun Dorak prepared their assault on the Cambrecian front of the war against Koramia.

Early in 2002, word reached Cambrecia that the Emperor Publius Antonius had died and his successor, Lucius was actually the Mage-King himself. The heirarchy of Zelos in Cambrecia initially went into a frenzied debate as to whether the succession was legal according to the laws of Zelos, but the Potentate had already cast his lot. He voiced his support for Lucasa as Mage-King and Emperor, declaring any who disobeyed not only traitors to the Empire, but Anathema. It was at this point that some of the priests of Zelos realized that Potentate Horatius IV had gone quite mad.

The Zelosian Schism

Original article: The Zelosian Schism

After Potentate Horatius IV declared his allegiance to Lucasa as the Imperial Emperor, he commanded renewed attacks against Koramia. Nearly a third of his generals, all priests of Zelos and formerly loyal to Cambrecia, refused. They withdrew their troops to the city of Trias in northern Cambrecia and called the Council of Trias. Though they invited all priests of Zelos to this Council, those who remained loyal to Horatius IV refused. Somehow, the few priests of Zelos who followed the Koramian Heresy in Koramia made it across the Cambreican Front and attended the Council.

Three weeks of heated debate followed, with those in attendance alternatively calling for unity in the Church of Zelos and for separation from the Office of the Potentate. After three weeks, Dorakian Mages arrived at the Council with documents in hand from the Potentate ordering the Priests to Zelosia City for trial as heretics and traitors, while they would assume command of the wayward armies. The Priests were furious, both at the unilateral decision of the Potentate and at the audacity of the Lun Dorakian Mages. Their decision was made... they would no longer obey the Potentate. The Dorakian Mages were subdued in a pitched battle within the Cathedral of Trias itself, quickly tried and burned at the stake for Heresy. The Council met for one more day... by noon, it had declared Lucasa and Horatius IV both Heretics.

Word of the Council of Trias spread like wildfire throughout Cambrecia. More priests declared their support for the priests, bringing their flocks with them. In the midst of one of the largest wars the world had ever seen, Cambrecia erupted in Civil War. Koramia assumed a policy of containment... they pushed Cambrecia back to their traditional borders and stopped there, instead concentrating what forces they had left against the Empire in central Koramia.

The civil war in Cambrecia eventually coalesced into three main factions. The Imperials were those who remained loyal to Horatius IV and the Mage-King. The Sacerdosi, under the Episcopus of Trias, Cyril the Scholar, declared for the Council of Trias. The third faction were the Royalists, lead by an underground amalgam of dissenters who believed that the people were lead to ruin by the lack of a hereditary monarch. The fighting between the three factions was so intense that few seemed to notice when the Mage-King was defeated in 2003 NC and his continent-spanning Empire collapsed.

For much of the early action in the war, the main conflict was between the Imperials and the Sacerdos, with the Royalists forces skirmishing from time to time with both. No one really took the Royalists seriously until The Freecity of Neptaris unexpectedly entered the fray on the side of the Royalists. Despite having a long and bloody history of fighting against Cambrecia, the Council of Neptaris decided that it would rather have a belligerent Monarchy than a fanatical theocracy as a neighbor. With new troops to bolster their ranks and arguably the world's most powerful navy at their disposal, the Royalists began to make ground against the other two faction or, at least, hold their own in battle.

By 2012 NC, the fighting had reached something of an apex. No faction was prepared to give way or compromise with the other. It seemed that nothing would end the wars. Only the impossible would end the conflict.

That is the year the impossible happened.

Economy

Cambrecia is a fairly fertile land, enjoying a long, temperate planting season and a short winter. Grapes and olives are the crops of choice in its southern regions, while corns and bean crops are prevalent in the north. While its agricultural class has no real political power, its merchant class has begun to gain more and more economic power over the last few decades, particularly since trade restrictions with the Freecity of Neptaris were lifted in 1198.

Religion

The worship of Zelos is absolutely predominant in Cambrecia, to the point where only the worship of the other Ptarian deities, Tempus, Paelemona, Majestas, Galea, Terpsichore, Aridnus and, of course, the Triad of Lord Ptharos, Betshaba and Baelthor are permitted by edict. Betshaba has gained a strong following along the coastal cities of Cambrecia, and along the outlying territories, particularly those bordering Enesia, the secret worship of Podalirius has strong roots. Those individuals found worshipping Triadic deities not recognized by the state are fined, while those found worshipping the Dagonian deities are executed by the many Inquisitors of Zelos as enemies to the state.

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