History of the Great Empire

The Coming of the Septira

Original article: The Foundation of Zeth

In the thousand years after the end of the Second Age of Man, the last remnants of human civilization were falling to its own decay. Ancient Aebasa was consuming itself with internal strife and debauchery. Seven men, last of an ancient order of wizard-knights, looked upon this conflict with grief, and saw, indeed, that even their great magics could not curb the death throes of their once-glorious people. They pondered long and hard on what course to take, and many of them were ready to give up when Livio the Wanderer finally had a vision. His vision was of a great city, far to the north, one which was not yet born. One which he and the last of his Order must build. The others argued amongst themselves over whether Livio’s dream was true, but one of their membership remained strangely silent. He heard all that his colleagues had to say, but ventured no opinion of his own. Finally, after hearing their discussions for a month and a day, he gathered his books, his weapons, his wife and children, and told the others that he was to set forth to establish this city, not to rebuild the society he left behind, but to construct a new Kingdom of Man, one that would last the millennia. He asked that his brothers join him in his quest, but knew that he could not force them. He asked for each to vote, as the people of Aebasa had for centuries, on the destiny of the Order as a whole. All but one voted to join him... only the dark-minded Gabiniolis dissented, but even he agreed to obey the will of his brothers.

Thus, Zepharoklos and his six brothers formed the Covenant of The Septira and set forth across the Aebasan Ocean towards the unexplored north. Eventually, after several adventures, the seven arrived on the shores of a great peninsula. Following the lead of Livio’s visions, they moved inland, through a deep and magical forest, and over fertile, rolling hills. Finally, they reached a wide, grey river which flowed into a bay on the other side of the peninsula. Livio announced that his visions had ceased and he was uncertain as to what to do next. Zepharoklos hefted his great axe and plunged it into the hill upon which they stood. From the wound he created, a howl of pain erupted, almost deafening the wizard-knights. Suddenly, a golden form, brighter than any they had seen, erupted from the wound, breathing flame from its two heads. The great dragon swept down upon the seven, buffeting them with its powerful wings. The seven quickly drew upon their Magic and Courage, and the winds subsided. The dragon then swept upon them again, this time picking all seven up in its vast maw and dropping them into the grey river to drown. Instead, the seven rose from the water and walked to shore, empowered by their Magic and Courage. The dragon swept down a third time to rend them with its claws, but the seven wove spells of protection around themselves, composed of their Magic and Courage, and the dragon was again rebuffed. Enraged, the dragon swept down a forth time. This time, he called upon his rage and fury, and let loose a stream of flame that engulfed the group. Again, their Magic and Courage protected them. When the dragon saw that they had avoided all of his attacks, he landed on the broken hill and addressed them.

"You have done what no other has or could: you have vanquished me. I will grant you your greatest desire."

Six of the brothers looked to one another, wondering what to ask of the beast, but the first, Zepharoklos, stepped forward and spoke. "We have come to build a city, one which will last forever. You have shown us where this city is to be built, and for that we thank you. But that is not worth your life, that which we spared. We demand of you that you protect this city, and all that it rules, for all eternity."

The dragon considered the man’s words, and then nodded slowly. "I shall endeavor to do thy bidding, but even dragons do not last forever. One day, I shall be vanquished by less merciful foes, and there will be none to protect your city."

The six brothers nodded their heads, agreeing that Zepharoklos’ demand was impossible. "Upon that day, I shall return, and I will be the dragon," Zepharoklos said to him, and his brothers knew this to be true.

"Agreed, upon one condition. I must know your names."

Six of the brothers gave the great dragon their names, but Zepharoklos did not, knowing what great power came with knowing one’s name.

"I will tell you my name, great dragon," Zepharoklos agreed, "but only on the day of your death."

The dragon agreed, and departed to find a new lair, giving his old home up to the Septira. As the dragon left, the brothers looked upon the great hill that Zepharoklos had struck, and it had broken into seven pieces by his might. "It is in this place," Zepharoklos announced, "that our city is to be built." And the seven set about building and populating their Great City.

This foundation occurred 631 years before the foundation of Great Empire at the same place.

The Rise of the Triarchy

Original article: The Rise of the Triarchy

The Septira built halls over the seven hills, and each hill took the name of the Great House which they established. Zetar was the first, family of Zepharoklos the Wise. The second was Livius, family of Livio the Wanderer. Valerius was the third, family of Valeran the Warrior. The fourth was Manilius, family of Manilone the Crafty. The fifth was Gabinius, sired by Gabiniolis the Dark. The sixth was Servilis, the children of Servileon the Young. The seventh was only called Sanctus, after the seventh of the Septiad, known only as the Holy. It is said that he took no wife, instead dedicating himself to Lord Ptharos. Only his great temple lay on the Hill of Sanctus.

The Septira and their children were prosperous in their first century. They had decided to mimic the government style of their Aebasi forefathers, and create a representative government composed of a council of one member from each Great House, with all being equal. They created laws, built on old traditions, and wrote down everything they could. Then, dark-skinned warriors from the west, carrying weapons and angry gods, swept down upon the children of the Septira. They would come to be known as the Ganesians, they who looked upon the seven towns with envy and hate in their hearts. They killed the Fathers of each of the Great Houses, and established their own rulership over the city. The children of the Septira cried to the gods for help, but their cries were ignored. Only the chosen descendant of the Holy escaped punishment, to exile in the lands across the Aurean Sea.

Galagora, the Tyrant of the Ganesians, treated his new conquest harshly, exacting taxes in blood and sweat. He ignored the pleas of his people, and ruled without justice. The rulers he sired had the same blood-lust in their eyes, but the children of the Septira tried their best to maintain their morality and ethics in the face of such oppression. Then, one amongst them fell from grace. A man named Tiros of House Gabinius became leader of a radical group that sought the overthrow of the Ganesians. The Tirosa, as this group was called, were generally unsuccessful in their attacks against the Ganesians, and many were executed by the tyrant’s men. It seemed as if the Tirosa had only served to bring unwanted attention to the city as the tyrant began to march his army toward Zeth, some say with the intention of destroying it once and for all. This set the city to panic as the people began to riot in the streets and flee into the countryside.

Mysteriously, the tyrant’s army turned less than three day’s travel from the walls of Zeth, and headed north. Unbeknownst to the Zetians, a greater threat had reared its head in the north, in the form of the Camarians. The city, however, was almost deserted, with only three hundred of the most fanatic members of the Tirosa to hold the walls. When they realized that the Ganesians had fled, they began pillaging the empty city before finally converging on the Triatheon, the central Temple to the Triad in Zeth. There, the armies stopped their pillaging and paid homage to the Triad before raising the three leaders of the Tirosa, Gavenus of House Furius, Alcor of House Valerius, and Tiros himself, upon a shield. They thus proclaimed the three men Kings, the first leaders of Zeth to be selected by a military force. The newly formed trio of Kings called themselves the Triarchy and sent their soldiers to hold the gates of the city against all who would seek entrance. Only three gates were opened and at each stood one of these Kings. No man was permitted to enter the city unless he swore his life and all his property to the service of the Triarchy, kissing the robes of the Kings as they passed.

Thus began nearly three decades of rulership by the Triarchy. Though they did not realize it then, the Zetian people had traded one foreign tyrant for three native ones, and their rule was just as oppressive as that of their Ganesian predecessors. They abolished the Council of Houses and prohibited the assembly of men who, like them during Ganesian rule, would assemble to discuss matters of government. The people, still weak of heart from years of domination by the Ganesians, accepted their new tyrants with ease. Some few carried the spark of liberty, however, and prayed for intervention from the gods.

It was then, in 468 BI, that Hieronymous of House Sanctus returned from exile.

Overthrow of the Triarchy and the Ganeic War

Original article: The Ganeic War

Hieronymous of House Sanctus was born while his House was in exile across the Aurean Sea, but he resolved, even at a young age, to lead his people to the defeat of the tyranny of the Ganesians. When he was twenty years of age, this resolution was confirmed by a dream, wherein he saw the Triad themselves holding open the doors of the Council building in Zeth for him to enter. He described his dream to other members of his House and, they also inspired, he began to lead them northward toward southern Ganesia and, ultimately, Zeth. Unbeknownst to the brave youth, however, a savage tribe of barbarians lay in his path.

The Camarians, then unbeknownst to the Zetians, were a fierce and proud, but highly xenophobic, people. They captured Hieronymous and several members of his House, slaughtering those that they did not take prisoner. Hieronymous was taken before the Camarian King, Kilos. He explained to the King that he was a priest on a quest given to him directly from the gods, a quest to destroy a dark foe and save a besieged people. King Kilos scoffed at Hieronymous’ claim, and bragged that his own Camarian gods were greater than any god Hieronymous worshiped. Hieronymous was filled with righteous pride and he told Kilos that he would suffer three plagues, unless he recanted and begged forgiveness from the Triad for his ignorance. The King laughed at Hieronymous and sent him and his people into the dungeons to await execution. That night, the river that lay next to King Kilos’ fortress overflowed its banks, filling his city with water as high as a man’s chest. The King brought Hieronymous before him and demanded that he dispel the flood, but Hieronymous reminded him that only the King himself could dispel the plagues, by recanting his heresy. The King refused, and again placed Hieronymous in his dungeon. That night, the earth shook and split. Part of the King’s castle fell to dust, and the river disappeared into a vast crevasse, never to be seen again. King Kilos again brought Hieronymous before him and demanded that he dispel the plague and return his river. Hieronymous again reminded the King that only he had the power to remove the plagues set upon him. Yet again, the King imprisoned Hieronymous. That third night, a swarm of locusts so thick as to blot out the light of Luna herself arrived, consuming the King’s fields and keeping his people awake. The King again brought Hieronymous before him and demanded that all be returned to as it was. Hieronymous reminded the King that he had been warned, and that the three plagues could not now be reversed, as his majesty had to repented his heretical ways. The King flew into a rage and ordered Hieronymous taken to the execution block. King Kilos himself took up a great axe and prepared to kill Hieronymous of House Sanctus.

As the King heaved the axe over his head, the sky darkened and winds began to howl. He watched in awe as a cloud, as black as his heart and as wide as his evil, moved toward him. Even so, he hefted the axe high and prepared to kill Hieronymous, who did not cry out in fear or regret. As he began his swing, however, the winds buffeted his axe, holding it in place. The great cloud rolled across the King’s city, disassembling the homes of his people. Mighty waves lashed out from the bounds of the sea, taking with them all they touched. Hail, not of ice but of the hardest granite, rained down upon his people, killing many of them. Yet still the King, in all his evil, defied the will of the gods and heaved at his weapon with all of his might. Still yet, he was unable to resist the forces arrayed against him. Then, suddenly, all was quiet. The King, astonished at the divine destruction that encircled him, stopped heaving at his axe. Then, in that penultimate peace, the sun shone down upon the evil King and the prostrate Hieronymous. The Truth of Ptharos, carried across the sky by Ophion, did shine amidst the destruction and pierced the heart of King Kilos. It was then that he finally saw the error of his foolish ways and knelt before Hieronymous of House Sanctus, a king prostrate before the power of the True Gods. The divine storm lifted and his people were saved.

Hieronymous and his House were invited to feast as honored guests of Kilos, who had truly repented his evil ways. He listened in earnest to the details of his new friend’s quest, and declared then that he would dedicate himself to the Quest. Hieronymous gave him the blessing of the gods, and the two allies set forth the next day to march on Gaitoth, the capital of the Ganesian tyrant, Magoltha.

The war between the Camarians and the Ganesians was enough to make the earth itself shake with their fury. The two great armies clashed continuously, with neither side making any real gains. Hieronymous was confused at why the gods had suddenly forsaken his quest. After many long years, he resolved to return to Zeth by ship, leaving the good King Kilos to continue to take the sinister armies of Ganesia to task. Four-hundred-and-sixty-eight years before the founding of the Empire, Hieronymous arrived finally at the gates of Zeth. Instead of the freedom-loving people that he had been told of by his father, however, he found a people defeated by their own ignorance and fear. He discovered, instead of the strong leadership of the Great Houses, three men who pretended to be Kings, in defiance of the wishes of their ancestors and the gods themselves. The sight of his beloved city being ruled by such weak and sinful passions was too much for even the calm-hearted Hieronymous to bear. He flew into a rage, destroying the stone statue of Tiros at the Tirosan Gate with his bare hands. The guards attempted to halt Hieronymous’ attack, but Tiberius Terentina of House Valerius, one of the Kings’ own brothers, ordered them to let him be. He thus became the first to see that Hieronymous’ cause was just, and became the first of the Hieronymides (as the followers of Hieronymous on this day were later called). Hieronymous began to walk the Way of Zepharoklos, the main street of Zeth, toward the Fortress of the Triarchy. As he walked, the people of Zeth regained their courage and followed after him. When he arrived at the fortress, all the men of the city stood by his side, excepting the Triarchy themselves and their personal guard of 300 soldiers. The doors of the Fortress were thrown open, and the Hieronymides stormed its halls, taking down the ostentatious decorations of gold and platinum. They overcame the soldiers of the Triarchy and laid hands on the Triarchs themselves; if it were not for Hieronymous’ timely intervention, they most likely would have rent them asunder then and there. Instead, the Triarchs were tried for their crimes by Hieronymous and Tiberius Terentina; the tyrants were exiled to the sea for their betrayal of the People and betrayal of the Gods.

Thus, the people of Zeth then entered the war with the Ganesians, which is considered to be the event signaling the beginning of the decade-long Ganeic War. The Camarians had paid dearly while Hieronymous was away, but the Ganesians had lost a man for every one the Camarians lost, and they were not expecting an attack from the slothful city of Zeth. Even with all this arrayed against them, it took ten years for the Ganesians to finally fall. Unfortunately, Kilos did not reach Gaitoth, as he died from a spear wound and extreme old age within sight of the city. Is had been said that he died a good king, well beloved by his people.

Tiberius Terentina of House Valerius, for his part, was Supreme General of the joint Camarian/Zetian forces for most of the Ganeic War. When Magoltha, Last Tyrant of the Ganesians, was captured, Tiberius ordered him locked in chains and marched him in a processional to Zeth. In the city’s first Victory Processional, Magoltha was marched before the People, who were righteous with anger at the leader of their former oppressors. Magoltha was beheaded on the steps of the Council building, but not before declaring a curse. He called upon his angry gods to see to it that Hieronymous would never live to see his beloved city again.

Hieronymous, ignorant of this curse, remained in Ganesia. After praying for guidance, the Triad told him in a dream to dismantle the very symbol of Ganesian power, the city of Gaitoth, and construct a temple dedicated to Galea, goddess of Victory, out of its stones. Hieronymous obeyed the will of the gods, and construction began apace. Satisfied that the will of the gods was being obeyed, he gathered together an entourage of his most beloved friends, including the newly-crowned King of the Camarians, Nicephorus, and began the journey back to Zeth. Thereafter, the Curse of the Last Ganesian Tyrant struck.

Hieronymous of House Sanctus never reached Zeth.

Tiberius himself conducted an extensive search of the countrysides of Ganesia and Zeth. No trace of Hieronymous, King Nicephorus, or any of the entourage was ever found. Decades later, rumors were abound that the dying Ganesian gods, in their last, spiteful strike, brought down the great hero, destroying him body and soul. Other rumors suggested that a great minotaur, a beast sacred to the Ganesians, was seen following his path as he left Gaitoth, and it was this beast that destroyed Hieronymous. Still others claim that Lord Ptharos himself sent a great cloud down to earth and the Heroes of Zeth ascended directly into the heavens. This last rumor is the one given most credence by historians, though rumors still pervade even today of a humble priest wandering the countryside near Zeth, cursed to never find his way home.

The Rule of the Republic

Original article: The Zetian Republic

With the Ganesians defeated at the end of the Ganeic War, the people of Zeth looked to Tiberius Terentina of House Valerius for leadership. The army attempted to proclaim him King of Zeth, but Tiberius refused the honor, berating the army and the people of Zeth for their childish ways in his most famous speech from the steps of the Triatheon. Instead, he told them, he would organize a government loosely based on the Aebasan culture that the Septira had left centuries before. He gathered together the heads of the various Great Houses and met for several weeks in seclusion. When the re-emerged from their self-imposed exile, they presented the Rule of the Republic, a legal document which outlined a representative government in which Plebeian males would vote for their choice of Patrician representatives in a unicameral legislature. Some people originally balked at such a government form, suggesting that it would bring about the same decadence and destruction that democracy had dealt to the Aebasan peoples. Gracchus of House Zetar entered into a public debate with the rebel leaders at the Grand Agora (marketplace) in Zeth that would come to last three days. He convinced the leaders that Tiberius Terentina, as their savior from the yoke of Ganesian oppression, was due respect by all in the city... that he should be accorded the same honor that a child would to a father. This convinced the people to obey Tiberius’ will, though it is said he privately balked at the reasons why they were assuming the new government form. According to some historians, he believed that Gracchus’ reasoning was too much like the rationale behind tyranny. Gracchus had, unknowingly, set the stage for the fall of the Republic even as he was initiating its beginnings. He had originated the concept of a patron.

The Zetian Senate was organized in such a fashion that each district of Zeth, then numbering twenty, would receive a representative elected by the Plebeians of that district. Only Patricians were permitted to run for office, however, and only adult males were granted suffrage, so the Republic was not a true democracy. It was, however, close enough to satisfy the moral convictions of Tiberius. In addition to these twenty representatives was a representative from each of the Great Houses, bringing the number of Senators to 27. After the first elections were held, the Senate’s first action was to draft a new Rule which detailed the powers of the Senate, as well as each social stratum. This monumental work also detailed such things as the regulation of prices and pay, as well as the organization of the military (already largely established by Tiberius Terentina). One rather difficult issue was how a military that was responsible, ultimately, to a civilian legislative body, would operate under those conditions. The solution that the Senate came up with was to limit just how precise their orders could be to a military commander. The Senate could give overall commands to the military, such as defeat this enemy or return to Zeth or what have you, but they could not dictate tactics to the military. To accommodate and expedite matters, the Senate created the position of Custodis Republicum, Defender of the Republic, who would determine specific tactical and strategic objectives for the military, answerable only to the Senate. Tiberius Terentina, of couse, was selected as the first Defender of the Republic, a title he took with some hesitation as to its necessity.

Soon therafter, the Senate would have its first test in the battlefield of international diplomacy. The Camarians had begun to colonize Ganesia, much to the chagrin of the Zetians. From the Zetian perspective, they had been the crucial element in the destruction of the hated tyrants, and they should receive the land and wealth as spoils of war. The Camarians, for their part, believed that it had been their king who was responsible for the Ganesian defeat and, thus, the territory was theirs to command. After a few initial skirmishes, the Senate met with the Camarian king, Anteparus II, to discuss the matter and come to a peaceful solution. Anteparus II, the young grandson of King Kilos the Great, was no match for the Senate and its leaders, and he ended up signing a treaty that assured a perpetual alliance between the two states, as well as seceding over three-quarters of the former state of Ganesia to Zeth. Anteparus II secured the permanency of the Camarian colonies that had already been established, but no further territory. Both sides felt that they had come away on top of the bargain, as Camaria could ill-afford another war and could always expand northward, while Zeth had gained a rich agricultural region with which it could feed its burgeoning population.

Decades marched on, and the Senate proved to be an efficient legislative body. Zeth prospered, both through its agricultural wealth in Ganesia and through trade with Camaria. Even though it was a time of peace and prosperity, however, the Zetian military remained strong. Indeed, the military became an ingrained part of Zetian society, and custom eventually dictated that any Patrician hoping to run for political office would have to have served in the military in some capacity during his youth. Unfortunately, the increase in the concepts of a strong military also lead to a decrease in magical research and development. Fortunately, none of the other cultures in the region had a significant magical arsenal, so this decrease did not substantially weaken the Republic. The concept of the patron however, initiated by Gracchus of House Zetar, increased in strength until it too became a concept ingrained into Zetian culture. In 205 BI, the concept of an entire society owing patronage to an individual would provide the rumblings that would eventually form an Empire.

In 203 BI, the northerly expansion of the Camarians met with some difficulty when a group of red-haired barbarians known as the Medellans attacked a fairly insignificant outpost on Camaria’s western frontier. The Camarians retaliated by attacking a township believed to have initiated the raid and war was quickly declared by the Camarians when it was discovered that the Medellans had been unified under the powerful Archmage Veseverus. Veseverus was originally one of the many mages who had fled Zeth’s stifling community of wizards during this period, and found the Medellans a people easily swayed by the power a mage could command. Veseverus named his new nation the Kingdom of Medellis around 245 BI and was not willing to accept the presence of his Zetian-allied neighbors. As Camaria had not fully recovered from the high economic and manpower costs of Template:The Ganeic Wars, it soon discovered that it could not sustain a prolonged campaign against the Medellans. In 205 BI, King Sergius II of Camaria appealed to his eastern ally for assistance. The Senate initially refused the king’s request, citing economic problems of its own, but a young Senator from House Zetar, Marcus Publius, went to the king in secret to discuss the possibility of supporting a joint action against the Medellans. The two came to an agreement and M. Publius, one of the most impassioned orators of his time, stood before the Senate to decry the isolationism that he claimed had set in amongst the Zetians. He was able to convince a few moderate members of the Senate to assist in the Camarian plight, and the resultant vote overturned the previous decision of the Senate by a narrow margin. The Senate ordered the Defender of the Republic to amass the army and head southward to assist in the defense of Camaria. The Defender who received that order was Crassus of House Zetar, an uncle of M. Publius. It is believed that M. Publius spoke with Crassus before he even left Zeth and ordered him, as head of House Zetar, to conquer Medellis in the name of the Great House, not the Republic.

The Republic, however, found the warriors of Medellis to be just as difficult a foe as the Camarians had. They were able to make some inroads into Medellis, but progress was slow and extremely bloody. M. Publius recognized that Veseverus and his knowledge of Hermetic Magic was too much for the magic-bereft Zetian military to deal with. He began to spread rumors of Veseverus’ great wealth, both in coin and magical items, through the lower sections of Zetian culture. The Band of the Red Sword, an adventuring group who had dedicated themselves to the then-minor god of chivalry Vortumnus, undertook the quest to enter the Archmage’s palace and defeat him personally. They succeeded in their attack on Veseverus and his forces quickly crumbled under their own weight, as various tribal leaders vied to replace the Archmage. Crassus took advantage of this dissension, and the Medellans were soundly defeated at their capital city of Cratari at the Battle of Denamore in 195 BI. Crassus ordered Veseverus’ tower dismantled, and a temple of Galea was constructed out of its ruins. He went on to claim the nation in the name of House Zetar, as commanded by M. Publius.

Both the Camarians and the Senate were initially outraged by this bravado and outright arrogance, but M. Publius convinced the latter that it could only help the Republic to annex these new lands and the former soon discovered that they were now considered to be under the patronage of House Zetar. King Sergius II would retain his title, as would his descendants, but the nation now owed taxes in perpetuity to House Zetar and that the Great House would retain the right to settle all disputes over the inheritance of the Camarian crown. For the first time, an entire nation came under the thrall of one man. It would not be the last. The proclamation of Crassus of House Zetar, however, was revoked, and the Senate named Theodosius of House Livius as the governor of the recalcitrant Medallans. The rebellious people of Medalia would come to be a thorn in the side of the Zetians well into the Imperial age.

The Republic, however, had sipped the wine of conquest for the first time since its creation at the conclusion of the Ganeic Wars. They began constructing a navy and organized patrols of the Aurean Sea. In 192 BI, a pirate vessel that had been quite successful in defeating and eluding these patrols was finally captured, and its captain proved to be a prominent noble from the nation of Aescalapea. Aescalapea was a nation on the western shore of the Aurean Sea with which cordial trade relations had been established by the Zetians some eight years previous. The Senate and the King of Aescalapea entered negotiations, but these talks quickly devolved into angry squabbles, and the two nations declared war on one another. The War of the Golden Coast, as it would come to be called, was initially a naval campaign and one in which the newly-established Zetian fleet was sorely outmatched in. By 189 BI, the Aescalapean navy had successfully blockaded all access to Zeth by sea. The powerful Zetian military, however, soon arrived in Aescalapea via the land-route through Ganesia and the Aescalapean fleet was recalled. The Aescalapean people proved to be no match for the Zetian land military, and their capital city of Dracar was taken in 187 BI by Quintus Sabatina of House Gabinius, the successor as Defender of the Republic to Gracchus of House Zetar. The fortress at Dracar was dismantled for the construction of a temple to Galea, and House Gabinius was granted governorship in Aescalapea as a reward for the conquest.

The next four decades saw a reign of tyranny and terror at the hands of House Gabinius in Aescalapea. Intent to insure a more peaceful population than was found under Republic rulership in Medallia, various Governors from House Gabinius imposed oppressive taxes on the Aescalapean people and strict laws which they, themselves, often ignored if it were to their advantage. House Gabinius also eventually began forays into the neighboring Milosian lands. The Milosian nobility, fearful of the army that had just all but wiped out their Aescalapean neighbors, attempted to avoid war with Zeth but they were eventually pushed to the breaking point. In 140 BI, the Gabinian War began when the Milosian King Baltos III declared war on Aescalapea. Aescalapea was equally matched to the Milosian war engine, and the Senate refused to send more troops to assist the Prefect. After five years of fighting and with no end in sight, the Prefect of Aescalapea secured a military alliance with the regnant of Cordosia, who was an old enemy of Baltos’s. Finally, the Aescalapeans began to defeat the Milosian military, but the process was still slow and bloody. After another fifteen years of fighting, the Milosian capital of Tasca Obodos was finally captured and their king executed. Menander of House Gabinius, the victorious governor of Aescalapea, did not remain in Tasca Obodos to oversee the construction of the temple of Galea. The bulk of the Milosian army escaped the Battle of Tasca Obodos and fled over the Antasian Mountains to Cordosia. Menander dogged the Milosian army well into Cordosian territory until they were finally defeated near the Cordosian capital of Cardol Briach. Menander was welcomed into Cardol Briach as a hero, but he quickly placed the Cordosian king, Malakiel, on trial based on rumors that he had assisted the fleeing Milosian army. Malakiel was found guilty by a tribunal of military judges lead by Menander himself, and his son, Yavan, was imprisoned in chains aboard Menander’s ship, headed for Zeth. Instead of the hero’s welcome and subsequent processional victory march through the streets of the city, the Senate had Menander quietly arrested under the noses of his own troops. It was revealed that King Malakiel had actually fled Cordosia three months previous, leaving an impostor in his place to suffer Menander’s questionable justice. King Malakiel had pledged his allegiance to the Zetian Republic, which meant that he was under the protection of the Senate and Menander’s trial and execution of his impostor was illegal. Menander was found guilty of regicide, and executed for his crime. The states that he had conquered, Milosia and Cordosia, were redivided into their original boundaries. Both states became a dependent state to the Republic, though Cordosia was permitted to retain its royal rulership in compensation for the actions of House Gabinius. Menander’s House was not stripped of its rulership of Aescalapea, however, and the tyranny of House Gabinius was not blunted by the successes and shame that they had suffered.

As a result of Menander’s actions, however, the Senate realized that they needed a more central rulership during times of war, politicians who would act as liaison between the civilian and military governments. Because of their fear of the return of tyranny, the Senate established the position of Consul, one of three individuals who would lead the Zetian Republic in times of war and expansion. It would not be long before this new concept would be tested. Discovery of an ancient text which detailed the travels of the Septira before they established Zeth suggested that they had built another city in lands to the east. The Zetian people took this to be a sign that they should expand across the Betshaban Ocean to the lands of the east. Some cynical historians suggest that these texts were invented only to give the Republic excuse to attack the pirates of Tamerynd, which had harried the nascent Zetian armada for the last few decades. Three consuls were elected: Marcus Argentis of House Zetar, Androcles of House Livius, and Tiberius Valira of House Manilius. Marcus Argentis remained in Zeth to oversee the flow of money into the effort. Tiberius Valira took charge of the northern forces to insure no attacks were imminent from the north. Androcles remained to command the armada heading east. In 128 BI, the armada launched with much fanfare. After several misadventures at sea, they finally arrived on the shores of Ylargebad Island, off the southern coast of what their maps identified as Duria. Androcles soon defeated the pirates who called Ylargebad home, and established contacts with a barbarian people of the mainland, who called themselves the Tracini. Androcles returned to Zeth a hero, having accomplished the first non-defensive acquisition in the history of the Zetian people. He was granted the title Count of the Tracini Shore by the Republic and returned to Ylargebad to construct his temple to Galea and a large naval fortress to protect Zetian trade lanes to the Tracini at the town of Lar Glarsaw, which he renamed Marebellium. Unfortunately, Androcles died within two years of his victory without an heir, and Marcus Argentis of House Zetar assumed his role as leader of the armada and Count of the Tracini Shore.

Marcus Argentis was a highly ambitious man, eager to prove himself to his people and bring glory to his House by conquering their eastern trade partners on the mainland. When the Tracini people sent a message to Zeth requesting military assistance in 123 BI, Marcus Argentis saw an opportunity. What was meant by the Tracini to be a request for skilled mercenaries to settle a petty regional dispute in their favor was taken as a plea for aid. The Tracini delegation agreed to pay the Republic a certain tax for the assistance of the legions, which the Tracini mistook as the end of the bargain. Marcus Argentis took command of the legions sent to assist the Tracini, and their aggressive neighbor soon fell to the Republican legions. Citing a need to further protect his allies from possible outside aggression, Marcus Argentis continued his conquests of the region, eventually bringing much of the Divian peninsula under his control. Furthermore, he convinced the Tracini that they owed him, not the Republic, homage as their patron. The Tracini people, blinded by their devotion to their new ally, agreed, still not fully understanding the implications of such an arrangement. When Marcus Argentis returned to Zeth, his armies, now mostly composed of Zetian-trained, Tracini warriors completely subservient to the Consul, were close behind him. He initiated a Victory Processional through Zeth, wary that the Senate may try to arrest him for his efforts. When the Senate saw the popular support that Marcus Argentis received, however, they quickly decided to acknowledge his heroic status and showered him with accolades, including a titular grant as Duke of Duria. Marcus Argentis returned to Duria and continued his conquests, always on the pretense of protecting the newly-established colony from outside invasion. By 97 BI, he and his successor, Antonius Argentis of House Zetar, had conquered the territory which now composes the entirety of the nations of Koramia and Illyria and part of the elven-held Webwood.

Eight years after the conquest of the Divian peninsula was completed, the Senate again decided to elected three consuls to expand Zetian territory overseas in the hope of establishing a near-contiguous trade route which would circumvent the pirates of Tamerynd Isle. Septimius Varros, a Legate under the command of the sickly Consul Rufus Voltina of House Livius, was sent with the Zetian armada across the ocean, with the idea of conquering the significant port that was the Freecity of Neptaris. The Legion failed to conquer the city, but by 87 BI, they had conquered the nearby Cambrecian, Enesian, and Melvartan peoples. Septimius Varro was granted a Victory Processional in Zeth for his victory, and his family was the first to be initiated as a Great House since Foundation by the Septira. The Cambrecians, for their part, were a subdued race, and Cambrecia soon became a luxury spot for Zetian soldiers to retire to after their service was complete.

Soon after the conquest of Cambrecia, the Senate decided to expand itself beyond the 45 members who currently held office, to better represent the interests of their quickly expanding Republic. Some cynical historians suggest that this decision was intended to placate rebellious elements in the Empire, which had threatened the peace in Ganesia in 99 BI, Aescalapea in 95 BI and 93 BI, Simmeria in 90 BI, and Medallia in 98 BI, 94 BI, and 89 BI. The dependent states received a number of Senators according to a dizzying array of factors, including population, economic importance, and military strength. When the Expansion of Liberty was complete, the number of Senators had risen to 162 and the bureaucracy surrounding the governmental body increased by almost five hundred percent.