Old Primis

Old Primis refers to the empire that encompassed most of Prim for over two millennia. Most dates are measured using key points in the Primisian Empire, mainly years since the Founding (- f.), years prior to the Founding (- p.) and more recently and commonly, years since the Collapse (- c.).

Founding
Legend tells that the Old Primisian Empire was founded by a group of 7 siblings who brought about brought order and morality to a chaotic and destructive continent. Primis was originally a small country surrounding the Cor Mountains in the north-eastern corner of Prim occupied by a peaceful and simple people. A man named Sebera accidently found a long disused entrance to the great mines of the dwarfs who resided within the Cor, and led a small expedition to mine what they could of the remaining spell ore for which the Mountain was famous. While they didn't manage to get much of it, Sebera did end up with enough ore to forge a sword which he took to a nearby wizard to be enchanted.

Magic blade in hand Sebera travelled to Prem, the capital of Primis, and challenged the King of the time to combat. The king, arrogant and convinced of his own superiority, accepted the challenge of the simple farmer-turned-miner. History has forgotten the name of that King of Primis, remembering him only as the Decrepit King.

Newly crowned King Sebera brought his his wife, Celti, and seven children, Lucius, Seneca, Albia, Clemensia, Cyrprian, Umbra and Nero, to the capital where he began his rule. However his reign was shortlived as a shortlived yet deadly disease passed through the city killing both Sebera and Celti. The children, the eldest only just having reached his majority, found themselves newly orphaned and without a clear line of succession, as a king normally elected his heir before he passed. In an effort to cement their family as the rulers of the kingdom, Lucius and Nero devised a daring plan to capture the dwarven mines and use the ore within to forge weapons for the strongest army ever known on Prim.

They approached their siblings for assistance, yet only two joined them. Seneca, who didn't approve of the plan, knew that it needed to succeed for his family to succeed so he offered to infiltrate the dwarven mines. The intention of Umbra when joining them was never really known, although many suspected a darker streak existed in the youngest of the sons and that he may have joined merely for the pleasure of bringing death to the dwarfs.

So the four siblings, Lucius, Nero, Seneca and Umbra, set off to conquer the great dwarven mines within the Cor Mountains. It is said that ultimately it was the dwarves arrogance that caused the plan to succeed, but succeed the four did. Nero and Lucius each led a small portion of loyal Primis soldiers, each targeting one of the gates of the dwarven stronghold. Meanwhile Seneca and Umbra entered the dwarven city in secret, their intent to open the gates from the inside and cause chaos and confusion amongst their victims. Yet none of the others knew that Umbra had added another layer to the plan. With him he brought a small bit of blanket kept sealed in a jar, a blanket he'd saved from the purging fires after the disease that'd killed his parents had passed.

So it was that when Seneca returned to the city with Nero after opening the gate that they found a city in screaming agony. For not only had Umbra taken that dreaded disease, but he'd practiced foul magic upon it and rendered it a thousand times more deadly. Lucius, who was never let into the city by Umbra as was planned, later stood over the dwarven cavern and almost passed out at the sight of pale dwarven bodies littering the streets, and his youngest brother smiling as he skipped amongst them.

Yet they had achieved what they intended and the mines quickly became worked by their new human occupants. Of the four it was Nero who claimed the conquest, as he said it was his soldiers who first came into the mines, and none could dispute him. So King Nero was the first emperor of Old Primis. He forged swords and shields of the magical steel and with his keen military mind sent the armies to slowly conquer the cities and lands of the south, one by one. Their fellow human nations stood little chance against the growing strength and magic of the invading armies, and of those that did stand they soon found a black haired boy skipping amongst their streets as their people died of various ailments.

Always one step of the armies however was their sister Albia. An excitable and optimistic girl, she had a wanderlust in her from a young age. Nero would send messengers to her constantly, encouraging her to travel and regale him with stories of the places she'd seen. Little did she know he used those stories to devise battle plans and learn of new routes for his armies to travel.

As the Primisian Empire slowly expanded Lucius grew jealous of Nero, thinking that the title of King rightly belonged to himself. Slowly he plotted how to best otherthrow his brother. Nero was clearly a better military commander than Lucius ever was, but he was also harsh and cemented in his ways, and the jealous brother believed that this would be his advantage. He advised Nero to make him his most senior diplomat and ambassador, and Nero not caring much for the social aspects of rule happily obliged. It was through his new position that Lucius created dissent. He spearheaded the idea of bringing auxiliary soldiers into the army from their conquered foes. He gave generous concessions of luxury and autonomy to the conquered cities, yet also lamented there was little he could do with his brother in power.

When he was sure he had the needed political backing of both their conquest and their allies at home, Lucius confronted Nero publicly. He declared his sibling a tyrant who cared nothing for the people and who hungered only for bloodshed and conquest. Yet Nero was no fool, for while he couldn't quite understand his brothers actions previously he quickly saw the whole picture. He realised that with their vassals backing and the implementation of auxiliary soldiers Nero couldn't be sure of his military power anymore. So he relented and bowed to Lucius. The victorious brother was taken aback by the ease of his victory, and in the glow of the win he showed kindness to his brother and made him the Commander of the Primisian Empire, so as to not waste Nero's talents.

So King Lucius was crowned and declared Nero's abdication to mean he'd been the rightful king all along, ensuring history remembered him as the first King of this new empire. The conquest of Prim slowly continued long past each of their deaths.

Government
Old Primis was always ruled by a single King, descended from King Lucius. It was consider tradition for a ruling King to have as many children as he could, so he could select the most ideal candidate as his successor. Thus royal siblings often competed against each other in order to prove their worth. While there was no law against a woman being crowned the ruler, there were never any ruling Queens throughout the history of Old Primis, suggesting it may have been a social rather than legal pressure to choose a male heir.

Also likely due to their desire to father as many children as possible it was common for a King to have multiple wives, although this custom never really extended outside of the aristocracy. As such it was rare for a noble to be married if they weren't a titled Lord or had already been chosen as an heir, due to the lack of eligible women.

Titles of Nobility within Old Primis included Archduke, Duke, Count, Viscount and Baron (in descending order of status). The main variation between the titles were the amount of land they oversaw and the importance of that land, with the Archduke being the only position that varied.

Archduke
The Archduke was chosen from his pool of nobles, generally from the Dukes but occasionally from lower titles, as the commander of the Primisian armies. During times of peace he was expected to oversee the military defence and security of the nation, and during war was expected to represent the King on the frontlines.

Collapse
Towards the end of Old Primis magic had reached the highest point any scholar could recall. Great wizards who'd extended to their life to that of a thousand years and had created artefacts of unimaginable power existed within the Empire. Lesser mages formed into guilds and circles in order to share their knowledge much more freely amongst each other. With the power of the empire depending on the spell ore from the Cor Mountains, and those that could enchant it, mages lived a life of luxury and status.

The last king of Primis, Racbern the Broken, came into power in 1883f., after his parents and siblings, including the previous king, were brutally slain by an insane warlock known only as 'Agitus'. The murderer herself was captured and executed by a mage in service to the crown, but Racbern only continued to grow in his mistrust of practitioners of the arcane. He began to believe, and fear, that mages may reach a point where they could overthrow the crown and control the Primisian Empire for themselves.

In secret Racbern began to work with various priests, specifically those of Seneca and Umbra. Hidden away from the eyes of the public, King Racbern oversaw the creation of powerful divine artefacts designed for one purpose - to nullify even the greatest of magical practitioners. Confident in his own power he began to restrict the practice of magic, requiring practitioners to be licensed and prohibiting all but those magics linked directly with enchanting the spell ore. At first mages argued against the king, trying to reason with him, but soon realised he wouldn't budge. So most of them resigned to the fact that until he changed his mind, or there was a new king, their power would have to be kept hidden and secret.

But there were mages who didn't care for King Racbern's paranoid policies, and most prominent amongst those were the centuries old mages who'd only gotten more proud in their old age. At first they simply ignored his soldiers when they came to knocking on their doors, but then Racbern armed his men with his new weapons and they began executing the weaker of the rebel mages. In the year 1908f. civil war broke out in Old Primis. The most powerful of the mages took to the skies in outrage of Racbern's actions and with their own great artefacts destroyed entire cities. Soon the common people became terrified and even compliant mages were driven from their homes.

The toll of the war was devastating to the region. The necromancer Jo'Horo turned green the waters around the city of Tulus, and he watched from his tower as living people began to rot and turn into his unliving servants. Mages who'd at first been taken in by the druids of what later became known as the Sundered Woods were later turned out, and in retaliation they cracked the earth and conjured great fires which destroyed a large portion of the forest. One by one the greatest wizards were struck down with the artefacts Racbern had created, yet the power it required shattered those same artefacts and the land around it. Waves of mage refugees fled to the Cor Mountains, using their magic to seal passes and defend against soldiers who tried to follow them.

With the loss of the Cor Mountains, and with them the spell ore, Racbern fled with his most loyal followers to the capital of Prem. Yet Jo'Horo, the only great mage that was known not to have been killed, soon set the now unliving population of Tulus onto the capital. A great power flooded the capital city, and then it was quiet. Its gates became impenetrable as the undead army flooded around it. It was this sealing of Prem, with King Racbern inside it, that became known as the final day of Old Primis.

Some believe, even centuries after the Collapse, that King Racbern still lives within the ruined city of Prem, and that one day he will rise again to reclaim Old Primis. Others believe that the undead army surrounding the city is really there to keep people out and guard some dark power the surviving mages had summoned into the city.

Religion
It is believed that the founding siblings of Old Primis never truly died and instead ascended to Godhood to see to the longevity and prosperity of their creations. Even after the collapse of Old Primis, some within the original lands of Primis still worship them.

Lucius the Kindler
(LG) He was attributed with founding the Old Primisian Empire and was believed to be a just and fair ruler. He is seen to be constantly in conflict with Nero, protecting the people from his brothers tyrant ways. His domain is light.

Clemensia the Mender
(NG) The sister who stood back from her siblings politics, she was said to only be interested in helping the sick and dying with little care for intrigue or conflict. As such she often followed Umbra throughout her life, seeking to protect and heal people from the worst of his malices. Her domain is life.

Albia the Seafarer
(CG) She was said to have explored the world all over, discovering all the lands that Primis would come to meet, whether it was to trade or to make war. Albia was the only of the siblings to not be in conflict with the others, and is seen as the most pure and innocent in her passions of the seven. Her domain is tempest.

Seneca the Concealer
(LN) Attributed with knowing all the happenings of the empire, he was said to be a great spymaster for Primis. He stopped many wars before they happened, though whether it was with death or deception many disagree. He'd often work against Cyprian to ensure the stability of the empire. His domain is knowledge.

Cyprian the Liberator
(CN) The Black Sheep amongst his siblings, it was said he worked tirelously to ensure that the original founders of Primis never became too tyrannical, as he never trusted his brothers intentions and despised their belief in their right to rule the world. He would lead rebellions or start riots to ensure people retained their freedom, while being in constant struggle against Seneca who was always willing to undermine him. His domain is trickery.

Nero the Conqueror
(LE) Said to be a harsh yet respected general, he was the first to lead the armies of Primis to successfully make its neighbours bow. A far superior commander than his brother Lucius, he believed his brother always limited him in the extent of how great he couple make the empire. His domain is war.

Umbra the Wanderer
(NE) It was said that he would wander to villages and towns who'd strayed from empire and bring pestilence to those who would not repent, and was believed to be vital in claiming the Cor Mountains. He was a dark punishment, but one that was only let loose upon those deserving. His domain is death.