#elaman

The people who would make up the Empire began as dozens of nomadic tribes wandering the steppes, in constant conflict over grazing lands and oases. This lasted until the rise of the legendary hero, Great Hashah, who united the tribes and greatly expanded Elaman territory.

(He would come to be revered as the "King of Kings". )

With his chain of command extended via the slave-owning nobles of each tribe, he conquered many small kingdoms all the way to the Far East, and crossed VItar Mountain to conquer Iria. Under his reign, the Elaman Empire stretched from coast to coast. With the vast territory in its grasp, Elaman's caravans crossed the entire continent, earning unimaginable wealth. The merchants, clothed in the finest garments, started establishing prosperous cities across the deserts and grasslands.

(Despite their immense riches, the rising merchant class had no political power, and this imbalance would sow the seeds of turmoil in Elaman's future.)

Legend has it that Elaman possesses an ancient mysterious technique capable of altering a human's nervous system. Ancient Elamanians used this "Sigil" technique to improve their hands, granting them the ability to craft the finest jewellery. With the discovery of Luxite, Elamanians found that branding also allowed for greater processing of Luxite crystals, which led to the creation of fine crystal particles with unique properties- "Cooling Powder".

After the Great Hashah's death, the nobles of the Empire fell into decadence, and the Empire's power rapidly declined. During the Second Radiant War from RC 960-970, the Elaman Empire was attacked by the combined forces of the Papal States and its Knights. The brutal war resulted in heavy losses on both sides, but Elaman came out of it worse, losing almost all their seasoned troops. After the war, Elaman was forced to cede the regions of Iria and the VItar mountains, and the Light of Sanctuary was allowed to establish a presence in Elaman.

Ah ... Elaman's Undying Masks. Monsters that know not pain or fear. These soldiers are made by branding strong slaves, severing their nervous system, which leaves them as dull unthinking machines who obey orders without question- a pure instrument of war. The Undying Masks were instrumental to Elaman's rise, as they've been the backbone of the army of Great Hashahs throughout history. Because of the collapse of the Great Hashah's power after the Second Radiant War, Undying masks have ended up in the private armies of slave-owning nobles, and even some merchants.

A live dog is better than a dead lion. After their crushing defeat in the Second Radiant War, Elaman fell into decline. Grand Vizier Kianshir, the leader of the slaver nobles, adopted a policy of appeasement and diplomacy to improve international relations while slowly restoring Elaman's strength. However, his meek concessions to the Papal States roused great discontent among the patriotic youth within the country. They banded together under Prince Shams to form the "Sunfire Corps". Unlike the soulless "Undying Masks", they were filled with fervour and pursued an aggressive strategy to revitalise the empire. At the same time, the new Great Hashah Lukamar implemented the National Merchant system, which greatly expanded the merchant classes' power, and eroded the foundation of the noble slavers' rule. The long-suffering Vlderian slaves also began stirring, secretly planning a revolution to overthrow slavery... This all came to a head in RC 999 with the Iria Liberation War, which stoked the flames of internal division. The slaver nobles, seeing a chance to seize Mount Vltar, joined the Triple Alliance to invade Iria, while the merchant class, through the effort of National Merchant Acambe backed the Irian resistance. Iria's ultimate victory brought major benefits to the merchant class, and finally let them surpass the slaver nobles in political power. However, while things remain peaceful on the surface, the Elaman Empire's internal conflicts have reached a breaking point, and a great storm is brewing...