THE REALMS AND ELECTORS OF captain) Knight Commander (rectangular pennant, an aristocratic OUTREMERE colonel) Those seven realms situated in the far east and south are generally known as “Outremere,” more specifically they constitute the region the old Empire referred to as Ruidana. They constitute the only wholesome lands in the whole region. They are referred to, by most who do not live there, as the “New Empire” and the “Far Kingdoms.” Many of the immigrants, the Crusaders and others, have brought with them the name “Outremere” and so it has stuck in common usage. But to those who rule there, both the Empress and the Electors, it is formally referred to by its proper name “The Empire of Aenoch” or informally “Aenochia.” The Dukes, Bishops and Magistrates (the Electors) are referred to as the “League,” but as each holds their own lands, invested by the Crown, they are singly referred to by their appropriate titles. (A note on names: The ancient language of Aenoch, much bastardized by the Vulgate, lives on in Outremere. However, several of the ruling Houses have chosen to revisit their ancient names. Chief amongst these are the Dukes of Dundador and Ascalon.*). Titles of Nobility in the Empire Territorial Rulers: These are hereditary holdings that act as sovereign states under the suzerainty of the Empress. These people have a voice on the Imperial Council. They include: Duke Count Margraff Lord Imperial Knights: These are Knights with hereditary holdings that are not subject to Imperial taxes but are under the suzerainty of the Empress. Territorial Nobility: These are lords, knights and nobles who do not own hereditary holdings and are under the immediate jurisdiction of the Territorial Rulers. They include: Knights In Outremere (the following information is extracted with permission from the forthcoming work, Gary Gygax’s Living Fantasy) In general, the knightly titles are: page, military scutifer armiger Knight (pennon with a single tail, an aristocratic lieutenant) Knight Errant (dovetailed pennant, an aristocratic 1st lieutenant) Knight Banneret (pennant with three tails, an aristocratic There are two main sorts of knights: landed knights and landless knights. Landless knights include such things as: Knight-Errant, Knight-Bachelor, Knight-Bannerette, etc. Actual landholding knights, or Lords, include ritters, barons, counts, earls, grafs, etc. Crusader-Knights are generally nobles in their own homelands now looking to gain holdings in Outremere. They can be opportunists or paladins, dastardly or kind, or anything in between (frankly the Empress doesn’t care). Several Noble Orders have arisen to provide support networks for these Crusader-Knights, and in fact Noble Orders can even be given lands of their own to hold. Land (outside of that controlled by the Electors) are held from the Empress directly or from one of her sheriffs (or whatever the equivalent Erde term is). She may even feel compelled at times to grant lands directly to knights to hold as their own demesne rather than to hold in stewardship for the crown. Crusaders themselves apply to anyone who has come to Outremere to assist in the Crusade. They are commoner or noble, thief or mage, beggar or priest. Generally these folk are perhaps well regarded by the common folk, but regarded by the entrenched nobility (burghers) with some amount of disdain and loathing. The Empress & The Heir Her Imperial Highness, the Empress of Aenoch, first of AlLiosh, the Lady Pryzmira. Her Imperial Highness, Mistress of Al-Liosh, the Receiver, Neratite. The Five Duchies Dundador (the Kourland): the Duke of Dundador, His Highness Aetius of the House Meraki. Scheming to undo the empress. Ascalon (Eichstatt or Ascaloth): the Duke of Ascalon, His Highness, Desmond III of the House Seward. Aesperdi (Eradie): The Duchess of Aesperdi, Her Highness Prince Freda (of the House) Corvine (Corlivus) Thuringia (Thungri): The Duke of Thuringia, His Lordship Urnst Bloch. (The Lords of Castle Bloch have ruled in Thuringia for only 200 years and as such have no recognition within the heraldic families. Westlichia (Westwald): The Duke of Weslichia, Dragonslayer, Theodulf (of the House) Nat-hulf (Nmentoph). The City States Trier: His Worshipfullness, The High Lord and Magistrate Otfrod the Wise. Heimstadt: His Eminence, the Bishop Nithard. *For game purposes the Vulgate is generally German in makeup. Aenochian is Latin and Ethrum, Egyptian in base. These rules are very general and the great amount of cross breeding between all the ruling houses during the Age of the Empire led to the Aenochian and Ethrumanian tongues being intertwined. Of the Organization of the Empire under the Old Emperors and Unklar The Empire of Aenoch, even before Unklar, was not a feudal state. But rather a state where the Emperor or his Councilors, Royal Governors or Territorial Magistrates ruled with total power. Bound in the strength of the Legions raised from the cities and towns of the Empire and fleshed out with hordes of mercenaries (particularly from the eastern Steppes), the Emperor’s rule went almost unchallenged by any within the Empire. No nobles gathered to elect or proclaim the Emperors. Oliver IV of the House Golden, proclaimed himself Emperor because his power went unchallenged. He ruled through sorcery, intrigue and brute strength. Oliver immediately set about organizing the Empire. He stripped the nobles of much of their rights (killing many in the process) and set about appointing Royal Governors and/or Territorial Magistrates. These were chosen from those who were loyal or served Oliver in one capacity or the other. He was careful to balance their powers. The Royal Governors were given command of House Legions, troops raised from the lands they governed. Generally these were poorly equipped and armed, though not always. Territorial Magistrates were supplied with troops of Legionnaires and mercenaries (paid for by the Emperor). In their midst, placed in strong points or forts, were the Imperial Legions. The Imperial Legions, the best and brightest, captained by Generals (later called Sanjaks) were raised and trained in certain regions, but stationed throughout the Empire. This was done to strengthen the presence of the Emperor. This also served to weaken the local Royal Governors and their House Legions, and the Territorial Magistrates and their mercenaries. Over all this he appointed the Councilors. Their number varied, but they served to act as the Mouth of the Emperor. Where they went, if they bore the Imperial Banner, their word was law. Originally the Royal Governors and Territorial Magistrates came from the old nobles, wealthier families or from loyal servants. Many of the ancient families survived by applying themselves to the Emperor’s service. The title of Councilor was cherished by all, for even after a lord surrendered the banner his family retained the title and honor of the position. Only the most trusted of course took this rank. The title of Governor was also desired, though not for its hereditary rights, but rather for the amount of wealth one could gain by ruling a whole province. In time, the rank of Governor became associated with territorial nobility. To be certain the Royal Governors were mostly men of titled nobility, many of them already the territorial lords in their own right. Many of these reasserted their titles of Duke, Margraff, Count or Lord, frequently combining the two titles. Over the long years many of these houses regained territory, power, hereditary rights and so on. Many of those who live in territories of the Empire today (Outremere, Punj, United Kingdom and the Rhuneland) trace their lineage back to the ages before the Age of Heroes. They revel in the honors of titles given to their ancestors, both those gained before the Empire and during. Many still carry those titles and badges with them. Like any patrician class in a society turned upside down, it is not unlikely to encounter a “Duke, Councilor of the Empire” as a mendicant. The Emperors that followed, built upon or worked with Oliver’s original system. Some proved more able than others. At times Councilors rose to great power, at other times Royal Governors commanded whole armies of Legions. The power waxed and waned through the long years of the Emperors rule. During the Interregnum the power of Al-Liosh passed into the hands of the High Priestess of Tefnut, who styled themselves Grand Councilors. The remnants of the Empire were ruled even as the greater Empire had before. Little changed in the practical day to day administration of the region. Many longed for a return of the power of the House Golden, for even though those days were accounted evil days and great crimes were perpetrated in the name of the throne, the Nobles of Aenoch ruled as great Lords, with wealth and power. When the horned god Unklar came to Erde, he overthrew the great host of the people of Aenoch. Many were slain, many others bound to his service as slaves. The greater part of the nobility, the Councilors, the Royal Governors and Matistrates of the Empire fell into this latter group. Long used to absolute power of an emperor, they took the passing of the crown in stride and made obedience to the god and his dark malice. In him they found a master who could return to their lines the glory of the ancient world, and they served him loyally. In his turn, Unklar found the Lords of Aenoch perfect tools for his designs and he used them most foully and often wastefully. Though, Unklar added a whole new twist to service to his Imperial Throne. Those who served him loyally and competently were rarely allowed to die in his service, for if they did, he raised them from the dead and returned to them their powers and honors. A number of undying lords, such as Coburg, rose to prominence. Too, he allowed Orcs and other humanoids into the ruling classes. But the whole apparatus of the Empire was preserved. It offered Unklar the order he craved to bring to Erde. Royal Governors ruled in the various states and regions, Territorial Magistrates commanded armies of mercenaries in the far flung and wild corners of Unklar’s world and Councilors rose to great power under the new Emperor. The greatest of these were the Wizard Priests and Nulak-Kiz-Din. His greatest change was to place Captain Kings over the far flung lands of the world, though these had little effect on the lands of Ursal as they ruled in distant places and over foreign peoples. The House Golden falls into disarray and its people driven from Al-Liosh. They wander as beggars and miscreants across the world and eventually settle in Kayomar where they live in utter obscurity. They themselves did not know the origin or the reason for the strange mark they bore. The Gods Sebastian Olivier I Unklar, the horned god (Before 1-1030md) 718-748 (God Emperor) 748-1830 (horned god) The Priestly Pryzmira, 1840-present (1040mdpresent) (Empress, High Priestess of Tefnut) *The folk of Aenoch can trace their lines through the male or female. Religion and the Empire The Lines of the Emperors of Aenoch The Holy Olivier I 207-213 (Emperor) Olivier II 213-241 (God Emperor) (forges the Cunae Mundus Usquam) Sebastian the Great 241-301 (God Emperor) Marcus I 301-303 (God Emperor) Sebastian II 303-316 (God Emperor) Detleve I 317-341 (God Emperor) Detleve II 342-344 (God Emperor) Janiace 345-399 (The Goddess of the Al-Liosh) The Heretics Gustav 400-405 (Emperor) Nolthenius 406-438 (Empress, suppression of the god cult, return to Tefnut) Nolthenet 438-445 (Empress, High Priestess of Tefnut) Efriete 445-468 (Empress, High Priestess of Tefnut) The Divine The Dynasty of Marcus IV 468-481 (God Emperor, High Priest made Grand Councillor) Owen III 481-490 (God Emperor) Owen IV 490-498 (God Emperor) (rise of Trigal, Nulak-Kiz-Din) Marcus V 498-517 (God Emperor) Marcus VI 517-523 (God Emperor) Marcus VII 523-556 (God Emperor) Marcus Owen I 556-589 (God Emperor) (Trigal cast out) The Interregnum 590-718 The early Kings of Aenoch paid homage to the ancient gods, the most notable of which were Toth and Tefnut. There were others besides.* Too, they worshiped house gods in the person of powerful family members who had, at one time or another, achieved some great renown. These temples to these greater gods, particularly Tefnut, were massive state affairs. Fortunes were spent in creating open aired, multicolumned temples. The priests and priestesses became powerful local figures, both in the politics of a province and in the daily affairs of the commoners. In the city of Ascalon, they enjoyed their greatest power and were farthest removed from the throne in Al-Liosh. Here the High Priestess ruled with the voice of the gods and commanded such power that the early Kings could do little against her. The temples grew in wealth and local influence. They constructed edifices all across the Kingdom of Aenoch. After the Imperial line began, the religious power in Aenoch shifted. Small cults sprang up and people paid homage to the Emperor as a god. Olivier II proclaimed himself God Emperor after he decisively defeated the western Ethrumanians. The wealth in booty and slaves which flowed into Al-Liosh in those days he doled out freely. Free food was given to the commoners, free housing in some places and free clothing. People began to worship him as a true god and in his power he ruled as one. When Marcus I assumed the throne in 301 he succumbed to his own Emperor Myth, and enjoined people of all walks of life to worship him. He fought the power of the Priests on more than one occasion. He it was who first called the High Priestess of Tefnut to the throne in Al-Liosh to answer his questions and wait upon his person. This set a dangerous precedent. For long years the Priestess of Tefnut, the most powerful religious figure in Aenoch next to the Emperor, was forced to serve the throne directly. This greatly eroded her power throughout the realm. In 345oy, Janiace assumed the throne. She proved to be the greatest tyrant the line of the House Golden ever produced. She steeped herself in powers arcane and her court began a disjointed place of evil deeds and foul creatures. Few could enter the cess pool of human flesh and waste without being driven mad or succumbing to their own dark cravings. This time of madness marked the greatest decent of the line. Janiace’s son, Gustav, proved to be the polar opposite of his mother. Mad in her own lusts, Gustav took to the life of a monk as a young man. Powerful and cruel in her rule, Gustav was gentle, caring for all manner of folk. He began the line of Heretic Emperors. He ruled for a short time only, falling prey to many of his mother’s minions. They slew him cruelly with knives and daggers caked in poisons taken from the sea. He bore 67 wounds when he fell. He would not defend himself as they maimed him and murdered him. Nolthenius, his daughter, combined the qualities of both her father and grandmother. At first, she rebuked the ways of her father and joined the open cult of the God Emperor. But this she did only for a short time. In secret she called in a great General of the Frontiers, a man famous for his conquests in the far west, the Baron Irovich. She set this simple soldier the task of cleansing the Horse Guard, explaining to him that the excesses of the throne must be curtailed. Irovich had never been to Al-Liosh, serving the idea of the Emperor loyally in the far reaches of the world. So when his Empress commanded him to cleans the Horse Guard he did so with simple ruthlessness. Irovich moved several thousands of his heavy horse to the capital under the pretext of a great victory parade. The Empress commanded the Horse Guard to watch over her on feet, claiming that the smell of their beasts nauseated her. When the parade began, Irovich bore in chains a host of Dwarves and Northmen as booty for the Lords of Al-Liosh. Wagons of arms and weapons trundled in their midst, booty from the wars. When they pulled abreast of the Horse Guard, ringing the huge pavilion and stands of the Imperial House, he drew the great procession to a halt. A singular horn sounded and the slaves threw off their chains and armed themselves even as the heavy horse of Irovich troops fell into the Horse Guard. Caught so at unawares, the Imperial troops were destroyed and scattered. For days they were rounded up and hung without mercy. What became known as the Battle of the Horn ended with the whole of the Horse Guard’s 14000 men being slain. Only a few escaped into the wilds of the world. Nolthenius set to remaking the Empire. She drove the god cults into hiding and returned the glory and power to the worship of Tefnut and her pantheon. The Empire knew peace and a calm leadership for 168 years. The power of the temples grew as did their wealth and majesty. Nolthenet, daughter of Nolthenius took the title of High Priestess, joining the two entities into one powerful force. When Marcus IV assumed the throne, the line of heretics ended. He returned the god cults to their place of power and proclaimed himself God Emperor. However, he did not destroy or make open war on the temples of Tefnut, but rather brought them into the fold of the governing class. He named the High Priestess the Grand Councilor, and so, the power and influence of the temples did not pass from the court or land. The next greatest challenge to the temples came from the wizard Trigal. That mage, long a suffragan at court (founding the White Order in 449oy), rose to prominence in the reign of Owen IV. That Lord’s lust for the power over the arcane led him into a close friendship with the mage, and Trigal rose to great power in the court’s inner circles. He vied for power and influence with the Priestess and at times assumed the title of Grand Councilor. In these days the power of the temples waned. In the year 556oy, Marcus VII overthrew Trigal when he discovered the forbidden paths that the mage walked. Trigal fled in disgrace, but Marcus VII died within a few weeks of unknown causes. His young son assumed the throne as Marcus Owen I. He worked with the High Priestess and the temples rose to prominence once more. But Marcus Owen I fell to an assassins dagger. Many lay the blame on a secret organization named the Crna Ruk, a violent arm of the White Order. The line of the House Golden failed. In Al-Liosh, though no Emperor ruled on the throne, the Cunae Mundus Usquam was laid upon the seat of Emperors and kept by the Priestess of Tefnut, who retained the title of the Grand Councilor. Thus it sat for 128 years until the return of the line of Emperors. The Grand Councilor, or so the Priestess styled herself, ruled in the rump states of the Empire: Al-Liosh, The Seven Realms, Punj, the Red Hills and the Luneberg. She administered the Kingdom much as had the Emperors before, though military might of the region was greatly reduced. The temples suffered from lack of revenue and many fell into ruin and disrepair. Though this period saw an increase in the actual power of the temples and the priests, if not the wealth. Many of the lords turned to the church for prestige and joined the priesthood. By the time the Imperial Throne was reclaimed the temples were a shadow of their former selves but the priests had risen to a powerful class in Aenoch, ruling in many cases, jointly with the Royal Governors and Magistrates. Sebastion reclaimed the throne and conquered much of what had fell away during the Interregnum. Money and power flowed into the temples’ coffers again, and for a brief spell the High Priestess Nectanebo relived the glory of her predecessors. But when Unklar came, all that ended. She fell, the first victim of the lands new lord. Unklar drove the gods of the temples into hiding and he banned their worship. The temples he assumed for his own, the religious practices stayed much the same and the High Priestess of Tefnut was replaced by the High Priest of Unklar. In time, the people accepted the rule and worship of Unklar as normal and the world proceeded apace. *As a point of reference, these are the Egyptian Gods. A History of the Seven Realms, Ruidana (the term Outremere is used throughout for ease) During the long reign of the Emperors and the rule of Unklar which followed, the lands and provinces which are commonly referred to as the Seven Realms, Outremere or its ancient name of Ruidana, were ruled by Lords, nobles, Royal Governors and Generals of the Army. It was divided into five provinces and one military district: the Kourland, , Ascalon, Thungria, Westlichia and the island of Ionus. These lands represented some of the oldest holdings of the Empire. They were part of the original lands which constituted the Aenochian Monarchy. Some of the oldest families date their heritage to those days, many thousands of years in the past.* The Emperors appointed Royal Governors for each province but Ascaloth. These lands were an established military district wherein Legions and Naval Marines were stationed and placed under the direct control of the Legion Commander. Outremere benefitted from a long association with the Lords of Al-Liosh. So consequently, almost all the Royal Governors were drawn from the ranking territorial rulers. And within only a few generations, many had successfully reasserted their old privileges. As with the monarchy, Outremere flourished under the Empire. Wealthy in foodstuffs, the ports served as the main conduit for trade. Ships from all the lands to the west, east and south came to the sprawling port town of Ascalon or the river city of Beriantor* to unload hosts of worldly goods. The locals grew wealthy on trade and the lords grew powerful on the wealth. The empire drew most of its sailors from this region and not a few of its legion. Outremere stood by the throne in all crises and its soldiery died on almost every battlefield fought by the emperors of old. As today, there has always been a deep seated loyalty to the Imperial line. The temples of Tefnut grew in power in the region and the huge fortified merchant town and military center of Ascalon became the center of the religion and its revival. When Unklar took the throne, Outremere followed the example of most of the people of Aenoch and bowed to the horned god as their rightful Emperor. Many of the Royal Governors of Outremere were put to death by the horned god, though some few kept their posts, rank and title. After many years and the world settled into the role given to it by the horned god, the folk of Outremere rose to their previous heights of power and influence. Trade once more moved north through the coastal regions and the area flourished. As Unklar’s war moved ever into the hinterlands, particularly against the Empire of the Sun, he used Outremere as a cantonment for a great host of troops and ships. Four Legions were stationed in Outremere, the 11th Legion in Ascalon, the 14th Legion in Kourland, The 58th Legion in Westlichia, and the 3rd Legion on the isle of Ionus. A great armada of ships found their main bases on the island and in the harbors of Ascalon. Too, the 9th and 19th Legions were just north in Aufstrag, and the 15th Legion in what today is the United Kingdom. With these Unklar had total control over the whole of Outremere, so that in all the early wars of rebellion and Civil Strife these people were never moved to war. The provinces and cities of Heimstadt, Trier, Dundador, Ascalon, Aesperdi, Thuringia, and Westlichia had lived under the shadow of Aufstrag for a thousand years. They grew wealthy through control of the overseas trade routes and they suffered little from the hand of Unklar. In consequence, a powerful, educated merchant class came to rule these cities. When war came to the Empire, these lords and Burghers banded together in a loose confederation and prepared to rebel. When the Winter Wars came, the folk of Outremere marched to the tune of their master’s drum and they filled the ranks of the Legions time and again. Everywhere men waited to see which way the wars would go, but after Olensk it seemed obvious. Pryzmira knew she had but to find the right allies to support her claim. She soon found them, or they her, in the lands south and east of Aufstrag in the Kellerwald. But by 1030, the empire of the horned god began to crumble and it was assailed everywhere. In these tumultuous times Pryzmira came in secret to the Ascalon, and called upon the ancient rights of her ancestors. In quiet, the lords gathered to plot her return and how best to throw off the yoke of Unklar. They did not turn to the Council of Light, for they did not wish to exchange one power for another, but rather they waited until some momentous event could shake mighty Aufstrag. In those days, much as it is today, the merchants of that region employed a small host of house wizards, sages and the like. They did this mostly to learn of weather and bandits, but on an occasion one would surface with the true powers of a magi. Such a one came to the Lords of the seven cities and claimed that a new Empress waited upon the Dreaming Sea for a call from her people to come to Aenoch and rule again. They sent their prayers to the Lord of Dreams and bid him bring her to them. This St. Luther did at her request. Pryzmira, last daughter of the House of the Old Empire of Aenoch, came to them and promised the wealth and power of the Council if they would support her claim to the ancient lineage. She bore the Mark and they believed her. They agreed to league with Pryzmira under the stipulation that each of the seven lands, the provinces of Aesperdi, Eichstatt, Kourland, Thuringia and Westlichia and the city states of Heimstadt and Trier, be given the rights to elect the Empress and her heirs to the throne. In turn, she demanded that their borders be permanently fixed, that they give her the city of Ascalon to rule from, and that they grant her wide privileges of taxation and expansion. Unklar’s fall in 1030 proved to be such a pivotal event. The burghers and lords gathered in a concourse and declared themselves rid of the yoke of the horned god and proclaimed Pryzmira their candidate to the throne. Later the provinces and cities declared themselves against Aufstrag and invited Pryzmira to rule them. Aufstrag had no strength left to combat this final blow to her prestige, so the rebellion went unchallenged. Pryzmira refused to be crowned without the Cunae Mundus Usquam, so her father, Jaren Falkhynjager gathered his companions of the Council, and they tore the crown from the undead hands of the Lich Baron Harakon Petrovich, that servant of the Emperor Sebastian who had held it in safe keeping these many years. At last in 1040md, the Electors crowned the 30 year old Pryzmira, Empress of Aenoch, by placing the Cunae Mundus Usquam, the “Cradle of the World,” upon her hear. In short, the constitutions drawn up were these: The military and mercantile alliance of the cities and provinces of Aesperdi, Eichstatt, Kourland, Thuringia and Westlichia and the city states of Heimstadt and Trier granted their support and elected Pryzmira Empress after she conceded the following: 1. Pryzmira recognized the territorial rights of the League members and agreed to the investiture of Ducal authority for each territory with subsequent rights given to the Lord, including justice, maintenance of troops, and taxation. 2. Pryzmira recognized the rights of the City Burghers and or leading families to choose the successor from their own number to each Ducal throne. 3. Pryzmira agreed to support the League militarily, maintaining the League’s mercantile rights. 4. Pryzmira agreed to support a general free trade throughout the League cities and lands and in instances where disagreements occurred sit as a judge and final arbiter between the disagreeing parties. 5. Pryzmira agreed to maintain an army from her own expenses to act as protection of the League and “Empire.” She agreed that the Imperial army would not be used but for extreme purposes within the territories of the League itself. However, the members agree to supply 500 well equipped men-at-arms in support of the Imperial Army for a period of 40 days each year or in the advent of no troops being available to supply monies to hire mercenaries.. In turn, the League bestowed the crown of Aenoch upon Pryzmira’s brow and installed her as their new Empress. They gave her lands surrounding the city of Ascalon to support her household. In Ascalon, a castle and tower were built for her at the League’s expense. Furthermore, she was given all rights of taxation upon the roads and rivers and sea ports (this last only upon non League members). At last, the Imperial House gained sole rights to the minting of coins and the status and conquest of non-League territory they left to the Empress’s judgement. In this manner Pryzmira came to rule the New Empire, though in truth hers was but a shadow of her ancestors power. For many years she strove to combat the Dukes and gain leverage over them. This led to many internal conflicts and the slow evolution of a complicated feudal system. Pryzmira introduced the cult of Toth to the realm to vie for the souls of the common men. Only a few converted, and mostly those possessed of great wealth. *Beriantor, a marvelous city and one of the most populous in the Empire, sat upon the banks of the Uduninlay River and the coasts for many long centuries. Next to Al-Liosh, the city became the most powerful and wealthy of the cities of the Empire. But tragedy laid the city low when a great quake tumbled it into the sea. Almost all the folk were lost and are now remembered by only a few. The ruins of the city can be seen, about 2 miles off the coast, when the weather is calm and the air bright. A History of the Empire (reconstituted) As she grew older, the Empress mollified her demands and rarely struggled with her Dukes. She turned instead to conquering new land and in this vain called to the west for a crusade, promising land and wealth. The summons generated wide enthusiasm in the west and hosts of men came to carve holdings for themselves. Though the coming years saw many victories and some expansion, the Empire failed to expand much beyond its original borders. The worship of Demeter, however, came with the crusaders. Before long the seven lands became powerful supporters of the new religion only adding to the complexity of the highly charged politics of the realm.
