Born 541YT to Xandorian Victor Vis and Alma Vis as the sixth child she spent much of her time growing up around military camps in the Frengenland province where her father had won decisive victories 20 years before her birth. Serving the Agaiatar Legions he had taken the province in the name of the seven kings of the Immortal Kingdom. Under mounting tensions along Catorealm borders, he led multiple expeditions into the nearby forests. Sensing Victoria’s interest in his work he let her accompany him on various routine patrols and brought her frequently to the planning room where she soon picked up a good understanding of strategy and a fascination for maps.

But it wasn’t until she was 18 years old and accompanied her mother, Alma, to Agaiatar that she felt she would need to fight to protect this unique country. Upon her return, she found the Catorealm at war with the Immortal Kingdom. She was accepted immediately and began working her way up through the ranks of the Strategia - the Strategy and Logistics division.

Rising through the ranks she was a mere 10 years later elevated to the rank of High Generalis, giving her control over four Baancores or one entire Legion. When she hit the rank she was promptly reassigned to the southern front where a connected but separate conflict had been raging: The Second Black Road Conflict.

When she started doing her duty, defending the trade along the road from Maimast Caugel she first witnessed the Shonin Legonaires in action, a new group of mercenaries that had specialized in mobile formation warfare. After a few months of fighting, she had figured them out. Whilst the seven kings had already - in secret - written off the war as unwinnable, just fighting it to keep the Catorealm away from the western front, Victoria won skirmish after skirmish.

During the fighting, she eventually adopted an interest in accompanying soldiers on the ground, something that she had done rarely before. Shocked by the brutality of her soldiers, she inquired if the soldiers had no remorse or concern for their own Souls. When it was revealed to her that they used Blackleaf before a conflict to allow soldiers to disregard their own emotions and empathy she banned the practice immediately.

After sifting through documents of the western armies she found that all units had been administering the drug. Unaware of its actual impact, she had usually requested legions under blackleaf before - not aware of the reason why it lead to an increase in performance.

In her memoirs, we can read that she played with the idea of purposefully losing the battle for the Road which transported the material into the Immortal Kingdom but she could not betray her country. So she instead began administering a different herb with a similar substance but without the effect.

As a result, the performance of her fighters dropped. It would be her challenge for the upcoming years to hold her own - despite that - against the Shonin Legion. She succeeded in this but the decision became very controversial and was hotly debated until eventually Due Religio, the current most powerful priesthood in Agaiatar sent envoys to the frontlines which subsequently began advocating for the removal of blackleaf from all use and trade.

Eventually, the decision was passed and the war continued. The Catorealm has rejected the black leaf ever since and thus the use of the material is mostly simply not possible as its transport out of Caletsa where it can be found is prohibited by all neighboring states - of course with the exception of the black market trade we have seen ever since.

Victoria would go on to hold the line, being by then known for her integrity and soldiers rallied readily behind her. When The First Shallow Water Wars began in 580YT a truce with the Catorealm was negotiated and she was moved to the frontlines, learning about combined naval and ground combat.

She died in 584YT during her service on the frontlines. Her remains and her Soul were swallowed by the sea but a statue of her likeness till this day stands tall at the entrance of the Valley of Heroes in Agaiatar and in the High House, dropping leaves from a box with her legion behind her.

Born in 411 YT, Silas grew up a prodigal son of the Edany Legions. The Immortal Kingdom, just formed and full of ambition, its star just rising, was on its way to conquer more lands and grow its influence. During this time the antagonism between the Star Edany and Edany sects became stronger and stronger, leading to a council of Sacrada Religeo hardliners in the High House (cite: Edany) which began pushing the public towards tribalism. Searching for a reason to gain more territory and get the people to widely support the war effort, they searched and eventually found a reason to go to war with the Star Edanists.

On a fateful night in the year 443 YT the Purge of Agaiatar began: Soldiers were commanded to go from house to house, bringing together the Star Edanists who by then mostly lived in ghettos but also the aristocratic ones.

Silas, who had by then risen through the ranks of the king’s guard, had for some time been suspicious of the new clergy. When his second in command woke him and told him that the local protection police was gathering Star Edanists at night on the temple plazas, he sprang into action.

Using his rank as commander, he managed to intimidate local officials of various regiments to leave him in charge. He then escorted the Star Edanists down to the harbour where they were to be brought onto ships. But the making ready of ships took a long time. They were discovered and the warrior monks and protection police as well as army regulars poured towards the harbour gate.

There, Silas and a few other loyal members of the Kingsguard held the gate for almost an hour, allowing almost all ships behind them to escape. 1200 Star Edanists are said to have fled that day. Silas who lead a push into the enemy before the last ships left was cut down by multiple arrows.

The Edany council in the High House charged the guardsmen with heresy whilst the Star Edanist quarters of the city burned. Many more thousands were killed that night.

It took almost 100 years for the soul of Silas and his companions to be brought to the valley of redemption in Agaiatar where his Soultree stands today as a warning against tyranny and a reminder of their heroic sacrifice. The Sacrada Religio tried to prevent this but by then a new power had taken ahold of the High House: The Due Religio.

Until today he is displayed as a statue in the High House, carrying a soul in his arms to symbolize the protection of a human life - one of the thousand that day.

One of the 7 kings of the Immortal Kingdom between 488 and 492YT, Caius of Tera was a former nobleman from Tera, Morou turned king. When he transferred to the frontlines near today’s Tarina and Sokuzan to take charge of a smaller army led by a trusted general, he found a devastated and burned land. The armies had moved through and looted and burned everything. The ongoing conflict had given the land no chance to return to stability and prosperity.

In response - after some deliberation and considering that the war was bitterly fought for many years now - he decided to use his part of the Immortal Kingdom Army - to dig wells and secure trade routes. He fortified the countryside and policed against bandits and pirates. His logistics units rerouted transports meant for the frontlines to his camps where he distributed them to the victims of the war. They became widely known as “The Deliverance Warriors” [-].

But more than just helping people behind the frontlines, Caius had made this calculated move to strike an accord with the Valano Army (cite: Valano) to help intervene in the fighting, showing a willingness to cooperate that was previously absent.

This eventually allowed the Immortal Kingdom to pull out of the conflict but not before the council of kings and the clergy voted narrowly to not kill him - something that could have gone quite differently would it not have been for the Mal Hyr incident. Aside from this, his actions had not gone unnoticed and there were several instances in which the prosecution or reporting on him was avoided due to sympathetic priests and administrators.

After two years on the frontlines and four years in office in total, the war had come to a close and Caius resigned. He moved to Agaiatar where he had - according to his own statements - been put on the right path.

There - outside the city walls - he lived on a humble farm where he cared for the land and his animals.

He was however called into the office of king again some 13 years later when a big diplomatic conflict with the Vondo Empire loomed. He solved the conflict within 16 days and after that returned to his farm.

When he died, his Soultree was given a place in the valley of redemption.

The Edanist world has long honored its most important Legends, many of which have received giant status in the High House in the Holy City of Agaiatar.

Whilst there are some from the Age of Honor it becomes clear that the defining moment of the “Edany Wars” forged many legends thereafter as the newly born Immortal Kingdom found itself.

Many like Caius of Tera, Valoras, Silas of Myrelin were actively involved in ending the war or interfering with the plans of the Sacrada and Magistra Religeo.

It can therefore be said with some certainty that the darkness and failure of the Edanist Creed has yet again been integrated to make it stronger - a common pattern historically speaking.

I for once believe that the true danger of …

[Scroll ripped apart]

I have taken the time to recount the background of Cassius Valeo who became known through his Journey to Agaiatar. If you are interested in this part of his life, read up on it.

Backstory

Born to Castar Valeo, a ship-hand, Cassius’ ears knew well the mark of each ship as it docked. It was on one hazy morning that the ship that brought him and his father to the port of Agaiatar departed without the boy.

For days he attempted to find his father, certain that Castar would have returned to the port at a moment's notice when realizing his son was not aboard. But weeks later, denial turned into a kind of hopelessness.

For weeks he would live on the streets of the broken “Daletian West” district near the harbor, keeping himself alive only through his knowledge of docks and its many taverns, dumpsters, and ships. Eventually, a kind soul by the name of Madam Cordelia brought him to her orphanage near the Caravon Chaussee. He began doing all sorts of small tasks each day to keep the house afloat. There he met Amity.

Discovering her giving away bread that was hers to eat, he immediately found an admiration for her that would never leave. Together they explored the city, climbed the ropes to the Royal Provider Templict, and explored the wilderness outside the western walls. From there Cassius first saw the towers and wall protecting the “Valley of Heroes”.

Cordelia told him upon his request that it was the place where heroes were forged and that he should seek the counsel of a priest to know more. Driven by unbridled curiosity, the young chap, barely 11, made it into service above the clouds in the renowned Aveliar Temple. There he was counseled by a priest, leading him to read the Book of Ancestors, detailing the heroics of Agaiatars Legends.

Inspired by Mal Hyr and other such legendary warriors and embued with a will to fight he found out how to join the legions. Though he was too young, he began to train eagerly. Even Amity got entangled in his enthusiasm. When the day finally came that he should put himself forth in the final test, he descended into the darkness of the Valley of Heroes where he proceeded to battle through his test.

Emerging victorious, the Legion Xandorian was impressed with his enthusiasm, marking him for heavy infantry duty during the ceremony at the Temple of Heroes. Soon - through his training - he made a name for himself as the most eager learner and the most uncompromising and dedicated. Be rain or snow, he would be out, honing his skills. Amity who had joined the Army in a utility and scout function often joined him - like in the good old times.

During his stay at the Immortal Legion Headquarters in Agaiatar, Cassius became known to a few priests and scholars. Understanding more deeply over all this time the true reason for his fight. Having traveled to many places as a child, many lawless, he had found a home. A place that took care of him, one that had a promise, hidden in the depths of its past. Legends of his ancestors were chiseled history that spoke of honor, tales of battle, whispers of reverence, a meaning to fulfill in the service of an order he sought to protect.

He understood his life to be of that service and he intended to make a name for himself. Not because he needed the validation that had gotten plenty for his excellent abilities but because such tales would mean that he had made a difference to the city that he had so come to revere. On a cold morning in the year 1089YT, the time had come.

The Agaian, ruler of the city, had called upon the service of four legions - one of which was his and Amity’s. When the boats sailed into the grey of the Dukedoms, his excitement was palpable.

Time had finally led him to battle, to greatness. It was time to reunite and remake the Immortal Kingdom and this was its first battle. However, when he arrived on the Aster Lowlands, as a setting evening sun cast its last rays over the West Amber Forest, his legion was ambushed … and the rest is history!

Mal Hyr the Priestslayer is a mysterious figure. He moved to the Immortal Kingdom if his name is anything to go by - from the southern Catorealm or the Kingdom of Caletsa. He became part of the legions around the 580s and served as a frontline soldier in various fights against the Star Edanists. He did not brag and disliked when people sang songs about him to the point where he broke a bard’s instrument in a tavern one night - a sign that was understood. For some time it became silent around Mal Hyr until one day, the Sacrada Religio Priesthood pushed for a renewed campaign. He happened to be in Agaiatar at the time - it was the year 591 YT. There were minor riots in the streets but the peasantry at the time was too weak to protest the war. We assume that he had seen not only the starvation in Agaiatar but also the frontlines in Tarina and Sokuzan. So that night he walked up the stairs to the High House where the High Priests of the Sacrada Religeo held their conference. He went unnoticed or unattended for some time until he was outside the big room in which the matters were discussed. It is said that when he fought the guards and without regard for his own life broke open the doors, ran into the room, and slew the five head priests. His armor holding off many blows, he finally stepped back onto the terrace and rammed his big sword to the floor where he sat down as guardsmen surrounded him. One stuck out his spear and killed him. As a radiant soul arose above the man the people then knew that Mal Hyr must have had all the knowledge necessary to judge the killing of the five priests to be an overall good, something that rarely happens. As such, the Sacrada Religeo’s reputation was greatly damaged, the kings rejected the new expansion plans and Mal Hyrs actions led - among other things - to the end of the century war against the Star Edanist [Scroll Ripped]

Born “Kaia the Third of Aeterna” in 763YT, she earned herself the second name “Aureum” throughout her life’s work.

Born to an important aristocrat in Aeterna, she was voted into the office of mayor. There she started to understand the intricate complications with local politics and prohibitive dynamics that had established themselves for more than 200 years of Immortal Kingdom rules. Her main interest was strengthening the trade routes down the Aureum, the big river flowing down from Rodland all the way to Agaiatar, the name meaning “gold” because it had always been a source of wealth for the region. After several years of trying, she eventually resigned from the office, frustrated. She believed that a better life was possible for many of the people along the river if the living standards were raised everywhere.

Out of conviction, she started a small test project in which she spun up an operation in Aeterna that researched better ways of manufacturing ships. The operation was successful even though she lost plenty of money. Her now dead father was no longer around to restrict the spending and the mother couldn’t care less. Encouraged she started building bridges, subsidizing building projects for the slums along the rivers, and supporting the education of Medicus Mages and other healers in the area.

Her efforts became known along the river from Agaiatar, Sanctor, Aeterna to Athinea Agretora and even Myrelin and Civitea. Soon other aristocrats joined in from all across the country and the “Aristocratic Ministry of Welfare” was established. All of this happened around the 790s during the time of the 2nd Moral Revolution. The tense times in which the people, aristocratic business owners, and the governing bodies were pitted against each other for the question of wealth distribution led the kings to take action to preserve the public image. One of the ways they did this was to take inspiration from what Kaia had done and even though it took some time for the government to form its own body, it caught up as well.

We can trace the idea of the welfare state back to this time and place and it all began with Kaia who would also later be referred to as Mother Aureum. For many more years, she would stay in the office within the Ministry of Welfare until - at the age of 55 she retired to a Radiant Mage order where she became a student and soon a teacher.

Until today her soultree stands in the illustrious palace gardens of the Order Civitum.