Solar Empire of Arith

Pyrrhia, Solar Pyrrhia, or officially the Solar Pyrrhian Empire is a theocratic monarchy which exists and resides in the Western half of the continent Arith. The Empire is ruled by the religious and political head of state, the Solar Emperor, who is the head of the Solar Ecclesiarchy of Erses, also known as Solaris.

The foundation of the Empire is during the events of Great Reformation, when Melevor II was commanded by the head god of the now defunct faith of Ceiltean Druidism, Erses, to correct the Faith with various reforms and doctrinal rewrites. This was completed with the completion of the holy texts of Solaris, the Solar Codex. At the time, the Empire was still not formed as the nation was under the control of Melevor II's father, Melevor, who upheld strong Socialist beliefs, being the founder of the Union of Collectivist Council Republics. Following Melevor I's death during the Second Crusade against Pater Carnis, Melevor II inherited the Union with many of his enemies already dead. Within days he had proclaimed himself Emperor and reinstated the ancient order of Pyrrhia.

Etymology
The Empire is comprised of three different distinct regions which have their own ethnicities, the Ceilteans, the Hongseguoans and the Ceilto-Willowgladians. These different ethnicities descend from the central Pyrrhian ethnicity, which populated the vast stretches of Western Arith for hundreds of years before breaking into different sub-ethnicities. The terminology of a "Solar Empire" comes from the Solaris belief that the more devout and faithful one is to the Sun God Erses, the more "Solar" - or Holy - one is. The population of the Empire were infused with previously missing faith in religion following the Great Sacrilege which led to the Second Crusade against Pater Carnis.

History
The Empire has a history spanning long before it's creation. Before the Great Reformation existed the Grand Order of Druids, who propagated the now defunct Ceiltean Druidism, which the Solar Ecclesiarchy was built upon. The Grand Order was established by the ancient progenitor of the Murascaillbach Dynasty, the direct descendant of Erses, Íor Murascaillbach. Prior to the arrival of Íor Murascaillbach on Terra, the population of the world was divided and either had no conception of true religion or gods, and worshipped only material wealth or pagan idols of flesh.

The Age of Heroes
The Age of Heroes was a series of long and protracted wars by the warrior-druids of Íor Murascaillbach against the pagans of Western Arith. Though lasting for upwards of 200 years, the series of wars was finally won by the people who would eventually become the Pyrrhians, known as the proto-Pyrrhians with the annihilation of the pagan temple which stood on the banks of the Saile river, modern day Ceiltean Crownlands. Though by this time Íor was dead by 75 years, his son was the first to truly settle in the lands and reign over peaceful territories.

The druids and proto-Pyrrhians lived a very peaceful lifestyle, living in nature under a loose Confederation headed by the chief of the Murascaillbach Clan. Under this Age shrines and standing stones to the gods thrived, appearing all over Western Arith as a result of Druidic wandering and nomad lifestyles. This would end with the rise of the Free Cities of Alathra, whose harsh policies against bandits would drive the money-making thieves into the relatively unsettled and nomadic West of Arith and into direct confrontation with the proto-Pyrrhains.

Age of Subjugation
War reigned against the bandits and warlords for many decades, but more kept coming into Western Arith, leading to the total subjugation of the proto-Pyrrhians. The natives would be enslaved by their new bandit overlords, forced into endless mining across the iron and gold rich region. The proto-Pyrrhians lived a basic subsistence, with the majority of food, housing and other basic necessities being hoarded by the bandits, who become warlords and began fighting amongst one another.

While the suffering of the proto-Pyrrhians was immense, it would only get worse as the Four Piglins (Pestilence, War, Famine and Death) struck the region igniting a 15 year-long series of events which included multiple famines, droughts, bandit conflict and widespread plague scourging the lands. During this time many of the already small proto-Pyrrhian population perished either due to hunger, sickness or death at the hands of bandit warlords who fought throughout the lands for dominance. The so-called "15 Years of Death" was thought to be a plight inflicted by the minor spirits, Ymis and Rhadohir on the bandits as a punishment for the maltreatment of the proto-Pyrrhians, though had the unintended consequence of killing many of the proto-Pyrrhians, who were thought to be immune to the sickness. The catastrophic event ended only after the organisation of a widespread rebellion by the proto-Pyrrhians spearheaded by Melevor and the establishment of the city of Pyrrhus.

Thus was unified that great race of men, longed disunited and spread across the large areas of Western Arith. Long had they been oppressed and mistreated by their brutal overlords, which collectively as a people they vowed would never happen again.

Old Pyrrhia
With the creation of the city of Pyrrhus and quick development thanks to the direct oversight by Melevor, it was not long before an official Pyrrhian nation-state had been formed. The new state embarked on a campaign to consolidate its position through forming friendships both on the continent of Arith, and also around the world. Before the start of the First Great Alathran War, Pyrrhia had officially signed treaties with the Kingdoms of Arith, the Federation of Arith, the Fossores Republic and the young Arcadian Altanate. With the declaration of war upon the Federation of Arith by the Kingdom of Elyria and the formal creation of the Alathran Entente, Pyrrhia joined the war on the Entente's side. The war, infamously, was very short and created the circumstances by which the decision was taken by the leadership of the state to enact scorched earth policies in order to leave the city with nothing to be taken by the enemy, believing that if they had let the city be captured this would violate their vow upon the establishment of the city. This left the city of Pyrrhus in disrepair and created the ruins that the city is today.

A year following the desolation of Pyrrhus and the end of the First Great War, there were very few people left in the city of Pyrrhus and so the decision was taken by the joint Kings of the Union of Unity-Luton, Gbhm2 and HawlMGamez, to conduct an invasion of Pyrrhian territories to take the land for themselves. The situation looked bleak for those few remaining Pyrrhians, though mercenaries from the Kingdom of Elyria helped repulsed the invading force and win the war for the Pyrrhians, preserving the city from foreign conquest.

Ceiltea
Following the victory at Pyrrhus the decision was made by Melevor to relocate the Pyrrhian people to a new area in the West. After embarking along the then roadless Arith, after many deaths and many days of walking, crossing rivers and hills, the Pyrrhians arrived at the land which would become the four provinces of Ceiltea. The High Kingdom of Ceiltea was marked with the foundations of cities, though fairly unremarkable, the Ceiltean High Kingdom saw the settling of Ard Saileach, Doire, Carrig and the now defunct town of Rafferty.

Throughout the countries tensions began to rise over the election of Prime Minister Dedrich Collins, who stood on a basis of Ceiltean Conservativsm and the centralisation of the state by reducing regional autonomy with his party the National Conservative League, in opposition to Lord Ronan Carrig, the man who founded the city of Carrig. Carrig stood for regional autonomy, and founded the Carrig Defence League, a local militia which would seek to defend the rights of the region that Carrig was in. In response to the creation of the CDL, a National Conservative backed militia named the National Ceiltean Army arose, as tensions between the two sides of the political dialogue got worse.

Beginning with small skirmishes the now aptly name "Troubles" included various bombings, gang shoot-outs and murders, although all events took place outside of the capital of Ard Saileach, which was revered as a holy place by the Ceiltean Order of Druids due to the presence of the neutral High King, Melevor. During the Troubles Melevor spent most of his time looking to the development of Ard Saileach, building the walls of the city and the beginnings of both the Palace of Kings, and the Ceiltean National Parliament.

The end of the High Kingdom would come about with the publication of Melevor's book "Wealth: A critique of Alathran elitism", which led him to be placed under house arrest, and inevitably caused the January Revolution, out of which the Collectivist Charter was created and the Union of Collectivist Council Republics was born.

Union of Collectivist Council Republics
Following the January Revolution, the Union of Collectivist Council Republics was established as a federal, but centralised, totalitarian dictatorship commanded by Melevor and his "National Collectivist League".

Governance by the National Collectivist League was harsh, regulating the political life of the nation severely, as the League was the only permitted political party. Economically, the country was forced into isolationism due to the hostile stance it had received from much of the world which saw it as a direct threat to their own economic power with the establishment of Socialism, which the Union had vowed to spread internationally. The economic isolation of the U.C.C.R. grew a culture of economic autarky, which has survived into the modern Empire, as while the Empire has returned to international trading and normalised economic relations with the rest of the world, it remains the foremost producer of i's own needs.

A united culture began to flourish under the Union, as the leadership of the state wished for brotherhood and unity between the different ethnicities which had come together to form it. Under the Union the country had grown both territorially and economically, with the incorporation of Willowglade and the expansion of Ceiltea northwards, and the further development of towns such as Carrig, Doire and Melevorgrad (now Solar Pyrrhus).

Great Reformation
The Great Reformation started on March 12th 2022, following Melevor the Younger, son of the current Leader of the U.C.C.R, Melevor the Elder, being able to make communication with the highest god of the Ardaithe Pantheon of Ceiltean Druidism. Melevor the Younger, alongside various Ecclesiarchs and other fanatics and zealots, such as Drakkalon Metellus formed the Sect of the True Flame, which sought to bring about the commandments and correction of history told by Erses onto them. The commandments and historical corrections which Erses had laid out to Melevor the Younger were codified in the Solar Codex, an easy to read, and accurate history of all of existence.

The Solar Codex brought about major doctrinal and historical changes to the Grand Order of Druids, which more orthodox and conservative elements of the Order, most particularly the Grand Conclave, rejected as nonsense and often caused doctrinal and religious debates at the Grand Conclave, where some supporters of the Sect were seated, at the Grand College of Druids, where many students had flocked to the zealous movement, and among citizens of the Union, as the schism was creating further religious identity within the Union.

The Sect was on an upwards trend prior to the Great Sacrilege, but following the event in which Ra'thra displayed meat of sacred Ceiltean Elks on the Liathdruim, the meeting rounds of the Grand Conclave of Druids, the popularity of the Sect surged both for their violence, but for their clear action towards practitioners of The Temple of Pater Carnis, many of whom were burnt at the stake during vigilante justice by the Sect.

Second Crusade against Pater Carnis
While the Union was officially a secular state, Melevor retained his historic and religious title of King of Kings of Ceiltean Druidism, and a religious man. The Leader was outraged when Ra'thra appeared before him and the assembled Grand Conclave of Druids displaying sacred Elk meats, and so began discussions immediately with the Grand Conclave, the Ecclesiarchs of the Sect - including his son - and Tartarus of the Silvan Faith, who had previously declared a crusade against Pater Carnis.

Reaching a unanimous decision, a crusade was declared on March 16th 2022 against The Temple of Pater Carnis. In the time during the preparation of the crusader army in Melevorgrad the Sect of the True Flame grew in popularity, recruiting many of the incoming crusaders to their beliefs, holding rallies in public squares, recruitment drives, witch hunts against Pater Carnis practitioners and publicly teaching both pyromancy and Solar magic.

On March 19th 2022, following heavy skirmished on the peripheries of the Union with hired mercenaries who had eventually backed off due to the withdrawal of Eldia from the crusade, the crusader armies left Melevorgrad, embarking to the slopes of Mount Xeno where the temple was situated. Reaching the location the armies quickly assembled a hastily-built fort which stood between the temple and the ruined city of Xenoarcadia. From this temple a large banner with a yellow sun on it was flown by the Sect of the True Flame, which would come to be the Imperial Banner of the new Solar Empire.

Prior to the siege Melevor the Elder called upon the defenders to give up their arms and to surrender to avoid bloodshed, promising amnesty for all those who left the temple behind. This call was not heeded due to the influence and fear inspired by Ra'thra on the defenders, who felt forced to stay or else Ra'thra would enact dark magics upon them. The fighting in the temple would be short, as the poorly armed and low morale defenders were quickly subdued, though fighting broke out in the entrance chamber in a counter attack which led to the fatal injuring of Melevor. In the end the crusader armies would be absolutely victorious, wiping the practitioners of Pater Carnis from Arith as Ra'thra escaped to an unknown location.

During the battle Melevor was fatally injured, and upon victory being secured was carried back to the hastily-built fort overseeing Xenoarcadia. Under the large flag which flew over the fort he passed away from his injuries, officially naming his son, Melevor the Younger his successor. In the days prior to Melevor the Younger's ascension to leadership of the Union two of the major individuals upholding the National Collectivist system were mutually eliminated by one another. First Secretary of the National Collectivist League, Dedrich Collins, was murdered by remnant forces of the Carrig Defense League, while Ronan Carrig was burned at the stake by overzealous members of the Sect. This gave way for Melevor the Younger to eliminate one further obstacle to his dreams of a religious Empire replacing the Union, the Folkscommissar of State Security, SaturnDevouring, who took poison upon hearing of the Leader's intention to burn him at the stake for heresy and calling Erses a "false idol".

Following the elimination of the final Old Guard of National Collectivism, Melevor the Younger consolidated the position of the Sect by officialising it as the new state church, the Solar Ecclesiarchy of Erses, completely disbanded and banning the former Grand Conclave of Druids and Ceiltean Druidism. From here Melevor the Younger would pen letters for important dignitaries, officials within the Union who supported him and religious representatives inviting all to come to the renamed Palace of Kings on March 20th 2022 for his coronation.

Proclamation of Empire
During Melevor the Younger's coronation as Melevor II, he not only was crowned King of Kings of the Solaris Faith, but also as Solar Emperor of the newly established Solar Pyrrhian Empire, which would replace the Union of Collectivist Council Republics. The new Empire was established as a theocratic absolute monarchy, with Melevor II as the absolute monarch and religious leader of Solaris. The proclamation of Empire additionally established and renamed institutions, the state currency, anthem, the new flag of the Empire and abolished all National Collectivist directives and laws.

The name of Melevorgrad was entirely forgotten, and referred only as "Solar Pyrrhus" in the proclamation, indicating the position of the new state that the name Melevorgrad would entirely be forgotten and never recognised as the official name of the capital. Various individuals attended the coronation of Melevor II, such as Leuvis George Krieger, Arctan1, Zephyrus, Izzy Blu, Drakkalon Metellus, Theil, Grimurian and Arthur Carrig among others.

Geography
The entirety of the Empire resides in Western Arith, with the largest and most populous region being the Crownlands, also known as Ceiltea. The Crownlands is between the two rivers of the Saile and the Darach and is covered mostly by forests and plains. There is a small plain to the east of Solar Pyrrhus along the coastline which leads to the ruins of the town of Rafferty and the internal border between the Crownlands and the County of Willowglade. South of the Crownlands is the Duchy of Hongseguo, which is comprised mostly of forests, rivers and mountains. The region is the County of Willowglade, which is characterised by its sand beaches and many islands, but which is undergoing terraforming to turn the lands green and lushous. The Ceiltean Crownlands and the Duchy of Hongseguo are separated administratively by the Darach River while the city of Hongseguo is settled on the Hongse River.

Ecology
The Empire is home to many different forests and different types of plant life including dark oak trees, birch trees, oak trees, jungle trees, bamboo and large mushrooms of both brown and red varieties. While Ceiltea formely had a jungle (which had been cut down to make way for mass farms) and now has only, a dark oak forest and a birch forest, Hongseguo has only birch and dark oak forests. The over-abundance of dark oak nearby, with Solar Pyrrhus being on the site of a former dark oak forest, has led to the wood being highly popular for furniture and buildings within the Crownlands, and throughout official government buildings in the rest of the Empire. The fauna of the Empire includes the diverse range of cows, pigs, horses and parrots, with other species such as wolves being introduced from the lands south of Hongseguo as pets.

Administrative Divisions
The Empire is divided into three administrative regions, with even more internal counties and baronies. Within the Ceiltean Crownlands the County of Doire and the County of Carrig exist, though the Count of Carrig has been granted the additional title of Duke of Ceiltea, to oversee the overall development of the Crownlands.

Politics
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Solar Emperor, King of Kings, Voice of Erses
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Archchancellor
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Consortium Solaris
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Government
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Imperial Diet
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Imperial Estates
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Foreign Relations
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Arith
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Gaushan
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Prospit
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Moria
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Ashina
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Koganon
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Economy
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Demographics
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Culture
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Sport
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Gallery
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Towns
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