Terran/A complete History of Terran
Terran, well, I have been here since nearly the beginning, so it may as well be me that writes the history. I am not naturally a man of many words, yet I shall do my best.
Terran's history can be broken into the governments of our three rulers: Royal Magistrate Vesna Valentine, Chief Magistrate Teniel Dell, and Chief Magistrate Torvaldo Rimida.
Royal Magistrate Vesna came with several other colonists from Caerwyn, and carved out the land around the Chateau, our capital. Those brave few, of whom now only two remain, Lord Vesna and Magistrate Vigilans, accomplished much taking the Chateau and its surrounding towns in Saffalore. They established the base of our republic, and we are grateful for that. But they could not have lasted long on their own.
About a half-year before Terran was founded from Caerwyn, Madina had launched a colony into the city of Paisly called Melodia. Melodia grew strongly for a while, but then collapsed due to rebellion, strife, and internal conflict, and eventually Paisly reverted to Madinan control. Now the Melodian colonists at the time were trying to recolonize their old lands, but not with much success. Eventually, they gave up, and went north to Terran. After some controversy, we (for I was from Melodia, one of its last leaders) joined Terran, providing a much-needed boost to its numbers. Of our contingent, only three now remain: myself (Senator Hireshmont Vellos II), Lord Kale, and Senator Metis. But we were a major contingent in the beginning.
Now in those days, Terran was growing fast. We had a steady supply of new nobles, no major enemies, and the land was ripe for the taking. There was no competition, and we were eager. It wasn't long before we took Gretchew and Vashgew; I myself was made first Senator of Gretchew, and helped develop it into the central breadbasket of Terran. Yet we didn't stop there, no we marched on southwards, and, before long, Chesney and Chesland were in our grasp. At this time, we really began to become a stable realm, not just a backwater colony. Lady Teniel Dell became the first Senator of Chesney.
Then came the Zuma. The Zuma, the mysterious daimon-like residents of the Western Deepness (now called the Zuma Deepness), came with an army that threatened our very existence. But Royal Magistrate Vesna challenged them to a battle of honor, and we won their respect, and so they do not disturb us anymore, though in recent days they have attacked our allies, and seem to be having a hard time fighting off monsters themselves.
Also during this time, Sanguis Astroism, the huge religion covering almost all of northern Dwilight, arrived in Terran. Labell Enstance, a talented priest, became Senator of Saffalore, and temples sprang up in many regions. Terran began to become more and more connected with the outside world, and these connections, as well as our successful expansion, drew the attention of nearby imperial powers. Royal Magistrate Vesna, not always the kindest-spoken man, did not manage to make friends with Caerwyn after our original colony. When we grew large, there was a dispute of some kind (it is practically forgotten now), and Caerwyn sent armies southwards against us. Madina also made serious threats against our sovereignty, and Terran was on the brink of death. It was a time of great crisis.
However, Royal Magistrate Vesna did the right thing, and stepped down. In his place, Senator Teniel Dell became ruler, and renamed the post to Chief Magistrate. The Senate became a stronger governing body due to this, and the Republic began to grow into a more stable entity. The problems with Caerwyn were largely solved with a treaty demarcating territorial claims in the Far West, and Madina backed off of its raids for some time. Chief Magistrate Teniel helped expand Terran to include Larur and Odona in the Duchy of Chesney, then presided over by myself. They were difficult and precarious times, and we were unable to get a solid hold on Larur and Odona, they went rogue each winter. But he hung in there and, slowly, our regions grew, and we became stronger and stronger.
Chief Magistrate Teniel instituted government reform establishing the Senate as the primary legislative body, shoring up the institutions of the Republic, setting the military as subject to the Senate, and decentralizing power away from the Chief Magistrate. For all these reasons, Teniel Dell is often seen as the founder of the Republic, even as Royal Magistrate Vesna was the founder of Terran on the whole.
While Sanguis Astroism is present in Terran, it has never been huge. However, during Teniel Dells reign, a new religion, called Triunism, was founded by Metis Highland in Chesland. It quickly got many new converst: among them, myself. Triunism now dominates the Duchy of Chesney, and has large followers in the Duchy of Saffalore as well, though not so much in the Chateau itself, and only a moderate following in the townslands, as Senator Vigilans and Senator Labell are both devoted Astroists. The two religions generally get along reasonably well, with Chesney itself having great religious toleration, and sizeable temples of both faiths.
It was at this time that D'Hara grew into its own right in the Tomb Islands, and quickly became a firm ally of Terran. Madina's frequent aggressions, pirate raids, and hostilities, as well as the corrupt machinations of the Duchess of Paisly to manipulate and interfere in Maroccidens, became a point of contention. D'Hara and Terran bonded over that issue, and formed a strong friendship and alliance. That alliance would continue to grow up until the time of Teniel's retirement.
After Teniel retired, Senator Torvaldo Rimida of Larur and then Magistrate of War Vesna Valentine competed for the Chief Magistracy. It was a closer election, but Torvaldo was elected, and the Republic persevered with a peaceful and civil transfer of power. However, Magistrate Vesna would soon feature prominently again, as major war struck with Madina. Their behavior had grown too bold for Terran and D'Hara to tolerate, so the two realms attacked Paisly. D'Hara swiftly conquered the city, and Madina was kicked out of Maroccidens. They would be kept out for some time, until their conquest of Candiels in the far south.
Chief Magistrate Torvaldo's continued governance has overseen significant expansion, with Larur and Odona finally growing and prospering, firmly in our control. Indeed, Larur became the breadbasket of the south. Mistight and Thysan were conquered, though Thysan was eventually lost to the ravages of the wild. New nobles continued to arrive, picking up where we had left off. The Republic grew strong, a bastion of civilization in the midst of the wild. Madina assaulted Paisly several times, but we, along with D'Hara, repulsed them, even as Caerwyn assaulted D'Hara from the north. This conflict eventually died down, and Terran occupied itself with monsters and undead, as Madina seemed to be content with Candiels.
This period of stability eventually saw expansion into Mesoccidens. The realm of Asylon was founded in Echi'ur, and the lands of Mesoccidens were divided between Caerwyn, Terran, and Asylon by a joint treaty of those powers. With the claim on Shokalom secured, Terran advanced and took it. The city began to grow and prosper immediately, not once coming in danger of returning to its state of independence and vulgarity. With the Duchy of Saffalore productive and strong for many years, and then buffered on both sides by more lands– the rich and developed Duchy of Chesney, and the growing Duchy of Shokalom– Terran began to turn its eyes elsewhere. We developed our internal infrastructure continuously in order to ensure that our gains would not be lost, and we welcomed into our midst a number of exiled nobles from the destroyed realm of Giask.
These ambitious nobles desired to start a new life for themselves, but not in Terran: their spirit was truly Occidental, and, being emboldened by Terran's success and the patronage of several Terranian Senators such as myself, they equipped themselves to colonize Rettleville, since Ordenstaat had recently been destroyed. For the autumn and winter they served Terran faithfully and then, in the spring, a great host of over 7,000 CS of Terranian and Giaskan troops and nobles marched south to join 2,000 CS of D'Haran troops to initiate the colony. Never before had so large a host of soldiery and nobility been assembled in Maroccidens, and never before had an army of such strength, save that of the Zuma, been deployed in the interior of Maroccidens.
That is our history up to today. We will make more tomorrow.
-Senator Hireshmont Vellos II, Kapo of the Véinørmoot, Diviner of Triunism, High Commissioner of the Dwilight Trade Company
