WIP. I haven't finished it, cos the last part heavily depends on what designs we go with. Let me know what you think.
The History of the Embral EmpireThe First Empire:The Samnite-Embral War ended suddenly and conclusively, with the total surrender of the Samnite Empire to the Embral people. This thrust the commander of Embral's forces, General Samarata, into the position of Emperor over a vast expanse of territory. One of his first acts as emperor was to grant independence to almost anyone who asked, but this still left him ruling a land more than three times the size of his homeland- which had not been a unified nation until recently, making the culture shock even greater. Therefore, the new Embral Empire adopted many of the practices of the former Samnite Empire, with many Samnite officials continuing to serve in their former roles, just under a new master. Even Samnite Legionaries joined the newly-formed Embral Legions- many of them having been citizens of subjugated nations anyway, it made no difference to them who gave the orders.
There were some notable changes, however. Military spending was reduced considerably, reflecting both the reduced size of the Empire, and the new Emperor's policy of peaceful relations. The money that would've been spent on extra legions was instead invested into infrastructure- specifically, the installation of Wellwood Drums (mostly waterwheel-driven) throughout the Empire, along with the necessary hydraulic engineering. This served to raise the prosperity of most regions, endearing the new rulers to the citizenry.
Religious freedom was proclaimed, as the Embral people did not follow the Samnite pantheon- rather, they mostly followed the Kai Guna Rasata (the Manifold Path), more of a philosophy than a deistic religion. Rasata temples sprung up in Samnium, and soon throughout the empire, attracting adherents who appreciated the emphasis on personal growth, as opposed to the Samnite pantheon's capricious gods.
Emperor Samarata ruled for three decades, a period which after some initial hiccups was one of prosperity and growth. On his death, his son, Samarata II, took the throne, and served ably as the Empire's steward for two decades more. It was during the reign of his son, Samarata III, that the first signs of trouble emerged. Samarata III was an ambitious visionary, enacting many great projects to the betterment of the Empire. Such wonders as the Grand Canal, the Flooded Citadel, the Harbour of One-Thousand Ships, and the Terraces of the Northern Mountains were all constructed during his reign, along with dozens of lesser achievements that elevated the Empire to new heights of prosperity. Unfortunately, all these projects needed to be paid for, both figuratively and literally. The increase in taxes stirred discontent amongst the people, too widespread for a few unfortunate accidents to suppress. Furthermore, the ambitious scope of the hydraulic engineering resulted in rivers changing course or even drying up completely, which aggravated neighbouring nations- who also envied the wealth of the Empire.
Whilst Samarata III reigned, things remained stable- the budget was carefully balanced, upset neighbours and citizens skilfully appeased. However, Samarata III died with no heir, and a distant relative was elevated- Bharakana I. Though he initially appeared competent enough, Bharakana was not prepared for the responsibilities heaped upon him. Debts accrued, tensions flared, and Bharakana grew increasingly reclusive and paranoid. He claimed that assassins were everywhere, and instituted stringent security throughout his palace- filling it with hand-picked guards, who patrolled the walls day and night, whilst the royal quarters were sealed behind several layers of locked doors that could only be opened from within.
Bharakana died unexpectedly in his bed at the age of 36; historians believe he died of stress.
His replacement, Harana I, did what he could, but things were already slipping away. Despite internal unrest sapping the strength of their enemies, the Empire was invaded by a coalition of several nations six years into his reign. The war was hard-fought, but the Embral Legions found they were overstretched, constantly having to rush from one battle to another. Nevertheless, the superior resources of the Empire allowed them to fight their enemies to a standstill, resulting in a white peace. However, this simply made the Empire's problems worse; debts had built up during the war, whilst unrest had grown, and other neighbours who had stayed out of the war saw signs of weakness. Harana's successor, Harana II, was invaded less than one year into his reign, and this time there would be no standstill. The Legions were overstretched to breaking, incapable of facing the many enemies arrayed against them, and eventually war came to Samnium again, this time with the Embralish on the defensive against a coalition of enemies.
Samnium fell, and with it, the First Embral Empire.
The Second Empire:The Embral Legions beat a hasty retreat to Embrallia, the impregnable homeland of the Embral people. There, they mustered their strength, whilst their enemies succumbed to infighting. However, when they marched forth once more, this time with the assistance of the newly developed "Strings of Motion", they did not set out to restore an Emperor. It had been decided that one man could not rule such an expanse. Instead, they announced the New Empire would be a federation of Kingdoms, with Kings chosen by each member state, who would convene to make decisions for the Empire as a whole.
This proved a popular concept, and the Second Empire quickly retook most of the territory that had been lost, and even managed to attract nations that had not been part of the First Empire to join the Second. For several decades, everything worked perfectly. However, the new system was unable to recreate the same scale of great works that had defined the First Empire, and prosperity declined on average. In addition, despite the most corrupt kings tending to fall victim to illness or accidents, not all kings were equally concerned with the well-being of their people.
Inevitably, uprisings resulted. Sometimes popular, with over-taxed smallfolk rising up to overthrow a tyrannical king, sometimes noble, with ambitious kings seeking to make it big by themselves, at the expense of the rest of the Empire. The Embral Legions were almost never idle, as whenever there was no internal strife, there was almost always some neighbouring nation that needed to be put in their place.
Nevertheless, the Second Empire persisted, sometimes larger, sometimes smaller, but with the (increasingly refined) Wellwood Drums keeping the farmland prosperous, and the folly of the First Empire's pacifist tendencies burned into the cultural memory, the Embral Legions were generally able to win out over all comers.
The Second Empire lasted for over a millennia. It was known as the Eternal Empire at the time of its fall, as the period before its rise became almost mythical. Its downfall was not military, but ideological. Foreign travellers started to visit the Empire from far-off lands, attracted by tales of its great prosperity. They came in grand ships, and brought with them weapons unlike any seen before- weapons of smoke and fire. But they came not to fight, but to trade. They seemed harmless enough- indeed, the trade with the foreigners brought great wealth to the coastal regions of the Empire, resulting in a swelling merchant-class. They were happy enough to sell their weapons and knowledge of their creation, although the Embral Legions, convinced of their own superiority, were slow to adopt them. But what no one realised was that they brought with them an infection- an infection of the mind, which they called "Enlightenment".
Enlightenment philosophy spread slowly, and seemed harmless. It resonated well enough with the tenets of Kai Guna Rasata, and many temples incorporated elements into their sermons. The emphasis on education initially paid off, as smarter people were more productive, leading to rulers spending more money on schools, some going so far as to make basic schooling freely available to all. But like a plague, by the time symptoms appeared, it was too late. It started with merchants, who clamoured for more say in the ruling of the Empire. Educated peasants questioned the status quo. Then radicals started to call for the abolishment of Kings. And the foreigners, who had seemed so friendly before, supported these radicals, providing them with money, then weapons. Rebellion broke out, and the Embral Legions, still mostly reliant on old-fashioned weaponry, discovered that a peasant with a cheap musket could kill an armoured soldier who had trained for years. The rebels declared "Republics" all over the Empire, and quickly formed ties with the foreigners, giving them favourable trade deals and allowing them to station troops in their territory.
Within four decades of the first foreign ship making landfall in the Eternal Empire, the Empire had fallen.
The Republican Period:Embrallia itself remained true to the Embral ways, the people loyal to the King, who had always treated them fairly. But the rest of the empire was overtaken completely by republics of various flavours. For a few years, the spirit of Enlightenment united the republics, some of which formed a coalition that attempted to invade Embrallia. However, the remnants of the Embral Legions that remained loyal were joined by volunteers who excelled in guerilla warfare, like the ancient Embralish Woodsmen, albeit now armed with muzzle-loaded rifles (developed locally) instead of spears. The republican armies found the jungles surrounding Embrallia impossible to penetrate, and the roads heavily guarded by Legionaries, who by now had adopted and trained in the use of muskets, and developed tactics to counteract enemy musketeers.
Eventually, the republican coalition gave up- their home situations having become problematic. For the friendly foreigners had turned out to be less friendly than advertised, as they exerted more and more control over the newly-formed republics. Some were even persuaded to appoint foreign governors- and though these suffered many accidents, they were always replaced, each time with a larger retinue of troops. In fact, the foreigners went so far as to accuse the Embral people of employing spies and assassins- a scurrilous, unsubstantiated, slanderous fabrication, that only foreigners who knew nothing of Embralish luck could come up with. And so, foreign influence spread, and the 'free' republics became little more than puppets of the foreign empire.
However, the people did not take this lying down. They soon realised that they had been hoodwinked, and started to fight back. Foreign armies landed en-masse, and with superior weapons and more experience using them, put down many uprisings. But the Empire had been very large, and without local forces to augment their elite troops, the foreigners could not hope to rule it. And as Embralish luck would have it, dissent spread quickly amongst said local forces, hampering the foreigners' efforts. Eventually, those opposing the foreigners turned to the one place that remained entirely free of their influence: Embrallia.
The Embralish had not been idle whilst foreigners ran roughshod over their former lands. All of Embrallia had been gearing up to fight back: the Legions, swelled with volunteers from across the Empire, had been training incessantly for years, with large contingents of 'Sikari', who had modernised and perfected skirmish warfare; the Wells had been plumbed deep to make weapons that used the Ancient Music in never-before seen ways, whilst engineers had developed ways to mass-produce rifles and high-quality muskets; and politicians and philosophers had worked tirelessly to create the framework for a new empire, that would satisfy the new spirit of egalitarianism, whilst still presenting a strong, resilient state that could fight off foreign aggressors.
When the resisting republics came to Embrallia with their hats in their hands, they were welcomed with grace, and aid promised in exchange for their participation in the New Empire. Almost without exception, they agreed to the terms, and so the Embral Legions marched forth once more, now fully prepared for a new age of warfare. Their first encounter with hostile forces was over in a flash, with the local conscripts breaking almost immediately, and the foreign troops left without support against weapons that outmatched their own. The republics bordering Embrallia were quickly liberated, and incorporated into the New Empire.
The New Empire:The Legions of the New Empire marched forth, seemingly unstoppable, until they reached the coastal republics. These had been under foreign rule for a long time, and they were heavily fortified and garrisoned with large numbers of foreign troops, as well as locals who were unwavering in their loyalty to the governors. In addition, the shores were the domain of the foreigners' ships, which were replete with many cannon, and built of stronger stuff than any Embralish vessel. To dislodge the foreigners would not be a simple task, yet the Legions did not waver.
Before fighting could begin, the foreigners offered a truce. They would recognise the Embralish claim to the lands the New Empire had reconquered, and cease hostilities, in exchange for hefty reparations and a rather unbalanced trade deal. Needless to say, this offer was taken as an insult, and negotiations broke down. The Legions began besieging several forts and cities, many of which felt the full weight of Embralish luck. Artillery was lacking, slowing progress, but the attacks from both within and without, as well as dwindling supplies, meant that the garrisons could not hold out forever. Naturally, the foreigners mustered their forces, and marched forth to break the sieges. However, as they approached the beleaguered fortifications, they found themselves harassed by the Sikari; camps raided in the night, commanders sniped on the roads, supplies stolen- all by soldiers who would vanish without a trace if any attempt was made to chase them down. One army, the 6th Expeditionary Command, suffered almost 2000 casualties- 10% of their starting number- over a three day march through a densely wooded region.
Nevertheless, skirmishers alone could not stop the foreign armies, though the attrition and demoralising effect was significant. But when the foreign forces arrived at their destination, they invariably encountered one of two situations: the besieging forces had packed up and left, mere days before their arrival; or the besieging forces had their numbers bolstered by reinforcements, to the point where the relief force found itself severely outnumbered. It did not help that scouts were the most vulnerable to Sikari interference- and those that did report in often brought back conflicting information.
Thus did the New Empire whittle down the foreign armies, through superior strategic manoeuvring and intel, and the use of expert skirmishers. The inland regions of the coastal republics fell, leaving the foreigners with only the fortified port-cities.
Again, the foreigners offered a truce. They now offered a reasonably fair trade agreement, and to surrender half of their remaining territory, asking for nothing in return. They pointed out that the Embral Legions could not best them on the seas, and would be hard-pressed to win a siege if they could not cut the garrison off from naval resupply. In response, the Embral negotiators presented a copy of a news-sheet from the foreigners' homeland. "WAR DEBT SKYROCKETS", the headline read.
This was an unexpected development, from the foreigner's perspective, as they had been extraordinarily careful not to let any information or news from their homeland reach the Embral Empire. The Embralish negotiators made their position clear: the Embral Legions could maintain this war almost indefinitely. They did not have to win at sea, or capture any ports. They needed only to continue to sap the resources of their enemy, until economic forces forced them to surrender.
Not having the power to surrender unconditionally, the foreign negotiators were forced to return to their homeland. When they returned, they came bearing a white flag. The war, as they say, ended not with a bang, but with a whimper. Yet this was, and always had been, one of the Embral people's greatest strengths: prosperity.
Jubilation was widespread. People who had once rebelled against the Empire now lauded the New Empire, for saving them from the foreign menace. However, the new Emperor (Dubara I) knew that true safety was a long ways off. Neighbouring nations had fallen victim to the foreigners, and refused the New Empire's help. Should the foreigners sort out their finances and return, the Embral Empire would have to be ready. And for that, he declared, they would have to voyage out into the world, so they could share in whatever innovations were happening in distant lands, and invest in homegrown innovations as well- which meant that, despite the desire of some to destroy the schools and universities that had poisoned the minds of so many citizens, education would have to be a priority.
Ships were built, by shipwrights who had worked on the foreigners' ships, to carry Embralish envoys to distant shores. Schools were built, now teaching an Embralish curriculum. And, of course, debts had to be paid- for all their bravado towards the foreigners, the war had not been kind on the Empire's finances.
In time, contact was made and embassies established with nations all over the world, and goods and ideas flowed freely- though always with someone watching, lest a new poison be introduced. This scrutiny, for instance, helped prevent a ploy by the same foreigners to export an addictive drug into the Empire- a combination of stringent anti-smuggling work, strict laws, and some threatening diplomacy put a halt to the opioid epidemic before it started.
As the years passed- now measured using the same calendar as the rest of the world, by which reckoning it was the 19th century, the Embral Empire developed rapidly. Steam power was adopted, with Embralish inventors contributing some small but important tweaks to the development of the innovation. Railways criss-crossed the Empire, making the use of Strings of Motion somewhat less crucial in moving troops quickly (although it still aided greatly in regions without rail access). Industrial agriculture was integrated seamlessly into the Embral's traditional agricultural expertise, whilst factories sprung up in the cities like mushrooms.
Throughout this, the Embral Legions continued to modernise, going from smoothbore muskets to bolt-action rifles (with some stops along the way). There were, as ever, wars to be fought, though none of the same intensity as the formation of the New Empire.
Until, of course, 1911. Tensions with neighbouring nations, many of which still had strong connections to the invasive foreigners, boiled over, despite the best efforts of Embralish luck. This, of course, drew in their foreign ally- a superpower with a grudge, as the Embral Empire had continually been a thorn in their side. The Empress Jita I gave a stirring speech, distributed across the empire by telegram. War, which the Embral people knew all too well, was here again- but the Legions were, as ever, ready.
Structure of the New Empire:The New Empire is a parliamentary empire, meaning that it has an emperor, who more or less controls the executive, and a parliament, which more or less controls the legislative side of things. Emperor is not a hereditary position- the next emperor is chosen by a select group of people, a process which most citizens trust to produce a capable ruler, as Embralish luck generally means incompetent or corrupt rulers do not last long. Members of parliament are elected on a by-district basis, with universal suffrage (more or less). Parliament has some power to overrule the Emperor, and vice-versa. The former kingdoms of the Second Empire form administrative provinces, with a provincial parliament (elected locally) and a governor (appointed by the Emperor).
The military of the New Empire retains the legionary structure, with legions consisting of about 10000 men. Legions are subdivided into 500 man Cohorts, each of which is made up of 5 100 man Centuries. Each legion has 500 Sikari, who remain experts in sniping, scouting, and all manner of unconventional warfare.
Different legions may have different specialities; some employ more artillery, others excel at defensive warfare.
My tentative proposals for the two design prompts would be:
Defining Advancement: A stringed instrument that resonates with the rhythms of the human body, allowing it to be accelerated (allowing for faster movement from place to place (not so useful in melee combat, as it would affect the enemy just as much)) or slowed down (useful for keeping injured soldiers stable whilst surgery is performed).
Best pre-WWI weapon: A really good rifle, ideal for sniping, descended from rifles used by the Sikari.
E: Here's the stringed instrument proposal. Not sure about the name, if someone has a better suggestion, I'd gladly change it.
Strings of Motion:
When the First Empire fell, it was in no small part due to the Embral Legions' inability to be everywhere at once. It was to remedy this issue that the Strings of Motion were first adopted. Developed by the philosopher-physician Teza, the Strings allowed the Embral Legions to march tirelessly at high speeds, making it nigh-impossible for their enemies to predict where they would show up. A secondary use was to stabilise wounded soldiers until they could be treated.
Teza was- and remains to this day- an important figure. He is considered the father of medicine, a crucial architect of the Second Empire, and the inventor of the Strings of Motion. To be fair, his title "Father of medicine" is perhaps an exaggeration. There were physicians before him; indeed, the Samnites had been quite skilled at surgery, and developed cures for many ailments. However, Teza made it his life's work to collect and disseminate medical knowledge, and make medical treatment available to all. His magnum opus, "Adhunika Dava'i", was considered the definitive source of medical knowledge for the entirety of the Second Empire, and was only supplanted when the foreigners brought their medical expertise during the Republican Period.
To what extent Teza contributed to the formation of the Second Empire is not entirely clear. Many of the founding documents of the Second Empire appear to have no author, but it is hypothesized that Teza wrote, or contributed to the writing of several. It is certainly true that he was a promoter of the concept, using his fame as a physician to convince people to listen, and give the Second Empire a chance.
The Strings of Motion was one of Teza's most important creations, however. Teza delved several Wells, and studied the possible medical applications of Ancient Music. He experimented many times with Wellwood drums, attempting to induce regeneration in animals, but found that this was either to slow, or resulted in cancerous growths that killed the subject almost as quickly as the injury would've. Giving up on percussion, he tried other instruments. It was actually a Samnite instrument- the cithara, a large stringed instrument- that proved most successful. A Wellwood body, with strings made from the guts of a Wellbeast, tuned with Wellbronze fittings, resulted in an instrument that Teza discovered could influence the heartbeat of a patient. Further study revealed that the instrument was actually slowing down the body's natural rhythm, not only the heartbeat. Teza found that by slowing down a patient in this way, he had more time to perform surgery, although he was only able to slow patients down to half their normal rhythm. It was also possible to accelerate a patient, but though this was marginally useful for accelerating recovery, he observed that patients found it difficult to stay still when accelerated; not conducive to bedrest.
However, when the Sack of Samnium of happened, and Teza evacuated the city together with the surviving Legionaries, he discovered a new use: the instrument was useful in speeding up the movement of the soldiers accompanying him, allowing them to avoid enemy patrols. A Centurion realised the potential of this to alleviate the Legions's difficulty in moving around quickly, and begged Teza to develop his instrument further. Though a pacifist, the horrors of the Sack of Samnium were fresh in Teza's mind, and he reluctantly agreed to share his notes with the Legions.
Legionary musicians quickly honed Teza's invention, discovering that the critical component was the Wellbeast-gut strings, and the body and fixings could be made of normal materials with only minor loss of performance. They developed several instruments, from massive cart-mounted Cithara to small handheld lutes, naming them Strings of Motion. Although physical limitations prevented the the Strings from having a ludicrous effect (no matter the rhythm, the body can only move so fast, and the extra calories required to maintain a greatly enhanced rhythm result in diminishing returns), they were able to enhance the speed of the Embral Legions, allowing them to outpace any enemy not on horseback.
The Strings of Motion were instrumental (no pun intended) in the formation of the Second Empire, as the Embral Legions were able to consistently outmanoeuvre their enemies. They would go on to be a key piece of the Second Empire's arsenal as they faced off against their many enemies, even after their enemies learned to compensate for the Legions' increased speed, as it still presented a significant advantage by allowing fewer Legions to protect larger areas, run down fleeing enemies, or conversely quickly retreat from a stronger enemy.
E2: And here's a proposal for the rifle.
Samarata 1902:
The latest in a long line of homegrown sniper rifles, the Samarata (named for the first Embral Emperor) 1902 was developed to replace the Kamana 1870, which was the first mass-produced cartridge-using sniper rifle in the Embral Empire. Before the Kamana, the long-serving Sikari rifle was the standard armament for skirmishers, which, though it went through a variety of revisions, was essentially the same rifle that debuted with the dawn of the New Empire in 1799. The Sikari had been an unpleasant surprise to the foreign soldiers occupying the Empire, proving to be superior in effective range to their own rifles (and obviously considerably outranging smoothbore muskets).
The Samarata was a 7mm, bolt-action, 5-round-magazine rifle, with mountings for a variety of sights over the barrel. It was not designed to be a service rifle- it was intended for use by the Sikari, elite skirmishers, and as such was of a higher quality of craftsmanship. The use of telescopic sights, hardened to resist constant use, allowed for the Sikari units in the Embral Legions to effectively pick off targets at ranges that other armies of the time- most of which did not even have dedicated snipers- could only dream of.
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Topic: Mechanized Warfare: Embral Thread / Final Phase, 1941 Cold Season (Read 23621 times)