“Ustilus represents the hopes and dreams of humanity, a shining beacon of what humans can achieve once they work together. Our nation has spread civilization and progress throughout the continent and beyond, bringing millions under the banner of Feyn and vastly improving their standard of living. But, at the same time, our name is also associated with violence and conquest, and we must not forget that many of the people who we rule see us not as benevolent overlords but as brutal tyrants. If we will move forward, even in these troubled times, we must remember what made Ustilus great and right the wrongs of our past. Because if we remain blind any longer and refuse to face reality we will face an inevitable collapse and once we fall history will judge us harshly.”
-Ileria, prime minister of Ustilus under the Constitutional monarch Theodora
The Ustilian empire was a transcontinental state which ruled vast lands in Raldamain from the southern deserts of Tamashkhan to the northern mountains in Kratoi. Claiming to be the successor state of the First empire, Ustilus fought massive wars with Mazarin and Arshalan for supremacy over the continent and achieved its greatest extent and power in the 40th century. The empire’s founding and rise sparked an era of cultural renaissance and technological development which began the Age of Triumph, creating a new golden age not seen in Raldamain since the First empire. Ustilian supremacy lasted until the year 4000 as the sudden disappearance of Feyn threw the empire into nearly a decade of turmoil which caused territorial losses and rapid political changes. This would last until the year 4010 when the rise to power of a new emperor and proclamation of the cult of the Inheritor as the new national religion forever changed the Ustilian empire and massively reformed its institutions. Now Ustilus is at a crossroads where it is no longer the strongest nation in the Continent and only fate will decide if it can rise again to its former strength or fall even more towards ruin.
Ustilian civilization is a complex and rich history that spans many centuries. It is believed that the Ustilian people were originally a primitive culture that followed pagan religions and worshipped the spirits of the land. Their land, known as the Ustal, was home to small settlements where agriculture was practiced.
In the later years of the First Empire, colonists arrived in the Ustal and introduced the Feynist religion to the native people. However, these colonies were short-lived as the Tangarin hordes invaded the region, causing destruction and chaos. In response, the First Empire sent a military expedition to defeat the Tangarin and established several military bases along the way.
After successfully defeating the Tangarin, the First Empire soldiers settled in the Ustal and the military bases expanded into small cities. These cities eventually came together to form the vassal-state of Elyon, named after the capital city. When the First Empire fell, Elyon became an independent territory, one of the last remnants of the First Empire which preserved of many of its traditions.
Throughout its history, Ustilian civilization has been shaped by a variety of cultural and political influences. It is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of its people, who have managed to thrive and preserve their way of life in the face of numerous challenges and changes.
The founding and unification of the Feynist kingdoms of Deverent and Elyon marked an important moment in the history of the Ustal lands. It was during this time that the kingdom of Mazarin, the continent’s new great power, began to colonize the northern coasts of the Ustal lands and spread the Feynist religion.
An exiled Mazarine prince named Kelsar arrived on the northern coasts of Ustilus and formed an independent Feynist kingdom named Deverent. Meanwhile, the kingdom of Elyon, which had been established by the First Empire, began to spread inland. When the two kingdoms met they fought for supremacy over the Ustal lands in a war that would span several decades.
According to legend, King Althar of Deverent and Queen Sarani of Elyon fought each other in a duel for many days, each claiming to be the true chosen of Feyn. The duel ended in a draw and both rulers recognized each other as equally chosen by Feyn, ultimately leading to the unification of their kingdoms through marriage. It is said that they placed the first stone of a city that would later become the imperial capital of Feyn’s Throne, symbolizing the unity of the two kingdoms.
The founding and unification of Deverent and Elyon played a significant role in shaping the history and culture of the Ustal lands. It marked the beginning of a new era of prosperity and peace, as the two kingdoms came together to form a strong and unified nation.
The history of the kingdom of Ustilus is a long and tumultuous one, marked by periods of great prosperity and achievement as well as times of conflict and unrest. The formation of the first kingdom of Ustilus, through the union of Deverent and Elyon, marked the beginning of a golden age under the rule of King Arimion the Great.
During this time, Ustilus became one of the largest and most prosperous kingdoms in Raldamain, expanding its borders and its faith to encompass the entire Ustal lands. Under the reign of Arimion’s son, Pelagar, the kingdom launched a campaign to eradicate the influence of pagan cults in the region, leading to the formation of the Church of Feyn as the highest religious authority. During this campaign many of the land’s most powerful spirits were slain through divine rituals.
However, tensions with the kingdom of Mazarin arose when the Mazarine monarch claimed to be the only true chosen of Feyn, leading to centuries of tension between the two kingdoms. The golden age of Ustilus came to an abrupt end when the empire of Tamashkhan rose to power in the south and conquered the southern Ustilian province of Pradjadi, leading to a devastating war. The city of Feyn’s Throne, the capital of Ustilus, withstood a prolonged siege by Tamashkhan forces, but the kingdom was eventually soundly defeated by King Vardel, known as the Hammer of the Tamash. In response, Vardel formed the Knights of Ustilus, an order of holy warriors, to protect the kingdom against future threats.
The Temash invasion of the Citadel also provoked the rage of other Feynist kingdoms, who sent armies of holy warriors to assist Ustilus. While the Tamash were driven back to Pradjati, Ustilus was thrown into a century of holy war as it sought to recover all of its lands. During this time, tensions arose between the Knights of Ustilus and the Church of Feyn, which was seen as decadent and power-hungry by the knights. After a group of disgruntled mazarine soldiers raided Feyn’s Throne and sacked its outer walls there was great popular discontent against the monarchy and the church for their weakness, and many believed that Feyn himself had abandoned the kingdom.
This unrest eventually led to a rebellion led by a group of heretic knights, who claimed that the rulers had committed grave sins and that the kingdom’s problems were due to divine punishment. The rebellion spread rapidly, defeating many feudal lords and consolidating vast swaths of land under the banner of the Kingdom of Feyn. However, it was later revealed that the leading knights of the rebellion were secretly worshipping the dark god Sek-Tebos, leading to the rebellion’s defeat. While the leaders were executed, many of the rebellion’s supporters fled westwards and spread their religion to a faraway continent.
The civil war that ensued devastated the kingdom of Ustilus and left it weakened, leading to an era of warring feudal lords. This period of chaos was further exacerbated by the expansionist policies of the Tamashkhan and Mazarin empires, which began to conquer Ustilian lands.
The Ustilian kingdom finally collapsed with the arrival of an invading army from beyond the western sea, which easily defeated the Ustilians thanks to their superior technology and secret assistance from Sek-Tebos. The Ustilian lands were subsequently subjected to the Rakashite Empire, which would go on to rule the region for centuries. Despite this, the Ustilian people have managed to preserve their culture and traditions, continuing to play an important role in the history of Raldamain.
The Rakashite occupation of Ustilus was a dark and tumultuous period in the history of the Ustilian people. The Rakashite forces easily overpowered the Ustilians and, after a nearly year-long siege, the city of Feyn’s Throne fell to the invaders due to traitors within the walls. The great city was razed and a new capital, named Sek-Tessos, was built in its place.
During the occupation, the Rakashites destroyed much of the ancient Ustilian culture and wiped out most of the Knights of Ustilus. The survivors fled to the Vorai islands, where they formed a new Feynist kingdom independent free from their conquerors. While the Rakashites caused great destruction, they also contributed significantly to the development of Ustilus, creating an efficient system of roads and modernizing the Ustilian army with their gunpowder technology.
The conquest of Ustilus by the Rakashites also led to tensions with the neighboring kingdom of Mazarin. The Mazarines attempted to lead a holy war against the Rakashites, but their efforts failed due to the distrust between the Mazarines and Ustilians. However, the Mazarines were able to conquer the Ustilian province of Kratoi and established a puppet Ustilian kingdom there.
The Rakashite Empire eventually fell into a prolonged civil war over succession upon the death of its godlike emperor in the year 3460, which lasted for nearly forty years. During this time, a great Feynist rebellion led by an Ustilian general named Akrodios successfully took control of the capital city of Sek-Tessos and renamed it Feyn’s Throne once again. This was seen by many as a sign of Feyn’s blessing, and after a long and arduous struggle, the remaining Rakashites were defeated and Ustilus rose once again as an independent kingdom.
The Rakashite occupation of Ustilus was a difficult and trying time for the Ustilian people, but it ultimately led to their eventual triumph over their oppressors and the restoration of their kingdom.
After regaining their freedom from the Rakashites king Akrodios set out to reunify the former Ustilian lands, a campaign that would last for the remainder of his lifetime. Even though he was unsuccessful in achieving his dream, during his reign the church of Feyn rose to its former power and the Knights of Ustilus were reinstated as holy warriors in service of the emperor. The knights would wage a prolonged campaign to exterminate all heretics in Ustilus and managed to wipe out most of the cult of Sek-Tebos.
During his final days the emperor began to receive visions from Feyn which revealed to him that Ustilus would become the greatest empire humanity has ever seen and the god himself would return to the world in the fourth millennium after his ascension, leading his people to a new age of glory. These prophecies would serve as a divine mandate for Akrodios’ successors and would inspire them to expand even further to unite all of humanity under a single nation. This process began once all of the former ustilian lands were succesfully reunified in the year 3576, achieving the first emperor’s dream.
Under the rule of Emperor Itakamendros I, the Empire of Ustilus expanded north and south, reconquering Pradjati from the Tamash and Kratoi from the Mazarines in two brilliant campaigns. In order to gain the loyalty of the conquered populations, the emperor allowed them to keep their traditions and granted them a small measure of autonomy.
On the day when Akrodios’ prophecy would be fulfilled the great god Feyn suddenly disappeared, throwing the empire in turmoil and severely weakening the power of the church and the knights. Parliament was split between two political factions, the Reformists who wanted change for Ustilus and the Imperialists who wanted to preserve it.
Mazarin used this chance to try and invade Kratoi but failed miserably thanks to the actions of a legendary military unit known as the Brotherhood of the Crow. While the ustilian army was distracted, the Pact now led by the rogue knight Laicon of Dairov began to organize rebel groups in the Temash and hobgoblin lands.
Laicon attempted to cause a temash revolt in the lands of Pradjati but he was caught by the Ustilian authorities. His execution at the hands of the knights made him into a martyr and triggered a great revolution which threatened to tear apart the empire.
In response to the rebellion the knights of Ustilus led by Grand Master Abshalom declared a state of emergency and closed down Parliament, an action described by many prominent nobles as a bloodless coup. As the highest authority of the empire the knights began a massive military campaign to crush all rebel movements.
After two years of war the Ustilians managed to defeat the hobgoblin rebels, but victory came at a great economic cost. To maintain control they had no choice but to install a new government formed by hobgoblins allied with Ustilus which to the Imperialists’ anger were granted more autonomy and seats in the Parliament.
During a military expedition to defeat Temash rebels in the south grand master Abshalom perished in battle. Authority passed to Fileon, a popular knight and military hero, who continued the campaign and successfully defeated the Temash.
Once Fileon became the new grand master he ended the state of emergency and returned power to the Parliament. Not long after the old emperor Stepanos III died of old age and the throne passed to his daughter Theodora, a longtime supporter of the Reformists. The new empress named the Reformist leader Ileria as prime minister
Fileon changed many of the order’s rules such as the prohibition to marry non-humans and made it subordinate to the State instead of the church. To show his commitment to these new ideals he married prime minister Ileria, who was his longtime secret lover.
With Theodora’s support Ileria passed the empire’s first Constitution, which granted freedom of religion to Ustilian citizens and ending enslavement of non-humans. It also granted vast autonomy to the regions and led them choose their own representatives for Parliament, which was now the empire’s most powerful authority.
A succession war within Arshalan in 4006 caused a massive flow of refugees into Ustilus. These refugees were forced into slums where they lived in terrible conditions and suffered religious discrimination at the hands of the authorities, since they followed the Celestial Host instead of Feyn.
The Imperialists saw this as an opportunity to cause tensions with Arshalan to make the Reformist government seem weak and incapable of ruling. In the Imperialist-ruled province of Elyon a massacre unfolded against the Arshalani minority, who were accused of being enemy spies.
In response to the massacre the Arshalani monarch Chandrial, a military genius and devoted follower of the Celestial Host, declared war on Ustilus using the justification of protecting the Arshalani minorities within Ustilus. He took the city of Elyon in a surprise attack and dealt a powerful blow to the Ustilian government.
After the fall of Elyon, Ileria resigned after pressure from the army and the war against Arshalan began. The Ustilians were unprepared and incapable of facing the much stronger Arshalani army, which counted with divine blessings and a brilliant leader at its head. In the end they were pushed back all the way to Feyn’s throne where a new siege unfolded.
While the Arshalani army moved towards the capital Chadrial began to convert many ustilians to his faith, proclaiming that the Celestial Host were the true successors of Feyn. The Temash and the hobgoblins revolted once again, seeing Arshalan as their liberator from Ustilian oppression.