Arcadia

Arcadia was a country located in the Eastern Rodina, in the Azure Plains. It was established at the beginning of the Age of Rebirth, and would become one of the most influental countries in the area.

Founding
Arcadia was founded shortly after the fall of the Lord of Darkness by Van Sazer. Sazer had a great amount of wealth, and built a citadel near the Gulf of Lamus. The protection offered by the Citadel, in combination with it being located on a major trade route, and surrounded by fertile filds, made it gain wealth and influence at an extremely quickly. Sazer named his Citadel 'Arcadia', and eventually much of the Azure Plain fell under his economic influence.

Formation of the Empire
Van Sazer acculated much wealth and influence, but Arcadia remained simply a city-state for his entire life. When he died in 1519, his son, Mular, took a much more ambitious road. When the Azure Plains was threatened by invasion from the south-west, by the Quelnes, Mular organized a resistence to repel them. At the great battle of Thamuz, Mular defeated the Quelnes, and secured peace for the Azure Plains. Mular's popularity and charisma was able to rally much of the people behind him, and he declared himself Emperor of Arcadia. Every city in the Azure Plains accepted his rule and protection, and the Arcadian Empire was born.

The Guild Revolt
Arcadia enjoyed a time of peace, as more and more lands flocked to the Arcadian banner for protection and security. Initally, the mountain community of Kelmoria joined as well. However, being as they were one of the few lands outisde of the Azure Plains, they were still treated as foreigners, with little of the benefits the other territories enjoyed. However, Kelmoria was the first to make huge break throughs with machines and gunpowder, and the Arcadian Emperor Zealturan looked to exploit them. The different guilts and towns in the area rejected Arcadian rule, and declared independence as the Arcadian Guild Combine. Zealturan ordered the Arcadian Royal Army to move into Kelmoria, and a brutal war took place. Eventually, the Arcadians withdrew, due to the guriella tactics by the Kelmorians, and the terrain itself proved more than they could handle.

The Rise of Thanatos
With the Arcadian Royal Guard, a wizard named Thanatos began to rise to power. He was a mystery to all, but he was regarded as one of the most powerful wizards on the planet. Thanatos would become the Emperor's Chief Body Guard, and become the second most influential person in the nation. Rumors had it that Thanatos even controlled the Emperor behind the scenes, but it was never proven. Thanatos radically strengthened the Military, and everyone expected him to move to conquer the AGC. However, he surprisingly ordered the invasion of Aeson. Thanatos took much critism, as Aeson was one of the strongest powers in the region, and the Nanten were feared by all. However, Thanatos himself defeated the Nanten at the Battle of Dardenolls, and occupied Aeson.

The Aesonian Occuptation and Civil War
Following the occupation, Thanatos appointed Geshtar Zolos as Govenor General, and spent the rest of the occupation investigating old ruins in Latium. Geshtar himself had Aeson reorganized as a puppet nation, which involved executing the entire royal family, other than the Princess, and then using the Princess as his puppet.

In comparsion to the events in Aeson, Arcadia lived in peace with very little worries during this period. Even when the Aesonian Civil War started 20 years later, the Arcadian people didn't care much. However, the Aesonian Revolutionary Army grew in strength, fear began to grow in Arcadia, and pressure was put on the government to help quell the Revolution. Arcadia was to send in its Royal Army to deal with the rebels short after the Battle of Denus, however a new threat emerged in the south, as the Quelnes launched a new invasion of Southern Arcadia, which required the Royal Army to deal with them first.

By the time the Quelnes were defeated, Geshtar had been killed, and Thanatos driven from Arcadia. Emperor Parku died of mysterious causes shortly after, and Thanatos would remain out of the public eye. The new Emperor, Thanil, would not resume the conflict with Aeson or the AGC, but would instead look to foritify the nation against threats from the outside.

Citadel Arcadia
Citadel Arcadia was established by Van Sazer, and was located on a high hill, close to the Gulf of Lamus. It would eventually become the capitol of Arcadia, and one of the largest cities in Rodina.

Azure Plains
The Azure Plains was a stretch of flat grasslands, stretching along the northern coast of the Gulf of Lamus. The fields are fertile, and well populated. The Azure Plains made up most of the Arcadian Empire.

Kelmoria
Kelmoria was a mountainous region to the east of the Azure Plains. Due to an abundance of Natural Resources, Kelmoria was able to become one of the earliest centers of industry. It would quickly declare its indepence from Arcadia, and would be the Arcadian Guild Combine.

The Arcadian Royal Guard
The Arcadian Royal Guard was a force that directly served the Arcadian Emperor, and contained the most powerful people within the Arcadian Military. They would often serve as generals of the Royal Army, and serve as the Emperor's bodyguard.

The Arcadian Royal Army
The Royal Army was the main army of Arcadia. It was organized into Legions. The Royal Army was focused on strict dicipline and perfectly executed military formations, along with equipping its forces with the best equipment available. As such, there were very few armies that could stand against it in open conflict. However, they fell short in fighting against guriella tactics, and were not as adaptable as other armies such as the Nanten.