Maar Sul (nation)
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Maar Sul is a nation of city-states which currently shares borders with Libaterra, Remon and Scundia. Its capital is Maar Sul City, and it is ruled by King Gerard Aurelac. It has a long and colourful history, and it is the oldest existing nation in the world. Maar Sul has also been a loyal supporter and one of the founding members of the Grand Alliance during the Third Age of tGA.
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Overview
Maar Sul is presently located far to the north. Borders are shared with Remon (southwest), Scundia (southeast), Libaterra (east) and the Khitan Khanate (north).
The kingdom is ruled from Maar Sul City by the House of Aurelac who are direct descendants of Kagetsu I. Owint to its extreme age, Maar Sul is the home to a vast array of people and many languages are spoken therein, although all official correspondence and commerce must be conducted in Common by law. Some of the known minorities are the nomadic and faux-Mongol Khitans in the northern Khanate, the faux-French in Victoire and the faux-Scottish in Port Dunross.
Although the cities acknowledge Maar Sul as the capital of the kingdom, they are nevertheless self-sufficient, and thus it can be said that Maar Sul is divided into various city-states. Maar Sul also employs a system of mandatory standardized education for citizens aged 6-16. Several post-secondary colleges of arts and magic exist in most major cities as well as military academies.
History
First Age
Beginnings
- Main article: Ancient Maar Sul
In the First Age of tGA, Kagetsu I and several of his Andain friends built a city beside the Golden Lake from which Kagetsu had taken his surname Aurelac. He dubbed it Maar Sul for a reason nobody remembers. It became a hub of commerce between the Andain and mortals. For his work in promoting interspecies harmony, Kagetsu was elected Lord of the Andain by his peers. The founding of Maar Sul began the Maar Sul Genesis calendar, and it is effectively when the known history of the tGA world truly began.
War of the Andain
Maar Sul sided with its founding father Kagetsu during the devastating War of the Andain to wrestle power from gods over to mortals. However, Kagetsu ended up being betrayed during a decisive battle, and his rival Taliesin sealed the Dark Andain's soul away seemingly for all eternity. Maar Sul itself was decimated in the aftermath of the war and would remain in ruins for thousands of years.
Second Age
Revival of Maar Sul
Kagetsu was eventually released from his prison by Leon Alcibiates in the Second Age of tGA, and he slowly began gathering his strength. He aided various factions in conflicts such as the Manster Rebellion in order to gather enough allies to revive Maar Sul and restore it to its former glory. During Arawn Losstarot's rise to power, Kagetsu was busy rebuilding Maar Sul on the sly within the borders of Verdane. Eventually Maar Sul rose to become a powerful nation in its own right, and Kagetsu and his council of Andain once again ruled it.
Arawn Losstarot War
Maar Sul was forced to aid Arawn in the Arawn Losstarot War when Arawn kidnapped Kagetsu's wife Marya and held her hostage. However, this alliance was short-lived because the archmage Raistlin II rescued Marya and made Kagetsu and Maar Sul join the Grand Alliance in exchange for keeping Marya safe. However, these events caused dissension among the ranks of the council, and Maar Sul lost many of its Andain supporters, which weakened the military in the process.
Eventually the armies of Arawn and the Grand Alliance had a decisive battle at Lea Monde. The duel between Kagetsu and Arawn caused a giant Explosion which ended the war. The Explosion claimed the lives of Kagetsu, Arawn, all of the living Andain and even a sizable chunk of the world's population.
Although the continents shifted and new nations were eventually formed, Maar Sul survived the catastrophe for the most part, and the damaged districts of the city were quickly rebuilt. Kagetsu's heirs, the House of Aurelac, would become heads of state and carry on his legacy as time moved on.
Third Age
Distreyd Era
Maar Sul was conquered by the armies of Yamato and the Clergy of Mardük during the Yamatian Invasion in the Third Age of tGA. King Remy Aurelac and his children fled from the city and began organizing a rebellion to drive the Yamatian invaders out. One of the Maar Sulais lords, Martin Struan, used the opportunity and staged a coup. The first acts of his Struan Rebellion were to assassinate the Aurelacs, and this succeeded with Remy and Réin Aurelac.
The Yamatians made Martin Struan the regent of Maar Sul. Struan's reign was short-lived, however, because the Great War enveloped the world soon after, and the Grand Alliance infiltrated Maar Sul City after Remon had been liberated. Crown Prince Kagetsu II executed the treacherous Struan and became the new king, and the Yamatians were eventually driven out. Maar Sul joined the Alliance's ranks and helped it liberate other countries which were still suffering under the Yamatian yoke.
Kagetsu II became one of the leading figures of the Grand Alliance alongside King Marcus Sarillius of Remon. However, Kagetsu II's reign was short-lived becuse he died during the First Battle of Vulpengaard Keep, and Leon Alcibiates became the Prince of Maar Sul until Kagetsu II's son Gerard Aurelac would come of age.
Godslayer Era
Maar Sul survived intact from the Cataclysm which ended the Great War. The nation stayed relatively peaceful apart from a few feuds between some noble families. Things changed in 10 AOE when the Proninist Party invaded Scundia and eventually took over most of Maar Sul's cities. It was around this time that Gerard Aurelac was crowned as king.
The Proninists attacked Maar Sul City a year later, but they were driven back. The Grand Alliance entered the city some time later to reinforce nearby areas and drive out the Pronininst menace from Maar Sulais soil. The grateful Maar Sulais eagerly joined forces with their old comrades, becoming members of the Grand Alliance once more. The Proninists allied with other dissidents around the same time, however, and formed the Crimson Coalition to oppose the Grand Alliance's growing power. The war between the Alliance and the Coalition is still ongoing on Maar Sulais soil. Maar Sul City has also had a devastating gang war recently.
Military
Maar Sul is militarily very strong owing to a large number of well-trained and equipped knights who are fanatically loyal to the House of Aurelac. The Maar Sulais cavalry is a very strong and cohesive unit, led by skilled veterans from the Great War. Maar Sul's navy was decimated in the Great War and has not recovered much as Maar Sulais make poor sailors.
Armor and Emblems
Maar Sulais knights often wear armor or clothing with a mix of black and gold. The colours signify their loyalty to the House of Aurelac which uses the same colours in their coats of arms. The flag of Maar Sul follows a similar pattern, having a golden phoenix on a field of black.
Nomenclature
Noble families are referred to as Houses by the Maar Sulais, even if they are foreign nobility; For example, a Maar Sulais would refer to Clan Mallorein as "House Mallorein." Maar Sulais influence on Scundia has caused Scuns to refer to all foreign nobility as Clans after this style.
The typical way for a noble to refer to himself is "(FirstName) (LastName) de (Hometown)." Hence Gerard Aurelac de Maar Sul means that Gerard is of the family Aurelac, and is from Maar Sul. Leon Alcibiates, upon his appointment as Prince Coronate, began styling himself as "d'Yggdrasil" after his rebirth into mortal form on the Isle of Yggdrasil (the original).
The City
- Main article: Maar Sul (city)
Notable Maar Sulais
- Briss Phoenixheart
- Elena Jeremy
- House of Aurelac
- House of Wisteria
- Martin Struan
- Matheson Crime Family
