Awesome post!
The Duchy of Acrium is a commerce and agriculture focused duchy with the ultimate goal of providing everyone with the means to be successful in their trade or craft.
For convenience, I have provided the link to the Kingdom Discord below:
Solaris Confederation Forum Post
The capital of Acrium is City of Azmar, which is the headquarters for the duchy school system, as well as, a major trade hub. Because Azmar will focus a lot of resources into research, businesses and citizens of Acrium alike will enjoy leading edge tech regardless of which profession or industry you are in.
If you are an unpledged count and you wish to place inside of Acrium, please talk to me first, we are welcoming of new counts placing in, but I don’t want any new counts coming in to displace any count that has been part of the community for some time already. Randomly placing counts placing in the duchy without talking to the duke first will be considered hostile action and will be treated as such.
We will be in the Solaris Confederation, and the location of the duchy is pictured below, in the tropical rainforest (Janoa).
if you are interested in placing inside of our duchy, please first join the duchy discord and have a quick chat with the duke. We will welcome you into the duchy with open arms as long as you talk with us first and be active.
The duchy capital plans to be a massive port city with access to ocean and huge trade markets.
My goal as the Duke of Acrium is to build and grow an active and prosperous community. I plan on doing this by:
I intend to fully support local businesses and crafting professions. I will provide incentives for merchants to come to Acrium to conduct their business, such as security escorts and promote the production of specialty items within the duchy that merchants can buy in Acrium and sell in other areas for a nominal profit. Additionally, being on the coast enables more commerce via shipping routes. I have outlined below a list of guilds and organizations currently planned to be in the capital city, Azmar:
We will be prioritizing shipping, ship building, and ocean exploration in order to further develop the duchy's economic interests as well as securing the coastline. There will be plenty of opportunities for sea faring people with a passion for all things maritime.
We will be heavily focused on research and technology in the City of Azmar, the duchy capital. One of my priorities will be to establish a robust research and development center (10+ parcels planned) during Exposition and focus on ongoing development and maintenance of the technology centers within the city. Additionally, the system helps accommodate and links other schools across the duchy to help aid in more expedient tech development. Technology will provide several benefits, such as military superiority and quality of life for all citizens. I plan on having a dedicated space for every single profession to aid in research and tech development for that skill/profession, so no matter what business or profession you are interested in, you can rest assured you will have up to date tech. There will also be on-site housing available inside the research campus for visitors, as well as, research employees (subsidized housing available). This research site will also double as a school for students to come and learn, as well as, a place for teachers to research and teach their chosen field to the students.
The duchy infrastructure is an integral part of the duchy's success or failure. One of the many things I intend to focus on during Exposition is upgrading and developing the duchy's infrastructure, including but not limited to: duchy's farmland, roads/transportation, public structures, and defense. After Exposition, maintaining and ongoing development of the duchy's infrastructure will be closely monitored.
Overall, each count is free to run their county as they see fit, as well as, have my support in times of need. Initially, I will help the counts succeed as much as possible by working with them during Exposition and provide as much support as I can. Furthermore, I will continue to help counts on an ongoing basis to build roads, equip new fighters, develop trade, and whatever else I can, within reason, to help the local communities grow and prosper. Local towns will also benefit from the available tech that is output from the research campus in the City of Azmar.
I want the people of the duchy to feel valued as part of the community and for them to feel that their opinions matter. For example, if the majority of people want a particular structure in the duchy, then we can make it happen! I will strive to prioritize citizen requests that positively impact the most amount of people.
As the Duke of Acrium, security of the duchy is my number one priority. As such, I will be heavily focusing on maintaining security within the duchy and enforcing the laws set forth in the duchy to ensure the general safety and security of the general populace within the duchy. In order to accomplish this, I plan on developing and maintaining a military force spread throughout the duchy. This regular military will be available to provide security as well as military strength in campaigns for kingdom defense.
Additionally, each town will be expected to maintain a local militia force in case local bandits threaten the area or the duchy is called to war. As the Duke of Acrium, I will help the local mayors equip and train their fighters as needed so that we can be an effective fighting force when defense is needed. Additionally, I will work with some hand-picked mayors to upgrade them to Baron for duchy security.
Please note this militia is in addition to the regular army provided by the Duke.
The Duchy of Acrium is looking for people and communities who are interested in building a place to call home. We are looking for counts, mayors, craftsmen, military, and trade orientated individuals who are looking to get involved in a supportive and ever growing community. Additionally, I plan on acquiring as much EP as I can for Exposition to get the duchy started off in the best possible position.
As long ago legends spoke about heroes and past adventures, the Shadow family line came to be from a heroic past. This story begins in a small hamlet deep in the jungle, where a young boy named Angyeir Yosteiti lived. Angyeir came from a modest background, with his parents owning a bakery, his two brothers working in the local grain mill, and his three sisters helping out in the family bakery. Angyeir was not very satisfied with working in the bakery or selling fresh baked goods to the locals. Instead, Angyeir wanted to set out and start his own venture, but yet still contribute to the family bakery somehow. Angyeir’s Father, Toudhkwa, mentioned that beekeeping would be a profitable venture and also could provide a steady supply of fresh honey to the bakery – having fresh honey and making honey pies would bring even more fame to the bakery. Angyeir’s father also mentioned that he could sell some honey to the local tavern for mead. Angyeir took to heart his father’s suggestion and went out to the nearby bustling city, Tomretikju, to learn more about bees and beekeeping.
Upon arrival at the city, Angyeir looked for the tavern to get some info and to relax after his somewhat long journey. Once Angyeir went through the city gate, the tavern was very noticeable because of the large crowd of people and from the sounds of laughter and celebration. Angyeir stepped into the tavern to get a drink and ask for a room and walked over toward the main counter as he noticed all of the eyes upon him. The bartender asked him what he wanted and Angyeir replied, “I’m looking for a room for the night and some food.” The tavern owner looked happily upon Angyeir and said, “We sure do have a room available for you, but we need payment up front.” As Angyeir handed the tavern owner the money for the room, he also stopped a second and asked if there was a local beekeeper or a school nearby. The tavern owner said they actually get fresh honey deliveries from a local beekeeper right outside of the city. Surprised, Angyeir excitedly thanked the tavern owner and went to the room to rest. The next day, Angyeir went out to where the beekeeper lived, but on his way, Angyeir stumbled upon a beggar that everyone was walking by ignoring. Never being out of his hometown hamlet, Angyeir was not used to seeing such a sight and took pity on this beggar and gave him the last bit of money he had in his pocket. The beggar thanked him and a few people walking by sneered as they saw Angyeir giving the beggar some money. After walking through the city, Angyeir found the place where the beekeeper lived on the outskirts and saw the beekeeper. The beekeeper came out of his house to see who Angyeir is and what he wanted. Angyeir introduced himself to the beekeeper and told him his story and how he desired to learn about beekeeping. After some time talking with the beekeeper, Rishfulr, Angyeir learned that he was getting behind in his work and needed some help, so Rishfulr gladly accepted Angyeir as an apprentice beekeeper and gave Angyeir a place to sleep on the floor near the pantry inside his house.
After some time passed, Angyeir showed great promise as a beekeeper and learned many things about bees, including how to take care of the bees and extract beeswax and honey from the hives. Rishfulr and Angyeir worked a lot together and had a great relationship; most people would call them friends. One early morning during the peak of summer, there was some loud booming noises outside, seemingly coming from the town. The noise woke Angyeir up and he went to look outside to see what was happening. Once he peeked out the window, he saw a large amount of armored cavalry soldiers riding by with unfamiliar looking crests; they definitely were not part of the city’s garrison. One rider yelled out to Angyeir, “Close and lock the doors, lad. Barbarians are attacking the town!” Shocked, Angyeir went to wake up Rishfulr to tell him what is going on. Rishfulr stumbled out of bed and went outside to grab a smaller hive to save in case the bees were destroyed by the barbarians. As Rishfulr went outside, a few barbarians rode by and one of them raised his sword and sliced Rishfulr in the chest as he rode by, while the other 3 barbarians dismounted and started to set fire to the hives. As Rishfulr lay on the ground gasping for air, Angyeir came running out to help him while the barbarians turned toward Angyeir to engage him. As the one barbarian chuckled and drew his sword back to swing it at Angyeir, a few arrows came flying by and struck two of the bandits from behind in the back in the center near the spine, including the one getting ready to kill Angyeir. At the same time, suddenly another wave of armored cavalry riders came by and dispatched the remaining two bandits with their swords. After the four barbarians were stopped, one of the riders approached Angyeir, introduced himself as the commander of the 4th armored cavalry regiment from the count’s military and said he had heard reports of barbarian movement near this town. Angyeir introduced himself to the commander and explained how a wave of cavalry just rode by wearing the same crest they have. The commander instructed Angyeir to take the bandit’s horse and ride west towards the county capital and tell the count what has happened and also to send reinforcements. The commander gave him his cavalry necklace emblem and told him to tell the count the answer to the question is three. Slightly puzzled and confused, Angyeir agreed and set off towards the county capital. Angyeir rode as fast as he could and stopped for nothing.
Once Angyeir made it to the county capital, he went to the noble court and explained who he is and why he is here. He showed the guards the necklace emblem and the guards called for an escort for Angyeir to see the count. Angyeir was humbled by the count, and explained he came straight from the town, Tomretikju, and barbarians are attacking and the commander of the cavalry gave him this necklace and said the commander told him the answer to the question is three. Surprised and overwhlemed at the sight of this young man, the count said that Angyeir hasn’t even been asked the question yet, but already knew the correct answer, so it must be a legitimate cry for help from the cavalry commander. The count asked for more details and then quickly sent a lot more armored troops towards Tomretikju. The count also informed Angyeir that his liege lord calls upon him for his service and conscripted Angyeir into the county military. Angyeir explained that he had no training or military experience. The count reassured him that he wasn’t expected to go straight to the front lines but rather be a guide and help the armored troop division to set up a blockade for the barbarians since he is more familiar with the area. Angyeir left with the armored troops and headed east towards Tomretikju.
Angyeir guided the armored troops to a main road outside of the town. The troops could hear and see the attacking barbarians ravaging the town and set up a blockade on the road and started moving slowly towards the town spreading out. The cavalry started pushing on the barbarians from inside the town and the barbarians fled towards the blockade. As the barbarians approached the blockade, the barbarians hesitated, looking back at the closely pursuing armored cavalry, then one of the barbarians shouted out while waving his sword at the forest. The barbarians then turned toward the forest off the main road and scattered. The soldiers pursued the barbarians through the forest and captured some of them, but the majority of them were able to escape through the deep jungle foliage.
Angyeir returned with the county military to the count and reported what happened. The count ordered increased patrols in the surrounding area and told the runners to give word to the surrounding counties. Over time, Angyeir became a great soldier with great combat prowess, ultimately ended up as a bow master teaching new recruits combat tactics and archery. Once a week, he taught military tactics at the local school in the county capital. Angyeir also kept a small bee farm outside of the city and sent fresh honey to his family’s bakery back in his hometown hamlet. His family would visit occasionally, coming to the county capital and getting new recipes and learning new techniques from the bakeries in the county capital. Life turned out to be good for Angyeir and he was a respected member of the county capital and the county military, at this time he had been promoted several times and was in command of the entire armored soldier division, responsible for training new recruits and keeping the entire southern part of the county safe.
After some more time had passed, Angyeir came to be well known throughout the land. One day, Angyeir was out walking around the town talking to citizens and just generally making sure the city is safe. Angyeir walked past the tavern and greeted the tavern owner and asked him how things are, then he went back to the barracks for a routine inspection. Angyeir was about half way through the inspection when suddenly, the city alarm bell started sounding. All of the townsfolk ran outside of their homes and businesses to see what was happening. Angyeir ran outside of the barracks, and saw many townsfolk running outside and trying to see what was going on. As Angyeir ran around the town hall building just a few buildings away from the barracks, a few townspeople, who were running just steps ahead of Angyeir, suddenly just burst into flames. Startled, Angyeir slowly peered around the corner and saw a giant daemon looking for its next target. Angyeir saw the townsfolk running around scared and panicking, trying to hide or run for their lives. Angyeir went to the armory and he saw a few soldiers hiding in there. Angyeir ordered the soldiers to grab heavy armor and shields and follow him. The soldiers reluctantly dressed in the heavy armor and grabbed the swords and the large shields. The small group of soldiers with Angyeir ran out screaming directly towards the daemon. The daemon took a step back and shot flames out towards them, which was easily blocked by the heavy armor and large shields they were carrying. The daemon, realizing the flame didn’t stop them, took to the skies and flew away.
Immediately afterwards, the count called for an emergency meeting to see what options they had to get rid of the daemon and help save the county capital. Angyeir suggested sending a few soldiers out and searching for the daemon’s nest and then launching a full offensive on the daemon while it slept. The count agreed and ordered Angyeir to head up the search. Angyeir then divided up some of the forces and started the search party for the daemon. Angyeir went out in search by himself since he was very knowledgeable about the lands and had a very good idea of where the daemon would be hiding but wanted to sneak around and it would be easier to scout by alone. The sun started to set as Angyeir closed in on the spot he had imagined the daemon would be, and Angyeir dismounted from his horse and traveled through the small patch of jungle to get to the cave. There was a cave entrance peeking through the jungle foliage and Angyeir crept slowly and steadily towards it. The sun had long set by now and the stars were out. Using his natural Janoan camouflage and the darkness of night, Angyeir was able to sneak into the cave and stab the daemon directly in the head, immediately killing it. Angyeir happily cut the head off of the daemon and tied a rope to it. Angyeir then set up a small camp in that cave to rest and wait for morning. At first light, Angyeir dragged the daemon head to his horse and was able to secure it to the horse and made a primitive tarp like structure that the horse could simply drag behind it. Angyeir made it back to town and as he approached, the townsfolk saw the deamon head that he brought back and the townsfolk began following him into the center of the city. Once Angyeir reached the noble court, the count came out to see what all the commotion was, and then saw the daemon head and announced the city was safe again from the daemon threat.
Angyeir explained to the count how he was able to sneak in and quickly kill the daemon and the count jokingly said that Angyeir was like the shadow, using their natural camouflage and striking at the right moment, a true hunter. The name Shadow stuck and that became his surname over time. Soon thereafter, Angyeir retired from the military while still fairly young, went back to his hometown hamlet, and set up a local apiary to sell honey. He later met a local woman and they were married and had several children, one of which grew up to serve honorably in the count’s military.
Angyeir’s oldest son, Azmar rose in power with the count’s military, following closely behind his father’s legacy and was given the opportunity to serve as mayor of a nearby town. Gladly accepting this great honor, Azmar was a great leader and the town prospered. Generation after generation, the family maintained the mayoral position of this town and they renamed the town Azmar, in memory of their great mayor ancestor, Azmar, who was the first of their family to govern this town. Over time, the town prospered so much, that it eventually became the county capital. At the same time, the county gained so much fame, it swallowed up neighboring counties and merged into a large, single county. After the merge, the citizens came together and they all voted on a new name for the united county. The name the citizens chose was Agrion, given how much farmland and food there was available, and the county was renamed Agrion, with the capital Azmar.
After three consecutive generations of prosperous growth of the county, Ruikha Shadow was the reigning count and a direct descendent from Angyeir. Ruikha liked taking walks in the forest, and one day he came upon an unknown settlement in the woods, which seemed to have existed for many generations. Ruikha approached the hidden settlement and wondered if anyone lived there as it didn’t look unkempt, it just looked empty from a distance. Once inside the settlement gate, Ruikha came upon a few citizens of the hidden settlement. Interested, Ruikha greeted the citizens and introduced himself as the Count of Agrion. The citizens happily invited him inside what appeared to be the town hall or some community type of building. The leader of the town greeted him and told him the background of this hidden settlement and that they are protectors of the forest and live in harmony with the jungle. The count traveled frequently to this hidden settlement and gained a lot of rapport with the citizens. Later on, the count proposed that the group becomes an official part of the county and gets benefits from the county, however, the leader explained they wish to remain hidden. The count agreed that the location and identity of the citizens could remain unknown, but the count insisted that the group would be able to help in times of need, the leader agreed and told Ruikha that he could call the group the Ranger Guild. Ruikha and the Ranger guild grew closer and both enjoyed mutual benefits from their friendship.
Ruikha had three sons and two daughters, and the time came for the oldest to take over the responsibility of leading the county. Right after the longest night, Ruikha’s oldest son, Mafhtir, took over as the new count. Mafhtir was generally accepted as the county’s leader and in general, the citizens approved of their actions and leadership. During Mafhtir’s reign, relations between Agrion and the duke worsened. Unsuspecting of what was happening, the duke was involved in an organized walk out with several other neighboring dukes. During the middle of the the night, the dukes just all left from their seats of power and left the kingdom in search of new adventures. This caused great confusion within the kingdom because about half of the dukes were there one day, then they were gone the next day. However, over time, the dust settled and the kingdom recovered from this event with empty ducal seats of power. Having great favor with the citizens of the county and being the most prosperous and largest county of the duchy, Mafhtir was nominated as the duke. The vote quickly passed and Mafhtir was given the ducal seat. Mafhtir’s first act as duke was to allow the citizens of the duchy to vote on a new name for the duchy, to wipe away any negative memories attached to the duchy name and to also solidify the intention of the duchy to empower the citizens to engage the government with positive relations. The next day, the duke, Mafhtir, announced their duchy, now named Acrium, would work hard to provide great opportunities for all people, with an extra focus on continuing to improve their commerce and trading capabilities.
A few years later, a civil war broke out within the duchy. A few counties felt they didn’t get enough representation in the duchy government, so they decided to slowly build up their military numbers secretly. Over time, they were able to secure lots of additional weapons and trained most of their capable citizens on swordplay and general battle tactics. Once these few counties felt like they were prepared enough, they started marching toward Azmar, the capital of Acrium. Along the way, they were able to pick up a few random passersby as they explained their plight along the roadside. Once they could see the capital gates in the distance, the army heard some town bells sounding and they saw the main gate starting to close. The army continued onward towards the capital and started sieging the town. The army didn’t have the technology nor resources to make proper siege engines, but they were able to rig up a few large logs from nearby felled trees and a large group of the soldiers picked up these logs and began hammering on the gate. Frightened, the citizens didn’t know what was happening and they all turned to the duke for answers. Overwhelmed at the size of this attacking force, Duke Shadow ordered every citizen, man, woman, and child to pick up arms and prepare to defend the city. The duke then ordered a few couriers to go ride out to the nearby military garrisons to order them to reinforce the capital. Fearing that the reinforcing garrisons would not make in time, Duke Shadow went to help the citizens get weapons. Luckily there were plenty of weapons since a huge order of weapons being exported to a nearby duchy was being prepared to ship but had not yet shipped. The citizens were mostly armed and started to gather near the gates as the hammering continued. Duke Shadow came running toward the gate and stood amongst his people. The duke cried out to the citizens and said “This is our land, this is our home, we don’t back down and we don’t flee. We are the proud hunters and our time of testing has come, join me and fight to the death every last one of you until this invading army is destroyed!” The hammering on the gate paused for a brief second, the air was calm and quiet, all of the citizens seemingly held their breath waiting for the next impact, all eyes focused on the gate, “Boom!” The gate burst open and a large battle cry from the invading soldiers was heard. The wave of soldiers crashed onto the armed citizens, with spears being thrown from the towers into the soldiers and fire catapult ordinance being dropped by the few soldiers stationed in the city onto the invading soldiers yet to pass by the gate. Arrows flew from both sides peppering the ground everywhere, staining the ground red, the battle raged on but the citizens kept pushing back using their shields and strength. Strength not from military training, but from plowing the fields, working the mines, and paving the roads, these were the citizens. After a few minutes of trying to break through the chokehold of the gate and not gaining an inch of ground, while also sustaining heavy losses, the remaining part of the invading military decided to retreat and circle around the city walls to find a different place to attack from. As they circled around the city walls, the armed citizens shot them with arrows as they ran by on the outside of the walls. Soon after they retreated, the citizens cheered and started to chase after them. While being picked off by the arrows from the gates and being mercilessly killed by the armed citizens, the remaining few retreated back in the woods. As the soldiers retreated back into the woods, the garrison arrived on horseback, slaughtering the remaining few and continued riding towards the capital to secure it.
After the battle, the duke found a few soldiers laying on the ground, fatally wounded but still alive. Duke Shadow asked them who they were and what they wanted, and to his surprise, they said they were from the northern counties and they were growing tired of not being heard. Surprised, Duke Shadow explained there has been plenty of aid sent to that region and even sent ambassadors there to make sure everything is going well. Disturbed by this new information, Duke Shadow ordered the arriving garrison to march towards the northern counties in fear they have been taken over. The reigning count was found to be conducting nefarious activities and tried to underhandedly take over as the duke. The count was found guilty of treason and was promptly executed. After this horrific experience of this battle, Duke Shadow didn’t like the feeling of helplessness that not having the people armed gave, so the duke ordered a new campaign to be created, the Longswords for Lads campaign. This campaign aimed to provide a weapon for every citizen, be it men, women, or children. If the entire population were soldiers on top of their regular duties, then the lands would be kept safe more so than having an unprepared population. The citizens largely accepted this campaign and began basic weapons training. The Longswords for Lads program proved to be very successful and also helped to deter a few skirmishes over the years.
...... More to come!
