Greater Volkyria

Origins and Founding
What is now Greater Volkyria was once a center of operations for arcane, primordial spirits known as the Primespawn of Rathnir. As evidenced by ancient, local glyphs, these Primespawn were responsible for restoring beauty to all existence and containing the dark spirits for which Rathnir is named. According to these same glyphs, in olden days, when the world was young, one could feel the ever-present, restorative love of the Primespawn flowing through their very bones. However, lingering evils from the depths of the Nether, with the help of mortal cultists, put an end to the Age of Bliss and drove all mortals to madness. And as Rathnir, a world for which the Primespawn had sacrificed so much, began to tear itself apart once more, the grief-stricken primordial protectors vanished from the eyes of mortals, never to be seen again for millennia. This emboldened many tribes of Rathnir to worship wicked spirits, thus causing the masses to lose sight of true divinity. However, unlike their mortal counterparts, the Volkerst people upheld the ways of the Primespawn, and for this were shunned and oppressed by their neighbors. In an attempt to escape this oppression, Arlyn of Ebynir, otherwise known as Arlyn the Great, appealed to the Sterling Crownlands to fund a southerly migrant expedition. It is said that when the courageous Arlyn, captain of the Volkerst migrant ship Providence, first set foot on what are now Volkyrian shores, he was overcome by a sense of divine bliss. This, he soon reasoned after later experiencing a vision of a Primespawn spirit known as Stoney, was a sign from the Primespawn that he and his people were destined to rule over this "rugged, new land."

And so, upon declaring himself the Arcane Imperator of the Volkerst Peoples, and after months of talks with both the Sterling Crownlands and the Kingdom of Bardonia, Arlyn the Great and his band of Volkerst pilgrims were finally permitted to settle a strategic island and its environs near the northern shore of Bardonia; thus allowing for the founding of the City of Volkhaven and officially birthing Greater Volkyria. In celebration of this momentous occasion, the first Arcane Imperator constructed the Shrine of the Unknown Spirits, stating "we Volkerst peoples must remember those who have blessed us if we seek to endure." Although shortly after this most of the original settlers succumbed to starvation and disease, Arlyn the Great remained determined to make the most of the Volkerst people's newfound homeland, and swiftly pioneered the construction of the City of Volkhaven.

Upon inception under the joint mandates of the Sterling Crownlands and Arlyn's own Volkyrian Trade Company (VTC), the city and the Greater Volkyrian Commonwealth (GVC) adopted a flag of white, black and orange representing newfound peace, solemn solidarity, and divinely-ordained providence. The City of Volkhaven was established as a corporate settlement of the Volkyrian Trade Company, but further democratization was promised for the future.

For a time, the young settler-state of the Volkerst peoples kept a very low profile on the world stage, favoring direct involvement in aggressive trade over direct involvement in aggressive warfare. The GVC was an experiment like no other, and set itself squarely on track to become the new shining star of the north. However, things would soon take a turn for the worse.

Commonwealth Claims Crisis
On March 3, 2021, a map detailing Volkyria's sphere of influence was published to the world, and, despite the fact that the GVC meant no aggression or offense, said world responded harshly. Just hours after Arlyn the Great's announcement, foreign threats were made and it seemed the whole of Rathnir was poised to unjustly stamp out Volkyria once and for all. However, the position of the Sterling Crownlands was still uncertain, and Governor Arlyn was determined to appeal to his financiers once again for support. Before he could do this, however, he needed to set the record straight on Volkyria's sphere of influence. As if staffed by children, despite Arlyn's repeated explanation of the largely abstract nature of Volkyria's claims, both Bardonia and Ryzan persisted in sanctioning the young settler-state and led the Sterling Crownlands to do the unthinkable and disown the Greater Volkyrian Commonwealth. To add insult to injury, savage bandits soon attacked the peaceful City of Volkhaven under cover of darkness. These bandits, led by Lew_White_Mesa raided and ransacked swathes of the fledgling city, and even went so far as to desecrate the Shrine of the Unknown Spirits. When the Volkyrian leader returned after days of heated negotiations, this "Wake of Devils" was the icing on the cake of disappointment. Greater Volkyria had been thoroughly humiliated, but although it now stood alone as the Free Republic of Volkyria, its vision of a prosperous future burned stronger than ever within the hearts of its denizens.

That vision allowed Volkyria to endure even in the face of foreign treachery, and, Primespawn willing, it will enable her to flourish ever more in days to come. Although Arlyn I died a grief-stricken Premier of a grief-stricken nation, his heirs in the Crowned Republic of Volkyria (CRV) now carry on his legacy of resilience and relentless determination. Since its inception, the Illystran Dynasty, formally declared by Arlyn the Great's brother (Cadrien I) swiftly set about reforming and advancing Volkyrian society for the better. However, this task would not be easy...

Bardonian Incorporation
Around April 13, 2021 Greater Volkyria once again gained the attention of the Bardonian government. A couple of days prior, it was discovered that Volkerst colonists had formally settled the peninsula north of New Dorasterrock (known colloquially as the Arlynea Peninsula), and began to heavily terraform the region. Volkyria's swift founding of the city of Arlynsburg and subsequent incorporation of neighboring Canem (formerly known as Point Diligence) outraged most Bardonians who viewed these actions as violations of their sovereign territory. This was in large part due to the fact that most Bardonians were unaware that the Crowned Republic of Volkyria was established as a protectorate of Dabos-Koshi, a Bardonian city state, and had thus been a semi-autonomous part of the Empire of Bardonia since March 22, 2021.

This error in communication between Volkyria's Sovereign Protector in Dabos-Koshi and Bardonia's chancellor led to a resurgence in anti-Volkyrian sentiment throughout the Bardonian Empire. The outrage of the Bardonian people soon reached the most prominent politicians of the nation, who, still dissatisfied with Greater Volkyria's supposedly illegitimate existence, pressured the chancellor to issue "join or die" ultimatums to settlements within the Volkerst domain.

However, after lengthy negotiations, it was soon realized that Volkyria was apart of Bardonia when Arlynsburg and Canem were settled, and therefore had not violated Bardonian sovereignty in any way whatsoever. On the contrary, the Crowned Republic of Volkyria, by settling the northern peninsula, had advanced Bardonian civilization into a previously largely unexplored region of the empire, and had done a great service to chancellor and country. In light of this realization, on April 16th, the Bardonian chancellor recognized and thereby approved Volkyria's inclusion within Bardonia's imperial sphere as established under the region's agreement with Dabos-Koshi (which transformed Greater Volkyria into a protectorate realm with total control of its own economic policy and domestic affairs such as laws, infrastructure, judicial processes, etc.). With this recognition came total legitimacy, and, for the first time in their arduous history, the Volkerst people felt at ease being able to cultivate and advance their society in relative peace. The Volkyrian flag was subsequently altered to include dark green in order to reflect this official recognition from Bardonia, while the CRV's original flag remained the royal standard of House Illystrus.

Volkyrian Secession and The End of an Era
Although Volkyria enjoyed a time of peace and stability in the wake of the April Understanding (4/16), even managing to sign the Cadrien Compact territorial treaty with Northlight (4/21), this was not to last. Upon rising to power in the wake of the Great Bardonian Schism (which resulted in the fragmenting of the empire into several countries, of which only Auron's Peak would remain independent), The_Mobius began aggressively reforming the shaken imperium into a more authoritative state. The Sterling Crownlands and other once great realms had fallen, and Rathnir was changing fast; The_Mobius felt Bardonia should change with it.

At first, the Volkyrian people did not mind these reforms, seeing the new chancellor's efforts to reincorporate errant states and expand the Bardonian domain as necessary for the nation's continued existence. However, unbeknownst to the people of Volkyria, The_Mobius had grown paranoid from the Schism, and demanded undying loyalty from his subjects to suppress his anxieties. It was when the chancellor expressed these outrageous demands to Volkyria's contemporary head of state, Djonsen Illystrus, that a problem once again arose.

The Mobius Decree stipulated that no protectorates should exist on the Bardonian mainland, regardless of whether or not they were established before The_Mobius rose to power. This stipulation was seen as a blatant attack on Volkyria's legitimacy, as the more recent protectorate status of Auron's Peak and that of Baykonia were respected. The_Mobius, now largely seen as an oppressive demagogue by many a Volkyrian, wholly denied the fact that Uni, the former and by far the most respected and influential Bardonian chancellor, had ever acknowledged Volkyria's protectorate status, going so far as to restoke anti-Volkyrian sentiment to legitimize his decree.

Many throughout the Volkyrian domain, mainly members of the Board of Shareholders in Volkhaven, saw The Mobius Decree as the last straw and declared that coexistence with the Bardonians was simply impossible. As "join or die" ultimatums returned to Volkyrian mailboxes throughout the realm, these influential Volkyrian nationalists pioneered the Secessionist movement and demanded legislation to assert Volkyrian pride and sovereignty. As the Secessionists, led by Baron von Elric, Governor-General of the city-state of Arlynsburg, were so numerous, Premier Djonsen Illystrus was forced to relinquish all ties with Bardonia and authorize the seizure of "places of Volkyrian interest" within the Volkyrian sphere of influence on Rathnir. This authorization emboldened prominent Secessionists to retake Point Westgate (a location at the western end of the River Cadrien that was jointly administered by Volkyria and Northlight) and plant a flag in Perditia (a city who's loyalty was questionable) in the name of their self-proclaimed Free State of Volkyria.

Although Djonsen Illystrus, deemed an enemy of Bardonia, was eventually captured and forced to capitulate Volkhaven and later the rest of Volkyria to Bardonia, his many daughters, Baron von Elric, and others managed to escape the smoldering City of Volkhaven aboard nearby ships. Aboard one of these ships, the Baron would formally wed the late Premier's eldest daughter, Myriam, with whom he had secretly conceived a child, and proclaim himself the new sovereign of House Illystrus. However, those unfortunate souls that remained in Volkyria were either killed or forced to submit to Bardonian rule.

Even so, a new beginning was in sight, and it was the Volkersts' Primespawn Reverence and inborn hope for better days, not the wind, that pushed their sails forward into the neighboring realm of Eldham. Those who escaped Bardonian tyranny now continue the legacy of Arlyn, Salyrus, and Djonsen in a new world; a world of promise and plenty; a world rife with streams to quench the thirsts of hearty pioneers; a world whose bounties sprawl like tulips in a far flung meadow, ready to be plucked by the makers of tomorrow. The Volkerst chronicle is still unfolding, and only time will tell what fates lie ahead.

Settlements of Volkyria

 * Volkhaven
 * New Reeland
 * Perditia
 * Arlynsburg
 * Illystagen