Loic

''“THEN LET THEM! Let Uldarash start a world war for their lost lands! We’ll simply crush them again. I want to put this bullshit behind Viodoxa and if that means destroying everything they have so be it.” Loic dem Spheniscidae during the Hapatmitas Crisis when being threatened by an Uldarashi diplomat”''

Loic dem Spheniscidae (known ingame as Loic_exe27) and known by his people as Loic the Uniter, was a General, Writer, Explorer, and Statesman who is a 4th generation player --meaning a player who arrived from the fourth Stoney video regarding Rathnir-- that joined the server on February 3rd. He was the founder of Asahiri and for some time, de jure King of Paloro. He typically wore a traditional samurai skin with a penguins face. The character was Imperial Archon of Viodoxa alongside Spike and is accredited with founding the Empire alongside his constituents. He is also founder of Valentum. It is unknown what humanoid race he belongs to, but similar to most of his followers he wear realistic masks of animals to hide his true identity.

Origin
Loic had humble beginnings in the swamps of the Heart of Haven, after he and his friends Klaus and Landmine had stumbled upon Keechoo in Palovina. His origins are unknown, and so are his friends as many were confirmed to be humanoid beings, most likely humans that wear realistic masks of animals. They had notedly came form beyond the border of Rathnir. Nonetheless, they had arrived in the swamps which is when the first known data of their arrival. There, he met the wonderful city of Palovina and began to adopt the cultural affinity and identity with the nation. After describing his story of how his people had travelled far from the corners of the world, Keechoo allowed him and his people to stay and they made an Inn in the lands of Palovina which was known as the Paltalia. Yet it was soon renamed to Asahiri, as Asahiri was the term to describe the emerald city which lay around the bright green flora. Loic had become infatuated with the culture and rich history with Haven and his people began to adopt the same nationalist romanticism of the continent having visited Hapatmitas on their free time. It was after this time, that Loic had begun to expand his base preaching unionization which was popular amongst those of the Southwestern corner of the continent. Asahiri in time would become the most populated city in the fastest amount of time, climbing to a staggering 40 people in it's height.

Rise to Influence
In time, Loic's preaching of unification was reached by a wide audience. Even foreign powers seemed to be receptive, yet many older players viewed him as being ill-fit and inexperienced to truly rule a unified nation. Yet, his followers had seen his leadership and believed he was capable, not in brute force, but as a leader to unify the continent. Many had perceived him in many different lights, but ultimately, the situation had brought turmoil to the continent, and lines were drawn asserting the sides of Unionists and those who had wished to maintain the status quo. Loic was hesitant to truly embark on a full conflict, aware of the potential strength of an unknown enemy. His allies were skeptical of his hesitance, believing that Loic had placed an emphasis too strongly on the strength of his opponents. Yet his actions proved to be noteworthy as it caused a massive upheaval and was the main reason for the booming population which flocked to Asahiri during the beginning of the 4th generation boom. By mid February, his followers had grown to 30 individuals who all lived in Asahiri.

As King of Paloro
As King, Loic had spent most of his time in the city without a home, rather living in the Inn amongst his people. It was noted for what he lacked in martial capability he made up for in his ability to micro-manage the city and delegate land efficiently for all his people. He was popular due to his ability to take down these small issues which arose. Many of his downsides came about of martial capability as he is by no means a skilled fighter to gain any fame. He was criticized for his rash decision making at times, but ultimately it seems that his temperament can change depending on the severity of the issue. Nonetheless, these are rumors, and the outcomes of his rule, although short lived, proved to be a successful management of the largest city in Haven. He also established the short-lived Compact of Asahiri as well as mandating the construction of a monastery near Aufsdale which was abandoned mid-construction due to the rising conflict.

Valentine Exodus to Viodoxa
The events after the Coup of Paloro have already shown it's influence in Haven, yet as of right now his whereabouts currently is unknown. Loic has maintained a level of incognito(in roleplay) and had continued to hide his identity in order to keep the peace with his neighbors and foreign powers. Believing he was wronged and framing the abandoned city of Asahiri as being a fault of Keechoo, Loic at first was incognito as Lothair and left to Viodoxa. Many of his followers have long left him, as he let them leave if they doubted his ability to continue as the leader of his people. All that is truly confirmed is that Loic has abandoned the Asharu faith believing that Ashuntash had abandoned the path of the righteous. During his Exodus, he had discussed the possibility of becoming leader of the new land and was granted the rank of Archon thus forming a diarchy with Viodoxa. Zelious, a trusted warrior, supported him and was given the rank of Council member of Synkletos in Viodoxa. This change in demographics brought about a massive cultural diffusion in which the Hanuyamese people in which they were known as Hanzeizh, a mixture of Viodoxan and Hanuyamese descendants. Loic himself travelled to Viodoxa and established another mega-city known as Valentum. This city was named Valentum after the Valentine Exodus. The people began to rebuild, disheartened but hoping to make a name for themselves.

Archon of Viodoxa, Resurgence
Due to the massive population led by Loic, and the trust of his allies in Viodoxa. Spike, the old Archon granted him the same title under a new government known as the Diarchy. This government would have two Archons with the same power. Swiftly, Loic took control of internal development to build massive cities and send settlers across the lands in order to expand Viodoxan influence across the remnants of Sorveien. Yet through this, he had still been troubled by the consequences of his past conflicts. Loic consolidated his forces after having been attacked by the Escharians. Unable to defeat them in a head on engagement despite his overwhelming forces as they attacked at night when the men were not mobilized. There was a boom in population once again and a resurgence in art and culture.

First Constitutional Convention
When the Paloran people arrived on the island of Ethreon, the leadership of both sides met to organize a new government. Loic had hoped to regain his power as a leader of a nation on paper. He formulated a plan for a new government which would break the tie and cement a true Diarchy. Spike's leadership abilities and prestige alongside Loic's popularity was a good combination for the foundation of a prosperous nation. It was an unspoken rule that Loic would handle international affairs due to his activity and ability to handle the complexities of geopolitics on Rathnir. The First Constitutional Convention was influenced heavily by Loic and Valen as both had proposed a formal treaty. The accepted draft was strung up by Valen and edited by Loic. It was then approved by Spike who cemented it into law and delegated the roles of synkletos.

The Vio-Auroran War
After the blueprints for the city of Valentum were published, Loic's location was found by King Aurelian who had kept it in tabs for future plans of attacks. It wasn't long when the citizens who had lived in Istanboulder were accused of having stolen goods from the Auroran King, and the men of Uldarash lead by King Aurelian marched to Valentum in the hopes of finding the goods. Loic saw this as a continued harassment based of old grievances. Angered by the sudden attack, Loic made a desperate attempt to pray to a new god. He saw the attacks from the spirits as a sign that perhaps Asharu was a false faith. During the siege, Loic had called upon Hicarys to grant him the support of the spirits in exchange for the conversion of the nation. It was not long until the spirits has arrived and the rally of Viodoxan soldiers had pummeled Aurelian's men forcing a route. Yet, the war did not end there, despite war never having been declared, the attack was enough to set off multiple skirmishes such as a massacre which had occurred in Shaloma causing the death of innocent civilians. Loic had claimed it was Aurelian who planned such an act, yet there was never any evidence other than the coincidence.

Loic planned to bring along his entire army and plan a counter attack to Fornost in order to finally end the war. The following day, Viodoxan forces marched upon Fornost and dealt a devastating blow to the infrastructure and defences of Aurora's land. This last victory effectively pushed Aurelian into surrender which lead to peace talks in Hapatmitas.

Assassination of Gobshire and Rivalry
During his resurgence in fame, Loic was aware of the many enemies that wanted him to fail. Particularly, an old member of Viodoxa known as Gobshire. He had intercepted messenger pigeons which had been threatening to murder and topple the government of Viodoxa. Hoping to send a message and eliminate this threat, Loic called upon yaykei and his son Zelious to pursue and take down this menace. Gobshire was last reported in the seas of Kush in Umbria. Not wanting to head too close to his old home, he was reluctant but still ventured with yaykei far near Haven. His journey's was reported in a book which he acquired from Gobshire's body. It took many weeks of travelling and upon the arrival of the archipelago's by Kush, they had been stuck for some time traversing the glaciers. During this Zelious had almost drowned when an avalanche nearly submerged him in water; miraculously, Zelious pulled himself out with the help of yaykei and Loic. After a couple more days, they reached the shores of Umbria where yaykei, having infiltrated the communications of Gobshire had the task of luring him out. Yet, this failed and Gobshire was alerted of their arrival. Immediately, yaykei cut him down and Loic took his belongings in order to discover his plans where he intercepted his personal journal. Afterwards, they had vanished and it is unknown where Gobshire had respawned. Now, he is on the loose in Rathnir and the nation of Umbria was unaware of Gobshire's treachery.

Second Viper War and Rise of the New Guard
Loic as written in his journal, had many ambitions including establishing a new set of powers in the world. Yet in his mind, he felt that this was a far-fetched dream and instead focused on domestic affairs including sabotages and roads being hampered by others. Rogue citizens of Viodoxa had perhaps been involved which was his original thought when investigating these attacks on domestic affairs. Yet, after a raid by Andorn, Loic had been preparing for future raids and successfully fended off Himo's band of raiders in Istanboulder. Infuriated by another attack, Loic began raising an army in secret which coincidentally coincided with the Second Viper War. This coincidence caused Canine, King of Aurora to respond by sending messages to Loic about having received word of the new army and believing Loic would use it against Uldarash. Loic, confused, correlated that Canine was the one responsible for the sabotages and spying on his land. Many saw this is a drastic action, but the harassment of Viodoxan lands caused Loic not to stand down for talks. He did however, attempt to speak with the Emperor of Uldarash to allow him to attack Aurora without the need for an Uldarashi defense. But this was obviously denied. He used the army initially meant for a training in counter-raids to attack Uldarash alongside the Soleannen spirits. Valen disciplined the men as they marched and began sieging the lands of Sanctuary. Afterwards, the army single-handedly occupied Hapatmitas and were victorious with minimal casualties. Loic's victory had caused Uldarash to suddenly shatter which came to the surprise of Loic. His intentions were to simply enforce the previous treaties, but now with his name being enshrined as having been the reason for Uldarash's collapse was something he feared. He did not wish to be seen as an evil conqueror and rather than pursue a further conflict with Aurora, he immediately began peace talks despite not directly attacking Auroran lands.

The conclusion of the war had effectively established a new order of nations in terms of the official great powers. Aurora left in the wake of the fallen Uldarashi Empire, and Viodoxa a great power in the southeastern realms. Though Theios-Essukdal, Viodoxa, Second Empire of Uldarash, and Bardonia proclaim themselves as the 'new guard', claiming to be 'great powers' due to their 'activity and power'.

Hapatmitas Crisis
In the aftermath of the Second Viper War, the Imperial Archonate was ceded the province of Aruna with the capitol of Hapatmitas for safekeeping by the Uldarashi Government. This quickly led to a potential conflict when the Second Empire of Uldarash formed and began demanding the return of Aruna. Loic was a stark anti-uldarash politician and had advocated against the unity of another Haven Empire. He knew it was inevitable, btu he wanted to make a statemen in the international world that Uldarash was dead. Despite not wanting to have killed Uldarash, it's death established a vacuum which he believed would prove useful for future strategic gains. Valen had wanted to solve the issue diplomatically as he commanded the Altesian forces. Yet, Loic who's detachment of troops had returned to Viodoxa had hoped to use Aruna has a bargaining tool. Archon Spike had returned from his illness and thus Valen was no longer in his place. Loic's perception was that if a trade deal were to be made with any Uldarashi Empire, he would not sign it as it would recognize the continuation of the first dynasty which had fallen. In order for the crisis to be solved, Loic wished that the international community would recognize any subsequent Empire in Haven as being a successor state. Some saw this as being a petty move, yet as a populist ruler, his supporters saw this as a powerful move and one that would only bolster the pride of Viodoxan citizens. Valen was heavily against this idea, as he saw this as useful in propelling the interest of Viodoxa abroad. Loic was only brought to the table about letting go of Aruna in exchange for financial compensation which was suggested by Valen.

Loic decided to call upon a friend StoryStudio, leader of Theios-Essukda l in order to come to terms with the crisis and bridge the distance between the Empires. Storystudio was eager to bridge an alliance with the emerging Empire of Viodoxa and saw fit to be the mediator. It is debated what was Story's intentions, but it remains to be seen. In order for this favor in finally settling peace, Storystudio would ask for a future favor.

Talks had gone up-and-down, yet ultimately what truly swayed Loic to give up Aruna was the Kushite Ultimatum and the leader of the Kush people who had pleaded to him on a personal level to simply end this rivalry. Loic and Aurelian decided it was so, and finally agreed to end the hostilities which transferred Aruna back into the hands of a new Uldarashi state.

Abdication
After having spent a significant amount of time in peace, Loic began writing a book which detailed his actions and strategies which explained much of his ambitions. The many years of peace which soon followed Viodoxas rise left him with no will to lead the country at the time. In this, he fulfilled the promise he gave to his citizens which was to abdicate the throne once there was no more conflict. His empire was complete and with the continent of Cymru unified he had nothing left to give his people. Zelious was coronated in early April and was known as the warrior-king for his extensive skills in combat.

The Purple Insurrection
The Purple Insurrection was a series of controversial events orchestrated by Loic and his followers. Originally, Loic had been away for nearly two months when, according to his account, he was called back to Rathnir alongside Zelious and Cristel. During his reign, from their point of view, Valen had committed a series of actions in direct opposition to the ethics of the country. Despite knowing the vast backlash he would receive, Loic first attempted to confront Valen regarding his actions. Valen refused to hear them as he claimed Loic was deceitful and a snake. The evidence to support this, according to Valen, was Loic's history of being a skilled schemer, making Valen hesitant despite their previous friendship.

The refusal of discussion infuriated Loic and, in his eyes, reinforced his view that Valen was a rotten ruler. He took it upon himself to raise an army of loyal followers to overthrow Valen or watch Viodoxa die in the process. Despite no actual engagement after this point, it didn't take long for word to reach the international community, sparking a burning hatred against Loic for his actions against a renowned ruler. Yet, to the average citizen of Viodoxa, this scenario was all too familiar. Most Viodoxan expats and citizens who recalled Loic's reign stood by him. His past actions of glory and victory were effective in bringing Viodoxa to a halt.

It was at this time that the stress of the insurrection caught up with Valen. Mere days after the insurrection began, Valen passed away from old age and the Archonate lacked a true successor. Valen's dying will was to give Viodoxa proper to Dmitry Yazov, an ardent supporter of Valen and pragmatist with an isolationist outlook. Loic, despite being upset with Valen's rule was saddened by the news of his death, with the etched memories of their past glories and valors. Loic in his grief, dropped the bid to rule as Archon once more in order to work towards a united Viodoxa for all. He merely requested to become Lord of Valentum once more, and for the Viodoxan exiles to be allowed back into the nation once more. Yazov accepted these terms and finally resolved the conflict which had nearly destroyed a great empire.