Exordium

Exordium, officially the Holy Oligarchy of Exordium, commonly abbreviated as HOE, is a nation in the world of Abexilas. Most of the people living in the HOE are natives to Abexilas with only a few families tracing their origins back to the old worlds of Rathnir and Eldham. Exordians are fascinated with the stars, even worshiping them in the national religion Lumanatry. The nation is led by The Holy Oligarchy, the make the laws and regulate all the aspects of the nation. The Figurehead, Johnathan G. Pork announces this to the nation and sometimes the rest of Abexilas.

Exordian tribes
The guilds and houses that would make up the HOE were once tribes. Our ancestors figured that sticking together in large groups was a better way to survive and families formed groups which would become tribes led by the most powerful family of the group. These were families like House Andromeda and House Soll. The tribes were in frequent contact with one another, mostly to trade and talk with each other but sometimes conflicts arose and wars were fought. We also know that the tribes practiced ancient forms of magic which resulted in the rituals, ceremonies and spells we know today. Around this time the earliest signs of star worship were discovered as well. These strange pools and shrines were used by the first Lumanatists to practice a religion which would become Lumanatry. Around 80 AE travelers from the south settled in the Exordian lands. At first these foreign people were not welcomed by the Exordiands, but with trade and friendly interaction these new people were welcomed into the tribal society. The descendants of these foreigners became House Nakari and they played a huge role in the scientifical and magical advancement of Exordium.

Creation of the Exordian Kingdom
In 124 AE a man known as Alric Chorin was wandering around the Exordian lands and he thought our peaceful tribal existence was too primitive. He gathered his men and marched on Exordium. At first the tribes fought well against the foreign invaders, but soon some tribes realized that fighting was futile and they surrendered their lands to the foreign king. Others fought till their tribes were on the brink of extinction or completely extinct. After the war 11 prominent tribes remained. After Alric’s coronation he became known as Alric I, the Conqueror, King of Exordium. During Alric’s reign Exordium began to flourish, cities were built, roads were constructed and a constitution was made. Some of the most important buildings were built during Alric’s reign such as the parliamentary building, the observatory and most important of all; the throne room. Most Exordian people accepted their new rulers, because Alric was a generous king and allowed his new subjects to live their lives mostly the same as they were before.

Eras of growth
During the reigns of the monarchs of the House of Chorin, Exordium grew into a mighty nation. It became more technologically advanced and discovered the magical properties of the surrounding areas. In the year 578 AE Oliver Nakari discovered strange colored crystals in the Exordian caves. These crystals are known as Solas Reiltin. They are found in 5 different colors; red, orange, yellow, white and blue. These crystals have extraordinary magical properties. Later on Jaya Nakari, Oliver’s granddaughter, developed and perfected the Augmentation process, a process where people who have lost body parts or have body parts that no longer function the way they should could be replaced with a mechanical replica of said body part with the use of Solas Reiltin. This is how the race of Augmented became a part of Exordian society. At some point during the later years of the Era’s of Growth a man named Johnathan G. Pork and his wife Obudiah de Pork settled in the region near the town of Booker T.W. City. Johnathan and his wife were welcomed by the people of Exordium and some even began helping with building a house for the couple. Johnathan became well loved by the people of Exordium and around his house the town of Porktunne was built and House Pork became a noble house of Exordium.

War of the Throne
In 974 AE King Devon Chorin III ascended the Exordian throne. His reign seemed like one that would bring peace and balance to Exordium. However there is a reason why Devon Chorin is known as Kraz’s Lunatic. The first 16 years of his reign rocky, Exordium almost lost important alliances and deals with her neighboring nations due to Devon’s impulsive decisions and short temper, the High Council was able to fix and sometimes reestablish relations with those nations and prevent wars from happening. There was one decision Devon made that would spark the War of the Throne. During the Commence, a very important Exordian holiday, Devon announced the disbandment of the High Council and the Church of Lumantry. This action angered the members of the High Council, which were the leaders of the 11 tribes and the lumantry clergy. The tribal leaders conspired together and formed a plan to coup King Devon and rule the nation as an Oligarchy. However on the day the plan was about to go into action 1 of the tribes lead by Astorio Lurio betrayed the other Guild leaders and sided with Kraz’s Lunatic. In 990 AE the War of the Throne was fought. After a bloody and hard battle the Guilds won. King Devon Chorin III was killed, his wife and children were exiled with the traitorous Lurio’s, they later formed the nation known as the Voidspire Imperium. The entire war had devastated the entire nation, cities were destroyed, houses were burnt and many died.

Establishment of the oligarchy
After the Battle of the Throne a new government was established; the Holy Oligarchy. Each guild leader became an Oligarch. The new Oligarchs were Jonathan G. Pork, Dykos Hawthorn, Ben Nakari, Cal Andromeda, Tanner Eridae, Erola Attrocha, Tarquin Soll, Coin Nakari,  Nikolas von Paketzustellung and Exploit. Jonathan G. Pork was chosen as the Figurehead of the Oligarchy, he would announce new laws, decrees and other important things to the citizens of Exordium. The Church of Lumantry was reestablished as the main religion of the Oligarchy and new Lumantry cults were formed. The Exordian Throne, which the Exordian kings sat upon during their reigns, was surprisingly not destroyed during the war. Upon the ascension of the Holy Oligarchy the throne became known as the Empty Throne, no one was to sit on it as long as the Oligarchy ruled and it became a symbol of the Oligarchy. With a new form of government and no more traitors in their lands the Exordians could finally start to rebuild their great nation.

Oligarchy
The HOE is led by the Holy Oligarchy, as the name suggests. The oligarchy is made up out of 10 people, each being the leader of their own respective guilds. These guilds are; the diplomacy guild, culture guild, construction guild, military guild, production guild ( the combination of the industry and logistics guild), merchant guild, tourism guild, religion guild and events guild. Most of the oligarchs are also the heads of several houses in the HOE, we refer to these houses as Great Houses.

Figurehead
The figurehead of the H.O.E is the face of the Oligarchy. They announce laws and decrees the oligarchs decide upon. They also lead the Oligarch meetings.

Stewards
The stewards are the town owners and second council of the HOE They manage the cities and towns of the nation while also serving as a council for the Oligarchy. Some stewards are also heads of several houses, these are refered to as Noble Houses.

Astronomy
Exordians have been fascinated by the stars since the beginning of Exordian society. Even going so far as worshiping every single star in the night sky. In ancient text we found evidence of people using the stars to find their way across the vast landscapes of Abexilas.

Masks and Masquerades
Masks are a prominent thing in Exordian culture. In the tribal days of Exordium people used to wear masks to show the people around them who they are, what they believe in or simply to which tribe they belong. These masks could resemble animals, ancestors of folkloric figures. Some of these things were very tribe specific, for example someone with a cat-like mask would probably have been apart of the Kenemekize people.

With the culture evolving and refining the over the hundreds of years which have passed the tradition of wearing masks has transitioned into masquerades. These masked balls are the most common form of parties within the H.O.E.

The Commence
A holiday where the Exordians celebrate the beginning of the universe. The holiday is celebrated 2 days in a row. On the first day we celebrate the beginning of everything and pray to our gods. The day is filled with prayer, feasts and a masquerade called 'The first dance'. On the second day the Exordians remember their ancestors and mourn their loved ones who have passed away.

Lumanatry
Lumanatry is the official religion of the H,O.E.