Empire of Ravenguard

The Empire of Ravenguard stands tall as one of the major powers in the world of Eldham. Situated in the South-west, Ravenguard dominates the continent of Arsine and extends to the southern part of Astios. Ravenguard is one of the longest standing nations on Eldham, being the first nation to reach a million coins and being the only country to name a continent uncontested at the UNE.

Nation Discord: https://discord.gg/wbGY4uKKNV

Prehistory
The travelling knights of Onetapped and Sponte travelled throughout South Western corner and created then situated themselves on the island desert and established the village of Ravencrest on 5/30/21, which would later become the capital of Ravenguard. A few days after on 6/2/21 they created the nation of Ravenguard and made a small claim in the soon to be named continent of Arsine.

Origins
Two weary knights upon one stormy night by the name of Onetapped and Sponte established a nation focusing on the murder and plundering of others. Starting on an oasis surrounded with vegetation and a gigantic oak tree they got straight to work. After many weeks of committing banditry due to hard times, they decided the bandit life was getting tiring, so they decided turn a new leaf. A life away from banditing. They gathered the locals and constructed a great city which would be named Ravencrest. It now is a prosperous and bustling town, the capital city of the Empire of Ravenguard. It has a shimmering pond to take a dip in and the residents are always welcoming to any friendly newcomers.

Government and Politics
Ravenguard is ruled by an Emperor in an Autocratic Monarchist System that mostly consists of groups of Oligarchs, with every town owner in the empire being a lord that rules over their respective town.

Imperial level
De jure the empire is a Absolute Autocracy, with the Emperor being the Sole Leader not beholden to any legal restrictions. In reality, they are mostly concerned with foreign affairs, the military and any projects that require their personal attention. They are supported by a cadre of Senior Officers and a cabinet of Ministers, who are in charge of the imperial ministries, these being:


 * The Ministry of Agriculture
 * The Ministry of Architecture
 * The Ministry of Domestic Events
 * The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
 * The Ministry of Recruitment

Alongside these ministries, there are also the imperial brewers- and blacksmith guild, led by the Head Brewer and Head Blacksmith respectively.

Local level
The towns and vassal states within the empire enjoy a great deal of autonomy, able to set local customs and laws, as long as they do not go against imperial legislature. A leader of a town is granted the title of lord, whether they are elected or born into their position. Those that govern the nations largest cities or vassal states are referred to as Great Lords.

Culture
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Rest for the Wicked
The night had settled over Eldham, it was a dark and moonless one. The only illumination came from a small campfire that two weary bandits had lit. It was the first time in days that Onetapped and Sponte had been able to allow themselves such a luxury. The life of a bandit is no easy one, and as the pair had grown in infamy, so had the ranks of their enemies. After a recent successful raid on a small mining town, they had been pursued by the miners and a hastily organized militia of neighboring towns. But now, after finally losing the angry mob the two had found themselves in a desolate part of southwestern Eldham, and so they finally felt secure enough for the revealing light and warmth of a small fire.

Few words were shared between the two that evening, which was not an unusual occurrence. But this one was different. They both felt exhausted, not just by the recent troubles, but a deeper, more profound exhaustion that mere words could not express. And so they ate their first warm meal in what felt like eternity, cleaned the encrusted blood and dirt of their weapons and equipment, and soon fell into a deep slumber.

A Dream of Yesterday
Life had not always been about being one step ahead of the law. The two who would become infamous one day grew up in a small town in Rathnir. There Onetapped and Sponte had been miners and craftsmen, able to make a living for themselves, but little more. Predation by wildlife and vagabonds had ensured that handling sword and bow were skills that both of them learned from a very young age. Though not content with their lot in life, few were the opportunities presented to the pair.As such, it should not come as a surprise that the discovery of Eldham captured the mind of Onetapped and Sponte the same as it had countless others, those seeking glory, adventure, or just the riches they were denied in this world. So the two had embarked together with the masses of hungry souls, eager to make a mark on this untouched land.

Reality, however, had soon crushed the idealistic dreams of these new settlers, as ambition turned into greed, and petty squabbles into bloody conflicts.

Religion
The worship of Atlas originates in Rathnir, being brought over to Eldham by early settlers. There are very few traces of Atlas worship found in Rathnir and the religion seems to have died out there. Considering written records have long been eschewed by Elders of the faith, compiling a comprehensive history on the early history of the Atlas faith is near to impossible.

It is believed that it was Atlas who guided the later kings of Ravenguard, Onetapped and Sponte, to the location where they would build Ravencrest by sending them a dream of a raven flying above a shining city, beautiful and powerful. When they followed the dream, guided by ravens who appeared both in their sleep and their waking moments, they eventually found the place that had been shown to them and set out to make their dreams into reality.

The Creed of Atlas
In a place beyond time

The Ancient One dreams

And if he ever wakes

Our world will end

Every traveller who has made the long journey to the walled city of Ravencrest, bastion of the South-West, ancient capital of Ravenguard, has seen the towering monument of Atlas loom above the great city walls. Atlas the Dreamer, The Prophet from Beyond, Ancient Atlas, The One who Sleeps. Just as His names are numerous, so are the stories about the patron God of Ravenguard. While he is undoubtedly of great importance to the culture and history of the Empire, he does not have an organized church spreading his gospel, and indeed has very few actual places of worship.

This duality of conflicting aspects being intertwined into one being lies at the core of what Atlas represents. His divine domain includes dreams and prophecy, the subtle flow of time and destiny, but also the brutal honesty of direct hand to hand combat. His followers claim that He does not need temples or cathedrals, for every dreamscape and every battlefield is like an altar to Him.

Beliefs of The Creed
Followers of Atlas believe that He lives in a plane of existence beyond our own, a separate dimension. How exactly this place is connected to the worlds of Rathnir and Eldham is not clear and there are many different opinions on the topic. What is agreed upon is that Atlas is asleep in that world and has been for eons. It is generally assumed by his most fanatical followers that our world is merely part of his dream, though this view is challenged by those who see Atlas as just one God among many. In his sleep, he is able to communicate with the minds of  mortals in our world, sending them dreams of prophetic power in order to guide them.But Atlas is also a God of war, delighting in the sound of swords clashing and skulls cracking. Before a battle generals will pray to him to reveal to them the plans of their enemies so that they may crush them, while the soldiers pray that He will fill their hearts with courage and their arms with strength. Those that prove themselves in battle will be awakened after their death and leave this world to join the eternal war Atlas wages in his domain.

He is generally depicted as a bearded man carrying the world on his shoulder. This can be interpreted as him merely defending it with the help of the honorably fallen, or quite literally by continuing to sleep, thereby continuing to let our world exist. His familiars are ravens, who are thought to exist in both our world and the divine realm of Atlas. It is them who guide those chosen by the God on their journey out of the dream.

Demographics
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History of Battles and Wars
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