Lúka en Olea

Early Life
Lúka was born to a somewhat poor family in what was then called Kattegat, later renamed to Zarpolis. He grew up during the Kingdom of Aristios, a time when Aristios was but a shadow of its former self. When he was young, about the age of 7, he would wander the streets alone, sometimes get into big trouble. His parents didn't particularly care, and neither were home most of the day, only returning to feed their son and sleep. On the streets, he encountered old men, more impoverished than he, as they were without a home. Some of these men, for a coin, would tell Lúka grand stories about the glory days. They wove vast tales of Aristii power, a day when their people were the giants of the north. A nation that was respected and even feared. A military of might and terror. A place to live where there was food on the table for even the poorest citizens, every day. These old men spoke of the Empire of Aristios.

Lúka was enthralled, his mind soared with the imagination found only in a youth of his age. He imagined himself a royal, an advisor to the great Kratoras of yore, a great soldier winning an epic battle, and occasionally he himself in the throne. He knew within himself that he would never ascend to such a level, but it was fun to imagine nonetheless.

As he grew up, his wild imagination transformed into an obsession with the old Aristii culture, especially with the language High Aristii, which did not exist in the modern day save for a few texts. There were no public libraries in Kattegat, so he always kept a jar in his house which he filled over time, which he would use to purchase books about the old Aristii cultures. Occasionally, he would get tired of waiting, and just steal the books, especially the High Aristii books, as they were extremely expensive. Sadly, you cannot make money off of knowledge of culture, so he prepared himself for a career as a stonemason, much as his father(he wasn't very good at it, and would lose his hand in a terrible accident). However, his future would be shaken up when he was 19, with the return of Otto en Olea and the advent of the rebellion.

Rebellion
One of the Kratoras of the ancient empire Lúka had such an obsession with had returned to Aristios. At the time, Aristios did not even exist and was ruled by a foreign nation, a fact that infuriated Lúka. So, when Aristii partisans gathered in the city square in Kattegat to organize a march to Akirashalam, the capital of the rebellion, Lúka eagerly joined in. Many of these partisans were young men like Lúka, who had their minds filled with visions of glory and might.

When they arrived at Akirashalam however, Lúka himself was declared unfit to fight, due to his injured arm. So, while he was not among the ranks of men fighting in Perdin, he stayed with the rebellion, as a simple laborer to mine stone and netherrack for the defense of the city. It seemed this would be his profession for life, which he was fine with, until he got the honor to personally meet Otto Olea.

While he was working in the mines, he would ramble to his fellow workers about ancient Aristios. He tried to weave tales much as the old men did for him all those years ago, but with the added knowledge of his childhood passion. The workers enjoyed his tales, and found that it massively boosted their morale, to know what they were contributing to. Then, during lunch breaks, men would gather around him and ask for his stories, which he happily obliged. It only grew from there, and sometimes he would be telling stories to upwards of a hundred workers. Eventually, word of this reached Otto, and he decided he wanted to meet this man for himself.

And so, Lúka was summoned to the palace in Akirashalam. The conversation went extremely well, and it ended in Otto offering Lúka a job, in the government's ministry of culture, which he graciously accepted. He remained in this position, doing much the same work as he did in his youth, trying to collect ancient records of Aristii culture.

Much to the shock of the wider world, the Aristii rebellion emerged victorious. A few days after the victory, Lúka was summoned to the palace again. Otto offered Lúka the position of Minister due to his hard work, where he would be at the lead of all cultural affairs in the new Aristios. He graciously accepted, and thanked Otto for the promotion. As soon as he reached his home, he began to cry with joy. The hopes and dreams of his youth had come to pass, and he believed with all his heart the only way to go from here was up.

He moved himself to Perdin, as he didn't like the desert climate of Akirashalam.

The Aristii Republic
Shortly after the success of the rebellion, another independence movement was growing in the west. The Republic of Aristios peacefully seceded from Sylvania. This angered Lúka greatly. He had strong feelings regarding the republic that collapsed prior to his birth, and they weren't exactly positive feelings. Yes, the old men had spoken of the republic with spite, and so too did he.

At one point, when he was meeting with Otto regarding the republic, he was extremely vocal of his opinion. However, instead of the agreement he was expecting, he was scolded for this. Otto reminded Lúka that they were all Aristii at the end of the day, and were and should be treated as absolute equals. Lúka would think over those words many times that night. Eventually, he concluded that Otto was right. So, he decided to make a trip to the republic. To his surprise, he quite enjoyed his experience there. The people were kind, save for the people who scoffed at him for being a filthy Ottocrat. He bought himself a house in Pompaelo, which he would spend a lot of time at during his off-time.

Voclari's Blessing
It was a late night in Lúka's home in Perdin. He had a very long day, and was very ready to fall asleep. However, he still had to pray. So, he got down on his knees before his bedside, and begun to say the Wor Kratoras Vox. However, before he could finish the first line, a glorious flash of light appeared in his room. While most times you would shield your eyes to a bright light, Lúka found himself staring directly into it. His eyes did not feel pained by this whatsoever. And so, a voice from inside the light begun to speak.

"You know who it is that is speaking to you, my son. Our power is greatly diminished, as my faith has all but died out. It is now your purpose in life to recreate the faith, as my Patriarch. If you can achieve this feat, your name will be venerated as a saint forevermore."

And with that, Lúka passed out.

He woke up the next morning with a sore back, reduced eyesight, and a mission.

Ascension to Imperial Governor
Around this time, Lúka was becoming a mainstay in Otto's inner circle. So, he went to Otto, and asked to become a governor. He really didn't expect to get anything out of this, but he was handed over control of the province of the Shattered Isles and given a mission to bring it back to it's formal glory. This came as quite the shock for Lúka, who had absolutely no experience with running any bit of land save for his own home. Despite this, he got to work.

He chose Áleanna as the new capital for the region. Áleanna was a beautiful city, with breathtaking skyscrapers, but was a ghost town. The inhabitants were wiped out long ago by an unknown event. So, Lúka got to work restoring the city.

A Meeting in Pompaelo
Lúka was down in Pompaelo one evening on a cultural journey; to teach the ancient language to the Nya'ristii, thus increasing Aristii cultural unity. However, when he finished his class, the woman that approached him was not Nya'ristii, but Sylvanian. She introducted herself as Naeva Fielinya, and she was a scholar of the Sylvanian language, Shylvakë, in Noxwind. She had many questions for him, especially considering it was understood that Shylvakë evolved from High Aristii. The two had a very long conversation, not only about linguistics, but many other topics. However, eventually Lúka had to teach another class, and thus she had to take her leave. But before she left, he invited her out to a local bar in Pompaelo, which she accepted.

Lúka's trips to Pompaelo greatly increased.

A Terrible Decision
Lúka's life was incredibly busy. He had to balance being a Minister, a Governor, and a Patriarch of a re-blossoming religion. The stress was beginning to get to him. He started to drink, at first a little bit, then a little bit more, before he was a full-on drunkard. One time, he was so drunk he found himself in a bar in a land called Rathnir. It was really a curious situation that Lúka nor anyone else can explain, but that's irrelevant. What matters is one fateful night, when Lúka was sitting in his office in Áleanna, atop the tallest skyscraper in the city. He was incredibly drunk, and decided in his drunken state to wander onto the balcony, and then wandered off the balcony.

Luckily, a convoy bringing supplies to the city was in town, and found Lúka. They gave him extremely basic first aid, and brought him to Doranthia, the closest nearest city, for higher quality care. The fact that he didn't die was superhuman. However, he was extremely crippled, and would be this way for a long time, and couldn't continue work on Áleanna. what actually happened is I got banned from SW. So, he was confined to an office in Akirashalam, until he would recover. While he was injured, his world would collapse around him. The Republic of Aristios was reintegrated into Sylvania, Ashai would come knocking once again and occupy Akirashalam, and his home would dissolve into 3 seperate nations, one of which being the province he commanded, The Shattered Isles, and due to his condition he would give leadership to one Aegeus Asellus.

And so it was that Lúka was reduced to an advisor to a mere third of his old home. And while the fire inside, the love for his homeland, still burned bright, it had begun to die out.

Adoption
Lúka had made many friends during his time in Aristios, and many of them came to check in on him and say hello. One of the most frequent people was Tjersero en Olea. Tjersero was far older than Lúka; he was the son of the second Aristii Kratoras Henry Jaggy en Olea, but the two formed a close friendship nonetheless. So one day, Lúka approached Tjersero with a rather unorthodox question. He requested that Tjersero adopt him, introducing him into the Olea dynasty. After some consideration, Tjersero accepted his request. Lúka was now a member of one of the most prestigious dynasties in Eldham, and had a father he knew well.

However, this prompted him to seek out the parents he abandoned for the revolution when he was 19. Thus, he sent a delegate to the Kingdom of Oleanna, one of the Aristii rump states and where he was born, to seek out Sofia and Dimitri en Avxar.

This was a grave mistake; for two weeks later, the delegate returned with news. Sofia and Dimitri en Avxar, confirmed to be Lúka's biological parents, had died of a sickness roughly 6 months prior.

The Breaking Point
It was pouring rain the day that Lúka received the news, but in spite of that and his injuries he hobbled outside. There, he fell on his knees on the muddy ground and sobbed endlessly. He had not known his parents well, but the blood ties were still important to him. Not only this, but he had lost so much in the last 6 months. His great dream of Aristii unity had dramatically ended upon EmperorUnknown's announcement at Oleapolis, reintegrating the ROA into Sylvania. Otto en Olea, a man he idolized, who was his mentor and great friend, passed away from injuries sustained at the Battle of Akirashalam. Most painfully of all, his homeland cracked under the immense pressure of Ashai, and the dreams of his starry-eyed youth faded away. All of this occurred while he was confined to his office, unable to stop it.

Between tears, he cursed. He cursed Ashai and The Rattican, he cursed Sylvania and Aristii Republicans. He cursed every man and woman, every politician and general, anyone who he believed contributed to the fall of his home, and by extension the destruction of himself. So much hatred was pouring out, that he cursed Voclari. He blamed Voclari for orchestrating this fate, for everything bad that ever went wrong. He called Voclari a false god, a demon no better than his brothers in hell.

But, eventually his anger subsided. He thought over what he had just said. Many of the people he cursed bore no malicious intent against his people, and especially not him, but he cursed them all the same. And he had cursed his God. He thought over the many blessings in his life, he truly was able to make a difference, and he had a meteoric rise infrequently seen amongst mortal men. Voclari had clearly paved the way; and now he was cursing him. His curses and tears became a weak whimper, as he collapsed upon the ground, and eventually passed out.

He woke up the next day in a warm bed, completely clean, and with all the pain of his injuries gone. He found that he was able to stand up normally. He was cured of his ailments. Then, he noticed a slip of paper on his dresser. There, in big bold letters, he read the words "LAST CHANCE" as the paper turned into dust.

Xozak
Lúka decided it was probably best to take the magical warning to heart. Áleanna(later Stronheim) was under work by other individuals now, but another town lay to the north; Port Dundee, It was founded by the Alanai just like Áleanna, and was a town of ruins and a waning population. So he set to work.

Spywork in Sylvania
So Lúka still owned a house in Pompaelo, which was owned by Sylvania now, thus qualifying him for citizenship in Sylvania.

The Second Uraki Imperium was at war with CATO; the alliance that destroyed his fatherland Aristios. So, he thought it just to aid Uraka in any way he could. So, with his Sylvanian citizenship he spied on a multitude of things, most notably communication lines, and brought it back to Urak. However, all good things must come to an end, as he was eventually caught and almost brought into custody, but was able to evade arrest.

So it was that Lúka was on the run from the law in Sylvania. He slowly made his way back to West Aristios and to the border with Olea through the wilderness, far away from civilization in the “Great Aristii Dead Zone”, a massive patch of pure forest surrounded by urban areas. He rowed across the Voclarian Sea on his lonesome, landing in his hometown of Zaropolis.

He was heartbroken, for he knew he would never be able to return to Sylvania, where his beloved resided. But he had no time to dwell on such. The journey so far has exhausted him, and he had to make haste back to his throne.

For an army marched towards his city of Takavagrad, and his kingdom found itself on the brink of total war.

The Siege of Takavagrad
For more information on the war itself, see Bloody Takavia

So much to do, so little time.

Lúka did not particularly have a lot of experience running a war, by which I mean he had literally never graced the battlefield in his lifetime.

No better way to learn than a trial by fire.

So, when he arrived at Takavagrad, thousands of volunteer soldiers already awaited him, extensively fortifying the city. He met with the appointed commanders, some of which were old friends of his from the revolution. They discussed battle plans in great detail, intelligence, and logistics. When the first enemy soldier was spotted over the horizon a week later, Lúka was sure he did everything he could have.

However, the hoard of enemies they were expecting did not appear. Rather, a thin crowd of the most feared mercenary group in all of Eldham- the Parahands- equipped in glistening Netherite Armor.

Lúka held the line side-by-side with his fellow soldiers, his royal. armor shining in the morning sun. A shine that would not last long and would be replaced with a crimson red. For as his brothers fell beside him in droves, the battle would come to be known as Rók Takavíos - Red Takavia. Thousands of young men died that day, but ultimately they were successful- and there were plenty more to fill their ranks. The young men clamored for war, petitioning to go take the fight back to the enemy.

Lúka, now seeing war for the first time, could not permit this in good faith. So he travelled to the enemy and offered a white peace.

And thus was the Treaty of Ouru signed.

Daughter
If you'll remember, Lúka met a woman named Naeva Fielinya in Pompaelo, quite a few years prior. A few things happened that night that I didn't mention, and now, a 16 year old girl named Olea appeared in his court.

Xozako Kratoras
There live a people at the far eastern section of what was once known as Aristios who call themselves the Xozakon(Kozashon) They rode on great steeds, without a care for borders, free like the mighty Golden Eagle of Aristii myth. They acted as a harbinger of life, saving merchant convoys from bandits, and a harbinger of death, raiding those same convoys.

Years ago, when the name Aristios still existed, there was a man named Dimítrí. He was a proud Xozako, riding freer than all the rest and with a sword swifter than the breeze. He rode with his brother Lúka at all times, and they became legends.

However, his beloved brother was cut down in an intense battle. He could not bear the grief, so he rode on his steed due east. When he reached the Voclarian Sea, he found his passion to ride gone, so he settled down in a city called Kattegat. In his new home, he put his old Xozako uniform in a chest, locked it in a closet and never opened it again.

He met a young lady named Sofia, and the two married and had a boy who they named after his fallen brother. He found work as a stonemason, and died of a disease at the age of 64.

Many years later, a young man named Lúka, now the king of the lands Dimítrí used to roam, enters his childhood home, exploring the house, he eventually stumbles on a chest shoved in the closet. And so, Lúka opens the chest.

Lúka never knew the history of his father Dimítrí, he had assumed he was but a simple stonemason. But with the new knowledge of the life his father had left behind, Lúka rode back to his homeland.

But when he rode into Port Dundee(which he would declare as Xozak), he was not wearing his typical gray and purple Aristii Stratí clothing, but had long red robes and a fur hat. These were the clothing of the Xozako, and now they were worn by the son of Dimítrí the Great, Lúka en Olea, The Xozako Kratoras.

The Katolian Civil War(almost)
Lúka had much to be angry about, for his nation was on the brink of civil war(shit escalated didn't it). Years ago, he had accepted a man named Dj Trooper and his band of refugees calling themselves the Vallazarians into his nation. That man now had turned his own people against him, and had voted to depose him. His fury was sublime. He locked himself in his castle and tore the place up, smashing objects against the wall, breaking a few windows, and quite terrifying a few maidservants, who he apologized to and let leave the castle.

After he calmed down, he went on a great diplomatic journey to gather allies for a civil war. I am not going into the details.

Ultimately, he and Dj Trooper would meet one last time, and despite the great enmity between the men, they hashed out a compromise. Lúka abdicated from the throne, but Dj Trooper would step down from ever holding a high position in Katolis. This resolution infuriated him, but he knew it was better than civil war.

Tjersero en Olea was elected Kratoras en Katolis.

Banishment from Nyaristios
Lots of Lúka's life hinged on his faith and his love of his country. Those two things came together quite nicely on numerous subjects. One of these was the idea of A'Lífxosí en Voxlarii, The Great Deliverance of Voclari. Detailed in the book of Deliverance, detailing a prophecy heard by the Prophet Alexsa sometime during the late empire. It stated, in simple terms, that in the far future, the Aristii would abandon Voclari and be on their knees to foreigners. Voclari told Alexsa that he would one day save the Aristii from this fate, so long as the Aristii were unified in accepting his Lordship. Alexsa died some twenty years later, but the first part of the prophecy would come true.

Now Lúka believed in the latter half of the prophecy, but there was quite a large portion of Aristii that don't, the Western Nyaoists. So Lúka decided to be an evangelist, so he traveled to the west on numerous occasions to proselytize Voclari, Olea, and Aristii unity.

He was not received well.

Despite being exiled from their overlord Sylvania, his presence was tolerated. Eventually they got tired of his evangelism, and was told to pack his things.

This caused quite the religious panic for Lúka, but he then had a revelation.

Voclari made the Aristii what they are, therefore what makes an Aristii is Voclari. So, an Aristii without Voclari is not an Aristii. The prophecy specifies Aristii, so if they aren't Aristii by that rule, then the prophecy can be achieved without them. Lúka found this reasoning to be solid, so he dropped the unificationist view of Aristios. They would later disavow the Aristii name, becoming Míyenxin.

Around this time, he decided to read up on the life of Xastelus av Ismení.

The Katolian Civil War(for real this time)
Three bills were proposed in the Katolian senate. The Banishment of Olea, Cutting of all Aristii Ties, and The Destruction of the Aristii Culture in Katolis. Lúka had tried to tolerate Dj, but he had finally crossed a line.

Lúka gathered his most devout loyalists, Preyellan volunteers, and members of the mysterious Order of Noryxius, and set out for Vallaz City from the Preyellan city of Galliopolis. They land on the western shore and storm the castle, setting it on fire as they go. Dj had already fled Katolis, and Vallaz City was entirely empty.

Lúka stood at the base of the mountain, and stared into the flames. A smile crept across his face.

Addressing the crowd, he declared Katolis a Patriarchate with himself as the Voxkratoras

Order Noryxius
Shortly after exile from the west, Lúka went around Aristios talking to the finest soldiers, the most elite mercanaries, and the most ruthless killers in all the land, with an offer. Introduction into an order named Noryxius.

Now the man named Noryxius was a martyr in Aristios. During the Voclarist Purges, he himself stood strong at Sanctus Basilica, the finest Basilica in all of Voclarium. Many bodies littered the floor by the time that a sword finally cut him down.

So the order Noryxius had a prime directive; hunt down the enemies of Voclarium. The men who filled it's ranks proved to be effective; many sucessful incursions were made into places like Miyenxin among others, some of which were led by Lúka himself.

But the successes would come to an end…

Death
Lúka prepared for what would be one of the biggest raids of Noryxius yet; the disruption of a wedding between two prominent Nyaoist officials, one of whom was a member of the Nine Lives Council, the ruling body of Miyenxin. The plan was for a small vanguard of soldiers to infiltrate the wedding, including himself, and strike as soon as the vows were said. Then, the main army would arrive outside the venue to handle the inevitable military response. They would inflict as much carnage as possible, then retreat before the Sylvanian/Miyenxi army could properly retaliate. Along for the ride, he brought his son, Nikítos, who he had to a famous Aristii singer 17 years prior.

The raid was deemed a success by most means. They killed many wedding-goers, and they were able to properly flee the city afterwards- but Lúka was not among the escapees. He was struck by the sword of an enemy, and for he was an old man, it crippled him to the point where he couldn't move. His son, also in the fighting, instantly rushed over after he saw his father fall. He tried to save Lúka, but to no avail. Lúka told his son that he loved him one last time, handed him his necklace, which had the Xerzeyo(a common Voclarist symbol), and beckoned for him to run. His son begrudgingly obliged, and joined the retreat in tears. So Lúka was left alone to the mercy of a very angry enemy army.

Lúka was thrown in the dirtiest, most run-down prison in the city. Tomorrow would mark his court date, but it was just a formality, for he knew what his sentence would be; death by the most painful and humiliating method the court could dream up. And so he sat in his cell, and he reflected on his life.

He cried when he thought of the dreams of his youth never to come to pass; the dream of a great fatherland. But he had achieved some dreams, he had become a royal, an advisor to the great Kratoras, a great soldier winning an epic battle, and he himself sat on a throne. But that also came with tears; in his youth he had imagined himself as a man of great virtue, but had he been? He thought of the men who went to their death at Takavagrad because of his mistakes, the flames over the great castle at Vallaz, and the numerous innocent lives he had taken just hours prior. What had he turned into? Would the man he was in his youth look on in shame?

In 3 hours, the answer would be given to him, his final judgement would resound through a courthouse. It would not be a fair final judgement, but he silently accepted his fate. However, his acceptance was interrupted by a brilliant flash of light. As he stared into the light, tears came out of his eyes and a smile crept across his face.

Only one could judge him.

When the guards came to bring him to court, they found nothing but a pile of ashes.