Luxania

Luxania is a independent constitutional monarchy located in east escana. The country has a shared border with Serangi, with both nations maintaining excellent relations. The nation is a composition of Duchies that united under the threat of annihilation (see "Crusades of Survival") into an organization known as the UDL (United Duchies Of Luxania) before being transformed into an Imperium by emperor Koriel (see "Emperor Koriel"). The duchies originate from exiled dukes and their populations coming from somewhere in Atropa (historians still debate the exact location), and settled in Eastern Escana.

Etymology
The word comes from the region's name given to by the first settlers when they landed in the area. It is also the name of the current capital and biggest City, Luxania City. It is also the name of the Duchy of Luxania, one of the principale duchies before the Voriel house took over.

Antione Koriel of Luxania
Antoine Koriel of Luxania, or Koriel of the duchy of Voriel, is without a doubt the most emblematic and one of the most controversial figures of the Imperium. Born in a small noble family, on the coast in the village of Hauser, he grew up destined to be nothing more than a small aristocrat of a region owned by his family, the Koriels. This destiny was common for young men of his age in the duchies of luxania, who were at the time completely different nations. Koriel’s first experience of warfare was at the siege of Budanri north of Luxania city. The context of the situation is as follows: The city state of Luxania City was at the time of Koriel’s 20th birthday worryingly expanding north and east, menacing the lands of voriel. The Grand Duke at the time, David of Voriel, had declared conflict on the city state to protect the lands of his people against the city state. The other 4 duchies decided to stay neutral in the conflict, as the two nations were each a powerhouse: Voriel possessed an impressive standing army, and Luxania was becoming one of the most important trading and cultural hubs of the region, even having ties with Serangian Sultanates in the north giving it access to trade routes only they could exploit. The conflict was violent as usual for the duchies, who regularly fought each other for control, but voriel began to suffer early on when the grand duke died of an intense fever 4 months in. His family was killed in an assasination plot of a rivaling house of voriel, but discovered a week later and led to executions of the assassins and their related contacts by some bureaucratic authorities. But the harm was done, and the duchy was leaderless. The closest man to the throne was none other than Antoine himself, being part of a branch of the royal family unharmed by the conspiracy. The father of Antoine, Louis of Koriel, accepted the mantle and became right then and there grand duke. For the 20 year old man, this brutal change from being a mere noble of almost peasant blood transformed into their direct heir to the throne affected him deeply. But he did not crack, assuming his role as prince and leading the army of the duchy against Luxania. He had trained young with his father on fencing and strategy, but on a small scale due to both of them ignoring their future fate and destiny. But, taking the initiative, he convinced his father not to directly attack the city but rather attack the connection of Luxania to the other duchies, cutting off the nation to northern trade routes. The city was attacked and the siege lasted 3 weeks, leading to it’s capture on a sunny afternoon by vorielian forces. Antoine had been baptized in fire, and he would never forget the sunshine of that day.

The war ended a few months after, with Luxania being cut off from half of it’s trade routes and the south being blockaded by the Vorielian navy, the city state had no choice but to ask for peace. Antoine could settle in peacefully in the new palace of the capital city and begin learning more about the art of ruling.

For a few years, nothing of much importance happened. Antoine began slowly taking the reins from his father, who, due to old age, was no longer competent enough too rule the vast lands of the duchy. When his father did die, the funeral was barely over until Antoine proclaimed himself the new Grand Duke of Voriel. He was only 29.

However, the beginning of his new reign would be shaken too the core by a rebellion. Not a mere peasant uprising that occurred every 10 years in almost every duchy, but a royal rebellion, led by his own brother, George of Koriel. Being the cadet of the family, his ambition was halted by the impossibility of becoming ruler quickly and directly. The older brother, Antoine, was first in line and George was forced into a more minor role. But his position as a general and his fame during the war against Luxania gave him a reputation and the loyalty of other important men like fellow generals and admirals. Thus, with these contacts, he began rallying his men and sieged the capital, hell bent on taking the palace and taking power. Antoine, shocked by the move, called upon his army only to find half of it turning sides against him. Without a moment's hesitation, he executed a sortie and met his brother in battle. Using the hilly terrain of eastern Lmnbvuxania to his advantage, he split the enemy army in multiple groups and crushed them using artillery and cavalry charges, leading some of them himself. The battle waged hours, and when George moved his forces closer to the coast to benefit from the protection of the fleet he controlled Antoine trapped them from behind. What George did not know was that a amiral he thought loyal to him had seen the state of the battle and switched sides once again, engaging his own fleet with all ships loyal to him. Once the treacherous navy was annihilated, he could assist the grand duke by landing naval troops from behind to trap the army of george moving towards the coast to what they think is safe. George’s army was crushed, and the cadet's brother captured. He was executed by firing squad in front of a crowd of citizens on direct order of Antoine, who made an example of the traitors to his rule. No one in his own duchy would ever oppose him again.

Recovering from the short civil war, the duchy of voriel did not have time to notice the dramatic events happening westwards. The tribes of Arai had assembled together a massive army with the sole intent to chase out the duchies outside of their lands. This would begin the War of Survival, a decade-long year where arai tribes sometimes aided by the sultanate of Jernani launched a devastating march inside east Luxania, killing anyone who opposed them. All duchies were affected one by one, and the situation was dire after only a year of fighting. This is when the legend of koriel would be forever cemented in public opinion.

Koriel saw what was happening and immediately called upon all duchies to forget their now futile struggles against one another. However, calling to forget more than a dozen generations of conflict and fighting instantly is more than difficult, it took time to negotiate a truce. Too much time.

When everyone finally agreed to Koriel’s idea, The western part of the duchies had fallen. The capital of the duchy of Molra had burnt down, it’s people massacred. But Koriel, no matter the suffering, pursued his plan: The creation of a united nation, the UDL, United Duchies of Luxania, and began organising the now united forces of the duchies to counter attack. For the 4th year of the conflict, the battles waged across the continent as a struggle for reclaiming land and cities continued. A small offensive in Jernani managed to stop the sultanate from aiding the Arai, with a white peace being signed agreeing to the establishment of a border on the river separating the regions. The war continued on, with the use of superior technology and fierce doctrines like artillery hammering, toxic gas and early aviation aided the Luxanians to push back to the old borders. But that didn’t stop Koriel, who decided to once and for all crush the tribes. The Crusade of Survival as it was called had just become a full blown invasion. All the way to the enclave that now is Matopae’s eastern enclave to the northern islands. During that time, Koriel had to resort to unethical ways of conquest which slightly tarnished his reputation after his death. Especially in the great western plains, where toxic gas mixed with the strong winds killed thousands of arai tribes. Nonetheless, the war ended after 10 years of conflict and the UDL became sole masters of the region. The next years of his life, he would officially become the first emperor of the Imperium of Luxania as well as the man who would establish the new western duchies. The capital would however be Luxania City, a move unexpected by many due to the past relation the Duchy of Voriel had with Luxania City. It remains one of the mysteries of his reign. He died age 71 quietly in his sleep, with a massive empire in his achievements and a legacy that would last generations. Today, the name of Antoine Koriel is not one easy to forget. He has 3 national holidays in his name, his birthday, the creation of the Luxanian State and the end of the Survival Crusade. In Schools, his achievements are taught at the age of 6, along with his ideals that many still stand by. There are a registered 200+ books in his name, going from fiction too biographies, studies and even theater pieces. His implementation in national culture is undeniable, especially with his 3 books that he wrote during his life time: His official journal, his book on the future of Luxania, and his book on the ways of war. The first 2 are a must read for all school children at the age of 10 and the third is used in all military schools and history studies, as well as political classes. Finally, the revolution of on screen cinema has already given 3 movies too his name, The lion of Voriel, which traces back his pre-emperor years, The Siege of Jernani, with the title explaining all, and finally The Traitorous Cadet, which shows in a dramatic sequence the betrayal of his younger brother.

Flag of Luxania and origin
The Flag of The imperium. The flag of a new era. The flag of the will of the people. A flag of tradition but also modernity. The story of the emblem dates back to the first days of the rule of emperor Atalo Premier, son of the one who brought prosperity to the imperium, Koriel. The imperium had come out of decades of unforgiving conflict, massacres, tragedy and violence, an era forged in the chaos of war. This war had brought glory upon the men and women of the imperium but it had also shown them suffering. A suffering the people and new emperor vowed would never repeat. The transition from an absolute monarchy was the new emperor's first priority, to fulfil the demands of the citizens. When the first major reform was made, the abolition of slavery, a council put in place by the emperor for a more fluid communication suggested a new emblem too represent the nation should be created. A flag to represent the duchies tradition as well as the new democratic era. The emperor agreed, and the first preparations began. Designed by a man named Jean-Smith D'arincourt, a citizen who had already experience in the domain, he was told to put forward the democracy of the nation but without taking away the tradition and history of the nation. For this, a simple esthetic was needed. The first task was a color pallet. The three colors of the design were taken from the royal emblem of the nation, representing not as some think the blood spilled during the conflict but red robes that the royalty took to show their wealth. Indeed, during the medieval era these colors were expensive due to the pigment needed coming from far away. So only nobles could afford it. The light blue however comes from the Gentian Flower, a flower representing in the culture of the nation good cause and patriotism. This was included to attempt to represent more the people who gave their lives for the imperium, acting as a memorial and a memory. The white represents the innocence of the massacred during the previous wars, an innocence the new nation vowed to defend at all costs. Some suggestions for green or violet representing the plains and flowers were rejected by the artist, claiming the representation wasn't sufficient and the colors did not go well together. It took weeks for the artist to find a suitable batch of sets he liked to submit to the council. The current flag was drawn in an asymmetrical sketch, with the red on the left decorated by the only symbol of the flag; the lion of Koriel, the animal that many associated with the now deceased emperor. It's position is no random act, as the royalty elements (the color and the symbol) put on the left with the strikes of blue and white on the right represent the end of the absolute royalty elements and the passing of time ( time represented from arrows going left to right, the past to the future) in favour of democracy. The strikes represent the 7 duchies of the nation. The colors of blue and white together represent the people who gave their lives (as explained before) and the white of the innocent they protected, so all in all the people and democracy. This flag ended up being chosen by the council and approved by the emperor for it's symbolism and for filling in all the requirements put by the council to the artist. The flag was presented to the public a month later and since then it has been immediately incorporated as part of the culture of the nation. It still is the flag too this day.

the national animal of Luxania, the Escana Lion
The animal reflects what most call the fighting spirit of the warriors: The roar, the shining mane, the strident claws, the thick hide, and most importantly, the strength. The animal known as the Lion is even represented on the flag of the nation. It’s history goes back decades, lots of decades even. Indeed, before the duchies even set out into Escana, the ancestor of the Voriel house, the House of Liunat, had the Lion as its symbol. The symbol was brought down the ages to eventually settle as the symbol of Voriel House, a house known for its fighting spirit in any battlefield. An old legend would say that during the travel to the foretold paradise where the nation lies now, one of Koriel’s ancestors would lay his eyes on the northern coast of the land and notice a figure, a silhouette. One that empowered it’s dominance by it’s mere presence, by it’s pose, it’s aura. This, according to the man, was a sign of glory for his nation as it reassembled the lion greatly, and the man was not wrong. Some experts today claim that the animal he saw was a Creodonta Lion, originally from Kanta but when the continent split some animals adapted to the new terrain and settled there. The lion resides in Northern Escana. But the story does not end there. As the duchies began developing, the symbol would know a period of decay, the absence of conflict and the lack of the nationalist spirit would mean that a symbol representing glory and strength would not be needed. The prosperity would be represented by another array of symbols, such as the Crane or the Deer. However the symbol would make a return during the days of the survival conflict. Indeed, the invasions against the homeland and the almost desolate state of the area meant that Voriel needed the return of it’s prized lion, the warrior feline, and it’s values that came with it. Fighting tooth and claw, the forces of the new Luxanian nation would rally under the roar of the Voriel Lion. Koriel Himself would be compared too it, and at the defeat of the tribes he would wear a lion’s skin over his right shoulder, coming from northern Escana. The following years would see the glorification and idolization of the animal, with statues popping up across the land often in memorials. The most current representation of the animal is the lion towering over the cemetery, it’s front paws on a rock with it’s jaw closed in respect of the dead. It’s mane flows in the wind, and the eyes look upwards too the heavens where all warriors now lay. Some other statues representing Koriel with the lion’s hide and skin are able too be seen across the land. The Lion was chosen by Jean-Smith D'arincourt for representing the royalty, as explained when the flag was described, because it represents the current ruling house (voriel, now with Atalo Premier as head of royalty) but because it’s the best representation of the history of the nation. Born in fire and flame, the nation would stand united with it’s claws as it’s armies and hide as it’s armor. Thus is the story of the Luxanian national animal.