Some Brief Notes on Pelesia

Date: 539 P.E. (Post Empire)

Date System referred to in this book:

> 72 to 72 B.E. = Before Empire  

71 to 0 C.E. = Cadia Empire Period

0 to 2027 P.E. = Post Empire (Current year of the Agoric Myths Book One is 539 P.E.)

0 to 1856 N.E. = New Era. (Current year of the epilogue is 1856 N.E.)

Terminology:

What is the difference between a Cadian and a Pelesian?

Pelesia or Pelesian is generally a geographic term encompassing the peninsula and archipelago bordered by the Meloric Seas and the Agoric Sea. The term Pelesian may refer to the many cities on the Pelesia peninsula, archipelago, and some surrounding areas and islands that share a common Cadian culture.  Cadians may interchangeably call themselves Pelesians when speaking in terms of geography and more rarely when talking about cultural traditions.

Cadian refers to the dominant culture of the Pelesian Peninsula and Archipelago and is directly related to shared religion, language, ideals, and customs. The term comes from the Cadian Empire, which controlled and ruled most of the land around the Meloric and Agoric Seas for seventy-one years.  The term Cadian is used more often when discussing the shared culture rather than the broader geographical term Pelesian.  Cadian also refers to the language spoken by the Cadian city-states and much of greater Pelesia. 

Cadians believe in three Pantheons of gods, with the Greater Pantheon representing most of the desirable domains, the Lower Pantheon controlling more of the obscure domains, and the Last Faction being the last remaining remanent gods from before the rise of Gracix. In Cadian culture, the Last Faction are essentially their demons and boogeymen.

All five major Cadian federations would consider themselves Pelesian as well as Cadian.  Although parts of the Perkinite Empire and the Elreian Empire occupy islands and portions of the upper peninsula and the archipelago, they would not consider themselves Pelesian.

What the morb is a morb?

Morb is short for Morbis, the general term for the underworld beyond death. Morb is used as crutch slang with a negative connotation. 

What is an agor? 

These are the commonly minted coins of Cadian cities. They are usually roughly the same size and weight in either silver or gold, thus making them closely interchangeable between cities.  Smaller cities and towns often use the agors minted in major cities.

What is a Perkinite? 

Anyone or anything associated with the Empire of Perkins is considered a Perkinite. The empire sits to the west of the Cadian city-states and controls a large swath of territory on the continent of Agdara. Outside of each other, the Perkinite Empire is the main rival of the Cadian city-states. Numerous wars have been fought over the centuries, most recently the Eighth Perkinite War from 499 P.E. to 508 P.E.

What is a Nymbian?

Anyone or thing associated with the Empire of Nymbia is considered a Nymbian. The empire sits south of the Cadian city-states across the South Meloric and Agoric Seas. It is the strongest empire on the continent of Garia, and its capital is Nybos. Due to the sea between them, fewer wars have been fought between the Cadian states and Nymbia, but vast trade networks exist between the two regions. Nymbia is home to a sizeable silkweave industry, the decadent material in which the wealthy like to clothe themselves. 

What is an Elreian?

Anyone or thing associated with the Empire of Elreia is considered an Elreian. The empire sits to the east of the Cadian city-states and controls a large portion of territory on the continent of Agdara. The capital of the empire is Elreia. Elreians are descended from the Cadians and made up the eastern portion of the Cadian empire. The Elreian Empire rose after the fall of Acade and the end of the Cadian Empire in 0 P.E.  The elite held together a functioning government that spanned many of the region's cities, eventually creating a strong empire of their own. They are an aggressive people and have expanded far to the east at this point in time.  They have a similar culture to the Cadians and worship many of the same gods, although they have renamed most of them.  There is an ever-growing thread as the western Elreian border slowly encroaches on territory once belonging to the Cadian Alliance, but no major war has been fought between the Cadians and the Elreians. 

The Cadian Empire:

Although most of Pelesia, and what is now Elreia, had been conquered over the centuries leading up to the reign of Emperor Malceon, when Malceon finished his conquest of Greater Perkins, the Cadians stood as the most powerful empire in the world. Cadian culture covered nearly all of the shores of the Agoric and Meloric Seas. They had dominated, occupied, or assimilated the rival nations in the region, and Cadian would be the dominant culture and language throughout the known world. To achieve this, Malceon enlisted some of the world's greatest heroes in what was called the Second Age of Heroes. Using their talents, they led many of Cadia's armies to victory.  

The empire lasted through four emperors' reigns until Emperor Constarpus fell during the defense of Acade. A large barbarian army, armed and paid for by the Perkinite King in exile, Lersees, sacked Acade and many of the northern cities. In the ensuing war, much of the empire's infrastructure was destroyed, and rival warlords and local power brokers began to take control of territory throughout the former empire. 

Still, many Cadians look back to the time they used to rule the world. Nostalgia for that glory sits in the hearts of many, and occasionally, a tyrant or two pops up around Pelesia, claiming they will reunite the old empire again.  The two hundred years following the sacking of Acade is considered the Pelesian Dark Age, as little infrastructure was built, cities were often razed and destroyed by invading neighbors and foreigners, and much of Pelesia was put under the rule of Perkins, a growing Elreia, or Nymbia.  Learning, art, and history were at a standstill during this period, and it wasn't until the new Cadian Alliance formed in the third century P.E. that the city-states had some sort of defense against outsiders.

The Five Cadian Federations:

The Agoric Confederation: Founded in 486 P.E. when the Cadian Alliance splintered. The Agoric Confederation was an attempt to stop another Cadian civil war by creating a strong enough alliance that the Cadian Alliance would choose to let the other city-states leave in peace. This confederation is the Northwestern most alliance of Cadian states. It has a border with the Perkinite Empire and, at times, is considered the most powerful of the Cadian federations. The capital of Greysaxa is only rivaled by Helios in the Cadian world and is one of the most important trading ports in the Agoric Sea. The city is also host to the Greysaxan League of Heros. 

The Helios League: Founded in 487 P.E. in response to Greysaxa's dominance in the newly formed Agoric Confederation, Helios started its won league. Territorially, the Helios League is the middle federation on the Pelesian Peninsula. Helios is the largest and richest Cadian city and has recently surpassed Greysaxa in importance.  It is home to the Heliosian Heroes League.

The Cadian Alliance:  Founded in 247 P.E., the alliance was an attempt at reassembling the security that the old Cadian Empire provided the Pelesian cities. The coalition never grew to be as centrally managed as the empire, although Acade still dominated much of the politics. At one point, the alliance included almost every Cadian city-state except the Hestari states. Today, it is located in the Northeastern corner of the Pelesian Peninsula and contains the last remnants of the Cadian Empire. It is much weaker than the Helios League and the Agoric Confederation. The Elreian Empire constantly threatens it to the east. The capital is Acade, and the alliance no longer has a heroes association after the Greysaxan League wiped the institution out during the Ten Years War.

The Hestari: Founded in 139 P.E. after the island city of Hester expanded throughout the Meloric Seas. The kingdom mainly consists of the easternmost islands of the Pelesian Archipelago. They control much of the trade within the South Meloric Sea. The capital is Hester, and they do not have a heroes association. 

The Kingdom of Lyos: Originally founded in 391 P.E., it was re-founded by Diovynin in 491 P.E. when his enlarged kingdom was denied entry into the Helios League.  Much of the southern Pelesian Peninsula is controlled by the Kingdom of Lyos. The capital is Lyos, and until around the 480s P.E., it consisted only of Lyos, Elos, Daviclee, and Heris. It is the youngest of the federations, and The Lyos Federation of Heroes is based in the capital. 

Heroes Associations:

Over Pelesian history, there have been many groups of heroes that have travelled together. They are often referred to as associations, and many of the myths surrounding them are accredited to the group by name. The first officially sponsored heroes association occurred during the Cadian Empire Period when Emperor Malceon brought together ten of the strongest heroes of Pelesia under his banner and called the group the "Tenfold." The name referred to the belief that each hero's worth equated to at least ten ordinary men in battle.   The Tenfold often went on quests for the emperor but also helped him in battle during his conquest of the Perkinite Empire.  

When the empire fell, the Tenfold faded away, but other city-states, as they rose in power, would form heroes associations to signal their strength and prestige to the rest of the world.  It was common for many cities to have a patron hero, and the practice still exists in 539 P.E. at the beginning of the Agoric Myths saga. However, only the strongest cities have heroes associations.   Each association is governed differently. For example, there is no official leader of the Helosian Heroes League, but the Greysaxan League of Heroes is led by Krylax, who gives orders to the others. 

Additionally, throughout history some heroes associations formed naturally and were not sponsored by any government.  A recent example of this would be the famed Daronauts, who were named after their ship, the Daros. Although some members had affiliations with a city-state, the group operated on its own, without command from king of city.