The first short story about Rhiel is a historical entry. It describes the characteristics and structures of the western lands and also reports on the events of the War of Independence. This saw the former agricultural colony break away from the hegemony of the East and become an empire of the West.

Preserving the fire instead of just worshipping ashes. That is our understanding of tradition. We do not shy away from blood or iron. But Rhiel is more than violence. As soon as you turn away from the capital, you hardly notice the militarism and are instead confronted with vast, peaceful and above all sleepy lands.

Some claim that Rhiel has fallen behind. Others say that time has deliberately stood still. They all agree on the feeling that our homeland conveys. The peaceful idyll, sparsely populated and quiet: a place that is almost unique, which confronts its visitors with the illusion of a life in times long past. Times when the world was still in order.

Accordingly, many hermits, creative people of all kinds, as well as adventurers, are drawn to the West. They find a new place to work – and are often given a rank in the regime. For as picturesque and romantic as Rhiel sounds: underdeveloped or protectionist, it is not isolated. We follow a philosophy, preserve functionality, approach everything strategically.

Federal, mutually respectful structures – defensive and self-sufficient. Centuries-old systems interwoven into nature for communication between communities. Finally, the hardening of the population through drill and the wilderness. We are part of the cult of honor, guided by the dogma of strength, which generates fighting spirit and discipline not out of fear or coercion, but out of sheer conviction. What looks like an idyll is actually a highly organized, powerful network whose nodes are united in the capital.

At the foot of the Iridian Mountain, in whose stone the halls of the Rhielian Zeron and his government are carved, lies the vibrant capital of the West. The centuries-old influence of art and culture is reflected in the architecture – as is Zeron’s imperial claim over the western territories, of which he is the recognized patron.

This structure dates back to the era of the South. The country was once a colony, the capital a central trading point for the hegemony thanks to its resource-rich location. This was an exception, as the remaining lands of the west were almost devoid of syncanite deposits and, from the point of view of the Tycan Zeron, were only suitable as farmland. Hundreds of villages also sprang up in the originally vast, sparsely populated and yet lively regions. The agricultural culture was accelerated by a migration program for the rapidly growing eastern metropolis, whose focus shifted to steel, syncanite and heavy industry. A decision that was to be the undoing of the Tycan hegemony.

It was the year 509 A.D. when the era of the West was established. The legislature of Zeron Trivius of Tycos began, who had to clear away the ruins of the failed southern expansion, but who distinguished himself with a focus on the domestic economy coupled with a protectionist doctrine of order. However, population and economic growth could hardly be controlled due to the flight and war economy in the overseas colonies of the South. He lost the overview, almost leaving Rhiel to his own devices. Only a small group of bureaucrats controlled the West and fulfilled the tribute expectations of hegemony. The fractured leadership of the Tycan state had no time for more. Investments, measures to create order – all this failed to materialize, and this led to the rapid independence of the communes via the communication channels set up for efficient work.

But much more decisive was the simultaneous completion of the Iridian Fortress – the base of the political structure that would later serve as the seat of government and palace of Zeron of Rhiel. The fortress was a project of the previous Tycan ruler, who tried to maintain order in all the colonies by force and had bases built for this reason. This was also the case in the west, before he was condemned as a Blood-Zeron and executed for the genocides in the southern colonies. A measure of the Judicial Triumvirate, which, in order to prevent tyrants, had to uphold the constitution by force if necessary, and thus often prevented the worst, despite attempts at corruption.

The lands of the west, meanwhile, did not notice much of this, only that the troops were leaving. In any case, the garrison was never large for Rhiel. The behavior of the easily controlled, hegemonic population was never a cause for concern. The city only had an agricultural economy and a few sites for syncanite mining, whereby only the location in the capital was relevant from the point of view of the Tycan authorities. There was never any evidence of a rebellion. Neither were the Rhielians believed to be dissatisfied and therefore seeking independence, nor were they thought to have resources and technological means there. In general, there was little confidence in them.

The declaration of independence came out of nowhere, seeming like a bad joke against the hegemonic power of order, and yet it came into full force when Rhiel began to cut off food supplies to the hegemony. Trivius raged, dispatching a legion, regardless of the fact that he had to keep the overpopulated, corruption-ridden city under control, and on top of that had to fight the chaos in the south. The unrest in the metropolis, together with the situation on the southern and western fronts, exacerbated by the explosion in food prices, threatened to drive Tycos into anarchy. But Trivius did not let up, believing he could subdue the west within a week and bridge the shortage with existing supplies.

The legionary force raided villages and established a reign of terror to decimate the masterminds. Resistance began to stir. Guerrilla actions, coordinated from the capital, wore down the legion, which had been split into dozens of units, and forced the deployment of a second legion. Meanwhile, the southern fronts were clearing, giving rise to the regime of a warlord whose henchmen captured merchant ships and used them to pirate the remaining trade routes. This plundering increased the warlord’s influence and made Trivius fear an imminent infiltration of its already scum-ridden ports. An aspect that would make defense impossible and bring the civil war to its own gates.

The lands of the west, meanwhile, did not notice much of this, only that the troops were leaving. In any case, the garrison was never large for Rhiel. The behavior of the easily controlled, hegemonic population was never a cause for concern. The city only had an agricultural economy and a few sites for syncanite mining, whereby only the location in the capital was relevant from the point of view of the Tycan authorities. There was never any evidence of a rebellion. Neither were the Rhielians believed to be dissatisfied and therefore seeking independence, nor were they thought to have resources and technological means there. In general, there was little confidence in them.

The declaration of independence came out of nowhere, seeming like a bad joke against the hegemonic power of order, and yet it came into full force when Rhiel began to cut off food supplies to the hegemony. Trivius raged, dispatching a legion, regardless of the fact that he had to keep the overpopulated, corruption-ridden city under control, and on top of that had to fight the chaos in the south. The unrest in the metropolis, together with the situation on the southern and western fronts, exacerbated by the explosion in food prices, threatened to drive Tycos into anarchy. But Trivius did not let up, believing he could subdue the west within a week and bridge the shortage with existing supplies.

The legionary force raided villages and established a reign of terror to decimate the masterminds. Resistance began to stir. Guerrilla actions, coordinated from the capital, wore down the legion, which had been split into dozens of units, and forced the deployment of a second legion. Meanwhile, the southern fronts were clearing, giving rise to the regime of a warlord whose henchmen captured merchant ships and used them to pirate the remaining trade routes. This plundering increased the warlord’s influence and made Trivius fear an imminent infiltration of its already scum-ridden ports. An aspect that would make defense impossible and bring the civil war to its own gates.

It had to be quick. The second legion marched directly towards the capital of the west, planning to cut off the head of the snake. Trivius hoped to restore the majority of food imports, stabilize the markets and thus society, and then move against the warlord. However, Trivius had not only underestimated the West’s agricultural importance and led Tycos into a dangerous dependency. He had also never traveled to Rhiel and was always kept from seeing the western projects by more pressing problems, which caused him to overlook the Iridian fortress.

Thus the second legion came up against a small but defensible force, which, according to the general of the troops, would have required an enormous amount of time and troops to bring Rhiel under control in a reasonable time. Trivius recognized the reality, withdrew his forces, accepted Rhiel’s terms and concentrated on the war in the south: with success. Thus Rhiel was born as the equal empire of the West, prospering massively through trade with Tycos and rising to the power it is today.

Whether Calvus Flasyra, the later Asure of Rhiel and revolutionary leader, had deliberately exploited the geostrategic and military-political situation of the hegemony or was merely a madman driven by conviction is still disputed today. But his courage, his steadfastness – defending the honor of the free lands of Rhiel – became part of the legend of the Phoenix of the West. It created identity and thus tradition.