Maximal Extension of the Venerable Empire of Whide Axis
The Venerable Empire of the Whide Axis was a High elven confederation of states and kingdoms in the continent of Ushaenor, founded during the Elven wars, at the 950 before the Apparition of Humanity (b.a.H). At the height of its power, was a world empire that extended over most of Ushaenor, Aels, western and central Zarhuy and parts of Hieyoks during the Late Elfic Age, before the Age of Invasions meant the loss of their extra-Ushaerian territories, which will mark the beginning of the declination of the Empire.
Among the member states of the Empire, there were electors, who chose the Emperor of the Elves, a charge which mostly had a ceremonial role, and while original power, it slowly faded away, until the point when the last emperor disappeared during the First War of the Power (2.203 - 2.223 a.a.H), the electors never chose a new emperor.
The Empire of the Whide Axis decline will continue and be accelerated with the expansion of northwestern Aelian human in Ushaenor, and in the 2500's it will continue the contraction of the Empire from its former glory during the time of the Two Empires, when in northen Ushaenor the Empire of Whide Axis shared territory with the Ushaverican possessions of the Holy Sargonic Empire, which ruled over the humans, and the Whide Axis, who ruled over elves.
While still retaining some role by the Third War of the Power, organizing the elven pro-human forces, it faded away with The Cataclysm.
Functional to the division of humans and elves coexisting in one territory, the Empire of Whide Axis will only cease to exist at the 2.997 a.a.H during the Joaquintopian Wars, as the Joaquintopian Emperor abolished the Empire of Whide Axis, making all the elves citizens of the Joaquintopian Sargonic Empire. The High Elven Empire was among the most powerful economic, cultural, political and military forces in the world of Aiers of its time. It was the largest aierian non-human empire and the largest empires in the History of the world of Aiers. The longevity and vast extent of the Empire ensured the lasting influence of High Elven language, culture, religion, magic, inventions, architecture, philosophy, law and forms of government on the Empire's descendants.
History
(Shabazik: I'm first writting the points, later will redact it on a more coherent way)
The Elf Wars
The origin of the Empire of the Whide Axis as an entity was directly related to the Elf Wars of Ushaenor that began at the 1.000 b.a.H, between the High Elves and the Hake.
The High Elves, divided in many kingdoms, were a dynamic, growing and expansive society, which was feared by the Hake Empire, who around the 3.000 b.a.H came to fear what they saw as barbarians in the north, would decide to use as their policy among the High Elves realms to cause conspirations, conflicts and disputes, to ensure the High Elven division and wars, to retain the Hake Hegemony.
While this policy of division, vassalization and taxing will be succesful for about a millenia and half, it didn't stop the expansion of the High Elven realms, and as became more evident for both Hakes and High Elves the stagnation of the Hake Empire -and their manipulations of High elven conflicts for their own interests-, by the XI century before the Apparition of Humanity became clear that there will be a full out war between Hake and High Elf, war that broke out at the 1.000 b.a.H, when the Imperial Armies of the Hakes marched to the north.
At first, the Hakes expected the High elven kingdoms to remain divided, and at first, while the southern High elven kingdoms fall in the years of the 1.000 to 992 b.a.H, indeed was the case: But as became apparent this wasn't yet another border war, but an all out invasion of the Hake Empire, the High elven realms will form an alliance against the dark elves, massing their armies to try to stop the marching victorious Hakes -but being defeated in the Battle of Keuta at the 988 b.a.H.-
One after another, the High elven realms of the south and center fall, and their armies were defeated one after the other until a first victory at the 965 b.a.H in the Battle of Aran, which slowed down the advance of the Hakes, and the decisive Battle of Murs at the 950 b.a.H:
The same day of that battle -one of the largest in history of elfkind-, the victorious allies proclaimed on the battlefield the general that leaded them to victory as Emperor Aran I en'Quessir, the first Emperor of the Elves, Emperor of the Whide Axis.
This first emperor -and first empire- was military on nature, as it was intented for the emperor to be the commander in chief of all the forces of the High Elves, to unify their efforts, while each elf kingdom had a great degree of autonomy.
After the Battle of Murs, Aran I will lead the High Elves, first fending off the consecutive military expeditions of the Hake armies, until at the 850 b.a.H they were finally able to reconquer all the lost high elven colonies early in the war, ending the offensive phase of the Hakes and beginning the High Elf expansion phase.
At this time the High elves began their colonial ventures in Aels, Zarhuy and later Hieyoks, so as to gain lands and additional resources that way and to strategically flank the Hake Empire. In Ushaenor they continued for the next centuries the advance over the Hake Empire, fighting as well against beastmen and others who tried to face the elven expansion in Ushaenor, until they cornered the Hakes to their last territories:
But while the previous Emperors of elves had asked for a last push to finish the last remnants of the Hake Empire, Emperor of the Elves Madhanach feared that a final defeat of the Hakes would mean the loss of predominancy of the Emperor over the High Elven society,so he slowed down the military operations against the Hake, while trying to extend his rule not only over military matters, but legitimize his power over other aspects of high elven society.
These advances of the imperial authority were resented by the High elven kingdoms, but meant as well an opportunity for the Hakes to gather again their forces. With the menace of a civil war in the empire's territories and the Hakes massing in the south, Aran II marched to the south of Ushaenor, and will be defeated.
This defeat meant both a halt to the High Elven attempts to conquer the last strongholds of the Hake and the weakening of the figure of the Emperor, which was followed by a short struggle of power between the High Elf Kingdoms seeking for dominance in the Empire of Whide Axis, from which the Empire will surge from the crisis as a federation with only a nominal authority -the emperor- of high elf states.
While victorious in the Elf Wars, the High Elves emerged weakened from them.
The Elven wars caused a demographic catastrophe, due some of the fighting, destruction of cities and farmlands and some of the worst famines in history of Ushaenor. Lacking good census information, historians have extrapolated the experience of well-studied regions. In general, it's accepted that population losses were great but varied regionally (ranging as high as 75% in some regions). The war killed soldiers and civilians directly, caused famines, destroyed livelihoods, disrupted commerce, postponed marriages and childbirth, and forced large numbers of elves to relocate. The reduction of population in the High Elven states was typically 25% to 40%, while some regions were affected much more than others -specially in the southern realms, who lost up to three-quarters of its population during the war. Hakes where even stronger hit, as it's supposed a population declination to one third or one fourth due to war, famine and the expulsion of Hakes. Much of the destruction of civilian lives and property was caused by the cruelty and greed of the soldiers and racial hate between hakes and high elves, but as well the armies sacked their own populations. Villages were especially easy prey to the marauding armies. Those that survived, would take almost a hundred years to recover.
The war caused serious dislocations to both the economies and populations of Ushaenor, but it is discussed their long range effects: some historians say it changed history of Elfkind, with the mutual destruction of their two most powerful nations in history, stagnating for much the elven population, while others say it may have done no more than seriously exacerbate changes that had begun earlier. Also, some historians contend that the elf cost of the war may actually have improved the living standards of the survivors.
Ushaenor was left in ruins. Population decreased due to the war, and stagnated, as happened to the economy during the war. With Hake remnants in the south raiding the bordering regions, large extensions of lands were left deserted, existing extense unpopulated regions that served as a buffer zone between the hated enemies.
A World to Conquer: High Elven Imperialism
main article: High Elf imperialism
The Hake Empire fought hard against the High elves but failed to defeat them and had exhausted themselves by 850 b.a.H. After fighting more defensively most of this time, the High elves were able to start taking the initiative in the long running series of wars.
Their colonization efforts were like a "second" arm at work in the long running conflict. After being confined to northern Ushaenor for so long, the High elves had prepared to flank the Hake empire by colonization. The first High elf explorers expanded to the closer Hieyoks shores to the northeast of Ushaenor and the Alan Ocean Isles, concentrating their expansion in the first century (10th Century b.a.H., 1000 - 901 b.a.H.) in these colonies -and recently annexed Ushaverican territory-
The first High Elven explorers will arrive to mainland Aels at the 821 b.a.H., with fleets of ships bearing colonists who would arrive in the following years.
Eventually, the High elves would successfully plant and grow several nation sized colonies on the continents of Aels, Zarhuy and Hieyoks. This would eventually ensure victory over the Hake empire that originally controlled most of large continent of Ushaenor.
First a survival strategy to support their war effort, with the stagnation of the Elf wars in southern Ushaenor -with the Hakes cornered in their strongholds-, the Imperial expansion became a justification for the continuation of the weakened empire, trying to demostrate that the empire was still on a Golden Age, and as well following the high elven belief of their divine destiny to rule the world, bringing civilization to the barbarian (other elves) and rule to the monsters (non-elves).
The first foreign cultures to fall to the High elf colonial effort will be the Unnline flairie dark elves in southern Aels, at the 809-731 b.a.H. Then continued with the prairie flairies and the Aelian rossnes empires, as Malvor, Aiesec and Montthafen, and the realms of non-elves.
Around the 440 - 400 b.a.H, they continued their expansion into Zarhuy, where they will face a strong opposition by the orcs of the plains of Antor in the War of Antor.
At the 200 - 120 b.a.H, the High elves began a further expansion into Hieyoks, in the area of the Sea of Tok.
The colonies will rise to become the jewels of the Empire, and some of the greatest new realms of High Elves in the east will cast into shadows some of the metropolises of Ushaenor, but this colonial dominance wasn't uncontested, as often these colonies will face rebellions, as the Flairie rebellions of the last years of the age Before the Apparition of Humanity.
As well, due the federative nature of the Empire of the Whide Axis and the progressive weakening of the figure of the Emperor of the Elves, many of the more succesful high elven colonies and kingdoms began to search for more and more autonomy from Ushaenor, and often the new High Elven kingdoms will clash against each other over border issues, or with their metropolis as they sought to gain more autonomy.
The colonies where quite close culturally to their metropolis, and some of the tensions of Ushaenor between Gold and Silver High Elves will sharpen.
The Age of Invasions and the Fall of the Eastern Realms
The Apparition of Humans will be a shock for the whole world of Aiers, but will mark as well the beginning of a dark age for elfkind: The Age of Invasions.
The High Elven Empire had expanded too fast and too quick, which meant in many parts of the empire their dominion over the conquered peoples hadn't been secured, and less as often the Eastern Realms of the High Elves, interested in their own political goals will clash due their interests against those of other realms and their parent Ushaenor metropolis, which meant a fragmentation of the political coherence of the colonies of the Empire, and as well an overextended hegemony, that had spread too far and thin.
The natural catastrophes and cataclysms of the first century of the age of apparition of humanity and the appareance of humans will trigger a series of massive immigrations among the peoples of Aiers, which often meant them invading territory occupied by the High Elves.
Aside of these cataclysms, immigrations and invasions that hit hard the High Elven colonies, as well they faced for the first time a plague: The Curse of the Doroz.
The first colonies to fall were the more recent colonies in the shores of the Sea of Tok, where the curse hit strongest. Then, the realms of Zarhuy, under the attacks of Kanovs, orcs, beastmen and humans.
In Aels, where there were some of the stronger colonies, they were at first able to partially resist the first wave of the Galaw orcs, in the High Elf-Galawkey war, between the 278-412 a.a.H: war that ended with the Galaw and elves exhausted, only to fight now against the migrating Kanov and humans.
By the 500 a.a.H, almost all the colonies of High Elves of the once great Venerable Empire of Whide Axis had fallen, with the exception being a couple of kingdoms that became independent -as Vanilion, Cairn'Hayrn and Rohnion as examples-.
But that wasn't the end of the Age of Invasions for the weakened and reduced Venerable Empire of Whide Axis, because during the VI century (501-600 a.a.H), they will have to fight in their home continent of Ushaenor against sea-faring human peoples. While the Whide Axis was ultimately capable of defeating them in yet other invasion, Emperor of the Elves Azra'l I decided to grant them some territories, to use them as a vassal and a buffer against further human invaders: these human groups will become the Ushavericans.
The Age of Invasions will be a traumatic experience for the High Elves: after feeling they had a divine destiny to rule and they where trying to make an empire extending over all the known lands -discovering the unknown-, building great kingdoms, cities and architectural feats over Aiers, they fell all their work was lost upon a wave of barbarism. The apparition of the Curse of the Doroz will be other shock that deeply changed the psyche of the High Elves, who from being triumphant conquerors, fell to despair.
In the Eastern Realsm in Aels, Zarhuy and Hieyoks, the High Elves practically dissapeared, but for the exception of some last remnants in some counted realms that where able to retain their independence.
Part of the population escaped back to Ushaenor -which triggered a refugee crisis, and the arrival of the Curse of the Doroz to Ushaenor-, but most of the colonists weren't able to escape: with their cities sacked, their armies dispersed and nations destroyed, the High Elves will mix with their former Rossnes vassals. Be free in small rural comunities -as the zarhuycan Wild or the Sand elves-, as cursed Doroz, or as conquered populations -as the Grey elves-, many of these shadows of the former High Elven glory will be assimilated by the local rossnes elven communities.
After the Elf wars, the High Elven population had already produced a collapse in the High Elven population, and while during the Imperialism the population had again seen a growth -but a rather timid one, that couldn't compare to pre-wars levels-, while there had been some signs of recovery, the Age of Invasions would mean a second demographic catastrophe for the High Elves, with their numbers being reduced between one half to one third of their population.
This wasn't an exclusive situation of the Eastern Realms, but as well in Ushaenor: attacked by the sea peoples and hoping to escape from their raids, large extensions of the Alan shores of Ushaenor will be abandoned by the High Elves, who retreated inland, giving their backs to the Ocean that had given them glory.
Traumatized, the High Elven population stagnated. The great trade cities had fallen, and so their intercontinental empire. The economy failed, and the same happened to the trading elites of the cities. The figure of the Emperor of the Elves further weakened, and the rural nobles seized their power for themselves, as Imperial and urban authorities failed to be able to protect their population. The High Elves felt that the gods that had guiden them to glory had forsaken or abandoned them: and so, they abandoned the world outside of Ushaenor, becoming more and more isolationist. With a broken economy and ambition, realizing as well that their existence was mundane, without a superior destiny, the High Elves turned to hedonism. There where less marriages, and elves gave birth always older and older, which resulted in a very reduced childbirth rate.
The Venerable Empire of the Whide Axis was in decadence.
The White and the Purple Party
The prosperous colonies and the Kingdoms of the East had fallen, and the last surviving remnants were cut down from the Empire. In the same Ushaenor, core of the Empire, long extensions of lands were deserted to escape the coastal raids of pirates and invaders, and the once mighty empire had to settle down for an agreement with some of the human invaders, providing them territories as vassals to the empire.
This will be a long lasting trauma for the High Elves, as many saw their divine rule to bring civilization to the world was either proved wrong, or that they had been abandoned by their gods. The once triumphant philosophers who espoused the inexorable march of progress, led by the High Elves, will fall to desperation of a decadence of the western elven world, condemned to fall at the hands of barbarians and monsters. In the same time, the loss of the eastern realms meant as well an economic collapse for the Empire, as well a loss of credibility of the traditional authorities.
The Hake, who had sensed the High Elven weakness, attempted as well some limited continuation of the Elf wars, meanwhile the High Elves authorities had to concentrate much of their efforts to control the Ushavericans human tribes, plotting and dividing them, to ensure they didn't grow into a danger to the weakened empire.
The once dynamic High elven population stagnated. The high elves married and began families at older ages, and had less and less children, as they didn't want to bring children to an uncertain world.
The Empire was declining in economy, demography and political power and cohesion, and when the last remnants of the once world wide empire fall -the Hieyoker colonies in the Sukke Peninsula-, nothing could be done to attempt to save them:
and once the colonies of Sukke fell, soon began raids from Hieyokers in the north of Ushaenor, with ice and snow elves, ice giants, Galaw and hieyoksmeiner orcs and later, humans and Kanovs.
Against these raids, the weakened emperors couldn't do anything, and the once mighty imperial armies weren't anywhere to be seen, so the northern realms of the High Elves only could trust in their own strength against the raiders, building castles and fortifications and raising their own armies, often finding support rather than in the emperor, in the Magicracy of Dahl'Haran.
In this context of decadence, will surge then two opposing parties in the kingdoms and cities of the High Elves: the White and the Purple Party. The White Party was composed of the supporters of the Emperor and the temporal power of the trading oligarchies of the cities, supported by technicians, artisans and urban non magic-using elven population, with dreams of restoration of the Emperor and the Empire, in front of the Purple Party, led by the Magicracy of Dahl'Haran, which backed the rule of the magic users, provincial and regional particularisms, isolationism and local high and low nobilities.
This political conflict will be long lasting and bring further instability to the Empire, as continued the dispute between the Emperors and the Mages, which resulted in conflicts, civil wars -as the civil war of Sollerum at the 2150 a.a.H- and the fading power of the Emperors, as increased the autonomy of the member states of the Empire.
However, the progression of this conflict largely depended of the personality of the emperors, some of which bent easily to the will of the Mages, while others tried to reinstate the Imperial Authority, which often led to more direct conflicts.
The First War of the Power
The Emperor of the Elves Altarin (Emperor of the Elves from 2147 to the 2220 a.a.H) was one of the later, strong willed emperors that wanted to reinstitute the Imperial Authority, harboring dreams of reuniting the empire once more time. His ambitions meant an upsurge of conflicts as he tried to raise again an Imperial Army, crushing rebellions and uprisings.
A generalized civil war between the Purple and the White Party was feared to be imminent, as positions were seen as irreconcilable ... when began to arrive the rumours of the First War of the Power from the east, and how the Demonic Dark Legion had fell as a bane over the Human kingdoms of Aels.
At first, many decided to ignore these rumours, as in their isolationism they didn't consider the wars of humans and demons to concern them, and some even celebrated the fall of the humans, who once had taken part in the fall of the High elven colonies of the east.
Much of these appreciations will however change with the arrival of human refugees from Sargos at the northern shores of Ushaenor, escaping from the war.
These survivors, largely ignoring the existence of Ushaenor or the Empire of Whide Axis beyond myths, was seeking for a safe haven for their peoples. When they found the deserted shores, they will settle in them, until they were discovered by High elven scouts.
The Emperor of the Elves, acting in front of a fait accompli, decided to grant refuge to the northwestern aelian humans. The northwestern humans as well, learning of the real -and non mythical- existence of an Empire of High Elves, decided to send delegations to the elven Emperor, requesting elven support in the First War of the Power against the Dark Legion of Demons.
The human delegations tried to convince with several arguments for the High Elves to enter the war, until they finally did so.
It will be in part due the arguments and horror stories told by the survivors, telling how not only humans were affected by the demon invasions, but as well the relatives of the high elves, the Grey elfs and Sylvan elfs ... but more than the stories of the refugees, what determined the elves to act was the presence of the refugees themselves in northern Ushaenor.
After the last invasions around the year 1.000 a.a.H across the sea from Aels, for about 1.200 years Ushaenor had only sporadic contact with Aels, and many high elves had come to forget of the possibility of a naval invasion of their homelands, especially as they gave their backs to the sea -having forgotten that they deserted them precisely to escape coastal raiders.-
The presence of the refugees however became a reminder for them of the vulnerability of their eastern shores, as if some rag-tagged human refugees could reach so easily their shores and be only detected after they had already settled down, they became suddenly conscious of the dangers of an expansionist imperial power as the Dark Legion.
And so, the Emperor of the Elves Altarin will sign the human-High Elven alliance of the Whide Axis in the year 2208 a.a.H. As well, as he prepared for external war, Altarin signed in the city of the wizards of the coast of Dahl'Haran the White and Purple Concordate, in which basically was a call to stop the confrontations and machinations between the Purple and White parties for the duration of the absence of the emperor, who was going to fight in Aels.
Having decided to enter the war, the Emperor of the Elves Altarin called to arms the Empire of the Whide Axis, as he meant to prepare what will be the largest elven army in history.
Altarin hadn't signed this alliance only as a sign of good faith toward the humans, as he entered the war as well with clear political goals: he expected that the presence of an external enemy -other than the weak Hakes cornered in the distant south, separated from the main High elven kingdoms by deserts, mountain ranges and jungles-, will unify his subjects. Not only that, but he expected to use the war to boost his own power -being finally able to call and gather an Imperial Army for this war, which later he hoped to use against the separatist provinces of his empire-. As well, the White Party and Emperor Altarin hoped, aside of reconstructing the imperial authority in Ushaenor, to rebuild the High Elven empire beyond-the-sea.
Answering the Call of the Emperor, the Expedition will gather in the Shae'luth Bay: about 120.000 warriors of all the Whide Axis, between High and Ash Elves, Ushaverican and Aelian humans.
As the greatest expedition in the history of Elfkind sailed to Aels, as Emperor Altarin departed in the 2209 a.a.H., he declared the Venerable Empire of the Whide Axis to be at war against the Dark Legion of Demons. The expedition, which will resupply and as well reinforce itself in Novanliohn and Akresh, will finally land in the bay of Begian, Botania at the same year of 2209, reaching with the reinforcements and remnants of the northwestern human kingdoms a strength of 140.000 warriors.
Despite the protests of their human allies -refugees of the northwest-, who wanted to march northwards to liberate the Five Kingdoms, Altarin and the High Elven commanders decided to march to the south, where once were some of the stronger Aelian human kingdoms -and importantly, the Grey elven cities of Dol-Sorne, Altarin hoped to annex after the war-.
The Expedition of the White Axis will defeat in two consecutive battles in the 2209 the Dark Legion in the Battle of the Cold Plains and the Battle of the Bultr Bridge, continuing in the 2210 with the campaign of liberation of the Hannian and grey elven duchies of Dumia and the Battle of the Deserts in Iperto. Afterwards in the 2211-2212 will be the Campaign of Liberation of Uslen, beginning the Siege of Hortan, from the 2213-2214.
After the fall of Hortan, they continued to liberate Purpurian -always Altarin having in mind the liberation of elven peoples to later reclaim them, as the Unlic Mourlicouns and Flairies, and the flairies of Purpurian-.
More demonic defeats followed in the Battle of Gmonia (2215) and the Battle of the Titanizk Mountains (2216), where the Emperor of the Elves Altarin killed the drow Queen Miz'ri Vrinn of Negeémiliel.
The armies of the Whide Axis marched to the north, across the Barlans -Battle of the Cold Steppes, 2217- and into Polforia -Battle of Montes Cado, 2217-.
While the Emperor of the Elves and his expedition were triumphant in the east, however their political enemies and opposition of the Purple Party used the opportunity to continue undermining the Imperial authority, knowing full well that Altarin meant to use the war as a political leverage, they prepared themselves to counter the new might of the emperor -and were so successful at this that during the duration of the war, only minor reinforcements, supplies and money will arrive from Ushaenor to the expeditionary force, becoming less and less until they completely stopped-, with the Purple Party and the magicians enacting stronger pro-magic and sectorial laws in detriment of the Emperor.
Altarin learnt this, so expected to quickly finish the war to return triumphant and with his victorious armies to subjugate the Purple Party that he considered to be rebels, so they searched for a decisive battle against the Dark legion, that will be the Battle of Polforia (2220 a.a.H).
A furious battle, where finally the Expeditionary force of the Whide Axis, was a hard won and costly victory for the High Elves:
Fighting the Black Dragons of Brûm, the Emperor of the Elves Altarin will disappear.
Many rumored about his death, but looking at the charred remnants left by the dragons, no one could confirm it. Others said, that they saw Bazrrod lords, who with their fire whips and chains, dragged their Emperor Altarin down to the dungeons of Dol-Nur...
But with the disappearance of the Emperor, the succession was unclear, as it was in hands of the electors, back in Ushaenor.
While the Expedition continued with the siege of Dol-Nur (2221 - 2223 a.a.H), looking for a sign of their emperor, they will be finally victorious, but as Altarin didn't appear in the dungeons of the demons, and neither humans or elves knew how to vanquish the souls stones of the demon lords, many High Elves thought it was an empty victory.--
The Imperial throne was Empty.
The Empty Throne
The supporters of Altarin hoped to find the Emperor of the Elves, lost after the Battle of Polforia, and so they didn't proclaimed a new emperor, as neither of the surviving generals felt like they could take the burden of the imperial throne: meanwhile in the west, in Ushaenor, the Imperial electors, members of the Purple Party, weren't really interested in choosing a new Emperor, who may continue the dispute between the White and Purple Parties:
As well, using the White and Purple Concordate, the magicracy of Dahl'Haran will place themselves as the ruling head of a much looser confederation which the Whide Axis had become during the absence of the Emperor of the Elves Altarin.
At the end of the First War of the Power, being clear the disappearance of Altarin, some members of the White Party tried to elect a new emperor, but this was rejected by the Purple Imperial Electors, who said that being a lifelong charge the elective imperial authority, unless was demonstrated the death of Altarin, he continued to be the Emperor of the Elves.
In the west, the leaders of the Whide Axis Expeditionary Army, mostly interested in keeping alive the imperial dreams of Altarin of rebuilding the beyond-the-sea High Elven empire, fearing the humans wouldn't keep their word in the following peace without Altarin, will elect an interimn emperor -Saerchanar the Fake- to sit in the post-war conventions in Aels.
Without recognition from the Electors, Saerchanar tried to keep the promises of the humans that they made regarding the incorporation of Valknyria, Novanliohn, the grey elven duchies of Dol-Sorne, the lands of the Mourlicoun and Flairie to the Whide Axis, but the humans, having learned of the unstable position of Saerchanar and the lack of support he had from the Whide Axis, retracted from many of the promises made to Altarin, as only was obtained an influence sphere in Valknyria and was recogniced the Empire of Whide Axis some rights to protect the grey elven population in human lands: Only was maintained the promise to keep open for colonization Polforia for a joint High elven-human project, and the High elves could try to extend their reach in other territories that weren't controlled by humans -as in the forest of Nubla, where the high elves built -in cooperation with sylvan and grey elves- the city of Lorthen in the Hidden Kingdom of the Forests of Lorthen.
The political capital of Saerchanar the Fake and of the White Party was spent in these treaties, and much to the dismay of the former expeditionaries and the Whites, they will see how the crumbs they achieved after the costs of the First War of the Power were abandoned by the isolationist and disinterested Purple Imperial Electors: only few Purple will continue to support the re-colonization projetcs in Aels.
After returning to Ushaenor and being ignored and humiliated in the empty imperial halls of the Whide Axis, Saerchanar renounced to the throne bitterly, and the White Party, under the pretension of the continuation of the rule of Altarin, left the Throne empty.
Further fragmentation of the Empire
Problem with Aelian human refugees that have settled down in Ushaenor, and due the trade relations between Ushaverican humans and
Foundation of Ne'Sargos, 2420.
But as the war finished and the Emperor of Whide Axis disappeared, the northwestern humans and High Elves of the Whide Axis began an alliance and commercial exchanges:
While trading, the northwestern humans will learn more about the presence of the Ushavericans humans in Ushaenor, and despise the attempts by High Elven autorities to minimize or ban the trade, there will be contacts and trade between the northwest of Aels and the Ushavericans, gradually lossing the high elves their predominance over the Ushaenor humans.
As a late attempt to avoid this, in the end of the XXIV century and early XXV century the High Elves of the Kingdom of Huen -member state of the Whide Axis- tried to forcefully regain this predominance with a military occupation of Momb, Keuta and other tribal lands of Ushavericans, exercising a harsh repression: however by then, the Empire of Whide Axis was but a shadow of its former glory, as without an emperor any image of unity among the High Elven states was lost.
And because of that, the High Elves were unnable to avoid Sargonic settlers from landing in the bay of Seehol, and found at the 2420 a.a.H the Kingdom of Ne'Sargos under King Don Camilo II The Magnificent of Sargos.
Beginning of the Second War of the Power. Role of the Empire of Whide Axis.
The Whide Axis and Ne'Sargos
While Ne'Sargos was accepted as a vassal state of the Whide Axis, the power was shifting: No High elven state was able to contest the presence of the Sargonic settlers in Ushaenor when they landed: and as Ne'Sargos grew in force, there was no High elven state who could face them, when the Ne'Sargonic requested -backed by their armies- on the empty imperial halls of the Whide Axis to have transferred the Ushaverican human kingdoms of Keuta and Momb under their own tutelage.
Since that moment, the history of the Ushavericans will be linked with the Ne'Sargonic: while under their rule ended the seemingly endless tribal and petty wars, and with the armies of Ne'Sargos backing them they finally had open the large hinterlands from where they once were banned, it came as well with a cost; because the Ushavericans weren't free, but changed of masters: masters who saw as heretic their syncretic Christian religion, converting many of them to the Northwestern Christian faith.
Hakes in Aels, High Elves in Lorthen!
- 2501 Foundation of the Holy Sargonic Empire
- 2512 War of the Lost cities
- 2.521 Ne'Sargos conquer Chegarb, Momb and Keuta
- 2.536 Kanov settlements in Ushaenor
- 2.540 Kanov settlement of Chegarb in Ushaenor expand, conquering Keuta from Ne'Sargos
- 2.545 The Kingdom of Ne'Sargos, worried for their situation, make an alliance with the remanents of the High Elven Empire of Whide Axis
- 2.546 Beginning of the war of Ne'Sargos.
The Age of the Two Empires
The Third War of the Power and the Cataclysm
The Faded Empire
After The Cataclysm, the Ne'Sargonic rule of the north of Ushaenor will emerge after a long period of conflict and disasters, as many of the Ushaverican nations tried to found independent realms, following the fracture lines of ethnicity, religion and culture, with violent and often bloody clashes. During this time as well, ceased to exist the already nominal Empire of Whide Axis. But by the 2789 was instituted in Northern Ushaenor what will be for long the largelly uncontested rule of the Empire of Ne'Sargos, successor of the Holy Sargonic Empire and later re-uniting by a personal union under Sargos.
During the post-cataclysmic Ushaverican wars (2729-2789 a.a.H), the last independent High Elven cities and realms will come to be under Ne'Sargonic rule in northern Ushaenor.
While in southern Ushaenor the independence of elven states will disappear, as they were annexed into the Empire of Sao Azil and the Soldarmian Empire, in northern Ushaenor, as a meassure of protection of the elven population -which greatly suffered from The Cataclysm to the Ushaevrican Wars-, the Ne'Sargonic -and later, Sargonic- kings will recognize the continued existence of the Empire of the Whide Axis, but as as a construct to divide humans from elves, and as self government of ushaverican elven minorities in an expansive human demography.
The Whide Axis territories will become territories set aside for elven inhabitants of Northern Ushaenor, as part of a segregation policy in northern Ushaenor. Some critics to the continued existence of the Empire of Whide Axis described it as lacking any real legitimacy, consisting of several unconnected enclaves, which emerged from attemts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating district boundaries to create partisan advantaged districts.
As a result of the continuation of existence of the Faded Empire, Elves will be denied of the citizenship and later voting rights in the northern Ushaerican nations , allowing humans to remain in undisputed control of northern Ushaenor.
Abolition of the Empire, 2997 a.a.H.
Functional to the division of humans and elves coexisting in one territory, the Empire of Whide Axis will only cease to exist at the 2.997 a.a.H during the Joaquintopian Wars, as the Joaquintopian Emperor abolished the Empire of Whide Axis, making all the elves citizens of the Joaquintopian Sargonic Empire.
Geography and Demography
High Elves: Golden and Silver
The Ushaverican Wild Elves
Ash Elves
Ushavericans humans
Aelian humans
beast peoples, orcs, non-elven minorities.
Languages
Society
Government and Military
The Emperor of the Elves was the elected ruler of the Venerable Empire of the Whide Axis, who was chosen by the elector states of the Empire, being a lifetime charge, but wasn't hereditary.
In principle, the Emperor of the Elves was a military commander of the joint forces of the member states, to coordinate the war efforts against the Hake Empire.
See: Military of the Whide Axis