EllieBelly: Created page with "By kwondoh
right Shunaiman, the leader of the Athena, was not only a renowned mage but also a gifted politician. Through a combination of negotiations and threats he succeeded in uniting the regions currently known as Aden and Elmore, calling the new kingdom Elmor-Aden (later contracted to "Elmoreden") and enthroning himself as Emperor. During the coronation ceremony a miracle happened. A girl with three pair..."

2023-05-22T00:57:35Z

Created page with "By kwondoh right Shunaiman, the leader of the Athena, was not only a renowned mage but also a gifted politician. Through a combination of negotiations and threats he succeeded in uniting the regions currently known as Aden and Elmore, calling the new kingdom Elmor-Aden (later contracted to "Elmoreden") and enthroning himself as Emperor. During the coronation ceremony a miracle happened. A girl with three pair..."

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By kwondoh

 

[[image:Shunaiman.jpg|right]]

[[Shunaiman]], the leader of the [[Athena]], was not only a renowned mage but also a gifted politician. Through a combination of negotiations and threats he succeeded in uniting the regions currently known as Aden and Elmore, calling the new kingdom Elmor-Aden (later contracted to "[[Elmoreden]]") and enthroning himself as Emperor.

During the coronation ceremony a miracle happened. A girl with three pairs of wings came down from the heavens surrounded by holy fire. With a clear, bright voice, she explained that she was [[Anakim]], envoy of [[Einhasad]] and that she had come to the land to bring the blessing of the gods to Shunaiman, the leader of all Humans. Shunaiman immediately realized the chance that was offered to him. There was no more necessity to justify his bid for power with political reasons; all he needed to do was to claim that he had united the continent out of a religious fervor. Anakim walked up to Shunaiman, who was kneeling on the ground with bent head, and whispered into his ear the promise that he and all his descendants would by Einhasad's will forever live under the Blessing of Light. Then she spread her wings and flew up to the sky again.

Shortly afterwards the newly crowned Emperor announced that mankind had been created by [[Einhasad]], Einhasad supported him as the leader of mankind, and in his Empire the worship of Einhasad was to be the one and only true religion; all others were heterodox cults. Shunaiman's religious reforms did not stop at the theoretical level, at civilized academic debate. He declared an all out holy war on anybody who dared to point out the blatant falseness of his claim, especially on all those who worshipped [[Gran Kain]], who was opposed to Einhasad, and [[Shilen]], the daughter Einhasad had disowned. Everybody at the time knew fully well that mankind had in reality been created by [[Gran Kain]], cooked together from the leftovers and refuse that remained after the other races had been shaped, but that was a fact that was hard to accept. The [[Einhasad]] version gave Humans far more self-esteem. As a consequence the Einhasad religion quickly spread through the lands, especially since the nobility found it to their advantage that they could claim to rule with divine blessing and on divine orders, therefore fully supporting Shunaiman who could in this way constantly expand the power base of the imperial family.

But not everybody was willing to bow to the Emporer's might. Especially the [[Children of Shilen]] proved to be a major problem, persistently refusing to surrender to the Imperial Army. Knowing themselves to speak the truth, they were able to constantly recruit new members, in spite of the systematic oppression and regular pogroms. The Children of Shilen were far more numerous and fanatical than Shunaiman realized. Accepting death as an inevitable part of life, they were fearless fighters, not in the least awed by seemingly overwhelming numbers of their opponents but joyfully sacrificing themselves in fierce attacks, knowing that when they got killed they would be united with Mother Shilen in the Underworld.

[[image:Nephilim.jpg|120px|left]]

In order to deal with this insurrection, Shunaiman created with the divine power that was bestowed upon him by [[Einhasad]]'s daughter [[Anakim]] an army of robot-like soldiers. These warriors of steel were moving with the force of light, wearing giant, almost impenetrable suits of armor. They were called "[[Nephilim]]", which means "army of strong angels on the earth". In a long war of attrition, the followers of [[Shilen]] were repeatedly defeated by the overwhelming power of the Nephilim, a great part of them returning into the fold of their Mother. In the end, the [[Children of Shilen]] as a religious organization had to disband, their members scattering throughout the land or hiding in ancient temples deep underground. Most of the remaining "heretics" were burned at the stake or evicted beyond the borders until the Emperor and the Einhasad Church were the undisputed rulers of the continent.

As outside threats eventually dissipated, Emperor Shunaiman applied his efforts to consolidate [[Elmoreden]] internally. In the ten years that followed, the new Empire became strong, controlling the entire continent through large-scale development and territorial expansion. Castles were built and lords appointed, taxes collected, and the economy steadily grew. Around this time, some [[Children of Shilen]] who had escaped the previous pogroms proclaimed again their faith among the populace. The Emperor, who had always remained alert to a reawakening of the Shilen cult, ordered his lords to punish them, but they were unable to drive these zealots from the lands of [[Elmoreden]] since the Children of Shilen received considerable support from the simple people. Though many died in these campaigns, on both sides, the Emperor would not relent. Shunaiman mobilized the [[Nephilim|Nephilim Army]] again, ordering them to track down the heretics. During their search-and-destroy missions, the Nephilim discovered the six underground temples the worshippers of [[Shilen]] had secretly established.

[[image:Lilim.jpg|115px|right]]

Shunaiman called these underground temples the Catacombs, because he fully intended them to become a graveyard for those who rejected the new [[Einhasad]] religion. In his crusader vocabulary the Emperor gave the six Catacombs the following names: 
- Catacomb of the Heretic 
- Catacomb of the Branded 
- Catacomb of the Apostate 
- Catacomb of the Witch 
- Catacomb of Dark Omens 
- Catacomb of the Forbidden Path 

Shunaiman's armies, with the [[Nephilim]] in the front line, incessantly attacked the underground temples where Shilen's devotees were hiding. However, victory was not an easy thing to obtain; each time the soldiers penetrated deeper into the Catacombs, they were faced with defeat and had to withdraw. In order to protect the temples, undead warriors called "[[Lilim]]" were swarming up in tremendous numbers, quickly overcoming the government forces. The Lilim had been created by [[Lilith, Holy Mother of Darkness]] by using the dark magic of [[Shilen]], and they were not in the least impressed by the Nephilim. As they were unafraid of death, having already died, these undead knew not how to retreat on the battlefield.

After an extended and all-consuming campaign, Shunaiman's army finally succeeded in defeating the forces of [[Shilen]], but the imperial troops were severely decimated in the process. Countless corpses of the [[Lilim]] and [[Nephilim]], as well as those of their allies, the Lith resp. Gigants, were scattered about the underground temples. When he was certain that no-one was able to challenge his authority any more, Shunaiman cast a '''Seal of Gnosis''' on all the Catacombs. This first of the Seven Seals was so-named because it was a miracle achieved through divine knowledge, in the old language called "gnosis", revealed to the Emperor by [[Anakim]]. Entombed deep underground, the groups of undead that followed [[Shilen]] began to disappear from memory.

It is said that in the process of casting the Seal of Gnosis, Emperor Shunaiman had gained the ability to know the future, both for himself and for all his descendants. Perhaps this was derived from the power of [[Einhasad]], that of [[Shilen]], or from [[Gran Kain]] who had in truth created mankind. Some even say that Shunaiman had pressured Einhasad into giving him that power, offering the goddess in exchange to prevent Shilen from returning to the world of the living. However that may have been, soon after the Seal of Gnosis was cast, the ceremony just over, the followers of [[Einhasad]] witnessed a black snake slithering on the ground. This was a sign of an unfortunate threat soon to be revealed true. The adherents of [[Shilen]] thrived under [[Lilith, Holy Mother of Darkness|Lilith]]'s leadership, greatly enhancing their forces and reestablishing the army of [[Lilim]] in the eight underground cities of the Necropoli: 
- Necropolis of Sacrifice 
- Pilgrim's Necropolis 
- Necropolis of Worship 
- Patriot's Necropolis 
- Necropolis of Devotion 
- Necropolis of Martyrdom 
- Saint's Necropolis 
- Disciple's Necropolis 

Safely entrenched in the Necropoli, the followers of [[Shilen]] performed ceremonies to call forth their goddess from the Underworld. The Emperor soon came to know about this, but having lost the majority of his army in the fight for control of the Catacombs, Shunaiman was unable to force his citizens into war, yet again to deal with the forces of Shilen. In this situation a Dwarf appeared before the Emperor. He introduced himself as representative of a Dwarven guild called "[[Merchants of Mammon]]" and offered Shunaiman to lend him funds to form a new military. The suspicious Emperor asked about his motives. The Dwarf from the Mammon Guild explained that his group had been supporting the [[Children of Shilen]], but the stars overseeing the fate of times had changed. Therefore, they decided to do business with the forces of [[Einhasad]], who were newly foreseen as the victors. Although this mysterious Dwarf group seemed untrustworthy, the Emperor could perceive no falsehood in the Dwarf's words. The weapons and armor he offered were of such high quality they were difficult to refuse. So the Emperor and the Merchants of Mammon signed a contract: the Merchants of Mammon would supply Shunaiman with funds and military equipment, and in return their trading with all sides in this conflict would be left unhindered.

Knowing fully well that the [[Merchants of Mammon]] were also trading with the enemy, Emperor Shunaiman nevertheless made himself sponsor of this guild. With their help he was able to form a new [[Nephilim|Nephilim Army]] and launch an attack on the Necropoli. That he was able to lead such a holy war was thanks to none other than [[Anakim]], the representative of [[Einhasad]]. In the darkness of the underground temples, the government troops and the forces of [[Shilen]] fought fiercely. Blood scattered in all directions, filling the rivers, seas, and even the skies with a red energy. The people trembled when they saw that, but the Emperor with his abilities of divination realized that a new era was beginning. Silently, he waited until the time was right.

[[image:SealingDevice.jpg|160px|right]]

Eventually, [[Lilith, Holy Mother of Darkness|Lilith]], daughter of [[Shilen]], cloaked herself in the power of Darkness and arose, but [[Anakim]] came forward to block her. This girl of pure white floated in the air on three pairs of wings. The final victor of the battle was neither Anakim nor Lilith, however, but Shunaiman. After the armies of Light and Darkness had entered into the Disciple's Necropolis, some distance to the north of the imperial capital at [[Town of Aden|Aden]], Shunaiman installed deep down in there a set of four sealing devices arranged in a circle, many of his men dying in the process and the Emperor himself getting severely wounded. Anakim succeeded in luring Lilith into the circle, engaging her in a fight. But then the Emperor induced an adventurer who had traveled through time from the future to activate the sealing devices while Anakim was still in the circle, creating a magical force field that entombed Lilith along with Einhasad's daughter. This force field was later called the '''Seal of Avarice'''. One might guess this is due to the secret contract between the Emperor and the [[Merchants of Mammon]]. Although whether it was the Merchants' avarice or the Emperor's avarice is open to discussion. Fact is that the adventurer who had activated the Seal had used the selfsame teleportation device the Merchants of Mammon used for traveling between the various Catacombs and Necropoli.

While [[Lilith, Holy Mother of Darkness|Lilith]] and her army of undead were imprisoned in the Disciple's Necropolis by the Seal of Avarice, the [[Children of Shilen]] remained above ground, retreating for the time being to the continent of [[Gracia]]. And apart from that organization there were a great number of other persons who rejected Shunaiman's religious reforms: those who still clung to the belief of the [[Giants]], black magicians who worshipped demons, Elven tribes that returned to [[Eva]], Dark Elves who had always followed [[Shilen]], they all challenged the absolute authority of the [[Einhasad]] priests. Some of them insisted they had received a revelation from Lilith, others appeared to have come into possession of huge treasures, so it can be safely assumed that although Lilith herself was imprisoned, her agents were very much active in the [[Elmoreden|Elmoreden Empire]].

Emperor Shunaiman could control the enormous area of the Empire because he had harnessed the power of Sacredness by communing with the [[Monastery of Silence|Grail of Splendor]], an item that had originally belonged to the [[Giants]]. Feeling secure in his position as the ruler of the biggest Empire on the continent, being at the same time the supreme leader of the Einhasad Church and firmly holding the power of the two Seals, Shunaiman started to teach his aides the secret of interacting with the Grail of Splendor so that he could rule his dominion more efficiently. With the same aim in mind he established a new administrative system that divided the Empire into several Territories, each with a castle and a fortified town at the center - Gludio, Giran, Dion etc. Through this system Shunaiman's power reached to the most outlying areas of the Empire and he had absolute control over everything that went on within the borders of [[Elmoreden]].

It is recorded that during all the years spent reorganizing the Empire, Shunaiman did not age at all, an effect that is commonly assumed to have been caused by the power of the Seals. Being the undisputed ruler of the whole continent, being granted a seemingly eternal life - one could almost believe that Shunaiman was literally a god on earth. But then, perhaps as punishment of the real gods for Shunaiman's arrogance, the [[Children of Shilen]], who had, unnoticed beyond the ocean, constantly gained strength, took the West Sea Bridge that connected [[Gracia]] with the continent near [[Gludin Village]] and invaded the [[Elmoreden|Elmoreden Empire]]. When the commanders of the Imperial Army first saw that raggedy gang of invaders, made up of barbarian warriors and undead, they scornfully laughed. And in fact, the [[Children of Shilen]], having no experience in large-scale siege wars, seemed unable to take the castles. Then, however, [[Town of Gludio|Gludio]] fell within one single day, and [[Town of Dion|Dion]] soon followed without having put up any serious resistance. Shilen's devotees had inexplicably found a way to control the Grail of Splendor from the outside and using that holy relic to their advantage when laying siege to the castles of the Empire.

By the time the leadership of the Imperial Army realized the seriousness of the situation, [[Town of Giran|Giran Castle]] too had already fallen to the [[Children of Shilen]]. Now Shunaiman took a fateful decision. He cast a spell that sealed up the Grail of Splendor and severed the connection between the relic and the castles in each Territory. As a result, although he gave up a great part of his power to control the castles, the enemy could not control the castles they had occupied any more either. Having gained a position of strategic advantage again, the Imperial Army systematically counterattacked. They succeeded in retaking the captured castles and eventually pushed the forces of [[Shilen]] out of the Empire, back to [[Gracia]]. After that a third Seal was created, the '''Seal of Strife''', which gave control over all castles and Territories on the continent and bestowed the power to influence the parameters of siege wars.

Later on, Shunaiman cast four further Seals, the '''Seal of Awakening''', the '''Seal of Vengeance''', the '''Seal of Calamity''', and the '''Seal of Descent'''. It is so far not clear what effect precisely those Seals have, but scholars assume that the Seal of Awakening might have something to do with awakening hidden skills in warriors, and the Seal of Descent might be connected to the advent of a goddess, possibly [[Shilen]].

Emperor Shunaiman, who had the power to control all seven Seals, was like a god on earth. Yet, he knew that all this incredible power could drive the world to ruin, if held by only one person. Toward the end of his rule, Shunaiman was seeking for a way to pass control of the Seals to his successors. After considerable research he finally found out that those linked to himself by blood could inherit the power to control the Seals. This is the "Secret Held in the Imperial Bloodline" referred to by the Fighters of Dawn. For nearly a thousand years after Shunaiman's death, the firstborn of each generation of the Imperial House of Elmoreden was born with the power to control the Seven Seals. Each scion was, as he grew up, thoroughly educated in the methods of using that power.

But ShunaimanΓÇÖs legacy, passed on in the Imperial bloodline, came to an end with Emperor [[Baium]]. Having conquered everything that there was to conquer, Baium strove for even more than mere military might - he wanted to get access to the power that was used in the days of the First Emperor to create the [[Lilim]] and [[Nephilim]]. For this purpose he had the [[Tower of Insolence]] built, which was to serve as a conduit and help him absorb the power of the [[Lilim]] and [[Nephilim]] who were sealed in the Catacombs and Necropoli all over the southern half of the continent, ultimately enabling him to climb to the abode of the gods and demand the secret of eternal life from them. But his plan, both grand and foolhardy, ended in failure due to the intervention of [[Monastery of Silence|Saint Solina]]. The Tower of Insolence collapsed while the magic reversed, so the ancient energies that Baium had tried to absorb, enriched with the power that was flowing in his blood, was transferred back into the bodies of the Nephilim and Lillim.

With the downfall of [[Baium]], the Imperial House of [[Elmoreden]] lost forever the power to control the Seals. The so-called "Age of Chaos" broke out. Soon, however, it became apparent to the various groups that were chasing after the Secret of the Seals that this power had not disappeared, but rather lay, in the form of "Seal Stones", hidden in the bodies of [[Lilim]] and [[Nephilim]]. By gathering a great number of Seal Stones, one could gain the power to control the '''Seven Seals'''. After ancient documents had been excavated from the [[Tower of Insolence]], those who had first discovered this secret formed their troops into the '''Revolutionary Army of Dusk''' and the '''Lords of Dawn'''. They dispatched expedition forces to all the Catacombs and Necropoli, fiercely competing with each other about who could gather the most Seal Stones. This is how the strive between the two groups to control the Seals began ΓÇª

 

 

 

Sources:

[http://blog.daum.net/kwondoh/7757899] The Secret History of the Elmoreden Empire

[http://blog.naver.com/kwondoh/20105533116] The Remaining Four of the Seven Seals

[http://v3.elliebelly.net/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=55&func=view&catid=18&id=12963] Seal of the Emperor

[http://l2vault.ign.com/View.php?view=Guides.Detail&id=208] Legacy of Insolence

Shunaiman - Revision history