The Eloysian Empire was the single greatest civilization in the history of Oris, and once controlled the entire continent of Azoria.
The Eloysian Empire grew out of a small, but aggressive kingdom called Eloysia. In the year 425/4, Eloysia came to be ruled by a charismatic leader named Al'Dur, who greatly expanded his kingdom and forged an Empire which controlled over a third of the continent.
At its zenith, the Empire was twice as large as the Ravinian Empire of Corwyn and four times as populous. For its entire existence, the Empire was ruled by Al'Dur's descendants; the Kharata Dynasty.
For 2,079 years, the Eloysian Empire was a marvel of the known world. It controlled the entire continent of Azoria, as well as several large island civilizations located in the Vhan Myr. Imperial control even stretched east to the distant Isle of Sharavan; located off the continent of Za'har.
Much of Eloysian success in their many conquests was due to their expert skills in waging warfare. In addition to their armies of trained Eloysian soldiers, the Empire employed vast hordes of savage Troglodytes, Tasloi, and Qualon warriors; as well as fierce and cruel Vilzari mercenaries of the Stygian Legion. These forces both terrified and conquered the enemies of the Empire.
The Eloysians also employed elite Rakshasa commanders called Myrmidons to lead Imperial Regiments of 1,000 soldiers. These Myrmidon officers were extremely effective and led to many imperial victories both in the Sanjaara Jungle, and the southern regions of Azoria.
As it grew ever larger, the vast Eloysian Empire was governed administratively by local Imperial governors called Hamanids. Once these governors were established, they were granted successive ranks of Caliph, Shah, and Emir.
At its peak, the Empire controlled enormous amounts of territory and ruled over millions of subjects, in addition to its home city-state of Sanjakar. These conquered territories included 15 large cities: Akkad, Al’Than E’Thai, Daresh, Dhal Ciona, Dhal Viera, Eriskhar, Irskaan, Khalifar, Na'Jath, Ona Miertay, Oriad, Quelaara, S'serrak, Sionjhäe, Xhaarata, Vhal Quaaros.
The Empire also controlled three smaller kingdoms: the Realm of Vhan Da'Har, the Verassi Dominion, and the serpent-kingdom of Nagendra. The Eloysians even expanded across the Vhan Myr, conquering five different island nations: Al’Kethai, Al'Nhoor, Ilsenene, Malvatis, Rhaygos, and Styr. The ever-reaching Eloysians even conquered the faraway island of Sharavan; off the continent of Za'Har and made the Isle their easternmost imperial colony.
One great nation that refused to submit to the Empire was the powerful magical realm of Sha'Dur. The Eloysians, under Emperor Mazur, eventually destroyed this realm and its beautiful capital of Garuda. Those ruins still exist today as a testament to the cruelty of the Eloysian Emperors in Sanjakar.
A second civilization that did not bend to Eloysian will was the ancient Olman Empire. Over a period of two centuries all seven Olman City-states were conquered and destroyed by a devastating series of Eloysian invasions and military campaigns. After they had conquered all of their neighbors, the Eloysians became fabulously wealthy. It is still said that the streets of the Eloysian capital of Sanjakar were literally paved with gold.
The Eloysians had many resources, such as precious gems, gold, silver, rare timber, and most of all, slaves. The Eloysians were the master slave traders for two millennia. The entire race of Tasloi creatures became synonymous with servitude because almost every Eloysian family kept at least one as a slave.
DOWNFALL OF THE EMPIRE
But all their wealth and power could not save the Empire. Beset with many uprisings and internal conflicts in its later years, the empire began to shrink to a fraction of its former size. The Empire's final demise came when its last Emperor; Emperor Xion III assumed the Jade Throne. Xion was more commonly known as "Xion the Mad," and for very good reasons. The last Emperor was utterly insane and gained a well-deserved reputation for paranoia, cruelty, and sadism never before seen on the Continent.
His 60-year rule of the Eloysian Empire was a series of bizarre events, political disasters, and utter chaos. In one of his more famous bizarre and cruel decisions, he ordered all 600 of his senior Myrmidon officers executed because he believed that they were plotting against him.
But the Myrmidons were invaluable military officers, and their loss meant that the Imperial armies had absolutely no competent leadership and the opponents of the Empire began waging wars and winning tremendous victories because of this foolish decision.
Xion also foolishly dismantled the system of using Hamanids as local governors and administrators. These specialized imperial bureaucrats were invaluable, but were now replaced by inexperienced, corrupt political cronies. By the time of his murder in the year AR 2079, Emperor Xion had completely destroyed the Eloysian Empire, had hundreds of thousands murdered, and ordered whole regions burned to ash.
Xion the Mad is given much credit for destroying in 60 years what it took over 2,000 to build.
LEGACY
Upon Emperor Xion's death, the Empire completely collapsed, the city of Sanjakar was totally destroyed and consumed by the jungle and the Continent of Azoria became permanently divided into hundreds of small territories and city-states.
In the centuries after the collapse of the Eloysian Empire, there were a series of devastating conflicts that tore apart the continent. These were the four Hamanid Wars, later followed by the seven Jade Wars.
It took centuries for the continent to stabilize, and never again was it politically united. Even today, Azoria is still a collection of small competing nations with no cohesion or political alliances. This lack of unity is the lasting legacy of the Empire.
