12.2.1 The Eternal Empire of Stavenn

Founded by Kalika Aisling before The Awakening, Stavenn spent many decades as the most fearsome and dominant city of Aetherius. As the first prophetess of the God of War, Kalika had a clear vision: a unified and trained populace with which to control the world through military action. Over time, the Empire attracted those who were drawn to the promise of power through the darkest art: demonology. Deathknights fiercely protected the citizenry, while the Noctusari and Saboteurs concocted schemes behind the scenes to protect Stavenn's interests and push the boundaries of what mortals were capable of doing.

After centuries of conquest, the Empire of Stavenn softened some of its long-standing views and the government transitioned into a republic in the year 77 AM. With great wealth and a widespread reach, the primary goal of the republic shifted, from external conflict with opposing cities and councils of Aetherius, to the building of additional infrastructure and further expansion into the surrounding territories of the Modin and the Ravana.

Eventually, the city of Stavenn fell victim to its ambition. It was discovered that an intersection of powerful leylines was located just within the borders of the city, and mortal meddling with these leylines resulted in the complete and total destruction of the city and the surrounding landscape.

The Empire was reborn in the year 315 AM after the return of Thanatos, God of Death, and the sacrifice of the last surviving entities that once walked among mortals in the Age of Mortality. The Eternal Empire's future now rests in the hands of a new generation who have taken up residence within its fortifications.