The spread of not only mercurians, but Mercury Isle itself, went from gradual to rapid. Lumber camps deep in what was called the mainland, or now known as old Hermertia, led to trading towns, which lead to highways and inns. Towns, both new and the re-established, were connected via roads and canals, from Thoth River to Oldfoundland to the south. Each had a unique industry, like Hejel's deep and now ancient mines.

But the center of all of it was increasingly Mercury Isle itself. And thus, a political class developed and the Commonwealth was born. From this point forward and building from organic practices, the Regent was to be selected from every-day mercurians from far and wide, including farmers, local archetects, hunters, and warriors. Thus, the Regent increasingly became an important political figure in the generations to come.

Early experimentations with glocalization, or the devolution of authority to local political bodies, began with the commonwealth provinces. The original were Thoth, Minerva, Mercuria, and Logos. A shining star among them was Thoth and Kanaan was its capital. For its time, its large complexes and manors were inspirational. Kannan lead her province into a cultural race with the others, and vowed to connect all of her settlements via a network of highways and canals before anyone else. This route is still traversable today, from Kannan's canal to Thoth River, and all the way north to Hejel. Adventurers up until this point were far too familiar with getting lost deep in the woods, or having to set up camp each and every night. The highways changed this.

The young Minerva felt threatened by her growing neighbour. Her settlements were limited to seasonal resource camps, so she had to act quickly. After nearly a generation of construction, a large canal from the bay in West Eden Sea, through extreme hills and deserts and more, to the western hinterland, allowed for Fort Mercury Bay to be built. It also justified the construction of countless towns inbetween, and an unexpected corridor of dense colonization appeared.

Before the Western Seas were even discovered, Thothian seafarers proved the Province Thoth was the leader in the race of the provinces. Her vessels had sailed across the long and lonely seas of the north and set up a fort in the extreme north. Fort Salwater to this day is a welcomed rest stop for weary travelers heading towards Xin. However, it took several generations for the coast of Xin to properly be discovered and settled.

Impressed with the naval accopmlishments of Thoth, then crown province Minerva did not want to fall far behind. Minerva was the first to send full expiditions around the entire continent, which at that point no one realized was a large island/cape. Distanct edens, prime for later settlement, were discovered along the way, such as the quiet Solomonia, and even the Imperial Project flats. The realization that Hermertia was not only a land, but an island, forced nomenclature to shift. Hermrtia used to refer to a specific land mass, the main land, but now it quickly refered to all the land. This excited explorers, and changed the way mercurians looked at the world around them.

One new shift was a result of a unique mixing happening between Mercurian colonists who travelled to the southern province of Logos (which at that point was limited to Oldfoundland and Logos itself), and the local indigenous people who refer to themselves as the Bone people. By the time the Mercurians arrived, the bone people and their lost past had already all but disappeared, but all across old hermertia pockets could be found. Later, it was discovered they were descendents of powerful rulers of old hermertia before the first era, which is who left old-world rails and mines.

For the most part, times were peaceful between these people. But the rise of a political figure from a specific Bone People tribe from the jungles of Thoth near what is now the Imperial Project, led to an increasing radicalization and dogmatization of affairs. Suddenly, diplomacy became tense, and swords were no longer just for zombies.

A local bone prince from a now long gone tribe was being escorted around northern lands for a relocation, because reports of occasional raids on local mercurian trappers were common enough. Additionally, it was forbidden at the time for anyone to hunt in Thoth, but a radical leader of a now extinct tribe on several occasion challenged this law.

This led to a small flashpoint, and the Regent of the Commonwealth arrived to settle the dispute. The bone radical fled through Thoth, torching forest in a scorched earth tactic along the way, but requested a meeting on a river in what is now Valtoros. The Regent crossed the river, eager to end the conflict. As he hit the shore, he stopped to think and ponder his next words, but this unexpected stop was untimely for the radical.

A blast of blistering air and chunks of dirt flew into the Regent's face. His body was thrown back, well into the river, but not before giving him a spectacular show. The radical had set his trap, but the Regent was spared, by luck perhaps. The radical was blown to pieces, but the Regent was furious. This was the first assassination attempt in the history of the empire, save creeper and mob raids.

After the assassination attempt, the Regent was ordered before the Emperor. This is an event rarer than any, for no living person, let alone regent, has been called before the Emperor since. By decree of the Emperor himself, precedent was to be set. "The Bone People will be eliminated, assimilated, or castrated, whatever it takes."

The Regent was ordered to assault the specific tribe from which the assassin came, while the rest of the Empire hunted down tribes throughout. The Regent's men were lost in the jungles, but the Regent pressed forward. He discovered a deep passageway hidden under a pool. But even this seemed off. Rather than entering directly, he found a way around. A quick battle ensued. Rather than being subject to the tribe's traps, the Regent flanked them and murdered the Bone Chief in his place.

The Regent was sure of his victories, and dispatched his messengers to send word to the capital. Tribes all over the land were being routed and rounded up. But he was troubled, for this was not how the commonwealth was founded. As he sat, overlooking a prairie (which today is the Imperial Project construction site), he heard a rustle behind him. Faster than he could pull out his blade, another was in his side. A blade of bone. As the Regent fell to the ground, blood soaking the sand, he could see the frame of a new political figure. The son of the dead Bone Chief, who vowed to represent all remaining Bone People tribes as the High Bone Chief.

But rather than replacing the Regent with a local architect, builder, or champion, as per custom, an official response from the Emperor, through his mysterious cabal, announced that the Regent from hence forth would be a representative of the Empire, the Emperor, and it's people, as a crown and with the authority of a King. The provinces were destroyed, and Organic Law was replaced with Crown Law. Authority, in the name of justice and glory.

The High Bone Chief, for his part, was a champion. While his people were disappearing, he single-handedly ensured the Bone People culture would remain relevant. By imperial decree, the province of Logos was transformed into the colony of Logos, and all remaning Bone People were sent there in exile. From there on, local Mercurians, settled in the east and exiled Bone People to the west, began to mix and interbreed, and a complex political nation emerged. The Nation of Hotonotochi.

The province of Thoth was reduced to a colony status, which coincidided with their century long decline. The province of Minerva and Mercuria were combined into the new Kingdom of Minerva, and the Regent was made its King, to give the Regent a seat of crown authority.

But within a few generations, the new era and its new future left the door open for even more nations to emerge. Over the centuries since, the authority of the crown has slowly returned to an organic state, and the emperor has returned to a quiet enigmatic figure that is hardly thought to exist at all. But this left a vaccum as colonization around old hermertia exploded, and new governors were needed. From this context emerged the Twin Government, which quickly became the Twin Kingdom. An industrial pair of adventerors set out into the entirely unoccupied north-west to start a new home. But unlike the Bone People, to show their appreciation for their roots, they promoted the Imperial Religion as their national zeitgeist. Using alchemy, reflection, study of nature and study of mind, they utilized local creepers to route out the remaining bone people left in these wildlands. Some say their founding was bloody, but the beginning days of the Twin Kingdom was nonetheless known far and wide.

By now, the old imperial town of Logos had become a loyal town of Hotonotochi, but the old holding of Oldfoundland was being protected heavily by Minerva. During these early days, borders shifted wildly through raids, secret campaigns, and discoveries. The discovery of the ancient temple of Bonechu Picchu for example led to the High Bone Chief calling for a western focus, including the founding of Burning Hills, and as a result they greatly expanded their reach. But this left Oldfoundland well within the grasp of Minerva.

The Bone People, although more mercurian by blood than anything else, used their unique background as an opportunity to establish a new identity. The Imperial Religion called for the human soul to be enslaved to metaphor, philosophy, reflection, alchemy, and the subtle will of the gods, but the Bone Church, based on a apocolyptic philosophy fearing civilization's destruction, was looking for a different kind of doctrine. Up until this point, stories about civilization's destruction was passed on through oral tradition and was split up across multiple tribes. But the High Bone Chief aimed to united these. And perhaps by his divine luck, a series of strange weather formations (which can be confirmed by countless witnesses) led to the High Bone Chief returning from the desert with haste.

He said: While walking in the desert near Hachioji I heard the sound of thunder. A booming voice descended from the heavens and informed me that I must save the bone people. Returning from the desert to the town of Hachioji I must speek to the people of Hotonotochi of my visions, word will spread quickly and widely that after 1000 years of hardship a new bone prophet had been chosen by god. Thanks to our unmatched infrastructure (referring to the first intra-rail line of the Empire) there is before us a great Bone reawakening.

The Twin Kingdom of Valyria was straining between the competing visions of her kings. The solitude and horder people of the north called for a mining and defensive focus, while the southern traders and manufacturers called for interconnectivity and commerce. Slowly, the Kingdom became two, although they still share many administrative functions.

From Valyria rose Perth to the north, characterized most notoriously by their immense wealth but modest living. They made up for this with giant walls, unmatched in the Empire. To the south rose Valtoros, centred aroud Bogtown, the sprawling factory town. Over time, they have proven to be thicker allies than any, and the solitude walls of winterfell have slowly given way to expanding settlements. Both now subscribe to the revised old-world religion based around redstone.

In a world of kingdoms, Minerva's old provincial era capital was dating itself. Minerva decided to build itself a new capital, and chose a quiet bay surrounded by high walls a quarter of the way along the great Minervan Canal. Progress seemed slow, but the reason why would soon be known. Minerva realized if their new capital was to be powerful, it would need not just location, but industry. The entire mountain of Gnosis was hollowed out, giving name to both Inner Gnosis (industry) and outer Gnosis (residential), and it was converted to a manufacturing center. Houses slowly appeared, and the future capital began to take shape. It would not become the official capital for a few generations of construction, but by then walls of the Empyrean were just beginning to take form.

At the beginning of the 3rd era, the western seas were only tentatively navigated and many dark-spots existed on official and unofficial maps. A tenacious trader named Amador applied for settler-status during the early days of the new 'realm' title being legalized. He was given the option of settling throughout Old Hermertia, including most of Thoth, 'East Demugria', and even the tip of the newly discovered land called Xin.

Amador however, had different intentions. Fraught with risk, the young trader decided to explore the empty West Seas (colloquially called West-Demurgia). Unlike East Demurgia, which had fully mapped islands, and being close to existing settlements, West Demurgia was isolated and unknown. The intrepid explorer managed to find, guided by instinct, great islands throughout the seas. In one, nestled around tall cliffs, a quiet and prestine valley offered protection and suiteably privacy. From here, Emerald Bay was established, and the Empire's first emerald mine was opened. Using this as their first export, the now powerful Freewinds Trading Company was founded. Eventually, after decades of rapid growth, this trading community grew in wealth and influence, and by the late-third era joined the Council of the Crowned as a fully fledged Kingdom.

Shortly after Amador trail-blazed through the newly-implemented 'Realm' status, an old friend and colleague from the same neighbourhood of Mercury Isle was equally inspired. Lysis, however, was more interested in spreading knowledge and justice, like the light of a torch guiding an explorer or the light of a lighthouse guiding fleets. Lysis applied for and was awarded a prestigious title. Xin by this point had been long discovered by fishing expeditions from the now ancient Fort Saltwater (which was at one point the northern limit of the Empire for generations). Half way through the Early 3rd era, an Imperial Order was given for the construction of a powerful fort in the Xin peninsula to act as a foothold in the increasingly acknowledged 'new world'. This was Ye City.

But Ye City and Xin remained the only establishment in these new lands for a few generations, and only the local fishing expeditions made use of the powerful walls. Eventually, a deep mine was established, which provided lucrative trade for Fort Saltwater, but even this was only occupied by temporary labourers. Xin needed a govenor.

Lysis' application made clear his interest in converting wilds into a safe haven for colonization, and his dedication to 'the light'. It was decided that Lysis would be awarded tentative 'Governor of Xin' on the condition under his administration the town must flourish. And flourish it did. In a matter of years, it went from a summering colony to a fully independent town. Streets were paved, settlers moved in, and the empty walls of Fort Ye were replaced with Xin Palace. Within a few generations, Ye City (now named Xin City) outgrew even the old Fort Saltwater in size and influence and the two eventually joined into the newly created 'Greater Xin', which was later revealed by Xin explorers to be an independent island. This was the beginning of the Kingdom of Greater Xin.

A few generations later, indigenous Xinese peoples in small communities to the north were culturally absorbed into the new nation of Greater Xin, and an entirely new identity began to take form (the Xincurians, a mix of indigenous and mercurian cultures).

Most times are peaceful times. But one of the sacrifices the Emperor made in establishing the Council of the Crowned in the beginning of the era was enabling and legalizing conflict 'when it is in the best interest of the empire, and in the name of reflectivist wisdom and courageous will'. The founding of Hotonotochi was legal, even though it was bloody, but only on the condition that this blood and violence is controlled and order is maintained. This allowed intrepid individuals to follow their will and define grand projects, but forced them to do so diplomatically (with allies, legal justification, and more posturing than action).

Governor Amador, a successor and descendant to the original Amador the Intrepid, founder of West Demurgia and the FTC, wanted his realm to grow, but knew they needed access to the mainland to secure economic and diplomatic legitimacy. To the immediate south was the Isla de Torres in local tongue, or Island of Towers, but was mostly occupied by the Kingdom of Valtoros (although settlement was minimal). On the southwest tip hid Newlanding, a small Valyrian colony. Here Governor Amador planted the seeds for a future campaign. But it took transparency, diplomacy and lucky timing.

At this time, the increasingly prophetic Hotonotochi was carrying out a far-reaching campaign to destablize fringes of the empire in hopes to build up legitimacy and an appetite for their Bone Church. 'In chaos, opportunities emerge', as the old addage goes from Mercurian Hotonotochians living in the high districts of Newtowne. A large network of roadside bombs were discovered, as part of a larger brutal and genodical campaign to terrorize the troubled region. In Newlanding, not a soul was left standing. Most of the bodies were found in and around one exploded houses, suggesting citizens hid there or were locked in their and murdered collectively. In one case, a powerful bomb was still strapped to a house on a hill overlooking Newlanding. The King of Valtoros fatefully took his final steps, but honourably so, as he was personally investigating the crimes. But the explosion was feirce. The Regent and Governor Amador, assisting in the investigation, were injured, but perhaps their worst fate was witnessing the King's flesh fly into the air alongside debris and flames.

Governor Amador used the confusion opportunistically. He denounced the attacks outright, but argued the terrorist attacks showed that Valtoros could not control all of the island, as his resources were stretched thin (seeing as how the western tip of the island is far from Bogtown). Governor Amador set up illegal settlements in the north of the island, including a hidden jungle fort, in the event of a war, but took the steps required to legalize his claims. He annoucned his ambitions on the island to the new King following the death of his senior, and said, 'new attacks could continue, or under me, I can promise the island will be safe.' The King of Valyria was ready to pounce, to defend his holdings, but Amador's frank and open claims were stark contrast to the secretive terrorist campaign initiated by Hotonotochi. It was agreed upon that in return for the construction of a great bridge connecting mainland Valtoros to Isla de Torres, the King would agree to transfer control of the western portion, including Newlanding, which fell victim to total genocide and was free of Valtorians by this point anyway.

All and all, this experience shows the difference between legal claims and illegal ones. International attention quickly moved away from Amador, even though he was waging a claims war on half of Isla de Torres, because he did so openly and frankly. He built allies, and established a peace treaty with his opponent. The perpatrator responsible for the genocide on the other hand refused to completely acknowledge their crimes (although they did so informally), and so the Empire cobbled together an alliance to wage war on the trouble-maker. This resulted in the second phase of the Newlanding Crisis, also known as the TnT Crisis. As part of their pressure against Hotonotochi, a global ban on holding more than 2 stacks of TnT was issued after Hototonochi threatened the world with his 'stockpile of 1000 TnT'. The law was passed, and most conflict was avoided, but Hotonotochi suffered minor trade sanctions and their brand was again tarnished. Again, this showcases the difference between legal claim wars (which must be acknowledged, and must have EXPLICIT political goals), versus open-ended attacks that have wishy-washy goals and are therefore potentially just senseless crimes against humanity. This debate surfaced again during the 'Loyalton Crisis' when antother unnanounced attack was discovered. Reminder to those reading this passage. Claims wars can be done right, but if kings consider your attacks unjustified, be careful. That is, build alliances and practice the art of diplomacy.

Throughout the first half of the 3rd Era, most imperial adminsitration was conducted from Mercury Isle, and most Minervan court and crown administration was still being done in the old capital Fort Minerva Bay. By the Middle-3rd, Gnosis had finally conquered Mount Gnosis, and a powerful fort was constructed overlooking the strategically positioned Gnosis Valley. From this fort grew the walls of the great Empyerean, which now serves as the capital palace and administrative center for countless agencies and functions, including court duties, the core bureaucracy, international voting, and until an Imperial Palace is constructed, the duties of the Office of the Regent of the Mercurian Empire as well.

This grand project was a testament to hard work and coordination, as it took several generations to construct, but its completion opened the door to a new era in Gnosis' development, including a rapid metropolization. Given the rough terrain nestled inbetween mountains, Gnosis' only direction to go became 'up'. Gnosis' famous skyline is now characterized by this history. By the late 3rd era, neighbouring Bogtown's industry was the strongest in the Empire, but their ability to fill labour demands with residents was struggling. After building a commuting network, Gnosis and Bogtown grew an interesting symbiosis. Cross-border travel exploded, with workers heading to Bogtown in the morning, and returning for sleep and shopping in the evening to Gnosis.

Me.

During the wild early days of partitioned Thoth, with newcomers traveling the lands, law and security was rare. Adventurer Nexus of Enchanting Hills discovered the walls of Loyalton had sufferred a terrible attack from raiders, and most of the population was slaughtered. The culprit refused to take responsibility, which is considered the greatest crime in the empire (terrorism) and so a grand man-hunt ensued. Many were implicated and prosecuted, and the Crown experimented with authoritarian investigation techniques (although pressure from the international community as well as the Council of the Crown ended this). Ultimately, it was decided that to protect the lawless regions so that the newcomers in Channoria and East Thoth had a safe place to call home, the Regent ordered West and Central Thoth to be occupied until further notice.

This brought security and peace to the region, but was only swiftly ratified on the assumption that the occupation would be temporary. Eventually, as promised, the Regent and Minerva handed over control of Central Thoth to the diarchy in Channoria. This created a new era for Channoria and greatly expanded their territory. But the large number of Mercurians that have called Kanaan home for centuries did not want to remain uncertain and elected to become a sovereign part of Minerva. Since then, West Thoth has been a loyal region of the Regent’s Kingdom. This was solidified by the expansion of a large east-west rail network, as well as the construction of the mighty Kanaan Aquaduct designed to bring fresh jungle water from many many biomes away.

Me.

The Empire has grown a unique love and admiration for mixing political and economic models into a dynamic cosmos of practices and ideas. For example, Crown-owned firms exist alongside private-licensed firms, and inter-realm technology and investments are common too. This created a mature ‘entrepreneur’ class who wanted to use their political, social and economic capital to establish impressive new projects both for the name of profit, and also for the name of contributing to the ever expanding glory of the Empire. To encourage further experimentation, the Council of the Crown designated a large island north of the Imperial Project (a partitioned part of North Thoth) for games and competition.

Those who invest in venues and shops were able to benefit from the sudden flush of new adventurers and elites who wanted to show their mettle, or who have a competitive spirit. It also allowed gamblers to get their fix, and eventually led to the creation of official tournaments and a championship tournament held at regular intervals. The most exciting venues get selected (by participants) allowing the owners to take a small cut of the profits (another incentive).

The model worked wonderfully. Within a single generation, and illustrious one on one arena appeared, an impressive mob arena was constructed on an overlooking hill, a long pig-race track was built, and several mind games were developed like SnowFall and Redstone Circuitry. Many other entrepreneurs have hinted about the future construction of archery ranges, triathlon tracks, and more. As the empty ‘Imperial Project’ construction site slowly transforms into an international city, investors are expecting the Games Island to grow even larger.

The coasts of the ‘new world’ had been known for countless centuries by the end of the Middle-3rd, but no formal settlement attempts or mapping exercises had been conducted. But with the increased flow of newcomers applying for settler-rights, and interest in founding new holdings, it was decided that the previously ‘hardly-known’ world would become a part of the Empire automatically, citing was has been later called ‘Pax Mercuria’. Indigenous peoples were discovered and were quickly encouraged to ‘join the international order’, which meant accepting Pax Mercuria without question, but in return, they gain every right to protect their unique cultural status and to grow with their own projects in mind. The sudden arrival of the Empire for millennia old civilizations was at first unwelcomed, because dusty old stigmas warned of the ‘long lost empire’. But the promise of trade, and with increased access to technologies, protection, and inspiration, the desire to accept the legitimacy of the Empire was impossible to resist. Unlike stories of old, the Mercurian Empire intended from the outright to uphold mystical teachings which means protecting both context as well as reason, meaning the empire’s divinity could only make sense to new followers if it was translated into their own local perspectives. This is also what allowed for the pantheon of the Religions of Old to unite diverse philosophies, despite their unique origins an cultural idiosyncrasies.

The designation of new lands for settlement also triggered a huge flush of adventurous Mercurians to head east to start entirely new identities based on what they find. Thus, the New World, also known as New Hermertia, quickly went from a vast land of disparate tribal peoples, to a united land. This also triggered the beginning of the Late-3rd era.

But the longer scholars spend in New Hermertia, and the deeper they travel, and the more they listen to local stories, the more the Empire learned about its own (dark) past. Perhaps ‘New Hermertia’ is not at all ‘new’ to the Mercurians.

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