Vytum & Vagadda
Before Emmerick existed, the territory it now occupies was shaped by two twin empires with fraternal kings: Vagadda and Vytum. Their division defined the political, technological, and cultural inheritance of everything that came after.
Vagadda was a nation of tradition — upholding the processes, rituals, and values of what it once was, a "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" mentality that ironically led it to sell itself short through its own stubbornness. Vytum was a nation of curiosity and progress, encountering its own problems by crossing lines in the name of advancement that could not be walked back.
Before Vytum's Inception
Vagadda once stood alone, occupying the territory where both empires would come to exist. It was led by Balkinn von Erdhart, a human king ruling under a constitutional monarchy following a governing document called the Gestetnes.
When von Erdhart died at age 53, he instructed his two sons — Benli and Erol — to run the nation side by side. Vagadda became a diarchy. That didn't last long.
Benli believed the nation's future lay in finding the most talented advisors available, people who would challenge them and drive growth. Erol had already filled his roster with close friends and trusted loyalists chosen for their reliability, not their ability. Disagreements over governance turned to arguments. Benli von Erdhart seceded from Vagadda and his brother, beginning a territorial dispute that ended in the Vytimic Wars.
The Vytimic Wars
The Vytimic Wars lasted six years, draining both Vagadda and the newly forming territory of Vytum of vast resources. By the end, 14,000 lives had been lost. Vagadda conceded, allowing Vytum to exist as a separate nation to the west.
Vytum & Vagadda — The Two Nations
Vytum
Vytum constructed a geniocracy — a government run by the brightest in the nation — and began developing new technologies and arcane implementations. In the first century of its rise, they pioneered developments that shaped the continent:
- First nation in Druzane to use the teleportation circle spell officially — installed in three major cities, including the capital Saerim (later claimed by Senchi and renamed Oleka)
- Created the first blast disc — called a dricraeft — a grenade that casts a loaded spell when its fuse runs out
- Theorized the arcane formulas later found, expanded, and used to build the Emmerick Express
Vagadda
Vagadda kept to the Gestetnes and its traditions, but began copying Vytum's homework — if only to know what technologies might be turned against them. To compete in their own way they expanded their military and built trade bonds with Senchi and Neabend, incorporating:
- The phalanx formation from Neabend
- Incendiary siege weapons from Senchi
- Refinement of the longbow and evocation magic from unincorporated elven tribes
Vagadda was the first nation in what would become Emmerick to establish trade relations and partial integration with local elven tribes — a key reason current population statistics show such a sizable half-elf portion nationwide.
After Erol's death, his son Erol II (half-elf) doubled down on military expansion as Vagadda's people grew increasingly drawn to Vytum's golden age.
War Overview
The civil war began 59 years ago and lasted for 9 years. It reshaped Emmerick forever, broke the Rebefaul regime, and led to the formation of the Grand Parliament.
The Course of the War
The Kindling (Years 1–2)
The war began in an atmosphere of famine, rationing, surveillance, and deep social strain. Licenses were required to cast magic, and many factories functioned more like prisons than workplaces.
The Silent Winter Riots in Grollen became one of the defining horrors of the period. After a strike turned violent, 700 miners were executed.
In response, a secret alliance formed between dissenting nobles and mages from Rauchstadt and militant laborers from Hauptort and Grollen. This alliance became known as The Concord.
The Flame (Years 3–5)
Riots erupted in Neu-Bergbau and Rauchstadt. King Kristoph Rebefaul declared martial law, answering unrest with enforcers, purges, and escalating force.
A failed coup by junior officers led to mass purges within the regime itself. The Concord was painted as cultists and traitors while its members spread encrypted accounts of regime atrocities.
The Camphor Incident became a turning point — a failed poison gas attack in Hauptort damaged a loyalist supply line, contaminated the river, and delivered the final blow to the already poisoned Lake Pestis.
Thistlebrand Ironspanner (Hammerhand) was blackbagged by the regime during this phase and taken as a prisoner of war, his identity later repurposed as a propaganda icon.
The Break (Years 6–9)
The Concord began winning through stolen arcanotech, guerrilla tactics, and charismatic leadership. Lucidious Axe III was sent as a delegate to Helton, the high elf citadel in the Jade Forest, and successfully convinced the high elves to join the war effort. High elf and wood elf forces joined The Concord.
Stahlwolke was surrounded for six months. King Kristoph Rebefaul was assassinated in his palace under mysterious circumstances. His grandson Klaus, only 14 years old, was captured and spared as a political concession. The revolution ended.
Aftermath & The Grand Parliament
Post-Civil War Order
Two months after the war ended, the Grand Parliament was formed. After heavy deliberation, Klaus Rebefaul was retained as a figurehead king — his role restructured to serve as a tiebreaker for Parliamentary rulings the body cannot decisively resolve. Real governing authority passed to Parliament.
Each of the six major cities received two Prime Ministers, creating a twelve-member governing body designed to prevent the return of concentrated royal power.
Caroline Neverend & Rhys Altan
Fynn Haering & Oliver Schaub
Wylford Reinhardt & Viktor Castenn
Jannik Heider & Silvia Schultz
Celia Parleur & Chaney Florin
Korra Eisenwald (half-elf, 84) & Tamara Golbite