See also Lerona Mere Historic Events
The Southern Colonies
The Artebazzani, like any empire, wants to expand its borders as cost effectively as possible. In pursuit of this The Empire engaged in warfare, diplomacy and colonisation across the great trade sea. While many of these efforts would fail, enough were grand successes that the process continues to this day. The Southern Colonies of Esterra were one such colonial endeavour.
A consortium of trade families funded the expedition an in 90BE the first settlement, Posta Lerona, was founded at the head of the Bay with assistance from the Artebazzani Imperial Legion after defeating a local Esterran leader known as ‘Atrugan of the Headwaters’ and burning his palisade fortress to the ground.
The Legion would go on to wage numerous small wars around the western edges of the Bay of Promised Gold as Posta Lerona grew. These small wars were essential to the colonial ambitions of these trading families, as they required land and resources to both justify expenses and to make way for future investment. Over time more townships appeared, plenty small and focused on industry and agriculture, but some were poised to become cities in their own right, such as Vidania in Barbariano and Mandrianos in the mountains of Terra Mancante.
It was the rivalry between Vidania and Posta Lerona that would end the colonies period. While Vidania was better placed for ships making the journey from west to east, it lacked established industries that could act as their own trading stop for merchants. The younger city would attempt to augment this with martial schools of swordsmanship and sailing, but it was too little too late. When the Empress Ricci arrived in the southern colonies in 87AE she found one city sure of itself and another seeking emulation. She dubbed Posta Lerona as the capital of this new province of the Empire, granting it the new name ‘Lerona Mere’ and renaming the colonies as ‘New Cordisia’.
The Wars of Lerona Mere
With recognition as an Imperial province attained, Lerona Mere did as empires do and expanded its borders. The only military threat in the region was the ancient Iron Valley and their thrall kingdoms to the south. With such a small space between the two nations the Lerona Mere saw it as inevitable that war would break out and they wanted to be the aggressors in such a calamity.
An Imperial Legion, supported by hundreds of mercenary companies of Bravos from Vidania, Lerona Mere and beyond marched into Bolsterlee and began the First Mercenary War. This conflict was grinding, taking two years to come to a head. In the first year Lerona Mere split Bolsterlee and cut the high places off from the support of the Bailite thrall kingdoms. The second year was dedicated to assault after assault on the growing fortification of Deorling’s Citadel.
In the end, Lerona Mere and The Iron Valley would come to terms. The sovereignty of the High Valley was recognised and Lerona Mere took control of Bolsterlee as an Imperial conquest. The Bailite kingdoms were left to resolve their issues with the Valleyfolk, but with the will of the Iron Valley broken, they swiftly ceased to pay their tithes and began to reinforce their own armies.
The First Mercenary War was one of political and military ambition, not of territorial gain. The Lerona Mere had no need for Bolsterlee and as such left it largely alone, save for a heavy handed regime of taxation and the occasional draft of Bolsterfolk for deckhands or labourers.
Two years later war would once again rear its cruel head. The Second Mercenary War was an entirely local pursuit (the Artebazzani Legion having left to wage war elsewhere across the Empire) of thousands of mercenary companies. The Bailite Kings were looking to return to regional prominence and the trading families of Legend City would allow no rivals. Unsupported, the forces of Lerona Mere would sweep through the Bailes, be caught in hundreds of battles and even lead naval campaigns striking at Baile Fein on the far side of the peninsula. The events of this war are not widely known and those few companies that retain lineage to this time do not recall battle honours. But the broken ruins of Bailite forest keeps speak of a war of great violence and little mercy. In the end, King Padranar the Wise of Baile Fealtoiri and King Lysax the Wild of Baile Lochra were executed in Lerona Mere’s great amphitheatre and both regions collapsed into Lerona Mere’s growing influence.
Much like Bolsterlee these new conquests were viewed as lands of eventual expansion and of little worth in this current moment. Investment was minimal and taxation was large. Vast amounts of the Bailite citizenry would make their way north, settling in Bolsterlee, Lerona Mere or even travelling beyond into the Baronies or the Iron Valley.
The Breaking of the Gilded Age
For over one hundred years the trade families of Lerona Mere were the undisputed masters of Southern Esterra. Their power of coin, maritime mastery and diplomatic weight was unmatched by Bordevar or The Baronies at their height. This mastery of their destiny allowed those families that controlled Lerona Mere to pursue their true goal; to return home.
For despite being generations removed from their original colonising ancestors, all longed to gain enough wealth to return to Artebazzan as members of the elite oligarchy. But those few who left too early found themselves rebuffed, the stain of colonial dirt not so easily scrubbed from gold or silver. And so over a hundred years, Lerona Mere grew even more and more wealthy, and the wealthiest did all they could do horde and extract this wealth. Reinvestment into the province was at the barest minimum to continue bureaucratic function and measures of taxation grew ever harsher and lopsided. All the families were trapped in a cycle of hunger and self destruction, as those who sought to break the cycle and reinvest in Lerona Mere would be swallowed up by the enormity of that task when unsupported by a full government or other sources of coin.
After one hundred years of extractive hoarding, Lerona Mere was a city of hollow houses built on vaults of gold forged by the blood of the poor. It was this city that Emperor Laetus visited and found quaint. And it was Emperor Laetus who would be killed by the Twinblade Pirate Ophelia Diablos in 209 AE as he travelled home from this meeting. The ensuing punishment by the new Emperor Urso was the first death knell of Lerona Mere. Never would their gold be enough, they could never be pure enough to return to Artebazzan.
The Illsevir and the Revolution
The arrival of the Illsevir was a sudden and grave threat to Lerona Mere. In the space of three months a region was lost and a great many of Lerona Mere’s fleet were destroyed. A short few months later, Vidania, which had so strongly defined the province's past, was lost in a violent siege, and in another year an Imperial Legion was shattered and the defenders of Legend City were standing on their own doorsteps in fear of the final assault.
Such a rapid invasion continued to increase the burning pressure in the city itself. The seething anger of the poor and disadvantaged had always been present, but the pride of the Trading Families refusing to meet with the other members of this burgeoning Concord, citing a history of rivalry if not outright war, put a quickened fear in the air. Would The Trading Families sink this chance at alliance in the pursuit of more extracted wealth? How many more would die for their greed and fear?
What remained of the Free Captains after the Icereach Sinking could sense the changing tide. They shifted from impartial observers to armourers, from free agents to agents of change. All across the city and countryside the nation rose up and cast off its oppressors. Liberty and opportunity for all! No rule by distant emperors! A Lerona Mere for the Lerona Mere!
And the rest is history.