As recovered from fragmented records and outlawed historical texts by the Rebellion's
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📜 PART I – THE ASH-BORN ERA (Years 987–1012 P.R.)
[Part I content omitted for brevity — already completed]
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🛡️ PART II – THE STEEL CROWN ASCENSION (Years 1012–1044 P.R.)
> "Peace forged with silence. Order sculpted by fear. That is the legacy of Ricthard II." — Disavowed Scholar of Meris
With the death of Ricthard I in 1012 P.R., the Sovereignty passed to his eldest son: Ricthard Descovinio II—a man bred not in fire, but steel.
Where his father rose through war and manipulation, Ricthard II governed through systemization and perfection. He believed chaos was not to be conquered—it was to be processed, filtered, and erased. His reign marked the era of the Steel Crown: unfeeling, indomitable, and mercilessly precise.
His first act as Sovereign was the Total Ordinance Codex—a restructuring of law so exhaustive it required a new bureaucracy to interpret it. In practice, this legal overhaul criminalized dissent, while publicly framing itself as a modernization initiative. New departments were established: the Ministry of Purity, the Office of Thought Regulation, and the Crown Division of Civil Reinforcement.
From 1014 to 1018 P.R., Ricthard II launched the Unity Campaigns, a series of military and ideological invasions meant to absorb semi-autonomous regions under Sovereign control. These campaigns were marked by their use of relic-enhanced shock troops and psychological warfare.
Villages weren't just conquered—they were rewritten. Language, education, even recorded history were modified. Libraries burned. New monuments were erected. Children were taught to chant the Crown Oath before learning their own names.
> "The sword breaks bones. The Crown breaks memory." — Elder Kava, executed in 1021 P.R.
One of Ricthard II's most notorious actions came in 1019 P.R. during the Burning of the Seven Flags, where he ordered the live broadcast of captured regional leaders being forced to incinerate their own national banners before pledging loyalty to the Crown. Those who refused were executed. Publicly. Silently.
Despite his brutality, Ricthard II cultivated an image of sophistication. He was the first Sovereign to appear regularly in cultural events, stage state-funded opera, and commission propaganda through art.
But behind the public mask, he doubled down on relic experimentation. The forbidden Cain Project, shelved after dangerous memory anomalies, was revived under his rule. Although Cain (CA-001) remained volatile, Ricthard II sought to replicate its core for mass teleportation units—something that never stabilized.
Instead, his engineers perfected non-volatile relics, creating the first generation of Crownbreaker Sentries—elite mechanized units with limited AI, powered by condensed crystal cores. These machines replaced hundreds of Iron Hand soldiers.
Between 1022 and 1035 P.R., Ricthard II developed the Skyline Enclosure Zones, commonly known as Tiered Cities—vertically-structured mega-arcologies that separated classes by altitude. The wealthy lived above the clouds, the poor in shadowed levels below.
This created a literal hierarchy of existence.
In 1026 P.R., he unveiled the Academy of Echelon, a state-run elite education institute for the brightest youths. But it wasn't just about intellect—it was a loyalty machine. Candidates were groomed from childhood, implanted with subtle obedience patterns, and conditioned to become architects of the regime.
Some graduates became Sovereign ministers. Others became the first generation of Shadow Prefects—agents responsible for infiltrating and erasing uprisings before they began.
By 1030 P.R., any remaining resistance was forced into hiding. But rebellion smoldered beneath the surface.
The infamous Meris Incident in 1032 P.R. changed everything. An airborne rebellion above the floating city of Meris led to the complete disappearance of an entire regiment of Crownbreaker Sentries. The Sovereign declared it a freak accident—citing a magnetic failure.
Privately, he began fearing the unpredictability of relic weapons.
In response, he authorized the Severance Doctrine: a black-ops initiative designed to track down rogue relics, capture or destroy wielders, and bury the truth of their capabilities. This led to brutal purges of ancient temples, black markets, and nomadic tribes rumored to guard relic blueprints.
One operation, known as "Ashveil," involved the mass sterilization of a village thought to carry relic-compatible DNA.
> "We do not kill out of hate. We cleanse for the future." — Internal Memo, Crown Division Commander
Despite these horrors, the Sovereignty prospered in data, economy, and innovation. Infrastructure was rebuilt, travel became instantaneous through hyperloop corridors, and synthetic nutrient programs eliminated hunger in upper-tier cities.
But people didn't feel free. They felt programmed.
By 1040 P.R., whispers of rebellion began to rise again, this time more coordinated—less militant, more ideological. These were the Ember Tongues, scholars and codemakers using forgotten languages to spread dissent in art, song, and encrypted code.
Ricthard II's final act of consolidation came in 1044 P.R., when he announced the Codex Eternal, a permanent set of Sovereign laws that could not be modified even by his successors. These laws included the Oath of Bloodline Primacy, cementing the Descovinio line as divine stewards of the world.
He died the same year—mysteriously, quietly, without public autopsy.
His legacy was iron. Sharp, flawless, and cold.
The next ruler would not inherit a battlefield, but a machine.