Fall of the Artemian Empire
Excerpt from 'On the Founding, Independence and Growth of Selenia'
Nerisus Pileus
Historians have three main theories on the origins of Selene. While many have their own personal theories, most follow one of these three routes.
Until recently, the most popular theory among historians was the Hircanes Theory. This stated that Selenius was likely a autonomous entity during the Artemian Empire, part of the larger province of Syrenia, but loosely governed by it. It is believed that the push for relative independence in Selenius was the result of years of degradation of relations with the capital and its own internal development. Important evidence for this theory includes the knowledge that Selenius was politically and economically dominant in the area, and the mention in some texts of a Salenius Borealis as a province in some texts as early as the late 2nd century BCE.
The second theory, a derivative of the first one, is the Reinvestment Theory. It states that Selenius was founded by a so-called the Order of Selenius, likely a rebellious nobility faction hailing from the capital, who took control of the province in order to help secure the collapse of the Artemian throne. This theory has little evidence and is mostly based on sociological speculation, and thus is rarely discussed in the more serious of historical discussions regarding the subject. In addition, it failed to take into account the fact that the Order of Selenius was in support of the Artemians until they lost at Tedimidge, having sent over 34 000 men to that fateful battle.
The third and newest theory is the Syrenian Theory, arising from a 1st century map found in the area around Syrenia that does not include Selenius as an autonomous province. This contributes to the idea that Selenius was, at least until the third century, an integral part of Syrenia, It is likely that it later came to encompass other lands, including Lithynia and Poriniria. Supporters of the theory are quick to point out that Salenius Borealis can be attributed to a northern province of the Artemian Empire where salt production was once common, leading to the name Salenius, which while close to Selenius, carries a much different meaning.
Excerpt from 'Last Days of Artemis'
Anonymous
I cannot remember seeing many senators in the days leading up to the Fall of Tedimidge. That is not to say they had mixed with the people in times past, there was no senator worth his gold who would let himself be seen in the market. But this time it was different, this time one could feel their fear. They were scared about their safety should they venture out of their palaces, should they have to face the people, aware that everyone knew the rampant corruption and political machinations had allowed the rogues to invade. It was irrelevant that the legions had failed to defend the borders. It was irrelevant that the Imperator had failed to act decisively when the rogues were still weak and disorganised. In the eyes of the people, senators were the ultimate sign of Artemian decadence, the sign of the greed and disconnect that came to characterise the final days of the Empire, which is why it was the senators who received the rage and hatred of the people, as both citizens and slaves became desperate, the dark shadow of the rogues looming upon them.
In the end, the demise of the Artemian Empire became obvious not through the invasion of the rogues or even the subsequent Fall of Byzantium, but through the stoning of a senator by the name of Julius, who foolishly ventured outside his home at noon, the busiest time of day, when the city walls were reinforced and people went to the market. Wearing his white robes brown sandals, the senator was an odd sight in a city already crumbling under its own weight. Insulted by his seeming obliviousness to their plight, shielded as he was behind fresh walls and unlimited pleasures, some began yelling at him, throwing fruits and eventually rocks. Julius was said to be a proud man, but even he had a limit to the kind of physical abuse he could stand. I was there that day, a child buying goods for my mother, watching an unbelievably clean man running away from an enraged crowd, wondering what a shame it was that someone so clean should suffer at the hands of a mob.
I cannot say for sure what happened next, but the following day I woke up hearing screams out on the street, and my mother was very adamant that I should stay inside. Rumour says that Imperator Lucius had ordered that people be randomly selected and executed, as a lesson to those who dared attack those in the higher classes. He must have underestimated the severity of the impending collapse, because rather than being intimidated, the people rose up against the city guards, starting a five-day riot that resulted in the burning of most palaces. Lucius managed to escape, but senators were not so lucky, most being dragged out of their houses and stoned to death. All that was left of a once mighty city was empty palaces and a leaderless people, either unable or unwilling to stand together against the impending arrival of the rogues.
Excerpt from 'On the Founding, Independence and Growth of Selenia'
Nerisus Pileus
These three theories aside, most historians agree on the history of Selenius, largely based on two ancient documents: the writings of Palineus and the Thoradic Manuscript. Palineus (c. 561-620) was a scholar from the northern districts of Selenius, though historians are unsure of the exact location, since his homeland is only referred to as Leminisus, a regional name that has been unused for at least 1200 years. Palineus wrote many stories of centuries past, most notably the classic Curse of Pallas, recounting the Fall of Tedimidge.
In his story, he goes on a brief tangent about what he calls the Ordo Selenivs. As he wrote:
The men of Ordo Selenivs, a faction of the West, arrived in their typical fashion, with garments of white in stark contrast to the tattered beige of the Imperial Army, and to the Southern Barbarians, who had shamelessly hardly dressed at all besides their shields and paint, almost as it they were animals rather than men. This faction of Selenivs had long been given leeway by the Emperor to do as they wished, as long as they paid him minor tribute and pledged their military loyalty to his throne. As the man arrived on the scene, the barbarians immediately began to charge, and Cronus before his son, the Selenids fell. The 34 000 retreated, never to return, and hence why to this day they will say ‘Will you too leave me like a Selenid at Tede?’
The Thoradic Manuscript, on the other hand, is from an unknown source, as the author refers to himself only as “The Seer”. This manuscript describes the actions of the Order against the Artemians in the form of a contemporary poem. It is written as follows:
![[Image: 8ZoKRh9.png]](http://i.imgur.com/8ZoKRh9.png)
The Thoradic Manuscript was found in a cave outside Old Tedimidge in 954The Order left the emperor
As leech leaves its host
Full and bloated on its blood
Tedimidge was too much for the dog
It could not gain
So it thought ‘I will beg with the barbarians’
Then it refused to help its former master
Saying ‘What part have I with you’
As an ungrateful child says to his father
A call for independence from the crumbling Artemian Empire is said to have been issued soon after the Battle of Tedimidge, but no record of such call is yet to be found. Most western provinces followed suit between 370 and 406, when the capital finally fell to its foes.