Servator
Note: This information refers to the Third Imperium Age. As of the 2200s, Servator has been annexed by the Crullathian Empire. See: Fourth Imperium Age
Servator
Capitol: Arx Servator
Population: 820,000
Standing Army: 420,000
Notes: Servator, as a fief, has not existed very long at all. It has, in fact, very recently been carved out of territory once claimed by the Crullathian Empire.
Geography:
The territory of Servator was once part of the Province of Isslius, which was known for its ranching and fertile land. The bulk of the fief consists of the slopes and foothills of Mount Vallum, on the border to Deglos, and the surrounding farmland. One of the most notable features is the roughly 100 square kilometer bamboo forest which covers much of the steppes.
The center of Servator is the massive CityKeep known as Arx Servator, or Servator Keep. Its multiple high walls are built from the sturdiest of stone, reinforced with titanium and mithril alloy, making the walls nigh impregnable. It sits halfway up the slope of Mount Vallum, with several small villages nestled up against the walls and extending down the mountain slope to the foothills below. Past the foothills are many miles of farmland, cut with roadways and several layers of walls, running right up to the current borders of the region. There are also three fortresses along Servator's borders with Ossania, Crullath and Brekon.
The Keep itself has 2 large walls, the first slightly shorter than the other and housing the main gate on the western side. The inner wall has 2 gates, on the north and south side. This design was chosen in the interest of defense, as an invading army, unable to penetrate the thick walls, would be forced to push through the main gate and lose formation in the narrow space between the walls, as they moved to one or both of the inner gates and thus were exposed to attack from defenders on the inner rampart.
The interior of the keep consists of the keep proper, a large fortress on the eastern side; a large barracks district, with housing for Servator's troops, as well as training facilities and supply stores; and a large mining settlement on the northern side, with access to the ore-rich platinum mines which Servator is gradually becoming famous for. The mining settlement also houses the emergency shelters for the citizens of the fief to use in times of seige.
History:
The basis of what is now Servator Keep was actually an old Imperial Trading Post with the delvers of Galdos/Deglos named Arx Vallum. The small tower, tucked away up Vallum's slopes, housed one of the main gates to Galdos/Deglos deep in its sub-basement. The Post was a primary point of transaction for metal ores, which have always been imported from the nations of Deglos and Galdos, as Kurathene itself is mineral poor in heavy metals. Despite this allure to the various Kurathene warlords following the collapse of the Empire, its remote location and small stature left it conveniently forgetten for several years, which proved disastrous for Crullath's forces.
The decade after Kuras's death, often referred to as the Era Fragmentus, saw a substantial change in the political map of Kurathene. Consuls and warlords scrambled for as much territory as possible, recruiting mercenary armies to secure their holdings. The Imperial Order of Toran, it's central structure ravaged by the collapse and revolution, was similarly scattered, with many soldiers deserting or entering into mercenary work. Some, however, remained loyal to the Empire's cause, and these few legions, which were in the minority, found themselves outnumbered and displaced, with no place to call home.
Rumors abounded that the Eastern Provinces had survived the collapse better than the west, as they were accustomed to remote contact with the City of Kuras, and were more capable of operating autonomously. Thus many of the loyalist legions began the trek east, fighting or sneaking their way through contested territory, skirting the civil war around them, searching for a place to call home. They were ultimately disappointed, however, as the East had also fallen by the time many of them had arrived. Rumors of barbarians invading to the North and a bloody revolution in Soreign drove these loyalists, who had banded together in a common cause, south, along the Deglos border, until they found Arx Vallum, still relatively untouched by the wars.
The legions banded together and set about fortifying the area, building up the walls of the Keep and opening up trade with the Deglossians, keeping a low profile and slowly building their forces and infrastructure. They sent out messengers, who quietly spread the word to loyalists across the empire that those legions still faithful to the Emperor were congregating in Arx Vallum. Soldiers from across the Empire quietly abandoned their posts with the local lords, making the trek to Arx Vallum, sometimes alone and hiking on foot for hundreds of miles. They were welcomed with open arms, and incorporated into the ever-growing force that would one day be Servator. It was at this time that a young man named Peregryne Twostep, a member of the Sword of Toran operating out of M'Chek, heard of their cause, and made the trip to Vallum, to throw in his support.
Over the next 30 years, Twostep began amassing funds from his work in the army of M'Chek and funneling them north, to Arx Vallum, where it was used to fortify the keep. The Loyalists renamed themselves the Servators - the Servants of Toran. Driven by their desire to reunite the Empire and spread Toran's ideals through Kurathene once again, they trained in secret, keeping a low profile and attempting to ensure that Arx Vallum, now renamed Arx Servator, would be forgotten by the warlords.
Roughly 10 years ago, another member of the Sword of Toran's Mikona Branch, Mina Milen, traveled to Servator after having been told of its mission. Milen took control of the legions, leading Servator's forces west to begin their crusade to reclaim their homeland, spilling out of the Keep and marching across the Isslian plains, driving back Crullath's forces and carving their own territory from his fief. The attack was swift and successful, and the Servators quickly went about securing the borders and erecting defensive walls, so as to cement their position in the region. The farmland was consolidated, then equally distributed for all to ply and harvest equally, as it served to feed everyone within the fief.
With their borders and autonomy secured, the Servators turned back to building up the Keep's defenses, in preparation for the coming war of reunification. Border skirmishes with Crullath are a weekly, and sometimes daily, occurence, but the Servators remain firm in their goal. In the last few years, several members of the Sword of Toran have returned home to the Empire in order to help Servator's cause, and Milen and Twostep have stepped up to lead the legions in their crusade against the usurper, Crullath.