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Post by heliosmegistos on Dec 17, 2015 11:09:05 GMT
I don't entirely know where to begin and my own work is haphazard and incomplete so I'll just post some of my more finished work for people to see and maybe critique and comment on if they wish  |
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Post by heliosmegistos on Dec 17, 2015 11:09:53 GMT
Title: Celestianism: A Brief Description
Subject: The Culture, Beliefs and Traditions of the Heliospheres
Sender: He Who Watches
Receiver: Required reading for Field Agents and Stewards operating in the Heliospheres
Date: 1453 Anno Domini (Universal Standard Dating)/393 New Dawn (Local Divergent Dating)
The official religion of the Rhomaion people and the Basileia Rhomaion following the rule of the Basilissa Persephone I Eosopoulou the Maiden of Dawn. Heliosian Celestianism is a relatively new faith that has introduced many previously obscure or even outright unknown concepts and doctrines, some of which are fairly revolutionary such as the Karmic balance which decides the fate of an individual after death and the Reincarnation cycle rather then belief in an eternal afterlife, to the Rhomaion who were previously devout followers of the the monotheistic faiths of the Abrahamic God comprised of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, collectively known as the Abrahamic religions.
Heliosian Celestians worship a large pantheon of gods, with the name of the Celestians coming from the primary set of deities that they worship, the Celestials who are lead by Helios the Celestial of the Sun and Light an King of the Celestials and his two sister-wives Eos the Celestial of Dawn and Day and Selene the Celestial of Dusk and Night who collectivly comprise the Luminous Trinity at the top of the Celestial hierarchy.
Beneath the Luminous Trinity is the second layer of the Celestial Hierarchy comprised of Helios children by Eos, Artemis the Celestial of the Hunt, Archery, Ice, Autumn and Winter, her brother-husband Apollo the Celestial of Music, Poetry, Fire, Spring and Summer, Athena the Celestial of Wisdom, Justice, Law and Order and her brother-husband Dionysus the Celestial of Wine, Feast, Festivals and Celebrations. And Helios children by Selene, Ares the Celestial of Strength, Strategy, Valour, Honour and War, his sister-wife Aphrodite the Celestial of Beauty, Fertility, Love, Lust and Desire, Hephasteus the Celestial of Creativity, Arts, Crafts and Smithing and his sister-wife Hestia the Celestial of the Hearth, Agriculture, Family and Domesticity.
The third and final layer of the Celestial Hierarchy is comprised of the grandchildren of the Luminous Trinity consisting of the children of Artemis and Apollo, Boreas the Celestial of the Northern Winds and Northern Sky, Eurus the Celestial of the Eastern Winds and Eastern Sky, Notus the Celestial of the Southern Winds and Southern Sky and Zephyrus the Celestial of the Western Winds and Western Sky collectively known as the Four Winds. The children of Athena and Dionysus, Harmonia the Celestial of Harmony and Fortune and Discordia the Celestial of Discord and Misfortune collectively known as the the Fortunes. And the children of Ares and Aphrodite, Deimos the Celestial of Terror and Horror and Phobos the Celestial of Fear and Despair collectively known as the Twin Terrors, as well as Nike the Celestial of Victory and Triumph and Nemesis the Celestial of Retribution and Vengeance known collectively as the Martial Maidens.
However the Heliosian Celestians also recognize and revere but do not worship an assortment of loosely related lesser entities including Phoenixes, Unicorns, Centaurs, Satyrs, Dryads, Nymphs and various Nature Spirits, as well as an extensive collection of Heros, Heroines and Demi-Gods, with two of the most prominent and widely worshiped been the Demi-God Helioclius and his twenty one labours, the legendary Warrior King Leonidas and his heroic three hundred Spartans and the Demi-Goddess Persephone the Maiden of Dawn herself, daughter of Helios and Eos, savior of Rhomaion and restorer of the World.
In daily life, Celestians provide numerous offerings ranging from wine and bread to fragrant flowers and exotic spices to the various Celestials they worship and the numerous lesser entities they revere. The weekly prayer is, generally not thought to be completed until one offers at least a minor offering, although intentionally pitiful or pathetic offerings are believed to offend the Celestials and bring ill fortune on the devote as punishment for their disrespect.
The Heliosian Celestian faith is a high organized and hierarchical religion, with Basilissa's and Basileus's heavily supporting the Celestium, and the Celestium officially supporting the Basilissa's and Basilissa's. There is an organized priesthood for the Celestials comprised primary but not exclusively of women who comprise the three ranks of Maiden, Matron and Matriarch each of which has an increasing level of duty, responsibility and importance in the overall structure of the faith. The overall head of the Heliosian Celestium is the Maiden of Dawn who is believed to speak to and for the Celestials themselves and is second only to the Basilissa or Basileus in spiritual and political power, beneath the Maiden of Dawn is the Celestial Council comprised of the High Matriarchs and the oldest, wisest and most powerful Oracles and Seers.
Despite the high degree of centralization and extensive organisation of Heliosian Celestianism, some notable sub-cults and offshoots exist as well as many regional and provincial variations with various differences such as Patron Celestials or local Heros, Heroines and Demi-Gods given precedence, to say nothing of the countless groups that revere and focus on particular lesser entities such as a local Centaur tribe or the resident Nymphs.
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Post by heliosmegistos on Dec 17, 2015 11:11:19 GMT
Title: Basilissa: Duties and Experience
Subject: What is it like to be Basillisa of the Basileia Rhomaion?
Sender: He Who Watches
Receiver: *REDACTED* Educational Division & *REDACTED* Recreational Resources
Date: 1648 Anno Domini (Universal Standard Dating)/588 New Dawn (Local Divergent Dating)
The experience of being Basilissa greatly depends on the era when the individual is ruling, but also depends on her character and personality. Some have viewed empressdom as a burden (Helene I, Apollonia I, Sosipatra I and Hypatia I to name a few), while others have revelled in it's luxuries (Adreastia I, Aurora II, Leda III and Apollonia II for example).
Travelling from palace to manor, city to city atop the back of a majestic phoenix, been treated as a living goddess, the Basilissa experiences a level of comfort, opulence and riches far beyond the dreams of most of her subjects.
To be the Basillisa is to be a women who can not be touched out of the very real fear of divine retribution (either from the Basilissa herself, her family or even more rarely the Celestials themselves), to proclaim decrees in front of lavish formal audiences, but also to be someone who can be met with in private for more candid discussions on secular and spiritual policy.
As supreme ruler and judge, her word is law, and although debate might be tolerated and even encouraged, her decisions are final. When not in political meetings, she takes part in elaborate festivals and celebrations alongside the Maiden of Dawn, worshipping and honouring the Celestials in her role as heir and descendent of Persephone and the intermediary between them and mankind so that all of Rhomaion will benefit.
Yet been Basilissa does not entirely revolve around administration and solemn ritual, entertainment and enjoyment are important parts of life and her duties too. On many occasions, the Basilissa can relax and be amused by the tales of past rulers, epic novels and musical performances, she can be engaged in or watch various sports, as well as engage in hunting, fishing, horsemanship and airmanship (flying and generally anything involving phoenixes).
The Basileia Rhomaion is a very large and diverse country, covering a vast area and a huge array or environments and terrain and at it's many borders it is faced with a variety of foes both old and new ranging from the Hungarians and the Holy Roman Empire in Europe, to the Ethiopians in the Horn of Africa and the various Khaganates both large and small in Central Asia, as a result small scale warfare (border disputes and raiding usually) is a fairly common occurrence and is always at risk of flaring up into major conflict. For a long time most Rhomaion wars were either in retaliation against invasions of Christian Crusades or to secure trade routes and ensure the flow of luxury goods, but as time has progressed expansionism and/or maintaining control of vassal states has become a fundamental part of the Basilissas image and duties, and they according serve and portray themselves as Warrior Basilissas (Warrior Queens) - Women who lead their armies into battle, covering themselves in glory and exalted by their victories.
When not on military campaigns, Basilissas still spend considerable amounts of their time travelling and touring their empire and participating in (and occasionally leading) major seasonal and local festivals, all at the expense of the regional governors and/or nobility.
Ever since the defeat of the tyrannical and insane Basilissa Apollonia II, the Basileia Rhomaion has had two imperial cities; two capitals that are both regarded as the Basilissas home. One located at the crossroads between the Balkans and Anatolia, the traditional and historical capital of Constantinople which was later rebuilt as Eosopolis following it's destruction in the War of the Three Basilissas at the hands of Apollonia II in her final hours.
The second is located in the agricultural and cultural heart of the empire, in the incredibly fertile and highly urbanized land of Egypt. Alexandria has since the the reign of Sosipatra I been the traditional second capital of the Basilissa Rhomaion (occasionally a Basilissa will construct a new imperial city which will serve as the second capital and imperial residence but sooner or later a successor will return Alexandria to it's rightful status).
As previously mentioned on occasion Basilissa have also founded new imperial cities to act as their second place of residence, such as Heliopolis Superior (to distinguish it from the Egyptian city of the same name, Heliopolis Inferior) founded upon the former location of the Abrahamic holy city of Jeursalem by the very pious Basilissa Astraea III who carried out the sacred cleansing and purification of the same city several years prior to Helipolis Superiors construction (Heliopolis Superior served as second capital for both Astraea III and her daughter Astraea IV and to this day remains a major cultural and spiritual hub in both the Levant and indeed Rhomaion in general). Another noteworthy former imperial city is Neo-Seleucia which was founded by Basilissa Aurora IV on the ruins of the long destroyed former Islamic city of Baghdad (destroyed by Basilissa Aurora I and subjected to sacred cleansing and purification) and to this day remains a major cross road in the road network and trading routes that cross through Rhomaions borders. Indeed Neo-Seleucia is a very prosperious and opulent city thanks to it's position in Mesopotamia (right at the center of the Empire more or less) famous for it's many beautiful public works such as the Seleucian Aphrodisium (a Celestium of Aphrodite) and the Hanging Gardens of Sosipatra III.
In death, the Basilissa is surrounded by as much ritual and splendour as when she ascended the Golden Phoenix Throne. The burial and entombment of a deceased Basilissa in the great imperial tomb in Ephesus (claimed by Persephone to be her place of birth) on the Aegean coast of Anatolia is followed by thirty one days of public morning during which her successor is introduced to the bureaucracy, future retainers and quietly eased into her new position before the end of the mourning period which is marked by her Ascension Day a major public festival in which the new Basilissa is presented to the people who witness her take the oaths or rulership before been crowned by the Celestial Council (Comprised of the leaders of the Heliosian Celestium such as the Maiden of Dawn, the High Matriarchs and the highest ranking Seers and Oracles) upon which the empire engages in widespread celebration lasting for the better part of a week before life resumes it's normal sedate pace.
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Post by heliosmegistos on Dec 17, 2015 11:12:19 GMT
(This will hopefully become a Watchers Report as well but for now it's a rough draft. Enjoy anyway.)
This is to give the general idea of the semi-nomadic Centaur species that inhabit the Dawnverse after coming into existence at some point after the arrival of Persephone and the formation of the Celestial beliefs and religions by her twin daughters (which includes Heliosian Celestianism, the official faith of Rhomaion).
I intend to clean this up and make it more tidy and professional later if my brain will let me, if not anyone else is welcome to do so. I will also hear suggestions although I make no promises of using them even if I like them, since I do have ideas already set out for them. I will still hear ideas and suggestions though and might use them for other things if not for the Centaurs!
Very Rough Version: Dawnverse Centaurs are much like the classical and modern depictions of how they look eg their head, arms, and chest are those of a Human and the rest of their body, including four legs, hindquarters, and a tail are those of a Horse.
The come in two major species with several variations. There are the Human-Horse Centaurs who are widespread in parts of Eurasia and Africa with forest, grassland adapted ones and steppe adapted sub-species.
The other species are Human-Camel Centaurs and live in highly arid areas such as the Sahara, Gobi and Arabian deserts (In the case of the Arabian Desert, at Eosopoulou prompting they have settled in and all but eradicated the nomadic Arab tribes living in the interior which leaves Rhomaion in control of the coast and has eliminated a long term annoyance as these tribes used to raid Rhomaion territory and cause uprisings among the minority Muslim populations).
Centaurs have all the strengths of Horses/Camels and Humans, they are intelligent if somewhat more primitive then Humans and are also creative after a fashion with each clan/tribe having it's own customs and variations in culture although they are not as varied as Human cultures and customs. Males take after proper medieval War Horses and are heavily built with great stamina but are not particularly fast while Females take after lighter horses and are built for speed like Arabian Horses or Racing Horses (if my knowledge is correct) and also have good stamina.
The Human upper half is as variable in form as it is in Humans although males tend to be stronger and muscular while females tend to be more lithe/athletic in build and less muscular. The same goes for the Human-Camel Centaurs although obviously there are differences between them and the Human-Horse Centaurs since Camels and Horses have different natures with Camels in particular having humps!
Temperament wise they have feelings and emotions much like Humans but are driven by animal instincts and urges to a far greater degree. They are territorial and largely migratory and despite been omnivores are not suited to agriculture due to their build, as such they live off the land as hunters and herders driving large herds of domesticated Goats and Cattle and Sheep etc across their territory (depending on environment they are less migratory since some areas they inhabit are suited to grazing year round obviously) with Woolly Mammoths and Woolly Rhinos been the livestock of choice in the far north and east of Siberia.
They make great archers and are arguably better Horse Archers then the Mongols and other Steppe cultures since they are part Horse and thus don't need to care for or train their own mounts and can carry a large number of arrows on both their Human back and Horse back. That's not to say that they are all horse archers, they have sword and spear wielders as well and both light and heavy armored fighters (divided by gender usually, females are the lights and males the heavies).
Tribes or Clans (clans are usually more civilized and advanced while tribes are usually smaller and more savage an agressive) are headed by a Alpha Stallion and an Alpha Mare who are in charge although they can be and are challenged by subordinates (what happens to the losers varies between clans and tribes, some are killed others are shamed but accept the loss of status and continue to serve the herd loyally... most of the time).
As mentioned they are territorial and more instinctive and urge driven then Humans and tend to have strained relationships with various Human groups. Some groups mostly peacefully co-exist with the local Human power in whose borders they might live and acknowledge the power and authority local King or Emperor etc, although they don't always get along with the commoners in the areas they inhabit since they compete with them for grazing and agricultural land (agricultural land been useless to Centaurs who turn it back into grazing land for their live stock). They might offer military service for a particular nation or at will at least defend an area for the local lord or such if they get along with their authority.
The Centaurs in Rhomaion are largely friendly like this and so are some clans in Christian Europe. Centaurs tend to adopt the local religions where they live if they aren't strongly shamanistic and spiritual, so Christian and Celestian Centaur Clans are not exactly rare and is more then one Hindu Clan in India and China (The Chinese Centaurs in question been Buddhist). The ones in the Deserts and Steppes tend to be more barbaric and largely reject organized Human religions although a few have adopted Islam as slight to the Celestians and Christians they clash with (mostly in Central Asia and the Sahara! Fear the Centaur !!!Jihad!!!).
Other Tribes and Clans are truly nomadic and wander the continent either legally or illegally and cross borders across the Old World over the years, and are often seen as a serious nuisance by the commoners and various lords even if they are neutral tribe or clan, as they trample crops and their livestock compete for grazing land. Not to mention some Centaurs are thieves (think like the stereotypes of Gypsy/Roma!) and particularly violent and unrulely ones at that. Royal and Republican Governments have mixed views on these migratory Tribes and Clans and sometimes ignore them (local actions not withstanding) and other times attack them or rather harass them until they leave (Although particularly large, violent or aggressive Tribes and Clans or any combination of the three might have all full blown small scale warfare directed at them with the goal of exterminating them outright... such efforts rarely succeed and when they do are largely in-vane as the larger Tribes and Clans eventually split into smaller splinter groups).
Most of the Steppe Tribes and Clans in particular very much like the Nomadic tribes that also inhabit these areas, competing for land and raiding each other. Some Tribes of Clans making settled Human populations their slaves or more often tributaries who then give them live stock, harvested crops and food, high quality armor and supplies of various metals and cloths (Centaurs can work metal at forges with some effort but they usually can't mine it and tend to barter for metals or steal them).
They have excellent memories, have tight-knit tribal/clannish herd and social bonds and are quick to anger or provoke, with even the most friendly tribes been absolutely vicious and barbaric in warfare. They hold very long grudges, been very proud and vindictive both as individuals and groups.
They tend to live to around an average of 25 to 30 years with individuals living into their 50's not been all that uncommon although living past the 50's is exceptionally rare. They mature quicker then Humans but are slower breeders due to longer pregnancies and the more complicated deliveries, which mean they tend to have one foal at a time although they can breed at any time of the year and are able to have another pregnancy within weeks (a month or two) of a birth. Socially Centaurs don't have much if any gender divide in roles due to their migratory herd nature although pregnant females are obviously less capable and productive then a non-pregnant femaled or a fully grown male and thus are highly protected by their Clan or Tribe. The one universal Centaur taboo is killing pregnant females, they even extend this to Humans.... any one that violates this taboo regardless of species in in deep crap. They also tend to value hospitality greatly so even the most vicious Tribes are unusually civil to Humans that they happen to formally treat with, such groups take great affront to violation of their versions of guest right and will respond viciously if it is broken or Humans do not honor it with groups the particular tribe or clan is friendly with.
Their lungs and heart are in the Human torso while the stomach, liver and kidneys and such are in the horse torso/body. Centaurs have great lung capacity, males and females both have very sparse and very fine body hair on their Human upper half and long hair on their heads (particularly among females), males often have facial hair which grows quite long and thick so they tend to style it if they don't cut and crop it (hard to do for a Centaur anyway). Females do have breast that serve the exact same function as in Human females and kneel down so that young Foals can feed. Their young aren't as vulnerable as Human babies and toddlers and can keep up with the Clan/Tribe within days although they develop mentally at a slower pace although still much quicker then Humans do.
Centaurs along with Satyrs and Dryads have pointed, knife like ears and are sometimes derogatorily called "Knife Ears" as an insult along with "Half-Breed", "Beast-Men" and many other highly vulgar and insulting names.
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Post by heliosmegistos on Dec 17, 2015 11:15:22 GMT
 The Luminous Trinity ------------------------- Helios Megistos the Celestial of the Sun and Light, Brother-Husband of Eos & Selene an King of the Celestials Eos the Celestial of Dawn and Day, Sister-Wife of Helios an Queen of the Celestials Selene the Celestial of Dusk and Night, Sister-Wife of Helios an Queen of the Celestials The Greater Celestials -------------------------- Artemis the Celestial of the Hunt, Archery, Ice, Autumn and Winter, Sister-Wife of Apollo an a Princess of the Celestials Apollo the Celestial of Music, Poetry, Fire, Spring and Summer, Brother-Husband of Artemis and a Prince of the Celestials Athena the Celestial of Wisdom, Justice, Law and Order, Sister-Wife of Dionysus an a Princess of the Celestials Dionysus the Celestial of Wine, Feast, Festivals and Celebrations, Brother-Husband of Athena an a Prince of the Celestials Ares the Celestial of Strength, Strategy, Valour, Honour and War, Brother-Husband of Aphrodite an a Prince of the Celestials Aphrodite the Celestial of Beauty, Fertility, Love, Lust and Desire, Sister-Wife of Ares an a Princess of the Celestials Hephasteus the Celestial of Creativity, Arts, Crafts and Smithing, Brother-Husband of Hestia an a Prince of the Celestials Hestia the Celestial of the Hearth, Agriculture, Family and Domesticity, Sister-Wife of Hephasteus an a Princess of the Celestials The Lesser Celestials ------------------------- Boreas the Celestial of the Northern Winds and Northern Sky, Son of Artemis and Apollo and one of the Four Winds Eurus the Celestial of the Eastern Winds and Eastern Sky, Son of Artemis and Apollo and one of the Four Winds Notus the Celestial of the Southern Winds and Southern Sky, Son of Artemis and Apollo and one of the Four Winds Zephyrus the Celestial of the Western Winds and Western Sky, Son of Artemis and Apollo and one of the Four Winds Harmonia the Celestial of Harmony and Fortune, Daughter of Athena and Dionysus and one of the Fortunes Discordia the Celestial of Discord and Misfortune, Daughter of Athena and Dionysus and one of the Fortunes Deimos the Celestial of Terror and Horror, Son of Ares and Aphrodite and one of the Twin Terrors Phobos the Celestial of Fear and Despair, Son of Ares and Aphrodite and one of the Twin Terrors Nike the Celestial of Victory and Triumph, Daughter of Ares and Aphrodite and one of the Martial Maidens Nemesis the Celestial of Retribution and Vengeance, Daughter of Ares and Aphrodite and one of the Martial Maidens Ascended Demi-Gods/The New Celestials ------------------------------------------------ Persephone the Celestial of Fate, Destiny, Faith and Humanity, Daughter of Helios and Eos or Helios and Selene, Sister-Wife of Eosphoros, Mother of the Eosopoulou an a Princess of the Celestials Eosphoros the Celestial of Health, Sports, Athletics, and Humanity, Son of Helios and Eos or Helios and Selene, Brother-Husband of Persephone, Patron of Heros an a Prince of the Celestials. Adrasteia the Celestial of Rulers and Leadership and Daughter of Persephone Amaltheia the Celestial of Oracles and Guidance and Daughter of Persephone. |
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Post by heliosmegistos on Dec 17, 2015 11:17:16 GMT
 Basilissa Persephone Eosopoulou and her twin daughters Adrasteia & Amaltheia painted several years before her passing and thus the beginning of Adrasteia's reign. Upon her death Persephone would ascended from Demi-Goddess into a full fledged Goddess or as the Heliosian's refer to their deities, a Celestial and just any Celestial... Persephone would become the Celestial of Faith, Hope & Light and protector of Humanity. |
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Post by heliosmegistos on Dec 17, 2015 11:20:21 GMT
 Created and Conceptualised by Helios Megistos aka Benjamin O'Regan Notes: Part of my Dawnverse alternate historical science-fantasy which is in turn part of my Astraeaverse multiverse. Quotes: "I seek to rule firmly but fairly, to give my subjects law and order. To those who reject my reign and our faith I bring only the sword and the flame" - Basilissa Aurora I Eosopoulou the Ruthless/the Arab Slayer "The followers of the false prophet Muhammad will face the sword of justice, harsh and uncompromising. The followers of that charlatan are servants of the false god of Abraham, who they known as Allah, who commands them to make war on the children of the new dawn, the people of Rhomaion" - Basilissa Aurora I Eosopoulou the Ruthless/the Arab Slayer My revamp and redesign of the third Eosopoulou ruler Aurora I. Aurora is the grandaughter of Adrasteia the Conqueror and great grandaughter of Persephone the Great, her mother Athenais the Young was the eldest of Adrasteia's three daughters and had all the makings of a great ruler to follow in her mother and grandmothers footsepts. Sadly this was not to be as Athenais was ambushed by the Seljuk Turks while attempting to put a stop to a cross border raid from Mesopotamia, her forces were greatly outnumbered and while her pyrokinesis inflicted heavy losses it was unable to save her or her troops and they where overwhelmed and slaughtered. The young Aurora was her mothers eldest child and only daughter, now suddenly finding herself the heir to the Golden Phoenix Throne at the age or 13. Her grandmother Basilissa Adrasteia, knowing that she didn't have many years left and that with her highly talented heir now lost Rhomaions future was uncertain, summoned Aurora from Athens and fast tracked her education in ruler ship and governance despite her realitivly youth and barely begun morning over her mothers loss. Aurora grew to resent her grandmother who had become faded and cynical with the loss of her favorite daughter and developed a burning hatred of the Seljuk Turks and a scathing dislike of Muslims in general. From a young age she had an interest in law and order and wished to rule with temperance and justice under the guidance of her patron deity the celestial Athena, with the death of her mother however and the stress of becoming the heir at such a young age her dedication to justice took a harsh turn. When she eventually became the third Basilissa of Rhomaion during the New Dawn, Aurora decleared that she had no desire to be feared or loved, as long as her subjects respected and accepted her rule and her policies she would give them justice and order and with that peace. Sadly her reign would be marked by a near constant state of insurgency in the Levant, Syria and Palestine, which had been conquered by her grandmother Adrasteia but never sucessfully pacified. Aurora's harsh treatment of then still largely Muslim majority of the Levant in accordance with her dedication to and interpretation of justice served only to inflame the situation and caused several costly, in terms of lives and resources, uprisings backed by the Seljuk Turks and the Fatimid Caliphate and very nearly cost Rhomaion it's hard won control of the area. Aurora ultimately triumphed over the Muslim population of the Levant who came to view her as the harshest of rulers or even a tyrant, however the cost was horrific and her punitive sacking and destruction of the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina as well as the deliberate destruction of the center of learning that was Seljuk ruled Baghdad, seat of their puppet Abbasid Caliphs, and the Fatimid capital of Cairo destroyed any chance of lasting peace between Rhomaion and it's neighbors as well as earning her the nickname/title of the Ruthless - an apt description of her reign. Despite her flaws and the bloodshed of her reign, Basilissa Aurora I is remembered as a firm but fair ruler by the Rhomaion and even the most opinionated of scholars, historians and priestesses are divided over her reign. Aurora kept the peace in Anatolia, Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia which where propserious and productive during her nearly over twenty year rule and she financed the construction of numerious public works on a scale to rival her great grandmother the Basilissa Persephone. She created the laws and regulations that governed the Basileia Rhomaion for the next three hundred years, despite some alternate amendments by her daughter and heir Helene I, creating what is collectivly called the Auroran Code and her patronage of the celestial goddess Athena is still felt in the present day as the great Celestium of Athena that she constructed in Athens towards the end of her reign still stands to this day and remains one of the largest of all Celestiums and the Athenan subcult of Heliosian Celestianism is one of the most widespread in the empire. |
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Post by heliosmegistos on Dec 17, 2015 11:23:41 GMT
 Created and Conceptualised by Helios Megistos aka Benjamin O'Regan Notes: Part of my Dawnverse alternate historical science-fantasy which is in turn part of my Astraeaverse multiverse. Quotes: "It matters not to me if you follow the Sun or the Crescent, if you bare the Cross or the sunburst. Whatever beliefs you may hold, you will be protected from persecution and harm while I rule, all are equal under the law and all who are innocent and just are deserving of it's protection. Celestian, Christian or Muslim!, I care not which you profess to be, you are all my subjects, you are all under my protection" - Basilissa Helene I Eosopoulou the Just "You are an honest and trustworthy women, cousin Helene. You are kind and caring, warm and radiant, and I sometimes take that forgranted. The people respected aunt Aurora but they love, adore and respect you and for good reason" - Princess Chrysanthe Eosopoulou of Consantinople - Cousin of Basilissa Helene I "Helene the Just had all of her mother's beauty, her golden hair and her sun kissed skin and her ethereal eyes, yet she had none of her nature. Helene was a kind and gentle soul, similar to her great grandmother Adrasteia in personality but going one step further" - Crown Prince Hector Eosopoulou of Alexandria - Brother of Basilissa Aurora XIII My revamp and redesign of the forth Eosopoulou ruler Helene I. Helene is the daughter of Aurora the Ruthless and the grandaughter of Athenais the Young who sadly never reigned. Work in progress, haven't had the time to focus on her reign in full yet given my mind is jumping between different parts of the Dawnverse at the moment. |
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Post by heliosmegistos on Dec 17, 2015 11:25:29 GMT
 Just in case my attempt at a subtle implication below failed. Been meaning to do this for a while, I'm sure this one gets the point across and if it doesn't I'm happy to explain. |
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Post by heliosmegistos on Dec 17, 2015 11:29:41 GMT
 (Inspired by Aerys II Targaryen from ASOIAF and Princess Azula ATLA, I usually refer to her as female Caligula or female Nero in my design notes for her) (Note: Some of this information is outdated and pending revision following my latest overhauls of the timeline and character biographies) Apollonia II Eosopoulou more commonly known as Apollonia the Cruel or less commonly as Apollonia the Dark to distinguish her from the earlier Apollonia I Eosopoulou commonly called Apollonia the Kind or Apollonia the Luminous. Apollonia II was the oldest daughter of Basilissa Helen III Eosopoulou also known as Helen the Incapible or Helen the Weak, from an early age she displayed signs of troubling mental instability in the form of a short and infamously vicious an volatile temper. This temperament and early signs of a gradually eroding sanity prompted Helen to take steps to remove her daughter from the line of succession in favour of her favourite niece Hypatia Eosopoulou of Alexandria, a plan which the then thirteen year old Apollonia telepathically picked upon days before the plan could be finalised and she official stripped of her status as heir. Helen was killed shortly afterwards with the blame been pointed at two of her younger sisters who well known for bullying the Basilissa and undermining her rule, in truth the well meaning but ill-suited young women was killed by hands of her daughter and sons who had been wraped around their sisters finger since childhood. Upon her ascension to the Golden Phoenix Throne as the next Basilissa of the Basileia Rhomaion the young Apollonia was forced to appoint her aunt Helena IV Eosopoulou of Alexandria as her regent and co-ruler, a situation which secretly infuriated the young women. During the early years of her reign Apollonia was kept from exercising power as her aunt was locked in a bitter power struggle with the daughters of Helen III's sisters Clytemnestra and Cassiopeia who she had mistakenly executed for her murder. When she finally reached the age of eighteen and was thus older and powerful enough to rightfully rule in her own right, Apollonia unceremoniously stripped her aunt of the regency and her co-rulership and infamously ordered her to return the Alexandria and never again set foot in Constantinople. Following this young Basilissa put her highly capable brother's Apollodoros and Artemidoros in charge of the Imperial Legions and tasked them with swiftly bringing her rebellious cousins to heel "a task which Helena had failed to accomplish due to proceeding to cautiously", a task which they accomplished within the next six months. In an unprecedented act of ruthlessness Apollonia personally executed both of her rebellious cousins, their husbands and their young children an act with utterly exterminated their lines and shocked the empires nobility and social elites, in the face of condemnation the Basilissa loudly silenced her critics and detractors arguing that she was well within her rights as ruler of the Basileia Rhomaion and the divinely appointed heir of Persephone. When this failed to fully silence the more vocal of her detractors who condemned the murder of innocent children she responded by stating that she had committed no crime but rather had increased Rhomaions future security and stability by crushing a potential future rebellion before it had begun be leaving no one who could possibly seek revenge, ending another Eosopoulou blood feud before it had even begun. This silenced of intimidated the remainder of her critics with the exception of her aunt Helena who continued to argue that the murder of children would never be justified and that by doing so Apollonia has damned her reign in the eyes of the Celestials and irredeemably tainted her line "in this case referring to her own descendants". Her patience running out Apollonia personally travelled across the Mediterranean to Alexandria to meet Helena in person, the resulting discussion and what took place during it are lost to history and subject to intense speculative by scholars and historians but the results were immediate as Helena ceased her criticism of her niece and withdrew from imperial politics for good and never again took part in any business of the imperial court while her oldest daughter and heir Hypatia returned with the Basilissa to Constantinople to assume to position of Maiden of Dawn which had been vacant for several years due to disagreement among the High Matriarchs of Celestium over who should assume the position "a situation made worse by disunity among cadet branches of the Eosopoulou family a list of daughters for potential candiates". The next six years of Apollonia's reign would pace mostly peacefully and without incident although beneath the surface discontentment was rising with her heavy handed rule and whispers spread that the Basilissa had threatened her aunt and may have even been responsible for the murder of Helen III, rumors which Apollonia did nothing to quash now that she felt secure in her reign. During these first six years of her own rule the only events of real importance were the highly scandalous triple marriage of Apollonia to all three of her brothers an act that was utterly without precident, while incest even among siblings was somewhat common among the Eosopoulou dynasty and it's cadet branches and thus somewhat tolerated polyandry "and by extension polygamy" was not and many of the nobility were uncomfortable with the decision, especially since it removed any change of marrying one of the crown princes and thus any potential claims to the throne for many families. The second event took the form of a rumour of strange disappearances in the Constantinople and the outlying cities of the capital, it was eventually dismissed "although in truth is was actually happening" as malicious slander against the Basilissa but it none the less scared the empires elites who were already scared by the sudden and mysterious death of Helena IV of Alexandria only months beforehand. Little did the Rhomaion know that next nine years of Apollonia's rule would be some of if not the darkest years in the empires history as the Basilissa's sanity incressingly started to slip and was replaced by outright cruelty and paranoia resulting in an incressingly unstable and tyrannical reign. The War of the Three Basilissa's or as it is unofficially known and the War of Truth and Justice was on the horizon and it would shake the Basileia Rhomaion to it's very core as it brought it closer then ever before to the brink of destruction. For more on Apollonia II and the War of the Three Basilissa's please see the more indepth codex dedicated to Apollonia the Cruel's Reign. This is part of my Dawnverse alternate historical fantasy project which is itself part of a great multiverse I've created which also contains Solar Strife and Britannia Rules the Stars among others. All of my work is in constant flux and revision so updates are slow, few and far between. |
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Post by heliosmegistos on Dec 17, 2015 11:30:40 GMT
 Basilissa Hypatia I Eosopoulou the Architect Daughter of Sosipatra I The People's Beloved and Fair Basilissa The Light of Alexandria The Jewel of the Nile Patron of Philosophy, History & Astrology Arbiter of Athena Divine Powers: Telepathy Telekinesis Farsight Pyrokinesis Cryokinesis Electrokinesis Personality: Hypatia shared her mother's intelligence and sense of justice but wasn't a military figure. She was well-educated been more of a scholar then a military leader and was well-known for her fondness of the arts, particularly Greek and Egyptian and was a major patron of philosophy, history and astrology which she was also fond of. A just and tolerant ruler, she preferred diplomacy but was willing to use force when it was necessary. She was known as the People's Beloved and Fair Basilissa for her kind, caring and charitable nature. She had extremely good relations with the common people and was especially popular in her hometown and capital of Alexandra and this is reflected in her many architectural projects in urban areas and rural regions. History: Hypatia is most well-known for planning, designing and ultimately carrying out the reconstruction of many cities and towns across Rhomaion that were damaged or destroyed during the brutal War of the Three Basilissas. Partial reconstruction of the major cities had already been carried out during her mother Sosipatra I's reign but was continuously delayed by the diversion of taxes, material and manpower to support the Rhomaion Legions during the Fourth and Fifth Crusades launched by the Catholic Church during what is perceived as Rhomaions fatal weakness following the civil war, so it wasn't until Hypatia's reign that major time and effort was given to the reconstruction works which were extended to cover all of the cities and towns in regions affected by the civil war across the Basileia Rhomaion. Hypatia's architectural projects transformed many cities, towns, villages and regions within the Empire with her greatest legacy being the grant city of Eosopolis which was carefully constructed from the ground up over the ruins of the former capital of Constantinople which was destroyed during the final days of the War of the Three Basilissas in the climactic Telepathic duel between Sosipatra I and Apollonia II. There wasn't any active persecution of practitioners of the Abrahamic religions during Hypatia I's reign as Basilissa. During her reign she scaled back the draconian legalised discrimination instituted during the reign of Amaltheia II and re-established the fairly lenient laws and restrictions instituted by Helen I and Hector I the Beloved (this title applies to both of them as they were co-rulers) with the adoption of new laws granting rewards and special status to those who willing renownced their faith and converted to Heliosianism. These new laws were carefully established via close collaboration between the Basilissa, Maiden of Dawn and the High Matriarchs of the Heliosian Celestium. Hypatia's benevolence and the great reduction in the Heliosian Celestiums condemnation and persecution of Christians, Muslims and Jews resulted in the single largest wave of willing conversion to the Heliosian faith since it's establishment as the official state religion by Basilissa Adrasteia I and Maiden of Dawn Amaltheia I and the liberation of Persia and Central Asia from the Mongols following the First Caeleste Bellum. Created & (C) by Helios Megistos aka Benjamin O'Regan Appearance, Personality & some history provided by AuFiGirl as per a formal challenge & request |
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Post by heliosmegistos on Dec 17, 2015 11:31:53 GMT
 My third attempt at designing a flag for the Basileia Rhomaion/Byzantine Empire in the Dawnverse. I created it using a variety of material taken form Wikipedia and a Google image search so is some of this material is copy righted such as the flag design I used as a template for this kindly let me know and I'll try make another design if I don't have permission. Lore wise the Heliosian Phoenix is now only going to appear on the Eosopoulou Dynasties coat of arms and other forms of heraldry along with the occasional religious imagery produced by the empires celestiums/churches. The Heliosian Sun/OTl Virginia Sun used by the Hellenic Kingdom of Macedon and the current day Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is in all Rhomaion flags, on state symbols and religious imagery and this will remain. The fourth Eosopoulou Basilissa (empress), Helen I introduced this flag to replace the simpler flag used by the former Basilissas Persephone, Adrasteia and Aurora which was a simple flag with a Heliosian Sun dominating it and a white or black background which was used during peace time and war time respectively. Helen's reasons for redesigning the simple flag Persephone designed were twofold, first she felt that the original flag wasn't grant enough for an re-rising empire like the Rhomaion and was thus embarissing and wanted to also make it more in line with the flags and heraldry used by previous Basileus's (emperors) during the darkness (in the Eosopoulous opinion) of it's Christian era which none the less produced some magnificent rulers and achivements that should not simply be swept aside and forgotten. This lead to the reintroduction of the Rhomaion Double Headed Eagle used in the past which has remained on all subsequent flag redesigns that followed. The second and more important reason for the flag's redesign was that her own mother Aurora I was felt to have tarnished the Persephonean flag with her actions during her restless and blood soaked reign, given the various atrocities she had commited it was felt by Helen that the flag simply had to go it's ties to Persephone herself be damned. The flag is commonly known as the Helenian flag much as it's predecessor was known as the Persephonean flag. This design would remain until it was redesigned for the second time during the reign of the Alexandrian born Basilissa Sosipatra I, from Egyptian cadet branch of the dynasty who had emerged victorious in the war of the Three Basilissa's which started as a result of the cruel Basilissa Apollonia II's increasing tyranny and the murder the Maiden of Dawn Hypatia I who was Sosipatra and the next Maiden of Dawn Adesia I's older sister. |
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Post by heliosmegistos on Dec 17, 2015 11:32:46 GMT
 Bigger version here: orig13.deviantart.net/0474/f/2015/349/b/5/dawnverse__apollonia_ii_bloodline_by_heliosmegistos-d9k3x49.pngThe direct family tree of the main branch of the Eosopoulou dynasty during Apollonia II's generation of the Eosopoulou family and her immediate ancestors and relatives. This may clash with established information but that's okay because this over rights anything previously said that it may contradict. It is now complete Names are easy but dates are a right pain in the ass so please forgive me for not including anything at the moment in that department. Before anyone ask, yes Apollonia II married all three of her brothers who each became her co-rulers although Constantinus II was the one she truly loved and thus her favorite sibling. She had a lot of children by Eosopoulou and thus Rhomaion standards where the usual number of offspring is two or three outside of unexpected twins or triplets and of course not including still births and early deaths due to childhood mortality. Apollonia's mothers generation was odd for having the Three Helene's who were each others first cousins and all extremely beautiful and desired, they also all meet horrible or tragic ends. Helene III of Alexandria (not numbered on the tree) the mother of Hypatia, Sosipatra and Aedesia died at Apollonia II's hand just like her daughter did although unlike with Hypatia that wasn't known and unlike Apollonia's murder of her own mother the Basilissa Helene III the Incapable never does get found out. Basilissa Helene III the Incapable was an indecisive and timid women and might have suffered from a mental illness and/or a form of autism. She definitely suffered from depression and had pathetic self-esteem. She tried to pass the throne over to her cousin and best friend Helene III of Alexandria also known as Helene the Luminous (there have been several people named the Luminous, some of them also named Helene) for her shiny golden-blonde hair. After a largely weak reign filled with corruption and abuse of power by parts of the nobility and government bureaucracy among other, a poor economy and the erosion of centralized government (going on back in Aurora IV's reign as well), Helene III died at her own daughters hands when she learned that she was to be passed over as heir in favor of Helene III's favorite niece Hypatia. The third Helene was Helene I of Neo Seleucia also known as Helene the Bold for her military prowess and bravery, she died at the hands of hostile Centaurs raiding Mesopotamia form out of the Arabian Desert. Her line would take part in the War of the Three Basilissas in opposition to both Apollonia II and Sosipatra I as a third Basilissa which thus gives the violent civil war it's name. Helene III of Alexandria's mother been named Leda is deliberately symbolic and foreshadowing/foreboding, guess what kind  . Sosipatra's Uncles were her strongest allies and best generals during the War of the Three Basilissas, unfortunately both Pollux and Castor would be killed by Constantinus II in mortal combat. They teamed up on the Basileus but his swordmanship and mastery of channeling electrokinesis through his blade overcame the both of them. Hypatia, Sosipatra and Aedesia are all named after Platonic/Neo Platonic scholars with Hypatia in particularly been named after one of the most famous and well known who was brutally murdered by the Alexandrian Christian mob historically. These names were chosen by me deliberately and because I like them, they are also deliberately chosen by Helene III of Alexandria because of her ruling Alexandria and Rhomaions dislike of Christianity which supressed and eradicated Neo Platonism. Helene III of Alexandria was also a highly devout Heliosian Celestian which also played a part in her choosing at least the name Hypatia (murdered by Christians, a martyr and a famous scholar and beauty so a perfect choice). Basilissa Sosipatra I's children weren't born untill after the War of the Three Basilissa's but are shown here for convenience just like Lucretica who ends up as Apollonia II's soul surviving child is shown as the mother of the Pendragon branch of the House of Plantagenet of England. The Pendragons use their telepathy that they inherit from her to eventually over throw the main Plantagenet line descendant from otl Richard the Lionheart (unlike in otl he has legitimate heirs and many of them due to butterflies and lack of Crusades as they happened in our history) and go on to conquer the British Isles and from the Empire of Britannia. Names in the Basileia Rhomaion are passed on matrilineally given it's Matriarchal rather then Patriarchal society and culture (Female primogeniture, the Celestium's have a priestess-hood of Maiden, Matron and Matriarch etc). The children and spouses of the non-Eosopoulou realitives on this list are not shown in this family tree or other ones unless important. Apollo the Celestial of Fire (among other things) is indeed the father of the future Basilissa Hypatia one and her sister (and lover) Octavia. He was not married to Sosipatra I and didn't have a massive role in their lives been a Celestial and all but having outright divine parentage was a massive boost to her daughters and her own claim to the Golden Phoenix Throne of the Basileia Rhomaion. Maidens of Dawn are essentially female popes crossed with the Oracle of Delphi and are the head of the Heliosian Celestium the state religion of the Basileia Rhomaion and the dominant and indeed the original branch of Celestianism as created by Basilissa Adrasteia I and Maiden of Dawn Amaltheia I. They are generally expected to be celibate (or at least not in relations with men), to bare no children and take no husbands and to take several vows an swear several oaths. Maidens of Dawn are generally the oldest sister of a reigning Basilissa when ever possible (obviously not if the women currently in the position is still alive however) but can and has been passed to cousins and aunts and so on when this is not possible or desirable (some women don't want to be Maiden of Dawn) in which case the High Matriarchs of the Celestial Council elected a suitable candidate from among the daughters of the Eosopoulou and related families that make up the Telepathic nobility of Rhomaion. Several Maidens have been non Eosopoulou although all of them are/were Telepaths. |
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Post by heliosmegistos on Jan 6, 2016 12:29:40 GMT
(Not a whole lot/imcomplete and not much information is given but I am making this primarily to help my self keep track of planned events/important dates and established events of importance/important dates during the reign of each Basilissa. Fell free to ask questions, I will try to answer to the best of my ability if not busy)
Basilissa: Persephone Eosopoulou the 1st "the Great"
Reign: 1080 - 1113 "Anno Domini"/20 - 53 "New Dawn"
Reign Length: 33 Years "Uninterrupted"
Lifespan: 1060 - 1113 "Anno Domini"/0 - 53 "New Dawn"
Age at Death: 53 Years Old
Significant Events:
(Fabrication) The Birth of Persephone to the Celestials Helios and Eos: 1060 "Anno Domini"/0 "New Dawn"
(Fabrication) Persephone raised by Mortals: 1063 - 1076 "Anno Domini"/3 - 16 "New Dawn"
Persephone's Resistance/The Anabasis: 1076 - 1079 "Anno Domini"/16 - 19 "New Dawn"
Persephone's Rebellion/The New Dawn: 1079 - 1080 "Anno Domini"/19 - 20 "New Dawn"
The Epirote War/The 1st Norman Invasion: 1081 - 1082 "Anno Domini"/21 - 22 "New Dawn"
Liberation of Anatolia: 1083 - 1089 "Anno Domini"/23 - 29 "New Dawn"
Bogomil Uprisings (Daulistic-Gnostic movement spreading through the Balkans, hostile to Orthodox Christianity and the Basileia Rhomaion): 1086 - 1089 "Anno Domini"/26 - 29 "New Dawn"
Consolidation of Anatolia: 1087 - 1090 "Anno Domini"/27 - 30 "New Dawn"
The Birth of the Twins Adrasteia & Amaltheia: 1090 "Anno Domini"/30 "New Dawn"
The Pecheneg War: 1091 - 1093 "Anno Domini"/31 - 33 "New Dawn"
The First Armenian War: 1097 - 1100 "Anno Domini"/37 - 40 "New Dawn"
The Second Armenian War: 1107 - 1108 "Anno Domini"/47 - 48 "New Dawn"
The Declaration of Matrilinealty (Adoption of Matrilineal Primogeniture, Adrasteia becomes heir): 1100 "Anno Domini/50 "New Dawn"
The Death of Persephone/The Renewal of the Dawn: 1113 "Anno Domini"/53 "New Dawn"
Basilissa: Adrasteia Eosopoulou the 1st "the Conqueror"
Reign: 1113 - 1156 "Anno Domini"/53 - 96 "New Dawn"
Reign Length: 43 Years "Uninterrupted"
Lifespan: 1090 - 1156 "Anno Domini"/30 - 96 "New Dawn"
Age at Death: 66 Years Old
Significant Events:
The Crowning of Adrasteia I/The Renewal of the Dawn: 1113 "Anno Domini"/53 "New Dawn"
The Declaration of Divinity/The Rebirth of the Light (Birth of Heliosianism, Amaltheia becomes the first Maiden of Dawn): 1114 "Anno Domini"/54 "New Dawn"
Marriage of Adrasteia I & John Komnenos son of Alexios Komnenos (Rumors persist to this day among certain circles that Alexios Komnenos who was Persephone Eosopoulou's right hand and best friend as Adrasteia and Amaltheia's father making her and John half siblings.): 1115 "Anno Domini/55 "New Dawn"
The Birth of Athenais "the Young": 1116 "Anno Domini"/56 "New Dawn"
The Third Armenian War: 1116 - 1117 "Anno Domini"/56 - 57 "New Dawn"
The Birth of Artemisia "the Graceful": 1118 "Anno Domini"/58 "New Dawn"
The Final Pecheneg War (Pecheneg's hoard destroyed by John Komnenos & the previously untested Adrasteia Eosopoulou. Pechenegs slaughtered to a man, end of the Pechenegs as a distinct people):1119 - 1120 "Anno Domini"/59 - 60 "New Dawn"
The Birth of Apollonia "the Ironside": 1120 "Anno Domini"/60 "New Dawn"
First Wave of Heliosian Conversions in Greece: 1120 - 1132 "Anno Domini"/60 - 72 "New Dawn"
Trade War with Venice (The Venetian Fleet initially ravages the coast of Greece before the new Rhomaion Navy manages to effectively organize and defeat it in the First Battle of the Adriatic): 1122 - 1125 "Anno Domini"/62 - 65 "New Dawn"
Adrasteia's Conquest/The Levantine War (Palestine & Syria Conquered): 1126 - 1132 "Anno Domini"/66 - 72 "New Dawn"
Consolidation of the Levant: 1132 - 1148 "Anno Domini"/72 - 88 "New Dawn"
The Birth of Aurora I (Daughter of Athenais "the Young"): 1135 "Anno Domini"/75 "New Dawn"
The Birth of Helioclius I (Son of Athenais "the Young"): 1137 "Anno Domini"/77 "New Dawn"
The First Levantine Uprising: 1139 - 1140 "Anno Domini"/79 - 80 "New Dawn"
The Second Levantine Uprising: 1143 - 1146 "Anno Domini"/83 - 86 "New Dawn"
The Death of Athenais/The Mourning of Athenais "the Young" (Athenais Eosopoulou ambushed and killed by Arab rebels, due to her young age when she was killed she becomes nicknamed "the Young" posthumonously): 1146 "Anno Domini"/86 "New Dawn"
The Peloponnese War/The 2nd Norman Invasion (Defeat by Apollonia Eosopoulou who earns the nickname "the Ironside" for her ruthless and unrelenting campaign): 1146 - 1149 "Anno Domini"/86 - 89 "New Dawn"
The First Serbian Rebellion (Crushed by Artemisia Eosopoulou who earns the nickname "the Graceful" for her simple but effective defeat and telepathic suppression of the rebels and her great beauty): 1149 - 1150 "Anno Domini"/89 - 90 "New Dawn"
The Birth of Helene I (Daughter of Aurora I & Helioclius I): 1151 "Anno Domini"/91 "New Dawn"
Incestious Marriage of Aurora I & Helioclius I (Aurora I and Helioclius I are grudgingly permitted to marry by their grandmother following the birth of their daughter Helene and their refusual to cease their relationship. Rhomaions Christian population is appalled and consider the siblings to be enthralled by the Devil and their daughter Satan Spawn): 1152 "Anno Domini"/92 "New Dawn"
The Birth of Hector I (Son of Aurora I & Helioclius I): 1153 "Anno Domini"/93 "New Dawn"
The Magyar Skirmishes (Short series of border skirmishes and raids between Rhomaion and Hungary, Apollonia Eosopoulou "the Ironsides" agressive reactions convince the Hungarians to back-off): 1155 - 1156 "Anno Domini"/95 - 96 "New Dawn"
The Death of Adrasteia/The Renewal of the Dawn: 1156 "Anno Domini"/96 "New Dawn"
Basilissa: Auora Eosopoulou the 1st "the Ruthless"
Reign: 1156 - 1174 "Anno Domini"/96 - 114 "New Dawn"
Reign Length: 18 Years "Uninterrupted"
Lifespan: 1135 - 1174 "Anno Domini"/75 - 114 "New Dawn"
Age at Death: 39 Years Old
Significant Events:
The Crowning of Aurora I/The Renewal of the Dawn: 1156 "Anno Domini"/96 "New Dawn"
The Great Magyar War (Apollodoros Eosopoulos the oldest son of Apollonia Eosopoulou "the Ironside" manages a series of surprisingly effective offensives despite been only 14 years old, he is nicknamed Apollodoros "the Bold" by the elite Spartan heavy infantry and Amazon light infantry under his command. Rhomaion annexes most of Croatia and the Northern Balkans): 1164 - 1167 "Anno Domini"/104 - 107 "New Dawn"
The Adriatic War (Venice and Rhomaion go to war once again over trade and territorial disputes in the Balkans. Apollonia Eosopoulou "the Ironside" takes command of a squadron of the Rhomaion Navy and raids Venice itself under the cover of night, she then returns of Constantinople with her loot which she uses to construct her own fleet with which to go Pirating in the Mediterranean for the next decade. She becomes known as an imfamous pirate as she aggressively targets Christian and Muslim ships indiscriminately, dealing a massive blow to Mediterranean commerce in the process. Genoa and Venice learn that Apollonia will not target ships that fly a flag showing the Heliosian Sunburst as a sign of submission as long as the captains offer her tribute and bribes): 1171 - 1175 "Anno Domini"/111 - 115 "New Dawn"
The Third Levantine Uprising (Triggered by Aurora's own intolerance and persecution of the Levants Islamic majority and intensified by the callous destruction of the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina: 1169 - 1174 "Anno Domini"/109 - 114 "New Dawn"
Flight of the Firebird (The first Phoenix in the world is sighted over the burning ruins of Mecca by Aurora I "the Ruthless" army and is taken as a sign of the Celestial's favour as it ignores the Rhomaion Legionaries and proceeds to feast on the refugees fleeing Mecca instead) :1172 "Anno Domini"/112 "New Dawn"
Sacred Purification of Mecca & Medina (Aurora I ceases her suppression of the Third Levantine Uprising and marches south down the western coast of the Arabian Peninsular where she sacks and destroys all the towns and villages in her path and conquers the cities with the exception of Mecca and Medina which she personally burns to the ground with her own pyrokinesis in an unprecedented act of barbarity and telepathic power. She becomes publicly known as Aurora I "the Ruthless" forever after) 1172 "Anno Domini"/112 "New Dawn"
The Murder of Aurora/The Renewal of the Dawn (Aurora I "the Ruthless" is murdered by Adrasteia Eosopoulou the eldest daughter of Apollonia Eosopoulou "the Ironside" who she blames for the abandonment and death of her daughter Anaitis Eosopoulou in the Third Levantine Uprising: 1174 "Anno Domini"/114 "New Dawn"
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Post by heliosmegistos on Feb 8, 2016 10:09:17 GMT
 Dawnverse - Eosopoulou Dynasty - Simple by HeliosMegistos Digital Art / Mixed Media / Fantasy©2016 HeliosMegistos #alexandria #alternatehistory #alternateuniverse #antioch #aphrodite #apollo #apollonia #ares (show more) I'm aware I have a combined Eosopoulou Dynasty and Heliosian Pantheon tree up but consider this a simplified and more up to date version with the Celestials removed from the tree. Don't worry they are still part of the setting, this is just a less complex tree that won't cover quite as much. I'm aware my work is disorganized, infrequent and all over the place.... trust me I'm working on that the best I can. All the deaths close together at the end are resulting from the Brothers War/First Claimants War which was the first major Rhomaion civil War and was longer then the War of the Three Basilissas but less destructive. (Info Below) Agesilaus I became Basileus upon his mother Leda I's death and when he was killed by his aunt who contested his claim the throne passed to Lykurgos I and then Leonidas II. Basically what happened was Leda had three sons and no daughter and the succession wasn't entirely clear about such a situation so like in some historical cases where a mans daughter has inherited rather then a brother, cousin or uncle of their father, Rhomaion's throne passed to Leda's sons who where promptly thrown into civil war a few months later by Clytemnestra contesting the throne which she believed should go to her and her line. It would have eventually anyway since male Eosopoulou don't pass on their dynasty name as you can see above and as a result Agesilaus I and Lykurgos I's children wouldn't have inherited and Leonidas II if he had kids would only have had them inherit if he married a distant cousin from the Artemisian or Apollonian branches of the family or one of his nieces (which would have been frowned upon, brother sister incest and cousin marriages if fine in Rhomaion and even encouraged for the Eosopoulou but aunt and nephew and uncle and niece are not banned but are frowned upon and mother son and father daughter are disgusting and not allowed... odd logical and views but they different cultures had a wide range of views on what is considered taboo, in some places if you have the same surname or clan name you can't marry!) Anyway the brothers offspring were all killed off during the decade plus of fighting and most of Clytemnestra's children leading to Theokleia I inheriting by by been the last direct claimant and then her daughter Aurora I eventually inherited and married her double first cousin (I think?) Aurelius I. After that the succession was clear and males could inherit if their mothers had no daughters but couldn't pass their throne to their own kids of they were married to another Eosopoulou or related family (which would adopt the Eosopoulou name!). This is rare though as a later addition was that a Basilissa could pick a direct her out of her closest relatives and most tended to pick a female relative if they had no daughter to avoid the chance of another civil war all the same (just because the precedent and succession had been made clear doesn't mean people will respect that after all). The brothers claims were recognized as legitimate hence why they have regnal numbers while Clytemnestra and her husband and children killed during the war don't with Theokleia only been recognized as the legitimate claimant as the sol surviror of the war. After Aurora II we get Helene II and then the reign or the Three Good Basilissas (Apollonia I, Athenais I and Artemisia I) and stability until Apollonia II's grandmother who didn't care to bother ruling or maintaining the status quo as long as she wasn't challenged and thus lived hedonistically and ruined the economy with her constant partying and shit (Female Robert Baratheon without the whoring essentially). A consequence of the civil war is between the brothers and their aunt and cousins is that the Centaurs arrived and received little attention and build up in numbers until they pretty much out Mongoled the Mongols in the late 2140's and early 2150's and severely disrupted Persia and the Khagnate as they pushed into Central Asia and seized the Steppes!. |
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. Sosipatra's Uncles were her strongest allies and best generals during the War of the Three Basilissas, unfortunately both Pollux and Castor would be killed by Constantinus II in mortal combat. They teamed up on the Basileus but his swordmanship and mastery of channeling electrokinesis through his blade overcame the both of them.