A Dying Nation: The Diastima Empire
From the Journal of Eusebios Attitkos, August 27th 1132 VTE
It's been 40 years since our nation was subjugated to hellfire. When the false harlot Lumiea and Yureia betrayed our lands for those unspeakable wretches of the south. When the southerners invaded and sat on the Aetherian Throne, declaring themselves the masters of all of our lands and declaring our gods false in the names of Lumiea and Yureia. When the vultures from Pyon came to plunder us under vile mechanisms of their goddess and Lumeia. By the divines damn them all!
Even in our ultimate triumph with the help of the Tsukinobe, we still are left in shambles, and I fear we will never recover from those cursed times! Even as I speak this very day, we have seen another goddess yet fall, Menace, to the vile schemes of our enemies and the barbarians from the sea. The Treaty of Westphasia formally ended the war, but not our fighting. We have told the Tsukinobe repeatedly of this, but they can help little but send supplies and put pressure on Syndeoneia to stop them for a while. And they have no power over the bastards from Pyon.
What is left of our once great empire but plague, slavery and death!?! Not even our Emperor can do anything, after all, we have no money to even repel bandits anymore! By the gods, I pray we will escape from this hell hole. I pray that our only friends, even if they are shaky at best, in Tsukinode will save us. I pray that this land will either be revived or cursed so that no man may ever lay claim to her ever again. May the soil yield no crops, the mines run dry and the land turn into a desert! Damn Lumiea, damn Kiki, damn the schizos and damn Syndeoneia.
May they be forever curse,
E. Attikos
From the Journal of Doux Ioannes Bryennios, Feburary 21st 1128 VTE
Our raid into the lands of the vile Lumeia has been a smashing success. We managed to burn 8 villages and captured 1,500 slaves during our venture. Thanks to the Aetheria for this success. I am sure that the Autokrator shall not approve of this move, but what worth is that title to those who own lands on the frontier like myself? We, hardened by the frontier, are the last bastion of power in this realm. It is no wonder that our true friends in CIO invests the most into us, our armaments, and our protection. None of this success would have been possible without their help!
Perhaps that we should invite our true friends to get rid of the powerless Autokrator, living in his palace in a depleted city? Maybe it is time for us to reform, Aetheria willing. What is the point of the central government when they cannot even properly fund an army to defend our lands? It is us, the Dynatoi, that have to pay with subsidies from the CIO. The Dynatoi are rebuilding the land with that money and taking revenge on the traitors. Who is he to say what we do when he does nothing himself?
The Empire does not need to die, but reform. More power must be given to us, those who actually can defend the realm. The central government must become in touch with the reality that we face, instead of sending out useless letters from the palace. Though I do not dare speak it, it is time for a dynastic change, for their Divine Right expired 30 years ago. Perhaps if the Aetheria believe it wise, I shall be the reformer.
May the Aetheria reign forever, and our enemies' tremble at our wrath,
Ioannes Brynneios
From the Journal of Kallistos Kokinos, June 2nd 1129 VTE
This shall be my last entry into my journal.
My mistaken belief that the CIO would help merchants like me survive in this environment has cost us dearly. I do not blame them totally, for they are a business themselves and I have to make money. The mistake that I and many like myself was this view of them as a paternalistic force that would bring safety and financial security to our trade. This mistake has cost many of us dearly, as the CIO is more than happy to drive us out of business and does the minimal to protect our own trade and assets. They have bought many of us out already and i fear the state itself with be effectively a protectorate of the CIO.
The breaking point for me was when I was informed that the gamble by investing all of my money into the Serene Republic's Stock Market in hopes of making out with enough to keep my own possessions ended up going bottoms up. I have not a single Nomisma to my name anymore and here I am in the streets of Aggaya with a pistol in my hands and the clothes on my back.
Damn the CIO for their ruthlessness in their business, Damn the Serene Republic, who are conducting true fraud with how they operate "with fairness" in their dealings, and damn the Syndeoneias and the traitors which I shall not mention for ruining our beautiful nation! May the gods punish them all as they have punished me for my own decadence.
My tale is over, and in a few minutes, so shall be my life. May the Aetheria show mercy to me,
K. Kokinos
From the Journal of Arsenios, October 5th 1125 VTE
The Aetheria bless us and keep us as always, even with the Gates of Hades himself before us, They give us the will and power to survive these dark times. Bless the CIO, for bringing order and wealth back into this rotten corpse of a nation. Bless the Dynatoi, who have persevered and protected us when the Autokrator could not.
I write today knowing that for the past five years, I have been able to bring in a good harvest once more and that the starving times of the past decade are over. It feels like the first time since the disasters which my fault endured that our family is doing well once again. It is not only me, but my neighbors as well. They all sing praises for our great saviors. Our recovery has been slow, but the old wounds on this land seem to be healing.
I do not know the state of others in this realm, but I can say with confidence that our region's standard of living has returned to normalcy, and that the curse has been broken.
Let the Aetheria be praised, and the land prosper,
Arsenios
From the Journal of the Autokrator of Diastima, and the divinely appointed leader of her people, Konstantinos VII Iassites, March 1st, 1130 VTE
What is there left for us to do in these circumstances? We truly have no power beyond the city walls of Theologopolis anymore. Our requests to everyone go unheaded beyond the walls of this city. Our commanders and the Dynatoi operate without our opinions. The CIO does as it pleases, thanks to the foolish move of our father years ago. Any dictate or creed we send forth is as worthless as the parchment it is send upon. We no longer rule an Empire, but a city.
Not even the Queen of Cities herself has much to offer us. Its streets are empty, its grand temples looted long ago. Our own palace fairs no better, as it decays before our eyes. In the Grand Harbor, the rotting hulls of our navy lay untouched for many years. We can scarcely afford to garrison our own city with enough men for it's defense.
Across the countryside, Highwaymen lurk and there is nothing we can do to stop them. It is our belief that the Dynatoi and CIO are the ones that tell them who to target and who to not, as a means of undermining our authority. There is a common trend that leads us to believe this; that the only areas of our nation which prosper are lands where the CIO has assisted and meddled in local affairs with the local Dynatoi. It is quite pathetic that the city of Trebizond, which once pailed in comparison to Theologopolis, is now the most prosperous city in our realm. It is not a coincidence that this is the chief port of the CIO and it's countryside has numerous Dynatoi that work together.
We would not, however, condemn either of these groups given that our nation would cease to exist without them. The foreigners saved our nation and are rebuilding the lands under their influence. We cannot be truly angered when the truth of the whole matter is that we wish for our people to prosper once more, even at our own cost.
One day, our dynasty will be overthrown and be replaced by another. That day is coming soon, We believe, and it is one that we accept; for we and those who came before us failed our people. Should any man of power wish to rule on the Aetherian Throne, we shall abdicate and go into exile far from this land. Not as a old dynasty of the purple, but as simple farmers. There we shall toil the land in humility, but never forget our gods nor our traditions as a people. We do pray that such a day would come soon, for our rule is truly worthless and harmful to our nation
May the Aetheria show mercy to our people first before us,
The Autokrator of Diastima, and the divinely appointed leader of her people, Konstantinos VII Iassites