The Early Empire
The Early Empire begins with the appointment of Arkastos Solaneios to the Crownship in 251 C.E. and ends with the withdrawl of the Empire from Acelinia in 822 C.E. During the Early Empire, Akaeia comes to control the whole of the middle continent, Acheron, as well as portions of the Northern and Southern continents. For much of this time,the Empire is ruled by the Solaneios dynasty, one of the most beloved and successful dynasties in the Empire's history.
Return to Akaeia
The First Crown, Arkastos Solaneios
All dates are C.E. (A.D.) unless followed by A.R.A.D., meaning aurius rei aur di (years from year zero), in that case being in Akaeian time.
From 251-253 C.E., Arkastos Solaneios led Akaeian forces against the Royal Novitreian Army, defeating the Novitreians in the Battle of Aurlex Plains and the Second Battle of Akulopis. With the conclusion of the war by the Treaty of Kovenandros, Arkastos Solaneios returned to the Akaeium a hero. Before he could retire to the capital, however, he was called north to defend one of the Seven, Aos, from a coalition of the Aurbregi, Nexanti, and Gaurgingi tribes. These he defeated in the Battle of Aos, the Battle of the Broken Quivers, and the Skirmish of Resrex Nautus. Having defeated these tribes, he concluded the Treaty of Aos, by which they became client peoples to the Seven and were obligated to furnish warriors for the common defense.
255 began the Primacy of Arkastos Solaneios. For the next seven years, Arkastos Solaneios would be repeatedly appointed to the position of Prime of the Union of the Akaeium. During the first three of these years, Arkastos Solaneios promoted the construction of good roads between the Seven. Under his direction, colonies were built along the Menaros River and the Sea of Menaros. Each colony, however, threatened the stability of the Union by altering the balace of power among the various tribes. Akaeia and Kovenandros, being the richest and largest of the tribes, founded numerous villages and settlements, while the poorer tribes became increasingly dependant on one or the othere of these two major cities and their economies.
In the first few months of 258, Arkastos Solaneios met with delegates from the various tribes to arbitrate the dispute over regulation between Akaeia and Kovenandros over the trade routes to Parsis in the east and Novitreia to the west, as well as in regards to the trade through the Sea of Menaros. As tensions mounted, the Seven and their associated settlements split into two opposing camps: those favoring Akaeian control of the routes, and those favoring Kovenandros control. Kovenandros, Syrakta, and Atlaeia opposed Akaeia, Aos, Akulopis, and Preas Tyrnos, with the Aurbregi and Nexanti coming out for Kovenandros and the Gaurgingi for Akaeia.
The Kovenandros Monarchate, fearing that the Commitee of Seven would decide in favor of Akaeia, thus laid plans to ambush the Committee and kill them all at the next session in Meranen, before burning Akaeia to the ground and seizing control of the Akaeium by force. learning of this plan, Arkastos Solaneios prepared Union forces for war and defeated the suprised Kovenantines in the Battle of Meranen. For the next few months nothing happened while the Union under Akaeia and Arkastos Solaneios gathered forces against the Kovenandros Monarchate and its allies. Then, on the summer solstice, the Akaeian people proclaimed Arkastos Solaneios the Crown of Akaeia with the Intentions of Akaeia. This document confirmed what had already been truth for 7 years: the Crownship of Arkastos Solaneios.
In August Arkastos Solaneios fought in two battles, the Battle of the Eureian Forest and the Battle of Preas Tyrnos, both successes but not enough to end the war. An allied force under Atreisas Mauregnis fought the Aurbregi and Nexanti successfully in the Battle of Auros (a colony of Akaeia) and the Battle of the Great Vision (named for the brilliant battle plan which according to legend came from Mauregnis's dream) in late November. Parsis troops came to back Akaeia in December and Novitreian troops to back Kovenandros that January. Thus strengthened, the opposing forces met in May 259 at the Battle of Itevex Bridge. Although not a loss, this battle was also no victory, and the Union was forced to pull back to Akaeia and wait for reinforcements from the allies. In July while they were still waiting, a Kovenandros force pushed through the outer defenses at Aurlex and prepared to attack the city of Akaeia.
For the second time in 8 years, Arkastos Solaneios pulled the Akaeian people through to victory despite initial appearances that Akaeia would lose. Legend states that while Arkastos Solaneios was planning the battle, he happened to catch out of the corner of his eye a flying heron. Turning to see where it went, he saw the Styrxaian swamps south of the city and realized what he should do. During the battle, the "main" body of the Akaeian force "fled" into the swamp, only to have the Kovenantines discover when entering the swamp that the real army was now to their rear. In honor of this, the heron was made a symbol of Akaeia and the battle forever after known as the Battle of the Flying Heron.
The summer of 260 saw three small engagements at Syrakta, Aurlex, and Kovenandros, but no major battles. In 261, Arkastos Solaneios realized that both sides were basically equal in strength and the war would drag on to the detriment of the whole Akaeian people unless he could tip the battle in Akaeia's favor, and quickly. Returning to Akaeia proper, he called a council of the local merchants and asked them to allow the city to use their vessels. On these merchant cogs turned war vessels, the first Akaeian marine divisions raided Kovenandros commerce in the Sea of Menaros. At the same time, Arkastos Solaneios conclusively defeated Kovenandros forces in the Battle of Syrakta and the Battle of Kovenandros Gates. Laying seige to the city, Arkastos Solaneios prayed that he would defeat the Kovenantines before Novitreia sent more support.
After 8 months, the city finally fell to Akaeian forces, but not before the royal family, the modern Eskinaxes House, fled over the sea to the southwest. Evading the slower Akaeian vessels, the Eskinaxes family would make a dramatic recovery in fortunes and become the monarchs of Eskinanthus, the source of that name.
The Oathtaking of 262 at Meranen would be the last one under the Union of the Akaeium. For the final time, Arkastos Solaneios was elected prime, and with his powers he convened an emergency council of the loyalists to determine what should be done about the traitors. It was clear to all that the Committee of Seven could not survive so long as one tribe was any stronger and the other. A vote was therefore taken to dissolve the Union. The traitors would become Akaeian clients; the loyalists Akaeian allies. Kovenandros was restricted to a maximum population of 100, and all inhabitants in excess of that brought to Akaeia and settled throughout the city and its colonies in order that they would nowhere be a majority. This effectively doubled the population of Akaeia.
Until 266 the region remained peacable and prosperous. The attack by the Kanersi and the Teurakti on the Akaeian colony of Eiurastis in that November led to the Second Novitreian War. Novitreia, which saw Akaeia as the sole reason it had not conquered the Akaeium in the First Novitreian War or made them clients in the War of the Union, took this opportunity to assemble a 50,000 man army and send it against Akaeia. Arkastos Solaneios spent the first three months of 267 subdueing the tribes in the Battle of Eiurastis and the Battle of the Burning Village as well as numerous small skirmishes around Aos and Eiurastis. Swinging west, Arkastos Solaneios stopped the Novitreian advance in the Third Battle of Akulopis.
Pushing into Novitreian land behind the Novitreian army, Arkastos Solaneios raided Novitreian villages within 50 miles of Noviron. Knowing he did not have the strength to capture the city directly, he attempted to draw out their army on favorable terms to Akaeia, picking a site in the sacred hills near Noviron. From the very beginning of the battle, however, things went poorly for Akaeia. Sensing this, Arkastos Solaneios personally led the center of the line, only to be cut down when the courage of his men failed, the wings fell back, and he found himself enveloped with a few hundred men by the main body of the Novitreian army. His 16 year reign as Crown saw the consolidation of Akaeian power and the expansion of Akaeian territory, as well as prepared the way for his son Tauerion Solaneios and his expansive policies.
