The Dreamer's Fall

Chapter 36 - The Federation of Mutumn

Arthur analyzed the slave woman sitting before him as his carriage made its way back to the military encampment. Despite wearing little more than rags, she had a graceful bearing, creating a strange disconnect in his mind. It was like trying to cover a peacock's feathers with rags; it did little to hide the creature's nobility and pride.

Her name was Ellena, and she claimed to have been nothing more than an aging weaver without a family. It felt far-fetched considering the impression she gave him, but theirs was only a temporary arrangement, so he didn't feel the need to push for more information.

Plenty of people would choose to hide their identity if they risked capture, especially if knowledge of their true identity would result in a far more gruesome fate than pretending to be a commoner. If she belonged to a fallen noble house displaced by the formation of the Holy State of Wacury, then it wouldn't surprise him if she was hiding her identity.

The Theocracy had a love for theatrics, much like the Romans on Earth. Enemies of high standing would be shipped to the capital and paraded around as a trophy of war, suffering countless indecencies before ultimately being burned alive in front of a cheering crowd.

"I don't know much about the Federation of Mutumn. What's it like?" Arthur curiously asked.

"There are plains, mountains, and rivers. Much the same as anywhere else." Ellena replied with a shrug.

Arthur rolled his eyes at the non-answer, and Jeren elaborated. "Mutumn is the Theocracy's eternal enemy. They've been at war since before the Ollerin Empire was founded, but they've been at a standstill for hundreds of years now.

"Only recently did the Theocracy gain ground thanks to the combined forces of the Suwan Diarchy and the Drukhian Kingdom taking part in the crusade. Mutumn would have fallen in time, but Sparnia broke their non-aggression pact with the Drukhian Kingdom and took advantage of the conflict to hit them in the back.

"With their homeland at risk, the kingdom pulled its forces out of the crusade to defend its borders, which resulted in the crusade switching its focus from taking land to defending it. That's how the Holy State of Wacury was formed."

"I learned that much from tutoring. I wanted to know more about their culture." Arthur stated.

"Culture?" Jeren's eyes squinted. "Are they not heathens, lord?"

Ellena gently shook her head and spoke. "We do not worship gods in Mutumn, master. Instead, we pay homage to our ancestors for gifting us life. For that reason, the Theocracy calls us heathens."

Jeren scoffed. "Don't fill the lord's head with nonsense. You make it sound as if the Theocracy is persecuting Mutumn simply for its beliefs. Don't forget that the reason Ollerin exists today is because Mutumn invaded the Theocracy first and razed our ancestor's lands."

Arthur was aware of the history. Mutumn was an extremely aggressive neighbor to the Theocracy, similar to the Mongol's historical relationship with China. They eventually invaded the Theocracy in full force, taking large swathes of land in the process.

Many chose to flee rather than be subject to their conqueror's malevolent will. As a result, a minor nobleman of the Cellan Theocracy named Bellan Ollerin gathered up all he could and fled to the far west by sea, founding the Ollerin Empire.

The Theocracy survived for a time as a vassal until the Federation of Mutumn fractured in a civil war. They took advantage of the infighting and began reclaiming their lost land, leading to today's borders.

Arthur found the Mutumn Civil War particularly fascinating because it resembled the Mongols in China. The civil war was caused by the ruling class embracing a more feudal form of government in line with what they learned from the Theocracy.