Artemis

In his name, a beauty unfurls.

Artemis the Peacekeeper, the Peacebringer, the Pious, the Shield of Geminism, and the Father of the modern Artesjan state, he who is known by a thousand titles and honorifics, and rightfully so. His rule brought Artesja forth from its dark ages and then some, placing it as the predominant global power until the crisis of '99.

Artemis' impact can still be felt to this day all through Tempertaria, statues, streets, even towns and cities are named in his honor, which means "Beautiful son" in Pannalian Artesjan.

"He was... the greatest statesman I've ever met, the greatest father I could've asked for, my only regret is that I couldn't have spent more time with him."

— Haeasvethi II

The first psalm

Artemis was born at the dawn of the eighteenth century in Bad Hansa, a small suburb of Karelja. A child of a seamstress and a househusband, he grew up leading his growing friend group in idealistic prayers, war games, and collecting tithes for the neighborhood chapel. The young saint was also lucky enough to be welcomed into a secondary school, a rarity for kids in Artesja at the time.

At the age of 17, Artemis was inducted as a Junior priest at his local church, and immediately made an impression on the believers there. His natural charisma and kindness were seen as a breath of fresh air in the chauvinistic and trying times Artesja was embroiled in at the time.

It was during a warm summer night like any other while he was cleaning the High Priest's office, when he accidentally stumbled across... pictures, missives, of the vilest nature. A plot by several high priests in the Pannalian region to abduct a congregation of Holy sisters coming in from Karillia and disguise it as "typical Fedrian activity". For the first time in his life, Artemis felt genuine, seething anger towards another human.

It was then that a deep blue light shone, and as Artemis turned around, his world was shaken a second time that day.

The avatars of Nesus and Gemiknight had appeared before him, and time froze as they gave him counsel in his hour of broken faith.

"Pious one, we cannot make your mind for you, this is a call you yourself must make. I would advise you to look in the deepest sanctuaries of your mind, the fortress of your piety, and make your decision."

— Nesus

The stirrings of progress

Artemis took the letters, the evidence, everything he could fit in his bag he took. And ran home as quickly as he could, hiding everything under his bed and hoping, praying that he wouldn't be caught until he could do... something, anything.

When the sun rose the next day, the young saint set to work, gathering supporters and staging a protest, near-riot in front of the church, demanding the priest come out and face the justice of the people.

The priest didn't budge, and soon the crowd became impossible to control, storming through the barricaded church doors and rushing up the altar, where Artemis stepped up to impart divine justice:

"You treacherous priest of vice, you conniving rat! You have been placed in front of the altar honoring the gods you claim to serve, that the good people of this church may know any small semblance of justice."

"I shall personally see to it that these documents make it into the hands of the Inquisitor-general and the Fourth Estate, I'll have you before a court within the month, be sure of that."

"You have corrupted the good word of Geminism for the last time, you insolent heretic."

— Artemis

It was then that the crowd cheered and dragged the priest out into the mud, marching with Artemis in front. The protesters marched all the way into central Karelja, chanting slogans of "Reform now!" and "Out with the old guard!". Until they arrived at the grand cathedral in the middle of the city, where they dragged the old priest further, throwing him inside during Midday mass.

That was when Artemis realized the Arch-priest leading the sermon was implicated in the case too, no good, so he chose a different approach. The young saint read the letters aloud in front of the hundreds of people in the cathedral, avoiding the guards trying to apprehend him. Converting even more people to his cause, they dragged both priests out and hung them from the cathedral tower.

Alz Gehen Demokratija

Artesja in the early eighteenth century was a confederation of states loosely ruled under what could be defined as "An oligarchy of the clergy", priests, bishops, and archbishops ruled in the shadows from their churches and cathedrals while a figurehead king sat on the throne. But what of the people? The best they could hope for was a noble priest, or an inept one. It was no secret that the people had long desired a better form of governance, ever since the catastrophe of the Fedrian War, regular protests and vigilante killings had been popping up all over the country, from city to county. All they needed... was a Leader.

In Karelja, and soon the greater Pannalian basin, Artemis became the foregone conclusion to lead these protests, often clashing directly with Provincial police and the Weraz Garda. "The Movement" as it came to be known, encompassed a wide variety of ideologies, all fitting neatly under the umbrella of "Democratism"; they all desired freedom, fairness, and transparency. The Movement also espoused radical ideas such as gender equality. Up until that point, men had been in a subservient role to women for the most part, with divorces and such usually requiring female initiation. One of the foremost champions of this would happen to be the just-inducted Serene Priestess Eliza of the Geminist Church; some looked upon her with wary gazes, but Artemis brought her to his side for the marches and the rallies, clearly for more than political reasons.

The first of The Movement's victories came as a shock to many of its more respected members, the Fourth Estate, Artesjan journalism, had begun covering them in a favorable light. People came streaming to join rallies and picket lines, saying that they'd read about the good work of "The Artemisian Movement". It all made sense, long had The Free Press yearned for someone to carry the fight to the censors, the oppressors.

"And who better than us, we so-called Artemisians?"

— Artemis

The Torch of Freedom, blazing bright

After two years of activism, multiple attempts on his life, and countless rallies, Artemis found himself in a rut. The bright banners and signs failed to ignite the spark in him that they used to, his speeches faltered, and he could tell the senior members of the movement were planning on replacing him.

He was the founder, the guiding light, damnit! He just needed that spark, that damned...

Spark...

In the late night of the winter in 1721, Karelja was alight with flames, lit by agents of The Movement. Firefighters battled the inferno through the night to extinguish the flames, which all seemed to be burning away from homes and apartment blocks, like someone knew to spare the working people more suffering. In the morning, the Press was quick to blame the Weraz Garda, placing the ball firmly in the Artemisians' court. The Movement had momentum again, and Artemis was ready for the final push, the one to topple the ways of old and truly make Artesja free and kind to all her children.

On May 1st, 1721, 10 million protestors assembled in Karelja, clogging the streets and chanting slogans of freedoms as done before, but the rally was different, the largest ever held in the history of Tempertaria. The huge mass of people had one goal in mind, the Grand Cathedral in the central borough, where Artemis was to deliver a speech destined to change Artesja's trajectory on the world stage, no more the rump state of Tempertaria, no more.

"Good citizens of Artesja, Karelja, Swedenhatius, Szaganad, wherever you hail from, be welcome and bask in the glow of your fellow compatriots!"

"You are all here for one reason, you're sick and tired of the dictatorship of the clergy. The pious should lead, yes, but these fossils on their golden thrones have naught but their own decrees to concern themselves for! They have schemed and swindled Artesja for a millennia now, and now, my friends, we say "No more!" No more corruption and kleptocracy in our land, so idyllic and rugged, No more inequality in our fair and green hills of faith and frost!"

"As of today, I announce my nomination for Upper-hierophant of Artesja, put forward by all you gentle-hearted and kind people. I know from experience that the gods are kind-hearted and just, therefore I hope with all my heart that you will see my election through to the end."

"I will make my intentions very clear for the Collaborators and spies among us, I intend to thoroughly cleanse the Artesjan state of rot, shoot me now of if any of you dare! But democracy dies not by the bullet, not this time, not this day."

"..."

"We are at the dawn of Artesja, my friends! Love eachother, for Passion and People shall be the tenets of our new Homeland!"

— Artemis' May Address

Thy crown of Laurel, Thy sceptre in hand

A majority in Artesja, and a passable draw in Rasina, thanks to an old friend. Artemis had won the Church election in a frankly stunning turnout, the youngest Upper-hierophant ever voted in at the age of 24.

His coronation was visited by over 2 million loyal followers and geminists from the world over. He would be crowned with a golden laurel and given an emerald-green cape that would come to be his most recognizable look. He was paraded all the way from his coronation in Swedenhatius to when he entered the grand cathedral in Karelja.

The process of reform in Artesja began swiftly afterwards, starting with the creation of the People's Hall and State Government. Voting was underway for starting offices in newly formed administrations, and the Kingdom of Artesja gradually began to democratize. One of the primary problems in the early days of the revolution was incredibly low voter turnout, especially in the rural and mountainous provinces, as well as the Sackarti states up north.

One of Artemis' most daring moves in his early political career was to sign away nearly all of his powers in the New Constitution of 1725, giving up all but the privilege of bearing the crown to the Government and his party, the Artemisian Democratic Kadets.

Consolidation

Despite voluntarily giving up the powers of the crown, there was still work to be done in securing the Artesjan democracy. Weraz Garda and newly formed Cassiite gangs prowled the streets while Totalists and Syndicates clawed their way into the freshly de-oligopolised labour unions. To combat what was deemed "Extreme political persuasion", a broad coalition government was negotiated. Composed of the ADK (Reformist Socialist), PPA (Social Democrat), and VDBA-K (Libertarian Left), this was the first ever coalition in the Upper Hall of the Artesjan Parliament.

Along with broadening the political spectrum of the reigning government, a large judicial reform program was passed through parliament in '26, creating several anti-corruption bodies, both governmental departments and NGOs. Some of the Marshalls quit in response to this, though this was deemed more to be fear of getting caught doing something... they perhaps shouldn't have.

A Democracy left of crystal tears

In less than three years, over three hundred million Artesjans experienced the ascent to true democracy. And Artemis began to secure his position even further, successfully bringing electricity to even the most remote country towns and mountain sides from 27' to 28'. And then enacting a national policy of seizing oligarchs' assets, if said oligarchs refused, they'd face an angry mob at their front door.

Resistance had formed, taken shape. Usually, Artemis would be happy that the threat had at least materialized, that it could be dealt with accordingly. But this time felt different, the chains were very clearly off; bombings of ADK rallies by the Black Army of Thyrimia, the assassination and ritual sacrifice of Wellan Arch-deaconess Miliya Taskov, the resistance against the state was ready to burn it all down. He sought counsel and comfort in his clandestine lover, Eliza Stadtfeldt, who spent night after night mapping new stars and communing with the gods through incense and crystal charms.

The two were darling lovebirds of the revolution, the very image of the Geminist church's urge for reform. Mostly because it was visibly real, after a thousand years of fake promises and arranged marriages, the Artesjan people finally saw a real couple heading their movement. They kissed in public, which up until then had been an enormous taboo; they fought, publicly, and they made up; they were real.

One day, Artemis came to visit Eliza at the Grand Cathedral, her usual place in the central spire. She wasn't there, he checked with the Artesjan liaison to the Foreign Heathen Manager, no dice. He was the Upper-Hierophant, damnit, why didn't anyone know where she was?

That evening, a roll of film was delivered anonymously to the high precinct of Karelja.

"Good evening, Artesja!"

"Today we show the world that Artesja is still the proud nation it was before the Artemisian sodomizers and theives stole our faith and our magic! We show the Artesjan people that there is a way out from the illusion of social progress!"

-Camera pans, Serene Priestess Eliza is shown bound to a Rack next to a white flag with a black Saltire-

"Slit her, Ingheim"

-A hooded figure emerges from the right, bearing a jagged witch-dagger. Eliza struggles against the restraints, the hooded figure holds her arms down and runs the blade of the knife slowly across the Priestess' jugular-

"Hail the New Freed Artesja! Hail! Artesja!"

— -SC 'Gerhard', "The 30's Film"

This was a catastrophe; the film had been distributed both in Karelja and Swedenhatius, and people had seen it, panic set in. Calls to the police asking for safety, no one went to mass, the streets were empty, and something had to be done.

The organization that performed the kidnapping was an until-then relatively small and barely legitimate Fascist cell known as the Artesjan Fascist Movement, or more recognizably, Free Artesja. The Milicija of Pannalia was put on high alert and was made to patrol the streets openly, carrying as many weapons as possible, as if to say, "What are you waiting for? We're right here."

His iron hand crush'd the tyrant serpent's head

Enough was enough; these fascist cowards and those who dared to shelter them had to be dealt with. To do this, the Central Military District was ordered to mobilize and patrol the larger cities with long guns drawn. Veterans from the ongoing Thyrimian conflict were brought in for anti-terror tactics, the situation was tense, perhaps one of the darkest points of the early ADK-A.I administration. However, Artemis and his cabinet were determined to extinguish these embers of nationalism; it was personal for the Upper Hierophant.

It was critical that the people of southern Artesja felt safe, like they could go outside, like life was as it always was. And Artemis had an idea on how to do that, so he went for a walk.

Waltzing through the streets of Karelja, green cape fluttering and crown atop his head, people couldn't help but be awed at their leader, walking completely alone, without escort. Some people went down to walk with him, talking with the Upper Hierophant like they would any other person; his natural charisma helped, of course. But it wasn't long before the enemy showed himself upon the field of battle, Giorna Avenue.

Artemis' followers had come armed, of course, with pikes and spears, muskets and bows. It didn't take long for the brawl to start, loyalists exchanging shots with the fascists. Artemis stayed at the front, tending to his injured people, his cape stained with their blood, and his. He chanted aloud the passages he'd read since he was 6, as his comrades charged and dispersed the fascists, they fled southwards, only to be cut off by mounted soldiers of the 73rd Cavalry Battalion.

FASCISTS ROUT, ARTEMIS LEADS FROM THE FRONT
Karelja Today, 11th of May
Today the city of Karelja woke to gunfire in the southern boroughs
as militants of the infamous Free Artesja Faction clashed with
armed civilians protecting H.F.E. Artemis Justa Judean, the skirmish
lasted a total of 26 minutes, with 29 people reported dead, and 55
injured. The fighting was broken up by mounted Vehr soldiers
belonging to the Central Military District anti-terror taskforce and
commanded by Major Austerlitz.

When pressed for a comment, Artemis stated:

"I doubt we'll have to worry about these pretenders for the time being,
today has been a great victory for our nation, and my thoughts are
with the families of the fallen, thank you."

— Karelja Today, 11th of May

And made sure joy and good flourish'd in its stead

The government's mandate was secure, and the reigning coalition had secured an astounding 80/20 majority. It was time to broaden Artesja's aspects on the world stage; besides, it would be good publicity. A large exhibition of all of Artesja's latest inventions was arranged in the city of Szaganad, with leaders from all over the world invited to attend: Haeasvethi Kalri of the Divinarate, High-queen Reysa of Ouakalia, and a reluctant Fedrian delegation.

For the first time in his life, Artemis was surrounded by the rich and powerful of Tempertaria. Nervousness was natural, of course, but he'd come so far; why waste it all by standing in the corner like a shy high-schooler?

He strode confidently over to a blonde noble in a purple cape, greeting her with a sly remark he'd forgotten as soon as it left his tongue. She turned to face him, she was looking at him, oh gods.

"Why are you dressed like a military officer, Your Federative Eminence? I've not heard of you serving on the field of battle, ah, never mind that. I am the Holy Divinar, my lands are as you know them, my name is Haeasvethi."

— Haeasvethi I

As it turns out, The Holy Divinar in purple had up until recently been fighting in wars of her own, expelling or otherwise massacring Cassiite fascists in Rasina during their most recent civil war. It was a long and bloody war, with hundreds of thousands dead on both sides, but Haeasvethi didn't let that keep her from further conquests down south.

The two were inseparable after a few glasses of wine, Artemis was supposed to go up and do a speech about prosperity and equality and the like. Instead, he and Haeasvethi sat for three straight hours, discussing international politics, the divine, really anything that came up that night. The Divinar was not as much of a democrat like The Hierophant, she favored more of a "Strongman Approach", a strong, populist leader that could rouse the populace against any and all threats while a council of loyal advisors made decisions, not to say she wasn't in support of reform.

The Hierophant and The Divinar

The pair would be seen in public with increasing frequency in the coming months, their trysts in the northeast of Artesja growing strong unionist sentiment that remains today in The Kaltarate of Zarnapol. This period of Artemis' reign is generally seen as one of the best times in Artesja's history, when the fruits of political stabilization, economic and army reform would all come together for this period to be called "The Honeymoon".

"Yes! It is Artesja, from the shimmering seas of Hannia to the High-forests of Wellska! From the frigid Gitalgar to the darling Thorne and the sister cities! We and Artesja shall determine the fate of Tempertaria, and we alone!"

— Karillia Times, 1731

It didn't take long after that for Artemis and Haeasvethi to officially announce they had begun dating, to the joy of tabloids spanning Tempertaria. They were the sweethearts that spanned two massive nations, and they were adored by their people. During this time, the two spent most of their time at their residence in Viaz Castle, drawing the ire of some of the more radical leftists in the People's Hall, but they weren't in the coalition anyway, so who cares?

Long walks through the deciduous forests of the Viaz river valley, combined army maneuvers, romantic activities for all, no doubt. Before long, Haeasvethi brought Artemis to their chambers for an "important discussion", and got down on one knee; - She got down on two later, but that's not family friendly.

The two had been engaged, their respective countries were uproarious in support of the union, From Denarra to even Bruta where the Czeanian stiffs had small rallies to show their support for the royal couple. All over Artesja, crowds crowded in front of cathedrals and churches, the young couple couldn't go outside without being overrun by admirers, it was one of the first recorded cases of Mass Hysteria.

The wedding ceremony was a lavish affair conducted fittingly in Viazgrad, the Union City, where the two had made so many memories already. Under guard of the Vehr and the Stratosa, the couple exchanged rings and kissed. Artemis thought it was over then, until his best man, Alani, walked up to him and handed him a sword, what?

They never told him that Rasini duel at weddings.

15 Years of Bliss

The Justa-Kalri union of Artesja and Rasina was considered one of the strongest institutions for a brief period after Artemis and Haeasvethi had been wedded, it had at its disposal every gun and sword in the two countries, which was quite something indeed. Trade flourished in amounts not seen since the historic ice-clearing around Gitalgar, and the countries' respective governments enjoyed unparalleled popularity.

One of the more interesting political events that took place during this period was the partial integration of Divinarate and Artesjan troops, creating "Mixed" units composed of soldiers from both countries, utilizing a standardized command structure designed by General Austerlitz Alani. The Vehr and Stratosa would never reach full integration due to slight rollbacks by Artemis II, but the two armies have unprecedented cooperation to this day.

On the personal side of things, Artemis and Haeasvethi were completely infatuated with one another, spending most of their time together ruling from Viaz castle or their place in Rasinoplita. They even had time to conceive and raise two children, Artemis II and Haeasevethi II would be born in Karillia and Viazgrad respectively on the 5th of February and 1st of September, their father would be their primary role-model in life, though they both took a few pages from their mother's book to say the least.

Thou art the light in the darkest night,
To be kindled to kill the believer's fright.
Hark! and may a thousand flower bloom;
That may not bloodstain a soldier's feathered plume!

Oh, Artesja! Oh Artesja!
Thou art the snow between mountain-peaks!
Oh, Artesja! Oh Artesja!
Hear, Hear, Hear that our second saint speaks!

— Artesjan National Anthem, "A thousand flowers"

Artesja had soared to heights never before seen in all its storied past, not since the unification of Tamara and the marches of Cantricia had the Artesjan people had hope for a strong future, that was Artemis' gift to his people, Hope.

Even as he and his beloved rode out leading an enormous field army to drive back a rogue Bezjan swarm that had been sighted crossing through the Tarian desert instead of taking the usual path around Denarra, Artemis couldn't help but feel at peace, no matter if he were to fall in the coming battle, Artesja had been bathed in the light of salvation, to last forever.

When we're at war

In the midst of the arid desert, The Upper-Hierophant found himself sweating as he observed the massive dust-cloud in the distance, this was a huge horde, one of the largest ever seen.

They had prepared well, dug in around a large hill with cannon, pallisades and trench networks, the soldiers of the Divinarate stood in front with pikes in formation and shields ready. Haeasvethi and Artemis met with the generals on the eve before the battle to discuss a general strategy and possible contingency measures should they fail, which looked more and more likely as flying demons were sighted emerging from the dust-cloud.

The first shots were fired around 5 in the morning on the 16th of September, marking the beginning of the Battle of Thyrimia. Initial skirmishes largely involved light cavalry of the Artesjan Thyrimia Corps, largely composed of native lancers and hussars, and Demonic knights of the Bezjan vanguard, bearing carapace armor thick as steel and flesh-eating mounts.

The Bezjan advance visibly halted as the Artesjan artillery opened up in a deafening barrage, the first major application of high-caliber howitzers on the battlefield. As the explosions bloomed across the center of the Demonic horde, their ranks were decimated, even more so when Haeasvethi personally led the Red Shields in a glorious charge, destined to break the central forces of the horde.

However, as the backline soldiers cheered and fired muskets in salute, Artemis looked through his binoculars and saw something, a Bezjan warlock had stepped onto the field, and was conjuring a portal from all the blood shed across the desert sand. He ordered every gun to fire on the warlock, in a blistering barrage which kicked up tons of sand, obscuring the witch.

Then, the sky turned red for a split second.

From the massive dust-cloud, thousands of small insectoid Demons came pouring forth, encircling and overwhelming the small mounted Divinarate force.
Haeasvethi had not returned, only a few of her Guards did, limping or wailing. Only then did Artemis order a general advance of his forces, risking it all by abandoning the hill, the defensible position, he had to save her.

Volley after volley was poured into the demons as they rushed at the Artemis line infantry, only just before they closed in did Artesja ride forth, whipping his scimitar above his head and shouting orders to his men, along with prayers.

FIX BAYONETS! FIX BAYONETS!

— Artemis

One final volley, all five ranks of the line firing simultaneously as the demons came within ten meters of Artemis' men, it was a staggering force, slicing and annihilating the front of the invaders' advancing line. The Artesjans braced, braced as a thunderbolt cracked across the sky, the Upper-Hierophant channeling his connection to the divine in a last ditch effort to kill as many demons as possible.

The following melee was bloody, with the Artesjan artillery continuing to fire even with it being impossible to distinguish between their own men and the demons. Artemis charging into the fray on horseback and finally cutting down the warlock that had summoned reinforcements, rallying his men into a rousing downhill bayonet charge, finally routing the demonic forces and winning the day.

But did they win?

O, glorious dead

Riding to where the Red Shields had fallen, Artemis slowed to a stop and dismounted, walking across the field strewn with corpses of Fabien's Guard, and a large amount of demons. The corpses were scattered around a small rise in the terrain where the flag of Justa-Kalri still fluttered defiantly on a half-broken lance.

There, clutching a sword and the flag, Haeasvethi was slumped against her fallen mount, torso completely torn open. Artemis kneeled in front of her, he wanted to cry, but he steeled himself, he had to lead his men back. When they marched through Thorne, they were greeted as heroes, some relished it, some simply strode in silence as the weight of the loss started to become apparent.

In the following years, Levi Cassius the Second would coup the transitional government in Rasinoplita and establish a fascist military dictatorship. Artemis was absolutely livid, the constitution his beloved Haeasvethi had authored was torn up in the torching of the Kalri residence. Furthermore, the Artesjan Intelligence Service had gathered information pointing to a possible plan by the Rasini to attack Artesja in order to seize the Southern Sackarti plains along with Thyrimia, intolerable.

In a stunning display of military planning, The War of the Tyrant began with a large naval invasion, capturing Kegluva and Elethor all in one day, leveraging the massive Artesjan navy. In a month, the Justa-Kalri was flown again over Rasinoplita, in two, Levi II had been encircled in Helarn, in three months, the tyrant had fallen.

But even with the victory, Artemis felt himself growing faint, he was not long for this world. So he decided to put the last of his strength into a project that had been in the works for ten years now, The Geminist Railway, connecting Karelja and Rasinoplita, cementing the unity and friendship of the two brother-nations.

It was finished, finally, as Artemis stood in the train cart and delivered an admittedly shrill and weak speech compared to those of his youth, he could only glance at the black-haired man pointing a revolver at him before a loud bang shook the carriage.

Artemis stood there, one eye shot out, looking stunned as the assassin emptied all of his bullets into him. At the end, the Upper-hierophant was on his knees. He remembered Eliza, who died far too young, Haeasvethi, who died surrounded by her most loyal comrades, and he remembered his son, who would have to take up the mantle of Upper-Hierophant after him. He remembered all those he had loved, all those who had helped him on his way, as he ran down the assassin with the last of his energy, impaling the gunman with the Royal scimitar.

He felt himself become lighter, then, his eyelids became heavy.

I'm sorry, everyone...

— Artemis' Last Words

And thus, Artemis, the Second Saint, breathed his last.