Azure's Dominion

A 500 years ago the spirit of the Great Dragon Azure called upon an Elven prince to serve him. The Prince, named Zireimen, managed to convert a number of Elves to their service of the Dragon and amassed not only an Army bit a nation. The Religonof Azure spread like the flame from the Dragon's breath across all the spires and elves, in the solemn secrecy of their hearts pledged their fidelity to Azure above all others. The Spire Lords sought to eradicate this threat to the Elven way of life and they outlawed worship of beings other than the gods of their forefathers. Having incited an existential war of faith the now organized Children of Azure fought the alliance of Spires to a draw in the north west city of Bala-Tol. There Zireimen accepted defeat on the terms that the followers of the Dragon be free to leave the City and live as Exiles.

Azure lead the Prince where his exiled children to a new home. The Exhiles, as they came to be called in history, disembarked on Volcanic Island where the Feyfolk had Imprisioned The dragon ages before. There they subjugated the tribal dragonkin race, the Drakes, and built a new civilization. They expanded, conquering and assimilating peoples, establishing an Empire they reverently named "Azure's Dominion."

Outsiders often refer to the Elves of Azure's Dominion as Dark Elves. This is for two reasons. Firstly where Spire Elf architecture is dominated by glorious towers, the great buildings of the descendants of the Exiles are a dark ashy color, often decorated with black volcanic glass. Secondly, though elves are typically dour and severe the cultural tone of Azure's Dominion seems much more sinister than the aloof intellectualism of the Spire Elves. Most Dark Elves do not take offense to that name but they refer to themselves in their own tounge as Brin-Ou, meaning Children of the Exiles.

The Dragon Emperor, and all his faithful subjects, seek to prepare the world for Azures coming at the Dawning of the next age. Though the Brin-Ou are the chief citizens of the empire, sometimes refered to as Azure’s Chosen, the dragon kin, called Azure’s Children, and men alike serve Azure’s Dominion. 

Spire Elves

The elves in the east are proud members of the oldest surviving civilization. Though they are disunited people, each pledging allegiance to their city-state, their Spire. Despite this they share a rich  cultural tradition and a disregard for the world outside the hegemony of their race. They are only called Spire Elves by outsiders, a name derived from the ornate towers which rise up in the center of their cities, they identify themselves by the Spire they call home.

Each spire governs according to their own customs though the most common form of government is an Oligarchy.  The Sidean model is popular, named for the ancient elven philosopher who proposed it.  Sidean Spires have a chamber of lords, representative Chiefs of the great households who rule, and the chamber of elders, the old and wise elves who debate, study and consult portents to guide the young and bold Spire Lords.

Most conflict between spires is short and decisive. The Spire Elves fancy themselves artisans rather than warriors so most spires have very few professional soliers. The bulk of a Spire elf army is made up of citizen phalangites doing their civic duty in defense of their home. Archery and horseback riding are much more difficult skills to master. The elf archers are the guards and police in civil times and the elite warriors in time of war. The cavalry are made up of young members of noble houses and they form well trained and equipped units of cataphracts.

The elves, as a whole, are fascinated with astrology. Many of their greatest philosophers were astrologers. Outside of that field man elves undergo formal and somewhat detached studies of magic and the Feyfolk. Other than that most elven intellectuals are consumed with their own cultural and intellectual tradition reflecting and commenting on the great elven poets and the wonderful hidden meaning in the architecture of the spires.

The elves themselves are exceedingly fair and graceful and their bodies do not fail as man's does. They do age though and with age comes long straight beards and silver hair. They often describe aging as growing weary and death at old age to them is like crawling into a warm bed after an arduous day.

The Spire Elves worship the ancient Gods of the Fey. Their religion is not zealous. They give to the gods their due in a matter of fact attitude with only skin deep reverence. Many elves have a belief that their race is on a slow ascent to god-hood, and they will continue to perfect their knowledge of the world until such time as they are the spiritual masters of it.

Timeline

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M32
Sector retaken by Crusade was lead by an unknown chapter of Astartes which did not settle in the sector. They are often believed to be successors of the White Scars. The Adeptus Ministorum establishes a Cardinal's Sea on Xandi III to oversee the indoctrination of the worlds into the Imperial Cult. Adeptus Terra establishes beurocratic framework throughout the sector following the rather successful conversion effort lead by the Venerable Cardinal Violno.
M35
Mars establishes forge worlds on Phelos and surrounding moons.  A Knight worlds emerges in a nearby system, on Belian, a once primitive agriworld, to help provide the base of a bio nutrients paste for Phelos' population. The Explorator who established the world was not materially limited so they simply gave the peasants harvester mechs and gave the nobles Imperial Knights to keep them in line. They also established ministries of the sacred sciences for better food production and maintenance.
M36
The sector quietly weathers the Age of Apostasy. Though Vandire executes Eiphus the Poet, Cardinal of Xandi III and refuses to name a replacement, the Sector Commander consolidated power and control of the sector and the strong presence of the Priesthood of Mars reinforced stability until the coming of Sebastian Thor.
M37
Kurscon Wahggg . Adamar the valiant (imperial knight) becomes a hero in the war against the green skins and myths begin to enshroud him after his death. Ultimately the Wahggg was halted by the excellent tactics and skill of High Admiral Stohrn, commander in chief of Battlefleet Heracles.
M38
The Cult Mecanicus proliferates throughout the sector, largely in the wake of devistation from the Kurscon Wahggg. This overwhelmingly agrarian and back world territory of space becomes more industrialized. The Cult of Mars establishes two forge worlds and establishes a parallel system of governance in the Hercules Sector. This is a relatively peaceful period of growth. This period is considered a slightly unorthodox time by the Ordo Xenos and stringent adherents to the cult of Mars alike. The increase in industrialization drew rogue traders to the sector.  Xenos technology became abundantly available and the trade was difficult to suppress.
M39
Civil war on a Maldos prevents payment of Tithe. The Sector level parties gets involved, primarily with a large Arbite led expedition to restore order and enforce the tithe. The Arbite forces reinforce the world's ruling family. Two nearby worlds join in dissent because they believe the Arbites are overstepping their authority on the grounds that sub-sector law and custom has precedence in resolving disputes. It is a particularly zealous movement which challenged secular imperial authority over the personal and local devotion to the emperor. This was declared a heresy (naturally) and the next 300 years were spent resolving it.
M40
First Dark Eldar Raids and the "Lost Fleet" occurred in 207.  In 219 the Dark Eldar raided the Knight world of Belian , home of adamar the valiant, and enslaved the majority of the population and their swift hit and run attacks managed to swarm and destroy or capture the Knights themselves. By the time Battlefleet Heracles arrived they found only a few stragglers which they destroyed. The same year Ordo Xenos inquisitor Dalmatus went missing. When the Mechanicus lost Belian it was forced to reorganized how it provided it's adherents in the sector with nutrients. The trade agreements made in the wake of this disaster brought the powerful Cult Mechanicus to heel under the Sector Commander.
M41
The warp storm in the sector, known as the Undiscovered March, begins to dissipate and the first Scadian Crusade follows. (Named by the overwhealming leadership and manpower originating from that world.) The crusade is relatively successful but culminates after the expurgation of the Derogian Worlds.With the fall of more Coreward sectors to Hivefleet Leviathan and Behemoth, the imperial tithe increased, stifling local efforts to consolidate Imperial power locally, this left the fledgling colonies and missions in the recently reclaimed Derogian worlds to flounder. The strain on the Adeptus Munitorum at a galactic level eventually lead to the "The Memorandum" issued by the Adeptus Administratum. For all practical purposes, Sector Heracles was no longer under Imperial Rule.
M42
-001 Times seem grim. Lord Commander of Sector Heracles, High Governess Navina, immediately calls for a counsel of Lords across the Sector on the capital world of Litera II. The Literan Council, as it was named, had representative members of each subsector and the major powers that were once parts of the Imperial Political and Social architecture. From this she established the new Government of Sector Heracles.