Following the split of Ithecal, when the Ithecal clans scattered, only one remained in its full strength and pledged to continue their support to her - Chrysova. Though the other clans still left on the island eschewed her company, she had not lost faith in them, and so she took the few left loyal to her and drove them east to the Mouth of Ivorian, and had them build her a fortress at its highest point that could defend the island against invaders seeking to conquer her land. With her help, they formed a hierarchy of soldiers to rule as the governing body of the city, with senior soldiers acting as judges in trials and designing the laws that were then enforced. With this simplistic system and Ethelynda sat at the head, the fortress prospered and developed until it became a city whose population nearly surpassed that it houses today.
The arrival of the first human travelers was a major turning point for the city. Many immediately distrusted them, at first leading to discrimination and many travelers being turned back at the city gates, and as the migration continued and more humanoid races made it into the city itself, many shops refused their patronage, employment and housing opportunities were practically non-existent, and many Ithecal guards turned a blind eye to Ithecal-on-human violence. This extreme mistrust pushed the migration on to different cities further inland and while extreme pressure from Ethelynda eventually led to the signing of the Humanoid Protectorate Act, a set of laws that curbed outright discrimination on all non-Ithecal species wishing to enter the city, those that did so were generally treated with mistrust and cynicism, keeping humanoid-Ithecal relations at an all-time low as constant debates on security and crime rates rang through the Euralcal judges and military leaders of the city’s government.
These concerns became founded in reality with the coming of the Collapse. Several agents belonging to a group known as the Magentus Coterie managed to infiltrate the ranks of senior soldiers and launched an attack from the inside, managing to wipe out several of the high-ranking military officers in a sneak-attack and nearly managing to assassinate Ethelynda in the process. Even though the coup had been thwarted, without most of the high command of the city remaining, the entire population turned into turmoil. Ethelynda was unable to control the millions of panicking civilians from fleeing or rioting in the chaos, nor were the remaining high-status guards able to curb a wave of anti-humanoid attacks as Ithecal blamed both humanoids for their suspected role in the attack, and their own government for allowing it to happen by allowing them protections. One man, a private investigator named Patriam Ersalm, was able to draw the matter to a close, single-handed, by hunting down and exposing the perpetrators of the attack.
With the backing of the Neoterak Lygurite, the elusive Ancarth Tximite and a small army of affiliated Platikar brought together under Maxius Vryst, Lygurite gathered enough of the high command to restore order by creating a new system of order separating senior military officers into different groups, known as the Arms, while setting up his own secret military police to ensure that what happened would never happen again, known as the Inquisition. With all Arms connected underneath the Imperiatim, the Integrum was formed, uniting Yithiral once more. For this, when Lygurite petitioned its ascension, even Chrysova was forced to bow under the pressure of its peers and suck up its personal humiliation, acknowledging Lygurite and ascending it to Venerakis, Lygurite Urates. A new ruling class of Yithiral was born.
Of course, not everyone agreed with these new changes. Although Patriam held the public appeal in the palm of his hand, perhaps the most surprising complaints following the creation of the Integrum came from Max Ex Jedrek Thethis. Exalted of Ethelynda, previously a Euralcal and second-hand to the ruling Aethesti of the Ivorian Militia, now the only known Aethestium Primus, commander of the prestigious 'Invictus' First Legion, Jedrek stood as the most decorated soldier in the history of Yithiral, the then-highest standing field commander, with a flawless record and a following of elites that he'd trained with since their green days and now stood willing to follow him wherever he went. He put forward that Patriam's new governing body was stealing power from Ethelynda, removing a significant portion of her command and handing it over to his Inperiatim. As support grew, he even dared to claim that he wished to usurp Ethelynda entirely and transform her into nothing but a powerless figurehead, held on a pedestal and admired but without any true ability to control the influence of Yithiral. This provided significant trouble for Patriam; with the Integrum still young, fractures forming during its development could develop into serious problems in later arcs, or shatter the entire structure.
Therefore, he banished Jedrek and his senior under-lieutenants, from not just Yithiral but the island of Ivorian in its entirety. Protests and claims that Patriam did not have the power to banish from the island itself - which, in truth, he did not - were quashed and hidden for the good of Yithiral's stability. In this, for the first time, Patriam faltered.
Jedrek and his under-lieutenants left peacefully. Despite their mistrust for Patriam and his regime, Jedrek was still loyal to Ethelynda above all else. His concern for her made him reluctant to raise a hand against the city she had built and loved so dearly, and despite the fact that they still followed Patriam's orders, many of the fellow Aethestium leading the remainder of the Arm Militum were still old friends of Jedrek. Though he left peacefully and without a word of protest however, he still raised serious concern with even Ethelynda herself. When he left, he took the entire First Legion with him. 200,000 of the finest soldiers in Yithiral left on a small fleet of ships provided by Patriam, sailed out to sea, and when they were a sufficient distance from the city's highest watchtowers, he turned the fleet around and landed on the eastern fringe of Ivorian. Unknown to many, caverns and caves at the roots of the mountains outlining Ivorian could be used to re-enter the island, a hidden trick few but Jedrek himself knew. The path was incredibly dangerous, given the hidden beasts that lurked within, but though Jedrek suffered casualties, the shadow-beasts were no match for the prestigious First Legion.
They emerged south of Ethelanum and split into two forces, one of which laid siege to the city immediately, and the other marching across the fields towards Talonir. Ethelanum's vestigial military became very quickly overwhelmed under a rapid advance, and the city defences, while normally able to defeat armies five times over the size of the First Legion's detachment, found it incredibly difficult when the force of 100,000 split itself into small elite teams, most often under 100, and spread itself over the outermost walls of the city to pressure its weakest points. Talonir, though much better prepared for a siege and given plenty of warning by the first attack, was left reeling from the first crusade into its woodland borders, and many more followed it; Jedrek, like many others, had learned of the Fool War in history books, and took its lessons to heart, attacking both relentlessly and tactfully in order to counter the scouts hidden through the upper canopies that could cripple armies with well-timed strikes and surprise raids, but still lacked the sheer numbers of the First Legion, and quickly became overwhelmed as their camps and hiding spots were trampled.
Both cities had no choice. Once assured that the First Legion had not been sent purposefully by Yithiral, they called for Yithiral's help in repelling the invading force. Ethelanum, Talonir, Cathirus and Yithiral together signed the Ivorian Pact, and in return, Yithiral sent its full military presence into all three cities, driving out the First Legion in what is still called the bloodiest battle in the history of Ivorian. The First Legion was defeated, driven back out of both cities, Jedrek was assumed to have been killed and his forces scattered. Following the Pact, the three became the Ivorian Empire, a new nation with Yithiral as its capital.
