The Aethian Dominion or the Aithikḕ Autokratoría (Αἰθικὴ Αὐτοκρατορία) is one of the oldest nations of this world with more than a thousand and a half years of history. A largely underwater nation ruled by the Tritons, their grand settlements are populated by many of the other water-dwelling species of Abmarah as well such as sea-elves and water-genasi. They have a largely polynesian-influenced greek-inspired culture.
Controlling much of the Kourā Expanse, they also control the surface city of Kostikhaz on Xeycahiti. Xeycahiti used to be a staging ground for the Dominion in its peak during the first era, called Xeyrius back then. The namesake of their nation as well as their capital city Aithia (Αἰθία) is the goddess Aethys, who they regard as their patron deity. They see it as their ancestral duty to keep the elemental plane of water contained behind the Door of Water, to avoid it and the rest of the elemental planes leaking out into Abmarah. The shallow and warm seas of their homelands are some of the most hospitable reefs on the planet, and the reason why the Dominion is the only major underwater civilization.
The door and the nation have been guarded by the royal family for long generations over the past thousand years, currently ruled by Aquos Merozath the Ninth. "Aquos" is the title used by the monarchs of the Dominion, symbolizing them as wardens of water.
The Dominion has largely stayed neutral to the politics of the surface, choosing to remain isolated from the rest of Abmarah outside trade. Even during the The Crisis, they choose neutrality despite the immense anti-divinity sentiment of their population as to not disavow Aethys. That being said, the Dominion has tried to colonize the islands surrounding their waters for a long time, and control many surface villages in the Blood Sea even today. They are aligned with the Lunar Collective because of their similar triadist beliefs.
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The Aethian Military structure is as follows:
The Holy Triton Sigmosi Empire fell into civil war in 1E864 as the followers of Aethys fed up with the rule of the gods rebelled against the theocratic monarchy. Once a noble of the old empire, a triton named Merozath led this revolution and successfully overthrew the old leadership. He became the leader of this new Dominion, proclaiming himself as Aquos Merozath I. Fighting back, Sigmus' armies invaded through the open door to the Plane of Water, but were successfully fought back and defeated. Merozath's second son, Wade, defeated a sea dragon leviathan on his own during this invasion. After this battle, the door was sealed shut and has been guarded for generations.