Myrra Province
Imperial Province of Myrra Provincia Myrra | |
|---|---|
| 1454–1927 | |
 Flag
 Coat of Arms of House Exponentia
| |
| Status | Colony (Empire of Exponent) |
| Capital | Wobi |
| Common languages | Latin, English, Kyashi |
| History | |
• Established | 1454 |
• Disestablished | 1927 |
| Currency | Imperial Credit |
The Myrra Province was the name of the Empire of Exponent's province on the Insula Fera, which was maintained from the time of the Insula Fera Crusade until the Kyashian Glorious Revolution.
Early history
In 1452, upon the seizure of “Myrra”, a merchant ship hailing the flag of the Empire of Exponent, by a local warlord, the already sour relations between the Kyashian Shogunate and the Empire took a sudden turn for the worse.
As the Shogun rejected the Emperor’s demands for the head of the rogue warlord and the return of the ship and its crew, a force of 15’000 was dispatched under command of Consul Martius Tarpienus to let justice be had. In just a matter of a few weeks, in August, the fortress of Wobi was captured and the warlord executed.
In retaliation, the Shogun gathered an army of 20’000 and marched against Tarpienus, defeating him in battle by the plains of Shougi.
The victory, though, was far from being decisive, as Tarpienus retreated back to Wobi and awaited reinforcements from Hesperidesia.
Wobi was sieged for one year and eight days, during which Tarpienus himself lost his life – sanctified as a Martyr by Emperor Claudius VI, who called for a Holy Crusade to free the Wobi garrison and purge south-eastern Insula Fera from the Kyashian infidels, who had long made for themselves a reputation as bloody murderers by butchering all missionaries daring enough to enter their lands.
As the fortress’ defenders were about to give up on hope, an army of 40’000 Crusaders was dispatched to the island under command of the Emperor Claudius VI himself, who quickly defeated the Shogun’s host and pushed it back to the Pass of Ramaishu, where its geography made further advances impossible.
Soon after, a peace treaty was drafted by which all lands south of the Pass now belonged to the Empire – thus giving birth to the Myrra Province, named as such in honour of the merchant ship and its crew.
Development and relations with Kyashi
Over the years, Kyashian independentist movements sprung up all over the land, prompting brutal repression by hand of Inquisitor Fabuis Marbentis, who was sent to gain control over the territory and convert the population. Under his rule, the area became de facto controlled by the Inquisition and local bishop, who was dually appointed as viceroy of the colony. Marbentis' brutal oppression sparked indignation in Kyashi and laid stone-hard foundations for a centuries-long enmity.
Still, while unpopular, Fabus Marbentis’ actions proved effective in bringing stability to the Province as not a soul dared oppose his rule.
And as the centuries passed and the Province was no longer de-facto ruled by the Church, the populace had by then become so devout to the Empire and faithful to God that when, in 1783, Kyashi mounted a campaign to recover ownership of those lands, the people of Myrra itself took arms and drove back the “infidels”, who expected the populace to support their coming with open arms.
Late history and fall
As the Glorious Revolution took over Kyashi, in 1920, the local Myrra administration knew it was bound to destabilize the entirety of the region. That’s why the governor official of Myrra, Ocatvius Whitenwood, requested the dispatch of an army of 200’000 from the mainland, to secure the Myrran borders and ready a possible expedition force to protect the neighbouring province of Venusia. But the golden days of the Empire were long gone, and its decadent body could not afford to dispatch such a force. When the Kyashi Popular Army mounted an amphibious attack on Myrra in October 1928, encircling and capturing the Pass of Coriovallum – once known as Ramaishu – the Myrran garrison scattered.
In Coriovallum alone, 10’000 Imperial troops were slain and over 80’000 captured, among regular soldiers and civilian militia. Upon capturing the Pass, Kyashi had become able to project their force anywhere in Myrra – and that, paired with news of the fall of Venusia, made General Whitewood come to the decision of retreating from Myrra in order to avoid a massacre.
In 1927 the Myrra Province was no more.
Legacy
Today, Latin is still the primary language of a majority of people in the former province. Additionally, Roman Catholicism still has strong roots in the area, and Hesperidesian-style architecture remains to be seen in a number of buildings throughout the area.