The Vermilion Collective

The many uncharted lands of  Comalan's southeastern hemisphere have long been speculated to be occupied by uncivilized peoples whose development was suppressed by their perpetual struggle against the elements. These ideas are said to be enforced by the cultural exhibitions of the region's few emigrants, which have proven to be far more alien than even the differences between Mortanis and Midania could compare to. It wasn't until the end of the Second Age when this myth would be dispelled by the unexpected appearance of a naval vessel whose technology was significantly advanced even by Galean standards of the time. The ship flew a red flag and carried a hostile crew, who claimed to be from a nation referred to only as the Vermilion collective upon their capture by the Holy Key Knights. This battle resulted in many casualties on both sides, but their technology was only barely eclipsed by the templars' power.

Following the Archknight Rebellion, Kyle Baldus--the newly crowned king of Resta--received a message that was printed on a red scroll. This letter from the Vermilion Collective explained that their emperor, Julius Hartwell, had led his people in conquest of the vast majority of the southeastern hemisphere. With most of Hydrospace conquered, they had sent out exploratory vessels to establish a foothold out in the wider world. It was one of these vessels that had tested its might against the Restans and lost. After acknowledging the strength of the chosen land, Emperor Hartwell declared war on Resta.

Recently crippled by the bloody civil war they fought to restore the Gods to their seats of honor in Mortanis, the new court of Resta appealed to augurs, bishops, and tacticians alike to assess this threat. The clergy said nothing except that their actions against the templars, devoid as it was of the ritual that the Akisian Empire and Blackstone Order were known for, suggested a godless culture. The seers revealed that any attempts to scry into their future have yielded no visions of the Vermilion Collective. The military speculated that with the vast distance between the two countries, Resta's natural superiority at producing resources, and their long list of allies, the kingdom would be perfectly safe if the Collective decided to invade. So, with no clear idea of the threat they faced, Royal Army Intelligence dispatched spies to the region and focused on rebuilding.

Although they remain fully aware of a hostile presence in the world with technology beyond their understanding, the tentative unease over this declared conflict would fade with the ongoing years of the third age. Scholars and news media have taken to jocularly referring to this as the Empty War. But what information the spies have brought back regularly puts the court on edge. Their technology has been reported to be beyond anything ever witnessed on Mortanis. The mixture of fear and loyalty instilled into the various communities under their rule has slowly turned into hatred against the people of what they disparagingly call the "Gentle North." Finally, a spy who was thought to have been dead when she stopped reporting to the kingdom was revealed by another to have defected to the Collective, giving them access to many of Resta's secrets.

The Vermilion Collective continues to lack any presence in the north to this day, but Resta remains on notice--for when the empire finally makes its move, it will bring with it power that has no discernible counter.