Empire of Kurema

The Empire of Kurema succeeded the confederation form of the country, lasting from AD 300 to 1945, before another reformation that brought the country to its present-day form, ending the empire.

Colonization
The first Kuremans originated from Sengetsu in the aftermath of the Sengetsu Civil War. They fled from their homeland after a disastrous defeat in AD 263 and retreated to the rugged and dangerous mountain ranges to the south, where they made their home with wild wyverns. The settlers eventually began taming these wyverns for use in self-defense against raiders and other outsiders. This act of defense eventually developed into a business, allowing the land, soon called Kurema, to prosper. However, wyvern attacks on local villages made the Kuremans realize that working just for their own survival would wipe them out.

The first government in Kurema was a confederation between a multitude of villagers, though its lack of central authority made the government ineffective at achieving its original purpose of uniting the Kureman people for defensive purposes. Otso Wuopio took it upon himself to toss aside the old Kureman Confederation, and reformed the nation into the Kingdom of Kurema. Thorne named himself the First Emperor of Kurema, becoming the central authority that the confederate government lacked prior to Thorne's reforms.

However, Wuopio's governmental reforms faced enormous criticism, with those in opposition to the reform to a imperial government wanting to reform the nation into a government akin to a federal republic. Fights broke out in the streets between the so-called Royalists, those loyal to Wuopio, and the Republicans, who supported a republican government.

The Kureman Civil War
The fights turned from fist fights to bloody conflicts rather quickly. The civil war last for years, as both sides were almost equally matched in terms of generals and dedicated followers. Wuopio attempted to quell the rebellion to the monarchal rule and brand those who believed in the republican cause as traitors, which worked poorly to dissuade people from turning to the republicans.

Wuopio crushed the government forces and consolidated power into the Imperial throne. He became known as the Demon Lord for his merciless acts during the coup, though his dark deeds appear to be limited to only the civil war itself. Eventually one of his descendants, Emperor Ilyas broke the centralized power into three main regions, each with their own administrative bodies that answer to him. This streamlined the administrative process, enabling Kurema to focus on technological advancements in the 18th century.

Modernization


The Industrial Revolution marked the advent of the modernization of technology. The Kureman imperial family saw it crucial to not fall behind in technology in order to not be swallowed up by other nations who are advancing their own technology. As a result, the Kureman military grew in power, especially the air force. The advances in military aircraft were so drastic, the traditional wyvern cavalries were effectively phased out for mechanical war planes in a matter of decades.

The effects of the Industrial Revolution are still felt in the Kureman armed forces, with their incredible progress making the country a formidable military power. The geographical location of Kurema in the middle of the Higashi continent made Kurema's armed forces even more fearsome, since they can launch a massive offensive in minimal amounts of time anywhere on the continent.

Change in government
As time progressed, the Kureman empire came under pressure from tight relations with its neighboring countries. Among the criticism that Kurema faced was its ever growing military power, and the potential for its abuse to blackmail and bully other countries. Internal dissidence regarding the policies of the Imperial family eventually led to minor conflicts that were only concluded with the signing of the Treaty of a Unified Empire in AD 1945, transforming Kurema into a federal republic with a constitutional monarchy. This resulted in the end of the Empire of Kurema and the birth of modern Kurema.