Talus Dominion

The Talus Dominion was formed when General Yunma Kahn defected from the Stratus Empire following the fall of Highland Central. The Talus Dominion is ruled by Emperor Yunma Kahn and occupies the Eastern Continent, its capital located within the city of Zaiwei. The Talus Dominion has risen rapidly in power however is still fraught with civil unrest, corruption, and its perpetual war with the remnants of the Stratus Empire in the Southern Continent.

History
General Yunma Kahn was Stratus Empress Namsolyn's most trusted royal bodyguard. Within the Stratus Empire though, was an unsettling group called the Ebondrake Cult that attempted to assassinate the Empress kidnap Namsolyn's infant daughter, Sup Soyoo. Fearing for the child's safety, Sup Soyoo was sent to be raised away from royalty in the care of another trusted bodyguard, Dochun.

Due to unrest within the empire, as Stratus Emperor Wan's elder brothers sought to take the throne for themselves, the Stratus Empire began to weaken. Thirty years prior, Stratus Prince Sogun attempted to perform a Divine Mandate Ritual in Highland Central but inadvertently opened a gate to the Dark Realm. The Four Guardians arrived to seal the darkness within the city, but with the deaths of the Stratus Prince, his younger sister, Princess Solaan, and so many Stratus soldiers, the Stratus Empire was unable to control its armies. Defectors arose within the empire, the most powerful among them, General Yunma Kahn.

Yunma Kahn founded the Talus Dominion in the city of Zaiwei and declared himself Emperor of the Eastern Continent. Shortly after the formation of the Dominon, he fathered a child with Empress Namsolyn, Talus Princess Yunma Fei. During the Stratus-Talus War, a newly resurrected Jinsoyun put her plan of revenge in motion by appealing to the budding Talus Dominion and turning the war in their favor. Using her dark powers, the Stratus Empire was defeated in the Eastern Continent and she became the new Royal Emissary to the Emperor. Yunma Kahn saw Jinsoyun for what she really was and refused to be a pawn in her plan any longer. Jinsoyun threw Yunma Kahn into the dungeons and replaced him with a demon to act as Emperor. With her control over the Emperor, she uses the Emperor's spy network, the Talus Intelligence, to keep tabs on everything within the Empire while using the Talus military forces to invade the Moonwater Plains.

Princess Yunma Fei, noticing the corruption within the empire and the subjugation of her father's people, formed the Skyhaven Resistance to fight against the Talus forces. She became concerned that her father was being controlled by Jinsoyun and was determined to free him from her spell, unaware that the real Yunma Kahn was kept in the secret exit within the Talus Dungeon.

Beneath it all Jinsoyun began making plans for the Divine Mandate Ritual. She has an Altar of Divine Will built within Zaiwei and uses the Talus army to gather materials, through whatever forced method possible. Sixteen years prior, Jinsoyun led Talus forces into Brightstone Village to take control of the Soulstone Mine and search for the long missing Iksanun. Since then, Talus forces have remained in control of Brightstone Occupation.

Current Timeline
The Talus Dominion forces are quickly making their way through Moonwater Plains, uprooting the Skyhaven Resistance where they could. The Talus already had multiple bases around the Brightstone Occupation including the Talus Forward Base and the Beastmasters Camp. The Talus forces invade the Skyhaven Bastion through inside information from Skyhaven betrayers. During the attempt to move Skyhaven troops into Zaiwei, via the Skygate, Talus troops flood in through the Great Dragon Pulse and quash the Brightstone Uprising.

In the Skypetal Plains surrounding Zaiwei, the Lumang Syndicate have been attacking the Talus trade routes causing the Talus Guard Captain Yu Chun to form a blockade, barring anyone from entering or exiting Zaiwei. With Lumang Leader, Yunsang in custody, Zaiwei is reopened again. The hero enters the Royal Martial Arts Championship where the winner is granted the honor of becoming bodyguard to a member of the Talus royal family.

Princess Yunma Fei, having been brought back to the capitol and placed under strict supervision, sends the hero to uproot Talus Chancellor Jo Sungu, a corrupt palace leader with knowledge of Jinsoyun's whereabouts. Chancellor Jo Sungu is revealed to have a secret ledger, paying off members of the Talus Honor Guard.

Within Zaiwei, rumors float about the Divine Mandate Ritual that will be performed inside the palace. Talus Intelligence Spies meet within secret rooms in the House of Pleasures discussing the locations of dark rituals in preparation for the Divine Mandate. The hero gains access to Jinsoyun's Hundred Day Prayer ceremony through secret underground passageways that the palace was designed with.

When the hero is sent, badly wounded to the Talus Dungeons, Yunma Fei and Junghado free the hero in a daring escape. They discover the true Emperor Yunma Kahn, chained up and masked within the secret exit out of the dungeons. He is kept alive in order to find the Royal Seal. After the escape and the hero's recovery, Yunma Kahn meets the hero at Stratus Haven to discuss his plan to stop Jinsoyun and take back his throne.

With the true Talus Emperor Yunma Kahn freed, Jinsoyun sends Talus Dominion troops on a manhunt to search for Yunma Fei, Junghado, Yunma Kahn, Dochun, and any other associates of the true empire. Having found the Royal Seal and recovered Yunma Kahn's blade, the Talus troops still loyal to the true emperor all prepare for the war against Jinsoyun.

Jinsoyun completes the Divine Mandate Ritual and opens a Dark Gate over Zaiwei. Yu Chun and his troops are quickly defeated in the demon onslaught. All the hero's allies and friends come to together in the final battle against Jinsoyun. The hero purifies the city of darkness using the Hongmoon Arts and closes the Dark Gate with the Twilight's Edge.

Following Jinsoyun's defeat, Yunma Kahn abdicates the throne in favor of becoming a monk at Stratus Haven. His daughter, Yunma Fei becomes the new Empress of the Talus Dominion. In an effort to purge corruption from the Dominion, she turns over majority of the palace staff however still faces resistance from those who refuse to accept her as Empress.