Milites Empire

Milites Empire is a Crystal-State in Final Fantasy Type-0 that neighbors the Dominion of Rubrum. The empire's capital is Ingram where the White Peristylium, an organization that conducts research into the energy from the White Tiger Crystal, is located. The power of the White Tiger Crystal is used to create weapons and magitek for both military and domestic affairs.

Rubicus
''Nominally speaking, the Militesi Empire is a totalitarian Crystal-State with an emperor at its helm. However, when the current emperor pulled a mysterious disappearing act, Marshal Cid Aulstyne conveniently stepped in to take control.''
 * The Militesi Empire

''Unlike the other nations of Orience, the people of Milites do not serve the White Peristylium. Rather, the White Tiger Crystal exists solely to provide abundant energy to the populace. When Cid Aulstyne seized reins of power, one of his first orders of business was absorbing the Peristylium into the imperial government. As expected, his proposal was met with resistance.''

''In other nations, only those chosen by their respective Crystal have access to its power. In Milites, however, scientists developed teknology by which they could extract energy from the White Tiger Crystal and harness it to mass-produce guns, magitek armor, and other armaments. Thanks to this nigh unlimited source of power, the empire has succeeded in mobilizing millions of troopers and overwhelming the other Crystal-States with their incredible numbers.''


 * Annals of Orience
 * Founding of the Militesi Empire
 * Institution of a Mechanized Imperial Army and the First Lorican-Militesi War
 * The Second Lorican-Militesi War
 * Milites: Invention of Magitek Armor
 * The Third Lorican-Militesi War
 * Marshal Cid Aulstyne Seizes Control of the Empire
 * Outbreak of Dominion-Empire Border Disputes
 * Imperial Invasion of Rubrum
 * The Imperial Militia
 * Imperial Dreadnoughts
 * The Empire's New Magitek Armors
 * The Empire's Enhanced Soldier Project

Story
Jörg Paradis was a lowly lord in Azurr who encountered the White Tiger l'Cie in 174, three years before he was to crown himself the Emperor of Milites. He studied Crystal-driven technology leading to the invention of firearms. His subjugation of Azurr was swift, requiring less than a year to demolish decades of civilization. Out of the ashes rose Ingram in the north, the capital chosen to house the White Peristylium as Paradis made his formal declaration of empire. The subsequent conquest of Cetme had the realm take notice, as the expansionist Milites ushered in a new era of force in Orience.

The mass production of firearms saw the subjugation of the outlands, but imperial expansion also necessitated new technologies. Milites made inroads to Berith and inadvertently engaged the paladins of the Lorican Alliance, suffering casualties in close range combat. In 214, four years prior to the breakout of hostilities, the empire had developed the Crystal (or "C-") Engine—a motor to power mobile artillery. As the first airships were conceived, the advent of mechanization in warfare changed combat forever.

The imperial machines were suits of armor whose cannons tore the Lorican lines to shreds from afar. Imperial forces penetrated the Lorican heartland before the Black Tortoise l'Cie stifled the imperial advance and brought about an armistice. The alliance poured its efforts into combating the Crystal-powered imperial weapons and devised a means of imbuing arms and armor with the Black Tortoise Crystal's energy. The Arms of Agito could fell the formerly invincible imperial war machines, and once enough knightly orders had been outfitted, Lorica declared war on Milites on 301.

The armies again clashed in the sandy region of Berith, and with their new equipment the Loricans overwhelmed the empire. Alliance knights pursued the fleeing imperial troops into their homeland, but were driven out of imperial lands by White Tiger l'Cie, although the knights' Crystal-imbued Arms of Agito saved the alliance army from total destruction at their hands.

After suffering defeat the empire hastened its development of new weapons. Thanks to their C-Engine, the empire was ahead of the alliance in regard to Crystal energy extraction, and imperial researchers introduced a weapon superior to their tanks and dreadnoughts: magitek armor. The imperial government installed enormous, high-output C-Engines throughout the state to extract energy from the Crystal that distributed the energy to smaller C-Engines, which then used that energy to generate power for the various imperial arms factories. As a result, magitek armor could be mass-produced and the empire sought to test the power of it new mechs.

The Lorican Alliance accepted the Militesi challenge in 315. The Black Paladins took up their Arms of Agito, but could not demonstrate the crushing strength they had shown in the previous war. The alliance army was overwhelmed and the Black Paladins were annihilated. In wars past, the imperial army would have advanced on the Black Peristylium, where the Black Tortoise Crystal would have retaliated with l'Cie. However, because the empire's objective was to test the newly developed MAs, as the alliance army took flight, the empire pulled back.

The border between Milites and Rubrum, the Meroë Region, had been plagued with conflicts, and in 343 RG, one of these border disputes sparked the first war between the two countries. The battle became a contest between magic and mechs, but the dominion's spells had little effect on the empire's magitek armor. The empire nearly routed the dominion out of Meroë before the dominion's First Independent Summoning Regiment summoned Ifrit who drove back the imperial army and led the dominion to victory.

Steeled and strengthened through centuries of war, each Crystal-State had developed formidable fighting forces convincing each head-of-state of the possibility of unifying Orience under one banner. The waning of the Crystals' power drove the four state leaders to expedite their war efforts, even if extracting energy from the Crystals exacerbated their deterioration. Fearing the weakening of the Crystals to be permanent, each nation sought to annihilate the others.

As the Great Orience War commenced Milites focused on attacking the dominion, prompting Lorica to deploy its troops to the empire. Having driven the dominion out of Meroë Region, the empire continued its advance into the Iscah Region. The alliance tried seizing the Berith Region, but the king and the Black Paladins left Jubanla Region for Iscah to see how the King's Sword and Armor would fare in combat: special arms developed with the power of the Black Tortoise Crystal. They were met by the Vermilion Bird l'Cie Kiyosaki who engaged the Lorican King, and the empire lost more than half of its magitek armor fleet in the clash between the king and the l'Cie.

With the alliance approaching from the north, and the imperial fleet in shambles, Militesi territory was vulnerable—but with the help of its l'Cie, the empire escaped the plight. The Crystals began deteriorating even faster due to the replenishment the weapons, armor, and magic, and through the creation of l'Cie. As the power of all four Crystals was waning, on Ventusmens IV in the year 359, the four nations ordered a ceasefire and began preparations for a peace treaty. Pax Codex prohibiting the use of l'Cie in war was drawn up in 361, and in 448 the four peristylia drew up a non-governmental pledge of non-aggression, known as the Fabula Pact.

When the emperor went missing in 832, Marshal Cid Aulstyne took over government affairs as well as the White Peristylium. In truth, the marshal had had the emperor imprisoned, and enacted a coup d'etat to become the nation's ruler. The White Tiger Crystal fell into his hands, and the marshal came up with a way to subjugate it and thus enslave its l'Cie.

Once the marshal had seized the Militesi throne, skirmishes began erupting between the empire and the dominion border cities and villages gradually intensifying until the imperial army razed a dominion village in 841. The Dominion Central Command deployed a task force to assault an imperial city in retaliation. When a White Tiger l'Cie appeared near the borde, fearing another clash between l'Cie, the leaders of both armies quieted their troops.

The empire devised a three-part campaign to invade the dominion in 842. The first phase was Operation Solar Eclipse, in which Brigadier General Qator Bashtar would lead a blitzkrieg attack on the Vermilion Peristylium from the ocean. Accompanied by the provisional First Airmobile Force and a l'Cie-piloted magitek armor, his objective was to force the dominion capital of Akademeia to surrender.

In the second phase, the empire's main force would invade Iscah, the town where the dominion's primary defenses were stationed. The dominion troops received orders to report to the capital moments after the battle began and as the dominion legionaries retreated, and imperial troops seized the dominion's western half with minimal casualties.

The third and final phase involved deploying a fleet of dreadnoughts to infiltrate the dominion's central and eastern regions. The empire had to transport personnel and MAs via airship. Milites anticipated an unrelenting local resistance, but the Rubrum legionaries fled to defend their capital, and the empire conquered the central and eastern regions of the dominion unimpeded.

Cid used the Militesi government to break the Pax Codex and sent the Militesi forces alongside the White Tiger Secundus l'Cie Qun'mi Tru'e to invade the dominion. The empire's new weapon, developed by Cid with the help of Qun'mi and the White Tiger Crystal, crystal jammer, is deployed to the dominion capital and magic academy of Akademeia to disable the Rubrum army's magic by cutting them off from the Vermilion Bird Crystal. Cadets from what would become known as Class Zero destroy the crystal jammers, as they can wield magic independent of the Crystal, and Qun'mi, Qator and the Militesi forces are driven out of Akademeia. Impressed by Class Zero's prowess, the dominion administration deploys the cadets to help regain Rubrum Region from the empire.

Though the empire failed to capture the dominion capital and the Vermilion Peristylium, the Ultima Bomb deployed on Lorican Alliance obliterates the nation and its Black Peristylium. The empire sets to recover the Black Tortoise Crystal from the ruins with Cid Aulstyne declaring Milites will become Agito, the fabled savior of Orience, and choose a new path for Orience to garner support from his people for the war.

Rumors spread that the White Tiger Crystal is fading and the empire wants to siphon energy from the other Crystals. Milites lacks many resources, unlike Rubrum, whose Vermilion Bird Crystal still shines strong. The White Tiger Crystal powers the empire's armaments making them the premier military power in Orience. Milites is the only Crystal Nation to have subjugated their Crystal, and thus, its l'Cie, who are deployed to war to support the imperial troops. This shocks the other nations, as l'Cie are known to not meddle with mortal affairs. The other Crystals respond by deploying their l'Cie against the empire.

After the dominion reclaims the Rubrum Region from around Akademeia with the help of Agito Cadets who have been enrolled into the military to help in the war effort, they turn their sights on the stronghold of Togoreth, strategically important location for the dominion. Ready to reclaim it at all costs, the dominion storms the stronghold and disables its defensive system, gaining an upper hand. Though General Bashtar defends it with his new magitek armor, the Gabriel is still a prototype and he is forced to flee. The White Tiger Primus l'Cie Nimbus is summoned, but the Vermilion Bird sends its own Primus l'Cie to intercept him, Zhuyu Voghfau Byot. Togoreth is obliterated in the l'Cie's clash and Milites loses Togoreth Region.

After the battle both the dominion and the empire try to recover from the losses and neither can mobilize for a time. Because the dominion lost fewer personnel, the legions resume military activity sooner, and set their new objective to liberate the town of Keziah. Given the base's remote location, Milites is unable to easily dispatch reinforcements to assist the small squad charged with defending the town, and it is lost to the dominion. Soon the Northern Togoreth Region is also lost as the dominion cooperates with the Kingdom of Concordia to liberate Mi-Go.

Milites loses Iscah when the dominion sends a cadet task force to cut off power from the town by infiltrating its subterranean waterways and planting Magicite bombs to take out the dynamos that power the city. As the Militesi forces scramble to restore power, the dominion legions storm the city and reclaim it.

The imperial army dispatches several units to the ruins of the Lorican Alliance to seize the Black Tortoise Crystal. Believing the entire population annihilated, Imperial Central Command anticipated a bloodless occupation. Yet, the empire was met with a small group of surviving paladins who put forth a valiant effort before ultimately falling to the imperial forces. The remaining survivors are reported executed, but in truth some end up in Militesi hands as test subjects, such as Supersoldier Akkad. The imperial units retrieve the Crystal and take it back to Milites.

The dominion army deploys newly mobilized troops to its recently acquired base at Iscah. Having lost its occupation headquarters in Rubrum, the imperial army fears it might be driven out of the dominion. Local Militesi officials request for reinforcements from Ingram and the empire lands the first strike against the legions at Iscah, but fail to capture the base. The empire meets with a Vermilion counteroffensive, and the Limbo Stronghold falls to the dominion. Imperial troops retreat from the Iscah Region.

Imperial officials reorganize at Renown Base in Meroë to combine the troops who retreated with reinforcements from the capital. The imperial army obtained a briefcase containing classified dominion military information during their occupation of Rubrum, but dominion legions discover the team responsible for transporting the case to Milites. A pursuit and subsequent battle ensue, and the legionaries chase the imperial squad into the Rokol Caverns. Class Zero is deployed to recover the stolen documents.

Class Zero is sent to destroy the imperial prototype magitek armor in the Steelworks manufacturing plant near the imperial capital of Ingram. The cadets infiltrate the factory and destroy the Brionac designed to deploy the Ultima Bomb, but are overpowered by the White Tiger Crystal Primus l'Cie, Nimbus. Queen Andoria of the Kingdom of Concordia invokes the Fabula Pact forged between the nations' peristylia hundreds of years ago. Nimbus ceases his attack and the queen declares an armistice in the name of the god Pulse. Cid Aulstyne watches the spectacle from a balcony, finding the queen invoking the pact "quaint."

Chancellor Khalia Chival VI of Rubrum travels to Ingram to partake in the peace talks, but the ceasefire is short-lived as Queen Andoria is assassinated and the blame os placed on the cadets of Class Zero who had been given leave in Ingram. The chancellor and his entourage return to Rubrum as the war is to continue immediately, but the cadets are ambushed in the Armada Hotel by imperial troops and must fight their way through Ingram to escape.

The King of Concordia, whose title is more of a figurehead, schemed to overthrow Andoria, and when she is assassinated, he assumes control of the nation and forms an alliance with the empire to retaliate against the Dominion of Rubrum for their supposed role in Andoria's death. Thus the Azure Dragon Crystal falls into Militesi hands. Facing invasion from two sides, the dominion works to secure its borders at Meroë and Eibon Regions, but the empire puts up little resistance as it is planning a simultaneous invasion with Concordia, forcing Rubrum to split its army to wage war on two fronts.

The dominion deploys nearly 300,000 legionaries to the imperial border—approximately 80% of the dominion army. With the inclusion of their newly formed 106th and 107th Companies, the imperial forces double the dominion legions in size and easily breach the dominion's front line. The dominion deploys troops behind the imperial forces to disrupt their rear guard and slow the imperial advance, and Class Zero destroys the empire's crystal jammer-mounted MAs. The Vermilion Bird Secundus l'Cie Lady Caetuna summons the Verboten Eidolon Alexander, whose Divine Light obliterates the imperial stronghold. Militesi casualties mounting as high as 180,000, their MAs hopeless against the dominion's Eidolons, the empire is devastated, and morale plummets as the troops withdraw from dominion territory.

Concordia capitulates and the dominion concentrates its forces into taking the empire. Militesi towns fall one by one until dominion troops march on Ingram. Seeing the empire's surrender inevitable, a Militesi scientist fits a prototype Ultima Bomb to General Qator Bashtar's magitek armor intending to wipe out both the capital and the invading forces. Realizing the ploy, and not wanting to see Ingram destroyed, Bashtar flies his MA to the atmosphere where the bomb detonates clear of the city. As Cid Aulstyne watches the bomb light up the sky he realizes Bashtar has perished and the empire has lost the war. As he flees Rubrum conquers the White Peristylium and Orience is united under the banner of the Vermilion Bird.

The dominion's victory celebrations are short as Tempus Finis commences and the Rursan Reavers lay waste to Orience. Cid Aulstyne has a White Tiger l'Cie take him to Pandæmonium, the Land of Judgment that appears at the end of the world where the Judge is said to make the Final Decision on the world's fate: if there is no Agito Orience will be destroyed. Class Zero follows and find Cid has been turned into the Rursan Arbiter, the Judge, by the fal'Cie Gala, and deems the cadets unfit to be Agito. The cadets fell Cid and stall Tempus Finis, but in its aftermath the light of the Crystals fades. It is unknown what comes of Milites in this new world where mankind can no longer rely on the power of the Crystals.

Locations

 * Ingram
 * Armada Hotel
 * Azurr District
 * Azurr
 * Arwen Airbase
 * Frosti Base
 * Morina Base
 * Mt. Nesher
 * Cetme District
 * Cetme
 * Mt. Klimov
 * West Nesher District
 * Bazz
 * Mt. Acrid
 * East Nesher District
 * Gewehr Base
 * Veill Desolands
 * Silent Key

Military
The empire has the largest military of all of Orience with numerous armies with hundreds of thousands of troops under its command. The army is strengthened by the White Tiger Crystal that augments the imperial armaments. Officers usually stay back and issue commands to their subordinates and provide troopers with various enchantment sera. The empire has a fleet of magitek armor that often serve as the main offensive force of the armored divisions, and an artillery squad, navy and an air force, as well as advanced weapons like the crystal jammer and the Ultima Bomb.

Some troops are enhanced by special armor created from engineering a device that extracts energy from the Crystal, resulting in augmented supersoldiers. The test soldiers from this project are known as "freaks" as they tended to lose their sanity. Milites captured many Lorican survivors from the remains of their homeland and brainwashed them, transforming them into living weapons of war, reducing them to shells into which the imperial army has poured an insatiable bloodlust. Having lost autonomy, the brainwashed Loricans follow orders without question. The most popular among them is Supersoldier Akkad, one of the Ultima Bomb survivors who tried to protect the Black Tortoise Crystal from falling in the empire's hands.

The imperial military's dreadnoughts are officially designed as "airborne warships" and have been included as the empire's primary source of aerial firepower ever since the founding of the imperial air force. Unlike the dominion military, the empire utilizes its airships to provide air-to-ground offensive support as well as transport magitek armor and soldiers, so these craft are bigger and more heavily armed than the ones employed by the dominion.

At the onset of the war, the empire's main strength was its fleet of Warrior MAs that could handle regular dominion legionaries, but lose against the dominion's Eidolons. In response imperial scientists devised the heavily armored Colossus and the airborne Helldiver MA models, which in turn helped spur the development of other models which would aid the anti-dominion offensive, namely the Dáinsleif operated by the l'Cie Qun'mi fitted with a prototype crystal jammer, and the prototype Gabriel, General Qator Bashtar's MA, equipped with a magic shield capable of neutralizing the dominion's spells.

The crystal jammer was invented by Marshal Aulstyne himself, and cuts the opposition forces off their Crystal. This weapon does not work against Class Zero whose cadets use magic independent of the Vermilion Bird Crystal. The prototype version could only be operated by a l'Cie, but a more advanced model is developed that can be operated by mortals.

The Ultima Bomb is the empire's ultimate weapon, able to annihilate entire countries if set off. The bomb detonates over the Black Peristylium was augmented by the l'Cie Qun'mi, and one that explodes over Ingram airspace doesn't seem like it had equivalent power leading to speculation about the the real potential of the prototype weapon.

The military is led by Marshal Cid Aulstyne who can even deploy White Tiger l'Cie to do his bidding because he holds the White Tiger Crystal hostage. Numerous generals work under him to lead the campaigns on the ground.

Musical Themes
"Show of Power" plays in many cutscenes involving the Militesi Empire.

An arranged version called "Arms of Steel" plays in the empire's territories on the world map. Another version of the theme titled "White Thunder" is the theme of General Qator Bashtar.

Etymology
The nations of Orience are based on the Four Symbols.

The country's attributes and qualities are symbolism to one of the animals of the Four Symbols. Representing the west, the nation is situated in the westernmost region of Orience. Representing the season of Autumn, the nation boasts a continuous overcast sky, with an upper continental climate. Aligned with the Wu Xing element of Metal, the White Tiger Crystal manifests its use through technology and machinery, as metal is a material common in innovative uses. Metal being the prime material for weaponry, it is also symbolic of martial force and death. The White Tiger traditionally represents the general and military might in Chinese tradition.

Trivia

 * Milites Empire uses a writing system that resembles Norse runes.
 * Milites Empire's use of the Ultima Bomb on the Lorican Alliance is similar to that of use of atomic bombs by America on Japan.