Exar

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Exar
Original Name	艾克萨尔
Other Names	Kingdom of Exar; Exar Theocracy; Exar Theocracy Empire, reflecting different periods of rule 21 439 779
Type	Country 179 801
Location	Kandewen Continent, south of the Gard Empire 779 895 896
Leadership	Originally the Exar Royalty, subsequently the Church, and later Mel Carlo's Commoner Army 439 779 827
Status	Unified under Mel Carlo, with former noble territories brought under national administration 827 833
First Appearance	Named in Mel's recollection of the world map 21

Geography

• Mountainous terrain: Exar has many mountain ranges, making it more suitable for concealment than Gard. Saik confirms that troops retreating through the eastern Grass Plains and the great forest can reach Exar 726.
• Northern border: Mountain passes connect Exar and Gard. Securing these passes is central to preventing renewed Gardian advances 827 885.
• Dragon Spine Ridge: Identified by Kain's long-eared archer companion as the only entrance to the Dragon Mountain Range; other approaches are sheer cliffs 649.
• Western Exar Island: A major strategic territory nearly the size of Demon King Island. Its surrounding straits complicate military operations 264.

Notable Locations and Routes

Location / Route	Significance
Hess City	Base of Freli's rise to territorial power and location of the Bernardo Manor, where Chocolate later seeks Mel 185 190 665
Bayar region canyon	Site selected by Mel for an ambush against the returning lord's army during Freli's campaign 185
Western Exar Island	Divided between royal and demon control during the royal–Church conflict; retained royal territory serves as a possible refuge 264
East Veer Island	Refuge for Saik and royal forces after the Church overthrows the monarchy; the exiles remain divided by infighting 696
Trade route east of Moon Lake	Allows direct travel to Gard's Imperial City after the war between the two countries ceases 439
Sun Lake shipping route	Used for southbound travel to Exar; Kain is advised to combine train, boat, and horse travel when searching for Lily 649

History

Royal–Church War

Exar's monarchy and Church fight for control of the country. During this conflict, Freli exploits the disorder to seize Hess Territory, while Mel helps him attack royal-aligned nobles. Mel clashes with the Sixth Prince over demands for obedience and later participates in his capture 179 185 190 441.

The royal family also faces pressure from the demon race. Internal rebellion forces it to make peace with the demons, leaving part of Western Exar Island under demon control. Kiriri argues that the remaining royal territory is too important to surrender because it offers a fallback if the Church wins on the mainland 264.

Establishment of the Theocracy

The Church defeats the monarchy, and the royal family flees overseas. The victorious Pope establishes the Exar Theocracy Empire. Royal remnants retain an intense hatred of both the Church and noble families that supported it; the Fourth Prince hides within Gard Royal Academy 439 779.

The settlement does not remove the possibility of rebellion. Unevenly redistributed interests leave dissatisfied nobles, while surviving royals provide a potential rallying point. Saik eventually abandons restoration efforts, concluding that the exiled royalty is hopelessly divided and that people living under Church rule do not want its return 440 696 722.

Papal Succession Crisis

In spring of Imperial Calendar 220, the Pope dies from grave injuries inflicted by the Demon King. His designated successor has already been assassinated, and disagreement over choosing a replacement produces a Church schism and internal war 779.

Without a new Pope, regional bishops and other Church personnel increasingly disregard central authority. Exar's nobles assemble armies, while the Envy Witch massacres Church personnel in a frontline city despite its defensive array 803.

Commoner Army Conquest

Claire Bernardo uses the crisis to expand the Commoner Army's holdings and secure shipping lanes. She directs southern forces northward, while Saik leads the other arm of an offensive intended to join their territories and divide eastern Exar 779 781 802 803.

Saik brings 10,000 soldiers through an encirclement and joins the Bernardo forces. After the noble army collapses, the Commoner Army controls central Exar and the entire southeastern region, with Gard still holding northern areas. Reorganization raises the army to 60,000 soldiers, and Mel plans a winter offensive to finish taking the country 809.

Gard's main army subsequently withdraws. Mel captures the northern cities and persuades the Gardian general holding the border passes to surrender, completing Exar's pacification. He then postpones further expansion because the newly unified country needs administrative recovery and stabilization 827 833.

Government and Society

Political Systems

Period	Authority	Defining Features
Monarchy	Exar Royalty	Royal rule supported by nobles and the Royal Knights; displaced by the Church 179 439 696
Theocracy	Pope and Church	Founded after the monarchy's defeat; destabilized by the Pope's death and disputed succession 779 803
Commoner Army administration	Mel Carlo and his commanders	Noble fiefs and small feudal states abolished; all regions placed under Exar's administration 809 833

Reforms and Institutions

• End of hereditary territorial rule: Mel eliminates local noble and petty-king jurisdictions rather than preserving them within the new government 833.
• Trials of nobles: Surrender does not allow nobles to retain their former status. Trials continue after the Commoner Army's territories are joined 809.
• Conditional peaceful integration: Some noble families voluntarily surrender and purge wrongdoers within their own clans. Mel accepts peaceful transitions where possible rather than pursuing indiscriminate purges 877.
• Church-affiliated education: Exar sends students from a Church-affiliated academy to the academy competition, accompanied by a bishop 477.

Economy and Development

• Bernardo trade network: The Bernardo Merchant Guild supplies transport along the route to Gard. During the earlier conflict, much of Freli's personnel is assigned to maritime transport because the land border is difficult to cross 212 439.
• Military resources: One-third of Exar's territory can sustain the reorganized 60,000-strong Commoner Army 809.
• Industrialization: Mel promotes factories and new knowledge. Exar's rapid development alarms Gard's Emperor Pelo, who considers controlling its factories to protect grain-tax revenue 869.
• Scholarly reception: Books circulating with merchant caravans receive praise from many scholars, adding to Pelo's fear of Mel's influence 869.
• Agricultural surplus: After the harvest, Exar sells surplus grain to the Kingdom of Krun 885.
• Strategic trade pressure: The Commoner Army's north–south offensive is intended to cut trade to the Volcanic Island, the Dwarf kingdom 802.

Military and Foreign Relations

Armed Forces

• Royal Knights: The monarchy's military order. Saik serves as acting commander before its overthrow and later becomes a senior Commoner Army commander 696 803.
• Templar Knight Order: Church forces opposing Freli during the royal–Church war; an attack by this order forces him to retreat 179.
• Commoner Army: Reorganized into two corps after linking its northern holdings with Bernardo territory. Mel personally commands one corps 809.
• Mage-heavy elite forces: Exar has many powerful mages but lacks outstanding physical attackers, creating difficulties against enemies with strong magic immunity 837.
• Firearms: Saik's forces, called the Peace Army during the frontline campaign, use intersecting fields of fire to stop and defeat the Gardian Imperial Knight Order's cavalry charge 889.

Gard Empire

Relations with Gard alternate between war, reopened trade, and renewed confrontation. The border is heavily controlled during Mel's early stay in Exar, but a later ceasefire permits travel through the route east of Moon Lake 212 439.

After unification, Exar's position places direct military pressure on Gard. Mel considers advancing north but accepts Saik's warning that further conquest would exceed their immediate capacity to govern. Later, after neutralizing the Demon King's army as a threat, he proposes attacking Gard with Exar's army and demon forces from opposite directions 833 860.

Associated Figures

• Mel Carlo — Helps Freli establish his territory, later leads the Commoner Army's conquest of Exar and abolishes its feudal subdivisions 441 827 833.
• Claire Bernardo — Directs territorial expansion during the papal succession crisis and leads the southern forces in the unification campaign 779 781 802.
• Freli Bernardo — Merchant who exploits the royal–Church war to establish himself as a territorial lord in Hess 185 190 441.
• Saik — Former acting commander of the Exar Royal Knights; abandons royal restoration and becomes a leading Commoner Army commander 696 722 803.
• Guweiste — Archmage from Exar who travels north and intervenes against the Dark Spirit possessing Ye Ke Darian 439 480.
• Sixth Prince — Royal claimant who demands Mel's submission; later captured during Mel's work against the royal faction 179 441.
• Fourth Prince — Royal exile living incognito at Gard Royal Academy after the monarchy's defeat 439 464.