Lyne

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Lyne Empire; later the Lyne Federation 592
Alias(es)	Lyne; the Lord of Dawn’s earthly divine kingdom 157
Founder	Arthur Lyne, later revered as the Saint King 247 569
Government	Hereditary imperial system for over 1,700 years; abolished in favor of a council-led federation of forty-three autonomous states 592
Location	Central Continent; bordered by the Emerald Dream Forest, Golden Country, Alchemy City/Silver Moon High Court route, Unholy Anthem, and the Orc Mountain Kingdom 203
Affiliation	Lord of Dawn and the Holy Light faith 118 157
Occupation/Role	Major human power and longtime military hegemon of the Continent 203 324
Status	Imperial rule abolished; reorganized as the Lyne Federation 592
First Appearance	Chapter 39 39

History

Founding and early rule

Arthur Lyne founded the empire after defeating the Demon Dragon, suppressing the remaining Dragon race and dismantling the Dragon Worship Cult. Under his rule, Lyne aided the Dwarves, Orcs, and Druids in establishing their own nations; relations between the Continent’s intelligent races were once notably cooperative. 247

Arthur ruled for less than thirty years before apparently abdicating at nearly eighty. In reality, he had been afflicted with the Dragon Blood Curse: fragments of the Dragon Tyrant’s soul hid within him, forcing Arthur to disappear so the Tyrant could not take control. 247 272

Arthur returned around age one hundred, but the body was controlled by the Dragon Tyrant. Acting on Arthur’s final request, Hildas killed the possessed founder to prevent the Tyrant’s resurrection. 272

Isolation and extremism

Arthur’s disappearance created uncertainty across the Continent. Foreign envoys and merchants entering Lyne were increasingly treated as spies, prompting restrictions on outsiders and contributing to economic decline. 247

After Arthur’s death, relations with other nations worsened sharply. Lyne’s policies progressed from discrimination against outsiders to hostility and enslavement, while the eleventh emperor asserted Lyne’s right to pursue crimes against humans even beyond its borders. 247

The empire’s ruling culture became heavily centered on ancestral prestige, royal bloodline, and resonance with the Dragon Armor. This obsession contributed to increasingly extreme religious and racial policies. 165 569

Imperial crisis

Lyne’s military defeats, internal divisions, and the Dragon Armor’s influence exposed weaknesses beneath its image of unity. The young Emperor Pryce Lyne merged with the armor, seized control through violence, and later lost his humanity by becoming a Dragon Soul. 363 462

The revelation of the Demon Dragon’s influence and Arthur Lyne’s final sacrifice caused a collapse of public faith. More than one million Lyne citizens—especially Paladins—committed suicide within roughly half a year, while other nations brought accusations and evidence of Lyne’s past war crimes. 565

James Watson mobilized young seminary graduates to stabilize civilian affairs, while Allen Watson took responsibility for diplomacy and preventing foreign invasions during the empire’s collapse. 565

Abolition of the empire

Allen concluded that Lyne could not continue under an imperial system and proposed a parliamentary state rather than another emperor. 569

Withering Rose, a surviving member of the royal family, was formally crowned as Lyne’s last queen solely to abdicate. She transferred imperial authority to the Lyne Council, ending more than 1,700 years of imperial rule and creating the Lyne Federation. 592

Society and Faith

Lyne’s devotion to the Lord of Dawn shaped daily life, military culture, and public identity. Its cities were marked by Paladins, light clerics, hymns, and a religious atmosphere strong enough for visitors to describe the nation as continuously bathed in Holy Light. 157

• Lyne historically had a far higher proportion of Paladins and light clerics than other nations. 118 157
• The state’s power came not only from devotion, but from advanced research into Holy Light, imitation artifacts, and military technology. 157
• Magical life extension was prohibited; even the empire’s strongest Paladins were expected to age and die naturally. 165
• The empire’s long-running human-supremacist ideology alienated neighboring races and contributed to its eventual diplomatic isolation. 247 565
• The Lord of Dawn’s blessings were understood by some, including Amber Xiu, as favor toward individual believers rather than blanket approval of the empire itself. 247

Government and Royal Line

Lyne’s monarchy formally shared power with offices such as the Supreme Arbiter and other senior officials, while the royal family was barred from extending its lifespan through magic. In practice, the prestige of Arthur Lyne and the Dragon Armor gave the imperial bloodline overwhelming symbolic authority. 273 569

The royal family’s ability to use the Dragon Armor weakened over generations as Arthur Lyne’s bloodline diluted. Emperors produced numerous heirs in search of children capable of resonating with the artifact, a practice that drove the family into coercive and incestuous succession schemes. 165

• Supreme Arbiter — senior judicial office held by James Watson during the imperial crisis; later a key institution in stabilizing Lyne. 273 565
• Lyne Council — received all imperial authority when the royal family abdicated. 592
• Forty-three autonomous states — constituent states of the post-imperial Lyne Federation. 592

Dragon Armor

The Dragon Armor was Lyne’s defining national artifact, forged from the corpse of the Dragon Tyrant and guarded in the royal treasury for seventeen centuries. 362

• Activation — only Arthur Lyne’s bloodline could resonate with and wield it; even Arthur’s Heroic Spirit could not use it. 269
• Concealment — the silver-white armor automatically hid itself once worn. 362
• Time Dragon transformation — its wielder could transform into a Time Dragon and manipulate time. 362
• Strategic value — the armor could reverse time and was considered capable of changing the Continent’s balance of power. 269 324
• Limited historical use — Lyne’s records listed fewer than ten uses over roughly 1,700 years before recent events. 362
• Hidden danger — the Dragon Tyrant’s soul and Arthur Lyne’s bloodline became intertwined within the artifact, allowing Athros to influence later heirs. 272 362

Military

Lyne’s armed forces were renowned for their discipline, wealth, Holy Light support, and concentration of elite combatants. Its conventional warfare doctrine relied on light clerics strengthening the army before Paladins broke the enemy line and mixed troops secured the field. 324 345

Military asset	Known details
Paladin forces	Lyne fielded unusually numerous Paladins, including Legendary Paladins and the elite Silver Moon Knights. 157 203
Light cleric corps	Clerics provided group enhancements and powerful area-of-effect Holy Light magic. 345 390
Regular army	Even excluding major Paladin forces, Lyne possessed approximately 300,000–400,000 elite regular troops. 324
Liuyan City garrison capacity	The southern border city alone could support an army approaching 100,000 personnel. 324
War logistics	Teleportation Arrays enabled rapid resupply; even the destruction of multiple granaries would not critically disrupt the war effort. 325
Order of the Guilty Knights	An elite force that deployed seven Legendary combatants—five Paladins and two light clerics—alongside a full legion. 388

Lyne’s central position placed it beside multiple potential enemies, including the Orcs, Druids, Undead, and neighboring human powers. Its long history of warfare allowed it to dominate its borders, but also left it politically isolated when its internal crisis began. 203 462

Relationships

• Arthur Lyne — founding emperor whose benevolent early reign defined Lyne’s ideals; his disappearance, curse, and later sacrifice shaped the empire’s decline. 247 272 511
• Lord of Dawn — Lyne’s central deity. His faith empowered many of its Paladins, but he later condemned sinful council members and apologized to Withering Rose for Lyne’s historic wrongdoing. 118 592
• Athros / the Dragon Tyrant — ancient enemy whose remains became the Dragon Armor; his soul’s influence corrupted Lyne’s royal succession. 272 362
• Withering Rose — Lyne royal who fled the empire to escape its bloodline policies, later returned as the final queen to formally end the monarchy. 165 592
• Allen Watson — Paladin and reformer who opposed Lyne’s extremism, represented the state during its collapse, and advocated replacing imperial rule with a parliamentary system. 344 565 569
• James Watson — Supreme Arbiter who initially defended Lyne’s stability, then helped manage the empire’s internal recovery after its faith collapsed. 273 565
• Orc Mountain Kingdom — longtime military rival; repeated border wars and later Orc offensives exposed Lyne’s strategic overextension. 203 462
• Undead and Unholy Anthem — ideological enemies of Lyne’s Holy Light state; its attempted conquest of Unholy Anthem became a major military and political disaster. 331 345 350

Notable Quote

“The Lyne Royal Family hereby relinquishes all imperial power and transfers authority to the Lyne Council. From this day forward, Lyne abolishes imperial rule.” 592