Prologue
25th of February, 1007
The Emperor sighed deeply as he sank into the seat of his private train car, the soft cushions feeling blissful on his tired bones. The meeting regarding various protests breaking out over the new Imperial Railway over the high price of tickets had dragged on for way too long and predictably ended with the consensus that the Imperial court would merely “Keep an eye on the protests and see what they could do about the ticket pricing”. Another pointless meeting that Grover the Vth didn’t want to attend but was required to oversee.
As he settled into his seat, Grover took off his heavy crown and placed it on the stand next to him, relaxing as he felt both a literal and metaphorical weight being lifted off of him. While he was only 47, Grover could feel his health failing as each day passed on. With the Empire almost completely collapsing in the Revolution of 978 when he was only 18 years old, his reign had been a hellish nightmare as he not only struggled with his inherently sickly nature but also tried to keep the Empire from fading from existence. It was no secret that many griffons hated him, yet he tried his hardest to be a good Emperor...an effort that few recognized.
Turning his gaze beyond the window, Grover gazed over the fields of central Herzland whizzing by as the train continued it’s journey back to Griffenheim. This railroad tour around the empire had been exhausting for him, yet he couldn’t help but enjoy the natural beauty of his realm. From the green fields and the majestic and powerful Grifking river flowing through the middle of the Empire to the dark yet enchanting woods of the Barony of Angriver...if only every griffon could see the realm like he did. It was too bad that while the land itself was beautiful, the griffons lording over it were cursed with greed and ambition.
Grover’s blood boiled when he thought of the griffons that currently ran the Empire, splitting it into their own petty fiefdoms while only officially recognizing Imperial authority. The nobles sought only to line their own pockets while he tried desperately to push reforms to help his subjects. The Emperor knew that he was the only thing keeping the Empire from falling apart all together, but that was merely because he existed. And judging by his health recently, every griff knew that he would not exist for much longer.
As his health crossed his mind, the sickly Emperor’s thoughts drifted to his son. Barely a chick at four years of age, he was one of the few lights left in Grover’s world. Despite his incredibly young age, the little Grover displayed a distinct sharpness and curiosity that filled his father with hope. The Emperor desperately wanted to live as long as possible, for he knew that once he died, the Empire might not hold itself long enough for his son to ascend to the throne. But if Grover could live long enough, the Regency would be short enough to give his son a chance to be a truly great Emperor.
Despite the warm feeling of thinking of the future potential for his son, Grover soon succumbed to a horrible coughing fit that left him feeling sore and incredibly tired. It seemed that despite his desperate wishes, Boreas had other ideas for the ailing Emperor. Getting to his feet, the Emperor slowly made his way over to the bed that was graciously provided in his room and climbed into it, feeling slightly better now that he was lying down. A short nap would help him recover his strength and make it to Griffenheim …
Eros hummed quietly to himself as he looked through the latest reports from the other Archons. More of the same...some promising griffons becoming priests, a steady decline in temple attendance, and attempted interference in the Archonate’s affairs in some of the autonomous provinces in the Empire. Closing his eyes, the 93 year old griffon rubbed the bridge of his beak as he leaned back in his chair, soaking in what he had just read. What worried the elderly Archon the most was the final portion of the report dealing with the attempts to subvert the Archonate’s authority...heresy that in any other time would be swiftly and harshly dealt with. Yet now he could do nothing but compose a strongly worded condemnation, maybe talk with His Imperial Majesty when he returned from his train tour of the Empire.
What a sad state of affairs the Empire had found itself in...long gone were the days where all griffons would regularly attend temple service, where griffons looked towards the heavens for guidance. Maybe that was a result of modernity...or maybe that was a result of the moral decadence that plagued the land. All Eros knew was that Boreas was punishing the Empire for it’s fading piety, cursing the land and its population to a painfully slow decline and that something must be done about it.
Opening his eyes again, the Archon pushed the report aside and pulled out a quill and parchment, sighing deeply as he prepared a reply to his fellow Archons. He’d have to respond with the same thing he had sent to address the last report, an explanation that he’d bring it up with the Emperor and try and get him to make a speech denouncing the heathens that would dare try to interfere with the affairs of the Gods Messengers. It was deeply unfortunate, yes, but given the current situation his hands were truly tied.
He was about to begin writing when a knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. Irritated, he turned his attention to the oak door leading into his study. “What is it?” the elderly griffon snapped. There were a few moments of silence before the voice of a young guard answered him. “Your Holiness...I just got a call from Benito. He says the Emperor has fallen into a coma, and he’s been rushed to the palace hospital.” the voice reported. Upon hearing this, Eros dropped his quill in surprise, quickly feeling a tide of emotions crashing over him. The Emperor...was in a coma?
It was hard to believe...Emperor Grover the Vth might finally be passing on. Eros remembered leading the then 18 year old Emperor through the secret passageways of the Imperial Palace to flee the Republicans that were rampaging through the capital in the Revolution of 978...how he promised that the Emperor would be okay and no harm would come to him. Yet...here he was now, hearing how the Emperor was soon to embrace the claws of Boreas himself. Finding the strength to stand, the Archon made his way to the door, opening it to reveal the guard standing there, anxiously waiting for a reply. The Archon looked at the poor griff in front of him silently for a few moments before motioning for the guard to follow him and making his way down the hallway.
“I want you to call the rest of the Archons and tell them to make their way to Griffenheim post haste. Tell the Archons and only the Archons, we cannot allow the general public to know of this yet. We must pray for His Majesty.... For his fate rests with Boreas now.”
It never ceased to amaze Dutchess Gabriella Eagleclaw how beautiful Griffenheim looked from the air. From the massive ornate sprawl of the Imperial Palace to the modest brick and mortar apartment buildings and workshops that went on for miles and miles. Even the Grand Temple of Boreas, easily the largest building in the city stood majestically amongst the urban sprawl inspiring awe in the Dutchess despite the decrepit Archon who inhabited it. Such a breathtaking city would be a perfect place to live if only the griffons that inhabited it weren't so insufferable.
Making her way to the front gate of the Imperial Palace, the pink griffoness landed gracefully, smiling as the Imperial Guard at the gate gave her a salute before pulling open the massive golden gates. A refreshing flight after spending so long cooped up on the train from Readewetter worked wonders for her mental state as she would need it to face the bickering of the meeting of the next Council of Nobles. Making her way through the sprawling outer complex of gardens and administrative buildings into the main palace itself, the Dutchess hummed quietly to herself as her thoughts drifted to what was on the agenda today. The most pressing matter was the addressment of the increasingly hostile Archonate. Infuriated at Griffenheim’s attempts to reduce the budget going to the construction of yet more fancy and elaborate temples throughout the Empire, the Archons called the council's efforts “An affront to the Gods” and claimed that the nobles only wanted to stuff their pockets at the expense of the faithful..
It was no secret that the nobility of the Empire was corrupt, after all it was that corruption that nearly saw the end of the empire itself in the Republican Revolution of 978. While it was true that Gabriella had led the counter-coup that overthrew the new Republican government only a year after it’s inception and reinstated the Empire, she did it in opposition to the violent and targeted persecution of nobles in the months following the Revolution. Yet in doing so, she had enabled the corruption to continue, a cancer that continued to strangle the Empire to this day.
Despite the fact that she hated the corruption of the nobility, Gabriella knew that the Archonate was not much better. Draining so much money from the Imperial budget, the Archons indulged in all sorts of pleasures with the money they embezzled by buying super pricey estates, building unnecessarily lavish temples and funding incredibly expensive excursions to the countryside under the guise of visiting the faithful. Stealing in the name of the Gods...it made Gabriella sick to her stomach.
Turning the corner leading to the Council room, Gabriella was about to make her way down the hall to the room when the sound of a griffon running towards her from behind forced her to spin around. There she saw one of the Imperial guards, red in the face as he seemed to have run quite the distance to reach her. Raising an eyebrow, Gabriella waited for the exhausted guard to catch his breath, not saying a word as she waited for him to give her the report.
Once the young griff caught his breath, he pulled out a note from his pack and handed it to the Dutchess. Gingerly taking the parchment, she looked it over before her expression changed drastically, a wave of emotions crashing over her at once.
Grover the Vth, her cousin and one of her closest friends had gone into a coma.
Hello, and welcome to Griffonia at War! This is my first real story on the site since...gosh 2016. Since then, I haven't really done anything in the ways of writing creatively, or hell, even watched the show. Despite that...here we are.
I just wanted to say, to all of you who read this thank you for taking the time to read it. While I've always wanted to write a story based on my experiences playing Equestria at War, I never really got around to it until now when I replayed the Griffon Empire with a friend of mine. Throughout the game, I kept tabs on the important dates where countries fell, then started fashioning a story in my head.
If you're wondering what to expect in the future...trust me, there will be war in the future, as the Empire is far too gone to be reunified peacefully. But with this story, I wanted to explore the more...griffon side of the unification. I want to follow the politics, the efforts to fight corruption, the coronation amongst other things.
Sorry for rambling...I promise future author's notes will be far shorter, but once again thank you for reading my fic! Make sure to call out spelling or grammatical tips in the comments below, and I'll be sure to correct them as you point them out.
One last thing before I go, I'm currently working on the next chapter. With any luck, I look to pushing out a chapter a week, but if I don't then I ask that you forgive me, I'm notorious for being lazy 
[EDIT: 5/14/21: I made a few edits throughout the chapter, so it should be slightly better to read. Again, point out any and all edits you think I should make in the comments below and I'll make sure to get to them as soon as possible.
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Excellent start! I'm not familiar with the EaW mod myself, but you did a great job setting up the characters and the history. These are some really interesting characters - I'm super excited to see where you take them!
awesome chapter mate keep it up cant wait for the next chapter
soloquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Motivational-Quotes-Stay-Amazing.jpg
Ho Yes I have been waiting for a story like this for a long long time it would be incredibly depressing if it just stood there forever incomplete or worse canceled #Dutches Gabriella FTW
Btw If you play the Griffonian empire to the end of its focus tree [1021 I think it was] that would mean the archon is 93+20 YEARS old
10785093
Yeah, it's a bit nutty. I love what they did with Griffonia, but I don't think they thought about how characters age that much. They hint at it with Gabby retiring, but never quite get it so you get these ancient ass griffons living way longer than they should lmao
Oh I remember the times where I've played as the Griffon Empire on EaW, I'd be interested to know which path wins and how some news is reacted to by whoever is in charge. And if I do remember right, there's a third path that this could take but however it focuses more with the university country to its south going down a certain focus. I believe this is not going down that route so I'm quite eager to see just where this goes, and see through the eyes of the griffons in some situations too.
Yeet the child
Yay! My favorite nation! We need more stories about the Griffon Empire :)
Will be tracking this!
10785106
But if you take the 3rd not so secret path i will be incredibly disappointed with you
I was looking for a story that would show how to write about a war. I hope this continues, I really need some inspiration on this topic.
10785181
The Yale paths (the supremacist ones to be exact) are incredibly fun, however you are correct in the fact that they will not happen in this fic. This fic is focusing on the Imperial regents and the Empire
10786513
You heartless monster.
10786885
I'm glad that you're looking to this fic for inspiration on how warfare plays, but I'll have to caution you that actual warfare may take a while to actually portray. However, if you wish, you can DM me and I'll give you immediate tips on how to write warfare...I'm not a expert but I'll share with you the tips and tricks I use when writing war fics.
10787212
Personally, I just read and watch to learn mostly, which is why I hope this story continues.
10788066
Fair enough, I hope you enjoy what I cook up then!
nice! which Regent are you gonna pick? His Holiness Eros or her Majestrate Gabrilla?
10791662
Secret
A story about the Griffonian Empire? Based. Here's hoping I see my favorite Feathisian Duke
10792595
Man!!! I can’t wait to see your next chapter!!