Krait Empire

<Note: This is a very WIP article as it has a lot to cover. As it stands now, it's probably only 50% complete at best.>
The Krait Empire is one of the major factions on the Adranis Continent. Separated from the center of the continent by the Boundary Mountain Range, its direct neighbors are the Confederacy, to the north, and Cerazad, to the southeast. The Empire's holdings extend Westward, to the coast of the Nightmare Sea, and all the land to the southwest of the Boundary Mountain Range. The only passable terrain at the southern end of the range is held by Cerazad's military, becoming the Svallin Fortress. The Northern passage is within Confederate territory. The Empire is effectively boxed in.
The Empire holds the largest amount of land out of all the major factions on the continent. And it constantly wants more.
The Immortal Emperor, ruler of the Krait Empire, has a singular goal: unite the continent. His methods are brutal, effective, and time-tested. They have earned the wrath of all other major factions, painting the Empire as a damnable existence on the continent.
In reality, once conquered, the lands of the Empire become a true haven for all who live there. It seems almost to the point of a utopia.

Official Currency

Like everywhere else on the continent, the Empire utilizes copper, silver, and gold coinage. Imperial Marks are coins which have imprints of Imperial scenery, political figures, and the Emperor's likeness engraved onto them. They trade evenly between other nations, as their metal purity is high.
100c = 1s 100s = 1g 100g = 1m
Magic-metals, although rare, are incorporated in currency and frequently traded in international transactions. Mithril, Adamantite, and Orichalcum are respectively worth 100, 10,000, and 1,000,000 gold coins.
Orichalcum is notorious as being impossible to manipulate, but its durability and compatibility with magic would make it well worth the asking price.
The only instance of an orichalcum coin being used was when the Empire presented 2 coins in trade for a particularly prized piece of land, which made up 1/3rd of the Empire's current landmass. This means an Orichalcum sword, if successfully manufactured, would be hypothetically worth more than all of the Empire's land.

Public Agenda

The Krait Empire wishes to unite the entire Adranis continent. This motivation is pushed forward by the Immortal Emperor, a mysterious individual who has lived for a very, very long time.

Military

The military system of the Krait Empire is advanced and complicated. It follows the doctrines of meritocracy and kratocracy in unison, meaning the strongest and the brightest are led to the top of the ladder. Nothing evokes more fear in the heart of the Empire's enemies than an Imperial General entering the frontlines. Although common soldiers aren't placed into ranks within their unit, the Officer ranks designate the elite. Officer's ranking scales similarly to the Adventurer's ranking system, but it's well-known that the criterion for officers are strict, so Imperial Officers chosen for their strength are considered stronger and more disciplined than their adventurer equivalents. Officers chosen for their intellect and ability are considered capable enough to lead a combined force to combat a monster at a similar level.

Naval Rankings:

Ensign (F-class Adventurer equivalent)
Lieutenant (E-class)
Commander (D-class)
Captain (C-class)
Vice-Admiral (B-class)
Admiral (A-class)

Army rankings:

Second Lieutenant (F-class)
First Lieutenant (E-class)
Captain (D-class)
Major (C-class)
Colonel (B-class)
General (A-class)

Technological Level

Most nations on the Adranis continent hold the same level of technology. The industrial revolution has not yet begun, but seems to be just around the corner. Simple efficiency-increasing devices such as looms and furnaces, alongside delicate engineering such as lenses and gears popped up around the continent and were quickly adopted. Electricity is not understood, engines do not exist, and the method to refine steel is not known. But the groundwork is there, and the reality is approaching.
While not the most advanced nation, the Empire is par for the course in all aspects except for one - military.
Through their efforts to create better killing weapons, move their troops faster and more efficiently, and brave the dangerous waters of the Nightmare sea in order to obtain a naval superiority, the Empire has significant improvements in their supply line, manufacturing, and nautical abilities compared to all other nations.
They are the only nation with the technological level to refine magic-metal ore. Mithril and Adamantite are more than just lumps of hard metal in the hands of their smiths, who can create swords capable of cutting through magic, and armor that can't be pierced by the enemy's weapons.

Foreign Relations

To summarize in one word: Abysmal.
But being cooperative, friendly neighbors is not the Empire's goal. They will see to it that every nation under the sun submits to them, be it by force, espionage, or coin. And the surrounding nations know that well.
If Cerazad uses natural barriers of desert and mountain to keep the Empire at bay, the Catal Confederacy uses technology. Advanced defense embankments and a deep knowledge of defensive wars from centuries of conflict with the Empire, anti-siege countermeasures via magical reinforcement, and a surprisingly adept use of Earth-attribute magic has kept the Empire from progressing northwards for the last 200 years. Unless the Empire finds a way through the monster-infested mountain range, or manages to counter Catal's defense, it will not be conquering anything anytime soon.

Agriculture & Industry

Due to the large amount of land it holds, the Empire has bountiful crops, but also lacks in technological prowess. Advanced agricultural techniques such as 4-field crop rotation (which is widely employed in the Catal Confederacy to breed livestock) are widely lost, in favor of more straightforward and wide-scale techniques making use of the large land area. Surplus of one crop leads to another being quickly planted and harvested. The Empire is home to a wide variety of grains, oats, fruits and vegetables sourced from all over the continent. The one blemish on its agricultural record is temporary loss of farmland due to drought, disease, and over-farming, thanks to a lack of variety in types of crop from field to field.
What the Empire might lack in ingenuity and technology, it makes up for in spades with its vast amounts of raw resources. In direct connection with both mountains and sea, the Empire boasts the highest capacity of metals and jewels in its vaults, and impressive trade routes throughout its entire border. Trading across nations is considerably difficult, seeing that most of the Krait Empire's neighbors are their sworn enemies.

The Immortal Empire

Founding Date

Season of Rain, 103.

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Capital

Chira, the Imperial Capital

Alternative Names

"The Empire", "Krait"

Demonym

Imperial

Leader

"The Immortal Emperor"

Government System

Kratocracy

Power Structure

Feudal state

Economic System

Market economy

Official Languages

• Common Language

Controlled Territories

• Nightmare Sea

Neighboring Nations

• Catal Confederacy
• Cerazad