Bright Kingdom

The Empire covering the entire southwest of the continent. It consists of its own original kingdom and some other invaded lands. For the culture of the magic users here, see Magicians .

Structure

The Bright Kingdom is run by the High Magician. They usurped the throne of the original kingdom and took sole control of it, and they are directly responsible for the expansion into an empire. They run the empire as an emperor. They have held onto their position for over a hundred years now. Below the High Magician are the Low Magicians. There are no "Middle Magicians." The High Magician set this up purposefully. The Low Magicians (sometimes just called Magicians in casual conversation) are the ruling force underneath the High Magician, and carry out their commands.

Public Agenda

The High Magician is bent on expanding the empire beyond its borders and covering the continent. They have made many forays into water travel and expeditions to the west; so far, they have found nothing. They desire expansion, and the High Magician wants total control. Total power. Publicly, to the citizens of the Bright Kingdom, the High Magician wants to expand the empire's borders and share their knowledge and wealth with the rest of the people on the continent. The mission of conquering is disguised as compassion and pity for outsiders. They believe those without light are barbaric and unrefined and pitiful. Were the empire to bring light to them, they would be so much happier. Privately, the High Magician hold utter contempt for those outside of the empire. They find them weak and pathetic. Were the empire to expand, all of those people would be brought under the High Magician's control, and they could use them how they wished. All those people with sorcery heavy in their veins, they could so easily be turned into Thralls. They breed contempt in the Low Magicians for sorcerers and this in turn seeps into the general public as well as being taught in schools; over time, the attitude towards outsiders has grown more and more hostile. No good comes from hate.

Assets

The largest asset is that of light that the Magicians wield. It is the Light That Brings No Healing. It burns in a way unlike fire at those with sorcery. It threatens to consume them, and it is almost tempting. It gives them a kind of power over sorcerers.

History

The High Magician was once an adviser to the king, back when the empire was just a kingdom. They usurped the throne and the king disappeared. But the Magician improved the quality of life for the struggling kingdom and they quickly forgot their old, useless king. But after several decades they never saw the High Magician age. By the time they began to worry, it was too late, and everything was going to change. The High Magician brought light to the kingdom- what once was heresy was now the standard of life. Light replaced dark, nothing was hidden anymore. Not from the High Magician. They turned those who stood against them in the shadow into Thralls. They, with their glowing skeletal bodies, became the fighting force of the empire. Thralls could fight and endure what regular ɮudō could not. They were under the complete control of the High Magician. They recruited those who desired power to their side as Low Magicians. They burned all of the sorcery out of their bodies and replaced it with light, cutting off their ties to the world, and in return they swore fealty to the High Magician. The High Magician always made sure that they was the most powerful out of their cruel servants, and if any ever threatened to get anywhere close to their power, they tore the threats apart. They spread the doctrine of light to the kingdom and forced it on the people. Any who rebelled were killed or made into Thralls. With the aid of their Thralls and their Magicians the Bright Kingdom became an empire. Their first act of aggression on the world was the cutting down of one of the great Cloud Crown trees- the Tree of Parley. The impact shook the continent. They say that every kingdom that felt the impact would eventually fall under the control of the empire. After the felling of the Cloud Crown, they immediately switched their efforts from destruction to invasion. The High Magician ordered their forces to the southeast border. They were protected on the other sides by water, glacier, and mountains, and so they attacked. Thus the invasion began. They took their south-east neighbours, then the kingdom on the other side of that one, and on and on. It happened so quickly it was almost impossible to stop. They took over several kingdoms before they were forced to stop by the mountain bottleneck and strength of the kingdom directly south of the great sea in the southern continent. It still took almost a decade for them to be stopped. But once the empire reached those regions the High Magician pulled their forces in. They maintained a steady presence at their new borders, but the majority of the empire's strength turned towards internal control. Why could this be?

Military

The only has three true levels. The lowest are the Thralls, who are controlled by the High Magician. They serve unthinkingly. The middle are the Low Magicians, allowed to keep their autonomy but still forced to obey the High Magician. Often, battalions of Thralls will be given to a Low Magician to use and control. Finally is the High Magician. They controls all.

Foreign Relations

Aggressive. All the empire wants is control, control over the entire continent and its people. They do not trade with any kingdoms, and travel between them and any other is forbidden. Any who do cross the border are met with extreme suspicion and often violence.

Education

Education is very much about indoctrination. There is more organised education as there is an expectation of the High Magician for all to be able to read, so that propaganda may be more easily spread. They are too arrogant to believe that anyone could spread messages of rebellion for long in their empire. There are no dissenting beliefs allowed or entertained. Children learn from a very young age to believe exactly what is told to them and not to ask questions. They are raised to fear death and strive for light. They are to fend for themselves. They must raise themselves up, without aid from others, for that shows weakness. They are taught that whatever they think about where they live, it is so much better than anywhere else in the world. On the basis of language, the empire's closed borders heavily divides the continent in terms of language. The empire speaks a slightly older version of Maraɮe than the rest of the continent. As time passes, the divide becomes more and more prevalent. The division is enforced by the High and Low Magicians, who force others to speak their version of the language, and refuse to change or grow. It enforces the unity of the kingdom and the separation of them and 'other.' On the border of the empire the language is a strange mix of older and new dialects. They mix words, phrases, and pronunciations in a unique way, the two not quite ever fully merging.

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Official Languages