Ashguard Dominion
The ashguard dominion, alternatively known as the kingdom of Kelsarius, has ruled over the northern half of the ashen rend for over twenty-one generations. Dominion rule is maintained through strict religious restriction, bans and laws against the use of magic, and a powerful military governed over by the mysterious inquisitors known as the phoenix assembly. Though these policies exist to ensure the safety of the population from the dangers of the primordial embers that still linger on the continent, they also allow the crown strict order over it's territories.
King Tiberius is now three months past his fourty-ninth birthday, and his iron will has not wavered with age. A tall, powerful man, King Tiberius rewards loyalty and swiftly punishes insolence and failure. His family has developed a totalitarian rule that reaps heavy taxes and looms over society with a military presence that only grows stronger with proximity to the capital city of Abaddon. Outside of kelsarian borders however, his dominion exerts a fearsome reputation as a brutal, expansionist, and threating military regime. While civic unrest does rise beyond mere mutterings from time to time, reminders of the dangerous creatures that live beyond the guarded borders of each city and the protections offered within the dominion keep the populace in line. Those that rebel often find themselves in chains or forgotten in a dungeon.
Dominion society has a rigid caste system, in which denizens who have assembly-approved mastery over the martial or arcane are considered elite members of society, while those who end up short of the assembly's approval are purged of their magical properties. Despite what the kingdom may present to outsiders, inside its borders the strengths and talents of its people are respected and cultivated, as long as they can survive the struggle that is. Many Kelsarian ladies and lords came from battlefield prestige or studied the arcane arts within the walls of the Embercrown Academy. Those who especially excel in their magics or were born into prominent families can come to hold power as a member of the phoenix assembly, a council of extremely powerful pyromancers that works directly with King Tiberius and his councilors to develop and enforce laws throughout their kingdom. However, distrust between the king and the Phoenix Assembly runs deep, for they both wish to eliminate the other and enjoy uncontested power.
Most cities and townships throughout the kingdom are ruled by a local government under the leadership of a burgomaster, usually a native baron appointed by the dominion and the phoenix assembly. Reporting directly to the king’s council, the burgomaster is given absolute control over local government, appointing and maintaining responsibility for the heads of the city guard (watchmaster), the regional military (warmaster), local commerce (coinmaster), infrastructure (pithmaster), religious practices (idolmaster), and the courts of law (lawmaster). Twice a year, tithe collectors (nicknamed “Reapers”) visit each imperial city to inspect households for records and proof of income, collecting a percentage of their earnings in coin as determined by the tithe collector. The Kingdoms military force currently stands at around 33,500 Ember Guard across all regiments, and 4,800 Praetorian Brand soldiers across all cities. The majority of the Ember Guard forces were deployed to fortifications along the Zaroshan border at the onset of the current war.
Goals
The kingdom uses the plentiful resources of the marrow valley and sizable tithes gathered from citizens to protect their people and maintain control over the northern ashen rend, while keeping a keen eye out for opportunities to expand their influence across the continent. The dominion’s religious proscriptions are proving more and more difficult to enforce in this time of conflict. Theolocrat Luxanna Aheir is helming a new directive to align religious texts with less oppressive terminology, in an attempt to redirect discontent away from the dominion and onto the heretics and savages beyond the borders. Now that tensions with Zarosh have erupted into all-out war with the alltribe , the dominion is spreading propaganda through all aspects of daily life to unite the people of kelsarius against their common enemy. They hope to garner support for the war by reinforcing rumors about the kidnapping of Kelsarian children and the alltribe's violent nature and possible involvement in humanoid combustion.Relationships
Though many citizens gripe about the kingdom’s restrictive laws, the majority have grown accustomed to a comfortable lifestyle under imperial protection. Fear of the evils that stalk the edges of civilization generally outweighs any frustrations about civil liberties, and the relative peace provided within the confines of the continent's northern half is welcomed. However, dissidents have begun to speak loudly of their discontent, and the growing trend of uproar is making King Tiberius quite irritable. Historically, the Phoenix Assembly has been responsible for much of the dominion’s acquisition and retention of power outside of those garnered through spilled blood, but the royal bloodline has always harbored a paranoid dislike of the council of pyromancers. Handshakes and smiles hide distrust, and the king correctly assumes that the assembly is merely biding their time to attempt to challenge his power. The King and his chamber ignore most foreign powers. Requests for alliances from the ___ and the distant ___ have been met with indifference, and efforts to install a skyport in ___ to enable easier foreign travel have been continuously shut down.Religion
Soon after the Kelsarian bloodline came into power, there was a short-lived rebellion helmed by religious civilians. It was swiftly quelled and the rebel leaders were executed in an event known as the Abolishment. The ruling class has regarded religion with suspicion ever since, believing that faith inspires the unworthy to rise above their station and spark fruitless rebellion. Instead of abolishing all religious practices, the kingdom regulates worship within its boundaries. All temples are owned and run by the government, and must be dedicated to deities approved by the dominion. Priests and clerics are on the dominion’s payroll to preach only approved religious texts. Keeping private shrines or worshiping outside official temples is punishable by fines or imprisonment. The only deities that are approved by the empire are Epheal the Law Bearer, Bahamut the Platinum Dragon, Celestor the God King, Malady the Knowing Arcanum, and the the Raven Queen, Matron of Death (not any of her reapers, including that of the Lamb and Wolf).
Basic Information
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Capital
Alternative Names
Kingdom of Kelsarius
Training Level
Professional
Veterancy Level
Veteran
Leader
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Provisional government
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Comments