Shin Empire
The Shin Empire is a mysterious nation that spans over the southern edge of the Apps Mountains. They are best known for their reclusive nature and high technology. It is said that Shin engineers are the finest in the world, rivaled only by those of the Nameless Empire. Their cities, to those who have seen them, are architectural masterpieces that have luxuries and assets far beyond those of the other kingdoms of Emicara. The Shin people are known to wisely keep their secrets, but most are recognized for their arrogance and disdain for inventions outside of their land and the use of magic.
Structure
Before the closure of the Shin Empire's heartland and borders, the kingdom was an absolute monarchy, led directly by the Eternal Empress and her family. Legates were appointed by the Empress to lead each town and city, as oversight over the people. Legates were typically chosen from the Old Families, the immortal aristocracy that had long ago arrived in the region that became the Empire. Since the closure of the borders, and due to a lack of communication from the Empress, the Legates in the outlying towns and cities have become far more independent and while they maintain absolute authority, they lack the guidance of the bureaucracy.
History
After the collapse of the Nameless Empire, the southern Apps entered into a period of barbaric anarchy unmatched nearly anywhere else within Emicara. Although they were spared the direct destruction caused by the war that ended the Empire, the region's towns and tribes chose instead to viciously attack and murder each other, settling centuries old grudges and disputes through constantly escalating violence. From these groups a brutal nation arose built on slavery and slaughter, called the Chatta Kingdom. Using archaic languages to encode their words, and total destruction of any dissent, they held their own for several decades against a multitude of threats.
The Chatta Kingdom was brought crashing down with the arrival of the Shin, who seemed to just materialize out of the mountains. Armed with powerful weapons that the Chattas could not hope to match, the Shin crushed the Chatta strongholds one at a time. They ended with the execution of the Chatta king and the liberation of his slaves. The Eternal Empress then emerged and proclaimed that the Apps would be ruled by her, but that no man or woman should ever be a slave in those lands again. The Shin then began reshaping the cities of the Chatta and forging a new empire, but the city of Chatta itself was razed and left in ruins by edict.
Although the former Chatta heartland was revitalized, the Shin sought to expand their control deep into the Apps Mountains, and this brought them into conflict with a series of powerful enemies. The first of these were the dragons and their kobold minions. A cabal of dragons sought to lay claim and dominance over the mountains and attacked both dwarf and Shin strongholds. The Shin managed to slay the dragons and send the kobolds into hiding after a short, but bloody, series of battles. The true test came however with the Shin-Mersan War, which is considered to be the first war of the civilized age.
Prior to the Shin-Mersan War, conflicts in Emicara since the fall of the Nameless Empire were brutal all or nothing affairs in most places. This war was the first in which courtesies of battle were observed and prisoners taken. The origins of the conflict are shrouded in mystery, but it is known to have ended quickly after Shin forces defeated the Mersans in battle and looted part of Dahlonega. From there, they retreated, and a peace was signed, securing a stable border line through the Apps.
With the east secured, the Shin Empire sought greener pastures to the west. This led to the subjugation of the eastern Sypi Confederacy, Alsona, and Bamard. The height of Shin geopolitical power came around 290, before the Second Shin-Confederate War. That conflict and the subsequent War of the Five Hammers ultimately proved the downfall of the Shin. They were forced into retreat as their vassals broke with them, and more independence was granted. Though the dwarves were defeated, and their strongholds destroyed or captured, the Jakonians had risen to a point where further expansion into the rest of Emicara would be nearly impossible. Although the Shin possessed technologies and capabilities far beyond their neighbors, they lacked the manpower to overcome them.
The Shin Empire made friends and focused upon internal development, particularly as they declared Jakonia their enemies. Unfortunately, they were allowed little rest. Border skirmishes with dwarves to the north, the Mersans to the east, and the Jakonians to the south caused the Shin to be often unable to respond in full force to any one threat. Combined with first dragonkin invasions, then goblin ones, the Shin found their lands at a nexus of activity. An alliance was formed with the Sypi Confederacy, and the Shin desperately contained the threats against them. By 800 AF, the Shin could finally be said to have a peaceful empire.
The peace was not to last as the Eternal Empress directed the empire towards war, building new alliances with old enemies, and only one purpose: to topple the Jakonian Empire. These efforts were met with some resistance at first, as the Mersans resented the Shin for centuries of war and unfavorable trade, but in time, the Shin were able to call Alsona, the Confederacy, the Mersan Union, and the Kingdom of Recfrere to arms. Even a detachment of dragonkin and orcs from the Kingdom of Populres were welcomed into the fray. The Great War lasted nine years, but at the end of it, the Jakonians were defeated, and the Shin and their allies stood triumphant over Emicara.
The victory came at a great cost to the Shin, and while the power of the Jakonians was broken, the Shin suffered. The Shin turned inward once more, becoming more and more reclusive. Alliances with the Mersans were broken off, and the borders became fortified once again. Even when the Jakonians threatened the independence of the young Bamardi state, the Shin stood aside and silent. In 943, the Eternal Empress made her last known public appearance, although her direct relatives continued to be seen. Even the other appearances of the Bedes continued to abate, and in 999, the last cousin of the Empress announced the closure of the Shin Empire.
The closure of the Shin Empire came abruptly to many outside, as it was declared that no more trade or commerce or even migration would be allowed along the borders of the empire. The legions were equipped and sent to patrol the borders, preventing access by anyone into the realm of the Shin. Smuggling did not stop, but authorities began cracking down on it harder, and those who fell afoul of the imperial legions would often be lost to their families and organizations. Based on reports by these smugglers over the past forty years, it is indicated that the Legates of the lowland cities have been essentially cut off from the mountain part of the empire and that passes into the mountains have been closed off even for Shin citizenry. Only occasional messengers come to call for trade and commerce, and anxiety grows among the population at what might be happening in the heart of the Empire.
Demography and Population
The Shin Empire consists predominantly of the Shin humans. The central heartlands of the mountains are fully restricted to these folk, with one glaring exception. Mountain gnomes are welcome heartily within the Shin and have been invited in large numbers to abandon their warrens in favor of a city life with like-minded humans. Thousands are believed to have entered the borders of the Empire, and integrated with the human population. In the lowlands, the population tend to be more diverse, but the Shin have refused to allow elves of any type into their borders, along with those known as sunborn. Dwarves are often viewed with suspicion too, mostly due to the frequent wars that the Shin have fought over the centuries with their kind in the mountains.
Military
The Shin military is a single unified and extremely powerful force. They maintain a uniform power structure leading all the way back to the Eternal Empress herself, who in the past was known to lead armies into battle. Shin soldiers are heavily armored in plate that tends to resist the most powerful of strikes, and favor the maul and warhammer over blades. They seem to have created a merger between magic and technology for their siege and ranged weapons, able to incinerate people at distance and reduce even the most powerful armor to melted blobs. They have chosen to forego the use of battle wizards in favor of their powerful technologies and weapons, and in the past this has proven effective, but they are best known for two technological innovations that far surpass anything else in the world.
The first of these is the Shin Airship. These floating dirigibles offer the chance for the Shin to consistently maintain the high ground in any combat. Throwing down canisters of flame and poisonous gasses, these airships are rare, but a fearsome presence to any opponent. The other innovation is the famed Shin Noble Armor. Fulling encasing its wearer in a suit of armor, it provides enhanced strength, near invulnerability to any mundane weapons, and an array of powerful weapons. This armor is only allowed in the hands of Shin aristocracy, those who had come and conquered the Chattas and their kingdom. Less than a hundred of these suits exist, but each bears the power of a single Jakonian regiment.
Technological Level
The Shin are said to be the only people in Emicara to have retained a fraction of the technology and science lost at the fall of the Nameless Empire. Whether this is true or just boasting from the Shin, they do maintain a vast technological lead over all of their neighbors. The secrets behind this technologies have always been closely guarded, but for the most part, the bits that have been retrieved have been far beyond the abilities of the brightest minds to understand. The counterpoint to this is that the Shin have mostly disregarded the use of magic or training in that field, preferring instead to rely upon solid engineering. Therefore, magic in some regions has managed to surpass some of the creature comforts created at the vast expense of funds and equipment in the Shin Empire.
Foreign Relations
Officially, the Shin Empire has no foreign relations with any other nation. All borders are closed and both trade and migration are forbidden on pain of life imprisonment or death. The alliance with the Sypi Confederacy has been maintained, more out of neglect than active commitment, and a handful of Shin volunteers had been sent to assist the Bienombe tribe in the Sypi Civil War. It was later revealed that this was the independent action of the Legate of Smitonium, rather than a coordinated effort by the empire. The city of Kraticum is the largest Shin community that still maintains ties with the outside world. The Legate there has established ties with the surrounding countries to forestall war, but seems just as clueless to what may be taking place deeper within the empire.
Agriculture & Industry
The Shin are a predominantly industrial power, producing a vast amount of materials from their mines' depths. Ores of all types have been dug up to fuel the industry of the nation. These ores are turned into astonishingly advanced items and equipment that surpass similar objects produced anywhere else in Emicara. Industrial strength has been somewhat reduced since the closure of the Empire, but the areas still open for travel among citizens are more than capable of providing for themselves in all ways.
Trade & Transport
The High Roads of the Shin Empire are famed for their durability and smoothness, crossing massive chasms and connecting mountain tops. These roads allowed for the frequent travel of overland trade between all of the major cities of the empire. Combining these constructions were the Airships of the Shin Empire, using tower-top aeries to dock and carry goods and people from one location to the next. The airships were known for their speed and reliability, but since the closure of the empire, only one remains, traveling consistently between Kraticum and Laurinium. The roads have also seen use decline, as the borders have been closed and trade and exports ended completely.
Education
Universal education is present in all of the communities of the Shin Empire, regardless of size or stature within the nature. Provided for by the Eternal Empress, funds have created schools in every urban center within the empire. The schools provide basic education, learning in trades, and a variety of elective courses to provide the Shin people with an unparalleled level of literacy and knowledge. These courses do, however, lack in teachings about the other nations of Emicara, and it is difficult to find a teacher for a language outside of Shin itself, as the empire has long discouraged the people from leaving in favor of remaining within the imperial borders.
Infrastructure
Every city of the Shin Empire is an architectural masterpiece in one way or another. They all feature running water, vast irrigation, and sewers and sanitation beyond what any other people in Emicara could expect. The High Roads are well maintained and consists of bridges that soar above the valleys far below, creating ways for travelers to easily pass anything that could threaten them. Along the borders are watchtowers and small forts that house garrisons that protect the nation from invasion and offer points for rescue of lost travelers or traders. That's just above the surface. Below the surface many Shin cities delve nearly as deep as the strongest dwarven citadels, and are as lavishly adorned and decorated. The vaults of the Shin rulers are said to be elaborately guarded and trapped in ways that even elves would find devious.
An Empire for the Benefit of All
Founding Date
Newfeast 30, 105
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Capital
Demonym
Shin
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
Copper/silver/gold/platinum
Major Exports
Forbidden
Major Imports
Forbidden
Legislative Body
Legational Senate
Judicial Body
National Apps Security Administration
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Comments