The Empire
General
The Empire is the single largest and most powerful nation in Nainoxia. Beset on all sides by foes and threats material and extra-planar, the Empire stands its ground and defends itself with the blood and bones of millions of soldiers and civilians. Behind them stand the Empire Gods, Yiortis, Empire God of Justice, Vitaria, Empire Goddess of Life, Artis, Empire God of Trade, Cognitiosis, Empire God of Knowledge and Vindicta, Empire Goddess of Vengeance. The Empire contains tens of bustling metropolises, dozens of fortress-cities and hundreds of villages. Its population consists mostly of humans, dwarves, gnomes and halflings are a bit rare, but very common in specific villages and cities. Exceptionally rare are the elves who live mostly on the island of Ulathian, half-orcs and half-elves. The Firbolgs are respected as servants of Vitaria and the Tiefling race used to be actively hunted and burned during the First and Second Crusades, but now are more accepted, at least to the point of not being killed in sight in most places.Founding
The founder and first ruler was Gondor Lionel, The Omnipaladin , who through his brave actions and legendary deeds gained the blessings of all five major empire gods, and with their power behind him, conquered a large part of Tolhera in the First Crusade. His bloodline has maintained the throne through many conflicts, internal or external, and they are all regarded as demi-gods and legendary heroes by the common folk.Structure
The nation is ruled by The Emperor, the chosen of all the Gods, also known as the Omnipaladin. Below the Emperor is the High Council, a governing body made up of the most powerful leaders of the Churches, Army, Mages and the Nobility. To govern the sprawling Empire, most of these individuals reside in the Empire Capitol of Exelnar and vote on the largest questions of the Empire. All votes are then sent to the Emperor to be approved, but before then there is a incomprehensibly complex web of alliances between different factions as to who votes what and which topics get picked to be voted on. Under every one of the members of the High Council are councils of high ranking members of their respective organizations that themselves pick topics to be brought to the High councilpersons attention, and so exist people under them. The levels of bureaucracy therefore at massive, and the cogs of the Empire are grinding almost to a halt as important topics get buried under mountains of paperwork and busywork. However, if the Empire does set its eyes on a problem or situation, it is sure to come down on it with the might of thousands of highly trained soldiers, paladins, clerics and assassins.
Lands and Territories:
The Empire covers a huge area and contains more settlements than can be recorded. To rule and operate such a large beast, the nobility is necessary. The Empire is separated into five provinces, each lead by one of the High Lords. The provinces are in turn separated into Dukedoms led by Dukes, which are then separated into Counties led by Counts. Each individual town that is not a capital and as such home to a higher ranking noble, is officially led by a Baron who oversees it.Public Agenda
It is next to impossible to sum up the myriad and often contradictory goals of all the organizations making up the Empire in anything cohesive. They all seek to maintain and grow the Empire and its people, but the ways they try to do this range from large purges to providing healing services to small villages. While they might not like one another, all the factions have been known through the ages to unite when put under a threat significant enough.
History
At its founding, the Empire undertook the Largest and most glorious event in its history, The First Crusade. The days of the first crusade were perhaps what the Empire was truly made for. Surrounded by heretics, demons, undead and those that desperately needed help, the crusading armies of the Empire, fueled by the inhuman zeal and bravery of the Emperor, cut a swath through the evil and unholy forces that ruled the lands. It was a time of battle, glory, and some say that crusades are the true function and purpose of the Empire. A large part of Tolhera was taken into the Empire, but large parts still remained in the clutches of evil.
After the Death of the first Emperor followed perhaps the most horrific time in the history of the Empire, the Years of Smoke. As the first Emperor died, like wolves on a herd of sheep, all the conflicting factions that were united by the Emperor descended hungry for power and used to having their power unchallenged. It was a time of civil war between factions, with the recently united populous being collateral damage. As this was happening, the remaining enemies outside and within the Empire saw a moment of weakness, and unleashed whatever power they had to bring down the recently formed nation. Countless villages were razed, soldiers of the Empire and the outside forces would pillage, rape and kill civilians, and all were hoping for a divine miracle to come down from the heavens and save them, but would never come.
Instead, the Inquisition tightened its grip around its members, and their allies forming a new fanatical core, similar to the days of the First Crusade. Purging the unclean and burning the heretics became their calling cards, but it was necessary at a time where friend and foe were mixed, and nobody was safe from roaming groups of mercenaries, powerful unaligned wizards, and demonic cults trying to bring their dark masters to the material plane. From the rubble, the Inquisition would gain the upper hand, however it would be a harsh one, and one that the people would never rally behind without a significant force pushing them. To that end, the son of Gondor Lionel was put in the throne, and the remains of the Empire were once again unified with a singular purpose. To show this unity, the two headed eagle was assigned as the official symbol of the Empire, one head being the Emperor, and the second being the High Inquisitor.
What followed was a time known as the Second Crusade. It was a time of victory for the Empire and the Inquisition. Having put the Years of Smoke behind them, and established the laws and power structures around the Empire, the Inquisition led this Crusade, while the Emperor stayed behind and took care of internal problems for the newly formed nation. However, the ways of the Inquisition were believed by many to be too harsh, with large cleansing of population centers, pyres of innocents burning with a mere suspicion of heresy, and a few Inquisitors being the head of massive armies and having unquestioned authority over the church and the military. As the crusade progressed, most agreed that a gentler hand was needed, however the Inquisitions power was ultimate and unchallenged, as they were the ones who took the Empire out of the Years of Smoke. Following that..
With the end of the Second Crusade, the social and political landscape of the Empire had changed. There were no longer large wars to fight, and no outside or inside force could even come close to challenging the Empire in military might. Any threats or remnants of dangers in Tolhera remained are either slowly being driven out, or present no real threat to the Empire and will be dealt with slowly and surely, as the giant cogs of the machine work. However, with peace come new challenges, and the highly militaristic Empire led primarily by the Inquisition was not ready to put down their arms quite yet. To that end, the Great Hunt was declared, against the last large threat to the Empire, the Dragons and Giants, remnants of the Golden Age of Magic that stood for millennia. It is agreed nowadays that they posed no real threat to the Empire, the tribes of Giants lived away from the lands of the Empire and so did the dragons, but as the Empire hunted them and sought to expand to all the habitable places in Tolhera, they fought back, proving those who would claim them as a threat right. The Hunt took long because of the harsh environments these creatures lived in, as well as the gradual reduction in fervor and support for it, and the Inquisition as a whole. At the same time, the other churches were bolstering their power and influence in politics and the masses, chief among them the Church of Vitaria sought to replace the fear and hate of the Inquisition with the love and hope of Vitaria.
After the Death of the first Emperor followed perhaps the most horrific time in the history of the Empire, the Years of Smoke. As the first Emperor died, like wolves on a herd of sheep, all the conflicting factions that were united by the Emperor descended hungry for power and used to having their power unchallenged. It was a time of civil war between factions, with the recently united populous being collateral damage. As this was happening, the remaining enemies outside and within the Empire saw a moment of weakness, and unleashed whatever power they had to bring down the recently formed nation. Countless villages were razed, soldiers of the Empire and the outside forces would pillage, rape and kill civilians, and all were hoping for a divine miracle to come down from the heavens and save them, but would never come.
Instead, the Inquisition tightened its grip around its members, and their allies forming a new fanatical core, similar to the days of the First Crusade. Purging the unclean and burning the heretics became their calling cards, but it was necessary at a time where friend and foe were mixed, and nobody was safe from roaming groups of mercenaries, powerful unaligned wizards, and demonic cults trying to bring their dark masters to the material plane. From the rubble, the Inquisition would gain the upper hand, however it would be a harsh one, and one that the people would never rally behind without a significant force pushing them. To that end, the son of Gondor Lionel was put in the throne, and the remains of the Empire were once again unified with a singular purpose. To show this unity, the two headed eagle was assigned as the official symbol of the Empire, one head being the Emperor, and the second being the High Inquisitor.
What followed was a time known as the Second Crusade. It was a time of victory for the Empire and the Inquisition. Having put the Years of Smoke behind them, and established the laws and power structures around the Empire, the Inquisition led this Crusade, while the Emperor stayed behind and took care of internal problems for the newly formed nation. However, the ways of the Inquisition were believed by many to be too harsh, with large cleansing of population centers, pyres of innocents burning with a mere suspicion of heresy, and a few Inquisitors being the head of massive armies and having unquestioned authority over the church and the military. As the crusade progressed, most agreed that a gentler hand was needed, however the Inquisitions power was ultimate and unchallenged, as they were the ones who took the Empire out of the Years of Smoke. Following that..
THESE EVENTS HAVE BEEN STRICKEN FROM THE RECORD BY THE ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR
It was then understood that the power of the Inquisition needed to be reduced, and the Emperor passed the decree to create the Imperial Army, as an entity separate from the Inquisition. As the crusading forces took more and more of the lands of Tolhera, it became apparent that there was a big vacuum in the Empire, that of a source of hope.With the end of the Second Crusade, the social and political landscape of the Empire had changed. There were no longer large wars to fight, and no outside or inside force could even come close to challenging the Empire in military might. Any threats or remnants of dangers in Tolhera remained are either slowly being driven out, or present no real threat to the Empire and will be dealt with slowly and surely, as the giant cogs of the machine work. However, with peace come new challenges, and the highly militaristic Empire led primarily by the Inquisition was not ready to put down their arms quite yet. To that end, the Great Hunt was declared, against the last large threat to the Empire, the Dragons and Giants, remnants of the Golden Age of Magic that stood for millennia. It is agreed nowadays that they posed no real threat to the Empire, the tribes of Giants lived away from the lands of the Empire and so did the dragons, but as the Empire hunted them and sought to expand to all the habitable places in Tolhera, they fought back, proving those who would claim them as a threat right. The Hunt took long because of the harsh environments these creatures lived in, as well as the gradual reduction in fervor and support for it, and the Inquisition as a whole. At the same time, the other churches were bolstering their power and influence in politics and the masses, chief among them the Church of Vitaria sought to replace the fear and hate of the Inquisition with the love and hope of Vitaria.
The Empire Now
In present times, the power balance between the churches as swung in the favor of the Church of Vitaria, with the Inquisition behind. In addition, the Arcanic Order has risen in power and taken the positions of right hand to the nobility, stripping the Inquisition of even more power and positions. However, they have not relented, the Inquisition maintains a large presence in most areas, and also keeps their reputation as purifiers and hunters of evil, dreaded and feared by all. While the Empire has slowed down and has fattened itself in bureaucracy and peace, small forces of evil such as cults and tribes of Orks and Goblins have taken hold in many areas. More and more monsters and evils surface within the Empire, with the local leaders scrambling for help, but having to put up with a monstrously slow response. This has seen the rise of Adventuring Groups, individuals of notable abilities and deeds, who help deal with local problems, where the bureaucratic nature of the Empire would be too slow to respond. Notable ones are the Mage Slayers, and a newly formed group called the Fellfinders. How this new Empire will deal with the challenges ahead remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain, the peace facing them will not be permanent.
For the Emperor
Maps
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River Lionel
Founding Date
1 P.F.
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Capital
Demonym
Imperial
Leader Title
Government System
Monarchy, Theocratic
Power Structure
Feudal state
Subsidiary Organizations
Permeated Organizations
Deities
Divines
Location
Related Ranks & Titles
Related Professions
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Related Items
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Related Myths
