Nereida and The Manta Throne (Neh-RAY-dah)

The Manta Throne has not always been in power, but anyone living under their rule has learned to pretend as if it has always been this way. The modern-day empire stretches across the vast expanse of the continent of Sek, all the way to the Northwestern shore to the port-city-turned-artificial-magic-capital, Nereida.
While its capital city, Balkur, sits further to the South and holds more military power, the empire favors its city-state to the North for its abundant natural resources and defensible location. From there, the ruling families are able to study and manufacture arcane tools to ship out across the coastline. They manage their ongoing "projects" through a system of advisors and ambassadors, namely the Twin Crowns. Thankfully, Nereida has seen very little of the ongoing war, and it likely never will. To say that Nereida is a peaceful city, though, could not be further from the truth.

Structure

The Empire is ruled by the predeterminite "heirs" of the gods' will, as set forth by the priests of the Forgotten Deities. The current family is the Cyr Lineage, who all bear a similar Draconic birthmark as a symbol of their divine right to rule.
They give every land they conquer the "privilege" of maintaining their previous hierarchy, with the condition that a Cyr must marry into a high-ranking family and bear a Draconic child. The child acts as one of a cohort of ambassadors to the Manta Throne, and to usurp them would be an act of damnation.

Culture

While the Empire relies on the approval of the pantheon's priests, the citizens all hold a similar contempt for the Forgotten Deities. They celebrate the bi-annual Festival of the Gods with secular fervor, and even the old temples have become more of a haven rather than a house of worship. The Manta Throne and their subjects all seem to agree that the gods have all but lost their influence in this realm, and they are better off without them.

History

The Manta Throne rose to power at the end of The Dual Thrones, an era of turmoil in Sek when two families vied for control of the continent. At the height of their conflict, the priests united under a new name, the Cyr, claiming that they now had divine right to rule over the fractured land. They soon rallied the support of the larger Southwestern cities and slowly laid siege to the remaining Thrones until they gained control of the Southern and Western coasts. 
To this day, the Manta Throne continues their campaign in the Northeast to unite the continent under one empire, even as their resources begin to stagnate.

The Seafold Empire

Type

Geopolitical, City-state

Alternative Names

The Empire of the Twelve Seas

Leader

The Twin Crowns

Ruling Organization

The Manta Throne

Government System

Monarchy, Elective

Power Structure

Semi-autonomous area

Economic System

Market economy

Parent Organization

The Manta Throne

Notable Members

• The Twin Crowns