The Corran Empire
Correhome, or the Corran Empire, is the ascendant Human nation on the central continent of Oa. It is not the most populous state nor the most advanced, but it is the most effectively organized with the most advanced economy, and it is arguably the most skilled in the art of war on land.
Corrans, almost without exception, worship Tyr with some fervor, but do not insist on a monotheistic model. It is important in their view to venerate Tyr, fount of honour and proper behaviour and divine protector of the Empire. It was Tyr that brought the victories against the Empire's enemies and led to the annexation of the sinful lands into civilization. Still, it is considered acceptable or even commendable for mothers to pray to Eldath for their sons to return home safely, and traditional for sons to pray to Kelemvor to judge their fathers kindly when their souls enter the Incunabulum, as Tyr has no domain in the land of the dead. A failure to venerate Tyr could result in the collapse of the Empire, the Pontifex would insist -- but he himself would not hesitate to call upon Pelor in a sermon to encourage a bountiful harvest.
The nation's primary foreign affairs concerns at present are the ongoing border war with Portavia to the north, and a gathering hostility towards the halflings of Hundred House, who have declined to join in the war and are suspected of an official policy of profiteering from the shortages it has caused. There is a tenuous peace with Tenthun negotiated after the utter rout of the Corran Armada, which Emperor Kern launched as soon as possible after his ascension to the throne.
Political Organization
Division of Responsibility
A strict male primogeniture system governs Correhome. The Empire generally consists of settlements and agricultural land bound together into counties (ruled by Counts), which are then in turn organized into duchies (ruled by Dukes). Because the Empire was largely formed by conquest or voluntary vassalage, there are many exceptions to this rule. Smaller collections of counties that required additional organization (or lands that were promised to troublesome and popular royal siblings) were occasionally collected into earldoms; or series of settlements along strategically important supply lines may have been organized by a frustrated Duke into baronies if centralized county-level organization in wartime became untenable. Certain other areas are directly under Imperial rule, and in some cases where a kingdom had been usurped the title of a petty king in service to the Emperor remains.Capital Region
The capital county of Maulden is the traditional seat of the Empire, lending its name to the ancient tongue of the Corran people, Mauldeno. The capital city, Correhal, is believed to carry its name forward from the original Yishanim term for the settlement, since it has no similarity to the linguistic forms of the people's tribal language. Correhal was, and is, a colossal, twenty-square-mile hive of enchanted concrete -- a marvel of urban planning and architectural brilliance that archaeological consensus suggests may have been the capital city of that civilization. Nearly impenetrable and impervious to siege due to its location between a shoreline and a mountain range, and with the extraordinary benefit of a brilliantly planned supershelter with running water and beautiful terraced gardens, the unconquerable Corran civilization flourished easily in the Winter Age, outgrew its nomadic tribal roots and consolidated power for centuries before the city finally became overpopulated and the leadership of the community began to turn outwards in search of better arable land and settlement space.Royal Family
Correhome is ruled by Emperor Kern Overmere, the eldest surviving son of Optimus Overmere and reportedly the most ruthless (though far from the most cunning) of eight brothers and four sisters of the royal blood. He came to power after the near-simultaneous deaths of his father and eldest brother Ericus from unrelated accidents on opposite ends of the Empire. While clearly the best-run government in the central continent, the Imperial Government is nevertheless centralized to an inefficient degree, and growing moreso under Kern's reign. Decisions right down to the county level often take place from the massively overpopulated capital, Correhal. A considerable part of the inefficiency is due to the relentless palace intrigue in the city, which extensive demands on the ruling class in general and the men of the Royal House, House Overmere, in particular.Cultural Considerations
State Religion
Corrans, almost without exception, worship Tyr with some fervor, but do not insist on a monotheistic model. It is important in their view to venerate Tyr, fount of honour and proper behaviour and divine protector of the Empire. It was Tyr that brought the victories against the Empire's enemies and led to the annexation of the sinful lands into civilization. Still, it is considered acceptable or even commendable for mothers to pray to Eldath for their sons to return home safely, and traditional for sons to pray to Kelemvor to judge their fathers kindly when their souls enter the Incunabulum, as Tyr has no domain in the land of the dead. A failure to venerate Tyr could result in the collapse of the Empire, the Pontifex would insist -- but he himself would not hesitate to call upon Pelor in a sermon to encourage a bountiful harvest.
Customs
Corran customs can be chauvinistic and monocultural, with a tendency towards the imperialism their state encourages. As the most efficiently integrated human kingdom in the world, Corran citizens tend to believe that their skill in arms and commerce warrant their eventual dominion over other civilizations. Other cultures are not necessarily treated with hostility, but with patience for those less advanced or stalled in their cultural evolution. Women are intended to be wives and mothers, and children are intended to be dutiful and silent when men are speaking. Sexual harassment of unmarried women is not a widely recognized concept and duels are not only encouraged but in matters of honour considered mandatory. Correhome is also the only Human civilization on the continent with a normalized system of merit-based adoption, where boys or men of great merit in the lower classes or lesser families are invited to join a greater house, typically with a dowry payable either to the family (if he is not of age) or to him directly as an independent pater familias (in the event he is married and yielding his own household rights).Art, Technology and Economy
Despite their ethnocentric views, Correhome is only marginally more technologically advanced than its immediately neighbouring kingdoms and is a drastic net importer of art and cultural artefacts. Their art, like their technology, is largely reverse-engineered from other civilizations and something of the soul of it is lost when it gets into Corran hands.Current Status
External Political Issues
The nation's primary foreign affairs concerns at present are the ongoing border war with Portavia to the north, and a gathering hostility towards the halflings of Hundred House, who have declined to join in the war and are suspected of an official policy of profiteering from the shortages it has caused. There is a tenuous peace with Tenthun negotiated after the utter rout of the Corran Armada, which Emperor Kern launched as soon as possible after his ascension to the throne.
Internal Political Issues
Even now, six years later, the Emperor seethes over the defeat of his armada and finds himself having to re-establish the credibility he had previously enjoyed with his people as a brilliant commander. The people, dealing with food shortages and rampant inflation, now debate openly whether his longtime lieutenant and younger brother, Sylvio was in fact the military genius and great general in the family all along. He had been left in command of the Portavian front during Kern's coronation and was unable to contribute to that blunder, conquering numerous well-reputed tribes instead with a minimum of losses. Returning and retired troops, deeply loyal to Sylvio, do little to minimize that gathering threat to the Throne.
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Notable Members
Comments