Empire of Carassia

The most recent form of an empire that grew violently from the remains of an old one, Carassia is entirely led by its military and has grand ambitions to conquer new lands. Every citizen, no matter what species, is conscripted into the military when they reach maturity. In a strikingly bold move, the High Council declared war or Lusia and Hest at the same time. The defenders expected a force spread thin but were taken by surprise as the war effort swept into their lands and swiftly took territory.

From the Ashes

Carassia has been the name of this region as long as any records go back, at least since the time of the Moot. While dozens of governments and attempted nations have sprouted here, most don't seem to last much longer than a few hundred years at most. The most recent and longest lasting, the Carassian Republic, survived for nearly three-hundred years before civil war and internal strife tore it to pieces. Thousands perished from warfare and famine over the twenty years of civil warfare, until a small military from the western reach started winning battle after battle. This fighting force turned the tides, sweept through the region, and eventually declared itself the new Empire of Carassia.

Service is Citizenship

One of the first changes the new government made was a policy of mandatory military service. Each citizen, regardless of species, is conscripted for three years when they reach maturity for their kind. The three year terms don't factor in the varied lifespans of species, meaning timus and lagombi are forced to sign away much more of their lives than their larger and longer-lived neighbors. While in the military, each citizen is taught basic martial combat, survival skills, sailing, writing and arithmetic, and tested for magical aptitude.

War on Two Fronts

The only land adjacent to Carassian borders is the dreaded Bitter Forest, making expansion difficult. The new Empire, founded by those who'd fought on the western edge of Carassia, had grand ambitions of expanding the available land for its people and the resources they held. Their only options were land claimed by others, but where to begin taking it? The aged Kingdom of Hest, so stuck in their tradition and old world. The unstable Lusia, plagued by partisans of their own making. They seemed the best targets, and each was closer to the Heart. The High Council deliberated on how to conduct these invasions, the order of attack, if they could finance two wars at once; but what began as a few loud voices soon became a unified chorus of a surprise attack on both, keeping the main fleet in reserve for when the defenders expect forces to be spread too thin to be effective.
Carassia has pushed further and further into their foes' islands over the past year of fighting, and intends to continue until the island claims of their neighbors are surrendered in full. Will that sate the High Council? Nobody is really sure. Will they eventually sign peace treaties with Hest and Lusia, or with the Free Republics of Lusia if they win? Are Adressia and Ikarell safe? The Council assures the people that the fighting is almost won, victory almost achieved. Of course, the spy network embedded in all of those neighbors and then some might disagree.

Notable Places:

• Azganna:
• Miella:
• Irezu:

Demonym

Carassian

Government System

Stratocracy

Controlled Territories

• Irezu

Neighboring Nations

• Adressia
• Free Republics of Lusia
• Ikarell
• Kingdom of Hest
• Lusia

Related Species

• Lycan
• Swynn

Travel Tips:

ADDENDUM: Dearest reader, I cannot in good conscious recommend traveling to Carassia at such a time as this. I visited three years ago before the wars had begun, and so the following is from the frame of that time.
Carassia is a nation rebuilding itself after decades of senseless violence. The countryside still shows scars of war: fields burned and salted, weapons barely underneath the soil, and the ruins of homes that once held lives. The cities show great progress to a more normal life, however, and the people who live in them are invigorated with the spirit of renewal. A new generation of architects and artists is coming in to their own here, revitalizing and rethinking places once destroyed. It's truly inspiring to see.
-Rodanté