The Old Empire

History

The gods created their children and left them to develop. The watchful eyes of dragons, the arbiters of the gods, slowly became dimmed with jaded disillusionment or worldly desires. The age of the gods was gone, and though the Tellan peoples respected and venerated the gods, they were far off, swallowed by the amnesia that comes with chronological distance. Over the epoch of the gods, new life had evolved, or found its way from lands under the purview of other deities. Among these were the Aldsange, a race of choleric, blue-blooded warriormages who drew power from an immense crystal.

Territories

The Old Empire came to encompass the lands south of the northern mountains and north of the Renine Strait.

Military

The Imperial army was at once the hard fist and soft glove of the Empire. The Flame of Magic enabled technological advancement and bathed the Empire in its light, but it was the Empire’s military that ensured this light’s reach spread. The army was an important source of the Empire’s economic and political strength, and was insurance of domestic peace, allowing civilisation to flourish. In many regions far from the Empire’s heartland, most notably in the Tamard and Fidiran frontiers, this peace was ensured through the use of exploitation, subjugation and oppression.

The army was also a useful tool of Imperial cultural assimilation. Conquered peoples were offered employment in the army, especially those who had been honourable and worthy adversaries. These soldiers would be sent far from home, encouraged by their fellows and loosening ties to clan and home, replacing them with loyalty to the Empire. The army was a means by which an Imperial serf or slave could become a freeman, but only after thirty consecutive years of service.

For the majority of Imperial soldiers, life was physically and mentally strenuous. This created bonds between comrades that were often lifelong. This suffering, however, was due to the perceived need for Imperial conquest. Some soldiers believed in their mission and viewed it as a noble sacrifice. Others lamented it and fostered a bitter hatred for the bureaucrats of the Empire.

The army relied upon discipline, flexibility and loyalty. All who served in it were required to swear an oath to their gods, swearing that they will serve the Emperor with utmost faith and loyalty.

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Alternative Names

Morbahine Empire, the Empire, Moran Empire

Economic System

Mixed economy