Divine Empire
When people think about a kingdom of the human race, it is the Divine Empire. This empire started small and through great strife and tribulations was able to achieve enormous success. Even when The Calamity dawned, it was able to stand back on its feet with relative ease and emerge again as a world power. The empire has many holdings around the globe, most notably in the Old World, where it is a united country of tightknit duchies and baronies, ruled over by an emperor, Re Divinito Salvatore de Morgano. Many see an upcoming civil war, led by the Revolutionaries of Bordeux on the other side and the loyalist on the other.
Structure
The Divine Empire is ruled by an emperor, Re Divinito, who is chosen among the royal Dynasties, where the purity of his blood allows him to become a candidate as only those of the Goldblood can have high ranking jobs in the Empire. After the emperor, there are many Duchies, each ruled by a Crown Prince (an eligible candidate to become the next emperor), who in turn have Barons and lesser nobles to rule over their lands in their stead. Thus an enormous empire is able to exist, thanks to dividing itself into more manageable parts. The churches of the Divine Court have influence among the people, but their priest and cardinals can have only advisory jobs within the ruling class but many would see them as the grey eminences of the courts.
Culture
Nobility above all. The people of the kingdom might be divided into Duchies, each having a different spin but most will agree that nobles should rule over the peasants, that only those of the Goldblood are worthy of this position among humans. This idea is contested by the Revolutionaries of Bordeux. The other part is that the people believe blood to be sacred. Contracts sign in the blood can't be broken, even if only it was a handshake with a small, bleeding cut on one of the hands.
Public Agenda
The Divine Empire returned to its old "roots" after the Fourth Age, The Calamity, to go back to their Divine Mission of uniting the world. Right now, however, they have a more pressing matter of religion and politics. The Second Divergence created a rift among the people and ruling class, as well as the forming of the Revolutionaries of Bordeux.
Assets
One of the few countries that fully use Black Powder weapons. Most of it is imported from Djun. The Divine Empire also boasts quite an armada to rival others but is used mostly to defend their interests. Three major Dynasties have the most influence in the country, increasing its potential. Châtillon Dynasty with its military, De Croÿe Dynasty with its priesthood and Vaunblanc Dynasty with mercantile powers.
History
The Divine Empire had humble beginnings many millennia ago and it is one of the few that survived from those times when mortals were more like nomadic tribes than organized towns, kingdoms. During the Rise of Kingdoms Era, the Divine King appeared to a tribe called Mariotla. Historians outside of the Divine Empire dispute the claim that these people were more than savages. They threw away their cults, worshipping other deities and idols, choosing the Divine King as their patron. He showed them the way and for many years they marched to their "promised" land, finding a lake filled with gold. Upon them, he said "Drink of it, As it is my Blood, And it will be Yours as Well" so they did. Over time their blood turned from red to gold marking the first arrival of new humans called the Goldbloods with a power called The Voice. Using this newfound ascension, they united under one banner and forcefully making other tribes join them. In the event known as Founding of Blood . They saw themselves as being on a Divine Mission, to unite others under one banner, under the banner of the Divine King and the Divine Court.
During the millennia the kingdom would have many follies and problems. Conflict of Blood was one such event that almost destroyed not only the country but the race of the Goldbloods. It wouldn't be until the Dragonswar and Rain of Sand that the kingdom would return with sword in hand but alas the lands devastated by the sands would spell more misfortune. Only after achieving peace with the invaders, the Jadeite Empire, allowed the kingdom to flourish once more and rebuild what was lost. The kingdom over the years started to return to its roots and after centuries of peace, brought back the Divine Mission in a conflict known as Divine Unification War, where the kingdom would go on many, many campaigns to unite the Old World under one banner. Either by the sword or vassalage. While most of the conflict would take place in the northeastern part of the Old World, when it spilled out to the west, the Divine Kingdom saw two major enemies before it - the kingdoms of Isagorth and Lepidia. However, after decades of battles, war and intrigue, they were able to defeat the kingdom of Isagorth, completely annihilating it, while Lepidia would bow down to the newly formed Divine Empire.
While the Divine Empire fought many enemies in the Old World, they saw the rise of another power in the world - Archadian Empire. When the Divine Empire wasn't sure about using Black Powder everywhere, the Archadians were creating newer Magitech. Even after many reforms, they couldn't keep up. To avoid bloodshed, an alliance, more like trust, was formed, as the Archadians only desired to spread knowledge and learning around the world. Many of their academies were built under the watchful eye of the Divine Empire. The true testament of who would win came during the Fourth Age, The Calamity. The Re Divinito, the emperor, was assassinated (Death of a Emperor) and even the magic users weren't sure how it happened nor they could revive their liege as if the magic that struck him down wasn't normal. The Archadians and the Jadeite Empire were suspected of killing Geraldo De Croÿe but once it was revealed that an unknown organization was the perpetrator, the empire rallied against the Divine Hollow and at that time it was too late. The Icons revealed themselves and disease struck the high nobility called the Bloodboil killing many. The grand empire fell, one Duchy at a time and their capital was in ruins. Many speculate that Aurelius was Goldblood or at least a Halfblood, nobody was sure. He saved many, reunited kingdoms and with his Exarch powers attacked the Icons. Even then, it wasn't enough. After the first defeat of the Icons, he was assassinated too. Many great people rose up to fight, spreading the idea of "not needing Gods or Titans." After the victory, the issue with Vecna came and the Divine Empire was one of the many of his opponents. Untold thousands died and when the heroes came back, they saw their country torn. It took nearly fifty years for the country to restore itself and the surrounding duchies, even the capital city of Sangville needed at least one or two generations before it could see the same sheen as in the Third Age. After the Calamity, the noble family of De Morgano came to power, seen as heroes of the war and new leaders. The first emperor chosen outside the three Dynasties was Juliano de Morgano, a calm and loving man. For many decades, mainly the De Morgano were crowned Re Divinito but there were some from other Dynasties but only from the big three - Châtillon Dynasty, De Croÿe Dynasty and Vaunblanc Dynasty.
The Empire saw many new reforms, changes, many for the good. It regained nearly a quarter of old lands, secured many alliances with old allies, new relationships formed with old territories and sent out more colony ships around the world. The Empire was coming back and then The Second Divergence happened and soon after The Chronoplague. A disaster after a disaster. The first one brought religious strife, heresies and schisms, while the other created a powerful divide between the empire and newly returned Alliance of Northern Kingdoms. If that wasn't a sign for things to go wrong, a new organization, called Revolutionaries of Bordeux began their guerilla warfare against the empire and its nobility. The empire with its newest Re Divinito Salvatore de Morgano stands on the precipice of civil war.
Truth in Blood
Founding Date
220 After Peace, During the Rise of Kingdoms Era, During the Third Age, Kingdoms
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Capital
Alternative Names
Divinito Imperatus, "The Human Kingdom"
Demonym
Imperials, Divas
Leader
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Elective
Official State Religion
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Comments