The Empire



The Empire is a series of amalgamated territories that cover a large portion of the known world. It is governed ultimately by The Empress, who is also its founder. It's emblem is the golden sun, depicted right.

The Empire does have a formal name, but it is seldom used - it is large enough to be eponymous, and those not already living under its rule tend to live in fear that they soon will be.

Territories and composition
The Empire is made up of what was once dozens of states and a variety of nations, almost all of them steeped heavily in magical tradition. The borders of the old world have since been lost to time and memory, and this is no accident - The Empress has impressed the value of a united identity upon her people and encouraged them to shed as many of the old ways as possible. Distinct cultural groups still exist, of course, but most living under her banner consider themselves Imperial citizens, some more begrudging than others.

Nonetheless, the Empire is divided into various regions, each of which is typically identified by the capital cities. These include:
 * The Arca region: The largest region of the Empire and the first conquered. Arca used to be the Imperial capital and is still informally considered as such. This is the economic centre of the Empire.
 * The Perdition region: Though much of it technically resides in Arca's boundaries, everything within the scar is usually treated as Perdition's land, most likely because it is worthless to everyone else.
 * The Guldoval region: Guldoval was a small but important port town when it was captured, but has become the seat of much international contact since then. It was the first region the Empire made strides to expand into.
 * The Leighton region: Willingly annexed itself into the Empire shortly after Guldoval was captured. A centre of development and academia.
 * The Eastern Frontier: The Empire pushes ever eastward, and new land is frequently added to this region, where the political capital Albion sits, right on Ilthyria's doorstep.
 * The Ilthyria region: While technically not the most recent conquest of the Empire, Ilthyria was the last major city it captured. It has offered the most resistance to assimilation.

History and development
The Empire was founded about 300 years ago by The Empress, following (The Old War) that created the wastes. A veteran of the war herself, the Empress capitalized Arca being weak from the war, and with a group of like-minded followers, conquered the city by killing the Archmage that ruled it. An Archmage herself, the citizens of Arca acknowledged her authority, well accustomed to the often bloody politics that govern the loose rules of mageocracy.

With Arca and the surrounding territory under her control, the Empress began to introduce her doctrine, slowly diminishing the importance of magic as a birthright in favour of progress and merit. Those who rejected the new model (largely aristocrats and the deeply religious) were punished swiftly and harshly, but they proved the minority. The Empress' approach was democratizing and appealing to the disenfranchised, and they helped her establish popularity and inspire an army.

The Empire grew steadily outward from Arca, expanding its borders to the Western territory of Leighton and moving southeast towards Guldoval. Most agree that the Empress' eventual target was Ilthyria, the country from which she has been said to originate.

It's obvious that the Empire seeks to expand rather than to destroy. In capturing new conquests, the Imperial armies do as little damage to cities and citizens as possible, and invest heavily and immediately into infrastructure once the land has been captured. Imperial occupation has always been met with resistance at first, and the strategy to win the populace is almost always the same; ousting the current authorities and playing to the tastes of the majority, and installing a power structure that is both palatable to the people at home but sympathetic to Imperial causes.

Philosophy

 * Ever forward: The Empress believes in the relentless march of progress - she is, in fact, the one who is directing a lot of the marching. While it's hard to pin down the specific ways in which the Empire is oppressive, it is no friend of tradition. In particular, the Empress is a patron of the development of technology as an alternative to magic. However, much of the old world's culture is tied up in the importance of magic. Democratization and progress are often at odds with society's cultural roots, and this has always been a primary source of tension.
 * Unity: Imperial rule tends to emphasize harmony through unity. While being united under the same banner has put a stop to many previously warring states, the areas under The Empress' reign have become much more culturally homogenized, except for pockets that actively resist assimilation.
 * Regulated independence: The Empress recognizes the importance of allowing different areas their own independence to run things as they see fit, especially with an Empire as large as hers. However, she is by no means a hands-off ruler; the structure of the Empire is hierarchal and arranged so that everything, eventually, leads back to her. The same is true of the economy; while each individual area manages its own finances, it is the leaders of the Empire who distribute its total wealth, which leads to some areas supporting others and can sometimes create hostility between regions.

Cultural erosion
In parts unconquered, the Empire has come to represent cultural (and sometimes spiritual) death. The Empress is not coy about her desire to change things, and has been quite successful in doing so in her own lands; many of the old ways have been forgotten, smaller languages wiped out in favour of the common tongue she has proliferated, and traditional and organized forms of religious worship have almost died out in the better part of the Empire. Living in the Empire may not be terrible, but to do so harmoniously requires a sacrifice of the self, and to resist is to be put down.

Propaganda
Imperial propaganda depends heavily on the region. Most of the western Empire is subject only to internalized reminders - the flag, images of the Empress, the anthem, the ceremony involved in national events, and other such things that most citizens would consider largely mundane. The Empress is everpresent but seldom felt to most Imperial citizens.

Those living in the Eastern regions and Ilthyria are being more actively indoctrinated. In these newer lands, the Empress is still striking a balancing act between squashing resistance and appeasing the populace, alternating the iron and velvet glove. Reminders of the Empire's control, and what it has done recently for the people, are much more present here, and sometimes cause more bitterness than anything.

Heraldry
The emblem of the Empire, the golden sun, is the personal symbol of the Empress herself. It's engraved in her golden left eye, and the sun symbol therefore carries the implication that Empress is ever watchful. Sayings about "the golden eye turning on you" are hardly uncommon, and show up with ominous meanings as much as auspicious ones.