Ancient Ulman
The old Ulman Empire, at its height, covered most of the continent, stretching from the east coast as far west as the borders of Marraberg and covering all but the most northern Fulman regions to the north. Though it has been four centuries since the empire collapsed, the remnants of its glory days still cover the continent in the old forts, grand manors and great cities built under Ulman oversight, and its lesser successor, the East Ulman Empire, still holds onto its original homelands.
Today, the legacy of the Empire is felt most in the roads and aqueducts it left behind, which are still in use today. They, and many of the other great works of the old Ulmans, were aided by the Empire's Elementalists - wizards with power over the elements and their metaphysical aspects. The Ulman Elementalists were specialists in earth and water magic, and under the Empire the system of Chapter Houses that survives to this day was established. This same system would later inspire the covenants of the Order of Hermes.
Legacy
The legacy of the Ulmans is today apreciated first and foremost in their archtecture. The Empire raised enormous road networks across their territory, through both magical and mundane means, and to this day many of them remain intact, at least in part. The largest of these is the Terbell Way, which runs from the city of Argentium (today called Argent, the East Ulman capital), splitting into three forks which end close to the Marran border, two in the north and one in the south. Many of the continent's major cities still make use of Marran aqueducts for their fields and drinking water, and some of the largest were either founded or devloped by the Empire, retaining some of their classical style to this day. Several Ulman border forts have become castles, little resembling their former selves but still vital military assets. But it is not only physical objects that the Empire left behind. Many organisations can trace their structure and practises back to the Empire, including the Elementalists and, perhaps ironically given its Marran origins, much of the culture and structure of the Order of Hermes. Ulman has become the language of choice for scholarship, and for religious writing outside of Marraberg (whose Church uses Old Marran, the original language of their doctrine), and is taught at universities and learned by anyone who wishes to study the artes liberales or philosophy. Certainly the most significant thing, in terms of people affected, the Empire has left behind is its religion. While the actual Ulman religion and its practices have died out apart from a few secretive cults, it is the same gods who are still worshipped by most of the continent and the relatively unified doctrine of the Religio Populi is a direct result of the Ulman priesthood, though some of its former unity has been lost.
Related Organizations
Comments