Meilthaor Empire
This little one, who lost its wings and true body, is now only soot.
The Prophets rose from the earth, told those they were afraid of that they were monsters, created a lie and cried, like children in the dark.
The Meilthaor Empire is theocratic Empire located in the north of Krogiath. Spanning a third of the continent, it was created by an elusive group known as the Prophets, the first Tharians to set foot on Krogiath. Through the years, Meilthaor has expanded its influence and waged war against many smaller communities in order to claim more and more land. This expansionist mind set only stopped when the casualties of war became too much to bear and the Empire was on the verge of collapsing from a lack of work force. In the old Tharian tongue, Meilthaor means "Thaor's Pride", Thaor being the state religion's (Thaor's Aegis) One God. It is also what gave its name to the Tharian race.
The Cities of Meilthaor
Although there are several hundred cities throughout the Empire, most of the imperial activity is centered in six fortified strongholds. These major cities keep a relative form of independance from the Imperial rule and at times feel close in concept to the many City-States of the Neighboring States.Sentinelle
Fort-Tempête
Aconit
Bastion
Echo
Mirage
Demography and Population
About 305 million people currently live in the Empire of Meilthaor. A vast majority of them are Tharians, with Karas just behind and other Da'Kears in negligible amounts. Most Tharians live in medium to major cities and barely ever have any contact with the other races of the empire. The population of Meilthaor is divided into four castes that dictate most of their everyday life and interactions.
The Pure People: All Tharians living within the empire. They are considered "citizens" at birth. Even Tharians born outisde of the empire are seen as Pure, the only prerequisite is to live there, no matter where they come from. As citizens, they are allowed to own land and slaves, among other things.
The Impure People: All non-Tharian inhabitants of Meilthaor. They can become citizens by pledging their allegiance to the Aegis and completing a Tribulation (a task given out by the Aegis, usually degrading or dangerous) to prove they are worthy of the Empire's trust. Impure citizens are still considered inferior to Pure ones and are taxed more heavily. Also, the Impure citizen status cannot be passed on by blood.
The Righteous Ones : The most devoted to the Aegis. They are the people who, above everyone else, deserve a place at the side of the One God. One becomes Righteous by showing great vitue and acting to spread the good word of the Aegis and the One God through Meilthaor. In reality, it is mostly a title given to those who attend prestigious imperial schools and are wealthy enough to buy the recognition of their elders. Righteous Ones are the only inhabitants of the Empire allowed to claim positions of political governance and are also allowed to carry weapons in public. Righteous Ones are always branded with a fire mark by the Aegis and can never lose their status.
The Scourges : Contrary to the Righteous Ones, Scourges are those who have succumbed to the Plagues and threaten the creation of the One God. It is a title only reserved to those found guilty of the most serious crimes. Scourges lose all rights and are not recognized by the empire anymore: it is perfectly acceptable for anyone to kill a Scourge on sight or to enslave them, for example. The bodies of Scourges are usually mutilated in a way that reflect their crimes (arsonists may have parts of their body skinned, thieves may lose their hands,...). The very existence of this caste is highly criticized by the inhabitants of Meilthaor, as their is no set in stone law as to what is a "serious crime", and many innocent people are killed by this system every week.
Territories
Meilthaor is divided into six regions, each governed by an Intendant appointed for life by the Emperor. Each of these region is then divided into duchies (between four and seven depending on the size of the region) each governed by a Duke also appointed by the Emperor. The Dukes of a given region are subject to the Intendant of that region, themself subject to the Emperor. Unlike the role of Intendant, the title of Duke can be transmitted by blood. Upon the death of an Intendant, the Dukes of the region may campaign to claim the position. To do so, they must present their plans for the region to the Emperor who, after careful deliberation, appoints one of them as the new Intendant.
Although managed by the Dukes and Intedants and sometimes even sold and bought by private citizens, all land in the empire is still the immutable property of the Emperor. As such, the Emperor can requisition any land for any reason they see fit. Private ownership of a plot of land only exempts the owner from taxation. However, landowners are still under the jusrisdiction of the Duke of their given duchy and must abide by its rules.
Technological Level
Technology in the Empire is fairly similar to the rest of the continent: the steam engine is in its infancy, electricity and the light bulb are still distant dreams. The printing press has been widely spread, allowing for a huge increase in litteracy rate and the spreading of information. Every major city is now able to print their own local newspapers. An imperial paper is even printed out twice a month in Sentinelle and sent out to every city to relay the latest, most important informations.
Religion
Thaor's Aegis is the religious organization at the head of the Meilthaor Empire. As such, the Emperor and the religious leader are always members of the same family: when an Emperor gives birth to a male heir, he passes the title of Emperor to his son and he becomes the new Defender. The previous Defender then retires and disappears from public life. In this system, the Defender effectively still governs until his son becomes old enough to rule by himself.
Laws
Currency
Half a century ago, many local currencies were still in circulation across the Empire. Following a major standardization effort, only the official imperial currency is now in circulation. Remnants of old currencies can sometimes be found in private collections and have become, ironically, very rare and expensive.The basic currency is the Imperical Crown. It is a large, flat, round silver coin pierced in the middle. A Crown is worth 20 Rings, small round copper coins, also pierced. Finally, a thousand Crown make a Sovereign. Sovereigns are large, oval gold coins pierced with two holes. They are only used for the largest transactions and can only be be exchanged for their Crown equivalent in Imperial banks.
Coins are usually kept on a string (passed through the coins' holes and tied to a belt or bag) or packaged in stacks of fixed size for easier storage and calculation.
Taxation
People of Meilthaor are subject to three different taxes:- A local tax, paid to the duchy every month. The exact amount or proportion of resources, production or income levied depends on the duchy. This tax is re-evaluated each year, and applies at the same rate until the next year.
- A tax to the Aegis, paid once a year at the beginning of winter.
- An Imperial tax, paid once a year at the beggining of summer.
Language
The official language of Meilthaor is the Commune. However, it is not necessarily the most in use, as many communities assimilated into the Empire still speak their ancestral tongues, and some even refuse to teach it to their youth as a sign of defiance to the Imperial authority. Speaking any other tongue but the common to an Imperial official is met with a heavy fine, and sometimes even jail time.The only accepted deviance from the Commune is the old Tharian language, seen as a symbol of pride and wealth amongst the noble elites of the Empire. Moreover, a wealth of documents in old Tharian have yet to be translated, and official documents are still being written in it as a way to keep other races away from the highest gorvernance positions.
Education
In the countryside, most kids aged four to nine are usually taught at least one day a week by an itinerant teacher. These instructors travel from village to village to teach basic knowledge : how to read, how to write, some basic maths and the history of their region. This is an initiative set by the Imperial administration and is designed to raise kids into the imperial values in an attempt to silence any independentist sentiment in the newer generations. As such, teachers first have to pass an official exam to earn their right to teach, and then have to follow a strict curriculum that they absulutely cannot deviate from.
While this program spans a large portion of the empire, some of the most remote areas are still left without. In that case, education of the young usually goes to the elders of the community.
Older kids are then encouraged to learn a trade directly from their parents or from a local master. Very few kids make it the more prestigious, often prohibitively expensive Imperial schools found in the major cities. In bigger cities, children are required to attend schools until the age of twelve. The exact conditions of the education are left to each city (sometimes free, sometimes paid by the parents directly to the school, sometimes funded via taxes). There, kids learn the basics of history, mathematics, language, religion and everyday skills such a cooking and sewing. Older children can then join the work force or continue their education in a college specialized in a given trade. Apprenticeship with a master is also common practice, some colleges even make it a requirement of their curriculum : students have to spend half their time working under a master, and the other half at school.
For the wealthiest class or the real geniuses, a select few faculties offer very specific training in order to join the ranks of the most prestigious imperial organizations. Two of such academies of Aconit's Kiln and Fort-Tempête's Zeitgeist, the biggest and most renowned universities dedicated to the study of Art.
While this program spans a large portion of the empire, some of the most remote areas are still left without. In that case, education of the young usually goes to the elders of the community.
Older kids are then encouraged to learn a trade directly from their parents or from a local master. Very few kids make it the more prestigious, often prohibitively expensive Imperial schools found in the major cities. In bigger cities, children are required to attend schools until the age of twelve. The exact conditions of the education are left to each city (sometimes free, sometimes paid by the parents directly to the school, sometimes funded via taxes). There, kids learn the basics of history, mathematics, language, religion and everyday skills such a cooking and sewing. Older children can then join the work force or continue their education in a college specialized in a given trade. Apprenticeship with a master is also common practice, some colleges even make it a requirement of their curriculum : students have to spend half their time working under a master, and the other half at school.
For the wealthiest class or the real geniuses, a select few faculties offer very specific training in order to join the ranks of the most prestigious imperial organizations. Two of such academies of Aconit's Kiln and Fort-Tempête's Zeitgeist, the biggest and most renowned universities dedicated to the study of Art.
Infrastructure
As Meilthaor grew, it became clear that robust infrastructures would be necessary to keep the empire afloat as well as to get troops to the frontline as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Thus, paved roads were built very early on in the Empire's history and are still used and well maintained to this day. They are large enough for two carriages to pass eachorcher without trouble and are patrolled night and day.They allow travel between the biggest cities of the empire and are fairly easy to navigate : signs and way stones are scattered along the roads to let the travelers know of small towns and outposts on the way to their destination, as well as a rough estimate of the number of days left until they reach the nearest major city.
Another of the empire's goal was to bring water even to the most recluse of communities. A huge effort was set in motion to build aquaducts and canals and is still underway. However, the size of the task at hands was greatly underestimated and it won't be another dozen years at the very least before even a third of the project is competed. This has become a real money sink for the empire but its successive rulers insit on it being absolutely crucial to the development of the empire.
For a few years now, private companies and rich investors have started building small railroads, to accomodate the recent advencements in steam engines technologies and the creation of the very first trains in all of Krogiath. These trains are still very new and reserved to wealthy elites. Born in the factories of Echo, this is seen as a first step in a real revolution that could someday allow anyone to cross the whole continent in a matter of a few days.