Empire of the Southern Sun

South of The Elysian Federation, central Caino’s plains and forests give way to dense jungle, cliffs, lower-lying plains and marshes. All of this is the territory of the Empire of the Southern Sun, a highly unified state, ruled and administered by almost a hundred noble houses which emerged from alliances of the region’s post-Cataclysmic tribes and chiefdoms during a crisis known as the Age of Fire. Most, but not all of these houses are built around genasi bloodlines.
The First Imperial Council granted centralised power to the high plains chieftain Galea to organise the relief efforts against the Age of Fire. Galea is not considered the first Emperor, as she predates the Empire as an organisation, but is sometimes called the Mother of the Empire. After the second Imperial Council constituted the Empire and the Provinces, the provincial delegations became the Imperial Houses. The cliffs of Jaridan were chosen as the site for the future Imperial capital, the first Imperial election was held, and Krilini anTirik of Tirika was returned as the first Emperor of the Southern Sun.
The Emperor, the overall ruler of the Empire, is elected on the death of their predecessor both from and by the leadership of the Imperial Houses, and takes up the Throne of the Sun in the capital city of Golean on the cliffs above the southern central plains. The power of the Throne is dependent on the strength of the Emperor, ranging from pure figurehead to effective and driving executive. The current Emperor hails from Imperial House Tirikan and is considered to be a strong and effective ruler, if a little keen to focus power in the south.
By the constitution, an Emperor holds the Sun Throne for life, or until they formally abdicate, or are impeached by the Imperial Council. In practice, most Emperors abdicate and go into quiet retirement after around twenty years, and only one has ever been impeached. The shortest Imperial term was just under a year - Emperor Yoros Skybrand of Jaridan was not the only emperor to be assassinated during the Imperial Civil Wars of YE1216-1245 - while the longest and current term is that of Emperor Korokan ayaTirika, at fifty-one years and counting as of YE 3126.
In addition to their court and the support of their own house, every Emperor has the support of a network of Throne Agents. Throne Agents are individuals granted imperial authority and license to act as they see fit to achieve their objectives, answerable only to the Emperor. While in theory this makes them untouchable, agents who exceed their brief - and those caught following a brief which might embarrass their Emperor - can be disavowed and stripped of all protections. In addition, while all imperial organisations and subjects are expected to obey a Throne Agent's instructions, individual houses may hold their operations to be exempt from such authority, by filing paperwork with the Imperial Council.
Below the Emperor, Imperial Society is organised into houses and castes, with each individual born into one of each. Houses are defined by location and vocation, while castes define status and occupation. While most of the Empire is administered by the houses, there are a number of Imperial Organisations which operate under the direct authority of the Imperial Council.
The natural boundary with the Federation is the Greenwall, a range of mountains. Modest in comparison to the Skystone Peaks, they are nonetheless sufficient to prevent armed conflict. They take their name from the dense cloud forests which line their slopes. South of the Greenwall, the Empire is divided into Five Provinces, ruled by the five Imperial Houses.
The five oldest dynastic houses are known as the Houses of the Imperial Dynasty, or simply as the Imperial Houses. Along with House Golean, they are also known as the Ruling Houses. The lesser houses of nobility are vassals to the Ruling Houses, and form the government of the provinces and the Empire as a whole, supported by a substantial bureaucracy.