Second Ophionic Empire

The Great Ophionic Empire fell with the death of the last H'se Imperator, and Szareen Ysseth claimed the Serpent Throne after an Interregnum of sixty-two years. The Empire had shrunk significantly, losing the west and the southern fringe of the Dustlands. Szareen made no attempt to restore the expansion of the old Empire, instead bringing the Virin-yal together through control of the Venom and opposition to the ongoing threat of the ash Elves.
The key to the ascension of the Ysseth lay in empowering the rural and regional authorities and the disenfranchising of the great aristocrat houses in favour of more direct imperial control. The old Imperial Army had been composed of highly trained household troops, led by powerful virinem and Aray generals, and huge numbers of slave levies. House Ysseth put limits on the size of household forces, recruited the skilled officers made redundant by these restrictions to lead permanent cadres of slave- and citizen-soldiers, and offered citizenship and the Venom to those who served with distinction in the slave contingents.
In addition, under the new Regime, any individual managing a certain value of land was granted autonomy under the throne, forcing the houses to dissolve their estates, or else employ a costly and inefficient number of minor land managers. Either option greatly diminished the wealth and prestige of the houses.
Most importantly, however, by taking full control of the Blessed Venom, House Ysseth ensured that there could be no more Sagass created, which effectively prevented The Creation of new houses. Control of the Venom also meant control of the power, prestige and above all growth of the houses, effectively reducing the greatest houses to dwindling relicts of their old glory.
The Second Ophionic Empire is smaller than its predecessor, with a balkanized aristocracy and a new ruling class built on the mercurial favour of the immortal Szareen Ysseth. Those unexposed to the Venom remain slaves, the distant promise of earned citizenship a sop rather than a mitigation of their treatment. The appetites of the gods are fed by the lives of slaves, those who lose imperial favour, and captives taken in the ongoing border clashes in the west.
The imperial centre is now in Sythis, which as a result has gained greatly in power and prestige, while Stygis has suffered a considerable decline. The poorer quarters of the former capital are now little more than slums, and the Stygian houses and cult suffer ongoing punishment for the treatment of House Ysseth before their rise. Asphyxa, on the other hand, remains largely unchanged; even Szareen Ysseth has never been arrogant enough to directly oppose the war cult.
In addition to the core territory of the Empire, the city of Bungara is fiercely defended as the last Ophionic port and home to the dreaded slaver and pirate fleets. 'The Corridor' is a deep ravine along the northern border of the Darklands, connecting Bungara to the imperial heartland. Defended by the heavy cavalry and artillerists of the South Canyon Dragoons, the Corridor and the port are the key route by which new slaves enter the Empire, some captured on battle, others bought from other slave-owning cultures.
Bungara itself is a fortified port, defended from land and sea by a great curtain wall enclosing a deepwater harbour large enough for sixty ships. Two stone piers jut out over a mile, providing anchorage for dozens more. A fleet of chiriss - swift, narrow-hulled vessels used as diplomatic transports, patrol ships or light freighters - carrying troops and light artillery defend the harbour.

Type

Geopolitical, Empire