The Saurian Empire of Ollusia [1065]

An empire born in the chaos of the fall of man, the Ollusian empire is home to the now flourishing saurian civilization. Once ruled over by Orenvale, the first dragon lord, it found itself orphaned when all the dragon lords disappeared after their fight with Aswalkt. They would forever be praised as godlike beings for their heroic acts (most of them at least) and their stories would be told for generations to come. A common belief among the saurian nobles is that they are beings from the heavens sent on Aogan by the gods to show the other rising civilizations the way of the great dragon lords (thus the was of fire and holiness). The emperors of Ollusia are therefore representatives of the saurian faith, capable of receiving messages from the gods. They are chosen after a series of tests, determining their ability as messengers of the gods. Although Ollusia is a flourishing economic and military empire, it still sees a great divide between the wealthy and those who have nothing.
Interestingly, there is much respect for non-noble rich-men in the capitol, for only one neither of noble or of peasant's blood can claim the title of emperor. According to the ancient texts, a peasant is too dull and ignorant to be emperor, and a noble is too entangled in the matters of the court to be able to see the gods most truly without the proper meditative rituals. These consist in entering the soul of Orenvale through the Wells of Savin, and becoming one with the gods. A fragment of the soul of Orenvale is given to the emperor, through a horn carrying the memories of both that dragon lord and previous emperors who wore the artifact. Souls of other dragon lords are sometimes bestowed upon nobles who have shown exemplary behavior. Such nobles are called Dragon counts. The soul of Gavarenth is one of them, separated in two parts: The soul of strength and the soul of insight.
Souls are indeed a very important thing in saurian culture. A tradition among the saurian nobles is to partake in the souls of their ancestors in order to inherit their wisdom and tradition, and honor the family legacy. The inheritance process is organised by the Wells of Savin. Inheritors of dragon counts do receive the dragon lords blessings but are treated very harshly by the empire and executed for any action that dishonors the soul they carry (this allows the Wells of Savin to get back what they gave long ago).

Structure

True power is that of the gods, or the "Great Dragon Lords". Naturally then, the 9 Dragon lords wielded all of the power in the Saurian empire's early days. But when they all died or disappeared, for a reason or another, the only thing the saurians could do is compare their souls to those of their idols. The wells of Savin are the clerics and priests dedicated to the handling of souls in Ollusia. They are the brewers of "soul stew" of the empire and the keepers of the souls of the dragon lords.

Public Agenda

The current leader of the empire wishes to unify the saurians under one glorious banner, wether through diplomacy or brute force.

Assets

The Ollusian empire is owner to much gold castles, and especially, magical items.

History

Half a century ago, a new emperor, Sen, was chosen to rule Ollusia, and he decreed that the gods were tired seeing of saurian parting with the "true way". A true traditionnalist of the old ways, he has expelled all non-conventionnal beliefs and, in the process, thrusted the empire into civil war (even though it was already pretty much that way anyways). Many people have questionned his claim to the divine title of messenger of the gods, but it is said the soul sages were, and to this day still are, unanimus in the thought that he is somehow linked to the dragon lords in some way, thus deserving of his title. A few lords distinguished themselves in the chaos of the situation: Benk, the hero of upside valley and Sol, who, though being a brilliant military general at heart, managed to restore peace to his region in a most peaceful manner, having somehow managed to convince the peasants to simply abandon their beliefs for the common ways, and lastly, Kha'rstoss, the newly proclaimed iron fist of the emperor.

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Demonym

Ollusiens

Parent Organization

The Dragon Lords

Location

Askavar Desert