The Human Empire

Structure

The Empire is ruled by a dynastic emperor whose title is inherited from the previous emperor. The Emperor chooses his or her successor from their descendants, either adoptive or biological. There is a system by which the emperor may appoint land, and thus towns and cities, to individuals or families, thus establishing noble houses or imperial rankings.

Emperor - Rules the Human Empire under the divine right of the pantheon. An Emperor/Empress must undertake appeasement rituals annually to maintain their divine mandate. The Title itself is inherited or seized by conquest. There is an ancient ritual which an appointed noble or knight may challenge those higher than themselves for a higher rank.

Noble Houses - Appointed by the current or past Emperors, some even have writs of nobility from long-dead dynasties.

Imperial Knight - The Imperial Knights are effectively minor nobles. They have less power than a full-fledged Noble House but do pass political power onto their descendants as long as certain prerequisites are met. Knights do not personally own land or have vassals. Many Knights serve as vassals under a Noble. Knights can be appointed by any person of higher political and social status. Those at the peak of the Knighthood Hierarchy are appointed by the Emperor or Empress.

The Spellblades - A hybrid caste of Knights and Wizards. These wizards police the magic of the Empire and make sure it is not being abused in a way that harms the Empire. Thus they are the ones to come calling if a wizard is suspected of using magic to create money or otherwise effect the Empire on a large scale.

Wizards of the Empire - Wizards occupy an odd space within the Empire. Any person above Commoner status may maintain their status as long as they can find a tutor within two years of The Gift manifesting. Assuming the teacher is located and brought in to teach the fledgling, then the young Wizard maintains their social status. If a suitable teacher cannot be found then the Wizard is taken by the Spellblades to an academy to be taught how to control their powers. After graduating from the academy a Wizard is effectively a civil servant and no longer has any of the rights or limitations from their social caste however they now occupy a strange caste between commoner and knight. They have no actual political or social power and are beholden to the Imperial Government. An example of their new path in life involves instant conscription in the event of war or rebellion. They get a monthly stipend from the Empire and are expected to keep themselves in good health.

Commoners - Any not part of a Knight house or Noble House. This includes: merchants, guards, soldiers, laborers, specialists (alchemists and smiths are an example). Many of the commoners believe in their own social hierarchy where many merchants and specialists are at the top and are just under Knights and Nobles in rank.

Demi-Humans - Humanity views all sub-species as a Demi-Humans or Demis. A Demi is the result of procreation between a Human and another race regardless of how far back in their bloodline the "corrupting influence" was. These do include any half-breeds resulting from procreating with a Feldvath although most cannot separate a half-human Feldvath from a normal one.

Slaves - The lowest social status within the Human Empire. It includes criminals, descendants of slaves, any non-human, and even political opponents.

Psychics of the Empire - Psychics are more restricted than wizards in the Human Empire. They do not get a chance at a teacher even if they are of noble blood. Psychics are taken when their powers manifest for the first time and trained to become agents of the empire. The Empire cultivates psionics of any discipline in an effort to have an organization with enough diversity of power to be able to police the Empire at large. The Psychics also act as diplomatic agents as the telepaths have a knack for communicating regardless of language. All psychics occupy a secretive caste that holds no political power, but on the whole they are the Hands of the Emperor.

Ki users of the Empire - Ki users are heavily encouraged to train martially and join the military. Those that manifest a talent for Ki Manipulation at an early age are encouraged to join the Imperial Shields organization. As a Shield they are given the best teachers for Ki Manipulation within the Empire but are expected to serve as the Emperor's personal guards and staff. Menial tasks are still handed off to servants and slaves, but any task that the Emperor requests of them is expected to be done quickly and without complaint. Those that do not join the military end up under heavy scrutiny from the Spellblades and Hands of the Emperor as the various powers have areas in which they overlap. To help against the scrutiny, a Ki user or their guardians may request a writ from a Noble or Knight that they may present to the Hands or Spellblades. This writ certifies that they are outside the direct purview of the Hands and Spellblades. Those Ki Users that that join the military usually find themselves rapidly promoted to a special group of Ki Users that act as a surgical knife amidst wars and rebellions. Many Ki users end up with a Knighthood of their own after years of service. Some Shields even end up the head of a new Noble House.

Nemesis Users of the Empire - All Nemesis users taken by the Hands or Spellblades upon discovery to be trained by the Shields or a military unit as users of Nemesis are incredibly rare and exceptionally useful.

Summoners of the Empire - Summoners are seen as primitive barbarians within the confines of the empire. This view is not helped by the fact that the Xith are known to practice summoning as a major part of their culture. Summoners tend to live away from cities, some of them still live out in “uncivilized” parts of the Empire, surviving by their own wits and skill. Rarely there are mass gatherings of summoners, they convene in a specific set of ancient ruins where they summon a spirit of truth to preside over their proceedings. If any lie within he presence of the spirit they are immediately slain by the arbiter of truth. Sometimes the Spellblades recruit from the covens, but they only take those who are willing as they do not wish to bring down the wrath of the covens upon the Empire.

Public Agenda

The emperor wants to conquer the world, of course, and bring all the lesserraces under the control of humanity.

Assets

The dynasty has vast material and social wealth with a host of contacts and vassals.

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Alternative Names

The Empire, The Imperium

Demonym

Imperials or, simply, Humans

Related Professions

• Imperial Knight

Notable Members

• Zinnerman Aries