The Eternal Empire

Nearly 1500 years ago, a small city state 1000 miles form Khezvaros at the mouth of the River Tanril fell under the sway of a new religion led by priests who called themselves the Velkil. The Velkil worshipped Kyra , Mother of the World, and prophesied that the time was at hand to prepare for her homecoming, when she would rule all the people of the world as The Eternal Empress. The people of Tanrilar were so enthralled by the priests' predictions that within 5 years, the worship of Kyra (and her brother and sister deities) was the state religion of Tanrilar. By the end of the decade, the Velkil had taken power and ruled over the city-state. The Velkil believed that it was their duty to ensure that The Eternal Empress arrived to an empire worth ruling, so it didn't take them to begin their campaign to unify the world in worship of the Empress. This was usually done through warfare and conquest, but some tribes and nations were brought under imperial rule through diplomacy or legitimate conversion to the worship of the Empress. During the first two centuries of the Velkil's rule, the empire expanded to encompass the area to the east of the Tanril from around 300 miles north of the city of Tanrilar to the coasts. To the west, the empire controlled the lands south of the Thofmar Desert from mountains to coast all the way to the jungle domain of The Witch Queen of Igweyamba. 979 years ago, the Velkil's prophecy came to pass. Kyra arrived in Tanrilar on a shooting star from the heavens and took her place on the imperial throne. The other gods arrived each in their own time, and the empire's expansion reached The Pains of Tarsa under the command of the living gods. The Tarsan cities, with their Dragon protectors, presented a challenge even for a force as powerful as the empire. The beasts prevented the empire's westward expansion until Kyra's consort Kelik the Hunter led a band of heroes to track down and slay each dragon in turn. Some of the Tarsan cities continued to resist imperial rule for a time, but eventually all fell to the empire. Only Khezvaros continued to remain independent for more than a few years after the fall of the dragons, but even the City of Ten Thousand Daggers was eventually annexed when the threat of famine forced them to sign the Grain Rot Pact. Now that it has the greatest city of the west under its thumb, the empire seems poised for further expansion.

Culture

The gods are petty and vengeful, and most subjects outside of Tanrilar feel that the human representatives of the empire excel at mirroring these traits.

Public Agenda

To rule the world.

Military

Savak, The Lord of Blades is the commander-in-chief of the The Imperial Legions, who have fortresses and garrisons throughout the Eternal Empire. In times of war and civil unrest, the ranking legion commander may also take command of any fighting force that operates with imperial sanction. This includes the private armies of noble households, mercenary companies, martial orders, and mercantile security forces. The only forces exempted are guard forces employed by coffee houses and house guards operating under Mage Law.

Religion

Although the Imperial Gods rule the Eternal Empire, they do not mandate that subjects of the empire worship them. According to imperial doctrine, this is because all other gods are mere pretenders and long-dead myths who pose no threat to the true gods. On a practical level, allowing conquered subjects to continue venerating their old Gods costs the empire nothing because seeing an actual living god--or even a high-blooded Godborn--is enough to make most people question the utility of worshipping a distant, impersonal deity whose interest in the affairs of mortals is speculative at best. In most territories annexed by the empire, it's only a matter of time before native religions dwindle to a handful of fanatics, die out completely, or get reinterpreted as aspects of the gods of the empire.

Founding Date

-236 AE

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Capital

Tanrilar

Alternative Names

Velkili Empire, The Empire, The Infernal Empire

Predecessor Organization

Velkili Empire

Formation Type

The Imperial Legions

Demonym

Imperials, Tanrilir, Velkites

Leader

The Eternal Empress

Head of State

The Eternal Empress

Government System

Theocracy

Power Structure

Transnational government

Economic System

Traditional

Gazetteer

The Eternal Empire at least in name controls most of the continent from the Plains of Tarsa to the eastern Coast. With the exception of a few isolated hold-outs, only the farthest northern and western reaches of the landmass have yet to come under their sway.

Currency

The Empire mints coins in three denominations: Gold Lions, Silver Eagles, and Copper Hounds. The Imperial Mint also produces platinum and gold trade bars for larger transactions. Imperial Blood Notes are also issued by the treasury, but are generally only available to nobles and organizations in the direct employ of the empire.

Legislative Body

The laws of the Eternal Empire are decided by a council of high-ranking Velkil. According to official doctrine, the council's devotion to the Empress allows them to always arrive at a decision that perfectly reflects her desires.

Judicial Body

Imperial Magistrates act as judges in disputes covered by imperial law, but either party in such a dispute has the right to petition the priesthood of Mergyn, The Purple Sage if they feel that the magistrate has failed to properly interpret or apply the code of laws. Such petitions may be submitted to any priest of Mergyn, who will immediately determine whether the claim is meritless or worthy of consideration. If the complaint is deemed valid, it will pass up through the priestly hierarchy until it is either rejected or presented to the ranking Purple Sage of the territory. If it makes it all the way to the ranking priest, they will assemble a jury to consult the legal codes and make a final determination.

Executive Body

The day-to-day work of keeping the empire operating is conducted by dozens of different organizations, most of which are (in name if not in practice) overseen by a God. The high-level coordination of all these government bodies is the purview of Kyra's priesthood, with the High Velkil serving as the chief executive.

Location

Tanrilar

Related Traditions