Ruthorian Empire (Ruth-ore-ian)
An imperialist empire located in the northwest region of Egapesh. They are known to exert their beliefs in the goddess Erathis, lawbearer, upon other nations.
Structure
Within the Ruthorian Empire, the Emperor of Ruthoria is at the top (the emperor title also carries the power of a divine blessing from Erathis, goddess of law), but he isn't managing everything all the time. Most of Ruthoria's land is divvied up among a couple of noble families known as the Ruthorian noble houses. Each noble house is led by a head of house, and these head nobles have control over most of their territory. These noble houses are the descendants of the prairie tribes of Ruthoria who still maintain the power and land they were given in exchange for becoming part of the empire. These noble houses each have their own troops and are required to pay a percentage of all taxes they collect from those who live on their lands to the empire. These troops are built up of three groups: guards, soldiers, and knights. Guards usually spend all of their time in a particular town or city, patrolling the streets wearing the plain colors representing their house. Soldiers wear the full colors and emblem of their house and spend their downtime acting as guards in more rural areas that may be unable to draw upon their population for a guard force (rural towns/villages often do have their own guard force, but it is sometimes insufficient). These soldiers are withdrawn from these rural areas the moment the threat of military conflict is detected. Knights are elite soldiers, knighted by a Head of House or the Emperor who swear an oath of loyalty. Sometimes these oaths contain holy vows, granting the knights divine power. Each noble house is required to follow and enforce the laws set by the Church of Erathis.
Culture
- Duels: In Ruthorian culture, duels hold a special importance. Duels are normally not to the death as decreed by Erart Ruthen during his reign, but duals are still used to settle disputes among individuals or larger groups. It is highly taboo to not honor the conditions of a dual, and even the Ruthorian Noble Houses have used duals in the form of tournaments to settle disputes among themselves.
- Weapons: The weapon a young Ruthorian chooses to learn in Ruthorian Combat School will be with them for the rest of their life. They of course are not allowed a real weapon until after they graduate, but once they do, it is normal for the family of the graduate to buy them the weapon (if they can afford it), or pass down a weapon owned by an elder as a family heirloom. Families who pass down their weapons as family heirlooms often don’t give their children a choice in what weapon they learn, much to the child’s dismay. It is custom for Ruthorians to keep their weapons well-kept and sharp, acting as if the weapon is an extension of their own body that they must protect. It is seen as a taboo in Ruthorian society to neglect your or a family members weapon, or to purposely steal/damage the weapon of another unless in honorable combat. All Ruthorians name their weapons, with the weapon’s name being passed down through generations with the weapon itself.
- Honor: Almost all Ruthorians follow a societal code of honor and ethics. It is the duty of each Ruthorian to be an enforcer of Erathis and assist in the enforcement of the law. It is for this reason that it is very difficult to be a criminal in the Empire, as almost no citizen will be afraid to pull out a weapon in the name of the law. Additionally, Ruthorians always fight and act with honor. A slight to a Ruthorian’s honor usually leads to a dual in which the loser will live as a social outcast until they can do something to restore said honor. This code is also why spellcasters, archers, and all combatants considered “dishonest, unfair, or dishonorable” are rarely highly respected in Ruthorian society.
Public Agenda
The previous Emperor of Ruthoria, Erart Ruthen, was incredibly militaristic, and he claimed that it was the will of Erathis that they conquer the wood elven kingdom of the Lyrinian Concord to the north. The new emperor, Nhurir Ruthen, has been distant since he came to power and the primary thing that he's done so far is end the war with the Lyrinian wood elves that had been going on for the entirety of his father's rule. Different groups of citizens within Ruthoria reacted differently to this, some incredibly thankful the war is finally over and some infuriated that they and their family's sacrifices in the war were for nothing.
History
The Ruthorian empire was founded by the Ruthen tribe, in specific their chief Stendar Ruthen. It is said that Stendar made a pact with the goddess Erathis to gain immense power. In exchange, Stendar would create a great empire of law, a beacon of civilization to fight against the chaos that was the wild age. Stendar dubbed his empire the Ruthorain empire, and set to assimilating other prairie tribes in the name of Erathis. Tribes who assimilated willingly were granted great honor within Ruthorian society, becoming the Ruthorian noble houses, while those who refused were incorporated by force. After the empire had taken entirely over Ruthoria, they began to conquer the Montane Flat, a land of wild beasts and monsters. Foolishly, Stendar Ruthen lead the charge in a battle against the hill giants native to the Montane Flat, and was killed in the process by their leader. As the pact with Erathis promised, the blessings of Erathis were transferred to Stendar's eldest son, Erart. Erart quickly assembled support from the noble houses and wiped out the remaining hill giants, taking revenge for his father's death. Immediately after their victory, Erart founded a mining city called Mantlemine. Citizens of Mantlemine were tasked with harvesting the mineral-rich mountains of the Montane Flat to supply the empire with metals and rare gemstones which were incredibly sparse in the open prairies of Ruthoria. Using these new resources, the empire's population surged at an exponential rate and is still growing to this day. After a while, Erart grew restless, bored of the painfully slow scouting and settling of the Montane Flat. He decided to lead a war against the Lyrinian Concord to the northwest, a risky move considering how little they knew about the elves that lived there. The empire's armies marched on Lyrinia and were met with fierce resistance at the hands of the Concord despite their overwhelming numbers. Each elf could take down more than 5 Ruthorian soldiers in single combat and had access to the magical secrets harbored by the Concord. As the years went by Ruthorians tired of this seemingly pointless war, but whenever they questioned Erart he would give a galvanizing speech that would make them forget why they wanted to stop fighting in the first place (the speeches always brought up that the elves were a wild people, and it was the will of Erathis that they are tamed). Eventually Erart died of old age, and Erathis's blessing and the title of emperor of Ruthoria would be passed to his eldest son, Nhurir. Nhurir made drastic changes to the royal court of the empire when he was appointed, most notably he locked away his father's advisor in the dungeons for supposedly manipulating his father, feeble-minded in his old age, to continue the war. After that, Erart withdrew all Ruthorian troops from Lyrinia and officially made peace with the Lyrinian Concord, though there is still a great degree of tension between the two.
Demography and Population
The population of the Ruthorian Empire is currently in a state of exponential growth. The vast rolling fields of Ruthoria have more than enough space to grow food to feed everyone and the Montane Flat is still relatively empty settlement-wise. Most of the population resides in various towns, cities, and villages located in the rolling fields and prairies of Ruthoria. A smaller amount lives on the Montane flat and in the forests of Ruthoria. The majority of the population consists of Humans.
Territories
The Ruthorian Empire has completely uncontested control of Ruthoria and currently occupy the mostly untamed wilds of The Montane flat.
Military
The noble houses and the Empire all have their own armies of soldiers and knights to protect their territories. Noble houses are expected to defend themself and their people from local threats without help from the empire, but never to use these militaries to infight among themselves for power. In conflicts with large groups, other civilizations, or during wartime, the Emperor of Ruthoria may force the noble houses to join the empire in military operations unless they are currently facing a severe local threat. War and combat are very glorified among the Ruthorian people, and most of the time forced conscription during wartime isn't necessary due to the number of people willingly signing up. Veterans gain great social status and respect within Ruthorian society and most commoners serve as a soldier or a guard for at least a short period in their lifetime.
Religion
Most gods are legal within the Empire, but the state goddess is Erathis, lawbearer. It is required by the Church of Erathis that all places of worship dedicated to gods other than Erathis must have depictions of Erathis no less grand than the depictions of the gods the place of worship is originally built for. This law is one of the few laws within the empire directly enforced by the church. Additionally, all places of worship within the Empire, dedicated to Erathis or not, must tithe a portion of their donations up to the Church of Erathis. These tithes are collected at the same time the place of worship is inspected to make sure depictions of Erathis are up to standard. These inspections are carried out entirely by the Church of Erathis.
Agriculture & Industry
A large amount of Ruthoria is covered in farmland, and Ruthorians take pride in their ability to sustain themselves. Ruthorians are also very proud of their horses, with selective horse breeding being a competition of sorts among the best breeders. Every Ruthorian loves their horses, and breeders charge a premium for their pedigree stallions.
Education
It is heavily recommended in Ruthorian society that every human attends school. Free Ruthorian combat training and education are available for all human teenagers above fourteen years old in various state-funded schools across Ruthoria. These schools teach a variety of topics, including the following: Ruthorian history, basic reading, basic writing, religious studies, and combat training in a common weapon of the students choice. These lessons often contain content meant to instill a strong sense of nationalism among Ruthorians. They also teach students the purpose of their combat training, which is to act as loyal enforcers of Erathis' divine laws as opposed to committing impetuous acts of violence. Teachers in the schools are usually appointed by local government authorities or the Church of Erathis. Due to this, many of the teachers also happen to be members of the Church.
"In Erathis we trust"
Founding Date
1312
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Capital
Predecessor Organization
Demonym
Ruthorian
Leader
Ruling Organization
Leader Title
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Constitutional
Power Structure
Federation
Economic System
Market economy
Gazetteer
Currency
Ruthorians use Ruthorian-minted coins the materials of which are mostly mined from the mountains of the The Montane flat. These coins include dakes (copper coins), silver gospel (silver coins), gospel (gold coins), and porsil (platinum coins). 10 dakes = 1 silver gospel, 10 silver gospel = 1 gospel, 10 gospel = 1 porsil. Ruthoria accepts foreign currency.
Legislative Body
- The Emperor of Ruthoria can suggest any law he desires, but it must have approval from the majority of the church of Erathis to be passed. The emperor normally stays out of the affairs of law, and the emperor casting a bill is seen as unorthodox.
- The Church of Erathis may create any law they wish which every territory under the control of the Ruthorian Empire must follow. They can also make laws targeting territories of specific noble houses. This is an incredibly delicate system that hinges greatly on the church's antagonization of corruption and the corruption system. The laws made by the church are highly based off of Erathis' Holy Order.
- Noble houses can technically instate any rules they wish within their land, but this is highly frowned upon by the Church of Erathis, and a noble who does this too often may fall out of favor with the church.
Judicial Body
The Ruthorian Empire relies on judges to interpret the laws and determine whether someone is guilty of violating said laws or not. The Church of Erathis must approve of somebody becoming a judge and the higher ranking judges are also typically low-level clerics of Erathis, goddess of law, granting them access to the zone of truth spell. Courtrooms are seen as holy places of Erathis, and one must shed themselves of bias before entering (sometimes courtrooms are inside of a church of Erathis!). This especially applies to a judge. If three or more people involved with court affairs file a complaint of bias against a particular judge the church of Erathis will send an inquisitor, a wizard of moderate skill who can cast the spell Detect Thoughts, to detect any bias within the judge's mind during their next time in court. If the judge is found guilty of harboring bias or purposely denying entry into their mind, they are stripped of their job and title and can never again be associated with the church. The Church of Erathis also informs the public of the disgraced judge's transgressions so that they may be shunned for their arrogance. Along with the judges, church officials and members of the public are often present in all court proceedings.
Executive Body
One of the most common jobs in the Ruthorian Empire is a guard or soldier. Since most human citizens are given combat training at the age of 14, a large portion of the population qualifies to become a guard or soldier. The guards are like the police force of Ruthoria, and there is no shortage of them. A guard patrols the streets of cities, towns, villages, and the roads that connect them, apprehending anyone they believe to be breaking the law. Guards wear the base colors of the noble house they serve but do not sport the emblem. Soldiers on the other hand have the symbol of their house emblazoned on their chest, and are deployed to act as guards in more rural areas (they are also immediately drawn upon and mobilized for military conflict, while guards stay behind in their settlements to uphold the law). The guard system is managed by Ruthorian officials/the noble houses and not the church of Erathis. Laws relating to religion are enforced by Church priests/soldiers.
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
Deities
Location
Official Languages
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Species
Related Ethnicities
Comments