Ruelle

For nearly a millennia, Ruelle was a country just like any other, ruled over by a king and divided into smaller, feudal duchies, counties, and baronies - all of it a subset of the glorious Empire of Duras.
Nearly five and a half centuries ago, all that changed with the arrival of Darrius XIV who raised the Ludo Mountains with a wave of his hand and plunged Ruelle into isolation. With promises of individual liberty and a brighter future, he raised an army from among the peasantry. Combining tactical genius with raw magical power, Darrius and his armies managed to topple the Ruellan military with terrifying speed and, in less than a year, had seized the crown.

Government

Installing himself as the Immortal God-King of Ruelle, Darrius' word has been the law of the land ever since. However, in keeping with his promises during the coup, he installed a bicameral congress to be elected by and for the common people.
This congress operates independently of the God-King and does not require his explicit consent to enact laws. While Darrius does maintain the authority to void any law passed by the congress, it is a power he rarely invokes, reserving it only for acts which he believes endanger the greater good of the Ruellan people.

Technology

While the Arcane Empires of Duras, the Vennican Dominion, and the Siegenthal all horde their magical power among a small group of supremely elite casters, Ruelle takes a more egalitarian approach to magic. Rather than educating a few powerful wizards, Ruelle is home to thousands upon thousands of hedge-level talents who primarily focus their efforts on artifice, creating magical tools and devices that anyone can use and benefit from.
This approach has made Ruelle the most advanced society on all of Emeriss, producing such technological marvels as the contained elemental engine, krystaal communications tools, and the lone reason why no enemy army has set foot on Ruellan soil in nearly four hundred years - the firearm.
Every soldier in the Ruellan army is equipped with a personal weapon capable of rivaling a trained battle wizard at range and even the Grand Magi of the Vennican Dominion struggle to match the raw killing power of a Ruellan artillery strike. With aircraft patrolling her skies and submarines, her coasts, Ruellan technology has made them the undeniable superpower of Emeriss.
If the God-King himself had not forbade the Ruellan military from marching outside their own lands there is little doubt that the whole of the world would by now kneel at his throne.
And that is to say nothing of the prosperity it has offered her citizens - a prosperity which the rest of the world envies desperately. So, despite their de minimis chances, the great empires of the world continue to throw their armies against the Albatross Bridge and the one way in or out of Ruelle.
If by some miracle they ever managed to take Fort Khangshan at the mouth of the bridge, the treasure that awaits them beyond would be well worth the blood shed to gain it.

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Alternative Names

The Lighthouse of Emeriss

Government System

Democracy, Parliamentary

Power Structure

Unitary state

Economic System

Market economy

Currency

The Royal

Legislative Body

Congress

Neighboring Nations

• The Arcane Empire of Duras