Geography, Climate and Demography of the Empire
This is an overview of the geography, climate and demography of the Empire of the Covenant.
Geography and climate
The empire
The Empire is spread over a whole continent. As such, the geography and climate vary widely depending on regions. Each Estate of the empire is the equivalent of a country, with their size going from city-states to large countries.The empire can be divided into three main zones. In the South, the climate is temperate. In the North, the climate is tropical, although some of the coastal regions can be arid. In the middle of the empire, the altitude increases and steppes divide the continent in two. Nomadic tribes live there and are considered to form unorthodox Estates. They are independent from the empire despite their strong political and trading relationships with it. They have their own culture and types of magic.
In the South, an important chain of mountain, the Issone Mountains separates the empire from the Southern Kingdoms. Beyond the mountains, a desert reinforces that isolation. In addition, several volcanoes inside the mountain chain have been known to erupt at opportune moments when invasions were being attempted, thanks to the magic of the Houses of Lyrienne and Alyssenne.
One of the volcano of the Issone Mountains, by AmelieIS with Artbreeder
The Beryl lake is a massive lake in the Southern half of the empire whose water is filled with magic. It has several sources, both in the Issone Mountains and in the Haut Plateau. Through the millennia the surrounding Estates have created a variety of more or less artificial rivers coming out of it so as to exploit the water for several industries, in particular agriculture and crafting.
The Beryl Lake, by AmélieIS with Piqsels
Table of Contents
General information
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Founding Date
Several millennia ago
Foundation divides the timelines in two periods
Capital
Arianie, in the Estate of Arianie
Government System
Kratocracy
Power Structure
Confederation
Number of Estates
Around 600
Legislative Body
The senate
Leaders
Leader of the government: Lord Consul Gervaise Cracinesse
Leader of the senate: Lord-Consul Xénophène Ylucianie
Main political partis
The Light and the Dark faction
Neighbour countries
The Northern Islands
The Southern Kingdoms
The Eastern Islands
Main languages
The Northern and Southern dialects Previously Arianian in the North
Religion
Ancestor worship
Other overview articles
The seas
The beginning of a magical storm forming above the Western Seas by Espen Bierud on Unsplash
The weather over the Western Sea is violent and unpredictable, and the West coast of the empire is regularly hit by cyclones and typhoons. Most of the Estates located on the coast have had to develop weather magic to face this threat. The House of Lyrienne in particular are renowned for theirs and their habit to redirect those dangerous weather events towards their enemies.
In the Eastern Sea, a deep chasm called the Abyss the length of the continent spreads from North to South. Gigantic sea creatures live there, and they can be found everywhere in that sea, making navigation there challenging and reserved for the most foolhardy. In addition, those creatures also regularly attack the coast. Coastal Estates have developed specialised magic to face those. In particular, the Black Forest in the Alyssenne Estate was born from an out-of-control ritual that was aiming to push back those creatures. The forest is still filled with sentient carnivorous plants, the Alyssenne flowers, that protect the Estate by eating all sea creatures they find - as well as any individual coming their way.
Beyond the empire
North of the Empire lies a scattering of islands, all independent from the empire itself despite sharing strong commercial ties with it. All islands are independent kingdoms and they are grouped together in a loose confederation. Their inhabitants are renowned for their sailing magic and skills. They are the most important traders in the hemisphere and the spices they grow in their islands are highly valued.
Similar islands can be found in the West, made of a multitude of independent kingdoms. They have few relationships with the empire as directly crossing the sea separating them is too dangerous. They mostly trade with the Northern Islands.
South of the Issone Mountains, a desert reinforces that isolation of the empire. It is avoided by almost everyone as it is deadly and not only because of its extreme weather. The rest of the Southern continent is occupied by big powerfully independent kingdoms that regularly attempt to invade the empire. They are resentful of the influence the Northerners have gained since the unification of the empire. They have their own type of magic and a strong centralised political system that is unique in the world. The climate in those regions goes from arid to tropical, and the area is also occupied by a massive tropical forest and two swamp areas, all of which are inhabited by dangerous creatures and disease-carrying microorganisms.
Demography
General population
There are around 600 Estates in the empire, although the number varies depending on conquests. Their size ranges from city states to vast countries, as presented in the following table. Close equivalents from our world are given for comparison. Populations and population density were calculated based on numbers in Europe in 1850. As an indication, during the Middle Ages the average population density in Europe was: high 100 inhabitants/miles², average 80, settled 60, low 40, desolate 20.
| Region | Population size (inhabitants) | Size (km² (miles²)) | Population density (inhabitants/km² (inhabitants/miles²)) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empire | 1.390 billion | 45 million (17 million; Asia) | 31 (80) |
| Haut Plateau | exact number unknown, (army 10k) | 9 million (3.5 million; 1/5 of the empire) | low |
| Estate of Alyssenne, Estate of Lyrienne | 56 million | 1 million (386k; Egypt) | 56 (145; France in 1850) |
| Estate of Zériesse | 30 million | 770k (297k; Turkey) | 39 (100) |
| Estate of Malinesse | 21 million | 780k (301; Turkey) | 27 (70) |
| Estate of Blissenne | 15 million | 560k (216; France) | 27 (71) |
| Estate of Kolinesse | 12 million | 520k (201k) | 23 (60) |
| Estate of Veinianie, Estate of Dinarie | 4.5 million (Belgium in 1850) | 30k (12k; Belgium) | 150 (389) |
| Arianie city | 2.5 million (London in 1850) | 316 (122; London in 1850) | 8k (20k) |
| Estate of Ylucianie | 300k (Liverpool in 1850) | 2k (0.77k) | 150 (389) |
| Estate of Irinalesse | 270k (Milan in 1860) | 2.6k (1k; Luxembourg) | 104 (269) |
Magic users
Most of the individuals living in the empire possess some magic, although a low percentage of the population is magicless. Nevertheless, a small percentage of the population also possesses extremely high magical powers and this has allowed them to take control of their local regions by force and to establish local governments. Because of this, there can be a lot of discrimination based on magical power, although this depends very much on the lords and ladies of the local Estate and the politics they choose to pursue. Beyond societal discrimination, magicless individuals or people with very weak power can also be disadvantaged in everyday life, as the technology around them requires magic to be used.
by AmélieIS
| Power level | % population | Number of individuals in the empire | Number of individuals in an average Estate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-magicals | 10% | 140 millions | 233k |
| Practically non-magicals | 20% | 280 millions | 466k |
| Average individuals | 70% | 968 millions | 1.6 millions |
| Master crafters | 0.1% | 1.4 millions | 2.3k |
| Low nobility | 0.02% | 300k | 500 |
| High nobility (lords and ladies and their family) | 0.002% | 30k (600 families) | 5 |
| Extremely power mages | 0.000,0002% | 3 | 0 |
Ethnicity
The inhabitants of the empire consider themselves as part of the same ethnic group, as opposed to the inhabitants of the Northern Islands, the Western Islands, or the Southern Kingdoms. There used to be important distinctions between the inhabitants of the Northern half and of the Southern half the of the empire, dating back from before the unification of those two coalitions into one empire.
Since the empire has been unified, a lot but not all of those divisions have disappeared, with the geographical divisions between North and South being replaced with a political division between Light and Dark. Nevertheless, Light and Dark Estates are still mostly separated by geography, with Northern Estates mostly Light and Southern Estates mostly Dark.
The inhabitants of the North have more tanned skin and traditionally wear their hair long, as opposed to the inhabitants of the South. In more recent times, long hairstyles have become a trend adopted by members of the Light faction and rejected by those of the Dark.
The inhabitants of the Steppes have always been geographically, magically and politically separated from the rest of the empire.
You are on fire these last days Amélie! So many new things to admire and read in your world! ^^
XD And you were fast in jumping on the article!
Not the fastest since there were already 2 likes :p