Turelion Province
The centre of the Empire of Turelion, the Province of Turelion represents the first area that was brought into the Imperial fold by the conquests of Machestaro I. Often referred to as ‘the Heart of the Empire’, the province has enjoyed far more benefits than the others, as much of the wealth of the Empire eventually ends up being housed within coffers and storerooms within its borders. Its elevated status above the others is also enforced by the fact that the Imperial capital Meltaro and the Imperial Court lie within its bounds, and it is the Imperial Provinces that the Emperors spend most of their time in.
Structure
Like all provinces with the Empire of Turelion, the administration of the Province is overseen by a Satrap, who is theoretically responsible for management of all areas of Turelion. To aid them in this, the Satrap of Turelion Province has a staff of provincial officials and administrators who oversee the bureaucracy of all things, from the state of the road network to the taxes levied on fish imported to the province.
However, Turelion Province, as the capital province of the Empire, is in the unique position of having the offices of The Imperial Bureau within its jurisdiction. This does not mean that the province has any authority over the Bureau, far from it as the Satrap technically reports into the Imperial Bureau, but the proximity of it means that Bureau officials are frequently called upon to aid in the transaction of provincial business, especially when a crisis is brewing. Though the relationship between the two is accepted to be for the best; after all it would not look good if the capital province of the Empire appeared to not be keeping its house in order, but the relationship is kept as quiet as possible, as it would not go down well if the other provinces were to officially be aware of the preferential treatment Turelion receives, but all are aware that the Imperial Bureau frequently takes some off the strain away from Turelion’s provincial staff.
Demography and Population
Of all of the provinces in the Empire, Turelion Province has the richest population per capita than anywhere else. This is because as the capital province, Turelion has consistently attracted wealthy individuals to move there so that they can be close to the Imperial court, with the hope that they may be admitted within that exclusive group of the most prestigious individuals in Imperial society. These individuals tend to be concentrated in and around the metropolitan area of the Imperial capital, Meltaro, but the affect of having so many more wealthy individuals in the province is felt far beyond the streets of the capital. The countryside for hundreds of miles around Meltaro is littered with the villas, manor houses and country properties of the Imperial elite, all of which have attached agricultural land that provides employment for thousands of people. Turelion's provincial capital Scyath, despite being many hundreds of miles away from Meltaro also benefits from having a much higher density of affluent individuals than is average for most of the Empire's and Kelbonnar's settlements.
Naturally there is a strong middle class in Turelion Province, many of whom are employed within the The Imperial Bureau or the Provincial administration, but there is also a large percentage of skilled crafts people that are counted amongst the middle class of Turelion. The presence of so many people with deep pockets in the province means that those with the right skills, jewellers, gold and silver smiths, artists and the like are all able to reap a tidy profit if they have the right skills.
For the lower classes, though there are opportunities within Meltaro and within the large farming estates in the Plains of Gold, competition for any unskilled job is fierce. This coupled with the fact that the prices are so much higher in Turelion means that there are many who barely manage to make ends meet, and many more fall through the cracks into destitution. The poorest in the province’s society are pushed to the borders of the Destra Wetlands, where lies the only land that can be bought in Turelion for a non-exorbitant price, though the soil is little more than sodden peat. In order to maintain the illusion of prosperity and grandeur within the capital province, the Meltaro and Provincial authorities regularly round up any of the homeless population that they can find and drive them to the stinking wetlands, where they are no longer deemed to be a problem. Though many return to the towns of the Plains of Gold or to the streets of Meltaro, many die attempting to make a life for themselves, or escape from the monster infested swampland.
Occasionally, the province's attempts to dispose of it's poor brings them into conflict with the the inhabitants of the Destra Wetlands, a group of people, who call themselves the Hynafiad, who have perfected the art of survival in their unforgiving environment. The Hynafiad are thought to be all that remains of a Gnomish people who once lived in a great kingdom, now all but lost to history and their collective memory, known as the Ancient Kingdom of Destra. Few Hynafiad travel, let alone live within Turelion's borders, with those who do venture into the capital province rarely staying for longer than it takes to trade with the border communities that cling to survival at the edge of Imperial territory. As a result, they are not deemed to be a particular problem by the Provincial authorities.
Territories
The province of Turelion encompasses the central part of the continent of Euristan south of the River Cormarron and the Destra Wetlands and west of the Sanguine River. This land, down to the shores of the Centric Sea in the south is comprised of the vast tracts of agricultural land known as the Plains of Gold.
Military
Like all Imperial Provinces, Turelion has access to its own standing army of Provincial troops, who are dispersed across the province in garrisons, ready to be called upon as needs be. For the most part, these troops act as town and city guards and police forces for the areas they are stationed to. In times of crisis, the Satrap can mobilise units in the Provincial Army from their garrisoned stations to become mobile units that can be deployed were necessary. The Provincial Army has units of infantry, cavalry, artillery and Firewings at its disposal, as well as a dedicated naval force to protect its coasts. The Command Headquarters for Turelion’s Provincial army is in the Provincial Capital Scyath.
Again, the Province’s unique position as the Capital Province means that it is expected that in the event of an emergency, the Provincial authorities will be able to call on the assistance of the Emperor’s personal military force, the Imperial Drakes to help bolster provincial forces that are struggling and bring their more highly trained, experienced and equipped soldiers to bear to crush any problematic issues or groups.
Religion
The Province of Turelion is in a curious position amongst all of the Imperial Provinces of having what is thought to be the lowest number of people who would refer to themselves as religious per capita, but the largest number of official events which have a religious element that take place there. This is because although the Imperial Church of Astartes is highly regarded as the officially supported church of the Empire of Turelion, and there is a Church presence or element to almost all official events, very few people actually claim to be true adherents.
For instance, the Emperor frequently attends official engagements or events with a heavy religious overtone, including an enormous monthly service that takes place in the Grand Astartic Temple for the Imperial family, the court and well-to-do hangers on in Meltaro, where people of influence who are looking to be admitted into the circle of court actively fight for the chance to be in the same room as the Emperor and their courtiers. However, if one were to attend any other service held at the Grand Astartic Temple, only a fraction of the congregation size would be seen.
However, amongst the Imperial court and the upper ranks of society a trend has been growing for people to join groups that promote ideals and ideology that ranges from being entirely philosophical in nature, to pseudo-religious. More innocuous organisations include the Society for Philosophical Reasoning, which is a secular group that debates aspects of existence normally explained through theology; to the Cult of Raminit , a group dedicated to the deity Raminit and linked to pleasure and debauchery, that began life as a dining society for wealthy socialites, which has morphed into a true cult in both name and deed, even going so far as to institute a hierarchy of priest-like officials.
Having said that, the Imperial Church has far more adherents amongst the rural population, particularly amongst the workers who labour on the vast estates of the province’s wealthy citizens, and the Church has always been engaged in pastoral and mission activity to the marginalised communities who dwell on the edge of the Destra Wetlands.
Agriculture & Industry
The whole of the province beyond the metropolitan areas is an agricultural hotspot known as the Plains of Gold, which are heavily farmed. The higher percentage of affluent individuals among the population of Turelion, along with their desire for more luxury goods and foodstuffs, means that the majority of the crops cultivated in the province are geared to meeting this demand. The vast country estates, owned by the Imperial and Provincial elite are widely regarded for growing luxury fruit crops such as figs, quinces, grapes and other soft fruits, and produce what is thought of some of the finest beef in the Empire. Though some land is given over to the production of more staple crops such as wheat and barley, most of Turelion’s supplies of these foodstuffs, are imported from other provinces, Ultaru in particular.
The presence of so many vineyards in the Province means that there is a thriving viticulture scene, with many landowners choosing to give over at least a portion of their estates to the production of wine. Turelite Sparkling Wine produced in the chalky soil of the south east of the province, around the Provincial Capital Scyath is particularly sought after for consumption in the influential houses and courts of the capital, the Province and far beyond. The brandy distilled in the town of Gold Guard in the east of the province on the banks of the Sanguine River is also highly sought after.
There is no true industry beyond the agricultural in the province, though there is an abundance of crafts people, of all sorts, that cater to the many wealthy patrons that look to have the finest objects, clothes, adornments and furnishings to adorn themselves and their properties.
Trade & Transport
As the centre of the Empire of Turelion, the Province of Turelion is blessed with an extensive, well built and well maintained road network that snakes out from the Province’s two main hubs, the Provincial capital of Scyath and the Imperial capital Meltaro. Every city, town and settlement that lies within the area of the Plains of Gold is connected to this network, as well as all of the port towns that have been constructed on the coasts to facilitate trade into Turelion. The only part of the Province that is not fully connected to the road network is the area that borders the Destra Wetlands to the north east. This is because there are no major towns or settlements within this border area, nor is there a navigable route through its waterways to accommodate sufficiently large shipping to warrant the construction of a port there.
The Province is also the centre of the maritime trading network for Kelbonnar, with almost all of the major sea trading routes including one of Turelion’s ports on its routes. There are also a number of Firewing ports scattered across the Province, to enable rest stops and changes along the air routes and ensure that important Imperial or Provincial business can be conducted quickly, and that the wealthiest members of society can travel in style and comfort without having to experience the exhaustion of travelling by road.
Education
Because of the overall richer demographic of the province, Turelion has the largest number of school and higher education establishments of any province in the Empire of Turelion. Every town has a place where the residents can send their children, though the high fees associated with these schools means that attendance is limited to middle class and higher families who can afford it. There are also a large number of well-regarded ‘Masters and Mistresses of Education’ whose services are employed by the most affluent members of society to give their children a private education of the highest standard.
In addition, the province has several higher education institutions linked to the Imperial system within its borders, namely the Imperial College of Administration and the Imperial Strategic College who train people for posts within the administrative corps of the Imperial and Provincial systems, and train officers for the Imperial and Provincial military forces respectively.
There are also a number of independent Houses of Learning across Turelion, which are private institutions that provide higher education to those that can afford it in the arts, humanities and sciences, which is aimed more at those who have a natural intellectual curiosity, rather than the more directed approach of the Imperial institutions. The most highly regarded amongst Turelion’s Houses of Learning is Hapsburg House, which is credited with producing some of the greatest intellectual minds to have lived within the Empire.
The Heart of the Empire
Type
Geopolitical, Province
Capital
Alternative Names
The Capital Province, The Imperial Province, Heart of the Empire
Demonym
Turelites, Capitals Snubs (derogatory)
Power Structure
Semi-autonomous area
Economic System
Mixed economy
Official State Religion
Parent Organization
Location
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
Related Myths
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