Daeruin
Dominating the eastern regions, the Empire of Daeruin is a militaristic, colonially expanding imperial powerhouse. It is the empire of the dark elves and is led by the serene Basileus Derarose in a bizarre cross between absolute monarchy and theocracy where there is the ruling emperor along with the sentinel, a religious figure of the dark elves, neither of which have clear obvious authority over the other. The empire is well known around Sol for their massive, disciplined armies, impressive navy, and marvelous conquests of their neighbors, it is also rather notorious, being seen as an empire built on slavery and oppression.
Structure
Sentinel
The divinely appointed supreme demigod ruler of the empire, the Sentinel is often called Strife's Chosen, in reference to the deity Strife, Lord of Plots. The Sentinel is considered the spiritual head of the Dark Elves and acts as the symbol of the empire, they also enjoy seniority to even the Basileus themselves. They have the authority to overrule any decision by any other rank in the empire but are expected to generally stay in the bounds of spiritual affairs, though many Sentinels have been known to step outside these bounds, causing power sharing struggles with their secular counterparts.Basileus
The head of the imperial forces and secular affairs in Daeruin, the Basileus is most often considered the central power of the empire, taking charge of major decision making and imperial focus. Though technically beneath the Sentinel in authority, they make most of the decisions and, as commander of the army, have exceptional influence. The Basileus is appointed by the Sentinel from among the higher ranks of the noble houses.Noble Houses
The nobility of Daeruin is divided among 'houses' of Dark Elves, families that have historical claims in the region and have, over the centuries, garnered wealth and influence, being highly influential players in society and politics. Some are scholarly houses, dedicated to the arcane, while some are merchant families that dominate certain industries. Cities in Daeruin are usually under the suzerain-like sway of one house while the others will usually plot to steal their seat of power.History
It has spent most of its history generally keeping to itself in an almost isolationist model, rarely interacting with the outside world except to raid for captives or deal in trade. During the reign of the last basileus Valath, father of the current ruler Derarose, Daeruin took a much more aggressive expansionist policy to their neighbors, increasing their slave raids in the west while adding new raids to the southeast capturing many human slaves. As well, they began conquering in all directions, annexing territory from the eastern giants as well as colonially expanding into southern islands to acquire cash crops like sugar and spices.