Imperial

Veracious Conquerors

"Imperials are master of the harsh truths and clear ambitions. The words of their slaves have more freedom in them than any foreign King's."
Lord-Orator Antisophor

The cultural group called Imperial aludes to those whose loyalty lies with the Demon Empire. Despite how a large majority of Imperials belong to the Demon race it is still a largely encompassing ethnicity that comprises Legas, various Human, and even a small portion of Ahurans. Imperials advocate pragmatism and honesty, helped by their efficient education system and their view on not wasting valuable resources. However, it is not exactly a merciful culture. The Empire is militaristic in nature as well as expansionistic. Most Imperials share the same will to extend the Empire's borders and improve their lifestyle like in the good old days of the Conquest.
Many sub-cultures exist among the Imperial kind. They can come from being born a certain race, a belonging to a particular region, or simply a way of life. But their overall nature as part of the Imperium doesn't change.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Female names end mostly in -een, -ra, -ea, -a.
Through the Name Pit Ledgers, female Demons are allowed to pick male-sounding names without issues. But parents usually pick names with feminine attributes.

Masculine names

Male names end mostly in -oth, -uth, -ar, -o...
For an unknown reason, every name ending in -s is translated into a -th in Common Imperial. Theories suggests that Lord Orator Antisophor is responsible for this.

Unisex names

Names ending in -ir, -en and -ix...

Family names

It could be said that Demons have no family names to speak of. Demons are free to add their city of origin after their names, but they can also mention the name of their parents to help distinguish themselves. But some among them have what are called Clan names. Clans leader are free to imprint their names to either their direct descendants or to adopted persons of interest. To merely have a clan name is quite the statement of one's place in society, and results in reverence from the non-named populace.
The Clan names can take their roots from many sources. The most ancient names come from Old World names of great cities, noble families, or other miscellaneous origin. It can also be the name of a great hero of Demon History whose feats allowed the founding of their own clan. It is rare for non-Demons to have a clan name since adoption of other races into a clan is basically unheard of. On the other hand, foreigners who adopted Imperial culture can keep their family names, making sorting through every possible moniker a very complex task.

Name Pits

In Imperial culture, the Name Pit is a ritual where young Demons in Life-School choose their own name based on what is available in a ledger. This practice makes it easier to avoid redundancy in names and to pick ones with interesting meanings. Parents who kept their children are allowed to name their children nonetheless, but for children given to the state Name-Pits are the only way to secure an identity.
For the purpose of simplicity, the names used below are those in use for Demons born in Imperial territories.

Other names

As most lands vassalised by the Empire historically came from the Eastern Realms and the Feral Isles, one can look at the names from Feralese and Easternite ethnicities to find most of the potential names to be encountered.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Common Imperial is the official language of the EMpire. It was created to encourage communication between every cultures, though many of people who joined/were forced into the Empire retained their mother tongues (Eastern tongues, Leganese, Arbekan...). People can speak how they want, as long as they learned a modicum of Common Imperial.

Culture and cultural heritage

The Imperials have adopted many cultures in the course of their explorations and conquest. There is no censorship of foreign arts so long as they do not interfere with official affairs or the matters of survival.

Shared customary codes and values

Originating from the Verdant Steppes where farming is difficult and dangerous swarms of monsters roam, Imperials have learned to band together and value the individual. Hunters and warriors played a huge part in securing settlements and gathering food supplies. As time went on and city-states grew into sizable yet compact fortresses, efficiency became the order of the day.

Common Etiquette rules

Saluting Legion Officers and with a fist over the heart. Letting smaller people pass. Knocking before entering a room.

Common Dress code

HIgher ranking individuals commonly wear tunics and togas to indicate their wealth and position in the administration. Apart from social standing, there is no set code for dressing in the Empire. The only limitations concern baggy clothes, capes and robes that might conceal weapons during formal events.

Art & Architecture

Imperial Art treats mostly sculptures, songs, theatre, and epic poems.
The early Imperial architectures borrowed heavily from the Old World culture of the Demon First Sent. Buildings' shapes were formalised, large, and well seperated to stand out from one another and allow clear circulation. Stones and clay were the main components of the buildings while the roads are. An abundance of trees filled the A few centuries ago, the Empire had adopted many of the other Orbidan culture's ideas. Small villages produced housings similar to Easternite cultures and Arbekan standards in the West, while the East emulated the quickly buildable homes of the Lega cultures. With those new ideas in mind, the old city-states expanded beyond their initial walls with new architectures, while continually renovating the original buildings in their core.

Coming of Age Rites

The Name Pit is a rite of passage a majority of Demons adhere to.

Common Taboos

Wasting resources is a taboo in Imperial culture. Things like throwing food away, hurting slaves, or wasting someone's time for no reason, are things to avoid if one wants to be seen in a good light. Racism and bigotry induce a waste of a people's potential and create internal conflicts, and thus are heavily frowned upon by most Imperial authorities. There remains discriminatory regions in the Empire however, mostly to the North-West. More obvious taboos are cannibalism, murder, rape,

Common Myths and Legends

The Sender mythos is deeply anchored in the Imperial minds. The proximity to the most active parts of the Carsil Forest have fanned the legends of a Monster King. The ancient Demon Lords of history have joined a Pantheon of legends and their names are treasures vied for in Name Pits.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Muscles are justice. Colors mean nothing but look pretty nice.

Diverged ethnicities

• Arrakian
• Orathenian
• Remnant
• Vanese

Encompassed species

• Ahurans
• Apospyre
• Demons
• Hellion
• Human

Related Organizations

• Arga House
• Blood Walkers
• Demon Clans
• Dentra Dukedom
• First Imperial Body
• Fourth Imperial Body
• Havok Fulmination
• Hetairae Syndicate
• Imperial City-State
• Imperial Council
• Keratos Empire
• Kratoth Legion
• Marauders
• Ortho Legion
• Second Imperial Body
• Slave-Hunters
• The Dread Path
• The Great Batch
• The Manticores
• The Way of Acceptance
• Van Republic
• Vel Clan

Related Items

• Imperial Chopper
• Imperial Shortsword
• The Black Link

Languages spoken

• Common Imperial
• Old Imperial

Related Locations

• Edessalia
• Makarith
• Orathens
• Tal Shoth
• Verdant Steppes