The Kingdom of Maskeva is the only kingdom within the
Velgan Empire, and its status as a kingdom is a holdover and relic of Maskeva’s success in conquering the continent and forming the
Velgan Empire. The vast majority of the Empire's political, religious, cultural, military, and arcane power is centred within the Kingdom of Maskeva, and the administrators of the Velgan Povitz (Provinces) are drawn from Maskeva. The Kingdom of Maskeva is home to the Tsar of the
Velgan Empire who is also King of Maskeva.
Geography
The landscape of Maskeva consists of large and fertile plains, and vast and dark forests. The river Velnieper runs through part of its western frontier. In the east across the Bloody Strait is the
Kasari Dominion, and in the south is Armada Bay.
Level of Autonomy
The
Velgan Empire is the extension of the Kingdom of Maskeva; it is from Maskeva, and the Imperial Palace, that the Tsar rules the
Velgan Empire, and sends the nobles of his Court to control the Povitz in his name.
Race Relations
The
Velgan Empire has remarkably and notoriously bad relations between races. The Elder Races have a long history of being opposed, abused, and conquered, a feature that is firmly still the case. Discrimination against nonhumans is entrenched in the legal system of the
Velgan Empire, as they are official second class citizens, who are restricted in terms of employment, ownership, and even where they are permitted to live. Additionally, nonhumans have fewer and worse legal recourses when a crime is committed against them by a
Human. The majority nonhuman provinces also face much greater taxes and restrictions against them.
Views on Arcane Magic
The
Velgan Empire believes that magic is an unpredictable risk, but its use is more than justified in service to the Tsar. The
Velgan Empire is a signature to the
Toc’vastil Accords, but only tacitly conforms to it, allowing various leniencies; providing
Bastille Mages prove their loyalty to the Tsar and Empire they are given more freedom that mages in virtually any other
Human kingdom save for
Aarelan, they are permitted to leave the
Arcane Bastille for pre approved amounts of time, and some are even freed from the confines of the
Arcane Bastille system itself. Mages who are not loyal can be subject to the same abuses seen in other kingdoms.
History
Although many Maskvians are loathed to admit it these days, Maskeva was founded in the shadows of Kyvan Velg and remained there until the dawn of the Age of Contempt. However, while Kyvan Velg fell under the control of the Runemanic Fylkes, Maskeva remained free, as a result of its isolated location, but largely irrelevant.
Out of the chaos, death, and destruction that the
Age of Blood brought there was opportunity for Maskeva. The Fylkes were all but destroyed, Kyvan Velg but independent, and the continent ripe for conquest, Maskeva obliged. Maskeva in the lifetime of the greatest Tsar, Peter the Bold, brought the entire continent and all its people under Maskeva’s rule, and reorganised them into the
Velgan Empire, with Maskeva at its heart.
Religion
The official state religion of the
Velgan Empire is the
Ebon Flame , a sect of worship to the
Radiant Lady , it is the popular religion within the Empire, and the only one that can be legally worshipped. The dogma of the
Ebon Flame is based upon a hatred of the nonhumans, as well as the belief that the
Radiant Lady is the only true faith. The
Ebon Flame believe that those who are born with magic or learn its arts are cursed, but can be redeemed through devout faith and service to the country.
Despite the illegality, there are other deities and faiths worshipped within the
Velgan Empire, some of these are the
Seldarine is the most popular pantheon among forest gnomes and elves, and the
Morndinsamman among dwarves and rock gnomes. Likewise the
Draconic Pantheon are favoured among the draconic races.
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