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Argonian Empire

The Argonian empire was formally founded about 500 years ago. Their ancestral land is known as Argoa, which is presently divided into three highly important provinces. The capital province is called Harmon. It is from here where the empress and her many advisers and ministers rule all 43 provinces that make up the empire, which span the vast majority of the continent of Ifradyl. The only areas not under their control are the kingdoms past the great western mountain range, The Ashlands down south, and the territories of the Palamos empire in the north-east.   For most of the empire's history, it has expanded through military means. However, in the past century, rarely any form of conquest has occurred. Instead the empire focused on stabilization and centralization. This was a task in and of itself, as armed rebellions were common place in many provinces before the so called "age of stabilization". Almost all territorial gain has been done through political or commercial means during the last 100 years. The latest addition to the empire are the Tungsten highlands, a rough region inhibited by dwarfs who dwell in their underground halls. The acquisitions of these dwarven lands was done through a careful sway in dwarven politics accompanied with a number of trade deals that, at first glance, seemed to benefit the dwarven halls far greater than they did the empire.   Argonian rule may be imperial, but succession is not done on a hereditary basis. Instead, a number of young, promising candidates are scouted and brought into the imperial palace. It is here where they will be educated in the ways of statecraft. In a ceremony known as the Radiance, one of these young men and women will be granted the title "Sol", instating them as the next person in line to rule the empire. The other candidates are usually selected to take over other high offices. When a Sol is crowned, they will accompany the current emperor or empress as their right hand. Once it is decided that the Sol is ready to lead, the emperor or empress will abdicate and remain in court as the highest advisor. Someone in this position is given the title "Nova".   The empire runs on policies promoting equality; believing that many problems can be averted when regions are elevated to the same status as the central provinces, rather than being exploited as a colony. To accompany these policies, a central culture exists that preaches tolerance, ensuring the fair and equal treatment of the different races and ethnicities within the empire. As a result, the central provinces have become a buzzling hub for interracial coexistence. It is rare to have a race or specie not being represented within the cities of these regions. All but the recently acquired territories uphold this ethic. This is not to say that the empire has forced its culture upon conquered lands. Many places around the empire still hold true to their original cultures, although imperial influence can be seen in these land, as cultures evolve to grow closer to the centralized imperial way of life.   The main cultural impact that the empire has over its provinces stems from the empire's religion, simply known as the Faith. the Faith is a polytheistic religion which is centered around one's personal responsibility to the many gods. Praying and making offerings is a private affair, not to be judged by others. People are free to pick whatever god they wish to worship. the Faith does canonize a pantheon of gods, yet it happens often, especially when a new province is being converted, that gods are added to this pantheon. Through alters, which are located in the empire's many temples and other structures, it is possible to pray to the gods or present them with offerings. Every deity is worshiped in its own way, allowing for a wide range of practices. It is, however, not very common for worship to be performed in public. This only happens on special occasions, for certain gods, or in specific regions. One such god which implements a public form of worship is the empires unofficial head deity, Solus the Bright. Solus is held in such high regards mainly due to him presiding over the domains of prosperity, success, and greatness.

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