Xenyan Empire

Culture

Although the Xengari formed the core of the aristocracy and the Empire would be named after their race, the Xen Empire is more than just the Xengari. There is a familial underpinning to the Empire. Those of age may voluntarily swear fealty to the Xen Emperor, at which point they are considered kin of the Emperor. Juveniles and subjects that have not sworn an oath are considered vassals of the Empire, they are ruled over with limited autonomy so long as they pay the tithes expected from them. Once taking the oaths an individual has taken a lifetime commitment to serve the Emperor, to the Empire such an event is more akin to adoption. All who swear allegiance to the Xen Emperor are considered to be Xen, leading to a blurry distinction between the Xengari and the Xen. Service takes many forms, as almost all government positions require an oath of fealty. A sworn member of the Xen Empire can volunteer for specific roles and positions, but ultimately their superiors decide what role they will take. As long as a member fulfills their duties there are numerous protections and privileges they will be granted, such as housing and special legal standing that exempts them from many of the Empire’s strict regulations. Corruption is harshly punished, with bribery a capital offense for Xen officials. At its core the Xen Empire is a meritocracy. Heredity means almost nothing to the Empire, they are guided by the perspective that “All Xen are kin” and any who show minimal levels of fitness are allowed to become Xen. Tests of aptitude and real world results are taken into consideration, alongside length of service when the upper ranks decide who to appoint to which position. Demotions are also common, members can descend the ranks even more quickly if the Empire doesn’t consider their contributions adequate. Vassals of the Empire, which includes both individuals and states, have their autonomy tied almost directly to their “contributions” to the Empire. So long as they send an acceptable level of materials and manpower for the Empire’s war machine, the Xen tend to stay out of their affairs. Regions that send over the required amount of material support can expect minimal presence of Xen forces in their lands, although the Xen will always maintain strategic garrisons. Alternatively, if a region continuously fails to meet quotas they can expect direct control from Xen administrators, at least for a time. In many ways the Xen Empire is an independent military with dependent client states. The Emperor has little interest in civilian matters beyond its ability to support his armies.

History

The Immortal Emperor was a commander of the Varakshaan Seer’s Guard and a fanatical zealot of the Arch-Seer until he discovered that the Seeress had lost her connection to the gods long ago. The disillusioned Xengari quickly organized a rebellion but the Arch-Seer managed to escape when she was tipped off by her spies. The Royal Guard was able to seize control of the Capital but the Arch-Seer soon assembled loyalists from the country. Knowing that they could not hold the Capital, the flighted Xengari fled. They flew to many corners of the Conclave to spread word that the Arch-Seer was a charlatan, assembling an army in the process. They fought a guerilla campaign for several years before finally they attained the numbers to fulfill their main goal of a mass exodus. The Xen knew that with the low numbers they started with they would be simply hunted down and killed by the Varakan military, and the Arch-Seer was too clever and well informed for them to turn a sizable enough fraction of the population to win a rebellion. Therefore they gathered their strength for an aggressive exodus. First they assaulted several positions on the borders between the Angaran and the Remnations to inflame tensions with rival powers. After they swiftly gathered their forces and pushed into the wild north lands to establish a stronghold of their own outside the effective operational range of the Varakans. They founded the City of the Xen, or Xenshi, at the convergence point of several major rivers, creating a citadel city. Although they had recruited many peoples for their rebellion the core of the exodus forces consisted mostly of the Ajagari, a race considered to be a servant caste in Varakan society. The winged Xengari were considered the highest order of this low class, chosen to be bodyguards for high ranked members of the temple. With their martial experience, comparatively higher caste, and the fact that the Xen had been the ones to discover the corruption of their former civilization the Xen unofficially considered themselves to be the elites of this new civilization, with their Lord Commander the de facto ruler of all who had fled the Varakan lands. Members of the Seer’s guard were not allowed to retain personal names, instead they were known officially by their ranks. As such, no-one knows what the Lord Commander’s real name is, or if he ever was even given one. On founding the new kingdom, the Lord Commander took a new name, Huangdi, or simply, Emperor. Alternatively, outsiders refer to him as the Xen Emperor, the Ling (Other) Emperor, Qita Huangdi, or in Varahania the Weidi (False Emperor). Over the centuries this same Emperor has reigned, being kept alive by mysterious arcane means, leading to the Xen peoples to refer to him as Buxui Huangdi, the Immortal Emperor.