Imperial Provinces

The Known World

On the Eastern coasts there is a natural bay on the River Insun, and it is here where the Empire was founded in the city of Lindum. Like a great spider building its complex web ever outward the Empire grew and grew with the conquests of the Exercitum Imperatoria, the Empire took in more and more lands of varied nature even absorbing many different peoples into the burgeoning nation. The first 'great conquest' was the island of Gresya home of the Thesselv, a race of proud scholars and poets. They initially put up a good fight against the Legions utilizing magic and summoning but were eventually beaten back by the sheer stoicism of the Legionaries and Gresya was folded into the Empire providing a wealth of knowledge. Their land, a large island to the east was full of fertile ground and soon became one of the key breadbaskets of the Empire. From there the Empire expanded West and North slowly absorbing more peoples including the green-skin Verstite whom after a brief but violent campaign were also folded into the Empire and now make up some of the strongest troops in the Legions.

Geography

The Imperial Provinces are divided into five main provinces, as detailed below.

The Central Provinces

The Central Provinces form the land around Lindum the capital of the Empire, it is a land of rolling grassy hills and bright sunshine for most of the year. Because of this some of the most delicious grapes, olives and other foods are grown here. Hidden among the hills are some impressive valleys which have been extensively mined to provide the empire with abundant stocks of Marble for all governmental buildings.

The Isle of Gresya

The Island of Gresya shares a lot in common with the geography of the Central Provinces however the overall terrain is somewhat flatter which lends itself well to heavy agricultural uses, it is said that about half the grain in the Empire is produced in Gresya and as such it benefits from a lot of tax relief and Legion presence. Apart from that, due to it being an Island the cities are mainly concentrated on the coast which fluctuates between cliffs of different rocks and beautiful wide sandy beaches, Gresya is a popular holiday spot for rich nobles due to this.

The Northern Provinces

The North is considerably cooler and more vertical than the other provinces, some of the highest mountains are in this area and it is home to the Verstite people. The area is generally quite barren, there are isolated pockets in the low lands where agriculture takes place and small amounts of food are produced but the main produce of the Northern Provinces is Meat and Ores. Wide open areas of wild grass are perfect for enormous herds of grazing Cows, Sheep and other animals, and as luck would have it raw meat is the preferred diet of the Verstite. The ores that the area produces are abundant and varied, Iron, Copper, Tin, Lead and many more all flow out of the forges of the mountain chain in the middle of this province.

The Western Provinces

The Western Provinces start with a very similar climate to the central provinces but the further west you go the more desert like it gets until the Ultima Thule whereby the provinces end bordering a sea of endless desert that seemingly cannot be penetrated. It is a land of harshness, and holds a frontier ethic for all those living there, water is scarce, and where it can be found more often than not there is a Legion presence to keep it secure. It's chief features are endless deserts and oasis, but beneath the surface is a wealth of precious gems and metals. While not at the level of the Northern Provinces it certainly is becoming a decent producer of metals and jewellery. The Western provinces also contain The Wall supposedly built by the first Emperor, Hadrianes. It keeps the Northern frontier secure from the Dweorh, an enigmatic race who will not trade with the Empire, a large contingent of Legion troops keep the wall secure.

The Southern Provinces

The Southern provinces are bordered at there southern most point by another wall, the eleventh legion proudly marches up and down the wall keeping it secure, however trade is permitted between the Gallia people and the Imperials, with a trade mostly in grain and meats flowing between the provinces. It is a land of craggy hills and more moderate climate, while not as warm as the Central Provinces it certainly shares the same types of land, it's primary produce is grain and meats. There is no interest in expanding the borders South while the Gallia people are willing to trade and pay fealty to Lindum and as such the wall operates more as a taxation enterprise than a true defensive structure.

by GorgeFodder

In the process of making this article, I drew this up in about 4 hours. It's my intention to finish it off and upload a clean copy as a world map for players to use.

Administrative Boundaries

The Imperial provinces are divided up into 20 districts each under the control of a Legion, the Legion is responsible for all taxation, public order and security issues. The Legions are free to hire mercenaries and freelancers for any occasion but ultimately the defense of the district is down to the Legionaries.

Type

Continent

Included Locations