Geography
Stretching from the vast trees of the Crimshin Forest on the west to the plains of Melinis in the east, from the Larimone Ocean in the north to the Idalo and Vormus Rivers to the south, lies the human empire of Idal. Centered on the Imperial Capital of Idalorn City, the entire region is ruled by Empress Hyanithe IX, of the Second Hyanith Dynasty.
The Empire is divided into five provinces, each ruled by a Prefect. In the capital city, the High Prefect Polinnix manages the day-to-day affairs of Idaloran Province, and serves as the leader of the Council. The Council, made up of the five Imperial Prefects as well as the six Imperial Advisors, jointly administers the affairs of the Empire as a whole and enables the Empress to rule her Empire. The five provinces are, in order of rank: Idaloran, Sedicolis, Bethel, Palon Vertas and Melinis. The six Advisors advise the Empress on Home Affairs, Military, Trade, Foreign Affairs, Magic and Religion.
Demographics
The Empire’s majority race is human, making up nearly four-fifths of the population. The other one fifth is composed of a mixture of Dwarven craftsmen, mostly from Zirakinbar, and Elves from the nearby forests. There are occasional Gnomish traders and Draegoni travellers, but a near-complete dearth of Orchan visitors. Any Orchans are greeted with suspicion, since the Empire has been at war with them for a long time.
History
At the time of the two continents, the Empire was founded by a young village chief named Idalor, who managed to unite the different villages in Idaloran and Betha against an marauding army of Orchans. Having soundly defeated the Orchans in battle, Idalor had gained a reputation for being a strong and just leader. Villages throughout the provinces began to petition him for protection against the various bandits that had plagued their society. Thus, the dream of Empire was born. Idalor consolidated his combat veterans into what would become known as the First Imperial Legion, and marched throughout Idaloran and Betha, rooting out and destroying every band of criminals in the land.
By the time Idalor was fifty, the entire provinces of Idaloran, Betha and Sedicolis had pledged allegiance to him, and his army comprised 3 Legions – numbering in excess of 3,000 soldiers. He established the capital city of Idaloran, named after himself, and appointed his former commanders as prefects for Betha and Sedicolis. Being a wise ruler, he trained his eldest son, Idalian, to continue in his footsteps, and thus the First Idal Dynasty was born. The First Idal Dynasty ruled for over 1500 years, and it was called the Golden Age of the Empire. Idalor’s successors built the port at Crimshin, negotiated peace treaties with the Crimshin Elves, banished the Orchans to the eastern islands, dominated trade throughout the continent, and expanded the Empire to include Palon Vertas.
The Hyanith Dynasty, which arose after the death of Idalor XXIV in battle, ruled wisely and well, but did not manage to produce any great achievements. Most historians nowadays viewed the Age of Granite under Hyanith rule as a time where the Empire strengthened itself internally. Eventually, the sixth Emperor Hyan died peacefully in his bed, childless, and rule passed over to the House of Scylla.
The Scylla Dynasty was marked by a series of rulers that gradually descended from brilliance to incompetence. The dynasty lasted for nearly 800 years, in which the Empire expanded to Melinis in the face of an Orchan threat from the east, expanded trade throughout the continent, built up its military to 40 Legions of 1,000 crack veterans each, concluded an alliance with the Dwarves of Zirankinbar, persuaded the Crimshin Elves to begin casting protective magic over the Forest, made contact with the reclusive Draegoni of the southern islands, concluded a peace treaty with the Gnomes, and built Idalorn City into the largest city on the continent. The rule of the Scylla Dynasty became known as the Age of Diamonds. It was Scylla IV, possibly the Dynasty’s greatest ruler, who initiated the building of a network of roads to connect the Empire together. However, that very same network, which improved trade manyfold throughout the Empire, also proved to be its downfall.
Scylla XII, the last of the Scylla Dynasty, was an idiot by anyone’s reckoning. He ignored the advice of the Imperial Advisors, alienated the Prefects, mismanaged the Legions, and generally made the populace hostile to the Imperial Throne. When a horde of undead began to arise as a threat to the Empire, no effort was made to trace and eliminate the cause. Instead, the Emperor sent out the Legions in a poorly-planned attack to stop the walking corpses.
Thirty-nine thousand soldiers died.
After tales of the massacre filtered back to the Imperial Throne, legend has it that Emperor Scylla XII fell into a frothing fit and had to be summarily put out of his misery. That created a power vaccuum in the Capital, and there was no one able to keep the Empire united. The Council, a mere shadow of the brilliant band of men and women that had followed the Emperors of the past to glory, fragmented. One by one, each province fell to the undead, and the Empire broke apart. In a last, desperate move, Commander Starva of the 21st Legion (the only remaining Legion protecting the capital), ordered the mass evacuation of the populace of Idalorn City into the Crimshin Forest.
The entire 21st stood at the gates of Idalorn City against the horde of undead and perished to a man, buying time for the populace to escape. Legend says that Commander Starva herself was dismembered into 49 pieces, while fighting at 8-to-1 odds. The Empire descended into the Age of Darkness. Idalorn Cemetary today stands as a grim reminder of the bold sacrifice of the 21st.
The undead horde, balked by the magic of the Elves, hesitated at entering Crimshin Forest, allowing a small remnant of humanity to escape their ravages. Over the next few decades, the other races began to search out the source of the undead plague, and eradicate the animated corpses, one by one.
Eventually, the lands of the Empire were free again, and the survivors emerged from the forest to rebuild their cities. Slowly, spurred on by the memories that their grandfathers had told them about the glorious days of the Empire, this new generation of settlers grimly determined to regain their lost greatness, and set about it with a will. Idaloran City was rebuilt, Crimshin Port began operations again, a few settlers moved to Betha and renamed it Bethel, Sedicolis became a boom town. Throughout, the brave settlers had to battle against the frequent Orchan raids and campaigns of conquest launched from their distant islands. However, eventually they succeeded, and the lands were cleared.
Today, under the rule of Empress Hyanithe IX, the Empire has regained much of its former glory. The Crimshin Forest remains sacred and inviolate to the citizens of Idaloran, and has become a place of last refuge, should there ever come a threat to the existence of the Empire again. The Legions patrol the region from Crimshin to Melinis with vigour, numerous colonies of other races have begun to settle within the Empire’s boundaries, drawn in by the Empress’ bountiful and generous policies towards the people. Wonderous new discoveries and inventions have been made, and the Age of Silver bids fair to become a prosperous one.
Polonius VII,
Court Historian to Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Hyanithe IX.
