Scum of the Empire - Nation Lore

THE YERBIAN EMPIRE

A vast collection of provinces, covering most of the continent. Though cultures vary wildly and they may have fought bitterly in the past, they are all bound (to one degree or another) to each other by treaty, trade, and history. Though not opposed to war when it is felt to be needed, on the whole the Empire prefers to use trade and diplomacy with its neighbors.

The Empire is headed by a hereditary Empress who rules from her seat in the capital city of Grenoga. The highest-ranking nobles from each province serve on the Imperial Council, as do elected commoners from each province. The Council's primary purpose is to advise the Empress, though with sufficient votes they can, in theory, countermand her orders.

HEARTLAND

Formerly Yebia, Heartland is the political and cultural center of the Empire. Home to Grenoga, one of the oldest and largest cities in the entire Empire, it is also home to the Mage Academy as well as the Imperial Council.

Many who live in Heartland have ties, albeit distant ones, to one or more noble families, and thus large numbers of knights and fencers of all sorts are born and raised here. The Mage Academy ensures that Heartland is well-stocked with mages and priests of all kinds as well, though many mages (once registered) return to their homelands rather than remain in Heartland.

BLEDE

The breadbasket of the Empire, much of Blede lies in a gentle valley through which the river Meribelle flows. For centuries, Bledese farmers have used the Meribelle to irrigate their crops and supply their livestock. The people here are hardy and hard-working, though sometimes young men or women get a case of wanderlust. These individuals often become sellswords all across the Empire, when they don't simply enlist in the imperial army.

PALAGONIA

A province with a long-lasting military tradition. Palagonia has the largest home guard of any province and was the strong right arm of the old Yerbian Alliance. Many of their "cities" are actually large fortresses, ringed with walls many miles in circumference. As might be expected, a large proportion of the imperial army's regular soldiers come from Palagonia. Upon retirement, many of these soldiers join mercenary bands of pikemen that are highly sought after.

JERGAN

Never the most populated region, Jergan mainly joined the Yerbian Alliance as a way to survive; the colder climate meant that food was scarce, and proximity to Migarr left the populace in constant fear of raids. What Jergan did (and still does) have, is an extraordinarily strong creative tradition. Jerganese artists are prized in taverns and ballrooms across the known world, where they regale their audiences with tales and dances dating back to earliest history.

SUKIAMER

One of the few human regions that do any measure of trade with the Elven Republic, Sukiamer is famed across the Empire for being the primary source of pegasus knights. These creatures, highly sought after and well-cared for, are native to the elven island nation. Relatively few can be found on the mainland, and they require highly specialized skills to raise, breed, and train. Skills that the Elves are willing to teach only to a select few.

Perhaps also as a result of proximity to the Elves, Sukiamer is home to a large number of Dark mages. Many in the noble houses are trained shamans, and the art is somewhat less stigmatized in Sukiamer than in other provinces.

RASPAROL

This heavily-forested province has had a tumultuous history. Before its annexation by the Yerbian Alliance, it was home to more than a dozen warlords that exercised absolute control over their subjects. Even today, two centuries after joining the Empire, it remains a hotbed of bandit activity.

The Empire mostly puts up with this activity because Rasparolian timber is extremely valuable. The province is also home to some of the oldest port cities in the Empire, which in times of peace grow quite wealthy from trade with the Khanate as well as intra-province shipping.

TOULOUSE

It is said that no one in Toulouse sleeps without a dagger under their pillow, and there is unfortunately some truth to this. Toulousmen nobles are inordinately fond of what they call "The Great Game", the rules of which are both arcane and quite often fatal. Spies and thieves are everywhere and corruption is almost ubiquitous. More titles of nobility are passed on due to "accidents" than by old age.

If it weren't for the province's extensive ore mines and the fact that skilled agents are so highly desirable as a way to *prevent* assassinations as well as commit them, no one sane would bother keeping Toulouse in the Empire.

DEROS

The rural, nearly alpine nature of this province means that they have little to offer to the Empire. Aside from substantial coal reserves, the only thing the people of Deros can truly provide is some of the world's best archers and bowyers. Derosians are fiercely independent and prefer to have as little to do with outsiders as possible.

DIODORMANT

One of the last human regions that can still claim access to the wonders of Dwarven architecture, many of Diodormant's fortresses are of ancient, yet still robust construction. This served them in good stead during Abih's invasion, preventing marauders from doing more than ransack a few southern villages. Diodormen also participate in most trade with the Dwarven Kingdoms; merchants in this province are practically the ruling class, and such positions are hereditary in order to better suit Dwarven sensibilities.

MONTAGA

Thanks to its proximity to the former borders of the Khanate and the fact that much of the land is flat and grassy, Montaga has a rich history of raising horses. Many cavaliers and knights get their mounts from Montagen breeders, and their own riders are considered some of the best cavalry in the Empire. Unfortunately, the depredations of Abih the Cruel have reduced the once-great herds to roughly a quarter of their original size.

KAHLEIGH

Barely an Imperial province at all, Kahleigh is still almost entirely populated by people of Khanate descent and heavily influenced by Khanate culture. They were once well on their way to full integration, but with the arrival of Abih the Cruel the region is now largely deserted.

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THE ALLIED STATES

Human nations that, for one reason or another, are not members of either the Khanate or the Empire.  While they tend to remain apart from outside affairs, many citizens of these states venture to other realms are travelers, traders, or mercenaries.

CORAX

A mercantile nation with long ties of alliance to the Empire. Long coastlines and ample safe harbors give this single nation nearly as great a merchant marine as the entire Empire, which they take full advantage of in trading with both of the largest nations around. On the other hand, they also have by far the most pirates.

MIGARR

Entrenched up in the Migarr Range, Migarrians are usually rather hostile to the Empire after they lost nearly half their territory over a century ago. The sole exceptions are their wyvern riders; mounted on wyverns bred from eggs stolen from the Dwarves, fiercely independent, and quite willing to accept imperial gold in exchange for their services.

THE MOUNTAIN PRINCES

Relative newcomers to the world's political landscape, the Mountain Princes have engaged in low-grade civil war for nearly a century, each Prince attempting to secure dominance over the others. They'll fight for a few years, have an uneasy peace for a generation or so, and then go straight back to fighting. As a result, any map of individual princedom borders is almost certainly inaccurate. The Empire mostly tolerates this, so long as the Princes leave their wars to themselves and leave imperial soldiers in peace.

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THE KHANATE

While not encompassing quite as much land area as the Empire, the Khanate is actually an older entity with a larger population. Ruled absolutely by a man known to outsiders only as "the Khan", this realm stretches across much of the southern continent's north coast. The average citizen of the Khanate is not all that different from an Imperial citizen except in cosmetic terms, and when not at war with each other the two nations engage in a fair amount of trade - mostly via ships across the sea. Khanate warriors take great pride in their swordsmanship, and their horse archers are some of the most effective fighters in the known world.

When Abih the Cruel launched his assault, the Khan at first allowed the mysterious southern warriors to use his harbors as jumping-off points for Abih's ships to strike at his northern rival. Perhaps he had hoped that Abih would spare his own realm, or perhaps he planned to wait until the Empire and the Wastelanders had killed each other off and then swoop in to take everything for himself. Either way, he was mistaken. Abih's forces laid waste to much of the Khanate in the lead-up to the invasion of the Empire, especially the area surrounding the Great Bridge. The Khan himself was apparently beheaded, but his sons continue the fight to free the Khanate from its invaders.

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THE ELVEN REPUBLIC

The single oldest nation in the known world, the Elves of Kuuradesh Island partake in a strange form of governance. There are no kings, or emperors, or even nobles. Instead, every leader is elected by the populace to represent them. It's unnatural, but it seems to work quite well for a race that has existed for thousands of years.

The Elves are a reclusive people, rarely venturing away from their island and never in great numbers. They seem to have a certain fondness for humans, perhaps viewing them as children, as they will sometimes impart new knowledge to those they deem worthy. The original mages, Elves are masters of Dark magic and for many centuries were the sole practitioners of the art.

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THE DWARVEN KINGDOMS

The Dwarves are a hardy, stocky bunch that prefer to live underground. The second-oldest civilization on the continent, Dwarves once were spread across much of the landmass but are now confined to their ancestral homes in the World's Teeth mountain range. Although somewhat desolate on the surface, beneath the peaks and cliffs is a thriving, sprawling society that ekes out an existence in ancient tunnels and caves.

Dwarven society is rather peculiar. Positions in life are hereditary, though acts of great honor or dishonor can alter these positions. There is a High King that appears to have unassailable authority, though he rarely exercises this power. Below the High King are the Lesser Kings, each of whom rule their own fiefdoms and frequently quarrel with each other.

As the Kingdoms are somewhat fractious, it is vital for Imperial diplomats (or anyone else dealing with the bearded ones) to remember that, while humans are mostly tolerated by the dwarves, they are by no means allies of the Empire or any other human society. Many clans still hold grudges from the semi-mythical War of Iron, fought long before humans even arrived on the continent; is it any surprise that more than a few dwarves hate humans in general and the Empire in particular for defeating them before the Empire was even founded?

Dwarven soldiers are well-armored and disciplined, and they are feared for two things. First are their wyverns, native to the World's Teeth and incredibly vicious. Second are their siege engines known as "cannons"; tubes of metal spitting fire and stone with a roar to rival that of thunder.

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THE SOUTHERN WASTES

A great expanse of desert located south of the Khanate. Previously thought to be endless and certainly lifeless, the arrival of Abih the Cruel and his vast army has scholars scrambling to rethink their old theories. It is now believed that there must be a fertile land somewhere beyond the sand dunes and salt flats, perhaps with oases scattered between the known world and this supposed sanctuary. Perhaps with time, the Empire may mount expeditions into the Southern Wastes in an attempt to learn more about where the mysterious warriors came from. For now however, the Empire is interested in nothing other than licking its own wounds and securing its own interior.

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THE GREAT EASTERN PLAINS

Unlike the Wastes, the Great Plains far to the east are quite clearly suitable for life. Indeed, exploratory records document the presence of scattered human tribes, never great in number and almost always nomadic. These tribes survive by following migrating herds of strange beasts that as yet are unnamed by civilized scholars, and there's plenty of water and vegetation out there. So why has the Empire or some other civilization not taken root in the plentiful landscape?

The answer is as simple as it is terrifying. Dragons. Great reptilian creatures, the smallest the size of a horse and the greatest larger than the fiercest wyverns, also roam the plains, snapping up any unfortunate creatures - or people - that they find. While they don't typically go near the World's Teeth range, horror stories of the occasional exception wiping out entire villages are in constant circulation near the Mountain Princes' realm.