The Argenine Empire (ɑːʤən)

The Argenian Empire is a monarchic state, the Title of Emperor passed down directly via appointment of the previous Emperor, usually favouring their first-born child irrespective of gender. Transition of power has been relatively smooth, though contention is not uncommon.

Since its inception the Empire has held the highest respect for authority, discipline, and duty.

The Empire has made little attempt to hide it’s agenda, particular since the rise of the House of Vintaria whose aggressive expansions into the Ambergard, Emerine and Freemarches have laid bare that the Empire will no longer allow itself to be constrained by the traditional rules of conduct between covenantal nations that had constrained them in earlier centuries. The Argenians has come to see themselves as the rightful heirs of the First Empire and that their domain should stretch to its height and beyond.

The founding of the Argenine Empire begins with Prince Ilonus, whom many claim was the last scion of the Arumnian Imperial family, who was spirited out from among a small cadre of Dominionist imperial bureaucrats and noble families from the fall of Arumnia, and resettled in a small Arumnian colony situated on a riverhead island at the mouth of the river Eragus. The city was, it is said; on the brink of greatness even then but held back by the constant onslaught of the enemies that dominated their peninsula, the greatest of which was the Kingdom of Morhau, last great realm of the Fire Giants, who had beneath their banner most of the hill tribes of the Silverclaw mountains. By the legends, Ilonus though only a youth of 15 led a valiant defence of the fledgling city and for that was proclaimed king. He was the first to reorganize the militias into the earliest form of the Argenine legion, based at that time on the model of what remained of the professional Imperial household guard. From these beginnings, he made alliances with the neighbouring cities, tribes and nations of the coast eventually absorbing many into his fledgling kingdom, including the realms of his wife, a Keldeirim Princess, who bore him a single son before the end of his death. At the end of his vaunted reign he had aligned a sizeable portion of the peninsula against Morhau, it is said that he fought their king, the giant Kihar, in single combat, and though he was mortally wounded in the fight managed to distract the giant long enough for siege equipment to be brought in to fell him.   With Morhau routed indefinitely the rule of his son, through the regency of his wife began. As Queen Regent, Mythalla was much feared as her regency greatly expanded the fledgling kingdom's renown and prestige among the other nations. Mythalla made signficant diplomatic overtures to the other nascent kingdoms of the post-Arumnic era. Most importantly with Dyasphos; at that time one of the largest surviving cities in the world.

The Empire is by far the most populous contiguous territory of Tenembria having as many as 9 million people as of the last imperial census.   The Empire is very broadly cosmopolitan with sizeable sub-populations of all of the major races, it has made significant efforts to develop a singular national culture that would supplant traditional political, tribal and racial identities. So that dwarves, elves, orcs, humans and littlefolk all alike would see themselves as Argenine first.   Man Humans make up the largest racial demographic, at 73% of the population. They are found throughout the Empire concentrated on the coasts, the Argenian peninsula and the along the valleys of the Amber and Emerine rivers. But are also found farming and herding the wide grassland between the Dragonspines and the Amber River.     Adyneirim (Man-Elves) The Argenine Empire has an unusually high population of man-elves, whose parentage is a mix of man and elvish blood over many centuries. The Adyneirim are concentrated most in its urban areas and highly represented among the Argenine Elite, among both the urban class of merchants and wealthy landowners.   Arkeldeirim (High Elves) The original inhabitants of the peninsula the Arkeldeirim, sometimes called silver elves, for the slightly lustrous quality of their skin, represent the largest non-human racial block and hold signficant interests particularly in the North-West of the Empire. Their incorporation within the Empire has not always been an easy one. Though originally allied by marriage, their subsequent annexation into the Empire proper, though mostly peaceful, was frought with dissent, a series of violent revolts which led to an a mass purge of puie-blooded elvish interests in the capital region has left many to flee into diaspora or concentrate within their ancient northern strongholds. Though relations today have smoothed signfiicantly under the Man-Elve dynasty of House Vintaria, many still remain distrustful of overt Imperial Influence on their lands.   Siltor Dorves: The Siltor Dorvish people resisted direct Imperial control for centuries after becoming subsumed into Imperial Territory. Clinging to old treaties and demands of equal partnership, eventually, when their expertise was demanded in the sieges against their North-Eastern brothers in the Dragonspines Mountains the Empire imposed heavy tributes for Dorvish manpower. A brief revolt was crushed and pliant kings placed on the relevant thrones. Today, Siltor Dorves have become near totally assimilated into wider Imperial Culture.