Imperium Novum

The Imperium Novum stands as the single greatest human polity ever to rise upon Exilum Novum—an empire born not from conquest or rebellion, but from cosmic translation. When the Nova Province of ancient Rome was torn through the Rift eight centuries ago, it arrived intact yet surrounded by wonders, terrors, and civilisations that had already endured the cycle for millennia. From this moment of profound displacement, the Empire forged a destiny none could have foreseen: a civilisation that wove Roman law with alien magic, classical engineering with arcane innovation, and civic duty with a new, almost spiritual understanding of the Rift’s place in mortal life.

Today the Empire’s heart beats strongest within Solaria, the first human homeland in this world. Its capital, Novaium, rises from that soil—stone upon stone, decree upon decree, spell upon spell—until the city itself has become a living symbol of the Empire’s purpose. Roads, aqueducts, fortresses, academies, and basilicas radiate outward like spokes of a cosmic wheel, binding a diverse, growing population to the Imperial centre.

Legions patrol the northern marches, diplomats negotiate with distant powers, phoenix priests keep the ancient fires of memory alight, and the Collegium Arcanum reshapes the very boundaries of magical understanding. Even those who stand opposed to the Empire acknowledge its undeniable stability, its well-ordered justice, and its unyielding belief that civilisation is not simply a human achievement—it is humanity’s calling.

On the Nature of Empire

“Borne through fire, we remade order upon strange soil.”

— Preface to the Annales Riftales

To understand the Imperium Novum is to understand a people who refuse to be defined by the catastrophe that created them. The Rift may have cast them from their world, but it did not break their memory or erode their identity. Instead, it ignited a conviction that humanity had been chosen—not by gods, nor by prophecy, but by a cosmic mechanism whose purpose might yet be deciphered.

Imperians believe civilisation is the proper answer to the Rift.
Where chaos strikes, they build roads.
Where the unknown looms, they raise watchfires.
Where mana storms churn the sky, Arcanii step forward with tablets, instruments, and the unshakable belief that knowledge is a form of defence.

Their neighbours often describe them as ambitious, relentless, or quietly imperialistic—and these charges are not entirely unfounded. The Empire’s order spreads naturally, almost inevitably, because it offers something rare in a world shaped by cycles of sudden upheaval: predictability, law, and long memory. Even hostile nations study Imperian engineering, emulate Imperial military organisation, and borrow elements of its administration.

Culturally, the Empire stands at a crossroads of countless influences. Dwarrow craftsmanship strengthens its walls; Elven medicine and ritual shape its healing halls; Halfling navigation has opened its coasts to global trade; and Centaur traditions echo faintly in its frontier rites. Yet through all this, the Empire remains unmistakably Roman in character—stern, pragmatic, reverent toward ancestors, and fiercely proud of a legacy that began long before Exilum Novum ever knew the name of Rome.

To live as an Imperian is to believe that destiny is not inherited but constructed, stone by stone, law by law, and—when required—shield by shield.

Records of the Imperium

Within this category dwell the collected records of the Imperium Novum—its cities and provinces, its legions and institutions, its rites, its rulers, and the evolving scholarship that defines humanity’s place upon Exilum Novum. Each article represents a fragment of the greater Imperial chronicle, curated by scribes of the Office of Rift Affairs and expanded through centuries of civic stewardship.

Together, these works form the living memory of the Empire: a tapestry of law, culture, innovation, and conflict that continues to shape the destiny of nations across the world.