Great Ward of the Empire

The great ward is perhaps the single most powerful working of magic in history. Created by the The Great Council at the end of The Traitor's War and roughly a century after the signing of the Treaty of Unification, the ward encompasses the entire empire in a single magical protective field. Nobody and nothing may pass through the ward except at the 8 gates. Within the ward it is not possible to raise undead creatures, bind a soul to unliving matter, establish a pact with a powerful being, travel to other planes, or even contact the lower planes. Apart from wild animals, bandits, and other criminals, there aren't many threats within the empire, and most people live quiet and peaceful lives.