The Empire

The Empire is relatively simple overall entity, that exists with a tiered hierarchy of organization, with various intertwining, overlapping, and multifaceted sub-organizations that a global empire would need to survive and thrive. At the top of this organization exists none other than Harbinger himself, the Divine Sovereign, Emperor, God-King, and so many other titles. Directly below Harbinger exists The Council, a ruling administrative body formed of the highest ranking individuals of the other various branches of government as well as high ranking directors of various operational segments. The Council's current members are the Theologian Primus, The Grand Inquisitor, the Inquisitor Primus, the Grand Commander of the Armed Forces, the Minister of Finance, Commerce, and Trade, the Minister of Infrastructure, the Minister of Industry, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Internal Security, the Minister of Magic, the Minister of Extraplanar Occurrences, the Minister of Foundation, and the Minister of Education. These individuals obey the word of their god-king Harbinger, and in absence of his orders as the Emperor is want to do, pursue his goals as best as they can.   Beneath these individuals lie the individual organizations and ministries that they command, they themselves having a network and web of rankings and subordinates that form the bodies of these groups that run the day to day business of The Empire. The greatest of these is known as The Foundation of the Empire, or just 'The Foundation', headed by the Minister of Foundation. This ministry interconnects and controls nearly some aspect of every other ministry. As such, this ministry and organization and its minister are immensely powerful. The Minister of Foundation is an immensely powerful individual in The Empire, having a finger in nearly every proverbial pie in The Empire. Very little can happen without his knowhow, and this grants the individual who occupies this rank great political, criminal, and even militaristic power. The Minister of Foundation is a greatly powerful friend to have inside the government, and as such their ear is greatly sought after.   Citizens have very little, if any true power in The Empire, but can acquire it through application and admission to any one of the various institutions and ministries that train, employ, and even raise up normal peasants and commoners. The Empire is known to be rather meritocratic with its promotion methodologies. Harbinger himself declared that the status of their birth, the wealth of their family matters not, all that matters is their unswerving service to The Empire. As such, provided there are no undesirable traits (mutations) that one may carry, theoretically and in practice anyone from anywhere in The Empire can be elevated to presitigious and powerful positions. This has helped to create a drive for any citizen to work hard and attempt to succeed, for they may rise above their station one day and elevate their loved ones.

The culture of The Empire is one of utter faith, service and commitment to The Empire, to its ideals, and to Harbinger himself. Inside The Empire, worship of Harbinger is not encouraged, it is mandatory, and any who do not obey this simple fact are hunted, persecuted, harmed, and worse. While this threat hangs over all Imperial citizens, the day to day life of the Empire is not so different from what it was before the wars.   The Empire, like any political entity, requires goods, trade, farming, stimulation of its economy. As such, provided a citizen pays their taxes, goes to Church and shows due deference to their appropriate higher ups in their religious, social, and work circles, one will be left to their own devices. Yet still some citizens abuse this generous freedom and attempt to subvert the orderly rule of law that has descended upon Harbinger's divine empire. These naysayers, troublemakers and rabble-rousers are taken care of with all haste, deploying as little (or as much) force as is necessary to stomp out any dissent.   While not law, The Empire has silently put in place through its enforcement of their laws, its culture and especially the words of high ranking Imperial Agents, Ministers, and the Emperor himself, a planarphobic and speciest agenda. This is due to a perceived corruption and uncleanliness of what are seen as 'tainted' species. These are species that are often seen as having mixed blood with entities from either the upper or lower outer planes, it does not matter, and especially is relevant for any entity that is not of the Material Plane initially. The suspect species are as follows (this is only a few), aasimar, tieflings, gnolls, githyanki, githyazi, shadar kai, and more. Those of more humanoid origins, specifically aasimar, tieflings, and genasi are discriminated against in day to day life in the empire. These peoples face insults, a lack of business at their places of employ that they own or work at, physical assaults, kangaroo courts spawned from farces of accusations and crimes they didn't commit, and even violent murders and mutilations by the most egregiously speciest and hateful of the residents of The Empire.   The Empire is a large entity, and as such, it is not all the same, as it is not entirely strictly enforced. In some continents across the globe, some are more accepting of these seemingly 'unclean' peoples. There are some communities that provide some manner of protections and even true communities across the globe. Truly, The Empire can be a diverse and unique place, showing that as long as one provides due defference and loyalty to the throne and the Emperor, the government and even most inquisitors do not care how a hamlet, town, or even city is run or what its inhabitants believe beyond The Creed.   Day to day life in The Empire is one of relative normalcy, in an attempt that has been relatively successful to avoid commoner dissent. A typical commoner awakens at somewhere around 6 AM, before rising and arriving at their workplace at 7:30 AM. At 9 AM, a government mandated mass is held for thirty minutes, preaching the word of their god, and the tenets of Harbinger. After this, work resumes, with work ending at 6:30. A 7:00 PM service is held in which sins and notable events are confessed to. Voluntary or involuntary bloodlettings are held in penance if it is agreed to by the individual and the on site Red Priest of the congregation. From here, the night is that of the individuals. Dinner is eaten, and fun is had. Bars alight, tables of ale and beer are consumed, gambles and cards are played, and other such activities occur.   Holidays are somewhat common, with at least one major holiday being present in each of the 13 months of the year. A major holiday has been deemed by Harbinger to entail a day off, with further results in celebration and parties of varying degrees. For example, the holiday around the Day of Conjunction results in great parties celebrating the formation of The Empire, as well as the traditional painting that people take part in, a painting challenge to bring something to life upon a canvas that reminds them of The Empire. The winners from each counties are sent to the capital of Setrak, in which they then compete against one another and the winner of this worldwide competition is granted an audience and a single wish from the Emperor himself.   This is just one of many holidays and traditions that dot the landscape and provide great relief to the working and ever loyal populace.

The Empire, much like its founder, seeks to create a utopia in which there are no gods but the one true god that sits upon the throne in Setrak. It seeks to totally obliterate the holy order of the Material Plane, shattering the heavens and hells and creating a world in which no beings but those who deserve to rule have a say in the matters of control, fate, life and death.

The Empire as it stands has nearly incalculable wealth and power as it can be measured. Many great nations, empires and cities wealth was consumed and absorbed into The Empire, not to mention its strong and productive economy. The Empire fields an impressive navy fleet of nearly 1,600 mainline combat ships. The breakdown is as follows. 50 super dreadnoughts, powered by Mana-diterium cores that enable them to traverse the world nearly infinitely. These ships are rarely deployed unless in the most dour of circumstances, for their might will make the very seas tremble, in addition to their upkeep being great. 150 dreadnoughts, large and monolithic ships that deliver the message of The Empire through their stature. 300 galleons, 400 galleys, 700 assorted smaller combat ships such as caravels, fluyts, and more.   The armies of The Empire are vast, expansive, and difficult totally catalogue. At any one time, it is decreed by Harbinger that the standing army of The Empire decline beneath no lower than 350,000 active duty personnel, prepared at any moment to take up arms. Beneath this, it is dictated that there be no less than two million reserve personnel, undergoing monthly training and conditioning. Beyond the mortal men, The Empire fields a frightening advantage in the form of The Immortals. A legion of 10,000 strange, mysterious and utterly inscrutable inhuman troops. The Immortals are considered the elite heavy shock troops of Harbinger. These warriors are permanently encased in suits of heavy plate, wielding greatswords, shields, firearms, and magic. The Immortals have earned their name for good reason, these seemingly indestructible warriors able to withstand, shrug off, and survive even the most egregious of wounds.   Along with these substantial ground forces, it is further bolstered by 10 legions of 10,000 steampunk automata, magi-hulks, striders, and other contraptions powered by mechanical engineering and magic.   Fortresses dot the landscapes of The Empire, some of the most infamous redoubts and citadels being Barkez-Zar, The Black Shade, Holy Visage, Extratix, and more.

The history of The Empire is explained above in some terms, but greatly, it is known that The Empire came to be formed through the War of Consolidation. Before this, it is debated in some circles even inside the upper echelons of The Empire just exactly where Harbinger is from. It is known he emerged from 'The Other', but what exactly this is, is unknown. Some believe it to be a dark reflection of the Material Plane. Others believe it to be a hellish, damned dimension that the gods abandoned to create this new world. Some even believe it is the Material Plane in the future, yet none know the exact answer.   All that is known is that Harbinger emerged with his host of 10,000 Immortals, and a limited legion of fanatical and depraved cultists and corrupted and twisted beasts, upon The Hallowed Walk. From here, Harbinger began his wars of conquest, until finally the Last Alliance formed, and what is widely regarded as the second stage of the War of Consolidation, often called 'The Last War', began. The Last War was a world spanning conflict, taking place across all seven of the primary and named continents of the world of Meria. Upon the sky piercing peaks of North Jinsa The Immortals climbed upon the last of the great metallic dragon strongholds, taking the head of the leader of the ancient silver dragon Itramesal the Gleaming.   On the scorching dunes of Ghray-Lekor, the nomads of the Axxanit and their fearsome nomad king Yasim al-Far met their end, his hands being taken as a trophy for their god-king Harbinger.   In the boreal forests of Wenestria, the forest-people of the Aederian saw their keeps breached, their protective forests razed, and their nobles slaughtered.   These glorious tales of conquest continued, until much of the world lie under the clenched fist of Harbinger. The Last War shattered what order remained upon the world, as both sides grew increasingly aggressive, and desperate (for the Last Alliance). Daring and dangerous operations and missions were taken on, as the remaining heroes and adventurers of the world rallied to The Last Alliance, or the opportunistic, realistic and pessimistic that would join Harbinger and his cause.   Harbinger had sought a relatively 'peaceful' resolution, with minimal destruction as was possible, but eventually the God of War reached his limit of patience that was possible for such a being. In a climactic and devastating loss for The Last Alliance, a Mana-bomb was detonated in the city of Hurisic, leveling it, and killing everyone inside instantly. The world was rocked, with the revelation of such dangerous weapons. Yet still the alliance perservered, and the final battle of The Last War would resume some time later.   This battle would determine the fate of the world, and for the first time ever, darkness truly encompassed the world, as A'akaro Yvsa and his golden dragon would be slain, the body of the legendary hero-cleric cast into the gaping maw of the Abyss itself that had torn open during their apocalyptic confrontation. With the morale shattered, The Last War came to a whimpering, mangled end for The Last Alliance.   The Empire would be declared not a year later, with power consolidating around the newly formed government, and any remaining rebels, dissidents, or broken legions being put down.

The population of Edrias is capable of living over most of the continent's land due to it's generally temperate environments. As such, the population density is a bit more spread out than it would be in other more hostile continents and lands. The highest population concentrations are generally in the cities, with large towns following closely behind. The top 6 largest cities in order of population size are Setrak, Redmane, Heavenstone, Eastshore, Centerholde, and Fulran. Other cities trail close behind. Typically, most of the population lives in the upper half of Edrias, but there are populations near Graceton, Heavenstone, and Fulran, all of which are south of the middle divinding point. Exile's Gate is rather large, as people from all walks of life seek things there. Merchants, criminals, exiles (of course), intrepid adventerers seeking treasure in the Godless Peninsula and its ancient, abandoned towns and keeps, and more.

The Empire has no foreign relations, for there are no foreign nations to relate to.