Cesarica

The largest country in the known world and an empire spanning most of the continent throughout most of the pre-Cataclysm ages. Its capital is Kaladar, which is the second-largest city in the world.    

Government

The head of Cesarica's government is the Empress. For the most part, the title is hereditary, though there have been several instances throughout history of Emperors and Empresses that have either named an unrelated heir or died without naming a successor. The Empress is assisted in her governance by The Royal Council, whose members are officially appointed by the Empress herself, though traditionally, each council member is someone who has been nominated by the guilds and organizations that their position represents.   The country is split into 16 baronies, each governed by its own baron. Each barony is further subdivided into townships headed by a governor appointed by the local baron. The governors of the local townships act as counselors to their baron similar to the Empress' royal council. Barons are given significant leeway in how they choose to govern their land. They may enact local laws as they choose so long as they do not contradict imperial law. This allows conquered areas of the empire to retain their local laws and traditions for the most part.

History

  Cesarica's official founding date is March 15, 1323, the day that Valorant I was crowned the first emperor of Cesarica. Prior to that date, the lands now known as Cesarica were the home of several disparate and warring city-states. Valorant I was known for his strategic intelligence and was able to unify the city states surrounding Kaladar under his banner through a mix of successful military action and successful negotiation of alliships that eventually became subjugation. Under Valorant I, Cesarican borders expanded at an exponential rate. As more territories were enveloped into Cesarica, the burgeoning empire's military forces grew and allowed for further expansion. Imperial expansion continued unimpeded for decades with only few exceptions to Cesarican victories (such as the Siege of Highshore). By the end of Valorant I's reign, Cesarica expanded from the small area immediately surrounding Kaladar to encompass an area that spread from the Rosenburg Run in the north to the Southrun River in the south and from the Dragon's Spine mountains in the east to the western shore of the continent.   Valorant I's appointed heir was his second son, crowned in 1367 as Emperor Clementus I. Unlike his father, Cesarica's second emperor saw the future of Cesarica's expansion to be found in diplomacy rather than military might. By this time, Cesarica had become an incredible economic force, and Clementus I nurtured the economy through massive investments in infrastructure. Under his rule, the major roads of Cesarica were first built, connecting major trading hubs within the empire. Clementus I leveraged the seemingly infinite resources at the empire's disposal to establish extremely favorable trade agreements with the empire's neighbors, especially the more resource-scarce regions in the south and west of the Dragon's Spine range. Over time, as these areas became increasingly dependent on the import of resources from the empire, they were absorbed into its imperial borders. Using similar tactics, Clementus I was able to further expand Cesarica's influence out to nearly its peak.   Eventually Cesarica's expansion was slowed to a halt by the military might of Osir and the mountains of Etonia in the north. The empire also met with significant resistance to its rule in Mercavene to the east. However, the fourth Emperess of Cesarica, Empress Antient I, was able to fashion Mercavene into essentially a vassal state of the empire through leveraging of the empire's massive economic, political, and military might. Similarly, while Arisia technically remains a sovereign state, independent of the empire, trade agreements with the empire have put it almost completely reliant on the resources of the empire.  

Demographics

Because of the expanse of the empire and the ease of travel and trade within its borders, peoples of all races and subraces are found throughout the country. In smaller towns, one race may be favored over others, but overall, the country is very diverse, and no one will bat an eye at uncommon races in the larger towns and cities, and even in small towns, no one will comment on someone of a different skin color or appearance. Kaladar, especially is known for the diversity of its population.   The exception to this is the Orini. As an island nation that has closed borders, it is very rare to find someone of Orini descent outside of that country. So, if a Cesarican is familiar with heritage/genetics and is able to discern if someone is Orini, it will be commented upon.  

Culture

Outside of the center of the empire, most peoples retain their own cultures and traditions from before subjugation by Cesarica. However, similarly to movement of races throughout the empire, many of these traditions have spread along the well-worn trade routes of the empire.   Aeli is the most worshiped god within the empire, though all members of the pantheon are well represented within Cesarica. Kaladar in particular is well-known for having major temples dedicated to almost every god in the pantheon, including the Sunspire dedicated to Aeli, the Repository dedicated to Vairea, and the Adjudication Hall dedicated to Alimann.