The Empire of Berusia (Beru-s-ia)

The realm of Berusia, a war-torn land that for generations struggled against the darkness that ruled over it had but a brief moment of light when the empire of Elderia laid a crusade upon the vampire counts, supplanting these lords and installing a new government one that to this day stands, though not all is as it seems. The great disaster to the north caused the genocide of the people of Tazantium, forming the Dying Lands, causing refugees to flee south, and through these refugees the vampire counts grew in power. Amongst their ranks were the elders, vampire lords and their children who, slowly and secretly from the shadows, began planting seeds of doubt and puppets of their own to rule as a shadow government over the lands that they once held openly. Though to many the lands hold a semblance of order, in reality the old masters return creeps throughout the lands, corrupting it with their touch as monstrous beasts begin to roam the countryside once again, and the legions of the damned face off against the inquisitors who once freed this land from evil.

History

Berusia is a nation that for the longest time was not united under one flag. It was composed of several duchies, lesser kingdoms, and a plethora of nation-states. The empire itself only came about in the last half of the 2nd millennium of the Astral Divergence when one lord was finally able to conquer and unite the region. Since then, the nation has been embroiled in a collection of civil wars, a conflict with Elderia and more than a few border skirmishes on every front. Prior to the 7th century of the Astral Divergence, Berusia was largely uninhabited with most peoples in the area being nomadic and primarily living off the land with few permanent settlements. The first long term settlements weren’t established until approximately 650 AD, though little is known as to why the people of Berusia transitioned to more stationary communities. These behaviors would continue for approximately two hundred years with the last major settlement of Karstein being established in 1043 along the Kar River. The established towns and villages rarely conducted themselves in any kind of warfare and the most common results in such conflicts were the complete destruction and enslavement of one if not both of the warring settlements. The peoples of this period lacked professional or large military forces to keep conquered territories subjugated and it was often easier to destroy them completely than rule from afar.   By the time the 12th century AD rolled around, many of the towns and villages had expanded and grown into burgeoning cities. The expansion of farmland and the development of improved farming techniques leading to population explosions in the biggest of these cities. This rapid population growth also led to an influx of wealth to many of the settlements as more workers often meant more tax and levy to be collected from the people. This money was often spent on financing more capable and professional military forces as many of these minor states began seeking to expand their lands rather than pillaging, they had been conducting for the past two centuries.   Conflict became common within Berusia as each of the self-proclaimed lords, dukes and kings began to fight one another to cement their claims. Most only found moderate success as Berusia's natural terrain often made for excellent defensive positions, cities built to the side of the mountains or atop plateaus bordering the many rivers that dominated the region. Many settlements that had desired to remain solitary and independent found great success as no single lord was ever able to hold enough land for long enough to unite the region. Some cities even made it a business to export their soldiers as mercenaries to various conflicts all across Berusia.   However, this period of stagnant warfare would not and could not last forever. At the opening of the 18th century of the Astral Divergence the northern states were brought to heel by a local lord known as Vasily of Dancya. His initial conquests were not terribly notable, it was not the first time a single lord had managed to conquer a corner of Berusia. The question would be if he could maintain control of it, but the question soon became a non-issue as the young lord seemed to be eager to grow his advantage and continued his wars southward. The progress Vasily managed to make against the various Berusian kingdoms was almost unheard of as they were forced one by one to submit to his rule. Some even postulated he had sold his soul to a demon to acquire the strategic and martial prowess he possessed.   Unfortunately. Vasily’s conquest would come to an abrupt end in 1744 when he was stricken by illness and passed before his clerics and priests could attend to his health. He had only managed to unite the northern provinces of Berusia during his reign leaving much of the south and prominent settlement of Karstein untouched. It looked like for a time that his lands would dissolve as Vasily’s sons would fight over the many crowns left by their father. Twenty years of infighting continued until only one son was left alive to make a claim to the title, but during that time many of the settlements that had been conquered had broken away and claimed independence once more.   The successor son, Dimitry would prove to lack the luck and skill his father possessed, and it took him nearly thirty years to retake the splintered settlements, a task many believe his predecessor could have done in five. Regardless of his individual ability, Dimitry’s rule was characterized by its length. Where his father had only lived a short 50 years, his son succeeded him and would go on to live near two hundred. At the time, many were unsure of how he had been able to maintain such an existence but when the vampires within the royal court revealed themselves in the closing years of the 19th, it was made clear what bargain Dimtry had made.   These vampire lords would go on to usurp the rule of Berusia in 1938, only three years after Dimitry had proclaimed imperial rule over the entirety of the region and making Karstein his capital. These lords would quickly move to exert their influence over the other settlements within the new Empire of Berusia, enthralling local lords and using their power of feudal contractors to extort whatever they needed from the population. This most often came in the form of cattle, with men being called to serve their lord only to disappear the same night, never to be seen again. The vampiric clans seemed content enough with the empire carved out for them by the previous lords and very little foreign expansion was sought, but that did not stop them from drawing the ire of their Eldarian neighbors to the northwest.   After nearly three hundred years living under the oppressive and dreadful rule of the vampire lords, Elderia made it their charge to liberate the people of Berusia from the scourge of the undead. In what would later be called the Eldarian War of Purification, the crusading forces of Elderia made their way into the lands of Berusia with the express intent of wiping out every vampire that had made their home there. It was a conflict that would drag from 2227 to 2330, with much of the focus of the conflict being in conquered Berusian cities with the Elderian inquisitorial forces attempting to seek out and eradicate hidden vampire elements. The undead lords summoned and created various monstrosities and beasts to attempt to supplement their forces and defend their lands but in the more than one hundred years of war, their power and numbers would eventually wane until the conflict was no longer sustainable.   Elderian forces would remain within Berusia for nearly another century after that as they continued to try to root out and purge the remaining undead within the region. It was an impossible task to ever truly accomplish but they found much support in the local populace who were tired of both war and living under the rule of the vampires. Many of the remaining vampire lords either fled into the mountains of Berusia while others left the country entirely, seeking refuge elsewhere from the holy inquisitors. A new dynasty was established to rule over the empire with Rurik of Karstein being named the first Imparat of his dynasty. He would rule in collaboration with the lesser kings and dukes of Berusia in hopes of preventing another such takeover of the region in the future.   Much of the 26th century was spent rebuilding what was destroyed in the conflict with Elderia. Many small vampire hunter bands would form over the two centuries, often composed of veterans of the war and celebrated as heroes for their role in purging the nation of the undead. They would also be largely responsible for clearing out the various monstrosities that remained following the war, these beasts polluting the nation and making the once safe countryside into a hostile and dangerous landscape. These monsters, much like their former vampire masters, were nearly impossible to hunt to extinction and many of them could cut down dozens of hunters before being killed themselves. Worse still, many werebeasts would often curse those they fought in battle and simply spread their affliction to those who had worked to cleanse them.   However, the problems for Berusia would be compounded at the start of the 26th century when the Great Calamity came raining down from the sky. While the physical damage to the continent kept it to a minimum, it still spawned host refugees looking for a new home. Many headed south, perhaps with the intent of passing through Berusia to Darunovia. Many of such refugees were elder vampires from Vazia itself, seeking out the vampire communities still hidden within the region. This would be the start of the resurgence of the vampires within Berusia, these elder vampires claiming dominion and forming new cabals within the nation and claiming control of it through subtler means.   In the modern day, Berusia is still ruled by Rurik’s dynasty with his great descendant Rurik IV currently holding the throne. His leadership is however in name only, he is in truth controlled by the vampire cabals that have claimed dominion over the minds of the lords of the nation as they had done in the past. This time however, their involvement in such matters is kept secret and hidden. The renewed vampire lord prey on the populace from the shadows, they deceive the remaining vampire hunters all the while continuing to experiment and create new monstrosities to unleash upon the wilds of the nation. Their center of power far away removed from the capital and hidden from the prying eyes of Elderia and Darunovia, intent on remaining a shadowy presence until they are prepared to rise up and take revenge on those that persecuted them in the past centuries.

Geography

Berusia is a realm of grand towering conifers, thick misty forests, rolling hills, dark fetid swamps, fertile plains, and frigid shores on its southern border. It is in this war-torn land fertilized by the blood of those who fought within, and the beasts that roam throughout that the populace have grown grand fields of grain, and hunt throughout the woods for the thickened pelts not just of the common hare or fox, but of the monstrous beasts that are native to this darkened realm. It is at the heart of this empire, where the Kar River flows that lesser tributaries split off and the brunt of the lands agriculture is formed.   Bordering both the mountain range of Bahkano to the east and the ember mountains of Skaldren to the north, both of which are rich in ore, the land is itself home to a variety of natural resources. Stores of copper, nickel, silver, and gold, as well as iron, cold iron, and rare deposits of mithral in the Bahkano mountain range, with deposits of Arandur and Fever iron within Skaldren. Additionally, the lakes and rivers are home to glittering gemstones and dragonglass, along with rare finds of ebony. Beyond the ore deposits of the realm, the land itself is home to great beasts both mundane like the common deer or elk, and monstrous like the manticore, and those created like the bloodbeasts of the vampire counts. Though these beasts prowl the lands, especially as of late, trade has not halted within the land, as merchants travel from city to city, spreading their wares, and perhaps more.

Government

Berusia’s government from the outside looking in, is very similar to many feudal states of the era. Most strips of land are ruled by barons or counts, who are commonly placed under the rule of a duke. In rare cases there may be a large enough domain within the empire to be considered a kingdom, the Berusian Emperor however most commonly keeps all such titles and administrates most of the duchies under their control. The Imperial court is held within the palace in the capital of Karstein, where the realm gathers every few months or during times of emergency to deliberate on the matters. The Berusian Emperor holds the power to veto any decision made by the court and they are the supreme executor of the state as well as commander-in-chief of the military when the need arises.   However, behind this standard government resides the true rulership of Berusia. The majority of dukes and counts are under the sway of the various vampire cabals that operate in the region. The most prominent of which are the Zuraists, claimants to the legacy of Zura who support the elder vampires that descended from the north in the previous centuries. They, along with the myriad of other groups, issue commands and decrees to the various mortal lords to have the state of Berusia run as they wish. Even the emperor has been enthralled by the vampire lords and each subsequent generation is given precious little time before they are subjected to the same mental domination.   Berusia is ruled by an Imparat, a hereditary title. The current Imparat is Rurik von Karstein the IV, the descendent of Rurik von Karstein, a hero of the Elderian crusades that freed the city of Karstein from vampire rule. Although rumors abound around him and the royal court, while no evidence is held, the touch of the old vampire counts control his mind, ruling over the empire as the true lords of the realm, with the Zuraists having control over the emperor. Though many amongst the ranking nobility are secretly enthralled by the renewed vampire counts, the government publicly holds true to a noble class, those that gained prominence during the crusades and some of the old houses before and during the vampires' reign that hold to this day their ancestral lands. While the government is overtly run by the Imparat Ruruik IV, the governing of the villages and lands themselves have for the most part been left to the towns Hetmans--or mayors--many of which have been taken by the vampire cabals.

Vampire Cabals

Vampire High Lords

While not a faction proper, the vampire high lords represent a group of elder vampires that meet to establish the rules for all kindred within Berusia. This includes the current ruling that the vampire population remain as hidden as possible and far from the public eye, less they draw the attention of Elderia again without being ready. The court also rules on disputes between vampire cabals or families when no other course can be determined.

Zuraists

The current ruling faction within Berusia, those who claim their leaders are closest in proximity to Zura’s original lineage. This cabal is mostly interested in maintaining their own power and will often placate other factions to ensure they retain authority. They also possess direct control over the cattle emperor, Rurik IV, making them especially hard to dislodge from their central seat of power. Should any faction seek to make war on the Zuraists, it is likely they could martial the Berusian army to fight as well as their own undead minions.