The Empire of Cott
By the Will of the Emperor
One of the first things the Cotnor High King of the erstwhile Unified Kingdoms of Craysilt did, when he replaced his predecessor on the throne, was to destroy the tropical and beloved city of Greynor by calling down a comet on top of it. This destroyed not only the entire city of Greynor, leaving nothing but a smoking crater in its wake, but the suburban areas and outlying islands as well, in the both the initial shockwave and aftereffects. Not even the ancient and storied Bardic College Campus was spared the wanton destruction. Since then, nothing has grown in soil that has been sullied by the ash of that evil deed.
The wizard-king Calivan the Cold became High King in 5802 NG, and destroyed any and all opposition to his consolidation of power with a ruthless efficiency speaking to generations of careful planning on the part of the Cotnor Royal Family. The machinations behind such a political maneuver were elegantly simple, and devastatingly effective, forcing the Cotnors' rivals out of power with brutal tactics that did not shy away from bloodshed; rather, they seemed to revel in it. The Cotnors seized power using cold logic, bottomless coffers, and brute force.
Now, the Empire's edicts and writs plaster the walls of taverns and inns. The Emperor's own Writ of Unity has become the law of the land; written obscurely enough that municipal judges have plenty of wiggle-room to interperate the statutes. Agents of The Black Bands, a secret police force ultimately answerable only to the Emperor, are everywhere; and when it is illegal not to inform upon your neighbor's suspicious activities, it is easy for the authorities to find reasons to arrest even the most peaceful citizen.
Structure
To break it down into it a simplistic format:
The Emperor→The Hand and Prismatic Court→Arcanum Imperialis→Magisterium, Ministries, Legions, Navy, Shackle Guard→Governors→Local Magistrates and Chains Binders→Citizens, Vassals, Subjects, and Occupied Peoples
The Throne
The Emperor
Issues Glyphic Decrees, appoints ambassadors, governors, and generals, and can override all legislative bodies. The Emperor is protected by spells woven into the Imperial Crown, making assassination exceptionally complicated and often disastrous
The Hand of the Emperor
A single individual empowered to act with the Emperor’s legislative authority, The Hand can affix the Imperial Glyph to laws, and is often feared more than the Emperor. The Hand holds power equal to what many would call a prime minister, but carries much more arcane clout. The Hand serves entirely at the whim of the Emperor.
The Prismatic Court
An advisory circle of six to nine handpicked individuals, the Prismatic Court is comprised of The Archmage Imperial, The Grand Marshal of the Legions, The High Inquisitor, The Empress or Consort, The Keeper of Chains, the Whisper Seer, and the Imperial Treasurer.
This Advisory Board often employs its own cadre of councilors, undersecretaries, directors, and governors, which vary based on political needs. This group is famous for plots and complicated conspiracies, and often works at cross purposes.
The Arcane State
The Arcanum Imperialis; or the Trifold Court
Chamber of Sigils (Arcane Drafting)
Chamber of Chains (Governance Binding)
Chamber of Whispers (Prophetic Oversight)
The Magisterium
The executive arm of magical governance, the Magisterium licenses spellcasters and conducts arcane investigations. They also regulate teleportation circles and interplanar gates, and oversee magical industries.
Headed by the Mage Primus, who is not always loyal.
The Arcane Auditoriat
The Auditoriat is a secretive bureau that polices magical corruption, hunts rogue wizards, audits ritual expenditures, and investigates magical crimes against the state.
They often clash with the High Inquisitor and Chamber of Sigils. Disparagingly called "arcane accountants with knives".
The Military State
The Imperial Legions are the backbone of the empire’s power. Each legion combines mundane infantry, a mage corps, artificer engineers, beast-riders, and sigiled siege constructs.
Legions are commanded by Tetrarchs, answerable only to the Grand Marshal and the Emperor.
The Shackle Guard are Internal Security Forces, operating like a magically reinforced arm of The Black Bands.
Using ruthless efficiency and a striking lack of empathy, the Shackle Guard hunts dissent, breaks uprisings, monitors provincial governors, and maintains the Empire’s vast network of informants.
They are feared for their “Veilbreakers"; mages who can tear illusions and lies from a suspect’s mind.
The Imperial Navy includes; seafaring fleets, skyships, and arcane dreadnoughts fueled by bound elementals.
Commanded by the Lord Admiral of the Azure Chain.
The Bureaucratic State
The Ministries are a sprawling set of bureaucratic organs;
The Ministry of Coin is in charge of taxation, trade, and the minting of coins.
The Ministry of Chains oversees law enforcement and compliance.
The Ministry of Expansion coordinates colonies & conquest.
The Ministry of Temporal Affairs controls time magic, and forbidden chronomancy.
The Ministry of Harmony promotes social events, propaganda, morale, and holiday festivals.
The Ministry of Roads & Aetherways specializes in infrastructure, teleportation circles, and leyline conduits.
The Ministry of Graces regulates healing and divine-channeling
Each is led by a Minister-Prefect who answers directly to the Prismatic Court.
The Provincial Governates are large territories ruled by Imperial Governors called Viceroys
Viceroys are Appointed by the Emperor, and they rule like little kings. Unless, of course, the Shackle Guard thinks they’re getting “greedy".
Each Governate includes a regional Arcanum branch, a Legion garrison, a civil bureaucracy building, a local Chains Magistrate for legal enforcement, and a Whisper-Oratory for prophetic oversight.
The Religious State
The Imperial Cult of Cott believes the Emperor to be a descendant of a divinely sanctioned bloodline.
The cult sanctifies imperial actions, blesses laws, maintains temples built over leyline nexuses, archives “divine” prophecies that justify political decisions, and manipulates politics.
The cult is overseen by the Hierophant of the Eternal Cottline, who is ostensibly chosen by “signs”. In reality, however, they are truly chosen by political manipulation.
Shadow Factions
Not officially part of the structure, but deeply influential, these factions have much more to say about the goings-on in the Empire than would seem possible.
The Veiled Penitents are rogue prophets who reject the Chamber of Whispers and are hunted.
The Gilded Rings are a cartel of noble houses who use wealth and magical monopolies to manipulate the Arcanum Imperialis.
The Collegium Occulta is a secret society of mages who believe the Emperor is magically compromised and might not even be the original Cott I.
The Black Scriptors are a network of magical scribes who insert hidden clauses in laws, sometimes tipping the balance of entire provinces.
Structure Summary
The Emperor→The Hand and Prismatic Court→Arcanum Imperialis→Magisterium, Ministries, Legions, Navy, Shackle Guard→Governors→Local Magistrates and Chains Binders→Citizens, Vassals, Subjects, and Occupied Peoples
Culture
Split between "loyalists" and "populists", the government is made up of priveleged people arguing about how best to treat the population. Loyalists argue that the people need to be left to their own devices; "the empire needs people with the kind of strength that only self-reliance brings". Populists, on the other hand, contend that well-cared-for people are fiercely loyal and trustworthy. Both of these factions ignore the fact that the Court of Chains is brutal and unforgiving in its pursuit of taxes, and the common-folk are terrified of their agents.
The infamous Black Bands have secret agents and informants buried in the populace, so no one is comfortable talking to anyone else about whatever it is they even perceive as happening up at the governmental level. It is enough, for the common folk, to know that imprisonment or worse awaits those who do not produce enough for the crown, which will take a pre-proscribed amount based not on a farmer's yield, but on the empire's perceived need.
The people live in constant fear, despite being told not to by their betters.
Public Agenda
The Empire's public face speaks of bringing a true and lasting peace to the realm; its actions illustrate that it will do so with an iron fist, if necessary.
Assets
Pax's natural resources are vast and greatly varied. Everything from mineral to vegetable to intellectual property is produced in vast quantities, daily. Timber and water are to be had in enormous quantities, driving a thriving ship building industry. Game and fowl are to be had for the skilled enough to hunt them, and in the southern reaches, the forest gives way enough to have a viable agricultural yield. Many different types of fishes and other seafood are available, as well as other oceanic resources that help to fill the Empire's coffers.
History
The Empire was formed out of the ashes of the destruction of Greynor, Calivan Cotnor seizing power as the peoples of the land struggled to understand what had even happened. The coup, happening in 5802, was brutal and complete, indicating years, perhaps even generations, of planning on the part of the Cotnor Royal Family.
Laws
A Citizen’s Guide to the Imperial Laws of the Glorious Cott Empire
Issued by the Ministry of Harmony and the Ministry of Chains
In Service to His Eternal Majesty, Emperor Cott I
The Five Foundations of Imperial Law
Welcome, Citizen!
To live in harmony under the Glorious Empire, you need only remember Five Simple Foundations; obey these, and you will prosper beneath the Emperor’s light!
One: Honor the Throne
Two: Know Your Station
Three: Pay Your Due
Four: Keep Order
Five: Respect the Divine
Crown and Empire Unbroken
Founding Date
5802
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Capital
Alternative Names
The Cott Empire, Pax
Demonym
Paxian
Leader
Ruling Organization
Leader Title
Founders
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Dictatorship
Power Structure
Client state / puppet state
Economic System
Command/Planned economy
Legislative Body
The Trifold Chambers are the three ostensible "Houses of Government", although they were created by, and serve the will of, the emperor. The first of these, in no particular order, is the legislative body, known as the Court if Sigils.
The Court of Sigils, made up of High Mages & Imperial Arcanists, is composed of the most powerful spellcasters sanctioned by the Empire. They literally inscribe proposed laws into floating sigil-rings that circle the Court's chamber. Everything they pass gains a magical resonance, making it easier for divination wizards to track lawlessness. Many members are centuries old, and some may not be fully human anymore.
Judicial Body
The second of the Trifold Chambers, called the Court of Chains, is outwardly meant to be a co-equal branch of the government, but it is truly the easiest for the Emperor to manipulate.
The Court of Chains, comprised of nobles and regional leaders, is responsible for binding laws into mortal governance. Each law is symbolically, and literally, bound into a great chain that hangs above the hall. If the chain glows, the law is empowered; if it cracks, the law is resisted somewhere in the empire.
Executive Body
The third branch of the Trifold Chambers is called the Court of Whispers.
The Court of Whispers judges laws not by what is; rather, they peruse many possible scenarios springing from the subject of their contemplation. They vote not on what is, but on what may happen. Their approval is based on examining possible futures of a proposed law. When they foresee catastrophe, the law must be rewritten or abandoned. Many are blindfolded, masked, or fully shrouded to protect against future-sight backlash.
Official State Religion
Parent Organization
Location
Official Languages
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