The Litherian Empire

The Litherian Empire may refer to the First or Second Litherian Empire, both of which were landlocked countries located in the south-west of the continent of Tilen. Both were fairly similar in culture, being fanatically religious and patriotic, though the First Empire was less morally rigid than the Second.   The First Litherian Empire   Little is known of the First Litherian Empire's history, thanks to the efforts of Everian propagandists during and after the First Arcane War. According to records from the neighbouring Southern Elves and Ironheart Kingdom, however, the Empire was initially formed around 563 ANG by a group of nomadic human pilgrims who believed its land to be the location of the final battle between the Seventy-Seven and the Old Gods. Accepting elven and dwarven migrants out of necessity, the country eventually grew to lay claim to a large area, encompassing what is now Bentrelhold, Krin'garr, and parts of Forge's Eye and Verdegar.   The country was established as a monarchy, appointing a king, though the priesthood held considerable power from the beginning. Almost since its inception, Litheria was rife with political warfare, as the royal family struggled for power with the clergy. Many believe that it was during this period that Litheria's cruel justice system was designed, as a tool for the royals to punish troublesome priests.   It was during the First Arcane War that this conflict finally came to a head, as the King declared himself Emperor of the Litherian Empire, centralising power and justifying it as a necessary wartime measure. Unbeknownst to any but the Emperor and his closest confidantes, it was also then that the King accepted support from the Independent State of Darhemia, not realising he was a puppet intended to facilitate Darhemia's takeover of the western world. After the Litherian Empire's defeat at the hands of the Alliance of Kings, its army was significantly weakened, and the priests, seeing an opportunity, moved to take over.   This led to a civil war, causing what remained of Litheria's army to destroy itself. By the time of the secessions of Krin'garr and Bentrelhold, the Empire had essentially collapsed, and its land was divided between its old allies in the Southern Elves and the Baronies of Everflame.   The Second Litherian Empire   For the next few centuries, the area remained under Everian and elven control while lingering sentiments over the civil war prevented any unified movement for the re-establishment of the Empire. This changed when a patriotic elf named Eletha Tristris, remembering the old days of Litheria, finally found a voice amongst the region's people. Bridging the gap between the Royalists and Theocrats, she led a movement lobbying Everflame to repatriate the Empire. In 1620 ANG, the Head Baron finally caved, convincing the Southern Elves to give up their land alongside Everflame. Tristris was declared Empress of the Second Litherian Empire, and appointed an advisory council of seven priests, one of each of the New Gods, in hopes of preventing the political warfare that plagued the First Empire.   After Darhemia and its atrocities were revealed to the world, Tristris, now in the last decade of her life, led her country to war, horrified at the actions of her predecessor. Using her skill at bladesinging to fight on the front lines despite the protestations of the council, it is thought that she died in battle near what is now Esidell. Her body is entombed in the Temple of Renthven in New Daneska.   Without Tristris's leadership, the country began to fall back into its old ways somewhat, though with less back-and-forth; often, there was either a puppet emperor on the throne, or a council comprised of yes-men. This proved important during the Second Arcane War, as a bickering council failed to coordinate a meaningful campaign through a puppet emperor in its first stages. In response, one of the court's advisors assassinated the Emperor, placing his son, a devout religious follower and staunch royalist, on the throne. Taking emergency powers, he took Everflame by surprise by coordinating a two-pronged assault on Verdegar and Candlekeep.   After the Armageddon Ritual and the Great Schism, the Emperor toughened his governance, establishing the Litherian Inquisition to combat atheism and establishing Joth'day as a 'day of rebirth' in which one member of each household in the country is required to put in at least 2 hours of unpaid work rebuilding areas of the country damaged or destroyed by the Armageddon Ritual.   Though they approve of the Inquisition, the council of priests resent that the Emperor has not yet relinquished all of the powers he took during the Second Arcane War, and there have been rumours of an assassination plot. Until they decide to take action, however, the battle will, as ever, be in a royal court, hidden behind a nod and a smile...   Government   Litheria is ostensibly ruled by an emperor or empress who rules until death or resignation, and whose title passes to their oldest child upon succession. In reality, the balance of power is far more complicated. While the emperor can theoretically do anything, the priesthood has the power to start another civil war, or, if the emperor is not careful, assassinate them. This threat of mutual destruction forces even the most royalist emperors to give the clergy some ground. The emperor also has regional governors and the people of the country to deal with, though they hold less power unless they work in concert.   If, upon an emperor's death, they have no direct living descendants, the throne passes to their oldest living sibling instead. If they have no living siblings, the council of priests is theoretically supposed to choose a new emperor, though such an event has never happened in reality, and many fear there would be a war between the emperor's designated heir and the council's choice.   Culture   Litheria is very religious, to the point that atheism is a crime and arcane magic is looked down upon in favour of divine magic. Citizens are expected to visit a temple at least twice a week, and even visitors from abroad are required to engage in prayer daily. The study of science and arcane magic is practically nonexistent, though the government has created a number of secret research outposts for such matters, not wishing to be outdone in a future arms race.   Though their music and painting are outshone by the elves', in the performing arts Litherian playwrights and choreographers are second only to those in Hallermin. Unexpectedly, Litherian operas have proven to be extremely popular in the Ironheart Kingdom, and some say that the advent of dwarven playwrighting was caused at least partially by influence from Litheria.   Economy   Litheria is mostly self-sustaining, though they import approximately 30% of their food from neighbouring Verdegar and Elven territories. Their main exports are luxury goods including clothing and furniture, the trade of which has picked up recently as the world repairs the damage of the Second Arcane War. Being landlocked without any major rivers, however, they sell very little to the eastern and northern nations, though some goods are sold to Gildmire via the Ironheart Kingdom.