✷ Arshakan Empire

Arshakan Empire

Languages:

Common, High Imperial

Biome:

tall bluffs overlooking the coast, wide expanses of open plains and scattered woodlands

In Conflict with...

Everyone

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Once an immutable warmachine feared the world over, the Arshakan Empire has crumbled beneath the test of time. Established at the close of the Era of Many, the Arshakan Empire is steeped in storied history and culture. Presided over by an Imperator, dubbed the “Red Imperator,” a closed council of Praetorians, and a board of Senator elects, the empire has spent the past decades succumbing to decay. A deep rot sits at the nation’s capital. Resources are funneled from outlying settlements back to the capital with a reckless disregard for the needs of any outside their select elites.

Governance​

The Raj Imperatus​

Reigning as chief of state, the final voice and driving force behind the empire's movements. An absolute position, the Imperatus is technically elected by a closed session of Praetorians in conjunction with a popular vote led by the Senators elect. Historically, this system has led to conflict between both parties, anointed heirs of the imperium, and the public at large, but the Arshakan Empire is recalcitrant to change. The three heads of state refuse to give ground on any matters that might diminish their power base, noted as a key contributing factor in the decline of the empire.​

The Praetorians​

Originally governor-appointees for cities within the empire's dominion, the Praetorians were selected from a pool of retired officers of the Karmic Legions and members of the landed elite. Tasked with ruling over their cities in the Imperator's name, early records suggest the creation of the Praetorian class to be a stop-gap measure in an attempt to instill temporary governance over conquered domains. Once established, the Praetorians refused to consign their influence. Later, the Praetorians left their appointed cities, becoming absentee governors ruling from the Arshakan capital in a direct challenge to both the Imperator's and the Senate elect's power.​

The Senate-elect​

Forming the core of the empire's government, members are elected for life by popular forum in which landed citizens of the capital are allowed to sit in attendance. These same citizens then are expected to bring grievances before the Senate-elect, who sit in hearing to mediate disputes, suggestions of improvement in critical infrastructure, and other daily affairs that tie back directly to the populace. In turn, the Senate may hold to account the actions of both the Imperator and the appointed Praetorians.​

Karmic Legions​

Beneath the heads of state, imperial culture exonerates the social prestige of service in the Karmic Legions. The wealthy elite purchase commissions among the ranks, paying tribute to the state both by coin and through service. For the rest of the peoples living amongst the empire, enlistment in the Legions is viewed as a privilege. These enlisted legionnaires fill the bulk of the border garrisons and are expected to serve a decadal term before returning to the capital for promotion. Publicly, the empire assures all citizens that service in the Karmic Legions promises luxury, influence, and comfort in perpetuity.​

The Primus Khashatrii​

Leaders of the Legions, the spearheads to all of the empire's military operations. The position of Primus Khashatrii is won through excellence and dominance, and its members are rarely seen far from the latest battleline. Where lesser positions are often bought, the Primus Khashatrii demands respect, and in many cases fear, by the very virtue of its name. While technically a political position, few of the Primus Khashatrii exercise this right outside of active warzones.​

The Magistus Imperatis​

A semi-independent body of weavers matriculated from the prestigious Brahman Magisterium, fall midway between Legion and Senatorial purview. Operating dually as researchers and cogs in the Imperial warmachine, the Magistus Imperatis are a prized tradition in Arshakan lands. Many with the talent attend the academy where all but the brightest fail to excel.​

Culture​

Popularly known for their proclivities for war, the Arshakan Empire spent centuries nurturing its reputation as the pillar of civilization on the southern end of the continent. Many outside the empire's self-drawn borders disagree with this assessment, noting in particular the butchery practiced by the empire's Karmic Legions in their ceaseless conquest of outlying lands. Perhaps only those living within the resplendence offered by the Arshakan capital hold faith that their empire is anything but reviled by the rest of the world. Indeed, criers in the capital's forum often speak of the good will fostered by the outlying Free States, and the desire such peoples have for the empire's definition of civilization.

The truth of such matters, however, finds the empire lacking. These very Free States, an eclectic group of cities that loosely hold border with the desiccated remains of the Arshakan Empire, remain largely outside of its sphere of influence. In part, this resulted from decades of resources and labor being funneled back to the capital with little to show in other areas. Taxes upon tithe, the saying went, bled dry any who might think to benefit from the empire's protection. Some might go so far as to suggest that the empire could not even shelter its former capital, let alone the people beyond its limited touch. But these are said in whisper at first sight of the Karmic Legions, for all know the empire leads by might, and to their legionnaires only the mighty may be right.

Major Cities/Landmarks​

Naya Vapna​

The new Arshakan capital, named in vain after the ruins of the great Devahni metropolis Vapna, stands atop a bluffside expanse of basalt flats along the coast touching the Boiling Sea. Resplendent if hastily assembled architecture of quarried stone with rings of statues lining the inner walls, numerous open-air forums, and sprawling mark the city's brief history. Constructed in the years following the old capital's collapse, Naya Vapna finds itself a bastion of a bygone age, the last retreat of an empire in decline. Home to a population of bureaucrats, politicians, and nobility, its denizens refer to themselves as the imperial elite.​

Svapna​

The old capital, founded near the empire's inception circa E.M. 800 in the wake of a bloody unification war. Originally sparse in architecture, a utilitarian design pattern lent it more the appearance of a fort city than the sprawling metropolis it evolved into over the following centuries. Remnants of this war-forward design linger to the present day behind its crumbled walls. Svapna fell from imperial control in [year], with few retaining its splendor in living memory. Those who did live through the rapid relocation seldom speak of it, with public campaigns attempting to write it out of imperial history.​

Old Vapna​

The sunken ruins of a theorized Devahni Metropolis that guards the isthmus between imperial lands and the eastern deserts. A ghost town partially submerged into the Boiling Sea, Old Vapna remains the blueprint for imperial design.​

Brahman Magisterium​

Once the estate of the first Imperator, the Isbiq Aplaa, known as the Sorcerer King in his days as a Free State lord, the Brahman Magisterium rose to prominence well after his eventual death. The estate traded hands at the end of the Aplaa dynasty only to find itself the possession of a scholar with a penchant for politics. The founder, Edhitha Brahman, sought to garner the interest of the landed elite by touting her talents as an educator in the Shroud. Originally the school was only opened to the privileged few with tuition rivaling a commission in the Karmic Legions before Imperial mandate coopted it. Since then, the curriculum has increased in difficulty inverse to its falling costs.​

The Crucible​

Also known as the Karmic Crucible, it is the premier institution for officer induction into the Karmic Legions. Situated in the city of Naya Vapna, and arguably the defining factor in choosing it as the place of the capital's relocation, the Crucible is where legends are made... or so claim the propagandists of the time.​

History​

Following the fading embers of memory of the ancient Deva empire in the years marking the close of the [Era of Plenty], the Arshakan Empire formed as a pale imitation of what once was. Self-made royals of some of the largest Free States (cities that laid claim to areas beyond the reach of their walls) banded under a covenant of intent. With a goal of uniting the southern peninsula and claiming the isthmus that promised access to the crystal-rich deserts of Suldaza beyond, the promise of conquest led to the empire's inception and remained its guiding principle. The first unification wars consolidated power behind the most successful of military officers, who in turn proposed the creation of a ruling council of equals which reigned for the unification's duration. The interceding years set the precedents that would become the Arshakan Empire.

[E.M. 800 - 1000]​

• Foundation - the Arshakan empire originated under the banner of Free State lords under the guide of total unification of South Ilica. Dubbed the Unification War by historians, the first years saw chaotic warfare wrought between the core states of the peninsula. In the end, a major power emerged calling itself the Arshakan Empire.
• The First Imperator - Isbiq Aplaa, renowned as the Sorcerer King, was anointed first Imperator.
• Halcyon Days - a crimson dawn of conquest under the Imperator's banner, ushering in an age of terror among those Free States that refused to capitulate to imperial rule.
• Karmic Legions - years of combat cemented the Empire's military into an organized machine, disciplined through merit beyond the means of most of its enemies. The Karmic Legions earned their name early in Imperial history and their reputation has only grown in the passing.
• The Western Dharmayuddh - the brief era of peace brought about great restlessness among the legates of the Karmic Legions, who urged for a holy march to the north to unify the rest of [continent].
• The Long Walk Home - upon reaching the northmost foothills of the Fingers and stretching the Karmic Legions to their last reserves, the Empire began its long march home.
• Unification by Writ - enacting controlment of the northern reaches of Ilica with token garrisons to watch the borders, the Empire declared total rule of the continent

[E.U. 000 - 600]​

• The People's Senate - Isbiq Aplaa's death left behind no anointed heir, resulting in a tumultuous period of unrest before a group of politicians solicited the capital people's approval in naming the next Imperator.
• Primus Praetoria - the first body of appointed politicians, largely considered a reactionary measure against the formation of the Senate-elect, handpicked by the Imperator to administrate in their name.
• The Failed March East - confident in its hold on the southern peninsula, the Karmic Legions attempted a march to lay claim over the eastern isthmus and bridge the gap between South Ilica and the crystal-rich deserts of Suldaza beyond. The attempt ended in failure as they crashed Legions against the Sulda Bluffs

[E.D. 000 - 350]​

• The Karmic Crucible - at the taste of their first defeat, sullying the reputation of the invincible Legions, the Primus Khashtri vowed that their blades would be broken but once. They created the Crucible, a melting pot of the weak, where legends would be made.
• Praetorian Dictum - the most influential of the active legates were forcibly resigned following the march and named Praetorian as acting governors of their respective cities.
• Collapse of a People - in recent years, the Praetorians abdicated direct rule of their cities, presiding instead as absentee governors as they nurtured influence and power back in the empire's capital.
• Naya Vapna - failure upon failure piled high on the Empire's pauldrons, leading to an inevitable sense of civil unrest and cities in open rebellion under absentee governance. These rebels laid siege and razed the outer walls of the capital Svapna, forcing a rapid migration to a new capital, Naya Vapna, the renowned home of the Crucible.
• Independence - the outlying Free States, once solidly considered under Imperial domain, declared (quietly and otherwise) independence from the Empire.