Empire of Elanxa

In the east, north of Grobianismus and south of the lands of the horned ogres lies the Empire of Elanxa. The empire is divided between four Marquisates, corresponding to the four tribes of the area before being unified by the first emperor.
To the north is the Grass Marquisate, a land of farmers. This area correspond to the majority of agricultural production of the empire. The people here are simple and subservient, toiling under the brutal watch of the Marquise and his half-ogre soldiers.
To the west is the Marquisate of Thorns. This is where the majority of the imperial army hails from, being used to raids from the tribes to the west. The people here are hardy, but are often accused by others of partaking in secret heretical blood-rites, forbidden by the clergy.
In the South lays the Marquisate of Clay. Here one finds the production of the masses of golems found in imperial armies and construction-sites alike. In the cities ruled by the golemancer guilds the people are prosperous, yet the peasants remain poor.
In the Southwest lays the Lapiz Marquisate, a realm of sailors and fishermen. Having lived of the sea for milennia, the people are said to be part dolphin. More inland, this is also the region of the Dragonfly Knights, Lancers and bowmen riding atop giant dragonflies.
In the Center lies the Island-city of Picaea, home to the court of the Magpie-Emperors. They are said to be named such for their magical ability to transform into birds (or from more malicious tongues, for their immense greed)
While specific traditions vary across the empire, the main religion is a form of worship of the Emperor as a divinity, as well as ancestor worship, and veneration of birds. To prevent herecies, every town has a host of beurocratic clergymen enforcing a confusing set of rules mandated by the imperial divine records.
== History ==
The region that is now Elanxa was originally ruled by vassals of the Khenomeric Empire. It was home to both the coastal Northmen, who were reluctant allies to the Pharahkhans at best, and the interior horse nomads, who at least had stronger cultural and ethnic ties to the Pharahkhans.
As the Khenomeric Empire slowly collapsed, much of its northern territories split off and formed the nation of Greater Elanxa, which was centered around the massive island metropolis of Old Elanxa, in the middle of the Labyrinth Bay. Following the destruction of Old Elanxa in a massive earthquake/tsunami, its former territories split into several competing empires and kingdoms. The southeastern portion broke off into four tribes, which eventually merged into a nation calling itself the Empire of Elanxa, despite never having been a particularly important region within Greater Elanxa (several of the other of the successor states included the word Elanxa in their names as well, but gradually switched names or fell apart).
Elanxa had a string of powerful leaders, who managed to hold their nation together while others failed, as well as concentrate significant power around their own position. Eventually a cult of personality, and then a religion developed, and even when the Emperor is less than competent, the religious bureaucracy keeps the faith intact. 
These days, Elanxa is stuck with an incompetent Emperor who inherited power at a young age. Fortunately or unfortunately. depending on one’s perspective, he takes little interest in foreign policy matters, leading Elanxa to be fairly neutral for a heavyweight power.
== Government ==
Power rests firmly with the Emperor, who rules by decree via a fanatical clergy and yesmen governors and generals. Since the current Emperor, one Altan Delger, has little interest in politics, power tends to lie with whichever priestesses he is on good terms with that week (and often in bed with). Still, there are certain policies he is unlikely to change; he has little interest in war, he wants to keep massive amounts of money for his personal budget, and he will never willingly give up powers to others. Like all the so-called “Magpie-Emperors”, he has a number of innate magical abilities, including the ability to turn into a bird, though he has made much less effort to master magic than most Emperors.
The power of the nobility has diminished over time. The senior tier were once Grand Dukes (four, corresponding to the original four tribes), but long ago they were demoted to Marquis to emphasis the Emperor’s personal power and their own more limited role (usually Marquis rule over much smaller territories in other nations). Later, the Marquis (and several tiers of noble below that), became more of a governorship type role, with the Emperor choosing new ones from his loyalists each time an old one dies, or is promoted/demoted. These appointed nobles are also considered members of the Imperial Army, and often switch between governing and commanding soldiers at least once in their career. The hereditary nobility still have their lands, but taxes on land is so high that most Houses gain the majority of their wealth and status via positions in the military officer/governor and religious bureaucratic classes (commoners can also sometimes rises through the ranks via ability, political savvy, or looks).
The clergy is much more numerous than the military officer/governor class and can be found in even the smallest villages. They run much of the bureaucracy and law enforcement, and are notoriously corrupt, though some of the more religious common folk see that as their right, while most of the rest grudgingly accept that is the way things are. Priests with magic rise through the ranks quickly, particularly those who share some blood, and thus some innate magic with the Imperial Family. Their magic is typically seen as a sign of the Emperor’s favor, regardless of the source.
Overall, the system works, but not particularly well. Skill at internal political manoeuvring and joining the right social cliques often counts far more than actual ability to get things done, which only gets worse the higher up you go. Corruption and a strong emphasis on social conformity stifles the innovation and creativity of those not within the favored classes. 
== Provincial Administration of the Empire of Elanxa ==
The Empire of Elanxa is divided into four marquisates, which originated during the period between Greater Elanxa’s fall and the rise of the picaean magpie emperors. The four major provincial administrations are the Grass Marquisate, the Marquisate of Thorns, Marquisate of Clay and the Lapiz Marquisate, plus the island of Picaea, directly administered by the emperors themselves. The power of the high nobility that marquises come from has been steadily limited by the emperors, as they see them as a threat to the all encompassing magpie emperors, as well as to the church. Thus, the marquisate structures was subdivided into counties, whose governor was chosen directly from Picaea. These counts often come from the ranks of the nobility, though there have been exceptions to that, and always after spending a long time serving in the army. The weight of the marquisate structure over the different counties is steadily weakening, and nowadays the title of marquisate is just a show of favor with very little increase of power, as counts have little power over their fellow counts. This is to the point of marquisates not having a fixed capital, instead that being the capital of the county most favored at the time, and even then, the marquis has to collaborate with said count for government. And all this is before taking into account the weight of the Church of Elanxa within the administration, as well as the control many of their lands, which is organized with their own set of rules and laws, only below the imperial authority itself, and their weight within bureaucracy and law enforcement. Despite the backwardness of many of the institutions and forms of government in Elanxa, the magpie emperors have developed a very competent tax administration, commonly referred as “the magpies’ treasurers”, which are in charge of watching over both the nobility and the church to pay their due to the emperors. This body has a lot of power within the country, answering only to the emperor. While the Church of Elanxa does have certain privileges in regards to the ways they pay their taxes, the nobility in Elanxa has an unusual amount of taxes, as paying taxes is seen as a pious act, at least publicly. 
=== The Grass Marquisate ===
The Grass Marquisate is the northernmost province of the Empire of Elanxa, occupying most of the Saint Annell Peninsula. This area produces the weight of the agricultural produce of the empire, and as such, its economy is geared towards food production, as well as some cash crops such as strawberries, olive trees, vine trees and almonds. The population is predominantly farmers and herders, often under a strict system of serfdom led by the local nobles. Most of the nobility enjoy large estates, which can encompass one or two entire villages’ worth of people. The local nobles administer justice and administer taxation to their vassals, though they are always under the watchful eye of the magpies’ treasurers. As elanxan nobles have to pay a considerable amount of money to the emperor, elanxan agriculture is actually quite advance, generating a lot of surplus, though the lack of hunger does not mean people live in opulence, as the majority of the population lives in considerable poverty. Exporting food is a very profitable enterprise in the area, particularly after the rise of the Kingdom of Drunigzar, whose increasing demand of food has brought a lot of quick wealth to the area. Many nobles are dedicating their profits in pursue of creating holiday palaces and lush gardens. Many nobles also have mercenary bands of ogres and half-ogres, keeping a watch on the peasants and preventing revolts.
* County of Beans: Pemob 
* County of Peas: Deurpe
* County of Lentils: Enaxa
* County of Chickpeas: Exalania
=== The Marquisate of Thorns ===
The Marquisate of Thorns is the westernmost province of the Empire of Elanxa. The lands of the Marquisate of Thorns used to be a very conflictive area during the days after the fall of Greater Elanxa, as many tribes in the region, as well as those in the lands that would be swallowed by the jungles of the Realm of the Goddess of Harmony, entered in a cycle of constant infighting. These clashes ended up throwing the region into near chaos, and it would be the coastal towns and tribes, with the help of the magpie emperors, who unified and pacified the region. The support of these populations to the magpie emperors resulted in them gaining a lot of privileges, becoming strongly tied to the elanxan army. The region has many of the imperial barracks and training grounds for the nation’s infantry, cavalry and even some of the more mystical members of the imperial army. The lands of the Marquisate of Thorns are not particularly rich, most of them unfit for agriculture, though they are frequently used for transhumant husbandry, especially for the breeding of horses, which make the bulk of the empire’s cavalry. The lands near the River of Harmony do allow for better agriculture, which concentrate a great deal of small towns around them. The Marquisate of Thorns is also important due to the establishment of the Blessed Elanxan Sisterhood. The quick growth and wide reach of the organization’s powers make it extremely important, which resulted in the emperor granting them the same powers and authority of that of a county to the lands around the Tower of Amethyst, which is quickly turning the region into the richest zone in the empire outside of Picaea. 
* County of Buckthorns: Mershyiea
* County of Quince: Tacaea
* Tower of Amethyst: The Tower of Amethyst (region ruled by the Blessed Elanxan Sisterhood)
* County of Olives: Oli
=== Marquisate of Clay ===
The Marquisate of Clay is the southernmost province in the Empire of Elanxa, occupying the lands crossed by the Saint Mirabelle River. This river is vital to the region, as most of the land is quite poor, and as such, the importance of the massive Saint Mirabelle River cannot be overstated. The river also suffers great floods during summer, which often inundates the nearby lands. This has resulted in the need for great earthworks, to prevent the destruction of the fertile lands. The need for constant construction around the Saint Mirabelle River has produced many great artisans and engineers, working with the muddy lands around the river and turning them into usable arable land. This also attracts a lot of wizards and astromancers, resulting in the creation of many golemancer guilds. These golems are produced for the elanxan army, and while they pale in comparison to the golems in ancient times, their numbers can be quite intimidating. They are also used to guard the southern borders of the empire, as goblin infestation are frequent, as well as raids from Grobianismus’ raiders, often needing to only appear to dissuade them from advancing into the empire. However, due to the pressure of the nobility, the lands around the rivers are mostly owned by feudal states, and those in the Marquisate of Clay are particularly harshly governed. This has resulted in many people seeking to move to the mining areas of the province, as the Marquisate of Clay is rich in mineral reserves. 
* County of Porcelain: Poulan
* County of Adobe: Dobea
* County of Burnt Clay: Katarinialand
* County of Kaolin: Chechuxa
* County of Stoneware: Blite
* County of Talc: Est
* County of Dark Sands: Fipixea
=== Lapiz Marquisate ===
The Lapiz Marquisate is the easternmost province of the Empire of Elanxa, located in the Saint Thinerio Peninsula. The region is famed in the empire for its dense forests, such as the extensive Grey Woods at the north or the jungle within Dragonfly Island. The rich soil and good weather allows for decent agriculture, but unlike most of the empire, the urban artisan guilds have a considerable weight within the region, as the Lapiz Marquisate holds some of the most important shipyards, used to both build and maintain the elanxan navy. These ports also have a great deal of trade, developing a higher than average urban middle class, though their weight on actual politics is negligible, which results in considerable tensions. The islands west of the Saint Thinerio Peninsula relatively poor, mostly used as watch points for the shipping in the area. After the fall of Greater Elanxa, the islands quickly severed all connection to the continent, and by the time the magpie emperors began unifying the nation, the islands had to be purged of pirates. To this goal, the magpie emperors made a deal with the order of dragonfly knights living in the Dragonfly Island, conceding them important privileges and riches. Combining the magpies’ fleet with the dragonfly knights, managed to retake the other islands. The presence of dragonfly riders is frequent in the marquisate, though the limited access of the giant purple berries make their spread difficult without a lot of preparation. 
* County of Opal: Onapalos
* County of Emerald: Riaza
* County of Hematite:  Axalatos
* County of Fishermen: The Hook
* County of Agate: Agate
* Hangman’s County: The Noose
=== Imperial City of Picaea ===
The Imperial City of Picaea is the capital of the Empire of Elanxa. Located within the Saint Pitcasasti Inner Sea, it was the place of origin of the Magpie Emperors, and became the center of governance once the empire was properly established. The city occupies nearly the entirety of the island, with a couple of areas dedicated to gardens and agriculture in case of a storm blocking food supplies. The island is heavily defended, as it has been attacked by pirates in the past, and harbors most of the elanxan navy. Dense walls, originated from the days of the Khenomeric Empire, and reinforced every century, results in a triple wall capable of withstanding even modern bombardments by the sea. The city itself is dedicated near exclusively to the maintenance of the imperial family and the imperial administration, and settling in Picaea if one is not of either noble, part of the church or an important merchant or high rank public servant is actually quite difficult. As a result, the city is not as populated as one might assume, though it is still the biggest human concentration in the empire. The city itself was greatly reformed after the Magpies took over, with most of the old city being tore down and rebuilt, with spacious streets and bigger sewer systems (something that had been causing problems since ancient times, as the sea storms often brought disease with them). As a result of this, Picaea is considered as one of the most modern cities in the world, with buildings with a simple but elegant design, and due to the high standards of living, barely any poverty (as those whose fortunes turn for the worse are unsubtly invited to leave). The two biggest buildings in Picaea are the Elanxan Imperial Palace, a marvel of marble and lapislazuli that took more than 100 years to complete and is surrounded by the world famous elanxan imperial gardens, and the Elanxan High Cathedral, center of governance of the Elanxan Church. 
== Economy ==
Elanxa isn’t a particularly wealthy nation per capita. The land is dry and rocky in most places other than the north coast, and most families make a living herding, growing hardy grains and vegetables, and/or fishing. Due to overpopulation, low numbers of merchants and craftsmen, corruption, and deliberate suppression, most of the population live in poverty.
It has reasonable amounts of mineral wealth, but most of this goes straight to the top, and a decent reputation for manufacturing magical items on a large scale, but this is more for internal use. The guilds that manufacture magic goods are prosperous, and make up a large chunk of the middle class, along with low ranking clergy, enforcers, army officers, and high ranking servants.
It is not a major trading nation for its size, but does export mineral wealth in return for luxury goods for the elite.
== Foreign Relations ==
=== Avangar ===
A more competent Emperor would have likely taken more steps to contain Avangar’s power, but neither Altan nor his father made any real effort, even as Avangar wiped out several of its allies. The clergy aren’t as oblivious though, and have used the past two decades to stockpile massive amounts of magical weaponry and recruit agents in Avangar’s vassal nations. A major fight between these two nations would like result in destruction not seen since the creation of the Cursed Battlefield.
=== Kunt and Neraga ===
Piracy from these two nations annoy Altan, and he has had a few inconclusive discussions with Avangar regarding a coordinated effort to wipe them out, even as some of his advisors recommend turning the pirates against Avangar instead.
=== Farrowt, Avangar, Seagard, Aine Saevherne, Leng, Kingdom of Silver, and the Golden Wheat Fields ===
Main trading partners of Elanxa, not that Elanxa does much trade for its size.
=== Drunigzar ===
Elanxa doesn’t like Drunigzar’s colonial mindset, and has threatened them with war should they try to create colonies in the east. They do maintain advanced diplomatic relations though, and Drunig merchant ships are a common sight in Elanxa’s waters.
=== Leng ===
Magic users from Leng and Elanxa sometimes share secrets, and their is a certain amount of shared respect as both nations have roots in the fallen Khenomeric Empire.
=== Seagard ===
Seagard’s inhabitants descend from Elanxan dissidents, which is a bit of a sticking point, but not enough to restrict trade.
=== Luden ===
Elanxa has little respect for the insane ratmen of Luden, but still sometimes trade with them.
=== Grobianismus and Kokaine ===
Elanxa has learned the hard way these lands are magically cursed, and any invading army or probing spies will go insane sooner rather than later.
=== Harmony Goddess’ Realm ===
In some ways this realm is the one the Elanxans fear the most. It is one of several realms across the continent where a god has taken an unusually active role in sculpting the terrain and guiding the people in order to suit their own preferences. And although the Harmony Goddess seems benevolent enough, one only has to look at what happened to Merfolk Empire to see what happens when a god unleashes his or her full power. Despite this, sometimes glory seeking Imperial Army commanders will launch small raids into this territory.
== Geography ==
Elanxa is mostly dry and rocky, somewhere between a savanna and a hot-dry coastal climate. Along the northern border and some of the rivers, the soil is thicker and moister, supporting better farms and small patches of forests for hunting.
The best land is often claimed by the richest of the nobles, who build massive rambling estates and secondary summer homes, with carefully cultivated gardens, hedge mazes, greenhouses, and of course aviaries. 
== Demographics ==
=== Humans ===
Most of the population is human. There are four fairly distinct tribes, each with its own niche specialization, though in reality most of the population are farmers, herders, and fishermen regardless of where they live. Grass Tribe specializes in farming, Thorn Tribe in fighting, Clay in magic, and Lapiz in ships and aerial mounts. The population is a mix of Northmen and horse nomads, with the northmen mixture stronger on the coast and in the north.
=== Half-Ogres ===
Often employed as enforcers, mages, or shock-troops, particularly in the north. They descend from Horned Ogres so a few are potent magic users.
== Religion ==
The main religion is the one centered around worshipping the Emperor, backed by a massive clergy. The Imperial Family and some priests have spellcasting abilities, though outsiders are dubious as to the supposed divine nature of this magic. The clergy keep a close eye on the common folk, enforcing laws, religious edicts, and taxes.
This religion also incorporates worship of certain saints, ancestors, and birds as proxies to the Emperor, though the clergy keep a close eye on any potential heresies or schisms. 
Some members of the Thorn and Lapiz Clans maintain pseudo-religious warrior traditions from their nomadic ancestors, though these are considered heresy and must be done carefully.
== Military ==
The Imperial Army is large, though somewhat ramshackle due to a lack of coordination in terms of equipment and uniform. It has been a while since they have had to face a major fight, but brutal training regimes helps keep them on their toes.
There are a number of elite units like half-ogres, dragonfly knights, dragonfly mounted skirmishers, as well as the large armies of clay golems and elite groups of spellcasting clergy. 
The magical traditions of Elanxa are poorly understood, but it is believed to be cobbled together from Khenomeric Empire and Merfolk Empire traditions, plus bits and pieces from elsewhere. Given their magic is supposedly divine, their sources of knowledge and training methods are kept highly secret.
== The Elanxan Imperial Palace ==
The Elanxan Imperial Palace is not only famous for the elegance of its construction, crafted in white marble and lapislazuli, but also because of the beauty of its gardens. Crafted in the form of past and present stellar constellations, the elanxan imperial gardens gathers some of the rarest and most beautiful species of flowers in the world. Once every decade gardeners, botanic experts and alchemists in the world gather in Elanxa to offer the Emperor their greatests creations to gain fame and the favour of the imperial family.
== The Blessed Elanxan Sisterhood ==
The Blessed Elanxan Sisterhood is an organization that plays the role of the trading company in the Empire of Elanxa. The origins of the sisterhood comes after the War between Avangar and Poker and the War of Sitrai Martöflu. While the elyrians had been stopped in the conquest of the entire archipelago, this war was seen as a disaster and a humiliation for the empire, as the elyrians represented a major threat to their borders now. Worse still, the elyrian fleet had proven to be weaker than the elanxan one, since they had managed to conquer the islands of Devon and Zeresh, something they had tried to do as well and failed. The elyrians had been stopped by the ruffians from Ils Muslík, true, but it is not like the elyrians had had better luck dislodging the pirates of the island either. This made the old magpie emperor Altan Skroka III begin reconsidering serious reforms for his aging fleet, but the growing corruption of the nation left very little money for investments such as vessels. The only organizations that could afford paying for the navy is the Church of Elanxa, since the priesthood was immensely rich and influential within the Empire of Elanxa. The magpie emperor, seeing himself grow weak and old, was not so gone to not notice the fight between his heirs for the throne. Killing two birds with one stone, in 3.129 ABE, he decreed that all of his sons but his heir, the eventual Altan IV, to join the church and abandon their claims to the throne. However, the emperor gave his eldest daughter, Miavina Skroka, the task of finding a way to helping his brother in pushing the church from within to invest in a navy. Miavina, a woman of considerable political ambition, saw this as an opportunity to try to build a base of power to eventually usurp her brother once her father was out of the way. 
However, this was a more difficult task that initially anticipated. While the Church of Elanxa loyally worships the magpie-emperors as gods, the sheer amount of bureaucracy and corruption within the church meant that they could not effectively pool their resources together. Not to mention the navy was loyal to her brother as the emperor. Instead, Miavina decided to begin from obtaining a source of capital fully of her own. Seeing the trading companies of the drunig and the people of platinum, she decided to imitate their organization, creating a body whose pretended purpose was the earning of the needed fortune to modernize and strengthen the elanxan navy. And since she was now an important member of the church, she decided to structure it as a religious body, syphoning part of the riches of the Church of Elanxa for her pet project. Thus, the Blessed Sisterhood of Elanxa was born. While Miavina died of a disease before she could gain enough power to dethrone her brother, the Blessed Sisterhood of Elanxa continues to function to this day.
The nature of this organization differs from the drunig companies in two major ways. The first one is that the owner and ruler of the Blessed Elanxan Sisterhood is as much a religious body as it is a trading company. Indeed, nowadays it is one of the bigger bodies within the Church of Elanxa, dedicated to offer praises to the magpie emperors though spreading their blessing throughout the seas, with their offices throughout the country doubling as temples. Due to their effective power, they have become one of the most powerful and influential branches of the church, commanding a considerable amount of wealth within the nation, as they rule over a percentage of the lands of the church, taken over through diplomacy and lobbying the lands of other ecclesiastics, too comfortable and lazy to counter the growing sisterhood. The second major difference is that, due to the foundational edict of the Blessed Sisterhood, only women with magical power can join the organization. It is believed that Miavina, fearing that men would prioritize their loyalties to her brother instead of her, surrounded herself with women so as to guarantee their support, though after her untimely death, this aspect has survived as tradition. 
However, the dangers of the eastern seas meant that these women would need to be of remarkable talent to face the dangers, as well as educated enough to be capable to compete in the increasingly crowded market. Thus, Miavina only allowed women with magical talent to join the Blessed Sisterhood. However, Miavina allowed women of common origins to join in as well, as magically talented people were rare enough as it is. Once a woman of magical talent is discovered, she is taken to the Temple of the Amethyst Raven, built on top of the old magical Tower of Amethyst, near the rivermouth of the River of Harmony. There, they are trained for years in all relevant matters: magic, alchemy, politics, economics, dialectics, warfare, sailing, ship building… all while indoctrinated to be completely loyal to the magpie emperors. The severity and harshness of the lessons are well known in all of the empire, and many of the members still bear the scars of their training days. A novice will only graduate to a full sister when all of her teachers consider her ready, and it is only after years of experiences and successes when she ascends to the title of Sister Superior, and is given command of her own vessel, and sent to gain wealth in the name of the magpie emperors. These sisters follow a rigid life of praying, studying and training, though they are allowed to marry and have families, since they are hoped to give the next generation to the sisterhood. 
Due to the rigid restrictions in personnel, the Blessed Elanxan Sisterhood is a relatively small organization in regards to manpower. Indeed, there are barely about 500 members of the cult in all of the empire, and out of those, there are less than 50 Sister Superiors. However, the high standards they follow means they are a very powerful and effective force. Indeed, the Blessed Elanxan Sisterhood has its own elite private war fleet, which doubles as a trading fleet, something important when trading beyond the Platinum Strait, where the dangers of Avangar or the Künt pirates are considerable. Since the Sisterhood does not use men, the crew of their vessels are composed of women too, often failed students from the Temple of the Amethyst Raven, but also women within the empire with experience in the sea, even if they are not members of the cult. The current Grand Sister Superior of the Blessed Elanxan Sisterhood is Wioleta Sypej, a young woman of noble origin, she has only recently ascended to the rank of Grand Sister Superior. Many believe she is not ready to inherit the position, and the gossips and rumors talk about her reaching the lofty position through her father’s political contacts. 
Category:Nations
Category:Giantstep