Mytherid Empire

Eldars

The **Mytherid Empire** was an empire that established in the Middle-East, and one of the Six Kingdoms of humanity west of the Eastern Mountains, having been named after Myther the Conqueror. A powerful millitaristic nation, based on war and combat, the nation has a long history of alliance with the Eldar Empire. It is sometimes referred to as just Mytheryne, after the name of its capital.

## History

It is unknown when humanity first came to the Middle-East but it is supposed to have been very early in their history, and may have even originated there. It is known that early humans established first states there and had cultural domination over there, as the place did not interest the Eldars. The first known human nation, the Empire of Erim, established there, devoting itself to many gods and knowing a golden age around the same time as the Empire of Heru further south.

In 2453BF, the Human Empire was established, conquering a vast region over all of the modern Six Kingdoms. The Middle-East was at the time separated into twelve tribes, each led by a chieftain, although they shared common traditions and a lineage going back to the Father of Twelve, Malik. According to legend, some of Mannus' children married into each tribe as part of a matrimonial assimilation. Marches were established as the region was close to Eldar lands, forming the core defense of the Rock Marche. It seems that the region had been ruled by locals, instead of by a prince of the Empire. One chieftain was chosen among the twelve, and the role of Governor of the East was given to them, and given to another in the aftermath of their death.

As the Human Empire collapsed after the disastrous First Divine War, the Middle-East was back at its tribal governments, fighting against each other and defending as the Principalities of Northeria attempted to conquer them. Eventually, the Tribes grew to be kingdoms in their own rights, as some conquered others, and thus the Middle-East was made of only five Kingdoms. The Kingdom of Ahb at last came to be ruled by Myther of Ahb, known by history as Myther the Conqueror. Though trades with Eldars was always common in the region, since it was located in-between the Eldar and Human people, Myther developped trades way above anything that his predecessors did before, notably buying all of the Eldar Empire's stock of mythril, giving the metal its name. Following the purchase was the Mytherid Unification War, where the young conqueror took over each of the eleven other tribes, submitting them to his will. Having unified his lands, Myther founded the eponymous town of Mytheryne and sent his thanks to the Eldar Empire, that answered by offering an alliance, sealed with the marriage of Myther and of Sanaa, a daughter of the Eldar Emperor. Thus, Myther and his wife were crowned Emperors of Mytherine.

As Myther had put to death the chieftains and abolished the tribes themselves, his Empire quickly became a meritocratic empire, with the regions being the ones of the tribes' times but governors chosen based on their skills. It also grew to be very focused on millitary, fitting for an empire made by weapons. Entertaining trade with the Eldar Empire allowed them to grow into a powerful nation.

Mytheryne suffered much from the Flood, losing most of its coastal lands. However, it survived, notably due to its ties with Eldars. Currently, the Emperor is Elric IV of Mytheryne, known as "the Wizard", for its prodigious abilities with magic.

## Government and Politics

### Power Structure

The Mytherid's Empire government is ruled by a single absolute monarch who held a majority of the power within the government. Below the monarch are the multiple ministers who helped advise and manage the nation's economy and domestic or foreign affairs, led by the prime minister, who presides over the cabinet of ministers and acted as the monarch's official advisor. Due to its good relationships with the Eldar Empire, most of the ministers are Half-Eldars, as was the Mytherid Dynasty.

Below the ministers are the governors, powerful lords who managed the militaries and economies of their individual province. Below the governors were the mayors, charged with ruling a town of each provinces in the governor's stead.

Each position within the government, safe for the Emperor, is a governor whose titles would be given back to the Emperor for appointment. Early on, women were allowed to be a part of government affairs and they now are able to be in positions of power as high as the office of Prime Minister. Over time, the Mytherid Dynasty started to develop from a fully agnatic succession line to a cognatic one, accepting heirs of all genders. The succession does not depend on age but on merit, fitting with the meritocratic system of the empire.

### Military

Mytheryne's military was a very strong one, and the Mytherid Empire was the strongest Empire. As expected of a meritocratic society like Mytheryne was, the commanders and generals were chosen based on skills. Their military commanders were charismatic and allowed even small fractions of the army to remain resilient. Standard Mytherid footsoldiers were taught to typically wield swords in combat. The most commonly used material for weapons was mythril, but impaelite was sometimes used.

Trained in both magic and weapons, the army is mostly used for self defense, as the Mytherid Empire has good relationships with its neighbours and natural borders with its foes. It is prepared for any attack, and the Rock Marche is very famous for never having been taken. Like for the government, many soldiers are Half-Eldars, notably among the sorcerers.

### Economy

After its formation, the Mytherid Empire adopts a governoring system, with peasants of an governor's territory required to farm the fields for the nation's agriculture. In exchange, the peasants can keep a portion of what they farmed, and the governors and mayors were tasked to make law and justice prevail. Among its primary crops were the Mythera Grapes, used for winemaking, and the reputated Ahb Lettuce, considered to be a fine and succulent dish all over the Six Kingdoms.

Coinciding with its agricultural aspects, the empire's economy is open to trade, notably with their longest allies, the Eldar Empire. It also allows merchants to settle and run businesses within its borders. With enough endowments paid to the state, the government can promote a rich merchant in the empire, granting them prestige and influence that could help grow their business and help stimulate the nation's wealth and growth. Currency in the Mytherid Empire is called Mythe, and is divided in golden Mythe, silver Mythe and bronze Mythe. Every Mythe is equivalent to a hundred times the lower grade, with a golden Mythe being 100 silver Mythe and a silver Mythe being 100 bronze Mythe. Due to it, the most commonly used currency was silver Mythe, with golden ones usually being reserved to royalty.

## Society and Culture

The people of Mytheryne are a proud and independent people, divided between humans, eldars and half-eldars. Mytherids had a very good view of Eldars, notably of the Imperials, that they consider as siblings.

As part of their culture, Mytherids typically did not adopt a unique surname to coincide with their first name, using nicknames such as "the elder" if there are more than one person with said first name. Governors tended to use the capital of their province.

Having chosen Eldar Paganism as the official religion, the Emperor of Mytheryne is recognised as one of the Archbishops of Eldars, the only one of human origin. It serves as a place of safety for half-eldars, and has the highest population of them, due to its close ties with Eldars. However, the Church of Aym exists as well, and did have some influence. As well, some people had continued a proto-Mytherid Paganism, originating from the original twelve tribes.

Due to common contact with Eldars, most Mytherids are at least knowledgeable in Eldarin and Common. It is needed for a governor to be able to speak at least these languages.

## Geography and Climate

The Mytherid Empire is a country, in the Middle-East, below the Elda Sea, and west of the Eastern Mountains, and of the Forest Eldars. The northern peninsula and the coasts were mostly made of grassy fields, with the west being mountainous. The southwestern coast of the southern peninsula was mountainous. The rest was comprised of a dry desert, extending over most of the southern peninsula. Water was around, isolating most of the land, a result of the Flood.

The state also contained a large lake in the eastern area of the northern peninsula, serving as a natural border with the Forest Eldars.

## Trivia

* The Mytherid Empire is loosely inspired by Karrnath, from DnD's Eberron. Other inspirations include the Akkadian Empire, the various empires that populated the middle-east through history, the Vandal Kingdom, and Noxus from League of Legends. In comparison to Warhammer, the Mytherid Empire can be considered a mix of Arabia and Chaos Dwarfs.