Karavost Empire

Capitol: Vaskaro

Founded before the previous winter, the Karavost Empire has weathered the initial tests of time, but the cracks are beginning to show. What was once a prosperous nation with several vassals throughout Karavokrin has now descended into a shadow of its former self; imperial officials desperately cling to the respect the rest of the continent used to have for them.

A series of terrible rulers following the nation’s reemergence after the last great winter led to an increase in corruption within the administrative center of the empire and a severe deterioration of relations with its vassals. Farmers are starting to refuse to pay tributes, and some revolutionary groups are causing trouble on the fringes of imperial land.

The main threat to the empire’s stability came from movements to return to traditional nomadic ways in the Lastori Steppes and Corsek Strait. The indigenous clans and families from the steppes began to leave the cities of the empire and take their land back from the provincial lords appointed by the imperial administration.

## Government

The imperial administration is made up of a series of ministers in charge of various aspects of the empire’s operation and upkeep. These ministers answer directly to the emperor and his personal advisors. The ministers each have their own department that they oversee, hiring agents, clerks, and other employees to carry out the orders of the emperor. Some ministries have multiple branches that take care of different tasks.

### Ministry of Commerce

The section of the imperial administration in charge of trade and logistics. The Ministry of Commerce maintains the roads, keeps up trade relations within the empire’s borders, and takes care of taxes and other matters of money. They also have a division dedicated to enforcing imports and tariffs and cracking down on smuggling.

### Ministry of War

This branch of the administration runs the imperial armies, garrisons, and organizes training and tactics. Many of the best schools of warfare in the empire are sponsored by the Ministry of War, which uses these schools to farm fresh talent for the military. The Ministry of War also oversees any active military campaigns the empire is currently waging as well as keeping the peace in the more remote regions of Seertannith.

### Ministry of Domestic Affairs

The Ministry of Domestic Affairs, despite the name, is in charge of both internal and external threats to the empire’s influence in the region. This ministry is in charge of espionage, counter-revolutionary operations, and dealing with political enemies of the empire. Not much knowledge about this ministry is available to the public.

### Ministry of Arcana

One of the oldest departments of the imperial administration, the Ministry of Arcana evolved out of court wizards and magical advisors. This ministry deals with all manner of supernatural threats within the empire’s borders. Monsters, magical effects, and rogue magi are the main worries of the ministry. The Ministry of Arcana commonly hires monster hunters or adventurers to take care of the more minor magical threats.

### Ministry of Science

The newest branch of the imperial administration, the Ministry of Science oversees all technological research and education in the empire. Many of the colleges and schools are sponsored by the Ministry of Science. New technologies and their corresponding production facilities are also run by this ministry.

## Imperial History

At its peak, the Karavost Empire spanned from the Lastori Steppes to the Chardanis Plains. Originating in the Farsell Forest, the empire began to truly take shape during the reign of King Limius Corrella. King Corrella’s armies were professionally trained and organized, with magical communication methods and rock-solid supply lines utilizing extradimensional space. Their first conquest was the Lastori Steppes, seizing control of land and building watchtowers and forts to defend against the disorganized native horse people there. With the land secured, they created ranches and farms to supply their ever-growing armies, and began to make moves on the eastern side of Karavokrin. They marched through the Corsek Strait and built the Castellar, a massive fortress that they used as a base of operations for their eastern front.

Over time, King Corrella accumulated more and more land, but the different vassal starts were far apart and difficult to manage. It was only due to fear tactics and brutal crackdowns that the empire remained in power over its protectorates. When King Corrella eventually died under mysterious circumstances, his royal advisor Uyala Vorlavost seized power, reshaping the inner workings of the empire in her image. Under her rule, the ministries of commerce, war, and arcana were created. She was the first to claim the title of Empress, and continued to secure the Karavost Empire’s hold on its territories. She trained ministers and administrators in communication magic. During her reign, the most recent Great Winter occurred. Utilizing the newly formed Ministry of Arcana, Empress Vorlavost scoured the southern half of Karavokrin for an enclave. She ended up discovering an entrance to the Underdark, leading a full assault on a nearby Drow settlement, claiming it for the Karavost Empire and leading her people to safety as the Great Winter scoured the surface. During this time underground, the ministries took on even more shape as the Empress made sure that they would be the first to emerge from the Underdark when the winter ended to regain control of their territory.

And end the winter did, sending the people of the Karavost Empire back onto the surface. Empress Vorlavost was ready, deploying administrators and ministers along with small contingents of soldiers to reestablish control and provide aid to those that survived the long winter. They reclaimed the Castellar and Tar’xian, and made fast friends with the survivors of the Great Winter on the Lastori Steppes, providing food and shelter to the remnants of the tribes.  Also during this time, Empress Vorlavost began the Chardanis campaign, accumulating a large army and deploying them in the Chardanis Plains. This campaign proved difficult because of the rugged terrain and organized indigenous population, who seemed to have survived the Great Winter without much effort. But eventually the Chardanis people’s power wavered and the empire claimed the plains, along with their valuable natural resources. When the empire was almost fully recovered, Empress Vorlavost was assassinated, stabbed to death in her bed by an assailant that remains unknown to this day.

After Empress Vorlavost came Emperor Cadax Festerwin, who introduced the Ministry of Domestic Affairs to ensure that what happened to Empress Vorlavost would never happen again. He also began to improve the commerce of the empire, building roads and trading posts and more watchtowers all across the empire, most of which are still standing today. Most imperial currency bears his likeness. The emperor also built schools and other institutions. During his time, Vaskaro expanded greatly, absorbing several nearby villages and becoming a veritable metropolis. His reign was cut short by a strange incurable disease.

After Emperor Festerwin came the reign of the eight ministers, a period marked by a succession crisis that resulted in the destabilization of the empire. As the title of ruler changed hands, so too did the concentration of power. The leaders and staff of the various ministries took on more and more duties, becoming increasingly autonomous. Farmland expanded to meet the needs of the growing urban population, and the ministries appointed trusted nobles to oversee the farms and more remote locations. The power of the emperor declined, and it wasn’t long before a coup by the Ministry of War and Ministry of Domestic Affairs overthrew the reigning minister and installed a recently discovered heir of Emperor Festerwin, a certain Delila Felsday. Also during this time, rumblings of discontent began to occur in the Chardanis Plains, and without the military genius of King Corrella or the economic sense of Emperor Festerwin, the Chardanis people broke away from the empire in a relatively nonviolent struggle. The few soldiers stationed in the Plains were captured and dropped off at the border of Tar’xian. The nobles the ministries entrusted their land to became known for their corruption and selfishness as the golden age of the empire began to come to a close, its power wavering in the face of a lack of strong leadership.

Empress Felsday was intended to be a puppet of the Ministries, but she ignored their subtle manipulations entirely, letting them run the country as they saw fit. Instead, she focused on creating the Ministry of Science, a new department of imperial administration that was tasked with inventing new technologies that would improve the lives of the citizens of the Karavost Empire. The new empress cared little for politics and would famously fall asleep at important dinners. Empress Felsday was extraordinarily popular among the common people of the empire, known for traveling from the western border to the eastern border in a tour to observe the current state of her domain and to research what ails its people. She also cultivated the arts and sponsored a large number of cultural projects that still exist today. In a slow but steady process, the average person’s quality of life in the empire increased. Naturally, it was not long before she mysteriously disappeared with an excuse given by the Ministry of Domestic Affairs that no one believes to this day.

The most recent ruler of the Karavost Empire is uncertain. In official capacity, there is a figurehead on the throne, a certain Emperor Leivalus Felsday, Empress Delila Felsday’s uncle. However, only those completely out of tune with Karavostan politics would think that he held any sort of power. The ministries all jockey for power over the different regions of the empire, with the local nobility gaining more power over their lands. A movement in the Lastori Steppes has begun, advocating for a return to the traditional ways of life and to abandon the empire that failed to prevent a blight and subsequent famine a few years prior. Warlords gather bands of sympathizers and have begun raiding imperial outposts and reclaiming land that had been converted to farms. A similar movement is occurring in Tar’xian, with revolutionary groups funded by Chardanis working throughout the territory to destabilize the empire’s tenuous hold.

## Geography

The heart of the Karavost Empire sits in the center of the Farsell Forest, an extensive deciduous forest at the foot of the Lothtorium Mountains. While the empire controls vast tracts of land throughout southern Karavokrin, there are not that many large settlements. By imperial decree, most settlements can only have up to a few thousand people, to make evacuation and escape during the next Great Winter easier and more efficient.

## Food

While the Karavost Empire once had its own unique culture, its conquests and alliances have produced a cosmopolitan society filled with all sorts of different foods. The traditional Karavostan food includes venison from the surrounding Farsell Forest as well as turkey and wild boar from the Hills of Moor. Most vegetables are cultivated in large fields near urban centers, and native spices and herbs include rosemary, thyme, and basil/oregano. Wheat is the primary grain, and is cultivated in large quantities in the Lastori Steppes (much to the natives’ chagrin) and then shipped across the empire through the ocean and up the Sartan River.

The potato is the dominant food in the Hills of Moor, with potato soup, hash, and meat pies being the dominant dishes. Fishing is also a common practice near the southern edge of the hills, incorporating fish and shellfish into porridge and various soups.

Traditional food from the Lastori Plains has made its way into staple dishes in the empire as well. Beef and lamb are the primary meats from this area, raised by shepherding tribes in wandering herds. Wild garlic and onion is widely popular in their dishes, as well as sauces made from dairy from the cows and sheep. Millet is the main grain here, gathered by the nomadic tribes whenever they find it. Apples are hugely popular with both horses and people, and the locations of apple groves are a jealously guarded secret.

People from the Lothtorum Mountains are known to mix Lastori milk with ice and salt from the mountains to create a sweet delicacy coveted by many people in the central empire. Some even arrange magical transportation to enjoy this dessert. Other desserts in the empire consist of fermented milk, sugary confections imported from Pulau, and fried cheese.

Tar’xian food consists of several ingredients fried together in a large pan. Chickens are the primary livestock of the region, and feature prominently in Tar’xianian cuisine along with seafood obtained from the Corsek Bay. Thick sauces and spicy flavors are a mainstay of food from this region. Black pepper from Tar’xian is a hot commodity in Vaskaro.

Chardanis food is the rarest in the empire due to its short-lived occupation, but its mark on the empire’s culinary landscape can still be seen to this day with dumplings and various noodle soups being extremely popular. Chardanis chefs are highly sought after, although nothing could replicate the experience of the traditional methods of preparation; often in a tent on a wind-blasted plateau, the heat of the oven and warmth of animals and other people being your only security against the night’s chill.

In recent history, rice has been imported from northern Al’Osir, replacing noodles or bread in some instances. The upper class and nobility enjoy new types of tropical fish imported from Pulau, and some are even incorporating tropical fruits into their daily diet. Pineapple with salt is a common delicacy in the noble courts of the Karavost Empire.

## Clothing

Traditional Karavostan clothing is made of deerskin and other animal hides boiled down into soft materials. Winter clothing is often lined with goose down or sheep’s wool. Some items (mainly undergarments) are made from linen woven from flax. Most wool in traditional Karavost comes from flocks of sheep herded in the Hills of Moor, although some clothes were also made of woven plant fibers.

Headwraps and other hats from the Lastori Steppes became popular among the peasants for their ability to keep the sun off of their heads while also keeping them warm in the winter. Most boots were made of leather or tanned hide and stuffed with down or pieces of wool to keep warm in the cold winter months. Fish and vegetable oils were often applied to outerwear to keep it waterproof in the rainy spring months.

For noblewomen, gowns and dresses are the most common type of garment, although the more physically active often take to short skirts or regular pants. Formal gowns are bulky and loose with flowing folds and frills while the more practical casual dresses are more tightly fitted and often feature a slit when used for travel.

Fur from the trappers and people of the Lothtorum Mountains is a luxury item well sought after by most inhabitants of the Karavost Empire, rich or poor. Those that can’t afford to buy it from the mountaineers often go to the foothills in search of the material themselves, to varying degrees of success.

Most jewelry is made of precious metals obtained from the mines in the Hills of Moor or found in the Lothtorum Mountains. Gold and silver are the primary materials in jewelry, often making up simple chains or amulets. Gems are extremely rare and are often stockpiled by the Ministry of Arcana for spell components, making them extraordinarily expensive.

As far as decoration and embellishments on clothing go, embroidery is the most common. Most people in the (newly formed) middle or upper class know at least the most simple basics of embroidery. Patterns often depict objects from nature such as plants or animals. Some of the more complicated or ceremonial pieces feature recurring patterns or objects from that family or faction’s history. These same techniques are often deployed into wall hangings and tapestries as well.

## Art

Sculpture is the main form of art in the Karavost Empire due to the abundance of stone in the Hills of Moor. Most stone buildings have some sort of carvings on them depicting nature spirits, historical events, or anything else important to the occupants. Skilled sculptors are often sponsored by the empire to create pieces for imperial buildings or private nobles.

Painting is also a common artform, with paints being created out of herbs and other materials found in the Farsell Forest. While painting is not as respected as sculpting, some private collectors buy and sell art, displaying them in their residences. Art galleries for paintings are not very popular, they are more small decorative pieces to be displayed at home. Paintings are incredibly popular among the Auran Way, with temples commissioning paintings of the aurora to display in their halls.

Drums made of hide and wooden flutes are popular music instruments.

## Religion

While the practice of religions other than the official state religion of the Karavost Empire isn’t explicitly disallowed, those who follow the official religion enjoy certain privileges that followers of “weaker” gods cannot.

The state religion of the Karavost Empire focuses on venerating the aurora borealis that appears over the mountains to the north. The most common way to refer to it is the Auran Way. A common belief is that the god of the aurora watches over the empire and warns them of any forthcoming danger. Priests of the empire often observe the shape, colors, and movement of the aurora in order to predict the future. As a result of this focus on the aurora, temples are built high up and with open roofs or large skylights.

Followers of the Auran Way believe that the mountains are sacred because they are closest to the aurora. The desire to be closer to where the aurora are is a huge driving force in the early conquests of the empire.

Most followers do not personify the aurora in a humanoid sense, more like a faithful watchdog that should be respected and honored. Traditions and practices vary by region of the empire, but most consist of burning offerings so that they may reach the aurora through the smoke. The aurora is usually not visible during summer months, so the first visible aurora (usually around early fall) is the cause for the biggest celebration of the year.

The end of the year is another large celebration for followers of the Auran Way, as it celebrates the aurora watching over them for another year. Some believe that the aurora watches over them at night and protects them from evil. Priests of the Way preach that the aurora still exists during the day, but the light from the suns is too bright to be able to see it. It is weaker during the day because it has to fight the suns to be visible, and some preach that it is during the day that the aurora is fighting off evil so that it may devote its time during the night to watching over its followers.

With the previous Great Winter still fresh in the generational memory, the Auran Way has more believers now than ever. It is widely popular due to its low expectations and obvious results. Priests of the Way used changes in the aurora to predict the coming of the last Great Winter; the extra time was invaluable in evacuating a large majority of the empire to safety.

Many followers use colorful ribbons to represent the aurora, and will wear them in their hair or on their person. Priests create protective charms out of strips of silk embroidered with stars and other celestial imagery. These charms are usually hung outside of doors or wrapped around horses or tools or clothing.

Prayer is not a common occurrence in the Auran Way. Religious services are not common as well, usually only happening on holidays or offering days. Priests generally stick to their temples and observe the aurora and the sky.

While the Auran Way is the official state religion, it coexists with other local religions as well. Most people also pay homage to local nature spirits and natural forces in addition to honoring the aurora. Most citizens of the empire follow at least two religions, and the empire pays no mind. The local religions are more often than not tied to honoring the environment and natural forces. In fact, some priests of the Way preach that the local spirits (which can be proven to exist) are fragments of the aurora that have descended to the material world to help aid humanity. The only time the government gets involved in religions is when there is a popular leader figure, at which point the Ministry of Internal Affairs gets involved. It is a common occurrence for cults with charismatic and capable leaders suddenly disbanding or disappearing after their leader is revealed to be a fraud by the Ministry.

As for the “divines”, people of the empire acknowledge them as powerful entities that influence their daily lives, but they are viewed as more human-like, with ambitions and flaws. They are usually seen as temperamental and selfish, not interested in preserving anyone who may follow them. While followers of the Auran Way don’t disrespect the divines and will try to follow a directive from them, they do not view them as gods in the traditional sense, and pay more homage to the aurora and local spirits.

Some followers of the Way claim to have received visions from the aurora, and the clergy usually respects the visions and studies them to verify. Sometimes these people are mistaken, but there have been instances of prophetic visions that came to pass, or warnings that turned out to be valid. The priests of the Way keep a careful eye on those who claim to have communication with the aurora and assess their words carefully. If someone’s dreams or visions turn out to be delusions, they are quick to denounce them and prove that they are wrong.

## Economy

The Karavost Empire maintains trade relations with its neighbors (even countries that used to be part of it). It maintains well-regulated borders and cracks down on smuggling. The empire’s biggest exports are grain harvested from the Lastori Steppes, stone quarried from the Hills of Moor, and .

Despite being rich in stone from the Hills of Moor, the hills do not possess much metal ore. There are trace amounts of copper, but not enough to base its entire metallurgic activity on. The empire maintains trade routes with mining communities in the Lothtorum Mountains as its main source of metals, paying a premium for high quality iron.

## Magic

Magic in most parts of mainland Karavost is celebrated as a gift. Sometimes bestowed by the aurora, other times a reflection of latent talent. It is a great honor for a village to be host to a mage, and that person is usually a venerated member of the community. Children that show magical talent in villages are often encouraged to seek out a mentor to further cultivate their talents. Sometimes the people will come together and pool money to send a prospective mage to a nearby city to search for a teacher.

In rural areas, most mages deal with divining the weather or promoting bountiful harvests. These small-time mages are usually community leaders and learned their talents themselves or from the person previously in the role. War magic is uncommon in rural areas and curses are generally regarded as perversions and a waste of a great gift. Those who are rumored to practice curses are generally shunned by communities.

Magic schools or independent mentors are common in urban areas. The most common form of magical education is a willing practitioner to take on a number of apprentices, personally teaching them everything they know. The Ministry of Arcana also sponsors a number of schools that teach the basics of magic (and more importantly how to use it safely) to anyone who shows talent and can afford the tuition.

The empire also trains mages for war magic. There is only one school in the empire that specifically teaches violent uses of magic, and students here are highly regulated by the state. The Ministry of Arcana keeps a record of every graduate of the school. Here, students are taught how to destroy and aid armies with magic. Most army contingents have at least three mages deployed with it to aid in constructing fortifications, destroying enemy entrenchments, and dealing with large numbers of combatants. The most powerful mages are taught at the Imperial University, and are permanently in service to the empire upon graduating.

While magical item crafting is not a common art, it is beginning to grow more and more popular. As the Ministry of Science makes advances in technology, the Ministry of Arcana is starting to invest more into magical item research. Artifice is a relatively new field of study, and its practitioners are rare and highly sought after by the empire.