Q'rath, the Angelic Empire

"Thus, I speak the name of Aros, Holiest of Holies, Godhead of Q’rath and Living-Throne of the Empire and in doing so, know Good. Each day, we raise our shields in praise, that we are the bulwark against the hungering sin of the dead world. Each day, we ready our spears with hard-hearts, that we may strike down the wicked so the innocent may reclaim the world. In the name of Deliverance, Vigilance, and Reclamation, we begin this day resolute. Exalted-Be-Q’rath."

- The Sipari’s Prayer

## Q'rath: The Angelic Empire

### Units

Mote, Sipari, Dervish, Magi, Zephyr, Hallower, Castigator, Absolver, Sentinel, Warden, Chariot, Witness, Throne, Shar'u, Zentari, Saoshin

**Q'rath** (also known as **The Angelic Empire**) is a human imperial state ruled by mighty angels, located on the planet Shael.

## History

The Q’rath Empire’s foundation delivered Shael from ruin. Under the watchful eye of angels, the land was reclaimed. Farms and olive groves were wrestled away from salted wastes and villages became cities, their towers rising to praise the winged skies. Roads spread across the continent of Ira, and with them, the Imperial Legions, for the angels were unwavering in their commitment to protect creation from mortal folly. All beings would be brought into the fold, by force if necessary. One by one, the feudal kingdoms across the Ira rose in defiance, then fell before the unyielding might of Q’rath and their transcendent masters. Army after army broke upon a sea of pitiless towershields, their champions smote by angelic fire. As the Q’rath celebrated its first millennium, Shael’s complete conquest seemed inevitable, its annexation a formality prescribed by destiny. The empire had gained a dozen footholds on distant lands, held seven states in servitude, and boasted a level of wealth rivaled only by the ancient powers. Aros, The Throne of Q’rath grew quiet, saying only “The greatest trials still lie ahead, and we are not yet ready.”

Sure enough, the legion’s efforts faltered in foreign lands, the client states once submissive, rose in revolt, supported by distant powers and profane technologies. The empire’s reserves of food and material, once boundless, became strained, its forces divided across three continents. Today, two-centuries later, the Empire stands at the precipice of collapse, its Godhead Aros missing, its legions stretched dangerously thin, and heretical movements burn across the heartland as wildfire. Once nurturing, the angels have become harsh keepers of the sacred law. Now, all eyes rest on the gateways. The Empire’s remaining archangels have delivered a holy decree, a Shar’Ora, a holy war requiring the total and complete mobilization of the Empire’s dwindling reserves. Some sixty-percent of the nation’s manpower is to be dedicated to the Legion. For the first time in a thousand years, the Angels will take to the skies as they did during the founding, drowning the horizon in their sacred light. Q’rath must be re-founded, its former glory renewed, its Godhead restored to the Empty Throne.

## Religion

The bedrock of the empire’s culture is the faith of Q’rath, which literally translates to “A covenant in service to the angelic lineage of Rath.” Rath itself is an ancient angelic word with an amalgamated meaning upon which human theologians debate, but is often described as “harmony through noble acts” or “reclamation and redemption.” The faith’s holy texts are many and ever expanding, with entire districts of imperial cities being devoted to the storage and distribution of angelic poems, decrees, and prophecies. This growing body divina all orbits the central text “The Utterance of Aros,” in which the covenant, the necessity for its existence, and the prophesied destiny of the faithful is established. Through service to Rath and the empire, mortals can expect food, shelter, purpose, and in time, a sort of elevated existence called “Shar” where the need for corrupting technologies and magics is eliminated. Indeed, since the Utterance, Q’rath has never wavered in its strong stance against rogue sorcery, “malchanacs,” and individualistic philosophies. Such tools and thoughts must be abolished to save creation from repeating the horrors of the Elder War. Pacifists are tolerated but aren't particularly held in high regard. Pacifism is aggressively suppressed as a philosophy because it runs counter to Q'rath's goals of securing realms of creation and guarding them against mortal folly and the Howling Dark.

## Society and Government

The Q'rath Empire, is a centralized authoritarian state. What the chain of command says, goes. Citizens are expected to obey angelic decrees without question. Citizens are expected to submit questions and concerns to official representatives and channels rather than protesting or expressing dissent. At its core, Q’rath is equal parts theocracy and empire. It’s purpose is not merely to rule and conquer, but to do so to a greater moral end: the reclamation and redemption of moral life and, in time, all of creation. There is no coin that changes hands within the Empire, all citizens are provided with rations and resources by an omnipresent central state. All who can, work. Those who can fight are trained in the science of war, those who believe most fervently join the ecclesiarchy to administer the decrees of their angelic masters. Quality of life is high, supported by a constant influx of tribute, tithes, and plunder from the empire’s ever expanding frontiers. Low value has a very different meaning to angels. As long as an individual can have faith and engage in Q'rath's sacred rites, they can nourish the angels, prolonging their lives and stoking their power. Low value individuals are doubters or critics that work against the cohesion of the empire. Followers of Ajari tend to help doubters through troubling times. Orzum's followers tend to shout down vocal critics. Resh takes care of dedicated dissidents. Above the vast bureaucratic institutions that feed and drive the empire sit the Arash, arch-angels of the Rathi lineage. Together, they form a ruling council to enact the singular will of the Godhead, Aros, the Urah’Shai (The Highest Crown) of the Empire. In the aftermath of Aros’s sudden departure, The Arash Orzum as taken up the mantle of Regent Imperium, ruling the Empire in his creator’s stead. Loyalists and sympathizers of Q'rath see themselves and the faith of Q'rath as a means of saving a world doomed to repeating the apocalyptic sins of the past. To embrace Q'rath is to accept one's fallibility and to surrender one's ego in service to a greater project that gives mortals peace, prosperity, and a secure future free from the barbarism of the mortal condition.