The Methusian Empire

A Fallen Empire.

File:Methusia.png

## **Withering Dreams of a Faded Glory**

Half a millennia ago, the Methusains were the dominant world power, with an empire stretching from Rhylmouth and the northern independants all the way down to what is now the People’s Happy Utopia. Those days are long past. Now, the last remnants of a broken empire control only their ancestral homeland, the island city of Methusia. The Methusains live their lives around the barely maintained marble statues of their past emperors and dream of ancient glory.

## An Empire Triumphant

In the fourth century AS, Maya the Great set out to conquer the world. She very nearly did so. Through a union of strategic brilliance, naval innovation, professional, well armed, well trained legionaries and no small degree of luck, the Methusians claimed huge swathes of territory and made their mark on history. The Methusian era lasted around 200 years, and in that time all the riches of the world flowed to Methusia.

Methusia’s decline began in the sixth century. Child Queen Melitta’s Grimm Hecatomb, a deluge of mass killings intended to cause as much death as possible, turned conquered populations against the Methusians in a way no edict or past action had managed before. Corruption, revolution and infighting exploded across the empire. At one stage, the Methusian territory of Taro abandoned it’s footing in the northern independants and relocated to Methusia, essentially invading their homeland. Methusia lost the capacity to bring in new slaves (in the current era, slavery is no longer practiced openly in Methusia) The empire broke apart. Even Methusia itself has only reunified recently, the Marble Pact of a hundred years ago bringing an end to decades of factional conflict across the island.

## Pride and Shame

Methusian culture revolves very much around concepts of status, prestige, influence and public face. It has a structured social hierarchy. A Methusian of lower social influence will not point out a mistake made by a Methusian of higher rank. A son will never challenge a father in public. Avoiding shame and reputational damage is a dominant factor in Methusian social etiquette. Methusians are expected to downplay any superiority in knowledge and skill that they have over their superiors. The rules and nuances that seem to govern these exchanges can seem shifting and strange to an outsider, most of all when a rare few Methusians who reject all these rules in the name of pursuing obscure philosophical theories nevertheless receive significant respect, even acclaim.

Also, Methusains are proud. Their heritage as descendants of possibly the world's greatest empire holds a dominant place in the national psyche. The Methusain Empire is fiercely territorial, and the last century has seen concentrated attempts to rebuild their military power. The glories of the past are a constant point of discussion and celebration. Many would like to see a return to the glory days of conquest, though Mosshaven and many of the independents have made it clear that any attempt to retake former territories will be met by unified resistance. Sara and Melitta, two of the most powerful spirits, also hail from Methusia, a fact they do not let anyone forget. The Methusian culture of rank and status is centered on the idea that they are still worthy of calling themselves the Methusian Empire, an important and great nation, with all the pomp, prestige and honours that go with it.

## Ruins

Methusia has a lot of ruins. The conditions of the island have made it very susceptible to plagues, and between the sicknesses and the civil conflicts, there is now more space then people. The country is littered with abandoned coliseums, rusted gladii, vine choked monuments and burned out villas. Wild dogs are an issue. On the plus side, it’s quite easy to find a pleasant building to live in if you're willing to clean up, so the common folk have very nice houses.