Saelenian Empire

The Saelenian Empire was **destroyed** in the Year 1017, on Lamashan the 22nd, by the **Thii**.

## **History**

Saelenia didn't become a proper sovereignty until after the capitals, which was simple a private estate at the time, relocation onto Shengming de Yaolan on Calistril 2nd, 1002. With the discovery of the new planet in the system, and growing tensions near the Targal Glades, it was decided that a move was better for all those involved.

The early days of the Empire were spent hiding away from everyone, focusing entirely on exploring their new lands and establishing their defenses.

## **Geography**

The topography of the Saelenian Empire is wide and varied, with weather patterns equally differing based on where you stand within its borders. Most of the land is made up of fairly flat lands, lacking any large enough rises is the earth to qualify as a mountain range. Much of the nation lies on various coasts adjacent to bodies of salt water.

To the north lay fields of snow and ice, though these lands aren't quite far enough north to be under a permanent blanket of snow. During late spring and into summer the snows melt in most areas, though the temperatures remain fairly low. The northern border plays host to a defensive line made up of a series of massive walls, forts, and other defenses. These are in place to guard against the Thii hivemind that lays beyond deep in the frozen wastes.

Further south the temperature heats up rapidly, and in just over a hundred miles near the capital the air is rather temperate, with the relatively normal seasonal weather. A wide desert lays to the east, extending almost completely to the eastern coastline. To the west is a fairly large open grassland, which is made up of much of the nations agriculture. In the center of this area is a massive festival ground, which is used primarily for national events, often hosted by the Empress herself.

In the center, running from north to south, is a massive wooded area which neatly divides the nation in two. The northern area of the forest is cooler, but not nearly cold enough to be a boreal forest. Rather quickly however, the further south you go, the forest turns into a jungle, with the air thick and heavy with water from the nearby sea and, even further south, a small swampland.

On the western half of the nation are a relatively small forest, more to the north, and another jungle, to the south. The vast majority of the space is wide open plains, with only mild hills interrupting this. The majority of crops are grown here, the soil being highly fertile and easy to work. On the southwestern border of this area, an even larger desert than the previous one sits.

## **Settlements**

**Prospero** **-** The nations capital, this shining metropolis is the center of the Saelenian nation. Situated on an island, the location is safeguarded by several different natural formations. The city has bridges that connect to the mainland on opposite ends of the island.

**Lavincia -** Nestled in the middle of a fairly open plains terrain, this settlement acts as something of a moving point for resources in the empire. While not formally a focal point of goods movement, it's location lent to this just naturally happening.

**Cynosport -** This ocean side settlement has a fairly well stocked dry dock set up. Acting as a rest stop for naval vessels, ships damaged can make repairs here. More important than that though are the fishing, salvage, and exploration ships that call this port home.

**Braewood -** Built on the edge of a forest on the western front of the empire, this settlement acts as the western shield against the Thii threat to the north. Surrounded by tall trees on all sides, the town has a natural beauty that makes it a pleasant location to visit, if a bit dangerous.

**Northswatch -** Northswatch sits in the middle of a natural land bridge to the northeast. Two of these land bridges exist, with this one being the closest to Saelenian borders, it was prudent for this defensive location to spring up quickly. There is a natural barrier between Northswatch and the rest of the nation in the form of a forest which adds to its isolated beauty. It has a wall that is mirrored by Nova Spheros which spans the entire distance of the land bridge, the only entry points being a double walled gated system at each stronghold.

**Aramore -** Amidst the eastern plain of Saelnia sits Aramore, settled on the banks of the small lake. The settlement has the feel of a resort almost, with its many relaxation and entertainment venues. It sits firmly in the middle of a protective ring of other settlements, with wide open spaces all around to allow vision for miles.

**Seagate -** Nestled on either side of the straight that leads into The Drowned Basin, Seagate is a settlement that was named rather plainly. Acting as a literal gate for the sea, this large port settlement is joined by a massive bridge that spans the straight. The bridge is a little over a mile long, with several portcullises spread along its length to allow sea faring vessels passage.

**Jingzhen -** A settlement native to Shengming, the people of Jingzhen helped to keep the peace in the area between the tribal groups in the area. It served as a neutral meeting ground for negotiations until it eventually became part of the Saelenian Empire, who had managed to also bring the very tribes they were peace keeping under its thumb without violence. The town sits on the eastern edge of the western forest of the continent, just south of a very large lake. This is one of the few settlements in Saelenia that has a mostly Shengese aesthetic.

**Lyarius -** On the southeastern edge of Bjornwulfs walk, Lyarius was built fairly close to the forests edge, less than a mile. It was originally built to help with relations with the nearby Gnoll tribe. Since then, the Gnolls have long since become a part of the Empire and the settlement, being the closest, has been instrumental with keeping peaceful relations of all the nearby native tribal groups.

**Arensari -** Much of the empires seafood and other ocean goods come from this city. About a days ride south of the capital, it was built on the Drowned Basins coast and originally acted as a safeguard of sorts against the previously unexplored and untamed jungles to the southwest. Now it's mostly a fishing settlement, with diving teams constantly going out to see what lies at the bottom of the sea and to help garner good relations with the aquatic elves in the region.

**Aeramere -** Far to the northwest of the Saelenian border, Aeremere is one of the vanguard settlements against the aberrant threat to the far north. On the coast of the northern sea, the duties of the settlement mostly include observation of the nearby waters, both above and below, as well as maintaining an observation and defensive force along a large portion of the border to warn about impending Thii attacks.

**Nova Spheros -** Leading the most western front on the north, Nova Spheres, along with it's nearby forts the Mithral Bastion and the Silver Terrace, act as one of two land gates against the Thii. A massive wall spans the entire land bridge, just like on Northswatch's side, with the only entry points being a double walled gated system at each stronghold. The settlement is highly militant, clearly not a place to retire.

**Helios -** Another of Saelenias most northern settlements built to help safeguard the rest of the nation against the Thii, Helios is mostly tasked with making sure the forts and watchtowers dotting the coast of the sea are manned. Due to this screen of towers and forts, the settlement isn't nearly as stark as the other northern defensive settlements, though maintains an obvious air of strict military doctrine.

**Xoria -** Another settlement founded on the Drowned Basins coast, Xoria shares a similar objective with Arensari. Though not nearly the fishing settlement of it's close northern neighbor, Xorian researchers consider themselves the leaders of the effort to uncover the mysteries of the Basin and what lies beneath.

**Laewaes -** One of Saelenias southern most settlements, Laewaes was founded largely for the purpose of research. With the only swamp nearby for hundreds of miles, as well as being on the southern end of the Drowned Basin, the location was rather fortunate. The air is rather humid and heavy, with the moisture from the sea and waterlogged ground of the swamp, as well as hot and stifling.

**Lucia -** Lucia was constructed in an alcove on Saelenias eastern border. The oceans waters within the alcove are fairly calm most of the time. With sandy beaches and bordering a desert, Lucia became a natural place to vacation, with nice weather most of the year. The calm waters are further sheltered under the surface from an extensive reef system that causes the water to be filled with all sorts of wildlife, making it an ideal location for fishing and other water based activities.

**Asayako -** Similar to Jingzhen, Asayako was a city state that existed on Sheng long before Saelenia was founded. With time and many good will efforts, they to also decided to join the ever growing Empire. While a lot of philosophies between the two differ, the majority of the major issues they agreed upon, leading to a relatively smooth integration. The people of Asayako are an extremely skilled group of rural workers, and as a result became a major center of the Empires food production. The settlement is surrounded by wide open plains in all directions, the forest to the east being the only exception about half a days ride east.

**Everwind -** Everwind is one of a trio of settlements in the western plains of the Empire that focuses on farming. The area around is almost unsettingly flat, with highly fertile ground. The southernmost city of the three, it sits nearby the jungle. There isn't a lot that marks the place as special, most travelers using it as a pit stop as they move through the empire.

**Emberville -** The last settlement of the 'farming trio', Emberville sits in the vast plain on the western edge of the land. The only thing of note about this place is what they produce, which is simply high yield quick turn over crops that stretch for miles in every direction. Since most of these plants are things like spinach, lettuce, carrots and the like, it all just looks like fields of small greenery.

**Arfenia -** Resting on the south western edge of the empire, this coastal settlement boasts one of the largest mining operations in the Saelenian borders. Similar to Trevia, though a bit more civilized and developed, this place is a haven for would be adventurers seeking to trek into the unexplored wilderness to make a name for themselves. The nearby desert, while not massively large, is one of the largest in the northern part of Shengming. Curiously, this patch of land is almost unnaturally hot, easily able to claim the lives of those that underestimate this environment.

**Nagashiri -** One of the city states that joined the fold, Nagashiri is a place of oceanic beauty. Resting comfortably in a small inlet, surrounded by surprisingly fertile soil, it's a place of rural and fishing mastery. The wharf's are home to hundreds of fishing boats, most only carrying a few people at a time, they don't venture too far out of the inlet.

**Trevia -** On the southeastern most point of the empire, just outside a small desert, this place rests acting as a defensive location. The untamed jungles to the south hold many threats that if gone unchecked, could pose threats. Something of a frontier city, this place is home to many 'hunting' guilds with adventurers able to find easy work, if they're willing to handle the risk.

## **Portal Connections**

**Prospero →** Jiyu ; Lavincia ; Cynosport ; Braewood ; Northswatch ; Aramore ; Seagate ; Jingzhen ; Lyarius ; Arensari ; Aeramere ; Nova Spheros ; Helios ; Xoria ; Laewaes ; Lucia ; Asayako ; Wolfsreach ; Everwind ; Emberville ; Arfenia ; Nagashiri ; Trevia

## **Places of Interest**

**Bjornwulfs Walk** - This area is a large stretch of forest to the west of the capital. Lying on the northern edge of the forest, it's a relatively normal bit of forest, named for the man who went and scouted the area for the Saelenian Empire in its early days. This large forest divides the continent neatly in half, and plays host to a rather wild animal population, chief among those are wolves and dire wolves. The trees here come in a varying amount of types and sizes. While most trees are considered large to a normal person, these 'normal' trees only appear to be shrubs compared to the towering greenery that make up this area. While not quite as tall as the Great White Tree in the capital, these trees easily stand a couple hundred feet in height, their leafy canopy casting a soft green hue on everything below. It's unclear what makes the woods in this area grow so large, since there are a significant number of regular sized trees around, but one theory that exists is that there lived a druid giant that once called the area home. Whatever the reason, because of their size, the wooded area is easily visible for miles around.

**The Drowned Basin** - Early explorations revealed that this sea in fact use to be empty of water. There were many treasures found in dwellings, the most important of these were various writings and tapestries. Showing every tell tale sign of a civilization that once called this basin home, this location was immediately dubbed 'The Drowned Basin.' Over time, researchers were able to piece together a lot of what the former civilization looked like, and roughly how long ago it existed. The sea is now home to a host of aquatic dwelling species, chief among them and definitely the dominant race being aquatic elves.

**Senlin Keep** - This fairly impressive fortress lies to the northeast of the capital, lying in the forest that separates Northswatch. Unsure if the keep was named ironically, as 'Senlin' translates to forest in some of the native tongues, this 'Forest Keep' that once surely held a key military strategic point at one time now lies in ruins and is abandoned, save for the random traveler that decides to take shelter here.

**Senlin Pools** - The Senlin Pools is a series of hot springs that lay a couple miles outside of Senlin Keep. Named by Saelenians Empress, due mostly to its proximity to Senlin Keep, this location in no time has become a travellers dream as shops, bathhouses and inns have sprung up in order to accommodate those on the road. Not large enough to be a settlement, as there are only a few buildings here and the standing population is less than twenty, Senlin Pools hasn't garnered a lot of advertisement, due in part to people wanting to keep it from being flooded with tourists.

## **Government**

The Leaders of Prospero consist of people who stand true to the nature of Magic, who wish to harness it and learn from it, rather than be a slave to the whimsical forces. They take pride in love, justice and creativity.

○ ***Ruler*** : ***Ashelia Saint Claire***

○ ***Co-Ruler*** : ***Doll***

○ ***Heir*** : ***Iskandar***

○ ***Consort*** : ***Aurora Uchawi***

○ ***Councilor*** : ***Valterria Moriko***

○ ***General*** : ***Tanya Strumvoraus***

○ ***Grand Diplomat*** : ***Sharifa Yaminah***

○ ***High Priest*** : ***Xerxes***

○ ***Magister*** : ***Haris Wyrd***

○ ***Marshal*** : ***Taicho Bloodfeather***

○ ***Royal Enforcer*** : ***Nar'Kai***

○ ***Spymaster*** : ***Juliette Saint Claire***

○ ***Treasurer*** : ***A Girl***

○ ***Warden*** : ***Eric Torigus***

## **Military**

Saelenias military consists of a very broad mix of races, martial traditions, and organized units. No matter their varying types of training or specialization, all of Saelenias forces operate with an extreme degree of professionalism and fervor, especially when defending their nation. The living forces are often complimented with a contingent of constructs. The most notable of these automatons are the Sentinels, towering behemoths standing nearly sixty feet in height.

### Martial Tradition

The Saelenian Empire is made up of a majority of Shengese natives, and as a result possesses a fairly disciplined martial code. With a knack for remaining hidden and ferreting out an adversaries weakness, those raised here are particularly gifted at guerilla warfare utilizing a wide array of Shengese weaponry.

Saelenian Paradigm

* Equipment: Bushido Training or Monk Weapon Training
* Scout Sphere
* Variable: Paradigm's gain a talent of their choice from the scout sphere
* Variable: Paradigm's gain a talent of their choice from the equipment sphere

## **Society**

The Saelenian Empire boasts a widely varied cultural atmosphere, with the mishmash of many races contributing greatly to this. The average citizen tends to be fairly pleasant and helpful, if a bit overly enthusiastic and overbearing in the process. Open to most individuals, rarely is someone attacked on sight or treated poorly. Those who catch the eye of the people or guard are almost always watched first, regarded with a heavy amount of suspicion and caution. People tend to be obnoxiously nosy, holding the belief that if you're doing something in public, then it's every bodies business. This doesn't mean that they'll interrupt or insert themselves into a situation, more likely they'll simply observe and gossip for a time before moving on, if they're not already busy.

Saelenians tend to be a decently competitive people, always striving to be better in their particular field of expertise. This of course ranges from a wide variety of things, from the various arts and crafts to combat prowess and pretty much anything else one can consider themselves an 'expert' in. Competition lends itself to growth and advancement, which is the ultimate goal of the people that call themselves Saelenian. It doesn't matter if one wins or loses, only that they're better for it. The only real loss after all is wasted time and effort.

There is a large population of the more monstrous races in the empire, and as a result some of their culture has made itself part of the norm. The result of this is fairly minor in comparison to truly monstrous settlements, fights in the streets rarely result in major injury, and are usually refereed by the town guard when they show up. There are still children that wander the streets however, so the 'less civilized' activities aren't permitted out in the open, though various little things are often overlooked till they become a problem.

## **Religion, Magic, & Technology**

### Religion

Of all the various religions in existence, none have taken a firmer hold in the Saelenian Empire than Desna. The majority of the inhabitants worship Desna directly, preaching her sacred texts to those who will listen. The Desnan faith is one of the few religions in the Empire that has it's religious holidays sponsored and hosted by the government. Sarenrae, Shelyn, and Arshae also have their holidays recognized in this way. The next larges following is a pretty close tie between Arshaens and Sarenites, with the amount fluctuating so often that no one bothers to keep track which has more. These two are followed closely by Shelyns faithful, the capital being a center for various arts, it was only natural to attract those dedicated to the Eternal Maiden.

### Magic

Generally, over the nation as a whole most all forms of magic are typically accepted and practiced. Magic based in evil is the exception to this, and even though the practice of such magic is prohibited, it is still taught as part of the studies for students of the magical schools. Of the types of magic that exist, arcane Magic is the main type of magic practiced, and has taken the strongest hold within the empire. Most of the luxuries and simple day to day activities are aided by arcane items and practitioners of the arcane arts. There is a very heavy presence of those who wield divine power as well because of the nations devotion to several powerful deities. Lastly, the least common sort of practiced magics in the empire are those of the occult. The reason for this is largely due to the rarity of those sensitive to psychic energies, and the even rarer few that can manipulate them. These people are largely welcomed with open arms for a multitude of reasons.

### Technology

The Saelenian Empire holds technology and its advancements in pretty high esteem. The fact that most things magic are capable can be replicated with enough ingenuity is viewed as a sort of miracle. Those seeking to conduct research in this field are welcomed and if proven to be fruitful can even end up funded. In most of the settlements spread across its lands, Saelenia boasts fair amount of technological items implemented in daily use. While a majority of these are usually relegated to backups for their magical counter parts, there are some people that prefer to use these items over their magic powered versions. One of the Empresses ambitions and goals is to blend magic and technology together in an effort to give those unable to master the art of magic at least some measure of control over it.