Tosgiv, The Engulfing Empire

Formerly a mere coalition of influential cities, the Empire of Tosgiv has since grown into a colonial powerhouse that controls vast amounts of territory both on the mainland and offshore, all ruled by a small elite. The people within its borders are a diverse bunch, composed of various lands that have been subjugated and conquered by the Empire as it expanded.

The typical Imperial citizen is highly nationalistic, supporting the Empire without fail. Dissenters are quickly silenced, though when questioned, people claim they never existed at all. Crime is rampant on the side streets and in back alleys, but quickly squashed on the main thoroughfares. There is an equilibrium to the dangers and freedoms within the Empire, and every citizen knows it.

## Geography

The Empire can be divided into three geographically distinct regions that together encompass a large peninsula and an expansive archipelago off its coast. The capital lands of Abfall are the cradle of the Empire, having been the seat of Imperial power since the beginning. Further inland lies Belar, spanning the width of the peninsula where it connects to the mainland and borders both Artesia and Zattaria. Finally, the islands off the coast are collectively known as Feroz. Each of these regions is distinct and varies in large ways in geography, architecture, and societal structure.

### **Abfall**

Abfall is a land of forested mountains and rocky shores, claiming the peninsula’s tip and most of the shoreline on its flanks. Dotting its mountains are treacherous walkways, rope bridges, terrace farms, and colorfully disguised cities. A typical city in Abfall is designed in a tier system with thin, but winding pathways that lead up the side of the mountain. Along these paths, colorfully painted banners are hung out. These banners either float in the wind, giving the locations a mysterious look, or they are interposed over each other, shielding paths from the sun while also camouflaging the mountain cities, and are often seen at the homes of nobles. The higher a citizen lives on the mountain, the higher their status. Because of this, homes around and at the peaks of mountains are reserved for only the most influential figures within a city. The Capital of Abfall is peaked by the Imperial Palace, though the building itself is so heavily camouflaged that anyone not within the city proper wouldn’t even know it was there.

### **Belar**

Belar is different, ranging from coast to coast at the landward side of the peninsula, as well as comprising most of the peninsula’s interior. The interior is known for its rolling grasslands and hilly plains that are highly desirable for their growth potential. It is the breadbasket of the Empire, and features an Imperial presence second only to the major cities of Abfall.  Cities here are more traditional, with stone walls and sprawling fields around the outside. However, the culture still prevails and most buildings of importance are built in tiers, with drifting colored sails dotting their architecture.

The furthest reaches of Belar are known as the Border Zone, and feature much less in terms of civilization. The landscape is far more arid here, stretching out into a dry flatland sparsely dotted by a combination of camouflaged military fortifications and trading posts. It is at these trading posts that the bulk of trade with Artesian merchants or Zattarian caravans takes place, for the Empire is loathe to let outsiders into its heartlands. The people of Belar are more diverse, as these lands were conquered outside of the Empire’s original territory.

### **Feroz**

Finally, Feroz is the name given to the archipelago that stretches off the coast of Abfall. The islands are more exotic in nature, sporting beautiful beaches and a wide variety of unique flora and fauna. Many of the islands were once inhabited by individual island communities, but have since been absorbed into the Empire through conquest, one that is still being resisted to this day. The further one sails into the island chain, the more Imperial influence wanes. On the most remote islands, it is barely felt at all, and many customs of the original populations still survive today.

## Laws and Legal Rights

The Empire is an autocratic state ruled by the Emperor and an Imperial Court appointed by the Emperor himself. Laws are enforced by a well-trained military that dwindles in numbers the further you get from the Empire’s core territories. In Abfall, each city is headed by one of Tosgiv’s noble families that have stood at the forefront of the Empire for centuries, and are extremely well-respected as a result.

Tosgiv lacks a large collection of laws pertaining to specific situations. Instead, citizens are expected to abide by the Code, which lays out the law of the land in ten simple tenets:

1. Commit no Evil - This is left very vague so that people in power can easily sway the masses as to why their acts are acceptable, while also appealing to the morals of the people.
2. Pay Your Due - Enforcing taxation and goods collection from the people with a single easy to follow rule.
3. Respect the Higher Power - Respect for classes above your social standing.
4. Do Not Question - This allows the ruling class to pass judgment and take actions in cases where they don’t have or want to give an explanation.
5. Respect your Fellow Man - Treat people well or at least like decent human beings.
6. Aid the Weak - Aid is left vague for the purpose of substantiating military advances.
7. Aid the Army - Support the military in their endeavors and give no hindrances.
8. Mind Yourself - Keep to your own business unless otherwise told.
9. Do not Waste - Resources are more scarce in parts of Abfall than even some of Belar’s Border Zone, waste nothing.
10. Do not Yield - Foreign powers should have to fight every man, woman, and child to take land from the Empire.

Should a citizen fail to uphold these tenets, punishment is often severe. People are known to be maimed, executed, or exiled even for basic crimes. As such, compliance with most figures of authority is almost always immediate. Those who are exiled frequently find their way to either the Border Zone or the outlying islands of Feroz, where the Empire’s influence is not as prevalent. On these islands, it is common to see the Imperial laws only being applied when military personnel or governors are present.

## Religion

Religion in Tosgiv

In contrast to the polytheistic religions of their neighbors, people from Tosgiv worship only a single god they call The One. This god is never worshipped directly though, with worship instead being directed to the Conduit, a person who is thought to be able to communicate directly with The One. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Conduit and the Emperor are the same person, cementing his position at the top of society even further and his power over the people yet more absolute.

When an Emperor passes away, it is believed that they ascend to become part of The One. As such, statues and figurines of past Emperors are revered as religious idols, and frequently find themselves on display in homes, temples and cities. When an Emperor dies shamefully or abdicates instead of remaining at their post until they die, any statues or figurines of them are destroyed or burnt, believed to be unworthy of worship because the Emperor failed to ascend.

Most citizens worship the Conduit through simple sacrifices. This comes in many forms, ranging from the sacrifice of household items to things such as limbs, blood, or items of great sentimental value. This self-less giving translates to much of the average citizen’s life. All of these items are believed to go to the next life, where the cycle continues on through each stage. They actually end up recycled and moved about the empire as if they were fresh goods. Because of the belief of this life is only one of many, people do not question the wear and tear on such goods.

Views on religion become more diverse the farther a person travels from Abfall, with the fringes of Belar being almost indistinguishable from outside lands in terms of religious views. In the far reaches of Feroz, subjugated island communities have fused their original beliefs with those of the Empire. They believe in The One, but instead consider influential figures in their own family history to have been touched by the divine, rejecting the Conduit’s sole claim to a connection with The One. Needless to say, this form of worship is considered heresy and is actively hunted down by inquisitors of the Empire.

## Customs and Traditions

### **Dye-making and colored fabrics**

Dye-makers are a prominent facet of the Empire, as they support the vast array of cloth camouflage that many cities in Abfall and Belar support. Excess cloth is often turned into accessories to garments that (for the common man) are featured in special ceremonies such as coming of age, weddings and funerals. For the elite, these accents are commonplace but become even more extravagant with their ceremonies.

### **Feeding one’s neighbors**

With the limited production of food in the mountains of Abfall, there is a long-standing tradition of feeding your neighbors once a week. Whether you hold a local festival or invite them to your home, once per week, it is considered polite to invite them to eat with you. They are expected to do the same, and thusly food is passed around quite readily in the more major cities. This trend dwindles the farther into Belar one travels, and is absent entirely in Feroz.

### **Arts and Dance**

Because of how common tall grasses and palms are, weaving is a popular art form throughout Tosgiv. In Abfall, there are also strong traditions for tapestry and painting, while in Belar pottery is common. The islands in Feroz are most known for their use of shells in their artwork. Upbeat and quick tempo dances are popular in all three regions, emphasizing a use of drums, shakers and string instruments. These dances are used for various celebrations and dancers often wear different, colorful outfits in each region.

### **Toys**

Tosgivite men and women, despite their hard-working demeanor, do have time to relax and play when the sun goes down. And during these times, they often play games or allow their children to play with toys. For adults, long hours tend to be spent dancing or sitting around a cooking-pit, discussing life, religion, relationships, or general gossip. But for children, there are special toys that they are allowed to play with that have certain religious and creative value. Chief among these are the Spinshoo and the Plumakette. Wooden and clay animals are also popular, and are often made of brown or black clay with charcoal or ash mixed in, then wrapped in cloth depending on the caste of the person who owns them. A noble will have animals entirely covered in cloth for their children, while a peasant will have toys entirely unadorned.

### **Burials**

Death among the Tosgivites is a sad and depressing affair. When someones dies, it is understood that they have moved on to their next life. The family will never get to see the loved one they have anymore and must instead aid them in their permanent departure. This happens in a myriad of ways, most depending on the caste of the individual. For nobles, sky-burials are often the most common way to aid in this departure. The body is left out on a colored cloth for the birds to feast on and carry away the remains. For the Artisan and Soldier castes, burials at sea are common in settlements near the ocean, especially in Feroz. More inland, the body is merely buried somewhere on the mountain or hill the deceased lived on. For Peasants, the body of a loved one is buried in the fields, where it is believed the roots of plants will link together to carry the spirit to another family.

## Rituals and Ceremonies

### **Crowning of the Emperor**

There are four rituals of grand importance during the life of a Tosgivite. The single most important is the Crowning of a new Emperor, who will represent both the leadership of the entire nation and the people to The One as the Conduit. While the Succession Trials are a public event, only nobility will fully experience it. Some trials are held out in the fields, but others happen high in the cities where lower castes are not allowed. The Crowning, however, is deliberately held in a public area so it may be viewed by everyone who can attend in Abfall. During this time there is much celebration and even chaos as people take to the streets to experience this often “once-in-a-lifetime” event.

### **Cycle of Giving**

The Second event of importance is the Cycle of Giving. This is the event in which items that are recycled throughout the Empire circle from town to town (mostly in Abfall). People of all kinds are encouraged to come out and observe the items, many of which are grand in display. These items then travel up through the winding cities, to the palace of a city. There, the nobility will take one item each before cycling the many carts to travel through the city where the people may do the same, until the very most basic items arrive at the peasantry far below. These items may be in varying states of disrepair and need maintenance, but they are often well taken care of due to the belief that these items come from the next or a previous lifetime.

### **Community Feast**

The Third event of relative importance is the weekly Community Feast. Keeping on the trend of communal life, the Tosgivites often host one another in the central regions once a week, pooling supplies and resources to ease the strain the many families suffer amongst themselves. These events involve the members of one caste and the next higher moving to their neighboring castes and families to share in a meal. There is dancing, singing, and sometimes business dealt at these festivities. For the peasantry, this is a taste of what life can be if they live well and true among their religion. For those higher up on the caste-system, it’s an excellent opportunity to make connections and exert influence over one another, or try to gain favors or power. But the most important factor of all the event is that it is meant to make sure that no one goes hungry or feels too put out by the system. This weekly ritual decreases dissent among the people by making them feel welcome.

### **The Keening**

The Fourth and arguably most important event in Tosgivite life (behind the crowning of a new emperor) is called The Keening. The Keening is a coming of age trial by Ordeal that every young man or woman must undergo in order to be considered an adult. For nobility, this task is hardly ever difficult, as the point of the keening is to hear the wind keen over the mountains of Abfall and find a song within it that draws you closer to your fate. As the nobility lives at the tops of the mountains, this is often as easy as walking to the outside garden and listening for the sound of wind. Then, once you’ve heard it, drawing meaning for it.

For the lower castes, however, the tops of the mountains are often strictly for the nobility of the land. This makes the Keening an undertaking in adventure, exploration, and survival away from the cities. They must travel far and wide to find a mountain unclaimed by their people and travel to where the wind sings out and experience what it has to offer. These environments are often dangerous to traverse and many die on this trial. But those that survive often fall in love with the beauty of nature and make many friends along the way. It is not uncommon for these trips to last months or years. Some people considered dead just travel out and never return home, swept up in the winds of adventure or settling down with their families. But for every person that never comes back, three do return home and the cycle repeats.

## Society

Tosgiv is ruled by a small elite of noble families, each presiding over a major city in Abfall while also maintaining a presence in the capital. The number of noble families is small, but all of them count many family members. The title of Emperor is not hereditary and is passed around the noble families like a torch.

When an Emperor dies or abdicates, succession trials are held publicly to determine who is next in line to rule. Each family picks a champion from within their own ranks to participate in these succession trials. Whichever family emerges victorious gets to install the next Emperor, which is often the head of the family. The trials are religious in nature, for whoever becomes Emperor will also become the next Conduit, responsible for relaying the commands of The One to the populace. The succession trials are a grueling affair both physically and mentally, but are designed this way to help The One pick the most worthy ruler. Many who partake do not survive the ordeal, which is why champions are often among the last in the family line of succession and trained from birth to compete in the trials.

Crime lords and bosses are the second group that holds a lot of power in Tosgivite society and work hand in hand with the elite in some cities. Citizens of upright moral fortitude rarely stray from the main streets beyond heading to their homes. A few of the most notable crime bosses are even state-sponsored and help keep other organizations in check. Should a person attempt to speak out or dissent about the state of affairs, they often find themselves missing with the aid of one of these more major crime syndicates. Outside the main cities, these groups manifest themselves as pirates and privateers.

## People

Through conquest and assimilation, the Empire of Tosgiv has become a melting pot of people with many different ethnicities and backgrounds. One could even say that its people are the Empire’s most diverse aspect of life.

When assimilating newly conquered territories, the noble families have always employed the tactic of inter-marrying with the leading families of the native population. As such, many conquered peoples immediately feel represented and do not take long to integrate into the Empire. Brown is the most common hair color in the Empire color by far, appearing as a spectrum ranging from darker blondes to very dark brown. Blonde and black occur as well, but are comparatively rare. Skin colors range from slightly tanned in Abfall to brown and black in the far reaches of Belar and Feroz. However, internal migration and intermarrying have led to the entire Empire becoming extremely diverse and heterogeneous as a whole, especially the nobles who frequently intermarry.

Because of the diversity within all layers of society, racism based on skin color is very uncommon. Instead, people are judged based on their profession, leading to a rigid class structure. It is as follows:

* Imperial court
* Noble families
* Soldiers and artisans
* Peasants
* Slaves and prisoners

The Imperial Court heads the entire system, and is comprised of the Emperor and a small group of hand-picked advisors. The rest of the Elite follow shortly after, answering only to the Imperial Court. Soldiers and artisans are widely praised for making everyone’s lives possible in terms of commodities, and enjoy more respect than peasants, who make up over two-thirds of the population.

Slaves occupy the bottom rung of the class structure, along with prisoners. Because they are included in the system, both groups still enjoy basic rights they would not have were they outside the class structure entirely. They have the benefit of often being prized and treated quite well when they perform their duties adequately. Many kept by nobles are often considered part of the family in all but name and receive many of the perks of nobility, in exchange for their lifelong servitude. Slaves come from raids on enemy lands, or as a form of punishment for those who take up arms and dare rebel against the Empire. Some noble families practice slave breeding as well. On occasion, poor peasants choose to willingly enter servitude to a noble family for a chance at this cushy life.

## Military

The Tosgiv military emphasizes a strong naval component, which in itself is non-standard. Made up of small, fast ships that skim the surface of their coasts instead of cutting deep into the waves like bigger seafaring ships, they are specialized for moving swiftly between islands and up streams to maneuver the Feroz archipelago and Artesian riverlands. The ships are lightly armed, relying less on the power of weapons or a heavily armoured crew, but more on fast hit-and-run tactics, boarding parties and amphibious assaults. While most ships carry no weapons of their own, a lone scorpion or ballista is typically installed on larger vessels.

For land combat, Tosgiv's military is largely comprised of both light and heavy infantry, due to their inability to carry cavalry or large siege equipment on their ships. Instead, the military relies on the effectiveness of light infantry and smaller siege weapons such as scorpios and ballistae when storming islands. The sword is the preferred weapon of an Imperial soldier. Spears, pikes and crossbows are popular as well, particularly on defense. Alchemy thrives in the cities of Tosgiv, which has led to the creation of a variety of poisons, some of which may be applied to daggers or crossbow bolts for additional effects. The idea comes from Ferozi rebels, who frequently employ poisoned darts fired from blowpipes in the struggle against their foes.

The Empire rarely commits its forces to costly invasions of rival nations, but rather uses it as a peacekeeping force to keep its territories under control. In a defensive war, the military will fortify its existing positions and raid enemy coastlines using hit-and-run tactics. If pushed to offensive war, Tosgivite forces tend to take a slow and steady approach, focusing on fortifying recently conquered areas before moving on to the next. Ship to ship combat is done using boarding parties, overwhelming the opponent with numbers after incapacitating them from range using deck-mounted ballistae.

## Magic

In the world occupied by Artesia, Tosgiv and Zattaria, magic is too unstable and wild to be harnessed by sheer will alone. Instead, magic needs to be forced through a focusing object. Mages in Tosgiv use staves and scepters for this, preferring them over the weapons, instruments and gloves used by their neighbors. Regardless of the focusing object, harnessing this volatile magic is extremely dangerous, and many a prospective mage has been disintegrated by it, leaving nothing but a staff or scepter on the floor where a person once stood.

Despite the dangers, the arcane is a legitimate area of research among scholars in Tosgiv, if a guarded one. Magic can only be legitimately studied and practiced at a scant few institutes of learning in Abfall, under the watchful eye of the Cabal, the Empire’s highest authority on magic. Getting into one of these colleges is far from easy, but pales in comparison to surviving the training required to become a mage. Many who start their training are never heard from again, and any rumors concerning these disappearances are quickly swept under the rug with help from the government.

Those who complete their training are well-respected, however. Tosgivite mages often find themselves joining a noble family’s court as an advisor on magical or supernatural matters, become a teacher themselves, or start hunting down magical artifacts at the far reaches of the world for research purposes. Within the borders of the Empire, mages who partake in the latter often work in tandem with inquisitors, traveling to far-flung regions to poach anything magical they can get their hands on. The true pioneers dedicate themselves to finding new ways to harness the unstable forces that permeate the world. Destructive magics and illusions seem to be the favorites among the practitioners of magic that populate the Empire.

## Architecture

Family size, caste, and location are the three defining factors for the construction of a home in Tosgiv. Family size often defines the number of rooms a house is composed of. For the poorer castes, most houses will be one or two rooms. A family composed of only one member will live in a one-room house. If the family has multiple people in it, it will often have two rooms.

One for sleeping and another for the storage of items such as clothes, tools, and food. This number increases based on caste, where the higher you go, the more individual rooms for sleeping and storage there are. For the Artisan and Soldier castes, houses are often a touch larger. Craftsmen have large rooms for plying their trade, as well as the storage rooms and sleeping rooms of others. Warrior castes generally have a small, hidden room in their home for storing their armor and weapons, in addition to the storage and sleeping rooms of their homes.

Nobility is where the true opulence of society shows. Each noble house has a compound composed of all the usual homes for their families, but also individual homes for their servants secured by either a wall or pathways that make travel impossible. All their servants, guards, and associated individuals live in their compound. These places are often nearly as busy as city centers and rarely does anyone who has no business within the walls get inside. Those that do often find themselves being given a task to do or something similar, as they are assumed to either be servants or someone who works within the walls.

All buildings in mainland Tosgiv are composed of stone and mud-bricks. Poorer caste houses will have only the base foundations and cornerstones of their homes made of stone, while the Nobility have houses of the most expensive polished stone one might find. Non-residential buildings are few and far between. Most are saved for ceremonial or religious use or for the military. Beyond those, most other buildings not used as residences are often built by the criminal organizations and operate as fronts for businesses with fake families.

Finally, most if not all buildings in society are built on a tiered city system. Cities in Abfall and Belar are typically built on mountains and hills respectively, the buildings will travel up the side of whatever object they are constructed on, with the Nobility being at the peak. This obviously changes the farther from the center of the nation one goes, namely in Feroz where some of the older cities are built on pyramid-shaped stone bases.

## Cuisine

The cuisine of Tosgiv is representative of its three distinct regions, yet fairly uniform throughout the Empire thanks to good logistics. Seafood is a staple food in Abfall and Feroz, particularly clams and cockles. Those who live in Belar may enjoy less seafood in their daily diets, but typically have more bread and other grain products available due to their proximity to the fields. Strewn throughout the endless seas of grain fields are orchards and vineyards where fruits such as dates, plums, figs, olives, citrus fruits, and grapes are grown. Spices such as anise are known to be cultivated as well, particularly in the otherwise barren Border Zone.

Out in the archipelago, sugarcane, coconuts, and vanilla beans are the main commercial crops. Together, they are the main ingredients of an Imperial dish that is known even in some Zattarian settlements, not to mention sung about by Artesian bards: a vanilla quinoa pudding so divine, its taste is often likened to pure bliss. The exact recipe is closely guarded by the Empire, for reasons the populace do not dare question.

Common non-alcoholic drinks in Tosgiv include fruit juices such as lemon, orange and prune juice, as well as a recent invention that combines imported Zattarian coffee with vanilla from Feroz. Spirits differ from region to region. In Abfall, gin is made from berries that grow in the hillside forests. Belar uses its grapes and orchards to provide the Empire with sangria and cava, while sambuca is made from anise in the Border Zone. Finally, Feroz is known for its variety of rums.