Summus Empire

## The Bastion of the East

To the east of the vast continent of Zyreem, not far enough north to be a part of the White Belt nor south enough to border the Elven counties lies a country renowned as one of the cornerstones of the League of Good Nations.

## History

The Summus Empire was now always the juggernaut of commerce and military might that it is today. A long time ago, on the current territory of the Empire, there were many domains ruled by kings who were constantly at war with each other whenever they were not trying to stave off the Dungeon Keeper threat. The land was notoriously unstable with national borders changing on a near daily basis. And to make matters worse - they were losing the war against Evil.

Every time a Dungeon Keeper would be defeated a new one would soon take his place, everyone was aware of that. But while the Keepers, marauding monsters, orc raiding parties or natural disasters stayed the same or even became worse over time the small Kingdoms were beginning to noticeably weaken due to attrition. The process was slow – almost eerily so. With every attack the lives, buildings, infrastructure or a stretch of farmland were lost and couldn't be replaced completely before the next crisis emerged.

But to one man it was clear that this could not go on. The young man, a farmer, the kind that could be found anywhere, could not take their plight anymore. He set out on a quest to persuade every ruler of the squabbling kingdoms that if they wanted their realm and their people to survive they would need to cooperate. When looking into the reasons for past and current conflicts he found no less than thirteen agents of Evil poisoning the political relations independently from each other. One story tells of the farmer unmasking a king's consort as a succubus who was manipulating him to greedily long for their neighbor's wealth, another of how he rallied the people to overthrow a tyrant who was too blinded by his own religious zeal to distinguish friend from foe.

This man, whose actions have inspired Heroes and playwrights alike, would forever be remembered as **The Great Unifier, Emperor Constantine the First**, and it was thanks to his leadership that the formerly quarreling kingdoms would supported each other. The losses to Keepers and other threats became less and less until the new united nation would slowly start to rebuild and grow again to become the Summus Empire of today.

He founded *The Golden Legion* under a doctrine that relied on an, to that day, unprecedented level of cooperation and organization. This doctrine later became accepted not just by the warriors of the land but by the citizens of the Empire as a whole, building a national identity and strong sense of unity that became a driving force that later Emperors used to become a world renowned trading power and even reclaim and expand territory to lands which had been thought forever lost to Dungeon Keeper claim.

## The Current Summus

The holy principle of unity and common good has pushed the Summus Empire from a local power to a global powerhouse in more ways then one. Every citizen learns from young age that he or she has to do their part to serve the community so it can protect them in turn. The Virtues of Humility, Compassion and Justice being held in the highest of esteem almost unanimously throughout he country.

This lifestyle of its citizens as well as a policy focusing on stability and protection have allowed the Empire to prosper for generations. Its exemplary people, long-standing good political relations to other nations and trade deals beneficial to both parties made Summus one of the most influential countries on Zyreema.

From a military standpoint the current Summus is actually more powerful then ever before. By accepting former Avatar Islanders into their nation the numbers of the Golden Legion have swollen and improved in overall quality (gaining a much needed stimulus to the healers and priests which are the lifeblood of most armies affiliated with the League of Good Nations).

What is more, the new personnel have tirelessly worked to prevent any more Keepers from making their way to their former homeland from the coast which, coupled with the Shining Concord Empires sea blockade, has prevented the damage done to Avatar Island from getting any worse then it already is.

The current prosperity of the nation, with the assistance of strict internal anti-Keeper measures, gives the insides of the Summus Empire a stability and protection that is rare to find on Zyreema. This made it possible for Summus to become a modern day "capital of the arts". The current monarch, **Empress Aurelia Claudia Exima The Shining**, being famous for her efforts to re-invigorate the art scene and her renovation of countless playhouses and museums within Byzantinople, which has gotten her almost unprecedented support from the populace. Support that has been integral in maintaining the Imperial authority which has been systematically underminded by the Senate over the past generations of Emperors.

## Empire of the "Common Man"

The people of Summus from a foreigners perspective put quite a bit of pride in their belief in the common good. Something that their Senate has known for generations and has abused for even longer.

In the beginning, when **Emperor Constantine the First** first created what eventually became Summus, a council was formed out of the most able bodied individuals in the realm, the majority of which formed by the rulers of the once-kingdoms that now make up Summus.

With the passing of time this institution – The Senate – became the cornerstone for the nation. In the first place, there is no feasible way that an "exemplary being" like an Emperor can lead a nation that was made by and for the common man so the people chose their representatives. This gave them a chance to put good people into office but it also meant that all one needed to do to get into a position of power was to get the support of the people.

Needless to say there were Dungeon Keepers that abused this system in the past and got their own puppets into power or corrupted once-just Senators with promises of power or trough blackmail and threats – trying to revive the past of the quarreling kingdoms. But because Summus has learnt from its past failures these men and women were soon discovered and removed from power.

But with the Senate having just over a hundred seats in recent years total oversight has become neigh impossible. Any fools who would abuse their power in a way that bothered the people (or worse, The Church of The Light) had long since been stamped out, leaving only those of brazen wit and silver tongue latching onto their "rightful" marble seats which they protect from the "incompetent or unworthy".

But that is not to say they are Evil. Like with all groups of people some are worse and some are better and the good people of Summus as well as The Church of The Light would never stand for a corrupt government. It is merely that their sense of what their citizens want does not always coincide with what their representatives believe to be in the collective best interest.

The prime example being the greatest contradiction of the Summus Empire: "The beyond human Emperor of the country ruled by common men".

## Distrust of Magic

The Summus Empire is bordered on its south west by the Ein Sof Magocracy since the time it was founded and relationships between the two countries are tense to say the least.

Despite both countries being prominent member nations of the League of Good Nations the vast differences in their fundamental values make it impossible for both the populace and the ruling class of both nations to see eye to eye. While Summus prides itself on its stance that everyone, regardless of who, is an integral part of the greater nation the city state of Ein Sof elevates those with magic to positions of power in exchange for them using that power to protect those of lower standing. Add onto the vast cultural gap the fact that a large portion of disasters throughout the history of Summus were caused by magic from their neighbors unintentionally running amok, the numerous Dungeon Keepers that tried to take territory from Summus as a staging ground to attack the Capital of Magic and the age old Summus saying of "If it is an Evil Magic-user he either comes from the Underworld - or Ein Sof" and it should be evident why the country as a whole seems to fundamentally avoid contact and use of Arcane Magic whenever possible.

But despite their tense relationships, the two countries are invaluable trading partners as Ein Sof largely relies on Summus to distribute the magic items it produces via its oceanic trade routes while those same magic items make up a large portion of Summes trade profits. Forcing the leaders and officials of their countries to interact with each other far more then they would prefer.

## The City of Byzantinople

Faraway from the safety of the walls and major cities of Summus lie the ruins of villages, chard earth were once forest stood and land desolated by the aftereffects of magical warfare - serving as a constant reminder of the threat of the Dark Gods and their servants.

But standing proud and undaunted by the Evil is the capital city of the Summus Empire - **Byzantinople** - one of the largest and most prosperous cities on the east coast of Zyreema. The sheer amount of wealth and goods passing trough its gates and its harbor has attracted the attention of many a Dungeon Keeper over the years but the cities walls (which are said to be the highest and most durable of all of the known world) have remained unbreached ever since their creation by **Emperor Gaius Eximus the Undaunted** a hundred some years ago.

Thanks to the Legion keeping the city safe from outside threats and the City Guard policing carefully inside the walls Byzantinople has been able to advance on fronts other than its military might. It is home to countless places of the arts such as galleries, museums and world renowned opera houses.

The city is also home to one of the greatest remaining basilicas of The Light, outshadowed only by Sandarra SultanatesWhite Towerand the High Dome of the Shining Concord Empire in beauty and by the power of the priests inside them. Byzantinopal also possess embassies to several other of the more influential nations of the League.

## List of Byzantinople NPS's:

### Priesthood of The Light:

* Abbot Constantine
* High Priest Alexandar (currently serving as an envoy to Albion)

### Golden Legion:

* Captain Constantine of the Golden Legion