Craenate Empire

The Craenate Empire was the primary polity of continental Altirus from circa 1500 PC until the beginning of the Post-Imperial Calendar (0 PI). It was the longest-enduring and second-largest contiguous land empire in history. Its territorial holdings during its height (circa 500 PC to 50 PC) encompassed many of the modern nations of Altirus east of the Pordski Mountain Range, and its cultural and political impact on the continent at large would persist for many centuries after its collapse.

The modern calendar used in Altirus and much of the rest of the world, the Post-Imperial Calendar, begins on the date of the Razing of Vennhall, which was widely accepted as the official end of the Craenate Empire.

## Geography and Demology

The Craenate Empire was the second-largest contiguous land empire in history, and the largest in terms of population, asserting and enforcing its rule over most of the continent of Altirus between the 6th and 1st centuries PC. The Empire was separated into two distinct regions; the Inner Empire, also known as Craenhalm, and the Outer Empire, which would be known as the Westenlands. The frontier of the empire would be drawn along the eastern slopes of the Pordski Mountain Range, the northern highlands of western Svalmark and northern Marezheivo, and up to the southern half of the Maltyuk Peninsula. The Empire also held colonial territories along the southern coast of the Kartasian Sea.

## History

### The First Clans

[Placeholder - Warring clans in parts of modern-day Chergaria and Wulshaen]

### Venn the Reaver and the Svaanwulk

[Placeholder - Clans united into "Svaanwulk" by warlord Venn the Reaver (Full / Real name unknown; thought of as legendary figure and common subject of Imperial folklore); Svaanwulk embarks on southern conquests, claims capital of Vennhall]

## Religion and Culture

The principle religion of the Craenate Empire, known as The Gottersiech (Divine Inquiry) in Ancient Craenate, had significant influence on Craenate culture and policy up until the mid 2nd century PC. The Gottersiech was not a set of beliefs in and of itself, but an effort to unify different beliefs and practices into a single "Fundamental Truth", based on the idea that all religious or spiritual beliefs have some grounding in fact. This was reflected in the Imperial policy of preserving cultural identities and utilizing diversity to ensure military, sociopolitical, and economic flexibility.

The central institution of the Gottersiech existed in the form of the Universita Gothis (University of the Divine in High Craenate) after the 7th century PC. The Universita Gothis acted to incorporate the beliefs of newly conquered peoples into the Gottersiech and facilitate academic discussion and debate over how different beliefs factored into the Fundamental Truth. The cultural influence of the Gottersiech began to wane in the later years of the Eldecourd Dynasty, particularly amid Emperor Rothlan IV's efforts to reduce the power of the Universita Gothis, before it was finally abolished under Calden II Brander.

[Placeholder - Principles of Identity]

## Language

[Placeholder - Ancient Craenate spoken by early Svaanic tribes, developed into High Craenate as a more accessible common language)