Cothenburg

## The Cothenburg Empire

The Empire that would become Cothenburg was formed 1143 years ago, following the final collapse of the Elven Kingdoms that predated it. These Elven lands are remembered today as cruel slavers and wicked mages who saw themselves as the trueborn rulers of all, who’s people abused the more primitive humans who bowed to them in those days for power, wealth, and often sport. Humanity in the empire were writing few histories in those days, as they were little more than tribal-folk with only rudimentary technologies, but it is known by the mass graves still found today that the elves were responsible for human deaths in vast numbers. The elves of those days held massive arcane power, and consorted with terrible monsters and fiends to increase their depraved might- for millennia, the elves were untouchable masters of all their domain.

Salvation came from the divine. Religious texts and ancient canticles recall the coming of the Fireheart, the man born blessed by the coming of the mighty goddess Enea, who blazed into the hearts of her people to drive them to fight for their freedom. The Fireheart was born her chosen champion, a man blazing with her power, and was responsible for spreading her world and uniting the disparate human peoples into open warfare and rebellion. For decades the War of Fires was fought across the Elven Kingdoms, as slaves and tribal folk fought to the last, inspired by their new divine. The elves, despite their arcane majesty and ancient power, fought outnumbered against forces at least five-to-one, and when the petty kingdoms of Arionne joined the fray against the elves, the human forces grew mighty enough to tear down the cities of their foes and claim final freedom. The age of elven rule was over, never to return- the slaves had become the masters.

The Fireheart ruled his newly united people until his final days, spreading the faith to all corners and facilitating the new born nation’s growth from tribal confederation into a true empire. When he finally perished, it was declared that he had ascended to the side of his goddess, and to this day the Fireheart maintains a position in the faith second only to the Goddess. The 2nd emperor was elected to his position by the nobles of the empire, and was immediately faced by the secession of Arionne, who swore no loyalty to mortal men.

With the loss of the Arionnic Kingdom, the once united Empire now stood as the Empire of Cothenburg. The borders of those days have changed little since those early days, with the empire stretching from the Sainted Peaks in the West, to the Khurzak Plains and Höllenloch Mountains in the East, dominating all lives in between. This vast distance is home to millions of loyal citizens of the empire- but while loyalty to the empire is common, that rarely seems to lead to unity. Cothenburg has little centralisation, with the elected Emperor’s influence limited by endless politics within their own borders. Cothenburg functions more like a confederation than a true state, for each Imperial Prince and Archduke rules their own land and holds their own armies- and often such men fight their neighbours in competition and rivalry. The disparate peoples and the pride taken by people in their local heritage makes Cothenburg a politically charged land, and the Imperial Court spends far more time than it would like mediating between its feuding lords. There are twelve provinces in the empire, each bearing its own vote to determine imperial rule and each with their own motivations- but they can be categorised by their cultures at least.