The Northern Empire

## Helgard Empire

The Empire, as they call themselves, is a human-dominated empire that rules the vast and culturally diverse region of northern Perion. The many nations of the empire vie for political dominance which results in epochs within which one noble house from an imperial nation rises to power, ushering in a new age. In contemporary Perion, the Empire is ruled by the Helgard dynasty who originate from Vendimark, the northwest-most nation.

## Etymology

Most commonly, outsiders within Perion will refer to the empire using the name of the current ruling dynasty which at the present is the 'Helgard Empire'. However, the official name of the state is simply just 'the Empire of Perion', which is viewed as lazy at best or profoundly arrogant at worse by the other residents of the continent.

## Nations

### Vendimark

In the cold northwestern reaches of the empire lies the nation of Vendimark. It is the most sparsely populated nation of the empire and is an unforgiving land with dangerous creatures and wildlife which have forged its residents into seasoned warriors and hunters. Once relegated to a far-flung and relatively irrelevant nation of the empire, they eagerly established relations when the elves first arrived on Perion and learnt much from them, becoming the most magically proficient nation of the empire.

Though Vendimark is sparsely populated, it is also among the wealthiest and prosperous of all the provinces. This is largely due to extensive ties to the Tempest League alongside being the current crown nation which has granted it many privileges internally in the empire. Vendish people are known to be well-educated and wealthy, often to the chagrin of other Imperials.

On the imperial banner, Vendamark is designated by the spear - straightforward and dependable.

### Balovar

Lying south of Vendimark, the nation of Balovar is a sprawling province reaching all the way from the west coast into the Empire's centre. Geographically, the region contains a mixture of marshlands and steppes which divides the nation into two distinct but closely related ethnic groups - the western and eastern Balovan.

The eastern Balovan are semi-nomadic people who travel frequently in between their sporadically settled steppes. For them, life is lived atop a saddle and few in the empire can match their equestrianism. Most of the imperial light cavalry forces are levied from Balovar as though skilled they may be, they are more experienced skirmishers and generally lack the bravado that is necessary to serve as shock cavalry. While there are permanent settlements within the steppes of eastern Balovar, the constant migrations between them mean that they can change a lot in a matter of a few years.

Western Balovan are the closely related settled cousins who have taken to the seas. In a feat of human ingenuity that has doubtlessly been achieved at the cost of many failures, the Balovar and renowned for being the first to master the art of sailing through the Tempestuous Ocean which was assumed to be impractical. Utilising the sea's powerful and turbulent winds, Balovar sailors have tamed nature's fury to travel rapidly across the sea leading them to become great sailors who have travelled to all corners of the continent. Cosmopolitan, financially driven and urban, a western Balovar is very different in temperament and culture to their eastern brothers despite sharing a common heritage and nationhood.

Typically considered as a part of the western Balovan, the humans residing with the marshes of the centre live a very different lifestyle to the splendour, fame and adventure that those to the west experience. Life here is grueling and every hour of the day is spent working the land, providing food for the western half of the empire like what Averan does for the east. Unlike the Averans, however, they have no grand illusions or camaraderie and are stereotypically dour and sarcastic, a trait that is more or less seen among Balovans.

On the imperial banner, Balovar is designated by the glaive - a keen and sharp weapon.

### Averan

For many centuries, the yeomen of Averan have followed the beats of the empire's wardrums. The rich and fertile lands of Averan is the densely populated and militarily vital nation of the empire from whence the greatest portion of the imperial army is levied. Most Averanns are simply farmers and peasants who tireless work their land - a crucial part of their culture. For them, land is more than just a location to settle but rather an extension of their nation itself.

While the borders of other nations may change over ages for various reasons, the people of Averan have stubbornly clung onto their land, willing to fight tooth and nail to preserve their borders. This has led to more than one instance of the nation rebelling against the emperor or refusing to accept imperial decrees and escalating internal politics into outright civil war. As a result, Averan is easily the most autonomous of all the provinces and all other human nations implicitly understand that the Averanns are led, not ruled.

A patriotic bunch, though a Averann peasant has no grand values or ideals that they are willing to die for, they are eager people that are easily riled up. Amidst the chaos of large battles, Averann companies have sometimes been recounted to have pulled off unexpected victories against superior forces through sheer morale alone.

On the imperial banner, Averan is designated by the halberd - commonly used by city guards, it is a versatile and reliable polearm.

### Courtrach

Occupying the northern peninsula of the Axe Coast, the proud men of Courtrach reside within their lofty stone citadels. A heavily urbanised and culturally developed region of the empire, it is here that the First Empire was declared. Though the first empress of Perion had renounced her nationality as a call to unity among the disparate human tribes, the people of Courtrach nonetheless view their nation as the founders of their great civilisation and take much pride in it.

Having been the crown nation of the empire for the majority of its history, Courtrachi culture and language has become immensely influential and widespread in not only the empire but also the continent as a whole. At first, Courtrachi served as a lingua franca for just the empire though over time many other nations adopted it as the language of their court to facilitate negotiations and strengthen ties to the empire. Eventually, this court language would evolve into the contemporary Common language, a derivative language of Courtrachi that, though bearing many similarities and being partially mutually intelligible, has evolved into its own language that is widely used by not only nobility and diplomats but also the common folk of cosmopolitan urban areas.

On the imperial banner, Courtrach is designated by the longsword - a noble and prestigious weapon.

### Delsglade

North of Averan lies the forests and woods of Delsglade. The abundance of deers in the region has made hunting an extremely lucrative activity which made them wealthy. Over the many centuries, however, cultural, technological and political shifts within the empire and Perion has led them to pivot to becoming the manufacturing centre of the empire.

On the imperial banner, Desglade is designated by the crossbow - a marriage of marksmanship and ingenuity.

### Arroya

Lying on the north half of the Dragon's Maw gulf, the people of Arroya are filled with a strong sense of wanderlust and struggle to stay in one place for long. Skilled merchants and even better pirates, they have terrorized the east coast of the continent, all the way from Escalon to the Southern Tempest League. Their infamy has led many people on the continent to distrust Arroyans, knowing that they are a people who disregard laws as it befits them. Over recent the last century, however, amidst increasing crackdown on piracy along the east coast and diplomatic complaints against the empire, Arroyans have begun settling down, though the stigma which has now been firmly attached to their people remain.

As Arroya is situated on the upper half of the Dragon's Maw gulf, they are very close to Escalon and have had significant contact with them, whether it be through trade or fighting. This prolonged exposure to Escalian culture has led many customs entering Arroyan culture, creating a curious syncretrism of ideals. Arroyans have a strong sense of honour, though not in a conventional, Escalian sense and more like an honour among thieves sense. Rather than bravery, daring is the virtue; rather than honour, fame is the virtue; rather than justness, integrity is the virtue. Such is the strange, often incomprehensible code of Arroyan chivalry.

On the imperial banner, Arroya is designated by the sabre - a light and swift weapon; not too direct yet it maintains an air of seriousness.

### Hrothgar

On the imperial banner, Hrothgar is designated by the battleaxe - decisive and powerful.

## Society

### Demographics

The empire's core population is concentrated on its eastern half, particularly within the nations of Averan and Courtrach. Orcs also make up a sizeable minority within the empire and nominally hold a status as one of the seven nations though in practise, attitudes towards them are mixed with some human nations viewing them closer to equals and others seeing them as little more than second-rate citizens.

### Iconography

As befits its decentralised and diverse nature, each of the nations tend to have their own unique iconographies, coat of arms and banners, however, the imperial banner incorporates the signature weapons of each of the nations. The reigning nation's signature weapon is placed in the centre of the imperial banner and its metal gilded to signify its eminence in the union. The iconography of the imperial banner changes continuously over many years with new weapons being added or removed, reflecting the changes within the nations of the empire.