Tathen Empire

Historical flag

> In the cradle of the Behrn river a great nation was born. Mighty Tathen rose from the chaotic kingdoms of men and united them under a common banner, and she roared like thunder and struck like lightning.
>
> Gotthard Warndorff, History of Men, 210 AC

The Tathen Empire was a massive Empire encompassing all of Northern Eran. Controlling over half of the world's human population, it was one of if not the most powerful state in the world during it's rule.

## Early History

The city of Tathenburgh was settled on top of the ancient ruins of the old Meanorian capital in 212 BC. Centuries before, the site was under the control of human tribes and kingdoms, but the Great Plague left the city abandoned.

During it's infancy, the city was small and often dominated by nearby tribes and petty kingdoms, but by 142 BC the city's position at the confluence of the Behrn and King's rivers and the wise rule of it's early leaders led to a meteoric rise in influence.

The wealth and borders of Tathenburgh grew throughout the century, and by 100 BC the surrounding lands were subjugated or annexed. Over the following century the wealthy merchant class and de facto nobility became de jure nobility, and the Kingdom of Tathen was officially established. The next hundred years saw petty conflicts and slow expansion throughout modern day Tatheny, and the near constant state of warfare and expansion saw increasingly developed military technology and tactics.

## The Empire of Tatheny

By 12 AC, Tathenburgh controlled the lands from Erhan to Elmbrück and was in her golden age. The Empire was supremely wealthy, and by far the most powerful nation in the world, and as such it became extremely expansionist.

From 12 to 80 AC, Tathen's armies marched on the Lourian and Velenian tribes of the north, carving out territory, developing cities and establishing valuable trade routes. By 143 AC, the Tathen armies pushed deep into Gronese and Leonian territory, and in 196 AC the lands of Beaunesse were subjugated.

In 38 AC, Emperor Siegward I gathered clergy from throughout his empire to create a unified religion, which would become the Elizabeten Church in 47 AC.

Much of the success of the armies was dependent on the use of battle clerics and the adaptability of the Empire's military leaders. Dedicated regiments of battle clerics kept armies healthy on the march, minimized friendly casualties in battle and unleashed devastating miracles on enemy forces.

## The Late Empire

In the fourth century AC, revolts in became more common as regional lords sought political and economic independence from the distant city of Tathenburgh. In 313 AC a succession crisis was caused by the Emperor's assassination at the hands of a Velenian assassin. This started a decades long civil war that left scars across the Empire and kept the Imperial armies busy in the heartlands.

By 324 AC, much of the Empire's foreign territories were de facto independent as they could no longer rely on Tathen for defense. This period of disaster ended following the death of one of the claimants in 351 AC, and the armies could once again police the land. However, the armies were battered and the Empire's coffers were empty, and the old lands could not be reconquered in any meaningful way.

## The Collapse

In the fifth century, poor central leadership led to many of the lords of Tatheny acting almost independently from the Emperor, and the Empire's power was rapidly waning as revolts were near constant.

After a particularly brutal war with the unified Velenia in 412 AC where the capital was sacked and burned for the first time in 6 centuries, the Empire was dealt the killing blow. Lords across the Empire simply declared independence from the failing state, and Tatheny was plunged into anarchy.

The lone city state of Tathenburgh is all that remains of the once massive Empire, with its only lands being the massive Imperial city and the surrounding farmlands.

## Legacy

The legacy of the Tathen Empire is hard to overstate. Many of the countries that were once under the Empire often invoke its name in official documents and many a crazed king have tried to call upon a restoration of the Empire. The likelihood of reformation is surprisingly plausible, with many people in the Coalition of Kingdoms in particular being very supportive of such an idea.

The Tathenmark was still used well past the collapse of the Empire, especially in the Imperial Homeland, and the Coalition of Kingdoms officially adopted the Mark as its official currency. Both the triangular symbol and seal of Tathen are still used in many flags to this day, most noticeably in many flags of the Imperial Homeland.

Imperial battle tactics are still regularly used to this day, and the incorporation of mages into armies was first used on a massive scale by the Empire.