The Second Empire of Elterlein

## Government

The Elten government is ancient, having built on and changed the original ideas of the founders. It has a big emphasis on specific titles and protocols. Because of this, the government is very confusing and convoluted, with many of its members' families having held specific titles for centuries. All the Archdukes, Dukes, and important military officers sit on an Imperial Parliament, to help the Emperor decide on important decisions.

### **Emperor**

The Emperor of Elterlein is the supreme ruler of the empire and all of its regions, duchies, and provinces. The current Imperial Royal family are the Fandons, as it has been since the empire's conception.

### **Archduke**

The Archdukes are second only to the Emperor himself. Each owns one of the original kingoms that Elterlein conquered, though the families that hold them aren't the same as those who ruled originally. When Emperor Dorian Fandon I reformed the Empire, he put only those most loyal to him in power.

### **Duke**

Dukes own divisions of land underneath Archdukes. Typically, the provinces are divided into five duchies, each with a Duke presiding. However, this varies bewtween provinces.

### **Count**

Counts are landowners underneath the Dukes. Duchies are divided into even smaller counties, which Counts preside over.

### **Arcane Viceroy**

The Arcane Viceroy is the head of Arcane affairs in the Empire. In the event of an Arcane disaster or any other matters that have to deal with the supernatural, the Arcane Viceroy ensures they are dealt with.

### **Imperial High Chancellor**

The High Chancellor is appointed solely at the Emperor's discretion and is typically delegated mundane and day to day tasks of governance, the extent of which is determined by the reigning Emperor. In addition, the High Chancellor oversees the Imperial Parliament and ensures their functionality

### **Imperial Minister of War**

The Minister of War is the head of all military affairs in the Empire. All Imperial Generals and the High Imperial Admiral report directly to him, and he in turn advises the Emperor in all matters war.

### **High Imperial Admiral**

The highest ranking officer in the Imperial Navy, the Admiral oversees all of the naval divisions as well as the highly prestigious Airship Division.

### **High Imperial General**

The highest ranking military officer for the ground infantry. The High General typically goes into battle himself to directly oversee military matters.

## The War Council

### Formation

Shortly before the outbreak of the Second Border War in 3E 450 , Emperor Alaric Fandon the Young (438 - 513) (Named after the folklore hero of the First Empire) formed the first War Council upon suggestion by his Minister of War, Geoff Kleist. It’s purpose was to help assist the young, inexperienced ruler in determining when it was appropriate to call the Empire to war. The Council, over the course of the Second Border War, spearheaded the offensive while Emperor Alaric oversaw the domestic policies of a realm at war.

The implication of the council allowed for potential blame to be brought onto more than just the Emperor. It’s composition of Archdukes, High Officers of the Navy and Military, the Arcane Viceroy, the Imperial Minister of War, and the Emperor himself, gave a declaration of war more backing throughout the realm. With acceptance of the Empire at war widely given, it was hoped that internal strife due to conflict would be kept at a minimum. Much to the Emperor and Minister of War’s delight, the vast majority of the Empire viewed the decision in positive light. A feeling of unification spread throughout the realm, giving to rise nationalistic pride for the nation.

### Post-Second Border War

Despite the length of the war, and no clear victor, the Elten people praised Alaric, now in his early seventies. His focus on mandating domestic peace had paid off and he and his council received praise for holding back the might of the Ulyssian military. Considered a success, a decision was made to keep the council as a permanent fixture. The Council would meet once every month (Or whenever called by the Emperor) to discuss international matters. The topics could be anywhere from potential war, to conflicts afflicting the other nations.

Despite having a well enough start, the Council’s structure began suffering from inner conflicts. Territorial disputes, meager insults, and other petty dilemmas between the Archdukes increased animosity between members. The main issue that resulted in the greatest amount of argument, was the Empire's foreign affairs policy. The two camps were for or against entering into war when it was considered. Growing tensions created vendettas and grudges that would persist from generation to generation.

### The Tragedy of Castle Aurlis

The two fiercest rivals on the council were the Archdukes Bernard Sebastian Althaus of West Ganzania and Leopold Hoch of the East. What started as the trading blows of words by their predecessors, became small border skirmishes of the Elten regions by their time. The generation spanning conflict reached a climax in 3E 1137. In an attempt to abruptly end the strife, they met in an encampment near Castle Aurlis, held by the third party advisor, Duke Hermann Krauss of Armenia. Each brought with them a small retinue. The castle sat near where the three regions met, making it a desired location for peace talks.

In short, negotiations went south, with Archduke Hoch snapping and killing Archduke Althaus with a dagger after being goaded to do so. In retaliation, Althaus’s men, led by his cousin who acted as his second, marched against the Eastern retinue. What ensued was a small but bloody battle. It was not until it was too late that Duke Krauss’s men were able to part the fighters.

The conflict between the two Archdukes resulted in great unrest, as it reflected feuding that was common of the other nobility in the realm. With the nobles, and then in turn the Archdukes over them, taking sides and further rifting other issues, the council became a volatile political battleground. Infighting proceeded until the start of the Third Border War.

### Third Border War

Emperor Friedrich Fandon II (1122-1165) relished in the chance to direct the hate towards their ancient enemy, The Empire of Ulyssia. With Ulyssia attacking first on the offensive, war was to be for preservation. This resulted in one of the few decisions that was decided unanimously by the summoned War Council. The empire felt a resurgence in unification through war, for the time, setting internal troubles aside to focus on the larger picture. The Empire succeeded in not only repelling the enemy force, but also gained significant territory from them.

Upon victory, the nation had a short lived moment of peace. The territorial gains seemed to become a curse. The archdukes and other lords bickered on who gets what. Who suffered the greatest losses, who supplied the most troops, etc, became a common argument on who is more ‘deserving’ of the acquired land.

### Present

The current post war condition of the council reflects its previous incarnation. Among these dilemmas, territorial disputes and interventionism continues to cause a rift in the Archdukes of the council. Some desire to seek alliances with the western powers or aid their dilemmas. The others oppose intervening to avoid the position the Empire will be in if they were to take a side with one of the warring western powers.

Well known to have the most advanced, and arguably strongest, military in Aevonhold, many question why the Empire has not began further conquest of nearby lands. The answer is that the council is still split between those who only side for defensive war, and those who are eager to further expand. Emperor Dorian Fandon III refuses to take a definite side. If he were to make the executive decision to go on an offensive war, the opposing Archdukes may not provide their standing armies, greatly weakening the total combined forces and directly causing domestic strife. Doing nothing brings its problems as well, the lords tend to get restless and feed on their personal hate for each other. Even now, small fighting occurs, waiting to reach a breaking point if left undealt with.

## Regions

### **Arminia**

Arminia is credited as the birthplace of Elterlein. Emperor Galen Fandon was born in the kingdom that originally resided here, and began his conquest. Arminia is full of ancient cities and keeps, with their histories dating back to its ancient kingdoms.

Geographically, Arminia contains cold pine forests and vast mountain ranges. These large mountainous areas are increasingly difficult to traverse on foot, especially in large numbers. Airships are frequently used to bypass this, but it makes these provinces difficult for invasion forces. A large portion of the Eastern Heartlands is a more temperate land, with forests and plains a common sight.

### **Eulyros**

The second oldest province and the current seat of the Empire, Eulyros was the first region to fall to Galen's conquest. Eulyros contains the Imperial Capital, Vor'Daen, and several other large, bustling cities. The Imperial Palace, and the Imperial Parliament building are situated in separate estates.

Eulyros is very similar to Arminia, geographically. It contains similar vast forests and mountain ranges, though significantly less temperate forests and plains.

### **East and West Ganzania**

The Provinces of both East and West Ganzania are equally as harsh as the Heartlands and Eulyros, but in a much different manner. West Ganzania is situated to the south of Eulyros, and contains a forest belt on its northern border, which peters out into arid badlands, and eventually desert. Large cave systems run through the entire province, purportedly used by the indigenous native population before Elten war with their people. These caves are now used by imperial miners, and criminal individuals such as smugglers and wanted criminals. East Ganzania is south of Arminia. While it's geography remains similar to West Ganzania in several ways, it contains far less mountains and caves. Instead, there are larger pine forests and a large lumbering industry.

The two provinces were split, originally, due to the fact that the single province produced more resources and made more money than Eulyros and Arminia combined. The Emperor decided it best to split the two, so as to balance things out.

### **Isles of Archangel**

The Isles of Archangel are a string of large islands on the eastern coast of the Elten mainland. These islands are less harsh, and far more temperate, favored by the upper echelons of Elten society, which gives it greater importance, despite its small size in comparison to other major provinces.

### **Kotimaa**

Kotimaa is the northernmost province of Elterlein. It's almost entirely frigid, frozen mountains and contains almost no flat land. The people of Kotimaa have a very different culture than the rest of the Elten, and have retained it due to their willingness to comply peacefully.

 Military

The Empire of Elterlein maintains a policy of a two year mandatory military service. This can be served at the age of sixteen, or at sixteen a Elten male can choose to attend one of the Empire’s universities. Upon graduation, the two years service will begin, but often this path will lead to an immediate officer rank.
Due to the emphasis and national pride pertaining to the Imperial Military, often an individual will choose to serve for longer than the mandatory two years. Attaining a Knight rank within the military is a high honour within the empire, and is a goal set by many footmen. Knight-Captains, and even more so Knight-Commanders are highly respected within Elten society.
Due to this cultural emphasis on the military, and the size of the Empire, the Elten Military is well funded, trained, disciplined and equipped.

Elten troops for the most part wear black coats with the Elten cross emblazoned in gold and red on the back. The cut of the coat differs with regiment and locale, and colours can also change. Elite guards of the Emperor and nobility wear gold coats, with the cross in black and red. Elten foot soldiers wear steel armoured leather gauntlets and boots, a steel breastplate with pauldrons, and a sallet helmet. Different units will wear different armaments, for instance crossbowmen wear open faced helmets for greater visibility. Heavy Knights go into battle with full plate armour. As these knights are often the elite of their unit, they are sometimes given a set of Elten steel full plate, though this is rare and generally reserved for high ranking officers.

The Empire’s military favour shock-and-awe tactics, often via airship bombardments and swift, relentless charges. Favouring melee combat, the bulk of their ground forces are footmen, typically armed with a hand weapon, most commonly a sword but some use axes, maces and the like, and a shield, and frequently a polearm, most often a pike, depending on situation. Crossbowmen generally operate in support roles, and are frequently less trained than the footmen, often conscript soldiers. Cavalry is the smallest portion of the army, with focus on supporting the foot troops by smashing into formations and splitting groups of enemies.

Scout squadrons are typically local recruits who are recruited in their locale during the campaign, as they are familiar with the terrain. That said, there are some scout units of full time Elten men, typically having been recruited in this manner and choosing to remain with the army. These squadrons tend to be more ethnically diverse, made up of a wide range of races to whom the Elten military offered a better way of life. In foreign territories, these experienced scouts will often accompany local scout recruits. A large number of scouts are of native Nobugohito heritage owing to its proximity to both Elterlein and Ulyssa and their natural talents and knowledge of a wide variety of terrain.

Despite the Empire’s high level of respect for military personnel, the lower ranks are generally seen as highly expendable. While they are all equipped to a decent standard and given a fair degree of training, often low ranking recruits and conscripts do not live long enough to distinguish themselves within both the military and Elten society as a whole. However, the chance to prove oneself is often jumped on to raise a soldier out of the gutter of the lower classes.