Talensi Empire

### Notes for Civil War

The Talensi Empire is a large multicultural state to the west across the ocean from Nomos. A large and generally centralized state, it is generally stable, and uses its large and advanced navy to dominate the coasts of its territory, while it employs its vast armies to keep order on land.

### History

The history of the Talensi Empire is a long one.

#### Pre-Republic Period

Prior to the rise of the Talensi Republic, the Talensi people were divided into petty kingdoms, each ruled by a warrior nobleman and his family. For some 400 years, these kingdoms were divided against one another, locked in petty squabbles for resources and honor. However, at the end of the age, a house claiming descent from ancient heroes and the legendary Serpent of the Land would rise to prominence. led by Ilota I "Zvirsa Talens, and using their holy lineage and their large armies, the Imperial House, as it would come to be called, would conquer and unify all the Talensi petty kingdoms.

These petty kingdoms would be amalgamated into the Talensi Republic.

#### Early Republic Period

The Talensi had begun expanding soon after the foundation of the Talensi Republic. Rising from the warlords of the Home Provinces and incorporating the noble families of the region into the republic as Senators, the Republic began to direct the warlike tendencies of its constituents outwardly. Led by the Imperial House, armies commanded by noblemen hailing from senatorial families would begin battling the neighbors of the Talensi, and conquering their lands and subjugating their people. These peoples would then be converted to the Talensi culture, resulting in the numerous races and ethnic groups which comprise the High Talensi today.

Over time, the Talensi would begin to expand southward as well, eventually coming into direct conflict with the Hendosuo Empire, a vast imperial power which ruled from the central river valleys of the region. The wars between the Hendosuo and the Talensi would last several centuries, as the Talensi slowly pushed the declining empire south, until the forces of the Talensi defeated the Hendosuo army at their capital. The Hendosuo Empire would the fracture into nearly a hundred successor states, making use of the shattered remnants of the army to battle amongst themselves for territory and what little resources remained. These warlords were slowly conquered over the course of the next centuries, slowly falling to the Republic's armies. Despite their fractured state the Hendosuo warlords managed to repel the Republic on several occasions, and some holdouts lasted until the Thousand Kingdoms period, where they competed with the Talensi's own warlords.

#### High Republic Period

The High Republic period would see the height of the Republic's power. Its military reigned supreme over all save the southernmost corners of its region, and its navy contested the seas with other nearby powers. Revenue would increase and the Republic's culture would reach its zenith, each Senatorial house commissioning hundreds of painters, sculptors, and architects each year to create beautiful works of art. However, it is also through this time which its rulers grew comfortable and complacent, beginning the long stagnation of the Republic, which would eventually lead to its downfall.

#### Late Republic Period

By the time of the Late Republic Period, the stagnation of the Republic had grown to the point the Senate had very little control over its member families. These families and other army commanders gained influence in different regions of the republic's vast domain, and eventually demanded more rights and privileges from the senate. The senate. by now complacent, complied, and divulged much of its power to the local authorities and army commanders across its realm. This, inevitably, led to the local authorities getting ideas about their station, and whether they should report to anyone above themselves

##### Fall of the Republic

This would inevitably lead to the republic's slow copllapse. One by one, slowly at first, then all at once, provincial officials and military commanders declared their functional independence from the Senate's authority.

The final nail in the coffin of the Republic was the near-extermination of the Imperial House at the hands of a power-hungry cabal of senatorial houses. This would destroy the empire's unity, and while as single member of the family would escape executionh, it would not be enough to save the Second Empire

#### Thousand Kingdoms Period

The Republic was fractured into hundreds of domains belonging to individual lords, much like the Hendsuo Empire before them. Battling for influence and resources, these warlords still paid homage to the Senate in word though not through deed. For centuries they would battle one another, with lords rising and falling in respective power and influence over time.

This see the revival specific aspects of Talensi martial culture, particularly those of the pre-republic period relating to honorable combat. Traditions such as the Head-Taking Ceremony, signed arrows, and duels between champion warriors on the battlefield were revived, the codes of a warrior's honor were reinstated, though modified to suit new weapons and tactics the Talensi had been exposed to from across their domain.

#### Rise of the Empire

Following more than a century of disunity and division, the holy Imperial House began to gather its soldiers in the Home Provinces. Passing reforms to its territories without the approval of the senate, and increasing its own power at the expense of that institution, it sent its armies south and began the reunification. With this, the Talensi Empire was established. Using the newly created Banner Army, the Empire rapidly overran most of its enemies in the northern, central, and western regions of the republic's old domain. Those warlords who surrendered peacefully were integrated into the new Empire, and those who resisted were slaughtered, their entire families executed and their people exterminated.

The Empire was a stable system, far more heavy-handed than the Republic was, yet this proved to be for the benefit of all, as the steady stream of taxes and the laws enforced by the empire allowed it to bring peace and stability throughout the vast region. Bandits and rebels were purged, and it reached its greatest extent, bringing the Southern Thalassocrats into its sphere of influence. In addition, the borders were garrisoned heavily, and it was able to completely prevent invasion from the outside world.

#### Age of Discovery

The Age of Discovery began with the Voyages of Janiko III. Sailing east to discover new isles on which to position naval bases, the voyage accidentally discovered the lands of Nomos. Discovering the contine t to be home to many of the powerful *shards* elployed by the Talensi in many aspects of their society, the trading post of Janiko was founded at the mouth of one of Nomos' larger trade routes. Janiko III would declare a new age to have begun, the so-called Age of Discovery, as the Talensi had their horizons expanded greatly. They began to send many fleets in every direction to discover the rest of the world, though few would return.

##### Great Reform of Talenclo I

By this point in time, the Imperial House had split into the Northern and the Southern Dynasty, with the Northern Dynasty being the ruling branch. However, they had grown lazy and stagnant, much like the republic before them, relying on the dubious loyalties and competence of their subordinates. Many had become aware of this fact, and used their positions to gather authority away from the Imperial House and into their own hands.

A member of the Southern Dynasty, Talenclo, saw what was occurring and knew it for the impending disaster it was. A student of the histories, he began to gather an army to overthrow the Northern Dynasty and prevent the fracturing of the Empire. And so, gathering likeminded lords and armies of peasants, he marched on the Capital and ousted his cousins from power, seizing the position of Emperor for himself. Despite much initial resistance from the more ambitious lords, Talenclo's large army was able to crush most rebels who rose, and he began a reform of the Empire at large, to ensure it would keep running for the next several centuries.

The greatest of his reforms included the construction of the New Capital at a location where it could easily manage all the business of the Empire, as well as the foundation of the Unspoken Commission to monitor the whole of the empire's constituents, from the highest lords to the lowest peasants. In addition, he created a new policy for the Empire when dealing with unreliable vassals and hostile foreign actors.

Before his reforms could be completed, however, Talenclo died. Whether this was due to sickness, or something altogether more sinister, is unknown. His reforms to strip the nobility of much of their power, and to centralize it completely within the office of Emperor, went unfinished. Furthermore, his reforms to the Army were never completed, leaving the empire without a significantly sized, and *competent* defensive force.

##### Present Day

The Talensi today are a vast empire, and while the partially-completed Great Reforms have held it together for the time being, dissent has spread throughout the upper and lower levels of society. Bandits stalk the highways, pirates the seas, revolutionaries openly walk the streets, and whispers of revolt abound. The empire has grown far more harsh in its treatment of both enemies of the state and its civilian population, tightening its control to prevent revolt wherever it can.

### Governing Philosophy

#### Malosom

Malosom was promoted originally as a guide for morality by several influential persons in government, but the used a group of legalist administrators in the government to slowly gather and expand government power.

This legalistic government with a facade of malosom thinking was so effective that after the Warring Period and the establishment of the Talensi Empire, it became the default ruling model.

### Imperial Office of the Talensi Emperor

An absolute monarch, who commands the Talensi Empire, and can change its policy and diplomacy on a whim. Despite this, the office is severely limited in power by the responsibility to uphold the emperor's popularity in the eyes of the aristocracy and the population of the capital. The office has extra-legal privileges, which are becoming harder to use due to rising unpopularity and opposition from the nobles and the bourgeoisie.

The Emperor himself is a central figure to both the empire's government and primary religion, the Twin Serpent Cult. The Emperor personally appoints the government's highest offices, and his word is the ultimate authority in the land.

#### Senate

The Empire's mundane laws and aspects are debated by the Talensi Senate. The Talensi Senate is comprised of members sent by the various provinces and non-state organizations such as colleges and large merchant conglomerates, however it has little actual power, as this was stripped from it many years ago.

Headed by the Procurator-General of the Imperial Senate, the Senate's responsibilities in the modern day are as follows: it controls the treasury; overseeing the bureaucracy at large, though it has now power over these branches of the government; and controlling the flow of nobles into officers' positions in the army.

#### Council of Ministers

The Imperial Council is the true governing body of the Empire. Headed by the Emperor, the Council is appointed by and provides advice and expertise to them. The Emperor personally appoints all members of the Council.

It is the Council which passes the laws suggested by the Talensi Senate and the Lower Imperial Council.

The most important positions of the Council are as follows:

* First Prince of the Empire
* Captain General of the Military
* Director General of the Administration
* High Inspector of the Surveillance Commission
* Second Prince of the Empire
* Minister of Trade
* Commander of the Fleets
* Minister of Public Affairs
* Minister of the Senate

Despite list of permanent positions, there are many more members of the Council. It has fluctuated from a meagre five members, to over 50, depending on the particular reigning emperor.

#### Lower Imperial Council

The lower imperial council is a body of councilors. Councilors can come from any background, regardless of social class or race, and are appointed personally by the Emperor.

The Council is responsible for receiving and analyzing various laws, projects and reforms which are in the process of being passed, and to provide its opinion on said laws and their likely outcomes.

It is also in charge of carrying out said laws. It is lead by Emperor-appointed High Councilor. There are usually some 20 councilors, though this number, like the Council of Ministers, fluctuates with time.

#### Provincial Administration Office

The Empire is so vast and its people so numerous that an army of government bureaucrats are required to carry out the daily functions of, and perform maintenance to, the country

The administration is organized at the provincial level, which is headed by the Provincial Governor

#### Imperial Army

The main power behind the Emperor is the military. Indeed, military force is the main backing the Emperor has to keep his realm together.

##### Organization

###### Banner Army

The military is organized into Banners. Each region of the empire is given the respobsibility of supplying and maintaining a Banner, which is identified by its color (typically a field and a border of a different color, such as a yellow field with a red border. The oldest banners have only one color, and are considered the elite of the Imperial Army). The Banners are the only army of the Talensi with access to artillery, allowing each to act as its own independent force.

Each banner is officially organized into 24 regiments, 1 each of the ethnicities of Empire, though the Talensi consist of 75% of the personnel. Due to stagnant pay and provisions, many do not even possess a mount, though their allowance was supposed to be sufficient for 3-6 horses. The reality is that this elite army was mostly part-time soldiers who do civilian work to survive and occasionally assembled for a lackluster series of drills when called upon before being told to fight, more akin to a militia army than the elite reserve it was supposed to be.

The Older banners are considered more prestigious, and are far more professional in attitude than the newer banners. Receiving more pay and better equipment, these men are routinely used to enforce the Emperor's Will upon those who were able to resist the New Banners. The Old Banners include the Red Banner, Yellow Banner, Green Banner, White Banner, Black Banner, Blue Banner, Orange banner, and the Purple Banner, among a few others.

###### Standard Army

As the Talensi began conquering their vast empire, and rapidly gained control of large tracts of formerly enemy territory, the relatively small Banner armies were augmented by local troops, typically the remnants of local armies who surrendered to the Talensi. These units, originally accepted into the Banners, were soon integrated into a new unit called the Standard Army.

Standard troops maintained their previous ranks and structure, though modified to create a standardized command structure across the empire, and are led by a mix of Banner officers and men from their own officer corps. They are generally reliable as soldiers, though they are typically stationed away from their home provinces so as to eliminate any connection between them and the local people they nominally defend.

The Standard Army has come to outnumber the Banner Army by 3 to 1, and while their equipment and training is lesser, and their position less prestigious, they make up the majority of combatants in any campaign.

###### Tiger Troops

The Talensi sometimes employ martial minorities across their empire as shock infantry. Originally brought from the Western Marches to Imperial service, a number of non-Talens indigenous tribal warriors of fearsome repute were employed, at first as auxiliaries, and then as soldiers of the Empire, in its Conquests of the South. Such tribal warriors are looked upon with disdain by both the regular army and the Talensi people, but have proven valuable assets in many campaigns. While there is a risk they may turn to banditry, they are generally loyal, as most of the officials in charge of them are of their own people, and can thus control and command their violent tendancies in a constructive way.

##### Weapons and Tactics

The Talensi Imperial Army primarily makes use of four weapons: the sword, the pike, the lance and the arquebus. While local and Tiger Troops may use any weapon, the Imperial army are generally issued the aforementioned as standard equipment.

Pikes and armor are issued to infantrymen, while arquebuses are given to skirmishers. Swords are provided to both for self-defense. Cavalry is equipped with lances or arquebuses, a sword, and armor.

Fighting as large blocks of infantry interspersed with skirmishers, with supporting cavalry, the Standard have managed to conquer and control its vast empire with its tactics and weapons. With pikemen and arquebusiers mixed in the same unit, a formation can protect itself from cavalry while dealing massive damage to infantry. Meanwhile, the Banners tend to fight as mounted cavalry, with both skirmishers and shock cavalry supported by the artillery the banners employ have access to.

##### Regional Military Commissioner

The military is organized on an imperial level, but when garrisoned in a province it is commanded by a Regional Military Commissioner, a temporary position which can be held by any officer. This office has the power to order the military to whatever actions deemed necessary for the overall stability of the Empire.

#### Unspoken Commission

Because the empire is so large, and its branches of government so powerful, there is a watchdog organization to keep them in line. The Ministry of Intelligence inserts into, observes, and reports on the other organizations of the Empire, in order to ensure they remain loyal.

##### Regional Surveillance Commissioner

The Ministry of Surveillance is a pan-imperial body of government, and its upper echelons report directly to the Emperor. However, below the highest levels, it is organized according to the provinces of the Empire. Each province's Surveillance operatives report to a single individual, titled the Regional Surveillance Commissioner.

#### Temporal Council

The temporal Council is comprised of priests and monks of the Twin Serpent Cult drawn from across the Empire. It polices religious matters and creates the policies of the faith, checks the powers of various local cults, deals with heresies and pagans, and enforces the faith of the Twin Serpents.

The Temporal Council is headed by the Chief-Procurator, who is appointed by the Emperor, who himself is one of the holiest figures in the religion. The faith was made subordinate to the Empire during the Great Reform as a means of further control of the populous.

#### Grand Coordinator

The Grand Coordinator is an important provincial office appointed personally by the Emperor. They are a form of inspector-general, and a form of ad-hoc administrator, whose duty is to facilitate interactions between, and coordinate the efforts of, the various institutions of the Province they are appointed to.

Grand coordinators could also take charge of strategically important regions that are not provinces.

Those who are granted the commission are members of no specific agency and receive commissions with no definite tenure on an ad-hoc basis, so as to remain in control until the situation is completely resolved.

Because grand coordinators are also high-ranking members of the Imperial Council, they have impeachment powers and direct access to the throne, which makes them into "provincial-level surrogate[s] of the emperor". Although they are civil officials, they also receive military titles when they supervise important military matters.

### Capitals

The Empire has two capitals. The first and original capital, which is still used as a base for most military operations, is located on the far northeastern coast of the Empire, in the Home Provinces, where the Talensi began their conquests. The New Capital, which is the basis for most government activities, was erected during the Great Reform, and was placed at a strategic location, where the primary north-south roads intersect with the largest east-west highway, and it is near the largest river in the empire. It is the center of almost all administration in the Empire today.

### Organizations

#### Noble Houses

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of noble houses in the Empire. Ranging from the High Talensi of the Home Provinces to the Clans of the Thalassocrats, the influence of bonded nobles cannot be escaped. They may be of a number of races, cultures and faiths, yet each carries significant influence, in both their home region and the empire at large.

##### Influential Noble Houses

The following is a list of some influential noble houses and clans from across the Empore. It is by no means complete.

###### Imperial House

The Imperial House is the ruling family of the Talensi Empire. The House is descended from the Serpent of the Land, the only house which bears this honor. Is split in two branches, the Northern and the Southern branch, of which the Southern Branch currently rules.

###### Hindslo Family

The Hindslo family is a noble house hailing from the Northwest Marches. It is the most powerful of the Marcher Families, though it faces competition from its neighbors and other families on the Marches.

###### Yeyabog Clan

The Yeyabog Clan is a powerful clan of Palhlo warlords from the Southern Isles. They are of ambiguous loyalties, and have been both assets and hinderances to the Empire in the region. They are among the foremost sponsors of piracy in the region, and are among the greatest naval commanders in the world, employing their experience as pirates to great effect.

###### Shinage Family

The Shinage family arew a group of powerful administrators to the Empire. Making up several of the most prominent of the ministers of the government, they have accumulated generations of experience as governors and diplomats, making them fierce opponents on the political field.

###### Dyyits Family

The Dyyits family is a family with a long tradition of military service. Commanding the initial excusions of the Talensi beyond their Home Provinces in the northeastern swamps, they have continued to supply excellent officers for the Imperial Army, and have a reputation for reliability and the ability to bring victory.

#### Local Armies

Throughout the Empire, there are forces used by the local nobility to ensure the stability of their territory. These groups may range in size from small retinues of retainers of the local lord, to vast hosts of soldiers used for policing their holdings and destroying bandit incursions. They are variously equipped, dependent on the local lord's wealth, the local laws, and his favor with the central government. While most laws forbid the substancial arming and armoring of any forces, those who curry the favor of the government may be granted exceptions to these regulations.

Local armies are found across the Empire, typically in the form of retinues to the local nobility. These forces are subordinate to the Imperial Army in times of war, and are seen as the first line of defense in the event of a war. However, they are also viewed as a potential challenge to imperial control, and they are often used against the Empire when a lord rebels, to both train the local rebels and to provide the backbone of the rebel army when in battle. For this reason they are heavily policed, with very few of their number being allowed to carry swords or spears; the majority are relegated to use of clubs and cudgels.

#### Dushlo-Revolt

The Dushlo-Revolt, lit. *Soul Revolt* is a catch-all term for a number of autonomous militant cults which formed in several regions of the Talensi Empire, and revolted against Talensi control. Backed by local religions, and sometimes cooperating with one another, these militant cults oppose the rule of the Emperor and the central government.

Mainly consisting of priests, peasants, merchants and local lords who followed the sect, they sometimes associat with non-followers of the sect, which is how they coordinate with one another, despite sometimes being the only part of their sect in the revolt. making use of firearms, pikes and swords, the Dushlo Revolt movement has managed to rise very suddenly as a significant threat to central authority, and presents a menacing and credible threat to the government, as a peasant can transform into a gunner or pikeman in a matter of days.

##### Fortifications

The primary power of the Dushlo Revolts are their fortifications. Often placed in remote yet strategic positions, such as mountaintops, these fortresses enable them to strike Talensi assets at will, while being able to endure the reprisal onslaught. Usually built near water access, so as to allow riverine or maritime resupply, it may take decades to take a Dushlo fortress.

The fortresses of the Dushlo are often repurposed monasteries and other religious sites of that sect's faith. The monasteries were often already fortified, and placed in remote, yet accessible locations, which made them perfect for Dushlo operations.

##### Weapons, Training and Lifestyle

The Dushlo-Revolt bands, us varied armor and armament. Many wear the more traditional priest robes or peasant's clothes, with varying degrees and types of armor. Some wear various sorts of helmets, while others opt for the straw hat and cloak of a peasant. Swords remain very common, along with a variety of polearms and daggers, and a limited number of arquebuses, as well as many pikes, which are known across the world as the weapon of a revolting people. Finally, while not truly armor nor armament, a very common item wielded by the mobs of priest warriors was a banner with a slogan of their sect written upon it. Some of the more common slogans include "He who advances is sure of salvation, but he who retreats will go to hell", "Hail the Righteous Gods", and those Dushlo of the Twin Serpents or with Ruby sympathies, though rare, use the phrase "Down with the False Emperor", in reference to the Great Reform.

#### Malokuvi

##### Malokuvi Ideology and History

There is a group who believes that the government should be doing as little as possible to interfere with its citizens lives. They believe that the government should do the minimum expected of a government, instead enabling the country to function as naturally as possible, and to enable natural trends to take precedence over government demands. This group was originally the dominant line of thought in the Talens Republic, but it was soon replaced by the more active and dictatorial *Malosom* thought, during the ancient Late Republic period.

##### Malokuvi Parties

Malokuvi remains a popular fringe ideology, and has been gathering adherents in the past years. Recently, as a reaction to the current government style of the Empire, groups who adhere to the Malokuvi ideology have begin to sping up in opposition to its current policies. These parties have proven popular among the urban Bourgeoise, to the point they have become considered a threat to the stability of the Empire, and the Surveillance Commission has begun to crack down on their activities and gatherings.

#### Kuvidorij Party

The Kuvidorij, lit. Government by the Spear, are a political party comprised of military officers and other soldiers, which values strong central government, discipline, and honorable conduct. The Kuvidorij also serve as paramilitary groups, used by the Surveillance Commission to eliminate threats to the Empire, such as political dissonants.

The Kuvidorij party is a nationalistic party which advocates for a military first policy in the Empire, and the destruction of all its threats.

##### Civil Actions

When members of the Kuvidorij party, mostly former military officers, go into politics, they often wear clothing stylized after military armor while in public, to show their allegiance to the party (proper armor is outlawed in the Talensi Empire). The politicians often advocate for more military funding out of the national budget, and to prioritize it further in national thought.

##### Paramilitary Actions

The Kuvidorij party also comprises a number of experienced ex-soldiers, who are extremely loyal to both their officers in the party, who often led them in the field, as well as the nation itself. This bond of brotherhood between the politicians and the ex-soldiers leads to dangerous scenarios, wherein the politicians have a group of ruthless thugs to intimidate their opponents. To curry favr with the population, the Kuvidorij often dispatch their ex-military goons to end threats such as bandits, and will often use their forces to aid government forces in the destruction of revolts.

The Unspoken Commission will often work closely with the Kuvidorij to eliminate particular threats to the nation, such as dissonants. One such incident occurred when a company from the party was tasked with dispatching a popular peasant leader in the New Capital, who was stirring up dessent among the lower classes. The Kuvidorij company tasked with the elimination of the woman brutally lynched her in public using clubs and hammers, before throwing her body into a sewage canal to be discovered later. These activities allow the Kuvidori to maintain its favor with the government as well as allowing the Surveillance Commission to keep its hands clean of the assassinations it orders.

#### Palhlo of the Southern Seas

The Palhlo, lit. Pirates, of the Southern Seas is a generic title given to the Pirate Kingdoms of the Thalassocrats in the Sea of a Thousand Isles, to the south of the mainland Talensi Empire. The Palhlo may be independent criminals, or official representitaves of one of the various Thalassocrat lords, though the name is applied without thought to both.

The Palhlo are frequently organized into vast fleets and armies, which can number hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of men. These fleets are commanded by a single pirate admiral, or a council of commanders. The Palhlo are a very dangerous group, who prey upon Talensi coasts and shipping from the Sea of a Thousand Isles as far north as the Old Capital. They are famously mercenary in their attitudes, sometimes working for the highest bidder, and using their own fleets to augment the Talensi Imperial Fleet in battles against forces further south, sometimes using their vast fleets to obliterate Talensi warships.

The Palhlo are sometimes sponsored by, sometimes the enemies of, the Thalassocrats, who see their activities as both a boon and a niucense depending on the particular disposition of the lord. Some Thalassocrats become Palhlo admirals and kings in their own right, using the Palhlo as their own navy to control broad sections of the Sea of a Thousand Isles.

##### Activities at Sea

Palhlo are just as likely to work as honest merchants as they are pirates. They tend to demand ransoms from ships they cross paths with, and to buy their protection while they travel through their waters. This is often taken in the form of silver or the goods said ship was carrying, typically rice.

Palhlo fleets can grow to enormous sizes, some pirate kings commanding over a thousand ships and boats of varying sizes. The Palhlo often serve under a Thalassocrat lord, which can result in massive sea battles of pirate fighting pirate in the Sea of a Thousand Isles.

##### Activities on Land

Interestingly, the Palhlo often forgo their boats, and land large armies of pirates ashore across the southern and southeastern coasts of the Empire, as well as the other countries bordering the Sea of a Thousand Isles. These pirate armies often number in the tens of thousands, and they go on ravaging campaigns as far as 100 miles inland, requiring the central and local governments of the Empire to raise large forces to thrust them back.

The pirates also work as smugglers, and often work in partnership with the local elite, who get a share of the cut for their cooperation. In addition, they also serve as effective mercenaries and assassins, with members of the court often hiring crews of Palhlo to pose as tribute-bearers from the Southern Isles and get close to, then assassinate, their rivals. Some smaller bands of pirates make use of fast attacks and speed, moving quickly as far as 300 miles inland before returning with their plunder.

The Palhlo also maintain permanent bases on the isles of the southern sea. With or without the blessing of the local lords, they build settlements and ports, from which they stage their operations. Some are so advanced as to be the sizes of cities, and a few even mine silver from the nearby hills using slave labor captured on their raids.

#### Shastjezda Movement

The Shastjezda Movement, also known as the Red Star Rebellion, is a peasants movement which began in the central regions of the Empire. Seeking the destruction of all who will not convert to the Twin Serpent Cult and the High Talensi culture, the peasants of the Red Star movement have been classified as Bandits, though the central government rarely reprimands or punishes them outright, aside from a few executions. Rather, they use them indirectly as a tool to cause more to convert to the High Talensi Culture and the Serpent Cult.

Wearing red turbans, the members of the Shastjezda movement are radicals, who wish that all in the empire be Talensi. Spawned from a rebellion against a pagan local lord, who taxed the members of the Serpent Cult, the Talensi of his land revolted and killed him, before moving on to neighboring fiefs and doing the same. Quickly, though, their goals changed, and they began killing any who was not Talensi, or could not recite the Holiest Prayer by heart. The movement began to spread among the Talensi peasantry of the central region of the Empire.

Regarding the movement, the government views them as radicals who destabilize the peace of the Empire, though some sections of government covertly contact the Red Star to carry out attacks on those local forces which oppose the Talensi. The Second Prince of the Empire is a well-known patron of the Red Star Movement.

#### Bahnin Cults

One of the most sinister movements in the Empire are the Cults of Bahnin. Little is known of them.

Working with the eldritch forces of stagnation, these corrupted people seek to end all change in the universe. Depite the oxymoron, these people will stop at nothing to achieve the goal of their god. Laying down their lives in suicidal attacks against whatever stands in their way, they have considerable influence among the population, and while the operate from the shadows, striking at their objectives from the dark. Blending into the population, they cause fear and disruption in terroristic cloak-and-dagger attacks on those they consider enemies, which is the entire population.

The cults are in a perpetual process of being hunted by central and local government forces, though they have infiltrated almost every institution of the Empire on almost every level. Rooting them out will be an impossibility.

#### Ruby Loyalists

The Ruby Loyalists are a political movement which supports the elevation of the Northern Dynasty of the Imperial House to the throne of the Talensi Empire. The name derives from the red color of the Northern Dynasty's banner, and is opposed by the Emeralds, Southern Dynasty supporters.

When the Northern Dynasty was granted to the Old Capital and the Home Provinces, many of the conservative members of the nobility and the public were enthused, as the Northern Dynasty supported the rights of nobles and didnt agree with many of the reforms passed by Talenclo. Any opposition facing the reforms coming from within the Imperial House itself was welcome to the nobility, who wished to retain their old ways and power. The Ruby Loyalists also find great support from libertarians in the Empire.

Opposing the heavy-handed control and observation the current regime places its citizens under, the Ruby Loyalists hail from many walks of life. From peasants who find themselves oppressed by the new system, to merchants who are heavily taxed to fund the newly enlarged government, to the nobles who have had their power limited, and other sources, the Ruby Loyalists comprise many groups.

##### Loyalist Actions

The Ruby Loyalists are found throughout the empire, and their bands are as diverse as the people who make up their ranks. Some operate as clubs, others as political parties, and yet more as bandits and "freedom fighters". Their activities range from spreading pamphlets on the government's wrongdoings, to sparking anti-government riots, and even conducting attacks on government assets.

For spreading dissent, the Ruby Loyalists have been outlawed across the Empire. The Unspoken Commission keeps track of all those who might be Ruby Sympathizers, and executes them brutally. This, however, does not stop the Rubies, who continue to carry out their activities heedless of any punishment that may be levied on them if caught.

###### Ruby Corsairs

The Ruby Corsairs are a particularly notable brand of the Ruby Loyalists. Operating from ships on the high seas, these privateers are granted commissions by an unknown figure, known only as *The Mother*. They carry out attacks on government assets, as well as those belonging to known Emerald supporters. They have severaly disrupted shipping in the Empire, and tend to operate along its eastern seaboard.

The most famous of these attacks was the Great Raid of Janiko, wherein a group of Ruby Corsairs of unknown commission arrived off the coast of Nomos and destroyed the burgeoning trading post of Janiko, which supplied the Talensi with the majority of the powerful Shards used in their weapons and magic. Obliterating the small defenses of the town, and carrying off everything of value within, including most of its inhabitants, the Ruby Corsairs then burned the wooden structure and disappeared into the western sea.

The origins of the Ruby Corsairs, from which ports they operate, and who grants them their commissions are unknown. It is thought that any ship flying the Imperial Banner might be a Ruby Corsair in disguise.

##### Ruby Loyalist Hotbeds

There are many regions and cities which harbor sympathies to the Rubies. The Old Capital and the city of Janiko are the most prevalent, however.

The Old Capital is the headquarters of the Northern Dynasty, and many of their supporters congregate there to show their support to the cause.

The city of Janikop, however, is different. It is a hotbed of political and religious refugees from across the empire, fleeing persecution by the State or by the Faith of the Twin Serpents. Here, many political dissidents gather beyond the reach, but not the sight, of the Unspoken Commission, and formulate their plots to overthrow the Southern Dynasty and to install the Northern Dynasty as Emperor.