Iysgarth Empire

## A brief history

The Iysgarth Empire was founded by Ivor the Bloody of House Garth in the year 1632 PB. By the 1840s, the Iysgarth Empire ruled almost all of Ostaria and the Archipelago to the west. However, since then, a series of civil wars and other disasters led to a period of widescale rebellion across the Archipelago. Consequently, for the past 50 or so years, the Empire's extent has been limited to most of Ostaria (minus Merchendale , Naraccard and the Wastelands , which were never really part of the Empire to begin with) and the Island of Ansgarth. The Empire still retains vast economic, diplomatic and military power, so many in the Archipelgao remain fearful of future Iysgarthian aggression. The flag of the Iysgarth Empire depicts the blood-owl of House Garth beneath a crescent moon.

A detailed history of House Garth and Iysgarth Empire is given in a tome titled "The Rise and Fall of the Iysgarth Empire", written by esteemed historian Melanie Loverby.

## Current extent

Despite being significantly smaller than at its peak, the Empire still retains control of a vast region. The current extent of the Iysgarth Empire is made up of six districts:

* Ansgarth

* Eastcairn

* Faendorei

* The Orrinshires (inc. Ramsdale)

* The Birsacks

* Iysgarth  (inc. Cinderfall and Porthextor)

### Ansgarth

Formerly known as Tahir, Ansgarth was the first territory to be added to the Empire by Ivar the Bloody. The local populous (largely dragonborn) have never staged a successful rebellion, though underground separatist groups are still widespread in rural regions, and continue to disrupt and attack Iysgarthian officials and outposts to this day.

### Eastcairn

Eastcairn is a large dwarven city built into the cliffs of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Whilst still part of the Empire, the dwarves of Eastcairn have ruled the district with semi-autonomy for hundreds of years. Most of the dwarves are very pro-Empire, as the Empire provided them with much needed connectivity and trade with the rest of Ostaria and beyond. Eastcairn is a centre for mining and military engineering.

### Faendorei

Faendorei is a large elven city built deep within the Valenar forests. Like Eastcairn, Faendorei has been ruled by the elves with semi-autonomy for hundreds of years. However, unlike the dwarves, certain groups of elves hold significant anti-Empire sentiments.

### The Orrinshires

The Orrinshires extend from the edge of the fertile plains of Iysgarth to the Birsack mires to the west and the Valenar forest to the north. It is a region dominated by rolling hills and small settlements of halflings and gnomes. The largest settlement in the Orrinshires is Ramsdale, which is a human-dominated outpost town right on the border of the Valenar forest. The Orrinshires share a large border with The Wastelands, suffering regular attacks by herds of orc, goliath, goblins and worse.

### The Birsacks

The Birsacks is a district dominated by uninhabitable swampland. It is the poorest region of the Empire and is composed of a multitude of small human and lizard-folk villages. This district is largely ignored by the Empire, and the people within it are similarly apathetic towards Iysgarth. The largest town with the Birsacks is Fishguard, located in the far SW of the region.

### Iysgarth

Iysgarth  is a gigantic metropolis located in the centre of a vast plain of fertile land that stretches from the town of Cinderfall to the west to the town of Porthextor in the east. The city of Iysgarth  is unparalleled in terms of its size, easily triple the size of Merchendale, with legendarily impressive defences. Iysgarth  is the capital of the Empire, and is the location of the Copper Spire Fortress, which is the ancestral home of House Garth, and the current residence of the current High Emperor / Empress. Iysgarth  is a major centre for trade, with hundreds of ships from the Empire and the Archipelago arriving and leaving every day.

## Politics

Since the civil wars of the early 1900s, overall rule of the Empire shifted from the High Emperor / Empress to the "High Council of Iysgarth". The High Council is made up of 15 (mostly unelected) members including the current High Emperor / Empress who is the Council Chair and has power to set the Council's agenda. Of the other 14 council seats, three are always held by members of House Garth (who are responsible for the treasury, Iysgarth City affairs and foreign affairs), with the remaining 11 held by the individuals in the following positions:

* The High Lord or Lady of Eastcairn (who is voted for by Eastcairn's populous, vote every 5 years)
* The High Lord or Lady of Faendorei (who is voted for by Faendorei's populous, vote every 5 years)
* The High Archbishop of the Triad (which is the main religion of Iysgarth)
* The Supreme Law Master (the highest ranking commander of the Iysgarthian Judiciary)
* The Lord High Admiral of the Fleet (the highest ranking commander of the Iysgarthian Imperial Navy)
* The Field-Marshal (the highest ranking commander of the Iysgarthian Imperial Army)
* The Dean of the University of Iysgarth
* 4 x representatives of the Guilds Alliance (voted for by members of the Guilds Alliance, which is a powerful coalition of trade bodies, producers and wealthier merchants. Vote every 5-years).

Most motions within the council are passed with a simple majority. However, if the council wish to impeach and remove the current High Emperor / Empress (as happened to High Empress Cristina in the year 2014 PB following a major corruption scandal), they must secure a greater than two-thirds majority, i.e. 11 votes.

## Society and religion

The Iysgarth Empire relies strongly on law and order to keep its territories in check. The Empire has a myriad of laws and regulations covering everything from trade to use of magic. These laws are generally only adhered to strictly in the main cities, with rural regions more or less doing what they want.
In terms of religion, the Triad is by far the most popular, though many also follow the Platinum dragon as well as the various race-specific pantheons. Religions deemed "evil" by the Empire are strictly outlawed, and defined "false worship" can be punished by death.