The Imperial Cepharii Republic

Flag of the Cepharii

*`any important info that does not fit into any of the categories can illicit its own, as ancillary info is for morsels that don't require a separate space.`*

This is an opener, intro, or other phrase that describes a paragraph with the intent of summery. You should briefly overview the nation in as concise a way as possible, no more than 4 or even 5 sentences, if needed. It does not have a heading, so it is placed above the table of contents, and is easier to access when needed. Avoid restating information from the intro in the page, unless you are expanding on said information.

## Political Structure

In order of power:

The Imperator

The Imperial Aristocracy

The Military

The Senate

The People.

Though the people have little individual power, their collective power is recognized and thus attempting to keep them content and well cared for is valued by any “Reasonable Cepharii”

Three Main Views dominate Cepharii Politics.

Those in favor of strong centralized power for the Imperator.

Those in favor of establishing a balance of power between the Senate and Imperator, or even outright restoring the Old Republic.

Those in favor of a Military Run State in order to achieve the goals of a vast empire.

The Senate handles mostly administrative matters too trivial for the Emperor to bother with, everything they say, see, breathe and defecate can be Vetoed by the Emperor.

### The Houses

Within the Imperial Aristocracy, four great houses exist.

#### House Destriex

The Founding house of the Aristocracy. House Destriex has both historical clout and a close relationship with the Imperial Legions.

They represent the traditions of the Modern Cepharii best and have been in power since the Imperial Aristocracy was formed.

#### House Kylanir

House Kylanir is a house of merchants, they represent some of the wealthiest men and women in the Imperial Republic.

They value economic prosperity for their House and the people. They can be seen as Ethical Capitalists. The majority of them prefer a State Capitalist economic approach.

#### House Arcani

House Arcani can be said to be secretive. They generally don’t involve themselves in politics directly except as mediators. In reality, they use covert force and action to support the Empire. House Arcani are said to have their roots in the network of spies and assassins Khalas the First used to weaken the Senate before marching on The City of Cephos.

Their current goals are to maintain the Stability of the Empire, by any means necessary.

#### House Fenrir

A more populist House with a rich history of honorable and chivalrous individuals.

House Fenrir is said to be the inspiration for the Foderati and during the time of Khalas the First, they were formed from the Leaders of the Militias that joined and supported Khalas, as such they have a close relationship with House Destriex. House Fenrir value the well being of the people and seek to preserve this, they have significant influence with the Civil Guard and the eldest of the Foderati and fund their House primarily through several units of Elite Mercenaries, they Specialize in two units, Fenrir’s Knights, who wear wolf skins with their Armor and operate as Legionnaire Cohorts in battle, making use of throwing spears and various shield wall formations, including Testudo. The other unit they specialize in are Aquilia’s Chosen, who are Heavy Shock Calvary and operate (and dress) similar to the Winged Hussars. Though arguably there is little practical value in the winged back armor pieces they wear, it is both undoubtedly demoralizing to the enemy and inspiring to their own ranks and the ranks of their allies.

## Social Structure

Describe the social structure of the nation here, and expand upon importation groups of people, and social classes. an example is briefly discussing noble families in a feudal system. if need be, make a separate page for more in depth information.

## Military Structure

The Cepharii Military is best explained as three Separate types of military force.

-The Civil Guard are effectively a mix of Feudal Levies and Volunteer Militia merged into an Organized Force. The Civil Guard are typically organized for defensive and garrison duties.-

-The Imperial Legions are the formal “Military Backbone” of the Offensive capabilities of the ICR. They have a focus for three primary types of units.-

Heavy Infantry

Missile Infantry (Archers, Arbalests and other Ranged Units.)

Mobile Shock Calvary (They use Calvary for hit and run attacks, Calvary are typically trained and equipped to slam into the flanks of less mobile enemy units and then retreat, gain momentum for another charge and repeat until they require rest. Typically Cavalry Units operate semi-autonomously on a tactical level when the fighting starts, allowing them to be opportunistic with their targets. Also survivalist trained light cavalry units are used for recon purposes and also as a Diplomatic Corps when dealing with newly discovered or territorially distant nations. A Heavy Shock Cavalry reserve is also utilized when Light Cavalry just simply aren’t enough. The Cepharii use their Calvary with a kind of High Medieval Lightning Warfare mentality in battle. Crush the Enemy, Crush them Quickly and deny them any chance of reorganizing.

A common half-sarcastic value of the Legions is to “Crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentations of the women!”

-The Foderati are not technically under the direct command of the ICR, but rather are Federated Semi-Autonomous (more so than a typical vassal) Realms with their own military systems. Most Foderati tend to specialize their military and their motivations can vary, be it Profit, Honor or keeping their Foderati State in high prosperity. The ICR typically prefers to establish Foderati from realms with little to no desire to militarily expand beyond dealing with a few rivals. The ICR do not look down on the Foderati, but rather value them as “The right amount of unpredictability you need to win a war.”-

The Civil Guard, Imperial Legions and Foderati also operate their own naval administrations and the ships they use reflect their purpose, the Civil Guard would prefer small patrol ships for coastal defense, the Marine Legions would prefer to have the best and biggest ships to crush the enemy in open sea when feasible and the Foderati vary.

## Political Identity

Describe how the nation relates to foreign and domestic objects, and any important political/legal notes. An example would be conscription.

## Relationships

This section addresses how the government and nation relate to others, in specific examples.

## Culture and Values

The Cepharii are both Meritocratic and Egalitarian in culture. So long as they’re able to prove they are capable, Women have no more or no less opportunities than men, though this still results in a bias towards Men for the Military, Women in the Military are not unheard of, just uncommon and usually underestimated, something they actually are keen to take advantage of whenever able.

Cepharii Culture values the Beauty of Simplicity and Efficiency. Given how horribly corruption had scarred the Cepharii people, honesty, honor and reason are now valued considerably. Bringing a cultural comparison to the Real World, they are a mix of Roman and Japanese Cultures outside of the above explanations. Their Architecture is mostly Greco-Roman.

True Love is considered the bedrock of a strong family when supported and feasible. Arranged Marriages are still common, but usually more geared towards finding two people who can keep a stable family unit both materially and emotionally, neither overrides the other, and a balance is preferred. The Cepharii also value Order achieved through Balance when it comes to larger pictures, but recognize how specialization can create Balance through many parts working together to support the whole.

The Age of Adulthood in the ICR is currently accepted to be 16 for Men and 14 for Women.

Whilst slightly taboo among the Cepharii, interfamilial romantic relations are not exactly disallowed, however the dangers of inbreeding are recognized and the more a family has inbred, the more taboo it becomes to continue seeking mates within the family.

## History

The Cepharii Republic was the founding type of government early on, but throughout wars and increasing levels of senate corruption and mismanagement, dissent from the Military and several key influential senators increased, The leading Military Commander with support from more than 70% of the Military, Khalas Destriex the First, marched upon Bothokeven after the Senate neglected appropriate consideration to the Military’s financial future after a major war was won and intentional mismanagement of agriculture led to an empire-wide famine.

Khalas the 1st founded the Imperial Family that rules today, House Destriex and diminished the Senate with support from the Military and a few Senators who held enough influence and believed that strong, centralized authority was needed to direct the Cepharii forward.

What began as a policy of military and diplomatic expansion evolved into a Peace through Strength mentality

## Ancillary Info

### Current House Leaders

House Destriex: Khalas Destriex the Second

House Kylanir: Elmyria Kylanir, Female, Age 40, Married with 3 Children, 2 male, 1 female.

House Arcani: Ervoni Arcani, Male, Age 66, Married with 6 Children, 4 Female, 2 Male.

House Fenrir: Marcus Fenrir, Age 50, Married with 2 Children, 1 Male, 1 Female.

### Currency Denominations

Aurelius (Aurelii plr.): Worth 100 Centarii, Silver Struct

Denarius (Denarii plr.): Worth 10 Centarii, Gold Struct

Centarius (Centarii plr.): Currently valued at 1 Ikon, may be debased or rebased to adjust inflation. Copper Struct