The Aquilan Empire

From the sweltering sands of the Bronze Desert, to the towering forests of the Seordah, the Aquilan Empire has stood fast against all opposition. While Aquilan legions steadily expand their borders, the nobility sits comfortably in their sprawling estates, tended to by slaves harvested from conquered lands.

## Aquilan Society

The Aquilans are lead by a Senate, elected from the nobility, by the nobility. The Senate controls every aspect of daily life, from the building of new infrastructure, to the laws that govern the plebians. The Senate is not completely independent. It is guided and advised by the *Collegia Opificum,* the guilds that produce the trade goods which fund the entire empire. Conversely, the Senate is lead by the Emperor, a near deific entity of phenomenal magical power. A proportion of each *Collegium*'s output is funneled directly into empowering the Emperor, and as such his position is unassailable.

**The Slaves:** Aquilan slaves are taken from any of the numerous lands that surround the empire. It is not uncommon to see burly Northmen working shoulder to shoulder with stocky Ullarians under the yoke of their overseers. Slaves have no rights at all, and can be punished or even killed with impunity. Slaves are used for all sorts of labour, from mining for alchemical reagents to serving the whims of the nobility.

**The Plebians:** The majority of Aquilan citizens are plebians, and form the working class of Aquilan society. While they are granted rights under the law, they are also subject to it, and are heavily taxed. The vast majority of plebians work for one of the *Collegia*, working to produce industrial and trade goods for the empire.

**The Nobility:** While they are the least numerous segment of Aquilan society, they own the vast majority of the property within the empire. Only nobles can be selected for Senate office, and only the nobility are accepted into the higher echelons of the *Collegia*. They are often exempted from taxes, allowing them to truly enjoy their unrivaled wealth.

While the nobility of many cultures will put focus on extending their family line as far as possible and gathering wealth, the Aquilans regard illustrious deeds and influence as the most important indicators of success. Many noble families raise their first born from infancy for the upper ranks of the *Collegia,* the Senate or the legion, on the basis that descendants are pointless if you have no glory to pass down to them. Wealthy landowners living comfortably off their earnings are looked down upon and their nominations for Senate are rarely heeded.

Nobles usually name their children with a given name and generational name along with their family name. Given names are often numerical in order of birth, but may be changed during one's life to reflect an achievement, personality trait or rank. Given names are usually used only in the family if numerical, or among close friends if not. Both former names may be used for clarity in cases where multiple sets of siblings are present.

**The Emperor:** Living in an opulent estate, accessible only by his private *Legio Imperialis,* the Emperor lives a life of boundless luxury. Very few know exactly what occurs inside, but carts alchemical and magical equipment never seem to stop entering the compound.

## The Collegia

The *Collegia* are trade guilds that wield significant political power as well as incredible wealth. Many field their own private police forces, or even full fledged armies in their quest to produce goods for the empire.

    ***Collegia Alchemicus*:** The guild of alchemists is one of the most powerful of the *Collegia,* despite their fairly limited output. Outside the military, plebians are unlikely to see any alchemical products, and even within the legions their use is rare. The majority of the empire's alchemical output is funneled directly into the nobility, designed to heal their illnesses and enhance their enjoyment of life's pleasures.

Alchemists that advance high enough in the *Collegia* can reach the rank of *Magistra* (or *Magistrum*), where they are sent out across the empire in order to perform their own individual research. Even slaves can reach this rank, provided that they show outstanding abilities in their field. In towns without a significant guild presence many people's only contact with the *Collegia* is through the *Magistra*.

***Collegia Arcana*:** The arcanist's guild has two primary functions. One is the 'liberation' of magical artifacts and techniques from conquered nations, while the other is the production and refinement of what is discovered. This role means that they work closely with the Aquilan legions, and every unit is paired with a *Veneficus* who provides magical support as best they can. The *Veneficus* ensure that any magical leads are followed up, and that opposing mages cannot gain a significant advantage.

Within the empire the *Collegium* has massive magical factories in order to produce their varied designs. From Seordah-Sil runeplates, to High Elven staves, the empire is never short of magical firepower.

***Collegia Machinator*:** While it is not the most profitable of the *Collegia,* the guild of engineers is by far the most widespread. Every time a new bridge needs crossing, or a river damming, the *Machinatorum* are the guild that get the job done. They own thousands of slaves, and employ nearly as many plebians operating throughout the full extent of the empire.

***Collegia Ferraria*:** This *Collegium* is immensely valuable to the empire, but is only present in certain areas. All mining and quarrying, as well as all metal and stone work fall within the purview of the *Collegium Ferraria.* This means that they work closely with all of the other *Collegia,* and the military, building facilities and selling tools and ingredients. In the ore-rich areas that they work in the *Collegia Ferraria* are the undoubted rulers, but they rarely attempt to intervene in politics outside their remit.

## Notable Aquilans

### **The Cornelii**

A highly influential and long reaching family in the upper-middle ranks of the nobility, the Cornelii have have recently fallen on hard times.

**Cornelius Cassianus Cornelius:** The patriarch of the Cornelii. As a high ranking overseer of the *Collegia Machinator* he has his name applied to many marvels of civil engineering around the lands of the empire. More adept at currying favour with the senate than any innovative mathematical brilliance, he is quite happy to take the burden of command from the engineers and labourers that are his subordinates. As is custom amongst esteemed nobles, he has taken on his family name as his given name to represent his dominance over the family.

**Prima Valeria Cornelia:** The first child of Cornelius, Prima Valeria was trained from an early age for command of the empire's legions. Currently a Tribune (Second in command) of the 13th legion, she is more often found carousing with the other high ranking officers than discussing military strategy, a task she leaves to the lower born strategists under her command. Although she is kept away from the front lines during battle she is a fearsome and bloodthirsty warrior, taking down any enemies who slip through the ranks with great enthusiasm.

**Secunda Valeria Cornelia:** The second daughter of Cornelius. As Prima showed great promise as a successful commander, Secunda was chosen by her parents to continue the family line and safeguard the family's interests. She was married at the age of 16 to the third son of the even more illustrious Galerii family, a very beneficial arrangment that required their children to take the Cornelius name. Currently she has two children, and her unrvialled knowledge of law and custom has allowed the family to mitigate the worst effects of her younger sister's actions.

**Tertia Valeria Cornelia:** Although her parents planned for their third child to enter one of the Collegia and continue the family's trade influence, Tertia's natural agility and dexterity led them to train her for the emperor's secret police instead. This backfired somewhat, as her other natural traits included a profound disrespect for ownership and authority. She succeeded in entering the secret police's prestigious and discerning training academy, the *Academia Secretorum*, and excelled in all her assessments. However, her stubborn refusal to follow orders led to a dishonourable discharge. In an attempt to dispel the scandal and find a way to avoid her becoming a drain on the family's resources, her parents brokered a marriage to a much lower born noble, the only one that would become associated with them after the scandal. On the night before the wedding, Tertia was provoked by her husband to be, and murdered him in a fit of rage. She escaped the city before the body was found, leaving her family in disgrace and disarray.

### **The Vespasii**

The Vespasii are a lower ranked family of the nobility, with ambition to expand their influence beyond their minor trading links.

**Quintus Marius Vespasian:** The unfortunate fiancé of Tertia Valeria Cornelia. A minor official of the *Collegia Ferraria*, he was put forward by his sister Vespasia as a potential suitor for Tertia Valeria as the connection with such a great family, no matter how disgraced, would be a step up for them.

**Vespasia Maria Vespasian:** After the death of her two older brothers in a shipwreck, Vespasia gave up her position in the *Collegia Ferraria* to take on the role of family matriarch and look after her two nephews. Her goal is to bring her family greatness, no matter how many sacrifices must be made.

**Vindictus Marius Vespasian:** A centurion of the 27th legion and the fourth son of the Marius generation, Vindictus took on his given name as a vow to avenge his murdered younger brother.

### **Other nobles**

**Tertius Gaius Galerius:** The husband of Secunda Valeria Cornelia.