Irminsul Empire

A great Empire that covers half of the western continent, legend has it that the empire got its name from the tree of life; Irminsul. Thousands of years ago the Goddess Vita gifted her creation, the elves, a tree of life, that tree was Irminsul. 1070 years ago when the gods awakened from their slumber and the 8 nations were formed, the elves formed an Empire around their beloved tree and named it the Irminsul Empire.

## **Culture**

The Irminsulic culture mostly revolves around Irminsul, the Tree of Life. Most of the citizens of the Irminsul Empire are very religious, worshipping Vita, the Goddess of Life, at least 3 times a day, praising her for the gift that is Irminsul. The elves of the Irminsul Empire are very proficient with both light magic and nature magic, leading many to worship Flosculus, the Goddess of Nature along with Vita.

## Living Standards

The people of Irminsul have a high degree of freedom, allowing many to freely live their lives with minimal interference from the government. The elves aren't the only inhabitants of the Empire, there are also Humans, Kitsunes, Dwarves, and many other races that call Irminsul home, luckily for them, they can freely live their lives alongside the Elves. Despite being the nation ranked 2nd for freedom, worship of any god aside from Vita and any gods under her is strictly forbidden and punishable by death. Irminsul ranks 1st for healthcare.

## **Climate**

With being such a massive empire, Irminsul's climate drastically changes from it's north down to it's south. The northern portions of the empire is covered in harsh tundras of snow and ice, most of the residences of this region are not elves, but instead are Tomtes, and Frost Giants. The very southern areas of the empire is covered in deserts inhabited by Dark and Blood Elves, the rest of the empire is covered in forests with the Tree of Life standing directly in the middle of the empire.

## **Nobility**

The Irminsul Empire has a system of nobility, since the empire is so big, the Empress has difficulty managing the territory. Irminsul has both noble titles and ranks with the highest noble rank attainable is Count/Countess and highest noble title is Duchess.

* Imperial Family: Currently House de Silverpyre is the Imperial Family
	+ Empress Regnant: The Empire follows Matrilineal primogeniture, so only women can inherit the throne
		- Addressed as "Your Imperial Majesty" when speaking directly to her first time, and as "Ma'am" after
		- Addressed as "Her Imperial Majesty" when speaking about the Empress
	+ Emperor Consort: The husband of the current Empress
		- Addressed as "Your Imperial Majesty" when speaking directly to him first time, and as "Sir" after
		- Addressed as "His Imperial Majesty" when speaking about the Emperor
	+ Crown Princess/Crown Prince: The Heiress and her husband
		- Addressed as "Your Imperial Highness" when speaking directly to the first time, and as "Ma'am" or "Sir" after
		- Addressed as "His/Her Imperial Highness" when speaking about the individual
	+ Princess/Prince: The children of the Empress and Crown Princess
		- Addressed as "Your Imperial Highness" when speaking directly to the first time, and as "Ma'am" or "Sir" after
		- Addressed as "His/Her Imperial Highness" when speaking about the individual
	+ Children of Princesses don't use imperial titles, most likely their mother would have been made a Duchess and a new cadet branch would have been founded, in the off chance that a new house is not created, they would be ranked as Countesses and Counts.
	+ Children of Princes depend on their mother for a title
* Duchess/Duke: Only cadet branches of the Imperial House of Silverpyre may hold the noble rank of Duke. An example of a Ducal House is House de Martinite, the most senior cadet branch of the Imperial House.
	+ Addressed as "Your Highness" when speaking directly to the first time, and as "Ma'am" or "Sir" after
	+ Addressed as "His/Her Highness" when speaking about the individual
* Marchioness/Marquis: The highest rank available to nobles not from the matrilineal line of the imperial blood
	+ Addressed as "Your Excellence" when speaking directly to the first time, and as "Ma'am" or "Sir" after
	+ Addressed as "His/Her Excellence" when speaking about the individual
* Countess/Count: The lowest noble rank that can marry into the Imperial Family or a Ducal Family
	+ Addressed as "Your Most Honourable" when speaking directly to the first time, and as "Ma'am" or "Sir" after
	+ Addressed as "The Most Honourable" when speaking about the individual
	+ The Lady Heiress of a Ducal House would be ranked as a Countess
* Viscountess/Viscount: Viscountesses are ranked pretty low in noble society, so they would typically govern villages or a small region of villages
	+ Addressed as "Your Right Honourable" when speaking directly to the first time, and as "Ma'am" or "Sir" after
	+ Addressed as "The Right Honourable" when speaking about the individual
* Baroness/Baron: The lowest titled rank in the peerage, most Baronesses don't rule over land, just a noble house
	+ Addressed as "Your Honourable" when speaking directly to the first time, and as "Ma'am" or "Sir" after
	+ Addressed as "The Honourable" when speaking about the individual
* Lady/Lord: Ladies and Lords don't rule over houses, they are the children and siblings of the Lady of a House
	+ Ladies and Lords are simply addressed as "Lady/Lord" followed by their name
	+ All children of Duchesses, Marchionesses, and Countesses are Ladies and Lords by birth right
	+ Only the Lady Heiresses of Viscountesses and Baronesses can use the rank of Lady, the other children will use no rank or style

## **Military**

Out of the 9 nations of Ivancha, Irminsul has the largest and strongest military. The Imperial Military is commanded by a General Commander who controls the 3 branches, the Army, Navy, and Air Force, each branch differs in ranks.

### **Imperial Army**

The Irminsulic Imperial Army is commanded by a General with a Lieutenant General serving as second-in-command. The Army is further split into 4 divisions; the Imperial Knights, the Imperial Security Forces, the Holy Knights, and the Irminsul Guard. Each division is commanded by a Major General, under them are the officers; Colonels, Majors, Captains, and Lieutenants, and enlisted; Sergeant Major, Chief Sergeant, Sergeant, Corporal, Lance Corporal, Private, and Recruit.

* The Imperial Knights are the infantry, first ones into battle, last ones out.
* The Imperial Security Forces provide security for the empire, from city guard, and border patrol, to the Imperial Guard, protecting the Empress.
* The Holy Knights are a unit focused on recovery magic.
* The Irminsul Guard is the most elite unit within the military, they are small, but tasked with guarding Irminsul, the Tree of Life.

### Imperial Navy

The Irminsulic Imperial Navy is commanded by an Admiral with a Vice-Admiral serving as second-in-command. The Navy is further divided into 4 divisions; the 1st through 4th Naval Divisions, each commanded by a Rear Admiral, under them are the officers; Captains, Commanders, Lieutenants, and Sub-Lieutenants, and enlisted; Master Chief Petty Officer, Chief Petty Officer, Senior Petty Officer, Petty Officer, Leading Seaman, Seaman, and Seaman Recruit.

### **Imperial Air Force**

The Irminsulic Imperial Air Force is commanded by an Air Marshal with a Vice-Air Marshal serving as second-in-command. The Air Force is further split into 4 divisions; the 1st through 4th Dragon Knights, each commanded by a Rear Air Marshal, under them are the officers; Captains, Commanders, Lieutenants, and Flight Officers, and the enlisted; Chief Flight Sergeant, Flight Sergeant, Sergeant, Corporal, Senior Dragoon, Dragoon, Dragoon Recruit.