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Post by pringerbeam on Jul 23, 2014 6:21:55 GMT -8
=The Ordawn Empire=
Population
-50% Human
-20% Dwarf
-10% Halfling
-10% Elf
-5% Gnome
-5% Orc/Half-orc
The Ordawn Empire spans most of the eastern reaches of the continent of Dolan. To the northwest lies the Iron Mountains and its residents, the Iron Tribes (as typically known to the Ordawn) or the Iron Kings (they prefer to refer to themselves by their lord's house). To the southwest the empire is bordered by The Greatwall to keep out barbarian attack from the unclaimed frontiers beyond. The Empire is divided into 10 provinces with Ordawn Province conntaining the imperial capitol of Ordawn at the mouth of the Dragon's Tongue river. Each province is ruled from a provincial capitol by a provincial lord.
The population of The Empire is primarily human with the next largest population beign dwarves, though mostly concentrated in the southwestern Stonespire Province. Halfings, though more concentrated in the Dwarven Highlands of Stonespire Province, are found throughout the Empire. Elves are the dominant race in Deepwood Province where they origionally called home. However, they have over time spred throughout the empire and are commonly seen throughout the Empire despite their lower population. Though somewhat uncommon, Gnomes can be found throughout the Empire either alone, or as nomadic gypsies which travel across all of the continent of Domar. Orcs and half-orcs are found in the empire, though mostly as slaves (which are legal in the empire).
The reach of the Empire stretches beyond the shores of Dolan as imperial expeditions seek riches beyond the heart of the empire. Imperial outposts can be found in many lands where the empire conducts trade and seeks influence.
The Political Structure of the Ordawn Empire
The emperor and the ruling assembly
In most matters the Ordawn Empire is governed by the ruling assembly which is in turn ruled by the emperor himself. The ruling assembly is composed of a delegate from each province, a delegate from the imperial army, a delegate from the imperial academy, as well as a delegate from the imperial pantheon. The actual power of these positions depends greatly on the emperor in power but regardless of this the assemblymen are of a select few with direct access to the emperor's ear.
Provincial Rule
Each province is governed by a magistrate appointed by the emperor. Below the governor are the lords which have been granted rule of their respective swaths of land either by the magistrate or a member of the imperial household. The lords can be called together to convene and conduct governing matters such as elect (usually from their own ranks) the assemblyman for their province or discussing province-wide edicts and measures.
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Post by pringerbeam on Jul 23, 2014 6:23:15 GMT -8
-The Imperial Academy-
The Imperial Academy is the go-to for anything arcane in the Ordawn Empire. Tasked with educating and overseeing the magically inclined citizens of the empire, the Imperial Academy is granted a certain amount of autonomy in dealing with those who fall under their domain. This includes making sure that all magic users are keeping their business clean and untainted by necromancy or other banned practices such as unregistered pacts with otherworldly beings.
-Sanctioned Magi-
To carry out its governing duties, the Imperial Academy sanctions as many arcane spell casters as possible as long as they give information regarding their activities and whereabouts on a yearly basis. Not all spell casters are sanctioned and it is unknown whether it is common or rare for one to submit for sanction. Of those who do submit for sanctioning the majority do so out of necessity, wary that in times of war when war-magi are in high demand their whereabouts are known when the imperial army is looking for conscripts. The necessity though of being sanctioned often comes to light at the end of a paladin's sword when an unsanctioned mage becomes the scapegoat of a local incident.
-Academy Membership-
For those (sanctioned) magi who wish for a life of academia and magical research membership in the Imperial Academy is a coveted goal. The ranks of the academy are arranged into 11 ranks called silver circles. The 1st circle is the lowest rank and often the position of the weakest members of the academy with minimal benefits and often a subordinate clerical or servant position. The number members in each rank dwindles somewhat as they ascend with the 11th circle only ever containing 10 members which are chosen from the 10th circle for life. Among the 11th circle, one is elected to take the seat on the ruling assembly and have direct access to the emperor. For those who cannot make it to the top though, the Imperial Academy has many positions available. The magi of each province are overseen by an academy magistrate in the provincial capitol who oversees postings and positions within their realm. Each province has an imperial academy in the provincial capitol where any local magi can go to train with the largest and most prestigious being located in the imperial capitol of Goldthrone. Lords often request an imperial magi for consultations and are entitled to one if they request it as long as there are enough. These positions are highly coveted for their stipends and for how generous/lenient/powerful/easily manipulated the lord in question may be.
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Post by pringerbeam on Sept 24, 2014 22:47:53 GMT -8
The Ages of Ordawn: A Rough History
Pre-founding: Count backwards from the beginning of the Age of Founding, as far as any distinguished imperial scholars are concerned this is all worthless mythology.
Age of Founding: 112 years
The Founding of the Kingdom of Ordawn by Orell the Chosen King when he was granted the divine sword Golden Might on the Dragon's Tongue Delta. Ends with the death of Orell and the passing of the crown to Orell's firstborn son: Kinwel.
Age of Unification: 238 years
Begins with the ascent of King Kinwel to the throne. Ends with the death of emperor Austol 36 years after the acceptance of the dwarven highlands into the empire and the defeat of the Iron Tribes in the highlands.
Age of Prosperity: (Year 298 = Present for Swordfall)
Begins with the ascent of emperor Regalus II to the throne. Presently emperor Vaulen III sits upon the throne to be succeeded by one of his twin sons: Kinwel IV or Denirus II
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Post by pringerbeam on Sept 25, 2014 1:39:48 GMT -8
Religion in the Empire
The citizens of the Ordawn empire tend to follow the ten gods of the Ordawn pantheon. The Kel also known as the dark gods are worshiped differently than the others due to their more evil nature. Open worship of them, while not banned, is highly frowned upon and watched by the inquisition. No clerics that are members of the church are openly aligned with the Kel but for one exception: the Keeper of the Black Book. The Keeper of the Black Book is dedicated to the Kel and is kept imprisoned in the capitol city and only consulted on rare occasion when the need for guidance from the sacred text he safeguards is essential.
Church Structure
Future clerics in rural areas are often apprenticed by their local clergy and take up the maintenance of their home shrine as their predecessor retires except for a single pilgrimage to Goldthrone to be registered. Other clerics who lack such a mentor find a monastery to train at until they graduate and are registered after a similar pilgrimage to Goldthrone. Such clerics are often then given free reign to practice their craft. Many of them choose to work at established shrines or monasteries for a stipend but some join the inquisition or simply choose to roam about.
Paladins and inquisitors tend to almost exclusively join the inquisition which is a powerful, albeit small, organization. Tasked with seeking out evil within (and occasionally without) the empire, the inquisition polices the clergy of the church to ensure none are breaking their vows or abusing their position. They also seek out evil beasts and undead monsters which threaten the good folk of the empire. While not officially given the authority, they are also the self imposed watchdogs of registered magi and bloodhounds for unregistered casters. Because of this they often clash with the imperial academy over matters of tracking down magicians or magical artifacts. Oftentimes, inquisitors are given missions by the empire which require great skill but small numbers that would be difficult to entrust to the imperial legion.
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Post by pringerbeam on Sept 25, 2014 21:17:14 GMT -8
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Post by pringerbeam on Sept 25, 2014 21:55:39 GMT -8
Significant Cities and Towns by Province
Ordawn Province - The heart of the empire. Ordawn province covers the area of the empire which was the origional kingdom that would eventually expand to become the empire.
-2-Goldthrone
The capitol city of the empire. Goldthrone is contained within Ordawn Province, however, it is not administered by Ordawn Province and is instead is specialy administered by a member of the Imperial household. Built upon the delta of the Dragon's Tongue River, the vast city is filled with canals.
-15-Grandport
The provincial capitol of Ordawn Province. This city is also home to the imperial shipyards due to the nearby vicinity of a deep forest.
Greatreach Province - Greatreach province is home to a single City: Greatreach. The inhospitable jagged mountain range which leads back to the mainland is technically under jurisdiction of the province as well though there is not much to administer.
-1-Greatreach
Strategically located at the only safe entrance to Emperors Bay. Fueled by trade, Greatreach has grown to be the largest city in the empire. Surrounded by ports, the population of Greatreach is vast and varied and contains many non-imperial citizens as well as exotic races ranging from ratfolk to the occasional merfolk.
Goldenplains Province - Plenty of fertile land has earnd Goldenplains Province the nickname the breadbasket of the empire. Adjacent to the imperial capitol and with sea access to both the Emperor's bay and the greater shining sea, the farmlands of goldenplains province is a common settling ground for imperial soldiers tired of the army life.
-20-Silverport
Settled on the shores of the emperor's bay, Silverport is a modest port for shipping food and grain to Greatreach and Goldenthrone as well as the capitol of the province.
Goldenbough Province - Known for its orchards, Goldenbough Province is nestled between Ordawn Province and the Green mountains which separate it from Deepwood forest. The Deepwood river flows along its western border and is the primary trade route to which goods flow to and from the province due to the mostly rough and rocky coast which spans the eastern border.
-19-Greyshoal
One of the few ports on the eastern shore of the Ordawn Empire, Greyshoal is the capitol of Goldnbough Province.
Deepwood Province - Encompassing the Deepwood forest, sometimes called the elfwood by outsiders, this province is predominantly populated by the elvish inhabitants of the Deepwood. The province is rather sparsly populated and somewhat difficult to traverse as it lacks many roads and the forest's more wild inhabtants have been known to devour the unsuspecting/unprepared traveler who wanders lost among the great pines and cedars of the forest
-11-Cliffwood
Situated at the top of a cliff and overlooking the sea this lare town is the only port in Deepwood Province. stairs and berths carved into the cliffs allow this port to act as a place to resupply at before making a journey to the northern coast or before heading out to open sea towards Morann.
-12-Deepstream
Situated at the end of the Greatwood River before its headwaters in the Greystone mountains, Deepstream is the provincial capitol of Greatwood Province.
Skyplain Province - Skyplain Province is home to some of the finest vineyards in the empire. With access to both the Dragon's Tongue River as well as the Greatwood River, Skyplain Province sees many travelers and merchants passing through on their way either to the northern coast, Greatwood, or westward to Giantsfall Province or up the Dragon's Tongue.
-14-Splitstream
Built at the fork where teh Dragon's Tongue and Greatwood rivers meet, this City has thrived off of the trade that flows up and down the two rivers and is the provincial capitol of Skyplain province.
Giantsfall Province - Once an area heavily populted by savage giants, the rolling hills of Giantsfall is a hardy region of the empire. Bordered on the west by the Iron Mountains, Giantsfall Province is rich in metal as well as monsters that wander down from the mountains.
-5-Irongate
One of the few safe routes into the Iron Mountains, Irongate is a large town built around the Iron Passage: a passage carved into the mountain which leads up to the fortress town of Flamereach and the hold of Iron King Smoulai.
-17-Saltbay
The last real imperial port along the northern coast, Saltbay sees plenty of trade coming down from the Iron Lands.
-21-Giantswatch
A massive fortress straddeling the border between the provinces of Hillrock and Giantsfall. This large town (~3000 people) was built atop the largest hill and then elevated with even higher walls so as to afford a view across the hills for miles and miles around and defend against giant attack.
Hillrock Province - Also called the Cairnhills, Hillrock Province is a rough province. While the soil is fertile and trade flows up and down the Dragon's Tongue River, inhabitants of the province are faced with quite the obstacle: The Cairns. The Cairns are tombs of ancient inhabitants of the region and vary from simple piles of stones to elaborate complexes dug deep into the earth. It is said that the connection of this region with death has lead to the dead being restless. At night, undead are known to haunt the hills. However, the cairns are also a potential source of treasure and intrepid adventurers often venture into them in search of treasure, often though they simply add to the number of undead.
-3-Godspike
Jutting up from the waters of Ironlake is a spire of stone said to be a weapon of one of the old gods. Build around this spire of stone is a town floating upon the water. It is also the last imperial post along the Dragon's Tongue river.
-4-Riverward
Built around a toll station for boats traveling into and out of the empire along the river, Riverward is a large town which overlooks the Dragon's Tongue river as it comes out of the iron mountains.
Breezeplain Province - Trade coming to or from the dwarven highlands to the west or the cairnhills to the north sometimes passes through this province if is not headed for the capitol or Greatreach. Breezeplain is just far enough away from the capitol and just close enough to the cairnhills and the iron mountains that it often faces dangers on its borders as monsters encroach.
-18-Waveshore
The largest port in Breezeplain province, Waveshore is also the provincial capitol.
Stonespire Province - Also known as the Dwarven Highlands, Stonespire Province is the homeland of the dwarves of the empire. Despite being no less populated than any other province, beyond the large dwarven cities and mines, the highlands are very sparsly populated and often overrun by wildlife and monsters that hve wandered down from the mountains.
-6-Ironpoint
Built into the southernmost point of the iron mointains, Ironpoint is a dwarven mining town and fortress mostly built directly into the stone like most dwarven cities. It is also a common stop for any caravans headded into or out of the highlands.
-7-Stoneshore
One of few above-ground Dwarven cities, Stoneshore is built upon the shores of lake Ironsand and is a heavy manufacturing town and boasts a diverse population compared to most of the highlands.
-8-Granitesflow
Built into the cliffs overlooking the Ironsand river tributary to the Dragon's Tongue River. Its one fo the largest mines in teh highlands and supplies iron to the rest of the highlands as well as down the river to the heart of the empire.
-9-Southtower
Built upon the southern watchtower of the greatwall, the southtower is also the traditional training gorund for dwarven warriors and an entire city has grown up around the fortification which is home to the Stoneguard.
-10-Stonespire
Jutting up from the middle of the highlands is a great spire of stone and ore known to the dwarves as Morgram's Throne. Built into and around this is the city of Stonepire, the capitol of the province.
-13-Saltcliff
The only Dwarven port of the empire, Saltcliff is built into the cliffs of the mountainrange called Morgram's Shield which runs the western end of the southern shores of the empire.
-16-Irongate
Built up around the only gate to the greatwall, this town sees a diverse number of customers that decide to try and fair the frontierlands, some of these caravans are welcome, others are sometimes greeted with suspicion. Those who manage to make it through the frontierlands without significant problems from the barbarian tribes who roam them are considered to be suspect.
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