The Empire
by WingofCootThe Empire is, formally, the Unmatched and Truly Inevitable Empire of All, but no one uses this except in formal documents and ceremonies. Most people simply call it "the Empire", but in areas near Noctaurus (which also styles itself an empire) it is often called "the Empire of Rabdriss" after its ruler.
The Emperor
Emperor Rabdriss, Chosen and High Priest of Brissard: MU36 and C36; STR 18 DEX 18 CON 18 INT 18 WIS 18 CHA 18; hp 160.
The Emperor appears as an Alphatian of partially Cypri ancestry, standing a striking 6' 8" tall with a slender, athletic build. He has a short beard with subtle hints of gray. He visually appears to be perhaps 40 years old.
His court dress, worn during public appearances, includes a floor-length robe that ripples with a faint magical light of multiple shifting colors, a black mantle that seems to sparkle with starlight imitating the night sky, and a diadem set with a huge ruby, diamond, sapphire, and emerald (representing the four elements). Beyond their decorative roles, these items bear powerful magical protections.
He bears himself with a kind of world-weary arrogance. He has seen nine local centuries of intrigue and politicking, but he - and the Empire - endure. He does not appear paranoid or even suspicious of his underlings, but any genuine plot against his life or rule - no matter how well concealed - is "mysteriously" discovered and dealt with harshly. Plotting against others within the Imperial government seems to be not his concern, and indeed he has several times personally pardoned those committing serious crimes in such intrigues - something that caused great consternation and many rumors. (In one case 300 local years ago, he pardoned a palace official who stole a rival's precious magical staff; the rumor quickly spread that the Emperor had pardoned her because of a romantic interest. This was in fact not the case at the time, but amused by the rumor and desiring to sow further intrigue, he later courted and married her; their descendants became one of the greater noble houses of the Central Lands.)
The Emperor is not currently married, his most recent consort having died after an extended lifespan 70 local years ago. Over his reign, he has married four times and has had nine children. All of his children have since died, but he has many living descendants among the Imperial nobility.
The Emperor is a special case, a kind of loophole in the rules exploited by Brissard. He lacks Immortal Power or any specifically Immortal abilities and thus will not be detected by scans for Immortal magic, his abilities exceed those of actual humans -- he has both magical and clerical ability at 36th level, and extra hit points. However, he can be considered a Mortal Identity operated by an avatar of Brissard.
Government Structure:
The Empire's politics is curiously unstable for a land ruled by the same super-powerful individual for many generations: a hotbed of intrigue and betrayal. In fact, this is entirely intentional. Brissard is an Entropic Immortal, and the empire's very purpose in existence is to foster continual chaos and conflict - small wars on its borders, unrest in the conquered territories, and intrigue among its ruling circles - and thus to allow potential servants of Entropy to rise to greatness.
To foster this goal, the Empire has multiple authority structures under the Emperor which often clash and compete: the clerical hierarchy; the provincial governors and regional/local magistrates; the Imperial military; and the central civil bureaucracy. In addition, there are two separate orders of hereditary nobility among the Imperials, those descended from the Emperor and those descended from the semi-legendary "Fifteen Founding Archmages".
Below the Emperor, the civilian government is centered on the Imperial High Council, composed of the six highest ministers of the Empire: the Ministers of Canals, Law, Treasury, Diplomacy, Lands, and Knowledge.
The Imperial military leadership consists of High Generals appointed by the Emperor personally.
Provincial governors are appointed by the Emperor or at least approved by him. However, they have nearly total freedom to appoint their own subordinates; this allows them to easily develop personal power bases. The governors of Syrtis and the Moonslight Coast have even been given the right to nominate their own successor for the Emperor's approval.
The Imperial nobility has many levels, the majority of which are not land-holding. One must be a noble to attain high office in the civilian bureaucracy or high rank in the Imperial military. The lower ranks of nobility confer only social status and this opportunity for advancement. There are a great many lesser nobles, perhaps 5% of the Imperial (Alphatian) population. A comparatively few higher-ranked nobles actually hold dominions; these can be considered Barons or Viscounts in terms of the Dominion rules. (In the past, a favored son or daughter of the Emperor has been given a much higher precedence as a Prince, but none are currently alive.)
Nobility here is not quite the same as it is in Mystara's Alphatia. Non-spellcasters can be lesser nobles here; the hereditary principle, and many of the individual noble families, were established very early by the Emperor's writ. However, ruling nobles (i.e. dominion rulers, Baron and above) are required to be spellcasters - either Magic-Users or clerics of Brissard. (Technically, an Avenger following Brissard would also be eligible.) If the direct heir is not eligible for this reason, the title passes to the next closest; in the absence of an heir, the Emperor transfers the title to someone. (He may choose to delay this decision, so intrigue develops as many power-seekers compete to prove their worthiness for it.)
As for the hereditary principle of nobility, it is worth noting that any blood descendant of the founder of a noble house is noble - legitimacy is irrelevant and in fact is not a concept in Imperial inheritance law. In any disputed case, descent can easily be proved magically.
The Imperial nobility system is designed to produce a great number of nobles without any particular wealth or dominions, so many power-seekers are always competing. Thus, while there are over 20,000 Imperial nobles, there are only 36 dominions in the Central Lands.
Religion:
The Imperial state religion is that of Brissard. The Entropic nature of the empire is not generally known to its subjects, nor does Brissard's religion publicly espouse death and chaos. It instead presents him as the patron Immortal of the Imperial (Alphatian) people and a celestial source of wisdom guiding the Emperor in his rule. The Emperor Rabdriss (his regnal name, taken in honor of Brissard) is the High Priest and Chosen of Brissard, blessed with life far beyond the human span; but he is not seen as Brissard himself. The Emperor is still seen as a human (which he physically is), though an uniquely gifted one.
Brissard's religion does not deny the existence or power of other Immortals, but it presents Brissard as the only one personally interested in the fate of the Imperial people and their empire. Other Immortals are depicted as either uncaring forces of nature (Ixion as the sun itself, Protius as the element of water personified, Thanatos as death and the void,
etc.) or as local Immortals solely interested in some other culture, often opposing Brissard's work and the Empire's glorious destiny, such as Pflarr for the Hutaakans.
While the religion is not openly "Entropic", it is designed to more subtly sow chaos through the worldview it encourages, in several ways. It teaches the Imperials not only that they are destined to rule, but that the nobility are chosen and blessed to rule among the Imperials. It teaches that magic is the highest mortal pursuit - it is magical might that led Brissard to choose the Imperial people - thus justifying all sorts of terrible magical experimentation. Ambition is greatly valued, and the seeking of power by nearly any means is seen as a virtue -
success justifies all that was done to achieve it. Only the Emperor himself and the Empire as a whole are sacrosanct; to seek to overthrow the Emperor or to abandon the Empire's lands or forts to its external foes are the only actions that cannot be justified by success in the pursuit of power.
Divisions:
The Empire's territory is divided into:
- the Central Lands (those initially claimed by the Alphatians shortly after their arrival on Vaniae, including the capital, New Alphatia);
- the Provinces (distinct realms ruled by the Empire but with their own culture and local government);
- the Imperial Lands (areas outside the Central Lands controlled directly by the central Imperial government, not through a provincial governorship);
- the Outerlands (areas claimed by the Empire but not settled).
Within the Central Lands, there is a further division between the capital and its immediate surroundings (ruled solely by the Imperial bureaucracy) and the dominions (owned and locally ruled by various hereditary nobles). There are a total of 35 dominions: the fifteen original ones, nine for the houses descended directly from the Emperor, and eleven created by the Emperor for specially honored individuals.