The Holy Kalztenvar Empire
Legalist Absolutist Monarchy
Demographics
Humans make up a majority of the empire after the colonisation of the land, though they find it difficult to settle at first, especially due to the uncommon nature of the winters.
35%
Centaurs, who are horses with human torsos, are an odd find in the steppes of Kalztenvar. As nomadic people they live on the open fields while being they are to be found less in cities due to their nomadic nature; consequently, they prefer the open fields to allow them to keep up with their nomadic tendencies, though they are often unruly, generally unable to follow borders.
28%
Bear men are a race of anthropomorphic bears who walk on two legs; one of the races found by the first settlers. They are a tribal race that lives in the great forests of the Kalztenvar. As tribal clans and great warriors, they make dangerous foes with great strength and resilience; their kin has a great history of fighting long before the arrival of mankind, being the largest race in the realm.
26%
The Pticas are a humanoid race with long ears and pale, moon-like skin. While very human, they do, however, sport wings on their backs, having lived in the floating islands for ages before the arrival of man. As the smallest minority of the empire, they are however still more numerous than the “Ancient Ones”, while most curious of the races, they generally are very weak, but extremely agile.
11%
The ancient ones or
old ones were first found deep within the mines, miners accidentally found their ancient ruins. Those spirit-like beings were mostly believed to be myth at first, until their discovery. Being a race with little over 10 thousand people, their spiritual ghostly forms have a history of possessing golems, armour, and even people. They have severe difficulty gaining physical bodies for an immortal race of spirits; their strength cannot be measured since they can't interact with reality without a host, mechanical or otherwise.
1%
Population
18-20 million people are registered in the imperial archives within its bureaucracy. One thing that must be noted, however, is that it is a rough estimation, not a definite counting.
Plane Description
The Frosland or Kalztenvar is a world of floating islands, beautiful forests with unique plants and great mountain ranges. Its main continent and only explored one is the size of South America while at first, it looks like a beautiful temperate realm. Until autumn, and winter arrives due to unknown reasons and mostly religious explanations, in autumn the world suddenly starts receiving less light, and temperatures begin to plum, having snow off-season is quite common until winter arrives, and the sun completely disappears for months in what is called the “Długo Noc” the long night when the sun disappears for months before it finally reappears in spring making temperatures plunge massively around the region creating the most powerful winters ever seen.
The plane itself besides its unusual weather also has a singular massive blue moon that changes its colour from white, blue, red, and even gold. Many believe the change of colour of the moon is a sign of events to come. The moon covers a good chunk of the night sky, and the thing that makes it holy for most of the planet is the simple fact that it illuminates the world in the sunless winter still shining bright on the heavens.
The realm also has a series of floating islands that can be found sporadically through the continent many of them can more easily be found on its mountainous areas some of those islands are quite akin to beautiful forests with rivers flowing through them or empty grass fields with a single tree to a literal rocky surface.
Due to its unusual weather, the lands have a high level of bioluminescent creatures from mushrooms, plants, and even animals. Good examples are the Swiecacy, a race quite akin to giant rideable deer with bioluminescent antlers and even stripes, some animals generally break this mould, a good example being Gryphons.
History
When the massive wave of refugees arrived 500 years ago, many were at first on good terms having settled. The land of the Kaltenvar dimension was fertile and good for pastoral animals. As for the natives, they were not a threat, for they used stone and wood tools, weak against metal and iron. The original four leaders who led their groups soon split to form their cities and nations; the first four kingdoms were born, and from there onwards, mankind would spread through the continent over the 100 years since the 4 kingdoms would expand, and new ones would be born as even the natives, the Bear men, Pticas, and Centaurs came to adopt the new technologies, forming the 12 kingdoms of old. For 200 years, these kingdoms would expand and grow until they discovered something far more dangerous than they could imagine.
When the kingdoms formed and mines were opened in search of riches, one day the riches found were less than wished for. Ruins of old long lost were found some artefacts were found becoming collectables for nobles, but the thing that was awakened was far more impactful than ever imagined, the Old ones soon were awakened a race of ghosts and spirits long lost, their memories beside the days were, they once ruled this world, who in their ethereal, form managed to learn a lot about the new world, they had been awakened to a world of 12 nations they were rivals, friends, and for then a good opportunity to restore what was lost. When their actions began to take shape, rumours circled the kingdoms of ghosts inhabiting knights, golems, and statues gaining life; these rumours were the prelude of what was to come.
During the next decade of the year 200 after the cataclysm, the ancient ones began their work infiltration, possessing innocent people, possessing golems, possessing even armour, and even nobles to kings in a series of conspiracies and secret plans to retake what was theirs, and when rumours became truth it was already too late, and 6 kingdoms were under the rule of then, unfortunately, they overstepped their abilities and with some 10,000 members in their race, they barely could hold the 6 kingdoms instead they triggered what was nicknamed the war of the 13 roses.
The war of the 13 roses earned its name from the thirteen factions that went to war in the aftermath of the old one’s discovery the wars were, to say the least, a conflict of efficiency for its competitors rather than the traumatic event that the common folk tell stories about a 40-year conflict that brought down many lives, the problem is that the war was taken differently by the factions who participated even the league a latecomer that formed the empire. This is more complicated than one can imagine as the war evolved… The states expanded their ability to make taxes efficient, making the census population, and organising their militaries, creating a competition for the most efficient state to end the war; as if it was the only way to end it.
As the war progressed over the years, the war exhaustion that accompanied it was devastating in some states, while others were less affected… One of the factions that didn’t join the war was the League of Zar, an alliance of neutral tribes and towns, entered the war; tipping the scales in favour of themselves. The war lasted ten more years before finally ending once and for all, with the unification of the twelve kingdoms forming the Holy Kalztenvar Empire under emperor Alexander the first.
Alexander the first managed to make a compromise with his state and the Old ones with an unknown deal, but allowing them to be part of the aristocracy of his new empire; making sure that peace could be retained as a way to kill the Old ones have yet to be found to this day. After settling that, he then proceeded to create the empire and make several reforms, creating institutions to make sure that his vision would come to fruition, beginning some 350 years ago.
With the death of Alexander, the realm passed to his son, Alexander II, who continued the state-building process, then to his son Rajke, and his daughter Zelislava. Through their reigns, the empire grew, and so its institutions formed the empire today as the dynasty of Kovácsová still rules, the Empire now has many branches, allowing easy replacement in case of disaster. But that is not always the best situation during the reign of emperor Ivan the ruinous, known for being a tyrant, utilising the resources of the state and its power to forward his agenda, which provoked a region-wide famine 100 years ago, before being overthrown by his own brothers, allowing the realm to return to its usual ways, but having to reform the institutions so that the same actions don't repeat themselves, and others are strengthened.
Currently, the empire is led by Empress Zofia II, ruler of the Kalztenvar, overlord of all Kalztenrians. Her reign began after the royal caravan of her father got lost in the frigid lands during autumn and past winter; many believe him dead, her reign, for now, has proved competent, albeit in her second year, much has yet to be seen. Be it another golden age, or tragedy. For now, the realm is at peace, the economy has shown to prosper, and the empire has bold plans for new things to come unless something big happens that might force the empire to rewrite its plans.
Culture and Society
The empire follows the enforcement of one language, one culture, and one society. This is due to the bureaucratic state of the nation. They see a singular culture as easier to manage, compared to dealing with multiple cultures who might think they should live separately from the empire at large.
While one can enter the zone of bureaucracy when dealing with other cultures one shouldn’t, the people of the empire are known for being warm, hospitable and friendly towards each other and foreigners, in stark contrast with their state which can be described as cold at best.
The core values of the Kalztenvar culture revolve around family and community. The people have organised communities and kinship groups, though not a nuclear familial structure, but groups of individuals related to each other with the head of the family being the patriarch or matriarch of the family. These actions of putting community and family above all set the moral standards of society, one thing of note is also the practice of ancestral veneration, caused by the communal and familial oriented values of society many partake in venerating ancestors attempting to live up to, then or surpass, then or many others to just venerate what, they already have and keep on increasing the familial prestige.
While some say, the empire has only one culture, that is a factual lie, that no amount of propaganda can burry living in the borderlands, the hard to reach lands of the empire, and the grasslands lie, the nomad centaurs and human clans, that refused to join, the empire in this lands lie another culture one of individualism and the value of brothers in arms, this culture generally called the wanderers, are considered the hardest to convert of the peoples, and the most unruly.
The clans that live in the deep forests hills or even mountains are also another culture that exists, one warning someone needs to throw about them is that they are not a unified whole but more a series of cultures that share things in commons first are being driven to the edges of civilization by the empire, and consequently, they are minorities a good chunk are isolationist, and many others also follow a familial level of organisation, the biggest race within this cultural divide is the Bearmen clans.
The Church of the Sun and the Moon is the main religious organisation of the empire following the gods Biel and Cherno; Biel the goddess of the sun, light representing life and the energy it brings, while Cherno, the god of darkness, the moon, the lord of death, and the cold. While both might be opposites they are husband and wife in reality;
It is said that Biel was once poisoned by the actions of the old ones, and those who survived are said to be the ones who attempted to save her since Biel must rest for months of the year to recover from her poisoning it is said to be the reason why the sun vanishes in the winter. The Church itself has proselytisation, and a dogmatic approach towards, the world and bolstered by the imperial system they are used to maintain stability, unity, propaganda, and the creation of a zealous people towards the harmony of the realm preaching, family, order, stability and patience one thing that is preached that can be said to be a problem created by the state and to show that the state has no control over the faith is that maintaining is the fact that religiously speaking. A ruler can lose his celestial aura if he fails to maintain stability or harmony in the realm, and that rebellion is justified to restore, the holiness of the state and stability, but besides philosophy, one thing can be said is that the church and culture manage to enforce a mandate that girls must wear all white and boys black until teenage times as a sign of purity and their connection to the gods at a young age.
The Empire has a political system that can be described as a legalist absolutist monarchy but that only scratches the surface in reality, the state works on a form of meritocratic system to maintain order, and the efficiency of the state being that rising through the ranks of the state and by rising the ranks in the bureaucracy of the state and even within the royal house one must be done by merit, not by nepotism this ínstitutional framework was first implemented and build by the first emperor and continued through the entire royal house through the centuries establishing a legalist system with an efficient meritocratic bureaucracy.
Meanwhile, in counteraction against the bureaucratic meritocratic administration of the state, there is the nobility and familial organisation of the state due to the existence of a higher class and aristocracy the state had to deal with then by appointing as governors, administrators and others creating a complicated system, where the empire has a legalist, bureaucratic system for institutions it conflicts with its culture and aristocracy who create a familial and nepotistic system of government creating a conflict within, the empire where one system conflicts with another the meritocratic bureaucracy conflicts with the familial ties and aristocracies of the empire who believe the institutions are merely tools of the ruler who raised by high morals and with wisdom in the traditions has, the wise mind to favour one's family, and to lead the nation.
Consequentially the conflict within creates a form of internal competition of bureaucrats where there are two types of pickings for a leader first is the scholars, and the aristocratic families who generally are known for being governors after, the emperor's previous appointments second are the magistrates and government officials from the meritocratic institutions of the empire this delicate balance is one where emperors and empresses had to deal with for a long time and even to this day.
Magecraft or Rune magic is the magic type utilised across the empire and throughout the Kalztenvar plane, the usage of magecraft is considered the utilisation of the energies of the plane in great mage schools students of arcane attempt to understand the ways of rune or magecraft can be said to revolve in learning magical symbols or learning to understand what their mean when one person uses magic they generally draw a symbol in the air their finger glowing in blue light, and the symbol as well floating in the air when finish drawing the magic accumulates in their hands and allows then to unleash the power forward different symbols, are theorised to be different elemental and natural powers even unnatural, and some dare say divine powers in an attempt to cast magic consequently one can say that magecraft can also be called smiths of magic, as some call then due to the fact one makes runes to quick cast in stone or draw than in the air.
The mage academies located in the capital and surrounding cities attempt to teach and make comprehension of the powers that magecraft grants and to discover new spells since the powers allow one to craft any form of spell some are easy especially after a long while of study and others not so much especially spells that require alchemical contraptions and runic magical rituals the field of research of magic is vast and said to be one made out of mostly nobles with barely any commoners are seen.
Military Overview
War and conflict is quite a common occurrence for the empire, thanks to having neighbours and wishing to unite its home continent since its name and goals are for complete dimensional domination because of that their standing army is quite big.
Standing at 400k the imperial professional standing forces are divided into 8 legions, having 50k being subdivided into 5k forces that operate around a legion. Positioned in each of those legions are places of defence and against other nations, and in an attempt to maintain order, only two remain close to the capital and the imperial heartland; the first being the Royal guard, a special legion led by the emperor or empress. The second legion is the Scythe Legion, named after its founder, or better what he did being a farmer turned commander.
As for the other 6 legions that stand in the frontier and the borders of the empire those are the Eternal Flames, Soldiers of Cherno, The sun legion, The Rzek Krv Guard, Cebep legion, and the Nashka legion named after its founder, the six legions lay in protection and overseeing of the border regions at large protecting the realm from incursions of neighbouring kingdoms, the imperial army has a series of different regiments varying between races to function being then:
Pike/Spearmen form a bulk on recruiters, and generally, also the bulk of armies being a force of equipped with medium weight armour, spears and a sword in case of break of spear wall, their training regiment emphasis cooperation and relying on the man to their side while simply equipped, they rely mostly on discipline and training to make ends meet.
The Miecze are heavily armed foot soldiers equipped with either swords, axes and having more armour than spearmen. Being foot soldiers, they generally are very trained compared to the usual recruit due to being specifically recruited
Peasant archers are considered the same as Spearmen recruits mostly raised from the peasantry of the empire to fill, the role of archers using longbows and light leather armour for mobility training relies more on manoeuvre, and mobility, while archery is also put on centre stage but mostly the training of using melee weapons, is more lenient while cheap they generally are recruited in full mobilisations.
Crossbow infantry is more expensive but also is the largest forces of archers in the legions more trained and having more armour but instead of bows, they have state given crossbows and more reinforced armour in case of break troughs.
Streltsy are the knights of the empire selected from a military caste of nobles that stand above the peasants trained with heavy cavalry the Streltsy are mounted forces in horses or one of the animals capable of being mounted in the plane generally equipped with heavy armour even their mounts and spousing spears of swords;
Bear Men Auxiliary regiments are considered the most dangerous in a war larger than a man and stronger than one, these beasts are considered line breakers wearing some light levels of armour and having heavy weapons such as war hammers, spiked maces, and other heavy weaponry. Bear men are considered a very useful resource in battles due to their ability to break enemy lines in times of need, their military utility is considered big in warfare especially when fighting against their neighbours
Centaur Auxiliary regiments are centaur recruited forces due to the natural abilities they possess generally are put into light cavalry or where horse archers would remain due to the available alternative of then-existing generally wearing more light armour or just leather they generally sponsor mostly bows or spears for combat.
Pticarian Auxiliary regiments are made out of Pticas who as close to humans but also able to fly turn into nearly invaluable assets for legions being it for scouting or air support generally giving light armour due to their inability to carry heavy items they generally have bows, axes, and shields for combat having lightweight armour being made of leather or light chain mail armour.
War mages are the last groups that can be found in legions and wars mages that were recruited from the imperial academies to serve in the art of war drawing, their runes to cast spells to aid in combat, their equipment is hard to define as some prefer to not use weapons and prefer to use armour while others use weapons and armour.
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