Founded by Marcus Tabius near the end of the Era of Man and Strife, the Scorbius Empire rose from the ashes of the once great Scorbian Republic through its military might and superior magical siege engineers. Nestled along the shores of the middle sea, their primary exports are weapons and armor, as well as salt brought down from the mountains to the north. Until it fell, the dark elven empire of Haliahra was the only other society large enough to rival the Scorbian Empire. Now refugees of the fallen Haliahra flee to Scorbia for safety.
Along with the influx of refugees came Kaskine travelers seeking more lucrative trade and an escape from the chaos of Haliahra. Even before their victory, however, the empire was a melting pot of peoples and cultures seeking the infrastructure and protection offered in exchange for loyalty. With so many cultures meeting in one place Scorbosi has become the primary language of the common people.
Despite the denizens of the Empire worshiping their Emperor as a God, the Empire allows other religions to practice so long as they submit to the cult of the Emperor. Whether or not the Emperor truly is a god, however, is a matter of debate. There are those who believe that power is granted to the Emperor by a higher being in a sort of symbiotic relationship. Theoretically the Emperor is granted the divine power of a god, and the god, whose existence relies on the faith of loyal followers, gets to inspire an empire’s worth of people through a mortal vessel. This theory is, of course, considered heresy by the Cult of the Emperor. More heretical still are those who believe that the Emperor’s power is no more potent than that of an average mage, and that his façade of godhood thrives upon the rumors and hearsay of a largely uneducated populous. Regardless of the truth of the matter, belief in the Emperor’s power is a keystone in the stability of the Empire.
Today, that belief, and the Empire’s stability are under attack. Tribes of Kaskine travelers sweep the lands, spreading word and faith of their own gods, Sonnon and Renon Sumer. To make matters worse, the Empire’s military is spread thin, as raiders and pirates threaten the land on multiple fronts. From the north, the Aurk kingdom of Bubon has invaded vast amounts of the Empire’s land, and has in the process displaced the native Rymon people who once resided there. The Rymon, in response, fled to their longboats and took to sea. Now they pester the Western shores of the Empire, were the people have been long accustomed to peace. From both the East and west the Xoglio tribe Vogyar has invaded, reaching as far as the capitol’s walls before being dispersed, though their people still live on the land to this day.
In addition, 2 new powers have arisen to the Northwest and the South, The Sherion Free Republic sits in the lands of Relica, ruled by the eight year old former contender to the Empire’s throne, and the nobles who supported her. To the south the Palirim Empire was founded by a famed former general of Scorbia, Robert Palirim. While the Scorbus Empire remains standing, the pressure is mounting from outside and within, and its future looks tenuous.
Comments