Sellederre Empire

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 * ... and he came upon the hill, thirsty and desperate for life, and before him he saw naught but a great sea of sand and rock as far as the horrizon did stretch, and upon that land of sand and rock was a great and terrifying people  .
 * - Uermont the Bard, in the trials of the three brothers

Lifestyle
Composed of hundreds of ancient tribes held together into loose conformity and similar goals, the Sellederre Empire is more of an idea than a self-ruling empire. Almost every town follows vastly different laws to it’s neighbour, and the southern portion of the empire is so different from its northern counterpart that one might scarcely recognise them as co-existing. It is therefore difficult to summarise the culture of these people in a single entity.

There are, however, some similarities that hold true across the entire empire. First, a deeply entrenched caste system exists in which the common folk, or Mola-Duj, are regarded as lesser than their aristocratic Looka-duj counterparts. Secondly is a shared perception of the arcane arts as a professional skill, much akin to carpentry or weaving. A final similarity across the empire is its language, which is the closest living language to that first spoken upon Varia, from which all other human languages are said to take origin. Some words are in fact identical to their first language counterparts, being so ingrained into the culture that they have remained - For example, the two castes of people: Looka-Duj (higher slave) Mola-Duj (lower slave).

Temperament
The Sellederre Empire originates from what is undoubtedly the oldest civilisations upon Varia, and unlike most other areas of the world, it has never been subjected to a conquering force. As such, the temperament of the people within the Sellederre Empire is one of deep rooted tradition and strong community. However, it is important to note that despite the shared origin of these traditions and communities, the fragmented nature of the empire has resulted in a great amount of diversity in what these traditions and communities may look like. In general, the communities of the Sellederre Empire are sufficiently prosperous to be generous; sufficiently educated to be unprejudiced; and sufficiently established to be stable.

Overall, the Sellederre empire fields an inordinate number of scholars across all fields, which one might initially consider to represent a studious temperament. However, this statistic is deceptive, as on the whole the Sellederre Empire provides both immense wealth and unparalleled opportunity of education, which naturally enables a greater number of its citizens to enter into further study. Low poverty rates have ensured stability for almost all citizens, enabling a generally relaxed, supporting, and welcoming temperament amongst most families.

Notable Traits
Literacy is uncommonly high across the empire, as is prosperity and contentment. Violent crimes are almost non-existent within the urbanised areas of the empire, and strongly rooted community traditions in conjunction with meritocracy based governmental appointments have lead to generally firm public support for authority figures.

The mostly independent nature of each cities ruling has resulted in most concepts being legal somewhere within the empire, including slavery and necromancy for example, and as such it is advisable for all travellers to enquire into the laws of each city before seeking entry.

Commerce
The Sellederre Empire enjoys trade across much of the known world, owing to its vast coast line and fleet of merchant airships. Furthermore, it's hold on the Western isles of the Scattered Bay mean that extensive trade is possible with the Longsea Trading Company vessels that berth there.

Exports include: Technology, magical artefacts, gemstones, worked metals, fine produce, luxury foods.

Imports include: Lumber, grains, raw goods, gunpowder weaponry, exotic animals.

Religion
For the most part, the Old Gods, sometimes called the Dead Gods, are worshipped within the Sellederre Empire. As such, the majority of commonfolk view religion as an abstract concept, with worship reserved for beings whom they believe to be safely dead. Unlike most cultures, the majority of citizens within the Sellederre Empire wish to remain safely unnoticed by those deities which are still able to influence or impede their daily lives.

Within the Sellederre Empire, a minority of citizens do precipitate the existence of a variety of cults dedicated to the attempted revival of the Old Gods, largest among which is the Order of Shadows which is dedicated to reviving Diascurom, whom they believe to be alive but without physical being, and whom they also believe to be the current God of arcane magic.

Origins
Lore states that the Sellederre Empire was founded during the reign of the Old Gods, and existed as a collection of highly religious cities of slaves pledged to the physical manifestations of those deities. It is from this time that their caste system emerged: The Looka-Duj were literal foremen slaves to their common Mola-Duj counterparts. After the period of ruination, and downfall of the old deities, the people of the Sellederre Empire slowly adapted to free life, with commoners continuing to serve under the leadership of their Looka-Duj foremen.

Recent History
In recent times, the Sellederre Empire has adopted a open foreign policy, engaging in open trade with its neighbours to the East, such as the Long Sea Trading Company and the Moonstone Empire. This is said to have been influenced by the current Empress, who is entering her eighty-ninth year of reign, and is seen as a source of great wisdom throughout the empire. Her encouragement of trade, although not law-binding, has inspired similar approaches across many of the empires communities, resulting in great shared prosperity.

Over the past three years, the previously contained border skirmishes with The Grand Imperium Arcarnum have erupted into active war, the current status of which is a stalemate. Although the Sellederre Empire is significantly larger and more prosperous than The Grand Imperium Arcarnum, the sheer size and geographical nature of the Sellederre Empire limits the mobility of its troops. As a result, despite fielding better trained and equipped soldiers, the Sellederre Empire has lost most borderland outposts, including the city of Valynth.

It is said that the first ships to take to the air did so over the coasts of The Sellederre Empire - a likely story, considering the immense stretch of coastline, and vast network of sea trade that occupies it. Not all ships that have taken to the air are of Sellederre loyalty, but there are sufficient numbers that most cities now house a sizeable air dock. Although most air ships of Sellederre loyalty have traditionally flown lightly armed, the recent outbreak of war and the growing concerns of air piracy across the Wall of the Gods have lead to most air ships now flying heavily armed or in convoy.

Politics
Politics within the Sellederre Empire is simple: The Looka-Duj rule, and the Mola-Duj work. It is as it has always been, and this is so ingrained within the society that few question it, let alone resist it.

Ascension to the status of Looka-Duj, however, is not difficult. Marriage is often considered to be the easiest route, though one must either be rich or well established for this to be possible. Alternatively, the status of Looka-Duj may be granted as a boon for particuarly competent individuals or heroes. One example of this has traditionally been the winner of the annual grand tournament in Vahn-Gegal. The sheer number of Looka-Duj families are evidence enough of the ease with which one might ascend from commoner to noble within the Sellederre Empire, and unlike most other cultures, there is no hierarchy within the Looka-Duj caste.

The great size and rich natural resources of the Sellederre Empire ensures contentment and occupation for all Looka-Duj families. As there are no positions of power beyond city governance, and as such positions are often viewed as tiresome and arduous, few Lookah-Duj engage themselves in political battles, believing their time to be better spent exploiting their current resources rather than expanding into potentially worse areas. Because of this, political intrigue rarely escalates to disruptive levels.

Geography
The Sellederre Empire consists of four geographically distinct areas: That portion north of The Wall of the Gods, in which the majority of the great cities have grown; That portion south of The Wall of the Gods in which the wilderness is considered more dangerous and the growth of cities is hindered by shifting terrain; The Sea of Sand to the south-west across which many tribal peoples roam; And the coastal islands to the east from which much trade is conducted. As each city holds its own distinct rulership, there are no regional powers; the exception being the empress, who's guidance and wisdom act as a loose unifying force.

Maps

 * North-West
 * North
 * North-East
 * South-West
 * South
 * South-East
 * Vahn-Gegal

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