Empires

This is a Brief Overview of all the empires



Disclaimer: This is just for fun. No comments or descriptions of any of these empires or its affiliated peoples or cultures is meant to be taken seriously. I am by no means an expert on any of these cultures and there are many instances where I have changed details to add more flavor to the campaign setting.


 * World Population: ~107,000,000

Greece

 * 11 Great Cities

Persia
Persia is a very diverse land actually made up of many smaller providence united under one common king. After their defeat at the hands of Greece, Persians became disillusioned with conquering the world. They have been focusing on creating new technology and have been combining that with artifacts they get from trading to create some of the Creation's most powerful weapons. The massive forests to the south supply Persia with an almost unlimited amount of timber for their weapons. However this emphasis on technology has limited the number of Exalted in the region as less and less people become worthy. The entire land is mostly built on the backs of their slaves. This is also the region where Martial Arts evolved. The different regions are ruled by separate oligarchies who are assigned by the king. The current king, Cyrus III, has been planning an attack on Egypt now that Greece is in a chaotic state. His reasons stated are for gathering more Lost Technology. The religion in Persia is an offshoot of the Olympian Order but is not heavily practiced. The Hanging Gardens were built for Alexander's second wife and a temple to Demeter was built inside of it.

Thrace
Thrace is region with two seemly separate cultures: the mountain warrior clans to the west and the peaceful plains tribes to the east. With the disappearance of Alexander they have stopped paying tribute to Greece though they still do trade with them. Most villages are small fort towns that are usually built on hilltops or similar defensive positions. A new king, openly a Terrestrial Exalted, has united the regions once again and looks to finally conquer Macedonia with the warrior tribes. The Thracians practice the Olympian Order with heavy emphasis on the Phoenixes. After Alexander had conquered this land, he had the Mausoleum of Hades erected in the mountains to house the members of his sons' families.

Macedonia
Macedonia was a barbaric land prior to Alexander's conquest. It is said that Alexander himself was from the land he later named Macedonia. The region was quick to adopt the Greek way of life. The entire region was ruled over by a single governor. The Macedonian lifestyle reflects many aspects of Greece. They have a republic form of government, have their own standing army of professional soldiers, and worship the Olympian gods in massive temples. The governor declared herself a Queen and has refused to pay Greece any more taxes. She has declared war on the Gauls and a large portion of the army was dispatched right before the closing of last year. It is rumored that the Queen may be an Anathema, though, as a threshold territory, the stigma is much less severe for such a title.

Phoenicia
The origins of the Phoenician people lies in the Wylds of the East. It is said that long ago an Anathema went into the Wyld and came upon a large tribe of people. He led them out of the Wyld and settled them on the Phoenician Island and became their King. They were used to living in a mighty forest so the island suited them very well. They also claim that the land of Egypt and Persia was once under their control but corruption broke out and they lost their control. The Phoenician people are very proud of their heritage, loyalty, and independence. When Alexander conquered it he allowed them to govern themselves as long as they paid a tribute of wood every year. While Alexander has disappeared, this threshold territory still pays tribute, though they now send 1/3 of that tribute to Egypt as a ploy to gain an ally. They despise the Persians. They have fully adopted the Olympian order and their temples are made of wood AND stone in equal measurements.

Egypt
Egypt was formed before the end of the Bronze Age. Their culture is almost identical to the culture of our own ancient Egypt. This land is held under the sway of a group of Lunar Exalted, who take the guise of the Egyptian gods in order to control them. These Lunars' hatred for the Terrestrial Exalted kept this land out of Greek hands and is part of the reason Egypt does nothing to stop the bandits from attacking Cyrene. Egypt is distrustful of Greece and other cultures and their secrets are never shared with outsiders. The Egyptian chariots are their main export and only a handful are sold each year. Paper is also a major export. Papyrus is in high supply right now and the desert to the west ensures that Egypt does not expand. The lunars have also shared the secret of the printing press with Egypt but that technology is also a closely guarded Egyptian secret. The Great Pyramid was built previous to Alexander's conquest and is said to house a temple to one of thier gods.

Gaul (Celts)
The Gauls are another civilization under heavy influence of Lunar exalted, though not to the extent Egypt is. The gauls are separate clans that unite when a threat is perceived. They are constantly warring with one another in the mean time. There are several Terrestrial Exalted who have risen to the heads of their clans as well as some Lunar Exalted who have become high ranking shamans and Druids. This combination is what Alexander encountered when he tried to conquer these lands. The gauls have no want to expand their overall lands most of the time but if an opportunity presents itself they have no qualms about it. Their religion is heavily rooted in animism. The Gaul Druids are mostly Solar exalted who have sought shelter in these lands.

Rome
A relatively new nation that is secretly led by a group of Abyssal exalted, Rome was forged out of a city of the same name that had adopted the Greek culture. They have since spread to several other lands and helped the Norse conquer some more lands as well. The overall government is a collection of senators who decide what they should do next. The state religion is very similar to the Olympian order and pretty much mirrors real life Roman religion. Their armies are led by several houses of Terrestrial Exalted who have no idea that their evil cousins are pulling the strings.

Norse
The Norse - or Viking as they are sometimes called- are a people born from the Wylds of the north and west. They trekked into Creation a long time ago and united. There they became a village of fishers. Before long they were garnering the attention of the gods and several became solar exalted. One from the Zenith Caste rose to become a king of sorts and transformed the simple fisher folk into a band of warriors. They began to raid other villages and eventually took some over. They currently have no real reason to expand their lands other that to keep the technologically mighty Romans in check. Their favorite targets are the Western Greek Cities and coastal Gaul towns as these make for relatively easy targets. Their religion is vastly different from the Olympian order but in truth the gods they worship are the same.

Crete
The Cretean island alliance was created by several members of the 7th legion, an ancient military order that survived Zeus's wrath. Here they gather their brothers in arms waiting for a time they can establish their mighty order and establish a long forgotten empire, one that predates Greece itself. These islands are the vanilla exalted equivalent of Lookshy. Their culture is slowly being changed back into their ancient civilizations, a very oriental type one. The Cretean Warriors, as they are now calling themselves, are truly a force to be reckoned with.

Carthage (Punics)
Carthage was a region never settled by Alexander as he saw no strategic value in taking it. However, one of Alexander's rivals within Greece, Helen Carthus, saw it as an opportunity to create a separate nation for herself. She took a group of followers with her to this new land. It was soon apparent that Alexander was mostly right about this land as it was densely populated with strange, powerful and aggressive beasts. However it also held a large supply of natural resources, mainly food and easily worked, but strong stone. With these Helen and her followers tamed the savage land, and even the animals themselves. The elephant became the sign of Carthage as it is used as both an animal of war, and of labor. For reasons only known to Helen herself, Carthage declared war on Rome shortly after its founding. Battles are fought on land and at sea, neither side side never really gaining or losing anything.

Maurya
The mystical land. The land now known as Maurya was thought to have been lost to Chaos after the Fair Folk invasion. It was rediscovered as the last place in Alexander's conquest, as a place intermingled with the Wyld itself. Though unknown means Alexander reestablished it as a solid part of Creation. He abandoned it however, to begin his conquest of the west. The settlers he sent thereafter were surprised to find a busting community already inhabited by a strange people. These people did not worship the Olympian Order but had great knowledge of the gods. Instead they worshiped abstract ideals and creativity. It was soon discovered that these people had been captives of the Fair Folk invasion who had now sworn their allegiance to them in exchange for freedom. It now stands an an alien nation, made up of philosophers and mystics. It holds several freeholds of the Fairfolk with whom the Mauryan king has allied himself with. It does however pay its respects to Greece for not attempting any invasions, in the form of magical wonders crafted by the Fairfolk.

Numidia
This land was once a large group of tribal peoples who's only connection to each other was geographical. It was the last land conquered by Alexander, bother for its rich resources and its proximity to the upstarts in Carthage. For this latter reason, it is sometimes called the Aegis of the West. With the influence of the Greek culture, the tribes were formed into one cohesive body of government. The leader acts as a liaison between his people and the head of Greece. In exchange for their basic freedom, all Greece requires of Numidia is to harass the borders of Carthage using their stealth and speed. To ensure this happens a special Legion has been posted in the area since the conquest. The dissappearence of Alexander has changed this land very little, except that they are now free to trade with other regions as well. In order to ensure peace with the rest of the world, as it no longer has Greece's powerful protection, an "army" or diplomats has been raised up. These negotiators have become a much sought after commodity.

Parthia
The crossroads of the Greek empire. Before Alexander there was no Parthia, but instead a group of lands ruled by various warlords each vying for power. This land was annexed by Alexander with relative ease and has since become a major component in the empire. To ensure that it would never become a major threat the land was divided into 16 different sections each ruled by a 'meet' of 3 people. Each of these meets also controls 1 of the legions. In recent history some of the eastern meets have joined together in a loose alliance to oppose the new threats of undead from the shadow land. The remaining meets remain loyal to Greece and continue paying their taxes and tributes. The mix of peoples in this region has created a sort of microcosm of the world. One town can be seen as being a distinctive Egyptian town, while the next eon along the road may be a Persian styled town.

Arabian Tribes
The desert traders.