Glavian Empire

The Glavian Empire was a militaristic, multi-cultural society which existed for millennia. It went through several renaissances and golden ages, as well as a few eras of stagnation and near-collapse. At its height, the Glavian Empire spanned the entirety of the Almanthan continent, as well as several holdings throughout the world. This influence was so dominant that Almantha was often synonymous with Glavia. It was seen as warlike, enlightened, fanatical-- or some combination of all three-- by outsiders.

The most notable belief of the Glavian Empire was that it was destined to conquer the multiverse and remove all that was "other", replacing it with Glavian ideals of peace and prosperity. For a Glavian, all cultures and even histories were obsolete; only Glavia mattered.

The Glavian Empire began as a loose but highly efficient coalition of Almanthan city-states in the Ancient World, and continued into a dominant force throughout recorded history.

The End of the Empire

It suffered a fatal wound after the Apotheosis of Undine, as the heroic crew of the Mimic's Heart (and later the Stardragon's Ruby) would cripple Imperial power by slaying Emperor Cavredian. The results of the Empire's multiple contests with the Chainsailors was devastating to Glavia, as the military and arcane efforts of the Emperor and his servants were repeatedly stamped out by the heroes' efforts. Sea battles always seemed to go against the Glavians, even with occasionally overwhelming force. Some exceptions, such as the scuttling of the Stardragon's Ruby, were hardly a result of Glavian direct action. Glavian efforts to establish a permanent inland presence on the Pitharan Mainland were thwarted (partially) by the Chainsailors-- most notably at the Battle of Cradle Hills. The Chainsailors were able to assemble the Key to Infinity, and though its temporary loss led to the Emperor being able to enter Melora's domain, the defeat of Emperor Cavredian was a final blow to Cavredian's reasoning for the Empire's entire reason for existence-- to raise up a man to become a god, to reestablish balance of the elements. The only difference was, it was not a man, but a woman, who became a god-- the elf matriarch Undine, by name and apotheosis.

With their prospective god defeated and a new goddess of the seas appointed-- with the Emperor's killer, the newly ascended archangel Champion, at her side-- the Glavian Empire's death was all but assured. It was unclear whether Champion or the the second Solar angel Meta played a direct role in the subsequent loss of Glavian territory and influence, but nonetheless, less than 10 years into the new age, the Glavian Empire's holdings were less than half what they originally were. The shocking decline of the only superpower since the Dawn War was most certainly aided by a devastating PR campaign led by Chainsailor heroine ZInrora Tyrros and her wife Saint. The silver tongue of Zin and the overwhelming popularity of Saint as an outcast turned mighty cleric all but obliterated Glavia's capacity to defend itself in the political arena. The first-hand tales of slavery, cultural genocide, and caste-basted discrimination brought down a mountain of unpopularity on the Empire.

Arguably, only the House Ignis fleet's heroic efforts in evacuating the doomed city of Gold Mountain at the Fourth Battle of the Seaeater saved the Empire from total collapse. The honorable actions of the fleet commanders in saving non-Glavians was said to have been remarkable, and by the Treaty of Silvera in 47 UE, all positions of governmental leadership were first offered to the officers of those ships. This new council of Judges was by then, also under the terms of the treaty, finished with surrendering millions of gold pieces in war reparations.

The bleeding was staunched, but most could see the writing on the wall. The Glavian Empire's death was a slow one, and it continued to wield some measure of influence and power, especially in the Almanthan continent, for hundreds of years after the Meloran Crisis. However, by 400 UE, the Glavian Empire was a distant memory of historians and scholars.

Society and Culture

Glavian society was loosely caste-based, with each of the four Imperial Houses encompassing different aspects of Imperial culture.

House Saajik, or the House of Stone, was the arm of Imperial culture that dealt with all things domestic. Saajik Glavians were responsible for everything from making policy to making buildings. Farmers, craftspeople, and laborers- both skilled and unskilled- were usually a part of House Saajik. Higher order members of House Saajik dealt with bigger aspects of Imperial infrastructure, and were often inventors or architects.

It was taught that, after conquering the entire multiverse, all people in the Glavian Empire would be brought into House Saajik, and the other Houses would fade away, their usefulness at an end. Mother Church of Glavia called this phenomenon The Doctrine of Fulfillment, when there were no more worlds to conquer and all were living in bliss as Glavians.

House Adaro, or the House of Water, was the Imperial caste that dealt with both war and spirituality. Members born into or transitioned into House Adaro were soldiers and spiritual leaders. The priests of the Mother Church were all expected to be full members of House Adaro, giving counsel and guidance to all. Adaro's praetorians and warpriests represented the leadership of the Glavian war machine as a rushing, cleansing tide.

When the Empire was called upon to fight, House Adaro's praetorians were first in line. They were tactical and strategic experts, as well as fearsome warriors in their own right. Engineers, especially those in operation of Almanthan traction mangonels, were almost always members of House Adaro.

House Ignis, or the House of Fire, was the Imperial house that contributed to Glavian culture in two ways: ethnic cleansing and reclamation. If House Ignis was involved in the dealings of Glavian society, it usually meant doom for those involved. More often, Ignis was called upon to burn away heresy outside Glavia's borders, accepting no quarter and offering no terms of surrender.

House Ignis was also responsible for organizing the more rank-and-file members of the Imperial armies. Recently conquered peoples often found themselves pressed into service with House Ignis as cannon fodder if no suitable place could be found for them in House Saajik. Finally, House Ignis dealt with the investigation and reclamation of Glavian property and persons, in the rare cases of those being lost.

House Sylvestra, or the House of Air, was the fourth and final Glavian Imperial house. This caste were spies, travelers, diplomats, and negotiators. The Glavian Empire did not formally trade with other powers, and its pseudo-communist society did not often allow for a true merchant caste; nevertheless, using economic might to project Imperial influence was the responsibility of House Sylvestra.

Some of the most important members of House Sylvestra, and arguably all of the Empire, were the Imperial Judges. The Judges were seen as extensions of the Emperor's direct will out in the world, and held tremendous power. Other high-ranking members of the Imperial houses showed begrudging deference to a Judge, as their decisions were law and their words final.

Worldview

Especially later in the Empire's existence, the Glavians categorized Echelon's peoples into six types:

• Heretics, born or branded by the Glavian Holy Church as permanently outside redemption; these included monsters, fiends, and some sentient species like dragons, tieflings, and gith
• Forsaken, who were people and states actively or passively resisting Glavian influence, but not yet considered beyond "salvation"; most larger nation-states and their denizens usually fell into this category
• Outborn, who were those not born on Almantha (or those still ignorant of the Empire); this term was also used as a "catch-all" for the rest of the world's peoples not yet a part of the Glavian Empire
• Enfolded, those who were not born in the Glavian Empire, but were brought into its culture by subjugation, negotiation, or force; these included vassals or recently conquered territories
• Glavian, full members of the Imperial society, born into its culture or, on rare occasions, bestowed upon Enfolded individuals
• Provenant, a title usually reserved for the Emperor alone, as the "father progenitor" of the Glavian culture; this was rarely used as an honorific for a Glavian Judge as well