The Nine Imperiums

Learning based around meditation and visions with discussion upon these to gain understanding and knowledge. These mages are thoughtful and insightful, but also pretty grounded and do not let themselves be carried away by the visions they receive.

Capital City: Stumis 

Stumis is close to the Sky Spear and upon a nearby mountain. As such, it is virtually impregnable, hence the ability for the Imperium to stay neutral in the Imperial invasion. Its great library’s architecture refuses straight angles and as such appears odd to many. They mostly mine stone, but as of late there have been no export trains – rumour has it that disease struck the city, wiping almost everyone out. Neutrality it seems, saved no one in the end.  

In contrast this imperium see the way to true knowledge as being through depravation and spending time by oneself with little food, comforts and even sleep. Once a year each mage of this Imperium must live as a hermit for a month surviving as frugally as possible in caves carved out of the mountain that their Spire is built on – many choose to do so in the winter months making this as hard a time as for themselves as possible – some have even died as they pushed themselves too far.

Capital City: Petett 

Petett is a small city, as most of its people followed the rituals of their magocracy by living beyond city walls. As such, it was simply a place of convenience, commerce and other similar things. It is settled on a large plain, surrounded by a practical moat. Now Petett is effectively a bandit city, as the magocracy never returned after hiding out the Imperial invasion.  

These mages are classic scholars and focus their energies upon the reading of books and can be seen as classic academics. They bent the knee to the Imperials in exchange for hidden knowledge. During the occupation they became increasingly corrupted, only caring for more knowledge. When the Imperials left they were heavily rounded on and released great spells of power to protect themselves, though they were mostly left fractured and defeated. They now seek to rebuild and take Franconia for themselves, always focussed on collecting artefacts of power and forbidden knowledge to empower themselves. They are much hated for the terrible atrocities they commit for their search for power. 

Capital City: Bauquemare 

The city of Bauquemare, like many Imperium cities, is a faded glory. Despite this, Bauquemare is more complete than most. It is mostly kept in service by slaves and guarded by mercenaries. Bauquemare’s great library is still guarded by a handful of knights who did not leave in disgust when Lukeneis aided the Imperials. These knights are notorious for hunting down relics that would bring further power to Henrietta, burning and torturing their way through the lands in the pursuit of dark arcana.  

This Imperium was very much focused on reasoned debate and the gaining of knowledge and understanding through conversation and the insights of others and differing points of view. Stories go that they engaged in a week-long debate with Imperial ambassadors and by the end of this debate were somehow convinced that Imperial rule was the way. They became bureaucrats and were heavily intertwined with the everyday running of Franconia in Imperial rule. Now, they carry on with this unflinching belief that the Imperials will return and are often seen wandering the lands beseeching bandits to lay down their weapons. They are generally despised as cowards. 

Capital City: Keskus 

Keskus is the most intact city in Franconia. It heavily adopted Imperial practices and the magocracy completely turned their backs on Franconian culture. Post Imperial rule, Keskus citizens completely withdrew into their capital city and heavily fortified it. The castle walls were extended to the coast so they could receive trade solely by sea. The city boasts an array of coastal defences, which are regularly used to shoot down ships trying to get escaped slaves to safety. As such, the inhabitants are widely-hated and hold to their belief that the Imperials will return and restore order.  

Ruled by passion and fervour there is never a dull moment in this Imperium. The opposite of Keskustelu this Imperium is renowned for its heated debates and impassioned views. Mages are encouraged to follow and study that which interests them most and throw their all into gaining more understanding of it.

Capital City: Dessa 

Dessa is a ruin and haunt for criminals, and worse. Some say it is haunted by the magocracy who were slaughtered by Imperials with the aid of Imperium Keskustelu. Dessian refugees, unsurprisingly despise Kestusteluvians. Prophecy of a savour or returning king is rife amongst those that scrape out a living on the bandit-ridden roads.  

Mythology, legend and the stories of ancient and almost forgotten races are where the mages of this imperium seek to gain their wisdom and see these things as being integral to understanding the present and also what is to come in the future.

Capital City: Tarinth 

Tarinth is a half-ruined city full of cutthroats and poisoners. Many believe that the inhabitants fought a shadow war with the Imperials, accepting their rule, but paying mercenaries to strike at important locations against them. More than one assassination of Imperial generals was said to be an inside job from Imperium Tarina. Today the great library is locked up, though no one knows why.   

The planes, edges and poles hold great fascination for this Imperium and they seek to gain as great an understanding of them as possible – the true plane holds no interest for them. As such, they remained fairly neutral in the Imperial invasion until it seemed the Imperials were getting the upper hand, then they hastily signed treaties of subservience, and continued their cosmic investigations. There was much resentment and anger at this Imperium after the ‘freeing’ of Franconia, and now they exist in isolated towers, dwindling away. Some whisper that they seek a great secret, which will return them to power. They regularly hire mercenaries to do their dirty work.  

Capital City: Tok 

The city of Tok is barely a settlement, but a series of isolated towers on an open plain. Rivers run around these towers and are how the inhabitants generally survive, planning to rebuild the Magocracy. 

Fixated upon the skies these mages seek to understand the world from gazing upon the stars, the sun, the moon and charon. They also seek the goddess and have built may instruments to try to find her and thereby bring her closer to them and the people of Franconia. The path of the swords is little trod in Franconia and those of Tähtitiede seek to change this. Some 30-40 years ago an unusual elf joined this house for a short time but after a visit to Imperium Aloittaa she didn’t return and was never heard from again

When the Imperials conquered Franconia, Tahtitiede fled to various outlying temples. There they lived in secret, masquerading as priests. As such, they are seen as a little untrustworthy.In these days when nobility are often resented for either abandoning the people or worse, they have taken the custom of wearing simple robes, with no acquiesce to nobility except the simple heraldry emblazoned upon their chests – a temple before a Hunter’s moon. They claim they used to all be warrior monks – as such they will be obsessed with the Swords of the Goddess. They will visit the players to witness ‘miracles’ from swords of the goddess, for such a thing is rare in Franconia, and would surely bring new hope. In their eyes, for too long has the hunter fought for Franconia alone. 

Capital City: Tieden 

Tieden is nothing more than its great library, which is built upon a mighty cliff face. Their search for the goddess has consumed them, and some whisper that they only survive because of a pact with the Hunter.  

All the mages of this Imperium are Spears of the hunter and much of their learning centres around understanding his ways and all the perspectives that the various people of Franconia hold about him.

Capital City: Lenz 

Named after a long-dead hero from Franconia’s glorious past, Lenz’s is a destroyed ruin. Before the Imperials arrived, the magocracy of Aloitta burnt it to the ground, and fled into the woods to fight a guerrilla war. The place has never been re-settled since. Some say that many of its inhabitants burned in the fires as part of some great sacrifice.