Hasra consists of several very powerful noble houses, each of which was a kingdom in it’s own right before joining the imperium. Each house has virtually unlimited control over their province, but they must bend knee to the Hasran royal family. They are taxed and required to send any touched that they discover on to the Hasran military.
The leader of each province is known as a Praetor, a title reserved for district governors during the reign of the Elentian empire. These Praetors and their families are one step removed from royalty, and many are privately addressed as prince or king in their respective province.
The Hasran province is ruled directly by the Imperator, who traditionally leaves the other provinces to govern themselves. The Imperator may pass whatever decree they wish however, and it isn’t unheard of for them to strip a Praetor of their power if that Praetor is doing things they dislike.
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The Hasran Province
The Hasran province is both the most wealthy and the most powerful in the imperium. It contains two of the most powerful catalysts in the West, both The Reactor and The Arm. These are the backbone of Hasra’s military dominance, because they allow the creation of battlemages.
A dozen battlemages can destroy a legion of infantry in a matter of minutes, making them one of the best weapons a warlord or king can bring to bear. As if this weren’t enough Hasra is also the sole supplier of Fire Rubies, which come primarily from the area around The Reactor.
Mages can consume the energy contained in these gems to fuel their spells, meaning that the Imperial Battlemage can continue lobbing fireballs long after others have run dry. This allows the Hasran legions to wage sustained campaigns, which makes them brutally effective in war.
The only other source of Fire Rubies is The Blasted Lands, but Hasra controls the pass leading into the desert. This means that they control the flow of fire rubies, both from Hasra and the Blasted Lands. Every other province needs these gems to create magic items and fuel their magic, and it has generated tremendous wealth for Hasra.
Hasra also reserves the right to induct any and all touched into their nobility, giving them an edge over the other provinces. When seven out of every ten touched belong to your house it vastly increases the strength of your nobility, which is part of Hasra’s well designed plan to keep control of the Imperium.
The Imperium is currently ruled by Imperator Desidria, a woman of unparalleled beauty who also happens to be one of the most powerful battlemages alive. She has ruled the Imperium for nearly thirty years, guiding it through a brutal war with Olivantia, and orchestrating The Purge alongside Praetor Valys.
However, the fortunes of her house fell recently when the Imperator was struck down by a mysterious wasting illness that defies the healing of even the most powerful life mage. It has confined her to her bed and is slowly sapping her life away, despite a fortune spent on finding a cure.
This means that rule has fallen to her 14 year old son Justarius, though she did place a guardian to oversee matters until he comes of age. The guardian is her husband , Archduke Ildonis. Ildonis is far more interested in gladiatoral contests and parties than he is in ruling the realm. He is a good man, but woefully inept in statescraft.
Over the last two years he has managed to offend nearly every major house, and even his own son (Justarius) is less than fond of him.
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House Valys
Valys is the second most powerful province in the Imperium. It controls The Hammer of Reevanthara, which provides access to mines where enchanted iron and earth diamonds are harvested. Nearly a third of these are sent to Hasra as tribute, but even after giving up such a large part of what they harvest Valys still possesses a vast amount of wealth.
This allows them to forge enchanted weapons, armor and eldimagi using the magical materials they harvest. Their military is the best equipped in the west, and many of their soldiers are earth catalized. This makes them stronger and tougher than most opponents, and has won them many victories over the years.
Valys shares a border with Olivantia, which means they have born the brunt of every assault for the last 150 years. This has transformed their legions into the toughest veterans to be found in the Imperium. Their cavalry, infantry and mages are the best trained anywhere.
The current Praetor of Valys has ruled for nearly forty years, and is a rarity in the Imperium. He catalized as a fire and void mage, making him one of the few non-touched battlemages in the west. Etrian distinguished himself many times during wars with Olivantia, and fought alongside the Imperator herself during the purge.
The people of Valys love him, and for good reason. Etrian shares much of Valys’s wealth with her citizens, setting up scholarships, repairing roads and building temples in every city across his realm. His eldest son was too young to fight in the war, but has already proven himself as a capable leader and expert swordsman.
His daughter is fifteen and about to turn sixteen. When she does she will be wed to Prince Justarius of Hasra, solidifying the union between their two provinces.
This wedding was decided upon due to the intense dislike the provinces hold for each other. Hasra sees Valys as upstart provincials with an exaggerated sense of their own importance. Valys sees Hasra as an opportunistic leech who siphons their wealth and manpower.
This animosity goes all the way back to The Fall, when Hasra abandoned Valys to fend for itself against the orokh and the trolls. The people of Valys have never forgotten, much less forgiven. Many would like nothing better than to cecede and form their own kingdom, especially with the threat of the vampyr gone.
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House Enestius
Enestius is accounted by most to be the third strongest province. Their military is far smaller than either Valys or Hasra, but those troops they do have are some of the best in the world. Their proximity to the mercenary nation of Lukantria has enabled them to hire some of the best Warmasters available, which is why their troops are so well trained despite a lack of combat experience.
Enestius is the only province without a catalyst, but this has hardly hindered their rise to prominence. Two decades ago they conspired with Lukantria and Arlen to sack and burn the dwarven nation of Enuria. They destroyed them utterly, coming away with vast amounts of wealth as well as a fair number of Enurian Steel weapons and armor.
Enurian Steel is renowned the world over, and the sale of a single weapon is often worth more than a hundred lesser enchanted blades. Enestius gained nearly two dozen such blades, and sold more than half of them during the final war with Olivantia. This infusion of wealth has allowed them to build several new cities, and to fund many expeditions to the frozen north in search of Frost Sapphires.
Enestius is currently ruled by Praetor Arkelias, a noble who recently came to the title after his wife died of a wasting sickness. Arkelias is a high ranking member of the Enchanter’s guild, which holds considerable sway throughout the Imperium.
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House Ildonis
House Ildonis is both the smallest and weakest province in the Imperium. It controls the fortresses on either end of the Elentian Canal, as well as a small swathe of land along the western shore of the Endless Lake.
Ildonis controls no standing armies, and a very modest navy. They export no major goods and control no catalysts, though the Dragon Scar is within their borders. The house is the laughing stock of the entire Imperium, and very few take them seriously.
One of those few is Imperator Desidria, who understands just how important the Elentian Canal is. It allows Hasran goods to flow into the South Sea and Southern Ocean, and also brings a steady stream of imports from the same southern ports.
Ildonis also served a critical purpose during the war with Olivantia. They kept the Olivantians from bringing their navy to bear in the Endless Lake, which gave the Hasrans complete naval superiority and helped them win the war following the purge.
Archduke Ildonis is painfually aware of how most houses view his lands, but he hardly cares. He led the battle that destroyed the Olivantian navy, and he loves the sea more than anything. During the war it was his ship that carried Desidria into battle, and during those few weeks the two fell in love.
Most consider their marriage a political embarassment for Hasra, but Desidria was adamant that she’d marry for love instead of politics. It secured her the loyalty of house Ildonis, not that the house has much to offer.
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House Calmora
House Calmora is smaller than Valys or Hasra, but has a military nearly as large as Hasra’s. Their archers are famed for their accuracy, especially since many possess enchanted elm bows from the Elfen forest of Telasia.
Calmora also possesses one of the most important catalysts in the Imperium, the Star. The Star is a life catalyst, which gives the Calmorans access to life mages. No other house has access to so many healers, and that has helped Calmora gain much prestige in the Imperium.
Calmorans are fiercely independent, nearly as much so as Valysians. They were the Hasra’s first conquest after the Fall, a fact that rankles the pride of most of the citizens. Praetor Calmora tries to stifle such mutterings, but it is difficult to make his people believe well of the Hasrans when he himself shares their opinion.
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House Teophilus
Teophilus is unique among the houses. It controls the Isle of Teophilus in the center of the Endless Lake, and has the strongest Navy in the Imperium. Most of its nobles are ship’s captains, some are even admirals. They tend to their ships as other houses tend to horses. Each captain must help in the construction of his vessel, and losing a ship is like losing a hand.
Teophilus boasts many great merchants, who take the goods of the Imperium to ports all over the Endless Lake, and as far south as the Southern Ocean. The other houses resent them for this, and for the fact that they interbreed freely with the Elfen tribes that live on Teophilus.
The addition of Elfen blood has strengthened the Teophilus greatly. Many Elfen practice earth magic and a few are even masters of Nature. They end to an enchanted grove in the heart of the Teophilus wood, and they occasionally share the wood to be used for shipbuilding.
The Elfen are also fierce warriors, and more than one tribe has agreed to serve on Teophilus ships during time of war. Teophilus are the undisputed masters of the Endless Lake, and all other houses are careful not to offend them as this could lead to their ports being avoided by merchants.
