The Eloisan Empire

Posted on 20. September 2021 by Worldbuilder

Introduction
The Eloisan Empire stretches for miles in all directions. The kingdom covers different peoples and different cultural backgrounds within the same people. This creates tensions, which have sometimes led to rebellion against the autocratic monarchy, which is the kingdom’s current form of government. The kingdom is by far the largest military power in the area, but this does not prevent the various tribes, not yet subjected, from making looting expeditions.

 

Content

History
The Eloisan Empire, at 514 years old, is a kingdom in its prime. The capital Eloisan was founded in 2603 TID at the mouth of the river Panerva. No one knows for sure who came up with the idea of founding the village, but four families, Lauran Tien, De Martiq, Renaldo and Fromintag, joined forces and founded the village. The four families set up a system in which they shared power, with the male head of each family taking turns sitting as Maire Seigneur and the other three heads sitting as Maire. This constellation of power distribution, location and rich merchants who came to the city, led the city into a golden era of great economic prosperity for all classes of society.

At the same time, the four families began to build up an army that would defend them against the surrounding tribes of goblins, orcs and whatever else might roam the countryside. However, after a short time they decided to expand the city’s territorial claims, and used the army to defeat the surrounding tribes of people who would not voluntarily submit to Eloisan. This approach meant that 70 years after the city’s founding, it ruled over an empire that was seven times as large as the areas the city had claimed at its founding. This proces lasted for a little over 160 years.

In 2769 TID the last man in the Renaldo family died and the other three families decided to share power between the remaining three families. In order for there to be no resistance from the Renaldo family, the three other families send assassins after them. Thus, the Renaldo family ceased to exist. This course of action did not go down well with the generals of the army, and they rebelled against the three families. By 2770 TID the generals had seized power and all members of the three families were publicly executed for treason against the state.

For the next 10 years, the generals ruled as a military junta, which scared away many of the merchants who had lived in the kingdom. Instead, they went to the other smaller kingdoms that had sprung up around the Eloisan Empire. This meant that Eloisan lost money from the treasury to such an extent that the generals ended up calling elections to a senate and then in 2780 TID handed over power to the senate. According to historians, the generals left Eloisan under cover of night, but are likely more likely to have been secretly executed by the Senate to prevent them from returning to power.

The Senate, to which everyone in theory could be elected, now led the kingdom for the next 40 years, and Eloisan again made progress both financially and militarily. The Senate had singled out some of the smaller kingdoms around the kingdom as their next territorial claim, and not long after the Senate had taken power, a new expansion of the kingdom began. During these wars, a single general began to excel. Jamric Baillieu led the kingdom from one victory to the next, and became extremely popular among the soldiers and the general population. The Senate therefore decided that he had to get out of the way as they feared he would start demanding more money, or perhaps even a vote in the Senate. They sent an officer loyal to the Senate with a squad of soldiers, but the soldiers turned on the officer and delivered him in chains to Jamric Baillieu. The general then decided, provoked by the action of the senate, to do exactly what they had feared. In 2820 TID he led the army to Eloisan and deposed the Senate. He proclaimed himself king of the kingdom, and it is his lineage that to this day sits on the throne.

In the time period from 2820 TID until 3117 TID, the Eloisan Empire fought a lot of wars, and slowly began to expand their territory to what the kingdom consists of today. Not all the different peoples like to be under the banner of Eloisan, and from time to time there are revolts in the outer provinces of the kingdom. Once, in 3045 TID, a general started a rebellion in the heartland to put himself on the throne. The revolt was crushed with great brutality, and the whole family of the general had to pay for his betrayal.

Geography, demographic and language
The Eloisan Empire is one of the largest empires in history, with a power base that stretches from Eloisan on the coast in the west and all the way to the border wall towards the steppes in the east. The greatest expansion took place within the last 250 years, with a few big conquests before Jamric Baillieu was crowned king. It is also under the rule of the Baillieu clan that maps have been made of the many provinces of the kingdom.

The demographic composition of such a large empire is very diverse. This is due to the expansion Eloisan has undertaken throughout its history. All the small kingdoms that were inhabited by people around Eloisan were absorbed into the kingdom, and therefore there is a great spread in appearance and cultural touch among the people in the kingdom. In 2947 TID, the Eloisan Empire encircled the large Willow Forest, the forest is known to be a place where elves live. The elves quickly decided to enter into an agreement with the Eloisan Empire to become an autonomous province in the kingdom as the humans were too many and it would end up with the forest being destroyed and the elves themselves exterminated. Not all elves were enthusiastic about this agreement, but all elves could see the sense in the agreement if the elven race were not to perish in the area. The fact that some elves have migrated out of Willow Forest has also made it possible to run into the occasional half-elves. Both wood elves and high elves have given genes to half-elves, and both female and male humans and elves have produced the half-elves that exist. They are rare, but they are out there.

The Eloisan Empire has no indigenous population of dwarves and gnomes, but there are a large number of mountains and hills suitable for mines. In 2903 TID King Frans Baillieu invited dwarves and gnomes to come and settle down against working in the mines. Today one can find dwarves and gnomes everywhere in the kingdom.

The halflings have been in the kingdom almost from the beginning. The first halflings became inhabitants of the kingdom during the reign of the four families, and therefore they can be found everywhere, even sometimes places you do not want to find them.

The tribes of goblins and orcs that were in the different areas were displaced and the only meeting you get with these beings are when they make looting expeditions.

The main language of the Eloisan Empire is Elois (Common), but since the kingdom is so large and covers many different peoples, there are several different dialects or even other versions of Elois. The Baillieu family has spread the main language to the whole kingdom, but that does not mean that people will speak it. In addition to Elois, Islipar (Elven) is also spoken, especially in the provinces around Willow Forest. In the mountain areas, Doralmin (Dwarven) is also spoken. Gnomes and halves have their own version of Doralmin and Elois, but it is more a dialect of the two languages ​​than an actual new language.

Society
The Eloisan Empire seeks to create a sense of common identity that includes different peoples within a common political system. The kingdom emphasizes the creation of public monuments and amphitheaters to foster a common sense of being “Eloisanian”.

The social hierarchy of the kingdom is divided into classes. At the top you find the king and his family. Next is the nobility who are divided into high, medium and low. Alongside the nobility, but without the same obligations, is the clergy. Below the nobility and clergy are the free citizens, who are again divided into the rich and everyone else. Below the free citizens are the slaves.

One’s social status is very important to the individual citizen, at least if one is noble or from the clergy. For the ordinary citizens of the kingdom, this is not so important as long as they know they can get food on the table.

Women in The Eloisan Empire
Free women are considered citizens throughout the kingdom, but can neither vote (there are a few things that are voted on in the kingdom), hold political office, or serve in the military.

The traditional form of marriage in which the woman is subject to the authority of her husband was reintroduced in certain parts of the kingdom after the Baillieu family came to power. The Senate had abandoned this practice, and a married woman retained ownership of any property she brought into the marriage. You have to be aware of this detail if you intend to get marry yourself. There are places in the kingdom, where a conversation with a married woman are perceived as a crime unless her husband has given permission.

Girls have the same right to inheritance as boys, if their father dies without leaving a will of any kind. This is to ensure that the girl has a dowry for when she is getting married, otherwise she risks that no one will marry her.

Infidelity, which had been a family affair during rule of the Senate, was criminalized under the Baillieu family, and was broadly defined as an illegal sexual act that took place between a married woman and a male citizen. Divorce is not a thing that takes place in the kingdom, at least not officially.

Slavery
Approximately 15 % of the population in the kingdom are slaves, and slaves are factor in the economy. Slavery is a complex institution, in the cities, slaves can be trained professionals such as teachers and cooks, but for the most part slaves are unskilled workers in households, agriculture or other physical work.

Under Eloisan law, slaves are considered property and have no legal rights. They can be subjected to forms of punishment that will not be used for free citizens, sexual exploitation, torture and executions. A slave cannot be legally raped, as rape only concerns people who are free. A slave’s rapist can be prosecuted by the owner of the slave, so the owner can receive compensation.

The life expectancy of slaves is extraordinarily low. On average, a slave lives approximately 15 years after being enslaved. The slaves are primarily prisoners of war, but abandoned children and newborns and self-slavery among the poor are other sources.

Public entertainment
It became clear to the Senate, and subsequent the Baillieu family, that in order to keep the population from thoughts of rebellion, they had to do something that could grab their attention.

They erected a lot of amphitheaters around the kingdom to take peoples minds of the thoughts of unhappiness. Within the walls of the theaters, gladiatorial matches, plays, athletic competitions and religious events are held. One can often find several different gladiator schools near the amphitheaters.

Politics
The three most important elements in the politics of the kingdom are the king, the military and the governors of the provinces. The military establishes control of a territory through war, but after a city or people are brought under the banner of Eloisan, the military mission ends and the civilian authorities take over.

The protection of citizens, the local agricultural areas and religious sites, no matter what god is worshiped, is high on the list when a new territory is brought into the kingdom. Cooperation with local power elites is often a necessity for maintaining order, gathering information and collecting taxes.

Administration
The Eloisan Empire is divided into a number of provinces, each province are governed by a governor who has wide powers as he is the direct representative of the king. It is one of the duties of the governor to collect the taxes from the prefectures he has in his province, and send it to the capital with the tax caravan which comes through all the provinces four times a year. Crime of a more serious character, including murder, is also something the governor takes care of.

The number of provinces varies, depending on whether there are people who are to be rewarded with a governor’s title or a governor has been given too much power and his province is divided into smaller provinces. The governor of a province always lives in the provincial capital where he is provided with an official residence. There are currently 37 provinces in the Eloisan Empire. Each province is divided into a number of prefectures (municipalities). Each prefecture is governed by a prefect who is responsible for the local administrative work, including collecting taxes and dealing with petty crime. One of the most important laws that a prefect must enforce, in addition to collecting taxes, is the militia law.

It states that all citizens, regardless of race or gender, must serve one year in the local militia, which serves as the constabulary in the prefecture, within the age of 18 to the age of 20 or the equivalent age of elves, dwarves, gnomes and halflings. It is possible for women to serve, since the militia is not seen as part of the military and it is subject to the civilian authorities. It is possible to pay to avoid active military service, but it is up to the individual prefects to set the price. However, it must not fall below 10,000 silver pieces. If a citizen refuses to serve, they are sold as slaves, and the rest of the family must now pay the difference for the sale price and the 10.000 pieces of silver. Once this is done, the citizen is free and can return to his or her former life. If for some reason the family cannot pay the rest of the silver, the slave will remain a slave until he or she has worked off the debt.

Economy
The great conquests that the kingdom has made, have created a large internal market. The economic conditions, especially those dealing with agriculture, vary greatly between the different provinces, depending on the weather in the province in question. Many of the most fertile provinces feed the provinces where the soil is not so fertile, thus creating a trade between the citizens of the kingdom.

The cornerstone of the economy are the cities that are the center of all industrial production, trade and consumption. This is where most of the money is in one form or another. Although all trade and production takes place in the cities, it is the rural population that is the largest, and agriculture is the dominant sector in the economy.

The largest centers of the economy are Eloisan, Maitoise, Colbéliard, Boulès, Vohenlingen, Guadalacante and Holmekanger. The first four was laid out by the four original families, and are laid out to the west, south, north and east, respectively. Eloisan is the largest city to the west and Colbéliard is the largest city to the north. Vohenlingen is centrally located in the first large territory Eloisan conquered when the expansion began. Guadalacante is located as the largest southern city in the kingdom and Holmekanger is located as the largest eastern city. It also serves as a garrison town for the legion guarding the wall against the hordes from the steppes.

Transportation and commerce
The Eloisan Empire have constructed some local roads where it made sense, but has not started to expand the roads properly. However, it is possible to get from east to west and vice versa with relative ease. Transport by water is preferred where possible, as transporting large quantities of raw materials over land is more difficult as it requires many wagons and a larger amount of protection against robbers.

Over the years, many merchants have asked the king to expand the roads so the wagons can arrive faster, but nothing has not happened yet. The provinces also trade amongst themselves. The most important raw material is grain. The commodities include olive oil, various foods, slaves, ore and metal objects, fibers and textiles, timber, ceramics, glass, marble, papyrus, spices, ivory, pearls and precious stones.

Although most provinces are capable of producing wine, regional grape varieties are desired and wine is a key element of trade. At the local level, inns sell wine, with price ranges that reflect the quality (the distance the wine has traveled to be able to enter the market in that place).

Religion
Religion is one of the biggest contributors to the way ordinary people live their lives. Take e.g. the farmers; they do not sow the new seeds without asking Nodion to give them a greater yield of crops. Same with the sailors, they pray to Ation before setting sail. You will also find many inns and other party places without a small sanctuary for Tourae. It is up to the individual which god they will worship, as religion is a private matter.

Military
The soldiers in the army and navy are professionals who have volunteered for active service for ten years and ten years as reserves. Conscription is an option as the king can ask his nobles to raise everything from a decimatia to a cohort for a given military campaign. Usually it is the regular army and navy that are used, since the military is a full-time career.

An army unit consists of one legion as the main combat unit. It is comprised of a 1000 soldiers. These 1000 soldiers are split into ten cohorts each of a 100 soldiers. The cohort is split into five centuria of 20 soldiers each, which is then split into two decimatia with 10 soldiers each. In moderns terms it would be regiment, company, platoon and squad.

The ranks with the army and navy are as follows (the navy uses the same names):

  • Imperator equals a Field Marshal
  • Dux equals a General
  • Legatus equals a Colonel
  • Tribunus equals a Major
  • Praefecti equals a Captain
  • Primo Centurio equals a First Lieutenant
  • Centurio equals a Lieutenant
  • Primo Bellator equals a First Sergeant
  • Secundi Bellator equals a Sergeant
  • Signifero equals a Corporal which is also the standard bearer in his centuria, so this rank even if it is at the bottom will only be given to 1 soldier in each centuria

The three sections of the military in the Eloisan Empire are:

  • The Silk Guard which is garrisoned at Eloisan and act as the king’s personal guard and the city police.
  • The provincial army which consists of the legions which must keep the borders safe and deal with any revolts.
  • The navy with the main task of protecting the mercantile fleet from pirates and act as troop transportation for the army.

The Silk Guard consists of five corps, each of a 100 men, so the guard has the same strength as half a legion. The name of the guard stems from the extra salary the guards receive plus their uniform is made of silk instead of cotton and canvas as the rest of the army uniforms are. Only the Silk Guard are allowed inside the city walls of Eloisan.

The provincial army, which includes the legions and possibly Auxiliary units consisting of conscripts, are garrisoned around the kingdom. There are 27 legions, of which 20 have border service as protection against monsters and other exciting things from outside. The remaining seven legions are garrisoned in the heartland, they act as a deterrent for governors who want to revolt and as a replacement for the legions who need a break from the border service.

The Eloisan navy helps with everything that has to do with the sea, they chase down pirates, transport troops and supplies, and generally keep the waterways safe. The fleet patrols the northern and western coastal areas as well as large parts of the Dragon Sea.

 

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