The Hadrian Empire
Discipline, Order, Knowledge
For the last two centuries, the Hadrian Empire has expanded its borders through an aggressive, militaristic campaign. In the wake of their expansion, they brought science, medicine, and order to every culture they assimilated. In 990, Empress Elizabetha overthrew the Pan-Republican Senate and ascended to the throne. With total power the divine seer-Empress directs the Empire towards one goal: averting the coming End Times.
In 1006 the Empire encountered its greatest obstacle: the supernatural and toxic desert known as the Dragon’s Maw. Every inch of it was hostile to human life, infested with cursed creatures and cloaked in a miasma that choked the life out of all who breathed it. After crossing the Maw they arrived at the Waste Wall, a towering cliff hundreds of feet tall. The Empire constructed a feat of engineering known as The Lift, scaled the Waste Wall, and emerged on the Southern edge of the March in 1011. Soon after, the Hadrian Empire would be at war with the West Rivlan Earldom. The Ten Years War would ultimately end in 1021 with the surrender of the Earl, and the ceding of Goldenfold to the Empire. The Earl would pass ruling authority to a Consul and Legate appointed by the Empress herself.
Now bound by an uneasy peace through the Treaty of the Hound which ended the war, the Empire plans its next steps. The people of the March must be fully brought into the fold one way or another and made ready to stand against what comes. No one else can shoulder the burden the children of the Empire bear: only they and they alone have the resources, the knowledge, and the resolve to drive back the coming darkness.
If you are interested in becoming a Hadrian, please refer to their style guide below.
Religious Beliefs
The Hadrian Empire does not possess a single centralized religious institution, and one has never dominated amongst any of its constituent provinces. Instead, faith within the Empire is characterized by a broad array of regional practices and customs, devolving down into extremely personal and individualistic expressions of faith. Many Imperials have chosen a specific god from the core pantheon, supplemented by a cast of spirits and minor deities. This does not mean they do not believe in the others - it simply means that they seek greater favor or wish to show a stronger devotion to their chosen patron.
Social Structure and Leadership
The Hadrian Empire is an absolute monarchy with all power centered on the Empress. Managing the nine provinces beneath her is a vast bureaucratic system. The first layer is the High Consulate, composed of the Consuls and Legates hand-picked by the Empress to serve as governors of the Empire’s provinces and as her decentralized advisory council. Beneath these governors are the Provincial Senates, then the Consilium and Officia. The residents of each province are all considered citizens, granted equal rights and protections under Imperial law regardless of social status.
Relationship with the March
An uneasy peace and distrust exists between the Empire and the remaining Rivlan Earldoms; they know it is only a matter of time before diplomats bring demands of vassalization to their halls. The Vadurkin and Suzak-Mar have had few direct interactions with the Empire, both have the potential to become allies or enemies. The Vadurkin are considered a potential ally based on the rule of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” due to their long history of border raids and conflict with Northern Rivlan holds. The Suzak-Mar are on the other hand treated with a general sympathy, with many Imperial citizens considering the fall of LaShar to be a symptom of the prophesied End Times.
Goals
The Hadrian Empire’s ultimate goal is to unite all of Humanity under one banner to prevent the End Times. According to her visions, the vigil held by the gods would falter and a darkness would come to envelop the world. The only way to prevent this cruel fate is for all Humanity to stand as one, unified beneath a single banner with Empress Elizabetha at their head as they did with Aelia in her initial rebellion with Trajan, Lucretia, Otho, and Caelus. No other person or nation can make this a reality; preventing the End Times is a task that the Hadrian Empire alone can accomplish.
