One of the guys I D&D with has asked me to do a background of an empire for him. I had a bit of a conversation with him to get what sort of thing he wanted, which was fairly sketchy details to be honest. I've sent him my initial work and he loves it. Nice to know my work hasn't been wasted. This is what I've given him so far, and a map he gave me for the capital city. He wanted a Roman theme to it, which I've tried to do, but mixed in with other influences from the places it has absorbed into its borders. The Elf's are going to have something of a Byzantian flavour though just to mix it up a little bit further and make it seem very cosmopolitan. The gods I just grabbed from the campaign I am working on at the moment, while the Guild of Sellswords etc is something I've used in a few of my creations.
A Rough guide to Byantus.
Introduction.
The ancient empire of Byantus has stood as a bulwark of civilisation for over 800 years. Once its legions trod the earth, conquering all foes. Now, it is its merchants and diplomats who increase its holdings. By trading with other nations and making ever stronger alliances until a political union is formed, they have welcomed as many new nations as provinces with open arms as they did by main force. Such unions also have the benefit of not having to rebuild shattered nations after a lengthy war.
The secret to the success of Byantus has been its adaptability. As new cultures have joined (even those defeated in wars), they have been allowed to keep their own distinctive identity, rather than trying to force them to adopt the ways of the empire. As a result, it is a hodgepodge of many faiths and cultural practices. Over time they tend to blend into the Imperial culture anyway. The rulers of Byantus are patient and content to let these things happen gradually, having learned painful lessons in a number of rebellions and civil wars. It is these internal conflicts that have done more to shape the modern nation than any other single factor.
The Empire once had an Emperor and a hereditary line of rulers; however, their increase of power grew in locked step with cruelty, decadence and incompetence. This was the driving force between the nearly 50 years of civil wars that threatened to destroy the empire between the second and third centuries of its existence. It emerged in its current state following the death of the last claimant to the throne in a battle that saw the original capital reduced to rubble. A triumvirate of leaders led the victorious side, and thus it has been ever since. Three people (the empire does not discriminate between male and female, there have been many leaders from both genders), chosen by popular vote serve. Proconsul Militant is primarily responsible for the security of the empire, while the Proconsul Spiritual has in their portfolio the care of the Empires people, be that religiously, medically or whatever. Finally, the Proconsul Temporal is responsible for the treasury and foreign relations. Each of the Proconsuls has a secondary responsibility for their fellow's portfolio, should one fall ill or otherwise be unable to fulfil their duties, until such time as a replacement can be organised. The Proconsul Militant is the back up for the Proconsul Temporal, Temporal is the stand in for the Spiritual, and Spiritual would take Militant’s place.
In theory any citizen of the empire (of good standing), can become a Proconsul. However, in practice it takes a lot of money and influence to win an election and successful candidates to tend to come from a comparatively small pool of wealthy families. There have however been exceptions over the centuries. Individuals who have rose to meet some challenge and been swept into power on a wave of popular acclaim.
The capital city of Byantus is a wonder of the world. It is not the original capital, instead having been constructed specifically for the purpose of governing the empire. The original capital city was destroyed during the last battles of the civil wars that ended the line of emperors and empresses that had ruled or misruled the empire for its first three hundred years. It is however regarded as a holy site and its remains are a common pilgrimage site as it was here that the first empress is said to have transcended her human origins and took her rightful place amongst the gods.
Byantus has reached its peak as an empire. Its remaining neighbours to the north and south are too powerful and independent to be conquered easily, and to attack one would invite invasion from the other. Therefore, an uneasy peace exists. Sytheria (its northern neighbour), and Parthi (its southern neighbour) hate each other quite passionately and would gladly go to war with each other (or Byantus itself), but to do so requires marching through its territory.
In recent years the empire had been suffering financially. The costs of maintaining its standing armies, not to mention the costs of retaining the Honourable Guild of Sell Swords, Mercenaries & Free Lances was rapidly draining the Imperial treasury and without fresh conquests to bring in more wealth the empire had started to stagnate. The soldiers were growing dangerously bored with no campaigns being fought (and no loot from defeated enemies). The decision was taken to stand down the land forces of the empire and instead require each city to raise and equip a militia out of its citizens who would be trained and deployed as a purely defensive force. Every city would become a fortified holdout designed to withstand a siege while mercenaries and adventurers from the Guild would strike at the enemy armies in hit and run attacks designed to drain their strength. Wither this plan will work in practice is yet to be tested, but it has allowed the finances of the empire to recover and rebuild. This plan is known as Manius Reforms after the Proconsul who proposed them.
Proconsuls and voting.
The leaders of the empire are the Proconsuls. These are elected positions and held for 10 years. Two of these positions, the Proconsul Militant and Proconsul Spiritual rarely change hands outside of the death or retirement of the current incumbent. A Proconsul Militant who is losing a war will normally step down (sometimes with a helping, or even pushing hand), but the Proconsul Spiritual tends to be able to hold their position regardless of popularity. The position as being anointed by the gods carried a lot of weight with the generally religious population of the empire and a vote against such a person is to take a stand against the gods themselves.
In theory all members of the empire are able to vote. In practice though, as proof of identity is required to vote it is limited to those who hold lands, possess a trade or are noble born. The majority of the population who work on farms owned by nobles and rich merchants have no such luxuries. This situation has never been addressed more out of a lack of understanding that most people simply do not possess any of the requirements to prove they can vote rather than anything out of malice or a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise the many. Still, while it has its faults it is still a more representative form of government that many of its contempories.
The Proconsul’s themselves are normally addressed by the second part of their title, Militant, Spiritual or Temporal occasionally with the appellation Lord or Lady, with the full title only being used for formal business.
Each of the Proconsuls has a uniform. Once elected to their position they are never seen in public in any other guise. The ceremonial costumes are however rarely worn for day to day business, a gradual change from the original days of the founding of the Triumvirate when once elected, the holder would only ever wear his outfit and their true face would
The Proconsul Militant wears the silver scale armour and black tabard worn by the city militia, although with a red stripe along the edge to indicate his rank. A heavy iron mask said to be the image of the founder of the empire. Both items are of course enchanted. The armour's purpose is functional, dating back to when the Proconsul would lead his armies on the battlefield. The mask however is more designed with increasing the authority of the wearer (Charisma bonus, increases the range the speaker can be heard from, gives people within range a morale bonus similar to Bless spell or Heroism? Picturing something along the lines of a Greek actors mask here). The Proconsul Militant normally comes from one of the human merchant families, although they are often younger sons and daughters who made their names as adventurers, rather than those who inherited wealth (and are better suited to the role of Proconsul or occasionally one of the Dwarven clans who supply the rest of the empire with much of its higher quality weapons, armour and other sundry equipment. The Mask itself is the original one, passed from Proconsul to Proconsul. In theory the armour is also the original artefact, however it has been repaired many times, altered to fit the body shape of the office holder and even altered to fit in with fashions and technological advancements. The current holder is Layonx Manius, a veteran adventurer who was originally a member of the Honourable Guild of Sell Swords, Mercenaries & Free Lances. He led the defence of the northern city of Calaxtos when it came under siege from the barbarian tribes of Orcs common to the mountains and was instrumental in the disbanding of the Imperial army, replacing it with the Citizen Militia, backed up by the Guild. He is a tall, muscular man in his 50’s who still trains regularly and inspects the Militia on a regular basis. Those who meet him unmasked are often surprised by his youthful appearance and intelligence. He has dark hair, kept cut short and a well-trimmed beard and stands around 180cm tall.
The Proconsul Spiritual as befits the figurehead of all (recognised) faiths wears the costume of a high priest/priestess, with an exquisitely carved ivory face mask. The outfit contains elements from most of the major religions present throughout the empire and has been altered as gods rise and fall in the pantheon. Unlike the Proconsul Militant, this outfit has been remade and replaced an uncountable amount of times. At times, this has left the official outfit looking quite bizarre. Designing and creating one is a hotly contested honour amongst the capital's tailors and seamstresses with some candidates going as far as murdering the competition. The current outfit is a glittering, silvery affair and emits a aura of serene calm. As with the Militant’s mask, the Spiritual’s one is enchanted to increase the charisma of the wearer.
The empire has a very open policy towards other faiths, as long as they cause no harm or threat to the empire. The power the Proconsul Spiritual wields is subtle, and this often causes it to be overlooked but it is power nonetheless. The Elf’s in particular appreciate this kind of position and the majority of Proconsul Spirituals have come from them. The current holder, the Lady Athanasia Kerularia is believed by all to be an Elf belonging to one of the medium sized houses, however unknown to even her fellow Proconsul’s she is in truth a Silver dragon. Her motives in infiltrating the empire in this way are for the GM to decide. She appears as a female elf of average height with long silver hair showing the first signs of aging, but still attractive and a face of serene wisdom. She is famed for her insights into even the most complicated situation and her understanding of the citizens of the empire. While her fellow Proconsuls tend to be respected, feared or hated depending on your views, the Lady as she is commonly called is more adored and venerated by the populace. It would surprise most of the empire if they were aware of this Proconsul’s harder edge. She is responsible for the persecution of any prescribed cults (especially the followers of Titan) and is the driving force behind the Imperial witch hunters who hunt down the followers of the darker gods. She is also responsible for the continued secret funding of the empires secret police, something her co-rulers believe disbanded many decades ago. While she has curbed the worst excesses of both groups and attempted to focus them against certain groups, innocent people along with the guilty still go missing in the middle of the night without trial to face torture and execution.
The final Proconsul primarily represents the wealthy merchants that are the lifeblood of the empire. The Proconsul Temporal, while he has other responsibilities is the front man for the trading houses and spends more time arguing against any form of taxes and looking after the interests of himself and the wealthy elite of the empire than the other areas of his duty. Fortunately for the empire, he is good at his job and when finances are required for some expensive project, his fellow Proconsuls are able to outvote him when they overlap portfolios, such as funds for the training of the Citizen Militia. This position has never been occupied by anyone who isn’t either human or dwarven. The Elf’s have little interest in direct matters of making money, preferring to keep such matters at arm’s length, while the financial muscle of the trading houses is more than sufficient to keep any upstarts from the other races from taking the position. Little unites the individual Trading Houses, but a direct threat to their position from an outsider, or even a potential threat does like nothing else. The Proconsul Temporal supplies their own outfit (normally very expensive clothes and jewellery), but as with the other two positions there is a face mask, made of gold and inlayed with jewels. The current Lord Temporal, Craasus of House Terrigan is a portly man who tends to wear clothes designed to make him look larger. Dark furs are a particular favourite (picturing something along the lines of Henry the 8th here). His mask, rather than increasing the personal appeal of the wearer, works instead to make anyone hearing the speaker more gullible and agreeable to what they hear (temporary penalty to Wisdom on a failed Will roll). If a Lord Temporal dies in office, he is buried with his mask of office and new one is cast.
The Gods.
The empire itself has a fairly small pantheon of gods, which expands and contracts over time. New gods have been added and slowly absorbed into the worship of others or taken positions as minor deities under the central core of gods.
Rumanious – Lawful Good. The Ruler. The central goddess of the empire, Rumanious was the queen who carved her way through her neighbours and became the first empress. Following her death, she was elevated to the position of patron goddess of the empire. While the man himself was something of a brutal warlord who subjugated many other countries and enslaved their peoples, in the long years since his death he has come to represent a more idealised paragon who brought the light of civilisation to the savage nations that surrounded and threatened his kingdom. A temple to her exists in every settlement of any size in the empire and most homes have at the very least small shrine dedicated to her. She is the most popular god for paladins to follow, as well as magistrates and teachers as he is seen as having been a righteous woman who fought for right as well as bringing justice and learning to those she defeated. Initially her title was The Empress, but with the fall of the Imperial family this was changed and an emphasis was put on her two brothers who served as generals to present the image that the empire has always been ruled by a trio. The brothers, Regen and Ataxus occupy a position roughly to the holy ghost in Christianity, often mentioned but not worshipped directly as such. His temples are imposing buildings, meant to impress and intimidate. They often serve multiple purposes being courthouses, libraries and even barracks in some places.
Carolious - Neutral Good. The Nurse. Caroliousian followers are the healers of the empire. They are beloved and harming one is met with the severest punishments the local magistrate can think of. She is in particular the patron of expectant mothers. Her temples are hospices where anyone, rich or poor can come and seek care. Branches of the faith also operate poor houses, orphanages as well as care homes for the elderly. There are always more in need than the faithful can attend to, but they do their best. Carolious was originally an Elvish deity, but her worship has spread across racial boundaries to all races of the empire.
Dice - Chaotic Good. The Gambler, The Laughing Rogue. Dice is the lord of fate and chance. All those who live by their luck tend to pray to him, but it is usual to make some form of devotion to him before starting any risky endeavour. He is a somewhat rakish figure. No two statues of him ever depict exactly the same features, but he normally wears stylish clothes and a cloak and is always smiling. The main element in many games of chance take their name from him. He is an especial favourite of all manner of rogue types and bards. Thieves Guilds tend to have their own private temples to him, hidden away from public eyes and entirely separate from the official clergy. Dice's portfolio does not include sending people bad luck, that is more Bal’s domain.
Tirris - Lawful Evil. The Dark Lord, Tirris is the single most powerful of the evil gods. His followers are expected to follow a code of unbending loyalty. The core belief of his faith is that the strong rule the weak and might makes right. Worshipers are expected to work hard and work their way up any organisation they are a member of. Several times followers of Tirris have occupied the Lord Militant’s position. Such occasions have been marked by an increased militarism within the empire and wars to expand its borders. Interestingly worship of Tirris is not proscribed and he has many fortress-like temples in cities throughout the empire. His followers' discipline is viewed as helpful to the empire and cult maintains a private army that has on more than one occasion brought victory to Byantiusan forces and even saved the empire from destruction. There is a schism between the followers of Tirris within the empire, and the main sect in the northern neighbouring state
Titan. Chaotic Evil. Not actually a single god, but instead a horde of demonic entities of varying strength from no more powerful than a mortal up to demi-god status. The Titan are beings dedicated to mindless destruction. A world ruled by the Titan would be one of endless slaughter. They fight against each other as much as they seek to take over the mortal world. Such beings are said to have ruled the cosmos before the coming of the true gods and were banished to the realm of Dis where they rage and plot their return. The mortal realm lives in dread of one of them gathering enough power and followers to lead them on an unholy campaign against the mortal realm. The main efforts of the internal intelligence agents and witch hunters of the empire are directed at rooting out cults of Titan followers, of which there are a surprising number. The more powerful Titan are able to grant power to their followers in return for their efforts in helping them return. Cults dedicated to the Titan tend to be short lived. The sudden rash of murders in an area is a sure sign that one has arisen and tend to bring Imperial retribution down very quickly. The few that do manage to last any length of time though
Lurgh. Neutral Good. The Sky Father. Lurgh is an imported god. One of the first obstacles to Rumanious’s plans of conquest were the western hill tribes, and even after they were defeated in open battle, they continued to plague the occupiers with guerrilla attacks. It took many decades to pacify the region and part of the later efforts to achieve this involved the empire adopting the gods of the hill tribes. Lurgh is one of those who survives in regular worship. His purvey is everything that can see the sky and his blessings touch all good creatures. Many of his followers believe that as a logical extension of this, creatures who dwell in darkness and avoid his blessing must be evil and thus seek to exterminate all such creatures.
Daen. Neutral Good. The Earth Mother. The wife of Lurgh, she is prayed to by farmers and those who make their living off the land. Her worship is closely tied to that of Lurgh and the pair share most of their temples.
Bal. Neutral Evil. Bal is the god of murderers and assassins. He sends curses and ill-fortune to plague the world and revels in the suffering of mortals. Warlocks of an evil inclination often have him as their patron and evil doers of an independent mind will follow him rather than the binding worship of Tirris. His worship is outlawed, but as his followers are more subtle than those of the Titan, they are harder to root out.
Mithran. Neutral. The war god. Mithran watches over professional soldiers. His is the purview of strategy and tactics. He appreciates that war must happen but is against unnecessary suffering or prolonging conflict any more than is needed. Those who wantonly engage in torture or kill innocents are not welcome in his temples.
Other gods are worshipped in specific areas of the empire, but followers of these gods can be found everywhere within its borders, and in some cases outside of them too.
Locations of note.
Captial. The administrative centre of the empire, Capital is a bustling city of around 150,000 people. It is the largest city in the known world, something only possible due to the excellent roads the empire has and its organisation. Food, tribute and trade goods flow here from all over Byantus. Much of the city reflects the wealth that brings, and a deliberate attempt has been made to avoid the overcrowding and unhealthy conditions that exist in so many other cities, however peasants thinking to make their fortune find their way to Captial and get no further than the deprived area known locally as Scurvytown. Still the city fathers do their best. Clean water is supplied by a network of fountains throughout the city limits and when the shanties grow too close together the city watch is sent in to clear the worst of it, pulling down buildings to prevent any fires from ravaging the city, or the sorts of conditions that can see a plague spread like wildfire. Such actions doubtless seem harsh to those evicted from their rude dwellings but are viewed as vital to prevent a much worse tragedy.
When Capital was first planned out, it was foreseen that the city would grow rapidly and unusually no plan was made to build a wall around the entire city. Only the core (which is now referred to as Old Town) is protected in such a manner. Since the dissolution of the standing armies that had been bankrupting the empire and the formation of the Citizen Militia, it was planned that the city would now have a wall built around it that the militia could man in times of war. The Proconsul Temporal however has demurred and resisted any attempts to raise any additional funds for this. Having been relieved of the burden of paying taxes to maintain the army, he is in no hurry to restore any costs. The Lady Spiritual could step in and break the tie but for her own reasons has remained silent on the matter.
Old Town.
The heart of the empire, this contains all the major administrative buildings that govern the wide swathe of territory that makes up Byantus. The whole of Old Town is protected by a mighty wall. In previous times a full garrison was stationed in each of the towers situated around the walls. Every tower was designed to be an impenetrable fortress in its own right. A second, smaller wall surrounds the three palaces of the Proconsuls. The vast majority of Imperial citizens never get to see any of Old Town. One must have a good reason to pass through its gates. PC’s are unlikely to see inside this area unless they find themselves accused of treason or facing some other charge that would require a trial in front of the Senate rather than facing justice at the Hall of Justice elsewhere in the city, or are very well connected. Even foreign dignitaries are not generally allowed to see the Old Town as the Triumvirate are loathe to let outsiders gauge its defences.
Of especial note is the Senate building (number 1 on the map), where the day to day running of the empire is organised. The Senate itself does not make many major decisions, these instead falling to the Proconsuls, but they arrange the practicalities and details of any commandment issued from the Proconsuls. Each of the Proconsuls has their own palace as an official residence. Building 2 is the Temporal Palace, Building 3 is the God House where the Lady Spiritual holds court and finally, the fortress-like building 4 is the seat of the Lord Militant. Should both the outer and inner walls be breached, this is designed to be a last holdout and is simply referred to as The Keep. Houses in this area belong to the nobles and wealthiest men and dwarves of the empire and each seeks to outdo his neighbour in its splendour. Elf’s tend more to stick clannishly to the Eastern District or Elftown as it is known throughout the rest of the city. I imagine most of the building here being constructed very much in a classical Greek / Roman style, lots of statues and columns.
Merchant Town.
The buildings here are only slightly less impressive than those of the Old Town. This is not so much a residential area, but is instead devoted to the business of well, business. The Merchant Houses have their headquarters here, as well as the more powerful guilds including the Honourable Guild of Sell Swords, Mercenaries & Free Lances (building 3) and the Fraternal Brotherhood of Arcane Mastery (the wizards guild to the common folks, building 6). Both these organisations may be of interest to a group of adventurers and are presented in more detail later. The Merchants supply their own watch, which is paid more than the regular watch (a point of some contention between the two groups) and is often accused by the common folk of turning a blind eye to certain business practices. With the warehouse and dock areas nearby rumour has it that many smuggled goods find their way here for storage until their buyer comes to collect. Such tales are dismissed as the envy of the poor against their betters by the rich and the city fathers turn a blind eye to a certain level of smuggling rather than risk going against the powerful Merchant Houses. Indeed, many of the city fathers are members of a Merchant House. PC’s with a taste for operating in the grayer areas of the law, are liable to find plenty of work here and find themselves abandoned by their patrons should they be caught. Merchant town’s buildings are very much an imitation of Old Town, but often with exotic twists from far off lands that very much give it, its own unique character.
Temple District.
Each of the (acceptable) major gods has a temple here as well as ones to various minor gods throughout the empire. The largest temple to Rumanious is of course here, constructed from stones taken from the ruined remains of the old Imperial Palace. Unofficially, no temple is allowed to be larger than the one to Rumanious and mysterious accidents, including fires or the collapse of entire buildings have prevented any attempt to outdo her temple. Some say this is the wrath of the patron deity of the empire, others suspect a more mundane cause. There is no single architectural style or theme to this part of town. Each temple will very much have its own design based on its god and the region it originated from.
The shared temple (Building 1) to Lurgh and Daen for example is a massive wood and earth hall, very much in the style of the ancient hill tribes even though their modern descendants have otherwise abandoned such designs in favour of more modern buildings.
Building 2 is possibly the temple to Dice, depending on who you ask. Some people consider it nothing more than a gambling and bawdy house. Still, for those with money to burn it is always open and always welcoming. The clerics are supposed to make sure that the games and the... escorts are clean, although the house wins more often than it loses. If anyone asks about this the priests tend to simply shrug their shoulders and point out they do follow the god of luck afterall. Imagine this place as a medieval Las Vegas.
Sitting (or more accurately looming) opposite each other are the fortress-like temples to Mithran and Tirris (Buildings 3 & 8 respectively), both of whom serve as walled garrisons as well as places of worship. Both religions are somewhat resentful and suspicious of the other and are always on the lookout for ways to diminish the worship of the other. Groups of adventurers often make handy catspaws in these plans, with or without their knowledge.