Empire of Estellion

The Empire of Estellion is a powerful nation that has been in existence for millennia. The Empire has been ruled by members of House Corvius since its founding and is based on the ideals of meritocracy.

History
Thousands of years ago, the Kingdom of Carsis ruled the lands that now form the core of the Empire. The nobles of Carsis worshipped the sun god Kayes, oppressed the commoners using their mastery of flamesoul magic, and put down any attempts at using other types of magic.

Eventually, a priest of Kayes named Phaestus began preaching equality and meritocracy, using the mythical raven Corvii as inspiration. Phaestus claimed that a person's worth in society ought to depend on their contributions and deeds rather than birthright. One of the many commoners attracted by Phaestus's preachings was a peasant girl named Feronia, who was secretly a powerful practicioner of wind magic. When a nobleman raped and murdered her sister, Feronia killed him and his guards in a fit of rage.

Feronia was arrested and tortured, while anyone close to her was sentenced to death through guilt by association. The nobles started seeking out and exterminating practitioners of wind magic, which could potentially threaten their dominance. Phaestus was given a choice: stop preaching and agree to testify against Feronia, or be imprisoned for indirectly causing the murder of the nobleman. However, during the trial, he changed his mind and loudly accused the presiding nobles of injustice and the need for them to be punished. Feronia's wind magic and the anger of the present commoners triggered a civil war. To the surprise of the nobility, Phaestus turned out to be a competent tactician and managed to gather an army of supporters that resisted the poorly-trained forces of the nobles, with wind magicians easily countering the nobles' flamesoul magic. Eventually, the entirety of the nobility and the priests of Kayes were driven south into the impassable Cardani Swamps, where they were left for dead and forgotten.

Phaestus became the leader of the newly-created Empire of Estellion as Emperor Phaestus Corvius, taking Feronia as his queen. The empire grew and eventually brought the people of the four plains surrounding it under the banner of the Raven and House Corvius.

Culture
The people of Estellion (known as the Tellions), both humans and Halflings, believe in the values of meritocracy and that any person, no matter how low their birth is, can achive Ravenhood through hard work and dedicated service to the Empire. Specifically, an Earthbound soldier can become a Raven (thus achiving nobility and an officer's rank) after 22 years of military service. A civilian can likewise get their wings by serving as an administrator for 36 years. The process can be fast-tracked in case of great achievements by the individual, but Ravenhood can also be denied if someone is deemed extremely unworthy (although such cases are rare). Ravenhood bestows nobility to a family for a total of two generations, thus one's grandchildren do not retain it and must, in turn, work to regain the title. In a rare chance of a family managing to retain Ravenhood for 10 unbroken generations, the family is honored by the Empire by becoming a permanent noble House, with the firstborn of the eleventh generation being given the title of Rook, which is equivalent to a lord and a general.

These meritocratic values have persisted for centuries and have made the Empire strong, as most individuals strive to make their mark on society and achieve Ravenhood. Even the Rooks continue to strive for their best in order to prove themselves worthy of their ancestors' deeds. The downside is that many in the Empire see themselves as superior to other, more feudal nations.

Key Locations

 * Atium is the capital of the Empire, located in the northern part of Estellion. It is here that the Obsidian Perch, the Emperor's throne, is located. The capital city is protected by a full Bannermark at all times.
 * Twin Cities are the cities of Whitewater and Istoni, located on either bank of the Deverra River and joined by multiple bridges. A small island at the center is the site of the Administrative Quarter, where the Courts of the Pales are located. The Quarter is connected to both cities by a beautiful ivory highway. While Atium is the political center of the Empire, the Twins are its economic and social heart. They are also located more centrally than Atium.
 * Halfling Quarter is a strange city built into a large crack in the ground. It is here that the vast majority of the Jackdaws live.
 * Reston Hall is a fortress that guards the Empire's eastern border from the Lyri barbarians. It is located near the Fault, a massive crevice.
 * Dorton Hall is a fortress that protects the southeastern part of the Empire from the Lyri and to project the might of Estellion on the unruly southern lands.
 * East Isle is a large city that covers most of an island in the southernmost edge of the Empire. It is Estellion's most recent "acquisition", and the freedom-loving Islemen are chafing under Imperial rule.
 * Augin Dam is a massive feat of engineering and a symbol of cooperation between the Empire and the Commonwealth. Both nations benefit from the dam, and soldiers from both sides guard it against any attempts at sabotage.

Imperial Mark
The Imperial Mark is the army of the Empire. It is the most powerful and disciplined military force in the known lands. The Mark uses a unique ranking system when compared to their neighboring Commonwealth of Esotre:
 * Ravenborne officers
 * Altus Rook: Supreme commander of all Bannermarks in Estellion, answerable directly to the Emperor.
 * Rook: Commander of 5 Marks (AKA a Bannermark).
 * Legate: In command of a Mark.
 * Magister: A rank equivalent to a Centurion but given exclusively to magic-using officers and sits lower in hierarchy.
 * Centurion: Officer in command of an infantry Trine or a cavalry Deuce.
 * Decurion: Junior officer rank, usually in command of one or more Daggers.
 * Earthbound Corps
 * Signum: A non-officer rank that is equivalent to a Decurion. Can operate without Raven supervision.
 * Militum: A step-up from a common Earthbound soldier, who is given command of a Dagger. Must be overseen by a Ravenborne or a Signum.
 * Earthbound: A common soldier.

Courts of the Pales
To help with administering the Empire, Phaestus Corvius created the four Courts of the Pales (or departments of state): Law, War, Affinity, and Industry. Each Court is overseen by a queen, appointed by the Emperor from female members of House Corvius, who are most suited for the role. The Courts are located at the geographical center of the Empire, in the Administrative Quarter of the Twin Cities rather than at the Imperial capital of Atium.

At the time of the Kaysani invasion, the four Queens are as follows:
 * Adrise Corvius, the Chimney Queen, leads the Court of Industry. She is the daughter of Emperor Sergius Corvius, although she has no interest in ascending to the Obsidian Perch.
 * Anifel Corvius, known as the Queen of Quills, oversees the Court of War. She is the grandniece of Emperor Sergius Corvius.
 * Jycquin Corvius, the Queen of the Harsh Hammer, runs the Court of Law. She is the niece of Emperor Sergius Corvius.
 * Phoebe Corvius, the Queen of Hearts, manages the Court of Affinity. She is Queen Adrise's daughter.

The Court of Shadows
The Court of Shadows is the Imperial secret police, made up of the bastards of House Corvius, trained to be spies and assassins. Originally known as House Cordance, the Court has since disappeared into the shadows in order to serve the Empire from behind the scenes. The Court's operatives are known as Crowseers, seeking to destroy any threat to the peace in the Empire. Unbeknownst to most citizens of the Empire, Crowseers are also trained in the use of blood magic, a dangerous and destructive branch of magic that can potentially devastate a whole army but at a great cost to the caster.

The Reiht
The late Emperor Sergius Corvius gathered a cadre of loyal and capable commanders to be his personal guard, collectively calling them "the Reiht". The Reiht strike fear into the enemies of the Empire, known for their great skill on the battlefield. Members of the Reiht hail from all corners of Eclisse, even far beyond the Empire's borders. Even after the death of Sergius, the Reiht are determined to carry out their Emperor's last will and ensure the continuation of the Empire.
 * Christian D'Marquis: A former Sotran Voltiguer, Christian is a skilled scout, capable of putting arrows into enemies of the Empire with a deadly precision. If only his attitude towards women matched his skill with a bow.
 * Cierra Montepulciano: An immigrant from the Maratelli Free Cities, she is supremely skilled with a crossbow and often wears an eye patch to prepare her other eye for night fighting. She is married to a fellow Reiht member Quintus Talsius.
 * Crumston Caldare: A Halfling, who is deadly with his two daggers and who is most comfortable in the shadows. Crumston pretty much runs the Empire's intelligence network and acts as a liaison to the Court of Shadows. He frequently interacts with his Sotran counterpart Benjamin Allsworth.
 * Devlin "Gunny" Miles: A Sotran Dwarf with a preference for firearms and explosives. A man of few words.
 * Guy Ausrunnar: A Scipian knight, who is the strongest fighter among the Reiht. Incredibly naive due to his upbringing.
 * Jessie Willowbrooke: A Sotran Halfling, specilializing in cartomancy and the use of phylacteries. A former mercenary and assassin.
 * Lukas Sacrezzo: A Maratelli man, trained as a Skymage by the Ardites. A reserved man, who reveres tradition above all.
 * Olav O'Cion: A greedy Ardite lowlander with the rank of Decurion. Capable in combat but more loyal to coin than to an idea or a nation.
 * Quintus Talsius: An accomplished Theurgist, who uses wind magic to deadly effect against the Empire's enemies. Formerly a ladies' man, his passions have been tempered by his marriage to Cierra Montepulciano. He is the half-brother to fellow Reiht member Richard Reavius.
 * Richard Reavius: The leader of the Reiht with the rank of Legate and half-brother to Quintus Talsius. He uses his Stormsinger ability to paralyze enemies with lightning strikes.