Today's blog post discusses the modern or at least at the time of The Imagient King, the various contries and even factions within the Imagience. Cyphic Kingdom With it's capitol at Cyphar, it is the largest country in the Imagience. It is ruled by an aristocracy and the most powerful are either related to or serve the Cyph family, although the Cyph family alone do not control the country, only around the city of Cyphar do they directly control. It was created by most of the Sycamor lords aligned with the Cyph family when they rebelled. The currency is Cyphicals which are coins with various Cyphic leaders, princes, and wolves on it. Cyphic culture is based on Roman culture, and it's infrastructure includes Roman tropes such as aqueducts, paved brick roads, and a large urban sprawl. The larger cities have coliseums, and instead of slavery there is a feudal system that makes criminals work in mines and farms if they are not sent to be executed. The Cyphic Kingdom is a patriarchy, and has very little place for women advancement, it is the only place in the Imagience that is like this, oddly. Dispite this there are quite a few powerful women in the Cyphic Kingdom, and as Civil War looms in the kingdom, the old rule might be shaken up by anyone with power to maintain peace. In War the Cyphic Kingdom primarily uses light cavalry as it's main strike force. The Cyphic Wolves are medium infantry who uses spears and medium shields. They are defended by archers and generally move in very Roman formation. The light cavalry generally comes to flank around the enemy while the arrows inflict damage from afar. The Cyphic have fought against Kasite, the Omi Empire and the Southland Kingdom of Kirkia not to mention their previous enemies the Garfield, Southview, Anderson, Albanu, and Macedons. The banner and symbol of the Cyphic Kingdom are three wolf heads, which some say is reference to the three sons of Erik Van Cyph. But since he only acknowledges one as an heir, one as a bastard, and the other one as his son who doesn't have any legitimacy this theory is not correct. It actually references the three trinity of the Cyphic unity, The King, his men, and his countryman. Because of this, many refer to Cyphic loyalists as Cyphic dogs. Empire of the Omi Islands Originally formed by the famous Imagient Taisho Taika, the dragon general. The Omi islands is a feudal society ruled by a joint Imagient-and Magic families. They are based on Japanese, Chinese, and Korean societies, but have no shogun, only an emperor. The Liang and Omi families are the two strongest. It's capitol is Ondai Yo. The currency is Onyo which are square gold coins that go on strings. These strings and sashes are attached to clothing via netsuke which are ornamental. The currency itself is mostly golden with square hole in the middle that allows the string or wire to be placed through. Omi Empire is based off Confucius Asia and has traits of Japan, Korea, and Han and especially Tang China. Interestingly there are Omi diaspora throughout the Imagience outside of the Omi Empire including in Sutite, their colonies along the Cyphic territories, and in the Zulgan city states. An interestingly very Vietnamese culture has been encountered on the mainland in Omi occupied Cyphic prominently in Andersona/Nesson. The Omi Empire's military is split into three factions, the navy, the military, and the mages. It's navy is very Korean and Ming Dynasty influenced while it's military ground troops are mostly Japanese inspired. Lords bring soldiers and are led not by army type, but by allegiance, and mages come from either religious institutions or self-trained dojos that combine either Imagientechs with martial arts or magic/spiritual training with martial arts are are more of a special ops. The symbol of the Omi Empire is a dragon, known as the great Dragon of the East. Some have mislabeled Omi as snakes, to mock the eastern looking dragon and not acknowledge it as powerful. Great Southland Kingdom of Kirkia One of the oldest kingdoms in the Imagience formed by Kras Kirkia, it is mostly a jungle nation now, but had powerful temple complexes where the old Iron Priestess religion was formed. Currently led by Dan Kirkia, at his grandfather's capitol of Kirkian. It is an oligarchy controlled by Dan Kirkia jointly with his local lords many secretly are aligned with the return of the Sycamor hier. The control is ruled as a Meritocracy, only giving people roles who show their merit. Kirkia is a southern kingdom that takes its culture primarily from Peruvian, but especially Incan culture. Also like the Sycamor and Suttonite culture it takes certain ideas from the Iroquois League and Native American culture as well. However, many Kirkians attitudes are very Italian and are lax and are deemed by Cyphic and Zulgans as lazy. The currency are idols made from clay and painted various colors. Brown is common and worth 5, Green is uncommon and worth 10, Silver rare and worth 20, and golden idols are worth 50. Miathi Kingdom of Legosolith Ancient Spacial elven kingdom, mostly deluted by non spacial-elven dna and even imbreds with Imagients. Based at Myvandium, the oldest city in the Imagience, found by the Spacial Elves or Mianthi. It is a queendom ruled by a motherly doting queen, and female elves. Males are used as soldiers and other occupations such as smithies. Imagients must have a register to a family or are enslaved to work in camps. Only those with elven blood even half-imagients can have political power. Only pure blood elves can rule the country. Imagients are treated like second class citizens in most of the kingdom, but Myvandium is a popular stop thanks to the Library of Myvandium. The border is guarded with towers, walls, and troops and has strong immigration policy. If the border guards seize someone illegally in the country they force them into slavery. Zulgan City States Consisting of various city states in the Tomas Sea and on the border with Kirkia and Cyph. Run as various plutocracies who all trade and regulate with each other.. Merchants, free trade, and freedom of choice are paramount here. The Zulgan city States are all unique cities that are all primarily based on Southeast Asian city states such as Tomvan being a port version of Hong Kong, Tomas Port being similar to Singapore, and Zulgan is based off of Jakarta, other cities such as Adra Grif are based off of Bangkok, and other smaller cities are based off of Angkor, Malaka and other trade cities in Asia. The various city states are mostly controlled and led by merchants or at least a council of merchants. Tomas Port is run by a council of five prominent families including the Reis, Poluff-Sheridan, and three other families. Andra Grif is controlled by a council which itself is loyal to the Thief King and so on. Although, one would think that people can just buy their way into politics in the Zulgan city states there are rule of engagement, and courtesy that are paramount in the delicate political games of the Zulgan City States. The only place where this is different is Tomvan which has become very Cyphic since the city states opened their trade doors back with Cyphic. Zulgan City States have private armies based on the merchant, none of them are standing armies and act more like mercenary bands, but many bands have loyalty to a city. Adra Grif and Zulgan are the only two exceptions to this rule as Adra Grif has a partial standing army that only acts in time of war. These two places also have an active navy, unlike Tomas Port which has no navy, but instead hires pirates during times of war. Zulgan use gold, silver, and bronze coins called Zullians. They are all uniform, and flat, but many people plaster stamps on them to make them look artistic. These stamps can be washed off and applied. Many people who store and invest with tons of money decorate their stamps and coins in very ornament fashion. Sutite Confederacy Once controlled by the Kirkians, now by the Cyph and then later the Omi. The Sutites are people who are multicultural and desire freedom. They favor liberty and independence. The Sutites are descendants of the Great Suttonite Kingdom which was one of the kingdoms that formed after the death of Taisha Taika's kingdom. They were then destroyed by the original Kirkian Kingdom. However, some Suttites fought back against Kirkian oppression and retained cultural heritage. This faction then split once more once the Omi invaded. You have the Mienes family who claim allegiance to the Sycamor, but aligned with the Omi during the invasion. The other two factions are the Southviewit Knights who are a Templar Knights like Satari organization and The Mage's School. The Mage's School of the Imagience are mostly human mages who live in the Imagience. The leader of the school is a dragon, but leds mostly human students. Both of these factions support independence form Cyphic and Omi rule. Kasite Great monarchy to the north ruled by the Konkan family and their various allies. They consider themselves more than the Sycamor as heirs to Taisho Taika. Their capitol is Konite which lies inside a mountain. Kasite is a Kingdom ruled by Patriarchs who rose during the end of the Michianan War. The dynasts claim descendancy from the Munshi much like the Sycamor. But, they claim they have a more purer bloodline since Lyander Sycamor married into the Sheridans. Culturally they are based off Carthage, but many see them as northern barbarians like the huns, or mongols. The Kasite in war use heavy cavalry that are built on strong war horses that can endure the elements. They also know how to use the mountains to their advantage. Kasite has trade networks down into Nubyar which allows them to obtain gunpowder, black imagicite is their largest export which means that in war the Kasite also use black imagicite in new and exciting ways including black imagicite wire and dust. Nubyar On paper, an autocracy, sometimes considered an oligarchy and in theory a theocracy who follow the teachings of Sect Lie eventually. Who worship the fertility goddess Sian-nah. Nubyar is a Persian and Indian influenced area where merchants export exotic goods. They also have access to the Great Portax of the Imagience which allows trade outside of the Imagience. Making this area somewhat at times more technologically superior. At the time of the Imagient King, though trade and tech has been slow do to various trade deals and international/intergalactic problems. Nubyar is actually home of the oldest Imagient civilization in the Imagience, a fact that many don't want to forget. Learning about history via poetry, writing, and oral history is important and much like in Zulgan City States museums and monuments depicting this are found all around. Nubyar like the Zulgan city states not only value trade, but have war elephants as their main war machines. Their army uses gunpowder units, cavalry, infantry, archers, and a variety of tactics.
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AuthorA.L. Hornbeck, historian, author, metalhead, and all around geek. Archives
September 2018
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