History
The rulers of Castilleon grew prosperous from trade, particularly in the products of dragon hunting, including the ubiquitous magic crystals. As their wealth and influence expanded, they united the neighbouring countries into a single empire. Soon they began to expand militarily, and gradually conquered the nearby continent of Corphrye to cover the ever increasing demand for crystals and other luxury goods. Further east, the continent of Cinagaselva was too difficult to take over, due to all the swamps and jungles, so they established trade relations instead.
The Empire was invited to liberate the Dejeres Archipelago by merchants from that part of the world. They waged war against a rival empire and succeeded in driving their enemy further inland. The merchants were rewarded with contracts promising their continued autonomy and tax exemptions, in exchange for loyalty to the Empire. Meanwhile most of the other islands were colonised and brought under the Castilleon Empire’s control.
Religion
The Celestial Triarchy is a religion consisting of three gods, the remnants of a larger pantheon. The King (sometimes called the All King, or Supreme Ruler) is the god of life and death. He is believed to imbue human bodies with souls, heal bodies so that the soul can remain, and remove souls from bodies that cannot live.
“May the King grant (name/pronoun) a boon” is a colloquial prayer, either for yourself or for someone else, to receive some kind of blessing/good fortune. “May the King summon (name/pronoun)” is a curse related to the belief that the King can take people’s souls, and is basically the equivalent of telling someone to drop dead.
The Judge is the god of justice and the underworld. He watches over the dead and punishes wrongdoers. It is believed by many nobles that crimes on their part can be forgiven by the King, who will then overrule the Judge.
“May the Judge acquit (name/pronoun)” is a colloquial prayer for mercy or forgiveness, either for yourself or someone else, and asking to be deemed innocent. “May the Judge condemn (name/pronoun)” is a curse used to pray for someone to be punished in the afterlife, and is the equivalent of telling someone to go to Hell.
The Knight is the god of protection and war. He is said to protect anyone who prays to him. This caveat was added to persuade conquered people to join the state religion rather than follow their ‘primitive’ belief systems.
“May the Knight protect (name/pronoun)” is a colloquial prayer for protection and/or mercy, either for yourself or for someone else. ‘Defend’ is sometimes also used. “May the Knight forsake (name/pronoun)” is the equivalent curse/way of praying for harm or misfortune to befall someone else. ‘Abandon’ is sometimes also used.
‘Acorazaria’ roughly translates to ‘warding song’, or perhaps more literally to ‘armour song’, and is a marching chant used by the Imperial Army. It is also known as ‘The Knight of the Realm’. The chant is used to boost morale and acts as a prayer to the Knight for strong armour/weapons, courage, protection and victory in battle. The traditional lyrics are considered outdated by the time of the book.
The Knight of the Realm
Oh the Knight of the Realm may grant us a shield that weathers blows
Oh the Knight of the Realm may grant us a sword that’s sharp and harsh
Oh the Knight of the Realm may grant us a steed that never slows
Oh the Knight of the Realm may lift his helm to salute as we march!
Oh the Knight of the Realm may grant us a helm no axe can break
Oh the Knight of the Realm may grant us armour no blade can pierce
Oh the Knight of the Realm may grant us the strength to not forsake
Oh the Knight of the Realm may lift his helm and urge us to be fierce!
Oh the Knight of the Realm may grant us a battle we won’t fail
Oh the Knight of the Realm may grant us some foes we shall defeat
Oh the Knight of the Realm may grant us glory when we prevail
Oh the Knight of the Realm may lift his helm and say “do not retreat!”
Oh the Knight of the Realm may grant us his divine protection
Oh the Knight of the Realm may grant us the courage to not hide
Oh the Knight of the Realm may grant us his godly direction
Oh the Knight of the Realm may lift his helm – “to victory we ride!”
Government
The Empire is ruled by a theocracy, with human representatives of the deities in high positions of authority. The emperor is the human representative of the King. He holds authority over the empire and is at the top of the nobility. He also holds the title of grand bishop and is the head of the clergy. The grand justiciar is the human representative of the Judge, and holds authority over the courts, the education system and the industrial/mercantile sectors. The grand marshal is the human representative of the Knight and holds authority over the military.
The government is centralised close to the capital, but due to logistics it becomes more decentralised on the fringes. Each province of the empire is ruled by a viceroy, and are expected to obey the laws of the Empire. The viceroys of provinces close to Castilleon have less freedom in how they rule, and basically enforce the Emperors’ will. The viceroys of provinces further away from Castilleon have more autonomy.
Imperial Colonies
These are settlements established by non-natives in provinces of the Empire. They are sponsored by bankers and merchants, are expected to follow Imperial law and pay a resource tax. The Empire knows it can get more resources and a more contented populace if its colonies are efficient, so it builds up infrastructure, establishes trade routes, provides superior technology and medicine etc. However, it keeps as much control over access to these resources and services as it possibly can, to ensure that its colonies are efficient, but not self-sufficient.
The autonomy of the colonies depends on how near or far they are from the capital. Different colonies in different provinces have the same base law, but often retain their pre Imperial laws as well. This means that contraband in one colony isn’t always considered as such in a different colony, whilst wanted criminals in one colony won’t necessarily be wanted in another. The same sort of thing applies to the separate provinces of the Empire.
Colonies with better access to resources, especially crystals, tend to be wealthier and more powerful. They know the Empire has nothing beneficial to offer them and seek independence. This is done by intentionally adopting local laws that contradict Imperial law, resisting taxation, and straining diplomatic relations in the hopes of either being kicked out or to force their way out. These colonies are usually found in more distant imperial provinces.
Meanwhile, weaker colonies and those closer to the capital remain closely integrated with the Empire. They have fewer or no independent local laws, rely on Imperial trade for access to resources and rely on Imperial law enforcement for protection and to dispense justice. In exchange they are rewarded with lowered taxes.