The Empire (Noble Dog)

The Empire Birodalom
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Himnusz
Capital and largest city	Kossuth
Official languages	Imperial Kutyákról
Ethnic groups	1.Veszpremic 2. Jeno 3. Erdosi 4. Redicsi 5. Sio 6. Hoditok 7. Sio
Demonym(s)	Imperial
Government	Dynastic Absolute Monarchy
Currency	Pengo

The Empire (Imperial Standard: Birodalom) is a sovereign nation located on the continent of Middium and is bordered to the north by the Hare Republic. It has no other neighbors and spans from the Tolna Mountain Range to the Deli Desert. The Empire is the homeland of the Dogs, formally known as Embereks. The nation is controlled by the Seven Races and is the largest country on the continent of Middium, with enough power to be considered a regional power. It is also entirely landlocked, with its only bordering ocean entry stemming from the Hare Republic.

The Empire is an extremely diverse country that consists of 26 different tribes that are organized under the Seven Races, the largest and historically most important and influential tribes. It is divided into five primary regions, and is subdivided into sixteen different provinces, with Kossuth serving as the capital and largest city.

The Empire has had several predecessor states, but the primary single unified predecessor state is considered to be the Second Wolf Palatinate before the Extinction of the Wolves. The Second Wolf Palatinate was weakened by internal conflicts and a variety of political schemes. The Second Wolf Palatinate was destroyed and the Extinction of the Wolves began when the Palatinate was split in the Palatinate Civil War over the successor of the last Palatine, Arpad IV. Eventually, the Wolf Empire was beset by the rise of the Ahrah'koons, a confederation of hostile bandits that would eventually lead to widespread famine and lawlessness. This eventually led to the extinction of the wolves and the rise of the dogs. Much of the groundwork that was set by the Second Wolf Palatinate and the workings of various Palatinate philosophers and statesmen eventually translated into the current government of the Empire.

The Empire is a consitutional monarchy in theory but acts more as a federal monarchy with each of the Seven Races having a respective leader that is of noble heritage. The title of Emperor is given to an elected house that is a member of the Imperial Diet. The current Emperor is officially Janos IX, but is disputed between him and his siblings Miklos III of Esterhazy and Katalin III of Esterhazy. The Empire is also theocratic, as it considers its religious arm, the Court of Omens, to be a fourth branch of the government.

The Empire in its present form takes many different influences, from the Wolves and Ahrah'koons as well as individual tribal culturals. The language that the Empire speaks, Imperial Standard, is believed to be a dialect descended from the Ahrah'koons. The Empire has had a rich development of language, religion, arts, literature and philosophy. Alongside this, much of the Empire is rich in mineral desposits, especially with the presence of various spices and herbs.

Geography

The Empire consists of five major geographical regions: The Tolna Mountain Range, the Western Pinelands, the Hegyhat Desert, the Central Mountains, and the Esztergom Plains. The majority of these geographical regions align with different administrative divisions within the Empire. The only country that the Empire borders is the Hare Republic to the North, delimited by the Tolna Mountains. The Empire has a much more diverse ecosystem and geographical pattern than most other countries.

The majority of the mountainous areas within the Empire are found between the regions of the Imperial North and the Imperial Central. The Tolna Mountain Range expands the entirity of the Imperial North, and extends out to the Imperial West and Imperial East. The Central Mountains are considered to be the heartland of the Empire and is well developed to be traversable. The Central Mountains are much smaller in height than the Tolna Mountains. The only other mountainous region is found within the Imperial South in the Kallo Valley.

Religion

The Empire's official religion is primarily focused on the history of the Great Wolf and the Seven Apostles. Alongside the apostles are the Nineteen Disciples. The Great Wolf was a thousand year ruler of the Ancient Wolves, a kingdom of wolves that predated the Wolf Dominion and chronologically existed after the formation of The Zodiac. These Seven Apostles are considered to have taken three pilgrimages throughout the Empire: the Pilgrimage of the Snout, the Pilgrimage of the Tail, and the Pilgrimage of the Sword. Each of these Pilgrimages created over one hundred relics, some of which are stored in the Reliquary of Kossuth. The Seven Apostles then dispersed to create their own cities away from each other. From these Seven Apostles came followers from the minor tribes that created the Nineteen Disciples.

The Empire considers the Great Wolf to be the only true god, and that while the Seven Apostles themselves are demi-gods, Imperial religious foundation proscribes that the tradition surrounding the Seven Apostles are that they are messengers of the Great Wolf and paragons of the Facets of Life.

The Imperial religious authority is bound to the state almost as a branch equivalent to the judiciary Court of Imperials and the legislative Court of Polgarsag. The religious authority is Jelek Bírósága (Court of Omens).