Gild-Tuonia

The Golden Double-Headed Eagle, Perched Atop a Slain Serpent - Tuonic Icon

Officially the Tuonic Empire, Gild-Tuonia (or Golden Tuonia) is centered on the old Romalian diocese of Trans-Austellus. It originated as the Kingdom of Tuonia by Tuonic Crusade armies after their victory, with a warrior aristocracy ruling over the surviving Malian population. After additional conquests incorporating lands outside Trans-Austellus the High King title took the title Kaisar, or emperor, but the old Tuonic High King system was retained.

Geography

Rafnleith Downs

The “ravencall” downs were formerly the Romalian province of Versutia, upon the coming of the Tuonic Crusade the governor chose to avoid open battle and successfully used a delaying strategy to tie down significant crusader forces in multiple hard-fought sieges. Defenders made extensive use of magic familiars to communicate between partisans and besieged forces to inflict maximum attrition, but were ultimately undone as Wistaljan crusaders were able to corrupt the messages and lead to the fortresses falling overnight. Legends speak of this curse lingering over the land, with the usual advice being to assume that any talking animal you meet is lying.

Huzdalthida Glitterdunes

Dominating the arid southern border leading to the midnight dues of Zulithan, the glittering sands of the was home to some of the last holdouts of the Romalian Empire. After an initial set of pitched battles against golem armies and other alchemical monstrosities, Tuonic crusaders were content for almost a century to leave the region as a rump state, though several limited campaigns were fought to keep raiding to a minimum. In time exploring knights discovered that the sands held far more value than a buffer space with tribes and petty warlords, and that the sands themselves were infused with valuable alchemical substances, particularly gold dust. Thus the region saw a form of gold rush and settlements and outposts were built. Though the boom soon ended as the hard labor necessary to collect and sift the treasure became apparent, several marches were organized and incorporated into the empire.

History

Qhasdean War

Beginning in AV 956 Gild-Tuonia declared war on Nedafulasi's growing Qhashdean Empire after denying the king's request to allow passage of his army to Verdûz. Over the next 6 years the Tuonic empire defended against invasions of dragon armies, but eventually fell after the Kaisar was killed in a duel with Beliar, who would rule as dragon-lord and marked the beginning of the Dragon Interregnum.

Dragon Interregnum

With the death of the Kaisar in AV 961, Beliar disallowed the meeting of the Riksdag (Imperial Diet) but did not claim the title Kaisar for himself. Instead he mandated personal oaths of allegiance from each noble family, great and small, and ruled as dragon-lord on behalf of Nedafulasi using the title Prinkeps. This pleased commoners as a return to a pre-Tuonic Romalian title, and pleased the nobility by not claiming the imperial title without the necessary meeting of Electors, and the autonomy that would imply.

The lack of Imperial authority would soon lead to regional conflict among the various Rikslands. Some conflicts were old rivalries moved from the Riksdag to the battlefield, while others involved grievances made during the bloody fighting with Qhashdea. Wars of this kind would normally have been constrained by a Kaisar's demand for arbitration, but instead were inflamed and encouraged by Beliar, who acted more as referee to ensure honorable combat than a judge to enforce peace.

These wars meant that even after Beliar's death there would not be sufficient trust to call a Riksdag and elect a new Kaisar. At times competing diets were called and Kaisars were proclaimed, but none would find full recognition across the empire. Thus the interregnum would continue for over two decades, only ending with a negotiated peace after a protracted stalemate.

What would emerge is a more decentralized empire, with the Kaisar seen more as a ceremonial figurehead.

Government

Gild-Impeirium

The “golden empire” formed upon the signing of the imperial charter, constituted the following structure:

• Kaisar - The Emperor. Elected for life from any Tuonic family, though in practice dynasties would be elected from the major elector houses.
• Riksdag - The Imperial Diet. A meeting of all noble land-holders and other estates of the empire. Responsible for electing emperors upon their death, as well as approving any new laws proposed by the Kaisar.
• Kaithadral - The clergy estate. Clerical princes could sit on the Riksdag directly, but had a parallel structure led by the Gudayrimo, the chief priest seen as the descendant of the Ælfkin who transported the Tuonic Crusade. The Gudayrimo would perform the coronation of each Kaisar.
• Frametrogarduns - The “free cities.” City-states given land grants, tax exemptions, trade monopolies, and seats in the Riksdag in exchange for duties owed to the Kaisar.

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Thialjan

Meaning “zeal for service,” Thialjan is a social code with principles covering etiquette and duties, particularly across social classes. Though it has everyday applications, such as expected punishments for commoners refusing unpaid labor taxes or disrespecting nobility, in practice the code is usually applied more rigorously as one climbs the social ladder. At its highest level it establishes the loyalty to be shown to the Kaisar, and in turn the Kaisar's duties to protect and prosper the empire.

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