Azure Empire
Azure Empire | |
|---|---|
 The Azure Empire, with major cities marked, in 1287 PR. The occupied Principality of Narbonne is shown, as well as part of the Helsingfyrd Pact and the League of Vana. | |
| Capital | Oros |
| Largest city | Omphalos |
| Official languages | Classical Draconic |
| Other languages | |
| Religion |
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| Demonym(s) | Azurean |
| Government | Imperial autocracy |
• Emperor | Proximus |
| Legislature | Longshi Senate |
| Establishment | |
| 221 PR | |
• Proclamation of the Azure Empire by Primeros | 728 PR |
• Ascension of Proximus to the Imperial Throne | 1266 PR |
The Azure Empire is a rapidly expanding imperial state located on the eastern continent of the known world. Unified under the rule of dragonborn, kobolds, and other dragonkin, the Empire claims both divine and historical legitimacy through its draconic ancestry and military conquests. Founded by the golden dragon Primeros and empowered by the arrival of exiled mages from the Republic of Carcola following the Crisis of Vellingham, the Azure Empire has emerged as one of the three great powers in the modern era: militaristic, honor-driven, and ideologically divided.
The Empire’s current ruler is Emperor Proximus, a charismatic dragonborn gladiator-emperor and son of the legendary founder Primeros, who unified the continent centuries prior. Its religious and cultural traditions center around the worship of Tezquamar, First of the Dragons, and other deified ancestors and semi-mythological dragons.
History
The Azure Empire traces its mythic origins to Tezquamar, said to be First of the Dragons. Born shortly after the Sundering of Lagash to dinosaur parents, Tezquamar's body and mind was shaped by the magical residue of the ancient Lost Lands, leading to him developing draconic features. Revered as the first dragon to comprehend the heavens and achieve sentience, Tezquamar is said to have taught the proto-dragonborn to reject the old gods and build a society rooted in strength, celestial order, and magical clarity. The dragonkin followers of Tezquamar began to build settled societies in the Lost Lands, driving dinosaurs into the hinterlands.
Centuries later, another mythic dragon, Kukulshen, is said to have taught his followers to build boats, relocating to the southern continent from the Lost Lands. His draconic followers who went with him to the southern continent are said to be progenitors of the metallic dragons, while those who stayed behind in the Lost Lands became chromatic dragons. Myth has his followers splitting into competing city-states, each ruled by a single dragon prince.
The political unification of the continent came centuries later, under the metallic dragon Primeros, Archon (leader) of the mountain city-state of Oros. He forged alliances among scattered reptilian tribes and invited exiled Carcolan mages to aid in statecraft and magical infrastructure. This convergence of tribal warfare, magical expertise, and draconic leadership led to the creation of the modern Azure Empire, named for the skies watched over by Tezquamar.
Government and Leadership
The Azure Empire is a centralized autocracy, formally ruled by the Emperor, who serves as both military commander and divine representative of draconic destiny. The empire’s administration is supported by a Senate, an advisory body composed of nobles, generals, high priests, and mage-theorists. While officially consultative, the Senate wields informal power through influence blocs, patronage networks, and ideological factions.
The current ruler, Emperor Proximus, is the son of Primero. A golden dragon, he is a gladiator famed for his personal combat prowess in both his dragonborn form and his draconic form. Beloved by the common folk and seen as a living avatar of draconic honor, Proximus is criticized by elites for his disinterest in governance and preference for spectacle over policy.
Factions and Ideology
The Empire is divided between two major ideological factions:
- Civic Nationalists: Advocate for the assimilation of all races and cultures into a shared imperial identity. Supported by mages, entrepreneurs such as Malleus Kaab, and reformist dragonkin, this faction emphasizes law, public works, and shared civil traditions. This group views tribal lizardfolk and other people who refuse to adopt the imperial urban way of life as backwards impediments to the glory of the Empire.
- Dragonkin Supremacists: Insist that dragonborn, kobolds, and other dragonkin are destined to rule all lesser species. Led by figures like Senator Grotius Yodus, supremacists seek to replace non-dragonkin populations through conquest and displacement. This group venerates lizardfolk as more "pure" representatives of the dragonkin bloodline, and seeks to preserve lizardfolk tribal enclaves in the
This tension manifests in political gridlock, propaganda wars, and competing visions of imperial destiny.
Society and Culture
Azurean society is heavily influenced by martial valor, ancestral veneration, and celestial metaphysics. Gladiatorial combat, both ceremonial and lethal, plays a central role in civic life, as well as other performances in city arenas, which are popular among all social classes. Dueling, military experience, and public service are considered vital paths to social advancement.
Though draconic races dominate the upper echelons, the population includes humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and others—especially in the urban centers. Cultural cohesion is fostered through imperial rites, arena performances, and popular media (including plays, speeches, and printed works).
Urban life is particularly vibrant in cities like Omphalos, which has become a hub of magical innovation and multicultural exchange.
Religion
The Empire's dominant religious system is dracolatry, centered on the worship of:
- Tezquamar: The celestial dragon and first astronomer; associated with order, vision, and divinity.
- Kukulshen: A mythic dragon who led the migration to the eastern continent; regarded as a prophetic guide and herald of conquest.
- Other dragons: Other dragons, both living and dead, are venerated by the people of the Azure Empire. Some living dragons, former leaders of city states such as Basilshi, still hold their ancient titles, while swearing fealty to the Imperial Administration. They possess vast informal powers.
Other gods are tolerated or syncretized, especially among non-dragonkin populations. Worship of gods like Christopher Bale persists openly among immigrants, particularly mages and Carcolan exiles, and is often depicted as a dragon-headed figure by those same groups, though dragonkin supremacists look down on worship of these deities as "impure".
Cities and Regions
- Oros: The mountain capital and spiritual center of the empire; site of the emperor’s palace and ancient draconic temples. Archaic and ceremonial.
- Omphalos: A fast-growing urban center on a humid floodplain, known for its mage universities, publishing houses, and cosmopolitan entrepreneurial culture. De facto cultural capital and center for scientific innovation, driven by Carcolan exiled mages and other freethinkers.
- Principality of Narbonne: Former orcish principality recently absorbed by the empire. Still culturally resistant, but undergoing rapid assimilation.
Military and Expansion
The Azure Empire maintains a professional standing army, with specialized dragonborn legions, kobold engineers, and magical siege units. Military service is both a civic duty and a sacred rite of passage.
The recent annexation of the Principality of Narbonne marked the Empire’s most aggressive expansion in a generation, raising concerns among neighboring powers. Tensions with the Republic of Carcola have increased, particularly over influence in the Lost Lands, as both powers have sent colonial expeditions to the outlying islands.
Notable Figures
- Proximus: Current emperor; gladiator-king, popular but politically disengaged.
- Senator Grotius Yodus: Kobold supremacist and ideologue; influential in shaping dragonkin supremacist policy and narrative.
- Malleus Kaab: Dragonborn industrialist and civic nationalist; owner of the Kaab Syndicate and major media figure.
- Renczyk Belmure: Tieflinkg-orc archaeologist from Narbonne and imperial loyalist. Leads controversial archeological expeditions.