Giorandi – Overview
Capital: Dragos
Ruler: Emperor Myalandros
Population: 3,000,000 - 5,000,000
Races: 70% human, 10% elves, 10% humanoid, 10% dwarves
The Giorand Empire is one of the oldest civilizations on the Eastern continent. Like the Tilth in the West, the Giorand Empire has risen to become the dominant civilization in the East. A complex, and ordered society, the Giorands are organized, efficient warriors, but often have conquered and prospered through trade and diplomacy. For some nobility of the Giorand Society, battles over trade and money issues are more important than war.
The Giorand Empire is Ruled by Emperor Myalandros, Scion of the House of the Dragon. His power is not absolute, and a majority of the day-to-day decisions are made by the Sept (see Politics), the Emperor's Cabinet, a body made up of a representative from each of the seven noble houses (see Society). Each of the houses also governs a region of the Empire. The emperor rules Dragehira, the region that surrounds Dragos. There are seven other regions.
Slavery is legal in Giorandi, and a part of the very existance for the Empire's economy. Slave farms produce large amounts of food efficiently, which is needed to feed the Empire's huge population. Slave larbor is also used in minning and manufacturing the tools of war, which have kept the Giorand armies in the field the best armored and armed in the world.
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Regions of the Giorand Empire
Dragheria
The Capital City, and by far the most heaviliy populated. Dragos is a very cosmopolitan, with a number of cultures mixing together. The Emperor's Shinning Palace and Fortress of the four Winds are here, and each of the major houses of The Sept [ see Society » ] has a lavish palace and compound. The city has more than 300,000 residents.
Dragos is a city of the haves and the have-nots. The Seven Noble Houses flaunt wealth, and parade throught the streets, while common people lead a harsher existance. Food is expensive, and difficult to come by, as the city has long ago exceeded its capacity to feed itself. Housing conditions for common Giorands are crowded. Free Giorands in Dragos often live a more harsh exostance than the slaves of the wealthy nobles. Recently, riots and civil disturbances have errupted in the worst slums and the civil unrest will worsen if conditions do not improve.
Several of the noble houses have tried to make the unrest a political tool, seeking the use the popular sentiment to improve their standing with the emperor. The House of the Bull, for instance, which rules the region of Tauria, has handed out food to help quel riots.
Tuaria
The region east of Dragos, this is the "bread basket" of the empire. The House of the Bull governs this region, which produces half of the food for the empire. The Bulls are effiecient, organized governors, but not very subtle. They can be cold and brutish when production falls behind in the region, or when taxes are not collected.
Scorpia
Scorpia is the seemy underbelly of the Empire. It is close enough to Dragos to be influence by its politics, but far enough removed to be ignored. A harsh land of costal moutains, and an inland wasteland of sand and winds, the population somehow still thrives. The denizens of Scorpia has a reputation for doing whatever it takes to survive. Raiding and stealing are a way of life in this region.
Many inhabitants of this harsh land that did not — or could not — brave the region's climates have moved. Leaving home is rare in Giorand society, but it is condoned and, in some cases encouraged, by the elders of the House of the Scorpion. Members of the House of the Scorpion are found throughout the region, forming a network of expatriates. Using the survivor skills that is part of their cultural heritage, these Scorpions head a network of organized criminals and spies.
Cygnus
The Land of the House of the Swan. Cygnus is a land of mystery. Seperated from the Empire by geography, and the great Forest, Mirogo Wood, the region adds little to the empire's economy. The region of Cygnus is a land of beauty, but it can be dangerous and terrifying at the same time.
Felidia
