The Damocles Empire

Established: 13 AD

Current Ruler: Senchant Peralay.

Government Type: The Damocles Empire's government is a Senate, a collective of over three hundred representatives (Senators) who preside over towns, cities and manors within the Empire. Above this Senate, are the heads of the Fleet, Army and Navy divisions of the military, the supreme commander of the military (A war-time title only) and then the Emperor himself. All laws and decisions enter the Senate by proposal from either the the Senators, Military or Emperor. Within the Senate itself, the Emperor's vote counts as 3/10ths in peacetime, and 2/10ths in wartime where that 1/10th is in the hands of the Supreme Commander. 1/10th each is held by the Commanders of the Fleet, Navy and Army with the remaining 4/10ths in the hand of the Senators collective. It is this Senate, all full parts of it from the division heads to the supreme commander to the Emperor and then to the collective Senate that rules the Damocles Empire.

Social System: The Social System of Damocles tends to hold the wealthy and military in high regard, with rich nobles who have had military service taking more importance over those who have not. Magi-Tech is widely available in Damocles, however just in Damocles.D

Territorial Holdings: Dren'gal, Udai, Spearon, Canaris, Weaver, Daguenet & New Damocles.

Annual Population Growth: 0.04% . This rate is low due to the fact not many Damocles citizens have several children cause of very good health care and the availability of birth control methods.

Estimated Population for 720 AD: 5,752,300

Size: 1,545,600 square miles (Including Dren'gal, Udai and mainland holdings but not including Spearon, Canaris, Weaver & Daguenet and satellite holdings)

Population Density: Sparse. Damocles has a lot of wide open land in the northern area and many people are clustered into towns and cities. This sparse density gives Damocles a lot of room to grow and an immense amount of land fit for resources and increasing the Empire's coffers. Over %60 of Damocles's population lives within urban areas as opposed to rural areas.

Primary Resources: High sources of mineral and timber and above average amounts of quartz. Rich mountains in the area give Damocles all the minerals it desires in weapons production and for battle materials. The vast timber and forests are also used in ship production. Damocles has below average amounts in exotic items such as fine furs, wines and fruits.

Estimated Annual Operating Budget: 270,683,790,000 silver (approximately). Of this, 55% (around 148,876,084,500 silver) of the budget goes to the Military (Then evenly divided among the Fleet, Army and Navy branches). This figure used to be around 60%, reaching a high point of 70% during the First War. The rest of the budget is divided among countless other areas, programs and sections. Money comes pouring in from various areas, such as resources, mining operations, money from various landowners and nobles, the M&T Income Tax of 20%, as well as other areas. Damocles taxes are deemed high by some nations, however Damocles has a vast majority of wealthy people as compared to other nations.

Financial Status and Reputation: The Damocles economy is a thriving one fueled by vast trade agreements, support for corporations and a sense of stability which flows into all of the citizens of the Empire and promotes spending and investments hardly any other nation can rival Damocles's economic strength. It is this wealth which is turned around to fuel the Damocles Military as %60 of all tax income is moved right into military spending, officer payroll and research and development of new technologies. A lack of trade relations with Damocles is viewed upon many as bad of a sign as excommunication from religious communities. However Damocles's high demands and control of the regional economic map is backed up by their strong military. Within all of this however the citizens of the Damocles Empire live in splendor compared to other nations. A normal citizen is entitled to the comforts of Damocles magical technology such as street and home lighting, hot and cold running water, city plumbing, a communications network, a credit system and easy access to portal transit that can allow a citizen to commute to anywhere within the Empire in mere moments. It is not unheard of for a person to live in the city of Norcon and hold a job in Basillicus which is 200 miles away. Nearly all high paying jobs within Basillicus are either military or government related as the average citizen's morale is very high.

Population Castes/Income Brackets
%40 Middle Class/%35 Wealthy/%15 Verdanian Nobility/%10 Damoclean Nobility

Racial Makeup: While Damocles is predominatly human, several other races exist within Damocles and do so peacefully such as Elves, Dwarves, Minotaurs, Halflings and Gnomes. Many of these races find well paying jobs and acceptance within Damocles as their races have coexisted with humans here since Damocles was founded. Any such prejudices exist strongly against Dragons, Vampires, Lycanthropes, Verax and several races known to be affiliated with the Shadow Knights such as Drow, Orcs, Trolls and Ogres. There are other races found in Damocles, but those listed below are the majority races.


65%	20%	10%	2%	2%	1%

Exports & Imports: Damocles is able to ship out good metals such as steel, surplus timber, wool, and various other stones from quarries. However Damocles is dependent on outside trade for luxury items, such as fine spices, wines, furs, and other such goods the more wealthy people depend on. Due to this, traffic between Dantania and Damocles is very heavy.

Climate: Damocles is a good mix of forests and mountains with many forests reaching deep thru the central rocky plains. The north part of Damocles is within a Temperate Zone, the south part in a Sub-Tropical Zone. The very northern tip of Damocles is within a sub-artic zone, experiencing more snowfall than most. However weather within Damocles is generally mild winters, warm summers, with the southern areas being generally warmer.

General Citizen Mindset: The mindset of a Damocles citizen is a person who always keeps up to date on political matters of the Empire, enjoys in the Empire's prosperity and always has their own opinion regarding political matters. You can always find a few Damocles citizens discussing some latest Senate vote, some new battle, or something regarding the government. Damocles citizens are very proud, very patriotic and supportive of the Empire as well as hateful towards the Shadow Knight Empire. However Damocles's success has caused a "Damocles and everyone else" outlook, where some people view other nations as backwards, barbarous and uncivilized. Attitudes here are rather similar to Europeans during the Renaissance era, with much prosperity in the Empire, no poverty, and a wide array of people very knowledgeable of magi-tech. Traitors here are seen as vile, disgusting people, with such betrayal to the Empire carrying a sentence of execution normally carried out in a public Arena by a Gladiator.

Cities of Note

Basillicus - Pop. 1,000,000 (Approx.). This is the very capital of the Empire, regarded as the jewel of Verdania. This city is the very heart of the Empire, and one of the best defended cities in all of known Imperia. It's also the home of the more wealthy people of the lands, containing several factories, companies and tall buildings rising up into the sky. The landmark of this is a statue dedicated to Baiganx Windfire, following the First Damocles-Shadow Knight War. This statue rises up to around a hundred feet in the air, standing proudly in the town square of the city. Several shops of fine dresses, jewelry, sweets and magi-tech gear are also found here, however this is not a place for a poor traveler. Also home of Damocles Imperial Castle and the Senate Hall as well as local offices of all major military divisions.

Norcon - Pop. 500,000 (Approx.). Home of the Damocles Navy, as well as the primary airship yard of the Damocles Fleet, Norcon is a vital defense point for the Empire and was the stage of the first and greatest battle of the First War. This ocean port is Damocles's main port along it's southwestern border, with ships coming and going towards the Sea of Eradina. The Headquarters of the Damocles Imperial Navy can be found here, as well as the Headquarters of the Damocles Imperial Fleet.

Spearhead - Pop. 250,000 (Approx.). The Damocles Imperial Army calls this city home, also the Damocles Military Academy and Fleet Museum, which features the very first D.I.S. Victory are located here. This land-locked city is found south of Basillicus, and was a primary staging ground during the Krarthian Union war as forces left here bound for Vernalla.

Arcnov - Pop. 25,000 (Approx.). This small town isn't of tactical importance however is of religious importance. Here is found Arcnov Church, the main worship point for those of the Lothos faith as well as training and home to the Paladins of Lothos. Damocles Medical also maintains a research post here, working closely with Clerics of the Church in researching cures for diseases and sicknesses.

Besides those listed above, Damocles has a total of around 300 other settlements ranging from small towns to large cities. Some of these are clustered together, forming larger cities.

Laws of Note: Damocles Law is very strict regarding the illegal sale of magical technology and of betrayal to the Empire. Damocles's basic offenders are sent to various jails and prisons found in the mainland. The worst of the worst however are sent to Steeldeath. Also, Damocles is the only nation to employee Lawyers in their trials. While Damocles is a strict society, they still follow the basic law codex, with a few noteworthy additions.

First War Accords Law - This Law makes the support of the Shadow Knights, in anyway found to be detrimental to the Empire, an offense punishable by death.

Dragon's Tooth Accords Law - This Law strips away any rights a dragon has, placing them as second-class citizens.

Armament Proliferation Act - This Law requires that all sales of magical weaponry be from authorized dealers to customers who meet security requirements. Any such violation of this causes 10 years jail time for buyer and seller and allows Damocles to seize all assets and property of both parties. Also This Law allows Damocles to stop inbound airships and sea ships, search them for weapons, and seize those weapons if said weapons are found to be illegal.

Slavery Liberation Act - This Law states that the act of slavery is illegal within Damocles, and any slaves entering the territory of Damocles are automatically given their freedom. Slavemasters face sentences of 20-30 years in Steeldeath, sometimes one year of jail per slave found in their possession.

Customs of Note: There are no unusual or outstanding customs in Damocles, as people here are rather conservative. Most customs usually concern holidays or the celebrations of war heroes or great victories or festive parties at the launching of new airships.

Religious Stance: Damocles is strongly against the worship of Galadore, Illiara and Dorandus and very much in support of the worship of the Primals. Mostly Damocles worships Krondor and Lothos, with shrines dedicated to them found at Basillicus and Arcnov. here are no

Educational System: Damocles has a well rounded educational system, available to all citizens of the Empire. Also it has several academies and colleges for education after school graduation, where people graduate around 17-19. Damocles's main studies focus on military, history, magical technology, politics and religion.

Prevalence of magic: Due to the magical technology boom of the late 600s, magic is very plentiful in Damocles.

Legal Status & Attitude regarding Magic: There are no laws governing the use of magic, and most laws in Damocles actually concern magical technology of a tactical application such as Quadbows and Spellfires and armed Airships. Any and all magical technology weapons can only be owned by citizens of Damocles, this citizenship being a requirement for all things from civilian Spellfires to armed Airships. Some exceptions are made for citizens of other nations if they clear a security check. This is done more as a way for Damocles to keep such weapons out of the hands of hostile nations, or people they fear may use it against the Empire. Attitude towards magic by the populace is rather benign, as magical technology has made Damocles daily life very advanced. Such technology has brought about hot and cold running water, internal lighting, a banking/credit system, a type of audio/visual communication and broadcast network, and rapid transit via portals and teleport centers.

Allies: The Damocles Empire has maintained a long standing alliance with the Kingdom of Dantania, this alliance extending back to the very first decade of Damocles's own founding. This full alliance covers everything from trade to mutual defense pacts, however Damocles benefits from it with decreased tariffs on Dantanian goods. Damocles also has a similar treaty with Axius, maintaining an Embassy in Tantallon as they do in the capital of Dantania. Damocles also maintains a mutual defense alliance with Terangoth and Nore Quenderin, both of those treaties containing free trade agreements.

Enemies: The Damocles Empire and the Shadow Knights have had a long standing hatred for each other, always being in a state of undeclared war, with two flareups leading to declared wars in the 690s and again in the late 710s. Lately, Damocles is also entering into an aggressive state of relations concerning the nation of Kardius, bordering very close to a possible invasion of Kardius lands itself.

Other diplomatic stances/treaties: Damocles maintains neutral relations with most other nations, such as a cease-fire agreement with the Verax, a cease-fire agreement with Roshack and basic trade agreements with all other nations and a few off-world groups. Damocles is also in a few technology/resource exchange treaties and agreements, a charter member of the Merchants & Trade Association, and one of the key members of the "Archway Coalition", a group devoted to monitoring and controlling the ancient ruins of the Kopru Archways.

Reputation:

Military Size & Reputation: The Damocles Imperial Military numbers at 575,000 soldiers, crewmen and officers of all three major divisions of the Military. (Fleet, Army & Navy)

History:


	Capital: Basillicus
	Ruler: Emperor Senchant Peralay
	Population (as of 719 AD): 5,750,000 (approximately)