The Artebazzani Empire
None before, none after. We are the road builders, the world charters and the soul givers. When we are gone, there will be darkness, for we are the light. Ave Imperatrix.
In these lands, there is no nation that holds as much sway, commands as many souls or clutches as many coins as the Artebazzani Empire. A distant power, the Artebazzani have made their grasp felt across the turn of the world, first through the weight of their coin as avid traders, if not that then through the sweat of their brow as hardscrabble settlers, or perhaps through the guile of their words through the Church of the Divine Spheres. If all else fails there is the grit and loyalty of the Artebazzani Legions. All this in aid of the Empire and Emperor, all this in the glory of Artebazzan.
Known History and Geography
While the history and establishment of the Artebazzani Empire has been mythologised to the point where truth his hard to distil from fiction, its place on a map is more reasonable to determine. North of Esterra across the Northern Great Trade Sea is the continent of Invicta Major, a wide expanse of land that stretches from east to west from horizon to horizon. It rises out of the Great Trade sea with a towering cliff face wreathed in clouds. To the east it passes beyond Hildeblanc, separated by a narrow sea. To the West the land descends and curls south, becoming the land known as Invicta Minor. This arm of the continent stretches nearly as far south of Esterra, before ending in a stubby peninsula. It is in the crook where Major meets Minor that the homeland and capital of Artebazzan can be found.
Artebazzan itself is two cities, the vast imperial and bureaucratic complex known as Imperial Artebazzan inland and the port city of Pataviam on the coast. Imperial Artebazzan is a metropolis of soldiers, clerks, priests and senators that control the vast empire from its marble halls. It contains the Emperors Summer Palace, the Senatorial Arena, the Grand Cathedral of Niccolo and The Blessed Vaults of the Empire, as well as thousands of other offices, boarding houses and bureaus.
The port city of Pataviam for its part is nearly twice as large and many times as populated. Slowly growing around Imperial Artebazzan in a slow circle, separated by the vast Imperial Gardens and connected by a vast causeway, which would be a city in its own right anywhere else in the world. Pataviam is a city of all things, anything in the circle of the world could be bought, sold, stolen or learned of here. It defies simple categorisation due to scale and importance.
Beyond Imperial Artebazzan itself, it is known that the Empire stretches to cover much of Invicta Minor down to its military colony on the Tabbadar Peninsula far in the south. The Empire also holds a significant military presence up on the jungle and floodplains of Invicta Major, where it wars with the environment and the warlike Xan Khanate.
What can be said about the Artebazzani Empire’s history for sure is that it is a tale of more than a thousand years. This city that would be Imperial Artebazzan is known to be far older than the Empire itself, once ruled over by a species of near humans known as the Holimalkota, which the Artebazzani know little of. The First Emperor, Primus Arcadius, conquered the city nearly nine hundred years ago and drove the Holimalkota into the sea and below ground.
Primus established a line of Emperors that remains unbroken to this day, with each Emperor naming their successor, usually immediately after they themselves are crowned. This goes without saying that assassination and cruel schemes follow the title like pox. To balance this, it was the eighth Emperor Victus Polis that established the Imperial Senate, to act as administrator. This division of power, alongside the Empire's growing size, created a beast that was too big to fail or too big to shift. In times of powerful Emperors, there would be great reforms, gains and campaigns but the Empire would rest on a knife's edge of failure as the pressure of millions of souls weighs on one. But when Emperor is weak, the Senate ascends. New points of power rise the Empire and stability is felt, but the Empire fails to make great changes or react to great dangers.
In the centuries that have passed, Artebazzan has continued to grow and prosper. Its achievements and failures are many, requiring true research to know. Many sages and generals have proclaimed that their time is the moment when the Empire begins to wain, but to this day all have been wrong.
Recent History
In 209 AE the pleasure fleet of Emperor Titus Ferrigano was sunk off the coast of The Guardian by the Pirate leader Ophelia Diablos while returning to Artebazzan. Emperor Titus had been visiting Lerona Mere as part of a colonial tour. Titus’ inheritor was his nephew, Urso Valcanicus, who was crowned at the age of twenty. Emperor Urso’s first decree was harsh tariffs on naval exports of Lerona Mere, blaming their Free Captains for failing to protect his uncle.
The Lerona Mere council of trade joined the discussions among the other regional powers in forming a defensive alliance in 219. The Lerona Mere representatives are restricted by a limitation on their power as a colony following the death of the colonial governor in 218, and a desire to maintain maritime trade supremacy in the area. These restrictions slowed discussions to a halt and diminished goodwill to Lerona Mere.
The Lerona Mere revolution in 220AE saw the death of thousands of commonfolk Lerona Mere as well as influential and wealth Artebazzani. For the first time a line was drawn between these powerful Artebazzani oligarchs and the common Lerona Mere, who had up until now been Imperial Citizens. The revolution is violent but swift, by 221AE Lerona Mere has returned to the discussions and would go on to sign The Concord as a free city.
An Artebazzani envoy attended the first Concordian Summit in the winter of 222AE. The Envoy’s request that Lerona Mere be returned to The Empire was denied.
Artebazzani ports closed their harbours to Concordian ships flying ‘rebel colours’, allowing no Concordian ships to dock across the Empire from Tabadar to Invicta Major.
In Autumn 225AE, The High Historian of the Concord, Wenche Vanatoure, comissioned research into the history of Artebazzan, which can be found here.
Look and Feel
The Artebazzani Empire draws from Imperial Rome, Renaissance Italy and the Mediterranean as some of its aesthetic touchstones. Ceremonial characters will garb themselves in long sweeping robes and long tunics with sandals. However the further from ceremonial finery the further along the timeline the aesthetic will as well. A rich Artebazzani may wander the streets in the hose, pointed shoes, long-sleeved shirts, ruffled jacked and vests with a fine round feathered hat. Colours are striking and run the full gambit, the wealthier, the brighter. Artebazzani jewellery tends to be simple either focusing on the precious metal or supporting a single style of stone. Artebazzani of lower status will tend towards simple linen garb in the form of long tunics in cream, brown and red.
Artebazzani soldiers are known for their segmented armour and adorned belts. However, Legionnaires in particular adapt to their campaign environment wherever possible. What is a constant is that Artebazzani soldiers are well-equipped wherever possible.
The Artebazzani Empire in Play
The Artebazzani Empire is a superpower that has defined the region around Esterra for nearly a thousand years. However, they are also a distant empire that shifts and groans under its own weight. It is unclear if the events of The Concord will push Artebazzan one way or the other, but this Empire will certainly cast a shadow over The Concord.
The Concord so far has largely seen the Artebazzani as distant antagonists in a monolithic sense, but an Empire as large as Artebazzan contains multitudes and the future is not written in stone. The information presented here should provide enough information for a character who has had contact with Artebazzan and perhaps has even travelled there in the past. Characters with a more extensive history with Artebazzan than this will likely not be approved.