Heart of the Empire

Of all the states on the continent, the largest is easily the Vardessian Empire. For centuries it has stood as the most powerful of all the western kingdoms, with its ruler held as the premier authority of the civilized world. Although the centralized power of Vardessy is weak - in no small part due to the sheer vastness of its territory necessitating the investiture of considerable power in the feudal nobles who control its various regions - one can speak of the Emperor anywhere in the western kingdoms and know exactly who is being referred to.

It wasn't always this way, though. Long ago, the Vardessian Plain was home to many disparate kingdoms; although the people shared a common language and culture, they fought against one another as often as they recognized each other as cousins. Through the ages there were ambitious kings with dreams of uniting the Vardessian people under their banner, but none could manage such a daunting task.

The event that started the Vardessian unification came when the man now honored as Gustav the Unifier, at this point the king of Talhoff, married Iosa of Helmn, the queen of the neighboring kingdom of Mittengen. This merged their houses and united their domains into one. But Gustav did not wish to stop there. He was already one of the most powerful of the Vardessian kings, in no small part due to his location - not only was Gustav in control of Falkenau, one of the larger and wealthier cities in the region and a key port on the Vardess River, the two realms combined occupied a crucial position in the center of the Vardessian Plain, controlling the bulk of the coastline of the Gulf of Three Fingers. This made the newly joined kingdoms a regional powerhouse, from which they could easily mobilize forces to almost every corner of the region. In time, through a series of successful campaigns, Gustav united the Vardessian heartland and crowned himself the first Emperor of a united Vardessy.

The empire would continue to grow in the years following his initial conquests, but Gustav had still carved out a substantial domain for himself. But the point from which he started - the two kingdoms of Talhoff and Mittengen - would be enshrined as a province dubbed the Crownlands.

The name is a bit of a misnomer. It was chosen more for its symbolic value as the seat of Vardessian power, and only a small portion of the land actually belongs to the Vardessian crown directly; the rest, like much of Vardessy, belongs to numerous dukes, counts, and barons tasked with ruling in the Emperor's stead. Nevertheless, the Crownlands are regarded as the heart of Vardessy, and the point from which Imperial authority extends. It is here, among the marshy floodplains of the Vardess, the lowlands and the rolling hills, that the authority of the Lion Throne - and on it, Emperor Harald IV - is felt at its strongest.

Harald is a pragmatic man, accepting that his hands are tied by the machinations of the nobility, but still wishes the best for Vardessy and hopes to achieve it through whatever means are necessary. This has led to him stocking important positions with those loyal to his cause. But in the complex politics of the Empire, there is only so far he may reach. And many would argue he is overreaching his authority...