The Empire of Turia

The dominant power on the continent of Esoa, the Turian Empire rapidly emerged in the 7th century as, after hundreds of years of warfare, a coalition of non-human races unified the disparate peoples of the north under a single banner. Since its founding, Turia’s diversity - once the region’s greatest weakness - has become a point of pride; “Mighty is the Other” are the Turian words. No one race demographically dominates the Turian population; while wild elves constitute its royal family, they are no more numerous or privileged than orcs, humans, or dwarves. Furthermore, Turia is the single Rhodenian nation that grants full citizenship and rights to the so-called “tribal” or “minor” races. Although the Turian Empire lacks the history of Vllaistrae and Athttania, its power is not to be underestimated; with the Kingdom of Athttania divided by civil war, Turian influence in world politics is second only to Vllaistrae’s.

The Turian Empire was founded by the efforts of the wild elf Faelon Ralwyn, and his progeny have ruled the land ever since. As one might expect of a nation forged by disparate races, the politics of the Turian court are extremely complicated. Conflicts between courtly parties are frequently settled by marriages into the royal family; consequently, the Ralwyn lineage is quite large, and the reigning monarch is permitted to take as many wives as he deems fit to ensure he has sufficient heirs to marry off. In Turia, a woman may not rule as queen in her own right. The current Emperor of Turia is Faeler Ralwyn. House Ralwyn’s symbol - the red dragon - adorns the kingdom’s yellow and black-checkered flag.

Although the Church of the Almighty does have a presence in Turia, its influence is considerably weaker than in Vllaistrae, in no small part due to the Church’s policy of its clergy being human. The Cult of Enkai has adherents in Turia, and the use of magic is considered acceptable if not fairly mundane. By far the most practiced religion in Turia is that of the Northern Pantheon: a hodgepodge collection of spirits and demigods assembled over the centuries by the diverse peoples of Esoa.

Faelon's Crown
Turia is famous for the vast mountain ranges that constitute its borders and divide the country in half. These chains of mountains are - or have been, since elven king’s reign - known as Faelon’s Crown. As most of the empire’s farmlands rest in the southwestern portion of the nation, the Turian people have developed various systems of transport to move food to the administrative center bounded on three sides by Faelon’s Crown. The guides and mountaineers that oversee these processes are some of the best and the world, and it is not uncommon for generations of mountain dwellers to make their living as guides.