A dying empire

A vast mid-magic continental empire, once cosmopolitan and expansive, now crumbling under the weight of war and debt. The empire blended a professional army with feudal obligations, balancing central power and local autonomy. Over a century, unchecked wars, unpaid soldiers, and the rise of mercenary companies and merchant guilds hollowed out imperial authority. The empire now begins to fragment, with rival generals, opportunistic nobles, free cities, and rogue mercenaries carving up the map. Technology is comparable to late medieval, with the earliest introduction of gunpowder. The campaign follows a party of mercenaries/adventurers investigating a rampaging mercenary host in a large town. The problem of rampaging mercenaries have been ongoing for months, but collapse of the empire has only just begun. Little news has spread yet.

The Varyth Empire: The dying empire. A large continental state consisting of diverse lands as listed below: - The Imperial Core: Fertile river valleys, the imperial capital, and surrounding provinces loyal to the emperor. Once the center of wealth and trade, now impoverished and heavily taxed. Eurocentric. - The Grand Duchy (Frontier State): A powerful border duchy with a seasoned general and semi-loyal professional army. Once the empire’s shield against invaders, now its greatest rival. - The Free Cities League: Merchant-dominated coastal and riverine trade hubs, banded together in a defensive alliance. They hire mercenaries and defected professionals to secure independence. - Outer Provinces & Frontiers: Mountainous, steppe, or forested regions home to semi-assimilated peoples, increasingly tempted to break away or ally with rebel factions. Outside of the empire exists other kingdoms. The west consists of various smaller kingdoms and principalities with a similar culture to the varyth empire. The north is a large federation of tribes and clans, all of various races and ethnic groups, nestled in expansive mountain ranges. The south are trade coasts which forms the free cities league. The east are expansive steppe and desert margins, dominated by nomadic communities. Further east exist distant exotic empires.

The empire consists of all common races in dnd 5e. Humans tend to make up the majority in all facets of life, but concentrate the most in nobility and high command. Half-elves are also found in nobility and high society as diplomats and intriguers. Dwarves and halflings dominate merchant guilds and bankers. Dragonborn, orcs, wood elves and goliaths are frontier people, but the former two are frequently found in mercenary companies and frontier armies, spread throughout the empire. Gnomes and tabaxi too can be found, though cover more niche and exotic trades. Within these races exist their own ethnic groups and cultures too, especially in the frontier or trade hubs. Imperial Core Peoples: Cosmopolitan mix of ethnic groups, bound by centuries of shared imperial identity, now fracturing along regional and class lines. Frontier Cultures: Hardy warrior peoples, often supplying troops to the empire. Their loyalty shifts between empire and local commanders. Urban Merchants & Guilds: Culturally diverse, pragmatic, and wealth-driven, caring more for trade security than ideology. Peripheral Tribes/Clans: Some absorbed into empire, others semi-independent, exploiting imperial weakness to raid or assert autonomy.

The first proponent of the civil war. Mercenary Crisis: The original unpaid mercenary host still roams unchecked, sparking imitations. Some cities and nobles hire them, others fight them. Imperial Civil War: The emperor and loyalist nobles vs. the Grand Duchy (also frontier general) and defiant nobles — the central struggle for the empire’s future. Free Cities League: Independent-minded merchant hubs form alliances to resist both crown and duchy, relying on mercenary defense and defected professional soldiers. Noble Opportunism: Many lords sit on the fence, waiting to side with whoever offers them the best deal — independence, privileges, or plunder. Foreign Pressures: Neighboring states watch eagerly, ready to exploit the empire’s weakness, raid borders, or sponsor proxy factions.

Magic: Present but uncommon (mid magic). Magic is rare but powerful, treated as a strategic resource. Most spells are battlefield-support, healing, or divination — though rarely can be world-shattering. Mercenary companies and nobles covet battle-mages as much as siege engines and bombardiers. Religion: Lax imperial policy allowed religious diversity — temples, shrines, and cults coexisted under imperial protection.

Age of Expansion (founding – 300 years ago) The empire grew from a core kingdom into a vast, cosmopolitan realm. Professional armies conquered fertile valleys, trade hubs, and frontier lands. Legacy: Fortresses, roads, aqueducts, and urban centers remain; many frontier fortresses are now semi-independent. Age of Stability and Prosperity (300–100 years ago) Imperial institutions matured: professional army + feudal support, merchant guilds flourished, and religious tolerance kept peace. Trade and diplomacy flourished; frontier integration brought cultural mixing. Legacy: Major Free Cities’ civic architecture, guild halls, and canals date to this period. Age of Overreach and Decay (100–Present) Expansion slowed; wars, debt, and professional army costs strained coffers. Mercenary companies and powerful guilds rose, weakening the crown. Legacy: Deserted outposts, lawless interior regions, and embittered frontier duchies. Current Age of Fragmentation (Present) Mercenary rebellion triggers widespread civil war. Grand Duchy rises, Free Cities declare independence, professional armies splinter. Legacy: Shattered authority, widespread famine, refugee streams, and contested ruins.

Currency: Crowns. Trade: Southern coastal cities dominate maritime trade; Free Cities League controls much of it now. Imperial core is attempting to look for new streams of revenue west and eastwards. Mixed feudal/mercantile: Nobles control land, guilds control commerce, crown collects taxes and tariffs. Mercenary armies sometimes tax or plunder trade routes, disrupting revenue. Cities and guilds often operate semi-independently, with their own economic laws.

The Grand Duchy is both a hero to some and a tyrant to others. Mercenary warlords who hold regions as their private fiefdoms. Opportunistic nobles and rogue guild leaders who manipulate chaos for profit. Steppe nomads rumour dragon sightings in the eastern and northern frontiers. Ruined fortresses, tombs, and forgotten temples from the Age of Expansion house cursed treasures, trapped constructs, or undead remnants.