Brazenfire

The Iridian Empire

The Iridian Empire, an expansionistic, military-based imperial nation. Once a small collection of theocratic states, the old order of temple-lords was overthrown by Iridius, a magus of great power, who established an empire by marrying the daughters of the old High Priests. Each of the ruling noble houses is descended from one of these daughters and Iridius; each is also possessed of significant magical power as a result of that powerfully magical lineage.

Because Iridius was a pyromancer of great power, most of the magics inherited by the nobility are fiery in nature. Due to this, and the fact that most of the magicians able to devote their lives to magical research, most of the magic of the Iridian Empire is pyromantic, though there are a rare few other elementalists in existence who serve the Iridian Empire, though their magics are small and weak in comparison to the Imperial Pyromancies (air-witches able to minorly manipulate the weather and send messages on breezes, geomancers who can fortify stone structures and water-folk capable of speeding travel by ship and healing the body), and all of them carefully regulated by the Imperium.

Just as the samurai was the central figure around a military unit in old Japan, so too is the Knight of the Imperial Flame, exotic figures in weird brazen armor that is crafted with fluting and vents that prevent undue build-up of pyromantic energies. Some of the Knights are aided by the Fire-kissed, bodyguard/squires who are infused with some of the Living Flame of the Knights, which increases their strength and quickness, as well as granting them some resistance to fire.

The Knights are trained at the Iridian Academy, called the Red Keep for the red brass-infused walls that are proof against fire magics. The Iridian Academy trains a variety of knightly orders, from the Sanctified of Rhel (siege masters who have turned their mastery of pyromancy to huge effects capable of ending sieges quickly) to the Tamers of the Inferno (summoners of fire elementals), from the Brotherhood of the Pure (healers who “stoke the flame of life,” healing through the use of painful, burning magics) to the Ashen Society (the piss-poor pyromancers who can be spared to prevent the spread of fires caused by the enemy or their brethren).

The Iridian Empire is currently on the verge of declaring war on the River States, a river province nation governed by a theocracy that is the remnants of that overthrown by Iridius, led by necromancer-priests. The River States are known for their reverence of the dead (which stands in opposition to the disgust most Iridians feel for corpses) and ancestor worship. It is believed that the river that forms the center of the River States’ territory comes flowing out of the lands of the dead, in the mountains.

Classes

• Iridian Knight, pyromantic mage-knight champions of the Iridian Empire.