The Rothiian Empire - The Surface

The Monstrous Empire, Ruled by humanoid monsters like Mindflayers, Vampires, Werebeings, mindflayers, aberrations, oozes, Maashuu, humans, elves, dwarves, and all kinds of other monsters like lamia’s, rakshahsa, fiends, balrogs, and gnolls and hobgoblins. 

This is the realm of colossal raised cities called bastions, and a place where the strongest and the most clever survive, a brutal realm of random violence and cruelty, where the emperor, empress, and draed-marked council can change entirely through a civil war, an uprising of the humanoid or monstrous people, or the council members and draed-marked could be assassinated or murdered. The empire only stays together due to their patriotism and their devotion to their several hundred year old war against Alith and Borr. Covered in swamps, bogs, strange rivers overrun with plague, and small societies and cult groups who live outside the great bastions in makeshift nomadic tribes.

Tech-Level

1940’s Post World War II level of Tech, lots of industrial tech, cars at rudimentary stages, firearms approaching modern levels aided by Maagitech, maggitech a primary source of power, have not made standard electricity, magic and tech work together more here than most other empires, beginnings of entertainment(music, film photography and video cameras), heavy machine and airship tech, heavy fixation on transport with heavy train and steam boat types of technology, gasoline invented and being introduced

Culture

The Shadows are our allies, the monstrous are the norm, the humanoid are the weak, and the strongest hold dominion. Militarily chosen dynasties and leaders, power in diversity, diversity of monstrous cultures is the dominant ideal, humanoids hold weak standing as nonmonstrous, and the idea of bettering the world takes a backseat to the empire’s patriotic and devoted military. Constantly stuck in a sort-of war time industrial complex. The people are extremely patriotic and their chosen demigod leaders, The Draed-Marked serve as holy manifestations of the empires deities, The Rotharii Draed. Faith in the draed is paramount, the empire is always at the service of the Rotharii Draed and the citizens often in service to the Draed-Marked. 

Symbolism

The Black Iron and Stone Tower with the flowing river beneath it, The Figure with a Giant Shadow, The Lightning Bolt on Green Silk

What is the Empire of Roth?

The Empire of Roth is a place of monstrous humanoids, overrun by vibarii’s plagues, covered in almost all regions with swamps and jungle, the empire always under the dark green acid clouds of the Alithean Empire. Roth is home to many dynasties of Mindflayer and Lycan rule, and its people are the only empire with a strong connection to the Depths, as many of its citizens hailed from the dark underground, moving to the surface shortly after the Sundering and the Ascension,

Roth is a place of strange monstrous technology, a powerful warlock corps, and a strange relationship to divinity, divinity itself being viewed as a curse, not a blessing, its main deities the Rotharii’Draed, the embodiments. Here in Roth, most humanoid races live peacefully alongside Vampires, Lycanthropes, Mindflayers, Fiends, Hags, and many variations of undead, and they ride other monsters as their mounts, rarely ever using horses or wolves. 

The Rothiian Empire has a very large population of Gnolls and Bugbears, and unlike many other empires, the gnolls and bugbears of Roth are far more sophisticated, educated, and intelligent. The best of all monsters has been used to make Roth an extraordinary foe. 

Home to several old cults and tribes, this empire is known for its humanoid sacrifices and it’s many warlock patrons, be they on the surface or deep below in the earth of the Depths and the Core. 

An empire of swamps, canyons, and great chasms, the empire is notoriously hard to navigate through, and its thick, untamed jungles are the most dangerous jungles in the world, full of gnollish clans and tribes and loose abominations and aberrations from the Depths and the core. The empire’s terrain and swamps are so dangerous, there are only a few small villages throughout the empire, with most people hiding out and living in their great bastion-cities, built by the first rothiian people after the Ascension and the Sundering, using all the old stones and buildings left behind from Old Ethrell. These Bastions are where the vast majority of the
Rothiians live, inside great vertical monstrosities of black stone, iron, and great winding staircases, with the wealthy living near the top, and the poorest living near the bottom, with these great bastions elevated by colossal iron  and stone legs, raising them high above the infectious jungles below. 

The Government of Roth

Emperors and Empresses - A Dynasty Prone Empire

The Rothiian government is ruled by an Emperor or Empress, and there have been many long lasting dynasties of the history of the empire, including one of Fiends, one of Vampires, one of Werewolves, and the current dynasty of Mindflayers. 

Riddled with Civil Wars

The Rothiian empire has had many civil wars after a dynasty has lived in power for too long. The Rothiian people are more than willing to tear down a dynasty when it has ruled for 200 years or more, and those dynasties have often been replaced with others. The differences between such races as the Vampires, Mindflayers, and other species have made it hard for Roth to unite for longer than 100 years, the lifetime of a human. While constantly in a state of strife, the empire is proud, and calls of war against Roth have united the citizenry many times over its history.

Patriotic Peoples

The Rothiian people are extremely patriotic, and their idols and heroes like the Draed-Marked and their holy order, The Rotknights are regarded as heroes and mythical beings and true people of Roth.