Fact Box for Raongen

Here is the fact box for the empire of Raongen, which is the largest single state in all of Llachatul - so big that I have to divide it into 3 separate maps. This is the first of those maps.

This will be the focus of the next high-res and textless atlas map that will be published next week, exclusively for Acolyte patrons and higher followed by the normal version the week after that.

The Encyclopaedia Elyden is already updated with all the relevant entries related to the regions and their history, so you can check them out there!

Thanks all for your support :)

As always, feel free to point out typos in the comments :)

Also, sorry for the history on this one. I went a bit overboard (again!), so it's quite long... though it does include a general history of the continent of Bror, and not just the region of Grest. Let me know what you think!

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Raongen is an expansive nation that dominates the subcontinent of Western Llachatul, stretching from 113O west to 10O west and 51O north to the northern pole. Given this vast area, its climate varies widely, from cool temperate in the south to polar in the north, with various pockets of warmer continental weather farther inland, with the plains surrounding the great lake Tahong being particularly pleasant year-round. Its people are descended from various cultures, including the Fourth Age empire of Helminth, whose ruins still dot the east of the nation; the Ohdu Atan people, who dominated the south west of Western Llachatul in the early Fifth Age, and the Araijan people, who emerged from the Fading into the early Fifth Age and went on to populate the central basin of extant Raongen.

Raongen is an empire that is divided into seven territories, known as Industries, that function as a neofeudal system, ruled by Factotums. There are various ranks of nobility beneath the Factotums, beneath which are their vassals - the helots and slaves that make up the majority off the empire’s vast populace.

The empire as it exists today was born in 3307 RM when the death of Emperor-Factotum Ashai Liiji left the empire in shock, with no eligible heirs to claim the throne. Rather than risk a protracted conflict over control of the empire, the Factotums agreed to elect a member from within their own ranks to become the Emperor-Factotum, with the winning candidate bequeathing their title of Factotum to the next in line, in accordance with their Industry’s traditions.

Before this time, the empire had been ruled by a hereditary Emperor-Factotum since 2792 when King Invis Iafeng appointed himself as emperor, reforming the political system and territories of the empire, which had grown stagnant surrounding regions were embracing the rise of technarcana. His actions, while seen as radical at the time, ushered in a time of capitalism that saw great manufactories and industries replacing ancient rural production, leading to the rise of the industrial noble caste known as the Hegemons and the neofeudal system that persists to this day.

The western-most expanse of Raongen is largely lawless and is infested by the people of the so-called Lost Demesne, which is made up of the descendants of ancient Almagest colonists, who have descended into techno-barbarism, worshipping the original patrician house that settled the area as deities, with their machine-monks being the only individual with any technical competence, itself polluted by idolatry and religious reverence of technology, particularly technarcane. These people, known collectively as the Callow Hordes, have formed an enclave within the eastern territories of Raongen, and have been terrorising these lands for centuries, leading to a heavy military presence in the area.

The empire is known as one of Elyden’s largest producers of omnatite, a legendary ore that can, through the application of technarcane processes, be shaped into various substances. This versatility has made it one of the most valuable materials in Elyden and as the only nation with large deposits of the ore, this has made Raongen extremely wealthy as a result. It has stockpiled the resource and created artificial scarcity to drive up the price, filling up its coffers - and those of its Hegemons and Factotums - to unimaginable volumes. Given its size, it comes as no surprise that Raongen is also known for various other natural resources, including amber and Evolam kelp.

Its vassals can become citizens through various means, the most common of which is civil service or joining the army for a set amount of years. Once a citizen, an individual enjoys various rights that others do not have including, paying less taxes, and benefitting from representation amongst the courts of the Hegemons and Organiziers, though the implementation of these benefits are often lacking, particularly in more rural areas.