The Nistrian Empire
The Nistrian Empire is the most powerful empire on the continent of Afrat. In Nistria, everything revolves around technological progress and science.
1. History
1300 years ago, Nistria was just an insignificant little kingdom and the only refuge for humanity across the continent. Surrounded by hostile nations, inhabited by Dyr and Tipu, they once were extremely close to ultimate annihilation.
Out of sheer necessity, the theologians turned to science as a way to turn the tide. At the last moment, when all the knights had already been defeated and all the nobles had given up, the scientists managed to develop a series of weapons, that could turn any peasant into a mighty warrior without long training.
Thus a crushing defeat was turned into a glorious victory that would shape the future of the new empire forever. The theologians of the time immersed themselves ever more deeply in science and replaced their faith in God for one in technological progress. The nobles, who had failed to protect their citizens, were stripped of their power. Instead, the Nistrian Academy was founded, which was to guide the destiny of the Nistrian Empire from then on.
Over the following centuries, the scientific system became more and more refined. Over time, the academy split into the 6 faculties. A golden age for science began and thus for humanity in Afrat.
2. Geography
Nistria is split in two halves along the Karakaz Mountains. The very industrialized western provinces, where the empire was originally established, and the eastern provinces, which lie beyond the mountains and are mainly characterised by agriculture.
The mountains themselves are hardly accessible to Nistria. Goods and machinery are transported between the two halfs exclusively via an ancient tunnel system, that runs under the Karakaz Mountains. The passages are considered very dangerous and tedious, which can make a journey very profitable for traders.
Both sides have largely independent industries. Besides their own military industrial complex, which supplies the local troops, both sides specialise in different scientific aspects. While the West relies more on mechanical solutions such as airships, prostheses and firearms, in the East, chemical and biological means are used more often. In terms of administration, the eastern provinces are very closely integrated into the administration of the empire and have little autonomy.
The capital of the empire is Novus. Those who live here belong to the empire's scientific elite. That's the reason, why Novus is the headquarters of the Nistrian Academy. More research is done here than in the rest of the empire put together. Novus is a flying city, kept in the air by enormous machines. However, these require a humungous amount of energy, which must be constantly supplied by the whole empire.
3. The Academy
The academy is the engine that drives the Nistrian Empire. It is responsible for all technical progress. A scholar who has graduated from the academy and contributed something to science is given the rank of Magister.
Many, upon receiving their Magister's degree, take the name of their faculty, in addition to their surname. e.g. Arnold Nordstein then becomes Arnold Nordstein of Administrata. Membership of a faculty is something sacred and scholars usually remain attached to it for the rest of their lives.
3.1. Faculties
The Academy is divided into 6 faculties.
3.1.1. The Mixtura
The faculty of medicine and alchemy. From stimulants to medicines to cruel chemical weapons. All of these are provided by the Mixtura.
In the military, the Mixtura is responsible for the medical battalions. They have to make sure that the soldiers on the front line can keep fighting. It is also responsible, together with the Constructa, for the integration of the mechanical prostheses.
3.1.2. The Arcana
The Faculty of Secrets. Their mission is the archiving, preservation and transfer of knowledge. They manage the libraries of the academy, they are responsible for all cryptographic tasks and must decide what information may be passed on to whom.
Scientific Integrity: It is also the task of the Arcana to bring back scientists with sensitive knowledge who have left Nistria or to render their knowledge harmless to prevent other realms from profiting from the knowledge of Nistria.
3.1.3. The Constructa
The Constructa stands for everything mechanical. From equipment to construction to weapons. Airships, automata, prostheses and revolutionary propulsion systems are invented here.
Research is also carried out here on how to use magical energy for machines. Since such research can result in the odd explosion, most of the Constructa buildings stand at some distance from all other buildings.
The faculty is particularly popular in the west, while the inhabitants of the East are still sceptical about mechanical automata.
3.1.4. The Administrata
Nistria is held together in both the civil and military spheres by a gigantic bureaucratic complex. Everything necessary for the administration of the empire, from jurisprudence, economic and social policy, to accounting, is taught and studied at the Administrata.
The central task of these graduates is to keep Nistria running as a system and to develop it further.
3.1.5. The Augeria
Agriculture, food production, environment. Everything that has to do with biology is researched at the Augeria. The basic task is to breed new crops and enhance existing ones, as well as the exploration of new ecosystems and the discovery of new animal species.
Since its foundation, the Augeria has tried to replace the mechanical improvements of the soldiers with biological modifications. However, it is only in the last few decades that real successes have been made. With its biologically centred research, the faculty is the leading force in the eastern provinces, but hardly anyone in the West is interested in them.
3.1.6. The Genia
History, culture and art. Everything that considers man on a spiritual level can be found in the Genia. This also includes psychology and achitecture. Especially the art- and design-oriented approach of the architects leads to major disagreements with the civil engineers of Constructa.
Other faculties also see little added value in the research. However, the Genia offers valuable insights into the way people think, which forms the basis for many Nistrian laws.
The training of military leadership is also subject to the Genia, where the art of war is taught alongside military history.
3.2. Membership
There are two ways someone can join the academy.
3.2.1. Self-funded
Those who can afford it can study at the academy with their own funds. The costs are not immeasurably high. However, as a student at the academy hardly has time to work on the side, only a few can afford this.
3.2.2. Scholarship
If an individual shows special potential, the academy will finance their studies. For this, the student must first pass a very difficult entrance examination. An alternative for this path exists for those who are in the military. If someone stands out particularly positively there, they can be offered a scholarship by the military.
The majority of students at the academy study on scholarship. This means that every farmer in the country has the opportunity to be admitted to the academy if they have the necessary potential.
4. Legislation
Each of the faculties elects an Archmagister at its own discretion. The 6 Archmagisters then form the Archmagister Council, which controls the Nistrian Empire. The role of the Archmagister Council is exclusively legislative. They create laws that then apply to the rest of the realm. The laws of Nistria are recorded in the Codex.
The legislative process is very scientifically oriented. Sufficient scientific evidence must be presented in order to introduce a new law into the Codex or to adapt an existing one. If the Council can be convinced of the need for an amendment, it will be voted on by the whole council. A 2/3 majority is required for all legislation.
Even the military is not directly commanded by the Archmagister Council, but is controlled by laws, which then legally command, for example, the invasion of another country. These laws are usually more abstract and rarely contains direct orders.
5. Military
The military is a self-organising body in the Nistrian Empire, which is held together by its own codex. It is primarily composed of men, as only they are compelled to serve by conscription. Since women can choose to serve voluntarily, they are the clear minority of the personnel. The military receives leadership personnel, special forces and new material from the academy. Each faculty is assigned a different task.
Mixtura: Provision of medical personnel/material. Research and production of chemical warfare agents, and defence against them.
Arcana: Acquisition of information, espionage, protection of own information from the enemy.
Constructa: Construction/maintenance of weapons, airships, combat automatons, prostheses, as well as the provision of technical troops.
Administrata: Administration, logistics and staff duties
Augeria: Food procurement, utilisation of the enemy's food production.
Genia: Training of generals, analysis of enemy strategies, formulation of new strategies.
The troops of Nistria are divided into divisions, which contain a mix of different types of troops, which are geared to specific strategic positions. A division is then composed of different battalions, each of which contains only one type. There are then special division configurations for fighting in the mountains, in the swamp, in the forest, etc.
6. The colonies of Mefos
Since the invention of airships in 987, the academy has been able to use the sea routes to Mefos. Since then, Nistria has been working to gradually colonise the continent.
The colonies are an important source of resources. However, since the founding of the colony there's a war raging with the natives. The natives started attacking directly after the settlers arrived.
A few decades after the colonisation of Mefo began, individuals from other realms were drawn to the colony. In the fight against the natives, the colony has formed an alliance with Dyr and Tipu. There is also growing resentment towards the old homeland, as Nistria is deliberately withholding their latest technologies and demands hefty payments from their vassal.
7. The status of Dyr and Tipu
Dyr usually live in poor conditions in Nistria. Legally, their status is very restricted. They are not allowed study at the academy or hold state offices. They are also subject to significant restrictions on work and they pay higher taxes than humans.
Despite these restrictions, many Dyr are drawn to Nistria because they have an easier life there and can make a living from simple labour. As some Dyr species are very similar to humans, they are often used as guinea pigs in large academy cities. In Novus, for example, the academy buys Dyr children from the slums to be used in their experiments. The prices are so good that many Dyr live there for this very purpose.
Tipu are rarely drawn to Nistrian cities, as the air there is dirty and the sun is usually covered in clouds of smoke. However, there are some forests in Nistria that are inhabited by Tipu.
Occasionally there are also so-called Cursed Forests. These are usually founded by Tipu whose homeland was destroyed by Nistria. If such a Tipu, driven by hatred and despair, gets rooted to the ground, it passes on its hatred to its descendants, making the forest very hostile to any intruder.