Fictian Empire

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 * For the country before 1899, see Kingdom of Fictia

The Fictian Empire is a modern Imperial Absolute Monarchy based from the island of Occidentalis. The Empire is composed of multiple territories in the Occidental and Oriental Oceans connected by ship and the central government, including most of Occidentalis, some surrounding minor islands, and the Exarchate of Australis. The current de facto Emperor is George I.

Originally founded in January of 1889, the Fictian Empire was a continuation of the much older Kingdom of Fictia that existed on the northern half of Occidentalis Island. The modern Empire was originally founded in response to when colonial expeditions from various countries East re-discovered the island and Kingdom, which had been in a state of isolation for decades. King George LXXVI, to prevent his state from becoming another colonial territory, proclaimed the Fictian Empire and made himself into Emperor George I. Adopting a rapid modernization policy, the nascent Empire rapidly militarized and became somewhat powerful and advanced thanks to foreign gifts. After participating in a few wars on the side of the winning coalitions and sending out expeditions to colonize new land, the Empire began to rapidly strengthen in both population and military strength and was in position to become a major power-until the Scourge came around.

Except for Australis, which is a hot desert, much of the Fictian Empire is in a tropical wet climate. The Empire is a prodigious producer of zinc, timber, hydrogen and fish, although crop production is also relatively high.

Etymology
The Fictian Empire's name is based off of the common regional name of Fictia given to the northern half of Occidentalis, which itself comes from the Ficts who have dominated the land since 200. The origin of the term "Ficts" for the settlers of northern Occidentalis at that time is unknown, but may have originated from neighboring peoples as originally labeling them as unimportant enough to be "fictitious".

History

 * See also: Kingdom of Fictia

Fictia first appeared as a separate, distinct region around 200, when the Ficts first appeared in world history and conquered Occidentalis and the Okhostian Isles. The Okhostian territory was lost relatively quickly, however, and the Occidentalis territory fractured into numerous tiny chiefdoms that would only be united in a conquest led by the disenfranchised sons of Emperor Chungumagne, the final ruler of The Empire. This conquest united Occidentalis and founded the Kingdom of Fictia, which rapidly grew in influence and power during the Chungulingian and Basilean dynasties to encompass all of Occidentalis and Canciona, along with parts of Mediterrae and the Okhostian Isles. However, this influence rapidly waned during the Infirmid dynasty and the succeeding Electoral Era to the point that Occidentalis became re-divided and Fictia became tributary to the South Cnut Empire until that state's fall.

Government
The Fictian Empire is an Absolute Monarchy, and so the sitting senior Emperor has absolute authority and power to make, change, and enforce laws, although exercisable power may sometimes be given to prominent aristocrats in some circumstances. To enforce the monarch's authority each province of the entire Empire is administered by a Governor, a Emperor-appointed officer tasked with enforcing laws throughout the province. However, at some regions distant from the Capital City, an "Exarch" may be appointed, who is appointed to govern the provinces of a fraction of the Empire in the name of the Emperor. In practice, this makes the Exarch into a very powerful, but still subordinate ruler who must must answer to the Emperor. Currently, the only Exarchate in existence is the Exarchate of Australis

Succession to the Imperial office is determined in the will of the previous Emperor, and is typically hereditary as a result.

Foreign Relations
The Fictian Empire is a formal member of Socii Mundial, but externally also features a unique foreign policy system inspired by that used by the W.C.C., in which all countries are assigned a number relating to how good their relations are. As of 1908, these numbers are:

External Basis:
The state is highly similar to and based off that of the historical Eastern Roman Empire (aka Byzantine Empire), albeit one with much more general success and modernized.

See Also:

 * List of Fictian Emperors