Imperium Figarium (historical)

The Figarian Empire (Figarian: Imperium Figarium) was a state that spanned the Figarian Archipelago, lasting for close to a millennium in antiquity. The Imperium was an absolute monarchy, ruled by an emperor, though divided into fourteen constituent provinces, overseen by prefects.

The Imperium is thought to have been established by aliens (of the Lingon species), though it was ruled by humans for most of its lifespan. Although a significant player in international politics for a time, it eventually fractured due to the decentralisation of the government and cultural differences, initially breaking down into the individual provinces.

The cultural heritage of the Empire survives in its schede, with Figarian being the lingua franca of the region for a long time and several beliefs of the ancient Figarians surviving, though perhaps in altered forms.

Etymology & Symbols
The name of the Empire is derived from a philosophical concept of the Lingons, the "Fig" - an "eighth element", that of the mind and consciousness. The Lingons believed that a fruit which can be found in the region is somehow connected with it, so they named the place "Figaria" and the fruit became the Empire's most recognised symbol.

On the Empire's flag, the fig is supported by a pair of raqth (an alien species brought in with all the others) and the nation's name figures underneath. The dark green colour of the background symbolises Yalortism, the national religion.

History
The Figarian archipelago is believed to have been originally inhabited by a reptilian humanoid species (variously named "Saurians", "Reptoids" or "Reptilians"), due to paleontological evidence of their skeletons scattered throughout the islands. It is unknown what caused their extinction; it could have been natural conditions or the arrival of humans from beyond the sea, which happened around ten millennia ago. The humans have proliferated throughout the islands, giving rise to varying cultures.

Circa two millennia ago, the islands were visited by space-faring aliens, the Lingons. Alongside them arrived others, such as the Cyrians, as well as various non-sentient animals and plants. The Lingons believed in the significance of the area (perhaps due to the prior presence of the Elemental Crystals, or the fig fruit) and founded the Imperium Figarium, bringing high culture to the inhabitants.

It is believed that some of the Lingons ruled the Empire directly for a time, but they have mysteriously disappeared in the event known as the Exodus; a few individuals stayed behind on the islands, owing to their long lifespans, but they eventually died without bearing offspring. The Imperial Dynasty is known to have been human, founded by a man who became known in legend as "Pseudolonewolf".

Pseudolonewolf not only established the main body of law, which was used long after his death and became the basis for law systems region-wide, but was also the head of the Church of YALORT (as all emperors) and author of the commandments. Pseudolonewolf is known for codifying the Green Orb currency (and the semi-autonomous Sapphite currency, Cyan Orbs), stabilising the economy and granting the first privileges to the noble class.

As the class divide became established, the nobles received more and more power and, eventually, the provincial prefects de facto ruled autonomously, with the emperor serving as a mere figurehead. As national identity began to spring up and the prefects established regional laws in defiance of the Imperial body, the Figarian Revolution was an inevitability.

The final emperor, whose name has been stricken from historical records, attempted to rein in his power and revoked the authority of the prefects, commanding all provinces to submit to Imperial rule. This sparked militant action from the inhabitants, who stormed the Imperial capital en masse, burned it to the ground and beheaded the emperor on the main square. Afterwards, the Treaty of Concord has been established, dividing the Empire into individual nations and acting as the first non-aggression pact.

Geography
Figaria is an archipelago composed of two (sometimes counted as three) main islands and numerous smaller ones. It is located in the middle of the Obscured Ocean, far away from any other land.

The archipelago is located just above the equator, with the southern areas exhibiting tropical rainforest climate and the northern ones more temperate subtropical ones, with a gamut of transitional biomes in-between. Dryness is, in general, hard to find, with most areas being very humid - this might have changed in recent years due to climate conditioning.

Inhabitants & Religion
Imperium Figarium, since its inception, has been inhabited mostly by humans, believers of various naturalistic pagan faiths. The Lingons brought their own belief system, to which they quickly converted the native populace. The religion, Yalortism, reveres a giant dragon god named YALORT, the creator of worlds as well as the Lingon and human races; it does, however, permit the existence of other gods, both equal to and lesser than YALORT.

Another alien species, the Cyrians, arrived alongside the Lingons (the exact specifics are unknown, but it is believed that the Cyrians, at least these ones, did not have spacefaring technology of their own) and settled on The SAPPHIROS Islands. The Cyrians revere another god within the same belief system - SAPPHIROSMAGORIATHANJATEPMIOS (or SAPPHIROS for short), the creator of their legendary homeworld of Cyria and themselves.

Ever since the fall of the Empire, Yalortism has been on the decline. The cosmology and holidays of the religion are still a major element of the folklore of Figarian inhabitants, however other faiths, such as WillAlveinism and Chaoticism, have since taken centre stage.

Magic
The ancient Lingons have established the current understanding of magic, subscribed to by Figaria's academic bodies with few deviations. Magic is the manipulation of an omnipresent energy known as miasma (in Yalortic beliefs believed to be a "waste product" from the creation of the universe), which is stabilised by seven (by Lingons/Yalortians believed to be eight) Elemental Crystals, which allow for conventional usage of magic by invoking one of the elements.

The Natural elements - Fire, Water, Air and Earth - manipulate physical phenomena. The element of Fire may be harnessed in a furnace to facilitate production; the element of Water may be invoked to control the flow of rivers; the element of Air may be used to turn mills; the element of Earth may be called upon to stimulate plant growth. The whole agriculture and industry of Imperium Figarium was and is defined by the liberal usage of magic, with new ways to benefit from its power being continually devised.

The Moral elements - Light and Darkness - control life energy itself. Much harder to use than the natural elements, they are influenced by the personality and desires of the elemancer, which affects their compatibility with both elements significantly. Light magic may be used to cure wounds and in miracles even resurrect the dead. Dark magic does the opposite - steals and destroys life. These types of magic are traditionally practiced by priests, monks and hermits rather than learned people.

The Spiritual element - Aether - controls an alternate dimension parallel to the material one called the "Dream Realm", which reflects places in the material realm and can be used to subtly manipulate them. In the Yalortic belief system, Aether is believed to control the passage of souls to and from the afterlife and the Dream Realm is believed to be shaped by the dreams of sentients (hence the name) and associated with the second, legendary Spiritual element, called Fig - which controls the mind. The Aether element, though studied by researchers, is commonly utilised by adherents of Figaria's pagan beliefs to receive visions.