The Argent Court, the seat of the Grand Argent Empire (known colloquially as the Dragon Empire), are the current ruling power of Karral. They arrived 181 years ago, descending from beyond the stars, and landing in a coastal kingdom called Hondea. The old monarchy of Hondea was overthrown, and in its place a new empire was founded with the dragons of the Argent Court ruling over it.
From the west coast this new empire rolled out over the continent in a bloody war. Fuelled by the techno-magic of the dragons and a religious fervour of the dragon cult the empire grew outwards. As the squabbling countries and states of inner Karral awoke to this new threat, they mounted their own resistances to a greater or lesser degree. For 60 years the world churned in the heady maelstrom of the Dragon War. The great techno-magical war-machines known as Astirs were developed and proliferated, becoming the rallying points and anchors of both the Dragon Empire and their opponents.
But, in the end, the Grand Argent Empire succeeded. The continent is unified under the rule of The Argent Court. New nobility has arisen to watch over their holdings as lords and drive the new industry as factory-owners and bosses. Over the last 120 years Karral has transformed as the techno-magical science, and the new orders of production and economy, have grown in prominence. Now the mortal empire is run by the Grand Council, who take their orders from the Argent Court directly.
The new world is ravaged by the great mining projects, bent on extracting the magical substance known as the Formulate from the earth of Karral. The new cities grow in size and squalor, ridden with factories and workhouses.
Divisions
Armour Astir has the Authority split into 3 divisions - the main sub-groups making up the Authority. It’s not an exhaustive list of groups/factions/powers within the Authority, but these are the main 3.
The Silver Church
The Silver Church was founded, it is written, when the mortal Theodore Hondea witnessed the dragon’s descent to Karral:
“They fell to earth like the very stars themselves, white and silver streaked with the heat of their power and majesty. They came unto the great sea with a deafening roar of their godhead, and the sea rose up about them in a shroud that we unworthy might be spared the weight of their unfiltered gaze.”
It is said that Theodore was killed by his family for refusing to take up arms in defence of their citadel, and proposed cooperation with the dragons. He became the first martyr of the Church, and many devout pray to Saint Theodore.
The Church spread with the empire, entwined with the mortal workings of it. In many ways the Dragon Empire as it is now is close to synonymous with the Silver Church. It permeates the fabric of society, and the Cardinals hold power in the empire rivalling that of the Grand Council.
Pillars
Anicula Clementia, The Forgiving
The dragon Anicula Clementia is the head of the Silver Church. She is revered as a symbol of the Dragon Empire’s unity, and is cast in official scripture as a figure of divine grace and charity.
The Holy City of Argo
The Holy City of Argo is the official seat of the church, it sits on the wide open plains of the west, and is surrounded by farmland for countless miles around it.
It is a city of falling water and white stone, ornate and imposing columns and carved statues of the dragons. It is a tiered city, and the Silver Citadel at its centre rises up almost to the clouds.
The Lash
An ancient site of worship for the Great Ash Eye, the Lash is a gigantic spire of black rock deep in the northern spine mountains. The Lash has now become the principle fortress of the Inquisitors.
The Lash sits just above the Undil Pass, one of relatively few safe passes through the Spine mountains, and certainly the largest. It is a critical strategic military location, and essential for the Dragon Empire’s control of eastern Karral.
Details
- They are the Major division.
- Their type is Executive.
- Values:
- The glorious Argent Court.
- The unification and control of the people of Karral.
The Grand Unified Mining Concern
The Grand Unified Mining Concern is the largest of the new state corporations, its mission is to extract the Formulate from the ground, and as much value as possible from the people of the empire.
The corporation is more than just mining operations, it owns and runs vast numbers of factories and shipping subsidiaries, and maintains its own standing army called the Concern Guard.
The bosses and factory operators of the GUMC grow rich on the toil of the many hundreds of thousands of workers beneath them. Conditions in the mines and factory floors are bleak, and the pay just about enough to keep them operating at a cost-balanced efficiency level.
Pillars
Aevum Opus, The Implacable
The dragon Aevum Opus is the head of the Grand Unified Mining Concern, he is the ultimate responsibility at the head of the operation, the power absolute. Though he takes little direct interest in day-to-day running, he is keenly interested in the extraction of the Formulate.
The Acquisitor, Grand Sand-vessel of the Concern
The Acquisitor is a huge mobile mining rig operated by the Concern. It is as large as a small city, and moves slowly across the sands on sets of gigantic tracked wheels.
It is a protected by a terrifying array of magical wards and potent techno-magical weaponry. The mining rig on the underside of the Acquisitor is capable of digging gigantic grooves into the earth, into which work crews are descended to extract the formulate from the earth.
The Emerald Fields
Out to the west of the continent, in old Hondea and stretching down the west coast of Karral, are the Emerald Fields. The great garden of Karral, these were once lush coastal jungles, and have now been transformed into great tracts of farmland. This region of the planet produces 63% of the food consumed in the Dragon Empire, and is a major contributor to the Argent Courts control over the populace.
Details
- They are a Minor division.
- Their type is Resource.
- Values:
- The unstoppable march of progress.
- Wealth and resources.
The Protection Guild
The ears of the Protection Guild are always watching, and the dark blue uniforms of their enforcers are never far behind.
Ostensibly the enforcers of the laws of the Dragon Empire, the Protection Guild operates a complex spy network and brutal quasi-military presence across Empire.
Pillars
Senex Bellator, The Just
Head of the Protection Guild is the Dragon Senex Bellator. He is scarred with battle, has a famously ferocious temper and a cunning mind. His true skill is the art of brutality as a shroud to subtler and more insidious power of deception and infiltration.
Farcast Rituals
The Protection Guild operate the Farcast ritual obelisks, a means of long-distance communication. The Farcasts allow for magical communication and information exchange over very long distances, usually impossible for a channeler to achieve outside of drawing on immense power.
The secrets behind the construction of these obelisks are closely guarded, but the proliferation of them into civilian life has been wide-reaching. They are common in even small towns and cities, and relay the words of The Argent Court down to the masses living within them. Each obelisk is a pillar of iron embedded in the earth, around a metre wide and 3 tall, carved through with lines of formulate in complex geometric patterns.
The Huntsmen
The Huntsmen are the most feared and dangerous operatives of the Protection Guild. It is said they can appear anywhere, at any time, in the blink of an eye. They are rumoured to be behind the disappearance of many new noble houses straying too far from the Dragon Empire’s rule, and the execution of hundreds of dissident cells.
Details
- They are a Minor division.
- Their type is Subterfuge.
- Values:
- Silencing dissent.
- Uncompromising violence against deserters, dissidents, traitors, and the outsiders of the Empire.