Imperium

The Empire (Magonian: Imperium [imˈpɛːrium]; Icarian: ἡγεμονῐ́ᾱ [he:gemonia]) is a sovereign state primarily located in Central Arhet. Imperium covers an area of 13,496,599 km² and shares border with twenty seven countries. It has over 1.1 billion inhabitants within its 90 constituent provinces, organized as 52 republics, 32 kingdoms and 6 archipelagos. The nation's capital and largest city is Magium.

Due to its strategic geographic location in Arhet and its large extension, Imperium has been home to myriad peoples and civilizations. After thousands of years of human development in the area, the Phocaeans and Icarians emerged as the predominant civilizations in the modern-day Imperium, consolidating their power through the Res Publica Phocaeensis (Phocaean) and the poleis (Icarian). Both civilizations disputed the control of the area during years, until the intervention of Magius allowed both civilizations to consolidate their territories as the Ethereal Empire, the earliest stage of the modern-day Imperium.

The Ethereal Empire was governed by Magius itself for over 500 years, and by his direct descendants for 200 years after his ascent to heaven. The Dominate started in 221 when Titanius III became the first emperor without a direct bloodline to Magius, and established as an absolutist system in which the successors were direct or adopted descendants of the emperors. This system was superseded in 452 by the First Electivate, a system in which the emperor was elected by the High Council, composed of the regional, magical and religious leaders of Imperium. This system was reformed as the Second Electivate in 1072, with the creation of the state legislatures (elected by the population), who were responsible for appointing members of the Senate, a national legislative body responsible for formulating national laws and ratifying the election of the emperor by the High Council.