Mephisto Empire

Background
One of the greatest Empires of Elysium, the Empire of Mephisto is ruled by The Nameless King and is composed of six states in the Empire, each ultimately ruled by a Count who owes his or her power to the unifying figurehead and ultimate authority of the Emperor. It should be noted that the Empire is not truly a single, centralized nation-state, but instead a confederation of individual, feudal states united only by a single banner, a shared objective and a mutual Imperial culture. The Imperial states correspond roughly to the ancient tribal territories brought together with the Emperor.

The six Imperial states - Stromguarde (North), Duchy of Stanz(East), Skybound(South), Closterkan (West), Wolvenland(South) and the Capital (Center) - resemble a broad chalice, partially surrounded by near-impassable mountain ranges from which drain the mighty rivers which are the lifeblood of Imperial trade. To the north of these are the Grey Mountains, beyond which lies the freezing barrens and to the east is the Kingdom of Archeus. To the south is the Bleak Forest of Tzun a vast forest that has a reputation for housing many gigantic monsters and Shadows alike.

To the north, the rolling hills and rapid streams of the south and east are gradually transformed into the forested lowlands and deep waterways that define the heart of the Mephisto Empire. The vast forests that comprise the central and northern Imperial lands stretch almost unbroken across the countless leagues from the state of Skybound to the northern border with Wolvenland. The Bleak Forest and the Forest of Shadows are all essentially part of the same dark, untamed wilderness, with the green blanket of trees punctured only by the abrupt mountain range known as the crystal Mountains. The inhabitants of these southern states generally have to deal with much greater hardships and military threats than those of the more civilized North, being that much closer to the daemons, Beastmen and other dangers of the southern forests.

The life of a citizen of the Empire of Man is a perilous one, for there are foes within every shadow and enemies around every corner. Secret Shadow Cults abound, or at the very least, there are rumours of them running rampant, as well as the bandits that pillage every village and citizen they can find. No one is certain who is trustworthy, and fear and paranoia are omnipresent in the isolated settlements and villages that dot the Empire's provinces outside of the Imperial States.