Post by Dread Gnat on Jun 29, 2012 5:04:16 GMT -5
The Nadine Empire:
Though small in comparison to the Amalgamation or the Celestine Empire, the Nadine Empire is made up of several conquered kingdoms, all united under their Empress.
Empress Nadine ‘The Shrike’ is said to be immortal and un-killable. She leads with an iron and cruel fist, and has never known defeat; simply setbacks. Her cruelty is evident if by no other way by her very appellate, which is ‘The Shrike’, named after a bird that impales its prey upon thorns.
Her soldiers are said to have no souls, feel no pain, and will fight endlessly, for even if they are slain, the Imperial Necromancers will bring them back to their undying feet. Of all the nations in the known world, the soldiers of the Nadine Empire are the most feared.
Within the Nadine Empire, every soldier is raised from birth to excel in all things. All children, men and women, are trained in combat. Those that show particular promise are taken from their families and given to one of the various legions. The legion becomes that child’s new family, and the children become like brothers to each other and soon forget the mothers who birthed them. Those children that are not chosen for warfare, and thus not given to the legion, are allowed to remain with their families and are apprenticed into a trade.
Imperial soldiers are the finest soldiers in the world. Their typical footman is as skilled as a knight or elite veteran of any other army, and one Imperial Soldier is expected to be victorious so long as he is not outnumbered five to one. The reason for this is not skill alone, nor is it discipline. The Imperial Army, being smaller than its peers, is able to outfit their men with some of the finest weapons and armor available. They also utilize their fearsome reputation for full effect, very rarely will an army stand against them without at least a portion of the force routing before the first arrow is launched. Imperial soldiers have excellent tacticians, who are unconstrained by morality and will gladly use demons, Blood Magic, or Necromancy to turn the tide in their favor. They also recognize the value of their soldiers, and will send wagons of corpses along with a force, which their necromancers will animate and send as their first waves to weaken an enemy before sending in living warriors.
Life within the Empire is hard. Morality is viewed as a weakness to be exploited, and people who are not soldiers are second-class citizens. Walking about, it is not uncommon to see a dead body lying in the street, be it murder or by suicide, the death rate is very high and one is not expected to live to become old, nor are the elderly respected.
Soldiers who disobey an order, fail a commanding officer, or are cast out for some other offense are often killed, tortured then killed, or given to the arenas to become a gladiator. Here in the arena, an Imperial soldier must relearn how to fight; how to survive on his own, without his brothers and sisters in arms. Most nations across the Expanse compete against each other in gladiatorial matches. It is a way a nation can show strength, and boast its skill in arms without warring. It is for this purely practical reason that a disgraced soldier is allowed to live. In this way alone may they redeem themselves and one day perhaps be allowed to rejoin their warrior family. Other types of criminals are also dumped in the arenas, and they too have the opportunity to redeem themselves, but in truth, its just another form of execution for them as few can stand against even a disgraced Imperial Legionnaire.
The Nadine Empire exists to the Southeast of the Amalgamation, and is one of the few forces that dares to invade the Amalgamation on a periodic and successful rate, however they rarely decide to hold any ground, more opting to raise and destroy nearby Amalgamation settlements, creating a buffer between them and the larger enemy nation.
The Nadine Empire is indifferent when it comes to religion or race. For them, nothing matters but how useful it is, and how it can be exploited.
Though small in comparison to the Amalgamation or the Celestine Empire, the Nadine Empire is made up of several conquered kingdoms, all united under their Empress.
Empress Nadine ‘The Shrike’ is said to be immortal and un-killable. She leads with an iron and cruel fist, and has never known defeat; simply setbacks. Her cruelty is evident if by no other way by her very appellate, which is ‘The Shrike’, named after a bird that impales its prey upon thorns.
Her soldiers are said to have no souls, feel no pain, and will fight endlessly, for even if they are slain, the Imperial Necromancers will bring them back to their undying feet. Of all the nations in the known world, the soldiers of the Nadine Empire are the most feared.
Within the Nadine Empire, every soldier is raised from birth to excel in all things. All children, men and women, are trained in combat. Those that show particular promise are taken from their families and given to one of the various legions. The legion becomes that child’s new family, and the children become like brothers to each other and soon forget the mothers who birthed them. Those children that are not chosen for warfare, and thus not given to the legion, are allowed to remain with their families and are apprenticed into a trade.
Imperial soldiers are the finest soldiers in the world. Their typical footman is as skilled as a knight or elite veteran of any other army, and one Imperial Soldier is expected to be victorious so long as he is not outnumbered five to one. The reason for this is not skill alone, nor is it discipline. The Imperial Army, being smaller than its peers, is able to outfit their men with some of the finest weapons and armor available. They also utilize their fearsome reputation for full effect, very rarely will an army stand against them without at least a portion of the force routing before the first arrow is launched. Imperial soldiers have excellent tacticians, who are unconstrained by morality and will gladly use demons, Blood Magic, or Necromancy to turn the tide in their favor. They also recognize the value of their soldiers, and will send wagons of corpses along with a force, which their necromancers will animate and send as their first waves to weaken an enemy before sending in living warriors.
Life within the Empire is hard. Morality is viewed as a weakness to be exploited, and people who are not soldiers are second-class citizens. Walking about, it is not uncommon to see a dead body lying in the street, be it murder or by suicide, the death rate is very high and one is not expected to live to become old, nor are the elderly respected.
Soldiers who disobey an order, fail a commanding officer, or are cast out for some other offense are often killed, tortured then killed, or given to the arenas to become a gladiator. Here in the arena, an Imperial soldier must relearn how to fight; how to survive on his own, without his brothers and sisters in arms. Most nations across the Expanse compete against each other in gladiatorial matches. It is a way a nation can show strength, and boast its skill in arms without warring. It is for this purely practical reason that a disgraced soldier is allowed to live. In this way alone may they redeem themselves and one day perhaps be allowed to rejoin their warrior family. Other types of criminals are also dumped in the arenas, and they too have the opportunity to redeem themselves, but in truth, its just another form of execution for them as few can stand against even a disgraced Imperial Legionnaire.
The Nadine Empire exists to the Southeast of the Amalgamation, and is one of the few forces that dares to invade the Amalgamation on a periodic and successful rate, however they rarely decide to hold any ground, more opting to raise and destroy nearby Amalgamation settlements, creating a buffer between them and the larger enemy nation.
The Nadine Empire is indifferent when it comes to religion or race. For them, nothing matters but how useful it is, and how it can be exploited.