Gods: The Rise and Fall of Empire (Worldbuilding 3)

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Hey there. I'm Jack Kellum. Welcome back to 'Of Gods and Gamemasters'. This is episode 3 of my worldbuilding series concentrating on mythology and its impacts on your fictional world, so go check out the other two before you read this one. Today is “Gods: Rise and Fall of Empire” in which I explore (as an example) the way the gods we came up with for the setting would influence the development of nations and empires.

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Honestly the title for this episode could just as easily been, “Gods: the Age of Heroes”, because we're going to keep things simple and follow only one empire from founding to fall, and include the greatest mythical heroes of the culture it spawned. As before, we're assuming that the gods are real, so these mythical heroes are too...the stories may have been warped by time, but these people existed in the setting, and basically did what people think they did. Our model for this section continues to be roleplaying the gods, but also paralleling the heroics of Greco-Roman myth and the pattern the rise and fall of Rome followed. Note that the individual myths about the gods would actually happen between the creation and the Age of Heroes, if you need them. (Saevios killing various monsters sent by Invidia, driving Invidia off, beating Interitus and his kids in combat...Most of the myths will focus on the chief god, but not all. Feel free to modify or appropriate myths belonging to analogous gods, like having Vulpos traveling everywhere with Saevios and causing trouble only his cleverness can solve.

So time marches on. The world and the species on it exist and grow. The gods, especially Ignia, teach people about fire, crafting, basic medicine. It was about this point I realized Ignia is a virgin goddess, not because she's prudish, but because she's asexual. Then Saevios sires a son on a human woman. (Unlike our world, Caela doesn't mind, she's allowed to sleep with whoever she likes as well.) Let's call him Regulus. And he founds a city, and a nation, called Rega. (You can see that coming from Romulus/Roma, right?) Legend has it he was nursed by a bear while his mother worked or hunted to provide for him. Legend also has it that he had a son with a bear, who was named Arkas. Arkas becomes the next king when Regulus finally reaches apotheosis.

Centuries pass, and Rega grows. The village becomes a town, the town becomes a city. The city becomes a nation, all organized as Regulus set down. Early in its existence, the demigods Aristus and Klepus, twin sons of Solis, are born, and teach the people beekeeping and advanced medicine. Society continues to advance, entering a Golden Age. The demigoddess Anona, daughter of Caela, devises a clear and fair law code. The nation absorbs many other tribes and settlements peacefully, but also wins a few wars. The whole peninsula has become a single nation, bordered on the north by mountains, beyond which barbarians live. Rega has trade with all the lands around the Inner Sea, and treats all civilized people equally. People of many lands blend, and over time Rega becomes a republic rather than a kingdom, populated by folk of medium brown skin, dark eyes, and curly black hair. The Regan Legions are a respected military force under the sigil of the Bear. The Elven realms of the Peninsula are peaceful allies, as are the dwarves of the hills and mountains.

Then comes the Great Invasion. Light skinned barbarians pour across the mountain passes in numbers the dwarves cannot stem alone. The mighty hero Magnus, son of Saevios, fresh from his famous Nine Trials, (roughly equivalent to Hercules) leads a coalition of elves, dwarves, and the Regan Legions against the pale intruders and their monstrous allies, the Orcs and dragons, sent against them by Interitus and his children. They narrowly defeat the forces of destruction, with Magnus himself striking down ogres, giants, and dragons. When the enemy retreats, Magnus is given a great triumphal celebration, and named the first Emperor so that he might keep the Republic safe against its enemies. In order to prevent nepotism and corruption, he starts the tradition of adopting an heir due to merit, with the approval of the Republic Senate.

Defensive wars become offensive wars, as the Empire learns to strike first. No threat to the Empire is allowed to flourish, so the borders continue to expand. Eventually, tradition wanes in the face of self interest. Emperors become hereditary. Nepotism becomes the rule. The Empire is immense, covering almost the known world, with citizens of all colors and ethnicities ...but huge numbers of poor people and slaves from their conquests. The ruling class and majority is still the brown skinned, curly haired Regans, as ever more ethnicities have been absorbed and incorporated into their culture. The elves of the Empire have withdrawn from interaction with the Regans. The halflings continue to be integrated. The dwarves trade with them, but the Legions are so vast the other races need not serve...and have no interest in doing so. To the north of the Empire, barbarians and monsters still reign.

But they are not what brings the Empire down. Impiety, corruption, venality...and the cunning and intentional action of the serpent folk who serve Interitus do that. Debauchery and evil rule the streets and nights of Rega, and the gods turn their eyes away. That is when the 'barbarians' to the north strike, not to raid or plunder, but to defeat the insidious and growing evil of the once bright empire, to break the chains of the slaves. Saevios' favor is with them, and Rega falls.

From there, the Empire crumbles, leaving a number of successor states around the Inner Sea, with a common language and a common religion, but differing philosophies and approaches to governing, influenced by the native culture of their region. Examples might include nations with similarities to the Frankish Kingdom, Dacia, and Galician Hispania under the Visigoths. Rega itself, both the old nation and the city, are monster haunted ruins, best avoided by the wise. You'll notice that gives us plenty of reasons for lost cities, ancient ruins, dungeons, etc.

Note that during this several millenia long period, the human Nation of Rega goes from kingdom, to republic, to Empire...but it is likely that the elven and dwarven societies, set up for their specific purposes by their singular creators, have remained the same from the beginning. Ignia and Tellus have no need to change the way their creations are organized.

Next time, we can talk about the Successor states, religions, and threats, at least so far as they stem from the gods, in “Gods: Successor States”.