The Past Thirty-two Years

Much has changed in Diablotin, and the rest of the Empire, since the last campaign. Emperor Marl and his government have pushed forward a huge amount of technological development and social change, but it comes at a price.

Political Developments

Marl Kizer remains Emperor; he is 63 years old and appears to be in good health. His wife Yanina passed away some eight years ago, to much mourning from their family and the Empire's citizens at large. The strongest efforts of his reign have been directed towards facilitating and funding the development of new technology, and trying to implement it as efficiently as possible. He has particularly been interested in methods of bringing the vast Aveyrone Empire closer together, via communication and transportation.

Marl's Inner Council has remained largely unchanged throughout his reign, with a few exceptions here and there, which has helped with the overall stability of the government. However, some would say that such long-term office-holders can also lead to stagnation, or an inability to see new ideas. This is not completely accurate - Lord Treasurer Aden Olivier and Lord Chancellor Guillame Rionet in particular have been active voices for governmental reform.

One of the major reforms that has been instituted is the increased amount of representation in the government for non-nobles. The Great Council now not only includes those who hold noble titles, but a number of elected representatives from the Empire at large: two from each duchy (or equivalent countryside area), two more from each large city (the ones marked on the map count as 'large'), and four from Diablotin because it's special. These Councillor positions are elected by adult (over age 15) human male or female property-holding citizens of the respective districts, and serve for three-year terms. They hold equal voting rights to the nobles in the Great Council, and in fact outnumber them.

The Imperial Succession is a matter that has been debated at some considerable length. The current plan is to have the Councils approve nominations as usual, vote on them using a ranked list, and present the top candidate only to the Arch. If the top candidate proves unable to serve as emperor, then the second candidate will be passed through the Arch, and so on. However, until the end of Marl's reign, this is a theoretical plan at best, and what the results would be are uncertain.

Bringing the Empire closer together may be a laudable goal, but there are some parts of the Empire that don't necessarily wish to be more closely connected to the capital. After many years of tension, Psyra and its neighbouring duchies (the remains of the former Kingdom of Psyra) finally broke into open rebellion on the 18th of Sixth-month of 2277, marking the start of the Second Psyrene War, during which time most of the south-east of the Empire was the scene of numerous battles. Soldiers were brought in from across the Empire to fight, but the Psyrene rebels knew the territory better, and had a stronger will to fight despite being outnumbered. The war dragged on for two and a half years, until finally the Psyrene side was defeated and forced to surrender and rejoin the Empire. The official surrender was signed on the First of Second-month, 2280, and the war was over - on paper.

Religious Changes

The Way of the Wheel has been forced to undergo various shifts and changes with the events of the past few decades. It had only recently begun to integrate the Rat into its cycle when it was also confronted with the existence of another deity, Serpent, and with its ranks having been infiltrated by demons and those who consorted with them. As a reaction, the church has instituted a new order of Inquisitors, whose purpose is to cleanse its ranks from those who would seek to corrupt and deceive.

The Inquisitors are a separate group, drawn from any of the Orders of the church. They answer to the Patriarch ultimately, but their direct head is the High Inquisitor. They do not typically wear robes or other obvious priestly accoutrements, and strive to blend in, the better to seek out Outsiders and other malicious forces and remove them. Their official policy is to detain and imprison for trial, unless violence is needed in self-defense.

There was a scandal in the church about five years ago, however. It was determined that several members of the Order of the Spoke, as well as others in other sectors of the church, had undertaken a secretive and unauthorized effort to eliminate Outsiders more directly. Known as the Evictors, the group were identified by their use of a common symbol, a circle divided by a line. A series of half a dozen murders of people with Outsider ancestry, whether they were passing as Shadar-kai or human, was linked to this group, and possibly other crimes were connected as well. After an internal investigation, the known perpetrators were tried, convicted, and executed; however, there is some suspicion that either the church may have hushed up the extent of the organization's reach, or overlooked some members who are still active, if more subtly.

The faith of Serpent, meanwhile, has also grown and changed over the years. The influx of Shadar-kai immigrants has included a larger-than usual proportion of Serpent worshippers, due to their persecution on the Shadow Plane, and a temple for their use has been established in The Shade, which is more or less tolerated by the other members of their community. It is mainly only used by Shadar-kai, although they have some ties with the mainstream branch of the human faith of Serpent too.

The largest branch of the church of Serpent is that run by Sirris, a priest who came to the city some eight years ago under slightly mysterious circumstances. The tale that he tells is difficult to believe, although his followers hold it to be true: that he is over two thousand years old, an inhabitant of a lost civilization from far to the north that preceded the foundation of the Empire, and that he was chosen by Serpent to survive this long in order to spread the faith now that his god is reborn. Regardless of the truth of this tale, he is charismatic and has attracted a fair number of followers. They have a temple of sorts in Rhenea, but so far are denied access to the Arch, which is now safely enclosed within a large and elaborate temple atop the Down, the Sacred Hall of the Reunified Arch.

The remnants of the cult previously run by Phedre Lozada-Boyne, now under the guidance of her daughter Viviane vak Andras also continue their practices in semi-secret. They worship, or whatever they do, out of her home in the Grand, having no public venue or ceremonies. Membership is tightly controlled and what precisely they do is known only through rumours, which include blood magic, sex rites, and whispers of ritual murder.

The faith of Rat is by now (mostly) integrated into the Way of the Wheel, and the current Patriarch, Velten du Champe, is in fact from the Order of the Rat. Although there were a few grumbles when he was chosen, most of the Reverends were in favour of his elevation to the rank. He has held the position without major issue for the past seventeen years.

There are still druids, although not a large number of them. Guillame Rionet worked at preserving the old traditions, but in a more academic way - I'm sure someone has written a book about it, maybe him! Silvia Rionet is the main source of druidic practice in the city now - she learned from people who actually practiced it in the undercity, so she's about as close as one might get anymore to the 'original' source, but there are still things she's developed and changed (so any new and different archetypes that might show up are probably her doing...) There are probably a few other druids her age (45) or older but most would be younger. It appeals to people who feel that the Rats are going down the wrong path by becoming too integrated, and/or to people who feel that the Rats are unduly oppressed.

The druids are a separate institution from the Way of the Wheel, not because they believe that they are truly different or that their power comes from ultimately a different source, but because their beliefs and way of worship are different. The Church, if asked, would say that their power also comes from Rat, and it's just a different way of venerating Rat, and Patriarch Velten has made some overtures towards trying to bring them 'into the fold' but it hasn't worked so far.

Technological Advances

There have been considerable technological advances over the past three decades in the Empire. Railroads crisscross its lands, making long-distance transportation more accessible. Airships are available for more luxurious long-distance travel, but are more expensive as well. Even fairly small towns may expect to be near enough to a railroad that people there can make use of it. Automobiles are commercially available although expensive, and outside cities there isn't as much infrastructure to support their use over long distances (good roads, availability of fuel or repairs). Within Diablotin, there are trolleys that transport people around to various areas, and bicycles are also popular for inexpensive, rapid travel around the city. Horse-drawn vehicles are not entirely outmoded yet, however, especially for people in the countryside.

Communication is facilitated by the telegraph (inexpensive and rapid) and the telephone, which is newer and fewer people have them so far (perhaps about 30% in the cities, fewer in the countryside). Radio is also popular, and there are just beginning to be commercial motion pictures.

Interior and exterior lighting is a mix of magical and electrical - more wealthy houses will probably still have magical lighting (although if their houses have been refitted with electrical wiring, they may want to show that off), middle-class will likely have electrical, the poor make do with oil lamps and candles. Electricity is also used to power such devices as refrigerators, washing machines, sewing machines, etc. but many homes would not have these luxuries. Coal and oil are generally used for heating and cooking, as it is more expensive to transport large amounts of wood into the city. Firearms are commonly available, particularly revolvers, rifles, and shotguns.

Mass-produced goods are becoming more prevalent, as are shopping areas where one can purchase them, such as Torvalle's, a popular clothing store. Such items are particularly popular with the middle class - upper class folks can afford to have their clothing/furniture custom-made, while the lower classes don't usually have the money for such expenditures.

The factories that produce these goods are located all over the Empire, but in Diablotin, many are concentrated on the outskirts of the city, particularly near the Shambles and Pearl, so that their runoff flows downriver. Work in factories provides an income for those who are desperate enough to take it, but it can often be very difficult work, with long hours and low pay, with many positions not requiring much training or skill. Some workers are attempting to change this, forming unions in order to compel their employers to improve standards in their factories. There are also groups working specifically against issues such as child labour and unsafe working conditions.

- exploration and discovery

Social Changes

- Shadar-kai immigration
- racism
- crime