Omba

The Omban Republic is the area around the city of Omba, the former capital of the Empire. When, 427 years ago, the Empire collapsed into a series of successor states, Omba itself attempted to preserve as much of imperial tradition as possible - minus the enormous army, the imperial line itself, or the support of the clergy. While, for many years, Omba styled itself as ‘The Empire’, the lack of an imperial line has for centuries now rendered that claim irrelevant.

Today it is a highly class-stratified society with rulership by a Senate, each member (male or female) elected by one of the great noble families to one of thirty seats to a lifetime position. Originally there were forty-three seats, but due to lines dying out or families defecting en masse to the breakaway kingdom of Sharai, thirteen now sit entirely empty. The Speaker of the Senate is elected from among its members for a five-year term. There are also nine magistrates, elected by the aristocratic populace in general (regardless of clan), who are in charge of the legal system, and are usually but not always reckoners.

Once, the agricultural wealth of the various rural areas, the massive treasury including hoards of magic items, and strong alliances with the most powerful mystics, guaranteed Omba’s prominence among the successor states of the Empire. Over the last century this status has been increasingly in question as supplies of fos have dwindled and a succession of minor wars have weakened Omba. The great city herself was sacked only a generation ago in the Bone War, in which the two maritime peninsulas of Sharai eventually seceded, further reducing the once-great empire’s clout. Still, numerous aristocrats and powerbrokers throughout the continent still hold at least a nominal loyalty to Omba, though that power has not been tested in some generations.