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500-823 AFA: The Imperial Age     In the aftermath of Imætis’ death, population increases and economic progress finally allowed the rise of several great nations among the remaining sentient species. A general peace interrupted by small-scale conflicts characterized the early Imperial Age. However, this peace was rapidly destroyed in the devastating Imperial Wars beginning in 760 AFA. Several cities changed hands many times, but each civilization managed to survive in a severely weakened state.

500-550 AFA: Founding Years
    The Imperial Age began when elves, dwarves, anthrosaurs, and orcs each built their own empire led by a central government. Vampires of all species already had a comparable nation in Cevelky. The exact political and economic systems of each empire varied, but each one was generally similar in nature. Each nation prized the Rationalism they had inherited from the Alacris, in contrast to the more exotic philosophies of the Magi or Imætis. Also in contrast to the Recovering Age, the “voice of the people” was heralded as a sacred concept, and each nation involved its population politically through democracy and other means. Conflict between nations was basically non-existent during the first 50 years, as each empire focused on developing itself and battling the natural hazards of Lur-Asko.

550-760 AFA: Pax Imperya
    For two centuries, the empires wholly dominated Lur-Asko in a period historians at the time called the Pax Imperya (Alacrian for “Peace of the Empires”). Imperial philosophers of all species claimed that Alacrian glory had been restored to the continent, and a new, peaceful golden age had arrived. Modern historians dismiss many of these claims as obvious propaganda, as the “peace” was often not very peaceful. Trade and border disputes between the empires were commonplace and bloodshed frequent, though these skirmishes were not referred to as wars.
    Still more grievous were the empires’ crimes against their own citizens, growing as the decades went on. Eventually, anyone who challenged the empires was derided and brutalized, and every citizen faced a lifetime of grueling toil for their nation - even greater than the tax burdens inflicted by the Magi or Imætis. This arrangement was enabled by a gradual transition that had happened as certain classes gained wealth: the Rationalism of the original empires had atrophied, replaced by a revived Ascendancy. Each Ascendant regime emphasized the peculiarities of their own species' culture as sacred additions to universal truth, casting out the other species and suppressing dissent. Patriotism was passionately encouraged, and viewed as the duty of every citizen. Imperial citizens were taught that the entire purpose of their lives was to serve the greater good of their empire’s interests. The "voice of the people" had become obligation, not liberation, but hardly anyone was aware that there could be a better option. Indeed, popular opinion seemed to be wholly on the side of the imperial leaders - except in border territories where the propaganda machine was weaker.
    During the Pax Imperya, the profession of adventuring was utterly extinguished within imperial territories. Initially, adventurers were conscripted into national service. However, the anti-individualist sentiment of the era quickly discouraged any new additions to the adventuring ranks; each empire attempted to handle the traditional functions of adventuring in a more organized fashion with its own standing armies and defenses.
    Technology also regressed during this period of anti-intellectualism. The overwhelming sentiment in the empires was that the Alacrian Golden Age had already been restored, thus actual progress was largely ignored. Alacrian ruins were mostly untouched, and nearly all Alacrian technology eventually laid unused and forgotten.

760-823 AFA: The Imperial Wars
    Eventually, the conflicts of the Pax Imperya escalated into full-scale warfare. As the shortcomings of the imperial system began to show themselves, warfare was an effective tactic for leaders to keep their citizenry distracted.
    During the course of the Wars, no empire was actually conquered due to an unwillingness of rivals to manage occupied territory or end the political benefits of the conflict. Thus the war became an extended 63-year travesty, and is often compared to the warfare of the Third Alacrian Era. Perpetual and pointless, the war stretched each empire to the economic breaking point, and gradually eroded their cultures as entire generations were raised knowing nothing but war years.

823 AFA: The Declaration of Methods
    In time, even the emperors realized that the Imperial Wars were unsustainable. Casualties greatly increased during the last 5 years, as each empire finally sought to achieve actual victory. In the most decisive move of the war, dwarven agents were able to assassinate the Shah of Hal’Tayat and most of his war council, demoralizing the elves and seemingly dooming their empire. Often cut off from each other by dwarven armies, the elven cities were forced to reorganize their defenses.
    Dissenting voices had long been proposing a decentralized alternative to the brutal empire of the Shah, and after years of persecution they were finally given the chance to test their fringe political theories. As the imperial government fell apart, these visionaries set up a new system in each of the besieged elven cities. The power of the formerly brutal government was curtailed, complicated military pacts with other cities were repudiated, and all citizens were expected to defend their own homes. With new leaders directing the independent defense of each city in a decentralized hierarchy virtually immune to dwarven assassins, the elves slowly began to turn back the invaders. Seeing that the Shah’s empire had been divided and disbanded, the other empires simply elected to leave the new, well-defended city-states alone.
    By the time dwarven invaders had been fully driven out of Hal’Tayat, the new city-state system was well-established. In early 823 AFA, each of the visionary-turned-leaders, now titled “Padishahs,” met in the former elven capital of Hal'Dakhama to codify the city-state system. The resulting document was the Declaration of Methods, which officially listed both the rationale behind the city-state system and the details of how it was operated.
    As it happened, the Declaration coincided with massive outcry against the Wars in the other empires. Seeing the elves tear down their government, a revolutionary guerrilla organization calling itself the Ministry of Chaos vowed to repeat the elves’ work in the other realms. Vanguard Rationalism experienced its own brief revival, often attempting to "redirect" the conflict into something more akin to the Alacrian Revolution; they were largely thwarted by the Ministry and its supporters, may of whom were quite wealthy and feared Vanguardist reforms. One by one, during the year of 823 AFA, every single empire in Lur-Asko except for Cevelky was overthrown, and the elven Declaration of Methods was adopted. As in Hal’Tayat, independent city-states became the political norm. The political minority who sought to defend the imperial system became the Knights of Order, who continue to oppose the work of the Ministry to this day.

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