Thruhmuth

''In times long past a great empire ruled the continent. Only the eldest races even have a memory of once great Thruhmuth.''

History
The Thruhmuth empire was formed over 2 millennia ago. Under the first emperor Lucius Sestius Titianus, Thruhmuth united a number of disparate kingdoms under its rule. Completely unimaginable by most people of the modern day, this empire spread across the Capotia mountains into modern day Valencia.

The history of the empire is spread out and not well known. What is known is that it can be broken down into 3 general periods.

Formative Period
During the centuries following the founding of the Thruhmuth empire minor civil wars were a constant. Various factions vied for power over regions where Thruhmuth power was weak. The legendary Thruhmuth Legion brought these volatile regions to order as it spread through the empire. When the Legion entered a town, it only took a month or less before that town recognized Thruhmuth rule and put their squabbles (and taxes) aside.

Reformation Period
Much of the first half of the Thruhmuth empire's history is lost. During the reign of Vorenia Lentula Lucia Augustana a great reformation occurred. Many libraries and historical societies were sacked. Vorenia had an unnatural longevity that allowed her to control the empire for longer than any other emperor or empress before her. With this control she rewrote the history books, painting herself to be a destined empress, ordained by the gods to rule for all eternity. Much of the time between the Formative and Reformation period was lost for being 'controversial' to her narrative. Of course, her sudden death made all of this revisionism worthless; there's no point in designing a prophecy for an empress to rule forever if she died anyway.

Decline Period
After the fall of Augustana, the Thruhmuth empire fell into decline. In her plans to gain immortality and rule her world forever, the Last Empress never established a line of succession. After her death the Senate could not agree on a new ruler for the empire, and so Thruhmuth began 350 years of infighting. Decade after decade another chunk of the empire became less and less interested in calling itself Thruhmuth. What dealt the final blow to the to the empire, and marked its end was a great disease that spread through the empire and killed the entire Senate. Some believe that this disease was the very same that reared its ugly head 20 years ago.

After the Empire
By the time that the empire fell, a large number of settlements and kingdoms had already all but thrown off the rule of Thruhm. So when it fell, people were far more concerned with their own people falling victim to the disease than the power of the state that ruled them. As the disease swept through the world, and the people of it recovered, settlements and cities took the aquaducts and roads that crossed the land and forgot the empire that built it. After only a short few centuries, most commoner would think the name Thruhmuth to refer to a myth.

Government
In its time, the Thruhmuth empire had a simple system of governence, at least on paper. Before the empire, the people of Thruhmuth elected 10 senators every 10 years to craft and rule on law. This naturally expanded as Thruhm concuored surrounding regions, until it became the famous empire with 152 senators.

As any council does, the Thruhmuth senate became locked in debate and argument over even the most petty of squabils. When a civil war was on the cusp of breaking out, then general Lucius Sestius Titianus stormed the halls of the senate demanding action. An insidious faction saw this as their opportunity to seize power and proposed a new law inspired by the elves: the senate would elect a ruler to make snap decisions and to break up the gridlock plaguing the senate. The cabal hoped that the young general would easily fall in line, but knew that the vote would not turn out in their favor. So a vote was called, and 67 of the senators most vocal in their opposition mysteriously abstained from the vote.

Lucius did not bow to the cabal that got him his title as emperor though. Instead, he exposed the crimes of the cabal that got him elected, winning over the people of Thruhm. During his reign he instituted a legal system that endured throughout the empire's existence. Emperors were elected by the senate when the emperor died or a vote of no confidence was called by a 2/3rd majority of the senate, and the senate would legislate and adjudicate until the emperor demanded their action.

Most emperors would spend a great effort to raise an heir. Senators would be sold on the heir by gifts, displays of talent, or threats, ensuring their vote when it came time for the emperor to pass the throne. After the death of empress Vorenia Lentula Lucia Augustana however, the senate devolved back into its old ways. Bickering and debate over who would take the role of emperor kept the senate in a deadlock for many years, as Vorenia had no intention of ever passing the title down, and thus had not groomed an heir.

Religion
A diversity of religion existed in the Thruhmuth empire. The religion of the state was that of a pantheistic one, worshiping a number of deities associated with different aspects of life.