Serulial Empire

The Serulial Empire was a polity that existed about 3000 years ago. It was a medium sized empire that was built along the edge of the Serulial Sea.

Beginnings
The Serulial Empire was created in an alliance between two tribes of humans, the Saari and the Khuus. They allied to fight against a looming threat, the expansion of settlers from Kaligar, a polity to the north. They began as a simple alliance, but over time, they became so intermeshed that they were essentially one tribe. It was not long before they began a campaign of brutal raids and captures of city-states and villages along the Serulial Sea. They very quickly ganed a good amount of land. They were probably not called the Serulial Empire, but there is no record of their actual name.

Government
The Serulial Empire was an Ethnocratic Diarchy. It was led by two leaders, representing the two Dai (tribal leaders) of the original tribes. The diarchs share power equally and must consult one another before making any major decisions. There was also a system of lower officials to handle lesser events and pleas.

Culture
The culture of the empire gradually shifted from tribal to civilized over its existence. By the end, the ruling class had largely adopted the traditions and cultures of the subjugated people, with the addition of some of their original traditions.

They worshipped Ipthos, the Old One that created humans. They also revered the sea as nearly a deity, due to its destructive power. They performed elaborate rituals which have developed into the arcane art of the Storm Mages over time.

Their food was shaped by the available crops, They mostly had access to fruits and legumes.

Peak
At their peak, the empire could field 200,000 troops in a variety of formations. They mostly used light cavalry and skirmisher infantry. They used few mages in their military, instead using mages for utility. It is unsure if they weren't aware of the use of magic in battle or if they had some other purpose.

They controlled about 8.5 million km^2 at their peak, and they had a total population of around 6.5 million people living in their empire.

Downfall
Their downfall was caused by a variety of reasons.

Rival Tribes
As their control grew, they encroached on the territories of a large number of tribes. These tribes would chip away at their border settlements, forcing them to move their armies to and fro.

Kaligar
Kaligar began to take notice of the human empire when scouts from the Serulial Sea reported the growing empire. For a time, they let them be, but as they grew without any signs of stopping, the Kaligar decided that they were too great of a threat to be left unchecked. The Kaligar fought a long campaign against the Serulial, which the Serulial won. However, their armies were decimated, which left them open to more and more raiding tribes.

Political Infighting
When they had been starting out, the constant expansion had silenced any complaints by lesser officials, but now that the empire's growth had slowed, the voices of these officials and leaders began to be louder. This lead to instability and indecisiveness within the leadership of the empire. This made them less effective when dealing with threats from within and without.

Finally, the Serulial Empire crumbled, leaving behind a loose colelctive of warlords and city-states, fighting over bits and pieces of the once powerful empire.

Legacy
The Selurial Empire, after its 400 years of power, left a major impact on the area. The traditions of the empire remained intact. Many of the city-states and polities that sprung up in the area would be diarchies, modeled after the ancient empire.

In addition, a large number of Serulial fortresses can be found as ruins.