The Drankorian Empire
The Drankorian Empire was a vast, continent-spanning empire that stretched from the Endless Ocean to the Green Sea and ruled over much of humanity during the millenia following The Downfall of Hkar. The Drankorian Empire was known for its strength in magic; the battle mages of Drankor not only protected the Empire from magical and extraplanar threats but also meant that few could stand against the full might of the Empire in battle. A civilization rich in scholarly traditions, Drankor was filled with learned societies, organizations dedicated to magical lore.
History
See more: History of the Drankorian Empire
The Drankorian Empire grew out of the city of Drankor, founded near the mouth of the Aistanë river, largely by refugees fleeing the destruction of Hkar. From this base, the Drankorians quickly came to rule over the fertile plains along the coast. Over the next 1000 years, Drankor grew into a world-spanning empire, stretching from the Western Green Sea to the Endless Ocean, before collapsing in chaos and death during the reign of Apollyon, the last emperor of Drankor.
Culture
As Drankor grew into a major power, then great empire, a few aspects of its culture stood out, and have remained associated with Drankor even after its fall.
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Magic was absolutely central to Drankorian culture. The Drankorians didn’t draw strong divisions among types of magic: to them, it is all just the manipulation of extraplanar energy. Whether that is the Void via a Divine intermediary, the Plane of Magic, or the Feywild through an Archfey intermediary is of only secondary importance.
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Drankor, founded in the aftermath of perhaps the greatest supernatural catastrophe humankind had ever experienced, was deeply, deeply concerned with learning as much as possible about the secrets of the multiverse, and protecting its people from supernatural danger. While the strength of Drankorian magic meant that few, if any, extant human cultures could present an existential threat to the empire (they lost wars, but pretty much only when overextended on the frontier), supernatural dangers – dragons, giants, undead, fiends, and similar creatures – could still present real danger.
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Drankor was a culture of communities – societies, secret and not, orders, guilds, and clubs, all these kinds of factions and affiliations were very common across all of Drankorian society.
Drankorian Secret Societies
Little has come to modern times about the exact nature of Drankorian secret societies, but three at least have been noted by students and travelers.
- Omnis Pura: The Omnis Pura were heavily involved in the Drankorian Civil War, seen by later historians as a revolt against the increasing power and influence of diverse human cultures, including those who had left Hkar long before the Downfall, in the empire. The power behind the throne in the last hundred years of the Empire. Apollyon, the last emperor of Drankor, was strongly associated with Omnis Pura.
- Occulta Ludum: The Occulta Ludum were associated with the development of magic and especially with practical inventions of harnessing magical power. While they rejected the extremist claims of the Omnis Pura in the later years of the Empire, there is little evidence that has come down to current day that they actively opposed Omnis Pura.
- Fides Lucaris: The Fides Lucaris were associated with the Emperor Helea and the losing side of the Drankorian civil war. Little is known about what they did in the last few hundred years of the Empire; the only records that have readily been accessible to historians are those of executions and exile when members of the Fides Lucaris were caught. They seem to have been a cross-species alliance, involving at least humans and elves.