The Sacred Holy Empire of Abel is without a doubt the first cultural, economic and military power
of Gaia. Presently, after the fall of the Emperor, it consists of only eight principalities, but all of them have very similar cultural, ethnic and racial origins. The principalities of the Holy Empire are located in the central part of the Old Continent, which largely have the same climate and vegetation, with very few exceptions. It is a very diverse area, with leafy forests, great green plains and steep mountain ranges. The majority are warm regions, with moderate winters and periods of rain interspersed.
The Empire is actually relatively young, at least in comparison with other cultures of Gaia. Although many historians date its beginnings immediately after the death of The Messiah, the present Abel has little in common with the legendary Holy Kingdoms. This is due to that, during the War of God, the area was almost completely destroyed by the armies of Rah, which practically reduced all its cities to ashes. For this reason it is easier to confirm that the Empire was built starting with the million refugees who were based in the area after the war, inheriting a great cultural and social variety which would bloom over the course of 700 years.
The politics of the Sacred Holy Empire preserve the old traditions that were established five centuries ago. Adelina embodies all the political and religious power, although each principality is virtually independent. The Empire, as supreme authority, has the authority to assign and mediate any matter among her subjects, which includes the decisions of the great lords. However, she normally allows the leaders of each principality freedom to rule as they please, interfering only when she considers it strictly necessary. Although each lordship usually has his own army of different sizes, the greatest military power of the Empire is found in the figure of the Lord of War and his regiments that are located all around the Sacred Holy Empire. The Lord of War is the supreme general of the armies of the Empire, and is in charge of keeping the security and cohesion of Abel against everything that threatens it. Rarely does he mediate on internal disputes, although he usually keeps watch to ensure that, when these occur, no lord fails to fulfill the principles imposed by his lady. In ancient times, before the fragmentation of the Empire, internal wars between the various principalities were common, but the confrontations had a Lord of War as its referee and the damage to towns or civilians was prohibited. Once a side had taken sufficient losses or reached the objective marked by the Empire, the end of the dispute was declared.
If necessary, adding the regiments of the Lord of War, the private armies of each principality and the forces of the Heaven Order, the Sacred Holy Empire could have around a million soldiers, without a doubt the greatest military force in all of Gaia. Nevertheless, because of the enormous principality that it covers and the recent incidents, its troops are currently slightly disorganized. Relations are very tense with the kingdoms that have rebelled or declared independence. Officially, the Empire still considers them part of the Sacred Holy Crown, although at the moment it does not really have the slightest control over them. This situation becomes especially problematic in respect to Togarini and the so-called Azur Alliance , who are openly against Abel.
In the past few months, Adelina has passed an imperial edict that allows anyone the right to declare himself atheistic (although other religions are still officially unaccepted), which has also undergone certain rejection on the part of the Church, and a small schism with the High Archbishop Magnus, who continues to remain undeclared in favor or against the young Empire.
The legal system of the Sacred Holy Empire is extremely advanced, with laws characterized by their great social progresses. Although inequalities still exist between the different classes (what translates into a specialized court for the noble class and another one for the clergy), the laws are considerably just and presumes the innocence of the people. The death penalty is abolished in most principalities, save for high treason and serious ecclesiastical offenses. Only sometimes, with the most terrible crimes, the court can lobby for an imperial decree to request the execution of the condemned.
The majority of the inhabitants of the Empire feel proud to belong to it, even if it is only for the tradition and advances that come with it. For years, they lived without fear of war or famine in a prosperous and tranquil way. Any alteration to their normal life is troublesome, which is why they see the present political situation with worry.
All the governors of the principalities openly support Adelina and consider her the legitimate heiress to the throne of Abel. Consequently, they will do what they can to help her reconstruct the Empire and return it to its former glory, with the hope that someday there will be a place of privilege for them.
The High Senate[]
Since the dawn of the Empire, the figure of the Sacred Holy Emperor has been served and assisted by a High Senate for the most important and fundamental decisions. This reigning organization is formed by the princes of all the nations within the Sacred Holy Empire, who act as spokesmen for their lands. This is why they are also known as the Council of the Lords. Only two powers outside of the principalities also have a voice and a vote in the High Senate, the Archbishop of the Church and the marshal of Tol Rauko.
When a principality has a matter of extreme importance to deal with or wants to declare war on another one, the High Senate is invoked to solve it or to set the rules and regulations of the conflict. After much discussion the decisions are taken by way of voting. Although the power of the organization is merely symbolic, since the Emperor is not forced to listen to or to ratify anything that the High Senate advises, as generally its voice is taken into account. In fact, throughout history, the Emperor has ignored the suggestions of the High Senate on a few occasions (despite of which, when it happens there is very little the Council of the Lords can do about it).
In the case of nations that are not governed by a single prince, like the Illustrated Order of Ilmora or the Council of Entities in Arlan, their members choose one of them as representative, who then acts as a Senator. In spite of everything, given the limitations of transportation, the enormous expanse of territory and the difficulty of getting all the princes together at times as a result of their tight personal agendas, they had the ability to appoint a agent as a bearer of their will, called the Senatorial Bequeathal. This role is extremely important because, regardless of what the Bequeathed agreed to, his signature is equivalent to the prince. The High Senate meets in the Heart of the Angel, an immense white construction located in the center of Archangel. At the present time, the number of High Senate members is reduced to only those principalities that have remained faithful to the Empire, although Gabriel and Manterra maintain two ambassadors whom aspire to be Senatorial Bequeathals. The Archbishop Magnus has not responded to the calls of the Empire, opposed to marshal Malakias Grant, of Tol Rauko.
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