Been hankering for more lore? You asked for it, you got it! Welcome to the first entry in a new series featuring each of the world’s six factions. Enjoy!
First up…
Symbol: The Crane
Colors: Blue and Black
Ship Prefix: YIA (Yeshan Imperial Airship)
Territory: The Rusted Range mountains
Capital: Chang-ning
Founded on the principles of tradition, authority, and military might, the Yesha Empire has a good claim to being the oldest civilization in the region, with a history going back almost 200 annums to the founding of Chang-ning, the City of Eternal Tranquility, during the Age of Dust. From the ashes of the old world, Yesha was the first to arise and establish a new society built to endure in an uncertain future. Deploring the chaotic violence into which the world has fallen, the leaders of the Empire recognize their divine mission to improve conditions in these harsh times by extending their sovereign protection and way of life to all peoples.
Constitutionally a republic, the Empire is ruled not by an emperor but by a triumvirate of consuls elected by the Senate, each responsible for a different aspect of the Empire’s government: the Deer rules over trade, the Tiger controls the military, and the Ox oversees domestic affairs. Ascension in the Yeshan political ranks is strictly meritocratic, with prospective civil servants studying philosophy, government, and rhetoric for annums, in addition to the three annums’ military service compulsory for all citizens.
Mining forms the economic backbone of the Empire, for Yesha’s chief export is the raw, unprocessed ore carved straight from the iron-rich mountainsides. As ground travel is slow in the rugged terrain of the Yeshan heartland, the great air transports frequently seen shuttling through the skies form an essential link between the fortified towns and cities of the Empire. Yeshans are renowned for their expert shipbuilding; the Imperial Shipyards at Jingshan are notable for both quality of craftsmanship and sheer number of airships constructed, and the Yeshan admiralty commands a standing armada second to none in the known world.
Lands under the Empire’s protection are said to be “beneath the Blue Veil.” Through a combination of diplomacy and military might Chang-ning has gradually extended its influence to encompass territory across the Rusted Range, down the Wu River valley to Far Point in the south and up through the Flayed Hills to Hongshi Coast in the north. Having formally adopted an expansionist policy with the Ninth Proclamation of the 50th Consulate following the Battle of Jingshan in AB 267, the Empire has made manifest its intention to spread its Blue Veil to cover the earth, uniting the scattered towns of the Wastes and beyond under its benevolent and enlightened rule — by any means necessary.