The White Empire

The White Empire is an absolute monarchy found in the north eastern region of the Divine Pedestal. It is mostly inhabited by the Rodnoy people, with Dwarves and Elves being the minorities in the region. It borders the St. Alexsandir Mountains to the north, the Red Ocean to the west, and the Paleschkaya River to the east.

History
The White Empire (Белая Империя) is a rather new empire born upon the cusp of the Industrial Revolution. Formed by Nikolai Illyich after killing the last heir to The Golden Sovereign throne. The White Empire is composed of fifteen total provinces, with three uniquely distinguished regions within it's territory.

Geography
The geography of the White Empire is vast, and has a rather dynamic spectrum. In the foothills of the St. Alexsandir Mountains (святой Алекссандир Горы), the weather is cold and snowy for most of the year. However due to its proximity to the mountains, it rarely ever storms. In the foothills along the coast of the Red Ocean, the capital of the White Empire resides - Apazov. The midlands are almost exclusively agricultural, with vast plains and rolling hills. Most of the White Empire’s grain comes from the midlands, and even on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution, it still remains a deeply seated agriculture area. In the south, the land is dotted with periodically flooded swamps and ravines amongst harsh terrain and rather humid, stormy weather. The peoples who inhabited the swamps have existed in the region for well over five hundred years, and have become accustomed to their way of life.

Climate
In the northern region of The White Empire, it is cold for about three quarters of the year. In the middle region, it is cold for about a quarter of a year. In the southern region, it is mostly favorable weather but can be rather humid compared to the other two regions.

Politics
Alexander Illyich the First reigns as the Tsar of The White Empire. The Tsar relies upon the fourteen Nobles which oversee their respective region of The Empire to maintain order and contribute taxes to the throne.

Military
The White Empire's military and naval strength is quite limited, as the White Fleet still relies upon older tactics and vessels for their operations. The White Army has a surplus of men, but an inability to properly arm them all. However, despite this, the White Army has proven to be superior in strategy and tactics to most of their foes. To follow this, The White Army also employs tactics ahead of the curve, such as independent field artillery units and specially trained engineering Разделы (sections), as well as a primitive form of field headquarters.

Economy
The White Empire uses the Монета as their primary form of currency. Made from stamped brass at the White Mint in Apazov, the coins feature the Tsar's head on one side, with the coat of arms on the reverse. All coins are stamped with a special character to prevent counterfeit.

Technology
The White Empire, and The Golden Sovereign, have had to invent and forge much of their own equipment. While mostly agricultural, the Калинка Паровая лошадь (Kalinka Steam Horse) was a crucial step in industrialization for the Empire, as well as the Muriya System for extracting & smelting ore.

Infrastructure
Many of the provinces in the Empire have taken to connecting each other via dirt roads as to make the transferring of goods easier for their people, as well as allowing easier construction of new assets. However, many of the thoroughfares between Apazov and surrounding provinces have been paved in brick. The overwhelming majority of all roads in the Empire, though, are still small beaten trails which twist and wind with the terrain through the countryside.

Education
Formal education in the Empire is fairly scarce. In Apazov, if one has the funds, they can attend the Apazov College of Science and Engineering. The Apazov College of Science and Engineering is the most highest esteemed college in the White Empire, rivaled only by the Daschev College of the Trades in Yuhlansk.

Culture
The Rodnoy people hail from the northern area of the Divine Pedestal (Божественный пьедестал), specifically from the foothills of the St. Alexsandir Mountains (святой Алекссандир Горы). They are rather pale in appearance, physically tough, and used to colder weather. The Rodnoy people speak a bastardized version of Glagolit, a language conceived by the ancient tribes which inhabited the foothills hundreds of years ago. Rodnoy cuisine is mostly composed of long-lasting ingredients; such as beets, radishes, potatoes, salted meats and other non-perishable items. They commonly make Vodka from leftover potatoes, and are partially renowned for their bread baked before the cold season. Rodnoy music is primarily played on stringed instruments, but on an orchestral level - mostly played on balalaikas, dombras, svirel, and buben. Traditional dances see the Rodnoy people squatting whilst kicking out their legs in tune to the music while wearing brightly colored garb. In agricultural communities, it is common to have large feasts after the first large harvest of the season to thank Бог for a plentiful harvest. Rodnoy architecture drastically changes from agricultural communities to large cities; agricultural communities commonly have brown houses painted with their accessories (window shutters, doors, window frames, door frames, ect) painted in brighter colors such as red, green and blue. Most government buildings are forts are red brick with a white mortar, occasionally painted green, red, white and - at times - a gold or yellow color. The Rodnoy people pride themselves on being rather resourceful and ingenuitive as their climate has forced them to think creatively, commonly being forced to engineer crude devices to assist in plowing frozen ground or irrigate fields. In the upper classes, it is a much different story. It is common to host a ball bi-annually, accompanied by a feast composed of higher end foods. Ballet is a very large thing amongst the upper class, with some going as far as to extensively train their daughters to participate in it.