Welcome to Gaia! ::

The empire is the newest force on Gaia, a snowballing of power after power being forced to work together. Absolute military rule is the name of the game here, otherwise there would be no way the cultural strew wouldn't boil over.

That might was due to an ambitious advisor, Stigmus Csar. After a long dynasty, the monarchy of Holdine was in a great slump. The current king was in a state of depression after the death of his wife and son, and was in a generally useless state. The brash Stigmus was one of a group of advisors that helped run the country during the king's depression. His personally though rose him to the top. The people tired of the charming aristocracy associated with famine and hard times, and saw Stigmus' boorish quirks as a beacon of strength. Soon the other advisor's accomplishments were attributed to Stigmus, and with little time after that those advisors were all but forgotten.

In a position where he was as good as the head of state, Stigmus began a series of changes. He restructured Holdine to focus more on the industrial, and used capital that came from industry to make sure mouths were fed. What many people didn't understand was the focus on military technology. Holdine soon had one of the most advanced militaries in Gaia, but no known enemies. That would change.

Stigmus spent the second half of his bout as leader guiding the country through war. The fact that Holdine won battles so easily only boosted Stigmus' profile. He was able to quietly dispose of the old royals and declare himself leader of an empire. The people never batted an eyelash, seeing only the prosperity he brought. What the couldn't see was brutal treatment, a paranoid attitude, and the ruthless purging of those close to him. Nor did they see secret police, forced labour camps, or political assisanations. It was all a cult of personality.

He ruled the empire unchallenged for twenty years. When the invincible man died suddenly, well, some said the empire would slip...

Emperor
Undoubtedly the absolute authority in the empire. What they say goes, and everything trickles down from there. Needless to say one person can't control everything, thus delegation is an important part of the top imperial job. The emperor may

Secret Police
Less of a blatant organisation, and more of the "they could be anyone" style group. They report only the the emperor and even then mind their affairs without direct commands. The secret police destroy lives on a daily basis, but even they can't be everywhere at the same time.

Military - See Next Post for military breakdown
While the emperor and secret police wield indirect power, the military has the power to blow s**t up. The top generals can cause terror or be the best friends of the people. Since the military is the backbone of the empire they wield quite a bit of power to act as they please. Still, the Emperor and Secret Police can purge any generals acting against the Empire's best interest.



Cabinets
Rather than assign delegates based on region, the Empire opted for a centralised state. Dozens of cabinets range from the mundane dealing with agriculture, to the more powerful dealing with city affairs.

The Court
To deal with the fears that came along with the centralisation of such a massive empire, the Court was created. High officials, region delegates, nobles, generals, and representatives of the emperor are all involved. Even though backdoor politics are just as common as discussion in the court, some argue that the group is more for show than purpose.



Local Nobles
Land owners that have declared their loyalty to the empire, but do not wield enough influence to sit on court. Often they rule over their property with iron fists... Until an official comes along.

Enforcers
Not an official part of the military or the secret police, these are the hired thugs of court members, lower nobles, and even sometimes the military. Their power is limited to brute force or the money provided by their employers.

A paranoid empire is a safe empire. Holdine is no different, in fact it may be the epitome of the rule. The Secret Police are near impossible to avoid and even closer to impenetrable. The organisation is tiered, and there are possibly three people in the empire that know ever tier. Near the end of Stigmus' reign he was not one of those three.

There is no uniform for the Secret Police. They are everyone and anyone, civilian and military alike. They are loyalists, they are rebels, they are soldiers, they are merchants. There are even branches of the secret police that monitor the other branches. Quite simply unless you know what you're doing, there is no avoiding be a suspect.



Overmind - The general term within the empire for the tier or group of tiers that are unknown and control the Secret Police. It is said that the Overmind knows ever happening in the empire, and the only reason there is a rebellion is Overmind is busy with other problems.

Viral Sect - The term for the Tiers that are in charge of intelligence and counterintelligence are the Viral Sect. Sometimes they live normal lives, other times they are shadows with no identity. The tiers within feed the empire and overmind with information.

Hunter Killers - This group is made of both enforcers and assassins. Some are concerned with political matters, others put down the rebellion, others put down other Tiers of the secret police. There is a group of Hunter Killers who only take orders from Overmind. Even the emperor acknowledges their role... or doesn't know about it.

Hatchlings - While not as official as the other two, hatchlings are the people who want to serve the empire but are not deemed trustworthy yet. Some do not even know they are doing work for the secret police. All tiers hire from here and not from outside.



Silenced Weapons - A relatively new technology that is well known within the Secret Police. These cylinders suppress noise and make a gunshot much more quiet.

Alert Badges - Not necessarily a badge, but a very important tool for the Vial Sect and Members of Overmind. These Rekceeya items alert the wearer of mind altering magic to help avoid deception. Often though, some spells overpower them.

Imperial Seals - Very few of these items are in existence. Like Alert Badges they keep the mind aware of mind magic, but they also help counter them. Understandably these powerful tools are only entrusted to those with the empire's dearest secrets.