Elpia

The Kingdom of Elpia is an ancient and powerful human empire - now in decline - that has stood since what is considered to be the dawn of time. Situated in southeastern Europa, it is known for its resilience, high culture and Christian ethos. After many years of strife, it has contracted to only occupy its warm and mountainous heartland, beset on the west by Maeror and on the east by the New Unity of Kadarys' Second Children. Its capital is situated in the fortress-city of Acria, a few kilometres off the shore of the Central Sea, but Rubria is the city most people think of as its true capital.

Overview
Elpia is an empire that while once was possibly the largest human kingdom in the entire world is now in decline. Its lands are lush and fertile, with a temperate and pleasant climate, and it is known for the quality of its produce across Europa, with Elpian wine being especially prized.

Cities in Elpia are often completely walled, and old ,featuring elegant buildings from a time long past, usually in town squares and centers. While architecture varies from region to region, the distinct style of the administrative buildings built long ago in conquered cities is distinct.

Elpia is primarily Christian, with the religion being the only one recognized in the borders of the empire. Churches can be found aplenty in every city and village.The Church also has a say in the use of magic in the country, issuing a ban on its use by civillians and free practicioners, instead founding the Brotherhood of the Magi. This religious order is mainly concerned with the production of enchanted weaponry and armor-one of Elpia's primary ways of waging war and its members are recruited from childhood and parted from their parents.

The country is ruled by a king in the city of Acria, which appoints governors for the various provinces and cities, which while mostly selected from an educated upper class, are positions technically open to anyone capable enough to grasp them, as the distinction between peasantry and nobility, so apparent in the Empire and Maeror is only arbitrary in Elpia. Armies are levied by each governor independently, but are standing, professional ones.