Tantus Empire

In the northeast of Anitum is what remains of the Tantus Empire. While no longer the dominant force it once was, the Tantus Empire remains a powerful and influential nation and a center of cultural diversity.

History
The city-state of Plainchase was an influential force near the Serpents. During the Age of Heroes a man named Tantus had become a famous and beloved figure amongst the common folk. When he retired from adventuring he decided to make his home in Plainchase, where the locals immediately fell in love with him. Feeling he needed Tantus behind him to keep the citizen's support the lord of Plainchase gave Tantus a position on the city council. Tantus ended up manipulating this position to get control of the entire government, ousting the lord and disbanding the council. He turned Plainchase into a military state and began aggressive expansion of his territory. The Tantus Empire was born.

Over the generations the Tantus Empire conquered most of Amikus. Only The Murk still remained independent on Anitum and more than half of Desina fell under their command.

It would not last forever. The men of the Murk helped organize the tribal peoples of the Ferus Forest into open rebellion. The Legion of Iuris and the merchant cities of the Evermyst Coast formed an alliance to devastate the Tantus Navy and keep them from being able to ship supplies between continents. To top it all off, a series of assassinations plagued the emperor line, eventually wiping out all the direct descendants of Tantus. A distant relative of the line was given the emperor seat, the first emperor to have no direct military experience. He too would be assassinated, but not before losing large amounts of territory. His successor decided to move their forces back to more defensible borders, ceding their territory in Desina completely and large amounts of western Anitum to Ferus.

The Age of Nations found Tantus mostly playing a defensive role and trying to hold on to what territory it had left. A religious rift tore the city of Cathedral away from the emperor's leadership. Eventually Cathedral would break away completely taking the most devoted worshipers of The Eternal with them to form the nation of Custos. The cities of Moxia would also stage several rebellions for independence, often with the financial aid of the Evermyst Coast. While most of these rebellions were quelled it was eventually decided that Moxia proved to expensive to maintain and was withdrawn from. A peace treaty with Ferus would finally secure their western border and guarantee that the Serpents remained their territory.

When the guilds rose Tantus was one of the first nations to bow to guild philosophy, under pressure from the guild heavy Ferus border. They disbanded their army and made plans to make Tantus the guild center of the world, although it would lose the position Ammis. Since then it has worked to maintain friendly standing with the major guilds.

Culture:

Tantus is a melting pot of world cultures. Historically, Plainchase had been a center of art and philosophy before becoming a military nation. Military philosophy ruled during the first few years of the Tantus Empire but would become overshadowed by the blend of cultures that resulted from their expanding territory. Every new region they conquered brought with it its own art, philosophy, and traditions. Even after the Empire receded its borders it took much of the cultures it had touched with it, leaving a diverse, culturally rich Tantus.

Politics:

Tantus is still an Empire and still is ruled by an Emperor as it has since the hero it was named for. The current emperor is Thomas II, who rules from the capitol of Plainchase. The imperial seat is passed through bloodline and his son, Thomas III, is next in line. The emperor is advised by the Grand Council, a group of elected individuals for across the empire who speak for their region.

Guild Affiliations:

The Tantus Empire has striven to maintain friendly standing with the major guilds, making major concessions and large donations to prevent stepping on any toes. Official standings with the major guilds are:

The Emperor's Men: Official Military Guild.

The Eight: Defensive Alliance