War for the Crown: Kingdom Background

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The Kingdom of Taldor:

The Empire of Taldor once stretched from the Windswept Wastes on the edge of Casmaron in the east all the way across Avistan to the shores of the Arcadian Ocean in the west. By today's standards, the Empire of Taldor was enormous, incorporating land that today falls within the nations of Galt, Andoran, Isger, Molthune, Cheliax, Nirmathas, and Lastwall. Since that heyday in the first half of the Age of Enthronement, it has suffered numerous defeats and setbacks, yet still controls the oldest and largest territories in the Inner Sea region.

In its Golden Age, campaigns of expansion known as Armies of Exploration claimed new territories in every direction. The Third Army of Exploration was perhaps the most successful, extending the reach of the Kingdom all the way to the Arcadian Ocean.

By the beginning of the fourth millennium AR, the Empire of Taldor dominated the Inner Sea region, controlling all of the northern shores of the Inner Sea. Its government soon bloated to the point where its byzantine bureaucracy numbered in the tens of thousands, and its territory was too large to control. Corruption spread throughout the government, and its ruling class became more interested in pursuing their decadent pleasures than good governance. Responding to this growing indifference, those furthest from the capital city of Oppara began to revolt. Taldor’s military responded with brute force to quell these uprisings, leading to further discontent and unrest.

As Taldor’s military focused on crushing internal revolts, the long-time rival nation of Qadira took advantage of the situation and invaded from the southeast in 4079 AR. Taldor, with Qadira’s army at the footsteps of its capital, recalled its armies from the outlying provinces in order to protect the heartland. The resulting war, dubbed the Grand Campaign, lasted 524 years. With the bulk of the military back east, rebellious Cheliax seized its opportunity. King Aspex the Even-Tongued declared independence in 4081 AR in what became known as the Even-Tongued Conquest. Still tied up with its war with Qadira, Taldor was unable to respond, and Aspex proceeded to annex Andoran, Galt, and Isger, and finally signed a peace treaty with Taldor that recognized its independence. At the same time, the former province of Lastwall declared its independence from both Taldor and Cheliax, stating that it wished to only focus on the containment of the Whispering Tyrant, and not become involved in political concerns.

The loss of Cheliax and the war with Qadira led to a sharp decline in power, and Taldor remains in decline even several generations after these events took place; corruption runs rampant through its bureaucracy, and its lower class has been stricken by poverty. Its prefectures fight border skirmishes, its noble houses fight one another, and its sparsely populated frontiers have become lawless. Taldor’s vast wealth is the only thing keeping the empire alive.

The church of Aroden, in response to corruption present in the Taldan ruling class during the years of the Grand Campaign, moved its center of worship from Taldor to Cheliax. Later during the same conflict, Grand Prince Stavian I began what is known as the Great Purge: believing Qadira's invasion of Taldor had been assisted by members of the Cult of the Dawnflower, Stavian I outlawed the worship of Sarenrae in 4528 AR, which was not again legalized until after the end of the Grand Campaign in 4603 AR.

Now early in the 48th century, the Kingdom of Taldor eeks by on a rocky foundation, with little hope of positive change on the horizon.

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Government of Taldor:

Taldor is ruled by the Grand Prince, a hereditary title. The current Grand Prince, Stavian III, has only one living child, his daughter Princess Eutropia. Taldor has a decadent noble class, bloated with titles, short-sighted and lethargic. Taldor’s bureaucracy is headed by the senatorial class. Much of the government management is left in the hands of the senatorial class, who constantly argue over jurisdiction, while fighting for position in the nation's vast and complex bureaucracy. Greed and lack of trust are the hallmarks of Taldan politics, with assassination and betrayal the preferred methods of advancement.

Unwilling to trust his life to Taldans with dubious political ties and mixed loyalties, the Grand Prince is zealously served by the Ulfen Guard. This hand-picked retinue from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings are handsomely paid and care only for their oath and duty to the Crown.

The individual parcels of Taldor have traded hands countless times in the millennia of its existence, leading to an incredibly confusing jumble of claims of ownership. To standardize this chaos, the Lands Partition Decree was established in 3247 AR. The decree broke the empire into 62 prefectures and formalized the rules for changing the divisions within each. Today only 12 prefectures and two major provinces are widely recognized. The prefectures include Avin, Kazuhn, Krearis, Ligos, Lingian, Moda, Northern Tandak, Opparos, Porthmos, Sophra, Tandak, and Whitemarch Prefectures, along with Verduran and World's Edge Provinces.

Below the level of prefecture are the duchies; in their turn, duchies comprise numerous counties; counties are then further divided into baronies.

Foreign Relations
Qadira and its parent state, the Padishah Empire of Kelesh, are hated in Taldor. Taldans watched as Qadira occupied southern Taldor for almost 500 years, enslaved the city of Zimar, put nearly every settlement in the Zimar Scrublands to the torch, and distracted the empire at a crucial moment with an invasion, allowing Cheliax to secede in the Even-Tongued Conquest. At nominal peace for the last century, Taldor now uses the Zimar Corsairs to plague all Qadiran shipping from Katheer to Sedeq, and both nations still raid across their borders. Qadira is eager to invade Taldor again and Taldor is ready to defend its border. Taldor doesn't dare to invade, but keeps a wary eye on its neighbor to the south.

Taldor would like to see Cheliax wiped from Golarion's face, as it was the center of the Even-Tongued Conquest that shattered the empire. After the recent takeover by House Thrune, Taldans see Cheliax as a hated abomination. Taldor plans to burn Cheliax clean, conquer Absalom, and rule the entire southern coast of Avistan. Cheliax, however, pays little attention to Taldor, seeing it as a toothless, old lion.

Taldor fears the revolutions in Galt could spill across its southern border, and therefore keeps encampments along its border in the north. Taldan border guards have captured handbills calling the people of Taldor to rise up and shake off their oppressive rulers.

Taldor sees Absalom as the key to reinvigorating its empire. Given that Absalom has never fallen by siege, the emperor directs Taldan agents to infiltrate Absalom and one day merge it quietly with the empire. Absalom, like Cheliax, does not consider Taldor to be a serious threat. Indeed, the two nations are generally strong allies and trading partners, at least officially.

Andoran and Taldor share a peace right now, backed by their enormous navies, but the Grand Prince still considers Andoran a part of the empire and sees the nation of freedom-lovers as a child who lost its way. The two nations have a cautious but amiable relationship and Andoren agents try to avoid pushing their democratic ideologies too strongly while in Taldor.

Military
Even though Taldor's armed forces no longer possess the power and prestige of the Armies of Exploration of the past, they are nevertheless powerful organizations. They are divided into the Taldan Horse, the Phalanx, and the Imperial Navy, and are commanded by High Strategos Maxillar Pythareus. The most notorious, however, are the Lion Blades, who specialize in subterfuge and urban combat, and are often recruited from Oppara's best bardic colleges.

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Society of Taldor:

Royalty
Taldor's royal class is comprised of dynasty-inheriting houses, most of which trace their lineages back to one ruler or another. Its members hold byzantine titles such as patrician, magister, proconsoul, mandator, exarch, viceroy, duke, and others. A large number of scholars in the Primogen Library keep and update the genealogical records, as each title has a subtle place in the hierarchy of the empire. In the history of Taldor, the royalty have contributed to the greatness of its rulers, but also to their downfalls. The Grand Prince can raise a citizen or senator of the empire up to Nobility by bestowing a title and wealth, but does so only once a year in a huge celebration at the Imperial Palace.

Senatorial class
Taldor's senatorial class consists of the hereditary members of the senate, the governors of Taldor's prefectures, and various heads of the bureaucracy. With exceptionally good work and long loyalty to the empire, a citizen can achieve a title in the senatorial class. All senators must bear another noble title in order to be installed in the Senate. All senators may vote in the Senate.
Social status for both royalty and senators is tied to their lavish beards, which by law only they can legally grow (leading to them being called the "Bearded"). Greater, more extravagant beards are a sign of a higher status.

The Unbearded
The massive underclass of "The Unbearded" make up 99% of Taldor's population. They are merchants, craftsmen, day laborers, dock workers, vagabonds, soldiers, sailors, and so on. Taldor's crushing taxes and the policies of the ruling class regarding the rights of citizens keep the Unbearded in poverty. Careful advances of key citizens from the ranks of the Unbearded keep their compatriots ever hopeful that after hard work and long loyalty, they might join the ranks of the Bearded. Taldor's military and civil service usually offers such a way of advancement, and because of that the branches of the military (the Taldan Horse, Phalanx, and Navy) are loyal and strong.
In the countryside, most of Taldor's poor live as serfs, farmers, or craftsmen, slaves to their lords or prefecture governors. Even worse, when their lords or governors send their soldiers against one another, the poor Unbearded are usually caught in between and suffer greatly.

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People of Taldor:

The Taldan people are a mixture of Keleshite and Azlanti blood. Taldans, by and large, have light brown hair and bronzed skin. Men of noble birth favor beards, while women commonly wear elaborate wigs; both beards and wigs are often extravagantly decorated. The language of the Taldan people is Taldane; the language has spread to become the Common speech of the entire Inner Sea region, a testament to Taldor's vast influence.

Taldans are decadent bon vivants, favoring rich foods, ornate attire, and jeweled accoutrements for even the most minor of casual affairs. To a Taldan, appearance is an expression of power, and a keen sense of fashion represents a keen mind. Their appreciation for the arts extends beyond fashion and painting, many Taldans dabbling in wizardry, dueling, and the murky strategies of politics and war. A Taldan mind, when raised to ire, is a dangerous thing, and Taldans believe that the rest of the Inner Sea is soon to receive a painful reminder of this timeless fact. To the Taldan mind, pride is a virtue, not a vice.

The wealth, decadence and the importance of political maneuvers to the royal and senatorial classes have made many costly and extravagant items popular. If it enhances travel, appearance, or the ability to climb the social ladder, then you will find it common among the Taldan elite.

Religion
The people of Taldor worship a wide range of deities, but among the major gods prefer those who are generally associated with the Taldan people: Abadar, Cayden Cailean, Norgorber, and Shelyn. The worship of Calistria and the controversial (because she is associated with Qadira) Sarenrae, and even the deceased Aroden are also popular. The cult of Kurgess (a demigod who began as a Taldan mortal) is also beginning to spread.