Post by Myles on Mar 15, 2012 16:32:18 GMT -5
The Tevinter Imperium
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The oldest human nation in Thedas boasts a sizable population, supported by an extensive series of lakes and a long standing system of agricultural infrastructure. Couple this with a tropical climate, and it’s clear that the population of this aging giant is dense. Note that Tevinter also has the largest population of elves, due in part to the fact that while elves are allowed to sell themselves into slavery, they claim a markedly higher standard of living compared to their alienage counterparts, participating in even the highest echelons of government.
In many ways, Tevinter is a land of extremes, its cities filled with rich, awe-inspiring architecture, and the most densely packed collections of hovels and slums. Tevinter’s countryside is lush and verdant, yet on one side, lay the sprawling, expansive manorial estates of the magisters and nobility, and on the other, the shacks of their slaves and the common peasantry. While only a shadow of its former self in size and power, there are strange rumblings within the decadent, aging giant. New magical talent has poured into the Imperium as a result of the revolts within the Circle of Magi throughout Thedas, and each rebel brings new ideas, new philosophies. The nation is in a ferment, as new alliances are made and old ones are broken. Now more than any other time in its history, the fortunes of the Tevinter Imperium seemed primed for a dramatic shift.
Population
[/size][/b]Human: 3.5 million
Elven: 2.5 million
Dwarven: 200,000
Kossith: 200,000
Total: 6.4 million +
The Cities
[/b][/size]Minrathous - 1,000,000
Asariel - 500,000
Carastes - 390,000
Marnus Pell - 580,000
Marothius - 240,000
Sundarin - 300,000
Tallo - 510,000
Neromenian - 390,000
Perivantium - 200,000
Qarinus - 520,000
Teraevyn - 400,000
Vol Dorma - 390,000
Vyrantium - 500,000
Solas - 120,000
The Legions of Tevinter
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There are currently 200 Tevinter Legions, each lead by a Senator, Magister, or sufficiently competent general. Once the bane of all of Thedas, few military forces could match the well organized legions of the Imperium, overcome only by the Blights, the religiously charged barbarian hordes from the south, and the Qunari. For several hundred years, the Legions of the Imperium have sharpened themselves against the Qunari, waging constant war over the island of Seheron. Should that conflict ever be resolved, the rest of Thedas may very well find itself in the most dire of straits.
Each Legion is composed primarily of heavy infantry, a number of light infantry units, and finally calvary and archer units, along with highly specialized centuries for specific conflicts.
The Imperium’s forces are as renowned for their ingenuity and adaptability as they are for their ruthlessness, adopting an enemies tactics and weaponry as the need presents itself. While legionnaires are trained to fight as peerless warriors, it is their ability to work as cogent units that has delivered victory into their hands on countless occasions. Be it assaults by heavy calvary, illusive guerrillas, or bitter sieges, the Tevinter Legions have learned to adapt of thousands of years. Their discipline, organization and systematization have offered a sustained combat effectiveness over longer periods of time, readily apparent in training, logistics, and field fortification. The Tevinters draw on a large pool of potential soldiers, and are typically more willing to absorb and replace losses over time than their opponents. Raised in a culture where military success is second only to magical prowess, the legions are pulled mostly from volunteers, lending the armies an almost unparalleled cohesion and motivation. The Legions are quick to adopt defeated foes into their ranks as auxiliaries, soldiers who will receive full citizenship within ten years time if they fight in behalf of the Imperium.
Unfortunately, in addition to having the majority of their forces tied up in Seheron, the Tevinter Legions often suffer from the politics of Minrathous, soldiers often changing hands quickly depending on the power of a particular senator. Yet despite these oft times fracticious changes, the Legions have done as they have always done, adapted.
In addition to the auxillares, there are many special units and private armies within Tevinter. The most notable of these are the Sanguinem Caeci, the collection of wild tribes that live within the High Reaches. No proper census has ever been taken of their number, so estimates of their total population range from as few as 20,000 to well over 100,000. Under the exclusive purview of the nation’s Archon, the threat of tens of thousands of beserk, blood frenzied warriors pouring into Minrathous, has had a stabilizing influence on the politics in the capitol for centuries.
It should also be noted, that Tevinter boast the highest number of trained battlemages in Thedas. In addition to the the legates and generals who tend to possess the gift, young mages less inclined to politics are encouraged to pursue a military career. It is theorized that this harnessed arcane potential is one of the reasons why Tevinter has managed to war against the Qunari to stalemate without the aid of any other Thedosian nation since signing of the Llomerryn Accords.
It should be noted, that continued conflict with the Qunari has spurred the Imperium to build up an impressive navy. After centuries of conflict with the horned giants of the north, they're rumored to be the cusp of uncovering the secrets of the gaatlock, the Qunari explosive powder.
