Empires of Europe

These Empires constitute the bulk of the world's economic and military might. Their spheres of influence know no borders, and independent lesser states often find themselves pawns in the Empires' power games.

	English Empire
	Venetian Republic
	Habsburg Empire
	Iberian League
	Auld Union
	Ottoman Empire
	Kalmar Confederation

Nation states not labeled include: The Swiss Confederation, The Duchy of Savoy, The Papal States, The Tsardom of Russia, The State of the Teutonic Order, Greater Transylvania, and The Corsair Republics, among others.

For the better part of three hundred years, the Tudor Dynasty has kept its grip on the English Crown — which is no easy task. Amidst many wars and skirmishes with their European rivals, countless overseas conquests and colonial land-grabs, a de facto civil war, three assassination attempts (two of which were successful), natural disasters, plagues, and famine — not to mention the rise of an intellectual class capable of stirring the ill will of the masses against their rulers — the Tudors have endured long enough to take their place as the longest-ruling bloodline in the history of England.

And now, through a combination of brilliant military strategy, adept alliance building, and sheer force of will, England is poised to become the most dominant empire on the world stage.


	The current Royal Family of England: King Henry XII, Queen Hannah, and their son and heir to the throne, Prince Richard.

The cultural heart of the English capital, Agincourt Square is named in commemoration of Edward VII's legendary victory in 1632 over the combined French and Scottish forces of the Auld Union. While the English know him as the Liberator, Edward has a different legacy in France: le Voleur de Normandie — the Thief of Normandy.

The Redcoat

As the backbone of the English army, the Redcoat soldier has had to change with the times, adopting the latest weapons and tactics. Yet he retains some questionably outdated traditions of the past — most noticeably, the iconic color of his uniform.

Firearms

In well under a century, advancements in firearms have dramatically improved the rate-of-fire and accuracy of the guns used on the battlefield — everything from semi-automatic handguns to fully-automatic assault rifles. While more reliable and deadly than the muskets and black powder of the recent past, these modern English weapons still retain the elegance of design of their predecessors.

The Spymaster

Knowledge is power. The overt wars over foreign lands and resources are hung on the framework of a much more cryptic war for information.

The Nurse

The armies of men fighting in the fields are sustained by heroes of a different sort — legions of women whose loyalty to the crown is no less fierce.

By Land, Air, and Sea

The Empire has experimented with many prototypes of planes, tanks, and ships over the years. The vast majority never made the cut, while others went on to become indispensable in conquest and in the defense of England and her colonies.

Aircraft Carrier

The English Royal Navy's knowledge of the science of launching and landing aircraft at sea is years ahead of any other empire. With its ever-growing fleet of massive carriers — by far the largest and most feared ships on the planet - England has become the dominant power on the ocean.

The Venetian Republic — a republic in name only — is ruled by the powerful Merchant Princes and their sprawling extended families. Unlike most European empires that conquer with generals, the Venetians deftly accomplish as much (or more) through their accountants and business schemes.

While not against war, the Venetians choose their battles carefully, fighting only for lands with the highest potential benefits for their trading empires. Over time, they've focused the might of their military forces on securing strategic lands that hold the keys to ocean trade — places like Egypt, the Isthmus of Panama, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the entrance to the Black Sea through Constantinople.

In the mid-16th Century, the engineers of Venice designed a ship that not only combined all the attributes of a cargo and war vessel, but could also be mass-produced. By focusing on fabrication of a single type of craft, they reduced costs and eliminated the need for escorts, thus ensuring that any ship launched by the Republic of Venice would maximize profit. And for over a century, this strategy has been successful; the Republic controls the lion's share of the lucrative trade routes, blanketing the seas with fleet after fleet of its signature ships.

The Habsburg Empire

The massive Habsburg family has successfully expanded its borders through centuries of strategic marriages within its own bloodline. But this practice has not been without its cost. It is rumored the current Emperor is quite insane — but of course this is only speculation, as he's never once been seen in public since the day of his coronation.

The Iberian League

To defend themselves from the growing aggression of their neighbors, the Kingdoms of Aragon, Navarre, and Portugal formed an alliance to pool military resources and the economic benefits of their formidable overseas territories. But the power and wealth of the League is being bled dry by a maze of corrupt councils and committees who endlessly play the three kingdoms against one another for favor.

The Chinese Empire

Xiao Long, Little Dragon, is emperor in all but name, having chosen to retain the title of Prince and to shun the lavish lifestyles of his predecessors. For this, he is adored by his subjects... and hated by the aristocracy, who sense a young man intent on breaking with the traditions that insure their wealth and power. If the nobles get their way, this Little Dragon shall never grow to adulthood.

The Auld Union

Who could have guessed that the Union of Thrones of Scotland and France would've lasted this long? United more by their hatred of the English than by any love for one another, long have they squabbled over the exact location of their joint capital. The Scots insist the seat of power remain in Edinburgh, but the French would have it moved to their capital of South Paris.

The Ottoman Empire

When their capital city of Constantinople fell to the Venetians in 1646, the Sultans fought no less than three wars to retake it. All failed. But the long-standing shame of this loss has been softened by a pair of recent discoveries within the empire's borders — massive oil fields in the deserts of Arabia and rich gold deposits in the remote African colony of Kongo.

The Kalmar Confederation

In 1515, the kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway signed the Treaty of Jutland. While each state retains its sovereignty and the confederation's charter is limited in scope to the defense of its members against invasion, the steely young Norwegian Queen Tyra has other plans. She works tirelessly, weaving a complicated web of politics and persuasion to make her dreams of empire a reality.

The Inca Empire

A century ago, the isolationist Inca worshiped their sun god with the blood sacrifice of their enemies (and their own people), until a powerful king outlawed the practice. But in the neighboring Iberian colony of Brazil, rumors persist that deep in the Inca interior, the jungle that had claimed the old temples has been cleared away, and that the rivers of blood flow once again...