New Sammichian Empire

The flag of the New Sammichian Empire, commonly referred to as the "Imperial Eye". Designed by Emperor Sammich himself, the eye was a common figure in late Xamichian heraldry, while the red and gold represent power and extravagance. It has been criticized for its overtly fascist design.

The New Sammichian Empire (also known as the Fulfwotz Empire, or Nuva Xamichine Impirex in Old Sammichian, and formerly the Fulflet Union) is a sovereign state largely located in the Demmatrodine and other various territories spread throughout the Shire. It is among the Shire’s foremost nations, a global superpower, and boasts one of the world’s largest economies due to its diverse and plentiful natural resources. With its capital in Fulfwotz, the Empire has over forty integral provinces and several other dependencies in the Shire, as well as a significant cultural foothold given the legacy of its predecessor, the Old Sammichian Empire. It has a total population of 55.7 million, mainly concentrated in enclaves such as Fulfwotz, Caffa, Floffwym, and various other territories. Its national anthem is Daetra Vivum av Impirex, or “Long Live the Empire”.

Leadership of the Empire is divided between the Emperor and the Sammichian Imperial Chancellery. The current ruler is Emperor Sammus Mephistes Inigmax Ich II the Magnificent, who was responsible for the creation of the Empire. The current High Chancellor is Kiera C. Krugerrand, the elected head of the Chancellery. Especially in recent years, there has been a growing division between the two establishments, partially fueled by partisan conflict and the Chancellery’s perceived attempts to restrict and circumvent the Emperor’s power. The Empire has an extremely diverse population with wide cultural disparities, the result of aggressive colonialism and imperialism. The Empire is notorious for internal corruption and instablity, along with its bold and oftentimes hostile foreign policies.

The New Sammichian Empire was formed on May 24th, 1929, following the end of the First World War and the signing of the Treaty of Niflheim. The Kingdom of Fulfwotz, which had been a primary instigator of the war and leader of the Overtaker coalition, suffered immense destruction along with the rest of the Shire; likely to boost morale and reassert the state’s global status, King Sammich consolidated his territories into the New Sammichian Empire and crowned himself Emperor. The Empire underwent a period of internal restructuring and rebuilding. With the outbreak of the Second Plague in the 1950’s, it was fairly quick to respond, yet the self-imposed quarantine of all its holdings was compromised by the migration of avian carriers, and it was through the Empire that much of the southern Shire was infected. Large-scale population loss in the aftermath of the plague led to the already-few business regulations to be lifted in order to compensate and gain an edge internationally; employees were overworked, underpaid, and systematically exploited in the following decades, creating a massive socioeconomic gap and social unrest. In 1972, peaceful protests in Fulfwotz soon evolved into a full-scale violent revolution, aided by the Fulfwotz Communist Collective, a radical political party that had gained the support of the proletariat. To the shock of the international community, the imperial government was overthrown, ushering in the era of the Fulflet Union. For over a decade, the Empire was split between the Fulflet territories in the south and the remnants of the Imperial ones in the north. The Fulflet Union entered a cold war with its fellow superpower Oranjestad, and the Empire was further fractured after the Caffan Hegemony seceded after the failed Demmatrodine invasion to retake Fulfwotz. Operation Reconquista in 1983 brought Fulfwotz and loyalist territories back under Imperial control, and Caffa was soon subdued and reabsorbed.

Today, the New Sammichian Empire is a highly developed country and has recovered from the strife of the 20th century. It leads the way and has a near-monopoly over the entertainment industry, and ranks highly in the sphere of promotion of freedom of speech, press, and thought. It is among the Shire’s most able military and economic powers. Its economy is considered largely post-industrial, though it dominates the Shire in the extraction and refinement of ore. It is one of the Shire’s superpowers and a founding member of the Shire United Nations, with a permanent seat on the organization’s Security Council.

Etymology

The Empire derived its name from its predecessor, Xamichia, now more commonly known as the Old Sammichian Empire. The study of the history of Xamichia is popular amongst Sammichians (and much of the Shire), being the world's earliest known civilization but at one point the most powerful domain the Shire had ever seen; it is for these reasons that many Sammichians look back on it with pride and desired a name that reflected the power it once had.

The empire was originally established under the name of the Commonwealth of the King's Territories by the Chancellory in 1929, but was changed to its current title after considerable prodding by the populace. The name struggled to gain traction for recognition within the Shire United Nations, despite the state being one of the foremost entities in the institution. Many claimed that the title was absurd and reflected an air of imperialism and geopolitical dominance which the Shire was trying to recover from after the events of the First World War. However, as the nation's influence grew and it became a more valuable trading partner and ally, recognition was eventually earned under the name of the New Sammichian Empire.

However, in recent years, many have criticized the name as being xenophobic and a failure at representing the extremely diverse population of the Empire. Despite officially being a Sammichian domain, since it is ruled by a family of Sammichian descent, the majority of the population is made up of Humans; the Sammichian race is actually the second-most numerous racial group within the Empire. In 2013, racial advocacy group ASRR (Association for Shire Racial Representation) filed a lawsuit against the Empire and was brought to the Shire United Nations International Court, arguing for a more inclusive and broad title. The case was lost under the policy of state sovereignty.

A citizen of the New Sammichian Empire is officially known as a "Sammichian", but due to this word being associated with a certain race many choose to identify with where in the Empire they originated. For example, someone from Caffa will identify as a Caffan before Sammichian. To mitigate the confusion that may arise from the terminology, a demonym that is just as commonly (if not more) used by the international community is Imperial. This term is often shortened to "Imp", typically to mock the Empire.

History

Old Sammichian Empire

Main Article: Xamichia

The Old Sammichian Empire, or Xamichia, was the first known civilization to rise in the Shire, established by Sammichian nomads around 2,350 PRY. Until then, Sammichians had traveled the continent of Thrennex in vekaxa caravans, large culturally-distinct bands of wagons and livestock that functioned as separate 'clans'. Their presence on the continent can be traced back as far as 7,800 PRY, but advancement was slow since there was little interaction between vekaxa early on. Eventually, the vekaxa merged under the legendary Sammichian Xenophon, establishing the city of Sarrimus (anglicized to Ceriumuse). Under a lineage of kings and queens, Sarrimus expanded from a city-state to a kingdom encompassing a large portion of Thrennex, named Xamichia. Sammichian rule did not reach outside of the continent until a hostile takeover by a different noble family in 1570 PRY, establishing the Ich Dynasty which still rules today. From there, Xamichia slowly began an imperialist expansion across the northwestern Shire under the leadership of Emperor Callistes.

The empire eventually became the largest the Shire had ever seen; it is estimated that around 900 PRY, Xamichia held dominion over one-fifth of the world's population. Xamichia had also established the world's largest slave trade. Despite the immense power and influence it had, inner turmoil destabilized the empire over time, climaxing in the Mandatux Imperatia in 210 PRY. It was a massive conquest of the central and southwestern Shire which, in actuality, was a desperate attempt to consolidate more power and rectify the instability of Xamichia. After the mass murders and carnage during the siege on Fauna (now Fulfwotz), Empress Flux experienced what is now referred to as the Great Epiphany, where she realized the consequences of the Empire's actions, and that it can only mean similar occurrences will happen in the future if the Empire is not stopped. In 58 PRY, the Empress dissolved the great empire into dozens of independent and autonomous kingdoms, marking the end of the Old Sammichian Empire.

Kingdom of Fulfwotz

Main Article: Kingdom of Fulfwotz

Although the Old Sammichian Empire was broken up into a number of free realms, Fulfwotz is what most scholars and historians consider to be it's successor; after the dissolution, the Kingdom of Fulfwotz was ruled by the Ich Dynasty, the same family that ruled Xamichia. Fulfwotz remained largely independent and only traded with nearby towns. Around 150 CE, Fulfwotz became revered in the Demmatrodine for killing off and driving away the barbaric tribes that scavenged the deserts and savannas nearby, often raiding and pillaging villages they came across. This impression of strength and protection incited a large Enpeecee influx to the Kingdom, prompting unrest and racial tension. It is believed and commonly accepted that ancient Sammichians did not exactly discriminate based on race or gender, but moreso status and class. However, in the case of the Enpeecee people, this bias against 'uncivilized' populations evolved into modern-day racism perpetuated by both Sammichians and Enpeecees. Since the Enpeecees came from the wild steppes of the Demmatrodine, they were considered uncivilized and barbaric. The Enpeecee migrants were not allowed into the city, and very similar to what the Venezian migrants would do around 1,800 years later, they began camping out near the city's borders since they had nowhere else to go. Several years later, under a more-sympathetic King Vinthux, the Enpeecees were finally allowed into the city, much to the distaste of the population. This is believed to have been the root cause of the long-standing animosity between the Sammichian and Enpeecee races, which continued well into the 20th Century and had a profound influence on the early social structure of the New Sammichian Empire.

In the 1300's, Fulfwotz was overcome with a plague, which is believed to have been a more virulent strain of Yersinia pulex, the virus that killed approximately 29% of the Shire's population in the 1960's. Called Kleopintra's Plague, many Sammichians believed that it was a holy scourge on the kingdom after King Pliades took an Enpeecee Queen, Kleopintra. While death tolls from that period are unreliable, historians estimate that the strain had a mortality rate of 70% and killed around 150,000 people in a city of roughly 215,000. With the drastically-reduced population and damaged infrastructure, the kingdom entered a Dark Age, along with many other parts of the Shire where the plague had spread. Intellectuals, such as scholars, historians, and certain nobility were targeted and viewed with distrust as the Orthodox Church (not to be confused with the Orthodox Sammichian Trinity) perpetuated rumors and fear-mongered to gain a foothold over society. Claiming that the Enpeecee Queen was the figurative straw that broke the camel's back, the Church asserted that many other things contributed to the plague; such as the societal progression from a sectarian, devout kingdom towards a more scientific and rational one. This led to a century of clerical authority over that of the King and Queen.

The influence of the Church decayed in the latter part of the 15th century, as the institution alienated many of its followers with the Sacrosanct Decrees. The series of ecclesiastical edicts enacted by the Capulae Crux, the head of the Orthodoxy, severely limited personal freedoms of the Kingdom, authorized the use of an armed religious police, and gave the power to appoint royal heirs to the Church. King Herpes grew unpopular with his people due to piety and reluctance to curb the Church's hoarding of power. Capulae Crux appointed his middle child, Prince Numex II, as heir, passing over the eldest and previously-rightful heir to the throne, Prince Nemerses V. Outraged, and with the covert support of his mother, Queen Medesta, Nemerses raised a mercenary army and marched on Fulfwotz in 1456. The army was joined by the forces of various nobles who aligned themselves with the Queen and the Prince. In the Great Desecration of 1456, the army of Nemerses sabotaged and razed dozens of Orthodox churches, monasteries, shrines, relics, and monuments throughout the Kingdom. Nemerses seized the throne, forcing his father to abdicate and his younger brother to renounce his inheritance. Capulae Crux was captured and imprisoned, and his religious police exiled. According to Denus Nax Nervae, court historian of both King Herpes and Nemerses, the Capulae was "...tortured on the daily, attended to by [Nemerses] himself, oft to the entertainment & pleasure of the nobles visiting".

First World War

The aggressive expansion of the Kingdom in the later years of King Drefnex's reign and of King Sammich's reign provoked tension and unrest throughout the Shire. With almost complete dominance of the Demmatrodine, the Kingdom emerged as the Shire's newest superpower. The fact that it was recognized as a Sammichian domain also worried many Shirefolk of what would come if it ever decided to initiate the hostile takeover of a sovereign nation; many held passed-down anti-Sammichian sentiments after the rampant conquering and enslavement at the hands of the Old Sammichian Empire. The fragile geopolitical state of the Shire in the early 1900's only encouraged war.

In 1927, the Kingdom made advances towards the small city-state of Batmanya at the fringes of its border. Expecting an easy victory, a small army was sent to take the city-state. However, thanks to natural defenses of swampland and hills, the Fulfwotz forces were defeated. The larger and better-equipped force sent afterwards was defeated by the Batmanyites as well. After this loss, the Shire was relieved, believing the expansionism to have ended. This angered the humiliated Kingdom, which sought the city-state's leader in order to execute him through extrajudicial proceedings. After seeking asylum in the Glompuia Kingdom, Fulfwotz attempted to have him returned, though Glompuia Kingdom refused to extradite him. This resulted in war being declared on both Batmanya and the Glompuia Kingdom on March 25th, 1927.

Upon hearing of the declaration of war being signed, many nations sided with Batmanya and the Glompuia Kingdom; they believed that no state should be forcefully subject to the rule of another, and wished to bring an end to Shire imperialism. These nations formed one major coalition called the Liberator Powers. Meanwhile, other nations were allied with Fulfwotz. Many sided with Fulfwotz due to past alliances, the benefits of having a strong and valuable trading partner on their economy (and the economic repercussions they would face if Fulfwotz was defeated), and many others simply did not wish to see Shire imperialism ended. These nations merged into the Overtaker Powers. Despite being outnumbered by Liberator nations, many of the Overtaker nations were among the largest and capable in the Shire at that point.

Over 28 major battles were fought over the course of two years. One of the bloodiest battles was the Battle of Honeywell Fields, an attempted storming of three Overtaker fortresses along the northern coast of Kaluara. It resulted in the casualties of over 1.2 million Liberator soldiers and an estimated 123,000 Overtaker soldiers. The Overtakers won, but mainly because their forces were very concentrated. Later in the war, Liberators would engage them in smaller battles across the Shire. This would be their key to victory; after the 1928 Red Christmas battle in Venezia Nuova, Fulfwotz was left largely unguarded since its forces were allocated to defend other territories engaged in Liberator battle. The Liberators, under the command of General Tumerik of Knavobuki, occupied the city on Christmas Day, 1928. Emperor Sammich and the Chancellery Council was evacuated to Niflheim Palace, and Lord Maltese was installed as a provisional ruler. With the nerve center of the Overtaker Powers captured, it didn't take long for the coalition to surrender on May 20th, 1929.

On the 24th, the various nations convened at Niflheim Palace and drew up the Treaty of Niflheim, detailing points of the Overtakers' surrender. Some major points included:

• The Kingdom of Fulfwotz will not annex any body under force or against their will
• The Kingdom of Fulfwotz will relinquish rule on any body that refuses its jurisdiction
• The Kingdom of Fulfwotz and other allied nations will end any trade embargoes placed on Liberator nations unless they existed prior to the war
• Liberator nations will make reparations to Fulfwotz citizens terrorized by Liberator troops during the occupation

The very day the treaty was signed, King Sammich consolidated all of his remaining territories into the New Sammichian Empire, and changed his title to Emperor. This was likely done to draw attention away from the Overtaker defeat and to maintain a semblance of intimidation. With an estimated 14 million casualties throughout the war, the First World War remains as the deadliest military conflict in Shire history. To avoid conflicts like this from occurring in the future, the Empire and other Shire nations worked closely together to establish the Shire United Nations, a multilateral organization devoted to international cooperation and peace. The Empire, along with the Enderian Nation, Laurelian, the Athitican Empire, x

Imperial Era

Following the end of the First World War and the creation of the Empire, a period of relatively peaceful expansion began. The details of the treaty did not allow forceful annexations and conquering, a staple of nearly all Sammichian dominions throughout history. It is believed that these annexations were typically augmented by bribes or threats, but the Empire no longer made use of its military in order to gain control over another entity.

At this point, the New Sammichian Empire emerged as a Shire superpower and a major player on the global stage. In the early 1930's, the Shire entered the Decadence, an era of social progression and a worldwide economic boom boosted by post-war optimism. Fulfwotz became the center of Vaudeville acts and Old Follywood as the entertainment industry began to grow. There was a slight fascination the Shire held with the New Sammichian Empire, leading to heavy immigration (particularly into Fulfwotz) and gold Aggres being kept as collector items. Its economy grew exponentially following the discovery of large ore deposits in the Demmatrodine.

Caffan Coup

The Empire acquired a major asset in 1939, when Emperor Sammich negotiated a deal with the Caffan Doge Alessandro Barsi VI to annex the city-state in exchange for protection from the Nave Corsara, a band of pirates with an armada larger than that of Caffa's navy. The annexation was extremely controversial as Caffa harbored a deep hatred for Sammichian dominions and imperialism, given its history with the Old Sammichian Empire. There was widespread rioting throughout the city, and it was put under martial law by Kretopol for two months. The Nave Corsara was eliminated by the Imperial Navy, but the city was still extremely unhappy. Barsi grew close with the Emperor and allowed a transformation of Caffa's government into the traditional Imperial one. This outraged the city, which had been led by a Doge for three centuries. A period of relative peacefulness followed shortly after, as General Alfonso Vacarelli of the Caffan Legion plotted a military coup in joint with the nationalist group La Resistenza.

On October 9th, 1941, Chancellor Alessandro Barsi VI was shot and killed during a speech celebrating the second anniversary of joining the New Sammichian Empire; La Resistenza opened fire on a number of other Imperial dignitaries in attendance, including the Emperor himself; Emperor Sammich was shot in the left leg, and was evacuated from the city immediately. He managed to flee before the Port Authority locked down the harbor, having joined Vacarelli's movement. Other attendees were not so lucky; Chancellors Eliza Hathwood of Summerstone, Boris Reddington of Woodstock, and Fahmi Farran of Karaam were all mortally wounded, along with five Chancers and Luciana Fiore Barsi, the wife of Alessandro. A bomb was then detonated near the stage, killing 23 bystanders and wounding roughly 40 more. La Resistenza and the Caffan Legion stormed Castello Barsi, and General Vacarelli was installed as Generalissimo di Caffa. The city officially seceded from the Empire soon after, inciting a frenzy within the Chancellery and widespread Imperial unrest.

Vacarelli's nationalist regime appealed to the Caffan people in its infancy. It promised glory and respect to a people that were humiliated by their annexation at the hands of an enemy. However, Vacarelli's rule soon gave rise to modern fascism as Roman Catholic values were enforced by the law and freedom of speech became a luxury. The Empire's response to the takeover was delayed by ensuring that other territories did not attempt to break away; a large number of Enpeecee villages sought self-determination, busying the Imperial Armed Forces. They managed to secede in 1943, forming the brief Enpeecee Federation. Many nations in the Shire at this point believed the New Sammichian Empire to be on the verge of collapse. In response, the Empire began highly-aggressive bombing campaigns against the Federation until it surrendered and rejoined the Empire.

The Empire attempted to retake Caffa in 1944, but its military had grown much larger and stronger in anticipation of an invasion, and under Generalissimo Vacarelli's policy of conscription. Reclaiming the city was put on hold as the Empire dealt with other internal issues and a fleeting economic crisis following the closure of the Fulfwotz-based Milton House Bank.

The Second Plague

Following the appearance of a mutated strain of Yersinia pulex, the bacterium responsible for the White Plague of the 1300's, Athitica was the first city to report a case, and is considered the 'ground zero' of the plague. Patient Zero, Carl Weltz, died soon after contracting Yersinia pulex. His prior interactions with other Athiticans led to an outbreak of the disease and the quarantine of the entire city by the World Health Agency in late 1957. The New Sammichian Empire sent a pathology team from DePrey Institute to research the bacteria, where its relation to Yersinia pulex was revealed.

The spread of the disease slowed following the quarantine, until the winter of 1958. The Montauk goose, native to the Athitican subcontinent, typically migrates southwest to the Demmatrodine during winter in the northern hemisphere. The birds acted as a carrier for the bacteria, spreading it to the Empire's capital of Fulfwotz and other surrounding Imperial territories; from there, it advanced to the Mainland and central Shire through infected persons via trains. Cases of Yersinia pulex were reported several days later across the world, becoming a global pandemic given the name of the 'Second Plague'.

Fulfwotz was locked down and issued a national state of emergency, ordering all of its territories to shut its borders to both foreign and domestic travel. DePrey Institute was granted $2.5 billion by the New Sammichian Empire and a group of other nations in order to commence work on a cure; researchers from across the Shire convened within DePrey, and the entire facility was isolated within Fulfwotz. DePrey Institute worked in joint with the World Health Agency, Laurelian University, the University of Clementine, and the Universita di Venezia Nuova via telecom.

Due to the unstable nature of the bacteria and its frequent mutations, it became increasingly difficult to combat. Yersinia pulex A, the most common strain, had a mortality rate of 75% when left untreated, and there was no treatment as of yet. The disease continued to spread for several years until 1962, when a cure was finally synthesized within DePrey Institute. After clinical trials proved promising, the cure was replicated and airlifted to other labs. The cure was ready for widespread use by late 1962, and a vaccine was developed afterwards. The cure and vaccine proved successful in not only treating and prevented strain A, but also B & C. Today, it is illegal to not vaccinate children against Yersinia pulex in the Empire.

Of the 45.3 million people living in the Empire during the plague, approximately 7.4 million fell victim to the disease. Of the 670 million people in the Shire at that point, roughly 59 million died, which was equivalent to 9% of the world's population. It was the single-most deadly force in Shire history, killing more people then the first plague (albeit a lower percentage of the total population). The destruction of Yersinia pulex left entire regions of the Shire depopulated. Conversely, the volunteer work and cure development is considered one of the largest and most impactful examples of international cooperation and teamwork.

Following the devastation of the plague, many nations were severely weakened due to population loss and damage to infrastructure. One place hit hard by the disease was Caffa; the Caffan Legion had been shrunk ten-fold, and Vacarelli's regime began to tighten its grip on unruly citizens who had long since lost the sense of nationalist pride that put him in power. In 1965, as Caffa still struggled to recover, the Empire dispatched forces to retake the city. After parachuting directly into the courtyard of Vacarelli's palace while a larger terrestrial force occupied the city, the Generalissimo was captured, along with high-ranking officers of the Caffan Legion, La Resistenza, and the Port Authority. They were brought back to Fulfwotz for trial, and the Imperial Jack was once again raised over Castello Barsi as the Empire reassumed control.

Generalissimo Alfonso Vacarelli was charged with high treason, deposition, and war crimes, and was executed by hanging in 1966. It is suspected that the Generalissimo was tortured before his execution, as he appeared emaciated and despondent before the public. The other prisoners from Caffa were imprisoned for life, while exalted officers were executed as well. The statues of Vacarelli throughout Caffa that were constructed during his rule were toppled by the Caffan people, and the bronze was melted down.

Fulflet Coup

After decades of relative stability following the aftermath of the Second Plague, the New Sammichian Empire had largely recovered from the prior events. It had reasserted itself as a global superpower after doubts from other nations due to a period of insurgency within Imperial territories. In the early 1970's, lower-class citizens across the Empire suffered as companies increased the workload in order to compensate for workers lost during the plague. The Empire did not intervene, as the production and profit gained put it ahead of other Shire nations. Workers began to unionize and protest, causing the market to slow and productivity to plummet. Despite urges from the Emperor and the Ministry of Labor to increase wages and regulate work hours, such motions did not pass within the Chancellery. Many people within the Chancellery belonged to corporations or special interest groups that would be negatively impacted by such policies.

Protests were suppressed by the Imperial Armed Forces under commands from the Chancellery, angering the working class and provoking riots throughout the Empire. In Fulfwotz, the Fulfwotz Communist Collective had been stockpiling arms for decades and finally saw an opportunity to incite a revolution. After organizing millions of lower-class citizens across the Empire, the FCC began a revolt in the borough of Fulfton in Fulfwotz on February 6th, 1972. Similar riots broke out across the Empire, spreading both Kretopol and the Imperial Armed Forces thin. They became increasingly violent, as buildings were set on fire and looted, and wealthier citizens were assaulted (and in extreme cases, killed). The Chancellery lost the support of part of the IAF after issuing orders to put down the revolution at any cost, and a suggestion to open fire on certain protestors shook IAF soldiers who sympathized with the revolution.

By early morning, much of Fulfwotz was in near-total anarchy as the revolutionaries stormed the Chancellery with intentions to execute Emperor Sammich, who was in the administrative borough of Primus at the time. He was evacuated from the city with his cabinet and several Chancellors, while a number of upper-class citizens tried to flee the city. Castle Mugg was successfully taken over, while revolutions in other territories failed to overthrow the local government. With the capital now in the FCC's hands, it marked the first (successful) coup d'état of the Empire in its history. Cedon Wexfield, the chairman of the Fulfwotz Communist Collective and grandson of Callum R. Wexfield, the father of Communism, assumed power as the Executive Premier. The New Sammichian Empire was transformed into the Fulflet Union, and the Chancellery was dissolved with its remaining members imprisoned. It was replaced with the Committee of First Officers, and Fulfwotz was renamed Fulfgorod, the communist utopia described in the elder Wexfield's manifesto, the Peoples' Book.

The world, shocked, began to take in Imperial refugees who had no other choice but to flee the Empire during the revolution. Emperor Sammich and his expelled Chancellors were initially offered asylum in Venezia Nuova, but instead traveled to Caffa where order had been restored under Kretopol. Caffa, Karaam, Woodstock, Little Wangleton, and several Enpeecee villages reunited under the Imperial Jack, while the rest of the Empire remained fractured and individual territories operated autonomously. The Empire lacked the resources to reacquire the territories, and many other nations were occupied with recovering from the plague and did not want to involve themselves with a possible war at that time. The Fulflet Union isolated itself and cut off all communications with the Shire as it set up penal colonies and work camps in the Colerica Desert and Lautan Dahaga. The Empire attempted to regain more of its former territories, but were hampered by soured relations, new governments, and the quiet Fulflet annexation of multiple prior Imperial holdings.

For the next decade, the Fulflet Union began investing heavily in the military and science sectors. It began to reenter the global stage in the mid-70's, entering icy relations with Oranje County who was vocal about their anti-Fulflet sentiments. In 1976, the Fulflet Union successfully tested the Ender Bomba, a nuclear device with a total yield of 55 megatons of TNT. To this date, it remains the largest manmade explosion in Shire history. Through Fulfgorod and other Fulflet holdings, any remnants of the former Imperial government was removed as communism spread across the Demmatrodine. Espionage was at an all-time high, as the Fulflet Union and Oranje County entered a cold war around 1977. Little military action was taken until 1979, when the Fulflet Union declared war on the disenfranchised New Sammichian Empire which still retained the majority of its alliances. Oranje County was eager to lend support, and a coalition of Oranje, Venezian, and Imperial forces invaded the Demmatrodine with intent to retake Fulfgorod in the fall of 1979.

The invasion failed, and during the Imperial absence from Caffa, the various aristocratic families took power and exiled the Emperor and his Chancellors. They withdrew to Niflheim Palace, stripped of all power. Caffa seized the Imperial territories and became the Hegemony of Caffa, or il Egemonia di Caffa. Both the Fulflet Union and the Hegemony hired bounty hunters and mercenaries to assassinate the deposed Emperor, but were fended off by the Magistrax Militae, one of the former Empire's only assets. Disgraced, the Emperor's entourage drew plans to retake their territories. In 1983, several Militae operatives were dispatched to Fulfgorod as the Emperor covertly gathered support from Oranje County, Venezia Nuova, the Solurian Empire, and several other nations to form a coalition to occupy the city.

On November 15th, 1983, 42 Militae operatives infiltrated Castle Mugg, killing the guards, imprisoning staff, and taking Wexfield and his family hostage. When he refused to relent control, he was put to death in a mock execution. Believing the Executive Premier to be dead, the Committee of First Officers attempted to elect a new leader, but the committee devolved into a bout of infighting for the title of Executive Premier. At the same time, the Union struggled to regain control of the legendarily-defensible Castle Mugg. Across the Fulflet Union, territories loyal to the Empire rebelled and renounced the Union and the Committee of First Officers. With the nation rapidly plunging into chaos and its military divided between Castle Mugg, Fulfgorod, and the various uprisings across the country, the coalition invaded the Demmatrodine once again. Using tactics reminiscent of the Liberator occupation of Fulfwotz in the First World War, the Fulflet forces within Fulfgorod were defeated as the city was occupied. Emperor Sammich seized absolute control, dismissing the Chancellors, citing them as the cause of the Fulflet takeover; many of them had vetoed legislature to improve workers' rights in order to protect special interests, inciting the workers' revolution. The loyalist territories rallied behind the Emperor as it quickly annexed its former holdings. Cedon Wexfield and his family were effectively 'vaporized' by the Empire, but it is rumored that Wexfield is still imprisoned and tortured beneath Castle Mugg while his family remains under close surveillance with new identities.

By 1984, the New Sammichian Empire had regained a large portion of its former power, with the exception of the Hegemony of Caffa. The advances the Fulflet Union had made in the military sector proved very useful to Emperor Sammich and the Imperial Armed Forces (repurposed from scores of loyalist former Fulflet soldiers), and the Empire began encroaching on the Hegemony. Its leader, the Doge Enzo Stavola, along with the aristocracy, refused to surrender. The Empire engaged the Caffan forces in battle, almost completely annihilating their forces and toppling the Hegemony the following week. Caffa was annexed again, its leaders imprisoned for high treason (with Stavola executed).

Following the collapse of the Fulflet Union, the Empire was finally whole once again, but lacked a Chancellery under Emperor Sammich's absolute rule. He remained a total monarch as he put forth reforms and repaired the Empire until 1987, when the Shire United Nations pressured him to restore the Chancellery and the democratic values it represented. Under normal circumstances, it is highly likely that he would have refused, but he understood the need for representation given the Empire's current fragile state, and did not wish to lose the support of the Imperial people so soon after regaining control of them. The Chancellery was reestablished, followed by the largest intragovernmental investigation in history; people with connections to the Fulfwotz Communist Collective were arrested, along with many other members of potentially-hostile organizations. The Chancellery was created with new legislators, and Chancellors handpicked by the Emperor to maximize efficiency and the Emperor's presence within the Council.

Contemporary History

The 20th century proved to be the most unstable and destructive century for not only the Empire, but the rest of the Shire as well. Worldwide pessimism stunted economic growth and development, as nations anticipated another disaster and went on the defensive. In 1991, the NPC Brigade was formed, a radical group of Enpeecee separatists with an agenda against the Empire. On January 19th, 1992, the NPC Brigade bombed the Fulfwotz Grand Terminal during morning rush hour, killing 61 civilians and injuring upwards of 100. Smaller attacks occurred throughout the decade, provoking racial tensions between Enpeecees and the other races of the Empire.

In 1995, the Brigade sent a letter to Emperor Sammich himself, claiming that the terrorism will end if the Empire relinquishes control of the Enpeecee villages. Given the Empire's longtime refusal to negotiate with terrorists (or simply to negotiate at all), it retained control of its villages and, likely out of spite, it absorbed another one the next month. A second letter was sent to the Emperor, and anthrax powder was discovered inside after inspection. Seven other letters had been mailed to various members of the Chancellery from the same address, prompting a government lockdown. Eight people were killed, among them Chancer Gillian Calhoun, five aides, and one mailroom worker.

On November 29th, 1997, the Brigade's primary compound was discovered twenty feet underground in a remote region of the Colerica Desert. The compound was raided by IAF battalions and over 12 accused terrorist leaders were captured, including the Brigade's leader, Nevin Denorak. Six of the leaders were executed in Fulfwotz, while the other six and the rest of the captured Brigadiers were either imprisoned or returned to their home country to await trial.

International media attention was placed on the Empire in 1999, during the tenure of High Chancellor Amadeus Krugerrand. What is now known as the Krugerrand Trials, the family was under investigation for a number of charges, including the illegal employment of hundreds of indentured servants, tax evasion, and securities fraud. Until the investigations were complete, Amadeus Krugerrand was placed on suspension from his position, and resigned two months later. Since he had never appointed a Vice Chancellor, Emperor Sammich had assumed his responsibilities until a new High Chancellor could be chosen from within the Chancellery. The Krugerrands, one of the most prominent political and business families in the world, were disgraced, and their public image had been destroyed. During the trials, 16 people were convicted, 5 of them senior members of the family. It came as a surprise to many that the current High Chancellor Kiera C. Krugerrand had managed to get elected, though she had been riding on the support of Caffans and more conservative parts of the Empire.

In 2012, eyes were once again on the Empire after Emperor Sammich announced his engagement to Signore Triplici of Caffa. It was monumental news, as the Emperor (despite having a number of suitors) had been unmarried for all of then 106 years of his reign. Immense and costly preparations were made for the Imperial Wedding; it would be the first state wedding in a Sammichian domain since 1885. There were reportedly over 3,000 invites sent, mainly to members of foreign ruling families, diplomats, various members of the Chancellery and Imperial government, the global elite, and friends & family. The preparations were followed with much scrutiny, and produced a number of controversies (as Chancellor Leopardo Sciarra of Caffa put it, "it would not be an Imperial occasion without"), one of them being leaked footage of planning crews spraying the homeless around the venue, St. Flafbenz Cathedral in Fulfwotz, with low-grade fire hoses to remove them from the area. Preparations were abruptly halted after the alleged disappearance of Triplici on May 29th, 2012. His whereabouts to this day are still unknown, with many believing he got cold feet prior to the ceremony, or that he was murdered by enemies of the state. The wedding was cancelled at a loss of an estimated $28 million, and was considered by many to be the most shocking event of 2012; 'Imperial wedding cancelled' was the most searched term internationally that year. The Emperor received a global outpouring of emotional support, and ruled from the solitude of Niflheim Palace for the next three months.

Geography and Climate

By land area, the New Sammichian Empire is the largest nation in the Shire; essentially a colonial empire, much of the Empire's land area is spread out across the world and it does not exist as a contiguous entity. The largest contiguous region of the Empire would be that of Fulfwotz and much of the Demmatrodine.

The Empire does not have a cohesive climate or geography; it ranges from harsh rocky desert landscapes and chapparal in the Demmatrodine to the wet, temperate forests of Floffwym. In the Demmatrodine, the Empire reaches into Lautan Dahaga, the second-largest desert in the Shire, and has jurisdiction over the Colerica Desert. The largest volcano in the Shire, Mount Wrath, sits at the Empire's western Demmatrodine border at a height of 17,388 feet. The Empire also has a number of national parks, such as the Marzipan Rainforest Preserve. Its capital sits in Seraphina Valley, which is actually the caldera of Mount Kotar, a prehistoric supervolcano.

Wildlife

The New Sammichian Empire has an abundance of flora and fauna within its variety of environments. Its megadiverse ecology features approximately 13,500 species of vascular plants. It contains 459 mammal species, 922 bird species, 412 reptile species, and 244 amphibian species. The Empire is also home to an estimated 94,000 insect species. The Ichor Falcon is the national animal of the Empire, as the bird is a motif of the Imperial Family and the Ich Dynasty. Native only to Thrennex, however, the bird survives only in captivity within the Demmatrodine territories and colder regions of the Empire. Niflheim Palace, the Ich family estate, is also a sanctuary for the falcon. Hunting an Ichor Falcon is a crime punishable of life in prison, and is seen as an act of treason.

The Empire harbors a number of invasive species imported and exported within itself from its days of rampant imperialism. The Seraphaho Whelsk (a tree-boring insect native to Karaam) preyed on many of the Colerica palm trees around Fulfwotz and the northern Demmatrodine. Tamuska algae is a seasonal algae that covers much of Caffa's harbor in the summer, brought from ships in Floffwym.

Government

The New Sammichian Empire is one of the Shire's few surviving empires. The government ideology is commonly perceived to be an absolute monarchy by many Shirefolk, but the government is actually a constitutional monarchy comprised of the Emperor and the Sammichian Imperial Chancellery. The Chancellery serves to implement a system of checks-and-balances which prevents a potentially destructive ruler from being able to do much harm both internally and on a global scale.

For each of the Empire's distinct territories, a Chancellor is elected by a territory from within the ranks of their Chancers to oversee that respective territory. It is left largely autonomous and self-governing, though major decisions do need to be approved by the Emperor or Chancellery, depending on the situation. All of the Chancellors make up the Council, the highest branch of the Chancellery and presided over by the High Chancellor. Similar to Fulfwotz borough council members and aldermen, Chancellors are subject to the Grand Sextennial Inquisition. Every six years, their actions are inspected by Emperor and various third-party entities. If they are subpar and did not accomplish much, they are recycled and new Chancellors are chosen; otherwise, it is possible for them to serve a life term.

The other part of the Chancellery is divided into the Senate and Assembly. The Senate is composed of elected Chancers from each territory based on the respective populations. For example, Fulfwotz currently has fifteen Chancers in the Senate, whereas the village of Demma only has two. Chancers serve six-year terms. In the Assembly, Representatives are elected from territories and the branch functions similarly to the Senate, though they have the power to draft bills and laws; the Senate exists to review, amend, repeal, and approve said bills for final Council ratification. There are currently 68 serving Chancers and 100 Representatives.

The High Chancellor presides over the Council, ergo, the Chancellery, wielding considerable political power almost on par with that of the Emperor's. On the Council, their vote is triple-weighted and therefore the most crucial in votes resulting in a draw (it is customary for the High Chancellor to vote last, to abstain from influencing the votes of other Chancellors). They are elected from within the Council by the Senate and Assembly, and are subject to the Grand Sextennial Inquisition. With the High Chancellor leading the Chancellery and the Emperor leading the state, and the Chancellery divided into houses, many have likened the system to that of a parliament. This is only countered with the fact that the Emperor does retain more influence in lawmaking and authority than a typical head of state would.

Political Parties and Elections

Though dozens of independent parties vie for seats within the Chancellery, the New Sammichian Empire became rooted in a three-party system following the global Industrial Era throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, since the drastically-altered international stage resulted in conflicting views on which direction to take the Kingdom of Fulfwotz.

• United Progressive Party- With loose social laws but very heavy economic regulation, the UPP currently holds 24 seats in the Senate and 31 in the Assembly. Many consider them detrimental to the Imperial economy, which relies on being unregulated and attractive to businesses. The party tends to be more popular outside of Fulfwotz, especially among Caffans who believe the economic policies would alleviate their current crisis.
• Conservative Constitutional Party- The CCP is known for having a more conservative attitude towards social and economic matters, along with a stronger sense of imperialism and the need for territory. What makes them most distinct, however, is their belief that the Emperor should have less power in political proceedings and that the Chancellery should become the main governing body of the New Sammichian Republic (note: not Empire). They currently have 17 seats in the Senate and 30 in the Assembly, making them the smallest party; however, the High Chancellor Kiera C. Krugerrand is aligned with the CCP, giving them considerable power in the Chancellery.
• Free Monarchy Party- The FMP currently makes up the majority of the Chancellery, with 27 seats in the Senate and 36 in the Assembly (the remaining 3 seats belong to independent parties). The FMP is responsible for the extremely loose laws and deregulation characteristic to the New Sammichian Empire. They also have a favorable view towards the traditional constitutional monarchy system, believing the Emperor should have a major role in governance. It is extremely popular in Fulfwotz, with the 2014 census indicating that over 78% of Fulfwotzians align themselves with the FMP. Though not at liberty to say, it is believed that Emperor Sammich is a member of the FMP, which also gives them a strong influence over lawmaking.

Imperial elections are typically held every six years throughout the Empire after campaigning the year before elections take place. The elections for the Assembly and Senate are designed to coincide with the Grand Sextennial Inquisition, so if the Council is reformed, the entire Chancellery is essentially 'flushed out' all at once. During the elections, corruption within parties and the general primaries is commonplace and have generally been accepted as part of the whole process.

		Parties
		UPP	CCP	FMP
Issue	The Monarchy	Moderate	Unfavorable	Favorable
	The Chancellery	Favorable	Favorable	Moderate
	Same-Sex Marriage	Favorable	Unfavorable	Favorable
	Drug Legalization	Favorable	Unfavorable	Favorable
	Indentured Servitude	Unfavorable	Favorable	Favorable
	Gun Control	Favorable	Unfavorable	Moderate
	Economic Deregulation	Unfavorable	Favorable	Favorable
	Magistrax Militae	Unfavorable	Moderate	Favorable
	Membership in International Organizations	Favorable	Moderate	Favorable
	Capital Punishment	Unfavorable	Favorable	Moderate
	Prostitution	Favorable	Unfavorable	Favorable

Foreign Relations

During the First World War, the Kingdom of Fulfwotz aligned itself with the Overtaker coalition; as such, many of its allies in that conflict remain close today. The New Sammichian Empire maintains an alliance with the city-state of Venezia Nuova, with their respective capitals existing as sister cities. The Empire is also extremely close with the Enderian Nation, being allied through one of the world's oldest unbroken alliances.

While the Empire has not declared war on a nation since the First World War, it is host to a number of rather strained relations with other countries within the Shire. Many of these are the result of colonial actions of its predecessor, the Kingdom of Fulfwotz. The Republic of Orange and Purple harbors a deep resentment for the Empire after the Kingdom's controversial involvement in The Britannian War and what the Republic believes to amount to genocide. The Venezian client state of Riverwood has also cut diplomatic relations with the Emperor due to the events leading up to the First World War, in which the Kingdom of Fulfwotz attempted to assert control over the territory. The nation of Laurelian has often been the subject of hostility from the Empire. The cause of this is largely unknown, but many believe it to be the result of deep-seated Sammichian racism or distrust of Laurelian's advanced technology or sprituality.

The New Sammichian Empire is a founding member of the Shire United Nations, with a permanent seat on the organization's Security Council. It also provides the bulk of the SUN's Peacekeeping Force. The contribution of so many peacekeepers was a term of the agreement made between the SUN and the Empire; they believed such a nation (especially a founding one) should be on the Security Council, but the Empire did recently incite the world's first war involving almost every sovereign state. A deal was reached where the Empire would volunteer 50% of all peacekeeping forces in exchange for a seat on the council.

Another entity is the PDTO (Pan-Demmatrodine Treaty Organization), a intergovernmental military alliance created after the Fulflet takeover to better handle and protect the Demmatrodine from future attacks. Despite being created in 1991, the alliance was not fully put in place until 1999, when the regime was ousted by Imperial allies. Today, it is one of the Shire's largest regional affiliations, with over ten participating states.

Finally, the Empire is an active member of the DFTA (Demmatrodine Free Trade Agreement), a trade bloc spanning the Demmatrodine, designed to promote economic cooperation and trade between nations. Other members include the Enderian Nation, the Solurian Empire, Sravasti, Zaphoria, Redwoods, and Bucketheadland. Operating under the jurisdiction of the New Sammichian Empire is also Summerstone, Greenvale, Demma, Al' Zinga, Plainview, Deserta, and Leif. Similarly, under the Solurian Empire is Gosd and Alwasy. The Enderian Nation controls New Enderton and Vertiment.

Military

With an annual military expenditure of $256.2 billion, the New Sammichian Empire commands one of the Shire's largest and most capable militaries, augmented by government organizations such as the Imperial Intelligence Agency. The Imperial Armed Forces are divided into terrestrial, naval, aerial, and special forces, those special forces being further divided into distinct units. It currently has 1,180,750 active personnel, with 650,720 reserve personnel.

The Imperial military is unique in its adamant refusal to implement a draft, and there has never been one in its history. It is because of this that the Empire, specifically Fulfwotz and the Demmatrodine, became a popular destination for draft-dodgers during conflicts in other states. Despite the lack of any sort of conscription or draft, the Empire has one of the highest population-to-personnel ratios in the Shire, likely due to its various state programs put in place to reduce overcrowding in prisons. Certain prisoners who are not deemed a serious threat to society may choose to enlist in the armed forces in exchange for a lighter prison sentence. Their military service is begun after their release for double of how much time they chose to eliminate from their sentence. This system also helps ex-convicts reintegrate into society and many choose to remain in the armed forces even after their mandatory service term is over.

Many also enlist due to (waning) societal pressure; Sammichians of the porpoise subtype were commonly used as soldiers and generals during the Old Sammichian Empire. The Empire has been trying to distance itself from the stereotypical societal niches the various subtypes filled, but the Sammichian bulk of the military is compromised of porpoise subtypes.

Magistrax Militae

The Magistrax Militae is a controversial division of the Imperial Special Forces. Originally an ancient order of Sammichian warriors who served and guarded the Emperor directly, during the First World War in the late 1920's they were reformed with a different goal; to hunt down enemies of the state, completely unbound by any formal laws. They are used to handle everything from high-profile criminals to brokers of Imperial government secrets. Operatives work independently for the most part, taking on cases as they see fit; they have the power to assume jurisdiction over a case from the Fulfwotz Imperial Guard and other policing forces, and are commonly employed by the Imperial Intelligence Agency.

However, due to their legal immunity, they have been the cause of numerous diplomatic incidents, such as in 1999 when an operative shot an Oranjestad alderman dead in the street, mistaking him for a anti-imperial revolutionary who was stockpiling arms for the Fulfwotz Communist Collective. In recent years there has been pressure from the Shire United Nations to disband the Militae, citing them as one of the Shire's leading contributors to diplomatic unrest. There have been cases where an operative has gone 'rogue', such as killing innocent people, fulfilling a personal agenda, or committing acts of terrorism against the Empire or other nations. Despite this, the Magistrax Militae continues to be supported by the Empire with access to cutting-edge technology, weaponry, and funding.

Monarchy

The New Sammichian Empire is currently ruled by Emperor Sammus II Mephistes Inigmax Ich the Magnificent. He holds the titles of Emperor, Doge of Caffa, Duke of Grunesblatt, Champion of Kretopoles, Incarnate of Xenophon, Rex Ultima, and the Ich Dinastiax (a Thrennexian term that describes the ruling member of a dynasty, similar to dynast). The Ich Dynasty is the present Imperial Family, and has been so in past Sammichian dominions for centuries. They have the distinction of being the longest-ruling dynasty in history. As of now, there is no heir to the Imperial throne, and Emperor Sammich has yet to marry and find a ruling counterpart. If he were to die, power would be passed to his cousin Cassia, who married into the Sciarra family of Caffa. This would establish the Sciarra Dynasty as the ruling family.

Culture

Being host to a wide array of cultures and practices, it is very difficult to apply one cohesive culture to the New Sammichian Empire. Customs vary greatly between territories, and some have nothing in common except for their government. However, since many current territories had relationships (be it annexations, alliances, or trade agreements) with the Empire in the past, some have gradually adopted mentalities characteristic to that of Fulfwotz capital culture. Individualism is highly valued as a virtue, while at the same time, status is extremely important and notoriety is sought-after.

This culture was mainly formed and influenced by the Old Sammichian Empire, where the Emperor and Imperial Family were viewed with both intense admiration and violent jealousy. This mindset evolved to be directed at any person in a position of power, inciting competitiveness in the political, business, and social worlds. It also contributed to the higher-than-average amount of coups and attempted government takeovers in the history of the Empire and Kingdom of Fulfwotz.

The Imperial culture is also very unique for its stance on cosmetic surgery and procedures; in many other cultures, the practice of altering one's natural appearance through plastic surgery is seen as fake and disingenuous, whereas such procedures are commonplace in capital culture. In some places, it's common for parents to pay for cosmetic procedures for their children as graduation gifts. The mentality of finding acceptance and happiness in one's own natural appearance is rare, trumped by that of finding happiness in improving your own appearance. While this objectively does little harm, it contributes to the development of severe body image and self-esteem issues in people who lack the money to pay for cosmetic surgery. In a 2014 poll of Fulfwotz teenagers in low-income families by DePrey Institute, 41% of males admitted to having such problems, and 68% of females confessing to similar image problems. Similar studies suggest that 4 out of every 10 Fulfwotz teenagers will develop an eating disorder at some point in their life. Depression rates are also higher than those of other cities. Altogether, beauty is highly-emphasized in the Imperial culture, leading many foreigners to believe Imperials to be egocentric and pompous.

In territories with a high Sammichian population, the percentage of people identifying with a religion drops significantly, due to the Sammichians' inherent distrust of religious institutions. This is believed to have been caused by the Orthodox Church attempting to consolidate power and meddle in the laws of succession around 1000 CE in the Kingdom of Fulfwotz. Because of this, religious has influenced very little in the nation's culture and values compared to others.

Literature, Philosophy, and the Arts

The New Sammichian Empire has been the birthplace of many of the Shire's greatest minds. The dubbed "Father of Communism" Callum R. Wexfield was born and lived in Floffwym his entire life; it's also where he first wrote and published the Peoples' Book, the manifesto in which he describes his ideology of Communism. His grandson, Cedon Wexfield, would go on to lead a Communist takeover of the New Sammichian Empire in 1977. Other famous authors include Flynn Hewitt, the author of the classic Verde Valley series; Eleanor Webb, the creator of over 1,600 poems during her lifetime; Acantha Moray, an investigative writer who wrote a controversial exposé on Fulfwotz business practices and worker exploitation; and Sybil Rigley, a proponent of peace between the Sammichian and Enpeecee races and the first female recipient of the International Peace Award.

Thanks to the flexible morals and carnal nature of capital culture, art had always thrived in the New Sammichian Empire. Before art galleries became commonplace in the Empire, it was common for wealthy families to horde private collections of priceless artwork and sculptures. Following the legalization of narcotics in 1959, the art world became overrun with drug-fueled virtuosos and controversial artworks. One prominent figure of this period was Sydney Pascoe, who revolutionized pop art with his bold and unique style. Though born in Oranjestad, Pascoe moved and pursued a career in Fulfwotz. Not only was he one of the most revolutionary artists of his time, but until his death from overdose in 1987 he was considered an A-list celebrity and socialite among the Shire elite. With a strong attraction to the intense Follywood glamour of the 20th century, he was cited as saying "...I love Fulfwotz, and I love Follywood. They're beautiful. Everybody's plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic."

Other famous artists include Antoinette Devereaux and her renowned Beauty in Seasons art series; Gavin Morley, with his collection of 168 individual works depicting sculptures engaged in sexual intercourse (the most recognized being An Imperial Orgy); and Maxine Bruccia, who was commissioned to paint five individual portraits of the Emperor and countless more of the Imperial elite throughout the mid-1900's.

Music

The Empire is a host to a variety of different music styles, and views the practice with great respect; music has been an integral part of Sammichian culture since before the invention of the written language. Great value is placed in musical skills. Fulfwotz is home to the Imperial Philharmonic Orchestra, nicknamed the Fulfharmonic, widely regarded as one of the Shire's finest and most exclusive orchestras. Also prominent is the Emperor's Marching Band, a staple of most Imperial celebrations and international diplomatic events pertaining to the Empire.

Hip-hop and rap music became popular in Fulfwotz throughout the 1980's as a way to vent frustration with the quality of life in boroughs such as Fulfton and Frentwood. Widespread gang violence also contributed to the preeminence of the genres in capital culture. Central figures included Two-Step, M.C. Bantz, Hit N' Run, and Tang-E. Many lawmakers were motivated by their music to implement programs to improve the quality of life in such boroughs (although much of Fulfton is still in a state of abjectness). In recent years, music generated mostly through the use of electronic tools has become very popular in venues such as nightclubs and music festivals.

The music festival Technostrasse is held in the Colerica Desert outside of Fulfwotz for the first two weeks of July. The festival features many of the Shire's most famous music artists and bands, but also explores themes of artistic self-expression and inclusion. Given this, Technostrasse is the site of rampant drug use, sex, and general hedonism. It takes the form of a temporary city including theme camps, art installments, fairgrounds, and the main stage, among many other things. Attracting many tourists from around the world, attendance swells to approximately 65,000 people.

Cinema

Follywood, a district in the capital of Fulfwotz, is deemed the world's leader in motion picture production. Following the invention of the kinetoscope and early movie cameras by Elijah Marshall in the late 1800's, aspiring moviemakers flocked to the city in order to escape usage patents and a would-be monopoly on movie production in the central Shire. The sunny and warm weather of Fulfwotz also proved useful since early cameras were not able to shoot in dark areas. The world's first movie studio, Calpernia Pictures, opened in 1919 in east Fulfwotz.

Following the growing popularity of film throughout the early 20th century, multiple other studios were established in Fulfwotz, collectively identifying with the name "Follywood" due to the proximity of the famous Follywood Sign; it was originally built to advertise a planned theme park where Fulfton now lies. It was never built, but the sign remained as a cultural icon of the city. Fulfwotz earned the nickname of The City of Stars due to the concentration of actors and celebrities living there and the image of Follywood glamour.

Today, the Empire is home to nearly all of the Shire's largest film and television studios. Fulfwotz is also the headquarters of the International Film Association, and hosts several of the Shire's largest award shows pertaining to visual media and acting.

Theater

With a rich literary and dramatic history centralized in Fulfwotz, the Empire has a number of the most renowned institutions in the world that pertain to the theater and performance arts. The Strokeshaft Institute is an acting company based in Fulfwotz which performs a variety of the famous plays written by the 16th century playwrite Lloyd Wallace Strokeshaft. The group has won over 32 individual Richelieu acting awards. The Sammichian State Opera is among the oldest opera companies in the Shire, tracing its roots back to 1655. It has a well-documented rivalry with the newer Opéra Majestueux, the two organizations often competing for stage time at Foie Gras, the Empire's largest stage. The Cygnenoir Company is often considered the most prestigious ballet company in the world, and is known within its industry for its extremely high standards and demands of absolute perfection from its dancers. Ballet is one of the most celebrated forms of art among the Imperial cultural elite.

The common superstition in theaters across the Shire that stepping beneath a chandelier before a show is bad luck has its origins within the Empire; during an 1856 performance of Desirée & Debauchery, a popular opera, the 6-ton chandelier in Foie Gras plummeted into the audience during the song Vivre Desirée, killing an unknown number of audience members and injuring many more. A year later, a smaller chandelier in the Vontelbaum Opera House (which was shelled during the First World War) fell on the stage during a performance and killed two actors. The superstition is still very much alive in Fulfwotz's theatrical culture.

Economy

The New Sammichian Empire is known for its laissez-faire capitalist economy. Though territories can put forth their own economic regulations, they're often inadvertently forced to adopt the Empire's economic policies in order to remain competitive in the Imperial market. The Empire's economy is aided by an abundance of natural resources throughout its varying territories across the Shire and high productivity in the business world. According to the Shire International Monetary Fund, in 2015 the New Sammichian Empire had a nominal GDP of $5.12 trillion. Until 1956, the New Sammichian Empire used gold-minted Aggres as their main currency. Today, they use the multinational Shire Dollar like the majority of the world.

After the global industrial revolution of the 1800's, the Kingdom of Fulfwotz was an international manufacturing hub, and by far the world's largest exporter of goods. This continued until the 1950's, when concern for Fulfwotz's environment and air pollution influenced the signing of the Fulfwotz Fresh Air Act, which caused many factories and producers to leave the city for other places within the Empire. They chose to remain within the Empire due to low income taxes and the ability to exploit subpar business practices. Fulfwotz remained the headquarters of some of the Shire's largest corporations, among them being the Omega Mining Company, Shire Global News, the Follywood Entertainment Company, Grummkin Financial Group, the Krugerrand Corporation, Niemann & Co., Ceppides Enterprises, Morrison-Hock Energy, Hexagon, and Unix Systems. Business in Imperial territories is unique in the sense that it is nearly completely unregulated, leading to massive amounts of corruption and the exploitation of workers. In recent years, many have called for more economic regulation to protect workers and end industry exploitation.

A large portion of the Empire's economy consists of the excavation of minerals and ores. The Demmatrodine is rich in natural resources such as gold, diamonds, rubies, iron, coal, and other metals. The New Sammichian Empire is the world's largest exporter of such commodities. It has a near-monopoly over the world diamond market, and companies such as the Krugerrand Corporation have been accused of using this advantage to manipulate world diamond prices and thus create articial inflation to maximize profits.

Most highly regarded is the Empire's cultural exports. It is the world's largest net producer of films, music, and television shows, mainly originating from the city of Fulfwotz and its unique grasp over pop culture. Its capital is also host to the Empire's burgeoning tech sector; the borough of Verde Valley is often referred to as the "cradle of innovation" and is the headquarters to many of the Shire's largest tech companies, notably internet and tech giant Hexagon. Verde Valley is the main destination for start-up companies as well as venture capital firms.

Income, Poverty, and Wealth

Imperials have one of the Shire's highest average household income and also ranks high when it comes to food affordability. The New Sammichian Empire ranks 12th on the Life Development Index. Much of the Empire's household wealth is concentrated in the upper class; the top 10% hold 76%, while the bottom half only holds 2%. The severe income inequality is a result of ingrained elitism in Imperial culture, and is also a direct result of it.

According to research conducted by the Lundtbern Center for Research, only 4.3% of the Empire's population lies below the International Poverty Line. The significantly low number, which is lower than many other developed nations, is uncharacteristic for a nation that is known for poor business practices and profiteering at the sake of workers. The low poverty rates are explained by the Empire's legalization of indentured servitude. It is not uncommon at all for someone to enter a contract with a wealthier household to become their servant in order to escape poverty and abjection. The study looked at households, and servants effectively become a part of a household when employed. It is estimated that the Empire's individual poverty rate could actually be as high as 23%.

The New Sammichian Empire is home to some of the world's wealthiest individuals, along with near-aristocratic families who dominate both business and a significant portion of lawmaking in the Chancellery. These people include, but are not limited to:

• Armina Cask, widow of billionaire CEO Carter Cask of Morrison-Hock Energy and supermodel
• Clark Sorpren, founder of Shire tech giant Hexagon and philanthropist
• Giancarlo Castorina, current Chancellor of Caffa and heir of the Castorina Shipping fortune
• Katherine Shaffer, acting chairwoman of the Grummkin Financial Group
• Lawrence Niemann, investor and real estate mogul
• The Viltvogels
• The Cattivos
• The Ceppideses
• The Krugerrands
• The LeCommodes
• The Pessideses
• The Ritz-Khalifas

Law Enforcement and Crime

The task of law enforcement is largely left to individual territories throughout the Empire, done so through various police departments answering to the state law enforcement department of Kretopol (named for Kretopoles, the ancient Sammichian god of justice). The largest of these is the Fulfwotz Imperial Guard, which also has jurisdiction in Al' Zinga, Demma, Greenvale, and Summerstone. Kretopol is divided into numerous specialized departments and ultimately answers to the Emperor. This power balance is created to prevent a possible coup; the Chancellery has control of the military while the Emperor has control over the police. While the military is clearly much more powerful than the police, it is largely decentralized and a takeover by the monarch is much more likely than by the Chancellery. In 2015, Kretopol reported having approximately 280,000 officers and agents under its authority.

Trials are held in courts throughout the Empire's territories, with the designated 'supreme' court being the Imperial Supercourt in Fulfwotz. These courthouses operate under a common law, and any additional laws a territory might have set in place. Court cases in the New Sammichian Empire are not settled through jury trial nor plea bargain; the settlement is often left to the discretion of the judge. This process has been denounced as allowing judicial bias and corruption to preside over actual justice. Convicts are kept in various prisons across the Empire, or are sent to large privately-owned prisons such as Mt. Britain Prison.

The Empire, on average, experiences a high amount of violent crime and incarceration, mostly inflated from the crime rates in Fulfwotz and Caffa. Crime in villages such as Poppiton and Watersong is virtually nonexistent. In 2014, there were 19.2 murders per 100,000 people. While crime rates have declined throughout the Empire in recent years, figures can be misleading since it can be attributed to crime becoming concentrated in Fulfwotz (explaining the explosion in crime rates there).

The New Sammichian Empire (and Fulfwotz in particular) has been described as the birthplace of modern ultraviolence, or heinous crimes committed by roving gangs with no exact purpose or intent. Ultraviolence is believed to be fueled by drug use. Drugs such as laced milk and Hoblite have become popular in recent years throughout the criminal world and have yet to be criminalized by the Empire; however, given their reputation on drug use, it is unlikely that they will be outlawed soon.

Science and Technology

The New Sammichian Empire is among the Shire's leaders in technological innovation and scientific research. Following the breakout of the First World War, weaponry and military research was invested in by the then-Kingdom, especially in the field of chemical warfare. After the war ended, much of the technology created in order to gain an edge over other nations was repurposed for commercial uses and led to a period of global innovation. The Empire has been the birthplace of a number of the Shire's greatest inventors, such as Miles Bolta, the creator of the electric transistor, a staple of nearly all of modern-day electronic devices. While the movie camera was first invented in Oranjestad, it was popularized and refined in Fulfwotz and led to the creation of the worldwide entertainment industry. Following the industrialization of much of the Shire, a large number of factories were built throughout the Empire that made use of the assembly line.

DePrey Institute in Fulfwotz is one of the Shire's largest and most reputable centers for research and science. It was established in 1876 by International Peace Award laureate Jacob Wellend DePrey, one of the most influential physicists in history. What was originally created as a school for physics and other sciences soon expanded to include more departments such as social sciences and health. It has published more academic papers than the rest of the Empire combined and has an endowment of $10.6 billion from the New Sammichian Empire, the largest endowment of any non-university research institution in the Shire.

The New Sammichian Empire consistently ranks first in the Shire in terms of freedom of use of the internet, and has two official internet domains; .se for 'Sammichian Empire', and .fu, which is restricted to government use and websites only. .fu is short for Fulfwotz, the Empire's capital and telecommunications hub. Largely unmoderated internet access has led to the surfacing of the Deep Web, which can typically only be accessed with special software; the .se domain became notorious for malicious and unsafe sites characteristic to the Deep Web and Darknet. After the creation of the SUN Safe Internet Initiative in 2014, Kretopol began to take down and investigate dangerous sites, but many still remain. .se accounts for 22% of internet websites and approximately 26% of total internet traffic, making it the largest single internet domain aside from the general .com.

Health

The average life expectancy in the New Sammichian Empire as of 2015 is 89.3 years, which is inflated by the large Sammichian population; their lifespans are slightly longer than those of Humans and Enpeecees. The average lifespan has been increasing in recent years thanks to advances in medicine and technology, similar to many other nations in the Shire. Lung cancer is the most prevalent natural cause of death in the Empire, followed by stroke, ischemic heart disease, and HIV/AIDS.

The Empire has the world's highest rates of lung cancer, thanks to a still-active culture of tobacco use and smoking; it was only in 2012 that smoking was outlawed in public places, and that law has rarely, if ever, actually been enforced. In a 2011 study by the Lundtbern Center for Research, it was concluded that approximately one-third of all Imperial residents will develop lung cancer at some point in their lives. According to research conducted by DePrey Institute in the same year, roughly 42% of Fulfwotzians qualified as casual smokers, while an additional 29& of Fulfwotzians frequently partook in the act of chain smoking. Lung cancer is considered a health epidemic by the Imperial Ministry of Health, and was given threat status of 'Moderate' by DePrey Institute.

The leading unnatural causes of death are homicide, suicide, and drug overdose. Rates of such deaths increase exponentially within the lower class population, due to a variety of factors including body image issues, gang violence, access to drugs, the arguably elitist environment of the Empire, and lack of support from the government. The New Sammichian Empire has the highest amount of annual deaths by drug overdose in the Shire, and has a homicide rate that is significantly higher than any other nation in the Shire. The root cause of such extreme amounts of homicide has often been cited as the Imperial Black Market (which forms a significant bulk of the Shire's international black market), corrupt police forces, and an above-average criminal presence in general.

Demographics

The races of the New Sammichian Empire by percent; Humans outnumber Sammichians by approximately 1.5 million.

Population

In the most recent 2015 census, the Empire had a total population of 55.7 million. Its population growth was stunted by the Yersinia pulex outbreak, as was the rest of the Shire's, and only surpassed its pre-plague population in 2005. It is one of the most populated nations in the Shire. Immigrants make up a large portion of the populace, who come to the Empire in order to find plentiful job opportunities or to become wealthy. The total foreign-born population is estimated to be approximately 8.9 million, though immigration has been increasing after perceived Imperial stability.

The New Sammichian Empire has the largest LGBT population in the Shire, thanks to deep cultural influences such as a lack of religious presence and sexuality being an important aspect of historic Sammichian culture. A nation-wide study conducted by DePrey Institute found that 52.7% of the population identified as heterosexual, with the remaining 47.3% identifying as gay (28.2%) and bisexual (19.1%). The country is routinely named the most LGBT friendly in the Shire, with same-sex marriage being legal since the time of the Old Sammichian Empire and gender reassignment surgery being performed as early as 1949. One reason the CCP struggles to gain traction within the Chancellery is because many members oppose policies regarding same-sex marriage. Granted, while it is legal everywhere, some places within the Empire still face social resistance to the LGBT community. Caffa, which has the largest religious population in the Empire, is built upon Roman Catholic values and does not embrace such activity. Emperor Sammich is openly gay, and is part of a long list of other LGBT rulers of Sammichian dominions.

The majority of the Empire's population is clustered around dense urban conglomerations, such as Fulfwotz and Caffa. Fulfwotz has one of the highest population densities in the world, as the inhospitable Demmatrodine does not allow for much outward expansion past the outskirts of Seraphina Valley.

Language

The New Sammichian Empire recognizes the Shire's lingua franca, English, as its official language. Over 78% of Imperial people speak English as their first language. In Caffa, the most prevalent language is italian; approximately two-thirds of its population speak Italian as a first language, with English being a widely-taught second language. Despite the Empire's reputation for preserving the cultures of annexed territories, it has been criticized for pushing English onto natives, and has been famously credited for contributing to the extinction of the Mekjlok tongue of western Demmatrodine Enpeecee tribes in the late 1940's. A common issue (particularly in Fulfwotz) is outward distaste for non-English speakers, despite the fact that Spanish and German are also spoken by groups within the city. In the Chancellery, meetings are held in English, requiring all of its members to speak the language fluently.

Religion

For many Imperial citizens, religion does not play a major role in their lives. The Empire, with its staunchly secular legislation and policies, has indirectly suppressed the influence of many religious institutions within its borders. Fulfwotz is one of (if not the most) irreligious cities in the world, and in a 2013 study by DePrey Institute, 38% of Imperial residents attended church every day. The majority of these people live in places such as Caffa, Withering, or Floffwym, where religion is much more prominent. Caffa is one of the largest centers of the Roman-Catholic faith in the Shire.

The Orthodox Sammichian Trinity is based in the Empire, but has lost much of its prestige and continually grows smaller. Current projections place the Trinity at almost completely abandoned by 2100. Irreligion is a growing trend across the Empire, and many claim this is contributing to the devolution of morals in the already arguably-unscrupulous Empire.

Family Structure

According to data from the most recent 2015 census, approximately 43% of Imperial people above the age of 16 were married, 10% were widowed, 18% were divorced, 29% had never been married. Compared to other countries, there seems to be a trend in the Empire of getting married later in life. The average Imperial family has 2.3 children, and does not live with any other members of the extended family (i.e. grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins).

In a 2012 survey of over 500 Imperial families who made >$200,000 a year, it was found that the average number of indentured servants the households retained equaled 4.8. In the Empire, it is illegal to own more than 10 servants and to sell them through back channels, but this happens often and rarely goes punished. In the famous 1999 investigation of the Krugerrand family, it was discovered that across their seven homes within the Empire, they employed a total of 138 servants and would covertly ship them to homes in other nations, often where the practice of indentured servitude is illegal. They were also accused of both selling and purchasing servants through unverified markets; this is illegal because it diminishes the Empire's ability to keep track of its population and would make it difficult to reach certain people if they were sold without its knowledge. Many compare the practice to a modern-day state-sanctioned slave trade and there has been many calls to outlaw indentured servitude, but it is staunchly defended by the Emperor and Chancellery citing it as an integral part of Imperial culture, and that the servant enters the position willingly.

Territories

Cities and Towns

• Caffa
• Floffwym
• Fulfwotz

Villages

• Emelle
• Epsilon
• Greenvale
• Karaam
• Koha Nu
• Little Wangleton
• Niflheim
• Salazen-Grum
• Snowy Mill
• Summerstone
• Withering
• Woodstock
• Woolowotz

Villages

• Activia
• Al' Zingahashbrown
• Cathedral
• Chiffur
• Demma
• Deserta
• Endula
• Glendale
• Gucci
• Husurra
• Hytide
• Kathiix
• Leif
• Palaven
• Paris
• Pawooga
• Plainview
• Poppiton
• Prada
• Thessia
• Versace
• Vevuki
• Viirkot
• Vitruvius
• Vogue
• Watersong
• Yara

Castles, Fortresses, and Royal Residences

• Bluepointe Manor
• Castello Barsi
• Castle Hyunadorea
• Castle Mugg
• Niflheim Palace
• Palais de Voclain
• Pomanay's Sanctuary
• Schloss Sammlutz

Lands

• Caffan Isles
• Central Demmatrodine
• Colerica Desert
• Duchy of Grunesblatt
• Niflheim Plateau
• Sammichian Ice Fields
• Sarrimus
• The Verdenes (Sammichian Verdenesia)