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Description
This will be the first of a series covering the different aspects of the Holy Gothic Empire. The future installments that I have planned out so far will each cover the languages, religions, and politics of the empire as well.

While many outsiders (and certainly many of the Goths themselves) view the empire as being first and foremost a human state, in reality the continent is inhabited by many different cultures and races, both humanoid and chimera in nature. So while humanity does make up the majority of the empire's subjects, it is only by a slim margin.

In the east are the amazons, descendants of the ancient Sarmatian tribes, who in turn were derived from the same Hyperboreans that the race of men descend from. These feminine warriors had long plagued the Pontic plains, forming loose confederations that would wax and wane with each generation. Norse tribes would later settle in these lands and intermarry with the locals, forming the Rus elite that still rule the east on the empire's behalf.

To their south are the elves living in southern Lombardy, Thracia, Greece, and Asia Minor. They are the descendants of the ancient Atlantean colonies that were scattered all across the Mediterranean before that ancient civilization lost itself to the sea. Elven tribes formed the basis of the great empires that came in the following ages- the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Carthaginians, and finally the Romans. At one point, elves had dominated most of the continent. It was only after centuries of disastrous wars and undead plagues that much of their territory was depopulated and began to be replaced during the Migration Period. Even after this point, however, they still held on in their core Greek territories. It has only been in the last two centuries when the Gothic Empire has conquered the last remnants of New Rome that their numbers have again started to decline from equal parts dragon's flame and peaceful intermarriage.

To the west in Lombardy are the elves' close cousins the halflings. They are a young race, descended from the Romans who hid from chaos of the Migration period in the mountains and swamps and slowly grew shorter in stature over the generations. Halfling pikemen from the Alps have started to become popular mercenaries for royal houses across the empire.

Along the southern shores of the empire are the tanu, or rabbitfolk. They are a chimera race, equal parts beast and man, who used to live all along Iberia and Mauretania. It is from the term the Punic elves gave their home, "ī shāpān", land of the rabbits, that the name for Hispania is derived. Tanu share most of their features with the humanoid races, with the exception of their long ears and short tails. Most tribes only come up to 3 feet in height, though some in the mountains are known to grow to the size of a man. Waves of settlement from the Atlanteans, elves, humans, and other beastmen have caused their numbers to become diminished, but the tanu have proven themselves to be very resilient over the millennia.

To the northwestern fringes of the empire are another tribe of beastmen, the troak. At a young age, these cynocephali share most features with the humanoid races, save for their ears and tails, much like the tanu. Unlike the rabbitmen, however, male troak who reach adulthood begin to be affected by exposure to the light of the full moon, causing them to transform into more bestial werewolf forms. If these transformations are allowed to happen often, they will slowly become permanent. Troak tribes once roamed all across the continent, raiding their neighbors and forming powerful mercenary bands that were employed as far as Egypt. One of these tribes, the Galatians, actually made its way to Asia Minor, where they continue to live as faithful vassals protecting the empire's frontiers. On the other side of Europe, many of the troak in Aerland have given up their old warrior traditions and now supply the empire and the church with monks and scholars.

Spread across the continent are also various forms of dragons. Only true dragons possess full intelligence, but even their lesser dragon cousins are smarter than any other animal. Many cultures have found different ways to deal with dragons, with some bribing the beasts with treasures and living sacrifices, while others have specialized dragon slayers. The Pentaur dynasty has established its rule over the Gothic Empire by being one of the few bloodlines who can form the spiritual bond necessary to tame and ride dragons.

Description
This will be the first of a series covering the different aspects of the Holy Gothic Empire. The future installments that I have planned out so far will each cover the languages, religions, and politics of the empire as well.

While many outsiders (and certainly many of the Goths themselves) view the empire as being first and foremost a human state, in reality the continent is inhabited by many different cultures and races, both humanoid and chimera in nature. So while humanity does make up the majority of the empire's subjects, it is only by a slim margin.

In the east are the amazons, descendants of the ancient Sarmatian tribes, who in turn were derived from the same Hyperboreans that the race of men descend from. These feminine warriors had long plagued the Pontic plains, forming loose confederations that would wax and wane with each generation. Norse tribes would later settle in these lands and intermarry with the locals, forming the Rus elite that still rule the east on the empire's behalf.

To their south are the elves living in southern Lombardy, Thracia, Greece, and Asia Minor. They are the descendants of the ancient Atlantean colonies that were scattered all across the Mediterranean before that ancient civilization lost itself to the sea. Elven tribes formed the basis of the great empires that came in the following ages- the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Carthaginians, and finally the Romans. At one point, elves had dominated most of the continent. It was only after centuries of disastrous wars and undead plagues that much of their territory was depopulated and began to be replaced during the Migration Period. Even after this point, however, they still held on in their core Greek territories. It has only been in the last two centuries when the Gothic Empire has conquered the last remnants of New Rome that their numbers have again started to decline from equal parts dragon's flame and peaceful intermarriage.

To the west in Lombardy are the elves' close cousins the halflings. They are a young race, descended from the Romans who hid from chaos of the Migration period in the mountains and swamps and slowly grew shorter in stature over the generations. Halfling pikemen from the Alps have started to become popular mercenaries for royal houses across the empire.

Along the southern shores of the empire are the tanu, or rabbitfolk. They are a chimera race, equal parts beast and man, who used to live all along Iberia and Mauretania. It is from the term the Punic elves gave their home, "ī shāpān", land of the rabbits, that the name for Hispania is derived. Tanu share most of their features with the humanoid races, with the exception of their long ears and short tails. Most tribes only come up to 3 feet in height, though some in the mountains are known to grow to the size of a man. Waves of settlement from the Atlanteans, elves, humans, and other beastmen have caused their numbers to become diminished, but the tanu have proven themselves to be very resilient over the millennia.

To the northwestern fringes of the empire are another tribe of beastmen, the troak. At a young age, these cynocephali share most features with the humanoid races, save for their ears and tails, much like the tanu. Unlike the rabbitmen, however, male troak who reach adulthood begin to be affected by exposure to the light of the full moon, causing them to transform into more bestial werewolf forms. If these transformations are allowed to happen often, they will slowly become permanent. Troak tribes once roamed all across the continent, raiding their neighbors and forming powerful mercenary bands that were employed as far as Egypt. One of these tribes, the Galatians, actually made its way to Asia Minor, where they continue to live as faithful vassals protecting the empire's frontiers. On the other side of Europe, many of the troak in Aerland have given up their old warrior traditions and now supply the empire and the church with monks and scholars.

Spread across the continent are also various forms of dragons. Only true dragons possess full intelligence, but even their lesser dragon cousins are smarter than any other animal. Many cultures have found different ways to deal with dragons, with some bribing the beasts with treasures and living sacrifices, while others have specialized dragon slayers. The Pentaur dynasty has established its rule over the Gothic Empire by being one of the few bloodlines who can form the spiritual bond necessary to tame and ride dragons.