The Landon Empire

Population:
approx. 56,000,000 citizens
34% fox, 21% wolf, 11% domesticated dog, 7% domesticated cat, 27% other (mixture of mice, bears, badgers, raccoons, etc.)

Territory:
approx. area - 3,100,000 square miles
composed of various terrains; mainly prairies, mountains, swamps, grasslands, hills and forests

Society and Culture:
The Landonians regard themselves as a very sophisticated people and as such are driven by such concepts as etiquette, eloquence, and tradition. Customarily, the males are the ones who own land and provide for the family while the females usually stay at home and raise the children. Furthermore, clothing is fairly conservative. Both sexes are expected to wear clothing that covers most of the body. Men usually wear long sleeve shirts and long pants and women normally wear dresses that reach down to their ankles. Many Landonians consider it good manners to refer to someone as "sir" or "madam" and to refer to members of the aristocracy as "your lordship" or "your ladyship". It's also considered good manners for Landonian men to be respectful towards the opposite sex. A few examples include opening a door for a woman and kissing a woman on the back of her hand. Landonian families tend to be fairly large since most women usually have around three to seven children in their lifetime. It's also common practice for the eldest son to eventually take over the family business. An example is the son of a baker inheriting his father's bakery or the son of a blacksmith acquiring his father's smithy.

Landonian society could essentially be broken down into three main classes - the lower class, the middle class, and the aristocracy (the upper class). The lower class is mostly comprised of farmers, menial workers, and craftsmen and the lower class makes up the majority of the Landonian population. The middle class is predominately merchants, accountants, bankers, and various other types of businessmen. A member of the lower class could reach middle class status if he received the proper training and education. The aristocracy is completely comprised of noblemen and the wealthy elite and a person must be born into an aristocratic family in order to be a part of the aristocracy. No one can work their way up into the aristocracy.

Government:
The aristocracy has a large amount of influence in various aspects of Landonian society and that's especially true with the government. Members of the aristocracy usually rule as mayors, governors, magistrates, and various other types of leaders depending on how much wealth and influence they have compared to one another. The empire itself is controlled by the head of the Imperial Family. The Imperial Family is the wealthiest and most influential family in the aristocratic elite and should the Imperial Family ever be destroyed or otherwise ended, the next wealthiest family takes over as the Imperial Family.

The Landon Empire is currently under the control of Empress Elisa Victoria XI. When she was eleven years old, her father, Emperor Julius Victoria, died of a mysterious illness. Some months later after her twelfth birthday, her mother, Empress Lina Victoria, was struck dead by an unknown assailant; not only making Elisa the head of the Victoria family but also its last living member. Shortly after her mother's death, Elisa was sworn in as empress of the Landon Empire. Because of her young age, many members of the aristocracy saw it best to have Lord Archibald Greystone, head of the Greystone family, advise her in matters pertaining to the empire. For three years now, Elisa has ruled the empire along with the aid of Lord Greystone (Elisa is currently 15 years old).

Religion:
Due to the sheer diversity of its population, the Landonian Empire has a variety of religions and thus, no official church. However, the majority of Landonians believe in a deity named Iluminuh, the Lightbringer. Iluminuh is believed to have brought light (and thus life) to the world; hence the name. Furthermore, Iluminuh's dogma teaches that one should show compassion to all living things; provide comfort to the less fortunate, and dispel darkness (aka fight evil) in all its forms. In various paintings and stories, Iluminuh is depicted as a tall fox in simple robes with white hot eyes, and is constantly engulfed in a soft orange light.

Some of the other gods worshipped within the empire are Donark, the Protector and Belawna, Queen of the Sea. Donark is believed to resemble a muscular, stern-looking wolf wearing heavy armor and carrying a large shield. His dogma teaches that one should protect the weak and innocent while also upholding loyalty and justice above all else. Belawna is usually portrayed as a slim, blue canine with multi-colored pearls around her neck and robes that melt into the water. Her dogma teaches how one should show respect for the sea as well as be wary of the dangers that lurk within it.

Brief History:
Centuries ago in the year 1314 AD, King David of Landon (the kingdom of the foxes) sought to expand his borders due to an economic crisis. Through an alliance with the barbarian wolf tribes, King David had successfully conquered the north-eastern portion of the island and by 1319 AD; he was declared the first emperor of the new Landon Empire. When the first emperor died in 1348, his son Alexander inherited the throne. Emperor Alexander would rule from 1349 to 1378 AD and he would expand the empire further by conquering the entire eastern half of the island.

For the next 150 years, the emperors and empresses of the Landon Empire would continue to slowly take over the rest of the island. At first, the empire sought to spread out in order to acquire wealth and territory. However, as the years passed, that belief slowly faded away and was instead replaced with the ideal of bringing civilization and progress to the "uncultured heathens" of the island. As its borders expanded, the conquered peoples of the Landon Empire would be gradually integrated into Landonian society. The various species would adopt Landonian customs and traditions, and the wealthiest families of these species would become part of the aristocracy. By the end of 1528 AD, the Landon Empire had fully enveloped the island and for the next five decades, the Landonians would work on securing their borders and crushing any residual resistance against their rule. In the year 1620 AD, the Landon Empire would attempt to annex the Benkari Empire. Unfortunately, after 4 years of conflict on both land and sea, the Landonians would ultimately fail in their invasion. In 1625, the Landonians would sign an armistice with the Benkarians which currently lasts to this day (1786 AD).