The Tyrannian Empire is a politic entity that has existed for over a millennia, and within that time has been one of the greatest factions in all of Engelain. The Empire is ruled by the twin entities of church and state- having an Emperor as the Head of State who is advised by the Pope, the head of the Tyrannian Church. Many tasks within the Empire are delegated to the Imperial Senate, though executive command is held directly by the Emperor. The Tyrannian Empire is based in Tywrought, and its capital is Holy Messia, where they believe Tyrrus first stepped foot on Engelain. The Empire is currently under the rulership of Tyberius XIV.
The Tyrannian Empire, alternatively referred to as the Holy Empire of Tyrrus, was established more than a millennia ago. It has its roots in the Empire of Holy Light, a fledgling Empirical state which had once harried the empires of the Great Plains, but had been forced southwards with the expansion of the Casurillion Empire. Based in Merina, the Empire of Holy Light had much difficulty in gaining traction, until it decided to adopt the Tyrannian Church as its official religious body. Moving the Imperial Senate to Messia, the Emperor was coronated by the Pope and thus the Tyrannian Empire was born.
With the fall of the Casurillion Empire, the Tyrannian Empire grew to fill in its place. Tywrought pushed out northwards into the Great Plains, and then east and westwards. Over the centuries, the Empire managed to subjugate all of the Seven States of Eastern Engelain. In the north it made great leaps into the Great Plains, and in their warfare lead both the grassland avians and the onocentaurs into extinction. Wishing to expand farther afield, the outpost of Speria was built in Western Engelain, which developed into a city state and would, in time, become one of the thirteen Free Kingdoms.
At the height of its power, the Tyrannian Empire controlled the entire southern half of the continent, both East and West Engelain. They had various isles under their subjugation, including outposts on the isle of the north, Haydrea. It was said that you could walk from the elven forests in the east to Last Shore in the west without ever having to leave the turf of the Empire.
Eight centuries prior to the present day, the Tyrannian Empire saw a shift in power when Emperor Tylord II, forever to be known as Tylord the Last due to his misdeeds leading to the end of his dynasty, outlawed magical practise altogether, taking the power away from the Tyrannian Church which exercised the right to study magic. However this resulted in the Imperial Senate being struck by lightning and burning all those inside- ostensibly an act of divine interference by Tyrrus.
This lead to a period of one hundred and fifty years where the Empire was ruled directly by the papacy, and individual realms were overseen by a series of Underkings. It was said that the citizens of the Empire in this time were sworn first to the Holy See, then to Holy Tyrrus, and last of all to their mortal realm. The Underking system would however lead to many internal problems, with individual rulers vying for power, and eventually a man descended from one of the many illegitimate children of Randolin the Lusty was crowned Emperor Tybright the Returned, and order was restored to the Empire, which the church being given leave to carry on their magical research.
However, all great empires must fall. Six hundred years ago, a hero by the name of Dwail Shadowfoot declared himself High King, and lead a rebellion in the west which lead to the secession of western Engelain from Tyrannian rule, and the founding of the Free Kingdoms of Engelain. Some two hundred years after that, another freedom fighter by the name of Arran lead a revolt in the Seven States, similarly freeing them but tragically dying before he could take on the might of the Empire itself.
Since these tragic defeats, and two more unsuccessful wars to try and reclaim the Free Kingdoms, the Empire has been in a long, deep lull. Most of their outposts in the Great Plains were retaken by the centaurs, adding to the ruins that dot those lands. For the past few hundred years, the Empire has done little more than lick its wounds and bide its time- though there are rumours afloat that this is soon to change. It has been reported that skirmishes have broken out in west Romia, which borders the Empire, It is also apparent that they have sent an ambassador north to the ogre hills, escorted by a contubernium lead by Decan Martha, in order to gain some sort of alliance with the country of Og. If the Empire has simply been preparing all of this time, then we best hope the rest of the world is prepared as well.