[b]The Empire Vituum[/b]
The Empire is no more.
After significant success in countless campaigns, conquering new lands and subjugating or destroying other nations and races, the Empire collapsed under the weight of its own power.
Due to the political machinations of the Lord Regent to stay in power and continue the Imperial Crusade, the Empire was pressed on and on until the Imperial Regions were exhausted. Unfortunately, he miscalculated just how exhausted they were...and how exhausted they weren't. The last battle he directed was the defense of the Imperial Palace against the forces of the Empire, and the forces he commanded were but a few knights who faced worse at the hands of his enemies. In the end, his body was never recovered from the blast of magic that destroyed half the tower. But with his fall, fell the Empire...the Emperor himself had disappeared in the battle, a last act of his regent. With him out of the picture, the Emperor lacked the direction it had had for so long...the Brotherhood of Nations was stronger than it had ever been, and it was out for the blood of the foe that had hounded it for so long. They, combined with the power struggle to fill the void left by the missing Emperor, took back the territory they had lost and brought the Empire to a desperate defensive. They decided not to fight the Empire on its home territory though, and took up a vigil to ensure that the Empire never again rose to threaten them.
Now, after a hundred and sixty years, the Empire is nothing but a name for a collection of separate nations, still bound by old ways and systems, but divided by an empty throne and no intent of subjugating themselves to any of their peers. Half of the regions have deteriorated into mere shadows of their former selves, others stand and wave high the banner of an empire that only exists as a legend, waiting to rise again when someone unites the regions and sits upon the throne of the Emperor.