The Empire of Cyngar is a large empire to the east of Andora and is composed primarily of Dwarves, Gnomes, and Halflings. They are an empire of steam and innovation. As a people, they pride themselves on being stalwart, inventive, and loyal. They are the only Kingdom within the world of Sylvaris that has mastered the power of steam and thunder (black powder), and they protect this secret fiercely. The Empire of Cyngar is ruled by a Council of Three: The Lord of Innovation, the Lord of Supply, and the Lord of Protection. Each Lord on the Council of Three is tasked with a singular duty throughout the Empire.

The Lord of Innovation is charged with the advancement of the Empire-state. This could mean advancing its area of control, its production of goods, or its knowledge of steam and thunder. All of these advancements and more have been the focus of various Lords of Innovation. Traditionally, the Lord of Innovation has been chosen from among the Empire’s Gnomish Clans. The natural Gnomish aptitude for creating, refining, and innovating is a matter of pride for them. As such, they are a natural choice for the position.

The Lord of Supply is charged with the economic prosperity of the Empire. Their duty is to ensure the Empire has the materials it needs to supply its troops; that food is delivered to its armies and its people in need; that the mines are producing; that new resources are found; and, in many ways, to ensure the success of the Empire. The Lord of Supply is normally chosen from among the Empire’s Halfling Families due to their natural aptitude with resources and caring for people. There have been a few instances where another has been chosen to fill the position, but it is most often a Halfling.

The Lord of Protection is charged with the defense of the Empire. They oversee all matters of a military nature. They also work closely with the Lords of Supply and Innovation to make sure they operate within the means garnered by those positions. The Lord of Protection is most often a Dwarf due to their overprotective nature and population within the Empire (which happens to be the largest). It should be noted, though, that the position has been occasionally held by others, and there is even one recorded instance of the position being held by a Halfling tactician named Elwin Proudpot.

The Council of Three maintains a delicate balance. For instance; the Lord of Protection can request funds, goods, or materials for the military, but the decision to allocate such resources is at the discretion of the Lord of Supply. On the other hand, the Lord of Supply may need the military to deal with raids upon its mines or farms; or the Lord of Innovation may request the use of the military to test its newest steam device or to defend its production facilities.

Each Lord of the Council of Three oversees an Assembly consisting of one hundred members chosen from the various Principalities within the Empire. Each Assembly works within its particular jurisdiction – under its Lord – to help the Empire flourish. The position of Lord of the Council of Three is chosen from within the individual Assembly of that particular Lord, with a new Lord being chosen every decade on a 40-month rotating cycle. For example, should the Lord of Supply retire, perish, or have served for a full decade; a new Lord of Supply will be chosen by the Assembly of Supply. This balance has served the Empire of Cyngar for nearly a thousand years.

For the past two years, Cyngar has been in a brutal war with the Fibians that have invaded the Orcish lands to the north of Cyngar and pressed into the northern parts of Cyngar itself. The Orc tribes who have been fighting the Fibians even longer have founded an alliance and together were able to slow and eventually stop the Fibian advance.

The war has begun to take its toll. Innovation has slowed, food and supplies have become heavily rationed, and most of the Empire’s resources have been placed under the control of the Lord of Protection. As the war drags on, more and more power has shifted to the military in an effort to keep the Fibians at bay. It is rumored that the Lord of Supply has been tasked by their people to begin seeking outside assistance in meeting their growing needs…something which the mostly self-sustaining Empire has never needed to do in the past.