People unfamiliar with Slothjemia might hear the word “empire” and think that this country is some vast conglomerate of lands, stretching across horizons and spanning continents. Well, they would be wrong. Slothjemia is only a few hundred miles across at any given point, and if it wasn’t smack in the middle of a turbulent region that is itself in a constant state of transition, it would be the sort of place one would go around and scarcely notice.

So, how is it then considered an empire? In the strictest definition, it fits. Slothjemia is a collection of formerly independent states under the rule of a single sovereign. It just so happens that all of these states were tiny to begin with, so collecting them together really didn’t end up being all that damned impressive. Kernschloss, for example, was just a city-state, controlling almost no territory beyond its walls. The Grey Alps was similarly situated, comprised solely of a pocket of extremely tall and rugged mountains. Barokovia was an independent duchy ruled by a cousin of Manfriedreich IV, and they merged when the cousin had no heir (at least not one that he liked). And Dreicounty, as its names suggests, had been ruled by three counts, puppets of Geldenreich that sought greater glory for themselves, who had started a war with Slothjemia and lost miserably when their northern allies refused to assist.

However, the last “jewel in the crown of the empire” was the gifting to Slothjemia of a small, sleepy fishing village in Forkanza by a group of nobles who wished to express their thanks for Slothjemian help in time of need. When Reichsha was still just an adventurous young woman, she and her party found themselves in the midst of a conflict between unruly pirates and the noble families of southern Forkanza. By siding with the nobles, Reichsha secured for Slothjemia a slice of the victory spoils, and the first “colony” was laid claim to in the form of the village of Manfredonia. When she ascended the throne, she did so not just as a queen, but as an empress.

As a matter of reference, Geldenreich is handily three times the size of Slothjemia, maybe even bigger. So why don’t more adventures ever start there? The answer is easy; Slothjemians always have more fun. Being the scrappy underdog drives a people to do better and achieve more, and this is never more apparent than it is in Slothjemia.