Location from Azarinth Healer by Rhaegar
The oldest and largest human empire on Elos — powerful, corrupt, and held together by an Empress who's smarter than the nobles scheming against her.
The Empire of Lys is what happens when a civilization persists long enough to accumulate both power and rot in equal measure. It's one of the oldest countries on the Plains, founded during the era of the Azarinth Order and Shadow's Hand. The noble houses run the empire as much as the Empress does — blood magic, political assassination, and strategic marriage are standard tools of governance. The Empire survived a Baralia invasion, allowed Ravenhall to secede (pragmatism over pride), and continues to project power across the Plains through a combination of military strength, economic influence, and the Immortal Guards — Alyris's personal champions, each one a weapon of mass destruction in humanoid form. For most citizens, the Empire means taxes, conscription, and the distant awareness that powerful people are making decisions that affect their lives. For nobles, it means a constant game of advancement and survival. For Shadows and adventurers, it means contracts, political entanglements, and the ever-present question of whose side you're actually on.
A vast political entity spanning the eastern Human Plains, marked by walled cities, Imperial roads, and a bureaucratic infrastructure that touches every settlement from the capital Virilya to frontier border posts. Imperial banners — the colors and sigil of Lys — fly from every government building, guard post, and noble estate.
Also known as: Lys, The Empire