Dwendalian Empire

The Dwendalian Empire is a nation on the continent of Wildemount, dominating the western half of the region of Wynandir. Founded thirteen generations ago, roughly 432 P.D., the empire has slowly encompassed territory of the continent and mainly minds itself.

The capital of the Dwendalian Empire is Rexxentrum, a massive city more than twice the size of Emon.

Marrow Valley
The Marrow Valley is a region under the control of the Dwendalian Empire. The town of Trostenwald is located here. It is also the location of Zadash, the geographic center of the Dwendalian Empire. The small town of Alfield lies between Trostenwald and Zadash. The Amber Road (nicknamed the "Golden Road") connects Zadash to Alfield and Trostenwald.

Zemni Fields
The Zemni Fields are a region under the control of the Dwendalian Empire.

Environment
The climate in the central part of the Dwendalian Empire is similar to that of the real world's Central Europe and Western Russia. Farther south is warmer.

Demographics
Trostenwald is a small town in the Marrow Valley, with Allfield to the north being even smaller. Zadash is the second-largest city in the Dwendalian Empire, being the center of not just the Marrow Valley, but also the entire empire.

As the Dwendalian capital, Rexxentrum is huge and massive. Compared to Tal'Dorei, Rexxentrum is twice the size of Emon.

Politics
The current king is King Bertrand Dwendal. By the time of the second campaign, King Bertrand is in his 68th year. His law is absolute throughout the kingdom.

Whether or not he created the law himself, King Bertrand enforced the kingdom's ban on necromancy, as he prepared to seize the estate and lands of Sylas and Delilah Briarwood once they had been accused of practicing the forbidden magic. The citizens appeared to greatly distrust the school of necromancy, as a mob razed the Briarwood homestead to the ground shortly after, leaving the couple assumed dead.

In exchange for protecting its citizens from chaotic horrors and shadowed evils beyond its borders, the crown of the Dwendalian Empire demands a tithe of what a citizen produces and earns, follow its laws, worship its gods, and bow to the installed local leadership (known as "Lawmasters", such as Norda in Trostenwald). This accord has led to a prosperous century, primarily for the Dwendalian political elite. Otherwise, most citizens of the Dwendalian Empire are left to their own devices. Tensions brew beneath the chafing watch of the Crownsguard.

Religion
Every temple in the Dwendalian Empire is government-owned and government-run. Religious practices are considered a social taboo, and the Empire looks down on divine magic with general disdain. Worship outside the approved idolatry is met with imprisonment.

Expansion
The Dwendalian Empire has slowly spread to encompass its neighbors. Namely, the peoples of the Zemni Fields and the Marrow Valley, before finally conquering the Julous Dominion (its most threatening rival at the time). Now, all of Western Wynandir is controlled by the Dwendalian Empire.

Zadash was the last remaining bastion of the previous government over the Marrow Valley. However, eventually it was conquered and the whole Marrow Valley became a province of the Dwendalian Empire. With the conquest of the Marrow Valley, Zadash is now the most central city and is the second largest city in the kingdom. Thus, this has made Zadash an important center for travel and trade.

Trivia

 * Matthew Mercer referred to the Amber Road as the "Golden Road" in the recap at the beginning of .  Since this is the only time the northward road is referred to as the Golden Road, this article assumes that the official name is the "Amber Road" and the "Golden Road" is a nickname.