The Old Dominion was once the pinnacle of human achievement in Ea, a vast empire that unified diverse peoples under a single administrative and cultural framework. Its success was built on organisation, infrastructure, and a belief in the centrality of human civilisation.
Its fall was catastrophic and transformative. While accounts differ, it is widely understood that the Dominion’s leadership turned to forbidden practices, including necromancy and the manipulation of divine forces, in an attempt to preserve their power indefinitely.
This led to a divine response, often described as the intervention of Hazlia, a god associated with death and judgement. The result was not simply destruction but a transformation. Large portions of the population were turned into undead, bound in service to remnants of the old order.
The modern Old Dominion is not a cohesive empire but a haunted landscape populated by these remnants. Some retain fragments of their former identities, while others are little more than animated husks.
Their society, to the extent it can be called that, is structured around surviving leaders who wield necromantic power. These figures attempt to impose order, often recreating aspects of the old hierarchy in distorted forms.
The Old Dominion represents both a warning and a legacy. It is a constant reminder of what humanity once achieved and how it fell, and its existence continues to influence the politics and beliefs of every other human faction.
Tags: Decay, memory, hubris, empire, ruin, necromancy, divine punishment, lost glory; names are classical and imperial (Roman/Byzantine tone), often preserved in corrupted or archaic forms.