Empire of Spawn

The Most Holy, Serene, and Great Empire of Spawn was an empire consisting of holdings all across the known and unknown Realm. One of the longest lasting nations it existed from ~1000 BE to 2020 AD. As well as one of the longest existing, it was also one of the largest, controlling territory on both Cal's Realm and Ben's Realm.

Founding (~1000 BE)
The documented history of the Empire extends only as far back as around 700 BE. But according to legends, a man descended from the heavens upon the village of Spawn and granted gifts to every citizen in return for being lorded over. At first the people did not agree but the deity then demonstrated his ability to slay any man with only the lift of a finger. The people allowed him to become their lord and he ordered the people to build a massive palace upon a mountain. As soon as this was done, he identified himself to the people as 01brickman00 and declared the village an Empire.

Early History (700 BE)
The first 300 years of the Empire are shrouded in mystery. The few archeological sites which have been found show that the Empire likely rapidly expanded through the surrounding area. The first written documents that have been found tell tales of plentiful crops and livestock. They also tell of the exploits of the various Emperors which had reigned. The most important event of this time was the conquering of the neighboring Kingdom of Tueta which brought the Teuton language and religion into the Empire. Emperor bencool004 from Teuta was the first emperor to reign who was not from The City of Spawn. Under bencool, the Empire experienced unprecedented prosperity and controlled vast amounts of territory. The last Emperor to reign who came from Teuta was the son of bencool004, bencool005. Surviving records show the Empire floundered under his rule and there is evidence to suggest a large famine swept the Empire under him.

Pax Imperium (100 BE)
The contested period that began with 15brickman01's rule is generally regarded as the Pax Imperium ("Imperial Peace"). During this period, the Empire experienced a degree of stability that it had never experienced in its around 900 year history. 16brickman02 has been credited as expanding the Empire to its territorial peak in 49 BE when it controlled roughly 5% of the entire world. During this period around the turn of the millenia, Ebako of Poopareth was born in the Imperial Province of East Afrika. He went on to found and preach for the religion of Ebakianity, the largest religion as well as the base of other religions on the Realm.

The death of Ebako at the hands of a Spawnish governor caused mass unrest including many revolts that shook the Empire to its core. Some consider this to be the end of the era of Pax Imperium, however, the short length of the revolts themselves as well as the lack of territorial changes leads the majority of historians to rebut this point by proclaiming the end of the Pax Imperium to be somewhere in the third century, usually 213 AD. This is because of the loss at the Battle of Mount Poop under General bencool013. Due to the loss of the territory of Mt. Poop, food production took a severe hit and a famine swept the Empire killing as many as three million.

Age of Stagnation (200 AD)
After the famine of 213, the civil service of the Empire took a severe decline and many buildings and roads were allowed to decay. The policies of 18brickman01 attempted to combat this issue and others but made little dent in the massive debt and many other problems, most notably invading Japanese hordes. During this time, the territory of the Empire expanded very little, some historians even claiming it to have substantially receded due to the numerous territorial revolts, culminating in several gaining independence. Many contemporary observers proclaim that the Empire was on the course of collapse. This era is recognized to end with the crowning of 19brickman03 and his reforms.

Golden Age (300 AD)
The Golden Age of the Empire was the longest age of the Empire, lasting roughly 1000 years from 300 AD to 1300 AD from the crowning of 20brickman02 to the death of 48brickman05. During this time, arts and culture in the Empire flourished with some of the most famous works of art on the Realm being created. Many military victories were also won in this time. The most important being the victory at the Second Battle of Mount Poop, which had been lost in 213 AD. With the recapture of Mt. Poop, food security was greatly increased and the population exploded from under 20 million in 915 AD to over 35 million in 925 AD. In 1290, the Second Kingdom of Teuta was captured and incorporated. The era is viewed as ending with the death of 48brickman05 and the ascension of his son, 49brickman10.

The Great Betrayal (1300 AD)
The Great Betrayal is the shortest period in Imperial history, lasting for just 10 years from the crowning of 49brickman10 to his death. 49brickman10 is widely viewed as the worst emperor in the history of the Empire. During his ten years on the throne, he implemented a disastrous farming quota system and declared his intention to "clean up the Empire" by ordering the deaths of tens of thousands of beggars, freed slaves, and homeless citizens. He ordered entire villages razed to the ground. The Great Betrayal killed somewhere between 500,000 and one million Imperial subjects. 49brickman10 was captured and beheaded by a mob of angry townspeople during a visit to a small village.

The Second Age of Stagnation (1310 AD)
The Second Age of Stagnation was a long second period of stagnation lasting from 1310 to around 1932. Starting with the crowning of the Empire's only Empress; daughter of 49brickman10, 50brickfemoid01. She ruled from 1310 to 1348. Her reign was average with her only act to speak of being the reversal of her father's farming reforms. For about 700 years, the Empire stagnated with little to no territorial or scientific growth. The only major conflict in this period occurred when the Principality of New Free Derry invaded and briefly captured New Rawabi in 1896 during the Four Years War. The age is agreed to end around 1932 with the crowning of 69brickman05 as Emperor.

Scientific Age (1932 AD)
The Empire underwent a significant change from 1932 onward with many new technologies and medical advances. A civic focus on science and progress rather than faith and tradition occurred as many citizens considered the latter to be the cause of stagnation. The age began with the crowning of 69brickman05. Along with one of the most popular, he was one of the longest serving of the Emperors, reigning for 60 years from 1932 to his death in 1992. During his reign, he instituted many reforms which transformed the Empire from a mostly agrarian society to a largely industrial one. This age ended around 2018 with the crowning of 70brickman05 as emperor.

Collapse (2018 AD)
Up to that point, 70brickman05 was the youngest emperor ever crowned at 19 years old. Under his rule, the Empire began to splinter and large scale protests soon broke out across the Empire. He used the Imperial Army and Police to violently quell these riots, leading to even more opposition. On January 17th, 2020, a group of anarchist gunmen stormed the Imperial Palace and murdered 70brickman05. They then broadcasted a pre-recorded message declaring the Empire to be over and all territories to be free of Imperial control. A young army officer (and in line for the throne) at the time, 77brickman05, seized the opportunity, capturing several islands and forming the GTR.

Legacy
The Empire is remembered fondly by many people as a pacifying and civilizing force to the Realm. However, many people view it as a murderous and colonial regime responsible for the deaths of millions. The culture, technologies, religions, and languages formed in the Empire still flourish today. The system of BE (Before Ebako) and AD (After Death) was created in the Empire as was the Imperial calendar system. Many members of the Imperial family are still alive today. The most famous being 77brickman05, current President of the GTR.