Shem: Conquered Continent, the Empire of the Seven Continents
Shem is one of the seven continents that make up the Empire of the Seven Continents, the setting for the Imperial Saga. The Empire is composed of seven continents, three of which are considered allied, and four of which are considered conquered. Check out the Imperial Saga hub for more details about the series, the characters, and the world!
Much of the art and all of the music on this page is AI. Everything is clearly labeled. See my AI policy for more details.
Basic Information
- Capital City: Shalot
- Population (civilian): 78 million
- Population (military): 3.5 million
- Discovered in 271 AE
- Joined the Empire in 281 AE
- Ruled by King Victor and Queen Maria
- Represented by Trenn, advisor to the Emperor
The government is an elected monarchy, with the election held among a group of Imperial citizens chosen from the conquered continents. As a result, the ruler is essentially chosen by the Emperor. King Victor was put in place in 346 AE, and after two years evaluating the potential dangers, his partner Maria, the strongest weaver in Shem, was formally recognized as Queen of Shem alongside her now-husband.
Eternal Night
The most notable aspect of Shem is its darkness. For reasons that no one fully understands, the sun is barely visible in Shem, and while it’s possible to track the sun’s movement across the sky, and it’s clear that the plants and animals receive the sun’s light normally, people experience the world as if in constant night. Day is slightly lighter than the ebony nights, but everyone not native to the continent is almost entirely reliant on the vast network of electric lights that make the cities as bright as day and track the complex highway system reaching across the continent.
The Shem People
The Shem share most characteristics with those from the other continents except Kaehlar, with the biggest difference being their skin color, which is colorless and ranges from light to dark gray. They also have superb night vision due to the constant darkness.
Certain Shem are born with the ability to weave shadows, known as weavers, and are described in more detail below as they are a valuable and unique class of people widely feared outside of Shem.
Citizens of Shem can apply for residency in any of the other continents and are considered full citizens of the Empire. Many have been part of the Imperial court for multiple generations, and only the Shem remaining on the continent are considered troublemakers.
Theme Song for Shem
Lyrics and art by ChatGPT. Music by Suno. Arranged by Anne Winchell.
A Brief History
The Emperor discovered Shem in 271 AE, when Shem was divided in six nations. While at first some nations were more open to the Emperor’s overtures, the Emperor’s determination that they would give up their status as an independent continent bothered enough of them that they managed to unite against the Empire in the 272 AE Declaration of Unity that sparked a war that lasted for nine years as the Empire spread across the continent with a massive army led by dragon knights. Shem was eventually forced into the Empire in 281 AE, and a democratic monarchy was put in place to give the Shem people some semblance of independence. However, the Emperor essentially chose the ruler by tipping the scales of each election.
In 312 AE, Shem had a major rebellion known as the Dusk Rebellion that successfully overthrew the monarch at the time and coordinated massive sabotage of the power grid, resulting in blackouts that lasted months in some cases. Only those with Shem ancestry were able to see without the aid of flashlights, and outsiders were quickly and silently dealt with. The army had little recourse until the dragon knights were brought in, using the dragon’s fire to cast enough light to attack the people. Unfortunately, the dragons also burned numerous civilians as they had to illuminate areas packed with people in order for the army to properly engage with the enemy.
Power was partially restored in less than a month, though some areas remained dark for over a year. With some power, the Empire retook control, rounding up everyone suspected of being connected to the rebellion and branding with a dragon on their left hands to mark them as traitors and make their lives more difficult.
Because of the dragon knight’s efficiency, the revolution went underground rather than provoking open rebellion. The rebels who survived and escaped being branded continue to build up their influence, and the Emperor is always watching out for signs of the next rebellion.
In 346 AE, children of the Dusk Rebels orchestrated the Midnight Blackout, a partial blackout that at first looked like the beginning of another Dusk Rebellion. The Empire acted swiftly to move in dragon knights and additional soldiers, primarily soldiers with Shem blood who could see in the darkness but were loyal to the Empire.
Power was restored with minimal fighting, and those behind the blackout were caught and arrested as terrorists. Because of their young age, Maren, the High Commander of the Dragon Knights, insisted that they receive a short sentence and no lasting penalty as a result of their actions. The Emperor agreed, and the terrorists served hard labor for three years and were then released. They remain under surveillance but suffer no other consequences.
At the end of the Midnight Blackout, the ruling Queen stepped down. The Emperor chose King Victor to lead the continent due to his promises and demonstrated ability to get the people under control. He held sway with even the rebels because of his marriage to Maria, the strongest weaver on the continent.
At first, the Emperor agreed to Victor as the King but refused to allow Maria to have any role in government. As unrest began to grow once more, Maren recommended he allow it in order to avoid a repeat of the various uprisings plaguing Shem. In 348 AE, Maria was officially recognized as Queen and co-ruler along with her husband.
Queen Maria quickly became the power behind the throne, but she maintains an outward appearance of obedience to the Emperor, and she will take action to calm her people when they threaten the Empire’s interests. She’s widely respected and beloved by the people.
There is now an extremely heavy military presence on Shem, but carefully timed blackouts can still cripple the Imperial army and any dragon knights who don’t have Shem blood, so most people associated with the Empire only go to protected areas or go out in groups for safety. The dragon knights officially refuse to use dragon fire on Shem again, with Maren personally assuring Queen Maria of this every time a minor uprising has cropped up in the thirty years since the Midnight Blackout, but they are all aware that too large an uprising will leave the dragon knights with no choice but to retaliate.
Theme Song for the Dusk Rebellion
Lyrics and art by ChatGPT. Music by Suno. Arranged by Anne Winchell.
Mythology
According to myth, there was a Great War ages ago where two powerful witches, Vita and Flora, decided to steal the light of the sun and banish Nyctoria, the Goddess of Shadows, because they believed themselves above shadows. The two reached for the sun at the same time, and the light was shattered into fragments that were used as light magic. The two witches continued to light the land, but they were furious at each other because now neither was strong enough to wipe out Nyctoria. They attacked each other using light magic, brilliantly illuminating and coloring the continent. In one climatic battle, the Rafeven mountains which run dead center down the length of the continent erupted from the class. Their attacks began to drain the land, and life slowly lost its color, becoming gray and white as the light magic also began to run dry. Bitter and resentful of each other, neither witch was prepared to join with the other to restore light magic to its proper place. Instead, both secretly reached out to Nyctoria, seeking her help to defeat the other witch. Nyctoria was said to be able to weave the shadows to do anything, and they wanted to curse each other so that they wouldn’t be able to use light magic ever again.
Seeing the chance to take power for herself, Nyctoria agreed to help both. When they struck each other one final time, thinking they would send their opponent to a cursed fate while gaining ultimate power, both witches became cursed by the shadows, and Nyctoria took power. Not wanting any future threats, she banished all light magic, and in doing so, banished light itself, but only for the humans who were foolish enough to misuse it. The innocent animals and plants were allowed light. Nyctoria became widely praised and worshipped, and she granted her ability to weave shadows into curses to the weavers, a class of people set apart from the rest of Shem society. Prophecies speak of the two witches someday reclaiming power and bringing back the light. Some stories say that they will be humbled and work in tandem with Nyctoria to care for the land and people responsibly. Some say it will reignite the Great War and start things all over.
However, most Shem are agnostic, and there is no organized religion or set of religious beliefs that characterizes the people. There are pockets of belief, but most people just accept the stories of old as an explanation for the strange darkness and view it as a warning not to interfere with deities, so they don’t. The weavers are highly respected and often referred to as children of Nyctoria, but they don’t hold any religious significance or require any religious offering in exchange for their gifts.
Weavers and Curses
Weavers generally weave their curses in advance, pulling on the shadows and tying it to their own life force to create curses ranging from the mild inconvenience up to death itself, and then transmit the curse through touch. Those not from Shem avoid touching weavers at all costs, and even among the Shem, such a thing is not done lightly. The most deadly curse is the death curse, and there are varying levels that it can be accomplished at, though it needs a very skilled weaver. Curses can be unwoven by a weaver who is of the same skill level as the one who wove the curse or higher. So if a weaver curses someone with a death curse, it’s possible for a stronger weaver to undo it if they can act in time.
Weaving curses uses trace amounts of a weaver’s life force, shortening their lives, and unweaving curses uses considerably more, especially for more potent spells. When a person asks a weaver to create a curse for them, they have to offer sacrifices and goods commiserate with the amount of life the weaver will have to lose in order to create it, and if they’re asking a weaver to unweave something, they have to offer even more.
Curses are divided into two types: fast-acting or slow. Fast curses will go into effect immediately, though they can be delayed by a few hours, and slow curses will take a long time to complete, up to two weeks. Curses are not effective after that point. Those who fear the weavers know that if they’re touched by a weaver and survive two weeks, they haven’t been cursed.
Theme Song for Weavers
Lyrics and art by ChatGPT. Music by Suno. Arranged by Anne Winchell.
Created by NightCafe and ChatGPT