Difference between revisions of "Final Empire"

The '''Final Empire''' was the major state on [[Scadrial]] for over 1000 years.{{cite}}

After returning from the Well of Ascension, Rashek impersonated Alendi,{{wob ref|3502}} and bribed several monarchs into supporting him by giving them beads of [[lerasium]].{{wob ref|8001}} He then conquered, killed, or suborned his remaining rivals, and founded the Final Empire, proclaiming himself the Lord Ruler. He ruled over his empire for another millennium. {{cite}}

[[Kelsier's crew]] planned the [[Skaa rebellion]], resulting in the fall of the Final Empire. The empire fractured into several competing kingdoms, but eventually consolidated under [[Elend Venture]]'s [[New Empire]].{{cite}}

The lands surrounding the Central Dominance, which held the capital, [[Luthadel]], contained the seven [[Ashmounts]]; Tyrian, Zerinah, Faleast, Doriel, Morag, Kalling and Torinost. These seven mountains spewed ash into Scadrial's atmosphere, cooling the world down. This was the [[Lord Ruler]]'s solution to his alterations of the planet's orbit.{{cite}}

Canals were used extensively, as the ash built up quickly away from civilization.{{cite}}

The Lord Ruler suppressed most technological advances, killing everyone who discovered gunpowder and the knowledge associated with it.{{epigraph ref|mb3|28}} He did allow some advances such as the implementation of canneries, allowing for the easy storage of food.{{cite}} The currency includes [[Boxing]]s and [[Clip]]s.{{cite}}

The empire had a standing army around [[Luthadel]] including a number of garrisons. The [[Luthadel]] Garrison consisted of twenty thousand troops, mostly skaa, and many of the smaller towns in the [[Central Dominance]] had smaller Garrisons of their own, such as [[Valtroux]] and [[Holstep]].{{cite}} There is also a substantial army of koloss who can be under the control of the [[Lord Ruler]] or a remote [[Inquisitor]]. The [[Canton of Inquisition]] itself is trained to have formidable warriors, each member more than capable of overcoming any target. Presumably the openly [[Allomancy|Mistborn]] and [[Misting]] [[Noble]]s can be required to form a militia under the Lord Ruler's command at any point. The Noble houses themselves operate guardsmen, militias and armies when necessary. In addition to this the Lord Ruler can field any of the [[kandra]] as covert operatives with the ability to accurately imitate and replace any target who'swhose skeleton is available.{{cite}}

The descendants of the people who originally supported the Lord Ruler during his rise to power are now the nobility of the Final Empire.{{cite}} The Lord Ruler and his allies had access to beads of [[lerasium]], and gained Allomantic powers. Because of this, certain nobles gain the use of Allomancy. There is a wide range of nobles, from the high houses to the impoverished, but even the lowest noble is still higher than the highest skaa.{{cite}}

Skaa descend from people who did not support the Lord Ruler. When he ascended, the skaa were changed so they were more fertile. Skaa cannot become Allomancers unless they have noble blood recently in their lineage. Skaa are essentially slaves, property for nobles to exchange between them. The best-off skaa will be craftsmen or tradesmen. Them and their families will live in relative comfort, but this happens very rarely for skaa.{{cite}}

The atium economy acts as one of the many ways the [[Lord Ruler]] takes a firm hold on the Final Empire. Its scarcity, along with its godly Allomantical power, makes atium an extremely valuable currency; a small bead being proportional to the cost of living for a skaa over several years. Compared to other precious but practically useless metals, however, it does have one practical use in Allomancy. {{cite}}

The only place atium can be mined is at the [[Pits of Hathsin]], where skaa criminals are sent to work as punishment for their crimes until death. A [[noble]] house is in charge of the profitable mining camp, with [[House Venture]] being the last House to oversee the operation before the destruction of the mine. The fact that atium is mined here is kept top-secret. Not a single prisoner has escaped before [[Kelsier]], hence his nickname "the Survivor of Hathsin". {{cite}}

[[Kandra]] are known to only accept atium for their service. Their "contract", purchased with steep prices, provides the [[Kandra]]'s absolute loyalty and their powerful imitating skills. However, the fulfilling of Contracts actually has another purpose. All the atium they earn is brought to their Homeland where it is stockpiled in a metal vault, the Trust. They do this on account of their [[First Contract]] with the [[Lord Ruler]]. For atium is condensed power of Ruin, by storing it in a place where Ruin has no influence, they deny him access to a part of his power.{{cite}}

With enough atium, a Mistborn with its future-seeing ability is almost invincible. At the time of the Final Empire, the only known way to counter it is to have more atium than your opponent. The result of an atium match is almost always fatal for the one with less amount of atium. Therefore, it is essential for the Noble Houses, especially the Great Houses with one or more Mistborn, to maintain a steady supply of atium. The atium has to be bought from the [[Lord Ruler]] with very high prices. Usually, the uncertainty of who has the more atium forms a balance of terror, making none of the sides dare to start burning atium.{{cite}}

The Lord Ruler [[Compound]]s [[atium]] to gain access to near-infinite amount of youthfulness. As he ages, though, he needs more and more atium to keep him stay young.{{wob ref|3923}} It is unknown how much atium he eventually needs to consume at the last years of the Final Empire.