Welcome to Throne

[Superfluous Crow]

Some time since i last posted any setting material, and most of what i have posted hasn't really been that setting-specific, so I thought i would get down to writing one of my countries. The Empire of Throne is one of my major countries and after a year or so with me contemplating what it is and what it isn't I think I'm beginning to have a fairly good idea what i want for this country, and that is what i have written in this thread.

THRONE
Nestled between the mountains of the north and the waters of the Crossroad, bordering the isthmus that leads to Askandi, lies the once great Northern empire of Throne. A land of towering mountains, rocky hills, pine forests and fertile fields, Throne is both wild and civilized and is in many ways the bastion of civilization in the Northlands. Throne is far from as strong as it was in its golden age, when most of the North was under control of the Imperial Throne, but it is still one of the mightiest powers in the north only rivaled by Karkarem and the Cradle.

CITIES:
The main population is centered in three cities and their surrounding farmlands. Gethsemane is the capital: the seat of the Imperial House. It's an imposing and darkly beautiful city, full of war monuments, imperial propaganda, and impressive pieces of grandiose architecture, and the city is often referred to colloquially as the Black Pearl of the North. The other two major cities are Morram, center of industry and mining, located at the feet of the northern mountains, and Nagaepolis, an agricultural hub and border fortress, which is located further down the coast from Gethsemane.    

CULTURE:
Throne is an idealistic nation whose government and culture is built up around the teachings of the philosopher Melloren combined with the ancient rules of the harsh North. The most important concept is that every citizen has a specific role in the nation, a role which it is the Thronians national duty to fulfill. This should in theory lead to harmony and unity, which equals a strong nation. It also leads to a very rigid society: when your role has been chosen, it is almost impossible to change it. You can advance somewhat within your chosen field, but only to a certain degree.
The majority of the population has no problem with the rigid society: they were brought up to believe that they live in the perfect society, and they see no reason to doubt this. These proud and fervent nationalists are generally arrogant towards outsiders, seeing them as beings of a lower status than themselves. Even people of very low status often take pride in their professions; to them, their role is just as important and vital as all the other roles that make up the nation in its entirety.
There is a small group of people, though, who aren't too happy with the rigidity and the general fact that the government seems to be making most of their choices for them. These freedom-seekers live out their government-chosen roles, trying to hide their dislike of the system from the government because people of rebellious natures are generally hunted and either punished or 'removed'.  They are generally friendly towards strangers seeing in their freedom what they would like to have for themselves. These Thronians are also typically overly impulsive and stubborn, reveling in every single choice they get to make.  
The general belief that their nation is the strongest has lead to Throne being the instigator of many wars. The nearby kingdom of Karkarem has been their main adversary, and in the old days the borders often changed back and forth every few years. Nearly all nations have had some kind of conflict with Throne over the years though, and those who have defended themselves successfully earn the grudging respect of the Thronians. In addition to the general belief that their nation is strong Throne also believe in the Eidolon: demi-god of war and patron of Throne. In return for the spilt blood of enemies and a few ritual rites the Eidolon grants the Thronians strength and victory.

GOVERNMENT:
Although some lesser leader roles are filled through the standard testing procedures that all citizens go through, the highest leader roles are not part of that system. Leadership in Throne is based on three traits: Talent, charisma, and self-sacrifice. Although the latter might sound as the least important, it is many ways the most important of the traits as it doesn't as much deal with whether a person could lead as it deals with whether he should. Those who are willing to give up the most to lead their fellow citizens are the persons who are best qualified to lead as they do not seek the betterment of themselves but the betterment of the state.
The most powerful person in Throne is the Emperor (or Empress), who according with the self-sacrifice principle, has given up his entire life to become the personification of the state. He loses name, family, wealth, and everything else connected to his old persona. Instead he dons the mantle of the Emperor, forever hiding his mortal flesh behind the royal robes and the golden jewel-encrusted mask that serves as his crown.  Emperors have ultimate power and only answer to ancient laws and a unanimous in the Praesidium, the 300-man iron half-mask-wearing senate who serves as his Imperial Highness's advisors and as his voice when it comes to more menial government tasks.
Emperors are chosen by the previous emperor from a court of young candidates. The candidates are most often the well-educated sons and daughters of high-standing government officials or merchants, but sometimes the candidates are from poorer origins and have been chosen to attend the court because of unusual talent. The candidates are of such ages that they'll be between 16 and 25 years old when the Emperor reaches the age of 35 and therefore has to pass on his Mask. They are trained both at home and by Imperial Teachers, and those who don't become Emperors often become members of the Praesdium or gain other high positions. Other than the educational requirements, Candidates also undergo a series of morality tests, and they also have to remain abstinent from all types of stimulants and sex. If they are chosen to become the next Emperor they are trained personally by the old one for half a year before the old Emperor ritually kills himself in a ceremony called Era's End, and the new Emperor dons the robes and masks of the Emperor.  
The basic role of a citizen is decided during his first 18 years. Everyone has to pass at least four sets of tests, at ages 0 (physical tests), 6, 12, and 18. The first set of tests is merely to check whether the child has any obvious defects and would therefore have to be discarded, while the two next sets serve to specify what category of roles he belongs to. The last test places the person in his final role. All physical defects are removed from the population in this way, which leads to the only deformed people being those who have lost limbs in wars, and therefore dismembered people are somewhat admired for their courage and strength. The test sets are called Examinations and the people who oversee them are called Censors. They are the ones who decide peoples' roles and futures, and are therefore somewhat feared characters in Thronian society. They keep track of the citizens, especially those who haven't yet been assigned a role, looking for those who either stray from the path or those who show some kind of useful talent that might serve them better in a specific role. It is said that they keep a library with information about every single citizen, generally called the Index. Censors also employ the Cloaks, a group that takes care of the 'removal' of unhealthy elements in the society.  

HISTORY
Throne is only 113 years old, but has had a very successful past. It started its existence as the western province, Malloren, of the then-great Kingdom of Karkarem. The west was known for its fertile soil, and the peasants were therefore often exploited by their feudal lords, leading much dismay both among the peasants themselves and some of that days intellectuals. One such intellectual was Vaardal, a philosopher, statesman and former officer of some renown. Vaardal came from poor origins, and felt empathic for the suffering of the peasants, and having recently read the philosopher Melloren's work about the ideal organism-state, he decided to carve out a place of harmony, unity, and prosperity for him and his fellow westerners. Being an almost supernaturally inspiring and charming individual Vaardal gathered almost all peasants under his banner, along with a few other allies both among the military and his academic colleagues. The Karkarenian military sent a force to counter his insurrection, but in the almost mythical Battle of Kraufell Pass (sometimes simply known as the Battle of Throne), Vaardal's army beat the professional Karkarenian force. Knowing that he hadn't yet won the war, Vaardal proceeded to root out all who would oppose his new government. He then reinforced the border, bracing for the next attack, while setting up a temporary capital in Nagaepolis where he began writing the First Laws, the laws that serve as the foundation for the modern nation of Throne. Meanwhile, Vaardal's general, Kamor, had been training the army, so when the Karkarenians made the next push they weren't met by a peasant army, but by a semi-professional army specifically trained to counter Karkarenian military tactics. The victory was great, and Kamor decided to strike against a nearby fortress that served as the base of operations for Karkarenian military only to fall into an ambush and suffer a crushing defeat. Kamor was slain in the battle, and the army had been severely wounded, and Vaardal had to abandon Nagaepolis and move to Gethsemane, then but a small harbor-city. Meanwhile the Karkarenian army moved steadily closer. Vaardal reinforced the city the best he could, and sent a messenger to procure help from northern mercenaries, using funding he had acquired from nations who would like nothing better than to see an additional thorn in Karkarem's side. Before Vaardal gets an answer, the army is upon them and the siege of Gethsemane begins. After three months of barely keeping the army back, the Karkarenians breach the gate and the melee begins. Due to some incredible coincidence, the mercenaries arrive soon after, and even though outnumbered, Vaardal and the mercenaries use their flanking of the Karkarenian army to barely win the battle. This final battle leads to Karkarem surrendering their Western territories to Vaardal and his government. Vaardal instated himself as the first Emperor, and after choosing his predecessor a few years later he was said to mysteriously disappear overnight, never to be seen again.  

PLAYING A THRONIAN CHARACTER
Although thronians, as humans, come in all shapes and types, they do generally have some traits in common.  As stated before, Thronians come in two typical varieties: nationalists and freedom-seekers. Nationalists take great pride in their chosen role, and see themselves as an instrument of the greater good. Freedom-seekers, meanwhile, take pride in their choices, relishing every choice they get to make. This also makes them quite stubborn since changing your mind is somewhat the same as letting others take your choice for you. This also leads to them being somewhat impulsive at times, as they have a fervent belief in the rightness of their choice.

Now, i haven't gotten around to writing all down, but this should give you a good idea of what Throne is. I'm still missing out on modern history, but I'll get to that.

Questions:
1) Anything missing that you feel is necessary to know to "understand" a country?
2) Anything that comes off as over-the-top?
3) Anything that is inconsistent in some way?
4) Anything i should clarify/add some more text about?
5) Any general comments: good/bad? boring/cool? classic/original? etc.

[Wensleydale]

Hmm. It has a very original setup, I'll admit. It does seem a little over-the-top in a way, a very extreme meritocracy. It seems as if it would be somewhat impossible to actually administrate - all these tests, for example, are similar (in timing) to medical equivalents undergone by children in, say, the UK, and they're pretty difficult to accomplish even with modern technology and recording systems. Furthermore, I think... well... I think you're overestimating human nature here. Although there will always be a few patriots willing to sacrifice themselves for their country, power does have a nasty knack of driving people mad, or hungry for more. Why, with all the power of an Emperor, would one WILLINGLY then commit suicide at the age of 35 after training up your follower? You would have to be brainwashed from birth and convinced that, for example, if you did not commit suicide then... nasty things would happen, cause the gods say so. Or something.

[Steel General]

Interesting, have to read it again more closely when I get a chance to offer ny real opinions.

[Superfluous Crow]

I do see your point Wensley, and i admit this is not a perfect system, but i think its a valid and credible one.
To try and argument for why Emperors aren't going to go crazy with power all the time:
1) Candidates are chosen because they have traits that should make them less disposed to going crazy. And all kids are more or less brainwashed to believe in the system.
2) If the previous Emperor is a just and fair man, he will probably also choose a predecessor who is just and fair and not too power-hungry.
3) As said, a lot of self-sacrifice is involved: You have to be willing to give up a lot to gain the power, and most power-crazed people generally don't want to give anything up. (if you think they aren't giving enough up i can add more; you could remove all luxury except for the royal robe and mask for example.)
4) The Emperor can't go against the First Laws. If he breaks the laws he will not only be subject to punishment, which in some cases could be exile or death, but he would also have a tainted reputation for all eternity (bad emperors tend to be remembered for a long time; just look at the roman ones).
Of course, they will probably always have personal ambitions, but they'll have to be careful with how obviously they seek them fulfilled.
So does my argumentation make it more reasonable, or is it still semi-nonsense?

[Wensleydale]

I do see your point Wensley, and i admit this is not a perfect system, but i think its a valid and credible one.
To try and argument for why Emperors aren't going to go crazy with power all the time:
1) Candidates are chosen because they have traits that should make them less disposed to going crazy. And all kids are more or less brainwashed to believe in the system.
2) If the previous Emperor is a just and fair man, he will probably also choose a predecessor who is just and fair and not too power-hungry.
3) As said, a lot of self-sacrifice is involved: You have to be willing to give up a lot to gain the power, and most power-crazed people generally don't want to give anything up. (if you think they aren't giving enough up i can add more; you could remove all luxury except for the royal robe and mask for example.)
4) The Emperor can't go against the First Laws. If he breaks the laws he will not only be subject to punishment, which in some cases could be exile or death, but he would also have a tainted reputation for all eternity (bad emperors tend to be remembered for a long time; just look at the roman ones).
Of course, they will probably always have personal ambitions, but they'll have to be careful with how obviously they seek them fulfilled.
So does my argumentation make it more reasonable, or is it still semi-nonsense?

It makes sense. I'd just let a few rogue emperors slip in there somewhere in history. Emperors which have, obviously, been deposed and whose names are considered foul... but explain what happened to them, and what actually did happen.