Northern Empire

Northern Empire at a glance

Lucon's Northern Empire is the senate-first shard of the old Calradian state: disciplined shieldwalls, elite cataphracts, and pragmatic politics aimed at restoring imperial order on their terms. Expect balanced combined-arms armies that can pressure both in sieges and in the field while leaning on influence-heavy decisions in the senate.

• Culture bonus favors militia and build speed, making early fortifications and siege engines easier to field—great when paired with Siege Warfare & Engineering.

• Borders put you between Sturgia and the Khuzait steppe; cavalry mobility and winter supply planning decide whether you can reinforce or raid in time. See Party Speed Explained for shaving hours off long marches.

• Vassals often sit on influence-rich senate votes; stack Charm/Leadership perks to swing policies toward cavalry pay and militia growth, then anchor your roster with Palatine Guards and Elite Cataphracts from the Imperial Troop Tree.

Map, borders, and safe movement

• Core holdings ring the northern lake, with roads that cut west toward Battania and east toward Khuzait horse country. River crossings near Epicrotea are your reliable choke points for raids and defensive sieges.

• Keep caravans hugging rivers and coastline to avoid open-steppe ambushes; detour south only when Khuzait wars are active. Link these notes with Kingdoms of Calradia if you need faction-by-faction route context.

• Winter slows everything—carry mules for cargo but prioritize horses on recruits to dodge the herd penalty when snow hits. Drop back to Army Cohesion and Influence Use if you need to refresh armies mid-campaign.

Cities, markets, and early money

• Epicrotea sits on a trade artery that feeds fur, hardwood, and fish; breweries or wood workshops thrive here. Coastline ports make great start points for caravans once you have a vetted companion—pair this with Influence & Policies to keep caravan safety laws active.

• Early quests: gang leader needs help, escort caravans, and clearing nearby hideouts give fast relation bumps. Use them to unlock higher-tier recruits without overextending.

• First caravan path: Epicrotea → Pravend grain run → Amprela hardwood return; stay west when the Khuzait front is hot. For faster leveling and armor, ride tournaments around imperial towns and reference Best Infantry Units to pick prizes worth keeping.

Lore, politics, and the senate

• Lucon pushes a senate-first restoration, which means more votes and more influence churn than the monarchy-leaning Southern Empire or war-council-driven Western Empire.

• Policies to watch: Imperial Town Guard (great for militia), Royal Guard (bigger party), and Senate loyalty laws that temper rebellion risk. Influence-rich nobles expect battlefield wins—feed them cohesive campaigns rather than scattered raids.

• If you plan to splinter later, line up fiefs with contiguous borders and bank influence to brute-force your exit votes. The Empire breaks down civil-war dynamics if you need the broader picture.

Troop roster and battlefield roles

• Imperial Legionary: Premier shieldwall tank. Pair with pila/throwing spears for opening volleys and park them on high-ground lines to blunt cavalry. Great core for any mixed army.

• Imperial Palatine Guard: Hybrid archer/spear; excels in loose formation behind legionaries. They double as anti-cav finishers on walls during sieges.

• Imperial Elite Cataphract: Hammer of the faction—slow to level but devastating on downhill charges. Keep them in wedge for the first hit, then follow command to pull back and re-form; read Party Speed Explained to ensure enough spare horses to avoid herd slowdowns.

• Auxiliaries & mercs: Empire lacks elite shock infantry, so consider hiring Sturgian two-handers or Battanian Falx troops through prisoners or mercenary contracts. Check Army Cohesion and Influence Use for paying the influence upkeep when mixing clans.

• Use the Imperial Troop Tree to plan upgrade materials; warhorses bottleneck cataphracts—stash them early.

Playing as a Northern Empire captain

• Early game (Clan Tier 1–2): Farm looters on riverbanks, join nearby tournaments, and buy a cheap brewery. Recruit infantry core first; cavalry eats wages before you can pay them. Grab a scout companion to offset snow penalties.

• Mid game (Tier 3–4): Start leading small armies in regional wars. Build siege engines faster thanks to the culture perk; batter down neighboring castles with 2 trebuchets + 2 onagers. Rotate armies often to preserve cohesion—details in Siege Warfare & Engineering.

• Late game (Tier 5+): Choose: stay loyal for senate backing or break away. If loyal, push policies that buff militia and cavalry stipends. If leaving, secure two contiguous towns plus food-rich villages; your first war will hit immediately.

• Loadouts: Commander build = one-handed sword + shield + pilum + fast horse with moderate armor; frontline captain = menavlion or mace/board with lamellar armor. Reference Best Infantry Units when picking bodyguard squads.

Fighting against the Northern Empire

• Break the cataphract punch: Bring spears/pikes in tight square or line; throw javelins before impact. Cavalry is expensive—killing a few swings wage pressure fast.

• Starve and stall: Their siege perk helps on offense, but food variety penalties hit equally hard. Raid grain villages and deny herd animals to cut party speed.

• Outshoot Palatines: High-armor archers (e.g., Fians) can win long trades. Use terrain ridges, then push once their ammo dips.

• Ambush routes: Forested passes north of the lake let you spring traps. Horses suffer in snow—time winter wars to slow cataphracts dramatically. For composition tweaks, see Best Infantry Units and Party Speed Explained.

Diplomacy, influence, and policy plays

• Prioritize influence perks in Charm/Leadership to keep senate votes cheap. Rotate between donating prisoners and winning even small skirmishes to top up influence trickle.

• Favor policies that lower cohesion decay and raise militia; pair with Influence & Policies for a full list. When campaigning, call fewer clans but refresh cohesion often (see Army Cohesion and Influence Use).

• If you're the one fighting Lucon, be ready to spend to flip votes toward peace; open bribe paths are quicker than endless sieges.

Build templates to copy

• Senate Whip (support commander): 3 Vigor / 6 Control / 6 Social / 5 Int; perks focused on Leadership, Charm, Bow for Palatine synergy. Runs cheap horse, light armor, keeps distance in battles.

• Cataphract Warlord: 6 Vigor / 4 Control / 5 Endurance / 5 Social. Gear: heavy lamellar, long lance, mace for captures, shield, imperial charger. Your job is decisive flank charges on wavered lines.

• Engineer-Quartermaster hybrid: 4 Vigor / 5 Control / 5 Endurance / 6 Int. Carries crossbow for sieges; sits in Siege Warfare & Engineering engines queue while keeping Steward perks active for party size.

When to form your own state

• Push for independence once you hold two towns sharing villages and have 300k+ denars for garrisons. Use The Empire to anticipate which imperial cousin will declare war first.

• Before declaring, stack food variety and horses to outrun counter-raids. Move elite cataphracts into a compact strike stack while legionaries guard your new capital.

• If you're opposing them instead, time a two-front pressure: one army raids while another besieges, forcing Lucon's influence burn and collapsing senate cohesion.

Quick checklist

• Stable economy: caravan + workshop running; food stocks for sieges.

• Troops: 40% legionary core, 25% Palatine Guards, 20% Elite Cataphracts, 15% auxiliaries/mercs.

• Policies: Royal Guard + militia buff; vote no on influence drains unless preparing to secede.

• March routes: follow rivers/coasts unless chasing looters; avoid steppe in winter.

• Siege posture: two trebs + onager defense; rotate cohesion every 1–2 days in long pushes.