: Not to sound like an ass here, but my dictionary defines
: "province" thus: "1: a country or
: region brought under the control of the ancient Roman
: government
: 2 : an administrative district or division of a
: country"
: Both cases imply relation to a larger form of government.
: The people of the Province also seem rather enamoured
: of the Empire, given their praises of it. Sure, they
: might not have been members of the Empire, but they
: sure seemed to be in love with it. If it was 1800 and
: the British Empire suddenly flew to pieces, sure I
: might take note, but if I wasn't a member it probably
: wouldn't break my heart. I certainly wouldn't think
: myself audacious enough to rebuild it ala Alric.
: However, if they were members, then by right Alric and
: the entire populace of the West had a birthright to
: the Empire, and Alric is justifiably a successor, not
: an imitation.
: If nothing else, how did it get the name of the
: "Province" without having a superior power
: to be provincial to?
We dunno. I'd guess that at some point in the very distant past it was part of the Empire; probably it broke free during one of the Dark Ages.
However, GURPS confirms that for quite some time before the present the Province has been independent; in fact, historically (it says) the Province's King has been the one person whose power comes anywhere near balancing that of the Bruig Emperor.
The Province is enamoured of the Empire because it's an ally, it's culturally similar and it's big. When the Dark comes calling, it's usually the Empire that's the backbone of the Light defense. Provincials would regret the Empire's destruction as the loss of both their friends and a valuable shield and weapon against the Dark. If, I dunno, all of Europe had been battling undead from the Americas during the 1800s, the annihilation of the British Empire would be viewed as a grave matter indeed. :-)
--SiliconDream
