The Empire of Reimia (3)

Contrary to popular belief, I actually liked the concept of Thiaral.

As a concept, I think Thiaral is one of the best. And I still sometimes go to the first page just to admire the setting. But otherwise, you're right; despite having a very good foundation, it didn't have a chance for full development due to the reasons mentioned above.

because I'm not interested in the "old" game format – time only moves forward.

Do you mean you're not interested in it at all, or just in this particular world?
Frankly, I'm not a fan of widespread firearms and modernity in general, but since we haven't really had such settings yet, a fresh idea might be better than tired old ones.

Regarding Rinze – if we go into comparisons and detailed analysis, we can end up with a depressing and uninteresting discussion, but in general, I can say that as a well-developed and interesting character, she definitely turned out well in your version. Of course, as with everyone else, I probably have my own ideas in my head about what rulers worthy of such achievements should be like, so the main thing here is to convey your idea to the players.