[b] -Faction name:[/b] The Imperishable Empire of Azar [b]-Faction Type:[/b] Empire [b]-Flag/Banner:[/b] [url=http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/8/86/Eye_of_Horus_Green2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20121012175913]The Eye of Azar sees all, knows all.[/url] [u] NATIONAL[/u] [b]-Capital:[/b] [url=http://aetherforce.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Fan_Ming_01.jpg]Irem, City of Pillars[/url] [b]-Government Type:[/b] Absolute Monarchy [b]-Currency:[/b] The common peoples of Azar barter and trade for goods and services, but the state currency is the Hedj, silver coins backed by the Pharaoh's banks of grain and water. [b]-Population:[/b] 4 million, roughly. [b]-Unique Trait #1:[/b] Resource Rich: The reach of Azar is great and powerful, as they lay claim to the few remaining fertile rivers and oasis that are left in Azoth. Fresh, clean water is a prized yet accessible commodity, and is used to irrigate the great grain fields that branch off of the waterways of Azar. Grain is plentiful (though heavily taxed), as are other natural crops such as papyrus, sugarcane, flax and various fruits and legumes. Rare metals, minerals and gems can be found in mines that burrow beneath Azar, and even an Ichor spring and Spice refinery are jealously guarded by the God-King. Even more secret and precious are the relics of archaeo-tech hoarded by the Pharaoh in his personal vaults. [b]-Unique Trait #2:[/b] (Created by me) [b]-Unique Flaw #1:[/b] Vast Bureaucracy: Azar is large, but as well it is ponderous and unwieldy. The Pharaoh exerts his power through a complex system of clerks, accountants and advisors, which dulls his influence at the population level. Corruption is common in government officials, who frequently siphon funds and resources for their own personal benefit. [b]-Unique Flaw #2:[/b] (Created by me) [u] GEOGRAPHICAL[/u] [b]-World-Realm Map:[/b] [b]-Major Cities:[/b] The founding cities of Azar are situated over deposits of archaeo-tech that were quickly conquered and fortified by the earliest dynasties of the empire. Metropoli such as Maakep, Mesenebu, Seshahebsu, Sumenet and Tefaabhi sit along the riverways of Azar and serve as centers of politics, culture and commerce for their surrounding regions. [b]-Major Castles:[/b] Most cities in Azar are formed with the intention of being bastions against invasion. Most house a contingent of royal soldiers aside from its standard city guard, and are dedicated to the protection of surrounding villages and farms. [b]-Buildings of Interest:[/b] The ancient cities of Azar are filled with awesome displays of the wealth and power of the empire, in the form of huge monuments and tombs dedicated to its deceased God-Kings. Many of these structures are in fact ruins of the Old Ones, which themselves have been "entombed" by the reverent Azarites. [b]-Geographic Features of Interest:[/b] Irem itself is positioned over the Stygian Delta, a fertile expanse of land where the mighty River Styx meets the Great Inland Sea. The many branching waterways that flow into the Styx are the lifeblood of Azar, which jealously guards and regulates their waters. [u]RACIAL[/u] [b]-Majority Race:[/b] Simple humans make up the vast majority of Azarites, known in their tongue as Remet ("weeping ones"). [b]-Majority Race Appearance:[/b] An empire as vast as Azar contains numerous different ethnic groups and subcultures, and so its citizens vary in appearance by some degrees. Skin tones range from near-pitch to lighter, dusky hues, and hair types range from smooth and flowing gold, to thick, kinky earthshades. Azarites are not known for their particular size, beauty or other outstanding features, and based on physique alone are rarely distinguishable from other human populations of Azoth. [b]-Majority Race Characteristics:[/b] Azarites are not a particular remarkable people. While they fare in the desert better than some, they are generally a simple, hard-working folk, content to live and work with the tides of the rivers, under the watchful eye of their God-King. [b]-Minority Races:[/b] As mentioned before, Azar is vast and its peoples are many. Nearly any race of Azoth can be counted among the population of Azar (save for Ghul and Magekin, which are traditionally culled), though there are some that are unique to the empire. The God-Kings of Azar are the sole members of a peculiar subspecies of human, known as the Shaniatu. These beings claim to the the direct descendants of the Old Ones, "creatures born of the stars, shaped from fire as mere humans are shaped from earth." They generally resemble humans in shape, though the average Shaniatu stands head-and-shoulders above a normal human. The most remarkable of their features is their uncanny, inhuman beauty, which is said to cause the uninitiated to weep with joy at the sight of them. They move with impossible grace, as though traversing angles unseen by human eyes, and have the strength and speed of ten men. They grow no hair naturally, and their skin tone can appear as darkest ebony or as shimmering gold depending on the light. While they can interbreed with normal humans, most Shaniatu prefer to breed with their own kind, which due to their dwindling numbers over many generations has resulted in endemic inbreeding and numerous genetic defects. Pureblood Shaniatu are uniquely skilled in activating and wielding archaeo-tech, though the mysteries of magic utterly elude them. A rare creature scarcely seen outside of Azar is the Sphinx, a particularly strange chimeric beast. While they are divided into various subspecies such as ram-headed Criosphinxes and hawk-headed Hieracosphinxes, they generally have a feline body, and are occasionally imbued with great, luxurious wings. Rarely smarter than common predatory animals, Sphinxes occupy the expanses of unsettled desert between the rivers of Azar, though some come to live near or in villages, necropoli or abandoned cities. Most Azarites see them as holy animals and guardian beasts. However, the rarest of them all are the Androsphinxes, who wear the faces of men and share in their intelligence (if not surpassing it). Elusive creatures, these Sphinxes most often live as hermits, far away from humans and other intelligent creatures, and spend their days brooding on philosophy and memorizing the ancient oral traditions of their kind. They generally look unfavorably upon pilgrims and other visitors, and are as like to kill and eat them as to speak with them. However, if impressed with strength or wit these creatures can make for loyal allies, who offer indispensable wisdom. [u]NATIONAL DRAMATIS PERSONAE[/u] [b]-Head of State/Monarch:[/b] The ruling Pharaoh is [url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51a632c8e4b078143e900bb0/t/51b50f39e4b070ccb3195564/1370820421899/NYARLATHOTEP.png?format=750w]Sethansebranekha XII[/url] (Sethan for short). Even among the God-Kings of Azar he is known for his burning ambition, and has lead several campaigns of imperial expansion over his reign, with varying levels of success. He is known to have little tolerance for beings that fall outside of his purview of what is "natural," and has instituted many ethnic purges in the territories he has conquered. His rule is iron and his wrath is terrible, and for this he is known within Azar and without as the Black Pharaoh. [b]-Ruling Dynasty:[/b] Sethansebranekha is the twelfth in his line, the fifth dynasty known as the Sahu. [b]-Constable Of The Army:[/b] The Pharaoh is the supreme military leader of Azar, and under his rule has expanded considerably to become a more dedicated conquering force rather than a mere defensive army. [b]-Religious Head:[/b] The Pharaoh's title of God-King is not merely for show, as the ruling emperor is the focal point of worship in Azar. He alone is seen as the rightful ruler of the world through divine inheritance, and when his passing comes, he shall join the Judges of Duat and serve as chancellor to later Pharaohs as they currently advise him. [b]-Persons of interest:[/b] The only person that can approach the power of the Pharaoh in Azar is his royal Vizier. The current Vizier to Sethansebranekha is an Androsphinx that goes by the name of [url=http://www.mtgedh.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Sphinx-Ambassador.jpg]Sharuum[/url]. It is said that she came into the Pharaoh's service in his first campaign, when he was merely fourteen years old. When she saw the Pharaoh's armies, she was humbled by his power, and demanded to meet him, whereupon she was tempered by his conviction. Since then she has served as advisor and assistant to the God-King, his right hand and his closest confidant. As the most powerful civilian in the kingdom, Sharuum shares in the burden of ruling the empire with Sethan, and is the director the Azar's many bureaucratic administrations. Though she bends to the will of the Pharaoh, it is a deadly mistake to assume that she is subservient to any human, as many careless attendants have been flayed and eaten by the imperious Vizier. [u]CULTURAL[/u] [b]-History:[/b] Azar is an ancient nation, perhaps two-thousand years old, and its history is long and storied. Settlers on the Stygian Delta gave rise to one of the greatest empires in all of Azoth, after centuries of strife and toil. The Old Ones played a heavy hand in the rise of Azar, as the tools they left behind as well as their self-proclaimed descendants left their mark on this empty and ruined world. Theirs is a lengthy history of power and conquest, marked with tragedy and betrayal. Azar has swelled and receded just as the Styx does, though in modern times it rushes over its metaphorical riversides. [b]-List of Historical Grievances:[/b] Azar has an ancient rivalry with Dratha, as each sees the other as their major competitor for domination over all of Azoth. That aside, Azar makes no allowances for mutants and barbarians in the world, and seeks to eliminate them wherever it can. [b]-Relations:[/b] As one of the most dominant powers in the world, Azar makes allowances for various smaller nations and organizations. More often than not they are swallowed up by the empire and assimilated into it, but some manage to maintain their autonomy despite being caught up in the empire's expanding borders. [b]-Cultural Notes:[/b] Azarite culture relies on a highly-stratified sociopolitical system. Though all citizens bear approximately the same rights, those higher in caste are afforded preference and prestige compared to those below them. At the very top is the Pharaoh, the God-King of all Azar. Below him are his noble relatives, all pureblood Shaniatu. Then follow the royal advisors; scribes, judges and councillors, of which the royal Vizier holds the greatest honor. Their equals are the high priests of Azar, who serve in the Great Temples of Irem. In a unique position below the Pharaoh's advisors and high priests are his royal guard, which are comprised of his Shaniatu brethren that are either impure of blood, disgraced by their bloodline, or otherwise unconcerned with the honor of nobility. Below them are the more common government officials; lesser scribes, accountants and bankers. They stand equal to more common priests who man the temples of smaller cities and settlements. Skilled workers, such as masons, alchemists and embalmers, follow after. Below them are common peasants and farmers, who make up the vast majority of the population. At the very bottom are slaves, mostly people indentured through debt, but also criminals and prisoners of war. While not much social mobility is afforded to them, citizens of Azar are afforded substantial rights, as even the lowliest peasant has the right to petition the Vizier with his grievances. Women are afforded equal status as men (on paper), with rights to marriage, property and divorce. Even slaves are protected under Azarite law, and can buy their freedom from their masters. [u]RELIGION, MAGIC and ARCHEO-TECH[/u] [b]-State Religion:[/b] The Imperial Cult of Azar [b]-Religious Information:[/b] A religion as old as Azar itself, the Imperial Cult venerates the Old Ones as the godlike forebears of Azar, and views the afterlife in which they reside as yet another empire ruled by the Azarites' ancestors. The Pharaoh is the living avatar of the Old Ones, and is an immortal god in his own right. Even after his mortal form dies, he will live on eternally as one of the Judges of Duat, joining his ancestors in passing judgement on mortal souls that pass on into the afterlife. [b]-Religion Demographics:[/b] As the dominion of the Pharaoh is absolute, there is no room in Azar for other religions or heterodoxies. Citizens are expected to either subscribe to the Cult, or keep silent about their beliefs. Blasphemy is a crime punishable by mutilation of the face. [b]-Holy Relics In Possession:[/b] Artifacts of the Old Ones, known as Sekhem, are the holiest of relics to the Imperial Cult, and by law are to be turned over to temples, whereupon they are brought to the Pharaoh's personal possession. Countless relics sit in the Pharaoh's vaults, but the Sekhem with only aesthetic uses as usually donated to temples to serve as artifacts of power and worship. [b]-Holy Sites Under Control:[/b] The founding cities of Azar are sites with great numbers of ruins of the Old Ones, most of which interred in sandstone, marble and gold, with temples built at their foundations. Irem is famous for its five holy pillars, which are among the largest One One remains in Azoth. [b]-Magical Information:[/b] Mages and sorcerers of Azar are systematically rooted out and culled by the Pharaoh's secret police, an order known as Sybaris. The Shaniatu greatly fear magic and those who wield it, as it is the one power that eludes their authority, and could be used to overthrow them. Agents of Sybaris wield strange and unusual Sekhem in order to fight against the reality-warping powers of mages that may have entrenched themselves in Azar. [b]-Archeo-Tech:[/b] In more ancient days, Azar wielded Sekhem which shook the very world, and changed the landscape to suit their needs. In modern times, these relics are all but lost, and the Pharaoh's hoards are limited to artifacts that are mere trinkets in comparison. He and his royal guard wield weapons and armor with tremendous eldritch power, and the God-King is often adorned with many amulets and other treasures. The Pharaoh's royal alchemists are often experimenting with the few relics that still work, sometimes requesting the assistance of the noble Shaniatu to activate the ancient biometrics. [u]MILITARY[/u] [b]-Total Military Size:[/b] Discounting mercenaries, city guards, the royal guard, and Sybaris, the army of Azar counts 40,000 trained, professional soldiers. As many as double that number of conscripts can be recruited from the peasantry in times of peril. [b]-Military Details:[/b] The army is mostly comprised of infantry, each armed with spear, shield and kopesh. Archers make up another large portion, some mounted. Cavalry carries great lances and curved longswords, and may be mounted on horse or chariot. Azar makes great use of beasts of war in their battles, bringing massive snakes and scorpions to bear, and less commonly armored War-Sphinxes. Rare, yet evenly distributed among the army are elite officers (sometimes Sybaris agents in disguise) that bring mighty and terrible Sekhem to bear in battle, often turning the tide of the most dire conflict.