[hider=Sheet] [B]Name of Nation[/B]: The Empire of Reborn Luminescence or the Empire of Achik [B]Territorial Claims[/B]: This is a complicated subject and for many years the historians of the Empire of Achik have sought to compile archives about the actual extent of the empire. From ancient maps to forgotten texts that now lie in the ruins of the ancient libraries and palaces of the Achik Empire. All of them deep within the territories of the two most powerful nations of the globe and also the sworn enemies of the empire and its ruling dynasty. Much was indeed lost with the great scorching a catastrophic event that leads to the fall of the empire. [B]Species[/B]: This is not a complicated subject at all, during the time of the empire. The great Achik didn't have the same diversity in terms of intelligence races as other continents. Instead for a long time, the continent remained dominated by humans or at least the parts where the Achik governed didn't have a sizable majority of non-human species to compete with, however, this didn't diminish in any way the lack of cohesion between groups and nations previous to the unification of great part of the empire's land borders in posterior times. After the great scorching and the conquest of the continent by the eastern empires, most of the population of Achik settled around the capital and since then they have remained a human majority with few minorities due to the isolated nature of the remnants of the empire. [B]Population[/B]: 119,174,022 The demographics of the empire are also simple, while the empire is not by any means a small nation it has a high-density population living within its territory. The results of decades of industrialization and agricultural revolutions that basically revolutionized and have forever changed the population dynamics within the country. Most of this population is concentrated in the valleys of the empire in the highlands of the empire, where once nature and man coexisted together as one. But that time has been lost forever and the era of machine and man have begun in earnest in the empire of Achik. [B]Culture and Society[/B]: A complex culture yet a mix of the old and the new. Achik can be considered by many as an equalitarian society, however, many believe that this is not due to a development in social and economic equality but rather a matter of necessity in the empire of Achik. For, when the great catastrophe struck the empire and the invasions from the easterners continued, every arm was needed to maintain the empire afloat, sometimes even kids were conscripted into the army for the sake of having numbers on their side or whatever numbers they could muster against their ever-expanding and growing neighbors. This is equality is certainly reflected in today's society. Where both men and women have access to education and most importantly are not differentiated for military conscription. Thus one can see men and women in the battalions of the impressive military of the Achik Empire, a policy that only helps increase the numbers of soldiers within the military but also its expense. This said it is not far fetched to see women in positions of power both within the military and the bureaucratic apparatus of the empire. Although vestiges of the once patriarchal society still remain they are very well hidden within the fabric of society and only a good observer may be able to spot them. In regards to isolationism and foreign policy, the Achik can be considered to have had a huge cultural shock with the better-equipped armies of the great powers who once conquered and colonized the entire continent. This cultural shock hasn't faded off and rather has been used by the more populist elements of the empire to try and get the empire on war foot and the mentality of being alone in the world against the colonizers and imperialists. This mentality has also solidified the power of the empire into few hands, a government that was already quite absolutist and centralized now turned into the hands of generals, who seek to impose their revolutionary ideas on the empire and abolish the monarchy. This new faction that has arisen in the empire has turned away from the theocratic and virtuous ideals of the ancient empire. The men who once worshipped the sun as a sacred god now see religion as superstition an obstacle to the restoration of the great empire of Achik. The emperor, a young man who hasn't grown up to be a full man yet is controlled by the council of five. The five most powerful generals in the empire, people who with their charisma and leadership have managed to divide the army into various cliques In economic terms, the empire has adapted quite well to the surplus of an industrialized society and on its own is a rightly powerful nation. Railways and schedules have both transformed the mindsets of the workforce of the Empire bringing them together as a sort of collectivized mind that seeks to follow rules and attend work schedules for the sake of being part of the larger society and thus receive the safety net that the state guarantees. It is important to remember that the empire was even before the great catastrophe and the fall of most of the empire, a collectivist society to the extreme. Where the state-managed production to a high degree and thus society as a whole learned that way and albeit it was one of its biggest strengths it was also one of the worst weaknesses. For when the state bureaucracy collapsed during the great catastrophe many villages and cities were left without bureaucrats to govern it, without orders to follow and without leaders to lead them through the harsh times ahead. Many of these territories that lost imperial control fell apart or were integrated into the colonies of the easterner invaders. Albeit a weakness as said before, it is one that the Empire is not willing to go away with. It is part of the culture and the cosmical vision of the people of Achik cannot simply do without. Thus the collective nature of the Empire must be recognized if one wishes to fully understand the empire of Achik, this collectivization can be defined in the totalitarian nature of the state. The state controls production, demand, and policy. Rights to citizens are not given but rewarded to those who belong to the system. Thus one may say there isn't a pinch of salt in democratic terms and it remains true. The only meritocracy and contacts can get you forward, either be the best of students or be well connected enough to be given a good position in the bureaucratic machine. As such, the industrial sector is also controlled by the government. National corporations and companies dominate the market, the surplus is distributed amongst the populace but wealth mostly goes to the bureaucrats and army officials, the rest get enough to live and a little bit more. The standard of living is relatively well enough and above-average just not by much. However, the main difference lies in the social services and safety net available to those within the country. Unemployment is considered to be only temporary and as such, one will still receive payment for a certain amount of time until they are reassigned to a new job. Retirement exists within the country and worker's rights are somewhat recognized and protected. [B]History[/B]: The constant of civilization applies all the same to the empire of Achik. For once, the empire of Achik stretched through a large portion of the continent and yet its origins were as humble as that of any other nation in the world. For Rome is never built in a single day, the Achik as they are called now was once but a small ethnic group at the foot of the great mountain range of Biraq. A mountain chain that goes from north to south and separates the east from the west, and also serves as a natural geographical barrier for what used to be the Achik core territories. While one cannot skip through the process of unification and conquest of the Empire of Achik, it is also important and even more so to go straight to one of the most eventful eras of the Empire. For it is at the same time one of the least recorded and most mysterious eras of the Empire. An important piece in the puzzle in the history of the Empire of Achik. Many believe that the lack of records is due to the invasions and civil wars that took place during the era of the fall of the Empire. One can never be too sure though and archeologists funded by the state apparatus continue their work in far off and foreign lands, more often than not in secret and without alerting the colonial authorities of the neighboring nations. For it is believed that they would hamper any attempts at recovering the lost artifacts and history of the empire, at the same time, these archeologists sometimes double as spies for the imperial army and as such are well rewarded for their services. Well back on track, a couple of hundred years ago the Empire of Achik was going through a period of consolidation, a period of renewal if one must say of establishing the Empire as the new status quo in the entire region and in the hearts and minds of the common people. This was by no means an easy process and rebellions sprouted through the territory constantly, the emperors, however, didn't falter at all. They could not and would not falter in their holy mission and mortal ambition of conquering the world for the sake of glory and wealth. Nonetheless, it was at this exact that time that the invasion fleets from the east began to make an appearance in the empire. Sacking and razing to the ground many port cities of the Empire, the navy of the Empire didn't have any way to fight against the cannons and superior shipbuilding of the easterners and just like that the trade networks of the empire were disrupted. Attempts but without the surplus of food from the south and the exchange of raw materials at a large scale. The empire's cogs began to grind to a halt. The people began to distrust the capacity of the central government to solve their problems and the promises of integration of the seemingly invincible easterners began to be more tempting with each worsening report at the imperial court. Unable to solve these problems the brother of the Emperor, Amaru the great began plans to overthrow his incompetent brother and once again bring about an earthshaking change to the empire in order to save it from the claws of its enemies and plotting subjects. The plan, however, didn't work as intended. They failed to eliminate the emperor and the managed to take control of the northern half of the empire and force Amaru and his generals to the south, where they began to fortify themselves in preparation for a counter-attack. And a counter-attack came indeed, one supported by the weapons of the eastern sultanate. Guns and cannons were put against the spears and bows of Amaru's soldiers and without any further support he was defeated, however, in the minds of the followers of Amaru the betrayal of the Emperor would ever be forgotten as he had sided with the eastern barbarians and indeed picking their side would cost him his life later on, as they imprisoned and then executed him, replacing him with a puppet emperor for the northern half of the empire, thus bringing under their control most of the empire's population and resources. Leaving Amaru in an even worst position than before now that the armies of the eastern sultanate began to pour into the border. Only the great plague would put an end to the sultanate's attempt at conquering the rest of the empire of Achik. For the easterners were seemingly struck with disease and their number began to die off in great numbers, just as entire cities of the Achik empire began to be decimated by plague and disease at a rate never before seen. For many, this was considered to be the end of times and perhaps for the pride of the empire it would have been better for it to be that way, but it wasn't end for civilization all by collapsed in the empire. Entire regions falling under the control of local authorities, warlords, adventurers from the east and the like. Truly, this was a time like no other. Where the great empire of Achik was at its weakest and it would remain so for centuries to come, only staying alive in an isolated corner of the second capital of the empire. The city of Tuqay and the single province of the empire to retain a semblance of civilization and stability. All thanks to the rule of Amaru, who had since then been crowned emperor of whatever ashes remained of the empire. For the next century or so, the empire would be conquered and colonized by the eastern powers. Achik being left alone only due to the sheer poorness and ferocity of its inhabitants who refused to leave their mountain dwellings at the hands of the eastern barbarians. This would remain true even in centuries to come but also the path of change was coming to the empire, a path that would lead them once again towards a path of glory and a power height that had never seen before by a native empire in the continent. It was only in the last century that the empire standing and inherent power began to change dramatically. For many economics and even historians, this will remain a strange era for the isolated empire of Achik turned itself from a mostly agricultural economy to an industrialized one in a matter of a single century. Many questions how this even happened, how the inefficient structure of the Achik and the low technological level of its nation lead to an industrial revolution all on its own and the answer is hard to answer. For they are different stories being told by three different persons, from the foreigners, the state government and the imperial archivists. Although, that last one is not so well known due to censorship and suppression of information. The foreign answer to the industrial revolution that took place lies in the fact that the Empire of Achik was never truly isolated, moreover they continued to trade through their border with the colonial nations, most of which were composed of mostly native inhabitants rather than colonists thus making it easier for them to trade and thus technology slowly but surely diffused to the Empire and then through central planning, the Empire of Achik was able to achieve the unthinkable and rebuilt their nation around the industrial sector and revolutionize both their economy and technology to a higher level than had ever been seen before. For many, this is the most accepted argument. The state government, however, believes that it had nothing to do with trade. Rather, it was the innovation of the Achik and the discovery of lost ancient texts that made it possible to rebuild the empire's technological superiority through sheer inherent superiority to the Achik's race. Of course, this is the propagandized version of the story and not a single foreigner believes in it. But it served to exalt the imperial's pride and dignity to the masses and through that make them support the more militaristic policies of the new government and factions in power. The Imperial Archivists though tell a mix of both stories, while the Empire's may not have a large size compared to its larger neighbors it had everything necessary to conduct an industrial revolution, all the basic natural resources and more at the reach of its most simple miners. Diffusion of trade also had a lot to do with it, but most importantly it lies in the defection of engineers from Quat’i Al-Qarikha, some of them persecuted due to their liberal beliefs, who found no better place to hide than in the Empire of Achik and through it was possible to revolutionize industry at a national scale, and the rest is history. Nowadays the empire is ruled by Amaru VIII, a young ruler barely over fifteen who is controlled by the army's council of five. The five marshalls in charge of the Imperial army and the ones who wield the real power around. This is a change from times past, for the empire was usually ruled by the emperor and the emperor alone. It was an absolutist regime, where the head of state wasn't only the emperor but also its religious head. Its contact with the Gods and thus a divine individual who was deserving of worship. Now, he is just a puppet of the generals, who studied in imperial military academies both national and foreign, learning of the ideas of nationalism and liberalism. Learning that their empire and their government was nothing more than a corrupt system serving an emperor who did nothing for the nation. It was time for a change, through political intrigue and intimidation, the generals managed to pull forward a change in the regime. Replacing many bureaucrats with sympathizers to their cause of revolution and militarism. They see in the future of Achik, a great one as the fires of war spread to its rivals. They see a unified and powerful nation back on track to claim its birthright and proclaim a reborn empire in a sense. One that is lead by the ideals of the unified nation and that unification can only be achieved through strength towards its enemies. For while many wish it was now, the nation of Achik remains surrounded by their access to the sea hampered by a lack of trade and the supreme naval dominance of its neighbors. For many, Achik is still just a backwater nation trying to play it big for its populace, that continues to demand more and more as their levels of education continue to rise and their standard living doesn't seem to rise with them. As most of the centralized planning has sent resources to an oversized military with over a million standing soldiers more millions that can be conscripted into the army. All of them wearing the bright uniforms of their empire, the bright colors of gold and a deep red. The colors of pride and blood. While the army prepares to stockpile ammunition, weapons, and cannons. The populace continues to live under the control of the military junta that truly governs the country, taking sons away from their families and sending kids to the factories so that rifles and muskets can be put on the hands of its soldiers. It seems that for this regime, the word "enough" doesn't exist and some have begun to believe that the junta has lost the sight of reality. Whether it remains true or not, and that their dreams and illusions can be crafted into existence remain unknown. All the people know is that clouds of war are gathering and that is it time to prepare and say their goodbyes. [B]Economy[/B]: The industrialized economy of Achik relies on self-sufficiency, much like the old empire of old, nonetheless, they still trade with the outside world but to a lesser degree to the levels of trade of other nations. As a planned economy, the economy is pretty much centered around the needs of the state rather than that of the people and while famine isn't a problem, the lack of consumer goods for the people is certainly appalling for foreigners, who learn to make do with whatever there is available or is handed out by the state. The state uses currency as a way to measure things more properly but at the same time, they also assign prices to various consumer goods sometimes fixed sometimes not. Depending on the type of good and the demand for it. As such, this type of economy relies heavily on a bureaucracy capable and willing to manage a considerably amount of numbers, and as such, the number of accountants and economics is quite high for the state sector. All of them balancing data and making sure the numbers remain in the right places, of course, with a slight accepted margin of error. The most important method of transportation is the train, without those steel and iron beasts. It would be impossible for the economy of the Achik empire to function properly and as such, junctions and railways connect the empire and can be seen in all corners of the empire covering it in steel and wood. One can easily travel from one corner of the empire to the other through the train and this has facilitated the mobilization plans of the army. [B]Army: [/B] The army is a well-disciplined force, vast and with logistical support that covers various necessities of a field army. From engineers, surgeons, hospitals, nurses, wagons, fortifications. Railway construction amongst others. Currently, the empire has 1,000,000 of its subjects in the military, with a high officer to soldier ratio so that the army is well lead and properly organized at all times. As such, it is no surprise to see imperial academies compete with universities and the like to get the most recruits for the army, offering nice bonuses and salaries for officers in some cases even higher than those in the civilian sector. This as a part of a militaristic policy of the council of the five who currently control the empire. The empire is divided into two theaters if one may say. The northern and southern theatres. Each tasked and preparing for a possible invasion at all times, either from the southern sultanate or the southern colonists. Either way, their vast numbers are surely more than enough to deter any invasion and as such, plans of invasion are now being drafted all of which included massive armies crossing the border and the logistical side needed to supply said armies with ammunition and food. Food is the most important, as such, recently the engineering department has been getting a lot of people assigned to it. For it is planned for railway engineers to build railways for trains as fast as possible during army advancement into enemy territory. To supply them well enough. The soldier's empire has a nice mix of infantry and cavalry. Leaning mostly on infantry rather than cavalry, depending on the terrain more cavalry regiments are assigned to a particular region than others. Elite units are non-existent and as such, soldiers are evenly spread for their ability throughout the empire's military. Not diminishing the capability of a single regiment but neither concentrating them into stronger regiments. The army believes it can easily reconquer the lost territories of the empire through the superiority of firepower and numbers, though, many still want to see in action all that the military command has planned. Many believe that the Empire of Achik may not have another chance at reunifying its lost territories, so all advantages are needed to defeat the two largest powers in the world. [B]Navy[/B]: The navy of the empire of Achik is below average, even sub-par for some and it is no wonder, the empire never saw the seas as a domain they could compete for. At least not yet, they have yet to build a large enough navy and most efforts are focused on the shipbuilding of merchantmen. Trading ships, gunboats, frigates and the like. Never larger ships, too big and too slow to escape possible enemy ships. Thus it is no wonder that the navy is somewhat left behind, small ships meant to protect the coast are non-existant most of the ships of the navy are mostly meant to raid other ports and then leave as fast as possible. This is the doctrine of the Achik Empire on the seas. [B]Traits[/B]: [U]The land of the Rail[/U]: Not in any other country one has seen the level of railway construction and the marvels of engineering than in Achik. Trains run on time, freight is transported as incredible speed and even the mountains aren't a problem if one must build a railway through them. As such, the economy of Achik is highly interconnected and so is its people, allowing for more dynamism, low transportation costs and higher capacity for mobilization of armed forces. [B]Foreign Relations[/B]: -Quat’i Al-Qarikha and Grakaisaran Imperpulau Anyueva both hated. [/hider]