[hider=Usturgian Khanate]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/xaPGrkx.png[/img]
[h1]The Usturgian Khanate[/h1]
[h2]Government:[/h2]
The Usturgian Khanate is a type of tribal confederation, led by a Khan. It is highly statelike and autocratic in its foreign affairs and military, acting towards other nations as though it is one nation. In reality, however, it is federally structured internally, being composed of many different tribes as well as vassal states. The Khan, leader of the Khanate, is assisted by their Khurultai, a governing and advisory assembly made up of tribal chiefs, governors and vassal nobles. This Khurultai meets with the great Khan to discuss both domestic and foreign policy, with a focus on military affairs.

The Khanate has three different administrative layers. At the top are the Khan and their court, including their Khurultai. They decide the general direction of the Khanate, and are responsible for foreign and military affairs, negotiating with other nations for the rest of the Khanate as a whole. The second layer is made up of appointed governors, tasked with overseeing the component tribes and vassal states which are organized into various regions, as well as suppressing opposition and solving regional problems. The third, lowest layer is made up of the tribes themselves, led by tribal chieftains chosen by their own people in a variety of ways. While these tribes are not allowed to raid each other and lose their autonomy, being part of the Khanate ensures trading rights, government subsidies and a share of the spoils in case of war, benefits that they are unable to maintain on their own.

[h2]Demographics:[/h2]
[hider=Humans]
The largest fraction of Usturgia's population is made up of humans. Due to the huge diversity in time and place of origin, this is not one uniform group, but made up of various human subspecies, some of which are ancient while others evolved on distant worlds before the time of the rifts. Most humans tend to live in the steppes that make up the vast majority of the Khanate, with some preferring to live with the Elves and the Orcs.
[/hider]
[hider=Wood Elves]
Living in the forests in the southwestern corner of the Khaganate, the Wood Elves are renowned for their keen senses, stealthiness and skill with bow and arrow. The Wood Elves are often slightly taller than humans, but much more graceful and elegant. While they prefer to live in the forest, they do not revere it and aren't bound to it like their ancestors were. Still, they are quite enigmatic, but do not shy away from cooperating with the other Usturgian races to defend their home from some of their more expansionist neighbours. Most Wood Elves generally see the other Usturgians as children that need to be guided through the Riftworld, ignoring the fact that they arrived at the same time as the others.
[/hider]
[hider=Orcs]
The Usturgian Orcs are a martial and tough species. They're about as tall as humans, but are much stronger, and renowned for their incredibly resilient physiology. The Orcs of the Khanate live both on the steppe, and on the mountains in the north of Usturgia. The Orcs begrudgingly respect the other races living in the Khanate, having been beaten fairly in open battle by them, and now gladly fight with them.
[/hider]
[hider=Wrolvin]
The Wrolvin are a race of intelligent, magical wolves. They look remarkably like the wolves of Earth, but are much larger and more ferocious. They live all throughout the steppes, and can even be seen in the southwestern forests, living together with the Elves. The Wrolvin are capable of limited magic (or psionics, if you prefer). They regard most other Usturgians with indifference, but do not hestitate to fight for the Khanate when called upon.
[/hider]


[h2]Society:[/h2]
Because of all its component tribes, the society and culture of the Usturgian Khanate is impossible to describe in a few words, however, there are a few common trends. The majority of the Khanate's population lives a nomadic lifestyle, necessary due to the harsh conditions of the steppe. The Usturgians migrate between small, tribe-owned settlements, either on horseback or using a variety of vehicles. These settlements take care of most of the resource production and industry required to run a modern society, while the flocks and herds of the nomadic pastoralists feed the general population.

While the Khanate has a large number of small tribes, a few ancient clans have become well-established, and are often responsible for imporant roles within Khanate society and government. Almost all Khans since the founding of the modern Khanate have come from the Terzi Clan, and large numbers of governors and other higher-ups are from the Terzi Clan as well. The Anderson Clan has been associated with the Usturgian military for generations, and have always been able to carry out the most successful raids. Members from this clan have also been at the forefront of modernizing the Khanate's military. A newer, but equally important clan is the Herczeg Clan. These do not live the nomadic life that others on the steppe do, but have set up a number of productive settlements on the steppe that produce a large amount of Khanate military gear, mine Nokrium, and trade with the Mountain Orcs.

Each of these clans commands a fearsome Landship. Powered by Nokrium, a special fuel, these behemoths are far more than just simple military units. They are also command centres for entire armies, mobile small cities, and in a way, focal points for the entire Usturgian civilization. Due to their extreme age, originating from before the Rifts, and military strength, some even regard them as sacred. Only three of these Landships are left, each owned by a Clan. Beyond the existing, usable landships, the Khanate's landscape is littered with the remnants of ancient landships, spaceships and other battle wreckage. There are those who revere these as sacred sites, claiming that they were sent by or are even remnants of their gods, while others see an opportunity for scavenging.

[h2]Military:[/h2]
Due to the harsh steppes, need to raid, and tribal warfare, Khanate society as a whole is more militarized than many other nations. Despite this, however, the Khanate still needs an army. The Usturgian Army, under the command of the Anderson Clan, fulfills this role. The Khanate's army consists of people recruited from the nomadic steppe tribes, as well as auxiliary units from Usturgian vassals. 

The Usturgian military is highly flexible and adaptive. Its organizational structure is based on small units made up of ten soldiers. These [i]Arbans[/i] as they are called consist of people recruited from different tribes, making sure not to add members of the same tribe together. These groups of ten form groups of hundred, and so forth, each combining to make even larger military units. 

Equipment-wise, the Khanate prefers living off the land as much as possible. The majority of its soldiers are mounted on horses, usually taking multiple with them on campaign to use as fresh mounts and to cause chaos during battle. Khanate steppe warriors use low-maintenance, easily manufactured energy weapons that can be recharged from naturally occuring energy sources. The Khanate also uses tanks and other vehicles. In the air, Usturgia uses a combination of planes and massive airships.

The Usturgian Khanate prefers a highly mobile form of warfare, using hit-and-run attacks, feigned retreats and flanking. Usually they try to attack with overwhelming force, encircling enemy soldiers to try to destroy them. If the Usturgian military can't easily win a battle, they'll try to retreat not to waste their troops and modify their strategy based on the enemy they are fighting.
[/hider]