[@Monochromatic Rainbow]

[hider=The Scorched Lands (Aihtaraq)]
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[h3]Summary of Nation:[/h3]
The Scorched Lands, or Aihtaraq as it is known by its inhabitants, is an unforgiving and savage land that has resisted every attempt at being conquered by outside forces. Inhabited by a reptilian race known as the Sahalia, it is a land of immense mineral wealth that has forever fascinated and beckoned adventurers and would industrial magnets. Hostile to nearly everyone but the Sahalia, this is a land where even the Alfheichen can find themselves prey as small armies disappear and great armies starve for want of water. 


[center][h3]History:[/h3][/center]

    [b]Pre-War:[/b] 
For as long as anyone can remember, the Scorched Lands have been an immense desert pinned between an unforgiving ocean and towering mountains. Battered by winds and drenched by the sun, it rains less than a month a year with all the water vanishing deep underground where it collects in massive cisterns. 

There are legends of a founding by desert Wyrms who, upon taking human form, mated with the feral tribes who made a mean living in the spare landscape. Whatever truth there might be to that story, the Sahalia now call the region home. These short lizardfolk, the largest not reaching more than five feet tall, have adapted so fully to their home that trying to rout them out has cost the Reiyk, and the Aelban before them, staggering numbers of causalities. There has always been an enemy seeking to pierce the desert for one does not easily overlook the abundance of minerals vital to a war effort and luxury items that can be found beneath the sand. It is said that the oil drawn now is from the bones of the Wyrms who first entered the ancient land.

The Sahalia themselves are as twisted and strange as their home. Their bodies are covered with spines and horns as hard as rock, and their ability to burrow and adapt their skin tone to the land around them makes them virtually impossible to detect until they spring an ambush. 

    [b]Outbreak of War:[/b] 
The Sahalia have been battling their neighbours long before the Reiyk came along. The recent discovery of vast oilfields in the Eastern half of the desert has brought on new importance however for a Reiyk war machine that is burning fuel at a tremndous rate on many fronts. Drilling has begun and those soldiers stationed in the desert have noted a strange stillness that has fallen over the land, perhaps a harbinger of a counterattack from a race who has never surrendered even a fist fill of sand without a fight. 


[center][h3]Pressing Issues:[/h3][/center]
Aihtaraq is surrounded by the enemy on all sides for even the ocean is hostile. The need for modern weaponry cannot be ignored in the face of the overwhelming force facing them. There is no doubt among the Reiyk commanders that they can eventually conquer the desert folk, but at what cost? The recent stillness among the sand suggests that an attack is coming and when it does, how many will die?


[center][h3]Notable Strengths:[/h3][/center]
The Sahalia are the absolute masters of desert warfare. Relying heavily on monsters native to the region and their own natural skill, there is no doubt that they can wage an effective war. Couple that with an absolute fanatic refusal to lie down and die that is rooted so deeply in the national psychology that wounded Sahalian soldiers have begun blowing themselves up as enemies come close enough is causing pause among enemy commanders. If this semi-feral people were able to secure modern weapons, their effectiveness might prove enough to cause a mortal blow to the Reiyk war effort. 


[center][h3]National Priorities:[/h3][/center]
Drive the Reiyk from their lands, destroy the oil production facilities, and ultimately bring their enemy to its knees once and for all. Above all, survive. 

[list]
[*] The Army
[*] Espionage and Intelligence 
[*] Technology
[*] Industry 
[*] Diplomacy
[*] The Common People
[*] Agriculture
[*] Resource Extraction 
[*] Cultural Issues
[*] The Economy: External Trade 
[*] The Economy: Internal Trade 
[*] The Upper Classes

[/list]
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