[center] [img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220328/5e0347fe45350b475e6059110b7ef086.png[/img] [hider=ESAAD] [img]https://i.imgur.com/OTXeXDN.jpg[/img] [list] [b]ALIGNMENT[/b] Lawful Neutral [hr] [b]CAPITAL[/b] Amater [hr] [b]RULER[/b] Shah Omar al-Mustansir [hr] [b]GOVERNMENT[/b] Absolute Monarchy, Confederation [hr] [b]LANGUAGES[/b] Equarish, Urkun [hr] [b]ADJECTIVE[/b] Esaadi (Also demonym.) [hr] [b]KEY EXPORTS[/b] Spice, Sugar, Salt, Iron, Steel, Incense, Textiles, Wine, Lumber [hr] [b]RELIGIONS[/b] Sharaqism, Aarothism, Devilish Cults, Various pagan tribal faiths. [hr][/list] Spanning the width of the northern coast Esaad is a confederation of seven kingdoms that has stood united for over four hundred years now. A center of commerce, innovation, thought, study of the arcane, and architectural wonder it stands as the dominant power of the region. Under the rule of House al-Mustansir for fourteen generations Esaad has stood unbroken and triumphant against plague, foreign invasion, and insurgency in years past. [hr] [b]SHORT HISTORY[/b] [img]https://i.imgur.com/SRzaiml.jpg[/img] At one time the northern coast was fractured into nine different kingdoms that had warred among themselves for centuries. The rise of the great warrior king Madhi would see change in the region. After uniting his own kingdom of Haracha - which was at the time divided by civil war - he set out on a twelve year campaign to unite the region under one rule. It was during this long period of war that the prophet Sharaqa would arrive with his followers. In exchange for land to call their own and allowing the prophet to spread his teachings across the land his faithful would join Madhi in his war which soon turned from a conquest of glory into a “holy war to end all war”. The five thousand faithful that Sharaqa had brought with him proved their worth, their valor and numbers helping Madhi to realize his goal. In the end kingdoms of Kusavel, Tal-Vashi, Gorut, Armuja, Balakez, and Parthis surrendered one by one. Only Aryhisar and Qaiq would not relent and would be destroyed in the end, it’s peoples scattered to the west and their lands seized for Sharaqa and his people. King Madhi took the name al-Mustansir and established his great house to rule over his new realm. The rise of Esaad changed many things in the region. For the first time the people were all unified by banner and faith alike. The teachings of Sharaqa putting aside the centuries old teachings of the past. This great new kingdom also become a pulsating core of trade, academia, and progress towards the future. [img]https://i.imgur.com/tn35PCk.jpg[/img] The rise of Esaad was not welcomed by all of course. The independent tribes to the west and south feared the loss of their freedom and to the east the stood Tawr. The Maatrho was most displeased with the appearance of a new power right on his front step, worse yet one that harbored thousands of heretics that had been driven from his lands. These seeds of outrage and resentment would lead to four separate wars over the centuries as the descendants of Horemheb fought to topple this affront to the glory of the Maatrhos. Despite each ear being bloodier and more damaging that the prior one Esaad had withstood these assaults remaining defiant in the face of the jinn-blooded kings in the east. [/hider] [hider=TAWR] [img]https://i.imgur.com/RZhi4rJ.jpg[/img] [list] [b]ALIGNMENT[/b] Lawful Evil [hr] [b]CAPITAL[/b] Tanupadet [hr] [b]RULER[/b] Maatrho Hetanmun II [hr] [b]GOVERNMENT[/b] Theocratic Monarchy [hr] [b]LANGUAGES[/b] Tawrish, Equarish [hr] [b]ADJECTIVE[/b] Tawran [hr] [b]KEY EXPORTS[/b] Cotton, Sugar, Grain, Incense, Wine, Ivory, Dye, Textiles [hr] [b]RELIGIONS[/b] Tawrish Pantheon and worship of the Maatrho as Tawr’s god king. [hr] [/list] Eight hundred years ago Horemheb I ascended into the heavens to take his place in the court of Dhahit, lord of the heavens and creator of all life. So it is written. With Horemheb I’s passing his son took up the mantle as Maatrho of Tawr, and his son after him, and so forth. For generations the lineage of Horemheb has ruled as the living god kings - Maatrho’s - of Tawr. If the gods will it this blessed bloodline will continue to do so, and any who defy their lordship is defying the will of the gods themselves. And those who defy the gods must be destroyed. [hr] [b]SHORT HISTORY[/b] [img]https://i.imgur.com/sq2PhKv.jpg[/img] The rise of Horemheb I of the divine ruling house of Tawr is as much mysticism and legend as truth. Stories tell of four water plane Ayiralites who approached a small town and used their power to illicit both awe and fear unto the locals bringing them to their knees. These people would become the first soldiers, advisors, and slaves of what would become the great divine kingdom of Tawr. These four jinnbloods journeyed from one town to the next, the numbers at their backs growing by the hundreds as scores of humans knelt before these powerful beings. Soon the four had thousands at their back, calling them scions of the gods and that to rule over man was their destiny. The stories then tell of the youngest of the four killing the three elders - though how is a matter of much argument - and proclaiming himself Horemheb the First, Maatrho of Tawr and bringer of the gods’ will on the earth. Centuries later this kingdom ruled by Ayiralites endures. Thousands pay homage to the Maatrho’s and the other gods, asking them for their blessing in life and deed alike. The Maatrho’s armies are seemingly boundless, his soldiers go into battle knowing that every enemy they fell is an obstacle they have removed in seeing the gods’ will done that the enlightenment known unto Tawr will spread across the lands. If they fall, it will be an honorable death as they served Maatrho bravely and their life ended with purpose. This fanatic devotion is instilled at a young age as boys and girls are taught that their king is a god and that their life is to be lived in glorification and service to him. Any who defy the law or disrupt the daily lives of the people of Tawr are disrupting the balance and unity set by the Maatrho and therefore is a blasphemer. Those who shirk their societal duties and show slothfulness are also blasphemers, their souls to be judged harshly in the after life. This customary evocation of divine mandate in all things of life has proven a fine method of maintaining total control. [img]https://i.imgur.com/ZCM130m.jpg[/img] Over the centuries Tawr has waxed and waned somewhat in regards to power and advancement alike. Despite their many successful conquests in the early years Tawrish expansion has stagnated in the past few centuries. Multiple wars with the younger Esaad have all ended with little gain and much humiliation for the instigating Maatrho’s. To the south and southeast Dahard and Baneghora both have proven frustrating opponents as well. To the east lie vast deserts with little to be seized and to the north are the vassal tribes of Tawr, those who have sworn fealty to the Maatrho and trade with his people. That said Tawr is far from a failing kingdom. It’s people are obedient and unwavering in their duties - even if one can say ignorant and misguided - and while not the innovative or cultural marvel of it’s neighbors Tawr does have marvelous pension for it’s mastery of the arcane. This of course ties back to the kingdoms’ ruling class of Ayiralites and their many mage retainers. With an unrivaled grandeur of magical prowess and refined elite one can say in it’s own way Tawr is gem on the desert sands. [/hider] [hider=BANEGHORA] [img]https://i.imgur.com/OLCqMF9.jpg[/img] [list] [b]ALIGNMENT[/b] Chaotic Neutral [hr] [b]CAPITAL[/b] Malgasul [hr] [b]RULER[/b] Peshwa Kalap Thachil (De Facto) [hr] [b]GOVERNMENT[/b] Provisional Autocracy [hr] [b]LANGUAGES[/b] Baneghoran, Equarish [hr] [b]ADJECTIVE[/b] Baneghoran (Also demonym.) [hr] [b]KEY EXPORTS[/b] Gold, Gems, Rice, Spices, Sugar, Tobacco, Tea, Cafe, Fruits, Ink, Silk, Incense, Textiles, Lumber [hr] [b]RELIGIONS[/b] Nekhism, Devilish Cults, Various pagan tribal faiths. [hr][/list] Baneghora has always been known as a land of wealth, culture, luxury, and wonder. It sits upon the gateway between the west and the east and before it lies the trade lanes of the sea. Rich in natural resources and inhabited by a hardworking people Baneghora seemed destined to be a majestic kingdom. And for many centuries it has been, a true marvel for both it’s own people to boast about and foreigners to envy. But all fortunes eventually lapse. Dark days have come upon Baneghora following the death of Queen Sakshi, the late matriarch having left no heir in her wake. Civil war has torn the country in half and amid this chaos many seek to forward themselves, pursuing their own ambitions at home or abroad. [hr] [b]SHORT HISTORY[/b] One can trace the earliest advanced civilizations back to Baneghora. Innovative and tireless the Baneghoran people have always been ahead of their peers, their advancements spanning trade, architecture, literature, the arts, and at times even militarily. During the heights of Tawr they would often find themselves pressed or even cornered but never have the Maatrho’s been able to seize the lands of Baneghora. [img]https://i.imgur.com/fVIWhRH.jpg[/img] For two centuries this wealthy and flamboyant land was ruled by the Chanalli Dynasty. Tales of Chanallian Baneghora - a land of the finer things - carried far and with passion. Even at it’s apex the ambitious Esaad has never truly matched the wonder of Baneghora at it’s peak. That said Baneghora was not without weaknesses like any kingdom, for one they have not shared the same fascination and grip on arcane magics as the Tawrish have. Nor have they the elaborate and glorious history of conquest or the ethnic and social diversity of Esaad. But few could truly say that Esaad and Tawr were equally as lustrous as Baneghora. But now those days of glamour and grandeur are fading it seems. In recent years Baneghora’s fortunes had slowly began an arc of descent. The expansion of the kingdom of Luang opened new trade with the east along the Umurud Sea thus ending the longtime Baneghoran monopoly on exports such as tea, rice, ink, and silk. Unwilling to start a war with a foreign power over trade - with their longtime enemy Tawr always vigilant against that - Queen Sakshi looked to expand Baneghoran influence elsewhere. Expeditions and trade ventures far to the south among the island kingdoms turned no profit and this shift in focus accosted Baneghoran trade elsewhere and furthered bolstered Luang. To worsen matters recent droughts were lowering production of goods and ensuing famine caused starvation among the farmers and other peasants. The nobility began desperately gathering and hoarding food stores which only fanned the flames of resentment among the commoners and impoverished for the noble and middle classes. As starvation began to set in riots ensued which where violently suppressed by local officials. Armed mobs stormed wealthy estates and plantations only to face heavily armed soldiers, the blood that was spilled ran in rivers across the land. Amid the chaos the young Queen Sakshi was slain in her bed, murdered in the night. Peshwa Kalap Thachil immediately seized power and ordered merciless crackdown on the continuing chaos across the kingdom. This move was not taken lightly by many of the nobility who have banded together and formed a separatist faction that seeks to remove Thachil from power, the Peshwa being a prime suspect in the murder of the Queen Sakshi. [/hider] More TBA later. [/center]