| Khadoran Empire | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type |
Absolute Monarchy |
| Founding Document |
Corvis treaties |
| Head of State |
Empress Ayn Vanar I |
| Military | |
| Capital |
Korsk |
| Official Language |
Khadoran |
| Currency |
Talons |
| Date established |
202 AR(as Kingdom of Khador) |
Khador, pronounced as KAY-dohr officially known as the Khadoran Empire, is a country in Western Immoren. It shares borders with Rhul, Ios, Cygnar, and the unpopulated Bloodstone Marches and polar regions. Formerly, it shared a border with Llael, but as of 605 AR the country was successfully invaded and annexed into Khador, throwing it's future sovereignty into doubt.[1]
History[]
Modern Khador's roots lie in the old Khardic Empire. The Empire united the Kossites of the Scarsfell Forest, the Skirov of the northern mountains, and the Umbreans of the eastern plains under one Khardic emperor. Their conquests included the Ryn and the northern fiefdoms of Tordor. However like all of other human civilizations the Khardic Empire met its end at the Orgoth occupation despite a valiant struggle against the invaders.[1]
Birth of a Kingdom[]
The people of the north would rise up alongside other nations and joined the Iron Alliance against the Orgoth. While the Colossi were planned to be built in Caspia, the northerners secretly started building in them in Korsk. However a massive Orgoth attack resulted in the destruction of Colossal factories in Korsk. After the Orgoth invaders were pushed back, in 202 AR the Council of Ten convened in Corvis, the sinking city, to establish a new age. Southern nations insisted the claims of the Khardic Empire and its old borders were no longer valid and the northerners with no colossals had to accept the humiliating demands, at least for the moment. Thus the Kingdom of Khador was born.[1]
Geography[]
Khador is the largest country in Western Immoren. Due to its expansive area, Khador's terrain has tremendous variety: broad plain with low hills south of the Bitterock River, vast coniferous forest and tundra in the north, uplands and mountains along the northern and western border regions. Along the south and around the Shield Lakes, there are temperate coniferous and deciduous woodlands and moores.
Climate[]
The climate ranges from steppes in the south to humid continental in much of central Khador; subarctic beyond the Nyschatha mountain range to tundra in the polar north. Winters vary from cool along the southern coast of the Khardic Sea to frigid in the north; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cold in the north with frequent thunderstorms throughout the spring and late autumn.
Government[]
In Khador all power ultimately trickles down from the empress. The current Empress Ayn Vanar’s powers are vast and all-encompassing, including but not limited to the ability to declare war, to write and approve laws, to have commands obeyed with the authority of law, to determine punishments for high crimes, to pardon those judged guilty by any court, and to raise and command the army and navy.[2]
But even the empress must heed specific laws and traditions, such as the laws of succession. The family lines of the great princes are tied into succession and are considered inviolate. Succession is based on primogeniture with no written stipulations for gender preference, though in some circumstances the eldest male heir has ascended to the throne despite the existence of an elder daughter. Tradition dictates that Khadoran monarchs shall not be crowned until reaching their majority, or eighteen years of age. Before such time an appointed regent, usually the sitting great vizier or someone chosen by the great princes, rules in the monarch’s stead. Individuals with a claim to the throne are never chosen to be regents. Should a monarch die without issue, the matter of succession becomes considerably more complicated, as claims to the throne must be determined by a complex order of precedence based on sovereign lineage, which defines the family lines of the great princes.[3]
The Great Vizier[]
Second to the empress stands the great vizier, her personal advisor and primary chancellor. The great vizier holds the highest appointed office in Khador and is the only individual not possessing a sovereign lineage who can make demands of the great princes. Charged with enacting the will of the empress, when bearing a royal writ he speaks with the empress’ authority and must be obeyed. The exact duties and powers of this office are both vast and vague. This position is responsible not only for overseeing the intelligence-gathering arms of the nation, most prominently the Ministry of the Great Vizier and the Greylords Prikaz Chancellery, but also for analyzing and presenting pertinent information to the High Kommand and to the empress herself. Further, the great vizier determines who is granted an audience with the empress. The great vizier enjoys great latitude as he goes about creating offices and appointments in the course of his duties.[3]
The ruling monarch appoints the great vizier, usually for life, but he serves at the monarch’s pleasure and can be replaced or dismissed at any time. The great vizier of a previous monarch commonly continues in his office after a new sovereign is crowned, a tradition intended to aid a smooth transition. After a young monarch becomes comfortable with rulership, she may retire the old vizier and appoint a new one.The Minsitry of the Great Vizier leverages its substantial bureaucratic resources to help the great vizier coordinate the empire and to keep him informed about the current status of the realm. Though most of its officials work within narrow purviews and with limited authority, refusing a request for information from the ministry can incur the wrath of the great vizier himself thus most Khadoran government officials go to great lengths to cooperate with its officers. The ministry grew from a small council into a full arm of the government during the reign of King Jozef Vanar It was again transformed by Simonyev Blaustavya, who greatly expanded its scope during his regency, changes which were then continued to facilitate passage of power to Queen Ayn Vanar XI after her majority.[3]
The Royal Court[]
The royal court consists of the Prince Consort ,Great Princes as well as vassals and liegemen.[2] Khador’s court is relatively weak and there are no specific government functions requiring or obliging the gathering of the empire’s nobles. They receive no votes on national matters and have little say in the implementation of laws not directly pertinent to the volozkya or their counties. A host of government offices and ministries exists to execute the decrees of the empress and to see to the state’s bureaucracy. Certain nobles do participate in these functions, but they have limited ability to affect the government outside the specific purview of their offices, all of which are subject to oversight by the great vizier’s ministry. Nobles and members of the aristocracy can freely visit the capital and request meetings with the empress to deliver petitions. The likelihood of attaining audience is largely a matter of the esteem in which the empress holds the petitioner. Great princes have a much better chance of securing a private audience than all but the wealthiest kayazy. Groups of nobles will sometimes assemble to seek shared audience, a generally effective tactic. In most cases, petitioners are intercepted by the great vizier, who can see to their pleas without troubling the empress.[3]
The Great Princes of Khador rule the volozkya. In the centuries when the old Khardic Empire united the northern tribes, Khador’s lands were divided into territories called volozkya. The volozkya were once sovereign kingdoms that only reluctantly bowed to their Khardic conquerors. Even after the powerful lords governing these regions surrendered their authority, they clung to ancestral claims of royal blood. By the final years of the Khardic Empire, they were known as the great princes, a title chosen to demonstrate their vassalage to the empire and were subordinate only to the monarchy. The rights of these lines were reaffirmed following the Corvis Treaties when Khador was established as a new nation.[3]
Foreign Relations[]
Cryx[]
Like other nations of the Iron Kingdoms, Khador does not engage in any diplomatic contact with Cryx. Though Khador has long held this "nation" in contempt, Cryx's attack on Port Vladovar in 606 AR escalated affairs to open war, The naval incursion was followed by several significant attacks on Khadoran soil, including the defilement of tombs and even a small raid on the capital. The significance of these attacks remains a matter of speculation and has prompted considerable efforts to gain intelligence on this enemy
Cryxian forces are universally confronted and destroyed when encountered by the Khadoran military. In particular, they have become a menace in the Thornwood, though the full extent of Cryx's operations there is unknown.
Ios[]
Khador has not hosted Iosan ambassadors since the elves closed their borders in 581 AR. Since then, Khador has had almost no contact with the nation. In recent years, arcanists of the Greylords Covenant have suggested that splinter agents of certain Iosan extremists sects may be carrying out a violent agenda within Khador, but this opinion has not been shared by the High Kommand until very recently. The High Kommand has recommended against pressing into southeastern Llael to capture Rhydden so as to avoid provoking Iosan border forces, which lurk in the forests just east of the city. Khador has no interest in antagonizing such an ancient and xenophobic power at this time.
Cygnar[]
Nearly immediately after signing the Corvis Treaties, Khadoran monarchs began calling for the restoration of the Khardic Empire's full territories--a cause that has only grown in the intervening centuries. Cygnar has historically interfered with Khador's attempts to extend it's borders, and as a result, these nations have engaged in multiple wars over the centuries
Khador has been in a nearly perpetual state of war against the nation of Cygnar since the final days of 604 AR, but at present there is a tense cease-fire. Fighting recently came to a pause after the Khadoran Army seized the Thornwood, and the empress sent emissaries to Cygnar to declare her nation's current satisfaction with its gains after capturing the Thornwood. It seems unlikely Cygnar will concede the forest without additional conflict, but at the moment each side is warily fortifying along the Dragon's Tongue and watching for the other to make a move.
Free Llael[]
Khador does not recognize the claims of the Llaelese Resistance, which it brands a criminal organization. For now, the empire is far more interested in securing territories in the Thornwood rather than seizing the remaining free Llaelese stronghold of Rhydden.
Ord[]
Khador's relationship with Ord is complex. Officialy, the two nations are neutral trading partners. Ord is one of the few remaining markets in western Immoren open to Khadoran trade. Khador depends upon foreign trade to fill its coffers, and despite the tense atmosphere, Ordic merchants are more then willing to continue trading. The Empire is, however, nervous of Cygnaran attempts to form an alliance with Ord
Additionally, Ord's relatively weak military makes the nation an appealing target for later conquest, though its defenses are strong enough that this might not be accomplished as swiftly as was the case with Llael. Khador considers its traditional imperial claims to include a sizable portion of Ord's heartlands-- a well-known fact that colors all political interactions between the two nations. Nonetheless, Khador maintains an ambassadorial estate in Merin, Ord's capital, as well as numerous intelligence agents who operate within the Ordic interior.
Protectorate of Menoth[]
As recently as five years ago, Khador enjoyed neutral--if not marginally friendly-relations with the Protectorate of Menoth. Sympathies from the empire's large Menite population coupled with the Motherland's interest in weakening Cygnaran stability resulted in Khador actually aiding the Protectorate in building up its armed forces if indirectly.
This climate changed after the Harbinger of Menoth sounded the call that prompted thousands of Khadoran citizens to relocate to the Protectorate--an event that preceded the religious nation's wave of crusades. Possibly recalling the defection of its own Greylords centuries earlier, Khador immediately halted all aid to the Protectorate and made actions such as cortex smuggling a capital offense.
Relations further deteriorated after the Llaelese War, when the Protectorate's Northern Crusade seized Leryn and the surrounding territory. The Crusade not only allied itself with the Llaelese Resistance, but it also made war with Khadoran forces remaining in the region. In response, the High Kommand ordered it's garrisons to defend the Llaelese holdings from the Northern Crusade and is still determining the best strategy for reclaiming the region. No official envoys are presently in contact with Protectorate leadership.
Rhul[]
Khador enjoyed excellent trading relations with Rhul until the Llaelese War, a conflict that jeopardized Rhul's trade routes with Cygnar and resulted in loss of life among Llaelese considered friends and allies by certain Rhulic clans. In addition, the Rhulfolk suffered casualties in war-torn cities like Riversmet, an unavoidable consequence of war but one that angered some of the stone lords who govern Rhul. Though Rhulic envoys have continued to communicate with Khadoran ambassadors, agents of Khador are less welcome in Rhul than they once were, and negotiations over trade terms have become more cutthroat. Rhul has also worked hard to maintain trade with Cygnar--a fact that has not pleased the kayazy.
Military[]
- Main article: Military of Khador
Until the past hundred years or so, Khador's military mainly followed feudalistic lines with the Great Princes outfitting their own private armies marshaled the Kingdom's request. In recent history, the nation has gone through a tremendous modernization initiative in attempt to catch up to the more advanced nations such as its perennial rival Cygnar. As of 606 AR, Khador is one of the great military powers of Western Immoren with armed forces that have shifted from fighting skirmishes with rival nations to invading and occupying new territories.
The motto of the Khadoran Military is Conquest for the Motherland, People and Army United.
Law[]
The legal atmosphere in Khador could be considered antiquated when compared with that of its rival, Cygnar, as all laws spring from the authority of the monarchy or are based on ancient precedents and tradition. Khadoran commoners possess no specific inherent rights. In fact, the government is at considerable liberty to deprive its citizens of their freedom, possessions, or their very lives. Members of the aristocracy, however, enjoy a number of privileges, including being exempt from certain petty laws. Generally, only a higher-ranking noble can pass judgment on a lower-ranking noble, meaning that great princes are effectively subject only to the will of the empress. However in recent decades Khadoran law has been most progressive in matters related to internal commerce and industry as the monarchy has prioritized strengthening the economy and the nation’s industrial production capacities. These measures have encouraged engineering breakthroughs and innovations.[3]
Courts exist at several levels to manage trials and to serve sentences, freeing the nobility from that responsibility. Nobles are at liberty to intervene where their interests require it, but most judgments take place in a court designated for that purpose. The highest of these is the Imperial Law Court in Korsk, the highest government office dedicated to overseeing the legislative and legal processes of the empire, in addition to the Imperial Law Court itself, is the attached Ministry of the Judiciary. The judges and clerks of the ministry work closely with the great princes to implement laws as decreed by the empress and maintain a vast repository of legal texts dating back to the Thousand Cities Era. The ministry’s legal experts possess an encyclopedic knowledge of recent amendments and modern precedents as well as historical law. The Imperial Law Court hears only trials of interest to the whole of the empire. Imperial judges are appointed by the empress herself. When local laws appear to contradict imperial laws or judgments passed by the imperial court, the Imperial Law Court has the power to strike down or amend those laws, however it is not uncommon for contradictory laws to go unnoticed indefinitely. Such oversight can lead to extreme differences in regional laws across the empire, thus even dedicated legal professionals can remain ignorant of local variances.[3]
Law enforcement is handled differently in every region of the empire. The ruling nobility and their posadniks can call upon a combination of local Winter Guard garrisons and liegemen to apprehend wanted criminals. As the Winter Guard does not maintain a presence in every settlement throughout the empire and because its ranks are filled with conscripts drawn from across Khador, forces stationed in a given volozk might be completely ignorant of its local laws. Thus, it generally falls to local liegemen to find lawbreakers or investigate wrongdoing. Guardsmen can, of course, intervene in cases of obvious transgression, such as robbery and assault. Criminal investigation and the serving of summons to court are left to agents of the local nobility, the ranking posadnik, or some other governing official. Because these few officers are generally overworked, they must prioritize criminal matters under their purview. This means that crimes may go uninvestigated unless the perpetrator is caught in the act or the victim is notable. Once a suspected criminal is captured, he must wait to be tried by the nearest court—and in Khador, the accused are presumed guilty until proven innocent..
Punishment for crimes also varies considerably from region to region, and local courts have broad authority in sentencing. Wary of overstepping their bounds, however, they generally rule according to the inclinations of the authority who appointed them. A ruling noble can freely interfere with local trials, including dismissing or reversing the outcome of a trial, pardoning guilty parties, changing the terms of punishment, or personally judging a trial. The smallest crimes may require the payment of fines commensurate with the offense, but measures such as being placed in public stocks and lashing are also common. For more serious crimes, Khador rarely employs lengthy imprisonment, finding it to be costly and wasteful. Assigning stints of hard labor at a khardstadt, a prison created for just that purpose, is considerably more common. In practice such sentences are equal to death in many cases, given the dangerous nature of work in mines or similar locations. Those found guilty of capital crimes are executed. No universally accepted definition of “capital crime” exists, though transgressions like treason, murder, and arson are almost always deemed as such. In some volozkya, even theft or poaching carries a penalty of death. Decapitation by headsman’s axe is the most common form of execution, but other means are used.[3]
Civil suits and criminal cases alike are heard by local courts. Though these judicial bodies possess the same latitude in determining outcome in both types of cases, in practice the state of justice is relative to the means of the parties at odds in the suit. The wealthy are able to hire advocates, often clerks from the Ministry of the Judiciary, to ensure the case is judged according to imperial law. The attention such cases draw nearly guarantees they will be heard by the most senior court in the region, usually the duma itself, as lower courts are too easily intimidated by the presence of imperial officers. After a case is decided, it can be appealed to the Imperial Law Court, even if such a proposition is expensive and time consuming. The Imperial Law Court seldom hears appeals, however, unless a clear bias in the lower court is suspected or it has reason to believe imperial law was violated. Less prominent parties involved in a civil case and those lacking the means to hire an advocate are left to the whims of the court and have little hope for appeal.[3]
Demographics[]
For Khadorans the motherland comes first, with religion and ethnicity following. Though the citizens are narrowly split between the Morrowan and Menite faiths, ancient religious feuds have been set aside for the call of the Motherland. Members of Khador’s Menite Old Faith practice their religion much the same as the ancient horselords did, and many of the aristocratic families are devout followers. Even so, the recent emergence of the Harbinger in the Protectorate threatened that solidarity as tens of thousands of citizens chose to heed her call to join the Protectorate’s crusades, and more may follow. Khador's population is about 6.62 Million.[4]
Religion[]
Church of Morrow[]
The Church of Morrow is the largest and most pervasive religion in Khador. The Khadoran branch is a vital aspect of the church hierarchy with many ancient and beloved cathedrals, abbeys, monasteries, and churches scattered across Khador. While the Khadoran clergy are as patriotic as any of their countrymen, their ranking priests are aware they are part of a larger organization that transcends national boundaries. This affiliation does not generally lead to conflicts of interest as the Morrowan faith allows and expects loyalty to family and kingdom with no restrictions against the faithful of different nations from fighting one another as long as they believe their causes to be just and behave honorably. The highest-ranking priests, however, are expected to stand aloof from these conflicts. The hierarchy of the Khadoran Church is still answerable to the Sancteum in Caspia, the Primarch and the Exordeum. Ten of the thirty-six exarchs of the Exordeum are of Khadoran birth as well. Due to the distance between the Sacteum and Khador the Vicarate Councils of Korsk, Ohk, and Skirov give the Khadoran church with the The Council of Korsk governing the southern lands, Ohk the northwest region and Skirov the northeast. Ascendants Doleth, Ellena, Gordenn, Katrena, and Sambert have the largest followings in Khador and the most churches and monasteries devoted to spreading their respective message.[3]
Menite Old Faith[]
Ethnic Groups[]
- 3,090,000 Khard;
- 1,518,000 Skirov
- 930,000 Kossite
- 435,000 Umbrean
- 175,000 gobber
- 140,000 bogrin
- 90,000 Tordoran
- 75,000 ogrun
- 45,000 Rhulfolk
- 30,000 Midlunder
- 25,000 trollkin
- 16,000 Ryn
- 15,000 Thurian
- 10,000 Morridane
- 14,000 Nyss
- 7,000 Scharde
- 2,000 Caspian
- 2,000 Iosan
- 1,000 Idrian
Languages[]
Khadoran - Khadoran evolved from the now archaic Khard root language. Literacy is not necessarily common among people speaking Khadoran.
Khard - The oldest language in Khador. Khard is almost exclusively known by the Menite clergy, since many ancient Menite documents were written in Khard.
Llaelese - Llaelese is spoken mostly by the people of occupied Llael, as well as some Umbreans. As a language, Llaelese has not changed significantly in the many centuries it has existed.
Economy[]
Under Construction
Due to its great size and variation, Khador has great abundance of natural resources. This includes major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, silver, iron ore, timber, and arable land for farming in the south. However, due to the great geographic distances in Khador coupled with the climate and terrain, the exploitation of natural resources has been hindered.
Science and Technology[]
Under Construction
Education[]
Up until recently, most Khadoran education was handled on a master-apprenticeship system. With the recent push for modernization within the Kingdom over the past few centuries, Khador has embraced modern learning systems to achieve national power more quickly. The old system of apprenticeship remains prominent however, and warcasters are mainly taught via this method.
Khadoran Institute of Engineering[]
Established in 295 AR by Queen Cherize, this institute is located in the capital city of Korsk. The Khadoran Institute of Engineering is the premier Khadoran research institute in such fields as clockwork, hydraulics, steam power, metallurgy, cortex construction, and mechanicks. Mostly used as a means to supply engineers to the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly, competent students are inducted into the organization (or the Greylords Covenant if the students expertise lies within applicable fields). The coursework is grueling when compared to Cygnaran institutes, but the Khadoran Institute of Engineering prides itself on its remarkable efficiency. As one of the major exporters of Khadoran military technology, the entire complex is protected by a division of Winter Guard to ensure the Institute's secrets don't fall into the wrong hands.
Renowned outside of Khador too, the Institute houses a great industrial capability to help bring theories to fruition, along with large workshops staffed by senior faculty. The premises also contains a museum displaying past works of Khadoran engineering.
The Nine Boards[]
A collection of nine buildings in Skrovenberg, this college has a structure dedicated to Foreign Affairs, War, Admiralty, Revenues, Justice, Commerce, Mining, Estates, and Expenses. Currently under construction is a tenth school for Mathematics.
Military Education[]
Druzhina, the elite military academy in Korsk, is the major training institute for army officers. Other assorted schools throughout the country exist to train the next generation of Khadoran leaders; the Khadoran Military Academy at Volningrad exists to prepare applicants for these programs in the ways of soldiering and land navigation. The Admiralty College is located in Skrovenberg to provide for the Khadoran Fleet's similar need of officers.
Culture[]
Under Construction
See also[]
Under Construction