Masa

The March of Masa is a puppet state of the Kingdom of Hatti, located in northwestern Anatolia. Previously, the region had been lightly populated and was part of no civilization, until the Hittites started colonizing it around 10 AEE. In 45 AEE the region was reorganized into its current colonial state form, after all the remaining free territories in Anatolia were occupied. Masa is ruled by a viceroy, currently Phorcys III, sent by Hatti, and the position is not inheritable, unlike in all other Hittite puppet states. The capital is Ascania, one of the only few towns founded before the Hittite arrival. 
The population is split between Palaics and Hittites, the latter all being rather recent immigrants, with a small population of Thracians living along the coast. Most of the people worship the Hittite pantheon of gods. The country had an urbanization level of 16.1% in 77 AEE, due to the Hittite settlement policy of spreading people out, as opposed to the Mycenaean one, which concentrated most settlers into a few well defended cities.
Masa had a GDP per capita of 52.51 Egyptian shematy in 77 AEE, similar to that of Lukka, which was lower than the average of all known countries. Most of the population works in agriculture and other industries are only starting to be developed, though new shipyards are being constructed in the port cities to make warships for the Hittite navy.
The country has no navy or army, and is only responsible for its garrisons. Instead of its own forces, Masa is defended by a Hittite regional army, which is sometimes mistakenly called the Masan army. In the event of a war, this Hittite army was expected to quickly neutralize Wilusa, so that Masa would be secure from the threat of invasion and the troops could be sent elsewhere. 
Spoiler warning: this section contains spoilers for the novels The Rise of Kemet and the March of Deshret. 
In 71 AEE the Hittite army invaded Wilusa from Masa, and, as was expected by the Hittite court, quickly conquered it after the successful Siege of Wilusa in 72 AEE. The territories of Wilusa were transferred to Masa, which was responsible for maintaining it and dealing with the rebels. Otherwise, Masa saw little fighting in its territories both during the Great Powers' War and the Hittite Civil War, in which the viceroy Phorcys first sided with Hakkarpili, but, upon Muwatalli's return, joined his side in 75 AEE, providing some troops for his reclamation of Hattusa. Masa did have an increase in population during the civil war, due to many Hittite refugees fleeing to it, as it was further away from the conflict and considered among the safest places at the time. After the end of the war, the Hittites and the Myceanaeans officially signed a treaty delineating their borders and Masa was forced to give Wilusa back to the Mycenaeans, thus returning to its previous area. 
Category:Hatti
Category:Pre-novel
Category:Countries
Category:The Rise of Kemet
Category:Great Powers' War
Category:Organization of Free Kingdoms
Category:Puppet states