Encyclopaedia of Aquila: Kazimir Empire

*Encyclopaedia of Aquila, volume* *IX*

**Northern Provinces of the Grand Imperial Sovereignty of Uurtdar**

**(Kazimir Empire)**

*"One million bright stars shine brightest in a sea of Darkness."*

**Introduction**

**The Kazimir Empire,** officially the **Northern Provinces of the Grand Imperial Sovereignty of Uurtdar (NPGISU),** is a sovereign nation comprising most of the continent of Ertdor. A moderately sized, stable, and wealthy country, the Kazimir Empire has existed in various forms since the 3800s when the first Sultan Kasim united the central Ku'urtdian-speaking tribes of Ertdor into the Uurtdar Sultanate which evolved into the Kazimir Empire of today. It is so-named the "Northern Provinces" due to the fact that the state claims ownership over all Ertdor, including neighboring Alamut; *Kazimir Empire* is considered the official Aquilanization of its shorthand name.

### History

By many accounts, the “Northern Provinces of the Grand Imperial Sovereignty” is likely the oldest surviving political entity as of 4852. The notably less verbose Grand Imperial Sovereignty of yore actually co-existed as a distinct, semi-autonomous state alongside the Aquilan Empire for up to 150 years. Its first emperor, Kasim the Infallible, became notorious in the western reaches of Xolumir for his claims of prophetic powers, and used his legendary silver tongue to amass a sizeable cult of fanatical disciples in the Ertdor wastes, known as Uurtdar by the locals. By the soothsayer’s ascendance in approximately 4200, the Mad King was well within his period of dormancy, rarely leaving his palace in Imperium, leaving his empire in chaos. The once fierce global hegemony was now plagued with warlord uprisings, and with neither the Mad King nor his inquisition politically active, the daily governance of the empire was left to Princes Novrakosh and Heiroban, who notoriously quarreled over the scraps of the dying country even after it ceased to exist as an actual sovereign entity. Thus, Kasim’s antics in the east were ignored, and by the time the apathetic duumvirate realized the danger his cult posed, it was far too late.The prophet, claiming to receive visions of the future by communing with the divines whilst astral projecting, alleged that he had foreseen the chaotic disintegration of the Empire, and only a united Ertdor would be able to withstand the ensuing wars of succession. With the competing tribes of the eastern continent lacking organization and claims of legitimacy, the peoples of the Ku'urtdarian-speaking north flocked to Kasim’s guidance, and in a grand ceremony the Uurtdar Sultanate was formed, claiming hegemony over all of the east. The newly crowned Sultan of Uurtdar immediately attempted to recalibrate the region’s pitiful economy, commanding his hordes of devotees to reactivate the ubiquitous abandoned imperial mines and begin the construction of a massive continental irrigation system to create vast tracts of fresh arable land amid the harsh dunes.

Throughout the course of his astounding 60 years as the sultanate’s theocratic dictator, Kasim presided over the early stages of the construction of the Sesostris Canal, the astounding man-made waterway cutting an artificial river from coast to coast, allowing the wealthy nation to easily dominate the trade movements of both the Alshain and the Thel. In the waning years of his unopposed rule, the sultan ordered the construction of an entire city to be built in honor of him and the divines. Slavery on a scale hitherto unseen was employed in this gargantuan effort, with much of the inferior Alamutian race native to the borderlands forced to practically hollow out entire sections of the parallel stretch of nether with crude tools and zero safety standards. Long before his grand city on the coast could be completed, Sultan Kasim the Infallible, first supreme leader of the Grand Imperial Sovereignty, met his end at the hands of a team of invisible assassins in a high-profile public execution. It was just as well, as his popularity with the masses had reached an all-time low due to his apparent failure to predict a great flood that crippled the empire’s agriculture for several years. With no apparent heir, a regency council of military leaders from the “Sublime Army of Light” seized executive power and kept the sultanate from collapsing into ruin.

The council’s uneventful ten-year regency was cut short by a former servant to Kasim named Ptolemy, who claimed to possess the same prophetic powers as his deceased master and thus had a claim to the vacant title of sultan. Ptolemy, leading an army remembered by history as the “999 Zealots” stormed the imperial palace and put the oligarchs to death, signaling an abrupt and bloody end to the regency. While the nationstate is named after its founder Kasim Ptolemy the Eagle is arguably the more beloved leader in the modern era due to his wide-sweeping reforms which reconsolidiated rule over the endangered empire. The new sultan completed the construction of the holy city of Akhtamar which quickly became the center of commerce for the entire region, and redoubled the efforts of the Sesostris Society, who were struggling to meet the demands of the daunting task to practically split the continent in two, and devised a system for Alamutian slaves to buy their freedom and even land with enough labor years. Perhaps his most famous accomplishment was the formal institution of the state faith – Astrologism, the religion of the stars. He theorized the existence of the great celestial being Zodiac, who once presided over all of Emanation and would one day restore his rightful rule, elevating his worthy mortal followers to “sun dragons.” One would be forgiven for drawing a strenuous parallel with the malevolent entity Moros in the Transformationist pantheon, though I leave that debate for the philosophers.

Ptolemy claimed that the mortal aspect of Zodiac was reincarnated once per generation and granted unrivaled proficiency with astral projection, allowing them to commune with Zodiac’s divine emissaries. Only the sole mortal aspect of any generation had a legitimate claim to the throne of Kasim, Zodiac’s earthly kingdom. Lesser astrologians would also be revered, entering the court of the sultan’s imperial cult to act as his advisers. This system of governance by divination continues to this day, and their continued ability to actually somewhat accurately predict future events has been categorized by outside observers as either sheer coincidence or consorting with the dark pantheon of the Old Ways.

While the rest of Aquila scrambled to pick up the pieces of the shattered khaganate, the Grand Imperial Sovereignty of Uurtdar presided over a long period of relative peace and prosperity. In 4444, the Sesostris Canal was finally completed, connecting Alshain and Thel and propelling the eastern kingdom into an era of rapid economic development. It was discovered that their lucrative diamond mines stretched even deeper than previously imagined, making Akhtamar one of the richest cities in Aquila. World trade became increasingly concentrated in the wealthy northern provinces of the empire, attracting vast amounts of foreign capital which rivaled even that of the “inn at the end of the world” Hamamitsu in the north. The breathtaking Athenaeum of the Stars was completed not long after the Canal, which still stands to this day as one of the largest and most impressive libraries in all Aquila apart from the unparalleled Dreiton Library.

The Diamond Age did not continue in perpetuity. As greater and greater quantities of the nation’s wealth became concentrated in Akhtamar and the surrounding provinces along the Sesostris, unrest in the long neglected south became inevitable. In 4680, the subjugated region of Alamut region rose up and seceded from the Sovereignty, declaring its own confederacy which straddled the border between Ertdor and Kilran. Enraged, then-sultan Daroga the Two-Headed-Snake brought the full might of the Sublime Army down upon the rebels, devastating the borderlands and killing untold hundreds of thousands. This tragedy, the Eternal Scream, is still remembered today as one of the great atrocities of the modern era and the largest recorded genocide since the days of the Nightmare Legion. Though the uprising was put down, the entire region still bears its scars, and Daroga was murdered by three senior members of the Imperial Cult, beginning the Second Regency.

The governing priests of the new regency declared that an Imperial Parliament would be formed so as to give some semblance of regional representation and democracy to the empire. While the sultan would still retain undisputed executive power due to divine right, the regular governing of the state would be left to the Parliament, and the Court of Justiciars had supreme authority to interpret and enforce the new Imperial Constitution. As the sultanate continued to secularize, it became abundantly clear that the Grand Imperial Sovereignty had changed radically from the early days of Kazimir, and perhaps for the best. In 4713, under the rule of Solomon the Sleeping Bear, three borderland provinces which comprised the historical Alamut region voted peacefully to secede from the Kazimir Empire. While Solomon threatened to unleash the Sublime Army upon the profligates, Parliament pressured him to relent so as to avoid reopening the wounds of the Eternal Scream. Much of the imperial populace were outraged and saw the state allowing Alamut to secede as forsaking the pure Uurtdorians to flee from their own homes to make way for the heretical races. Nonetheless, by the time Caiaphas the Waking Bear took the celestial throne in Akhtamar, Alamut was firmly a sovereign nation. The empire’s formal name was thereafter the Northern Provinces of the Grand Imperial Sovereignty.

Akhtamar remained a bustling center of commerce to 4800, but it had lost much competition to the rising jewel of the south, Dreiton, still formally under foreign charter but largely an independent economic force. Adrian II the Lion, not to leave his country falling behind on the mercantile rung, demanded to begin negotiations with the fabulously wealthy Mandate. Much of the empire’s industrial sector had been absolutely decimated by the Ancient Fear, and its leader was eager to salvage the crisis at all cost. The sultan paid a heavy price to bring the empire into a favorable position within the new emerging world economy; the Mandate would seize operation over 50% of the country’s diamond mines and take 90% of what was produced from them, gain unrestricted access to the canal system, and open the St. Martin National Bank on the eastern edge of the Sesostris to essentially monopolize the credit and loan industry in the empire’s richest province; in exchange, Kazimir would be recognized as a favored trade partner of Dreiton, be granted protection of shipping routes by Mandate frigates, and have free military and mercantile access to Aphelion’s western coast. The signing of the trade deal is often referred to as the Colonization of Kazimir. In 4831, following Dreiton’s declaration of statehood, the Mandate was purged of all Kazimiri investors, but the sultanate finally entered into a formal military pact with the new commonwealth. They had finally recognized their masters as all beasts must.

The “Dreiton-Akhtamar Mutual Guarantee” remained firmly intact over the next 15 years up to the start of the devastating War of the Sunflower, at the beginning of which the two nations were formally neutral. When it came to light that Adrian II had illegally been selling arms to Khotan, however, Dreiton dragged the sultanate into the war to avoid suspicion that they were sympathetic to the Eternal Empire. Not much was lost, however, as the war ended a matter of months afterward. Still, the Mandate were furious that the sultan had surreptitiously broken the terms of their neutrality. The Board of Directors were given permission by the Council to tighten the restrictions of the Mutual Guarantee so as to punish the heathen Kazimiri: the Dreiton Navy would construct a permanent base on the southern coast, and the Mandate would assume direct governance over all financial activity within the canal until all the sultanate’s wartime debts were paid – with interest. Additionally, several Mandate forts were secretly constructed throughout Ertdor to survey its economic activities and to be assumed by the Dreiton military should the need ever arise.

### Geography

The Empire's dominance over most of Ertdor affords it significant ecological variety. Much of the continent's interior is inhospitably warm, resulting in Kazimir's numerous cities springing up all along its long coastline. The Sesostris Canal in the north - the seat of the Imperial capital, Akhtamar - has created a vast artificial greenbelt, and its massive farms account for well over 95% of the Empire's food production. The cold and mountainous north is nearly as treacherous as the interior, though at least one city, the Khotan-influenced Cyraca, stands strong at the country's northernmost position on Aquila.

Kazimir has a number of overseas holdings, most notably the large island of Zosha to the northwest. Most of the island's terrain is frozen tundra, though its fertile southern coast provides the nation with additional coal and grain, also serving as an important naval base for the Empire's activities in the Alshain. Other colonies include an archipelago of several small jungle isles dotting the tropical eastern Corona off the coast of Alamut. The mysterious eagle-shaped Emanation Isles are also nominally under imperial sovereignty, though very little military presence is actually exerted there.

To accommodate for its vast area and fragmented populace, Kazimir was among the first to construct a comprehensive national rail system, connecting all the major cities and even partially covering some rural provinces - though the south's rails have not been operational for some time with so much of the country's economic activity heavily concentrated in Akhtamar in the north.

### People & society

With a commanding population of over 7.5 million citizens, the Kazimir Empire is widely regarded as being among the most socially conservative countries on Aquila. Women are expected to select a desirable husband, bear at least 2 children, and then serve as the master of her new family's home, handling all finances, tending to their gardens, and generally keeping the house in order. Once they are husbanded by a woman and married at the soonest full moon, men are expected to spend half their days at work in the mines, fields, or military, and the other half at home, where interestingly they are traditionally the parent most responsible for raising their children as opposed to the mother. A comprehensive basic education is mandatory, as all Kazimiri must become fluent in the way of the stars so as to live their lives piously and with respect to the Celestials, striving to join their ancestors as a new star in the night sky upon their death.

The state faith is Astrologism. As such, strict reverence for the Cult of Seers and the Sultan is expected at all time, and practice of the heretical Old Ways is punishable by death. The religion places great importance on the study of the stars, which the Seers use to divine prophecies and sometimes even commune with Zodiac himself. Astrologians are greatly respected professionals, and any village, however small, without at least one diviner is considered cursed.

Music and dance are integral to Kazimiri society. The innumerable folk ballads and epic tales in the rich Uurtdari canon are all told through theatrical means, as the tales of their ancestors are considered too great to merely be spread by word of mouth. There is an old adage which states, roughly: Never share an amusing anecdote with an Imperial, you'll get a fully choreographed one-man 5-act play about Nalakoth the Nosy in return.

The bountiful dyes native to Ertdor have fostered a rich culture of visual artists. The most common practice is watercolor, though most every Imperial settlement is practically littered with impressive wall mosaics depicting the Celestials dancing in the night sky, Zodiac passing his knowledge to Kasmir I, and countless other iconic images from the Kazimiri faith. Art depicting realistic scenarios such as the daily life of the commoner is generally frowned upon, as mortal life is generally perceived as being unworthy of the beauty it create.

A majority of Kazimiri can be described as hard-headed, work-centered, and not particularly humorous, much less intellectual in the traditional sense. However, the millennia of history and art easily accessible in cities like Akhtamar has given rise to a new class of Imperial commoners, nicknamed the Lions. This emerging population in the Empire's growing urban centers more or less exemplify the state's model citizen: Pious, well-educated, family oriented, and nationalist.

Imperials are expected to be as hospitable as possible to any and all guests, including foreigners, as the act of welcoming a stranger into one's home is considered a tremendous honor. This even remains true in the bustling merchant ports in the north where commerce is king; though this great hospitality to foreign merchants may be construed as "buttering them up" so they'll purchase their streetside goods. Most shops and businesses are operated by the wives of wealthy men, often former career soldiers. Haggling is ubiquitous and expected, though it is considered common courtesy for the more fortunate of society to generously overpay poorer merchants or servicemen as stinginess is quite taboo; Astrologian culture dictates that the wealth of a society belongs to all its peoples and should be shared accordingly. However, members of Parliament and those close to the Sultan are generally exempt from this expectation.

### Government

Sultan Astraeus IV is the current head of state, spiritual leader, and Supreme Commander of the Sublime Army of Light. As a semi-theocratic constitutional monarchy, the Sultan is responsible for the Empire's foreign and religious policy, placing the nominal power to legislate in the hands of the Imperial Parliament. As a unitary state, the same laws apply throughout the Empire, though their enforcement may depend upon the sitting provincial governor or Emir. Constitutional interpretation is handled by the Court of Justiciars, the highest judges in Kazimir, and then applied regionally by local magistrates.

The presence of the Court of Seers muddies the legislative waters in the Empire, however. Their inner circle, the Starcallers, regularly receive and interpret shared astral prophecies and then send their opinion to the Sultan, whose acceptance or rejection of the prophecy is considered absolute law; thus, the Sultan technically has absolute authority, but only when unanimously supported by the Seers. He cannot otherwise decree laws into existence without consulting Parliament.

The Empire is comprised of 26 provinces, each governed by a popularly elected Emir (though state-appointed magistrates may remove them if commanded by Parliament or the Sultan). Emirs appoint two "Exceptional Citizens" to act as their representative in the Akhtamar Parliament.

### Economy

Despite the relative poverty of its peripheries, Kazimir is generally regarded as one of the richer countries in Aquila, largely owing to their control over 2/3 of the world's proven gold and diamond mines. Their dominance over Aquila's precious gems as well as an abundance of prized dyes make imperial jewelry and fashion the world's standard, allowing the growing merchant class to project influence as far as Valencia. The Empire's great wealth allows the financing of a large military, though due to their lack of lumber, iron, and coal, the state is largely dependent on foreign licensing for their weapons and ships.

Rural Kazimir is dominated by sheep and llama herding, fishing, and pastoralism. With the imperial south all but devoid of any fertile land, its few inhabitants rely on quite primitive lifestyles to survive, living and dying by the health of their livestock or traveling extremely long distances on llamaback to trade salts and spices with other small villages. Locust swarms and bandit raids are persistent issues in the countryside.

### Technology

Much of Kazimir's technological advancement in the past few centuries has come in the form of new medicines and stronger weapons, leaving the already somewhat backwards imperial economy as a late bloomer in industrial mechanization. Its national rail system is somewhat archaic but sturdy and stringently maintained, as nearly all meaningful economic activity depends on it. Slow industrialization has proven to be a massive problem for the oldest surviving empire in Aquila. The decadence of the aristocracy in Akhtamar combined with a largely apathetic populace has already proven deadly, as the Empire suffered great losses in both the Aether War and the War of the Sunflower due to their outdated military technology. The one promising scientific field in Kazimir is currently that of the mysterious aetherium element, as the Empire presides over Aquila's largest deposit of the alien substance apart from the Rift.

It remains to be seen whether the imperial policy of perfecting tried and true industrial methods rather than incorporating new ones will pay off.

### Military and Security

What the Grand Imperial Sovereignty may lack in technological advancement it makes up for in sheer numbers. Aquila's oldest standing army, the sultan's Sublime Army of Light, is also among its largest, with over 900,000 active personnel and millions more in reserves. This is due to the long-standing imperial policy of the mandatory conscription of one adult from each family for one term every 5 years - i.e, a family may send the father to serve a 6-month term in the local battalion, then 5 years later volunteer the mother. This oddly egalitarian service policy is due to one of Sultan Kasim the Infallible's policies as leader of the Uurtdar Sultanate, in which every able-bodied man and woman was expected to take up arms in his service throughout their entire lives. Anyone may voluntarily join the Sublime Army as well - a popular decision, especially in the poor countryside, as a warrior in the army of Light is one of the state's highest paying positions.

While other nations may be on the cutting edge of military science, the Kazimiri have elected to continually refine their traditional methods of warfare. The standard infantry unit of the Sublime Army is the hoplite, armed with a simple spear and shield; there exists an appropriate legend of 100 Uurtdari pikemen blocking the arrow volley of 10,000 Alamutian archers and then charging on their enemy with such grit and ferocity that they emerged victorious without losing a single man. While likely a tall tale, the innumerable hoplites of the Sublime carry their warrior heritage with pride.

The most elite warriors of Light are most likely the infamous Kiyametin - a class of elite mounted archers created by Sultan Korona initially as simply his personal guard, but he admired their discipline and lethality to such an extent that he permanently incorporated them into the imperial military's ranks. While the great cavalry of Khotan and inner Kilran may be of comparable skill, few would dare challenge the legendary Kiyametin in the battlefield, whose impossible parthian shots and brutal guerilla tactics are more than a match for modern electric crossbowmen.

With regard to modern military technology, the Empire possesses several tank squadrons, though they are not likely to see any actual practical use anytime soon. Imperial airships, however, on the rise, with the Sultan commanding three state-of-the-art airborne Royal Warships capable of transporting entire armies from the safety of the sky. Additionally, the formation of a branch for personal glider infantry is underway, signaling the Sublime Army may soon add modern winged assault soldiers to its expanding arsenal.

### Foreign Policy

Though the Empire has long been closely related to the Commonwealth of Dreiton, many have sensed an impending shift in global politics. Rumor follows that the Sultan has established strong relations with the new jingoist government in Khotan, following the footsteps of Siluria and Sivella. There is increasing pressure for both Khotan and Nova Aquila to secure the wealthy Kazimiri as an ally in the inevitable coming war - and the Sultan and his Parliament are well aware of this fact. It remains to be seen whether the Empire will maintain its tenuous ties with the Xolumir-Dreiton pact or continue to drift towards the emerging Khotani axis.