Consular Empire of Raqqos

The Consular Empire of Raqqos, formerly the Consulate of Raqqos, is a maritime nation and empire in the western Inland Sea. It is centred on the island capital of Raqqos, located north of Ankh and south-west of the Frozen Wastes. In addition to the city-state itself, Raqqos holds territorial claims to large portions of the Ankh region and possesses numerous small colonies and settlements there.

## History

Following the Ankhosian Rebellion in 1620BGE, Raqqos became a contentious political issue for the empires of Ankh and Argaiv as the territory was in a key strategic position between the two and, despite being significantly closer to Argaivan shores, was claimed and occupied by the Ankhari. As a result, the construction of the first Raqqos Fort was completed sometime around 1615BGE. Following this the town grew steadily in size over the next 200 years, with significantly bolstered defenses protecting the Ankhari claim. The island would remain a political issue for hundreds of years.

Around 1400 BGE Argaiv launched a successful naval invasion of the island and destroyed Raqqos Fort. However, before larger scale looting or destruction could occur Argaivan forces were routed by the Ankhosian Empire, allegedly by the mythological Red Lord.

Following the destruction of the Argaivan military, Ankhos significantly strengthened their hold on Raqqos and its surrounding waters with a larger naval fleet, new fort, larger troop garrison and improved fortifications. Through this they controlled almost all trade through the Raqqosian Corridor and cut off Argaivan naval trade between the Sunshine and Sunset coasts.

In 989 BGE the city of Raqqos was avoided the destruction that befell Ankh, however its population had been severely reduced due to the effects of the war against the crusaders from the Centrelands. As a result, the population consisted of a small number of farmers and peasants, as well as as a number of bureaucrats and a minimal military garrison. The senior bureaucrat, consul Badahar'ka'Raq, established a tentative new meritocratic government in order to efficiently manage the existing crisis. As the government consisted of able bureaucrats, who also had the support of the army, they had little trouble maintaining power and peace. Various consuls, now exiled from their former posts in the Centrelands, took up senior positions in this government upon their return.

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With confirmation from numerous expeditions confirming the destruction and uninhabitability of Ankh, and with the continuing potential threat from the Centrelanders, Raqqos closed itself off to the outside world. Only small fishing vessels were permitted to be operated, with any remaining ships in Raqqos being destroyed or deconstructed.

Around 740BGE, news reached Raqqos via the Shanty Pirates that Ruby City, the Centrelands premier port on the Inland Sea and the primary force behind the invasion of Ankhos, had been destroyed. Following this, limited expeditions to Ankh were permitted, but the land was still deemed uninhabitable and barely tolerable to life, even for short periods. Over the next century a number of expeditions reached the same conclusion. In 610BGE the Consulate, having determined that the Ankh region could finally be explored owing to a slightly cooler climate and advances in heat-resistant fabrics. They funded the construction of Isra Nafur and began the tentative retrieval of valuable metals left scattered around the region, though they conducted little archaeology and generally plundered only surface level artefacts.

Around 700BGE, following the very modest success of Isra Nafur, Raqqos' first colony, a farming colony was established in Dej to help feed to the growing population of the Consulate.

In 568 BGE the Consulate became aware that explorers from the Centrelands (archaeologists from the UoP's Woleseat Collge) had allegedly discovered the Neb'Qudar among the ruins of Ankhos' ancient palace. Whilst the Consulate had been aware of the presence of Centrelanders in the region for a number of years, their activities had done little to draw attention, consisting primarily of unearthing stone obelisks. They had also been tolerated for the sizeable monetary payments they offered for supplies at Isra Nafur. Upon the revelations regarding the extent to which the "Centrelanders/Niqosi" had been "plundering" ancient Ankh there was uproar among the political and economic elite.

=== Middle Era ===

The beginning of the Dread Pirate Era in 489BGE saw pirate attacks plague Raqqosian and Pemblish trading interests and newly established and previously highly desirable routes were now often highly unprofitable due to loss of goods, particularly on the Pemblish side. By 460, the pirate Meldrew had become so successful in his raids that trade between the Centrelands and Raqqos ceased almost entirely. In response, Raqqos began to construct its first proper warships.

After the defeat of the Dread Pirate King Meldrew in 395BGE, pirate presence in the region collapsed and trading with the Centrelands began again, the Consulate interested in exploring the opportunities hinted during their earlier foray into international trade. Whilst initially the trading opportunities were poor, particularly due to the collapse of the Pemblish economy, the newly established Commonwealth of Pem soon found itself on increasingly economically stable ground. By ??? Raqqos had begun to gain interest in numerous goods available in the centrelands and many punitive trade restrictions were abolished, with the exception of the banning of gold exports. The interest in Pemblish and other foreign technologies also grew rapidly.

As the people of Raqqos became enriched through their tradecrafts, their tastes for foreign imports increased. Similarly, Raqqosian goods became increasingly desirable in the centrelands as new markets opened up across the Commonwealth and in the Tall Kingdom and Aleuria. In particular Raqqosian spices, unique to the exact climate of the island of Raqqos, became increasingly demanded across the Central Continent and prices rose phenomenally, at one point reaching £4910/kg on average. On the Central Continent, huge speculative investments were made based around the spice trade and Raqqos expanded their spice growing operations to encompass the entire Consulate Gardens. However, against the expectations of many speculative investors in the Centrelands, the Consulate could not and did not further expand their spice growing (as the spice could only be grown on the island and there were no further areas into which cultivation could be expanded), causing the collapse of numerous companies overseas in 359, an event known as the Great Spice Crash. As spice production and distribution was controlled centrally through the Consulate there was no direct economic fallout amongst ordinary Raqqosian citizens and Consulate production and export of spices continued as normal, in great disparity to the economic crises that the crash had caused abroad. However, the economic collapses abroad did have a temporary negative knock-on effect on exports.

## Government

The government of the Consular Empire is known as the Consulate.

The Consulate is headed by the Grand Consul, who is elected from among all non-wealth consuls every ten years by the Chamber of Consuls. The Grand Consul possesses specific legislative and voting powers and heads both the Chamber of Consuls (the primary legislative body) and the Upper Council (the secondary executive body of the Consulate).

### The Chamber of Consuls

The Chamber of Consuls, often referred to as the Chamber of Rule or simply The Consulate, is the primary legislative body of the Consulate of Raqqos. The Chamber is formed of a varying number of individuals of the title 'consul', who are ostensibly non-partisan.

The Chamber and Consuls possess control over the legislature, administration and judiciary of the Consular Empire. The Consuls table, debate and vote on the majority of governmental matters in the Consular Empire. National policy is often suggested via the Upper Council, but consuls are (usually) under no obligation to vote with the Council and may table policy themselves.

#### Appointment of Consuls:

Consuls are selected on the following grounds-

Merit - Citizens who demonstrate themselves as exceptionally able in fields such as bureaucracy, diplomacy and military strategy may be invited to become a consul by the Consulate Merit Committee, a body consisting of meritocratically selected Consuls. Such candidates are heavily scrutinised before and after selection and a vote will be cast in the Chamber before they are accepted. The Chamber is required to be made up by at least one-third of these meritocratically elected consuls. Consuls of Merit possess twenty year terms, which may be extended by a single additional ten year term following a consulate vote.

Consulate Warrants - Consulate Warrants are awarded to either products that possess 'outstanding innovation', as well as 'exceptional aesthetic or practical properties and purposes' or to individuals who have excelled in specific areas of trade crafts or economic endeavours.

When a product is awarded a warrant, the pioneer of this particular product is then, in turn, automatically offered consul status barring any concerns from the Consulate Warrant Committee. Products may be nominated by any consul to be considered for a warrant, at which point the Consulate Warrant Committee will investigate the product and report back to the chamber with their findings and recommendations. Additional deliberation by the Chamber, Committee and Upper Council may follow before a final debate and vote take place. All consuls are limited to a single nomination per two year period, regardless of success, with the exception of the Grand Consul who is limited to one nomination per six months by convention. Whilst Consulate Warrants bestowed to products do not expire, they only confer consul status to an individual for a ten year term.

Any consul may nominate a single individual anytime during their term as worthy of a Personal Warrant, also known as an Order of Raqqos, which is not tied to any specific product but instead acknowledges an exceptional level of personal acheivement in tradecrafts and economic persuits. The process for this is much the same as those for warranted products, but confers a twenty year term. These appointments are highly coveted as they are usually awarded only to individuals who produce a plethora of warrant-worthy products.

If a Warranted Consul attains additional Consulate Warrants during their term, each confers an additional ten year extension to their term. Consuls who attain personal warrants usually retain consul status for their entire lives, as their products are often recommended for consulate warrants and therefore their terms are extended to several decades, often beyond their own lifespan. It is important to note that additional warrants awarded to those possessed of a Personal Warrant confer an additional term, rather than simply extending the current term. This allows Consuls with a Personal Warrant to potentially nominate multiple individuals for Personal Warrants during their time as consul.

Wealth - The five wealthiest individuals in Raqqos who do not qualify by other means are entitled to posses consul status. Individuals selected through these means possess five year terms, during which time they are not automatically stripped of consul status should they slip below the wealth threshold or should they be overtaken by other individuals. Consuls of wealth are currently permitted to make two warrant nominations per two year period, but are not permitted to nominate personal warrants.

Consuls of Wealth have previously been permitted either additional nominations for consulate warrants or, conversely, not been permitted to make any nominations at all, dependent on the period of history. This is due to a fluctuating stigma towards these consuls as they possess great wealth but do not qualify for consulship in the "usual" manner. As such, they are perceived as allegedly less corruptible due to their already excessive wealth, but also less "valuable" to society due to a perceived lack of contribution.

### The Upper Council

Members of the Upper Council are elected by the Chamber and assigned positions within the Council by the Grand Consuls.

The Grand Consul

The Left Hand of the Consul heads the Consulate Warrant Committee and is typically Minister of Commerce

The Right Hand of the Consul heads the Consulate Merit Committee and is typically Minister of Bureaucracy

and are scrtuinised by the Consulate Warrant Committee.

The Upper Council possesses legislative scrutiny over a number of issues and

 Consulate Merit Committee
Consulate Warrant Committee

## Naming Conventions

Raqqosian names follow two different conventions.

### Consul Name

Historically consuls have adopted a 'Consul' Name upon receiving Consulship. This system is based on a late Ankhosian naming convention for royalty. Consul naming convention starts with a consul's family name, followed by the qualifier 'al' and ended with their given name/s. If a consul possesses an overly common family name, such as those based on a place, then it is standard convention to adopt a new family name. Some consuls choose not to adopt a different name upon receiving consulship, but most do due to the prestige provided by a 'Consul Name', as it persists even after one's official consulship expires.

### Common Name

Typical naming convention gives an individuals first name, followed by the qualifier 'ka' and ended by the individuals family name. Family names in themselves are historically tied to places rather than families, though many families have chosen their own, personal family names.

## Cuisine

La'sha - A type of coffee-ale, popularised in the colonies and now drunk across the Consulate.

Kofta- Typically lamb or beef, kofta is a meatball style spicy dish.

Khash - Traditionally known as the "king's food for the poor man", khash is a soup dish containing (varying quantities) of boiled meat. Often heavily spiced. In modern times khash has developed into a widely popular dish across the consulate, with variations for rich and poor alike.

Albati (Melon Wine) - A sweet wine made from melons, often spiced. Once popular in Ancient Ankh, Albait was all but forgotten until the Raqqosian colonies re-established contact with former-Ankhosian settlements in Dej. The industry has since thrived in the colonies, with melons becoming a popular crop.

Vish - A thin, stodgy bread made from flour, water and sea salt. Popular in Ancient Ankh, it continues to be a staple of the Raqqosian diet.

Biba'nuba - Literally "mixed pot", this relatively new dish incorporates a variety of new vegetables, spices and fruits made accessible through the colonies and international trade. A wide and varied number of ingredients are used for it with many "signature" and regional styles existing. It is considered a fashionable but rapidly changing dish, with new forms being constantly created.