Makkada Sultanate

# The Makkada Sultanate

   The Makkada Sultanate has controlled the three Mauzji islands in the 150 years since they joined the Spiral Empire. The first sultan, Bari edj-Makkar, took the throne after a Kuan-Seprum army deposed his predecessor and thus began the Mauzji golden age.

Bari and subsequent sultans erected magnificent temples to their god; dedicated universities as places of peace and learning; funded the arts, music, science, and infrastructure; and turned Makkada into a center of commerce, culture, and trade. Although it lacks a standing army, Kuan and Seprum troops protect the people from the Forests and the sultan from unrest and rebellion.

The Mauzji spiral tower sits in the center of Qurash, the capital city. Because it is the most recently constructed, it is smaller and shorter than the one in Seprum. Each decade, a patron of the sultan redecorates its walls and public interior with murals, mosaics, stained glass, and sculptures, which ensures the tower remains one of the most beautiful landmarks in the city.

Most citizens of Makkada worship a single god. They have a single holy book, which is kept on public display behind glass in the Qurash palace, and their clergy interpret older teachings to develop guidelines by which devout Makkadi live. Makkadi are encouraged to pray each day, wear modest clothing, and offer time or money each month to charity. Some Makkadi may decide to memorize or even write a transcription of their holy text as a way of becoming closer to their god. While people of other religions may live in Makkada, they must pay a special tax, with the exception of the Kuan and Seprum armies there to protect the Makkadi way of life.

The flag of Makkada is two spiral lines. The darker blue represents life, water, and earth and the lighter blue represents piety and devotion. These colors are generally reserved for elai, or the Makkadi clergy, the sultan*,* and viziers.

Approximately 15 languages and dialects are spoken across the three islands, but the language of government is Tak.

## Mauzji History

Saliha the Conqueror united the three Mauzji islands in 151 PS after almost fifty years of war. To appease the nine clans after he took the throne, Saliha created a council of nine viziers, one from each of the other tribes. Although he put down multiple rebellions during his thirty-year reign, the transition of power to his son Fajr was peaceful.

His grandchild Aya took the throne at a young age after the assassination of Fajr. They almost immediately disbanded the council of viziers, who insisted a wifere was not fit to rule the kingdom. Through a series of skillful arranged marriages, gifts, and assassinations, Aya got the support of the clergy, who declared a wifere could hold the Muazji throne and that a monarch had the power to disband and call advisors as they saw fit.

### Decentralization

Knowing the clans were upset at their loss of power, Aya gave some influential clan members provincial governorships, sacrificing centralized control to keep the empire united. Over time, two of those provinces, one on Assa and one on Umay, increased in power until, in 78 PS, they joined forces, took the capital city of Arëna, and killed King Sashar II.

The army placed Sashar’s six-year-old child on the throne in Arëna and moved the real seat of power to Yamid, at the eastern edge of Assa. To keep the peace, they reinstated the council of viziers, this time with only four seats, one for each clan that had supported the rebellion. The council advised the diarchy, which was composed of the two provincial governors. After the death of the first diarch in 73 PS, however, Mauzji shattered into provinces, states, and fiefdoms.

### Reunification

Rebels from the Fassa clan sacked Arëna in 16 PS, but the Fassa empire lasted only two years before infighting tore it apart.

At the height of the chaos, Umay chose Dina edj-Meh as their governor, the first woman to ever hold that position. Though she did not have the support of the clergy initially, her people and especially her army followed her with great fervor. She deposed the other diarch and united Umay and eastern Assa before moving to reunite the rest of the Mauzji kingdom in 14 SE.

Emperor Tacitus and his black hand Dex offered Queen Dina a position in the newly-formed Spiral Empire in 21 SE, which she refused. A Kuan-Seprum army arrived in 25 SE, when Queen Dina was still consolidating her power. Religious minorities in the three islands offered the spiral army key support. When they took the northern peninsula and constructed the Mauzji tower, Dina lost access to her mage armies and surrendered quickly to save lives, though she killed herself before the army could take the capital in 29 SE.

Though initially tempted to instate one of the religious minorities on the throne, Bari edj-Makkar advised that such a choice would lead to near constant rebellion. Convinced by his arguments, and impressed by his rhetoric, General Dex declared Bari edj-Makkar the new ruler of a united Mauzji in 30 SE.

## The Makkada Sultanate

Sultan Bari named his newly united empire after Makkar, the city where he was born. However, he placed the capital in Qurash to appease the powerful Qurakka clan.

With the support of Kuan and Seprum soldiers, Sultan Bari quickly set about centralizing power and repairing the damage from the war. His first task was to appease the clergy, which he did by instituting a tax for citizens in religious minorities and marrying his wifere child to a powerful elai.

His successor, Tarik, focused on infrastructure development, especially a network of roads and increased protection on the spice paths to encourage more trade. He put down a single rebellion in his time, but unrest was brewing.

### Afya the Bargainer

Sultan Tarik’s sister, Afya the Bargainer, took over after his early death in 52 SE and immediately faced a rebellion with the support of two clans. Rather than risk a siege, she invited the leaders of both clans to a negotiation, where she offered to re-empower the council of viziers and create a rotational system, so each new sultan came from a different clan and none served more than ten years.

Faroud, one of the leaders of the rebellion, felt he deserved the throne for himself and refused the offer. Afya then revealed that she had poisoned the food of all who came to the negotiation, including her own. She knew the antidote but refused to give it unless Faroud accepted the offer and called off his army. When Faroud saw Afya was willing to die for her cause, he realized he could not best such a dedicated enemy and surrendered.

True to her word, Afya reformed the Makkada government, now with a council of viziers and ten-year term limits. She herself ruled ten more years and focused much of her attention on maintaining power and improving administrative infrastructure with the support of the viziers and regents.

Afya intentionally threw her support behind the absent-minded Shari as next sultan, knowing they would continue centralizing power with a dogged, single-minded focus, as opposed to the most likely other option, who would grant more independences to the provinces. So beloved was she by her people, clergy, and council, they unanimously elected Shari, who separated the Makkada government into ten branches, each one headed by a vizier. Going forwards, leadership of a branch rotated every five or ten years.

### Wiferization of Government

Starting when Aya imported an examination system from Ju and Diao, and accelerating under Sultan Shari, wiferes entered government at high rates, which led to what scholars call the *wiferization of government*. When bureaucrats were tested on their knowledge, rhetorical, and administrative skills, many more wiferes than men or women applied, and the ranks of government were soon dominated by wifere, even though they were only about 10% of the population.

Shari did not notice that their council was increasingly upset at the number of wifere who entered government and their reign ended in assassination. The ensuing power struggle lasted three years. In that time, the bureaucracy Shari had created continued to function well, going so far as to put down a rebellion in the Affan region and revamp the tax collection system without need for a sultan's support.

The newly elected Sultan Uthmar was impressed by the functioning of the bureaucracy and made no attempt to disband it. However, he disbanded the local Makkada army and requested more Seprum and Kuan support in order to create an army that answered to the sultan only.

### The Modern Makkada Sultanate

Uthmar and his successors dealt with few rebellions and could focus their efforts on science, the arts, culture, and trade. The spice paths floundered until Sultan Uthmar remade the caravansary on the short route between the eastern island and Dhi. This gave traders a relatively safe place to rest during the night, allowing them to slow down, carry more goods, and exchange horses. His child Sultan Naf built more, funding and manning them with support from Seprum and the Triple Kingdom.

Sultan Naf also built the first publicly funded university in Qurash, followed by a second university in Makkar two years later. As trade became easier, it became financially feasible for large empires like Kuan and Seprum to export services like translations and cipher breaking to Makkada, which brought more money to fund the sciences and arts.

Currently, Sultan Farhata is entering the sixth year of his reign and is well liked by his viziers, the clergy, and the people. He has the support of Tsenbai Saj and Emperor Fenix and is expected to finish his rule without a rebellion or vote of no confidence.

## Government

Makkada has a strong monarchy and centralized government supported by a large bureaucracy and council of ten viziers. Their leader is called the sultan and they rule over a sultanate.

### The Sultan

The most powerful position in the Makkada government is the sultan, though the position is far weaker than the Kuan saj or Seprum emperor. The sultan unilaterally controls the army. The war vizier can advise on decisions but has no veto power, making them the weakest of all viziers.

Another important role of the sultan is to maintain the economy and employment, with the help of their coin vizier. While the coin vizier can temporarily block a sultan's decision to print more or less money or issue bonds by refusing to act until the sultan relieves them of duty, the sultan determines all financial policies in Makkada.

A final important role of the sultan is to maintain a good relationship with the clergy, which are often a powerful political faction. The three Mauzji islands were united initially with the intent to spread religion, and clergy often pressure sultans to continue exporting Makkada culture and religion.

The sultan is the commander of a vast bureaucracy, though they mostly dictate commands to their council and leave the day-to-day management to their viziers. Managing the council is often difficult, as viziers fight for better positions or have ulterior motives. Relieving a vizier of duty is a difficult process that takes almost a month if the sultan chooses to do it without council support.

### Council of Viziers

The original council of viziers had nine seats, one for each of the nine most powerful Mauzji clans. The tenth, vizier of spiromancer, was added during Afya's reign. The current council generally includes representatives from at least six clans and rarely more than eight. Viziers are assisted by five to eight deputies. Each vizier leads a branch of government, which are listed below in relative order of influence and power.

#### Religion

The vizier of religion is an elai by custom. Though the religion vizier has little granted political power, it is a position of great influence. The stated goal (translated by the editor) of this branch is to:

“Spread the word of god and allow Makkada culture and religion to flourish at home and abroad.”

#### Spiral

The spiral vizier is a similar position to the silver hand in Seprum. Their most important duties are protecting the spiral tower and maintaining a strong relationship with the spiral guard. During times of war or unrest, the spiral vizier may be called upon to greatly restrict spiral access or fight alongside the army.

#### Coin

The vizier of coin oversees printing and destruction of new coinage, issuance of government bonds, and local commerce. Their stated goal is to:

“Ensure all citizens have meaningful work that pays a life-sustaining wage.”

#### Spiromancy

The vizier of spiromancy oversees the day-to-day implementation of the spiral, including tattooing new citizens, recruiting and educating talent, and funding research into magic. In recent years, duties have expanded to include studying ciphramancer techniques and how to block them, with the help of the spiral vizier.

#### Trade

The vizier of trade is a relatively new position. Previously, this branch was called *diplomacy*. While the vizier of trade still engages in diplomacy with the Triple Kingdom and Seprum, much of the day-to-day business revolves around protecting the spice paths and caravansaries, keeping abreast of changes in the Forest, guarding the peripheral territories, and planning new expansions.

#### Health

The vizier of health is often a spiromancer with an emphasis on healing and health. They work closely with the spiromancy vizier to develop new healing spells and the viziers of infrastructure and coin to enact public health programs, such as the vaccination campaign that started almost nine years ago.

#### Infrastructure

The vizier of infrastructure ensures that all internal roads, aqueducts, farms, dams, etc. are functioning optimally and occasionally launch new building campaigns. Their stated goal is to:

“Design and build infrastructure that serves the needs of all citizens.”

#### Development

Unlike the other viziers, the development vizier focuses inwards, on maintaining the bureaucracy and examination system to:

“Ensure every member of government is pious, faithful, dedicated, intelligent, and prepared for their positions.”

#### Scholarship and Art

The vizier of scholarship and art oversees a vast system of universities and public parks and an array of grant programs. Different sultans tend to focus more on either scholarship or art, not both, and the current sultans emphasizes scholarship and education.

#### War

The war vizier cannot order any member of the army to take an action. They act as a strategic and logistical advisor and spend much of their time fostering cohesion between the Seprum and Kuan armies in terms of tactics, culture, and style.

### Choosing a New Sultan

When a sultan is assassinated, ends their term, or is voted out by a majority of viziers and their deputies, a new sultan must be chosen. Often, the ten viziers choose one of their own to rise to the new position. However, in some cases, especially after a vote of no confidence, viziers will select provincial governors or dedicated members of the bureaucracy to become sultan next.

### Regional Government

The Makkada Sultanate is separated into nine provinces, each of which is overseen by a governor. By law, between six and fourteen percent of all bureaucrats must come from each province, which prevents any province from gaining too much influence in government. Because an applicant must live in a province for at least five years to take the examination there and remain there while they serve, this also leads to a relatively equal distribution of intellectual resources, as people move to less-represented provinces to have a better chance of gaining a position in government.

Some provinces have councils of viziers. Others adopt different administrative organizations. Court systems function at this provincial level; any legal matters that rise to the capitol are settled by the sultan, with help from their advisors.

## Trade

Long before the islands unified, Mauzji was a beacon of trade. Perhaps as early as 2400 PS, Mauzji merchants braved the Forest to bring spices to Dhi and Ju in exchange for jewels, ivory, hardwood, and horses. Before the first maps were drawn, they relied on the newly-invented compass to guide them through the tall, dark trees.

Now, Makkadi traders have a vast expanse of roads, maps, experience, and perhaps most importantly, caravansaries, to keep them safe as they travel the spice paths.

### Caravansaries

Presently, under optimal conditions, it takes merchants approximately four days to carry goods from Qurash to Seprum and six days from Umay to Dhi or Ju. To remain safe during the day, Mekkadi traders pass down maps and share an extensive oral history about what omens portend danger in the Forest.

At night, however, humans need shelter. To that end, Mauzji rulers have invested heavily in caravansaries, which are rest stops in the Forest. Though no one lives in the Forest permanently, guards and caretakers in caravansaries may remain there for up to a few months, protecting traders, maintaining the facilities, and caring for any traders or travelers who pass through.

Anyone with a spiral tattoo must be given food, water, shelter, and another horse if they arrived at the caravansary with one. Customarily, guests leave political intrigue behind when they enter the shelter, as the risk of fighting in the Forest is too great. According to one Makkadi myth, when Sultan Naf chased the raiders who killed their wife into the Forest and down the spice paths, they spared their lives as soon as they stepped into the caravansary to prevent bloodshed in the Forest. The raiders escaped to Dhi, and the Dhi king extradited them a year later.

### Trade Goods

The Makkada Sultanate exports a variety of spices, including salt, sugar, peppers, paprika, and cumin. Perhaps their most valuable trade offerings are not physical items, but their expertise. Seprum and the Triple Kingdom send ciphers, texts that need translation or transcription, routine mathematical calculations, and manuscripts into the sultanate, especially Meh and Qurash, so Makkadi scholars can work on them. Wealthier or more powerful people can afford to keep a Makkadi scholar on retainer, on an estate nearby or in their villas, to handle any needs that emerge. Makkadi interpreters are also in high demand. Some aristocratic families, especially in Ju, may even opt to send their children to university in the sultanate*.*

In return, the sultanate imports food, building materials, and precious metals from the other kingdoms. Their aristocracy is particularly fond of potatoes from Dhi, and Kuan lamb and horses. They use Seprum or Ju wood for much of their construction and may important marble for more important buildings.

Makkada also trades with civilizations beyond the Spiral Empire, including Tusei to the south, the Ma'hea to the east, and Uatla, Nachti, and Vichelli to the north.

### Currency

As overseers of trade, the Makkada Sultanate handles a lot of different currency. Most Ju cities accept the dinar, and cities and towns near trade routes in Dhi and Seprum do the same. Makkadi merchants will trade in Ju mun, Seprum libra, Kuan sukhe, and Dhi dam. When merchants arrive at Qurash, they can trade foreign currency for dinar at set rates, which change weekly or even daily.

The Makkadi dinar is backed by silver, like the libra, and silk, like the sukhe. The Makkadi are much more protective of their currency than other empires, including issuing bonds, tracking average prices over time, and measuring the growth of the entire empire’s economy each year. They do not in general offer these services to other empires, nor is it clear that the other empires would want to spend time and money on collecting such data.

## Art and Culture

Makkada's art is heavily influence by the Makkadi religion, Sudhaism, which is monotheistic. That means Makkadi worship only one god, who created all things. Their religion encourages each citizen to read religious doctrine themselves and argue with interpretations they find incorrect, which feeds into the strong Makkadi tradition of rhetoric and argumentation.

### Calligraphy

The Makkidi language is written with a flowing script—skilled writers can complete an entire page without once lifting up their quill. Many murals or mosaics feature Makkadi text, which looks more like spiral swirls than lettering.

As in Ju, Makkadi scholars are expected to have some calligraphic skills, though members of the bureaucracy often use shorthand, which sacrifices appearance for ease of writing and reading. When Makkadi learn different languages, they often import traditional calligraphic customs to those scripts as well, creating works of art that are all but illegible. This has generated some friction between Ju aristocracy and Makkadi diplomats, who differ greatly in opinion on how Ju calligraphy should appear.

### Mathematics

To discourage idol-worship, Makkadi art avoids representations of the real world, preferring to rely on the abstract, even in portraiture. Makkadi artists need a strong background in mathematics in order to create their intricate designs of interlocking, tessellating shapes.

#### Mosaics

Makkadi mosaics are made of rock, tile, or even shards of glass. Recently, *elai* decreed they could depict flags and other symbols in their art. Otherwise, most mosaics feature triangles, squares, and perfect circles. One artist, Fa edj-Umad, includes every conic section in every design she makes.

Common colors include green, blue, yellow, and black. Though relatively easy to find, purple tile is spurned for clashing in most mosaics, so when Naryi Tumai unveiled that his newest mosaic in the lobby of the spiral tower featured purple heavily, the piece of art was almost destroyed before the spiral was reopened.

#### Portraiture

Because figures are rarely represented in art, sultans are given unique color and shape combinations at the beginning of their rule to represent them in artwork. The current sultan chose navy and sky blue in a series of interlocking circles. As the number of representations grows, it becomes easier to tell stories in artwork without relying on calligraphy.

### Carpets and Textiles

#### Clothing

Sudhaism requires all practitioners to dress modestly outside the house. For lower class people, who do not have a strong horse-riding tradition, this means skirts that fall below the knee and shirts that cover the shoulders, generally undyed and made of wool.

Wealthier Makkadi wear more layers. Merchants and the aristocracy wear *sirwal*, long baggy pants, beneath layered togas, robes, or *kandys*. Bureaucrats prefer long robes that cover the wrists and ankles. Women and wifere who can afford it have their clothing embroidered in the *zardozi* style: gold and silver threads, sometimes accentuated with pearls or small gems, are woven into silk, velvet, and satin in complex, glimmering shapes.

Like Seprums, Makkadi wear sturdy leather shoes, though most are close-toed. Merchants generally invest in shoes that reach the ankle or halfway up the leg to stay safe in the Forest. They will also carry other clothing in their packs so they may look like wealthy natives when they arrive in Dhi, Ju, Seprum, or Kuan.

#### Religious Dress

Sudhas must wear certain articles of clothing at certain times out of respect for their religion. Wifere wear gloves in public, polite company, and temple. Higher class wiferes and bureaucrats often wear gloves that stretch to their elbows.

Women cover the lower half of their face with a veil in public and in temple, though they may remove them inside. Their hairstyle often indicates whether they are looking for a marriage partner, married, or uninterested in a male partner at that time.

Men cover their hair with scarf-like wraps, cotton for lower class men, silk for upper class men. Often, their hair itself is wrapped in the fabric, and it is considered rude for strangers to touch the coverings without first asking permission.

Non-Sudhas are expected to wear distinct clothing, such as Kuan or Seprum leather pants.

#### Clothes at Court

To indicate support for the ruling sultan, bureaucrats and viziers always wear the sultan's colors somewhere on their outfit; a more prominent display suggests stronger support. Gifts of clothing are common, and dyed, layered silks are particularly valuable.

*Elai* always wear cloaks in public, often embroidered with complex patterns. They are excluded from wearing the sultan's colors but may choose to do so to curry political favor, or as a sign of respect.

The sultan wears *sirwal* and robes of many layers, similar to the Seprum toga. Most grow their hair long, braided into complex styles, and head gear or headdresses. Their partners and family members set the fashion for court, including patterns, fabric, and cuts, and are expected to change clothes multiple times a day during diplomatic meetings or religious celebrations.

#### Carpets

Carpet-making is a highly-valued skill in Makkada, and a feminine one. Many traders refuse to purchase from men or wifere. It can take years to design and create a new carpet, and some weavers work silver and gold wire into their creations.

As with mosaics, the designs tend to be geometric. More complex carpets are never left on the ground, but instead hung like tapestries so they may be enjoyed without being trod upon. One weaver, Aila edj-Kumar, gifted Sultan Umar with her prized carpet by placing it on the ground at his feet and saying she’d be honored for so great a sultan to walk on her work. Sultan Umar knelt on the carpet once and then had it hung in his personal chambers, where only he and select members of his harem could enjoy it.

### The Harem

The inner, protected parts of the palace are called the harem, and those who live there are considered its members, which include the sultan, their partners, their close family, palace guards, and servants.

The harem is protected by an all-woman team of guards, the only native Makkadi still permitted to train in weapons and martial arts. Entrance to the harem and to much of the bureaucracy during the day is at their pleasure—they are responsible for searching all who seek entry and guiding them to the proper department. It is customary for diplomats and those seeking the sultan's knowledge to bring a gift for the guards.

### Theatre

The acting community in Makkada is relatively new and popular amongst immigrants and religious minorities. As a result, the plays contain more secular thematic material.

#### Shadow Plays

In a shadow play, one or two skilled puppeteers manipulate cutouts of animals, backgrounds, and people to tell a story, often a Makkadi myth or fable with a moral lesson at the end. They are especially popular amongst children.