Artavashahr
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Table of Contents
Overview
Artavashahr is as old as the sands of the Magthasta Desert and the waters of the great Šušen river. Her many people, from the many cultures and peoples that inhabit her, stand as a bastion of unity, and an unmovable force of power. From her lands comes great wealth, both material and philosophical, that has given her great fame over the years, but also brought the envy of her treacherous neighbors. But like the Zakos Mountains, she will stand the test of time, as a proud and ancient civilization.
Capital: Šuš
Official Name: Artavashahr (Aṣ̌awwašahr) or Empire of Artava
Official Religion: Guyaraism or Guyarayasna
Culture(s):
Šâhanšâh: Šâhanšâh Rustam IV
Full Title: King of Kings of the Artavans and Non-Artavans, or Shahanshah of the Artavans and Non-Artavans (šāhān šāh ī aṣ̌awwa ud anaṣ̌awwa)
Ruling House: House of Aspahbadh
History
Government
Geography
Economics
The Empire has a rather strong and diverse economy. While not a true industrial power like some nations in the world, the Empire can certainly hold its weight.
Primary Sector: Agriculture
The hotness of her sands is quite deceiving, as the Empire's geography has enabled it to become the breadbasket of the Continent. The great rivers, which flow into the Artava Sea, are the site of countless farms and massive irrigation projects that have enabled the Empire to not only feed its large population but have a great surplus to sell to her neighbors and the rest of the world. The south, which also has great rivers of its own but also a different climate, also does rather well with its food from irrigation and the many tropical fruit and vegtables that come from their fertile soil. In the cold hills of the Zakos, food production is more scare, and imports are important for the cities, but many of the subsistence farmers make due with what they have.
Beyond the production of foods, many other useful goods are produced as well for consumption, such as cotton, tobacco, silk and many different types of spices. Horses, Camels, and Elephants, are also greatly prized and breed within the Empire. Many different breeds of horses of excellent quality come from Baxtris, Aturpatakan, Surena, Spahan and Karmana. It is little wonder why the Empire has long prized its cavalry with this in mind
Primary Sector: Logging
Logging is another important part of the economy in the south. The many types of exotic wood from Karmana, Marw and Syunik are prized.
Primary Sector: Mining
The Empire has been blessed with numerous and vast amounts of minerals and ores from the Great Ararat Plateau and the Zakos Mountains. High quality Iron, Coal, Copper and Tin are just a few of the different minerals and ores found in great amounts in these regions that have proven to be of great value to the nation. Padishkhawargar also is widely known for its great deposits of Gold, Silver, and many gems that come from its hills and mountains.
Secondary Sector
The Empire is not just a place for raw goods to be extracted, but also a place where many artisans and craftsmen turn these raw goods into priceless materials and goods. The Secondary Sector itself is a good reflection of this, being well developed and concentrated heavily within the numerous cities of the Empire quite well. The state has long taken a protectionist stance for this valued sector, and has encouraged the use of guilds for these artisans to not only improve their own crafts but to further protect them from the dangers of truly free trade. Most of the secondary sector is left relatively untouched by the Imperial Bureacracy, with only measures taken to assure the quality of goods being made. However, the crucial arms, and shipbuilding industries have been heavily supported and subsidized by both the local rulers and the Imperial Government as well.
Mass industrialization that has shown itself in other nations is seen as detrimental by the Imperial Government, both religiously and from a societal point of view. Taking inspiration from far away Lusitania, that Empire strives to continue its long tradition of artisan excellency, and perhaps only in the military industrial complex shall any forms of industrialization take place.
Tertiary Sector
Given the economical stance of the Empire, the tertiary sector is rather small overall. Banks do exist, but anti-usury laws prevent them from being the menace that they could be if left unchecked. Instead, most lending organizations are local and are often conducted through Imperial licenced lenders or nobles. The goal of a loan isn't for the profit of the lender, but for the lendee's prosperity. Should the lendee fail to pay back the lender in the time set, it would be taken to court to analysis why this happened. Such factors as "poor habits" and "breaching the use of what the money was lent for" can result in imprisonment for the lendee, but lendees that truly did their best to use their loan for growth are often let off and the lender compensated by the government.
Most traders and merchants within the Empire conduct their affairs locally or regionally, as it has proven to be quite profitable to use middlemen to sell their goods to the greater world. This is usually conducted through the Trading guilds with bureaucratic supervision. Some merchants, however, take the risk of trading abroad but this is a minority.
Infastructure
The Empire has a well-built and maintained infrastructure network that is the envy of many nations. The Vishtasb, Shahbaraz, and Shahin canals link the three central rivers together and are crucial for trade in the region. Dams and irrigation networks are essential for the economy as a whole, as without them, the nation would starve. But the most extensive part of the infrastructure network is the great Royal Roads, which date back over 1500 years and are still a project that the Shahanshah invests in regularly. These roads are quite the feat, and have made transportation and movement much easier across the great mountains and plains of the Empire. Almost all cities are connected to each other by them, and their usefulness has paid dividends both economically and militarily.
Cultures and Religions
Military
The traditional way of (blank) warfare has always been centered around its heavy cavalry and archers
Cavalry
Asbārān
The heart of the army is and will always be the legendary heavy cavalry, the Asbārān. Traditionally draw from the wealthy aristocrats but having been expanded even to the lowest land holding magnates over the years, these cavalrymen and their horses are extremely well armored by any standard, being totally covered in it. They also are skilled with a variety of weapons, ranging from their devastating lance used to break enemy lines, their curved Shamshir sword, their mace, their finely crafted bows, and even javelins or darts. Even with the rise of firearms, the Asbārān have adapted to the times and their armor has grown stronger and even lighter with innovations.
Aswārān Sardar
Truly the elite of the elite when it comes to the cavalry, Aswārān Sardar are effectively even better armored and equipped than Asbārān. They are draft from the best of the best when it comes to the nobles, it is reflected in their performance.
Dehqan
The standard medium cavalry that is part of each (blanks) army is the Dehqan. They are similarly armed to the Asbārān but lack the horse armor and wear lighter armor themselves. They are drawn from the lower landowning classes and volunteers.
Shivtar
The most numerous of the light cavalry is the horse archers. They combine the traditional excellent of the cavalry with the traditional excellence of the archers of the (Blanks) into a deadly force that uses hit and run tactics to disrupt enemy formations. They have chosen to keep their bows, given the quality of (Blanks) Bows.
Savari Zubindar
The blank are the scouts of the army and engage in hit and run tactics. Their quality isn't that high, but they can prove to be quite the problem when they harass enemies.
Varkâna Zubindar and Qarqandi Shivtar
Great light horsemen that come from the Varkâna region. Both the light cavalry, and the horse archers some of the best that the blank have in terms of quality.
Infantry
Tofangchi
These men are armed with muskets and represent their standard infantry type in most (blanks) Armies. They phased out the ancient spear and pike infantry of the past with the adoption of the bayonet, but their quality is rather mediocre, and they aren't expected to win battles as much as not lose them.
Kamandaran
There are very few archers in the world that can match those that the (blanks) field. They have been retained and further specialized into a truly formidable force since the introduction of gunpowder. Using their unique bows that are capable of extreme ranges, power and accuracy, the infamous "Black Rain" that they can put on enemy formations. (More details about the bow and arrow types).
Jazāyerchi
The Elite Musketeers developed by blank. They have a higher caliber weapon than most musketeers worldwide that has greater range and accuracy, with some downsides. Well trained, and highly motivated, they along with the Kamandaran Zhayadan represent the elite of the infantry in the (blank) Army.
Kamandaran Zhayadan
The Elite of the Archers, drawn from the best archers in the realm. If the normal archers are among the best in the world, these archers may very well be the best in the world overall.
Artillery
Artillery isn't everything for the (blanks) but is still properly valued. It is out of date by some standards.