Nangkap

Officially, Archsage Oloroais the emperor (andaros) of Nangkap. In this capacity, he takes the title Regent (sarcon) of Nangkap. It is completely unclear whether he is still alive. Within Nangkap it is, by imperial decree, high treason to say that Oloroa is dead, however, if he were alive, he would be 426 years old. Certainly, the Archsage lived to an extraordinary age, however, Oloroa has not been seen in public for 170 years.   Since Oloroa was last seen, a line of first sages (amios vastiri, sg. amios vastirus), nominally appointed by Oloroa, have been the de facto rulers of Nangkap. Most recently, this role has been taken up by First Sage Imesta. In practice, the Sages act as judges and ombudsmen. They oversee the government of the Empire and occasionally make unruly mandarins disappear. The day-to-day governing of the Empire is done by mandarins (semporii, sg. semporius) whose titles are hereditary so long as they do not offend the sages.   The Empire (andarion) is divided into three levels of government. It is first divided into large provinces (mestirones, sg. mestironis). There are 16 provinces which make up the Empire, plus Vekirari which is a city with province-level autonomy (called the andreon). Each province is led by a governor (mestir, pl. mestri). Each province also hosts a grand inspectorate (milla sosteranna, pl. mille sosteranne), a group of sages called inspectors (sostre, sg. soster) led by a grand inspector (milla soster). The grand inspectorates oversee the governance of the province and discipline rulers who displease the sages. Each province has an associated provincial capital (mestrinon, pl. mestrinonis) which is not usually the largest city, instead being chosen for its central location.   The provinces are in turn divided into counties (fastrati, sg. fastratus) each led by a count (fastar, pl. fastre). Each county has a county capital (fastramon, pl. fastramonis). The county whose seat is the provincial capital is called the centre (catrus, pl. catri) and is held by the local governor who is the ex officio count of that county.   Finally, counties are divided into townships, each one a town and the surrounding worked land (e.g. farmland, mines or quarries, the coastal shelf of fishing villages, etc.). Townships are led by mayors (almi, sg. almos).   Major cities sit outside of this system. Apart from Vekirari, all major cities are within provinces but not within counties. In this way, major cities act like counties in their own right although the largest have considerable independence from their province.   Including Vekirai, major cities are led by a lord mayor (aster almos) who chairs a council of masters (deiorium). The masters (deiori, sg. deior) of the city each fulfil a distinct role, for example, the Master of Coin manages the cities finances. Large cities also have a city inspectorate so that sages can watch over the masters closely.   The townships must raise their own taxes which they pay to the local count who pays a portion of his income to the local governor who must pay a portion to the sages.   The sages also act as judges, settling disputes and ratifying decrees proposed by the governor or counts. The inspectors travel throughout the region they oversee, setting up courts of assizes in each major town they visit to settle any local disputes before moving on to the next town. The sages are guarded on their travels by an honour guard of troops from the inspectorates own militia.   Although the sages hold absolute power, they actually take a fairly small role in the governing of the Empire, especially since Oloroa stopped appearing in public. For the first 200 years of the Empire, Oloroa personally led the military campaign across the continent which expanded the Empire to its current extent. Since Oloroa's withdrawal from public life, the military campaign has slowed such that the borders are mostly stable now. Now that they no longer directly oversee the military, the sages mostly have a regulatory role. Most citizens of the Empire see sages very rarely, perhaps only once or twice in their lives.

The population of Nangkap is around 3 million people. Only estimates can be given, there is no consistent census data.   The population of Nangkap is around 90% Espirion by race. Most of the remaining 10% are Tamijhiin of which around half are indentured servants, the rest mostly free and semi-nomadic. The Tamijhiin nomads are particularly concentrated in the south-east and south-west of the Empire. The Espirion population are particularly concentrated in settlements along the waterways of the Empire with the highest population cities on the coast and along major rivers. There are very few citizens of any other race. There is only one Saravan in the Empire, Bariat Vol Oster, who lives in Vekirai. There are a small number of Haravi, called Pirol or Beastfolk within the Empire, who are most indentured servants and slaves.   Despite being one of the most populous nations in Alter, Nangkap's population is still very low density. Southern Nangkap in particular has a very low population density, owing the the lack of water across vast swathes of land.

The sages began the conquest of Nangkap with a coup in the city state of Vekirai. They then took the port cities of T'an Ba and Ikaran before a protracted conquest of 'Tsng'sen, Vaitaret and Igasot working south following major rivers. After conquering Dabrait to the south and then Bi'tsng'ot to the East, the Empire found its military overstretched and the expansion ground to a halt.   Nangkap is geographically stratified from north to south. Along the coast, the land is fertile with a Mediterranean climate. The central band of Nangkap is forested with mixed evergreen and deciduous trees cleared for agriculture beside the major rivers. The south-east is hilly and craggy. In the far south, there are dry grasslands and steeper hills.

Nangkap has a large military made up of a number of militias each associated with a particular district of the empire. The militias are coordinated by the sages during major conflicts. The army is concentrated along the borders with Bairok and with A'ot, Gi'kh'en and Tiran and, to a lesser extent, in the major cities where they act as law enforcement.   Nangkap has the second largest navy in M'dia after Bi'tsng'ot Delta as well as a large number of merchant ships. There are three major ports in Nangkap which host large naval fleets: Vekirai, T'an Ba and Ikaran.

There is no official state religion of Nangkap. Polyarchy is the dominant religion in north, central and eastern Nangkap. In particular, the Vekirati Pentarchists dominate northern and eastern Nangkap while the Hamingatsen Hexarchist sect are populate the centre of the empire. There are also small groups following the Bi'tsng'ot Delta Pentarchist tradition.   There are small groups in the south, worshipping the Cyirosi pantheon and, in the east, following the Baireki tradition of ancestor worship.

Nangkap's history of invasions and imperialism has not been forgotten. The Empire borders seven other nations: Bairok, Cyiros, Pa'ete, Gi'kh'en, Sotun, Tiran, A'ot and Bi'tsng'ot Delta. This section details the diplomatic situation between these nations and Nangkap in turn as well as the most distal nations of north-east M'dia.  

Relations with Bairok

  When Oloroa overthrew the king of the city-state of Vekirai in 213BU, leveraging the strong Vekirati navy, he quickly conquered the coastal cities of Ikaran and T'an Ba which were the capitals of the nations of Igasot and 'Tsng'sen. Despite the fall of their capitals, Igasot and 'Tsng'sen weren't conquered until after a number of years of military campaign.   As the empire expanded south in the conquest of Dabrait and east in the conquest of Bi'tsng'ot and its capital Bat'tsng'ra, a stalemate on the western front developed. To the south-west, the Great Grass Sea proved sufficient inhospitable as to prevent further incursion of the Nangkapan forces. On the main western front, the Nangkapan armies found themselves matched by Bairoki forces. At the time, what is now Bairok was divided in three, North Bairok, South Bairok and the central Tulu Republic. The three states formed a military cooperation pact to halt the oncoming invaders. They fortified the border between South Bairok and the Empire and merged their naval forces to defend their long coast. The three kingdoms also succeeded in rounding up all the sorcerers within their borders who set up protective girdles over the border walls, prevented the sages from turning the tide of the war with magic.   In the year 74AU, the military union was developed into a political one. Bairok now operates as a kind of confederacy of semi-antonymous states with mutually open borders. Even now, more than 250 years after the first invasion attempt by the Empire, the border is still dangerous. Both sides built fortresses near to the border and skirmishes continue, with fortresses regularly being captured and recaptured. Little progress has been made by either side, however.   Formally at war, their is very little diplomatic interaction between the Empire and Bairok. Trade across the land border is also essentially impossible. Even smugglers avoid the risk of crossing it. Illegal trade does occur however, either by sea (unscrupulous merchants change their ships logs to falsify the origin of their cargo) or by land via Cyiros. The two countries do not have formal embassies.   There are fairly large groups of Pentarchist Bairoki refugees in Nangkap, fleeing religious persecution. There are also communities of Nangkapan defectors living in Bairok, most of whom got on the wrong side of the sages and were forced to flee.

Relations with Cyiros

When the Empire took Dabrait, Cyirosi forces annexed a portion of of the Dabraiti territory. During this time there was a brief conflict between Cyiros and Nangkap but the Empire quickly found itself matched by the superior technology of the Cyirosi military. What the Empire has in magical advantage, the Cyirosi have in technological advantage. Cyiros has the richest mines in north-east M'dia and their knights are well armoured and carry state of the art weapons. Additionally, only one major river crosses the Cyiros-Nangkap border; the Empire couldn't practically leverage it's large navy, travelling upstream on a single river, easily blockaded by Cyiros.   The deadlock ended in an alliance; the first alliance Oloroa struck, in fact. The relationship is tense, but each nation has an embassy in the other's capital and has done fairly constantly for 200 years. Each is the other's largest trading partner. For Cyiros, Nangkap produces a large surplus of food and also manufactures fashionable textile goods. For Nangkap, Cyiros exports metal and metal products, including armour and weapons. There are border patrols on both sides of the border but the border is fairly porous. Each nation leverages very low tariffs on goods from the other although these tariff are not even thoroughly enforced.

Relations with Pa'ete

Pa'ete has a defensive advantage over Nangkap; the borderlands are hilly, mountainous in parts and craggy. During the expansion of Nangkap, the sages decided it was not worth the effort to attempt a conquest of Pa'ete. The relationship between Nangkap and Pa'ete is cordial but distant. There is very limited trade across the border. There are a number of fruits that grow readily in Pa'ete that are consider luxuries in Nangkap. The two countries don't have mutual permanent embassies but they do occassionally send emissaries.  

Relations with Gi'kh'en, A'ot and Tiran

The eastward expansion of Nangkap stopped when Oloroa withdrew from public life. In the following 170 years, the entire eastern border has been tumultuous. Nangkap never officially made peace with any of its three largest eastern neighbours. It has no formal diplomatic relations with Gi'kh'en, A'ot or Tiran. There are occasional skirmishes across the eastern borders but they haven't changed significantly since the end of the empire's expansion. There is some trade across the borders; smugglers charge high prices to move valuable goods across the dangerous eastern limit.

Relations with Bi'tsng'ot Delta

Bi'tsng'ot Delta became a city-state, independent of the nation of Bi'tsng'ot 94 years before Bi'tsng'ot was invaded by Nangkap. The Delta seceded from Bi'tsng'ot along with the very large Bi'tsng'ot navy. The Delta relies on its naval supremacy. It has cordial relations with all the coastal states in north-east M'dia, including Nangkap. It has the largest navy in north-east M'dia both military and merchant.   The Empire never risked taking the Delta, knowing that it could not match it in naval strength. Bi'tsng'ot Delta is prosperous and its products are considered to be extremely fashionable in Vekirai and other Nangkapan urban centres so war with Bi'tsng'ot Delta would likely be very unpopular with the Nangkapan population. Bi'tsng'ot Delta is a trade hub and trades extensively in a wide variety of products with all the major coastal hubs including Vekirai and Bairek but also more distant ports such as Mazarat, Jostian, Vanrheim and even Imanasted.

Agriculture is the largest industry in Nangkap. In northern Nangkap, fruit trees are the primary agricultural product. Pasture and arable cropland dominates the central band of the Empire, limited to irrigated areas beside rivers. There is less agricultural activity in the south of the Empire where it is simply too dry and hilly.   There is limited mining activity in the Empire. There are salt and coal mines quarries in the north and small iron mines in the south. There are two mines in the east of the empire which mine kimberlites for diamonds. There are also extensive lime mines in the west. Most of the Empire's metals and minerals are imported.   The Empire has craftsmen who produce a variety of luxury items including renowned jewellers and weavers. There is also a large tool making industry in Vekirai and in Dabrait.    The Empire has a number of major trade routes running through it. The north-south, land route from Vekirai to Cyiros via Dabrait and Vaitaret. An east-west land route from Bi'tsng'ot Delta to T'an Ba via Ikaran and Vekirai. There are also very important maritime trade routes from Vekirai, T'an Ba and Ikaran to other large ports in north-east M'dia. The Empire levies small tariffs on products brought across the border which constitute a large amount of tax income for the central government.

There are three major land trade routes through the Empire, as well as minor ones. The major trade routes are a follows:

• North-south: The road and river route from Ifram Oleion in Cyiros all the way to Vekirai via Dabrait, Vaitaret and Hamingatsen. An important route for weapons, armour and metal from Cyiros and salt, coal and luxury good going south.
• East-west: Parallel to the coast a major trade route originating from as far away as Vanrheim goes all the way to T'an Ba. To some degree, this route crosses the border with Bairek by black-market trade across the border. The route is an important route for coal and lime out of Nangkap as well as luxury goods and for jewels and fashionable clothes and accesories from Bi'tsng'ot and Vekirai.
• The Grass Sea Cut: Many traders cut through southern Nangkap going between the eastern kingdoms of Okdredek, Tosek and Banyek and Cyiros or even Pa'ete. This route, through the dry south is nicknames the Grass Sea Cut. Trade through this region is exclusively in rare and expensive goods. Travelling through the steppe is expensive because of how much food and water the merchants have to carry so its only worthwhile transporting valuables.
• Major Ports: The three major ports of T'an Ba, Vekirai and Ikaran host major merchant fleets. Trade by sea is primarily with Bi'tsng'ot, A'ot and Jostian. Trade by sea goes as far as Avaransted to the west and Okredek to the east.