Amidrakh
The Undying Kingdom
"The fallout from the final days of the Empire still has rippling effects today. There's still plenty of disdain from former Amidrakh now living under Bambai, and the once-thriving Ezlekhian city of Bulshälbi now sits under control of the Astragantons. It was an empire too big to fail. It all just feels... wrong..."~A Foreign Diplomat
Demographics
The Amidrakh Empire living population was 50% Gith (both Githyanki and Githzerai), 35% Yuan-Ti, and the remaining 15% being a variety of other humanoid races. There was also a sizable population of undead throughout the Amidrakh empire, with necromantically-revived monsters and humanoids in the hundreds of thousands who acted as both servants and soldiers, as well as tens of thousands of vampires of various ranks.
The vampires of the region were wealthy landowners who would threaten intruders on their land into eternal undead servitude, while the reanimated citizens were either kept as soldiers or as servants to the citizens of the Amidrakh Empire. While most of these vampire populations were exterminated by the Bambaian Regime in the "Amidrakh Conflict" at the downfall of their empire, many of these vampires have been rumored to hide out among regular societies outside of the Malnovan Continent, as well as difficult-to-access locations across Malnova.
Government
The Amidrakh government was structured like a traditional Hereditary Monarchy, with its monarchs, each being Khans, all being direct descendents of one another. Each of these leaders held power over the throne for an average of nearly 60 years a piece, as they seemed to exude extended life spans due to the superior health care technology in the Amidrakh. This had resulted in some of these monarchs, despite not being elven in lineage, having lifespans of over 150 years (though they do not serve past the age of 100). The role of the Khan of the Amidrakh was as the final check in a series of checks and balances found throughout the its political structure.
The Amidrakh were ran much like the Vomethndan government, where its cities were able to function independently of its Monarchy and were led by elected Khurals, while the Monarchy existing as an overhead administrator of laws. Since its inception as an Ezlekhian territory, Amidrakh Khurals were in charge of everything from raising their own armies and creating their own defenses, to stoking their own developments, to even establishing trade and peace agreeements with organized and unorganized forces alike.
This was seemingly the case on the surface, though looking at the government under great scrutiny revealed humongous flaws in its power structure; Thanks to the government's investment in necromantic magics, the Monarchy itself for nearly 500 years held a monopoly on necromancy, from the end of the 1st Ezlekhian Civil War (in the late 800s AE) to the territory's Golden Age in the early 1300s AE, nearly every necromancer was a member of the Monarchy or worked under its direction. Coupled with their tight grip on the territory's technological progress, the Amidrakh Monarchy bred political corruption, as it puppeteered many of its city's Khurals either literally (through body manipulation) or by witholding healthcare, labor, military powers, and other vital undead-centric fields to those whom did not bend to their will.
Much of the dark past of the Amidrakh Monarchy was brought to light upon the inauguration of Khan Amidrakh XIV (the fifth in a line of eight straight female Khans), leading the territory into its self-proclaimed Golden Age for nearly two centuries until the 2nd Ezlekhian Civil War in the late 1400s AE. This involved the territory finally sharing its healthcare, Geomancy, and generic necromantic magic innovations to the rest of the world at-large, resulting in great prosperity throughout the previously grim faction. This also involved the installation of the Amidrakh Assembly in the territory's capital city, whom were elected peoples representing various groups (racial, financial, occupational, etc.) who would help to influence the Khan's decisions on walks of life not familiar to their own.
Defences
The land under the Korgodogh Shroud proved hostile enough during the early days of the Amidrakh Empire that it warranted nothing more than undead-armed patrol units. Though not their original intention, Amidrakh burial grounds located throughout this forest and southerly act as another defense mechanism for the Amidrakh Empire, providing for a large amount of already-prepared undead to stop those from desecrating their resting place and the land surrounding it. The Khongil Lines, a series of weaving tunnels connecting to The Hollow which were used as a primary trading route and transportation network were a defensive landmark for the Amidrakh, as they were the only ones who knew how to navigate it. This resulted in the failure of plenty of Ezlekhian invasions by the hands of the dangerous and deadly Hollow-native monsters.
Despite the above sections of the old Amidrakh Empire not being outfitted with particular defenses against invaders, the Amidrakh were invested in defending their borders through the modification of the land itself in its southern lands. The lands of the Kolrego River Delta were populated by various scaled and winged beasts, however, much of its swampy basins were lined with traps armed to trigger themselves on unfamiliar humanoids which would result in the reanimation of dangerous beasts as amalgous skeletons or zombies. Lastly, the foothills of the Todorkhoi Steppe, which contain many of the region's Khongil Lines, also boast plenty of necromantic traps which can catch enemy units off-guard. In well-traveled areas in these hills sit plenty of deadly miasma-filled pits and even some traps which cast necromancy spells upon being triggered, meaning a Plainswalker guide is almost a necessity.
Industry & Trade
In the earliest ages of the Amidrakh Empire, the territory kept much to itself, refusing to get along with and/or trade with its neighbors. Much of the wealth of the early Amidrakh empire came from trades between industrialists and metal/gem miners in the area, with much of that wealth being hoarded by the elite (such as vampires). Upon the establishment of the city of Bulshälbi in the early 1100s, citizens of that city and its surrounding towns became much warmer to the concept of outside trading, seeing great success in trading gems with their neighbors Alkubraa, Astraganto, and Fiáinetai for resources they were lacking like grains and livestock as well as technologies.
This mutually-beneficial relationship would breathe new life into the troublingly-stagnating territory, resulting in the flourishing bazaar district of Bulshälbi, but more importantly it would see the construction of multiple medical research facilities throughout the city. With the vast castalog of medicinal knowledge collected over hundreds of years of Devslekhi research, the new techonological advancements obtained from their neighbors would allow for the territory to rapidly develop some of the world's most advanced hospitals and pharmacies. Bulshälbi would quickly rake in loads of money from the sick voyaging across and even outside of the Malnovan continent to the city, the only place where otherwise unheard-of pestilences could be ridded of.
After seeing the success of one city from outside-trading, the Amidrakh Empire would soon open their gates to trading other resources, resulting in the opening of the marketplace in Öchigdör-Margaash. Not only would the underground agora become a haven for the trading of the city's mass-influx of rare metals and gemstones as well as its unique flora and fauna, but it would also become a place where Amidrakh craftsmen would be able to sell their tailored wares to a vast array of people from all different walks of life. This, coupled with the restructuring of the Amidrakh government, would result in the prosporous period known as the Amidrakh Golden Age in the early 1300s, seeing vast amounts of extravagant wealth being flaunted by many Amidrakh.
Upon the declaration of the 2nd Ezlekhian Civil War, much of the inner-Ezlekhian trading would cease, damaging the territory's economy, however bolstering the medical research which would be performed in the city of Bulshälbi. This would all be for naught, however, as the falling of the nation would result in the seizing of all medical research by the Bambaian Regime, the new head of medicinal research in Ezlekh.
Districts
Öchigdör-Margaash: The capitol of the Amidrakh Empire and its center for trade, the city of Öchigdör-Margaash sat comfortably in the dense jungles of Korgodogh Shriengen with many weaving roads leading to its massive mausoleum entrance. The city existed almost entrely underground, with only a few small lumbering villages dotted around its perimeter Öchigdör-Margaash sat in a massive open cavern on the edges of gemstone-rich sections of The Hollow, and the city itself and these caverns would constantly move around thanks to a unique incantation casted on the city. Thanks to this, the city's defenses were unpredictably strong, though it still did fall by the hands of the Bambaian Regime.
Bulshälbi: The second-largest city in the Amidrakh Empire, Bulshälbi was the Ezlekhian center for medical research since its establishment in the early 1100s. The city sits just West of the Korgodogh Shroud (now under Astraganton control) and was known for being both an extremely comfortable place to live as well as lovely tourist destination thanks to the vast amounts of wealth accrued by medical buildings during the Amidrakh Golden Age. The city was extremely diverse, with one of the largest concentrations of non-Malnovan natives in the entire continent, allowing for great relations which would eventually lead to partnerships like those seen modernly in Khuurmag.
Korgodogh Shroud: A large forest sat on the western border of modern Ezlekh. The northern section in modern Bambai is a thermochromic rainforest filled with fearsome beasts, while the southern section in modern Id Duudakh is a temperate forest filled with the ruins of an abandoned mansion which acts as one of the territory's defense mechanisms. Both sections of this forest were once-owned by the Amidrakh Empire (as well as a section to the West which is now under Astraganton control), and acted as an important source of resources such as lumber, fruit/nuts, and unique plants and animals only found beneath the Korgodogh Shroud. Nowadays, the remnants of Amidrakh burial grounds and the ruins of former villages can be found dotted throughout these stretches of woodland, and some say that disturbing them could re-awake the sleeping undead beasts inside.
Todorkhoi Steppe: A portion of foothills just South of the Kolrego River Delta at the southwesternmost border of Ezlekh. This steppe was formerly owned by the Amidrakh from its establishment up until the behest of the 2nd Ezlekhian Civil War, with the land being dotted with plenty of cavernous entrances to the Khongil Lines. The land was also famously modified by the Amidrakh Empire to contain a flurry of traps which would discourage their neighbors or insurgents from attempting to take their land from them, with traps including pits of undead-birthing miasmatic gasses, circles which could raise the undead, and most brutally, traps which could separate the body from the soul.
Kolrego River Delta: Sat at the southwesterly border of the country of Ezlekh, the Kolrego River Delta is the marshy region sat in the branch of the continent-spanning waterway. The Delta is a hub for plenty of small hick towns and villages who benefit off of the prime trading grounds of both Ezlekhian and Promatican traders, and the region is defended by a plentiful amount of undead guards who still lie in wait for unsuspecting travellers. The region is known for being difficult to navigate, save for the river itself, with plenty of fearsome reptiles and disease-carrying insects crawling or flying around the area, though many of the now-Fiáinetain or Id Duudakh-owned villages/towns in this area are able to survive and thrive in such a hostile environment.
History
The youngest of the Ezlekhian territories (but only by less than 5 years), the Amidrakh nation was established in the year 714 by the youngest son of the legendary Grand Khan Dai' Ehk, Khan Amidrakh I. The youngest son's portion of distributed land lied throughout the Southwestern portion of the Malnovan continent, spanning from the Western and Southern coasts and abutted against the Western portion of the Gaineamór Desert, however the borders of this large expanse quickly proved itself to be too difficult for a starting civilization to manage. Early settlements by what would become the Alkubraan and Astraganton civilizations were much more magically advanced than the early Amidrakh, shrinking the territory's borders away from the coast to about half of its starting size.
Feeling pressured by their need to match or exceed the size of the surrounding Ezlekhian territories, the Amidrakh engaged in territory disputes with those Ezlekhian teritories, leading to the eventual 1st Ezlekhian Civil War. As a result of the century's long war, the Amidrakh were more lax on their Southern border, giving up more of it, however they pushed Northwards and Eastwards, very quickly receiving more land in the desert and the entirety of the forest known modernly as the Korgodogh Shroud (encompassing both the rainforest-like Korgodogh Shirengen and temperate Korgodogh Od). With the readjustment of their borders, Khan Amidrakh I would establish a forest encampment which would eventually become the city of Öchigdör-Margaash after expansion of it was done by Khan Amidrakh's II - IV.
With most of the faction's populations being located in small villages around the region's rivers and inside its forests, the Amidrakh civilization felt the need to establish a firmer grasp on its borders closest to the ocean. This resulted in the establishment of the city of Bulshälbi in the early 1100s, which would quickly become the territory's center for trade and medical research due to its pivotal position right between its now-established two former rivals of Astraganto and Alkubraa. Since the 800's AE, however, many established Amidrakh villages and even the great city of Öchigdör-Margaash were becoming known for their corrupt politics, causing thousands of living people of the nation to be persecuted unfairly by the Amidrakh Empire.
After hundreds of years of turmoil within its own borders, the Amidrakh was headed by a new revolutionary leader in the early 1300s who sought to heal the scarred territory and restore peace within its bounds. Khan Amidrakh XII brought about an age of prosperity in the early 1300s which would last nearly 200 years known as its "Golden Age", making the territory not only make leaps and bounds in its necromantic research, but also share accrew massive amounts of wealth from trading and investments across the Malnovan continent. Nearing the end of the self-named "Golden Age", many of the surrounding Ezlekhian territories quickly became fearful of the meteoric rise to power of their undead-loving neighbors, resulting in a silent arms-race which would eventually boil over into the 2nd Ezlekhian Civil War.
This 2nd Civil War would end in the early 1500s with deep wounds being inflicted to every Ezlekhian territory, establishing the borders of Ezlekh we see today, with Amidrakh territory sitting on the modern Western and Southern edges of Id Duudakh and Bambai respectively. The Amidrakh, now led by Khan Amidrakh XVII, were rumored by their Northern neighbors to have been seeking revenge for all the pain suffered during the war by unleashing a super weapon and reigniting the war. This rumor, however, would never be proven, with a surprise attack on the Amidrakh capital being conducted in 1651 by the Bambaian Regime. Soon after, the people of the undying empire would be deported to other Ezlekhian neighbors, and many of the monuments held sacred by their people defaced and destroyed by the Bambaian Regime.
Points of interest
The Temple of Öchigdör-Margaash (modernly known as the Öchigdör-Margaash Ruins): A grandiose mausoleum adorned on its front by two large snake-holding Eidolan statues, the Öchigdör-Margaash Temple was built in the 800s AE and later remodeled several times, as it eventually became the entrance to the Amidrakh capitol city of the same name. The temple is nearly 75ft tall, made of alternating shale and limestone blocks, much like the winding pathways leading to it. The temple is known modernly for being difficult to access, as not only are its insides filled with more undead than one can count, as well as constantly-resetting traps (a result of magic cast upon it), its location seems to change dependent on the phasings of Aekko's moons. Despite the fall of the Amidrakh Empire and the sacking and abandonment of the city of Öchigdör-Margaashnearly 25 years ago, the ruins are just as dangerous as ever.
Ancient Ezlekhi Burial Mounds: Various ancient burial grounds for indigenous Ezlekhi and traditionalistic Amidrakh. These burial mounds can be found throughout the Korgodogh Shroud, as well as in any lands previously owned by the Amidrakh Empire, including those around and South of the Kolrego River. The burial mounds are often hill-shaped protrusions made of thick wooden or stone supports covered in indigenous plantlife, with each burial ground containing the preserved remains of typically 100-500 Amidrakh. Interestingly, thanks to the complex burial rights of traditionalist Amidrakh society, many of these corpses are marked from head-to-toe with Runic tattoos OR rune-engraved mummy wrappings which were meant to preserve their bodies and send their souls to an ideal afterlife. Consequentially, these runes can sometimes bring these long-dead corpses back from their graves, and sometimes even grant them magical abilities, if anyone is dumb or crazy enough to disturb them.
Khongil Lines: A series of naturally-forming underground tunnels used for transport throughout the southwestern corner of modern Ezlekh. The Amidrakh previously solely controlled these tunnels, however they are modernly used by Astraganton and Alkubraan traders. This region is considered part of The Hollow, meaning many of its dark crystalline tunnels are populated with dangerous monsters which could spell the death of any whom disturb them.
Geography
The territory lines for the Amidrakh territory were established to incorporate the whole of the Korgodogh Shirengen (the Amidrakh spiritual homeland) currently in Bambai, down through modern Khudaldaa's Korgodogh Od and across into the Easternmost forested regions of Astraganto. Their property lines the delve down to the Northmost portion of Fiáinetai's Gaineamór Desert, somewhat past the Kolrego River Delta.
Overall, the geography of the area is gradually dynamic, with large high areas of raised hill-lands or large dune mounds being followed by swampy forests or river basins and low-dipping canyons respectively. All of this, of course, being the region with the most access points to The Hollow than any other region of the Malnovan continent, meaning all of this is underlaid by mile-long weaving monster-ridden tunnels.
Climate
Located in the central section of the Malnovan continent, the Amidrakh territory was in one of the hottest and most tempermental regions of the world. The Western half of the territory saw frequent rains (nearly constant in the Spring), the Eastern half butting up against the Gaineamór Desert would frequently suffer droughts and even dust devils in the past. This discrenpancy across the sides of the Kolrego River resulted in frequent shipments of rainwater and drinking water to those in the desert as well as to the residents of Khudaldaa.
Temperatures in the region's forests would reach lows around the mid 40s Fahrenheit while the deserts and plains would dip as low as 0 degrees fahrenheit during the Winter nights. As previously mentioned, the area is known for being brutally hot, and in its forests, brutally tepid. The region's rainforests would trap heat, getting as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit and refusing to cool down, while the plains and deserts of the region would reach upwards of 110 degrees to 125 degrees in the peak Summers.
RUINED SETTLEMENT
1651
Founding Date
714
Population
At its peak, approx. 1.25 million living and 2.5 million dead
Inhabitant Demonym
Amidrakh
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
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