Aqualeia

The kingdom of Aqualeia is a domain that spans much of the known world. Starting off as a tentative expansion of the kingdom of Mýrrith, it broke away during a civil war and rapidly grew to become the dominant power of the region. Its success was due to its system of aqueducts, which supplied water from the mountains to the semi-arid plains. Within a few generations, Aqualeia annexed or conquered most of what would become known as the "garden of Aqualeia" - their economic and cultural heartland. Eventually, under the reign of their most famous king, Cassarian III, they conquered Mýrrith, and the coastal city states of Lahkhish. Aqualeia is a complicated hereditary monarchy supported by a vast bureaucracy that is chosen via the royal examination: a difficult test based on the student's knowledge of geography, writing, political theory and ethics. The mark received determines what levels within the bureaucracy are accessible to the student. The monarchs themselves are often figureheads, but some enterprising ones have found ways to pull the strings. This kingdom is largely the result of having read lots of history and desiring to create something out of it. The nations of this world are based off of Imperial China, Rome, Plantagenet England, Persia, Bronze-age Canaanite city states, and a whole slew of other things I have probably forgotten. I do not mind constructive criticism. Most names are place-holders, especially the Latin-ish ones. I am slowly working on two regional conlangs for Standenu and Lahkhish.