The Zanja Khalanate

Zanja Khalanate

Cities

Armendūr

Description

  The Zanja Khalanate is perhaps the oldest nation in all of Ardunor, or, at least that’s what they claim. This proud and powerful civilization sits in the breadbasket of Ardunor, where the most ancient civilization once ruled. The Khalanate spreads across nearly all of western Ardunor, aside from the islands of the Shibetsu, encompassing all of the western desert, all the way to the north coast of the Scythe.
Most of the major cities in their land border the western sea, though the metropolis of Armendūr bridges the gap between that sea and the Bracciano sea. Its positioning puts it as THE trade hub between the two seas, raking in obscene amounts of gold to be delivered to the Great Khal.

Virtues

The Arcane

If you’ve ever been to a large Zanjanite city, you’ll know they are wonders seemingly from storybooks. They have towers suspended by nothing but magic, carriages that move throughout the city not attached to any horses, and farms are plowed with no laborers in sight. Magic takes care of so many mundane tasks throughout Zanjanite cities that one wonders how there could be any poverty or unrest.
The Zanja are also famous for their magical artifacts, which they of course sell to merchants of the Braccian League at huge profits.

Logic

Zanjanite culture favors calculation and logic, preferring engineered solutions to problems, rather than simply throwing brute force at it. The Khal’s military reflects this. There are no untrained levies in any Zanja army, instead there are highly skilled soldiers wielding perfectly engineered crossbows and other such weapons. Their machines of war are unparalleled in effectiveness. Thankfully, these weapons have not had to be used in war against other nations in many centuries.

The Greater Good

The average Zanjanite is expected to put the greater good of their people above their individual wants and needs. If one were asked to sacrifice something of personal value to them to better the nation, the correct answer would be to give it up, no hesitation. Of course, in practice, things are much different than this, but there still exists a powerful social stigma regarding selfishness at the expense of others.

Knowledge

Pursuit of knowledge is perhaps at the heart of what drives the Zanja people. All of their mathematical equations, their arcane powers, and service in the greater good is to push forward science and understanding of the world. Libraries full of encyclopedias and studies of all things fill every district of most Zanjanite cities. Seeking knowledge is worth any price to the Zanjanites, as long as that knowledge is shared with all.