Khazig (Nation)

The Prime Province of the Khazigiri Empire was formerly an important province, Gaz Agaea, in the more ancient Cumaean Empire. After the coming of the Celestials, the regional rulers of the province began a religious and political rebellion against the old Empire, which was well into its final decline. Emerging independent after the civil war struggle, Khazig began a program of expansion to liberate other provinces, and where it succeeded, to add them to its own new empire.
Khazig is a mostly temperate region, cooler in the high west and warmer in the low east; its geography is modeled more by volcanic than meteoric activity. Saddled by a thick band of mountains including one active volcano known as 'Crushed Mountain', Khazig is well-forested and benefits greatly from the fertile volcanic ash. The climate dries out in the extreme south where it meets up with a smaller range of stone hills and ridges, and cools off considerably in the extreme north where a pass between the Mare Apa and another spur of the Saddle mountain chain is the heavily traveled connection between Khazig and its northern province of Naarod.
Densely populated on the coast, including the city of Khazig with its 2.2 million people, much of the rest of the country is surprisingly rural and even wild. The land is punctuated often by good farms, friendly villages, and deep mines for silver, gold, copper and iron, and large quarries of firm, black-flecked gray marble.

Structure

Governor -> Dukes -> Counts -> Barons. Khazig is a bit unique as the seat of Empire, in that the Autarch is above not just this king but all other kings in the Empire; and this king is called a Governor, and the office is held by the heir. The subsequent steps are held by the subsequent inheritors, that is, the Duke of Khazig is the heir of the Governor - oldest child or oldest sibling - and the Baron of the city is likewise the inheritor of the Duke - the oldest child or oldest sibling if the person has no children.
In actual practice the rank of Count or Countess is usually skipped over though in large territories broken up into multiple large counties - each with their own count/countess - the ranks subdivide further. The basic equivalency is that the King (or in this province, the Governor, who the Emperor's heir) is responsible for the entire nation, the Dukes over the 'states', the counts over the counties and the Barons over the cities and towns. generally a coucil of Barons reports to a Count or directly to the Duke. Fealty rolls up such that the king can call on dukes who call on their counts who call on their barons to arms. However in the Empire a huge, nonroyal fighting army also exists under the direct command of the Emperor, permitting far flung wars of defense and conquest without impoverishing the nobility at home.

Territories

The Duchies of Khazig:

• Antagur
• Cindine
• Elkur
• Holenhot
• Ketibah
• Khazig
• Piot Alenky
• Sabretana
• Zecsin

Religion

Basilidean Rite is the official flavor, but Valentinian is perfectly acceptable as well.

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

Khazigur

Demonym

Khazigiri

Head of State

The Autarch Ulyrius IV

Government System

Oligarchy

Power Structure

Transnational government

Economic System

Market economy

Major Exports

Marble, gold, silver, copper, bronze, clay, sand, cement ; timber, grain, apples, pears, tree nuts, textiles, livestock, furs; clothing, glassware, tools, ceramics, furniture, manufactured goods, especially pipes and valves; whale oil

Major Imports

Dyes, spices, bananas and plantains, silks; warships (Pilaan)

Official State Religion

Celestii Magni

Neighboring Nations

• Elinia (Nation)

Related Ethnicities

• Khazigiri (ethnicity)