Alqawa
As the spiritual successor to the ancient Empire of Rexa, Alqawa bears the honor of wealthiest nation in the world. Unlike its fellow Old World Major Powers Joudan and Esconti, Alqawa did not form with the bulk of its landmass, but rather annexed most of it over the course of six-hundred years.
Structure
Alqawa does not follow an ordinary hierarchy, where a hereditary ruler reigns supreme with power trickling down the ranks from up high. Instead, a complex system of groups and assemblies determined by a variety of factors manage the state. Effectively, the most influential of these groups is the Majlis Alshuyukh, which is better known in Syrvel as the Alqawan Senate. Collectively, the eleven Senators control many aspects of daily life, including money, administration, and the details of foreign policy, though individual power is limited due to all official actions from the Alqawan Senate requiring a vote to pass. However, individual senators are selected for lifelong terms by vote of both Rayiys, but can likewise be removed by vote of both Rayiys. The Rayiys are two presidents elected by the citizenry to serve one-year-long terms, each of them wielding authority comparable to a king. They can thus be considered the most individually powerful politicians in Alqawa at any given time, though the actions of a Rayiys can be vetoed by the other Rayiys. Both the Senators and the Rayiys play roles in checking the Jameia, the legislative assemblies that write the laws and decrees of Alqawa.
Culture
Alqawa was founded off the ruins of the Empire of Rexa, and the first senators wanted to ensure a similar collapse would never happen to them. Thus, the first project to be drafted and funded was the Grand Archive initiative, where history and traditions from all across the world is gathered, translated into Alqawan, and preserved in public repositories. Centuries of this practice have ingrained into Alqawan culture itself the value of scholars and academic pursuits, and every respectable adult is expected to have received an education on the basics of reading, writing, and counting.
Deeply ingrained in both law and society is the system of Eubudia, in which members of the class of people known as abd may be owned as property. Abd comes from many walks of life: prisoners of war, people of states conquered through warfare, children of abd, criminals stripped of their freedom as punishment, certain debtors, and even children sold off by their parents are just some of the many sources of abd. They are easily identifiable by a magical serial number cursed onto their skin, depriving them of most of the privileges of law granted to an ordinary citizen and leaving their fate almost entirely in the hands of their owners. Despite the enormous power gap between an abd and owner, owners are typically not excessively cruel, for the abd are not considered inherently inferior beings, and the character of an owner may be judged by the community based on how abd are treated. In general, urban abd live easier lives than rural abd, particularly because most talented abd end up in cities and are given skilled work while untalented abd tend to end up in the countryside and be assigned manual labor. Should the owner decide to permanently free the abd (a practice that is becoming more common as time progresses), the abd may be upgraded to an ordinary citizen by having their serial number curse mark be removed in public under the witness of a public official.
Alqawa has an unusual relationship with undead, some having places in the economy and a rare few even having a place in society. For the most part, unintelligent undead are tightly-regulated tools: only cleaned skeletons can be animated (requiring a permit and a legal source for the corpse), must be closely controlled and be destructible in the event control cannot be maintained, and can only be used in places where they do not disturb the public. Despite these restrictions, unintelligent undead see widespread use in hazardous jobs unsuited for the living, such as mining operations and underwater construction. Intelligent undead are more complicated: so long as they are civil, law-abiding, and non-menacing, they are not only permitted to exist, but may even enjoy the rights of a normal citizen of their territory. Although most intelligent undead such as ghasts and ghouls are overpowered by inherent desires and therefore subject to destruction by law, these laws permit the very few vampires and liches in the country to exist, the former usually sating their cravings through abd they own. Alqawans are not united in their opinion on undead, and some localities are more or less tolerant than others.
By nature of Alqawa's expansionist policies and Eubudia, cultural elements not washed out by integration into Alqawan society can end up influencing it as a whole. Art, music, and innovation in particular are all highly influenced by cultural motifs found beyond Alqawa.
History
The original town of Alqawa formed around -625 in the Empire of Rexa, which once spread through much of what is now Alqawa and Esconti. It grew into a city of respectable size around -560, but between -550 and -440, Rexa declined and perished, the empire disintegrating into multiple territories. The city-state of Alqawa broke off from Rexa in -472 when the wealthy and popular magistrate Salaah al-Faraj decided he could run Alqawa better than the Rexan Emperor could and declared himself sultan. Although he proved to be a competent leader through his masterful use of connections, his greatest tool could not be passed down to his children, who could only manage to sustain Alqawa. The city-state would slowly crumble over time until a catastrophically botched murder plot involving the death of nearly the entire royal line threw the Scholar Prince Ibn al-Qarshi into power in -215.
The Scholar Prince was initially the eighth in line to the throne, ignoring politics in favor of immersing himself in the glory of the now-extinct Rexa. Fearful that he would quickly be murdered for the power thrust into his hands, the Scholar Prince drafted a new constitution for Alqawa based on the elements of governing he liked best about Rexa, sacrificing his own power and splitting it with group of fellow influential figures who would join him in as the first senators in -213. The Scholar Prince's radical move threw the entire city-state into disarray that nearly tore Alqawa apart, but the Grand Archive initiative he brought before the Majlis Alshuyukh proved massively relevant after just a few years. The information gained from the Grand Archives was crucial to guiding policy decisions.
In -173, Alqawa was sieged by the Bachovians, leading Rayiys Khairi al-Rauf to discover an entirely different use for the Grand Archives: warfare. After familiarizing himself with ancient battlefield tactics, historical battles of Rexa, and the history of Bacho back when it was part of Rexa, Khairi devised the perfect plan to overcome the siege, then brought forth a strategy for subduing Bacho itself to the Majlis Alshuyukh. The act of war passed, and in -169, Alqawa would conquer and annex Bacho. The Majlis Alshuyukh discovered that they could copy what the Empire of Rexa did and avoid its mistakes to become even more successful than Rexa was, and thus Alqawa subsequently adopted an expansionist directive.
Demography and Population
Humans are the most populous race in Alqawa, with common races following them and all other races being small minorities at best. In some second and third degree territories, non-human races outnumber humans. Ethnicities come from all over the world, including other Major Powers and exotic locations. Although rare, a number of traditionally monstrous but sapient creatures that have submitted to the law of Alqawa and consent to being civil are considered citizens.
Territories
Vast swaths of land in Alqawa are covered in sandy deserts, savannas, and shrubland, with jungles and plateaus providing the bulk of construction materials.
In addition to the home territory of Alqawa itself, Alqawa has annexed nineteen smaller territories through diplomacy and another thirty-seven through conquest, and has founded another thirteen beyond that. All territories have a classification assigned by the Majlis Alshuyukh that is based on the level of assimilation the territory has reached. Upon request by local authorities, the Majlis Alshuyukh can vote on upgrading the classification of a territory if it is deemed appropriate.
- First-degree territories are essentially extensions of Alqawa itself, featuring Alqawan law and Alqawan life. All citizens of such territories are considered true citizens of Alqawa and are granted full rights, including the right to vote and hold office. Twenty-two territories are classified as first-degree territories.
- Second-degree territories are lands that utilize Alqawan law, but are not yet fully immersed in Alqawan life. Citizens of such territories have most rights, such as voting and land owning, though they cannot run for public office. Thirty-six territories are classified as second-degree territories.
- Third-degree territories are owned by Alqawa, but do not yet subscribe to Alqawan law or Alqawan life. Examples include free-cities peacefully annexed and territories that pay tribute to Alqawa while functioning under their own law. Citizens of such territories have only basic rights and therefore cannot vote or hold office. Twelve territories are classified as third-degree territories.
Founding Date
-213
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Demonym
Alqawan
Government System
Electocracy
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