Fraesian Empire

Though the Fraesian Empire has had quite the decline since the years when it controlled much of the central Savaan region, from what are now the nations of Heimere, Agho and Fero in the west, to the lands which now make up the Confederation of the Kukir in the East, it is nevertheless one of the touchstones of the eastern world. The empire allows a remarkable degree of freedom, attracting many cultures while still preserving its proud heritage.

Structure

Fraesia is an Oligarchy ruled by 14 Sultans, each of whom contributes to certain country-scale decisions and has different agreed-upon specializations within the country's infrastructure.

Assets

Powerful Ranger Corps with both public and private operations; each Sultan has 3 rangers that work directly under them.

Demography and Population

The population of Fraesia is approx. 40% dwarves, 30-35% humans, and 20-25% orcs. The less than one-tenth of the remainder of its residents consist of half-orcs, half-elves, halflings, and other non-native races. The civilization originated with the red dwarves, but the modern country was founded in an agreement between said dwarves and human settlers that had left the City of Man in the East in search of new horizons.
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The desert giants played a key role in building the country's infrastructure, and driving out competition from the area.

Later, agreements were made that brought small local Orc states into the country.
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Following this unification, unrest grew around the Desert Giants, and they were driven out and into hiding, though most Fraesians living after the Empire's rise and the start of its decline have no knowledge of these events.

Fraesia's indigenous red dwarves originate from the Underdark. They were once indistinguishable from the duergar. However, by some incident of their past - rumored to be tied to Yeenoghu, but the truth of the events, if known, is kept under wraps by the old families - the central family bloodlines of the three (primary) clans are cursed with Lycanthropy.

Hyena Clan: About 40% of the Cirtlaanka Clan transform into Werehyenas.
Tiger Clan: 10-15% of the Babasshir Clan transform into Weretigers.
Lion Clan: About 5% of the Azlaan Clan transform into Werelions.

Each of the Clans has a central family that shares its name, but any red dwarf with blood ties to one of the clans may become a lycanthrope - or, as they are known to the Red Dwarves, a Husâka.

Military

The whole of the Fraesian Empire's military forces fall under the jurisdiction of its War Commander, the Sultan Anhua Babasshir, an aged Red Dwarf Weretiger. With the threat of Khazymska looming, the role of Western Defender has fallen to the younger Sultan Taskin Wylford, another Weretiger, and Babasshir's favored successor. In the Southeast, the great walls of the southeast border are held by an Orc Sultan named Rogmar, of the Steelhide Orcs. A member of the Steelhide clan has held his position for many generations. The Werehyena Sultan Davatri, Master of the Hunt, leads the nation's Homeland Security, which is for all intents-and-purposes an anti-Gnoll Inquisition. The stone golem Sultan Talwar is the director of the Fraesian Ranger Corps. In reality, they - in coordination with the other Sultans' rangers - handle most of the nation's security and domestic affairs.

Technological Level

On a national level, Fraesia is a very typical civilization of the 4th Age Show Spoiler

The past ages of Ramiel are the same as its sister world, Uriel. The few broad-scale historical differences between the two are noted here, among other differences between the worlds).

However, that is not to say that there is no progress being made. Highly experimental (and inefficient) steam power has been used for some riverboats, and some successful artificers and wizards have made progress in Fraes Aldure, in no small part thanks to the influence of the School of the World's Law and the Haya-Steelwright Trade Association. The Steelwrights in particular have contributed greatly to recent improvements in the capital - traversing the canyon and making deliveries throughout the city has never been easier with their sky trams, foldable gliders, and minecart tracks. Even before D'mir Steelwright began pushing the technological side, his family's work over the last few decades has improved the quality of steel considerably, and the Haya-Steelwright Trade Association now exports it for massive profits.

Foreign Relations

Fraesia has good relations with their neighbors in Ardocia, to the north, though their alliance is purely of trade and culture, not military, for Ardocia refuses to get involved in affairs outside its borders, besides its ongoing conflicts with Thractria. The current Exalt of Ardocia, Caelyn Pidas, was born in the coastal Fraesian town of Aldassar, and thus there is a great international festival held there every few years to celebrate her birth. Heimere, Khazymska, Fero and Agho are all modern countries that have emerged from the territory that once belonged to the Western Kingdom of Savaan, which split off from Fraesia during a conflict referred to as the Fraesian Civil War.

Heimerian and Fraesian relations are generally neutral. Heimerians are welcome in Fraesia, and vice-versa, but those who choose to travel between them are relatively uncommon, outside of certain holidays and events, such as the Aldassar Festival.
Agho and Fero largely keep their distance from Fraesia, both because they share the tightest roots to the old Western Kingdom and because they are in constant back-and-forth with one another.
Khazymska and Fraesia have had conflict in the past, but in his rule Velgrade has yet to make any moves against Fraesia. Tensions are extremely high, however, and some minor border skirmishes have occurred.

Thractria and Fraesia rarely interact, aside from discussions over the political friction in the Confederation of the Kukir, which both of them border. The Kukir are the most recent to fragment off of Fraesia, and while nationalists in the Empire push to reclaim the territory from the warring states, it is generally believed that in its current state, Fraesia cannot afford to undertake such an offense while protecting their Northwest and Southeast borders.

Agriculture & Industry

Fraesia is supported by Agriculture in the West, and Industry in the central and south. A minor industrial revolution has occurred within the nation's capital in the last hundred years, thanks to the influence of the Haya-Steelwright Trade Association and its founder, owner, and chief operator, D'mir Steelwright.

Trade & Transport

Fraesia is bisected by the Haya River, which flows from the east side of the Burdress Ridge that forms the border with Ardocia in the north, to the seaport of Balguhdur in the center of the country's border with the gulf in the south. The river carved out the central canyon in the center of the country in which the capital, Fraes Aldure, is now built. The river splits at the City of Renais, about halfway downriver between the ridge and the capital. This secondary river is called the Kisay River, and rejoins the Haya near the capital. Trade and transport are both centralized around the Haya, with people and goods alike traveling along it by boat. There are a bevy of interesting places to find both along the river's shores - especially in the south - and on the "river island" formed by the bifurcation and eventual rejoining of the river.

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Capital

Fraes Aldure

Alternative Names

Fraesia

Demonym

Fraesian

Head of State

Ebrahame Azlaan

Government System

Oligarchy

Power Structure

Unitary state

Economic System

Mixed economy

Legislative Body

The Sultans of Fraesia write laws for their respective jurisdictions. Each holds considerable executive power on their own, but a vote among the Sultans puts laws into code; the Head of State holds the others accountable and breaks ties.

Judicial Body

The Sultans themselves, and their rangers, largely administer the law within their spheres of influence, with the support of the Subasis, leaders of the nation's cities and their surrounding territories. The Sultan Ghurlaf Arbhastir is the Chief Justice in Fraes Aldure. He and his justices (including his three rangers) are responsible for handling matters of treason, scandal, or conspiracy within the Empire, and his courts settle civil disputes.

Controlled Territories