Abhimaan Monarchy

Ours is the greatest of all nations under the sun. You can sail across the entire world and never be more than a day from our lands. Could the signs of our divine favor be any more clear?

— Crown-Prince Rasaen II

The Abhimaan Monarchy is one of the Great Powers and may be the first among equals. None can rival their dominance over the seas or match them in sheer land that fly their flags. They are a proud people with a long and storied history of war, triumph and violent unrest. The first to bend Necromancy to their will and to turn it to industry, the first to suffer as ancient customs crumbled as a result.

Empire Of Every Oceans

While the Abhimaan begun as one of many nations crowding on the mainland continent, they have since dispersed out on the the archipelagos and islands along the entire eastern end of the planet. Their seat of power and capital was moved from its ancient place on the mainland a few centuries ago to the largest of these islands, Adhakash. They still maintain an extensive presence and power on the mainland, with many of their traditional centers of worship located far from the island. But as the age of the dead grind onward and the soul has been shown to be little but fiction, there sites continue to lose importance.

The Abhimaans vast domain stretch all the way from the polar regions to deep jungles. It is said that every kind of man or woman can be found within their empire, and it's not far from the truth. Theirs is a grand empire, bound together by the worlds most powerful navy and most skilled sailors. This size is not always such an advantage. There are many nations and people conquered by the Abhimaan who would dearly like their freedom and resentment festers over heavy-handed rule and taxation. The enemies of the Abhimaan know this and fan the flames of rebellion as the Long War drags on.

Always proud of their traditions, the Abhimaan royals have been reluctant to let go of the trappings of religion and divinity that has always shrouded their rule. Although they no longer claim to be actual gods (at least not often), "divine right" is a phrased often used as both an excuse and justification.
The religion of the Abhimaan have suffered with the revelation that the human soul does not exist, with components of reincarnation and ascension always having been central concept. For a time, it looked like the entire Monarchy would fall from the unrest that has followed and continues to this day.

On The Dead

Useful. Like a hammer, or a gun.

— Crown-Prince Rasaen II

The Abhimaan monarchy were among the first to embrace industrialized Necromancy and the Undead are used in almost every field and industry. The dead are seen largely as commodity, as a tool and all who perish become government property as soon as their body begins to cool. This has given rise to an exceptionally morbid kind of taxman, even more despised than the regular kind and in particular so among the Abhimaan's many colonies.

Legions of undead have been raised and are equal in number to the gargantuan levy that they draw from across their domain. At home, undead animals are used as strike-breakers and riot control of the most brutal kind. It is whispered that there is a secret police that always watch the many dissenters among the islands and that they have novel ways of extracting confessions from their prisoners that involve the undead. The truth of the matter is still unclear, but it has not stopped the other Great Powers from frequently using such stories in their propaganda.

The Long War

As one of the principal architects of the Long War, the Abhimaan Monarchy remain deeply involved with troops committed to nearly every theater of the conflict. Despite the length of the war, the Abhimaan Monarchy's navy and vast manpower both living and dead have kept them in relatively good shape.
But cracks are beginning to show. Every new round of drafts are met by more unrest and sometimes open revolt. The war has gone on for too long for many and across their domain, people are tired of fighting a war for royal family who couldn't even find them on a map.

The current king of Abhimaan is Prakāśa IV, an ancient man kept alive only with the constant attention of his Nekrobioteks. He rules in name, but all decisions are made by his chosen heir and successor Rasaen II.

Catching Up

While the Abhimaan were the first to fully exploit the potential of Necromancy and the Undead, they've since fallen behind. Others saw what they had done and expanded upon it into ever stranger regions of discovery and science.
The pride of the Abhimaan would never let such a situation stand. The Long War has seen the scholars and Nekrobiotek struggle feverishly to match and exceed their rivals. Among their greatest achievement are the Vhel - the War Whale. These marine leviathans are some the "finest" example of Necroengineering that the world has to offer and without doubt the largest Warbeasts currently fielded. Naval commanders are still not sure if these undead submarine-vessels will prove useful or if they are more to sooth a wounded ego, but time will tell.

Read more about Warbeasts

At Their Best

The people of the Abhimaan are too diverse to easily pin any one trait to, but this wealth of culture mean they have an open mind and open heart to others. While sometimes stand-offish to strangers, they are stalwart allies and warm to their friends. It is often said that there is no better friend to have at your back than one from the Monarchy.
They're not above having a good time and their food is some of the best in the world - and they are fond of proving it, always generous hosts.

At Their Worst

Diversity is not always the engine for understanding. Indigenous populations are conquered and their cultures crushed by the Abhimaan engine of war. Among the Abhimaanians from the old islands, there is a sense of racial superiority and it is expressed either in xenophobic isolationism or the idea that they are "spreading a superior culture".
Being stalwart is good, but the Abhimaan are sometimes stubborn simply for the sake of it. If their traditions have served them well and seen them conquer so much of the world, who are you to question them?

Views on Others

In its long history of war and conquest, the Abhimaan Monarchy have made an enemy out of everyone of the Great Powers at one point or another. It is no more liked the minor powers of the world, but their dominance makes them feared and respected.
On the republic of Korero-Take

They remind me of a child, convinced they know it all oh-so much better than their parents.

— Crown-Prince Rasaen

On the Obryad Federation

Oh, I would love to go there. I hear they have snow all year around in some place. Shame about those purges, though.

— Man on the street

On the Shinomas Magocracy

If you think a zombie is stiff and humorless, wait until you meet one of these lads.

— Abhimaan Diplomat