Arasinda

Arasinda is one of the two major successor states of The Ashuurian State, following its dissolution through The War of the Twin Princes, around 50 years ago.

Territory:

Arasinda consists of the central region of Upper Zagesi, stretching roughly from the northern edge of The Whailing Wastes in the southeast, The Spires of Ulmar in the north and the westernmost parts of The Bikamer Hills in the west. Arasinda is currently controlled by an Alliance of the two major Cities of Ashuur and Drustanaar, with Drustanaar itself being under the control of House Yulani, the third of The Three Great Ruling Houses.

Government:

Arasinda is an oligarchic republic, meaning that while in theory it is governed by an assembly of representatives, known as “The Darbar Alshurah” often shortened to “Darbar”, the people in that assembly overwhelmingly happen to be powerful people representing not their citizens, but their own interests. From wealthy merchants and business owners, to generals, landholders and the clergy. While it is not unheard of that those of the lower classes gain enough support to be elected to The Darbar, it is rather uncommon. The current head of The Darbar, known as “The Vizier”, and by extension the leader of Arasinda is “Vizier Ardashir Yulani”.
The de facto capital of Arasinda is Drustanaar, and as Drustanaar is for the most part under the control of House Yulani, they also hold significant power within the state, filling many official positions and several seats in The Darbar.

History:

As a nation born from the recent dissolution of The Ashuurian State, arasindan history only reaches back 50 years, with the time before that being heavily tied into the aforementioned state.

18 pSF: Arasinda is founded as a successor state to The Ashuurian State, consisting of the great cities of Ashuur, Drustanaar and Kalaar, as well as their surrounding territories. Like the rest of Upper Zagesi, it is plagued by great instability.

9 pSF: A plot of a group of merchant lords in Kalaar leads to the assassination of all members of House Yulani within the city and its territories, seceding from Arasinda in the process. Relations between Arasinda and Kalaar have been icy at best ever since.

5-8 SF: Tens of thousands of mostly Draconid and Wildkin refugees flood into Arasinda from Uzdarezi.

10 SF: A group of Warbands from The Daga-Kurum Desert, led by the Draconid Warlord “Kovesh the Conqueror”, invade Arasinda from the south after having conquered the neighboring city state Marukan. They plunder and pillage their way through the countryside, before miraculously turning around just days away from Drustanaar. Some say that the then still quite young “Ardashir Yulani” cast a mighty spell which filled the invaders hearts and minds with fear, forcing them to turn around.

16 SF: “Ardashir Yulani” is elected as the new Vizier of Arasinda, following the death of his predecessor.

17 SF: Arasinda forges a pact of nonaggression with the conquerors of Marukan.

22 SF: Arasinda begins paying pirates and privateers to attack Uzdarezian convoys and military positions.

28 SF: A diplomatic mission from Thassalophon arrives in Arasinda. A few weeks later the two states forge a trade alliance. In the coming years, there would be many cultural exchanges between the two states.

32 SF: “The Anyuman”, more commonly referred to as “The House of Night”, the first branch of The Azurite Archive outside of Thassalophon is established.

Culture & Society:

The cultural practices of Arasinda are a combination of the broader ones from The Ashuurian State, as well as the more localized practices of Drustanaar and Ashuur.
There are many stereotypes about Arasindans, in the north they are often considered as tricksters and schemers, shrewd but with no concept of honor and loyalty, while many nations to the south and west view them as brilliant businessmen and scholars, though with a distinct lack of backbone.
While these are of course just stereotypes, most of the time such beliefs have at least a kernel of truth to them. While concepts such as loyalty and honor can’t really be quantified on a national scale, it is true that Arasinda is home to many wealthy merchant families and renowned scholars. Arasinda also has consistently had the highest literacy rates in all of Upper Zagesi for many hundreds of years, in no small part because culturally, the people living here view knowledge and education as quite valuable. It is therefore no surprise that outsiders would come to view Arasinda that way.

Laws & Institutions:

Besides the notable differences between Drustanaar and Ashuur, the laws of Arasinda generally line up with those of The Ashuurian State, with one recent addition.

Full citizenship for non-hominids:

While the motivations behind this decision are anyone's guess, shortly after his appointment in the year 16SF, “Vizier Ardashir Yulani” granted full, unconditional citizenship to all non-hominids, provided they were not wanted criminals.

Major Settlements:

Ashuur - The oldest city in Upper Zagesi and the place where The Ashuurian State was founded. Located east of The Neferi on a river flowing into The Gilded Sea, it is home to ~30.000 people, most of which are Hominids, with minority populations of Zoltai and Wildkin.
Drustanaar - The second oldest city of Upper Zagesi, founded by House Yulani and serving as their base of power, as well as the de-facto Capital of Arasinda. As of the year 32SF it is the most populated city in the region, with over 100.000 people calling it their home, most of which are hominids. There are however also sizable Draconid and Wilkin minorities, most of which fled to the city from Uzdarezi.

Arasinda

Geography:

Region: Northern Middle East - Upper Zagesi

Society:

Population: ~450.000
Strains: Hominids 70%, Wildkin ~15%, Draconids ~7%, Zoltai ~5% Other ~3%
Religion: The Ur-Ashaar

Politics:

Government: oligarchic republic
Ruler: Vizier Ardashir Yulani
Influence: moderate

Commerce:

Currency:
50 copper grains = 1 silver glimmer
25 silver glimmers = 1 gold sovereign