Ala Mhigo

The city-state of Ala Mhigo is located on the far eastern highlands of Abalathia's Spine in the region known as Gyr Abania. Considered the preeminent military power in all of Eorzea, Ala Mhigo exercised dominion over the entirety of Gyr Abania for centuries. Most would consider the military strength to be a direct result of the long bloody history that led to its foundation. Among its most notorious military campaigns include efforts to push back forces from it's east while pushing forward into the west into Gridania held territory, which started the Autumn War.

Structure

Ala Mhigan Royal Family

After Anshelm Cotter established Ala Mhigo, his lineage held the authority and established a monarchy that lasted until the reign of Theodoric the First, who took the throne in 1546. 

Notable Kings

Anshelm Cotter - Leader of the clan that would rise to subjugate all the Abalathian clans into one governed body, establishing a dynasty and becoming the first leader of Ala Mhigo
King Manfred - The reigning king of Ala Mhigo during the year of 1468 that sought to stabilize the nation's economy with conquest, laying claim to the East Shroud, leading to the Autumn War
King Theodoric the First - King of Ala Mhigo starting in 1546, who gained the title "The Mad King" as his reign was punctuated with the paranoia of losing his seat to the then politically influential Fist of Rhalgr which led to a number of conflicts between the royal army and the monkhood, leading to the eventual purging of their temples and destruction of their faith in the years leading to the revolution.

Civil Unrest and Revolt

The Fist of Rhalgr was the first victim to Theodoric's obsession with retaining his seat of power, as eventually, the king started to consider everyone around him with suspicious intent, leading to the unjust execution of several innocents. Nobles, smallfolk, even the queen and the royal family were no longer safe, and people were slain on the slightest insult. Desiring to suffer no longer under this bloodshed and terror, the people of Ala Mhigo rose up in revolution to dethrone the king and take back their country in 1557.

Imperial Occupation

The seeds of revolt were planted by Garlean agents, sent by the XIVth Legion who sat without the gates to await when the Mad King was finally slain. Once the deed was done they marched into the capital and surrounded everyone, the fighting force at the time was so weakened they could not resist. Thus Garlemald subjugated Ala Mhigo with little force necessary. It was declared a provisional imperial territory subject to the whims of Garlemald's leadership from that year forth, Gaius Van Baelsar becoming the Ala Mhigan viceroy.

Culture

Abalathian Adaptations

The foundations of Ala Mhigo arrive from the various methods that were learned and shared over generations designed to survive the environment of the eastern mountain peaks. Several products of the society formed from these survivors would result, some lasting until the modern era which can be seen in several ways.

Magical Traditions

Several members of the bands of refugees that followed the comet were also of  Amdapor and Mhach ancestry, instructed in the magical traditions of the mage-nations that caused the Calamity. The desire for survival would ensure cooperation between these once opposing powers, and arcane teachings were adjusted to avoid from using ambient aether, and the new school developed in this process served as the foundation for the Red Mage. This magic ability was dedicated to overcoming adversity, addressing the societal and ecological issues that were created by the magi of the previous era.

Martial Traditions

The unforgiving landscape wrought by the extreme altitude forced the refugees to focus on methods that would improve their chances of survival by the greatest margins. Deciding this was best achieved in the improvement of martial capability, the ancestors of the Ala Mhigans defined mettle conditioned by their austere surroundings. The need to bolster physical capability further increased as the lack of resources in the land caused armed conflict to result.
Once Ala Mhigo unified the region of Gyr Abania, this method of combat conditioning became the basis for the mercenary profession, as their strength in arms became their most defining cultural feature. Additionally, the foundation of the nation came with the ever-present threat of invasion from Ilsabardian armies, which further increased the martial capability of Ala Mhigo's people.
Highlander Surnames
The nature of violence encompassed in Highlander surnames derives from the clan's history of several centuries of conflict between factions in the era preceding the nation's rise.

Religious Traditions

All descendants of the refugees who escaped the Calamity of Water have held onto the stories of the eyewitness of a burning comet that led their ancestors into their current mountain home. This celestial witness became a mark of salvation to the people sent to them by Rhalgr, and thus did the Destroyer becomes a central basis for the nation's beliefs and customs. This in turn shaped the martial traditions earlier mentioned as a core tenet of Rhalgr faith became the fitness of the body to approach sublimity.

Assets

Ala Mhigo's most prominent source of wealth as a nation came from its mercenary work for conflicts of other nations as well as its watchtowers of the mercantile road between Eorzea and the Near East as they repelled a constant invasion from the neighboring continent. When the road fell out of popularity in competition with maritime routes, the attempt to conquer more land led to a loss, which would greatly cost the nation.

History

Origins of Ala Mhigo

Ala Mhigo's founding starts at the Sixth Umbral Era's waning years, as all of Eorzea sought higher ground to save themselves from the floodwaters rising due to the result of the War of the Magi acting as the catalyst event for the Sixth Umbral Calamity. People who sought safety during this era saw a burning comet in the sky. This comet led these survivors towards Gyr Abania which was situated in a unique setting of high altitude.
Nyunkrepf Nyunkrepfsyn, one of Twelve Archons and founder of Sharlayan, had a ship that he built in the Northern Empty to rescue Eorzean souls adrift due to the ever-rising waters. To avoid a tidal wave he teleported the ship, landing it in the Gyr Abanian mountains. It was there that those aboard met with the other refugees who had followed the comet.
Realizing what scant resources were available in the peaks of the eastern reaches of Abalathia's Spine they traveled to, survivors started to fight and kill each other for control over what they needed to survive. The rains started to cease and the waters finally started to abate, but the fighting continued between these warring peoples. Fearing for the lives he tarried to save, Nyunkrepf and those that chose to follow him fled along the mountains, heading to the Dravanian hinterlands for safety. Those that remained started to divide into factions.
These refugees from previous nations and peoples would continue their feuds for several hundred years, clans defeated being absorbed by their opponents, and every time one clan would rise in superiority over the others, the remaining groups would join together and defeat the rising power, leading to an endless cycle of conflict that didn't seem to have an end.

The start of the royal family

Ala Mhigo's foundation was created when a clan member named Anshelm Cotter set out like so many others before him to defeat the rival clans. His unique gift was an incomparable tactical genius that allowed him victory after victory. It wasn't long until every clan in Gyr Abania unified under his name, which started the Cotter Dynasty.
The territory they held was the only available land passage between Ilsabard and Aldenard. Taking this into consideration, Anshelm laid the capital's foundation on the shores of a lake in the farthest eastern portion. This citadel kept watching on the borders between the two continents repelling invaders from the north time and time again. Watchtowers built to maintain this vigilance were also employed to keep watch of the roads between the Near East and Eorzea. Due to this watch, the Ala Mhigan nation was able to charge for use of these roads, extracting a heavy fee for passage, securing a source of revenue.

A Portrait of Ala Mhigo (Square Enix)

The Cause of the Autumn War

Ala Mhigo prospered for a short era, thriving off of the trade brought in by the roads they protected, but once Ul'dah gained control of Thanalan after the wars between the two siblings of the sultanate, the desert nation proceeded to rely on maritime trade instead of using the land routes that Ala Mhigo protected. The Ul'dahns considered trade by sea to be more profitable and cost-effective, and over time, little remained of the caravan trains that used the Gyr Abanian way.
The reigning monarch of this era, desperate to restore the economy, sought foreign conquest, and declared sovereignty over the East Shroud, marching towards Gridania. The first major battle of this war, known as the First Battle of Tinolqa, was a victory for the Ala Mhigans, which resulted in the nation pressing further into the forest territory. The Second Battle of Tinolqa led to a victory of the Gridanians, as their forces were bolstered by the first instance of the Eorzean Alliance, as all the major city-states at the time contributed martial support against the Ala Mhigan army. 
The first win succeeded in revitalizing the economy, but after being defeated by the Eorzean Alliance, the nation fell back into a state of decline.

Fist of Rhalgr's Political Ascendancy

After losing the war and the nation fell back into its previous state, people began to stir in unrest, losing respect in the dynasty. During this time, the Fist of Rhalgr, who rose as the most influential sect of Rhalgr worship in Gyr Abania, started to rise to a state of respect among the people, gaining more attention than the royal family. In a bid to protect their claim to the throne, the royal family nominated the Fist of Rhalgr as the state religion. Members of the faith rose to positions as advisors to the throne in order to stabilize the nation. This helped assert Ala Mhigo's standing, but from this point on the Fist of Rhalgr's voice dictated the majority of government choices from there onwards till the appointment of King Theodoric.

Rise of the Mad King

In 1546, King Theodoric the First inherited the throne by the bid of royal heritage and immediately declared himself ordained of Nymeia, the Spinner, who was considered in the hierarchy of the Twelve as greater than Rhalgr due to order of creation. Banning worship of the Rhalgr state-wide, demanding worship of his own being as the voice of Nymeia, and ordering the destruction of Rhalgr dedicated sites, and inciting the outrage of the Fist of Rhalgr were all results of this decision. This was all part of an elaborate political move designed by Theodoric to paint the Fist of Rhalgr as opposed to the lawmakers of the land and allowed him to declare the monkhood as treasonous. Marching an army into the main temple, all were put to the sword, priest, or refugee.
After the religion was purged, the king was then convinced that others were after his throne and started to order executions of the royalty. From the members of the royal family did Theodoric descend to the very citizenry, targeting anyone that seemed to suggest a rise in power, no matter if it was true or not. An active attempt at a coup assisted by the queen herself was uncovered, spurring Theodoric's conspiracy obsessions to incalculable heights.

Response of the Vox Populi

It wasn't long until the entirety of Gyr Abania rose up in arms to cast down Theodoric, as the amount of bloodshed he permitted far surpassed any of his ancestors. It was said that the guard who was assigned with protecting the gates of the palace, swung them wide open upon the arrival of the resistance group, joining them in their fight against the king. The Corpse Brigade, personal bodyguards of the royal family, were afraid of the revolt and left the king alone, where he died at the hands of the people

Imperial Subjugation

Following Ala Mhigo's revolution where the people usurped the last and final king, Garlean troops stationed to the north marched upon the city immediately after the success of the destruction of the reigning dynasty. The idea for revolution against Theodoric was planted among the people by Garlean agents, with the plan to take advantage of the chaos that would result. Overwhelmed and exhausted, the Ala Mhigans surrendered immediately, thus becoming a Garlean territory.

Religion

As of the year 1557, once Garlemald annexed the nation as a territory, worship of Rhalgr was forbidden by the Empire and all practices and beliefs were banned.

Divine Origins

A focused belief in Ala Mhigan Rhalgr worship started with the Sixth Umbral Era where the survivors and refugees fleeing the rising floodwaters followed a comet to the eastern Abalathia's Spine. The comet (or meteor) is seen as the symbol for this particular deity, so it wasn't long after that the celestial event was interpreted as Rhalgr's beacon to deliver people from death. In their gratitude, the ancestors of the Ala Mhigans made Rhalgr their patron god.
The lack of resources contributed to a unique awareness of the unforgiveness of their new home. The desire to survive made the traditions that they held of Rhalgr popular with the refugees, encouraging the spread of the teachings unique to this Twelve member. Tenets of this faith led to an increased survival rate, which further increased the faith's teachings and development in the region.
This united faith would eventually split into several factions, the largest of these becoming the Fist of Rhalgr.

Tenets of Faith

Rhalgr the Destroyer is a perfect being
To grow closer to Rhalgr's perfection, one must train mind and body

Born from Blood

Founding Date

1135 Sixth Astral Era

Type

Geopolitical, City-state

Demonym

Ala Mhigans

Leader Title

Viceroy

Economic System

Command/Planned economy

Currency

During the Sixth Umbral Era the currency of eld that was traded between the cities of the Magi no longer held any value. Once city-states and nations were restored after the floodwaters receded, the values of the currency of the previous nations were changed to correspond with the worth of the coin's component metals. After the nations were established, they began to mint their own currency, Ala Mhigo included in this number, in trade exchanges that took place between the different regions.
A universal currency wasn't considered until the year 1477 of the Sixth Astral Era, deciding to mint the gil, coinage that was once used by the Allagan Empire, as the standard, which has stayed as the current economic exchange system in the area today.

Official State Religion

Fist of Rhalgr

Deities

• Rhalgr

Location

Gyr Abania

Official Languages

• Mhach

Related Ethnicities

• Highlander

Garlemald annexed Ala Mhigo as an imperial territory. Extreme conflict with each other, as Ala Mhigans revolt continuously against the Garleans

Garlean Empire

-100

Ala Mhigo

-100

In 1557, the XIV Garlean Legion marched on a newly liberated Ala Mhigo and took place of their deposed king