Principality of Pelshtaria
Once the distant western edge of the Ammuyad Caliphate — and still is today depending with whom you speak — the Principality of Pelshtaria is a contradiction. According to the records of the caliphate, these lands constitute their province of Irkaina, a loyal taxpaying part of their domains. Such is not the understanding of those who live in the Principality of Pelshtaria, which is ruled by princes who ignore the caliph, though diplomatically so as to avoid damaging trade.
Five centuries ago, the land that is now Pelshtaria was inhabited by nomadic tribes likely related to the Erskaelosi of Akados and their cousins on The Plains of the Buntesveldt. For long ages, armies passed through these lands on their way between Akados and Libynos, but the arid plains, steppes, and deserts of the Isthmus of Irkaina were left largely unsettled. Caliphate traders crossing the Mulstabhin Passage and the Sea of Spice told tales of these empty lands, which drew the attention of the caliph. After the departure of the Hyperboreans, the caliphate began an expansionist period during which it seized lands in the Antioch plains of northern Libynos. Finally, they looked here to the far northeastern corner of Akados. An expedition landed, fought the scattered horse and camel tribes, and pushed on along the northern coast.
After 10 years of campaigning, the armies reached the mouth of the Ilanos River. Behind them they had left a series of fortified towns to protect the overland route and to serve as bases for further thrusts into the interior. At the mouth of the river they built a large city that they named Irith Kel. Decades passed, and colonists from the caliphate swelled the ranks of the soldiery, occasionally intermarrying with the remnants of the local nomadic tribes.
The land between the Büyük Dâg Mountains and the Irkainian Desert was fertile, and the population rapidly soared. Living on a frontier, far from home, the people learned to be self-reliant, largely independent of their parent nation. Every year saw new farms and villages founded, the local tribes having been subdued through warfare, trade, and absorption.
Settlements were eventually founded as far as the shores of the Gulf of Irkaina and through much of the interior of the Isthmus of Irkaina. The satrap of Irkaina sent out further expeditions, reaching as far as the cities of the Buntesveldt beyond the Irkainian Desert, with which trade was opened (and at least initial moves toward a conquest were contemplated). This humble frontier province was turning into a wealthy and powerful polity, one that wielded disproportionate power in the caliphate. Other satrapies eventually became envious of the resources being diverted from their own projects to further the expansion and growth of Irkaina.
Fearing a revolt among his nobility, the caliph sent his youngest son to replace the satrap. This turned the province into a royal demesne directly administered by the caliph’s family, and so removed it from the politics of the satrapies. Within a few generations, it became the traditional post for the youngest sons of the caliphs for whom no better assignment was available. Not all such sons had a talent for governing a far province, however, and a century of inconsistent administration took its toll. The expansion ground to a halt. In the meantime, the wealth of Pelshtaria passed directly into the royal treasury and more than a few princely administrators made sure to not only take their cut, but to surround themselves with friends and supplicants seeking little more than wealth and luxury.
Some 150 years after the initial expansion of the caliphate’s empire, plague struck at cities within its homeland, including the capital of Hava. The Antioch City-States took advantage of the situation and declared their independence from the caliphate. As the conflicts continued, administration of far Irkaina became unbearably burdensome, especially now that the province no longer was the source of great wealth it once had been. In 2773 I.R., the prince of Pelshtaria died and named his eldest son as heir without consulting the caliph. The nobles of the Irkainian Peninsula held their breaths and waited for the arrival of naval ships or soldiers to enforce a different succession. The invasion never came; the caliph, facing other more pressing matters, barely noticed the events in the far province.
Over the ensuing centuries, rule of the principality has passed by descent to the prior monarch’s eldest child. Contacts with the caliphate dwindled to a point that the only relationship between the two realms is one of trade. The caliph in far Hava continues to stylize himself suzerain of Pelshtaria, but all now know this is just a title.
Even with the effective independence of Pelshtaria from the caliphate, the comparatively poor and corrupt rule of the princes largely continued unabated. Fifty years ago, however, a new prince named Kemal ascended the throne with radical ideas. A younger son, he was not expected to become prince and had traveled to the caliphate to study at its schools, where he learned much about law and governance. Upon the death of his elder sister, he returned to Irith Kel. As one of his first actions, he swept out the complex system of tax farmers, bureaucrats, and other leeches that held hereditary positions of little work and great pay. He then replaced these officials with people he knew, even some he had met while at school in the caliphate.
Links with the sprawling western parts of the province were strengthened, and a standing army was built to replace the underfunded and ill-equipped border patrols that so often failed to protect towns in the countryside from nomadic tribes. For the first time in centuries, the Northlanders were fended off when they came south past Monrovia to raid and pillage the northern coast.
After 30 years of reform, Kemal died and left behind a thriving and growing principality whose riches were being used to build infrastructure, universities, and hospitals, and to fund the defense of the land. He also left behind two children, the twins Prince Adem and Princess Adelet, who elected to govern jointly.
For the past two decades, Adem and Adelet have ruled Pelshtaria. They managed to continue their father’s work of good governance and investing in the nation, kept the barbarians safely beyond The Frontiers, and are much beloved by the populace. The increasingly obvious wealth of the nation, however, has drawn attention from others, including some within the caliphate who note that the principality is, in fact, a province of the caliphate even though it pays no taxes to the royal treasury. Some in far Hava are beginning to speak openly about changing those circumstances, perhaps at the point of a sword. Others, particularly among the trading houses, see the peaceful and open principality as a source of wealth they wish to leave undisturbed.
Most localities, whether a city, town, or other holding, in Pelshtaria are governed in part by a Council of Worthies. These bodies are chosen by a vote of all landholding citizens of good standing. In practice, this means that the wealthy elect their own to serve on the council, using the middle classes to round out the vote. These councils have limited powers and must report to the local feudal lord, who more often than not has a few friends or retainers on the council. Their role is to administer to local issues, adjudicate non-capital crimes (murder, arson, rape, kidnapping, and treason being the primary capital crimes in the principality), and pass laws with the consent of the feudal lord.
The principality boasts a sizable population of hill dwarves. While some reside in the larger cities where they make a living crafting, smithing or trading, most live in small villages or communities in the Ágaç Hills. Under a longstanding arrangement with the princes, the dwarves living there are largely left to govern themselves. As far as anyone knows, none of their communities holds more than a few hundred dwarves. Scholars believe that the ancient Hyperboreans learned the secret of steel from hill dwarves who lived here in ancient times. As a consequence, treasure hunters are often seen hunting through the Ágaç Hills in search of lost dwarven cities. The hill dwarves themselves will not comment on such speculation, and watch any who scour the hills with a degree of bemusement.
Region
Principality of Pelshtaria
Controlled Territories
Comments