Cartulia

Holy Empire of Cartulia Bazhate la'Cartulia
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Anorfod." "Immortality."
Anthem: "Iblesi'Waltzenknecht" "Dance of the Iblesians"[1]
Map of Cartulia.
Capital and largest city	Caer Thorostravan
Official languages	Iblesian
Recognised national languages	Xedan
Ethnic groups	97% Iblesi Dawi, 3% Other
Demonym(s)	Cartulian
Government	Absolute Monarchy
• Bazh Tyrant	Virastaviran III
• N'Bazh Heir Apparent	Morrostovrir the Grey
• Ruling House	Zhurgannan
Independent (Sovereign)
• Oaths of the Bruinkanz	1st Frir 1 ICC
• Oaths of Irkangthanz	15th Thrurn 1 ICC
• Submission of the Gruningsanth	12th Frourn 4 ICC
• Book of Laws	Ongoing
Population
• Estimate	5.2 million
GDP (PPP)	estimate
• Total	3,770,000,000 Sigils
• Per capita	725 Sigils
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	377,000,000 Talents (72.5 Talents)
Currency	Talent (T)
Date format	dd.mm.yyyy

The Holy Empire of Cartulia (Iblesian: Bazhate la'Cartulia, more commonly shortened to Cartulia, is a Dawi nation located in southern continental Bezek. Cartulia shares a land border with the Human nation of Ras Vertaz to the west, and the Human nation of Olivel to the east. Mainland Cartulia is located on the island of Iblesia a short distance off the southern coast of Bezek, however the majority of the nation's land area is located on mainland Bezek to the north. The border with Ras Vertaz is defined by the line of the Zangurt River while the far border with Olivel is delineated by the Saangus Ridge. The Holy Empire is an absolute monarchy with its capital city, Caer Thorostravan, located on the island of Iblesia; Caer Thorostravan is mostly a subterranean city occupying the majority of the island. The majority of Cartulia's urban centres can be found underground, with the exception of harbours and ports which tend to be built into sea cliffs and havens to take advantage of the natural terrain. Cartulia has a population of about 5.2 million people, the majority of whom are Dawi.

Cartulia has been inhabited by Dawi for an unknown period of time; it is known that they were already present at the beginning of the First Era XSC because written language was adopted by the Dawi quite early on and much of this original writing was carved in stone. Cartulian historians from the Ack'Nanogh in Caer Thorostravan succeeded in deciphering the earliest known Dawi script found in modern day Cartulia, known as the Iblesian Progenitor Script two hundred years ago in 622 ICC which enabled them to read historic accounts of the Dawi inhabitants. Known Cartulian history has it that the Dawi were divided into Thurhata, petty kingdoms ruled over by a series of powerful clan. Though the petty kingdoms were separate political entities the Dawi of the area are believed to have been part of a larger cultural group which formed the basis for the modern Iblesian culture and race. Around 900 years ago the Thurh (lit. King) of Thorostravan, Sophrustrvanrinam I, began the process of actively uniting the Iblesian Dawi and 822 years ago in 1 ICC (or 202 3e XOC, 620 XSC) the process was completed with the Oaths of Bruinkanz. Cartulia has been ruled as a single nation since that time under a system of absolute monarchy.

The Cartulian monarchy operates according to the dictates of the Oaths of Irkangthanz in 1 ICC; the original document remains, cast in bronze, and set down the powers and rights of the monarch, as well as the laws of succession. The Oaths of Irkangthanz are named after Sophrustrvanrinam I's heir Irkangthanz I who agreed to uphold the agreements made during the Oaths of the Bruinkanz, thus ensuring his succession and the continuance of Cartulia as a united nation. The basis of the Cartulian legal system is drawn from the pre-unification laws of the Thurhata of Thorostravan and was codified in 7 ICC with the creation of the Thrum'Nakhlanhur (lit.: Book of Laws), this occurred during the reign of Irkangthanz I better known as Irkangthanz Thrumhurdir in Iblesian, or Irkangthanz Lawmaker in Xedan. Each clan and city holds its own Book of Laws into which all legal decisions are written, every five years all of these books are brought to the capital and collated; new laws are thus made based upon the decisions made in the preceding five years. The core Book of Laws remains and only the monarch or a majority of the Thrumhankanz can overturn existing laws. Cartulia's government is run and facilitated by a vast bureaucratic machine known as the Ba'Ephirimnon (lit.: Royal Service), a kind of civil service which has functionaries present in every settlement overseeing everything from law enforcement to taxation.

Cartulia is a reasonably wealthy nation. Its economy focuses on the Dawi tradition of stone and metal working as well as the extraction of minerals from the earth, however unlike many Dawi nations it also has a strong agricultural base above ground to support its subterranean enterprises. Cartulia operates an open economy in which serfdom has been abolished in favour of free individual enterprise; this has led to the creation of a guild and company system. Taxes are paid to the local Thurh who in turn pays taxes to the reigning Bazh. The free enterprise and capitalist nature of the Cartulian economy, which focuses upon a meritocratic system of gaining wealth, has resulted in the development of a fluid class system and what can be described as a large Middle Class by comparison to many other nations. The national budget is managed by the Ba'Khadurgan'Lan (lit.: Royal Bank) which is an organisation within the Royal Service. Meanwhile the nation's currency is issues, regulated, and maintained by the Ba'Khadurgan'Sen (lit.: Royal Mint), another arm of the Royal Service, which is held in high esteem.

The army and navy of Cartulia are highly organised and run directly by the state; clans provide a tithe of youths to enter the military and Cartulian soldiers and seamen are trained in their craft from the age of six. The core of the Cartulian armed forces are the Ba'Agurkir (lit.: Royal Marines) which serves as both naval ground forces and the army itself. The military is a meritocratic organisation which swears direct allegiance to the Bazh and is led by officers trained and appointed by a panel of retired officers and generals under the direction of the Royal Service.

Etymology & Terminology

The name Cartulia is derived from the mythological Iblesian hero Cartu Zothrazviraminan who overthrew the pre-Iblesian Idaasi civilisation which had enslaved the Dawi of the area. In modern Iblesian Cartulia has no direct translation however in Early Iblesian it literally meant "Liberated by Cartu". Even though the post-Idaasi Dawi did not unify under Cartu's reign they used his name to refer collectively to the lands they now inhabited and ruled. Due to the continued veneration of Cartu Zothrazviraminan at the time of Sophrustrvanrinam I's unification of the territories neither Sophrustrvanrinam nor his nation's name superseded that of Cartu.

Known in Xedan as 'The Holy Empire of Cartulia' this is in fact only a close approximation to the actual meaning of the nation's Iblesian title of Bazhate. There is no direct translation of the term Bazhate into Xedan, though the title of Bazh roughly means Tyrant in most interpretations; however by nature the Bazh is also a figure of religious significance and veneration and is as much a spiritual leader as a political or secular one. Some scholars argue that a more appropriate title for the Bazh would be Emperor since they rule over multiple kingdoms and kings, however the Bazh is a more direct and centralised absolute monarch than an Emperor would typically be and the Cartulian kings are more akin to senior nobility in terms of their status and power.

The full Iblesian name for Cartulia is Bazhate la'Cartulia, however it is more commonly referred to abroad by the name The Bazhate of Cartulia and only occasionally as the Holy Empire.

History

The lands of Cartulia have been continuously inhabited throughout recorded history, with early Dawi records indicating that for at least three centuries prior to the creation of writing an organised civilisation known as the Idaasi ruled over the territory. It is unknown what species the Idaasi were as they were wiped out by the Dawi at some time prior to the invention of writing and written records, however the Idaasi were powerful enough according to Iblesian mythology to enslave the Dawi of the region until the rise of Cartu Zothrazviraminan and his rebellion. The few remaining Idaasi ruins are enigmatic locations that hint at an incredibly advanced society, a prime example is the lone mountain at the centre of Iblesia which forms the core of the city of Caer Thorostravan which was raised through the use of powerful magic by the Idaasi for some unknown reason. Centuries of Dawi habitation of the mountain have obliterated the majority of the Idaasi structures in and around the capital city, however on the Bezek mainland near the coastal city of Havn Kodresku the ruins of an Idaasi city known as Nekhepolitur remain more or less untouched and are a site of superstitious dread and taboo. Cartu Zothrazviraminan's rebellion against the Idaasi and the subsequent obliteration of the Idaasi civilisation in its entirety are the subject of numerous ancient myths and legends, and though clear written records carved in stone or cast in metal do remain dating back over one thousand four hundred years, Cartulia scholars remain divided as to whether Cartu Zothrazviraminan and his accomplishments are a matter of fact of historic fiction.

According to the commonly accepted history of the Iblesian Dawi of Cartulia the Bruinkanz (lit.: Greater Clans) separated and each founded their own independent petty kingdoms; collectively these kingdoms were referred to as the Thurhata and shared the common Iblesian Dawi culture. Though each of the Thurhata were sovereign and ruled by their own King the bonds of Cartu Zothrazviraminan's legendary rebellion and the shared Iblesian Dawi culture meant that the Thurhata were akin to a confederation which could easily unite in response to external crisis. An attempted seaborne invasion in 127 BIC by Adaasi raiders was met with the united front of all of the Thurhata even though only the coastal regions of Cartulia were affected by the raids and invasions, and from 123 BIC the patrolling of Cartulian waters for pirates and raiders became a joint responsibility. By 80 BIC, shortly before Sophrustrvanrinam I began unifying Cartulia, all of the smaller Thurhate had been absorbed into one or other of the larger Thurhata, leaving only five. The Thurhate of Thorostravan established its position as the pre-eminent power among the Thurhata in 74 BIC when the thrones of Kodresku and Ladizkadr were inherited by members of House Zhurgannan, the ruling House of Thorostravan, thus making them tributaries of Sophrustrvanrinam I.

Sophrustrvanrinam I used his position as the overlord of three out of the five Thurhata to leverage hegemony over the remaining two and in all but name the entirety of modern day Cartulia was under his dominion by 62 BIC. Initially the territories of Cartulia were not unified as a single state but rather as a series of states which owed tribute and fealty to the king of Thorostravan, records on the subject are unclear as to whether or not Sophrustrvanrinam I intended for this to be the case on a permanent basis, however in 24 BIC a rebellion in Ladizkadr and Gurshadkaz which intended to restore the power and end the system of fealty to Thorostravan spurred military action. For the following twenty four years, until the defeat of Ladizkadr and Gurshadkaz's forces in 1 BIC, Sophrustrvanrinam I waged a ruthless military campaign characterised by rapid manoeuvre and the practice of decimation of captured enemy soldiers. At the turn of the year following the surrender of the rebellion's leaders Sophrustrvanrinam I proclaimed the Bazhate and had himself crowned Bazh, forcing the leaders of the Greater Clans to accept the Oaths of the Bruinkanz.