Khijovia

Ascended Kingdom of Khijovia Mœþra Khijovıænne Krønıa
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  Œþ øna Đraconıæ nıəva Aþtọnŏė voera "Love of the Motherland is our only Law"
Anthem:  Vara Khijovıænne Ġanþŏra The Glorious Khijovian Anthem
Lands and surroundings of the Ascended Kingdom of Khijovia, 1613 AR
Capital and	Kleitore
Official languages	Khijovian
Ethnic groups	Humans (82.9%) Sheepfolk (8.6%) Goatfolk (6.4%) Kyleth (2.1%)
Religion	Aravianism (94.2%) Other (3.5%) Atheism (2.3%)
Demonym(s)	Khijovian
Government	Semi-feudalistic Constitutional Monarchy
• Ascended King of Khijovia	Arcadion II
• Ascended Queen of Khijovia	Carevia I
Legislature	Royal Parliament
Establishment
• Foundation of the Ascended Kingdom	June 3, 1607 AR
Area
• Land Area	1,386,546 km2 (535,348 sq mi)
• Water (%)	3.3
Population
• 1613 AR estimate	127,085,900
• Density	86.6/km2 (224.3/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	$ 225,000,000,000.00
• Per capita	$ 1,772.00
Currency	Shonenor (SHN)
Date format	dd/mm/yy
Driving side	right

Khijovia (Khijovian: Khijovıæ [‘kɨjoːvjə]), officially the Ascended Kingdom of Khijovia, is an isolationist, semi-feudalistic constitutional monarchy situated in northwestern Pelia, with Kleitore serving as its capital. It shares its borders with Kyldigard to the north and Prestore to the south, while the Kesper Sea lies to the west. It occupies the northern portion of the High West region and possesses several overseas colonies, including the Recondian archipelago in the Wintry Ocean, Thenoria in northern Ilus, and Yvrethia in northeastern Pelia, which is the largest and most significant of these territories. Mainland Khijovia has an estimated population of approximately 110 million, making it one of the most populous countries in Pelia. The colonial territories contribute an additional 17 million inhabitants, bringing the total population of Khijovia to 127 million. Known for its deeply spiritual society, the nation has maintained a unique connection with the magical arts throughout its history, with approximately 94% of the population belonging to the Aravian faith.

During ancient times, Khijovia served as a crossroads for numerous neolithic cultures. Thriving city-states emerged during the Era of Ruin, preserving their cultural identity and language staunchly against external influences. Despite the upheavals in the rest of Sparkalia, Khijovia remained isolated, relatively unaffected by wars and famines until the catastrophic Abheric Wars and the subsequent collapse of the city-state system around 177 BR, marking the end of the Archaic Age in Khijovian history. Despite suffering continental amnesia during the Great Shuffle, Khijovian culture persisted. In 289 AR, the Kveutonian civilization conquered and divided Khijovia into governatorates, making it a crucial economic and cultural hub within the Kveutonian Empire. The empire reached its zenith around 415 but dissolved in 502, leading to the formation of independent statelets and religious-monastic military orders, including the influential Jovianic Order. Over the centuries, cities transformed into feudal lordships, giving rise to Khijovian states. The Grand Duke of Klettoria, Zenon the Great, initiated a national unification campaign in 1152, defeating the rival House of Arenia and establishing the Kingdom of Khijovia on July 11, 1161. Despite centuries of rule, the Zenonian Dynasty faced a coup on January 28, 1534, leading to the formation of the relatively short-lived Khijovian Federation. In May 1607, Prince Arcadion of the House of Zenon reclaimed power and officially founded the Ascended Kingdom of Khijovia on June 3, 1607.

Etymology

The origin of the name Khijovia has long intrigued linguists and historians, prompting diverse reconstructions. While some theories delve into etymological roots, others are steeped in historical narratives, including the intriguing notion of an ancient pre-Shuffle king named Khjvonnə in popular traditions.

One prevalent theory suggests that the name stems from Khjyvi, an exoethnonym used by the Koritians for a tribe residing in the neighboring Aldoria region. Another hypothesis, not mutually exclusive, proposes that these people venerated a pagan deity, Khœva, making the name signify "inhabitants of the land of Khœva."

History

Main article: History of Khijovia

Primordial Aeon

Prehistory

Approximately 35,000 years ago, the first known inhabitants of the Khijovian territory were the Acreans, a nomadic civilization whose existence is primarily evidenced by the archaeological site of Yllia along today's Pletorian coasts. Yvernia preserves remnants of an intricate funerary complex, featuring over 20 tombs with associated burial items. The Acreans had distinctive burial practices, arranging skeletons with heads facing East—a potential symbol of rebirth. Skulls were adorned with red ocher, signifying a return of blood and life to the deceased. The complex walls displayed propitiatory rock paintings, depicting shamanic rituals.

Burial for the Acreans was a magical rite, aimed at preventing the disturbance of the deceased's soul and facilitating its transition to new life. This culture marked the initial encounters with magical arts in the Khijovian region. The prevalence of Venus figurines in the tombs hints at a matriarchal social organization, emphasizing women's connection to fertility and reproduction.

Despite the Neolithic agricultural revolution, the Acreans maintained their reliance on hunting and shellfish gathering. Around the twelfth millennium BR, climatic shifts prompted their migration from coasts to surrounding regions. The mountainous terrain led to the development of transhumant farming, eventually giving way to settled agriculture. This marked the end of nomadism and the permanent settlement of the Acreans people across the Khijovian region.

Protohistory

The advent of agriculture and livestock, providing a surplus of food, led to a significant demographic increase and the emergence of the first housing agglomerations. During this phase, the matriarchy gradually faded as the need for male military leaders arose to defend villages, ushering in a transition to a patriarchal society. The onset of metallurgy in Khijovia marked the Copper Age, giving rise to distinct cultures: the Venatorian culture in the north, Khantan culture in the east, and Koritian culture in the central-south. The Bronze Age saw the emergence of the Xomian culture on Axiomia island, while the Iron Age gave rise to the Kleitite culture near the mouth of the Thevre river. These cultures, stemming from the Acreatic people, shared a common language but spoke different dialects, often unintelligible to one another.

Around 1400 BR, the large village centers evolved into cities, establishing an interdependent relationship with the surrounding countryside. Rural areas produced goods to sustain urban centers, while the cities provided defense for villages. Job specialization's development led to a social hierarchy, with the ruling class of specialists forming the foundation for the future aristocratic caste.

Archaic Age

During the Era of Ruin, urban centers in the Khijovian region flourished as independent, self-sustaining city-states. Despite shared linguistic and cultural traits, these cities adopted diverse political systems, including theocratic, monarchical, aristocratic, and democratic forms of governance, each shaping their identities and societal structures.

Theocratic city-states were ruled by priests who acted as representatives of the gods, merging religious and political authority. The theocrat held full control over governance, supported by a priestly caste known as hierarchs, who convened every decade to elect a new leader and oversee the redistribution of communal lands. Temples served as theocratic residences, granaries, and treasuries, emphasizing the communal nature of these societies, where private landownership was absent. In some cases, theocratic rule transformed further, with the theocrat regarded as a deity incarnate. This sacralization of authority, bolstered by a powerful priestly aristocracy, led to highly centralized governance.

Other city-states transitioned into monarchies, separating political authority from religious control. Kings assumed centralized power, overseeing social and economic affairs while diminishing the temple’s administrative role. Although monarchs claimed divine legitimacy, their authority was independent of priestly influence. Royal palaces became the centers of power, with kings governing their subjects as absolute rulers. Many monarchies pursued expansionist policies, consolidating their territories and strengthening state control, laying the foundation for later centralized systems in Khijovia.

In aristocratic city-states, governance was controlled by a landowning elite under a timocratic system. The general assembly, or kledia, composed of hereditary aristocrats, elected magistrates to oversee administrative and military functions. After their terms, magistrates joined the ghrontia, a council of elders functioning as a judicial and supervisory body. Citizenship and political power were exclusive to landowning males, with large landowners dominating political life. Wealth was measured by land ownership, perpetuating economic disparities and aristocratic dominance.

Democracy, emerging later during the League Phase, evolved from aristocratic concessions aimed at avoiding unrest. Over time, the drarchia, representing common citizens, displaced aristocratic institutions like the kledia and ghrontia, gaining political supremacy. Despite this shift, democracy remained exclusive, barring women, foreigners, slaves, and serfs from participation. Radical populist measures often marginalized aristocrats, leading to significant social and political upheaval. These tensions earned some democracies criticism as kakistocracies.

The coexistence of these diverse systems marked the Archaic Age. While city-states maintained outwardly peaceful relations, underlying tensions required alliance networks to prevent conflict and sustain a precarious balance among Khijovian cities.

Geography

Physical Geography

Situated within the expansive geographical region known as the High West, the Khijovian landscape showcases diverse features, making it one of the most varied regions on the Pelian continent. Bordered by the Kyldigardian region to the north, Khijovia is geographically enclosed by the Clastoclite range to the east and the Stornic massif to the south.

The Khijovian terrain exhibits a broad spectrum of characteristics, with a prevalence of hilly areas compared to flat or mountainous zones, maintaining an average altitude of approximately 730 meters above sea level. The mountainous landscapes extend across the eastern expanse of the nation, encompassing a significant portion of the western Clastoclite system. The highest peaks in Khijovia are situated in the central Clastoclites, where numerous summits exceed 5000 meters, including the remarkable Mount Eletherium (5800 meters), standing as the loftiest peak in the Clastoclite range. Over time, the Khijovian mountainous region has been shaped by an ancient Cenozoic glacial mass, leaving behind extensive moraines flanking the western Clastoclite slope, forming expansive highlands in the north and numerous shallow valleys amidst the southern hills.

The plains of Khijovia encompass various areas, including the Catridian plain, formed by the alluvial expanses of the Thevre river and its tributaries, extending to Pyrisia; the Betronic plains, elevated plains along the coasts of Androvia and Charonthia; and the Platic plain, an elongated flat valley of tectonic origin encircling the Axiomia Lake, stretching from Cassiopia to Carcassonia.

Numerous Khijovian isles are grouped in small archipelagos, such as Cheronia off the Charonthic coasts, and Recondia, a polar archipelago situated within a deep lagoon connected to the Wintry Ocean, entirely surrounded by ice cap glaciers.

Geology

Main article: Geology of Khijovia

Khijovia's geological history is shaped by the Late Cenozoic collision of the Kesperian and northern Pelian plates, which formed the è Clastoclitic chain and accreted microplates. This geologically active region is marked by Neogene volcanism and frequent seismic events. Two paleogeographic domains, the Pelian and the Kesperian, are divided by the Clastoclitic line. The Kesperian domain includes the High West and the Kesperian marine basin, featuring sedimentary rocks from the Precambrian to the Quaternary and Cambrian metamorphites in the southeast. These features provide critical insights into the broader geology of north-western Pelia.

Volcanic activity defines much of Khijovia’s landscape, driven by subduction of the Charonthic plate beneath accreted northern microplates. This process generates magma that fuels volcanoes like those in the Cheronian Archipelago. Evidence of volcanism spans from Palaeozoic deposits to ongoing phenomena, with lakes, islands, effusive rocks, and geothermal features such as hot springs, fumaroles, and CO2-rich vents scattered across the region. Underwater volcanic activity in the Kesperian Sea highlights the area's enduring geological dynamism.

Khijovia’s active volcanoes include Mount Rhont and Mount Stronio in Cheronia, known for explosive eruptions, and Mount Sibon and Mount Kratov in Atredia and Garganthia, which exhibit effusive behavior. Their proximity to populated areas necessitates close monitoring. Dormant volcanoes, like Mount Rhetron near Pletoria and Mount Ascarion on the Chondian peninsula, remain significant for their historical activity. The underwater Coprion volcano, with a summit 300 meters below the surface, poses potential tsunami risks.

Seismicity in Khijovia, tied to the convergence of the Kesperian and Pelian plates, is frequent and sometimes destructive. The central Clastoclitic fault system and a Benioff zone in the eastern Kesper Sea account for deep and powerful earthquakes, such as the 8.1-magnitude event of 1532 that devastated eastern Khijovia.

Khijovia's mineral wealth includes mercury, antimony, lead, zinc, silver, and industrial materials like bauxite and pumice. Significant hydrocarbon reserves, particularly methane, oil, and thermogenic gas, position Khijovia as a leading producer in the High West, with billions of barrels in untapped potential. These resources underpin Khijovia's strategic economic importance.

Wildlife

Main article: Wildlife of Khijovia

Politics

Administrative Division

The territory of the Ascended Kingdom of Khijovia is divided into 27 administrative regions, each corresponding to a semi-feudalistic entity, and further subdivided into 155 municipalities.

Region		Map of the Khijovian Administrative Regions and Municipalities
1	Klettoria
2	Pyrisia
3	Lluria
4	Qaylasiah
5	Atredia
6	Chondia
7	Charonthia
8	Androvia
9	Ketheria
10	Garganthia
11	Yvernia
12	Kharpovia
13	Profania
14	Venatoria
15	Teutoria
16	Koritia
17	Kalkhovia
18	Bellatoria
19	Cassiopia
20	Aldoria
21	Sofolenia
22	Carcassonia
23	Corkovia
24	Karkarovia
25	Rhodontia
26	Varkadia
27	Akrocanthia
*	Axiomia

Culture

Main article: Culture of Khijovia

The culture of Khijovia is a unique blend of traditions shaped by its historical isolation and fragmented territories. This rich tapestry of knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, and customs has evolved largely untouched by external influences. Despite its eventual unification, the region retains distinct regional identities, creating a complex cultural landscape marked by both unity and diversity. Khijovia values beauty and humanism, particularly evident since the Ascension Period, when a surge of artistic expression transformed everyday life into an art form. The society emphasizes personal integrity, where external beauty reflects inner virtue, fostering a strong sense of community and social harmony. Additionally, Khijovia has a complex relationship with magic, once misused but now revered through the teachings of Aravianism. Magic is seen as a powerful tool for societal improvement, though it is largely controlled by the elite Syhric caste, who are viewed as noble guardians of this knowledge.