Haksarad

Haksarad, formally the Unitary Republic of Haksarad, is a located in Harad. Covering approximately 4.1 million square kilometers (1.6 million square miles), it borders Esharat and Velorenkya in the northeast and the !Mediterranean in the east, and the majority of its land borders are bounded by the Hawyahal and Bardhag Montains. It is a very populous country, with a population of just over 1 billion, and it is divided into !# governorates, which are further divided into parishes.

The territory of modern Haksarad was first inhabited by modern humans about 200,000 years ago, and the country has an extensive history, being the location of some of the earliest civilizations, both in the Ekso Basin and Kasharad. The first polity with borders resembling those of the modern state was founded in 403 BC, by the invasion of the Manuaks, and, for most of the over two millennia from the 5th century BC to the 18th century AD, the empire was a hegemon and economic giant in the region, though this legacy is marred by periods of collapse and intense conflict to reunify, particularly during the mid-3rd to mid-4th century AD. The Haksar monarchy was dissolved in 1803, and instability followed, though the current system has been in place for nearly 100 years now.

Haksar national identity is primarily built upon the strong Ardemot tradition, the common civilization and the extensive history of unity under a single, strong central authority.

Etymology
The name “Haksarad” is a Manuak word derived from the Ekso Basin, an ancient Kashar name for the basin surrounding the Sea of Dasir. It is a contraction of the phrase Ha Ekso Arad, meaning “the land of Ekso.”

Geography
Haksarad lies in Harad, on the westernmost part of the !Mediterranean, and its geography has been one of its most important features for maintaining its sovereignty and cohesion. The coast of the country is dominated by the Kashar Plain and the Dir Mountains, which connect to the Bardhag Mountains and, ultimately, the Hawyahal Mountains.

Haksarad is a very ecologically diverse country. There are tropical jungles in the extreme south, and the nation is bounded in all other directions by mountains. Much of the country is comprised of rocky hills and montane grass and shrubland, especially the area around the Dasir in the Ekso Basin, north of which are four lakes, three entirely within Haksarad and the last between Haksarad and Velorenkya. This diversity in altitude has also given the country a variety of endemic species.

Climate
The predominant climate is humid subtropical, though there is a slight difference between the Ekso Basin and the Kashar Plain in that the basin sees significant decreases in humidity in the winter, while the plains are humid year-round. To the south, there are tropical savanna, tropical monsoon and tropical rainforest climate areas.

Pre-History
Archaeological findings suggest that the first modern hominids arrived in what is now Haksarad about 200,000 years ago. These first peoples were the ancestors of the Kashar panethnic group and first settled the coast around the Abo and Herit before slowly moving inland, eventually reaching the Ekso Basin and the Dasir. Little else is known of the prehistory of these groups until a second wave of migrations north about 70,000 years ago, during which the area north and west of the Sea of Dasir up to the Hawyahal and Bardhag Mountains was settled and the Binu were introduced to the area.

The early inhabitants of the region were some of the first in the world to develop agriculture, starting around 10,000 BC, facilitated by the fertile ground and frequent rainfall. With the rise of agriculture came the rise of sedentism, and the earliest stone buildings in Haksarad can also be dated to about 10,000 BC. During this early sedentary period, the clans operated as the closest things to polities and sometimes clashed over the control of land to cultivate or hunt on. Around 6,000 BC, irrigation was invented, allowing for higher population densities. It is likely these higher concentrations of people that led to the construction of the first walled settlements around this same time. With irrigation and walled cities came the city-state, as these walled settlements used their higher population and defensibility to subjugate neighboring villages and sometimes even other cities. Some city-states came to control significantly vast territory, though most never lasted long.

Antiquity
Around the 22nd century BC, the first kingdom in modern Haksarad, Shekosh, emerged around the mouths of the Abo and Herit. This was the beginning of a long history of dynastic rule in Haksarad, which continued in some form or another until the dissolution of the monarchy in 1807.

The Sidurids were succeeded by the Arastids sometime in the 19th century BC, when Arasta supposedly overthrew a Sidurid tyrant. At its height, the Arastid dynasty covered all territory of its predecessor, stretched north to the southernmost shores of the Dasir, and controlled up to the mountains in both east and west. The Awasids were conquered by the Nukkorids in the 16th century BC, though Nukkorid authority was weak and the kingdom was dominated by powerful warlords. Over the next century or so, more and more of these warlords refused to recognize the legitimacy of the crown and eventually all had declared themselves independent kings in their own right.

For three centuries, these warring states fought, conquered, were conquered and collapsed, until the 13th century BC, by which point the region had been split between two major kingdoms, the Kingdom of Rokesta in Kasharad and the Kingdom of Kermak in the Ekso Basin. These two kingdoms competed as bitter rivals for about 800 years, neither making any lasting progress toward conquering the other.

Akkanakhath
Akkanakhath was a Manuak Ardemite from the Dahar Desert to the northwest, beyond the Hawyahal Mountains. According to Haksar tradition, he was the chieftain of a small nomadic desert tribe when he received a vision from God in 423 BC, commanding him to gather all of the Manuak tribes and move east. Akkanakhath spent the next few years persuading the other tribes to his cause, either by word or by sword, before beginning their great migration. On his journey, Akkanakhath also gathered the Tsemathas under his banner. Eventually, he and his army reached Mount Makhal, which the warlord ascended to look out over the mountains and see the land to the east that he was to settle. When he returned from his hike, however, he claimed to have been met by an angel, who insisted that he change course and enter the Ekso Basin to the south. It is said that two of the Manuak tribes and one of the Tsematha tribes split off at this point, continuing east, though contemporary and later writings are inconsistent as to whether this was ordered by Akkanakhath or if it was a mutiny.

Several years after he received his first vision, Akkanakhath and his army settled around Lake Holmet, on the northeast fringes of the Ekso Basin. During this time, they made contact with the Werwerdi, another nomadic tribe that lived in the mountains in the north and west of what is now Haksarad. Among the ethnic groups of the region, the Werwerdi had the smallest and least fertile territory. The Manuak warlord promised them better lands in his kingdom if they were to align themselves with him in his conquest of the basin, an offer the Werwerdi accepted. These three people—the Manuaks, Tsemathas and Werwerdi— had all been expert horsemen since the breeding of horses to be large enough for riders, and all possessed extremely warlike cultures.

In March of 412 BC, this tribal alliance invaded Kermak, quickly subduing the north down to the edge of the Sea of Dasir before expanding to conquer the other cities along the coast. By 410, the invaders had conquered to Gosir on the east coast and Kermak on the west coast, and by 408, they had completely absorbed the Kermakid Kingdom.

After the conquest of the north, the foreign horsemen surged through the Yehmot and Ekhyamet into the Kashar Plain, set on conquering the Rokestids next. By 406 BC, all of the south had been brought to heel as well, save for the eastern coastal Kashar lands, protected by the Dir Mountains. But it was not long before these people bowed too, and Akkanakhath was crowned Ruler of All Haksarad in 403 BC, though he refused the title of king, instead declaring himself to merely be the regent of God, who was the only true king.

Early Manuak Rule
After the establishment of the Kingdom of Haksarad under the Arkathadid dynasty, founded by Akkanakhath, in 403 BC, the Manuaks became the primary ruling class of the royal court and the northern territories, while the south was administered by the Tsemathas. The promise of territory to the Werwerdi was upheld by displacing the Deyros of the western mountains, who were relocated to the Bardhag Mountains both as a solution to the Werwerdi problem and in an effort to populate and garrison the frontier.

The legitimacy of these early Arkathadid rulers was reinforced by their development of the region’s first codified law, carved into pillars and spread across the empire, and the order these laws brought to a region that had been wracked by constant warfare since the fall of the Arastid dynasty. The Manuaks and Tsemathas had set aside the sword and bridle for the quill and scale; they had won an empire, but now they had to administer it.

Early Manuak rulers also placed a strong emphasis on converting their new realm to Haridmat. This strong involvement of the crown in matters of religion led to the emergence of a powerful and centralized Ardemot Church, with influence somewhat separate from that of the monarchy. Priests already wielded great power in the pre-conquest societies of the Manuaks and Tsemathas, but this power was greatly expanded in the early Manuak period. With the creation of the Adaspy, several earlier high priests were retroactively declared to have been Dessep, including the high priest that had accompanied Akkanakhath on his journey and coronated him as regent. The early church made impressive headway on two fronts; the first was codifying Ardemot belief and practice, which included compiling the many holy texts, establishing a canon of official prophets and saints from the earliest days of the faith and codifying the complex hierarchy of angels, demons and other spirits; the second was converting the native populace and reconciling their folk traditions with the belief and practice of Haridmat. Some of the most famous saints and prophets of the faith lived during these early days of the empire.

Golden Age
The age of administrative, philosophical and theological advancements continued into the reign of the Hedrakids, a dynasty of Kashar origins. Under this dynasty, which came to power in 86 BC, the empire began to project power outward, becoming hegemon of the region and being recognized as overlord of many foreign polities. While those subject nations that bordered Haksarad directly were more closely under their control, the tributary status of most of these nations was more a matter of prestige than actual administrative control; the junior partner would annually bring gifts to Haksarad and perform a submission ritual in exchange for trade agreements, the Haksar ruler’s recognition and investiture of their rule and nominal military protection.

During the reign of Irkeppo, several of the jungle tributaries on the empire’s southern border were brought under the direct control of the monarchy by taking action against some tribes that resisted the tributary relationship and giving dominion over the defiant tribes to more agreeable ones. His empire’s borders quite closely resembled those of the modern nation.

Dark Age
In 243 AD, Haksarad was ruled by Zabarko of the Khethqadid, a Binu dynasty. It was in this year that he declared himself king, rather than regent, and begun to crack down on the power of the church. This caused two Ardemot prophets to begin preaching against him throughout Haksarad, Utakhlan and Neqsaidhar. The king was furious, and had Utakhlan imprisoned and executed, making him a martyr, for which he has since been sainted, while Neqsaidhar was protected by a tribe of Deyros. In 247, Zabarko began demanding more tangible submission from his tributaries, souring his relations with them.

In 249, several tributary kingdoms did not attend their annual submission ritual. Zabarko declared this to be a treasonous act. He raised his armies and called on those tributary states loyal to him. Most of them refused to join, or even sided with his enemies. Even some of the more closely-tied vassal states rebelled. Zabarko managed to subdue those nations directly to the south and proceeded to treat them brutally. This cruel tyranny did not last long, however, as Zabarko died at the !Battle in 252. The allied forces of rebellious tributaries continued their march and, in 253, they sacked Shekosh and installed a foreign dynasty, the Badilgazids, centered on it, leaving a northern Haksar rump state in the Ekso Basin and several small successor kingdoms in the west and north. The rump state was under the control of Neqsaidhar, founder of the Neqsaidharid dynasty, who was of Manuak origin.

The Badilgazids ruled much of Haksarad for about 100 years, before being driven out by Elyarki, descendant of Neqsaidhar, in 346. During those hundred years, however, the other successors had been unified under the Hyarukid kingdom, which now rivaled the Neqsaidharids. Haksarad remained split between these two kingdoms for over 100 years. In 501, Yetaz became the Neqsaidharid king. He was seen as incompetent and illegitimate, and he responded to this perception with brutal oppression. He also followed in the footsteps of Zabarko in declaring himself king. Once again, a prophet, Deisrak, arose to preach against this tyranny. In 506, Deisrak journeyed to the Hyarukid kingdom and petitioned their ruler, Ashnaqir, for help. Despite Ashnaqir’s numerical inferiority, he triumphed over Yetaz with the help of Deisrak's followers, the endorsement of the church and the abysmal public opinion of Yetaz. Ashnaqir was hailed a savior by the people and founded the Ashnaqid dynasty in 511.

Restored Empire
For over a millennia after the restoration of Haksar rule by Ashnaqir, Haksarad was ruled by a series of dynasties in relative peace. The tributary system was restored, the church was returned to its former position and the empire began to view its relationship with smaller nations as an almost paternal one; they had a responsibility to spread the faith and protect those who were friendly toward them. Ardemot proselytization was already significant in Haksar tributaries, but this period saw an explosion in the church’s evangelism. The side of light needed soldiers, and Haksar rulers and church leaders were determined to guarantee that it got them, regardless of ethnicity or national origin. Royal sponsorship of holy orders increased drastically, and the extent to which they operated outside the immediate vicinity of the empire was vastly expanded. The period between 511 and the middle of the 17th century was another golden age for Haksarad. Once again, art, literature, philosophy and theology saw some of its greatest Haksar contributions, especially as missionaries encountered new and foreign ideas and attempted to reconcile them with their own.

Warlord Period
From the second half of the 17th century, the power of the crown waned. By 1740, the monarchy’s influence was virtually confined to the capital, while the rest of the country was dominated by local nobles and warlords who clashed for land and power. The incredible weakness of the central government allowed these powerful nobles and tribal leaders to subvert its authority and conduct diplomacy with foreign powers as near-sovereign entities unto themselves. It was this political landscape in Haksarad that allowed the Coffee Wars to come about, as various local powers granted special trading rights and leases on ports to different foreign nations, namely Edury, Gladomyr and Salia. Each of these three nations wished to monopolize the Haksar coffee trade, and they would go to war over it several times between 1750 and 1797. The wars were brought to an end when Wasir took the throne and, in a bid to reestablish the sovereignty of Haksarad and the authority of the crown, seized the leased ports for himself.

The reign of Wasir, from 1796 to 1803, brought both the Coffee Wars and the weakness of the monarchy to an end. This return to form was not to last, however, as the aristocracy had grown accustomed to their power. In 1803, Wasir was murdered by a group of noble conspirators, leading to a massive revolt of the peasantry, who saw Wasir as their liberator from the rampant tyranny of the kleptocratic nobles.

First Revolution
Wasir’s short rule had been a great respite for the people of Haksarad, and he was much loved among the peasantry and the tribes. After his murder, massive uprisings took place all over the country and violence erupted everywhere. This culminated in the execution of the provisional noble council that was seeking to rule the empire along with many other members of the aristocracy. Ironically, given that most of those revolting were doing so in protest to the king’s murder, the rebellion was quickly co-opted by anti-monarchists. After the executions, the revolutionaries seized power, and a shift began. After throwing off the institution of the monarchy, they had begun to associate all other traditional institutions with it. The revolution’s leadership became staunchly anti-tradition and anti-religion. These positions, however, were not popular with the people. Those formerly loyal to the nobility banded together with many disillusioned revolutionaries who still had a love for their peoples’ traditions. These counterrevolutionaries united behind Husrak, a prominent general who had previously served the revolution but now saw them as a collection of degenerates and apostates. The counterrevolution was victorious and their treatment of those still loyal to the revolution was even more brutal than the revolution’s treatment of the nobility.

Military Rule
For the next hundred years, the government was dominated by the military, led by the Regent General. The nation’s top foreign policy position was opposing upstart revolutions and internationalism in the region. This led to Haksarad aiding the Eshar reactionaries during their war against the revolutionary government. With Haksar assistance, the reactionaries were victorious, and they set up a Haksar-friendly regime.

Second Revolution
In the first quarter of the last century, following a period during which the military government had put a heavy focus on industrialization, Haksarad faced another revolution--one of a !Communist nature. However, it was only the most radical in the country that sided with this revolution, as the people of Haksarad had come to associate leftism, especially !Communism, with internationalism, anti-traditionalism and degeneracy. The war was prolonged, however, by support for the leftists from abroad. The Regent General was assassinated and, in the midst of these crises, the power of the central government waned. The military was already powerful, but they were now the de facto government of the anti-revolutionary forces.

Unitary Republic
In this power vacuum, the previously insignificant Kashar warlord Arakwajaki claimed to have received a vision from God. He and his tribal soldiers began harassing revolutionary forces and raiding supply lines. He gained quite the following and people began to call him Regent General, despite his protestations. Eventually, the loyalist forces, led by Arakwajaki, defeated the !Communists. Arakwajaki had popular support firmly on his side, but decided to set up a more stable and official government, rather than simply continuing with the pre-war institution. A system of citizenship was established and the right to vote and hold public office with it. However, hoping to ensure that only those with a love of country would vote or attain office, military service was made a requirement to attain citizenship. The citizens would elect representatives to the Assembly of the Citizenry--the lower house of the legislature, who propose and pass legislation--while the Regent General would appoint generals to the Assembly of the Generals--the upper house, who approve or reject legislation from the Assembly of the Citizenry based on its compatibility with the constitution and tradition.