NationStates Jolt Archive

PT factbook of Aridiris for this ye olde RP http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=11684224


Early history:

The Aridiro people are properly two tribal groups amalgamated into one after centuries of intermarriage. The first inhabitants of the lands of Aridiris were the Ari, a semi-nomadic people believed to have come to the land after the end of the last ice age. For millennia, they lived a subsistence semi-nomadic lifestyle developing very little in terms of culture and religion, primarily focusing on the worship of the animals they domesticated or herds they followed. Several centuries ago, however, their land was invaded by the Telics, a slightly more primitive but warlike central Asian nomadic group. The Telics believed that blood was sacred and the spilling of blood, in the hunt of migrating herds or of humans in war, was a means of sanctifying the earth. Because of this, the first Telic invasions were little more than mass slaughters. As continuous successions of Telic invasions continued, however, some Telic groups began settling in conquered areas and taking up the slightly more agrarian lifestyle of the Ari. The settled Telic and the Ari continued to wage war for several decades, but things slowly began to die down as the Telic adapted more to a semi-nomadic lifestyle. Cultural exchanges and intermarriages began and soon mixed societies began to take shape.
Amidst this growing bi-cultural society, the remaining nomadic Telic tribes began invading the Ari lands again following a particularly harsh winter in their tradition lands and the thinning out of many herds. Ari groups that had survived previous Telic invasions were quickly wiped out, as were many settled Telic tribes that had grown weak after abandoning their warlike lifestyle decades ago. The Telic/Ari groups, however, remained strong. Combining with the established Ari groups shortened the Telic’s transition period between fully nomadic hunter-gatherers to semi-nomadic herdsmen and allowed them to keep up their martial traditions. Though certainly less skilled than the new invading Telic, the Telic/Ari were able to use their prosperity to tilt the scales and repel the new force. The remaining nomadic Telic eventually died out in the harsh steppes, and the Telic/Ari flourished and repopulated the Ari lands.

Language and naming:

The Telic language dominated the new Telic/Ari nation, but it was still heavily influenced by the Ari. The Ari word for land was simply “A”, and that for people “Ri”, hence they were themselves the Land’s People, the A-Ri. The Telic word for land was “Diris,” a derivative of the word for blood and the blood god “Diro,” as they believed the earth was sanctified in blood. As the Telic/Ari mixed and cultural lines blurred and took on their own shapes, “Ari” began to mean simply “people,” the land connection disappearing, and the Telic seeing themselves as Ari as well. Thus, the lands of the Ari became referred to as “Ari-Diris”, “people’s land”. Over time as the religion of the new Ari centred more and more on blood, the name for people evolved from “Ari” into “Ari-Diro”, or more correctly “people’s blood”.

Aridiro names follow a basic [given name] [family name] format. Noble family names are usually the names of their lands and given names are usually related to their parents. Titles follow the family name.
Titles:
Tema/Temal – Great King/ Great Queen
Ma/Mal – King/ Queen
Makine/Makinel - Prince/ Princess
Magra/Magral – Duke/Duchess
Dirote/Dirotel – High Priest/Priestess of Diro

Aridiro culture:

The blood cult of the Telic dominated the new emerging culture and grew into a full blown religion with the worship of Diro, the Telic god of blood, as its principal focus. Over time other Telic and Ari deities fell into obscurity and eventually the Aridiro could be accurately described as monotheists, though they believed in the existence of other gods just not in the worship of them.
Diro, the blood god, was believed to be one of three sons of the Sun god Wa, the other sons being Feal the earth god and Thas the weather god. Together they formed the Earth, the elements and life. Diro was the purest and most divine of the three as he was made of the pure blood of the sun. Jealous of this, Feal and Thas conspired to kill Diro and attacked him an ambush. The surprise attack left Diro mortally wounded on both sides of his body, but he managed to fight back and kill both his brothers. Thas died in the north and the Feal in the south, Thas and Feal becoming the names of the lands north and south of Aridiris. As Diro bled from the attack his blood pooled on either side of him forming the Black and Caspian seas. When he died, his body formed the Caucasus and the land of Aridiris, separating the two pools of blood.
The Aridiro believe that the blood of all living things is the sacred blood of Diro, but the blood of creatures from the lands of Aridiris are the purest as the land is made of the body of Diro. All other things on Earth are impure and even evil, tainted by the treachery of Feal and Thas. Thus, the Aridiro have come to believe that spilling blood on things, especially land, cleanses it. Animal sacrifices and blood draining is common and often conducted on grand scales. When an Aridiro dies, their blood is drained and spread on their family’s land. Battlefields, for there propensity to spill mass fields of human blood, are considered sacred and temples to Diro are often built on the sites of major battles. Indeed, warfare itself is seen as a religious ceremony and the best way to sacrifice large numbers of people to Diro.
Aridiro nationality is strongly linked to the land and religion. As all living creatures are the blood of Diro, but those born in Aridiris the most pure, it is believed that what makes a person Aridiro is not his or her parents, but their birthplace. All those born in Aridiris are thus Aridiro and all those not, even those of Aridiro parents, are tainted by Feal and Thas. Naturally it is desirable for parents, especially nobles, to have their children born on Aridiris soil. Similarly it is desirable among Aridiro to die on Aridiris soil, returning their blood to the land. However, the people are less worried about this, especially warriors, as spilling pure blood on tainted land is scene is bringing it closer to Diro.

Pre-Alshorian Empire:

For much of its history, the Aridiro civilization was divided into small petty kingdoms controlled by a handful of noble families. As warfare was conducted primarily on horseback only those with enough land to maintain and breed horses were capable of wielding power. Recognizing the importance of horses as tools of power, the noble families used them like land was used in feudalism. Loyal warriors would swear fidelity to their lord and in exchange be granted the right to use horses. Horses became so closely linked with power that the old Telic word for horse, Ma, became the Aridiro word for lord or king, and most noble families incorporated horse themes in their flags and family crests.
The petty kingdoms primarily warred with each, though those on the fringes of Aridiris often raided other lands. War for the Aridiro during this period was a ritualised affair, and the idea of expanding territory was somewhat unheard of. Given the sacredness and the ritual involved, the Aridiro focussed not on success and valour but on speed, tactics and maintaining grace on the battlefield. Through this, they became adept horsemen skilled and versed in advanced cavalry tactics and manoeuvring and honed the usage of light weapons such as bows, spears and scimitars.
Political unity was achieved briefly for two generations under the powerful lord of Ivus, Jossu Ivus Ma, and his son and successor, Jossi Aridiris Tema. Jossu broke from the traditional laconic warfare and sought victory and conquest. Slow to adapt the other petty kingdoms quickly fell under his rule. The old nobles were allowed to keep their lands and titles, but had to give up half of their best horses. After consolidating his kingdom and taking the name Jossu Aridiris Tema, Tema meaning “great king”, Jossu sought conquest outside of Aridiris. Though largely unsuccessful in maintaining a firm hold on the lands he conquered, Jossu was able to gain the attention of the powerful Alshorian Empire to the south. Repeatedly harassed by Aridiro raiding parties, the Alshorian Empire turned to stamp out this nuisance on its northern border. Though the Aridiro managed to hold off for the last few years of Jossu’s life, when his son, Jossi Aridiris Tema, succeeded to the throne, Aridiro unity began to crumble. In order to keep up the fight against the Empire, Jossi had to return some of the power his father had taken from the other nobles. When a few nobles, seeing the political opportunity of siding with the Alshor, betrayed Jossi at the battle of Silothas, the Aridiris kingdom fell like a house of cards, though its chances of survival were slim to begin with.

Under the Alshorian Empire:

Though the Aridiro remained rebellious to imperial order for a few generations, they were in relatively short order tamed and accepting of their place in the multi-ethnic empire. They are allowed to continue there religious practices and, as their services are sought in the imperial army, to keep up their horsemanship. Political power is held by the surviving families of those that betrayed the Tema at Silothas, though it is naturally heavily influenced and subservient to Azaria.
The people, though accepting of their lot, maintain a bitterness towards the Alshor and resent having to serve in the imperial army and die far away from home, though this sentiment conflicts with their traditional view that foreign lands need to be cleansed with pure blood. The common Aridiro also have very little respect for their leaders, who are seen betrayers akin to the gods Feal and Thas. Indeed, while Thas once meant the lands north of Aridiris and Feal those south, the words are now used in derogatory slang to also mean the families that rule the north and south of the imperial province of Aridiris.

Military:

In warfare, the Aridiro value speed and tactical grace over courage and victory, and when compared to other races can be accused of not really taking war seriously. Indeed, in the past, it was not uncommon for Aridiro armies to simply leave a battle, even when on the verge of victory, after it was believed that sufficient blood was spilled for their god Diro. At the same time, however, it was also not uncommon for individual units or sometimes whole armies to foolhardily charge into certain death. This rather irrational method of warfare has been tempered somewhat by conscription into the Alshorian military, especially the practice of randomly leaving a battle.
The Aridiro conduct themselves principally on horseback. All Aridiro youth, including women, are trained in riding and cavalry tactics from a very young age. Though they have been known to fight on foot, especially when mass conscripted by imperial decree, they find it awkward, perform poorly and are severely demoralised when they do so.
Weaponry and armour is light as it is conducive to their ideal of speed and grace. All warriors are trained in multiple weapons, including bows, scimitar-like swords called gabas, and spears or lances. Most other kinds of weapons, heavier swords, maces and axes, are seen as ungraceful. Most Aridiro warriors carry small bows and a gaba, though some specialise in larger bows, carry more arrows and forget the gaba, believing close combat to be undesirable. The standardised role of the Aridiro in the imperial army are as scouts, skirmishers, flankers or raiders or enemy supply trains.

Numbers and other facts:

Demographics
Population: approx. 570,000
Possible military manpower: approx. 260,000 (including women)
Languages: Aridiro, though the Alshorian language is commonly spoken
Religion: 72% Diro blood cult, 19% Atheist, 9% other

Politics
Flag: none though the family crest of the former Temas, is sometimes recognised.
Description of unofficial flag:
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n145/jpfreely/horseflag.gif
a large black horseshoe with its curve facing downwards on a burgundy background. Represents the power of the Tema in the form of the horseshoe protected by the pure blood of Diro.
Governance: divided into two north and south governing districts by the empire and administrated by Aridiro noble families loyal to the king.
Capitols: the northern capitol is Salpo, the southern Ivus, which was also the capitol of the united kingdom.

Notable figures:
Clinta Lasl Magra – governor of the northern district
Ginjo Asalo Magra – governor of the southern district

Diua Ivus [Ma] - scion of the disposed Ivus family, claimants of the Aridiris throne, Upper Commander of the North Caspian raiders
Atal Poim - Diua Ivus' second in command, a commoner

*Note: All male Aridiro first names end in vowels, whereas female names end in consonants, "L", "N" and "M" being the most common. For example, Diua Ivus is a male as Diua ends in "A". Atal Poim is female as Atal ends in "L".

Diua Ivus Ma, heir to the Ivus Ma family with a claim to the crown of Aridiris, approached the chambers of Clinta Lasl Magra, governor of the northern district of Aridiris. Two heavy doors and two dour looking guards blocked his path. The guards, though Aridiro, were dressed in imperial ceremonial finery. The Magra loved wasting the people’s money making himself look like an Alshor noble, and was completely oblivious to the ridicule he received from both the Aridiro and the real Alshor nobility. He was an embarrassment to his people; those large ornate chamber doors with their carvings of fantastic and exotic animals were completely devoid of any horses. Diua wondered if he was even born in Aridiris.

“What’s your business?” asked one of the stern faced guards guarding the door.

“Diua Ivus, I was summoned by the Magra,” he had to drop the Ma from his name in front of the imperial guards. Since the Alshor conquered Aridiris, all noble titles, save the two governors of the north and south districts, the Magras, were forbidden. In less formal company, Diua used his title Ma, king, with his name. Even this was a reservation as he felt himself properly to be Tema, great king, as a direct descendant from the last Tema.


Clinta Lasl Magra sat comfortably in his chambers. It was an expensive, elaborate room quite unbefitting of a petty provincial governor: high pillars, paintings and carvings of mythical animals and battles and to top it all off a throne.
He was waiting for Diua Ivus, a high profile commander in the provincial army that had recently received a boost in that profile. Diua was a member of the Ivus family, former rulers of Aridiris, and just two weeks ago, upon the death of his uncle, became its head. Unlike his uncle, a fat old glutton whose possible dreams of reclaiming his inheritance were rendered impotent by his laziness, alcoholism and complacence in the face of the imperial government, Diua was a young, able commander and a staunch adherent to the Diro blood cult. Any ambitions he might be harbouring had to be crushed and all efforts made to insure that other ambitions wouldn’t arise. His uncle had been effectively dealt with by Clinta’s predecessor, now it was Clinta’s turn to defang a member of the Ivus family. The thought of it exhilarated him.
The heavy ornate door to the Magra’s chambers groaned open and a guard announced from outside, “Diua Ivus, commander of the Nilasi Raiders!”
Diua marched through the doors and with a cringe and brief hesitation dropped to a knee and lowered his head in front of the Magra. Bowing or displaying subservience was not a normal custom of the Aridiro, but the Magra demanded it. Both of them recognized the indignity it brought Diua given his lineage. Normal custom would have the Magra then allow Diua to rise, but the Magra decided to keep him knelt.
“Diua Ivus,” started the Magra, “allow me to express my condolences for your uncle’s death and my congratulations on your succession to head of the Ivus family.”
“Thank you… my lord,” the words were bitter in Diua’s mouth. This was his first meeting with a Magra. He never addressed his uncle or his grandfather with “my lord” when they were the heads of his family. This custom was also alien to the Aridiro. But the Magras, again, demanded it and this was his first time uttering the phrase.
Clinta grinned. Good, he thought, the boy is aware of his position. “Because of your uncle’s death, you’re standing has increased in the military, and it is thus appropriate that you receive a promotion.”
“A promotion? Thank you, my lord” There were those words again. But a promotion? Diua thought. What could that mean? Surely the Magras only promote loyal commanders and Diua thought that the Magra had every reason not to trust him.
“Yes, you will be promoted to Upper Commander and put in charge of the North Caspian raiders. Congratulations! My clerk will give you some of the details. You are dismissed.”
“Understood. Thank you, my lord,” he hoped that would be the last time he ever had to say that, but it likely wouldn’t be.


“The North Caspian raiders, huh?” said Atal Poim, Diua’s most trusted captain and second-in-command, “why do you suppose you’re being sent there… though I can imagine why…”
“Obviously because it’s the most obscure post I could possibly get,” answered Diua saddling his horse outside of the Magra’s palace, “all the way up there in the middle-of-nowhere north.”
“Hey! I’m from the north!”
“Then you should know better than I! There’s nothing up there, am I right? And what’s more, there hasn’t been a war on the northern border in decades.”
“True enough. It’s pretty desolate up there. But it’s not so bad. The northern people are nice…”
“Also,” Diua continued, ignoring her defence of the north, “if there were a war elsewhere, we’d be the last Aridiro units called up as it would take us at least a week to get back to the south.”
“So the Magra is trying to put you far away as to not cause any trouble or gain any recognition in war. Just as you thought he’d do.”
“If anything, the Thas are predictable. Anyways, because of my promotion you’ll be promoted to my former rank.”
“Am I in charge of the Nilasi Raiders?”
“No, you’ll be commanding part of the North Caspians under me.”
“Oh, well we’ll have a good time then relaxing in up north! I’ll take you to my family’s land. It’s quite nice.”
“I hope I don’t go crazy up there,” he chuckled tightening the last strap on his saddle, “well, are you ready? We’ll ride out to Nilasi, organize things there and head up north.”
A chilling wind blew from the Black Sea as Diua mounted his horse. Clacking their stirrups against their horses sides, the two trotted slowly through the streets of Salpo, out of the gates and westward towards Nilasi. A cold misty rained rolled in from the south.

Maps

I decided on this map for my territory. Makes more sense geography wise. The main world map is just a rough sketch, I'd say.


http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n145/jpfreely/caucasus3.jpg

Light Green Line - Border between Northern and Southern Districts
Ivus - Southern District Capital
Salpo - Northern District Capital

Diua Ivus stared into the bottom of his ale mug pondering the extent of his inebriation. He didn’t like being drunk. His father had always told him to keep his mind sharp, because you never knew when you’ll need it so. Three drinks weren’t too much though, and chances are he wouldn’t need a level-head tonight. He had arrived in the north-east several days ago and after the initial excitement of settling into his new position as Upper Commander of the North Caspian Raiders things were getting slow. The north-east was certainly a backwater, but the people were at least nice, just as Atal had said.
“Another ale, Tema?” the Bartender asked.
“Hmm… maybe later.” he replied. The people here were also fond of calling him Tema. He had occasionally been called such by certain strong nationalists in the south, recognizing his claim to the Great Kingship of Aridiris, but more often than not, non-imperial officials called him by the less revolutionary, though still illegal, title of Ma. Though flattering, he didn’t like to be called Tema. It was too rebellious and he preferred to keep a low profile. Being openly recognized as Tema was too dangerous and could jeopardize any plans he might have of reclaiming that title. As of now, however, he had no plans. Nor would they be of any use here.
The bar’s door cracked open and a welcome gust of fresh air poured in. Diua looked up expecting to see Atal returning, she had left 30 minutes ago to deal with an apparent dispute between some drunken soldiers in another bar. Fortunately, she herself wasn’t drunk. Instead of Atal, it was a man dressed in merchant clothes. Disappointed, he turned to the bartender.
“I think I’ll have another.”
“Right away, Tema.”
“I’ll get that if you don’t mind, and one for myself” a voice suddenly appearing beside him in a distinct foreign northern accent said. Diua turned to see who was buying him a drink. It was the merchant. He was about to refuse the offer, but thought it would be rude.
“Sure thing,” the bartender said with noticeable suspicion in his voice. Though they were nice, Diua thought, the people here were inherently wary of foreigners.
“Thanks” Diua said, “you’re not from Aridiris are you? Where are you from?”
“I believe you Aridiro call us Thas. The Alshor call us Rusticans.” The bartender placed Diua’s drink respectfully by Diua and slammed the merchant’s down far enough away that the merchant was forced to reach for it.
“I could tell you have a northern accent. Angermanland?”
“No,” the merchant quickly replied, “a land just south of there. I often go on trading trips there though. It’s a nice place.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah, they have a really organized government. Far more organized than the Ralish, if you don’t mind me saying.”
“I heard they were all a bunch of crackpots.”
“No no… well they are a little off, but I guess it works, you know? They run a tight ship. Huge army! In fact, I’m sometimes afraid to trade there! Those soldiers are fierce. And large! Almost like giants! Must be the harsh weather up there, huh?”
“Could be. I’ve never met any giants from Angermanland… or any giants at all.”
“Have you ever fought in a war against them?
“No, never.”
“Well, that explains it. All the giants are drafted into the military. Should you ever fight them, I’ve no doubt you’ll see what I mean.”
“Ha! You merchants and your tales!” Diua slapped the merchant on the back.
“You want me to throw him out, Tema?” asked the bartender.
“No no, that’s fine thank you. I think I can handle him,” Diua chuckled. The bartender went back to washing mugs.
“You’re an officer right?” asked the merchant, “what’s your rank, Tema?”
“Oh no, I’m an Upper Commander.”
“So your name is Tema?”
“No no, my name is Diua. I didn’t get yours…”
“Reling, so what’s Tema?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Right,” Diua’s jovialness quickly disappeared. The merchant knew not to continue with this line of questioning. Just then, Atal walked in.
“Commander,” she called across the room, “we have problem. Apparently the soldiers did a little property damage. The bartender’s pissed. I think he’ll listen to reason with you around.”
“Damnit!” Diua exclaimed standing, “We’ll have to reimburse him and severely punish the offender.” Grabbing his affects, Diua slapped too much money on the bar and quickly left, leaving the merchant with the hostile bartender.


Three days later:

“Reling” was happy. One of the worst assignments he’d ever been sent on was over. He was about to cross the Aridiris border and make his way back to Angermanland. Though uninteresting, the mission was a success. Six-hundred mounted forces not directly under the empire were stationed in the north of this land. They could be quickly called up north in case of war. This was all he really wanted to know, but he managed to still get more. The local people were oblivious to the greater issues facing the empire in north and didn’t think twice about blabbing all the political details of Aridiris. Aridiris was a semi-autonomous region run by a small, incompetent, demoted nobility. The people hated the empire, but hated their leaders more. What’s more, they revered and trusted a man they called the Tema, the head of the noble family that ruled Aridiris before the empire conquered it. The Tema himself, refused to divulge enough information about this, but some of his drunken soldiers filled in the gaps sufficiently last night. Given the proper motivation, this man could severely destabilize the area.