Empire of Ikhan

The Empire of Ikhan (𐰮𐰀𐰬𐰃 𐰃𐰀𐰢𐰐𐰅; Eshvai Ikhan) is a nation-state located in eastern Ardia. It is bordered by the Feltasi mountains to the West, Rokkenjima to the south, and the Sea of Kyne to the north and east. Through it's territory in Albion, it is also bordered by Nichitishi.

Ikhan was initially unified in the early 11th century during the reign of one Khorai ve Hailun, the ruler of a state known as "Misra". Though he would only be given the title posthumously, Khorai would become known as the first "Eshai-va" (later known as "Eshva"; translates as "Eternal Ruler"). Over the next few centuries, it would expand beyond the Feltasi mountains, with those who settled there eventually forming a distinct culture separate (though fairly similar) to their brothers in the east. It fell into civil war during the 15th century, though from the ashes of this war, fell under a new dynasty, one that would expand it across the sea to the Island of Rusan. In the 19th century, Ikhan was invaded by the Ardian Empire, leading to the fall of the lands west of the Feltasi mountains and spurring the nation to begin modernizing more rapidly. Between 1914 and 1945, Ikhan would wage a series of wars against the Ardians and their allies, assisted in part by the many nations taking advantage of their ongoing collapse.

Despite it's relatively small size, Ikhan is a land of geographic diversity, with lofty mountains in the south and west, vast rivers running into the ocean, and plains and forests within these lands. The Island of Rusan and the island-chains around it are known for their tropical climate and pristine beaches, while the lands in Albion are a mix of temperate forests and rolling hills.

History
A paleolithic-era culture is known to have existed in Ikhan since at least 38,000 BCE, constituting the first known case of human habitation within the nation's present borders. By the 15th century BCE, a Mesolithic to Neolithic culture of semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer culture had arisen, from which some of the oldest known examples of pottery originate. Finally, by the 12th century BCE, the early Arashin (or Murai, as foreigners call them) emerged as a distinct culture. It is now believed that the culture that preceded the Arashin may have been it's direct ancestor.

Pre-Imperial Ikhan
Ikhan was, from the 12th century BCE to the 11th century CE, a disunited land of squabbling warlords, petty-kingdoms, and city-states. Many wished to unify the peoples of Ikhan under a single banner, but none would ever prove successful, not in the long-term, at least. Then, in the 5th century BCE, written records speak of a great invasion from a foreign land, saying this of the fall of Isekhan (a prominent city in those days):"'Blood ran in torrents, drenched was the earth. Here, in the city of Isekhan, men, women, and children laid quelled in bitter death. Those who survived the first onslaught now walked the streets, clutching through hideous gashes their bowels as they breathed forth their last. Many were taken away across the sea, never heard from again...' — Anonymous"These "invasions", which many experts now believe to have originated in Aranye, ended by the 1st century CE, which led to the rapid unification of Ikhan into a series of five states, beginning what is now known as the "Pentarchy era".

The Arashin Pentarchy
With the end of these foreign raids, the Murai recognized that they needed a strong government that would be capable of protecting them from foreign threats. By the end of the second century, the first of these states, a realm known as "Misra", was established with it's capital in Arkhos. Other states would follow, those being Kairan, Vrashe, Hashtai, and Khushai, with the last of them being formed in the 4th century. While infighting between the states was commonplace, it wasn't uncommon for them to band together when a foreign foe presented itself to them. During this period, a new class emerged among the Arashin: The Zharai. These "Zharai" (also known as "Katariki") were once mercenaries, though the title gradually became ever-more hereditary as time progressed. Eventually, they would gain enough influence in Murai society to become a part of the ruling class, but the nobility nonetheless held power overall.

Over time, the relationship between these five states would progressively become worse and worse, with open warfare breaking out between Misra and Vrashe in the 9th century. Similar conflicts were fought throughout Ikhan, setting the path for the Pentarchy to unite under one banner.

Ikhan United
In 1028 CE, Khorai ve Hailun ascended to the thrones of Misra and Vrashe (the two had been unified during the reign of his father) and with his strengthened position, he saw opportunity to push far beyond what any of his forefathers could've imagined. Thus, his armies turned west, sweeping across the lands. Those who willingly submitted were spared any additional violence, but those who resisted were put to the sword. Eventually, the others states of the former pentarchy would be unified under the State of Misra. Upon his death in 1088, his son, Erel, would have him retroactively declared the first "Eshva", or Emperor, of Ikhan, while he would be declared the new Emperor. During his reign, as well as those of his descendants, the Empire would push beyond the Feltasi mountains, taking a vast swathe of land that would be held until the 19th century.

An Empire in Decline
When the conquests of the Hailun Clan came to an end, many questioned what would come next. There was no desire to expand further south and to the north and east lay the open ocean. Over time, unrest began to build in the Empire as the rulers became more and more corrupt with time, eventually sparking insurrection in the provinces. Then, it all came crashing down as the last member of the Imperial line of Clan Hailun passed away without any heirs. The clans, seeing the winds of fate change direction, took up arms against one another in a contest to determine who would become the new ruler of the Murai. By 1476, this interregnum came to an end with the accession of Eshva Arkan I Vahram of Clan Sherkoz to the Nikai Katran (Dragon Throne). Though his reign lasted only 22 years, he would do much to pull the Empire out of decline. His successors, on the other hand, would fail to live up to his legacy, becoming more and more the pawn of another clan, Clan Khasa, until the late 17th century.

Resurgence
With the accession of Khorai II to the throne, the Empire underwent a brief period of resurgence, during which the Murai invaded the island of Rusan and the Akarasin archipelago, lands they continue to hold to the present day. His reign would not last long, however, with him dying eleven years later. Nonetheless, this brief period of resurgence continued under his son and grandson, Arkan II and Jishek I, the former being a well-known patron of the arts and the latter for expanding the Imperial treasury tenfold. When Jishek died, his son, Berai IV took the throne, beginning a period of stagnation that would last from the end of his reign in 1722 to the late 1860's.

The Invasion
In the year 1866, the Empire was invaded by the Ardian Empire, after which the technologically inferior Murai were ultimately forced to withdraw from the lands to the west of the Feltasi Mountains. This brief conflict forced the Empire to begin to modernize rapidly so as to prevent the total fall of the Empire in any future wars. Thus, over the next two decades, it would import the latest technologies from far and wide, though this transition led to many ancient institutions being left by the wayside. The conflict also notably spurred a distinct sense of revanchism in the Empire towards the Ardian Empire. Nonetheless, any attempts for revenge would have to wait, as the Empire plunged into civil war in the 1880s.

The Civil War
In 1871, Emperor Erel V ve Sherkoz died and was replaced by his son, Arkan IV ve Sherkoz. Despite being a fairly strong ruler, his early reign was marred by a period of civil unrest culminating in a civil war from 1882 to 1887. The war saw losses of around 437,000 men, though only a relatively small number were actually killed in the fighting. In the end, the Imperial Military came out on top, leaving the path open for the Empire to continue along on it's new course. Arkan's rule would go on to be seen as the beginning of a new Golden Age for Ikhan, one that continues to the present day, even though it has failed to reclaim most of it's lost holdings west of the Feltasi mountains.

The Reign of Arkan IV
Arkan's reign as Emperor of the Murai following the civil war began with the drafting of a new constitution, the Constitution of 1899, though the clause regarding Lekhai would be added after it's conquest in 1916. This constitution led to many rights being given to the commoners, in effect ending the last vestiges of feudalism within the nation. The majority of his reign would be spent building up the military for the inevitable war with the Ardian Empire, occasionally waging war on them as well. These wars would continue well after his death, as he died in 1932.

The Wars with Ardia
Ikhan would, between 1914 and 1945, wage a series of wars against the Ardian Empire, occasionally gaining and losing land. The first of these wars would last from 1914 to 1920, in which Ikhan would secure the iron-rich southern Feltasi mountains at the cost of many lives. The second would be fought from 1926 to 1927, being far less brutal than the previous war and amounting to little more than a few border skirmishes. However, the third of these wars would prove the hardest on the peoples of Ikhan.

Post-War Ikhan
Large parts of Western Ikhan had been left ravaged after the wars, which led both to a period of emigration from the nation and movement into the eastern half of the nation, which in turn led to many cities growing rapidly over the remainder of the century. The first ten years after the war, therefore, would be spent rebuilding this region of the nation. It seemed as though the nation would return to normal, however, Ikhan would be faced with one last crisis: The Avosai of Rusan had just declared independence.

Under the Murai constitution, the subjects of the Empire had no legal right to secede from the nation, and even if it weren't for that, the island was, at the time, of vital importance to the nation. As such, the Imperial Military mobilized once more to retake the island in 1963, being forced to occupy the island until peace was signed in 1972. After this, the Empire would return to a state of, for the most part, prosperity. In 1997, Emperor Arkan V died and was succeeded by his son, Esik, who took the throne as Eshva Esik I ve Sherkoz. During his reign, the Emperor has pursued a policy of openness towards it's neighbors, wishing to strengthen ties with them for future generations.

Religion
The religion with the largest number of adherents is the Ishitic faith, which has approximately 139,914,000 citizens claim to follow a branch of, or around 61% of the population. Various sects of Christianity make up about 23% of the population, for which about 16% are members of the Arashin Church. It should be noted that there is some overlap between members of the Ishitic faith and Christianity in Ikhan, with the former being seen less and less as a proper religion and more a part of the nation's folklore. Some experts believe that the Arashin Church could overtake the Ishitic faith as the largest religion in Ikhan by the end of the 21st century, on account of large waves of conversions in the past decades. "Akhrism", a faith primarily founded among the Nirai, makes up 12% of the religious makeup of Ikhan, while the remaining 4% either are irreligious or opted not to answer the question on the census.

Languages
By far, the most widely-spoken language of Ikhan is the Arashin (or to foreigners, Murai) language, with 71% of the Empire's citizens speaking it as a first language. As it is the language of education, it is spoken as a secondary language by another 28.3% of the population. The second largest language, though it was initially just a dialect of Arashin, is the Niarashin (from which the term "Nirai" originates) language, which is spoken by a further 18% of the populace as a first language. 9% of the population speaks Avosai as their first language, with the remaining 2% speaking a variety of other languages.