The Empire of Ishan

Ishan is a nation in Arkhai. It is bordered by a myriad of states to the west, including but not limited to Kirin, Jeshai, Kemei, and Avosia, the state of Kharas to the north, and the Velai ocean to the East and South. Ikan is the nation's capital and largest city, followed closely by Ishkot and Khoros. The largest island in Ishan is the island of Rusan, located across the the Rusani strait that runs between it and the northern-most tip of Mainland Ishan.

Etymology
The Murai names for Ishan are, as one might guess, Ishan and ''Ikhan. ''Both names are treated as official in the Empire, as there is no real difference between the names in the Murai language.

The name originates within the Avosai tongue, that being "Ikhvan", which translates to "Land of a Thousand Lakes", a name which was given due to the large number of lakes that exist within the region. The name "Ikhvan" is applied to the region around Ishan, mostly as a way to distinguish it from the nation itself.

History
(Note: This is a highly-condensed version of the history, for a better picture, read The History of Arkhai.)

Pre-Historic to the Arrival
Before the Murai and the Avosai, a different culture dominated the region of Ikhvan, that being the Kirolan civilization. The Kirolans were a bronze-age civilization that collapsed shortly after it ended, eventually being replaced by the Avosai.

Unlike the Kirolans, the Avosai, as a people, persist to the modern day. They built several cities, including "Oitil" and "Ik'sekhan (modern-day Khoros), coming to dominate what is now the Ishani heartlands for several centuries. They too, however, would one day lose control over their lands, falling in droves to the Arasi, a group that eventually became the Murai and the Shinai.

The Arasi were, by no means, barbarians, even though writings from the time indicate that the Avosai viewed them as such. They too had thriving cities, notably the great city of Ekrit, located along the shores of Lake Kairan. When the city was repeatedly raided by the Avosai in the early first millennium, it triggered a series of conflicts between their peoples. Over the next few centuries, these wars would see the Avosai nearly wiped out, falling in droves to the Arasi and later the Murai.

The Pentarchy
With the near-total collapse of the Avosai civilization by the late-fifth century, Ikhvan found itself in a power-vacuum. In an attempt to fill this vacuum, several Murai states would establish themselves in a stretch of land from as far north as Lake Kairan to as far south as the southern coast of Ishan. Over the next century, these states would coalesce into five nations— Misra, Kairan, Hashtai, Khushai and Vrashe— and forming the Pentarchy of Ishan.

The state of Misra would, in the coming years, become the most powerful of these states, effectively acting as the leader of them, although the other powers might've contested such a claim. Nonetheless, it would continue to grow in power, both by building it's economy up and by waging war on it's neighboring states. Several major clans would be born as a result of this period of "chaos", including such notables as the Hailun, Khasa, Sherkoz, and Arkhos clans.

The First Empire
By the turn of the first millennium, the Pentarchy had reached nearly five-hundred years old, but times were changing. Many sought to unify the Murai under a single banner, and a few were nearly successful, but all pale in comparison to one man. His name: Khorai ve Hailun, and he would become the "Great Unifier" of the Murai.

Over the next few decades, he would lead his forces in their unification of the realm, though he would not be enthroned as the "Eshai-va" in his own lifetime. Rather, his son, Erel, would have him posthumously declared as the First Eshai-va of the Empire of Ishan. Over the next few centuries, the Empire would continue to exist, though it would suffer a major uprising in the Khulai province. After this, it was only a downward spiral before it finally collapsed during the reign of Eshai-va Imras III ve Hailun.

An Empire in Turmoil
With the fall of the First Empire, Ishan fell into a state of conflict unlike any that had been seen before or since. Brother turned against brother as the Clans went to war with each other. This was the age of the Zharai, during which many legends would be born. It was also an age of innovation, with the advent of gunpowder weaponry aiding in bringing about the end of the conflict.

Many claimed the title of Eshai-va, with only three people ever being able to hold it at any point. These men were the original Eshai-va, Imras (who held it from 1426 to 1463), as well as his grandsons, Erel "IV" ve Hailun and Arkan ve Sherkoz, the latter of which would successfully unite the empire, bringing about a new Imperial period as a result.

Wars with the Nirai
Following his enthronement as the new Eshai-va at the end of the Warring Clans period, Arkan began preparing for new conquests, seeing the ancestral home of the Murai under threat by the Nirai, who were descended from exiles that fled after the Khulai insurrection.

The wars would last, depending on who you ask, until shortly before the death of Arkan, though the historical record points, alongside the unlikelihood that he ruled for two-hundred and twenty-six years, to the more likely explanation that his descendants had their accomplishments attributed to him. Nonetheless, Arkan would, due in part to his alleged prophetic origins, be deified by the Murai of the Ishitic faith.

The Interregnum
Regardless of what one might believe, the fact is that, shortly after the war ended, the Emperor at the time died, leaving no known heirs. This prompted a succession crisis in the Empire which nearly undid what their forebears had accomplished. In an attempt to avoid civil war, the Imperial Chancellor of that time, Esik Shatir ve Khasa, was forced to establish a regency council until a suitable heir could be decided upon. It was, however, unexpected that it would last eleven years, largely due to inaction on the part of the council, as well as the difficulty to find an heir that everyone could agree to.

This would change, however, with the enthronement of Prince Khorai as Eshai-va Khorai II ve Sherkoz, who would immediately undergo a series of political reforms to avoid revolt. These included the abolition of slavery except in extreme circumstances as well as granting certain freedoms to the lower classes that weren't afforded beforehand.

Isolation
Though he is remembered for his reforms and the conquest of the Island of Rusan, Khorai is most well-remembered as being the only Emperor of Ishan to be assassinated. The shock of this led to the Empire going into a state of semi-isolation from the rest of the world, which partially led to it falling behind the western powers afterwards. It also, unsurprisingly, led to a certain distaste among the Murai for the Rumai in particular.

This isolation wouldn't be total, however, as the Ekroi and Nodriketi would be permitted to trade in a select few ports, though they couldn't leave those cities without the permission of the authorities. It would be through these ports, as well as some... less savory methods... that the Empire would keep track of new developments, studying and implementing them where possible.

The Civil War
 Eventually, however, the isolation would come to an end during the reign of Eshai-va Erel V ve Sherkoz, who ordered the reopening of the country despite the wishes of the Military Regime at the time. Under the reign of his son, this process would lead in part to open civil war between the Marshal's loyalists and those who wished to restore the Emperor as the true ruler of Ishan.

The civil war would last from 2083 to 2088, during which many great battles were thought, most notably the Battle of the Khasatai Canyon, the Siege of Ikan, the Siege of Ishkot, the Siege of Khoros, and the Battle of the Karatan Heights. The final of these, the Battle of the Karatan Heights, is seen as a continuation of the Battle for Ikan, seeing some of the fiercest fighting of the war. It would be shortly after this battle, however, that the war would come to a close.

A New Golden Age
The years after the war would be marked by a short-lived economic downturn, however, by 2095, the nation had largely recovered from the ill-effects of the conflict. This period would see a buildup of the military, not uncommon among the states of Arkhai due to the ever-increasing tensions between them. Ishan would expand deep into the Velai ocean, seizing the island of Khetai and a strip of land along the southern coast of "Eastern Rusan". There would be several crises during this period, eventually leading to war with the Rumai in 2113.

The First Great War
The war came swiftly, started as a result of a conflict between Nodriket and Rumas, primarily over possessions on the continent of Atrixia. Due to the complex series of alliances between the great powers, it became inevitable that this conflict would spiral out of control, leading to the First Great War. While the majority of the focus gets shifted onto the front lines stretching from the northern border of Nodriket and down to Ekros, the contributions of the Murai in the conflict should not be underestimated. Alongside the Ekroi and Nodriketi, they would work to seize the Rumai colonies in Atrixia and the Western Velai, as well as sending their own expeditionary force to assist on the Ekroi-Rumai front in the last year of the war.

The war would, of course, come to an end, and to the victors would go the spoils. Rumai colonies in Atrixia would be divided among the Ekroi, Nodriketi, and Murai, with Ishan taking a small part of land on Atrixia and a series of strategically important islands from Rumas. However, even though peace was achieved, it wouldn't last forever.

The Interwar Period
The war was over. Seventeen million lay dead across the world, over half of which were civilian. The Great Powers now rested— Victory over Rumas wasn't total— and began to prepare for the coming storm. Despite instigating the conflict and being on the losing end of the war, the Rumai would not lose the entirety of their colonial possessions, rather having a series of minor transfers made. That said, however, a hefty price would be levied against the Rumai and Keshorin, a war-debt that they still struggle to pay to this very day.

While Nodriket and Rumas slipped into authoritarianism and fascism, the Murai pursued greater reforms among the lower-classes. Even though it, alongside the rest of the world, was rocked by a major financial crisis in the late twenties and early 30's, it would recover from it by 2138, just in time for the next war.

In it's colonies, relations between the natives and their colonial masters reached an all-time low, however, with a series of major riots rocking the island of Khetai as well as the occupied territories in Eastern Rusan. These riots would, in turn, trigger similar actions in Eastern Rusan, which had now been in Murai hands for nearly 450 years but had never been successfully integrated into the empire as a whole. Indeed, such tensions between the Murai and Rusani that, in order to keep their support for the war-effort in the Second Great War, the Empire had to promise that they would be allowed home-rule in regions that voted for it afterwards.

The Second Great War
It came as no surprise that war would return to Arkhai, this time as a result, yet again, of a conflict involving the Rumai. After the first war, the region known as the "Sarzhina" was transferred from the Rumai to the Republic of Hrvatia, which had led to several attempts to retake it, either through diplomatic means or by funding insurgents in the region. When these methods failed, the Rumai, now allied with their former foe in Nodriket as well as their former ally in Keshor, would launch an invasion of the region, prompting a declaration of war by Ekros, Hrvatia (for obvious reasons), and Ishan a few days later.

The war would, for a time, see vast swathes of land come under Rumai, Nodriketi, and Keshorin rule, including the entirety of Hrvatia and mainland Ekros, Tovesdia and Urumia, as well as large parts of Talytos and Khetai. However, over the next six years, the fortunes of war would slowly turn in favor of the Murai and their allies, which now included, surprisingly, Pydros and the Republic of Eastern Rusan.

Eventually, the war came to an end, being the bloodiest war in the history of the world, as well as, thankfully, the last one so far. For as long as man continues to persist in the world, war will dog it's every footstep.

Administrative Divisions
As of PA 2189, there are 37 provinces in Ishan, listed below in alphabetical order and showing the area of each in kilometres squared.

Government
Ishan is as unitary constitutional monarchy in which the Emperor, or Eshai-va, holds very little power. Though he or she is permitted to oversee the day-to-day operations of the upper house, or Imperial Senate. Nonetheless, the Prime Minister, serving as the head of the Chamber of Deputies, serves as the de-facto Head of State, with the Emperor only being head of state de-jure.

There are two houses of the legislature, those being the Chamber of Deputies and the Imperial Senate. The members of the lower house— the Chamber of Deputies— are voted into office by the people, with a minimum two representatives being granted to each province, although most have more due to their larger populations. In order to counteract this, the Imperial Senate only has one representative for each province, though they are not voted on by the general populace but rather, their seats are granted to people whom members of the clans vote upon. Cities with special status are granted a single representative in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

The Judicial branch is comprised primarily of the Supreme Court of Appeals, though a secondary constitutional court exists to handle matters relating to laws that might be deemed unconstitutional. The Supreme Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Empire, being comprised of five Justices who are proposed by the Prime Minister and vetted by the Chamber of Deputies.

Demographics
Ishan has a population of roughly 496 million people, of which 488 million are Ishani nationals. There are six major cultures in Ishan, those being the Murai, Shinai, Nirai, Avosai, Rusani, and Ekroi. The last of these is only so high as a result of immigration during the early 22nd century. The Murai are, by far, the largest group within Ishan, owing in part to the last 1.5 thousand years of continuous habitation of the region by their people. They are followed closely by the Avosai, who, although nearly wiped out all those years ago, have grown to be a sizable portion of the population, largely in the northern-most regions of the Empire. Starting in the late 2140's, there has been a process underway to teach new generations the Avosai language, given how large of a population it's speakers have.

Religions
There are several religions in Ishan, most notably the Ishitic Faith, which has, since the arrival of the Murai in the region all those years ago, syncretized with the religions of the native inhabitants of the region. Nonetheless, there are a few pockets of individuals that claim to "stick to the old traditions" of the Pre-Arrival Arasi. Beyond them, there is a sizable portion of the population that strictly worships Ishen and sees the other spirits as being aspects of him. Among the Avosai, their old beliefs have seen a resurgence in recent times, though many still follow the Ishitic faith instead. There is also a large agnostic and atheistic population in Ishan that is expected to grow over the coming years.