Asarāvijā

Etymology
Asarā can mean many words in different contexts, such as immortal, divine, or infinite. Vijā is used to denote places of asylum, bliss, or retreat. The people call their homeland "Asarāvijā" (literally meaning: Eternal Haven), giving it this title to signify the kingdom's longetivity, as it stood the test of time for many centuries before.

Origins
Known to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited civilizations on the Plagos continent, the people of Asarāvijā go by the demonym "Asaryan", and are part of a larger racial group known as the Asikhs, those who are descended from groups of Najer people which migrated into the continent from it's southern landbridge around 8,000 years BSS. From then on, the continent saw a rise of many Asikhi civilizations throughout the timespan of many millenia.

One of the earliest civilizations was the Haeshan Kingdom (4000-3600 BSS), a heavily agricultural society which focused it's political power at the present day southwest frontier of Asarāvijā. It's innovations included the invention of the "floating garden", a form of land reclamation which manifested in the form of a collection of soil which had been set afloat in a vessel over a large body of water such as the ocean or a lake. This power unfortunately met an inevitable demise when a hurricane swept the area, forcing the ancient inhabitants to flee in all directions. In turn, this mass migration allowed the Asikh civilians to extend their influence further west, later becoming the Shigetada Shogunate. Other Asikh cultures moved eastwards and northwards, eventually forming the predecessors who would later become the Asarāvijā and Seichi provinces. In the mid 2000s Before Server Start, another great power came to fruition, taking the world stage as the Tsaliyakha Empire, a marvel of Asaryan history whose accomplishments have not ceased to be revered. It was at this time that the city of Rāsekh would be built amidst the mountainous plateau of Hagaemá, becoming the seat of power for successor states which came after it. The Tsaliyakhans ruled in the form of a polyarchy, which allowed their territory of immense size to be controlled by numerous monarchs, dividing the rule and the power along with it. This period also saw the rise of advancing masonry, leading to the erection of several monuments which have stood the test of time even to the present day, such as the Pillar of Time, or the Southern Gate, both have respectively undergone maintance to be kept within their purest states of being. The southwest route had also been built, a roadway which connected Rāsekh to the coasts of present-day Sakurai Tempo. By the 700s, another influential kingdom came to be known as Goshumá (translation: "Origin Land"), a period of religious philosophy which continues to remain ingrained within present-day Asaryan culture. A shift of beliefs had taken place during this period, where many abandoned their pantheons in order to become part of a singular faith, who worshipped the karmic deity known as Nakrām. The religion worshipping the deity later became known as Nakharism. Many shrines to this deity were constructed to further strengthen Goshumá's religious influence. This lead to many clashes between the pantheons and the Nakharists. Rāsekh's size had greatly expanded during the kingdom's reign and was later renamed to Tengaesal (translation: "Holy Mountain City"). The Goshumese people were the first to perfect Asarāvijā's meritocratic system, which enforced the belief that wealth and status should be earned through one's own innovations, rather than the class which they were born in. The Goshumese market system had been heavily regulated by the Masenghjon (High Council), in order to prevent corruption within the economy.

However, the peace kept by the Goshumese kingdom would not last, as the rivalries between the nobilities and the high council would continue to escalate. In the 200s, Goshumá had reformed into a republic known as Asarāvijā (translation: "eternal haven"), through which in the process of the making had pushed the noble families into submission through tactics of intimidation. No warnings would be issued had a coup been attempted, and those who tried to take power for themselves were stripped of their wealth and at worse, sent into exile. During this time, the monarchs held no power, and were merely figureheads, as the high council alone along with it's cabinet of executives had continued to retain control over the territory. The republic had fallen to an epidemic, which began as a waterborne famine that swiftly transformed into a viral outbreak. No successful cure had ever been made to put the infections to rest, and so in the process of acquiring herd immunity, a third of Asarāvijā's population had been lost.

Through a brief time of civil unrest, the power vacuum had eventually been filled by another nobility, known as the Tchāngsiú family. The first heir from this lineage which had taken the reins was monarch Karisui Tchāngsiú, succeeded by Lhūsura Tchāngsiú, who in turn birthed three heirs, the oldest of which by the name of Mārui, had gained the right to rule, enacting reforms to the government while effectively shutting the kingdom down in a period of social isolation before resigning by choice for reasons unknown. Nearing to the end of Mārui's reign, the Asarāvijā Kingdom merged with the expanding power known as the United Kingdoms of Plagatéa. Khaéhui Tchāngsiú remained to be the succeeding leader of the Asarāvijā Province. Through the means of strengthening power, the kingdom had merged with the northern province of Seichi to form the greater province of Seivijā, which granted the governments of the two kingdoms access to more land to be used for infrastructural developments. But following the death of Khaéhui, the kingdom's military general had taken the leads, assuming the Tchāngsiú family name in the process. Not too long after the start of Pepek's leadership had the First Plagatean Empire fallen apart deliberately by the collective will of the Lords to further prevent their territory from being subject to forcible division by the so-called "Skittles Alliance." In the shortlived period of balkanization, Seivijā declared it's sovereignty as a united kingdom among it's neighbors, but lost it once more after the formation of The Realm of Asarakaen (later the Second Plagatean Empire).

Ethnic Groups
The Asikhs are split into three major ethnic groups, the Hagaeté people of the central highlands, the Shangté people of the southwest, and the Tani people of the southeast. In turn, these groups can be broken down into many individual cultures from within.

Hagaeté Cultures

 * Azheng people
 * Yeongha people
 * Dzhanai people
 * Nejhik people

Shangté Cultures

 * Kesang people
 * Lāsekh people
 * Itans
 * Toryúese people
 * Desha people
 * Naho people
 * Kyuzhans

Tani Cultures

 * Khasens
 * Narian people
 * Temuars
 * Urut people
 * Baryat people
 * Tevim people
 * Sarae people
 * Kyshans
 * Sarakh people
 * Asars
 * Kharkans
 * Bayars
 * Bharese people
 * Tugans
 * Tuyuese people
 * Shakhans
 * Irimans
 * Torukhans
 * Dayanese
 * Khagans

Pre-Annexation
Isujhai (Monarch)

Mahsenghjon (High Council)

Sakhrat (Provincial Governors)

Governors

Chiefs (Head of National Guilds)

Post-Annexation
Isujhai (Provincial Lord)

Mahsenghjon (High Council)

Governors

Chiefs (Head of Provincial Guilds)

Culture and Etiquette
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