Ashakani
Ashakani
Religion
Traditions
+15% Improve Relations
+10% Shock Damage
Prince Aguntat's LamentNobody truly knows what the effete raykay Aguntat said to the warlord Nukhzat on that torrential day in 1439. It was strange enough that his song, magically amplified and echoing out in the eerie Rhada throat-call reserved for funerals, should bring these cursed beasts from the west to such utter stillness, right on the eve of their victory. Stranger too, that the hulking Nukhzat should then ask to parlay. Several hours passed, and the drumming rain leached the blood from the grass. By the time they reemerged, Nukhzat was Ashakani’s faithful western shield. Aguntat, the last and gentlest of his father’s line, was the convert-king of two peoples. How could he of all people deny the civilising power of song?
+2 Tolerance of the True Faith
AkhuneZaradyrra thought in Ashakani spread primarily through the court of the Raktaya and attached nobility, who saw in this beauty-venerating philosophy an opportunity to outdo one another. As provision of art to the population was considered a source of great civic clout, nobles began to install akhune, recesses in their compound walls, from which performers would play for passers-by. These akhune became larger and more elaborate over time, acquiring seating, complex staging and eventually even free refreshment and food. Ubiquitous street music and theatre would become one of the most distinct features of life in Ashakani, and the subject of numerous early printed guides for locals and visitors alike.
+1 Yearly Prestige
The Deliberate SelfWe who were almost drowned in a tide of Ashhana rage and fear know that their struggle is a profound one, and yet it is not so far from our own. All conscious beings must resist the worst instincts of their nature and improve themselves. The spark of intelligent thought, that same spark which allows us to perceive and appreciate beauty, also allows us to resist the meaningless chatter of frustrations and worries which we receive from the world, and instead channel our energies into positive creation and cooperation. This principle of emotional self-restraint profoundly permeates our political discourse.
+1 Diplomatic Reputation
BloodglassAshakani trade with the western Ashhana led to an influx of inexpensive dye, which urban Ashhana immigrants to the city quickly began to apply to local Ashakani glassware. The fine sand of the Khusadza shore made for a glass of unusual resilience and malleability, spurring a sixteenth century explosion of martial and memorial art, primarily in a deep-red and clear scheme known as bloodglass. Ashakani glass-art of this period is characterised by asymmetrical composition and the ‘khirop’, the sense of arrested movement - a spear almost striking the neck of a warrior, a vase about to smash, an abstract shape seemingly on the verge of collapsing. It is a metaphor for our natures as conscious beings, always in tension, a decision away from losing ourselves.
-0.03 Monthly War Exhaustion
LakefacingThough we no longer slavishly venerate the Naga, we do not forget the towering achievements of our ancient ancestors in this land, nor the unrivalled beauty we enjoy on the shores of the Khusadza. The endless horizon of this great lake exemplifies the careful calm of the ideal Ashakani leader, who has mastered his inner turmoil and his baser instincts. Among the elite, it is a standard practice when faced with a difficult dilemma to go alone to a small property on the lakeshore and stare out into the blue.
+1 Monarch Administrative Skill
Eastern Gate of MercyThe humans to the east practice a debased and miserable philosophy, venerating the side of their nature which is bestial. While our Ashhana brethren in their struggle to reform themselves have admirably rejected such savagery, these humans embrace it. As Aguntat once shattered the sword of Nukhzat, so too will we show restraint to these violent beastmen, offering them the chance to walk into the city of Ashakani, learn our ways, and cast off their grotesque childishness.
+2% Missionary Strength
Last Moment of DignityInevitably, the hideous emptiness of the shadow swamp turns its baleful gaze upon us. We are the allies of its escaped victims, and we steel ourselves. Never again will our Ashhana kindred succumb to that most perverse of slaveries, the loss of the conscious mind. Every citizen who stands the shadow watch understands that they are defending nothing less than the ability to think, to decide, to create the world around us and not simply react to it. Let the hag-waters rise above the walls of our city. Let them drown us in colourless misery. We will die ourselves, with a song in our throats.
+10% Morale of Armies
Ambition
+10% Trade Efficiency
History
TBD
Strategy
TBD