Khagoan Empire

Was a large Empire centered on the city of Khago, which ruled over much of the continent of Normar'Ka during its peak. Founded by its first Emperor Don Wabbash, the Empire soon grew to rule lands stretching from N'Anglynd to Xalfaunia. Its predecessor state the Khagoan Republic was on the verge of collapse due to civil wars among the elites of the corrupt Aldermanry, which culminated in Don Wabbash defeating his rivals and establishing the position of Emperor to rule over the cities council and keep its Alderman in check.

For its first few centuries the Empire brought unprecedented order and stability to the continent, protecting valuable trade routes and allowing the long distance exchange of ideas and culture. However, civil wars and usurpers eventually led to the Empires near collapse in the Century of Anarchy and its division into two halves.

Due to its long reign, the Empire heavily effected the continent and Khagoan culture, language, and politics heavily influenced the several cultures which were under its domination. In fact, the Empires stability allowed the Arkivist religion to spread across its territories, despite their attempts at persecuting and stomping out the religion.

Despite its glory and the order it brought, the Khagoan Empire was quite oppressive in the view of the peoples it subjugated. Non-Citizen populations were heavily taxed and often had few legal rights, and were viewed as expendable by imperial officials. This led to many revolts and rebellions by provincials which were often ruthlessly crushed by imperial Legions and locally drawn Auxiliaries.

The wealth of the empire also caught the eye of outside barbarian tribes like the Kanucks and Plains Nomads, as well as the neighboring Anahuactl and Kazkadiyan Empires; whom frequently made incursions across the empires frontiers, bringing great destruction and undermining the so-called invincibility of the imperial armies.

Origins and Early History
The city of Khago was founded around 750AE on the very important trade route of the Khagoan Straits, which connected the Mizzip Sea to the Great Lakes. Due to its strategic and economically important location the city quickly grew into an important city state which eventually would extend its influence across Laaklund and bring its other cities under its hegemony, forming the Khagoan Republic.

The Republic was controlled by a council of oligarchs known as the Aldermen, who hailed from the elite families of the city. The republic was initially prosperous, extending its control to all the lands surrounding the Mizzip Sea and beyond, after winning several bloody wars against the Kajuns, Mehdlinders, and Tekxuns. But in its later days the republic became extremely corrupt, with the power-hungry Aldermen feuding with one another and their factions causing several civil wars which tore the republic apart.

An influential general of the imperial army, Don Wabbash, built a strong reputation from the wars he fought against the Dehxie tribes and rebellious Alderman, and gained the support of the common people as well as several powerful families of the city. He marched on Khago itself with his armies and was let in when his supporters opened the gates for his forces. Once inside the city he was crowned first Emperor of Khago by the Aldermen who supported him and not fled the city. He then went on to fight a series of campaigns against the Aldermen who did not recognize his new title and led rebellions against him in the provinces or foreign nations like Xalfaunia where they sought refuge.

Wabbash eventually defeated his rivals and brought the provinces under his control. He then went on to expand the empire to its maximum extent during the Wars of Wabbash, during which he extended the empires borders from N'Anglynd in the east to Xalfaunia in the west, creating an empire which stretched from sea-to-shining-sea. His conquests were halted during his invasion of Kandau, which was initially successful and brought Kandau minor under imperial control, but failed when he went north. After being defeated at the battle of the woods he retreated back to Kandau minor and constructed the Wall of Wabbash, permanently dividing Kandau into the southern imperial ruled portion and the vast northern part known as wild Kandau which remained under barbarian control.

Wabbash died soon after and his successors of the Wabbash dynasty took control of the Empire. Don Wabbash was declared a god after his death and several temples were built in his name after he was added to the Khagoan pantheon, bringing about the beginnings of the Imperial Cult. Despite his failure to bring the Kanuck tribes under imperial rule, his reign brought on an era of stability and prosperity known as Pax-Khagoa, which would last for several centuries.

Geography and Demography
The Khagoan Empire was the largest known since the end of the Summer, stretching from the Tlantik Ocean to the Izifiq Ocean, and being home to majority of Maar'Ka's population, with over 38 million souls living within its borders. In addition to conquering large swathes of territory they also altered the environment more than any civilization since those of the Ancients, cutting down swathes of forests and salvaging entire ruined cities to fuel they expanding economy.

In reality much of the Empires expansion was done during the prior republic and the conquests of the first Emperor Don Wabbash, after this expansion largely halted besides a few minor expeditions and more focus was placed on defending Khago's vast territory.

The Empire ruled over a wide variety of greatly different cultures and peoples, with the vast majority having little knowledge of the their rulers culture and language. Regardless of this, the Khagoans established numerous colonies and ruling elites throughout the provinces, spreading their ways to the upper classes which sought to gain citizenship.

Despite being greatly outnumbered by their subjects, the Khagoans manipulated local elites and political situations to their advantage, allowing them to easily rule over lands with huge populations such as Xalfaunia and Tekxus.

Languages
The official language of the empire was the Laaklunder tongue which was indigenous to the Khagoan homeland Laaklund. It was spread across the empire as a lingua-franca and citizens were required to learn it. But the majority of the empires provincial subjects were unfamiliar with the language and continued to speak their local and indigenous languages, with only elites who wished to partake in the imperial system bothering to learn the tongue of their overlords.

In the western half of the Empire Tekxun was a very popular language among elites as well, a legacy of the Tekxun conquest and rule of the southwest under Gunnar the Great.

Hundreds of local languages continued to be spoken everyday in the provinces, especially by the poor or those disconnected from the main imperial centers of influence. The most prominent being Xalfaunian, Deksie, Yenkee, Kajun, Puebloan, Kolratian, and Midlinder.