Nashazemlya History and Leadership

Overview
Dominating the mountainous region to the North is Nashazemlya, a country of hard men and women, shaped by the unforgiving mountains that they call home. In this land, strength is often a measure of one's status, with the more powerful individuals holding more prestige. As a result of this, it is a warrior society above all else, with scholars and the such being relatively few. However, one would be foolish to believe that this means that the country is lacking, as they have strong beliefs, and even stronger wills.

Genesis
Before the uniting of Nashazemlya, it was little more than a series of brutish tribes, with little cooperation or alliance. In the year 343, Roark, Khan of the Eins tribe, the largest of all the tribes, decided that he would unite all of the peoples of this land under his rule. Thus, his crusade began. He was 32 when the crusade began, and, 9 years later, he was 41 when it ended, with much more blood on his hands than when he had begun.

Roark was said to be a ruthless, yet fair, man. Those who bent to his will, he spared. Those who stood before him, he burned, along with their homes. Roark drove deep the idea that those who opposed home would be punished, whereas those who obeyed him would be rewarded with their lives. There was no stopping his massive armies.

After Roark's final enemy finally surrendered, at the Eastern coast of his new lands, the warlord returned to his home, for the first time in 9 years, and named Einsgrad, City of the Eins, as capital of this new land, which he declared as Nashazemlya. In the same declaration, he also crowned himself as Great Khan, ruler of this new country.

The First Minister
After his conquering of Nashazemlya, Roark turned his sight on the lands to the South. The tribal peoples spoke strange things, of men who could breathe fire and roar lightning. Nonetheless, Roark sent a raiding party across the Northern border of Aeterna. It returned in failure. Records speak of horrible wounds, inflicted by flames, of men missing ears, noses, and entire limbs. A horrible sight. However, they also brought back a prisoner. Roark questioned the man personally. His name was George Minos. The things that the man said intrigued Roark, and thus, he learned. Learned of the ways of this strange people, of their beliefs, and of something they called, Magic. In turn, George also learned from Roark, of the harsh land of this new country, of the hard, rugged people. In their meetings and talks, the two began to grow close, and, eventually, Roark began to trust George. Roark, in truth, was rather poor in things not of war. He delegated many things such as management and negotiations to his advisers, but he himself did not really care nor understand the outcomes. Thus, he named George as the first Minister, the man in charge of things of peace.

Relations
In the current day, Nashazemlya actually has rather peaceful relations with Aeterna, with both trade and commerce prospering between the two nations. However, beneath the surface, the people of Nashazemlya thirst for battle, the young men seeking the chance for them to prove themselves in combat. This does lead to the occasional scuffle between border forces, however, it is always resolved quickly, and steps are taken to return relations to their stable state.

The only other nation that Nashazemlya has direct relations with is Shima. In this case, however, things are less friendly. The two are often on the brink of conflict, with Shima seeing those of Nashazemlya as little more than crude animals, and those of Nashazemlya seeing the people as Shima as another opportunity at glorious combat. Nonetheless, they have avoided all out war, and occasionally explorers and travelers from Shima do venture into Nashazemlya.

Leadership
The Leadership of Nashazemlya consists of two primary individuals, the Great Khan and the Minister. The Great Khan is generally a military leader, whose primary influence is in times of war. The Minister, on the other hand, deals with things of peace. Negotiations, treaties, allocation of resources, these sorts of things are the duties of the Minister. However, when it comes to conflict, the Great Khan rules supreme (technically, he is always the supreme leader, but with how often other matters are delegated, this is rarely the case in practice).

Khan Zerus
The current Great Khan of Nashazemlya is known as Zerus, Fire Demon of the North. He is an imposing man, standing at 7.5 feet in height, and wielding a mighty battle axe. The man has mastered the art of combat, and has some skill in Witchcraft, which explains his ability to wield terrifying flames. At the age of 36, he is a force to be reckoned with in combat, but is known to be a pleasant man otherwise. Most of Zerus' time is divided between travelling across Nashazemlya, sampling all of the delicacies that his people have to offer, while also ensuring that the warriors in all parts of his country are thoroughly prepared, spending his own time to personally beat them into shape, or into the ground, depending on the situation that arises.

Zerus claims to be a son of Samar, the God of Warriors, and is more than prepared to defend his claim in open combat against any challenger. Whether his claim is true or not, this man certainly has the blessing of the War God.

In his early years, Zerus was taught by Cyprus, who also served as Minister to Zerus' father, Great Khan Ursing. Zerus embraced combat of course, and, though he did not pair well with reading and writing, he did learn Witchcraft as well, focusing on its application to make himself seem even more fierce, as well as to sear the flesh from his enemies. The death of his father was a dark time in the family. Not being able to fall in battle, his father was ashamed, as the old Khan withered away in his bed. Zerus was crowned as Great Khan, and vowed to bring glory back to the family. Now, at the age of 29, his prowess is known far and wide, even as far South as Ikhaya, where he is known as a beast of destruction. And he would have it no other way.

Minister Cyprus
Cypurs, a man of great experience and knowledge, is he current Minister of Nashazemlya. Cyprus served as Minister for Zerus' father as well, and was the young Great Khan's teacher. Despite that no longer being one of his official duties, Cyprus still teaches his new leader, seeking to bring the man a long and fruitful life. There are tales of the old Minister's health beginning to fail, but Cyprus has never been observed to show weakness in the eyes of others, carrying himself with purpose and strength.

Even though his body is no longer in its prime, his experience ensures that he can hold his own, if the situation should arise.

Cyprus is responsible for the completion of the Transportation Network in Nashazemlya, which greatly aids in the transport of individuals and supplies from one major city to the other. Even so, many smaller towns and settlements remain without access to this system, and as such must travel to these larger places if they wish to have access. Cyprus has also gone to considerable lengths to improve relations with Shima, and, though their peace is shaky, the attempted raids by each side have ceased, for now.

Cyprus comes from a reclusive sect within Nashazemlya, a group of monks who, for the most part, keep themselves separate from the rest of the world. However, periodically, certain members do take voyages throughout the world, leaning of distant places, of their beliefs, their needs, and what drives the people. With the death of the last Minister, Cyprus was approached by Zerus' father, Ursing, and offered the position of Minister. Feeling that it would be the best way to spread peace, Cyprus accepted.

Capital City
Einsgrad serves as the Capital city of Nashazemlya. Before Nashazemlya was united by Khan Roark, this city was far less grand. Nonetheless, it was the capital settlement for the Eins tribe. After Roark's crusade, he spent considerable resources in building on the city, and starting it on the path to becoming the masterpiece that it is.

The architecture of the city focuses on large buildings with rounded tops, peaked by spike-like protrusions. Large bridges span the river that winds through the city. Overall though, beyond the massive castle that is the centerpiece of the city, there are rather few buildings that rise more than one or two stories in height.

Wildlife
The wildlife of Nashazemlya is known for its strength and unwillingness to die. The creatures of this region are built for life in the cold, unforgiving mountains.

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