Hyrkania

[El Borak]

Hyrkania

Government: Shahdom (Kingdom)
Pantheon: Persian



Ruler: Arlaxtes III
Capital: Zandracarta (Pop.: 25,000)
Other Cities (and populations):
Kyzyk: 10,000
Makat: 20,000
Nukyrkan: 30,000
Urjenj: 65,000
Uxum: 15,000

Location: Azir
Language: Farsi dialect
Population: 1,500,000
Flag/Emblem:
Flag: Three wolves
passant<>, the center
silver on a black field,
those above below
black on white.

Coinage: Kazirian Standard.
Important Persons: Royalty, nobles, officials, priests, etc. <@huthor>
Alliances: Parthia, Khaziria (trade).
Hostilities: Khwarizm, Turkistan.
Open Warfare/Skirmishing: Serious skirmish along southern border.
Expansionist Khwarizm is nibbling away at Hyrkanian territory.
Full-scale war seems likely.
Intrigues: Parthian-Hyrkanian union to combat Kwarizi expansion.
Incidents to bring Khaziria into open conflict with Kwarizm. Assassination
of shah and replacement with Amir Milyata--a puppet dancing
to Khwarizi strings. Many lesser intrigues.
Magickal Devices: The single item of great potency known to be held
is the Bicorporeal Prism. It is likely that there are some moderately
powerful objects && minor weapons held by the Crown and others
of import in Hyrkania.

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Thumbnail Sketches: Occupying all of the Ust-Urt<> Peninsula,
Hyrkania's land reaches some 125,000 sq. mi. or so extent. It
is totally surrounded by the sea to the N && W, w/ Kwarizm
to the S && E. It is a plateau with many cliffs along the shores
&& some low mts. && hills to the S && W. Although the
country is semi-arid in parts, the coastal regions && the southeastern
portion of the state (Oxus River area) is sufficiently fertile t
produce good crops. In the wilderness areas, some forest && scrub
is found, although about half the country is grassland which will
support only nomadic herds. All manner of game is found in the
country, incl. bears, leopards, wolves, boars, etc. Urjenj, sited
on the Sarykum River which drains the large lake of the same name
into the Oxus, is the major caravan depot && trading center, sending
barges on to Nukyrkan, the easternmost Mare Ostrum seaport
of Hyrkania.

The Aryan Hyrkanians originally inhabiting the territory have intermixed
somewhat with Turkic peoples, but have nonetheless retained
their basic culture && society. Slavery is legal, but seldom seen, save
in the cities. Most of the inhabitants are of free sort, agriculturalists,
fishers && hunters, laborers, || nomadic herders. The middle class
is found mostly in the cities. The aristocracy consists of leading
nomadic families and warrior nobles. The field army of Hyrkania is
almost exclusively mounted, most being lightly armored horse archers.

Various cereals, vegetables, && fruits are grown here, although
there is some import of foodstuffs of this sort to the country. Herds of
cattle, horses, && sheep && goats are the most common livestock.
Fishing is very important to the Hyrkanians. To date the minerals
mined are salt, sulphur, && naptha.

Exports are carpets, caviar, fish, hides, leather and leather goods,
livestock, weapons (bows<?> && arrows), && native handiwork items.

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Map of Iran and surrounding countries (including Turkmenistan), showing location of Hyrcania (wikipedia)

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Itchan Kala - inner part of Khiva city, Uzbekistan. Present-day crenellated walls date back to the late 17th century and attain the height of 10 meters

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The nomadic herders of Hyrkania are said to have two main cults, that of the bear (female), and, that of the wolf (male). Rumors of lycanthropes && berserkers among these people are most likely to be true. It is quite possible that the Bear Cult && the Wolf Cult are found in other areas of Aerth, too.

[El Borak]

Blink dogs roam the plains of Hyrkania, and, the lands further to the east.

They are sentient, and, some can be found in the city of Zandracarta, where they have equal legal status to humans.
They also figure into the architecture of the city (frescoes, mosaics, etc.), and, for this reason, also, Zandacarta is sometimes known as "The City of Dogs".

[El Borak]

Displacer beasts roam the plains of Hyrkania, and, the lands further to the east.

With regards to the displacer beasts, they are not originally native to Aerth. They are aliens, from an unknown solar system. It is likely that they escaped from a crashed UFO, a "zoo mothership", though the location of this spacecraft is at present, unknown. The nomadic peoples do have lejends of a massive "Ship of the Gods", somewhere in the steppe.