Subject: Sultanate of Torah Sun May 20, 2012 7:31 pm
THE SULTANATE OF TORAH
'The Strong'
Quote :
The Sultanate of Torah is located in the south-eastern deserts of Sida, and bears host to a bountiful supply of precious metals hidden deep within the mysterious caverns that pockmark the ground around the heavily fortified capital fortress, Torah. It is there that Sultan Fajwa I sits upon his Jewelled Throne, a solid gold chair with luxurious carvings and jewels, it has forever been the envy of the common man and thief alike. With a firm control on the trade of metals within his Sultanate, Fajwa I is content to sit idle until the time comes for his armies to spill out onto the sands of Sida proper, to seize control of more land.
Quote :
The Capital City of the Sultanate of Torah is Torah. Built upon a three-sided cliff, it faces inwards to look over the grounds around it. The only entrance is up the single hill that leads up to a large defensive wall, notched with arrow-slits and gun-towers. To assault head-on would be slaughter for any army without siege capabilities, and the inclination of the hill allows for siege equipment from the defenders to be utilized upon would-be attackers, such as boiling oil or logs. It is difficult to construct siege towers, as the ground is pockmarked with dead mines and caverns from mining, beneath the city. Around the fortress itself are many walled compounds of the nobility and wealthy traders alike, and they host levies of their own for the defensive army. A large market is hosted at the bottom of the hill within a large village that surrounds the cliff-face.
The largest City is Pushak in the south, a town of immense wealth from the diamond industry. Very rarely it sends men to help the Sultan in the north, as relations between the Padishah of Pushak and his liegelord, the Sultan, are strained. However, it is able to thrive without the guiding hand of it's lord, as trade to the Sultanate comes through Pushak, through the great markets and then on to the main cities of the north.
The Official language of the Sultanate is Sidan, though Torah is a melting pot of many cultures and minorities, and it is not uncommon to find someone who speaks Occitanian, Sanctimonian Common and in some cases, there are those that are sought out for their linguistic abilities, and can be found within courts of nobility, serving Padishahs, Mirs or the Sultan. However, most commoners will speak Sidan, and only this. Travelling adventurers would have to hire a translator from the local nobility, though this is quite costly due to the steep price difference of Torahn currency to that of foreign countries, and local price brokers look to make a living off naive foreign adventurers.
The nation itself is a Sultanate, which means the hierarchy of nobility/royalty descends from the man seated upon the Jewelled Throne. The next rank of power would be the Padishahs, who are men of bountiful wealth and extreme power, bestowed to them by the Sultan. There is one Padishah per city. Below them are the Mirs, minor nobility and governors of townships and villages. Typically there are four Mirs per city, as villages generally tend to be in the areas around the cities, and for easy counsel, they meet up with their Padishah to discuss issues.
The leader Fajwa I ascended to power during the collapse of the Sidan Sultanate, having already been Padishah of Mahjpat under Sultan Arveinio, he sought further power and lands and set his men out to conquer. With the mass revolt of most city-states during this time, he was lucky enough not to start open combat with enemy troops, and after a heated dispute over the lands, Fajwa seized control of south-eastern Sida, rebelling to create the Sultanate of Torah, based in Torah. Soon after, many Mirs flocked to the new city, seeking to bestow their allegiance to Fajwa.
Fajwa I's full title and name would be: Sultan Fajwa Muhamell I, Padishah of Torah, Protector of the Sultanate, Seated on the Jewelled Throne and Bestowed by Aten.
The primary exports of the country are precious metals such as Gold, Silver and in some cases there have been accounts of Dorfinium within private treasuries and stocks of nobility. The primary imports to the country are slaves first and foremost, then cloths such as velvet and silk. All exports and imports are logged in the shipping manifests at Mahjpat, and at a copy of the ledger at Torah. The currency of Torah is the Hwaja. One Hwaja generally comes up to about Five Sanctimonian units of currency.
Quote :
The Sultan's Army of Torah is an organisation based up of noble and royal levies that are raised in times of revolt and/or war. The headquarters is based within the Capital fortress of Torah, and is headed by a Padishah under the Sultan, who has executive and supreme command over the armed forces. It is not common to see men wearing different coloured robes and bearing different flags due to the affiliations of the Mir and Padishah leading that particular section of the army. To identify each other, the standards bear different crests to show allegience. For example, men who are under the allegience of the Padishah of Mahjpat might have a silver eagle atop their standard, with a branch of olives in it's beak. This would show that they are from Mahjpat.
The army mainly uses halberds and musket, but there have been sightings of horse gunners upon the training grounds, and lancers alongside curassiers, but they have never been shown to quell a revolt, so it is assumed that they are the Royal Guard.
