Khiya

From Bestiary of the Hypogriph

Template:Nation

Khiya is a country located on the southeastern periphery of Aurelia. An empire of slavemasters and aristocratic people, Khiya is a wealthy nation that is built off the trade of lives and resources. Khiya is known for its exceptionally large ground force of soldiers, built mainly of slaves raised from birth to fight for their masters.

History[edit | edit source]

Khiya was formed form a series of aristocrats and wealthy men that had survived the destruction of the last War of the Gods, approximately 2700 years ago after the destruction of the Kiyamanid Kingdom. The Kiyamanid cities were mostly reduced to rubble in these divine wars, and were originally some of the oldest cities in Telamon, having originated with the Aurelian Empire. The first Khiyan aristocrats employed men to rebuild these cities, although as these cities were re-established, it was said that the demon lord of treachery, Asv-Aldz, instilled greed and delusion in the ruling class of Khiya and instead of releasing them from their contractual obligation, enslaved them instead.

The imperial dynasties of Khiya formed in 39 3E after the aristocrats of several families were executed by Nummokh of the Beetle, who became the first emperor of Khiya not long after. Since then, the imperial family has networked into a vast system of slavemasters and nobles that privately control the lands of Khiya, including the slaves that work for them.

Geography[edit | edit source]

Khiya is almost entirely a land of desert, albeit highly mountainous and is home to a lengthy and scenic coast that provides natural defences against its cities. Where Khiya is located now is one of the few cradles of civilisation - the oldest cities of Aurelian civilisation that remain as ruins there date back to over ten thousand years ago. Most of Khiya's new cities are built over the foundations of these ancient cities, though some remain in the deep deserts of the country. Due to the deathly aridity of the area, Khiya's lush areas are created by ancient Aurelian techniques of irrigation, which attract all sorts of exotic life.

Government[edit | edit source]

Khiya is a near-totalitarian state ruled by an imperial family that oversees a network of slavemasters and nobles that command a vast number of enslaved people. There are three castes of people within Khiya; slaves, free men and nobles who comprise the society of the Khiyan Empire. Free peoples of Khiya are allowed to keep their own property though not allowed to own slaves, and are often only as wealthy as the common peasant of Telamon. The nobles of Khiya are often extraordinarily rich individuals who control hundreds to thousands of slaves per person.

To maintain obedience, slaves are culled off once a year by random selection. There have been historic slave uprisings that have caused catastrophic damage to the imperial treasury, and over the millennia, more extreme measures have been undertaken to keep the slave populace obedient. Slaves can be freed at the behest of their masters, although such occasions are rare.

Religion[edit | edit source]

Khiya is mostly a secular country by nature - temples and shrines are not common, though the nobles often keep idols and iconography surrounding Asv-Aldz, the Demon Lord of power and wealth. The royal seal of Khiya is in fact iconography regarding Asv-Aldz, which is a beetle encircled by a rattlesnake. In the peripheral regions of Khiya, some underground cults exist that worship a variety of gods, including Soldalatel, Isiris and Drascasur. The Cult of the Dragon is present in Khiya and have been known to cause terror attacks.

Relations[edit | edit source]

As a nation of what may be considered immoral trade, Khiya is not well liked nor appreciated in modern Telamon. Khiya's only known ally is Sakhep-khemen, who both engage in trade of lives.

  • Ambivalent relations
    • N/A
  • Negative relations
    • N/A

Notable Khiyans[edit | edit source]

  • Khiyan Empire
    • Kurosh of the Crescent Moons - Emperor of Khiya

See also[edit | edit source]