Atenkhet

As a whole, the government body known as Atenkhet is a religious monarchy, led by a pharaoh. Combining the role of supreme priestess and queen together, the pharaoh is responsible for overseeing the entirety of Atenkhet, delegating mundane and divine work alike to lesser subordinates; either priestesses or ministers in their own right, depending. She (and sometimes rarely, he) is a literal symbol of divinity, and the absolute authority on all matters within her lands. Beneath her sits the Solar Triad, the three most distinguished minds that act as implements of her living will. Beneath them are the Royal Heads, representatives of the various royal bloodlines and major power holders. Finally, the General Body handles organization of everything else, particularly that of commoners, peasants, and foreigners.

Atenkhet, as a name, has a range of meanings depending on which other language it is translated into. Intimately tied to sun worship, a translation of the idea is akin to saying, "the land cradling the sun"; or, more verbosely, "that which contains the radiant and flame in the earth and heaven". Some other famous translations include, "the land of fire", and "the scorched lands".   The nation of Atenkhet itself is supremely ancient, its roots clearly traceable all the way back to tribal families that settled the arid and desert lands, collectively called Sa-kemet. These nebubis families would come together for survival and guidance in their harsh homeland, worsened by the belligerent raiding done by their nearest neighbors, the muurun. Overtime, these ancestor families spread out, forming the royal houses that govern the greater body of the nation in the pharaoh's stead.   Above all other concerns, the people of Atenkhet exemplify the will of the sun and the heavens--in that order. Led by their Exalted pharaoh, their philosophical and ideological creed are highly stratified into a religious caste system. This has helped polarize their nation into a functional society and pushed their excellence to fervorous heights others might consider beyond necessary. Indeed, the people of Atenkhet are driven to excel in the eyes of the Sun, pushing themselves to greater and greater heights such they can stand amongst divinity one day.

• Nebubis (vast majority)
• Petrakin
• Mertakan
• Muurun
• Nebura
• Humans
• Nuhara
• Lindwurms (vast minority)

 

The Caste Structure

  The caste system itself is divided into main family groups and then their sub branches. There is, distinctly and specifically, no regard for which is 'greater or lesser', as every caste is seen as explicitly needed for the whole body of Atenkhet to function. The most notable exception to this is the 'royalty caste', which itself is not technically an official caste due to its unique rules.   The Worker Caste encompasses physical labor tasks, ranging from mining valuable materials, to servants maintaining infrastructure or homes. It is, in many ways, considered the 'default' caste for individuals until they show aptitude for others–though this is not always equal in implementation.   The Merchant Caste handles the economics and finances of Atenkhet, being taught and raised in the arts of negotiation, haggling, political intrigue, and the like. They're often considered a sister-caste to the nobility caste, as money and power go hand-in-hand like sunshine and sand.   The Scholar Caste handles all the intellectuals, engineers, and scientists responsible for societal and technological progression. They also maintain libraries, educate the populace, and otherwise tend to the intellectual needs of Atenkhet. This caste is as respected as it is mocked, as sometimes scholars can fail to produce any notable works or improvements others can appreciate. Teachers, as a whole, tend to be venerated however.   The Solar Caste is the religious administration, encompassing the priestesshood, clergy, and doctoral functions. Being the spiritual advisors and guides of the nation, they are the most respected and feared caste, and the workload upon their members is truly immense and pressuring. They also handle all the medicine and medical health needs, often consulting with intellectuals of the scholar caste.   The Shining Sword Caste is the military body where all soldiers, generals, and otherwise are put into. A step below the solar caste in respect, members of the armed forces are respected as a necessary evil against a disorderly world seeking to tear down their greatness. A sub-branch of the Shining Sword caste is responsible for guard duty and home security, and their opinion is elevated over other members in regards to domestic duties. "Warriors are to fight wars, guards are to guard the home", so the thinking goes.   The Nobility Caste is one primarily driven by bloodlines, whether in inheriting the caste prior or becoming elevated into the position for great deeds. A catch-all caste for nobles, the ones within it seek to organize and operate the entirety of Atenkhet (or at least, their given jurisdiction). While they enjoy the greatest riches, there is also great responsibility placed upon them to guide their fellows into greatness. Sloven or lax behavior is harshly punished by the Solar Caste, and a noble bloodline can be stripped of rank if they fail to perform for the people.   Given their proximity to Aramix herself, the pharaoh's exacting diligence is an ever punishing pressure to answer. It is hard to properly convey this–for example, in other nations, it can be seen as expected or normal for the noble elite to selfish, hedonistic, or otherwise 'holier than thou'. The eternal Aramix, however, abhors this, and her constant vigilance upon the nobility has shaped millennia of noble lifestyle. The needs of Atenkhet are so great, it is not uncommon for some nobles to undergo the Rite of Recension, where upon they renounce their noble duties, stepping down to a commoner's status. A degree of stripping follows–goods, services, finances, etc–to insure this is not simply a dodging of one's duties. Fairly granted, the new opening is quickly filled by other nobles or promising commoners who can rise to the challenge and satisfy Atenkhet.   The Sun Caste, although not officially recognized separately from the nobility caste, contains the pharaoh and her immediate family and anyone of her choosing. Also shorthanded to the 'royalty caste', it is considered the greatest authority in almost any given matter, as interacting with any member of the sun caste is considered an interaction with the pharaoh herself. Nominally keeping to itself, the sun caste can be called upon to as an intermediary or consultant in important matters that otherwise cannot be resolved among other castes. In matters of law and governance, especially, they are considered the final word if anything is brought to their attention.

As a whole, the armies of Atenkhet are overseen, operated, and maintained by their respective royal families. This has resulted in a more varied set of doctrines and organizational thinking, with some armies exhibiting more professional qualities than others. Nonetheless, the central body of Atenkhet enforces a type of standardization, if only to insure it can accurately judge its collective fighting prowess.   The pharaoh's own personal army, the Shining Legion, is stationed at the capital and reside around the Black Pyramid, functioning both as city and royal guard. Candidates are drawn from all the royal families' armies, typically the best of the best in capabilities. However, when necessary, less ideal subjects will be allowed in, especially if their fealty to the pharaoh is far stronger than that of their family lineage.   Given this decentralized nature, it is a source of political intrigue to keep the different royal families in line. They do, on occasion, fight amongst themselves in ritualized combat. These honorable fights are typically orchestrated away from civilians and vital infrastructure, letting the warriors fight without concern. It has done well to keep Atenkhet's standing armies well trained and experienced to the harshness of combat, though perhaps not the logistical nightmare of extra national fighting.

"All began with the Sun, our shield against the cold ..."

— A verse from scripture in Uatkara

  Monotheistic in nature, Atenkhet's religion, Uatkara, worships the Sun--called Akenra--as the supreme deity of all life's creation–notably, though, not the most powerful thing in existence. Reviling darkness and lands without light, their sun worship seeks to preserve the light where possible, and ordain all of life's creation in proper accordance. It is, ultimately, their belief that only a people working toward divine greatness may ever hope to stand in the Heavens as blindingly beautiful as the Sun. Despite Akenra's grandiose presence, there are other goddesses and deities in the faith. Their domains typically handle more specific affairs, such as fertility, luck in war/life/finances/etc, the weather, food harvests, and so forth. They are often viewed as dignitaries on behalf of Akenra, handling many tasks in a way not dissimilar to ministers acting in stead of the pharaoh.   This compulsion toward divinity drives much of Atenkhet's religion, and thus frames the mindset of its people. With their once-upon-a-time life scarce lands, the communal mindset of their nebusian forebearers has survived down through the generations, creating a curious mix of purpose-driven existence and communal hand-holding. It is unfathomable to the Atenkhet mindset to mistreat 'lower' caste members, as it would be like one breaking their own hand for no reason. Indeed, helping the other castes in turn engenders good will and help upon their self. In doing so, mutualism helps lead toward elevation, and divine greatness comes one step closer.   Atenkhet's religion is not expansionist in nature, and in fact could be seen as somewhat isolationist. It regards its own lands as ideal, and save for food and water, wants for nothing. In many ways, it strives to make its nation shine amongst lands, drawing others in, who in turn help Atenkhet help them ... thus fulfilling the mutualism that leads to divinity. To enforce this ideology onto others is seen as oxymoronic, as no one who is beaten into subservience would gladly help you in your time of need.   At the top of this philosophical pyramid sits the pharaoh, who is seen as their spearhead into the great unknown. In a way, all of Atenkhet exists to support the pharaoh, the highest elevated person among them all. Thus, the pharaoh leads all the people onto a proper path, and all come closer to divinity through such enormous effort.

Having access to a variety of veltrony resources, a nearby ocean, and sophisticated education has left Atenkhet rather rich and well off. As a whole they obey capitalist principles, while the government taxes to sustain itself and many of its socialist programs.   Elaborate mining complexes extract raw ores, rock-types such as limestone and sandstone, gemstones, and magical crystals, with a number of them being surface-friendly veins. These raw goods are then processed into more usable forms before being shipped out to internal or external buyers. Having long standing access to such valuable materials has given Atenkhet artisans a deeply detailed history of fine crafts (e.g, jewelry, statues, etc), further bolstering their values.   Though of little value in the past except to light lanterns and the like, the vast deposits of black water have grown in value. These natural oil wells are seeing more and more usage in elaborate machinery, and its non-magical nature has made it a more marketable source of light fuel, as well. It has become a growing source of value, especially to foreign trade.   Food and water are, without equal, the most contested and valuable assets among their lands. Atenkhet frequently imports, rather than exports, where possible, though a lack of decent preservation methodology makes it questionably sustainable. Wine and other forms of alcohol tend to be among their only exports, as a nation cannot survive alone on it–and their particular brands are seen as quite exotic.   Fine fabrics and fanciful dyes make up a large market export share, offering a unique style and alternative to the otherwise rachtoh dominated field. Much of these wares are adapted to the desert lands they live in, but fancier and more extravagant pieces do exist.   With their access to an ocean, they frequently work with shermadi and other marine life. A great source of food to them, they're happy to export harder to create goods in exchange. Otherwise, their vast trade fleets roam the ocean waves, finding ports where they can to collect more goods for the homeland.

Arising from a harsh land, ingenuity and cunning were needed to survive and tame it. In many ways, even the mistakenly assumed 'lower' castes that have labor workers can possess many intellectuals and learned minds. It is, in fact, from them that most of the first aqueducts and irrigation methods arose.   The end result has been a culture that values intellectual pursuits and the accumulation of knowledge, judged by wisdom. A number of families have made their professions in scholarly works, ranging from simple data collection from various disparate sources, to processing and then disseminating said data in a useful manner. Literacy has become very important to facilitate this goal, leading to a larger overall level of writing and reading for the populace than other nations.   Most notable among their achievements are standard conventions of mathematics, particularly geometry and calculus. They've also managed to discern the spherical nature of the planet, but have yet to truly validate it by circumnavigating the globe. Their civil engineering and overall architecture is quite advanced, making usage of notable techniques for protection against erosion, surviving the desert environment, and capitalizing on magical inventions (such as hover floors) for complex designs.