Here Be Dragons: Vashistan

Welcome to my new column, Here Be Dragons, which is about places and civilizations on Otep! Today we're covering Vashistan, the homeland of the Dragonborn.

The isolated country of Vashistan lies to the West of Otep, on the continent of Sol. Vashistan has been a constant source of annoyance to the Sol since the Sol conquest of the continent 500 years ago. Those that dwell there are the descendents of humanoids who survived the devastation but refused the assistance of the Shadow God and his Sol Followers. As such they became the only unfaded creatures that remain on the continent. Vashistan is a geographically small (roughly one-quarter the area of the Free Nations) region bordered by the sea on the East and the Veles Mountains on the West. It consists primarily of rugged forests and steppes. Vashistan is situated on the very northern tip of the continent, a relatively small distance from the frostfell. Due to its incredibly northern location Vashistan is a land of where the days and nights last for weeks at a time. Vashistan's capital is the twin city of Nevinski-Novgorod, straddling the banks of Stalga River.

Vashistan's government is unique in that it is neither a monarchy nor a feudal state. Rather, Vashistan is ruled the Tsar, a military dictator, and the Katyusha, a legislature of regional representatives. The Tsar is elected from the ranks of the Katyusha every seven years, though there is no maximum limit to the number of terms any given Tsar can hold (which has lead to the assassination of more than one incumbent Tsar). A series of checks and balances of power between the Tsar and the Katyusha exist, but are rarely used since the Tsar is chosen by the Katyusha majority. To illustrate the separation of the offices, the Tsar holds court on the Nevinski side of the river, while the Katyusha resides on the Novgorod side.

Vashistan is a socialist state, with most agriculture and large-scale commerce performed in the name of the government. Small-scale businesses exist, but rarely rise above the local level of distribution due to the Vashistani's unique views on business. Those who work on the farm collectives are not bound to the land, but rarely leave due to their limited skill set. Most of those who leave their farms enter the military. Military service is compulsory and hereditary in Vashistan. The second and fifth child of each household are separated from their family in early adolescence and sent to be raised in military camps to ensure the survival of the nation. Other citizens may volunteer for military service from early adolescence onward. Due to the close proximity of the malevolent Sol and their mindless thralls, military service is considered important and a praiseworthy cause.

Not surprisingly, the members of the Vashianti Nation worship Bahamut. However, Vashistani depictions of the god show him in his archaic dragon form, rather than as the modern Platinum Lord. Kord is also worshiped in Vashistan under the name Oprichnik, but is always placed in a subservient position to Bahamut. Other minor deities recieve some attention on a regional level, but only Bahamut and Oprichnik are recognized as deities nationwide. The Church of Bahamut in Vashistan is run by Cardinal Versoduki, an Ancient Gold Dragon who predates Vashistan itself. For many years Versoduki was vastly limited in the scope of his powers, the wards kept him from accessing his most powerful sorcery and clerical abilities. Now that the wards have lowered he feels the calling to return to the Astral Sea and serve at Bahamuts side… a call he has managed to put off out of love for the nation he serves.

Due to the aforementioned proximity to the Sol, the dragonborn of Vashistan have developed a culture that contrasted sharply with the decadent Sol and their colorless thralls. Dragonborn are loud, frequently extroverted people who are almost never alone. From birth, Dragonborn are taught to value community and interdependence. This value is most simply reflected in one of the Vashistani army's credos, "Stand together, fall alone." Dragonborn rarely made deals, instead offering "favors" which are repaid later in the form of other favors. Declining a favor is seen as reprehensible, as is bringing up a favor one is owed. Putting a price on anything is a sign of weakness and corruption in Vashistani culture, the first step towards the destruction of the state. This doesn't mean that the Dragonborn don't understand the concept of value and worth, one big favor can be repaid by many small ones, but they never create official tallies or agreements.

The collectivist nature of Vashistani society is perhaps most starkly exemplified by rites in the Vashistani military. Before each battle, each soldier is expected to give a blessing to each occupation responsible for a contribution to his or her gear, including miners, smiths, loggers, and even the cooks and farmers who provide their rations. Part of the Coat of Arms of the Vashistani military reads "A soldier with no one to protect is a sword with no arm to wield it."

Culturally, dragonborn favor brightly colored clothing, especially in colors of red, green, and gold. Bear fur is prized as material for over-clothing such as coats and hats. Dragonborn refuse to hunt the animals outside of their own territory, the colorless fur of the wildlife is seen as bad luck. Due to the emphasis on community present in Vashistan, dragonborn typically eat their morning and evening meals in large groups, during which music and storytelling is common. Most farming communities have professional musicians and storytellers on staff (though most professional storytellers are elderly citizens retired from some other profession). Vashistani music favors the accordion and the 20-stringed bandura, with most vocal parts written for a male and female vocal pair.

Vashistan was formerly a patriarchal state, with roles for females typically restricted to farming, cooking, and military service (where they were forbidden from achieving officer ranks), however, this trend has been largely undone over the past two centuries. Most historians highlight the ascension of Tsarian Anya Romanov, the first female Tsar, in 447 as the defining victory in the equal rights dispute. Romanov's opponent accused her of selfish pursuits of power, while Romanov pointed out that society could not truly form a collective if some members were considered inferior to others. Romanov served for three terms before retiring.

Though geographically small, the communal nature of its inhabitants had lead Vashistan into dense population. The country has no fewer than 6 major cities, 2 of them of comparable size to Whiteport. Nevinski-Novgorod is the largest city in Vashistan, with each side of the twin city geographically larger and possessing a greater population than the Imperial city of Murkeye.

Vashistan was discovered by Otep in 507 GD by Captain Jeremiah Stone of the Sea Bulls. Stone's ship, the Light of Deliverance, was dragged northwest by a tempest, straight into a kraken's hunting ground. Though the Light's crew was able to defeat the beast, the ship sustained heavy damage and was in no condition to make the journey east, back to the Primordial Isle. After drifting for two days, the lookout spotted lights to the west (in fact, the lights of Nevinski-Novgorod). Hoping for assistance, Stone steared his damaged vessel into the port of the previously unknown civilization. Initially, Stone and his crew were distrusted by the dragonborn, based on their physical likeness to Sol operatives. The dragonborn extended aid after discovering holy texts of Bahamut in the crews' quarters. Stone and his crew were startled to find that while the dragonborn worshiped Bahamut, they had never even heard of the Cloaked Lady.

When the Light of Deliverance sailed back to the Primordial Isle, two Vashistani ships--one containing a diplomatic envoy and another loaded with trade goods--came with her. By 513, Vashistan had extended trade relations to the Empire. When the Eladrin city-state of Bella Romana declared independence in 523, the Vashistan was the first foreign power to recognise their sovereignty. This show of faith was rewarded in 528, with the creation of Gateway Delta, linking the market squares of Novgorod and Bella Romana (Though technically opened before Gateway Gamma, Gateway Gamma was already a proposed project when a Gateway to Nevinski-Novgorod was presented). Vashistan has declined offers to open trade with the Free Nations, disapproving of their individualistic culture. The only official commentary on the subject was made by Tsar Vasili Petrov; "We will begin trade negotiations as soon as their is a government with which to negotiate."

Vashistan has never sent envoys to Otep before the arrival of Stone, due to their preoccupation with the Sol and lack of seafaring knowledge. There have been rumors of small contingents of immigrants joining Sea Bull caravels to traverses the ocean, the strong and personable Dragonborn are always welcome aboard Sea Bull vessles. Vashistan has never been invaded outright due to its positioning on the globe; northern Vashistan experiences extended periods of day or night, depending on the time of year (dubbed "The Land of the Midnight Sun" by traveling merchants), while sourthern Vashistan is blocked by the Veles mountains. Sol thralls, accustomed to the tepid and unchanging weather that covers the rest of the country, have a poor survival rate in the blistering cold of the Vashistani winter. Vashistani scholars have argued that the reason the Sol themselves never press into Vashistan is that they require shadow to thrive, and a place where light or darkness reign uncontested for weeks is quite literally a place without shadow.

During the year 500, a strange phenomenon occured, referred to colloquially as "The Warp." Though in the middle of the harsh dark season, a series of Auroras appeared over Vashistan in the shape of platinum dragon. The church of Bahamut cited the event as prophesied, calling it "The Gift of the Dragonson." Come the next morning, the inhabitants of Vashistan noticed their appearances had changed. No longer a variety of demi-humans, humans and humanoids; the Vashistani had been universally transformed into a race of Dragonmen with platinum scales. Furthermore, the sick and injured awoke well, the old felt younger, and the city of Alingrad, the only city west of the Veles, found its fields recovered from the warping magic of the Sol.

-Andrew T, 7/7/08