Official Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Evvasauc Madajkh0 ev Vehoawd Uvvuahj
Evvasauc Madajkh0 ev Vehoawd Uvvuahj
The Order of Takhisis
Official Document
Office of International Trade
Department of Imperial Territories
Neraka | 112 N Lance St
Iron Wood | Neraka | 00197
Official Document
Office of International Trade
Department of Imperial Territories
Neraka | 112 N Lance St
Iron Wood | Neraka | 00197
Evvaso ev Adkohdukaeduc Khuto
Youwei ekess qe Tepohada
Ith di Tawura
Neraka | 112 N Lance St
Usk Grovisv | Neraka | 00197
___________________________________________________________________
Welcome to the factbook dossier on The Holy Empire of The Order of Takhisis. We hope you will find all information you would like to know about our country here, and otherwise you can always send a communique through proper channels to that of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For 715 years, from 1278 to 1993, Takhisians lived under a unique co-principality, ruled by the nation of Ergoth and Blode, of whom it's leaders (from 1607 onward, the Ergoth Dukeships and the Blode Baronships). In 1993, this feudal system was modified with the royal family taking the reigns, and the government transformed into a Religious Autocracy with heavy support from the hardline military command.
For decades the Takhisian Order enjoyed its status as a small refuge of fiscal and banking freedom and benefited from foreign companies attracted to the country's comparatively low tax rate. The situation has changed in recent years as the Takhisian Order started to tax foreign investment and other sectors.
Light industry, commerce, and finance are the mainstays of the Takhisian's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounting for more than three-quarters of GDP. An estimated nine million tourists visit annually, attracted by the Takhisian Order's duty-free status for some products and by its summer and winter resorts. The banking sector also contributes substantially to the economy. Banking and other forms of such, accounts for over 30% of the Order's gross domestic product.
The rest is attributed to the growing industries both indigenous and not within the territories. Furthermore, Takhisian mercenaries are a national export, and contracts for such are an income source for the government.
Agricultural production is limited - only 2% of the land is arable - and most food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing output and exports consist mainly of perfumes, cosmetic products, products of the printing industry, electrical machinery and equipment, textiles, tobacco products, communication equipment and machinery, and pharmaceuticals.
Full Name of Nation: The Holy Empire of The Order of Takhisis
Short Name: The Order of Takhisis
Local Name: Takhisian
Government Type: Military Religious Autocracy
Ideological Stance: Nationalism
Nation Leader: Nain De'Wyren, Empress of the Holy Empire, Herald and Prophet of Takhisis.
Government Leaders:
Lanias Grail, Duke of the West
Garen Hallas Grail, Duke of the East
Syious De'Wyren, Duke of the North
Diedra Hallas De'Wyren, Duchess of the South
Military Leaders:
Epach Hallas Grail, Lord of Night, Commander of all the knights whom serve.
Anja De'Wyren, Lady of the Talons, Commander of the Eastern Knighthood
Naja De'Soto, Lady of the Talons, Commander of the Western Knighthood
Sicarius De'Salerian, Lord of the Talons, Commander of the Southern Knighthood
Ensis Grail, Lord of the Talons, Commander of the Northern Knighthood
Sishal De'Soto, General, Commander of the Provisional Mercenaries
Hanasi Hallas Grail, Director, Senior Officer and Global Affairs Director of the Huukach Taalogekhec Taagelaan
Region: The Forgotten Lands
Language: Takhisian, English
Race: Mostly human, however there are non-humans living within the imperial territories and counted as citizenry. These include Bündesphar, Elves, Dwarves, and various clans of Fae.
Religion: Polytheism, though the main approved of deity worship is to that of Takhisis.
Minor gods/goddesses include:
Sargonnas: His followers are focused in the use of discipline and order for their pursuits.
Zeboim: She is the unpredictable and embodies storm and raging sea, yet is also the patron goddess of sailors.
Hiddukel: Representing exploitation, is conservatively a popular deity with those of the business world within the Empire.
Chislev: She is the power of the natural world and all things wild.
Zivilyn: Also known as the World Tree, Wise One, and the Tree of Life, represents the godly force of wisdom. He promotes understanding and spiritual awareness.
Spiritual Aim: A combination of Epicurean philosophy and Neo-Darwinism. The strong survive to be merry and drink the delights of the faith, for tomorrow they may die.
Devotion Required: Constant. - The Knighthood's culture revolves around their religion and it is apart of every constant that is their lives. It is in their spoken inflections, and the gestures, their faith is interwoven into every fabric of existence.
Organization Structure: Rigid hierarchy answerable to a central authority the minimal decision making at lower levels.
Liturgical Formality: “Word of Goddess” is pronounced by living oracles (statues, defined leaders, prophets, mediums, ect…). Services are tightly controlled by the knighthood.
Missionary Fervor: Zealous and willing to convert any person.
Church of Takhisis
Religious holy order that has woven itself into the culture and the nobility. Created the legends and mythology that the Takhisians have come to believe themselves.
The clergy of Takhisis worships its cruel and calculating queen almost as much as it fears her. Priestesses slavishly devote themselves to their goddess, but will betray one another without a moment’s hesitation. Priestesses are exceptionally wicked individuals who are more than ready to charm and murder foes in the same breath. The church, like the goddess herself, seeks absolute power and the total domination of all lands that are within reach of the Takhisian peoples.
History of the Church
In the Book of Takhisis, the goddess sought dominance over the birth land of Jethnea for millennia, and her church proved itself no different. Shortly after the first temple was built in Garantha (later known as Kernen), the Knights of Takhisis made their appearance. During the twenty year War of the First Accords the church was nearly crippled in the aftermath. In the aftermath of the war, and the subsequent rule of the nation by Ergothian and Blode Nobility, the years that followed proved to be almost the undoing for the church, and this time period is not looked upon fondly, as the priesthood and Knights were hunted to near extinction. Ergothian and Blodian occupational forces were behind the active inquisition of the church's remaining forces.
When the noble line of Wyren reclaimed the throne from Ergoth, and both militarily and diplomatically defeated the ancient kingdom and long held enemy, the first action upon reclamation was to re institute the Church of Takhisis as the legitimate representation of the Order and the provisional territories.
Places of Worship
As the dark pantheon’s dominant member, Takhisis often demanded the construction of elaborate structures in her name. Temples constructed to her in the Age of Dreams (present day)are wondrous affairs that hold the same dark beauty possessed by the goddess. Some cathedrals are built for defense, while others, such as the cube-shaped temple in Palanthas, have yet to reveal their secrets.
Cleric Training
Potential converts simply dedicate themselves to serving the Dark Queen, then receive their medallions of faith, suffering only the mental molestations of other clerics who investigate their intent via less then pleasant interrogations. Despite this quick rite of conversion, all clerics soon undergo the first of many tests of faith. A cleric’s first duty often involves the ritual murder of a lover or family member, reinforcing the belief that Takhisis come first and last.
Takhisian priestesses carefully study the darker emotions of anger and betrayal, though few can ever understand the concept of love. Desire and lust are tolerated and sometimes encouraged as useful tools, whereas love is seen as a weakness that can not be tolerated. The church encourages its members to make use of every asset, and some disciples practice the arts of seduction to draw potential converts.
Preferred Vestments
Takhisis’s dark pilgrims wear black-hooded robes emblazoned with the black crescent, and a blackened silver medallion of faith.
Knights wear armor at ceremonial occasions that display their service in similar fashion, the armor is inscribed with runes and so forth.
For duty, Knights bear an emblem of the dark queen upon their uniform. Even regular legionnaires bear this emblem, usually in the place of where a flag might go on the shoulder.
Prayers and Rites
Most prayers to the Queen of Darkness are of a self deprecating nature and espouse the supremacy of Takhisis while belittling the individual priest.
Holy Days
Celebrated on the third day of every New Year, Dark Day is an unusually quiet time for the church. Its members engage in wicked contemplation of old plots and consider their role in the church’s hierarchy. This recent holiday also commemorates Takhisis’s eventual manifestation upon the former homeland of Jethnea and is thus considered a dark celebration in its own right.
In stark contrast to Dark Day is a centuries-old, once banned holiday known as the Crushing of Hope. The nations of Blöde and Ergoth banned it's celebration as per it was considered to violent. Clans within the order set aside time to pursue their rivalries for three days in which either side is involved in debasing contests and rituals, where the best possible outcome for the participants losers is a quick death.
Quests and Tasks
Blackmail, seduction, and treachery are enforced among the Takhisian clergy. Priestesses are expected to advance their personal status however possible, and their method often includes the sacrifice of friends and family. If it advances the position, status, and prospects of the Church, it is encouraged.
Enemies
With the self-serving nature of the clergy, it is not surprising that all non-Takhisians were considered enemies of the church. Priestesses despised the Knights of Ergoth from the moment of their inception, but utterly loathed them after it was they who began to hunt them down after the occupation of Takhisia. True clerics of opposing faiths are dealt with in any number of ways, generally though it's understood to be painful and almost always fatal.
Social Standings within the Empire
1. Emperor/Empress
2. Nobility
3. Priest/ess
4. Knighthood
5. Military
6. Merchants
7. Artisans
8. Commoners
Geography
Area:
total: 9,251 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are of the northern territory)
land: 9,241 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
total: 120.3 km
Coastline:
110 km
Climate:
temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers
Terrain:
rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Taakhec Tuukaan 840 m
highest point: Tuukaan Taar 2,946 m
Natural resources:
hydropower, mineral water, iron ore, lead, copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble
Land use:
arable land: 10.81%
permanent crops: 4.32%
other: 84.87% (2009)
Irrigated land: 400 sq km (2009)
Natural hazards:
avalanches
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; overgrazing of mountain meadows contributes to soil erosion; air pollution; wastewater treatment and solid waste disposal
Geography - note:
Straddles a number of important crossroads in the League's region of influence, with access to the sea with recent territorial expansion.
Transnational Issues:
Illicit drugs:
Minor transit point for heroin and hashish via air routes and railway container traffic to other league nations, especially Some cocaine transits as well, despite a strengthening of anti-money-laundering legislation, remains vulnerable to money laundering; reporting of suspicious transactions in foreign sectors remains weak (2008)
Economy Overview:
Light industry, commerce, and finance are the mainstays of the Takhisian's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounting for more than three-quarters of GDP. An estimated 9 million tourists visit annually, attracted by the Takhisian Order's duty-free status for some products and by its summer and winter resorts. The banking sector also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural production is limited - only 2% of the land is arable - and most food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing output and exports consist mainly of perfumes, cosmetic products, products of the printing industry, electrical machinery and equipment, textiles, tobacco products, communication equipment and machinery, and pharmacuticals.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$214 billion (2010 est.)
$209.22 billion (2009 est.)
$203.66 billion (2008 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $1.3170 Kyrs = $1 NSD
GDP - real growth rate:
3.8% (2010 est.)
2.6% (2009 est.)
2% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $15,528.95 Kyr
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 3.4%
industry: 6.7%
services: 89.9% (2010)
Unemployment rate: 5.74%
Agriculture - products:
small quantities of rye, wheat, barley, oats, vegetables; sheep
Industries:
tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber, banking, tobacco, pharmacuticals, electrical components, machinery, communication software and hardware.
Electricity - production:
780 million kWh (2010)
Electricity - consumption:
598.7 million kWh (2010)
Electricity - exports:
181.3 million kWh (2010)
Communication
Telephones - main lines in use:
11,137,900 (2009)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
8,980,752
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern automatic telephone system
domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections between exchanges
international: country code - 0372; landline circuits to connecting nations about either side of the Takhisian Order's homeland.
Broadcast media:
5 public television station and 20 public radio stations; about 40 commercial radio stations operating; good reception of radio and TV broadcasts from stations in Jethnea region; upgraded to terrestrial digital television broadcasting in 2007; roughly 225 international television channels available (2010)
Internet country code: .tot
Internet hosts: 37,773 (2010)
Internet users: 12,167,100 (2009)
Transportation
Roadways: 320 km (2008)
Airports: 15
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2010)
Heliports: 9 (2010)
