Realm Name: Tavrída Xandığı (Khanate of Taurida)
Location: Crimea and its surrounding Black Sea territories. 44 provinces.
Strengths (Thalassocracy): The realm of Taurida has not always been in a position of dominance over the Black Sea, long before Taurida grew to control a vast overseas dominion, it was primarily confined to the island of Taurida, from which the Khanate inherits its name. While initially a nation of traders and fishermen, the ascension of the current Azadid dynasty to the Tauridan throne heralded a change towards a new direction for the realm, and the construction of fishing and trade ships made way for ships of war. Since then, the art of shipbuilding flourished within the Khanate, and alongside it that of naval strategy and warfare, both of which significantly aided the realm in reaching the point it has now.
(Ships perform better in battle)
Weaknesses (Qurultay): Although the entirety of the island of Taurida is held directly by the crown, the vast majority of the realm is overseas from the kingdom capital of Azaq, and is populated by people who speak languages other than the language of court, and profess creeds other than those practised by the Tauridan nobility. Naturally, because of this the Tauridans have opted to adapt existing leadership structures when expanding into new territories rather than attempting to take direct control of newly conquered land. On one hand, this has its benefits, since the local populace are allowed to continue governing themselves and old laws from before the conquest stay in effect, the peasantry are unlikely to object too strongly to their new overlords. On the other hand, it creates very powerful, highly autonomous vassals, many of whom have a significant say in affairs of the state and who are in a position of power to make demands of their sovereign. As such, all royal edicts and decisions must be voted in by the Qurultay, a sort of council containing all the most important subjects of the Khanate, in order to pass. Acting against their vote is likely to displease them.
(GM may determine if a decision made by the realm, anything from edicts to army orders, is against the interests of the Qurultay. If so, the GM may override submitted orders, cancelling royal edicts and forcing armies to stand instead of moving. If the ruler has acted benevolently towards their vassals, then they are more likely to do as they say, if the ruler has acted indifferently or even malevolently towards the Qurultay, they are more likely to vote down royal decisions. A ruler may attempt to overrule the decision of the Qurultay, but doing so provokes significant ire from their subjects, and may cause negative effects such as refusal to pay royal taxes, refusal to participate in wars and in some cases outright rebellion.)
Realm Description: As mentioned previously, the Khanate of Taurida was initially confined to its namesake island of Taurida, the remnant of the long forgotten Crimean Peninsula. Its people were primarily traders and fisherman, and the island had even managed to become a commercial hub of sorts, an important stopping-off point for all trade going into and out of the Black Sea. These were peaceful and prosperous times for the Khanate.
It did not last, however. As the nations around them in wealth and power also, they adopted ever more aggressive trade strategies that diverted trade ships away from the once popular trade hub, while Taurida, an island kingdom that produced no highly valuable trade goods of its own, had failed to adept to the increased determination of their rivals. As their formerly accumulated wealth had begun to dwindle and goods that they had once taken for granted had become scarce, many of the people of Taurida became increasingly restless. Many did not understand why this was happening, although some were ready to accept that Taurida's golden days were over, many more were angered at their leaders' perceived failure to react to changing circumstances. It was under these circumstances that a young peasant man named Azad was raised to the status of Khan by a peasant revolt for whom he was a kind of spiritual leader. His fiery determination and readiness to act were seen as positive qualities as compared to the former Khan's meekness and lethargy, and indeed, his words and deeds shaped the future of the Khanate for many years to come.
Although former rulers were content to do nothing, Azad declared that if his rivals were so keen to deprive his people of their wealth, he would do the same to them, and if it took steel to return Taurida to its former glory, then so be it. The people had beaten their ploughshares to swords and readied themselves for war. Although the first warships that sailed off that day were nothing more than fishing ships and trade ships, the success they saw in faraway lands had convinced them of the need to build proper warships to withstand the slings and arrows of their foes, and in time they had become quite adept in the art.
As for that fateful day when the people of Taurida first went forth to conquer distant lands, their foes were not people to whom war was unfamiliar, but the sheer ferocity and determination of the Tauridan invaders overwhelmed them completely, and is still talked about today. This historic event marked only the beginning of Taurida's conquests, and over many years they have come to establish a hegemony over the various states on the Black Sea, and a definite military dominance over the whole region. Now, wealth flows once more through the harbours of Taurida.
Though the kingdom has once more entered a period of peace and prosperity, many are more wary of the realm's rivals this time, having learned from historical mistakes, and urge the young Khan to act while the nation is strong and ready, lest the initiative be passed to the enemy.
The people of the island of Taurida primarily practice Sunni Islam as their religion, however, as the vast majority of the realm's populace live outside of the isle, the actual predominant faith of the Khanate is Christian Orthodoxy, of which a state-supported Patriarch is considered the spiritual leader of. Other minor religions practised within the border of Taurida include Judaism, Vajrayana Buddhism and various local shamanistic beliefs. A similar situation is true of the state language, Tauridan, which while being the primary language of the Khan's court is spoken only by a minority of people, and other, local languages are often used both by commoners and nobles outside of the island of Taurida for both official and everyday purposes.
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Character's Name: Batırxan (of the Azadid Dynasty)
Age: 27
Bio: Chosen by the Qurultay to succeed his late uncle, Íldar, Batır is a young man who is more comfortable leading an army than he is tending to matters of the state, which is largely why he was chosen over his older brother, Aynur. Although many have been enjoying the period of peace brough on by Íldar's reign, many others were concerned that it only gave Taurida's foes time to re-organise and strike back, and that only by continually harassing their foes can they be secure. Though the vote went largely in Batır's favour, the choice of successor was not universally well-received within the Khanate, as Aynur was expected to succeed Íldar instead and was thus groomed to rule since childhood, whereas Batır was taught in the art of strategy and warfare, and many within the Khanate still consider Batır to be the mistaken choice of a misguided realm. Time will tell, however, whether Batır may overcome his lack of stately knowledge and be a good Khan yet.
