Koxor

Koxor (or Kokhor), officially the Democratic Kingdom of Koxor (/kəˈhɔː(r)/; Koxori: Akhájeka o Zarilyr Koxór [əˈχɑjɪkə ɔ ˈzɑɾɪɫər̥ kʰɔˈχor̥]) is a nation located in the region of Alapet on the continent of Larania in Alcris, with some overseas territory in Korasha. It borders Ghazva, the Eriya Republic and Down Unian to the west and the Aunic Ocean to the east. It covers an area of 3,356,784 km2 (1,296,062 sq mi), making it the largest country in Larania and the third-largest in the world. Koxor is ruled by a unitary government under a semi-constitutional monarchy headed by King Hamezu IX. The main cultural and economic hub is centred around the Ankhulen river valley, where the capital Hamezurakhel is located, along with other major urban areas including Jezarin, Karej and Timyran.

Inhabited by Alapetek peoples for over 10,000 years, Koxor has been conquered by many different empires throughout its history. First united by the Tugrites from the 16th century BCE, the region gained independence when the empire fell at the beginning of the 5th century CE. It was subsequently united under the hegemony of the Kingdom of Lakena (c. 460 – 848), the first state traditionally considered to be a predecessor of modern Koxor, which was then superseded by the kingdoms of Leyanu (848 – 1005) and Lekhami (1021 – 1223). After the subjugation and integration of the Lekhami by the expanding Eriya Empire in the 1200s, much of its national identity was erased, as the disparate peoples who were once subjects of the Kings of Lekhami split once more under the high autonomy of Eriya rule.

The Eriya fell into decline by the late 15th century, going through large-scale political upheaval almost every time an emperor died. The civil war that began after the death of Leyanu II in 1486 proved fatal for the empire. During this war, various Koxoriek cities in the Ankhulen Valley - the old Lekhami heartland - rose up in rebellion against the Eriya. Their leadership was soon claimed by Hamezu the Great, who became the first King of Koxor following the Battle of Ajeka in 1497. Having gained independence, the Koxoriek people began to rebuild their nation, in the image of the rule of both the old Lekhami kingdom and the Eriya Empire. The new kingdom proved to be a strong nation, managing to repel an invasion by Avanoran colonisers in the 1510s. Hamezu also went to war with the Eriya for a second time towards the end of his reign, utterly defeating them and leading to the final dissolution of the Eriya Empire.

After Hamezu the Great's death in 1532, his successor Hamezu II embarked on several small but bloody campaigns against nations newly independent from the Eriya. After eight years on the throne, however, Hamezu was deposed in a short civil war and replaced by his brother Reitaj I. Reitaj took a more diplomatic approach, convincing many more Alapetek city-states to join Koxor peacefully. During the reign of Reitaj and his successor, Koxor grew to replace the Eriya's hegemony over Alapet. Avanorans tried again to conquer Koxor during their second and final invasion in the late 1500s, after which the two sides agreed to make commercial agreements and begin free trade. This treaty greatly boosted Koxor's economy and propelled it into a golden age. A Koxoriek invasion of Ghazva in the 1640s, though it killed king Tasa I, also led to the downfall of the Second Ghazvan Empire and the removal of Koxor's only real rival in the region.

Etymology
The name Koxor comes from the Ghazvan name for the country, in turn from the endonym Kokhor. This name originally referred to the ethno-linguistic group who spoke the Koxori language, a meaning which is preserved today in the difference between the words Koxoriek (referring to the nation's people) and Koxori (referring to its language). It was first applied to a geographic area during the Koxoriek War of Independence (1491–1497) against the Eriya Empire, primarily by the rebellion's leaders to inspire a sense of unity in the various armies loyal to them. This usage originates, via Old Koxori kŏkhôw- and Proto-Koxoric *kòkʰóɣ-, ultimately from Proto-Southern Alapetek *koħ-, *koħkoh- "(native) people", and is thus cognate with Ghazvan gùxkò "native".

History
Main article: History of Koxor

Early states
The first evidence of human habitation in Koxor dates to around 11,000 BCE. The Kareleir cave in modern Itekha County contains a series of hand-paintings done by these Neolithic inhabitants of the Ankhulen valley. Written records are non-existent until c. 2500 BCE, with the earliest inscriptions written in the Proto-Khorensin script. By this time, the speakers of the Southern Alapetic languages had become distinct from those of the Northern languages, as is clear from the now-extinct language of these inscriptions. Most of the small city-states that inhabited Alapet at this time were only along the eastern coast, away from the steppe nomads to the east. Because of the infertility of the coast of the region, the cities relied mainly on internal trade to build wealth. One of the cities, Khore, along the Ankhulen river, began to dominate the area in the early 2nd millennium BCE, organising its traditional faith into the first aspects of the Khorensi religion.

Khore reached its height under the reign of Ohyul III (c. 1884 – c. 1850 BCE) and Ikam (c. 1847 – c. 1822 BCE). These two rulers greatly expanded Khoren influence, uniting the cities of the Ankhulen Valley and the surrounding coastlines. After the 1800s BCE, the Khoren kingdom began a gradual decline that would end in c. 1714 BCE when the city was finally sacked and destroyed by a people known as the Ipeduk. This presumed nomadic tribe apparently set up a kingdom that lasted a few decades before its own collapse. The Koxoriek coast returned to the control of separate city-states. Many of these cities attempted to gain dominance in the region and unite it against the repeated raids by tribes from the Alapetek steppe; these included Mironek, Atanula and Itekes, the latter of which had managed to unite most of the Ankhulen valley by the end of the 17th century BCE.

Tugrite period
The Itekesi hegemony was not to last: in the early part of the following century, a group of nomadic peoples from the steppe, known to the locals as the Tugrites, invaded the valley. They captured Itekes in 1588 BCE, declaring their own empire. Unlike the Ipeduk a century earlier, this new state was stable enough to avoid collapse, and over the next few centuries would develop into one of the most prosperous empires in Alapet's history. The Tugrites initiated trade with the rest of the southern Laranian coast, opening up the markets of Ankhulenia to the wider world. Alapetek raw materials were exported as far as Paravantir and Avanor. The region entered a golden age of peace and prosperity that would last for over 500 years.

By the mid-11th century BCE, successive weak kings had caused Tugrite control to falter. When King Kulipne III (r. c. 1043 – c. 1030 BCE) died, a civil war split the empire between his four sons. A confederation of Ghazvan tribes under a leader probably called Tseghan took advantage of this instability and invaded, burning the Tugrite capital to the ground and taking control of the empire in c. 1025 BCE. During this time, the Imeniska, the second book of the Khorensi holy text, was written, the beginning of which describes a century of oppression of Khorensi worshippers by the invaders. The historical reliability of this is disputed: in reality, Tseghan probably died around 30 years after the conquest, and his kingdom crumbled soon after. The Imeniska also describes a figure called Deketi who drove out the Ghazvans and allowed the Khorensi and their prophet Imen to live in peace. Though Deketi probably existed, it is more likely that the invaders left of their own accord once their king had died.

With the departure of the steppe raiders, the Middle Period of Tugrite history began. A king named in the Tugrite sources as Duket, who may have been the same person as, or a basis for, the character of Deketi, ruled in the early 900s BCE. In a sort of retaliation, he embarked on a series of campaigns into the steppe to subjugate the tribes there.

War of Independence and foundation
By the late 15th century, the Eriya Empire's hold over Alapet was faltering. The empire had been kept alive for so long by appeasing local rulers across the region with economic benefits in return for tribute. Successive weak and increasingly corrupt emperors in the 1400s had caused this system to fail. Hundreds of regional governors voiced their unrest at a council held by Emperor Leyanu upon his accession in 1479, but not much was done about the issues raised. The cities of Ledenik and Kalote (modern-day Ledenej and Kalyte) rose up in open revolt against their Eriya governors in 1481; the Kalotei rebels were quickly defeated, but the Ledenejek rebellion took much longer to put down.

By the mid-11th century BCE, successive weak kings had caused Tugrite control to falter. When King Kulipne III (r. c. 1043 – c. 1030 BCE) died, a civil war split the empire between his four sons. A confederation of Ghazvan tribes under a leader probably called Tseghan took advantage of this instability and invaded, burning the Tugrite capital to the ground and taking control of the empire in c. 1025 BCE. During this time, the Imeniska, the second book of the Khorensi holy text, was written, the beginning of which describes a century of oppression of Khorensi worshippers by the invaders. The historical reliability of this is disputed: in reality, Tseghan probably died around 30 years after the conquest, and his kingdom crumbled soon after. The Imeniska also describes a figure called Deketi who drove out the Ghazvans and allowed the Khorensi and their prophet Imen to live in peace. Though Deketi probably existed, it is more likely that the invaders left of their own accord once their king had died.

With the departure of the steppe raiders, the Middle Period of Tugrite history began. A king named in the Tugrite sources as Duket, who may have been the same person as, or a basis for, the character of Deketi, ruled in the early 900s BCE. In a sort of retaliation, he embarked on a series of campaigns into the steppe to subjugate the tribes there.

Climate
The climate of Koxor is largely dominated by two main climate types: the large, flat, open grassland of the Alapetek Steppe in the western part of the country, and the more fertile coastal regions in the east. The climate of the western steppe generally fluctuates largely on a seasonal basis: in summer, there is an average temperature of around 30°C (86°F) and an average rainfall of about 18mm (0.7in), while winter temperatures average around -5°C (23°F), with an average of roughly 152mm (9.84in) of daily winter rainfall.

Ethnicity
The population of Koxor is divided into three major ethno-linguistic groups: Koxori people in the east, with around 52% of the population; Ilun people in the north, with around 27%; and Steppe Alapetek people in the west, with around 20%. The Koxoriez descend from the tribes who invaded and settled in the Anhkulen valley in the 5th century CE, with a certain amount of interbreeding with the original Old Ankhulenian inhabitants.

Legislature
The legislature of Koxor, the Akhaiska ( Koxori: Akháiska [əˈχɑ.ɪskə]) is bicameral, consisting of the Lords' Council (upper house) and the Imperial House (lower house). The Lords' Council is formed of twelve Lords, each from an aristocratic family, and is headed officially by the King; the Imperial House consists of 112 members, each from a certain constituency, and is headed by the First Minister. Both houses must ratify a bill before it is passed, though the First Minister can take provisional powers to declare a law as passed if it is deemed necessary after the Lords' Council has rejected it three times. The King must sign all bills into law personally.