THE SULTANATE V1.01
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
THE SULTANATE v1.01 THE SULTANATE For many years, the Sultans of Istanbul have laid claim to the holiest lands of the world and defended them against the depredations of the infidel, the raider and the thief. Grown idle and lazy with the wealth of their realm, the Sultanate for a while appeared in danger of collapsing under the pressure of foreign enemies. Now enriched by the font of knowledge unlocked by the New Learning, the Sultanate has been revitalised as a world power. The New Learning has not been the only revelation received by the Sultan and the Sublime Porte – secret friends of the Sultanate have explained that all is not quite what it seems in this Dystopian Age. A greater threat than the petty sabre-rattling great powers exists, and it is the duty of all to oppose this dark curse before it destroys the world. v1.01 THE SULTANATE [Intercepted epistle from Sircan Osman.] THE OTTOMAN ADVANCE My High Sircan, The modern Sultanate owes its existence to the conquests of the Turkish people begun Greetings under the light of the Allshard! in 1299. At first merely a tribal confederacy From the congregation of the Holy Order under Osman I, the Sultanate soon of Man in the Levant; greetings to High expanded into the rest of the Middle East Sircan Abner from Sircan Osman, may the and the Levant. After 1354, the Ottomans Allshard forever bless us with its revelations. conquered much of the Balkans, becoming First, let me beg your indulgence for I felt a transcontinental power. a written report was the most useful way of Under the leadership of one Sultan fully updating you as to our situation here. Mehmed, called the Conqueror, the The man I have entrusted with this packet Sultanate finally ended the existence is amongst my most dutiful Spica here in of the last vestige of the old Roman Istanbul and I have much confidence that Empire, dismantling all that remained of this packet reached you far swifter than it Byzantine power and eventually breaking might otherwise have. their power entirely with the capture of Secondly, may I communicate my thanks Constantinople itself. for your own recent epistle distributed last From this new capital, the Sultanate and month? Our congregation was enthused by its officials have weathered many crises your words concerning the ever increasing through their history. Many wars and threat posed by the Tainted, and we have campaigns were fought against encroaching redoubled our efforts here to secure our European powers in the Mediterranean – as Order’s position and to bring about the well as many Ottoman attempts to expand final victory. into Europe proper. Under the reign of The situation here in the Sultanate several wise Sultans, the Sultanate also continues to be positive, but I fear we will expanded south and west along the Middle soon reach an uncomfortable moment of Sea and east to the shores of the Iranian crisis. As you have so often warned, only Gulf and the Arabian Sea. by being prepared for an event can we ever These Persian and Arabian conquests had hope to control it. I have tried my best to a major impact on Ottoman culture and place our forces in a position to exploit society. A renaissance of Persian literature whatever should happen here. Nonetheless, sparked resurgence in ancient forms I feel that I would benefit from your own and practices amongst the people of the expertise in this situation. Sultanate and its rulers. They adopted the I hope you will forgive the following title Padishah, meaning “Great King” from historical background, but I feel only by the Persian language – and incorporated explaining the context in which the Order Persian styles and forms into their finds itself today can you truly understand government. Even today, the governors the predicament we face… of provinces are referred to as “Satraps”, whilst military generals of sufficient THE SULTANATE v1.01 wealth and influence may claim the title the presence of Hex taint amongst the outcast of “Spahbed” which conveys suitable and oppressed populations of the Sultanate.] authority over all military dealings in an The Ottoman economy likewise faltered entire province. as the other powers began industrialising. The dominance of the Ottoman Sultans Where once the fine artisan crafts of the over all the holy sites of Islam, Christianity Sultanate would have fetched high prices and Judaism has ensured its spiritual as on the international market, they were now well as political hold over its people. tawdry relics in comparison to the mass- Relaxed toleration laws, particularly when produced goods churned from the factories compared to European norms, helped to of the established powers. Much wealth was develop a culture that cut across religious squandered by the Sultans of this time on lines. Not to mention the wealth brought in personal luxuries and excess and Ottoman by trade between East and West that flowed infrastructure began to crumble and rot through the Ottoman domains. away. Only the Herculean effort of a few reform minded ministers within the Grand THE SICK MAN OF EUROPE Vizierate prevented the Sultanate from collapsing under the weight of its own Such was the strength of the Sultanate that contradictions and being carved up by the many expected her to join the ranks of the other world powers in a feeding frenzy. Great Powers around the dawn of the 19th Century. Yet for all this success in charting THE NEW LEARNING a course amongst the other nations of the world, the Sultanate was not in a strong As with all autocracies, the character of the position after the end of the Prussian Wars. supreme ruler often has a disproportionate effect on the realm that they control. Decades of mismanagement had left the Thus, after decades of weak rulers more Sultanate militarily and economically concerned with their own indulgence than weak. Dissident movements in the Arabian the realm they were supposed to steward, and Persian territories fought on-again off- the Sultanate appeared wracked with again campaigns of politically motivated poverty, crumbling infrastructure and host brigandage. Prussian and Russian to a dissatisfied and fractious populace. expansion threatened to destabilise the Ottoman Balkans, whilst mercenaries took Into this vacuum stepped the late great up the cause of Greek independence. At sea, Sultan Mehmed the Learner, named for Ottoman power waned on both sides of the the conqueror of Istanbul and successor to Dardanelles Straight as both the League perhaps the most dissolute and indulgent of of Italian States and Russia made plays for all the failed Sultans. The previous Sultan, overall dominance in their respective areas. who even now is not named in official The Ottoman military was underfunded histories for his cruelty and debauchery so and poorly equipped, a shadow of the shocked the nation, was Mehmed’s uncle organisation that had once made the walls – and rumours persist that his death was so of Vienna shake. [Postscript: It is likely that decadent as to forbid description for fear much of these disturbances owed something to of embarrassment. With his death, that v1.01 THE SULTANATE line of the family failed, and a new dynasty A SINGLE FLAW was raised to the throne. [Postscript: A Yet Sultan Mehmed did have a flaw; one convenient story. Mehmed was a great man area where he failed to uphold the standards but was not above violence when necessary. In of excellence to which he had striven for truth his uncle likely died at the sharp end of a the duration of his reign. Mehmed the blade travelling at high velocity.] Learner was not a family man, distant from Mehmed the Learner launched himself his children and often by turns spoiling or immediately into a bold reform movement; chastising his progeny to extremes. incorporating many scholars into his Of his many partners during his reign, government. The Sultan himself made Mehmed produced only two children who stringent cuts to the budget allocated for survived to adulthood. The eldest, by his his own personal amusement and ploughed first wife, was Princess Scheherazade – a huge reserves into developing education highly intelligent young woman hardened and technology throughout his realm. The over time by parental neglect. The younger fruits of the “New Learning” were almost of the two, sired from a concubine who immediately felt: rapid modernisation led remains hidden, was Prince Mustafa. to a booming domestic economy, private [Postscript: Ottoman medical science took a incomes soared as wages rose, whilst once while to fully embrace the fruits of the New dwindling support for Ottoman rule Learning – only now can their medical schools rebounded exponentially. truly claim world class.] There were few areas that Mehmed the Scheherazade proved to be as enthusiastic in Learner did not excel in. An accomplished learning as her father, ploughing through scientist, he was at home discussing the rigorous curriculum imposed on her revolutionary new metallurgical methods and demanding more. In her academic as he was discussing theology with the pursuits she sought the attention and praise scholars of Istanbul. His faith in the abilities of her absent father, but in burying herself of his own people was rewarded time and in her studies she made bridging the gulf again, most markedly when Ottoman between the two even harder. The slightest engineers unearthed great petrochemical flaw in her work would bring harsh wealth within the Sultanate’s territory that criticisms that she took to heart, whilst filled the coffers of the government and her greatest successes were damned with permitted further investment. faint praise. [Observation: Forgive the time By the time of Sultan Mehmed’s death in spent sketching her character, but I think such 1858, the Sultanate had experienced a sea- information will be useful in time.] change in its fortunes.