The Sangiran Empire (pronounced SAN-jeh-rahn) once unified Kea Racha and the lands around the Gulf of Timakal under the leadership of the Eternal Suzerain, a reincarnating draconic deity. The last Eternal Suzerain, Menjelma, died in Y9606* without being reborn, and the Empire collapsed soon after. The modern nation of Sangiran, a remnant state of the Empire, is ruled by what remains of the god-king's loyal priests, who dutifully await their ruler's return and the beginning of a new golden age.
Geography
Sangiran Empire
At its height, the Sangiran Empire encompassed nearly all of Kea Racha and much of the lands surrounding the Gulf of Timakal. The modern nations of Vua Ran, Langkha, Pela Huban, Kintaka, Koamun, Lelwani, Vaothan, Yadena, and Bukran were all once under imperial control, though many were quite different at the time.
While their inhabitants were not considered full citizens of the Empire, some ports within the Kilche Sea also had a close relationships with Sangiran. The cities of Nesekura, Haveno, and Sudafinajo, for example, served as the home bases for imperial fleets for decades.
Modern Sangiran
In the modern day Sangiran controls still much of the southern reaches of Kea Racha, from the shores of the Mhasmuth Ocean in the south to the Western and Eastern Veins in the north. The landscape is quite hilly on the whole, and the nation encompasses two mountain ranges as well, the Suzerain's Horns in the southwest and the Suzerain's Teeth in the southeast. Many rivers cross the region and the tropical forests and grasslands that cover most of Sangiran are dotted with innumerable lakes of varying sizes.
As with much of Kea Racha, Sangiran is hot year-round. There is little seasonal variation in temperature, though the rains of the summer monsoon season often bring with them cooler winds.
History
Formation and growth
The histories of the Eternal Suzerain and the Sangiran Empire are inextricably linked - as long as the Suzerain was alive, so was the Empire. The precise date of birth of the Suzerain is unknown but was generally considered by imperial record-keepers to be sometime around Y3700*. Sangiran grew out of the southern city of Tairikka, which also served as the Empire's capital until the construction of New Era millennia later.
The Empire grew over the centuries, largely through brief periods of rapid expansion that punctuated its long history. The first incarnations of the Eternal Suzerain were far more interested in consolidating their worship than in territorial expansion and as a result the Empire remained confined to roughly the bottom third of modern-day Sangiran for well over a millennium. By Y5100*, however, the Empire included all of modern day Sangiran and Koamun. The dragon rulers of Vua Ran willingly joined the Empire in Y5130*, rapidly integrated into the Empire's government as the dragon-courts, and the disparate aquatic peoples of modern Lelwani were conquered by Y5156*. Kintaka, Langkha, and the future city-state of Pela Huban were all incorporated into the Empire by Y6190*.
After uniting Kea Racha, the Eternal Suzerain turned to territories farther afield. The lands of Timakal were already inhabited by this point, but waves of settlers from Kea Racha further grew the region. The Empire reached its greatest territorial extent by Y7600*.
As it grew, the Empire invested in significant efforts to support its peoples and maintain its authority. The many imperial projects, such as the Gardens of the Suzerain in Langkha, are the most obvious and lasting evidence of these endeavors.
There were six incarnations of the Eternal Suzerain over the course of the Empire's history.
Death of Menjelma and collapse
The last incarnation of the Eternal Suzerain, sometimes known by the personal name Menjelma, ascended to the throne in Y9002*. In Y9606*, Menjelma abruptly died of mysterious causes, the details of which are unknown to the broader world and intentionally kept secret by the Divine Inheritors. Because of his sudden death he was unable to conduct the ritual of Divine Transmigration and guarantee his rapid reincarnation, leaving the Empire leaderless for the first time ever.
Without their divine emperor, the priests of the Sangiran Empire struggled to maintain control. Latent internal divisions once again reasserted themselves as imperial authority and decree proved less than sufficient to keep the empire's constituent nations in line. Bukran, at the time a protectorate of the Empire, was the first to fall as the Sangiran military departed in Y9609* and the native hobgoblins once again assumed control. Vaothan soon followed in Y9612*. The imperial core of Kea Racha remained united until Y9631*, when Pela Huban and Langkha declared independence. Without their most populous trade city and gate to the Kilche, or their breadbasket, the Sangiran Empire finally collapsed completely.
Post-Suzerain Sangiran
Despite the end of their direct control of the Empire, the remaining administrators and advisor-priests of the Suzerain continued to attempt to hold together the dragon's domains in any way they could. Yet they had little leverage, as losing sway over Langkha meant they could no longer influence the food supply of the Empire. A military option was infeasible either - the majority of the imperial forces hailed from Kintaka, and nearly all of them returned to their homeland upon hearing of the Suzerain's death and the rumblings of instability. Unwillingly the priests pulled inwards into the ancient lands of Sangiran where their words and teachings still held meaning.
Today the heartland of Sangiran remains under the Divine Inheritors, priests of the Eternal Suzerain who still believe their god will return once again. The Divine Inheritors actively search for the next reincarnation, carrying on their duties until the Suzerain can usher a resurgent empire into a new golden age.
The distinction between the Sangiran Empire and the modern Sangiran is not drawn by the Inheritors or by the people living in the nation. Indeed very few within Kea Racha as a whole consider them to be distinct. Rather, the prevailing view is that the Empire has merely shrunk and contracted yet continues to live on without its emperor.
Demographics
The people of the Sangiran Empire were incredibly diverse, and counted among their number individuals of many ancestries. Humans were a plurality of the Empire's citizens, but they were joined by large populations of nagaji, elves, dwarves, half-elves, gnomes, aasimar, tieflings, ganzi, hobgoblins, kobolds, dragons, and others. Modern Sangiran is much the same, as during its thousands of years of influence across Kea Racha and farther afield many within the Empire migrated into the heartlands, where they established new lives, communities, and neighborhoods.
Culture
Religion
See also: Eternal Suzerain
Over the millennia of their rule, worship of the Eternal Suzerain became the dominant religion in the Sangiran Empire, as old pantheons and gods were gradually replaced with the veneration of their reincarnating leader. Though most of these regional faiths have faded away into history, a few continued to be followed by small segments of the population. After the Suzerain died in Y9606* some religions, revivalist and modern alike, have begun to slowly spread amongst the inhabitants of Sangiran, but to a far lesser degree than elsewhere in Kea Racha. This is largely due to the continuing influence of the Divine Inheritors and their confident assertions that the dragon's return remains imminent. Nevertheless, followers of deities like the Weaver of Eighty Thousand Threads and even usurpers of the Suzerain like the Crowned One have gained tiny but growing footholds in the region.
As was the case under the Suzerain, ancestor worship continues to be a common practice in Sangiran.
Temples to the Eternal Suzerain were established across the Empire, most of which have since fallen into disuse or ruin, save for those in the core of Sangiran. Even if the god is not currently venerated due to their death, the Divine Inheritors maintain all existing temples and have additionally constructed some new ones, as they believe the temples will be necessary once more upon the next reincarnation.
Any ongoing worship of the Eternal Suzerain is considered heretical by the Inheritors. In keeping with the teachings laid down by the dragon themself, they hold that the god is dead and therefore his veneration is void - those who claim to gain divine spells through prayer and offerings to the Suzerain are clearly in reality worshiping something else entirely.
Society
The people of the Empire were and are highly culturally diverse. The Eternal Suzerain allowed all to practice their own traditions as long as they remained loyal to the Empire. Highly multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, Sangiran absorbed existing societies and cultures wholesale, many of which continued to survive and thrive after its decline.
In their thousands of years on the throne, the Suzerain and their advisors drafted hundreds upon hundreds of laws governing all aspects of life in the Empire. While most of these were superseded by later laws, or struck entirely when no longer needed, a great many still remain and continue to be enforced by the Divine Inheritors. Sangiran society tends to be rather legalistic in nature, preferring to search for existing regulations, guidance, and wisdom before taking any uncertain or major actions.
Public works
Under the direction of the Eternal Suzerain, the Sangiran Empire embarked on numerous grand projects, all of which were intended to support the people of the Empire and provide collective prosperity. The Gardens of the Suzerain, massive agricultural projects in the marshes and fields of Langkha, allowed the Empire to produce enough rice and other food to feed itself. Grand temples to the Suzerain were built across the Empire but primarily in the region that is now modern Sangiran.
Other projects included dry docks at Vision of the Seas large enough to build the colossal junks of the imperial fleet, tunnels to facilitate travel through the Depths under the Kea Rachan mountains, planned cities such as New Era, Generosity, Prosperity, and those beneath the waves of Lelwani, as well as the Insight of Heaven, a massive telescope near Mata.
To a significant degree these projects were seen as a way for the Suzerain, and the Empire, to legitimize themselves, to prove that they had their peoples' best interests in mind. The Divine Inheritors continue to oversee and maintain imperial-era projects that remain within their lands, yet most have now passed to the control of their local populations.
Languages
Sangiran, Timakal, and Draconic are the most frequently spoken languages in Sangiran, yet they are far from alone. Various ancestral languages are commonly heard, as is Common, though this particular language tends to only be used in the coastal cities where foreign travelers are now permitted to enter.
Architecture and urbanization
While Sangiran does contain several planned cities, including notably the capital of New Era, the majority of large settlements in the nation predate the Suzerain's many public works projects and therefore grew organically instead. Sangiran cities were nonetheless shaped by the dragon god's influence. Their temples were, and are, always the central points of all communities of any size, critical not only for spiritual reasons but also for the political and economic life of the settlement. These are usually located in a vantage point over the rest of the city, whether that is on a natural rise in the landscape or a constructed hill.
Sangiran homes are typically quite large, as they are expected to house multiple generations of a family within, or even multiple families at a time in separate spaces. Some are built on the ground, while others sit on raised pillars, designed to keep the house dry in times of heavy rains and floods. Wood is by far the most common construction material for homes, shops, storerooms, and other mundane purposes, while temples are more often stone. Roofs that dramatically sweep upwards at the front and back are typical features for everyday buildings, while temples and institutions of state often have multiple levels of "stacked" roofs instead. All are richly decorated with carved wooden eaves, roofcaps, doors, window frames, and shutters.
While other regions within Kea Racha have their own architectural styles, those of Sangiran have been quite influential and have spread throughout the former territories of the Empire.
Arts
Though a tradition and art form common throughout Kea Racha, Sangiran artisans especially are renowned for their lacquerware. Detailed designs on ornamental and practical items alike are drawn in pigments of various colors, though white, green, and black are most typical.
Government
Sangiran Empire
Each nation within the Sangiran Empire was essentially a tributary. Self-governance was allowed, with restrictions, as long as resources and manpower were regularly provided in service to the Empire. Each nation was also required to recognize the authority of the Eternal Suzerain and to enact any and all imperial degrees. The Suzerain could overrule any decision by a lower level of government, though in practice only did so in times of emergency or to directly manage their monumental projects.
In every reincarnation the Eternal Suzerain surrounded themself with a circle of advisor-priests who served as both the overseers of the Empire and the god's clerics. These advisors were the most powerful figures in the Empire save for the Suzerain themself.
By leaving much of the day-to-day rule to each nation, the Empire maintained many of the older practices and traditions of the peoples it governed, allowing for significantly easier administration of far-flung lands and a population with highly diverse histories and cultures. When the Empire collapsed, most of these nations continued their same means of governance, simply without their imperial overlords.
Modern Sangiran
Today Sangiran continues to be ruled by the Suzerain's advisor-priests, and the institutions they built, who have kept the structure of their religious leadership intact even as their actual veneration has ceased. Their temples serve not only as places to teach of the Suzerain and house their relics, but also as civic centers where laws are made, courts are held, and diplomats and ambassadors are met. The bureaucratic systems of the Empire still hold, at least in Sangiran itself, which have been invaluable in maintaining continuity without the dragon god themself.
The use of the term "priest" is contentious even within the ranks of the Divine Inheritors. Some prefer to describe themselves and their roles as caretakers or administrators, as they can no longer pray to their god but still attempt to guide the faithful in their stead. Previously split between religious and civic duties, today their responsibilities in governance take the majority of their time and effort.
Economy
Nations within the Empire produced and traded in a variety of goods, while the Empire itself was funded using the materials and taxes provided by its constituent provinces. Corvee labor gave the Empire the manpower necessary to enact its decrees. Today the Divine Inheritors continue to maintain these forms of taxes, only now limited in scope and scale.
Relations
In the days of the Empire, Sangiran maintained a complex relationship with Tarkuus, simultaneously diplomatically amicable while also engaging in proxy conflicts to compete for the position as the dominant superpower of the Kilche Sea. Privateering with plausible deniability was especially common, as was espionage and outright sabotage. With the collapse of the Sangiran Empire, Tarkuus has been left the sole power of the region, something the Lords of the undead empire have been keen to exploit. Modern Sangiran is far more concerned with the affairs of Kea Racha and its former subjects to have the ability or desire to project power farther abroad.