The Republic of Aa'krisa, an island-cluster located in the southwestern ocean, is historically one of the least imperial nations in all of Solest. Populated by large, bipedal reptilians, regarding each other as a single race without internal ethnicities, there has seldom been cause for—or record of—war, rebellion, or political upheaval. Nor any ancient texts of historical value, largely due to the rarity with which ancient Aa’krisians ventured across the straight to the lands of the Bharatans, Targathans, Chi’in, or beyond. Conversely, this lack of interactivity with other cultures allowed the laid-back, agrarian society of Aa’krisa to flourish.

While little is known about early Aa'krisian culture, around 1750 DY the first academia was formed, its beginnings little more than a collection of scriveners whose work largely consisted of the gratuitous exaggeration of their guardians’ exploits. Even so, this marked the beginning of record keeping in Aa’krisa. Later, the scribes broke away from that tradition to form the Akanean Library, which was a far more broad and accurate repository of Aa’krisian lore. The library still stands today, and is one of the most ancient sites on all of Aa'krisa.

In the year 1800 DY, the Akanean Library became a autonomous political entity as well as an academic society, extending its control over a large region that eventually transmogrified into the first and only Aa’krisian city, Arceseen.  In order to maintain the city, the Library developed a shrewd arrangement of meeting economic demands—preying on the inwardly decadent nature of the Aa’krisians, through the exchange of goods for services. Convincing tribal leaders that good government, productivity, and leisure were only attainable through education, the Library acquired the younger generation as pupils. With these, it was assured of support from their respective provinces and, if support stopped, the boys (women are generally at the lower end of Aa’krisian stratification) would have their skills sold as a commodity to other provinces in exchange for supplies. This, often to provincial leaders already members of the Library and who lived in Arceseen. There, they would live, sleep, and work with their guardian to develop skills potentially beneficial to themselves as well as to society.

In DY 1812, conflict arising from incidents of gross decadence and the improper management of living commodities made it necessary for the Library to construct a constitution, known as the Contract of Natural Liberties. In it, the essential qualities of life, such as the right to feel, think, and express oneself without fear were solidified. A commodity lay in one’s skill or utility,  not an individual’s essence who, when able, was free to live independently and as he wished. The impact the constitution had was tremendous.

The revolutionary and idyllic concept of a set of inalienable laws applicable to all gave rise to a school of rational thought. Branching off the Library, this school embodied an intense desire for answers to questions of philosophy, government, and nature, caring little for the documentation of historical accounts. Known as the Rascien (reason), and immensely popular, it soon mandated law and was the first step toward formal government in Aa’krisa. It was with delicacy and wisdom that the Rascien addressed questions in society, domestic and abroad, which gave them a reputation as great arbiters often called upon as impartial emissaries to proved insight into foreign treaties. Meanwhile, the Library had come to terms with its lack of foresight in the trade of commodities, developing a sophisticated economic system and forming the extensive trade networks that made Aa’krisa the jewel of the merchant world.

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Much like Aa’krisian life, the religion of Aa’krisa is characterized as being informal and relaxed. Awe and respect for nature and all in it is the major idiom, represented by two, eternally youthful brother deities, Zache’a and Dejet, who work together to improve life, prosperity, and happiness in the hearts of Aa’krisians. Surrounding this is a sense of respect, outwardly expressed for tangible and living things, but more importantly a moral compass governing every thought and deed with decency, care, and consideration for the aftermath.

Recognized in the Akanean Library in 1913 DY as Aa’scein, which means ‘our love’, the belief system is practiced by 93% of the Aa’krisian population. The other 7% recognize the religions of other racial bodies, and are generally traders who spend their time abroad. There are no temples, shrines, or rites which ordain the proper protocols of Aa’scein. It is simply a way of life.

However, closely related to Aa’scein are the meticulous purification rituals conducted several times a day in elaborately tiered, fountain-like bathing halls, as cleanliness is considered an outward sign of an inward focus. Aa’krisian bathing practices allude to a deeply stratified communal society, where bathing alone or outside one’s age, gender, or social affiliation is unheard of.

Primary Deities:

• Zache’a – Endower of Life
• Dejet – Endower of Prosperity
• Nascuor – Nature

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Originally a hodgepodge of tribes held together by family ties, the republic was formed by a group of philosophers that had abandoned the Akanean Library to form the Rascien, which focused on more relevant problems of society and life, especially government. Concluding that a republic is the most functional form of government, the Rascien successfully made strides to adopt it.

At the head of the Republic of Aa’kris is the Council of Rascien, which is a gathering of the nineteen provincial representatives whose purpose is to identify relevant needs and improvements in Aa’krisian society. These representatives serve as adjudicators in their respective provinces, thus availing them unsurpassed knowledge of their demographics. With these are two representatives from the Akanean Library, who manage the Collective Treasury and the Archives of Aa’krisa, and the Council Chair who represents the city of Arceseen. Handling all domestic matters not directly relating to the economy, the Council’s major responsibilities are lawmaking, ensuring order, and securing the safety and integrity of the republic.

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The military structure of Aa'krisa is almost nonexistent in terms of a land-based combat force, with formal army of only a thousand-or-so troops. Those not on active duty as the senatorial guard are engaged in public service or relief efforts. Since Aa’krisa has never had imperialistic ends, there are no formal combat schools for this branch of the military.

This does not mean Aa’krisians are unable to defend themselves, however. Quite to the contrary, it could be said that their navy is the most lethal in Solest, able to react intuitively and as a single entity to decimate invading fleets. Additionally, merchant vessels may be transformed into an instrument of war at a moment’s notice, and are piloted by Aa’krisians who have served in the formal navy and graduated the naval academy with exemplary records. That, when combined with their terror-inspiring animalistic behavior and instincts, especially useful on shipboard battles, leaves clues as to why the Aa’krisian fleet has never been defeated.

The most notable demonstration of this was the Nordec invasion of 300 TY, when the entire Agean fleet sunk before the naval wrecking crews of the Aa'krisians. Wilhelm Thetys, an admiral of the Agean fleet at the time, wrote:

"I cannot believe what I am seeing. It is as though they are an entity composed of many small moving parts. More like insects than people, they act as one; a great monster against which we cannot prevail."

To support this natural instinct, the Aa'kris developed two separate schools of martial arts:

Panmachia - Pan·ma·kee·ah

Panmachia consists largely of grappling and light boxing. Some weapons such as the spear and discus are used, but the practice has been uncommon. The art focuses on penetrating attacks, practitioners looking to disable the legs and arms. Slings loaded with lead nuggets are a common sight and usually used to shatter an opponent's kneecaps. Almost all Panmachia attacks are done from the front, rather than the sides or back. A popular saying amongst its students goes: "A fool turns his back to his opponent. There's no worth in attacking a fool."

Periplus - Per·ee·pless

Concerned primarily with naval warfare, the art revolves around being able to leap from ship to ship in coordination with one's allies while lancing an opponent from the air. The javelin and spear are the primary weapons in Periplus. In addition to weapon handling, students learn early on how to keep their balance on a ship even while in a storm. Most Periplus training is done in the harbour, though the exams are almost always held at sea in bad weather.

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Professionally, Aa'krisians are inclined towards trade and agriculture. Fishing has always been their main industry of export, but with the import of modern tools, farming has become a viable alternative. As merchants, the Aa'kris tend to travel abroad to expand their trade routes. These, extensive as they are, lead all the way up through Chi'en, Yagyu, Sosurim, and the Nordelands, some even stretching as far as the Vinar territories.

Due to their impartial nature, the Aa'kris are usually allowed unbarred passage through most regions. In Bharata, they are especially welcome. Bharatans are mostly vegetarians by their code, but are allowed a diet of fish if they so require. Aa'krisians have long since perfected a method of transporting fish without letting it soil, using various herbs and powders to keep the fish fresh and contain the moisture while on the road.

This makes the Aa'krisians fairly important to the Bharatan food industry. While fishing on the coast has always provided Bharata with enough stock, transport to the north has always been a difficulty due to the heat. The Aa'krisian method has almost completely remedied this situation.

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Spoken

Aa'krisian has its roots in both Nordec and Bharatan, as well as strains of Aryan and Vinar. Whether it influenced those languages or vice versa is debatable, but the relation is clear. In the Agean region of the Nordelands, Aa'krisian is almost interchangeable with the local dialects. Most Aa'kris and Ageans can speak to each other with only slight difficulty. Bharatan and Aa'krisian are further separated, but share the same grammatical structure. Many Bharatans and Aa'krisians learn each other's languages to better associate as trading partners. A great number of Aa'krisians speak Mukundi, as it shares many of the same verbs as their own language.

Written

Most of the Aa'krisian language is written from top to bottom, left to right using a chalk stylus on black slate. The language is largely phonetic, and shares the same numbers as Bharatan and Nordec including the use of zero. Sentence endings are marked with a vertical dash, and new paragraphs with a series of three dots preceding the first letter.

Names

Aa'krisian names are similar to those found in Bharata and the Nordelands, although a great number have less pronounced consonants. A sound almost exclusive to Aa'krisian that occurs in names is the compound "kch", which can be simulated by rushing air over the tongue and through one’s teeth. (There are also no names which begin with "F", "Q", "U", or "Y".) Some examples of Aa'krisian names are as follows:

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