Khanate of Four Skulls (IE)

The Khanate of Four Skulls, also called the Khanate of the Four Skulls, the Four Khanates, or the Great Khanate, is a nation that has locations in the former states of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and the Dakotas. It was established roughly in the 2150s by roaming bands of raiders and horse nomads, who united under the Khan of Khans. The kingdom grew to establish its present borders by 2250s, and was able to clear out or integrate all tribals and raiders within its borders. The kingdom has a population in the 300,000s, and is a large power in the former United States.

The Khanate of Four Skulls The Khanate
Motto: Skulls for the Gods
Capital and largest city	Four Skulls
Official languages	English
Demonym	Khanfolk
Government	Khanate
• Khan of Khans	Khan Jefferson
Population
• Estimate	700,000

History

The Khan of Khans

Following the Great War roaming barbarian horse tribes instantly became grave threats to any settlement, able to swiftly attack, plunder, and retreat. In the American Great Plains these raiders formed quickly formed tribes, organizing into various localities. Beginning in the 22nd century, however, a unification movement began in the former region of Montana and the surrounding states. For several decades a warrior known as the Khan of Khans had begun uniting the four major horse tribes of the region. Sometime during the 2150s he finally managed to bring them under his heel, and at the sacred site of Four Skulls the four leaders of each tribe bowed before him and submitted to his rule. Thus was the Khanate of Four Skull born.

Further Expansion and Civil Infighting

For almost a decade the Khan of Khans ruled over his new empire, but upon his death sometime in the 2160s cause his khanate to fracture. His four sons soon began to fight, but to preserve peace, they met once again at Four Skulls. There, they agreed to a truce, know as the Bone Covenant. Each son and their successive leader of one of the four tribes would hold the position of Khan of Khans for a period of four years. Then, another khan would take the position, and so on an so forth.

With civil war averted, the Khanate rapidly expanded, and from the region around the Four Skulls they quickly conquered and integrated any opposing tribes or settlements. By the year 2200 the Khanate had grown to encompass most of Montana east of the Rockies and much of the Dakotas. During the same time the settlement around the sacred Four Skulls quickly grew into a truly worthy capitol of the Khanate.

The Four Skulls, the ruined remains of Mt. Rushmore, decayed by time to resemble skulls.

The Wars of Brothers in the ensuring decades would put a hold on the khanate’s expansion. The four tribes began to fight under its leaders after the sudden death of the Khan of Khans, and in total their would be four Wars of Brothers from between 2213-2243. However, by the end of it the khans were once again reunited under the Khan of Khans from the Washington tribe.

This sparked a new wave of conquest and expansion, as the horse raiders discovered new technologies and began rapidly pushing out any tribe that did not integrate or kneel to them. However, interactions and conflicts with the Republic of Texas and the Indiana Republic resulted in costly losses, and the Khans have had to rethink their outlook.

Now, the Khanate of Four Skulls, while considered primitive and uncivilized, is among the many great nations of the American Wasteland, and have worked out deals with their new neighbors. The Treaty of Washington now offered the lands of the Midwest, ripe for the taking.

Government & Politics

Laws

The laws of the Khanate vary between the four tribes, but generally are about the same. Citizens in the lower class are usually given the same rights, though this can vary between male and female, while higher ranking nobles are freed from some laws and punishments while constrained by others.

Each member of a tribe is subject to those laws, and the laws of the khanate in general. These include forbearance of murder or violence (disputes can be handled in personal duels), robbery, rape, etc., and there exist several laws to protect woman and children, especially during conflicts. However, under various Khans and leaders, these regulations and rules can change and vary, sometimes widely.

Government Structure & Bodies

Unlike most other nations, which at least try to follow a republican government system based off the old American way, the Khanate is far more basic, relying a power structure of chieftains, tribal leaders, and at the top are the Khans themselves.

The Khanate is divided into four major tribes. The Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln tribes. These are the quintessential political units of the Khanate, and are further broken up into various major clans. Each clan could be a former tribe or settlement, headed by a chieftain. The election of chiefs varies, as individual clans can select their own way of choosing chiefs. Generally, beneath clans are large family groups, led by a patriarch. These patriarchs and chiefs usually have absolute say, though again, this can vary. At the head of each tribe are the four Khans, leaders who wield almost absolute power, with some held in check by a council of elders and the other khans.

There is always a Khan of Khans, the leader of the Khanate, who rules for four years and, while abiding by some of the constraints by the Council of Khans and the Council of Elders, wields significant political power. Once his term is up, he chooses the next tribe to mantle leadership, and that tribe’s khan becomes the new Khan of Khans, ruling from Four Skulls. In case of disputes, sudden death, or other emergencies, the Khans can vote to choose a new Khan of Khans, which must be agreed upon by the Shaman of Four Skulls, who will seek the will of the gods.

Foreign Relations

Generally the Khanate has had not the best history with many of its more civilized neighbors. Frequent raids upon the lands of Texas and Indiana have made them apprehensive about this growing power, and the rise of the new superpower of the United North American States to the east concerns the Khans greatly. However, they understand that the world is changing, and a new age is being built in the Wasteland. And so they now keep to their own borders, and have even begun trading with their immediate neighbors.

With nations further beyond their borders, such as the New California Republic or the United Territories of the Commonwealth, are less cared about or known. While these and other such nations might look down upon the Khanate, they care little, except the great Khans, who see that they will, in time, have to change in order to fit into the new world that is being created by these republics.

Interestingly, the Khans have a big eye on Caeser’s Legion. With many of the lands to the east cut off for conquest, the Khans now look south, far beyond their borders where the dry and dusty lands the Legion calls home. Caeser’s Legion is a broken shell, yet still clings to some life, and the Khanate has practically been given the blessing of the other nations to deal with this threat. The Khan of Khans has begun amassing his people on a great campaign, to sate their desires for conquest and to possibly win honors and favors from the other nations.

Tribes

The Khanate is divided into four major tribes, and every settlement or people group conquered by the Khanate is slowly integrated culturally and politically into one of these tribes. They each have claims to different lands, and have different customs and laws, but all are granted a place at the holy site of Four Skulls.

Washington Tribe

Traditionally the most powerful and influential of the other tribes. It has lands in the northwest of the Black Hills, in Montana, Wyoming, and the Badlands, and makes its capitol at the city of Billings. They are the largest tribe and add hordes of knowledge and old technology gathered from their raids, which are picked apart and studied by scholars.

Jefferson Tribe

The most warlike, they reside in the southeast of the Black Hills, in the former states of Nebraska and South Dakota. The Jeffersons were the ones who went on the most raids and rampages, and have a more brutal warlike culture, frequently tattooing themselves and painting their faces in skulls figures, and even grafting bones and broken armor of fallen foes onto themselves and their steeds.

Roosevelt Tribe

The Roosevelt tribe claim the lands to the southwest of the Black Hills, mostly in Wyoming. The smallest of the four tribes, they are nonetheless very fierce and strong but also more peaceful, working as negotiators and ambassadors.

Lincoln Tribe

They live almost entirely in the Dakotas, to the northeast of the Black Hills. They came in conflict with the UNAS and lost a great victory at the Battle of Fargo, but since then have remained more docile. The Lincoln tribe have close ties with the Roosevelts

Society & Culture

The citizens of the Khanate are a harsh people, but the former wasteland that is America is a harsh world. Though a few are still nomadic, most have settled down into various settlements, and are skilled horsemen and warriors. They are proficient in archaic warfare with bows and melee weapons, but are also equipped with modern fire arms and scavenged materials. Oaths and blood are a big deal, as family and tribe are paramount compared to the individual. Those who ride under the Khans are used to a hard life, and thus value hard work.

Most citizens are generally uneducated unless taught by a tutor, and learn from their family. Raiding is also an important part of their culture, as every man is expected to heed the call of the Khan of Khans and go on at least one raid.

Interestingly, Khanfolk don’t care quite as much about background or ethnicity. Many former cultures and tribes have been integrated into the Khanate, adding a bit of distinction in various regions, and making the Khanate somewhat multicultural. They only value those who are willing to serve the tribe and the Khanate, and are willing to work hard towards that goal.

Religiously, there is a bit of a variation with Christian converts from Indiana a small minority, but overall the Khanfolk have their own folk religion. It focus on the Four Fallen, represented by the Four Skulls at Mt. Rushmore. They believe that in ages past America was the land given and created by the Four Fallen, but they were slain during the Great War with “the False Prophets of the East.” Despite this, the Khanfolk believe they might be resurrected, and that they are the destined people under the Four Fallen. Naturally, Four Skulls is a sacred site, and tribal shamans try to discern the wills of the Dead Gods.

Economy

The Khanate mostly focused on war and conquest, but now is starting to look towards trade. With vast connections and a prime location between east and west, they often serve as middle men for trade, and this had caused further economic growth.

Currency

The Khanate of Four Skulls has no official currency, mostly relying on barter. Moneylenders are starting to make quite the profit, handling different coins and the new American Standard Dollar.

Trade

The Khanate trades few things, though local tribes and clans might trade animal pelts and other commodities to local settlements. Mostly they earn profit by transporting goods from the east to the west and vice versa, as their protected routes make trade easier and safe.

Geography

Most of the land of the Khanate concerns the Great Plains and the Rockies, where the horsemen are able to make their homes. They are bound by the Rocky Mountains to the west, but have further lands to conquer to the south.

Subdivisions

The Black Hills

Considered a sacred area, it is home to Four Skulls and the meeting place for all four tribes. Here they gather and feast and fight, and it serves as the economic, spiritual, and cultural heart of the Khanate.

The Tribal Lands

Each tribe claimed and has settled its own regions of territory, mostly in the former states of Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, and Nebraska. Much of this is still irradiated, and full of monsters and mutants constantly needing to be kept down.

The Rocky Mountains

To the west are the vast Rocky Mountains, virtually impenetrable for the Khanate. Only a few enclaves and towns dot the great hills, and they are home to many threats to the Khanate.

The Great Plains

To the south and east of the Black Hills are the Great Plains. The vast prairies are home to nomads and many wild animals, and many great farms are being built here. These are the lands most rapidly being conquered by the Khanate.

Military

The Khanate has loose government regulation, and so there is no official military per se. Instead, each family, clan, and tribe is expected to rouse its own army and militia force, capable of going to war on the word of the Khan of Khans. Every major family group or settlement will select young fit men to train in a militia, and these militias can be summoned and called by the local clan. This clan outfits and creates its own small army composed of these militias, and these clan armies are in turn  under the rule of the Khan, who creates his own tribal army. Every tribe can be summoned to war by the Khan of Khans, though the coming together of the entire military force is rarely done. Instead, sporadic raids and sometimes military campaigns are frequently directed by local clans, sometimes several clans working together, or by Khans.

Technology

The Khanate of Four Skulls relies on more outdated and traditional technology, but uses whatever can be scavenged as armor, weapons, tools, and more. They typically gather whatever they can and will usually sort through what they have, figuring out what spoils and junk can be reused and in what way. The burgeoning of trade, however, has meant that many new technologies have been given to the great Khans, and they have been most interested in weapons of war, or G.E.C.K.s, which can be used to convert irradiated land into fertile farmland.