Achilleion

Kingdom of Achilleion
Flag	Coat of arms
Motto: tbc
Anthem:
Locator map
File:Achilleonc Map.png
Capital city	Auérsa
Largest city
Official language	Melogos
Other languages	Aldsegian
Ethnic group	Athves Aldsay
Religion	Orkanan
Demonym(s)	Achilleionian
Government
Government Type	Feudal Theocracy
Hēgemṓn	Aêrion
Stýraios	Mephistopheles
Legislature	Synedrion
Establishment
Independence	6580
Area
Total	153,434.88 km2
Water %
Population
Total	15,528,254
Density	101.20/km2
Economy
Economy type	Capitalist
GDP (total)	Ꞡ 419.7B
GDP per capita	Ꞡ 27 K
Currency	()
Inequality index
Development index	0.875
Other information
Time zone
Driving side
Calling code
Internet code
Nation number

Achilleion, officially the Hēgemonía Achilleíou (Ἡγεμονία Αχίλλειον), is an island nation located in Western Anaria, Its capital is Auérsa (Αὐέρσα).

Etymology

See also: [[Achilleionian Toponymy|Achilleionian Toponymy]]

The name 'Achilleion' is a transcription of Αχίλλειον which is a compound derived from ἄχος (áchos), meaning pain or despair, and λαός (laós), meaning people or nation. The correct term for its inhabitants is Achilleionian. Αχος is cognate with Aldsegian 'agi', meaning fear or dread, and, as a result, a common exonym for the region and its people among the Aedelanders is Agi or Achi which is close to the Tahani name for the region, al-Akki.

History

According to the Æðelendinga Saga, Grímur and his people integrated and then dominated the indigenous inhabitants of islands through a combination of strategic alliances, clever diplomacy, and military prowess bringing about a cohesive entity governed by a network of Aldsegian ruling families that adopted and adapted local customs. The 7536 Aedelish Declaration of Supremacy brought Achilleion under the authority of the Aldsegian Empire. Achilleion gained independence following the Aedelish political crisis of 7579.

Government and Politics

Achilleion is a feudal theocracy ruled by the Hēgemṓn (Ἡγεμών), a divine king believed to be the incarnation of Aêrion. In reality, the Hēgemṓn is a symbolic figure, perpetuated through secrecy and body doubles, while real power rests with the Stýraios (Στύραιος), a life-appointed prime minister elected by the Synedrion (Συνέδριον), a council of elite delegates from the Dékapolis.

The Synedrion serves as a legislative and advisory body, composed of aristocrats privy to the Hēgemṓn’s mortal nature. It also includes state ministers from the noble hetairoi, such as the Eirēnēpeiros (foreign affairs), Strategarches (military), and Katēgoros (law). Achilleion’s governance blends divine monarchy with feudal decentralization, balancing unity and local autonomy.

The Dékapolis

The Dékapolis is a confederation of ten major city-states, each with distinct cultural and political identities. Governed by local aristokratía, these city-states manage taxation and governance under the central authority of the Hēgemṓn, forming the cultural and economic backbone of Achilleion.

	Auérsa The seat of the Hēgemṓn is at the ancient capital of Auérsa situated in the northern extreme of the long, narrow region of Kaliphos that stretches along Achilleion's western coast. The second most populous city in Achilleion, Auérsa lies in a basin adjacent to the Sinean Sea in the west and extending partly through the Mastósiskos Monikadnós foothills and north into the Phéranadnós Valley. The Hēgemṓn of Auérsa has suzerainty over the coastal cities of Pelagora, Ankytheron, Didagadnós, Asty Chrysetrigonós, and Ereboros.
	Epiphanion Epiphanion was the site of Grímur's landfall in northern Achilleion. The city is within Laongóōn bay and is the leading city-state of the Xenoachílleioi which includes the northern regions of Kaliphos, Ádelon, and Skiuöldēs. Grímur's colony in northern Achilleion stayed in close contact with its homeland in Western Stoldavia and adopted a political structure based on that of Aedeland with an Althing called the Pankoinonía having an aristocratic lawmaking body called the Nomothésion and a democratic auditory body called the Dēmagórion. The Arkhéroulos of Epiphanion has suzerainty over the northern cities of Airilópolis, Állendor, and Arvíkē.
	Arkaléon Arkaléon is an isolated Aldsaíoi stronghold and the political center of the remote seafaring communities of northeastern Skiuöldēn peninsula. The poorest region of Achilleion retains an archaic Aldsegian poltical structure centered on the aett. The Xenoachílleioi Arkhéroulos of Arkaléon has suzerainty over the Skiuöldēn city of Andalýthon.
	Myrinē The cosmopolitan port city of Myrinē is the dominant economic, cultural, and politcal center of eastern Achilleion. Situated at an important and ancient trading center in the estuary of Achilleion's longest river, the Achilón, and positioned at the narrowing of the Tashgur Channel, Myrinē is Achilleion's largest city. Myrinē is best known for its canals and its island colony of Tashara from which the Tashgur Channel derives its name. Myrinē civic oligarchy, called the Archontai, has suzerainty over the eastern coastal cities of Pelásios, Teníros, and Tashara.
	Trismegíteion The ancient fortress city of Trismegíteion controls the strategic location at the northern end of the defile of the Arakênos, which acts as a pass through the Ámpelόros ridge, and its position overlooking the rich Aulítheón Valley from the west gives it much of its importance. The autocrat of Trismegíteion, a military strategos called the Týrannos, has suzerainty over the south eastern Selasiān cities of Aráidē and Selasi.
	Taurēsion Taurēsion is the ancient center of the Achilleionian cults on the holy isle of Zophkís off the northwestern coast. The island has retained its political independence because the forebearers of the island's native inhabitans, the Eteoachílleioi, supported Grímur's claims of divinity. The Andrērōs (male hormonal alpha) and Esthērōída (female hormonal alpha) form the dominant pair, the Hērōstḗnē, chosen through Manarcheia (menstrual synchronization). Their pairing signifies the divine and biological legitimacy of their rule. The Hērōstḗnē are selected from the Al-Anadan men and women possessing eugenic bloodlines.The Atroposides, post-menopausal high priestesses, oversee Manarcheia and ensure the legitimacy of the hormonal alpha system. They perform sacred rituals of realignment when an alpha pair's dominance wanes, and a new Andrērōs and Esthērōída are chosen. At the bottom of the social hierarchy are the Nakam, sterilized individuals relegated to servitude and labor. The Andrērōs of Taurēsion has suzerainty over the cities of Zophkís: Lirathos and Thera.
	Lanzarētē Lanzarētē, Achilleion's third largest city, is an ancient cosmopolitan city dominating the island of Zóvmāros. Originally establsihed by Tahani merchants, the island was dominated from 7287 to 7580 by the Æðelander Imperial Sørtarnland Company. During this period, it operated under appointed bureaucrats reporting to the company’s governor. The Company annexed the large southern Apolyionian bay on the main island in 7287 and built the largest commercial port in Achilleion, through which most of the island’s trade flows, at the mouth of the Minórrhē river. Lanzarētē and its industrial colonies throughout Achilleion has a corporate governance with its Ektelestēs and his Symboúloi tēs Koinēsousias holding suzerainty over the industrial port of Thalassía, the city of Ávaris, and the industrial cities of the Minórrhē region.
	Thalassían Triarchy The three city states of the Thalassían Triarchy occupy the fertile northern Thalassía valley among the tributaries of the Achilón. The Anarchy of Tychēlo has no government. Instead, temporary leaders are chosen by lot as needed. Isokratheia is a direct democracy. Koinēkratos is an anarcho-syndicalist commune. All serve in turns as executive officer for the week and all the decisions of that officer have to be ratified at a special biweekly meeting.
	Lakonē Lakonē is the dominant city of the Thalassía valley. The Anax of Lakonē once held the cities of the Thalassían Triarchy and was the most powerful of the ancient Eteoachílleioi warlords. The pastoral Lakedaimōn regions of Haemonia and Pelaspharion are the top stock-producing regions of Achilleion. Under the Hēgemony, the Anax have been greatly reduced and Lakonē is the weakest city of the Dékapolis.
	Kyros Kyros commands Pellanēthra, the geographically largest region of Achilleion. The powerful and wealthy Despót of Kryos has suzerainty over the southern cities of Halsatía, Viterōs, Phronēnē, Eirennia, Ostryka, Skotētrion, Autonomos, Sopharchia, Eleutheris, and Etrenia.

Together, the Dékapolis ensures Achilleion’s stability by balancing local autonomy with unified governance.

Military

As a former colony, Achilleion's military, called the Krétélos (κράτέλος), is heavily influenced by the Aedelish Styrkene. The Hēgemṓn is the Krétélos' ultimate commander-in-chief and its highest operational commander is the Strategarches. Its army is called the Stratós (στρατός), its navy the Nautokratelos, its air force the Aerekélyon (ἀήρκελλύον), and its special forces are the Bárēngios Xenoi (Βάραγγος Ξένοι).

National Symbols

Red, white, and black are the national colors of Achilleion and are the result of its time as a constituent state of the Aldsegian Empire. Its flag is a red field with a centered laurel wreath called the Excellence of Achilleion.

Geography

Achilleion is separated from the western Anaria-Minor peninsula by the narrow Tashgur Channel. The country consists of thirty five islands centered around the eponymous main island. While not all of the twenty-eight minor islands are permanently inhabited, the eight major islands have significant population centers. Achilleion is surrounded by the Sinean Sea, and its nearest neighbors are Anat Tahan to the southeast, Parnethia to the south, Anisora to the east, and Ardar to the northeast.

Physical Geography

The Achilleionian islands are the southwestern rim of the large, mostly submerged Achilleionian caldera. The northern island of Zophkís and the Skiuöldēn peninsula of the main island were both formed as secondary cones. Although dormant, the Achilleionian caldera is an active volcano. The last eruption was at Zophkís in 7650. Only fumarolic activity, primarily inside the recently active craters, has been observed. The large eruption responsible for the caldera is believed to have occurred approximately 4,000 years ago and is believed to have inspired several Achilleionian legends. Before this eruption the walls of the caldera formed a nearly continuous ring of islands. The magnitude of the eruption has been difficult to estimate because the majority of the erupted products were deposited in the Sinean Sea.

The main island is far larger than the surrounding Achilleionian islands. The main island is dominated by the steep Kalderikón ridge formed by the erosion of remnants of a massive rim of the Achilleionian caldera and runs the continuous length of the western coast. The ridge's two major northern peaks, Pálasai and Sophronía, are called the Dýosynē and the peak at the southern terminus of the range is called Aetheríus. The Tetrakýklos are four very ancient volcanic cones south and east of the Kalderikón. They are, from north to south, Xenophalix, Areterax, Ávavórrax, and Erosīrāx. The northern coast is defined by the Ádelonian Ridge which is the exposed rim of the submerged caldera forming the the Bay of Laongóōn. The western extreme of this semi-circular ridge forming the Skiuöldēn peninsula is the steepest and highest on the main island. The pinnacle of this ridge, called Aêrionos Pýrgos, provides a commanding view of the Sinean Sea.

Three major rivers of shape the island's central valleys. The Achilón is the longest, flowing south through the northern Thalassía valley, then east as it approaches the center of the island. The Arakênos flows east, creating the central Aulítheón Valley. The mouth of both the Achilón and Arakênos flow into the Tashgur Channel near Myrinē. The shortest river, the Minórrhē, flows south. These rivers provide water and fertile land, supporting agriculture and trade across the island.