The parthians

The parthians

Flag of The parthians
Motto: Eat the Poor
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Region	Imperial Armies
Capital	Persepolis
Official Language(s)	Persian
Leader	Shah Khosru III
Population	~2.64 Billion
Currency	Parthi
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Background

In the eyes of many, the Shahdom of Parthia has, since its entry onto the global stage, been a major power player from one part of the world to another. Parthia prides itself on its tradition of empires and over 2500 years of monarchial rule. This pride, combined with the actual reality of extreme lassez-faire economic policies which benefit the economy, allows for a healthy nation with a powerful military. Imperialistic land grabs are quite common and virtually the entire Achaemenid empire has been added by the Shah in the past few years through lightning campaigns which seized vast stores of natural resources and strategic areas. With an empire stretching from Greece to the Indus, Parthia is poised to strike into both India and Europe.

History

In 224, Ardeshir, minor king of the Arsacid client kingdom of Persis led a revolt which utterly destroyed the Arsacid dynasty and allowed for the house of Sassani to take control of all Persia. For years, the Romans and Persians fought wars with each other, and many victories were scored by both sides. Shapur I captured the Roman Emperor Valerian in 260 and made him his slave while later, Khosru I Anoushirvan sacked the city of Antioch and carried the inhabitants off into slavery. From 602-624 the Byzantines and Persians fought a war where after intial victories by Persian armies, including the capture of Jerusalem, the Romans gained the upper hand and defeated the Persian Empire. Khosru II, the Shah who led the offensives, was murdered and the kingdom fell into anarchy. Much of Syria and Mesopotamia broke off into seprate kingdoms, and by the time Yezdegird III could restore order in 637, the Arabs were rapidly invading. Yazdegird ordered Ctesiphon, the old capital, to be evacuated and for all Persians to flee into the Zagros mountains. There, the Persians halted the Arab invasion by a clever ambush and sent their armies fleeing. For the next 200 years, the Persians maintained a peace, until invasions by Turks in the year 799 managed to kill Shah Balash II and gave them the ability to seize the Indus valley and much of Bactria. Under the guidance of Islamic agents, they were converted en masse and were set upon the Persian empire. Though they were defeated, the damage was severe. Persia had lost nearly all territories outside of modern Iran. Mongol invasions in the 1200s nearly destroyed the House of Sassani, but members of the royal family fled into the mountains of Mazandaran on the Caspian, where they hid until they could reestablish their authority. In the late 1300s, the fragmentation of Iran into over one hundred petty kingdoms, including one ruled by the Sassanis in Mazandaran and invasion of Tamerlane destroyed Iran utterly. and when Piruz Sassani reunited Iran and destroyed the sucessor to Tamerlane's fragmenting empire, he found a nation in ruins. Persia slowly fell from the heights acheived, although westernizing military reforms by Shah Shapur VIII in 1657 allowed for success against the Ottomans and the sack of Delhi by Kavad VII in 1747 were examples of Persian power, by 1760 corruption was rampant, and the cracks in the feudalistic systems permeating the nation since the time of the first rulers were expanding. Throught the 1800s, Russia and Britain plundered Iran, with the weak Kavad VIII losing control of Azerbaijan to Russia and selling off many commercial privleges to the British. In 1882, the last Shah of the old era, Ardeshir X, died and with him, so did the medieval systems. His energetic heir, Rostam II, began the next phase in Parthian history by abolishing the commercial priveleges sold to foreign companies and creating a new plan for the economy. Now, state aid was to be furnished on native manufacturing companies turning a profit in Parthia. Several new factories opened up in Persepolis and Tehran while the Shah planned his next move, that of reforming the backward feudal system. In 1891, the Shah declared serfdom to be abolished. In addition, estates considered too large were ordered to be paid to the owner and broken up so that the old owners could reinvest into the economy. When the Shah died unexpectedly in 1905, people genuinley mourned him. Over the next hundred years, Parthia continued to grow. With the army reforms of Shah Ardeshir XI after World War II and the successful test of nuclear weapons in 1964, the Parthians paved the way for the current reign of Shah Khosru, hegemon of the Middle East.

Government and Politics

Parthia is an absolute monarchy, with the Shah controlling all things and everything he wants. People often advise him, and with weak rulers, factions play each other off regularly. Corporations also hold some sway. The government on average, is libertarian to all people of Aryan orgin, who over the past 50 years have been helped to middle class status or better, but for Hazara and Arabs, who are treated like dirt, there exists no freedom. Poor people have no rights and are segregated into ghettos and let out only to work.

Defense is the main priority of Parthian spending, with over 45% of the budget going to it. No social entitlement programs exist whatsoever. Taxes vary considerably, but a 0% income tax on Aryans is common while poor people are expected to pay 90% income taxes. In addition, many ethnic minorites are required to pay a right to live tax.

Economy

The economy of Parthia is absolutley massive and very powerful. Buisnesses of all sizes exist in the Shahdom, and the population of wealthy entrepreneurs is large. Corporations are virtually unrestricted, and many happily support the Shahs who are happy to support them with virtually no restriction. Noble familes often own large companies on the side, The Sardarizadehs, Teymorians, Baharis, and even the royal family are large corporate owners. Slave labour is very common, and benefits Parthia's economy considerably

Religion

The official religion of Parthia is Zoroastrianism and has been since 224. 65% of Parthia is Zoroastrian. Following them, are the Mithraists, who make up 5% of the population, the Armenian Orthodox, 3%, and the Atheists and Agnostics, 2.4%. The remainder are usually Islamic.

Culture

Parthia today is an interesting mixture of Iranian and western influences. Kabob houses sit next to Coca Cola vending carts while many cities have a sort of Times Square advertising zone of Western and Parthian products in Western style with Persian text. Pop music of western style with native insturments and Persian lyrics are common. Persian poetry recitations and Western plays are both existing in Parthia.