The Inner Sphere: Astrokaszy

World Name: Astrokaszy

Star Type: G4V

Position in System: 3

Time to Jump Point: 7.98 days

Recharging Station: None

Noble Ruler: Varies from region to region

ComStar Facility Class: B

ComStar Representative: Precentor Girindas Blaine

Population: 200,000-500,000 (estimated)

Percentage and Level of Native Life: 10%, Mammal

Description:

Huge bands of semi-barbarian nomads under the control of various Caliphs inhabit this dry wind-swept world. The Caliphate cities contain some notable remnants of technology, and a few even have the ability to manufacture munitions and energy weapons. For the most part, however, technology is on the decline all across the planet.

Origins and History

The typical Astrokaszi is a fearless fighter and a lover of blood sports, who still practices the warrior life and philosophy of his ancestors. Indeed, since the planet's founding, the surviving population fragmented as it expanded, as charismatic leaders rose to form their own self-imposed rule. Many of Astrokaszy's cities still show a marked Moslem influence because of the influence of the original Crimson Reapers, many of whom were Moslem. The result is a collection of jeweled oases reminiscent of the Arabian Nights, though with a decidedly sinister aspect. Lying between the Marian Hegemony and the Free Worlds League , Astrokaszy is a planet with a distinctly Arabic ambiance. Inhabited by bands of roving hunters and slavers, it is divided into a number of local "Caliphates" under the control of local suzerains. The largest of these is the Caliphate of Omar Shervanis, a fifth-generation descendant of the mercenary leader who settled Astrokaszy in 2892 after breaking a contract with his Free Worlds League employers.

Caliph Shervanis has a well-deserved reputation for avarice and sadism, and his favorite pastime is seizing the dominions of neighboring Pashas. Captives taken in battle by the Caliphate's nomadic hordes are typically slain in a variety of ritualistic blood-lettings, which are staged as gala spectacles for the amusement of Shervanis's subjects. Shervanis maintains power through his possession of the planet's only BattleMechs, two aging Clints and a Warhammer, which are the remains of his grandfather's mercenary force.

For all his ruthlessness, Shervanis is a crafty statesman. Since murdering his father in 2992, the Caliph has encouraged visits from the occasional off world trader and has permitted the establishment of a ComStar facility within his domains. Shervanis has been angling for increased ties with the Free Worlds League, with an eye toward trading a wealth of precious stones and spices for additional BattleMechs and trained MechWarriors, which would permit further aggressive expansion against his neighbors. Not surprisingly, many of Shervanis's rivals have also decided to open trade with the Inner Sphere to secure a similar arrangement. ComStar has attempted to reintegrate the inhabitants into the interstellar community by introducing non-military technologies and reeducation programs. To date, these efforts have met with only marginal success, as the various Pashas and desert sheiks of Astrokaszy continue to vie for dominance.

In 3025, however, an invasion force from the Marian Hegemony descended on Astrokaszy, ostensibly to seek revenge for an assassination attempt against Hegemony leader Marius O'Reilly. The Marian leaders claimed that the government of Astrokaszy was harboring a Marik agent who had engineered the failed assassination. The Marian invaders easily took control of the planet, and within days Astrokaszy's ruling federation collapsed, as each city-state attempted to curry favor with the planet's new rulers and advance its own interests. Almost immediately forces from the Magistracy of Canopus, Circinus Federation, and the Illyrian Palatinate landed on the planet, ostensibly at the invitation of various Astrokaszian city-states. These forces convinced the Marian Hegemony to abandon its claim to the planet, but not before attracting a peace-keeping force from the Free Worlds League, which had apparently grown uneasy at the unrest on its border.

Despite the Marik intervention, several neighboring Periphery powers, as well as the Federated Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine, continued to provide covert military support and experienced combat instructors to Astrokaszy's city-states. Evidence suggests that the Davion and Kurita governments used the ongoing Astrokaszian civil war as a field laboratory to test various new weapons systems and tactics, and as a training ground for covert units. The Marik peace-keeping force abandoned Astrokaszy in 3032, but the conflict continued to range for six more years. Relative peace returned to Astrokaszy only after all outside powers had withdrawn the support from the decimated city-states.

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