Galmha, officially The Grand Northern Kingdom of Galmha (Galmhese: Oh Goh Kuu Hôc Daj Goh Kuu Gal Mâ) is the northernmost province of the Torivian Empire, encompassing the entirety of the Galmha Mountain Range, the Coast of Broken Dreams (Khâch Phâ Khâi Mok Xia Xa Dânh), and the land surrounding the dormant volcano Mt Hargamat (Har Ga Mhât Daj Vô Zan). It is bordered to the south by the Sinverland Kingdoms (Oh Goh Kuu Nham Goh Kuu Shin Vâ Lhân).

Galmha has a population of 9 million, consisting largely of two mongoloid ethnic groups: the Hakuxia-galmha (white haired) and the Romuxia-galmha (black haired), which make up 46.0% and 41.8% of the population respectively. There also exists a minority caucasoid ethnic group, the Ko people; taking up 11.3% of the population, they are a recognised group under the Galmhese government, which issues edicts in Koese in regions where the Ko people make up a significant portion of the population.

While still under the jurisdiction of the central imperial government of Torivian, Galmha maintains a great degree of autonomy, with its monarch possessing the right, under the Treaty of Zhinzhezhi (Zîn Zê Zî Niep Vân), to full internal self government (except the ability to declare total war).

Galmha is the largest exporter of copper in the Torivian Empire, possessing massive malachite and bornite deposits under its mountain territories. Smaller sectors exist for the export of butter, silk clothes, and weapons. In addition, Galmha is also famed for its elite archers, known as the Khama, who are famed throughout the Torivian Empire for their unrivalled skill and bravery in battle.

Founded by the warlord Nasse 1,400 years ago, Galmha experienced relative stability as a kingdom under Nasse’s descendants. Only two periods stand out: the civil war led by the rogue governor Ky Luc, which lasted for five years, and the War of Toxxov led by King Lethe II, which ended with the absorption of the Kingdom of Toxxov into Galmha, but also massive financial and social instability within Galmha itself that eventually resulted in Galmha’s joining the Torivian Empire as a Grand Province, upon the signing of the Treaty of Zhinzhezhi by King Maru-Telvhe III. The line of Nasse remains largely unbroken, except for the 72nd Succession, where the deceased king was succeeded by his half brother; this is because the Galmhese royal family practises polygamy, with sons borne by concubines also considered eligible for the throne. Women may not become the monarch, but on two occasions, the kingdom was ruled by an Empress Dowager during periods of confusion over successor hierarchy.

Galmhese Naming Conventions (Gal Mâ Nam Tuan Lhô)

Galmhese names consist of a personal name (Jî Nam), a formal name (Gê Jhông Nam), and a family name (The Mok Nam).

There are extensive rules surrounding the social situations in which certain parts of a name are used; in most cases, the personal name is off limits to all but the bearer of the name and those closest to him, with the formal name being the name used to address the person. Surnames are generally not used to address others, its main purpose being to identify the person’s lineage (especially important where persons of noble background are concerned).

Illegitimate children and orphans do not have surnames. They are simply addressed in formal writing by their personal and formal names, unless a surname has been accorded to the individual in question.

The ruling monarch does not have a surname or a personal name; he is known simply by his formal name, as the personal name is dropped upon ascension. Those close to the King, however, may address him by the personal name by which he was known before ascending to the throne. Some linguists and historians argue, however, that “Nasse” (the name of the first King, and, thus far, the name of the only family to have ruled Galmha) should be the surname of the king. Under this alternate naming convention, the incumbent Hhamhakhal IX would be addressed as “Hhamhakhal ro Nasse IX” (“Hhamhakhal of Nasse, the Ninth”).

There exists a peculiarity in the way royalty is addressed; according to Galmhese religion, the highest authority among the Galmhese people is “he who conquers”, with this being taken to mean the incumbent ruler of the Nasse dynasty; as the Torivian Emperor did not gain jurisdiction over the Galmhese lands through war but through a treaty, Romunism does not accord him with the position of highest authority. As such, while the central imperial government is the highest political authority, the Galmhese King is still religiously superior within the Galmhese lands. To circumvent this rather odd contradiction, wherein only the Galmhese King may be addressed as “Majesty”, diplomats from Galmha to the central government address the Emperor as “Imperial Highness”, according him political authority beyond that of the King, yet without undermining the authority of “The Conqueror” as endorsed by the teachings of Romunism.

Galmhese Military (Gal Mâ Mu Gûn Tâi)

The Galmhese Army consists only of a land division; having little interest in its only oceanic border, Galmha does not maintain a naval defence force.

The size of the Galmhese military currently stands at 90,000; of these, 1,600 are commissioned officers, and 9,000 are noncommissioned officers.

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Commissioned Officers (Yû Ghoch Mu Khait Nang)

The Galmhese Army’s system of officership is unique (and controversial) in that all commissioned officers are trained from very young ages to serve their duties. The children who are drafted into officer training range from 4 to 8 years old, and are either orphans (defined under Galmhese law as being under the charge of the King) or involuntarily drafted by their parents. The families of the latter are granted full exemption from taxes; as such, many children who are drafted into the officer training corps hail from families of lower socioeconomic status.

This system is maintained under the belief that the prowess of a military leader raised with martial upbringing from a young age will usually be superior to a military leader without such upbringing; as a result, unless under exceptional circumstances (such as the promotion of a warrant officer of exceptional track record), fully commissioned officers in the Galmhese army often begin their official service at the age of 18.

Commissioned officers are distinguished from enlisted soldiers by the colours they wear. The ceremonial uniforms of commissioned officers comprise a maroon tunic and trousers, a golden silk sash around the waist, white gloves, and a white cloak with gold embossing (noncommissioned ceremonial uniforms are dependant on the respective units). Non-ceremonial uniforms, on the other hand, depend on the respective units.

(Note: Because Galmha’s military has traditionally preferred mobility to protection, most uniforms are, despite the extreme temperatures of the Galmha mountains, not very thick; soldiers are, instead, trained to endure these temperatures. The relatively thin uniforms, especially those used for ceremonial purposes, have the added benefit of being compatible with warmer climates.)

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Khama Archer Corps (Kâ Ma Kông Nien Tâi)
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