Audonia

Audonia is a continent located in The Mashriq, a region in the eastern hemisphere between the southern Levantine Ocean and Ocean of Cathay. Audonia is composed of three distinct regions: the southwest region of Daria, the northern region of Al'qarra, and the western portion of the continent known as Dolong. Audonia is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse regions in the world and has been considered "the melting pot of the world". The continent is home to some of the first human civilizations in the world and plays a critical geopolitical role in the Eastern world and globally due to its vast reserves of oil and natural gas.

To the southwest is Daria, often hailed as the cradle of Islamic civilization. This region serves as the cultural epicenter for the Dariac people and has significantly shaped the overarching religious and philosophical ethos of Audonia with its deep-rooted traditions and customs. Some of the earliest human settlements have been found in Daria, with its history going back as far as the Neolithic Revolution. As contact and trade emerged with the Occident world, Daria became an extremely wealthy region as the flow of goods flowed east to west. Notable countries located in Daria include Bulkh, Pukhgundi, Umardwal, Battganuur, and Battganuur.

The region of Al'qarra is located in the northern part of Audonia and is dominated by the Al'qarrai, an ethnocultural group related to the Dariacs. The early Al'qarrai practiced ritual sacrifice, had a social hierarchy consisting of warriors, clerics, and farmers, and recounted their deeds through poetic hymns and sagas. The use of herding is presumed to have been extensive: the climate that varies across the steppe is far from suitable for an agriculturally based society, and nomadic pastoralism provided a solution in both allowing for mobility and for the creation of social organization. As a result, agriculture has always been comparatively minor compared to nomadic pastoralism. There are over 18 Al'qarrai ethnicities, including Diwaisan, Çyrine, Zaclaric, Sainhahise, Akçadaghan, and Turuç. Al'qarrai culture has been extended, celebrated, and incorporated over time due mainly to its geopolitical conditions, and its intricate relationship between the Occident world and Islamic world. The most notable countries in Al'qarra are Kandara, Soirwind, and Zaclaria.

The western portion of Audonia is called Dolong and is geographically distant and culturally exotic compared to the rest of the continent. The people of Dolong contain a diverse range of ethnolinguistic groups that share a common cultural heritage. Some groups, such as the Tiauska, Hurch, and Menzhou, were nomads who migrated into Dolong and mixed with the native Daxian, Rusani, Xingkai and Hao people. The Daxian people are the most populous ethnicity in Dolong and have shaped the politics, society, and history of the region. Daxia was a major regional power in Dolong and had exerted influence on tributary states and neighboring states, among which were Canpei, Huoxia, and Rusana,. Daxian inventions influenced, and were in turn influenced by, innovations of the other cultures in governance, philosophy, science, and the arts. The written Daxian language became the regional lingua franca for literary and scientific exchange, and Daxian characters became locally adapted. Notable countries in Dolong include Oyashima, Metzetta, Yueguo, and Daxia.

The history of Audonia can be divided into 6 main eras: classical antiquity, the pre-Islamic era, the Islamic age, the post-Caliphate era, and the modern period. The classical antiquity period covers approximately x years, from X date to the 3rd century AD. This period saw increased contact with the Occident world through the Istroyan civilization, which led to a rise in wealth in the region. Many kingdoms rose to prominence and fought over control over key ports and trading outposts. This led to a deeper fusion of eastern and western culture and had a profound impact on the arts in Audonia, specifically in religion, philosophy, and visual arts such as sculpture and architecture. As Islam emerged in the 6th century from Daria, it rapidly spread throughout the continent and gave rise to the Oduniyyad Caliphate in 624. The Oduniyyad Caliphate ruled for almost 900 years and engaged in constant conquest, expanding to include most of the Audonian continent and making its way west into Sarpedon. The Caliphate's massive empire helped spread Islam around the world and Audonian became the language of scholars alike. Dozens of mosques, madrasahs (colleges), hospitals, zāwiyahs, and caravansaries exist around the world, and there is a plethora of biographical dictionaries and encyclopaedias. The gradual collapse of the Caliphate beginning in the 11th century and complete by the 16th century briefly restored Audonia as a place of cultural interchange and wealth along with significant state competition and warfare. The arrival of Bergendii and other Occidental influences led to a general decline in western Audonia as gradually diminished its economy and prestige. By the late 20th century, most of western Audonia had reestablished a degree of independence from the Occident, but significant colonial holdings and influenced states remain. By this time, the continent had become home to many proxy wars related to the Occidental Cold War, and competing Occidental influences continue to play a major role in political divisions throughout the continent.

History
Audonia established ties with the Occident in the earliest part of, as advanced Audonian sailmaking techniques allowed Audonians to sail west across the Sea of Istroya; the return trip was much more difficult due to prevailing winds and was only mastered later in Antiquity. Through its connections east with Alshar and west with the Ancient Istroyan civilization, Audonia became a wealthy trade hub which controlled the flow of both goods and knowledge between the far west and east. Audonia during antiquity became a place of relative diversity, and the lack of a single great empire in the continent during the period meant military, cultural, and economic competition between its many polities and city-states flourished.

The Oduniyyad Caliphate united most of the continent, excepting Siphost, by the end of the 7th century.

The Audonian Golden Age was an era of unprecedented cultural and scientific flourishing in Audonia.

Audonia spent much of the as the object of  competition between Burgundie and Kiravia, in which Burgundie ultimately prevailed.

Audonian Christianity

Religion
Audonia is home to a broad range of religious denominations. Islam was founded in Audonia and spread by the expanding Oduniyyad Caliphate in the 800's and today both Sunni, Shia Twelver and smaller schools have large number of adherents in various parts of the continent. In similar fashion Christianity arrived very early in Audonia. Christians are divided between ancient practitioners and those of Levantine descent who arrived in the age of colonialism or were converted by colonial-era missionaries. Forms of animism and ancestor worship are widespread. Daxia enforces an almost blanket ban on all religions thereby being one of the only nations to have state enforced atheism.