Pronunciation: er-SHAHD
The Ershadi Empire was an ancient empire that directly controlled or influenced nearly half the world. It has had a long-lasting influence on the world even after its collapse.
The empire invested greatly in the construction and maintenance of a road system, some parts of which continue to be maintained. They also spent significant efforts charting ocean passages for establishing trade routes. These combined efforts facilitated easier travel, which led to the establishment or strengthening of broad trade networks. It also facilitated migration, which produced many mixed communities (of different ancestries), which are still present today.
“Common” was the official language of the Ershadi Empire, and between its use for legal and administrative purposes, and the migration patterns noted above, the language become widespread and used across many cultures, although many cultures also retain other ancestral languages as well.
Use of the Ershadi calendar also remains widespread, as is the Ershadi method for numbering years. In many cases, however, regional variants also exist, and many places track both the Ershadi year as well as the years counting from the beginning of the current monarch's or leader's reign.
The Ershadi Empire eventually collapsed as a result of a highly contagious and deadly plague that wiped out anywhere from 30-60% of the population in many major cities. With the widespread loss of life, many regions restricted travel to try to contain the disease, which shifted power from the central empire to the various regional governments. The empire's military was also suffering losses at the time, and thus did not have sufficient capacity to enforce the empire's power. When the last emperor, Emperor Kazem Fatollahi, himself died of the plague, the empire crumbled.