Amazon nation World building ideas

The nation in question is a somewhat recent development, the area's historically been isolationist but since "The supreme commander", a wizard and former adventurer, took up residence it's become even more, aided in part by being nestled in a easily defensible valley accessible only by a handful of passes. The nation is not officially recognized by any of it's neighbors, but this is fairly common for most such "adventurer kingdoms", what's not common is how long the supreme commander's ruled, most such nations tend to fall, if not to their leader's own foolhardiness, than simply due to them lacking heirs able to equal the deeds of their founders. The supreme commander on the other hand has managed to rule for several generations now, kept alive and youthful by the various elixirs they've dedicated their retirement to inventing and sticking around long enough that most of their deeds have become a historical footnote outside of the nation. Inside they're kept alive though many very exaggerated retellings, often with an emphasis on how great their leader is and how lucky the people are to follow them.
Recently the nation's been gaining some minor notoriety because it's started sending out mercenary bands to look for work in neighboring lands, all of which are women and all quite large and muscular. While this land has never been entirely closed off, information is slow to leave it so the most of what's known is from the few traders who leave and from the mercenary bands themselves. Apparently for the past few decades the supreme leader's been experimenting on the effect of their elixirs on the population, particularity the female half, and the effects seem to be largely beneficial, even if it doesn't always take.


Potion effects
Stage 1/Common: the basis for all further enhancements, currently around 40% of the female population has been enhanced by it, with plans to eventually role out to the 80-90% who can safely take it, grants +2 Str and Con and causes a noticeable growthspurt over the course of the treatment, adding a few inches to the woman's height
Stage 2/Recruit: Given to those who among the female population who wish to join their leader's military and who pass the initial comparability test, grants an additional +2 Str, Dex, and Con, a noticeable bump in both height, muscle mass, and flexibility, often resulting in them standing a head above their previous height
Stage 3/Soldier: Over the course of their training the recruits are given additional treatments along side their training, which not everyone will fully take to, for those that do they gain +2 Str, Dex, Con, and Cha and powerful build trait (Treated as one size category larger when beneficial to do so, can use armor and weapons as if they were one size category larger). Often hovering around 9ft of muscle this is the typical end result of the military grade treatments, only about 10% of the population can hope to reach this point, though those that do have a noticeable change in personality at the end, often becoming more confidant, willing to take risks and aggressive, wither this is a side effect of the treatments isn't know
Stage 4/Elite: Rarely seen and almost always in a command possition, this is the closest to a finished product the treatments have. Very few girls are compatible with the treatment, but those that are gain +6 dex, +2 con and cha, fast healing 3, speed +10 increase size category to Large (Further +8 str, -2 Dex, +4 Con, +2 NA, -1 AC/Attack, and size/reach boosted to 10ft), standing at around twice the height of a full grown man these amazon's speed, strength, and healing all boosted beyond human levels, it should be noted though, that both the creation and feeding of these warriors have a much higher cost than any of their sisters, each one being a sizable investment of resources for the nation and one they're largely unwilling to risk outside of their boarders
Stage 5/Experimental: It's rumored the leader is still experimenting yet, making new versions for reasons only known to themselves
(Mostly a catchall for anything beyond level for, but if I had to give a sample I'd say, Size boosted to huge, Dex +4, Con +4, speed +20, fast heal 8, maybe DR 3/-)


Things I haven't thought through
>Alternate minor boosts
This can't be the only thing the supreme commander created, what other elixirs could they have made?

>Side effects/washouts
I kinda like the idea narrativly, but I can't think of any good effect to use them for other than just window dressing,

>Military academy
How effective is it for those who it turns out can't take the elixirs?
One anon suggested it be on an island, maybe those who can't take them instead get transferred to a navel academy and defend their country there?

>How/why are the people loyal to the leader
I was sorta thinking of making the nation have a not quite N.Korea/crazy dictator in charge feel to it, but not sure of to what degree nor if they actually believe in the propaganda or in what the commander is doing

>Why is the commander doing it
I have half a mind to have the commander to come off as a bit odd in the head, half doing it cause they can and have a whole (albeit small) nation at their disposal to experiment with, I like the idea the commander's a woman, but androgynous enough to not immediately be recognizably so and may/may not plan to have the treatments done to herself once she makes them "perfect"


Rumors/spare ideas
>Commander's not been seen for quite a while, rumor is something horrific went wrong with one of their experiments and they're no longer in charge
>The Amazons are just stage one, the commander's trying to make a full blown biological caste system based on some arbitrary logic known only to them
>The treatments don't just work on females, the commander's just a little weird like that
>Someone's stole how to make the elixirs and creating their own versions, it's a little lower quality though and while it still grants the benefits there are some very worrying side effects
>As above but the commander's on the warpath to get it back, what exactly they stole isn't fully known but it might even be some sort of catalyst that the commander NEEDS to create more amazons

>/d/iviant stuff
Will edit in later, dinner time now