Turn 21: 1230-1290 ED (1100-1040 BCE)
By Dayshade and Isfendil with advice from Tyche Expansion and ConsolidationThe balance of power between center and periphery is violated in many different parts of the world during this period. In some regions this would be a continuing trend, whereas in others it would be a new phenomenon, but all would see either the employment or subsuming by folk who before had little time in the limelight.
OCEANIAOceania would be one of the most peaceful regions in this period. It would not be without drama, however.
TuuleareFor one, more Tuuleare trade cities would be founded along the lake coasts. The East Tuuleare would, thanks to trade with the Hrani Chahirlu, indirectly receive advanced well-digging techniques from the Ayriens, who in turn learned it from the Dhashq long beforehand. This would allow the Easterners to expand rapidly into the interior forests of the continent, bring their Moas with them. The expansion was the result of building population pressures that, thanks to this development, were alleviated before catastrophe could destabilize them. Another dramatic happenstance comes from the Eastern Tuuleare – the first instance of signed literature. We get the name of these folk from this very document- furthermore, it is the last surviving excerpt from a colonist’s diary, making it the oldest known of such documents. The language can be read because it is in Hranish script and because long after this period we have bilingual writings that allowed it to be back-translated. This draws attention to another dramatic change: Eastern Tuuleare, by 1290 ED have adopted, wholesale, a simplified version of the Hranish script. Documents such as these begin appearing at the end of this period. The introduction of writing to the Tuuleare would set the stage for social upheaval to come in following years.
Excerpt from the diary fragment:
“Niadea’s eggs have all hatched. One stillborn, two healthy. It is very fortuitous. I give thanks to the Goddess for this fortune. We will prepare the stillborn for the sacrifice. Nusuamir has drawn water from the earth as obligated. The longhouse has been built. The stars shift and a change in season will come soon- I will marry myself to Nusuamir then. I have three moas, it should be enough. The Gods smile upon the World of Men.”World of Men->[Tu-u-lɛ-a-rɛ]/ tūle.are/ Person-GEN.PL_world
The name of the author is unfortunately unknown, as are the genders of both the author and this well digger Nusuamir. The Goddess referenced is not named, although it is possibly Mengisa, the goddess of bounty whose patron animal is a Moa.
Much information about (East and Central) Tuuleare culture and customs will come into the historical record for the first time after the 1290s.
Ancient Tuuleare language is peculiar. Some suggest it is distantly related to Hranish, and there is both evidence for and against this claim (the distance is large if there is relation). What is known about it phonologically is that it is fairly vowel heavy, with five vowels and contrasts in vowel length. It has bilabial, alveolar, and velar stops and nasals, the glides [w] and [j], the rhotics [ɹ~ʀ], [l~ɭ], and [r~ɽ], a single fricative, [s~ɕ], and refuses to cluster consonants together, preferring V+CV structure.
Hrani Chahirlu and HratheenthThe Hranish begin expanding
in earnest into the Southern Archipelago, colonizing island after island and establishing a wide range of successful settlements and trade ports (albeit all being rather small). As was mentioned, they are now in prolonged contact with the Tuuleare, to the point where writing has finally been transmitted to the Oceanic continent. Furthermore, as the Hranish sailing berth grows wider, it catches new destinations- the Chahirlu’s first records of sustained contact with the Acoumese islands comes down to us from this period. It is more or less peaceful, pleasant, and strongly trade oriented.
The original reaction to skin stories among the Hranish was one of abhorrence, although more prolonged contact has reduced this strong dislike to a morbid curiosity. All the same, the Hranish priesthood has decried this practice for the Chahirlu. By the end of this period, though, Hranish burial practices will have changed so that the deceased are now wrapped with inscribed cloth or other textiles before burial, although the contents of these vary wildly, almost to comical affect. One such mummy-wrapping story describes well-known Hranish myths or theological quotes; another, the vast sexual conquests of the deceased.
The Hratheenth (or Hrathēnth, transcriptions differ) continue to carve an existence out of the colder southern islands they’ve come to inhabit, developing centers of culture and trying their damnedest to expand opportunities for resource extraction. Their farms are growing larger and, it seems, they are importing Moas, although it seems like most of these imports yield little profit. All things considered, the Hrathēnth islands’ role as a civilizational wellspring is still embryonic during this period.
Southern EurasiaHennyur Daar and the MosilaThe Kingdom of Hennyur Daar begins its great naval enterprise, as the outposts on all of its far holdings begin producing at the behest of the emperor Mulechetin VI (styled the “sixth” as apparently the Hennyur continue the Teujja king list). The largest armada of the ancient world continues a massive project of expansion and eventually war when Mulechetin’s empire knocks at the doors of the Mosilese city states and their Khaengun kingdom.
In the meantime though, the fleet served as a massive ferry and production network, ferrying people (often slaves) and goods from place to place and distributing the Juumadaari population more evenly throughout the islands as a result. This had the added effect of essentially entrenching the Juumadaar in their newly acquired lands. Furthermore, they now had prolonged contact with the Hrani Chahirlu, and by extension, the Tuuleare.
This great fleet was in part so successful because it made use of the first triremes, ships with three rows of oars. These were likely derived from Acoumese Biremes, although the reason why they never appeared in large quantities until now was probably because the construction method of Acoumese biremes was a closely guarded secret. Furthermore, the Emperor Mulechetin’s father, Agyattsa, had revolutionized imperial production by coming up with the idea for rudimentary workshops. These workshops were not interlinked- there was no supply chain- but the divvying of tasks to cadres of specialists allowed for rapid production.
Painting of a TriremeThe Deep Cults continue to grow greater in prominence, becoming the prime cults of the now massive seafaring population of the Juumadaar. Regalia, sails, and decorated hulls are rampant, emblazoned with iconography of great serpents, krakens, whales, and all manner of chimeric combinations – the symbols and images of the Deep Gods that the Juumadaar had coopted. The failure of the old Gin-Ja religion to tolerate and accept these new gods would spell its doom among the Hennyur Daar.
The import of Moas did little for the Hratheenth, but for some reason, certain settlements show signs of successful Moa husbandry in Juumadaar territory. It is therefore assumed that this is the period in which the Moa finally finds its way out of Oceania and into the hands of the Juumadaar, although the time of large Moa farms is not yet at hand.
At the end of this period, the war begins. One thing is certain, Mulechetin was prepared for and perhaps even desiring of the long haul. A steady, constant campaign of mounting piratical harassments is visited upon the coastal and island Mosila city states, weakening them considerably over four years. It is the Mosila, ironically, who retaliate first, despite their peace-loving ways. The Lord in Khaengun sends an embassy to the Emperor, demanding that he control the pirates coming from his waters or face the consequences. The Mosila were not expecting any sort of cooperation, as the Lord in Khaengun had also beseeched the satellite states to mobilize (which they had). They then themselves launch a fleet of ships to deal with the pirates, but to disastrous failure, as the single hulled fleet could not compare to the armada of advanced ships that the Emperor sent from his main ports. What followed was an entrenchment, another three years wherein the island city states tried to dig in and repel the invaders, but eventually they fell. By the end of this period, almost all sea trade for the Mosila has been halted by Mulechetin’s pirate “blockade”, and the Emperor is preparing to send a second assault from his newly acquired launch points in the coastal islands.
Coupled with developments to the north, and west, the future of the coastal city states is grim.
Anshin DorThe violence that would convulse Southern Eurasia would not be confined to the Mosila. The instability of the western Tujjaborna polities finally comes to a head, culminating in a series of inter and intrapolitical wars and the destruction of many cities. Unfortunately, none of them would see permanent success before outside upstarts would come sweeping in, toppling the weakened states in their path. These would be savannah nomads, of course, although of a breed not previously seen. North of the Tujjaborna cultural zone a massive explosion had occurred in the Savannahs, several centuries in the making. A combination of Zhimidic nomads, Kathic settlers, and what are likely Ural migrants expelled from Brass lands had been bleeding into the lands of a preexisting albeit very sparse savannah culture for the past few hundred years, and a tipping point had been reached. These people had apparently been admixing for that time, and with the arrival of Ural folk in the past 120 years setting off some kind of spark, as if they had provided some sort of missing ingredient (such is hard to pin down – several new agricultural packages, domesticates, and other technologies not seen in the region before suddenly appear). The most likely culprit being camelid breeds which allowed successful pastoral nomadism to thrive in the drier savannah as well as crops able to tolerate the climate coming in from the mountains and the west.
It is these folk, the Menx, and their mysterious Anshin tribe, who sweep in and conquer the Tujjaborna, as the Uralic folk had swept in and conquered the Brass Empire earlier. There was one crucial difference, however- these Anshin had brought large amounts of their tribesmen with them, or such is related in contemporary sources. Certainly, not enough to outnumber the Tujjaborna, who had been settled for centuries in one of the ancient world’s richest regions, but enough to make significant changes. For one, the Mimrata faith has begun to make inroads in these lands, as has brassmaking technology – furthermore, the Tujjaborna language would acquire a large lexicon of words from Menx languages, words of Kathic and Zhimidic origin, especially in regards to agriculture, the savannah, and animals. The ruling house, the Anshin nobles, would not rule entirely in the traditional way, nor would they pay lip-service to the Gin-Ja. They brought their gods and mixed Menx customs with that of the Tujjaborna ruling class. This would alienate many of the nobles – to unfortunate effect, as the Anshin had no tolerance of descent. The remaining noble families would begin entrenching themselves, mimicking the ways of the ruling Menx, in order to survive. Such is the state of the Daar in this period.
The Toseiji ConquestUnder the banner of the Lord of Strife, the Tosseiji nomads designated a champion to lead them into Shakkadian lands and bring about a glorious conquest. Or, so the legend goes. Whether or not there was some sort of religious plot to designate a great leader among the Tosseiji or that a warlord from among them rose up and propped themselves up that way is unclear. What is clear is that in this period, a mighty military force, under a religious banner, is led by the warlord Nashiaku against the Mojeelhen Mogen and the Keejuon confederacy. This Nashiaku established himself as the “Karn”, a term synonymous with Warleader or emperor by now, in the style of the old Luuxon Karnesa, and made use of a wide array of siege weapons – catapults, siege towers, and the like – to bring down the cities of the Mojeelhen Mogen, and the walled states of the Keejuon. He is also one of the first historical leaders to ever come up with a more advanced military organization – with generals, troop formations, and the like – allowing them to easily overcome their disorganized enemies. Take in mind that neither armor nor equipment were standardized, only groupings based on these.
Nashiaku’s forces would bring down the Mojeelhen Mogen in a single sweep, before dying of the likely stress, and his daughter Kishori Karnu would push past the Keejuon and drive them to the coasts before expanding the empire to sweep up outlying settlements. All of this was done without the use of a navy, though Kishori commissioned one afterwards.
After the conquests were complete (the war with the Keejuon had been fought to a bitter stalemate once the momentum failed), Kishori established a new tradition of rulership. Each of her commanders (who were commanders or the children of commanders in Nashiaku’s force) were consecrated as the founders of twenty six or so Great Houses, each given a section of the land and a specialty charge designed to keep the empire running. Furthermore, she designated her house as the 1st of these twenty six, and so declared that only the most capable of these houses would rule the Toseijirun Karnise, the Empire of Toseiji’s Brood. She would live to the ripe old age of seventy before dying, and upon her death, the great houses, by her dictate, pit themselves against each other, and the last firstborn standing (in this case, a son of the 3rd house Kwoshuki) declared himself the ruler, at the end of this period in 1289 ED.
The Mercantile Keejuon confederacy, permanently removed from its point of prominence in the region, would be pushed south, along the coasts. Several new cities would be founded after the consolidation of the Toseijirun holdings gave them time to breathe. These cities would entrench themselves along the coasts and prove more difficult to assail – it is entirely possible that the Toseiji could have conquered them regardless but the added difficulties seemed to succeed in making that prospect unpalatable. No longer in possession of the land bridge, the Keejuon now had to turn their economic interests to the southern sea trade, and began regularly sending trade ships to the Acoumese, the Anshins, and various polities on the Lahon coast.
Acoum and ChechoThe Kingdoms of Acoum and Checho would prove to be the only polities able to go toe-to-toe with both the Anshin Dor and the Hennyur Daar at sea and resist any sort of land invasion, due to a combination of factors. For one, they had equivalent naval technology and a much older shared naval tradition – for another, their city building and planning had advanced far beyond the original straw villages of the last millennium, to fully integrated states. The Acoumese-Chechot respect for the natural world had these expanding urban centers incorporate the environment into their design – there was to be no clear cutting or burning. Buildings and homes were sometimes even built in and around trees- larger ones used them for supports. The trees here grew thick and sturdy, allowing such strange things to be possible. Furthermore, these cities were meticulously planned- irregularities were either fully accommodated or smoothed out, and in some cases, streets would align to perfection (the concept of a “street” and even an equivalent to the “block” would actually make its way into the vocabulary of the kingdoms’ languages). Mind, these were built of wood and stone with Iron tools, but all the same they are great works, rivaling even the vast urban centers of the Brass Empire or the Khaengun.
Many of these cities were also fortresses – a sort of “proto-castle” – which is what contributed to the unassailability of the two great island kingdoms. Their constant skirmishes with the maritime empires of the south served to greatly improve relations between them (though there was not much hostility to begin with) and prompted them to establish a more symbiotic relationship. In terms of government, these kingdoms did not solely rest power with the despotic ruler – both the aristocracy and a merchant class had officially sanctioned power – but the ruler enforced the law.
Arguably the greatest achievement of these kingdoms is that they’d be the first in this region (even beating the Khaengun) to come up with an explicit code of secular laws, possibly with the Hrani Chahirlu code as an impetus. Furthermore, these would not be some formulaic list of possible offenses such as the Prime Code of the Hrani Chahirlu, but would dive deep into various precedents and essentially come up with rules based on what could only be the recognizable ethics of Ancient Acoumese-Chechot society for how authority figures could arbitrate new cases and disputes. The Checho-Acoum Code (which in a twist of irony had no official endonym besides “the Law”) is one of the most valuable sociological texts of the ancient world and the biggest insight we have into the worldview of the ancient West Shakkadi islanders.
Hijjanianic CulturesHijjanianic cultures south of Bengal, ancient (at least in the east) but long relatively stagnant, begin in this period to show development, with one area emerging as a proper civilization. In the Irrawaddy and Salween basins, the arrival over the past few centuries of new higher yielding cereal crop varieties from traders has led to an increase in population and the first large cities appearing. Though limited written records and many other technologies one might not expect to see in such an until now rural region have been dated to centuries before this period, the script until now appeared to be a little changed version of that of Tosjatat (which, as another Hijjanianic land, lent its script easily to these basins), probably imported to the region by trade and immigration. In this period, a new script, first associated with the priests of the temples of the Hijjanianic pantheon (typical the gods of the rain and the sun, owing to the pronounced wet and dry seasons of the area, but also those for Tasjo, syncretized from Tosjatat) emerges and begins to be used for more than simple record keeping, but also for the recording of history and mathematical ideas. An approximation of pi to 22/7 is dated to 1280 ED in the largest city state, the trade hub located at the mouth of the Irrawaddy, centered around the city of Daguvar, one of the most accurate approximations in the world at the time.
Meanwhile, in the Malay peninsula, Sumatra, and Java, more advanced farming techniques and other technologies (such as iron, which has recently arrived) continue to spread thanks to contact from traders, typical of Awajic or Bornic origin, causing the population to increase notably. Idols for both the native Hijjanianic pantheon, still recognizable here, and those originating from the cultures of traders, become more common. Notably, the Shabhan culture emerges in Java, differentiated from the Masutrans (themselves differentiated from the eastern Hijjanianic people by their greater use of rice and seafood and increased focus on sea worship) by their farming of coffee and chocolate, their creation of burial mounds for their dead of all social classes, and the increased presence of ancestor worship relative to other Hijjanianic cultures, believed to be linked to the aforementioned mounds.
Languages of the Hijjani-Ayrien familyComparative linguistics on this family can be conducted as early as this era thanks to the advent of written records. Thanks to these records, several conclusions can be made:
As of this period, Ayrien (Ayrietse), South Hijjanianic (Also known as Hejenayata) and North Hijjanianic (Tosjatata) have formed as discrete branches of the Hijjani-Ayrien language family, separated by time and distance. The dialects of Tosjatata languages have a much greater degree of mutual intelligibility with each other than Hejenayata languages, who in turn form an areal zone with each other, and the Ayrien languages are themselves splitting into Northwest (Hejenayata influenced) and Southeast (Awajic influenced) dialects. At this point, there are perhaps about two or three known “languages” in each branch of the family, and they still share numerous phonological and morphological similarities, but the seeds of linguistic drift have been planted.
It should be noted that the three names for the branches were taken from the contemporaneous titles of the most major languages in each branch during this period (the catch all name Hijjanian is an old, partially attested, partially reconstructed word with some common ethnonymic meaning).
(A.N: It is this author’s opinion that the cultures be known from here on by their more current names. The label currently listed as “Hijjanianic” should be renamed to Hejenayan, the Hijjanianic culture in Tosjatat be renamed to “Tosjatan”, etc.)
Western Eurasia and MadagascarDhasqar and TosjatatIn Western Eurasia, this period is dominated by the full-scale invasion of Tosjatat by the Dhašq. By 1200 ED, most of the northern city states of Tosjatat had agreed to pay a moderate tribute to Dhašq warlords in exchange for a halting of raids, which had led to Dhašq expansion further west as a substitute. But as Tosjatat continued to explode in population and settle new cities further and further up the Ganges River, tensions began to rise again, both due to the new settlements getting closer to the Dhašq heartland, and to the sun-worshipping faith (the majority faith in Tosjatat) the Dhašq hated so much. However, driving back the waves of settlers, who were increasingly better at defending themselves, could not be done without more unity.
As it turned out, a unifying figure would soon appear. A man named Nan Gišar (meaning “son of Gišar”), born in 1235 ED and the youngest son of a Dhašq warlord, raised to become a priest rather than a general, would claim to receive visions and commands from the Five Gods. Around 1253 ED, he is first recorded in Dhašq writings variously as "a listener to the Gods," "the prophet," or an insane person. He describes an elaborate view of the nature of the world: that it was created by six gods, but that after creation, the sixth god fell and created evil in the world, and had been imprisoned by the other five, using much of their power, in the sun. Perhaps his most history-changing proclamation was that while worship of the Five Gods strengthened the prison of the "evil one," and worship of lesser spirits did no harm, worship of the Sun actively weakened the prison, the destruction of which would spell the end of the world - and as such, the Mimrata were effectively devil worshippers that must be destroyed for the greater good of the world. Not only were Nan Gišar's descriptions of his communications compelling even to the relatively conservative priesthood, as he was extremely well versed in the older texts and started the novel practice of meditation in order to "become in tune with the will of the Gods," but they made up an extremely convenient set of beliefs for both ambitious conquerors and the zealous seeking to fight against the Mimrata.
Nan Gišar quickly found many followers, among common people, the priesthood, and most importantly, his older siblings, who became some of his greatest supporters. Some of them were skilled generals and negotiators, and could convince many rival warlords to accept to their brother's teachings. By 1265 ED, a vast army had been raised, with divine blessing from the priesthood, the majority having accepted Nan Gišar's teachings. An unprecedented level of political (albeit not cultural) unity arose among the Dhašq, as the army set out to conquer Tosjatat. Primitive battering rams found their first real use in the campaign, and the walls of Tosjatat cities were no match for the army. In just a few years the entire northern half of Tosjatat was conquered. The conquerors forced the previous rulers of each city they defeated to renounce the Mimijrant or be executed, desecrated temples, and propped up the now minority faith of Tasjo worship, along with proselytizing their own faith. By this point, Southern Tosjatat states, realizing that the Dhašq would not stop with the north, had begun to work together against the newly united "barbarians," and raised an army greatly outnumbering that of the invaders to meet them at the city of Tosjatat (the original city of the ancient namesake civilization) in 1270, but were routed and destroyed with a now considered ingenuous encircling technique. The Dhašq force marched triumphantly into the city and its grand temples razed. Following this victory, the invasion slowed down as the Dhašq were forced to deal with peasant revolts and assassinations of their generals further north, but by 1290 ED had still subdued nearly all of Tosjatat.
Nan Gišar, who never ventured to Tosjatat despite the conquests being done in his and the gods' name, had apparently committed suicide in 1276 ED. Dhašq writings of the time mention that he had said that "the gods were silent" and eventually refused to speak to others in the final months before his suicide. Modern historians suggest that he may have had Bipolar Disorder, associating the end of his life with a depressive episode and his claims of hearing the gods and receiving visions with mania. Nevertheless, the legacy of Nan Gišar in Western Eurasia would define the region for years to come.
Awajic SpeakersWith the Dhašq conquest of Tosjatat occurring to the east, the Awajic speaking states in the west received relief from Dhašq raids, although the proselytization coming from the lands to the east was unchanged or slightly increased. No rulers had yet converted to a non-native faith and most common people are believed to also have remained unconverted. Advancements in the design of ships are dated to this period, with newer designs of galleys appearing first in the Pact of Boganda and then quickly expanding to elsewhere in the region. The interactions between the Pact, Awajic Kingdom, and Ayrien and Shiu kingdoms are generally peaceful, though those closest to the Dhašq continue to focus on growing their navy and improving the walls of their cities, hearing of the new battery ram technology being used against Tosjatat. In hopes of deterring the Dhašq from a future invasion, as has happened in the century beforehand, several Ayrien kingdoms join the Pact and ban the Mimijrant in hopes of appeasing possible invaders.
Trading expeditions dating to this period from the Awajic states are known as far south as Sumatra. The trade conducted there is believed to have accelerated the development of civilization in those regions in the coming centuries. Further north, merchants take no stance on the war between Tosjatat and the Dhašq, with trade hardly changing at all when city states are conquered by the Dhašq. Wealthy devout Tosjatati Mimrata are known to have paid to travel with the merchants to the west to resettle in a place where their faith was legal, bringing with them new ideas and goods, but in no great number.
Ayriens and PriqueThousands of miles from the subcontinent, the Prique continue to develop. More kingdoms pop up, reliant on trade and fishing, and the islands to the north are settled by both Ayriens who never settled on Madagascar and those who did, the Prique. Trading routes between Madagascar and the subcontinent are increasingly strong and records from multiple kingdoms dating to as early as 1280 ED mention hearing of a great war on the subcontinent, almost certainly the Dhašq invasion of Tosjatat, showing that the spread of news is fast, though not as fast as the Hranish networks much further south. As a result of the trade networks, Ayrien settled islands become richer, with several small cities popping up as waypoints for traders. In general, traders do not make the full journey from the subcontinent to Madagascar, and most will not see both ends of the route during their lifetimes, but with more advanced ships for faster ocean voyages slowly being developed in Madagascar, this may change soon. Mainland Africa is still dismissed as a backwater, with Eurasia being heralded as a land of riches, though trading voyages do sometimes occur. Some of the most distant Mimijrant temples in the world are found in the coastal region of Madagascar, though it is only a very minor faith here.
Inland in Madagascar, farmers have become increasingly well adapted to the cool oceanic climate, making increasing use of native crops that grow better than the imported crops from the subcontinent, though the population remains relatively low compared to elsewhere in the world. Elaborate shrines carved into the hills and mountains dedicated to the Ayrien gods were built in these locations. Iron tools are first dated here around 1270 ED, being one of the last regions to begin using them. The lands here are generally peaceful and equitable, without states or warlords.
Middle EurasiaBefore written records can corroborate with any degree of accuracy, cultural fragments from archeology of Transoxiana and the surrounding area suggest its settlement by East Zhimidic peoples. Following in the footsteps of the Dhašq before them, these East Zhimidic folk began leading combined pastoralist and agriculturalist lifestyles, relying on a combination of nomadism and fixed settlements. The latter strategy would be used the deeper into forested land they went, although clearing forests was a definite activity in this period. However, it is later revealed that not all East Zhimidic folk were adapting to semi-sedentarism peacefully, or even accommodating it at all. From the last vestiges of the first dynasty of the Kathic Empire, writings come of a confederation of Non-Dhašq tribes, fleeing subjugation by Nan Gišar, are pushed over the mountains, taking up more Zhimidic tribes as they went on. They begin raiding the western portions of Kath in earnest, until a diplomatic outreach to the tribal leadership is arranged by the last of the Selyaqqu (relying on diplomacy to survive in lean times was how the Selyaqqu managed to remain afloat- that, and the influx of wealth from expelled Kathic nobles). After this point, history of this region becomes very uncertain for a few years, although evidence of battle is known. It will be revisited at the very end.
KathThe Uralic rulership of the Kathem of Bunyati, unaccustomed to any sort of sedentary life, had degenerated in strength over the years. Though the foreigners had converted to the local religion, the legitimacy of the ruler as a God-King never solidified, partly because of misguided or half-hearted efforts on part of Bunyati and his successors, and partly because the Kathic people simply rejected him as illegitimate, with
greater force as the years went on. The agitation of the Kathic people growing over time is perhaps the first instance in history of an authoritarian ideal outlasting the power of its instigator. It would not necessarily make rule of this region stable to the extent of Gōshria (ironic, given the contemporaneous events there), but it would continue to develop. At any rate, these factors would also compound with rapid decentralization. The authority of the ruler would continue to give way to that of the many Uralic nobles, seeking to create their own personal, wealthy subkingdoms out of the Kathem and its subjects. These nobles either did not take the agitation of the populace seriously or suppressed it brutally (which only inadvertently bolstered it).
Thanks to this mess, the Bunyati Kathem would not be prepared for the invasion of Qurgaz Selyaqqu. The name is misleading- Qurgaz was not a member of the Selyaqqu family by blood, but he was the leader of what was left of it. He was also the leader of a large, mounted army, fresh from the wilderness and resupplied on Brass Kingdom soil. Due to the utter vacuum of material from the Northwest after the arrival of the Zhimidic confederation, all scholars have to go on are the writings of Qurgaz’s host itself, among which are two of presumably the last members of the main Selyaqqu family- Qurgaz’s wife, Niramti, and her twin brother, Neskara. There are fragments from much earlier mentioning the birth of these two, but by this time, they are adults. In their writings (or the writings of their scribes, it is unclear), they describe Qurgaz- who is either the eldest son of one of the confederations de facto leaders, or the youngest leader of it. Long passages are devoted to esoteric stories of miracles and wonders that Qurgaz would encounter which would make him a firm believer in Mimijrant. The chain of battles, politics, trickery and scenes (much of which had to be embellished) that would lead him to marry Niramti, command his current army, and eventually march on the Kathem of Bunyati in the name of the Selyaqqu, would later be consecrated as a national epic (which resembles greatly in tone that of the stories of the Dhašq, though written in Ancient Kathic)
The faith had spread, though not completely in any sense, to Qurgaz’s horde. Mimrata Relics and writings in scraps can be found mixed in with idols of a myriad of deities, some of which were unique and have no equivalents elsewhere before this period at all. Qurgaz himself supposedly fought in a set of armor accented with brass, in true zealot faction. Whether he truly was faithful is a mystery, as he himself left no writings (even inscriptions glorifying his rule contemporary with him are written in 3rd person with explicit authors). As for his rule, it is no surprise that having the backing and guaranteeing the bloodline of the Selyaqqu shifted public opinion of the imperial citizenry heavily in Qurgaz’s favour. When his horde came to Kath, they were easily able to take advantage not only of this, but of their superior skill and experience fighting cavalry, as the years had diminished the Urals’ ability to fight back. There was no unified effort to resist Qurgaz, either, not until it was too late. By that time his momentum allowed him to scatter his aggressors to the four winds, abolish the landed aristocracy, and declare himself, or so the inscriptions state, Emperor of the Brass Empire, and Lord of Talramashtat City (“
Kamiram peRamasāti Lirukam, nit Rama Talramaštati”. This is peculiar because no-one had phrased it this way before, centering the city of Talramashtat in this way. It belies the Kamiram’s later plans).
After the bloody but swift conquest of the Brass Empire, Qurgaz took the name Qurgaz Niramtisudda Selyaqqu (Qurgaz Niramti-Husband Selyaqqu). This was also very odd. Furthermore, it was not grammatically correct at the time (which we learn from, of all things,
building graffiti), yet according to all accounts, he insisted this be his name. His rule did not stop being violent: he maintained his engine of empire for as long as he could, bringing new lands into the fold either by force or simply by resettlement (much damage had been wrought by the negligence of the landlords and the resistance of the Kathic folk). The vast majority of this was actually on and over the mountains from which the nomads of Qurgaz’s host came, in the grasslands of Arga Zhimidi (OTL Ferghana and Bactria). Furthermore, he had an absolute fascination with the old Brass Imperial capital: he rebuilt it and expanded it greatly, pouring much of his time and effort into it building new temples, houses, walls, and the like. One of his former generals even established an institution in charge of sanitation, which eventually turned it into one of the cleanest cities in the ancient world. Overall, history is very kind to Qurgaz Selyaqqu, due in part because his was written by friends and family. After his death, his son Usiti Latiros would declare the Selyaqqu dynasty renewed, and would commission a great gathering of Mimrata notables to compile the Usrarta and then begin a new series of Mimijrant holy and philosophical writings.
GōshriaOccasionally, there does not have to be a systems related change to cause regionwide social upheaval. Sometimes, circumstance and fate need only conspire to remove a single piece from the precarious leaning tower of a civilization’s social order. Such is the case in Gōshria.
The main threat to Gōshria’s stability, the Toseijirun, had ceased raiding the empire with any degree of threatening frequency after Karn Nashiaku decided to turn the hordes east and reunite Shakkad. While the influence of the Toseiji still extended this far, their attention had now turned elsewhere, which gave Gōshria time to regroup. Events to the North, while disruptive early in the period, lead to a vigorous renewal of trade between Gōshria and the newly established Storm Kingdom, with the Aslaz Hirsonxir as a middle man via land. This would allow the Divine Monarchy to resolidify its control over some of the more raucous provinces.
A comment should be made on some of the family’s methods for keeping their people under control. Gōshria’s divine monarchy was considered to be the product of a union between two gods which constantly reincarnate into their line. A male ruler is believed to be An!ai reborn, while a female is Hapekore. Since this is believed to be a cycle of reincarnation, the purity of the line is irrelevant: as such, one tactic for the royal house maintaining power is through marriage with other powerful families. This has slowly caused the formation of a true aristocracy which traces lineage back to the royal line. The royal house itself is rather small, made up of the ruler’s immediate family. In this case, the current ruler, Lama Sum, was an only child, which just left him, his wife, his mother (married to his father who was the previous ruler) and his child, Lutuwa. This is the smallest that the royal house has ever been, with no first cousins or siblings to the ruler, due to a wide variety of circumstances (such as the toseiji raids, disease, and accidents in earlier years and decades).
After the reconsolidation of Gōshria, Lama Sum and his wife went on a customary journey to the offshore provinces. It was here that disaster struck: the accounts hold that an unforeseen storm would cause their boat to capsize and scatter the rest of their small fleet to the winds. They were not found and presumed dead. This by itself is a disaster but not unmitigable, as the empire was in a position to weather it. Then Lutuwa fell ill. It was supposedly because of grief, but scholars suspect several possibilities: the resurgence of a plague, an infected injury or cut of his becoming septic, possibly (although this is farfetched) a rogue Toseiji agent in disguise, or a hireling, poisoning him. When he succumbed, that is when difficulties arose.
The only living member of the immediate royal family was the old An!ai’s wife, not even a blood relative, spiritually unfit to rule and physically incapable of bearing children. She did not last long either, and eventually died of natural causes. This, unworthy as it was, was still holding back the brunt of the chaos. Things were quiet for a few months before the entire realm of Gōshria was plunged into madness as the noble families of each province clamored for either answers or control. Eventually this would all erupt into an all-out civil war, centered around control of Katricho, and known as the War at the Feet (of the Dynasty). The days of this early but long-lived empire were finally numbered.
Northeast EurasiaThe Storm KingdomAt the beginning of this period, to counterpoint with Gōshria, this region was already in chaos. The disparate kingdoms of the Aslaz Hirsonxir were harassing the northern Piche, Pethrans, and Pinnachun (by land and sea), while Nara raiders from the west were migrating in and causing havoc. From the crucible of these attacks, at the western edge of Pinnachun lands, a small alliance of despotships was forged, determined to survive and hold back the turbulent violence around them. This was, of course, accomplished through violence. Eventually, other kingdoms saw that it was far more reasonable to fight as a collective rather than war disparately, and slowly this western alliance of monarchies grew. Eventually, it became powerful and tempered enough to organize. The rulers of this core became co-generals of a vast army, the largest organized force to ever appear in the north. Their names would forever be immortalized in Pinnachun sagas, and they would forge a unified identity around the Pinnachun Storm Gods, a host of many gods of individual “storms” who were the host of the Worldmaker Fenric. As such, this political entity is known as the Storm Kingdom.
This Storm Kingdom would only grow in strength as it stabilized the regions around it. Eventually it pacified the seas thanks to a series of expeditions, both violent and diplomatic, sent to the Aslaz Hirsonxir, and greatly increased trade with other regions such as Gōshria and Northern Tortolia. It would use this wealth to wage a violent conquest of the rest of Pinnachun territory, before also pushing the Nara back into the frigid wastes farther north.
The formation of the Storm Kingdom would serve to cause an areal convergence of the disparate Pinnachun languages which had been diverging for quite some time before this, and pushed to importance the cult of the Storm Gods, who ever more began to be consecrated in terms familiar to the monarchs that ruled the federation. A specific theme in Pinnachun literature can be traced back to this period, of the Gods fighting to bring order to a chaotic universe- this is a common theme in many religious traditions but was unheard of in the Northeast before now.
The void in trade that would be left after the collapse of Gōshria would be filled in by the return of the Brass Empire in the Southwest, and eventually the Toseijirun would open up relations with them as well. As the Storm Kingdom was a federation formed by many monarchs, it never truly centralized, but a loose government did begin to form, a series of moots wherein the despots would meet, engage in diplomacy, and make large decisions that would affect the whole of the realm. These would only develop over time, creating an ever more integrated political entity in the north by this period’s end.
Northern TortoliaOrfa-Gormenic PeoplesThis period covers a time of peaceful expansion in this part of the world. In Greenland, more Orfa cities, both port cities on the western coast and inland cities of the Okal Pact, emerge. Nomadism in the former lands of the Southern Orfa, long in decline due to the use of new imported crops better adapted to the climate by the sedentary peoples there (resulting in increases in sedentary population), completes its disappearance during the period. Holy Union worshipping cities, both old ones and new ones typically first settled by merchants seeking more wealth, continue to strengthen trade links with the rest of the world. Notably, routes to Goshria through Svalbard are developed, bypassing the longer journey through Gormen lands and Beringia. A unique life-worshipping (particularly of plants) style of Holy Union temple appears as a result of syncretism with native Orfan animism involved heavily with the belief that life is caused by Hapekore's imbuing of the planet with her influence. Attributed to the distance of Goshria and discontent among common people, some Orfan priests have proposed heterodox doctrines that Hapekore is only the greatest of many deities (or even the first among equals) that are incarnated into humans, but this has not received great acceptance.
Inland, the Okal Pact is still xenophobic, though on peaceful terms with coastal "heathens". The Orfa script, mostly supplanted by Lenaic script in the coastal cities, begins to find more use outside of record keeping and religious and historical texts are found in increasing frequency in this period. News brought from traders of many origins, from Lahontanic to Gormenic and Pinnachunic to Shakkadian results in a description of the world with the Orfa in the center being dated to 1280 ED, with the world west of the Arctic Sea denoted "the Near West", with that west of "the Divide" (believed to refer to Persia, the Tien Shan, and the Himalayas) known as "the Far West". Other lands in Tortolia are noted as "the Near East", while those in Amazonia are known as "the Far East". Religious belief in the Okal Pact at this time seems to focus on everything being "one with the spirit", from a gust of wind to humanity, and that to suggest the inherent superiority of some entity, even a human to an insect, is wrong and ignores the true nature of the spirit.
Both Okal Pact and port city records note the arrival of pale skinned sailors in the north by the end of the period, who settle in the sparsely populated north of Greenland. They are associated with the Thusretan Federation, an alliance of Pinnachunic princes and merchants who have disassociated from the declining Pethran Empire (albeit retaining trading links) and have an informal agreement of cooperation, taking the form of annual councils to settle disagreements between the rulers of cities in the land. Their discovery of Greenland is kept secret from the Pinnachunic regions of Europe, who are unaware of where the exotic goods originate from.
In Gormenic areas, the expansion of trading cities continues. Their network of idea transfer leads to the spread of better agricultural techniques and crops eastward in Tortolia, causing the arisal of the Maecutan culture. Syncretism is on the rise in Gormen lands, as dragon worshipping monuments also have elements reminiscent of Hapekore worship and the Lahontan religion (spread indirectly through Beringia as savanna nomadic hordes and hunter gatherers still separate the Lahontans and the Gormen). Idols, typically made of silver or gold, also become more common and more intricate during the period. Interestingly, megalithic temples decline during this period, and many are abandoned in favor of temples using many more smaller stones or bricks, similar to the style common in Eurasia. The color of the stones or bricks is chosen in such a way that dragon-like tendril patterns are visible in the new style of temples. The Marelli develop similarly to the Gormen given their close proximity and constant communication, but maintain more of the megalith style of temples which have declined in the Gormen. Both the Gormen and Marelli continue to build mounds, not for the dead as the Shabhans do, but apparently for another type of worship separate from that of the temples. The Uildeni continue to expand across the savanna, but exert relatively little pressure than in the past on the sedentary peoples of the region, given the great expanse of the savanna that they still may expand to. They continue to maintain a conservative religion that discourages proselytization and syncretism based on native Orfa-Gormenic animism and kinship with their domesticates.
Aeotanic Peoples:The spread of the Gormen across Tortolia, as well as the influence of the Delta Wemathi, has led to the spread of their more advanced farming techniques into the eastern regions of the continent, causing the appearance of the Maecutan culture from the simple farming Aeotanic speaking cultures of the land. Their religion, previously animistic, has expanded to include many gods from neighboring regions, such as the dragon-god of the Gormen and the fertility goddesses of the Wemathi. The Maecutan use of rice farming along bodies of water has led to a significant increase of population, but as of yet no states exist. Three groups of Maecutan people can be identified: the West Maecutans tend to use more crops other than rice given the more subtropical climate and take more influence from the Gormen, particularly in their religion and use of the Gormen idol style, whereas the Central Maecutans take more Wemathic influence in the more tropical regions to the southeast. East Maecutans are more navally oriented given their location in the Caribbean and take less influence from either the Wemathics and the Gormen, having developed from an old isolated peaceful culture in Cuba that in addition to animism had developed at least two gods for their rice and the sea, and had developed a surprisingly large population supported by wet-field rice cultivation. Towards the end of the period, the first writing in the region, using Gormen or Wemathic script, appears, used for counting.
The increase of population in coastal regions, along with contact with the Gormen, has led to chaos in the Aeotan people with the arrival of the new more advanced farming techniques. Eahthyon, never much of a centralized state, has collapsed under the pressure of migration from the coasts combined with a small plague killing many of their political and religious leaders. As a whole, however, the Aeotan culture survives and begins to adopt the new rice farming techniques, which are successful along the shores of the Great Lakes, as they are combined successfully with their traditional unorthodox techniques and domestication of insects. Religious temples of a design vaguely reminiscent of the Gormen style, first having appeared in Eahthyon, spread to the rest of the Aeotans during this time as well, being purposed for their own religion involving animist ideas and the worship of the earth and their crops and domesticates.
Southern TortoliaThe CoastThe twin empires of great Antor finally collapse, carved to pieces by the many heirs of the two despotic rulers – the following period would be known as the time of the Antor Kingdoms. This followed a very long, almost three century period of stagnation in which no new lands were acquired, very little public works were instituted, and lawlessness steadily grew to a head. Antor’s only legacy would be carving an intricate network of roads between all the large cities and villages of its portion of the South. Antor was the last large, centralized coastal Tortolian polity before it collapsed, and the second last overall – this leaves only the Ghirmoth Wemath (which itself is a federation, not a fully united empire).
The Yefette city states are slowly reforming into another league, as large hitherto unknown towns join established cities in alliance. The Lahontan Kings are too busy fighting amongst each other and competing for trade with the Shakkadians to notice.
Ghirmoth WemathAs the Yefette slowly reform into a league, a well-established civilization to their north continues its meteoric rise. The Wemathi peoples, led by their Atunmoths and Guuratuaths, would continue to grow and expand into the interior of the continent, establishing new towns as the old ones grew into cities and the agricultural package expanded. The arrival of cover crops from the Western Subcontinent centuries earlier had helped counteract soil erosion which, besides raids from nomads, Yefette, and Lahontan bands, were the only real challenges the Wemathi faced. The caste system of the Wemathi can be attributed to much of the civilization’s success, as it proved a very effective way of organizing society in a wide variety of useful configurations that could be shifted to suit the needs of the Wemathi people.
Castes of the Wemathi “Caste” is a bit unusual as a term in this case, but is meant to convey the idea that the system was religiously informed. It was by no means girded with unnecessary restrictions of heredity, although hereditary inheritance was the tradition among the Wemathi. The idea was that one’s role in society was determined by one’s gender, which among the Wemathi was
not determined, in fact, by sex, but by one’s desire or ability to reproduce and bear/raise children. The first gender division is between Nogadagitha (ones who breed) and Aragitha (ones who ‘barren’ i.e. those who don’t have children).
The Nogadagitha are divided into Moths (the nonmilitant priesthood, made up of the wisest parents and grandparents) and Workers (agriculturalists, craftsman, and so on). Both castes laboured, but Moths had religious duties that sometimes took them away from work, such as record keeping and ceremonies. From among the female elders, the Atunmoth is drawn, the leader of a town or city. The idea was that those who’s desire or ability it was to create life would be devoted to its happiness, quality, and propagation. Furthermore, great respect was afforded to those who created life directly, i.e. mothers.
The Aragitha form two of the Ghirmoth Wemath’s most important castes, based on several factors. For one, there were the Ghirmoth’s themselves, the elite fighting force of warrior priests, from which a Guuratuath, the other kind of city-ruler, was drawn. The Ghirmoth were chosen because, for whatever reason, they were individuals who were attracted to the same sex more than the opposite sex (by whatever ratio) and as such had no desire to
bare children (whether one wished to raise children was irrelevant, for reasons to be mentioned). Both sexes could be found among this force. The Ghirmoth are justified by the logic that those who cannot propagate life have leave to
use and
destroy it (to devote themselves to military tasks). It was considered a great honor to be a Ghirmoth or have family members among their ranks. Ghirmoth were generally organized into bands based on their sex, and it was encouraged that they maintain strong bonds within these bands to prevent discord in the ranks. Bands were also encouraged to both compete with and befriend other bands, sometimes forming permanent symbiotic relations.
Besides the Ghirmoth, the newest of the castes (relatively speaking) were the Yondugitha (“Ones who keep”). This caste was special- it is made up of those who
would be Nogadagitha but are discovered to be infertile. Its members thus tended to join the ranks at later ages than the others. The reason why these infertile people were special is because they were supposed to bare children, to propagate life, but were
ordained (as the religious beliefs go) not to. At that point, they were faced with a choice – join the Ghirmoth (a prospect which was impossible for those discovered at later ages), or become initiated as Yondugitha (or be exiled for negligence, but this was very rare). Yondugitha had the special task of being a
mobile scholar class. The Moths were record keepers, shamans, and storytellers, but they were sedentary. Workers were both sedentary and heavily occupied with their day-to-day. The Ghirmoth were mobile but they had military duties. The Yondugitha took on the role of passing information between the many cities of the Wemathi- of recording information of all kinds and disseminating it among each priesthood. They would collect data about gods, ceremonies, food, flora, fauna, weather, and special events, and they were also couriers. The younger, more able-bodied ones would build roads, signs, and pathways between the various cities. They would also travel with those Ghirmoth whose job it was to explore the frontier and take land for the Wemathi people. The idea was that they would bring knowledge to, literally speaking, “add spice to the life that exists.” Moreover, their efforts would help to preserve life by spreading knowledge of medicine from one end of the polity to the other.
There were various points at which a child was assessed (a series of initiation rituals, at ages seven, thirteen, and sixteen roughly) to determine their membership in a gender other than Nogadagitha (which was considered the default). Most Ghirmoth were discovered by the time they turned thirteen, although sometimes there would be hints belying them at earlier ages, and these would be raised from then on by friends and family among the city’s Ghirmoth. As was aforementioned, Moths were chosen among the wisest and most respected parents, usually mothers, of the Nogadagitha. The one among the Ghirmoths who proves themselves most mighty, cunning and/or otherwise capable would be the Guuratuath.
It is important to specify that the Wemathi of the inland
and the delta are both members of this unique cultural matrix, some of which would not be the same without Delta Wemathi influence (the philosophy of life and fertility was mainly due to Delta Wemathi) and as such coexistence and prosperity of the two civilizations continued. There are very few variations, save that Ghirmoth among the delta Wemathi are divided between soldiers and sailors (“those whose lives and deaths are lost to the sea”).
In this period, thanks to the large population boom from synthesis of a wide variety of agricultural packages (as was aforementioned), the resurrection of international land trade following the reestablishment of a large, unified polity in Beringia and the reduced infighting among the Yefette, the Ghirmoth of many cities form exploratory warbands, led by several Guuratuaths appointed in Hlilmotha. These warbands cleared out and explored much of the regions surrounding the Wemathi territory, allowing the inner civilization to expand outwards. From these events came many stories both presumably fact and fictional of warbands encountering savage peoples, mythical creatures, and even “Small Gods” (animist deities subordinate to the Mother). These would later be consecrated into a series of national epics and even romances, written by the Yondugitha who accompanied them and compiled in Hlilmotha by the Atunmoth and her priests. These were later copied and disseminated by domestic Yondugitha, and from this caused some of these tales to spread, in disparate form, to other lands, though not unedited. There was, after all, much variation in the world as to the reception of Wemathi society and its quirks.
AmazoniaTizaokan PeoplesCompared with the peaceful expansion of the Cemlo to their west, this period in Tizaokan lands is one generally of decline. Climate change and the arrival of new crops, ideas, and people shakes up the once stable Theocracy. Pressure from both neighboring peoples and dissenting settlements following alternative (typically syncretist) belief systems and making use of the new crops and technologies becomes high. Numerous cities and shrines appear to become abandoned during the period, probably due to a decrease in population caused by various conflicts. War rives the area, causing the loss of both life and societal progress. Over the past centuries, shamans had become increasingly more powerful. This was caused by more superstition being developed towards them, often resulting in their outright worship. As such, the Theocracy had begun to take the form of a confederation with settlements or groups of settlements being controlled by a single shaman-king, served by a powerful class of priests who were hugely influential in mundane affairs as well. Shaman-kings often refuse to adapt and while attempting to force more distant settlements to submit to their rule suffer humiliating defeats that cause more chaos among settlements already under their control. The result of this is the end of their power even in their core lands (attributed to invasions of various sources) and an increase in the equality of societal development in Tizaokan lands, as well a decrease in social stratification. The loss of power of the powerful shaman-kings leads to the end of the Theocracy proper by the end of the period, succeeded by a multitude of city states following many different belief systems. As a whole, the largest cities lose population and others are completely depopulated, and some cultural practices are lost, but new settlements and practices appear in their place, and the period is not devastating for the Tizaokan people as a whole.
Further away from the declining Theocracy, Tizaokan peoples continue to spread and establish settlements which are often heavily involved with trade. The trade route along the southern coast continues to be among the strongest in the world as trade between Lahontanic and Rasugan lands is highly profitable, as weapons, feather-based art, and sometimes ground-breaking mechanical designs are sent from the east in exchange for sculptures, new technologies, and food from the west. Further north, city states from the northern Tizaokans have emerged, growing rich off facilitating the weaker but still quite notable trade route along the northern and western coast, between the Lilim and Tortolian peoples. They are called the Orinoco Kingdoms in Lilim records dated to the period. Divergence from the Tizaokans of Tortolia is more pronounced than in the past with increasing influence from Lilim and Wemath seen in their society, particularly in their unique style of shrines. However, they retain a similar language and script and retain strong links with their southern relatives. More Tizaokan farmers have begun to spread inland after receiving new rice strains from the west that grow well in the subtropical lands where they reside, displacing hunter gatherers and very primitive farmers.
Non-Tizaokan AmazoniaElsewhere in Amazonia, further from the new Tizaokan city states, development has also occurred. Lilim lands are peaceful during this time, with new kingdoms appearing and claiming land, associated with the expansion of previously smaller settlements to become more relevant. More once hunter gatherer areas develop a stronger tradition of farming as well during this time, associated with the expansion of Lilimic farmers, who have begun to develop a stronger heirarchy of society which is soon encoded into their religion. Advances in weaponry continue, with imported weapons being brought in by the trade route from Tizaoko. In Iosnx lands, Ezizn collapses following the migration of competing tribes into the area who have adopted their most successful advancements in combination with a strong hurricane, though there is still increasing contact with Lilim, and Iosnx records dated to the end of the period describing what are believed to be traders from the southern coast, thought to be previously deterred by the harsh terrain in the far east, are found, in combination with Rasgayt records believed to describe the discovery of the northeast coast of Amazonia. The revelation that the great southern coast does end in the ocean, though not yet well known, will be of intrigue in later times.
In the south, the Realm of the Bird King has entered another period of expansion under king Tangdaluka focusing its conquests westward, towards the great civilizations of Tortolia. More vassal states have also been brought under its sphere of influence. Remnants of the former Manasakayvi state have reestablished a smaller empire further west from the original, with much of their ruling class having been able to gain positions of power among the local highland and lowland farmers, who had little societal structure beyond individual settlements until then, using their armies and riches. They are developing a more conservative religion opposed to that of the the Realm that focuses on defense as a virtue and ancestor worship. Nearby this state and between it and the Realm exist an array of small kingdoms as the region becomes increasingly influenced by trade from the west, swelling in popuation. After the death of Tangdaluka in 1282, the Realm is already beginning to show signs of overextension under his son Kayttelu by the end of the period in 1290, but is still by far the most powerful player in the area. The first primitive coins of the world, made from silver and gold, are dated to this period in the Realm as a project started by Kayttelu to fund his military campaigns.
The Graxeen continue to expand in the bountiful lands of the Amazon basin. They crossbreed a new variety of sorghum that grows very well in the land that is too dry for rice, which begins by the end of the period to be traded westward, towards other relatively dry tropical areas. This causes an increase in population, and the nomadic tendencies of male Graxeen begins to decline as more spend their lives in cities, though the nomadism is far from having disappeared. Much religious and philosophical writing, using the Rasugan script, is dated to this time, discussing what the roles of various types of people should be and what the ideal Graxeen life should be. Stone structures that both extrude from and intrude into the ground begin to be built as monuments to the gods.Some Graxeen live under the Realm of the Bird King, though unrest is beginning to grow due to increasingly religiously intolerant actions perpetrated by the Realm.