Warlords of the Empire

(OOC: scroll written in Zekresh)

An examination of the rise and fall of the feudal warlords of the Zekresh Empire during the Marivuk and Tarno Dynasties.
By Yavuk the Scribe
Written in the 20th year of the Reign of Yatyva XXII



The Marivuk Dynasty

Marivuk I came to power by overthrowing his wife's cousin, Yatyva III, who had become widely despised for his dissolute ways. Marivuk's rash action put him on the throne, but it also set a dangerous precedent. Marivuk was not even related to the royal family by blood, only by marriage. For this reason, he was called "The Husband Emperor". His reign was beset by plots and rebellions by those who wished to use his own violent methods to put a more legitimate emperor on the throne. Marivuk I crushed these ruthlessly and appointed warlords to watch over various parts of the Empire and to be ready to suppress insurrection at a moment's notice. These warlords ("aylorkerno"(plural) or "aylorkern" (singular) in Zekresh) were the beginnings of the feudal nobility of the Zekresh Empire. They were also the beginning of the division of the Empire into provinces. The use of the titles "lord" ("aylor" in Zekresh) and "warlord" ("aylorkern") as titles of nobility in the Empire began with Marivuk's warlords. There were originally six such warlords. Their titles were:

Aylorkern ya Nass Umrug (Warlord of Marsh Bay)
Aylorkern ya Frayethay Yost (Warlord of East Frayeth Land)
Aylorkern ya Kast Yvar (Warlord of Haven Fortress)
Aylorkern ya Uvinshakh (Warlord of Interior)
Aylorkern ya Lushan (Warlord of Mossland) ("Lush" is from the language of the Moss People. In Zekresh it's "firiad")
Aylorkern ya Timbelan (Warlord of Mushroomland) ("Timbel" is from the language of the Mushroom People. In Zekresh it's "noggaf".)

Their names were:

Anamuk ya Nass Umrug
Gamuk ya Frayethay
Yavuk ya Kast Yvar
Talimuk ya Uvinshakh
Posenyva ya Lushan
Limt ya Timbelan

Descendants of Olomuk and Yormuk began to exploit the fact that "aylorkern" was also the term used to describe Olomuk and Yormuk when they tried to rule all of Frayethay, Olomuk from Zekran, Yormuk from Kast Yvar. From this time began the first attempts by Olomuk's heirs to claim the title "Aylorkern ya Zekryvan (or Zekran)" and the dispute between Yormuk's descendants and the Zekresh nobility over the title "Aylorkern ya Kast Yvar". Both the Olomuk and Yormuk families tried to also claim the title "Aylorkern ya Frayethay." These families' constant reference to their ancestors led to the development of the last names "ya Olomuk or Yolomuk and ya Yormuk". The "ya Yormukan" family is descended from the Zekresh warlords of Yormukan, while the "ya Yormuk" family are descended from the warlord Yormuk who predates the Zekresh Empire and was not ever part of the Zekresh nobility.

Marivuk I spent twenty years suppressing rebellions and was never able to accomplish anything else of note. His only hope was that his son would not have the same problems. This was a well founded hope since the primary objections to Marivuk's rule were that he was not a blood relation of the Emperors and that he came to power by means of armed rebellion. Neither of these handicaps would be true of his son. Marivuk's claim to legitimacy was that his wife, Ernavit, was a royal princess. As her son, the new prince was a blood relation of the earlier Emperors. To emphasize this, Marivuk named his son Yatyva, after the earlier emperors.

Upon Marivuk's death, his son, Yatyva, ascended the throne at 19 years of age as the Emperor Yatyva IV. Before he could even be crowned, rebellion broke out. Yatyva saved himself and his dynasty by fleeing from Zekran as rebel forces seized control, riding to Kast Yvar and raising an army. He then led that army to Nass Umrug and Yormukan, rallying loyalists to his cause and crushing rebels until Zekran was isolated. By the time he reached Zekran, his forces vastly outnumbered the rebels. The rebels abandoned Zekran without a fight and their lands and other property were confiscated and given out to the new Emperor's loyalists along with the new title of "aylor" meaning lord). There were dozens of ayloro created by Yatyva IV, the exact number is not known. Yatyva IV also reformed the coinage, issuing a new silver coin called the Bayal to replace the earlier "Yat" and a copper Dovek coin to replace those minted by the warlords. The achievements of Yatyva IV in his first year on the throne impressed nearly everyone, especially since he was so young at the time. Rebellions were not a major problem for the rest of his reign.

Yatyva IV reigned for 19 years and was succeeded by his son, Yatyva V. Yatyva V waged war against the Viper People in the 6th year of his reign. The war continued for four years, but in the end, the Viper People (Slythians) were defeated and at the Peace of Yishil, Konigak, the "King of the Vipers," agreed to cede a small part of his territory east of Yishil to the Empire as well as his offshore islands. Two years later, war broke out again, and this time, Yishil was taken by Imperial forces along with all the territory of the Viper People. King Konigak was killed. Many of the Viper People fled west. A new King of the Vipers arose and established a stronghold at Hidden Bay (Nass Mysktia). His name was Ferigon. Ferigon and his Viper warriors attacked the Empire in the 17th year of the reign of Yatyva V. The subsequent war lasted for five years. During this war, warriors of the Bear Tribes to the north of Ferigon's realm came to his assistance several times. Ferigon's demise came when the Bear Tribes were no longer willing to support him. Nass Mysktia was overrun by Imperial forces and when Ferigon, King of the Vipers, fled to the territory of the Bear Tribes, the Bear Tribes captured him and handed him over to the Empire as a gesture of goodwill.

Emperor Yatyva V appointed two new warlords to rule over the conquered territory. Their titles were:

Aylorkern ya Slythan (Warlord of Viperland)
Aylorkern ya Nass Mysktia (Warlord of Hidden Bay)

Their names were:

Alimuk ya Slythan
Dramuk ya Nass Mysktia

During this time, the Empire was also expanding to the North at the expense of some small tribes who mostly fled northwards as Frayeth and Zekresh settlers came into their lands. The new territories in the North were added to the lands of the Warlord of Interior and the Warlord of Kast Yvar.

The Emperor's encouragement of expansionist policies ended with his death in the 23rd year of his reign. His nephew and successor, Yatyva VI, "The Pious", was devoted to internal matters such as reforming the system of taxation and establishing state control over religion. This was done by creating an official "Zekresh" religion separate from the Frayeth religion to which it was virtually identical. The public practice of all other religions was banned, thus putting the high priests of the Frayeth religion at a disadvantage. Those who cooperated with the Emperor were made high priests of the "Zekresh religion" and allowed to perform ceremonies in public. The others were made into outlaws. Many were put to death.

Yatyva VI was also the first Emperor to use a "reign name" which was different from his actual name. Yatyva VI was actually called Balimuk before he became Emperor.

In the 8th year of the reign of Yatyva VI, the Emperor died of a fever and his son ascended the throne as Yatyva VII. Yatyva VII ruled for 16 years, but had no memorable accomplishments other than to be the father of Yatyva VIII who embarked upon the most ambitious expansion of the Empire yet. Yatyva VIII set as his goal the recovery of the lands of the old Frayeth Empire in the South Peninsula. For this, he was known as "The Reclaimer". Since these lands could only be reached by sea and the Empire's naval forces were small and primitive, this was an audacious scheme. Yatyva VIII ordered a vast shipbuilding program. In the 5th year of the reign of Yatyva VIII, the Empire launched a seaborne invasion of the lands of the Cliff People and the Seagull People, both of whom had been vassals of the old Frayeth Empire four centuries earlier. This was successful, but holding the territory and transplanting Frayeth and Zekresh settlers there was difficult and expensive. Still, in the 20th year of the reign of Yatyva VIII, the Emperor was able to spare the troops, ships and money to address another old grievance by waging war on the Crab People on the Northeast Coast. The conquest was successful and Yatyva VIII next turned his attention to the most ambitious invasion plan of his career, the seaborne invasion of the Fire People. This was to obtain revenge for the death of Zekryva and the sufferings of the Zekresh and Frayeth during the Fire Wars. The Fire People were excellent sailors and possessed a large fleet so the invasion had to wait while the Imperial fleet was built up. It was also contemplated to attack overland from the Cliff People territory. Then, in the 28th year of his reign, Yatyva VIII died without having carried out his plan to invade the Fire People.

He did create three new warlords:

Aylorkern ya Logoran (Warlord of Cliffland)
Aylorkern ya Zirran (Warlord of Gulland)
Aylorkern ya Flitran (Warlord of Crabland)

Their names were:

Izdanuk ya Logoran
Ushinyva ya Zirran
Balimuk ya Flitran

This brought the number of warlords (not including Zekran) to eleven. The territory of an aylorkern was called an aylorkernan (Warlord Land or Warlordship) not a Salan (province). Zekran was not included because it was ruled directly by the Vylor (Emperor) not an Aylorkern (Warlord).

Yatyva IX succeeded his father Yatyva VIII. Yatyva IX found it difficult to hold together what his father had built and a scheme to invade the lands of the Tide People in preparation for the much dreamt of conquest of the Fire People failed. The scheme did not fail militarily, though it might have because the Tide People had an alliance with the powerful Fire People. Rather, the Aylorkern ya Logoran (Warlord of Cliffland) refused to participate and without his assistance, the scheme was deemed unworkable. This showed, however, that even the newer warlords now had the power to defy the Emperor himself. The more established warlords were more powerful still.

A series of conflicts between the Emperor and the warlords was not resolved in his lifetime, but came to a head at his death. After 20 years on the throne, Yatyva IX passed away, leaving the throne to his son-in-law, Andyva, who was in Logoran (Cliffland) at the time. Before Andyva could return to the capital, some of the warlords who despised Andyva took action. Troops loyal to Tarno, the Aylorkern ya Frayethay Yost (Warlord of East Frayeth Land) and Posenyva, the Aylorkern ya Lushan (Warlord of Mossland) entered the capital and allowed the warlords to set up a new government. The warlords quickly established the "Stavukya Aylorkerno" (Council of Warlords) which ruled while the Imperial throne was vacant. Andyva went to Nass Umrug and declared himself Emperor Yatyva X, but he was swiftly arrested for treason by soldiers loyal to the Aylorkern ya Nass Umrug and beheaded. (Historians do not consider him to have ever actually been an Emperor and the reign name of Yatyva X was used by a later Emperor of the Tarno Dynasty.)

Since Yatyva IX had no sons and his sons-in-law, nephews and grandsons all could claim inheritance only via female line succession, the Stavukya Aylorkerno (Council of Warlords) issued a decree banning female line succession. This was ironic considering why Emperor Marivuk I had started creating warlords in the first place. On the other hand, it gained some political support and provided a fine excuse to disenfranchise all of Emperor Yatyva IX's close heirs. Although there were more distant heirs, the whole Marivuk Dynasty owed its rule to female-line succession by Marivuk I and his son and were therefore declared ineligible for the throne by the warlords.

This was, of course, a move to keep the warlords themselves in power. At first, they spoke of restoring the original Iyatyva Dynasty, but after so much time had passed, it became very debatable which descendant of the Iyatyva Dynasty Emperors should get the throne. The one with the strongest claim, a man named Alimuk, proclaimed himself Emperor Yatyva IV and pledged to abolish the titles and authority of the warlords. Because he considered the entire Marivuk Dynasty illegitimate, he ignored the fact that there had already been a Marivuk Emperor named Yatyva IV and others up to Yatyva IX. Other candidates were more palatable to some of the warlords, but within the first two months of rule by the Stavukya Aylorkerno, the warlords had already formed into two factions with each faction backing a different candidate for the Imperial throne. It was obvious that their preferred candidates were pawns of the most powerful warlords who had become faction leaders. The leaders were Yalimuk, Aylorkern ya Nass Umrug and Tarno, Aylorkern ya Frayethay Yost. Neither faction backed Alimuk, the new Yaytva IV.

Yalimuk's troops, together with those of the Warlord of the Interior, the Warlord of Kast Yvar (Haven Fortress) and the Warlord of Timbelan (Mushroom land) marched on East Frayethay to attack Tarno. But Tarno had control of the capital and called out Imperial troops to assist him. Also, Posenyva, the Warlord of Lushan (Mossland) was on his side and fought the troops of Torimuk, the Warlord of Timbelan to block them from reaching East Frayethay. At this point, the Warlord of Slythan (Viper Land) joined the fight on the side of Tarno, sending an invasion force to invade Aylorkernan Nass Umrug. Yet again, the role of the Viper was to strike Nass Umrug a fatal blow from behind, just as it had in the days of Yormuk and again in the days of Iyatyva. This time it was not the Viper People themselves who initiated the attack, but the Zekresh warlord of Slythan who raised an army of Viper People warriors and Zekresh knights.

This surprise attack from the lands of the Viper caused Yalimuk to split his forces and send some back to defend Nass Umrug. He went into battle in East Frayethay with a reduced force and lost. Yalimuk and the warlords of Kast Yvar and the Interior were captured, imprisoned, and later beheaded. Their candidate for the throne was also beheaded. Alimuk fled across the Gateway Waters to the domain of Ushinyva, the Warlord of Zirran (Gulland). There he searched in vain for the fabled Lost Crown of Ilania in the hope that it would allow him to magically command obedience and thereby regain the throne.

Once Tarno was in control of the Stavukya Aylorkerno with no strong forces opposing him, he cast aside the pretense that he had any real interest in restoring the Iyatyva Dynasty to the throne and caused the Stavukya Aylorkerno (Council of Warlords) to declare him Tarno I, Zekresh Emperor. Thus began the Tarno Dynasty.


The Tarno Dynasty

Tarno I, "the Warlord Emperor", is said to have come to the throne "dripping with blood" because of all the violence involved in his rise to power. The fighting was not yet entirely ended when he first put on the Imperial crown. His first decree was to ban female line succession to the Imperial throne, thus confirming as Emperor what he and the other warlords had decreed as the Stavukya Aylorkerno. This was intended to legally block any heir of the Marivuk Dynasty from pursuing any claim to the throne. His next priority was to stamp out any further threat to his authority. This was done by dispatching the Imperial Army and some of his own troops from East Frayethay to Nass Umrug to assist the Warlord of Slythan in capturing it. Then, with the Slythan troops and more troops from Lushan, Tarno led this vast army to Kast Yvar and laid siege to it. The seige lasted for six months and tied up most of the troops available to Tarno. When it was over, he besieged the smaller fortress at Lorekan.

Meanwhile, the warlord Posenyva of Lushan conquered Timbelan with only his own troops despite having sent some to assist in the siege of Kast Yvar. Tarno rewarded this deed by allowing the warlord of Lushan to permanently annex Timbelan to his Aylorkernan. The new Aylorkernan was at first called the Aylorkernan of Lushan and Timbelan. (Aylorkernan ya Lushan arend Timbelan), but was soon renamed the Aylorkernan of Yormukan in honor of the much earlier conquest of both those lands by the warlord Yormuk.

On the South Peninsula, Alimuk was claiming to be the Emperor and had the support of Ushinyva, the Aylorkern ya Zirran (Warlord of Gulland). In addition to the Zirran troops, he raised a new "Imperial Army" out of his supporters, deserters from the regular Imperial Army, and local levies. With this force, Alimuk the Pretender invaded Logoran, the Lands of the Cliff People. With minimal help from Imperial forces, the warlord Izdanuk of Logoran defeated this invasion, then defeated an incursion by Fire People from the South, then invaded and occupied Zirran (Gulland), forcing Alimuk the Pretender and Ushinyva, the warlord of Zirran (Gulland), to flee into exile in the Principality of Ilania, further to the South. With this move, Alimuk threw away all hope of popular support in the Empire because of the ancient enmity between the Frayeth and the Ilanians.

For this great victory, Emperor Tarno I allowed Izdanuk, the Aylorkern of Logoran (Cliff Land) to permanently annex Zirran (Gulland) to his territory, thus putting all Imperial territory South of the Gateway Waters under one warlord.

Tarno annexed Aylorkernan Nass Umrug into his own territory of Frayethay Yost and renamed it Aylorkernan "Frayethay". He replaced the warlord of Kast Yvar with Dulimuk, the general who had rallied the Imperial Army to his cause. He replaced the warlord of the Interior with his own brother, Durno.

This whole episode is referred to by historians as the "Battles of the Warlords" and lasted less than a year during the 1st year of the reign of Emperor Tarno I.

With or without popular support, Alimuk remained the clearest legitimate heir of the Iyatyva Dynasty, the first Imperial Dynasty of Zekran. His claim became incontrovertable after many other members of his family were killed back in the Zekresh Empire. He and his descendants maintained a separate government in exile in Ilania with the support of the Prince of Ilania. This was a cause for increased hostility between the Zekresh Empire and the Principality of Ilania for many years.

Tarno spent the first few years of his rule consolidating his power. This involved killing or imprisoning all the leading heirs of the Marivuk Dynasty and, ironically, the Iyatyva Dynasty. Tarno understood that the process which had brought him to power could just as easily put a different warlord on the throne and lead to civil wars in every generation. To solve this, he built up the Imperial military, ostensibly for war with foreign enemies. In the 8th year of his reign, Emperor Tarno I sent that military to attack the People of the Tides by land and sea. This led immediately to war with their allies, the powerful Fire People.

The war raged for three years. During this time, the Emperor conscripted the troops of the warlords and sent them into battle in the South Peninsula so that the warlords would find it difficult to overthrow him even though most of the Imperial military had gone off to war. The war proved far more difficult than expected, but ultimately, the Fire People's lands were invaded and occupied. The Fire People never surrendered and resistance continued for generations, but they were annexed to the Empire. Their territories were so large that the Emperor did not think any one warlord could rule them all. He also was worried about the ability of warlords on the other side of the Gateway Waters to defy Imperial authority. Ushinyva, the former warlord of Zirran (Gulland), had already done this and even harboured Alimuk the Pretender and aided his rebellion.

Instead, he decided not to appoint any more warlords. He divided the lands of the Fire People in half and gave each of these new territories the name "Gurikanan" (Captaincy) instead of Aylorkernan (Warlordship). The lands of the People of the Tides were also made a Gurikanan. The three Gurikanan were called:

a Gurikanan ya Sishan (the Captaincy of the lands of Sish. Sish means Tides in the local language)
a Gurikanan ya Argan Tros (the Captaincy of North Fireland)
a Gurikanan ya Argan Inuva (the Captaincy of South Fireland)

Each Gurikanan was placed under the control of a military Gurikan (captain). The key difference between an Aylorkernan and a Gurikanan was that a Gurikanan was not a hereditary feudal fiefdom. It belonged to the Empire, not to a warlord and his heirs. The military officers who ruled there knew that they could be removed at any time by the Emperor. Their sons would not inherit their position.

(In those days "Gurikan" (captain) meant a military leader. There was no system of organized military ranks. Later Gurikan became a relatively low rank in the Imperial military. The terms for higher ranks such as "Ekanor Falan", "Gurikan Falan" and "Gurikan Falanorata" did not exist in those days.)

After ruling for 19 years, Tarno I abdicated the throne in favor of his son. This was to minimize the danger that warlords would rebel when Tarno I died. His son, Tarno II, ascended the throne while his father was still there to protect him if need be. By the time the elder Tarno actually died, Tarno II had been on the throne for seven years and was firmly in power.

Unfortunately, Tarno II also died just a few months after his father died. It is speculated that once the father was dead, the son was assassinated by poison. There is no proof of that.

Nonetheless, when Tarno II died, he left behind two young daughters named Lanit and Janit and an infant son named Yatyva. The warlord of Yormukan immediately moved troops to the capital, but was thwarted from taking over by the Imperial military and troops from Aylorkernan Frayethay. Troops soon arrived at the capital from the Aylorkernan Uvinshakh (Warlordship of the Interior) under the command of Durno, younger brother of the late Emperor Tarno I.

Durno declared that he would support the legitimate heir, the infant, Yatyva, and thereby gained the support of the Imperial Army whose primary objective was to avoid a civil war. The infant was declared Emperor Yatyva X. Durno then ruled as regent while the Emperor was an infant. Yatyva X is known as "Yatyva the Child" because he was the first child Emperor and also because he never grew up.

When Yatyva X was 13 years old, he perished from an illness. The regent, Durno, was now heir to the throne because Tarno II had no brothers nor any other sons. The Princess Lanit had other plans, however. Though she was only 18 years old at the time, she was married to Zanyva, the Warlord of Slythan, a marriage alliance her father had arranged to keep Slythan loyal to the new Tarno Dynasty. On the night that Yatyva X died, the regent, Durno, was assassinated by Slythian assassins in the service of Princess Lanit. She had also won the loyalty of the Imperial guards who were from Aylorkernan Frayethay. Durno, being from Frayethay himself, trusted them more than men from the Aylorkernan he had been given in the Interior even after all these years. The trust was misplaced. The troops assisted Princess Lanit in seizing control of the Imperial palace, capturing the crown and placing it on the head of her own son, Olimuk, in a hasty coronation ceremony. He was derisively referred to by his opponents as "the Princess's Emperor".

Olimuk was the only grandson of Emperor Tarno II, princess Lanit's father, but he was banned from the throne by the decree of Tarno I against female line succession because his relationship to the late Emperor Tarno II was through Princess Lanit. Princess Lanit met this challenge head on by deciding that her son would take the reign name of "Marivuk II". By boldly naming him after the The Husband Emperor, founder of the Marivuk Dynasty, Princess Lanit declared that he would follow in the footsteps of Marivuk I and ascend the throne by virtue of female line succession regardless of what any law might say. The original Marivuk created a dynasty that had held onto power for 133 years despite a similar ban and he wasn't even a blood relative of the royal family. Olimuk, now Marivuk II, was the only grandson of the most recent adult Emperor. But he was not himself an adult. He was only three years old. His first and only decree was to agree with his mother's suggestion that she be declared regent until he was an adult. Within two days, the Imperial Army was obeying orders from Princess Lanit and by the time they heard from Durno's son, the rightful heir, Princess Lanit had a stranglehold on power in the capital and was executing people for disobedience. It was too late for the Imperial Army to back Durno's son now. Durno's son Verno was not a child, nor was he a fool. He had also just inherited the title of Warlord of the Interior from his father. He turned back from the capital when he heard what was happening there and returned to his fortress at Lorekan in the Interior. There he penned kind messages of well wishing and sent them along with gifts to Princess Lanit. He acknowledged Marivuk II as Emperor and Princess Lanit as regent and seemed to present no threat to her authority. But he would not come to the capital when summoned. He claimed to be too ill. When spies confirmed his illness and other matters became more pressing, Princess Lanit postponed plans to take action against him.

Princess Lanit had other more obvious threats to her power as rebellions broke out against her rule in Frayethay, Logoran, Yormukan and Kast Yvar. Within a year, all the conquered Fire People and Tide People of the Gurikanano were in revolt and garrisons in the West mutinied. Late in the 2nd year of the reign of Emperor Marivuk II, the Warlord of Yormukan openly rebelled against Princess Lanit. She sent the Imperial Army to besiege his castle at Kast Yormuk. All through the winter, the siege continued. Then, when Spring came, Verno marched to Kast Yvar with an army. The warlord of Kast Yvar raised an army of his own and together they marched to Zekran which was poorly guarded because so many troops had been sent to suppress rebellions and besiege the warlord of Yormukan. As they approached Zekran, some of the Imperial Army units there mutinied, making defense of the city impossible. Princess Lanit and little Emperor Marivuk II got on a Slythian ship and set sail for Yishil where her husband, Zanyva, ruled as Warlord of Slythan. Unfortunately for Princess Lanit, the Imperial Navy also rallied to the cause of Verno, the legitimate heir to the throne, and her ship was intercepted and she was captured.

When Princess Lanit was brought before the victorious Warlord Verno, she claimed he could not become Emperor now because he had already recognized Marivuk II as Emperor. The most he could do, said she, was to replace her as regent, and even that, only if he could coerce the child into issuing a decree against his own mother. Eventually, Lanit said, her son would grow up and he rule as Emperor. Verno acknowledged that Marivuk II was the Emperor. Then he had the child and Princess Lanit killed, declared the throne vacant and had himself crowned Emperor because he was the legitimate heir via the male-line only theory of succession just as he had been before Marivuk II toddled his way onto the throne. Verno took the reign name of Tarno III.

Although some historians consider Marivuk II to be technically not part of the Tarno Dynasty or not even legally an Emperor, he is usually included in the Tarno Dynasty and Tarno III permitted Marivuk II to be listed as his predecessor on official lists of Emperors.

Tarno III set as his main task securing the throne from conspiracy and coup-de-etat. Since he had seen clearly that no law could stand in the way of a determined aspirant to the throne who had command of troops, he set out to ensure that there would only be one army and that it would always side with the legitimate heir.

Tarno III first sent the Imperial Army to the Aylorkernan of Slythan to overthrow Zanyva, the warlord there. The Imperial Army found that Zanyva was furious at the killing of his wife and son and hot for revenge. To accomplish this revenge, Zanyva was raising an army of Viper People from his own territory and from nearby Nass Mysktia by telling them that he would lead them in a war against the Empire. Emperor Tarno III stopped this rebellion with words instead of battles by proclaiming that if the army of Viper People continued their rebellion that they would eventually be slain, but if they rallied to the cause of the Empire and turned against Zanyva, that the Emperor would remove the warlords from power in Slythan and also Nass Mysktia and never send warlords to rule them again. Instead, he would appoint one of their own countrymen to rule Slythan as a Gurikan and another to rule Nass Mysktia. Upon hearing this, the army of Viper People turned against Zanyva and killed him. They also forced the warlord of Nass Mysktia to surrender to Imperial forces.

The Emperor Tarno III kept his promise. The Aylorkernan Slythan became the Gurikanan Slythia. The name was changed from Slythan to Slythia because the Slythians themselves call it Slythia. Slythan is a Zekresh version of the name. Nass Mysktia was also proclaimed a Gurikanan despite the protestations of its former warlord that he had not joined in Zanyva's rebellion. The Emperor said it did not matter. The warlord's sacred duty had always been to stop rebellions against the Empire within their territory. The warlord of Nass Mysktia had failed to do so and the Emperor claimed the right to remove any warlord for such a failure. Tarno III was pursuing a plan to put an end to all the warlords and their private armies. He saw this as the only way to secure the throne for his descendants.

Next, Tarno III abolished the title of Warlord of the Interior, changed the name of the territory from Aylorkernan Uvinshakh (Warlordship of the Interior) to Gurikanan Uvinshakh Voint (Captaincy of the Peninsula Interior). He was free to do this without angering any warlords since he, himself, was the Warlord of the Interior in addition to being Emperor. He had also inherited the Warlordship of Frayethay and turned that into a Gurikanan as well.

Of the eleven warlordships that had existed when Yatyva IX ascended the throne, three were annexed to others in the reign of Tarno I, four more had now been abolished by Tarno III, leaving only four. These were Kast Yvar, Yormukan, Flitran and Logoran.

The Emperor was now in a much stronger position relative to the warlords, but two of the remaining warlords (Kast Yvar and Yormukan) were dangerously close to the capital. Tarno III considered simply abolishing them by decree, but he knew it would mean civil war and that would make the Empire vulnerable to foreign enemies. At this time, there were two foreign enemies who were sufficiently strong and near enough to pose a considerable threat to the Empire. One of these was the ancient enemy, the Principality of Ilania and its neighbors and sometimes allies: Ravelonia, Nawarna, Corinweld, Groglinth and Grogia. The other was the Bear Tribes who were vast in numbers and ruled a large territory Northwest of the Empire.

Tarno III was able to weaken the power of the warlords further during his reign by means of minor decrees, but he was not able to whittle down their numbers any further. After twelve years on the throne, he passed away from a fever. His son, Ardimuk, was the clear heir and his succession was not contested.