The War of the Duel

Once upon a time, centuries upon centuries ago, before the Zekresh Empire began, before the first stone was laid to build the Imperial City of Zekran, there was a duel between a prince and an emperor.

This was a time when the Frayeth Empire still stood on the Southern Peninsula, but it was in disarray due to internal discord, wildmen attacks, and an invasion by the army of Prince Toralin of Corinweld. Prince Toralin had recovered the Lost Crown of Ilania and by its power and authority had unified all the ancient peoples of Ilania, the Gavrinians, Tuladorians, Sarindans, many Frayeth clans and several powerful tribes of wildmen including the Grogians and led them in a relentless war to defeat the Frayeth Emperor Dulimuk.

Prince Toralin succeeded in his quest and at the battle of the Seagull River he defeated the Frayeth Army and had Emperor Dulimuk surrounded. Emperor Dulimuk refused to surrender. To the dismay of his knights, Prince Toralin challenged Dulimuk to a duel, promising that if Dulimuk won, Toralin's life would be forfeit, the Lost Crown of Ilania would be Dulimuk's and all the lands of ancient Ilania would become part of the Frayeth Empire. For these stakes, Dulimuk agreed that if he should lose, not only would he be slain, but that the title of Frayeth Emperor would die with him. This promise was sealed with a curse sworn to by both Dulimuk and Toralin upon the Lost Crown of Ilania that unending woe and decrepitude should befall anyone who sought to undo the results of the duel that had been agreed upon. All of the generals and warriors of both Toralin and Dulimuk who were present also swore to abide by the results of the duel and that the endless wars between the Frayeth and the nations of Ilania should end forever on that day one way or the other.

The duel commenced. Dulimuk was a mighty warrior armed with the finest sword and armor that Frayeth craftsmen knew how to make. Nonetheless, Prince Toralin of Corinweld's armor was said to be a suit of ancient magic armor inherited from Rando, one of the original sixteen knights of Corinweld who were given magic weapons and armor supposedly by Ravelon himself, the God of Magic. Emperor Dulimuk was not dismayed by this since he did not believe in Ravelon or any other Ilanian god. He prayed instead to Gilhalnan, The Goat God of the Forest and Father of the Gods.

Prince Toralin wielded the sword known as Corinbek (meaning Raven's Beak in Gavrinian), an ancient weapon with a legendary ability to pierce armor. This weapon was said to have originally been given to the knight Dalin by Ravelon, the God of Magic in ancient times. The Emperor struck the first blow and it rang off Prince Toralin's armor without so much as denting it. A second and third blow the Emperor struck, also without effect. Then Prince Toralin replied in kind. The first blow from Corinbek clove the emperor's iron shield in twain. The second took off the emperor's sword hand. The third blow clove his helm and smote the emperor a mortal blow from which he fell dead upon the spot. Thus ended the Frayeth Empire.

Though the duel was supposed to end the fighting between the Frayeth and the Ilanians, it did not. Some of the Frayeth warriors who were present at the duel broke their oath and risked the curse to resist Prince Toralin's attempts to subjugate the Frayeth. Other Frayeth warriors who were not present at the duel continued to fight. Some of them claimed the title of Frayeth Emperor. Prince Toralin was enraged at this since it broke the terms sworn to by Emperor Dulimuk and his men at the duel. Eventually, Prince Toralin himself took the title of Emperor of the Frayeth Empire to attempt to impose his will upon the Frayeth. From that day forward, Emperor Toralin had not a day of peace for the rest of his short life. In addition to revolts by his own supporters and the Frayeth, the powerful tribes of the Fire People waged war against him successfully. Within seven years, both the Frayeth Empire and all Ilania were laid waste by endless wars and strife. Emperor Toralin was assassinated by poison. It was said afterwards that Toralin was destroyed by the curse he himself had sworn to along with Dulimuk. Some legends say that the last thing Toralin heard as he was dying from the poison was the sound of Dulimuk's ghost laughing at him.

Emperor Toralin's son Raylin also wore the cursed crown of Ilania and took the title of Emperor of Ilania and Frayethay. Emperor Raylin's rule was so despotic towards the Frayeth that many Frayeth fled across the water to North Peninsula. The coast of North Peninsula on the Gateway Waters came to be known as Frayethay, the land of the Frayeth. The lands of the Frayeth Empire had once borne this name, but no longer. After only six years wearing the cursed crown, Emperor Raylin ruled only a wasteland. In frustration, he went to the Seagull River at the site where the duel had been fought and renounced all his titles and cast the crown into the river whence it was again lost.

The History of Money

By Asnalyva, Lord of the Exchequer
40th year of the Reign of Emperor Cledman VI


Before the invention of coins, other things were used for money. Some used animal hides, especially in the North Valley Region. In Ulawan, bits of white quartz were sometimes used. Many tribes along the Gateway Waters used a certain type of rare shell called a Kazin shell. These originated with a tribe at the Northeast end of the Gateway Waters who became known as the Shell People because of this. Kazin shells were used as a medium of exchange not only among the Shell People, but also among the Moss People, the Mushroom People, the Crab People, the Slythians, the Verronese and on the South side of the Gateway Waters, were also used by the Cliff People, the People of the Tides, the Fire People, the Starfish People, the Clam People, the Seagull People, the Frog People, the Raven People and the Green People. Undoubtedly Kazin shells were also in use as money by other groups as well.

The oldest known coins are from the ancient principality of Ravelonia. These coins are of both gold and silver and bear an inscription in the ancient Tuladorian language and bearing an image that is supposed to be Ravelon, (the God of Magic) according to the inscription. On the other side, they bear the image of the ancient castle of Ravelonia. Though invariably very worn, the image and inscriptions on these coins show skill of craftsmanship that is unknown today. These coins are smaller than Zekresh coins, but they weigh about one and a third liff (about 2 oz.) and are made of pure gold. Similar coins have also been found made of pure silver.

Coins of other ancient realms also exist, notably silver coins minted in the Principality of Ilania and the realms of Corinweld, Groglinth and old Frayethay. From a later era are the coins of the Frayeth Empire which ruled the northern portion of the South Peninsula some two thousand years ago. Frayeth Imperial coinage consisted primarily of three types of coin, the gold "Solur" which bore the image of a goat on one side and the reigning Frayeth Emperor on the other. These coins were originally about 2 liff in weight and 100% gold. In the later days of the empire, the size was reduced to 1 liff and the gold content to as little as 25%. The second type of coin was the silver Dayil which was also originally pure and 2 liff in weight and was reduced progressively to half a liff in weight and less than 5% silver. The third type of coin was the Dovik which was originally 2 liff in weight and pure copper. These were reduced to one fifth of a liff and less than 50% copper by the end of the Frayeth Empire. The official exchange rate between these coins was 1 Solur = 6 Dayil and 1 Dayil = 24 Dovik through most of the history of the Frayeth Empire, but it varied at times.

Coins from Toralin's brief Empire also exist. These were 1 liff in weight, but only 5% silver.

There are also silver and copper coins of that era from Ravelonia, Ilania, Corinweld, Groglinth and also primitive copper coins bearing no writing, only symbols. Some bear the symbol of the frog and are believed to come from ancient Grogia whose name actually means "land of the frog". Others bear images of fire and are believed to have been made by ancient Kikali priests whose religion used fire as a symbol.

In the earliest days of Zekran, before the Empire, Zekran minted no coinage and foreign coins circulated, especially those from the old Frayeth Empire.

The earliest coins minted at Zekran were minted by Firthyva and bore the image of a single sword with no inscription. These coins were made of nearly pure silver and weighed about one and a half liff.

Other warlords of this time also minted obscure coinage, often bearing only symbols with no inscription. The most recognizable of these are those bearing the image of Kast Yvar which were minted by the warlord Yormuk. In this era, the Slythians minted their first coinage, both silver and gold, bearing the image of the Viper God. The Verronese minted copper coins in this era.These are emblazoned with the image of a bear's paw print on one side and crossed battle axes on the other. They also minted similar coins in silver with the image of a bear on one side and a ship on the other. Coins were still being minted in this era by Ravelonia, Ilania, Corinweld, Groglinth and Grogia. All of these were more sophisticated than those found on North Peninsula, but the Ravelonian coins no longer demonstrated the level of skill that they had in earlier times.

The last Zekresh coins struck before the declaration of the Empire bore the image of Iyatyva and the inscription "Naltor ya Zekran arend Nass Umrug" ("Prince of Zekran and Nass Umrug")

When Iyatyva's son Yatyva I, declared himself Emperor he had silver coins struck bearing his likeness and inscribed with the words "Yatyva, Vylor Zekresh" (Yatyva, Zekresh Emperor). These were the first coins struck by the Zekresh Empire. This coin came to be known as the "Yat" or in plural form, the "Yato", derived from "Yatyva". The Yat weighed one and a half liff and was of pure silver. It was a large coin, but not as large as the 2 liff silver Dayil of the Frayeth Empire had been.

The silver Yat was the Empire's only official coin until the reign of Marivuk I. During his reign, the warlords he appointed began to mint copper "dovek" coins. The earliest of these bear the inscription "Aylorkern ya Timbelan" (Warlord of Timbelan) and the name of the first such warlord. Later, other warlords began minting "dovek" coins of different sizes and purity, but all containing some copper.

In the reign of Yatyva IV, the Emperor began minting copper "dovek" coins intended to replace those issued by the warlords whose power the Emperor was trying to curb. These were about one and a half liff in weight and of nearly pure copper. They bore the image of the old Imperial Palace at Zekran and the inscription "Dovek Vyloresh" ("Imperial Dovek"). These coins were both larger and more pure than those issued by the warlords. Emperor Yatyva IV also minted a replacement for the silver "Yat" which was one and a half liff in weight and of about 90% silver. This coin was modeled on the old Frayeth silver Dayil, but the Zekresh coin was called the "Bayal" (plural form "Bayalo") and was the antecedent to the modern Bayla. The official exchange rate was 40 doveko to one bayal.

Yatyva IV had spoken of wanting to issue a gold coin so that Zekresh Imperial coinage would mimic the trimetallic system of the old Frayeth Empire. Unfortunately, the Zekresh Empire simply did not have enough gold at the time to make this worthwhile. Yatyva IV's son, Yatyva V, captured a significant quantity of gold from the King of the Vipers when he conquered Yishil and used this to realize his father's ambition of adding a gold coin to the Empire's coinage. The new gold coin bore the image of Emperor Yatyva V and was called the "Vylor Soluren" ("Gold Emperor") because of this. The earliest such coins weighed one and a half liff, like the Bayal and the Dovek and were nearly pure gold. Yatyva V noticed that the market rate of exchange between copper and silver varied from the official rate, causing silver coins to disappear from circulation and to be drained from the treasury as merchants hoarded them or melted them down. Yatyva V changed the official exchange rate to 42 dovek to one bayal and established an official exchange rate between gold and silver at ten bayalo to one vylor soluren. The idea came from the high priests of Gilhalnan who said that the gods had decreed that the relationship between the metals was the same as between the cycles of the seasons, the cycles of the moon and the daily rising and setting of the sun. Each of these astronomical phenomenon had an associated unit of time. The cycle of the seasons was the adonsik (year). The cycle of the salga (moon) was the salgan (month) and repeats ten times during each adonsik. The rising and setting of the sun occurs each oron (day) and this occurs forty two times during each Salgan. (Yes, this is different than on Earth.) Therefore, the priests of Gilhalnan said, the metal that is the color of the sun at the Summer Solstice (gold) is equivalent to an adonsik (year) and is worth ten times as much as the metal that is the color of the moon (silver) which in turn is worth forty two times the value of the metal which is the color of the setting sun (copper).

So Emperor Yatyva V decreed an official exchange rate of Imperial coinage of 1 vylor soluren = 10 bayalo and 1 bayal = 42 doveko. This ignored the two festival days of the Zekresh calendar which occur at the solstices and are not part of any month. There are actually 422 orono (days) in an adonsik (year). (On Earth it's 365.24 days per year)

The logic of this and the cosmic and religious connotations of it caused this system to remain in effect for a century. When the Marivuk Dynasty was overthrown by warlords and the Tarno Dynasty began, the Emperor Tarno I had no interest in maintaining cosmic exchange rates. He needed more money, and fast. He debased the coinage and adjusted the exchange rate to 1 vylor soluren = 12 bayalo and 1 bayal = 50 doveko.

The coinage was further debased throughout the Tarno Dynasty until the coins contained only about 75% of the metals they were supposed to be made of. Then, during the 1st Zekran - Ilania War, Emperor Ardimuk I became desperate for money to finance the war. He maintained the size and metal content of the gold vylor soluren, but steadily reduced the bayal to about 50% silver and the dovek to about 50% copper. He didn't change the official exchange rate, but he ordered the treasury to stop giving out gold coins for silver ones. The vylor soluren then went out of general circulation. During the 2nd Zekran - Ilania War, Emperor Ardimuk I again debased the coinage radically, this time reducing the silver bayal to only 33% silver content while the dovek remained unchanged. This move worked because the silver content of the bayal (3/4 of a liff) had been worth far more than 42 doveko. This situation persisted with additional reductions in metal content of the bayal and the dovek for fifty years until the conquest of Ravelonia under Emperor Tarno IV. Now, for the first time, the Empire had gained possession of significant gold and silver mines. The state of the coinage at that time was disastrous. The gold vylor soluren was still 75% gold and still weighed one and half liff, but the Imperial treasury had long since spent them all and had no gold to use to mint new coins. The days when the Imperial treasury would give out gold coins at a rate of 10 or even 12 bayalo to one vylor soluren were almost forgotten, but the official exchange rate remained the same at 12 bayalo to one vylor soluren. The silver bayal was no longer silver and now contained less than 10% silver and was almost entirely base metals. The dovek remained about 50% copper.

The 50 to 1 exchange rate between the dovek and the bayal translated into a 562.5 to 1 exchange rate between silver and copper when the actual value was about 100 to 1. This caused the bayal to be called a "hollow coin" because it did not contain the value or the silver that it was supposed to. This occurred because the Imperial treasury was collecting a multitude of small taxes that could only be paid with doveko, but paid its largest expenses with increasingly debased bayalo. This was immensely beneficial to the Imperial treasury in the short run. The longer term result was that doveko were hoarded and the bayalo were increasingly seen as nearly worthless.

With gold and silver mines now under his control, Emperor Tarno IV proceeded to reform the coinage first by increasing the copper content of the dovek from 50% to 75% of its weight, but its weight was reduced from one and a half liff to one liff so that it contained exactly as much copper as the old dovek. This increased the purity of the coins, but made them of equal value and they circulated at parity.

The bayal could not be so easily fixed and was instead replaced with the new "bayla". The bayla was the silver equivalent of the new dovek. It was the same weight (1 liff) and purity (75%) as the new dovek except that it was silver like a bayal was supposed to be. Now that merchants had been shocked into paying closer attention to metal content of coins by the debasement of the bayalo, the Imperial treasury sought to restore confidence in the coinage by issuing coins with a higher metal content. A new gold vylor soluren was issued that also contained 75% precious metal (gold), with a weight of 1 liff. It was significant that for the gold coins, this actually represented a reduction in value since the old vylor soluren had also been 75% gold, but weighed one and a half liff while the new coin weighed only one liff.

The new exchange rate was 1 vylor soluren = 16 baylo and 1 bayla = 60 doveko. This system of money remained essentially unchanged for nearly two and a half centuries. Then came the Bear Wars. Emperor Vergriman II paid off war debts denominated in baylo by changing the exchange rate from 1 vylor soluren = 16 baylo to 1 vylor soluren = 30 baylo and then paying the debt in gold.

Upon the accession of Larinyva I to the throne, this rate was returned to the previous rate of 1 vylor soluren = 16 baylo and 1 bayla = 60 doveko. However, under Emperor Yatyva XVII debasement of the coinage began again and the precious metal content of the coins began to drop below 75%. In the reign of Yatyva XX, exchange rates were expanded again to 1 vylor soluren = 18 baylo and 1 bayla = 64 doveko. Similar changes to exchange rates and reductions in the precious metal content of the coins continued in small increments until the reign of Larinyva IX, last of the Larinyva Dynasty, when the metal content was just below two thirds (66.5%) and the exchange rates stood at 1 vylor soluren = 26 baylo and 1 bayla = 124 doveko.

Then Emperor Cledman I came to the throne, starting a new dynasty and, as had become traditional at the start of a new dynasty, he reformed the coinage, bringing exchange rates back to near market rates at 1vylor soluren = 18 baylo and 1 bayla = 70 doveko. It has been the policy of the Cledman Dynasty Emperors to adjust exchange rates periodically to reflect alterations in market value. This has not stopped the Cledman Emperors from further debasing the coinage. The 66.5% precious metal content was slowly eroded by successive Emperors until Emperor Cledman V who reduced the coinage to 50% precious metal content and set exchange rates at 1vylor soluren = 20 baylo and 1 bayla = 72 doveko. The only change to the coinage made since then was in the 10th year of the reign of Emperor Cledman VI who changed the exchange rate to 1vylor soluren = 20 baylo and 1 bayla = 75 doveko.

Essay on the Imperial Navy

by Ekanor Falan (Vice Admiral) Otunuk
40th year of the reign of Cledman VI


The Zekresh Imperial Navy is the supreme naval fighting force in the known world. It has had no serious rival since the Bear Wars eight centuries ago. Even then, Imperial ships were far superior and the Bear Tribes had to make up for it with vast numbers of longboats. They had no large ships and did not have the technology for biremes, rams, napthalene, or gangplanks for boarding parties. The Zekresh Imperial Navy had all these technologies back then and subsequently developed advanced navigation techniques, accurate maps and faster ships with three decks of oarmen called triremes. With the destruction of the last of the Silway Siliken pirate fleets in the last century, (in the 23rd year of the reign of Emperor Marvinuk I), the navy has no real enemies. Nonetheless, the Navy has continued to serve a vital function exploring, transporting troops, preventing piracy, and providing the primary link between the Overseas Provinces and the rest of the Empire.

There were some important naval actions in the distant past, but very little real naval warfare in recent centuries.

Before the Empire, Zekresh naval forces consisted of primitive boats full of warriors. In the time of the Wars of Fire, Zekresh forces were led by Zekryva himself, founder of what later became Zekran, the Imperial Capital City. But in those days, Zekresh naval forces were not more advanced than the primitive boats of the Fire People, nor more numerous. For nearly five hundred years after the Fire Wars, Zekresh slowly improved the size and quality of its Navy. But during the Firthyva Dynasty, the Fire People still had a strong enough navy to attack Zekran by sea, defeat Zekresh naval and land forces and pillage Zekran. This was still nearly fifty years before the Zekresh Empire was proclaimed.

Naval forces played only a supporting role in the earliest conquests of the Frayeth lands and of Slythia, but they were slowly building up their capabilities. When the Empire was proclaimed, the navy was still just a few primitive boats, but it was built up. Three centuries later, the Imperial Navy had a vast fleet, but the ships were small and primitive by modern standards. They faced an enemy whose ships were larger and more advanced: the Ilanian Royal Navy.

The most sophisticated naval foe ever defeated by the Imperial Navy was the Ilanian Royal Navy which was equipped with biremes, triremes, napthalene, metal tipped rams on ship bows and gangplanks for boarding parties. Fortunately the Imperial Navy possessed a much larger fleet. This was before the Bear Wars and the Imperial Zekresh Navy did not yet have any of these technologies at the start of the war.

The Ravelonian Navy was also technologically sophisticated, but was even smaller than the Ilanian Royal Navy and was easily overcome.

After the defeat of the Ilanians and the Ravelonians, the Imperial Navy adopted their technologies and tactics and captured and reused some of their ships. All this was put to use a couple centuries later to defeat a less advanced foe who had invaded the Empire, captured two entire provinces and laid seige to Nass Umrug, a major city near the Imperial Capital at Zekran. Enemy naval forces even raided Zekran twice, but were repulsed by the Imperial Navy.

This was the Bear Wars and the invading forces were the Bear Tribes who had not only resisted an Imperial effort to annex them, but had invaded the Empire. The seige and blockade of Nass Umrug by the fleet and army of the Bear Tribes posed a dire threat to the Empire. It was the third major Imperial port to be attacked by the Bear Tribes in this manner. The other two fell to the enemy and the Imperial Capital City of Zekran was next. The Imperial Navy defeated the enemy naval forces at Nass Umrug, thereby allowing relief of that port city by sea and the seige ended. Imperial forces then drove the Bear Tribes all the way back to their own territory and within a year had annexed a large part of it. The final defeat of the Bear Tribes required another eight years of war, but eventually it was done. The Imperial Navy prevented the Bear Tribes from building a new fleet and provided logistics and transport for the Imperial Army during the conquest.

Had the Imperial Navy not learned the naval secrets of the Ilanians, the Bear Tribes would have won the battle of Nass Umrug and probably captured Zekran.

All of these battles were eight centuries or more ago. The only recent foes at sea have been pirates and smugglers. Since the defeat of the Silway Siliken pirate fleet in the last century, pirates rarely have more than one or two ships operating together and are easily scared off or defeated. Pirates still haunt the Western Sea, especially on the Far Coast (the West side) and usually have ships that can outrun all but the fastest Imperial Navy vessels. Thus, dealing with pirates is typically a matter of chasing them off or catching them by surprise in port, not fighting them at sea.

Smugglers almost always surrender when caught rather than fight the Navy.

In its entire history of more than 1,300 years, the Zekresh Imperial Navy has never lost a war.

Though the Imperial Navy faces little opposition at sea and has had almost uninterrupted peace for about eight hundred years, its officers are well aware that sea transport is absolutely essential to the economy of the Empire as well as for its political unity. It is because the Empire can transport large armies by sea to almost any part of the Empire that rebels usually dare not strike openly and inevitably lose if they do.

The Story of the Bear Wars

by Gondalin

The Zekresh conquest of the Verronese took nine years. It is called the "Bear Wars" by the Zekresh and the same name is often used by Verronese as well. Some Verronese refer to it euphemistically as the Imperial Annexation.

The war began in the 3rd year of the reign of Emperor Vergriman II. According to Verronese accounts, the war began with an unprovoked invasion of the southeastern lands of the Bear Tribes by Imperial Army troops attacking from Slythia and the interior. This initial invasion was quickly and strongly repulsed and the Imperial Army was entirely thrown out of the territory of the Bear Tribes.

With this display of strength by the Bear Tribes, their sometimes allies, the Slythians, rose in revolt against Imperial rule, especially since the war had denuded Slythia of Imperial Army troops. The Zekresh began a ruthless suppression of the Slythian revolt and the Slythians appealed to the chieftains of the Bear Tribes for assistance. The Bear Tribes came by land and by sea, a vast horde marched from the bear lands while a vast fleet of small long boats arrived by sea. Imperial forces fled and all of Slythia was quickly liberated from centuries of Zekresh rule. The chieftains of the Bear Tribes met with the descendants of the old chieftains of the Slythians and together they decided to end the Zekresh menace once and for all. The warriors of the Bear paused only long enough for their Slythian kinsmen to gather up arms before the horde and the fleet advanced into Frayethay with the intention of laying waste the those lands, uprooting the towns and cities built there by the Frayeth and the Zekresh, handing the lands back to the Marsh People who originally dwelt there and then moving on to Zekran to raze it to the ground and enslave its arrogant people.

The warriors of the bear and the warriors of the viper were both much aggrieved against the Frayeth and their Zekresh kinsmen and sought bloody revenge. They cut a swath through Frayethay that left not a single farm untouched or a single Frayeth alive where the horde had passed. Remnants of the Zekresh Imperial Army fled before the onslaught and refused to give battle, but the long boats of the Bear Tribes moved more swiftly than the Zekresh could flee. The Bear Tribes came by sea in their long boats and landed warriors east of Nass Umrug, so that they would stand in the path of their enemies and force them to do battle or to surrender. The Zekresh instead halted their retreat and retired to the fortress at Nass Umrug.

Warriors from the long boats surrounded the town and soon the main horde arrived by land. Nass Umrug was beseiged. The warriors of the Bear had never attacked a fortress before and were unfamiliar with siege warfare. The Slythians were of great help in this regard and together the horde of the Bear and the Viper developed methods for capturing a fortified Zekresh city. They intended to put this knowledge to use against Zekran which lay just a little further down the coast.

The seige lasted for months. The Zekresh Imperial Army attacked by land from Zekran. Nass Umrug was their largest city in those days and they could not afford to lose it. But the Zekresh Imperial Army was again beaten.

The siege progressed, but then the Zekresh tried a new tactic and attacked by sea. The Zekresh Imperial Navy had much larger and faster ships than the people of the Bear and the long boats were smashed by Zekresh rams and set afire by an unnatural fire that could not be put out and could even set water on fire. The warriors of the long boats fought as best they could on the sea while the main horde of the Bear and Viper watched helplessly from the shore. In the end, the long boats were rammed, sunk, burned, drenched with a rain of arrows and boarded. By every method of sea warfare, the Zekresh whittled down the much larger fleet of long boats until few remained. These fought bravely while the warriors on shore attempted to build more boats. But it was too late. The Zekresh Imperial Navy broke through the blockade and provided supplies and reinforcements by sea to the fortress of Nass Umrug.

Efforts to re-establish the blockade failed. Too many long boats had already been destroyed. The chieftains of the Bear and the Viper were not willing to abandon the war, but they knew that to advance on either Zekran or Kast Yvar while leaving an enemy army behind them at Nass Umrug was folly. All the more so since the Zekresh Imperial Navy could bring in even more troops by sea and strike the horde from behind, breaking any seige that might be attempted against the mighty fortresses of Kast Yvar and Zekran.

Unwilling to give up in defeat, the chieftains led their warriors in a determined assault on the walls of the fortress at Nass Umrug. Many warriors were lost and in the end, the attack failed. The Chieftains led the horde back to Slythia to attempt to build a new fleet, but the Zekresh Imperial Navy raided the improvised shipyards and burned the ships. Then the Zekresh Imperial Army came with renewed confidence and much greater numbers than before. There was a falling out between the Bear chieftains and the Viper chieftains. Under these circumstances, the Bear chieftains were not willing to give up the lives of their sons and kinsmen to defend Slythia, so they returned home.

For a brief time, there was peace, but then the Zekresh Imperial Army invaded again. The war raged for years across all the Bear lands. Sometimes the Zekresh advanced, sometimes they were driven back. Sometimes there was peace, but always war broke out again. At first the Zekresh could not hold the territory they captured, but then they began to build garrison forts in the occupied lands.

The Zekresh managed to conquer all the lands up to the Bear River and to establish a system of forts connected by good roads to hold the land. For a while, the lands beyond the river remained free, but in the later years of the Bear Wars, the Zekresh Imperial Army advanced into these lands while the Zekresh Imperial Navy raided the coast relentlessly and prevented the Bear people from fishing at sea. This brought famine to the coast, where most of the Bear people lived. The Bear Tribes were driven inland and northward until only North Bearland remained free.

For a time, the warriors of North Bearland continued to resist and obtained assistance from the Smoke People. It is said that Imperial diplomacy arranged for ancient enemies of the Smoke People to attack them. The people of the Crying Moon and their allies, the Hummingbird People attacked the Smoke People from the North. The Imperial Army then invaded North Bearland once again. This time at the battle of the Snowy Meadows, the last army of North Bearland was encircled by a much larger Imperial force and defeated. On promises that they would be allowed to go home if they put down their weapons, the warriors of North Bearland surrendered. They were then massacred by the Imperial Army and the bodies left strewn across the Snowy Meadows where they had fought.

The Imperial Army then advanced into the lands of the Smoke People from the south while their warriors were fighting enemies in the north. In this way, the Smoke People were quickly and easily conquered and their lands were annexed into the Empire.

The Second Zekran - Ilania War

by Steldranuk

When the Treaty of Corinweld ended the 1st Zekran - Ilania War, this brought peace only to the enemies of the Zekresh Empire, not to the Empire itself. Emperor Ardimuk I signed the treaty because he was beseiged at Corinweld Castle and his army was cut off from the Empire by the rebellion of the Kikali tribes. The treaty allowed him to withdraw his army from Corinweld, but the retreat back to the Empire was a foray into hostile territory. Emperor Ardimuk's war-weary troops marched into Argan Iluva (South Fireland) to find it wholly in the hands of rebels and a powerful army of Kikali tribesmen arrayed against them. The leader of the rebels, a man named Ralan, offered the Emperor and his troops free passage out of Kikali lands on the promise that the Empire would never again try to rule them or Sishan.

The Emperor refused. Enraged, the Kikali rebel army attacked. The Emperor's army withdrew to positions centered on a hill known as Ardin Most ("Round Hill" in Kikalan) and the village of the same name beside it. Kikali forces outnumbered the Imperial troops at the Battle of Ardin Most and were stout of heart and desperate to win their freedom and avenge the wrongs suffered by their people under the Empire. But the Kikali men had not been allowed to follow their peoples' warrior traditions. Instead, they were learning anew the ways of battle and trying to relearn from elders the skills needed for battle.

The Emperor's soldiers were battle hardened by over five long years of war and had just come from fighting enemies far more deadly than the Kikali rebels. Ensconced on the high ground, the Emperor and his men repulsed every attack and the Kikali ferocity only worked against them as they continued to throw themselves against a strong defensive position. The Kikali rebels broke their strength and the next day, the Emperor struck back, driving the rebels before him and scattering them. Ralan narrowly escaped capture and went on to lead Kikali resistance for years to come, but the rebellion was thrown down by the Battle of Ardin Most and subsequent battle of Tarmat ee Taval in which Imperial forces retook the city of Tarmat ee Taval from the rebels and re-established Imperial rule over Argan Inuva. From the port city of Tarmat ee Taval, the Imperial troops were able to re-establish contact with the rest of the Empire with the assistance of the Imperial Navy. Reinforcements were soon pouring in and the Emperor began a ruthless campaign of crushing the rebellion and killing all who had been associated with it. He advaned from Argan Inuva to Argan Tros, then to Sishan.

At the Battle of Serat Trayakir in Sishan, the Emperor met a new enemy. Not only were there Kikali rebels who had fled there and Sishan rebels, there was also a small army that had marched there from Logoran. The army from Logoran consisted of some soldiers recruited from Logoran, but others had come from other parts of the Empire and even from Ilania. The Ilanians had, indeed, withdrawn their troops from Logoran as required by the Treaty of Corinweld, but they had left in their stead, the grandson of Alimuk the Pretender. Alimuk had fled to Nysarinda at the beginning of the reign of Tarno I, over half a century earlier. There, he had maintained his own Imperial court in exile for the rest of his life and his son had done the same. Alimuk the Pretender had taken the "reign name" of Yatyva IV, denying the legitimacy of all the Marivuk Dynasty Emperors including Yatyva IV - Yatyva IX. He denied also the legitimacy of all the Tarno Dynasty Emperors including Yatyva X. Thus, when Alimuk passed away, his son took the reign name of "Yatyva V". The Pretender Yatyva V was, by the time of the 1st Zekran - Ilania War, an old man, so his son, went to fight Ardimuk the Avenger. The son was also named Yatyva and called himself "Naltor Kervus Yatyva" (Crown Prince Yatyva).

For Crown Prince Yatyva, this seemed to be a chance to defeat Ardimuk and overthrow the Tarno Dynasty, putting his father on the throne and restoring, once and for all time, the original Iyatyva Dynasty to the throne of the Zekresh Empire. It was not to be. These high hopes did not make up for a smaller, less experienced army, demoralized allies and inferior tactics. Ardimuk's army easily defeated the army of Crown Prince Yatyva, the Sishan rebels and the remnant Kikali rebels who fought with them. Crown Prince Yatyva was captured and Ardimuk beheaded him with Ardimuk's own sword which was thence forth known as "Naltor Trivak" (Prince Killer).

With the Battle of Serat Trayakir, the rebellion in the South Peninsula was reduced from a dire threat to a chronic irritation. The Battle of Serat Trayakir took place in the 7th year of the reign of Emperor Ardimuk I. After that battle, Ardimuk appointed a new Gurikan for Sishan, marched into Logoran, scattered the remaining rebels there and appointed a Gurikan for it as if it had always been a Gurikanan (Captaincy) when in fact, it had been an Aylorkernan (Warlordship). But the Aylorkern ya Logoran was dead and all his family slain in the war and the subsequent rebellion so there was no one left to inherit the title anyway.

Ardimuk renamed Logoran as "Logoria" when he made it a Gurikanan because that was the name for it that the local people used. For the same reason, when Ardimuk re-established Imperial control over the lands of the Fire People, he changed the name of both provinces from Argan Tros (North Fireland in Zekresh) to Kikalan Tros (North Kikali Land) and Argan Inuva (South Fireland in Zekresh) to Kikalan Inuva (South Kikali Land). He also changed some of the practices of the Imperial government so that they would be less oppressive to the Kikali and hopefully make the idea of rebellion less popular there in the future.

Ardimuk I used the peace that followed the suppression of the South Peninsula rebellions to build up the military forces of the Zekresh Empire on land and sea as much as possible. He also made every effort to establish strong alliances that would be helpful in the event of a future war with Ilania.

In Nysarinda, the Iyatyva Dynasty pretender "Yatyva V" was enraged at the death of his eldest son at the hands of Emperor Ardimuk. Though Prince Aran of Ilania may have welcomed peace, the pretender Yatyva V thirsted for vengeance. His younger son was named Zekryva in honor of the founder of Zekran. This Zekryva was now called the "Naltor Kervus" (Crown Prince) by the Iyatyva exiles. While Ardimuk built up his military forces, Zekryva sent spies and agents into the Empire to stir up rebellion. His men found the Kikali rebel Ralan and made an alliance with him.

He also made an alliance with people of the Forest Tribes near Lorekan who plotted rebellion. Then he hired Slythian assassins to kill Emperor Ardimuk I. Three times, the assassins struck, first with daggers, then with arrows, then with poison, but on each occasion, Ardimuk emerged unscathed.

Ardimuk's guards captured some of the assassins and eventually determined that the House of Iyatyva in Nysarinda was responsible. He also blamed the warlords. There were three warlords left, the warlords of Kast Yvar, Yormukan and Flitran. They were still too powerful for an Emperor to oppose. Though the Imperial Army now was even more certain than before to prevail against them in armed conflict, the warlords still possessed significant armies and the fortresses of Kast Yvar and Kast Yormuk were strong and would require lengthy sieges to capture. The warlords were well aware that every Emperor of the Tarno Dynasty had sought ways to abolish their titles and strip them of their power. The three remaining warlords were firmly allied with each other and the warlord of Kast Yvar had a marriage alliance with one of the leaders of the Bear Tribes. This made it too dangerous for the Emperor to move against the warlords directly. A war between the Imperial Army and the warlords could not be resolved quickly since it would require besieging Kast Yvar, the strongest fortress in the Empire, and also Kast Yormuk, another strong fortress. The Imperial Army could not do this and also defend against an attack by the powerful Bear Tribes. The possibility that Ilania or the other Principalities would enter the war was a further deterrent. Therefore, the Emperor took no action. Zekryva in fact was rebuffed by the warlords. They rejected his offer of an alliance against the Emperor.

Ardimuk built up Imperial military forces and contemplated a way to break to the power of the warlords. He realized that the primary reason he was worried about the warlords was because Kast Yvar and Yormukan were so close to the capital. The danger could be removed simply by moving the capital. Though Zekran had been the capital of the Empire and home of the Zekresh people before that, there was nothing to stop him from moving his court to some other location.

In the 8th year of his reign, Ardimuk I had a new fortress constructed at Serat Trayakir. It was called Kast Trayakir, the Gateway Fortress. Though Zekran remained the official capital of the Empire, the Emperor took up residence at Kast Trayakir and moved all the high officials of the government there. This move allowed him to keep a closer watch on developments in Sishan, where the fortress was located, and also in neighboring Logoria and Kikalan Tros. Most importantly of all, the fortress was on the South Peninsula where there were now no warlords left. The warlords were not much farther away than they had been, but now a thin strip of sea separated their armies from the Emperor's residence. None of the warlords had any naval forces at all and the most powerful of them, the Aylorkern ya Kast Yvar, was landlocked. The Emperor had already been building up the Imperial Navy throughout his reign and since the Peace of the Fens had been building larger ships using the style and techniques of the Ilanian Royal Navy in hopes of someday matching them. There was no danger that the warlords could match the growing power of the Imperial Navy and without the ability to cross the Gateway Waters, their troops could not threaten the Emperor. Just to be sure, Ardimuk issued the Warship Decree in the 8th year of his reign, prohibiting any Aylorkern or Gurikan from building his own warships. Notably, the Bear Tribes also were now separated from the Emperor's residence by sea. Of course, the Emperor was now vulnerable to attack from the South. It was in that direction that he once again turned his attention.

The emphasis on increasing the strength and sophistication of the Imperial Navy was not only to thwart the warlords. It was also the cornerstone of the Emperor's strategy to defeat Ilania and win mastery over the Principalities. Ardimuk intended to bypass Grogia and Corinweld which had stood in his way before. This time, he would strike Ilania directly from the sea. It could only be done if the Imperial Navy were more powerful than the Royal Ilanian Navy. But the Zekresh Empire was far larger than the Principality of Ilania and possessed much greater resources. Ardimuk was sure that if he devoted sufficient resources to the task, that he could make the Imperial Navy the greatest naval force the world had ever seen and by that means conquer Ilania.

Ardimuk strengthened his alliance with the people of Clam Island and, by means of generous payments, convinced them to allow him to build an Imperial Navy base at Lisatrom. He copied the designs of the bireme ships used by the Ilanian Royal Navy. He also made a marriage alliance with the Ogdalin of Warna which arranged the marriage of Ardimuk's daughter to the son of the Ogdalin of Warna. Ardimuk did not mention the Decree of Tarno which precluded any children of that marriage or their descendants from ever ascending the Imperial throne. Also, since Ardimuk's daughter was only twelve years old, he had plenty of time to break the treaty before the actual marriage was to take place four years later.

In the 9th year of the reign of Ardimuk I, all was ready and the Emperor himself boarded a ship called "the Sword of Vengeance" and set sail for Ilania. The fleet carried with it a vast army of Zekresh Imperial troops.

Ardimuk was still not entirely confident that his navy could defeat the Ilanians so as soon as the fleet reached the coast of Ilania, he ordered the army to land and begin marching to Nysarinda. The attack caught the Ilanians by surprise. They had been prepared for a war, but not an army landing from the sea. The Ilanians scrambled to defend their country while the Ilanian Royal Navy set out in force to defeat the Zekresh Imperial Navy and prevent any more landings of troops. A running naval battle between the two fleets took place all the way from the landing sites back to Clam Island with both sides maneuvering among the small islands in between. This became known as the "Battle of the Islands". Losses were heavy on both sides. The Zekresh Imperial Navy lost far more ships and men, but the Ilanians had less ships to lose and were so weakened by the battle that they dared not engage the main Zekresh fleet again for the rest of the war. Both the Ilanians and the Zekresh continued building ships throughout the war, but the Zekresh shipyards produced far more ships and the Ilanians fell further and further behind.

Unfortunately for Ardimuk, the Battle of the Islands had given the Ilanians temporary control of the waters along their coast while the Imperial Navy fleet anchored at Lisatrom and repaired damaged vessels.

The Ilanian Royal Army fought a delaying action and slowed the advance of the Zekresh forces until the Corinweld army under Prince Darin arrived to attack Ardimuk's left flank. Ardimuk retreated back to the sea and fortified a position there. Once again, he found himself far from the Empire and cut off by hostile forces as he had been in the previous war and in the Kikali revolt.

Fortunately, the Ogdalin of Warna entered the war and advanced on Nysarinda, forcing the Ilanians to retreat towards their capital and freeing Ardimuk to deal a crushing defeat on the Corinwelders and then resume his advance. The Zekresh Imperial Army and their allies from Warna reached Nysarinda and lay siege to the city. Once again fearing the specter of Zekresh domination of the Principalities, Prince Elgan of Ravelonia entered the war on the side of Ilania. The Zekresh Imperial Navy had by then returned in strength and was trying to impose a blockade on Nysarinda. Though they prevented resupply of the city and its defenders by sea, they were unable to stop the Ravelonian Navy from bringing food, arms and Ravelonian knights and soldiery by means of the Lion River which meets the sea at Nysarinda.

Ardimuk continued the siege for four months and the Zekresh Imperial Navy strove mightily to block Ravelonian ships from reaching the city via the river, but they were unsuccessful. Ultimately, Ardimuk had to give up the siege when an army of Groglinthers and some Grogians arrived with a new army from Corinweld. The war raged all across Ilania and would have been lost but for the constant supply of reinforcements brought in by the Zekresh Imperial Navy which increasingly had mastery of the sea. The fighting slacked off during the Winter months, but resumed again the following year. Again Ardimuk advanced on Nysarinda and besieged it with the help of an army from Warna. This time, Prince Elgan of Ravelonia invaded Warna and the Ogdalin of Warna withdrew his troops to defend his lands. Ardimuk was again thrown back from the very gates of Nysarinda. Leaving his army to hold its position in Ilania, Ardimuk sailed to Lisatrom where his navy had brought more reinforcements. Among these were soldiers of the warlords which had been conscripted on orders from Ardimuk. Ardimuk met with Elindana, the Eka-dalan (high chief) of the people of Clam Island and proposed to him a joint attack on the Grogians, ancient foe of the Clam Islanders. The Eka-dalan agreed to this and Ardimuk sailed for Shalthan, capital of Grogia with a new army of new Imperial recruits, conscripted soldiers of the warlords and Clam Islanders. Since Shalthan is surrounded on almost all sides by water, the strength of the Imperial Navy was brought to bear and it quickly fell to the attackers.

Gilatanda, the Ek-talan of Grogia, abandoned the fight in Ilania and returned home with his warriors. In the meantime, the Zekresh Imperial Navy sailed up the Grog River and raided the city of Groglinth, capital of the Principality of Groglinth, provoking Prince Thon XIV of Groglinth to call back his own soldiers from Ilania.

Ardimuk left Elindana, the Eka-dalan of Clam Island, in command of the allied Zekresh and Clam Island forces at Shalthan. Ardimuk then returned to the main Zekresh army in Ilania and resumed the offensive. Again he besieged Nysarinda, this time for eight months during which famine struck the besieged city as the Zekresh Imperial Navy made it more and more difficult for Ravelonian ships to get through. At the same time, Grogian and Groglinther forces besieged the occupation forces at Shalthan, but could not make their siege effective because the Imperial Navy provided supplies to the troops so that only the populace suffered. The Grogians soon abandoned this tactic and instead began infiltrating warriors into the city from the nearby swamps. Shalthan was retaken by the Grogians and there were heavy losses amongst the Zekresh and Clam Islander forces. Not coincidentally, almost the entire military forces of the warlords of the Empire were lost in that battle which was known in Imperial records as the Third Battle of Shalthan. The first was the raid on Shalthan by Clam Islander forces in the First Zekran - Ilania War, the Second Battle was when Shalthan was captured by Ardimuk. Of course, many other battles had been fought there previous to Zekresh involvement in the area and the battle is known to the Grogians as the Battle of the Liberation of Shalthan. Elindara, the Eka-dalan of Clam Island was killed in the battle.

Two months after Shalthan was retaken by Grogian forces, Prince Aran of Ilania attempted to escape his besieged capital in a Royal Ilanian Navy ship and head upriver to exile in Ravelonia. He was captured by the Zekresh Imperial Navy and forced to order the defenders of Nysarinda to lay down their arms. They were on the verge of defeat anyway which is why Prince Aran was trying to escape.

With the fall of Nysarinda and the capture of Prince Aran, Ardimuk thought he had achieved victory, but the war was not over. Ravelonian forces had advanced deep into Warna and were still on the offensive. Prince Darin of Corinweld was still in the field against Ardimuk in Ilania with an army of Ilanians under the command of Lord Talan of Rondinia who also promptly declared himself Regent of Ilania. The Grogians and Groglinthers soon returned to Ilania to join the fight there.

The war dragged on for another year, but Ardimuk held on to Nysarinda. With the Ilanian Royal Navy virtually destroyed, the Imperial Zekresh Navy now turned its attention to Ravelonia. The Ravelonians suffered defeats, but were not destroyed. They were unable, however, to prevent the Zekresh Imperial Navy from raiding their coast and drawing troops away from the invasion of Warna. Only the rapid action of Varl cavalry in the service of Ravelonia prevented several Ravelonian towns from being captured by Zekresh troops who attacked by sea. The Ogdalin of Warna repulsed the Ravelonians and he and Ardimuk forced Prince Elgan of Ravelonia to agree to a peace treaty. The warriors of Warna then invaded Corinweld, forcing Prince Darin of Corinweld to leave Ilania and agree to peace. Ardimuk was now free to use all his strength against his three remaining enemies: Lord Talan's Ilanians, Ek-talan Gilatanda's Grogians and the knights and soldiers of Groglinth, who were now commanded by Thon XV, the new prince of Groglinth who had just assumed the throne.

Unlike his father, Thon XV had no desire to continue the war. His country had lost many men and he considered victory impossible. Ardimuk offered Prince Thon a separate peace and despite hysterical objections and death threats from Gilatanda of Grogia, Prince Thon agreed and withdrew his forces from the war. The Imperial Army and the warriors of Warna, as well as more warriors from Clam Island, now battered the army of Lord Talan, encircling him and besieging him at Tanikia Castle in Southern Ilania. Ek-talan Gilatanda of Grogia refused to join Lord Talan there. Gilatanda's strength had always been in the ability to maneuver and to resist enemies in swamps, not in castles. Gilatanda reluctantly withdrew Northwards into Groglinth, pillaging as he went in retribution for what he considered Prince Thon's betrayal. Gilatanda raided Imperial forces repeatedly from Groglinth, but Lord Talan soon surrendered and Gilatanda retreated across the Grog River into Grogia. Thus, the 2nd Zekran - Ilania War ended with all of Ilania in the hands of the Zekresh Empire.

Ardimuk the Avenger then imposed crushing taxes on Ilania, forbid the construction of large ships there, and made the Principality of Ilania into part of the Empire as the Gurikanan of Ilania. He appointed his son, the Imperial Crown Prince, as the first Gurikan of Ilania.

Upon his return to Kast Trayakir, his first act was to issue a decree limiting the number of soldiers that warlords could have in their service. Since the warlords had all lost nearly all their men, they dared not resist. The Emperor, however, dared not abolish their titles because they still had enough men to hold their castles against the Imperial Army long enough that the Emperor had to fear foreign attack, especially from the Bear Tribes. Unlike every other major power in the known world, the Bear Tribes had remained neutral in the Zekran - Ilania Wars. While the Imperial Army had suffered grievous losses that would take years to replace, the warriors of the Bear Tribe had been untouched by the fighting and could unleash vast numbers of warriors on the weakened and weary Empire if Ardimuk provoked them by moving against their allies, the warlords.

The Emperor contented himself with limiting the size of the Warlords' armies. He also made minor reforms that increased the jurisdiction of Imperial magistrates at the expense of local judges appointed by the warlords. New Imperial taxes collected by Imperial officials left the people with little ability to pay taxes levied by the warlords. The Emperor took over the maintenance of roads and bridges and with them the collection of tolls. This had been the prerogative of the warlords. Little by little, the power of the warlords was being eroded. At the same time the smoldering rebellion in the Kikali lands was being suppressed, the Imperial Army was being rebuilt and the Imperial Navy was being made larger than ever before.

But as Ardimuk consolidated his power and built up his military forces, the world changed. Everywhere, people beyond the borders of the Empire woke up to the danger that one day the expanding Zekresh Empire would come to their lands. The Bear Tribes began to build their own fleet of small ships. All of Grogia became an armed camp. Southern tribes beyond the Imperial frontier began assisting Kikali rebels. Above all, Ravelonia, the most ancient civilized nation, used all its knowledge and experience to turn the world against the Empire. Little by little, the nations of the world allied themselves with Ravelonia and formed an alliance against the Zekresh Empire.

At the same time, the occupation of Ilania required a large number of troops and became a drain on the Imperial treasury. The Empire soon found its own allies tied down or unreliable. Warna found itself surrounded by enemies. Clam Islanders began to talk of ending their alliance with the Empire and the removal of the Imperial Navy base at Lisatrom.

The conquest of Ilania had shocked the world. The Principality of Ilania was already ancient before the Zekresh Empire was founded, before Zekran was even built. Ilania was old even before the old Frayeth Empire was founded. Ilania and Ravelonia were the two pillars of ancient civilization that had always stood and it was thought would stand forever. Now one of them had fallen, but the older one still stood. Prince Elgan of Ravelonia gathered about him as allies all the nations that feared further expansion of the Zekresh Empire. Grogia, Groglinth and Corinweld now made alliance with him. So, too, did the Ag-dolin (paramount chief) of Om-ulawa whose realm lay in the White Mountains to the south of Ravelonia. The Og-dalin of Ana-dron joined this cause, threatening Warna from the East. The Ag-dolin of Om-lokotra also joined this alliance, threatening Warna from the South. Yenthitia and Pilania also joined this alliance. They were distant kinsmen of the Kikali tribes and inhabited the lands just to the south of them along the coast. They were in a position to invade the Kikali lands and assist the Kikali in any new rebellion. If the Zekresh Imperial Army attacked Ravelonia, the Yenthiti and the Pilani could jeopardize three provinces and threaten Kast Trayakir.

Beyond the White Mountains in the West, the tribes of the Fox People and the Dog People also joined the alliance. The Fox People were ancient allies of Ravelonia whose warriors had assisted Ravelonia in the recent war. The Dog People were kinsmen of the Fox People. In addition to this formidable alliance, Prince Elgan sent his ships far and wide bearing diplomats to find other nations threatened by the Zekresh Empire and bring them into the alliance. By this method, the Fog People whose lands lay on the East Coast of the North Peninsula, joined the alliance. Most alarming to the Zekresh, the Bear Tribes joined the alliance.

Ardimuk had no doubts that if he should attempt to gain any further territory, that he would be at war with the entire alliance and that its strength was vastly greater than what Ilania had ever been able to command. It was entirely possible that such a war would destroy the Empire. Ardimuk, though famous as a warrior, wisely kept the peace.

Any ambitions he may have had to further expand the Empire were entirely thwarted. For the rest of his reign, he did not attempt to conquer any new territory, but focused instead on consolidating what he had.

The occupation of Ilania destroyed an old order that had stood since the beginning of history. Emperor Ardimuk ordered the imprisonment of the entire royal family of Ilania, but they were more numerous than he imagined. The entire nobility of Ilania was related to the royal family and the royal families and nobles of the other Principalities were related to them as well. Such was the result of many centuries of marriage alliances. A few members of the Ilanian royalty became outlaws in their own country and were hunted down by Imperial troops. Others fled to Corinweld, Groglinth and Ravelonia. An Ilanian government in exile was established at Corinweld. It was led by Lord Avern of Trevania who was a member of the royal family and declared himself Regent of Ilania while Prince Aran was imprisoned by the Zekresh.

Ancient temples of several religions at Nysarinda and other parts of Ilania were pillaged by Imperial troops during the war and the occupation. Some of them were demolished. Others were turned into temples of the Zekresh religion. Ancient orders of priests and priestesses were slaughtered or made into refugees. The noblemen were thrown out of their manor houses and castles and killed. Their families were brutalized and shipped back to Zekran as slaves. Vast riches, accumulated in Ilania by the royalty, nobility, merchants and bankers of Ilania were pillaged. Artworks of great sophistication were destroyed or looted and shipped to other parts of the Empire. The ancient library at Nysarinda had been burned down when Imperial troops looted the city after its surrender. Much ancient knowledge was lost forever. Scribes and scholars braved the flames to salvage as many scrolls as they could. But these were divided up among the scribes and scholars and what was left of the great library was now scattered and hidden away in cellars or taken abroad to other countries. The bankers and merchants of Ilania joined the diaspora and were scattered among various nations. The greatest banking houses of the ancient world and the greatest merchant families lost fortunes that had been built up over the course of fifty generations.

Amidst all this chaos, the poverty-stricken population of Ilania had to adjust to a new way of life as a province of the Zekresh Empire. The institutions of their society were destroyed or went underground to continue in secret what had formerly been proudly displayed in the open. Remnants of the royal family became rebel leaders. High priests became the leaders of secret outlawed cults that were denounced as blasphemous by the official religion. Bankers who had lost everything became murderers, stalking soldiers of the occupation for revenge. Scholars of arcane secrets became beggars on the streets.

In the midst of all this, the Iyatyva Dynasty's Imperial Court in exile also went underground when Nysarinda fell. They became one of the most desperate underground organizations. Unlike the Ilanian royalty, they had no real support among the Ilanian public and little financial resources. They turned to crime. This was the origin of the "Tiva" organization.

Ardimuk I reigned for 33 years, the last 23 of those years were peaceful, but he is primarily remembered for the conquest of Ilania. Upon the death of Ardimuk I, his son ascended the throne as Emperor Ardimuk II. In the second year of his reign, he inadvertently admitted publicly that Prince Aran of Ilania had been killed in the dungeons of Kast Trayakir years earlier. This outraged the Ilanians and, more importantly, cleared the way for Aran's son, Duran, to proclaim himself Prince of Ilania. Duran was in exile in Corinweld, but returned to Ilania and led a rebellion against the Zekresh occuptation.

Ardimuk II suppressed the rebellion ruthlessly and Duran again fled abroad. During the suppression of the rebellion, he ordered a renewed hunt for all members of the Ilanian royal family, especially Duran. He threatened Corinweld with war for harboring Duran and some of the others. He ordered all members of the Ilanian royal family who were captive in the dungeons of the Zekresh Empire to be executed as well as all noblemen and their families, not only those in captivity, but all of them. Most of the nobles fled Ilania to foreign countries, especially Corinweld and Ravelonia, but many were killed.

Corinweld dared not risk the wrath of the Zekresh Empire by again welcoming Prince Duran after the Ilanian rebellion failed. Now Duran went instead to Vizartan in Ravelonia. There he continued to scheme against the Empire, but now his schemes turned not towards rebellion, but to directly striking the Emperor. A year after the rebellion in Ilania had been crushed, a group of Ilanian rebels managed to sneak into Serat Trayakir and to attack the Emperor's carriage as he passed through the streets of the city. The attack was unsuccessful, but the Emperor ordered harsh reprisals. 500 Ilanians were killed in retaliation. The next year, another Ilanian was caught trying to climb the walls of Kast Trayakir. He was taken to Nysarinda and publicly tortured and executed. One hundred other Ilanians were also killed as retribution.

Then, one day, in the sixth year of his reign, Emperor Ardimuk II was found murdered in his bed, stabbed to death. His guards were also dead, their throats had been cut. The assassins appeared to have managed to get into the castle, kill the guards silently, murder the Emperor in his bed and get out again without being seen. It was an impossible feat. It also probably didn't really happen that way. Rumors spread that the assassins were invisible ghosts who could walk through walls. The Emperor's younger brother promptly took the throne as Emperor Ardimuk III and vowed revenge for his brother's assassination. He immediately ordered 1,000 Ilanians slaughtered in retaliation. This was done.

Some months later, as the new Emperor carefully reviewed the precautions taken against assassination, he discovered that three of the personal bodyguards of the Lord of the Exchequer were not who they had said they were. Before they could be arrested, they fled the castle, but the Imperial Army and Navy were called out to search for them on land and sea and prevent them from getting far from Serat Trayakir. One was recaptured while crossing the Gateway Waters. The prisoner revealed nothing, even under torture, but the master of the vessel he had been a passenger on revealed much. The three imposters who had been hired as bodyguards for the Lord of the Exchequer were known to be Slythians. The Lord of the Exchequer himself was a Slythian. They were thought to be members of families long loyal to the Empire, partly of Zekresh blood and veterans of the Imperial Army. It was discovered that the men they claimed to be had disappeared and that the three men who took their places and then obtained employment as guards for the Lord of the Exchequer were actually members of a Slythian cult called the "Keevalista".

The Keevalista was an secretive sect of the Slythian Cult of the Viper God. "Keevalista" means "secret fang" in Slythian. The Keevalista was known for assassinating its enemies and trained many of its members in the ancient Slythian arts of assassination. Though the captured imposter had died under torture without revealing anything, unusual weapons found in his possession were later discovered to have been made by and for members of the Keevalista. The Imperial Army descended upon the Keevalista in Slythia, but they were hard to find. The Keevalista had always been secretive, but now disappeared completely. Only a few were captured and those few revealed nothing. Other Slythians who were neighbors and family members of the Keevalista members told Imperial inquisitors about meetings with foreign visitors and Keevalista members paying off old debts with Ilanian silver coins. Exactly what happened may never be known, but Emperor Ardimuk III concluded that his brother had been slain by three Slythian assassins sent by the Keevalista who infiltrated the bodyguard of the Lord of the Exchequer in order to get inside Kast Trayakir. On the night of the assassination, they did not sneak into or out of the castle undetected. Instead, they began their midnight mission from the Lord of the Exchequer's room, just one floor below the Emperor's. After the deed was done, they did not attempt to flee, but merely returned back downstairs to their jobs as guards of the Lord of the Exchequer.

It was assumed that the Keevalista had carried out the assassination in exchange for a large payment from Prince Duran of Ilania. Many years later, additional information came to light which indicated that the sum paid to the Keevalista was truly vast, a king's ransom. The Keevalista became more powerful after this incident despite the Imperial government making every effort to find and kill every last member of it. Keevalista members were discovered to have suddenly become heavily involved in financing plots and rebellions throughout the Empire. Now it was clear that the vast amounts of wealth that they had suddenly acquired were payment for more than just the assassination of the Emperor. Though nearly all of the Keevalista's money was in old Ilanian coins, it became less clear exactly who had paid them and for what. Though the Emperor had assumed Prince Duran was behind the assassination of his brother, there is no doubt that it was the Tiva, not Duran, who were conspiring with the Keevalista to finance rebellions and treason throughout the Empire. The assassination increasingly appeared to be just the first step in a much larger scheme to destroy the Empire. It is unknown where the Tiva could have obtained such large sums of money and it is widely speculated that the conspiracy did include Prince Duran who contributed what was left of his family fortune to the plot. Likely the objective was not only to kill Ardimuk II, but to overthrow his whole dynasty and return the original Iyatyva Dynasty to the Zekresh throne as well as to regain independence and revenge for Ilania.

After eight years of hiding from assassins, suppressing rebellions and attempting to kill off the Keevalista, the Tiva and Prince Duran and other Ilanian royalty and nobility, Emperor Ardimuk III himself died. There were no marks on the body and he had not been known to be ill. The cause of his death remains a mystery. Some say it was a sudden illness, but of course, there is speculation that he was poisoned.

The First Zekran - Ilania War

by Steldranuk

Ardimuk was already a grown man by the time he became Emperor and refused advice to take the reign name of Tarno IV. Instead, he ruled as Ardimuk I. Ardimuk had fought at the side of his father in the war to overthrow Princess Lanit and had also commanded an Imperial Army that suppressed a minor rebellion amongst the Crab People. Upon assuming the Imperial throne, Ardimuk I immediately began preparations for an undertaking he had long urged upon his father: war against the Principality of Ilania and the Principality of Corinweld. These were the ancient enemies who had destroyed the old Frayeth Empire and made the Frayeth people into destitute refugees driven to desperate refuges such as the crude fort that later became Zekran. For his desire to avenge this ancient wrong, Ardimuk soon earned the nickname, "Ardimuk the Avenger".

In the second year of the reign of Emperor Ardimuk I, all was ready. Ilania lay in the center of a group of ancient states which at times were unified, such as under Prince Toralin of Corinweld in ancient times. At other times, they would strive against one another for supremacy in an ever-changing set of alliances. The main states in this group were Ilania, Ravelonia, Corinweld, Groglinth, Nawarna and Grogia. Fortunately for Ardimuk, they were not always allies. Ardimuk chose to attack Grogia when he did because, at that time, Ilania was allied only with Groglinth. Nawarna and Corinweld were allied with Ravelonia against Ilania and Grogia was neutral in that conflict and allied only with Groglinth. Though it was obvious that an attack on Grogia would draw in first Groglinth and then, inevitably, Ilania itself, the fact that there was no direct alliance between Grogia and Ilania meant that there might be time for a swift campaign to crush one or even two enemy states before Ilania's army and navy could fully enter the battle. Then Ilania itself could be more easily defeated. In support of this objective, Ardimuk made an alliance with Ravelonia, ancient rival of Ilania, and another alliance with the people of Clam Island, ancient enemies of the Grogians.

The Shasa Zirra (Seagull River) was all that stood between the Aylorkernan of Logoran, which was Zekresh territory and had been part of the ancient Frayeth Empire, and the territory of the Grogians to the South. East of Grogia lay the lands of the Fire People which were now also Zekresh territory. Beyond Grogia, along the coast, lay Groglinth, ally of both Grogia and Ilania and beyond that, Ilania itself.

No river barred the way into Grogia from the East, but Ardimuk feared that bringing an army through the lands of the restive and disloyal Fire People would inevitably result in the Grogians getting advance warning of the attack. Instead, Emperor Ardimuk I envisioned crossing the Seagull River in force, rapidly marching through Grogia, forcing a crossing of the Grog River and invading Groglinth before Ilanian troops could respond, if they chose to enter the war at all. He expected that Ilanian troops would respond, if not in defense of Grogia, then when the Zekresh forces crossed the Grog River and invaded Ilania's ally Groglinth. At that point, his secret treaty with the Principality of Ravelonia would come into play. Prince Elgan of Ravelonia had agreed that if Ilania declared war on the Zekresh Empire and sent troops away to the North, that Ravelonia would attack Ilania from the South and induce its ally, Corinweld, to attack Ilania from the East.

Emperor Ardimuk had no doubt that Ilania would fall, he only hoped to capture the Ilanian capital, Nysarinda, before Ravelonian forces did. He hoped to defeat the Ilanian Royal Army rapidly in Groglinth and advance to Nysarinda.

Instead, the element of surprise was lost before the army marched, the crossing over the Shasa Zirra was resisted by Grogian warriors, and the invasion of Grogia became a difficult ordeal. Eventually, Imperial troops did invade Grogia from the East, but by this time, it made little difference. By then, the river had already been crossed and the advance from the East took place too far North to strike the rear of the Grogians and instead merely reinforced the Imperial forces after having taken an unnecessarily long route to get there.

The Grogians, also known as the "Frogs", were led by a man named Gilatanda. Gilatanda bore the title of "Ek-talan", an ancient title among the Grogians meaning "high chief" or "king". (Grogia means "land of the frogs" in all three of the main ancient languages of Ilania and in modern Ilanian. In the language of the Grogians, the name for their own country is Ne-Jivam which also means "land of the frogs")

Gilatanda, the Frog King, was a fearsome warrior who personally led his warriors in battle wielding their traditional axes. More devastating by far was their archery, for the Grogians were excellent archers. In the swamps which cover substantial portions of their lands, the Grogian archers would ride upon small, flat boats, propelled by poles swiftly over the muddy waters and swamp grasses while Imperial troops floundered, almost immobile, in hip-deep mud. Knowing his advantage in the swamps, Gilatanda always retreated into swamps when superior Imperial forces attacked him and always, he triumphed in the swamps. Imperial forces bypassed the swamps at their peril for then Gilatanda's army would emerge to strike unexpectedly from the flank or the rear of the Imperial forces.

Emperor Ardimuk I personally led the invading forces into Grogia and was greatly dismayed by the unexpected ferocity and skill of the Grogian warriors. His advance through their country was so greatly delayed that circumstances turned against him long before he reached the Grog River. The Clam Islanders did raid the coast of Grogia, but not nearly with the effect the Emperor had desired. Also, the Clam Islanders had boasted that they could hold the Ilanian Royal Navy at bay with their greater numbers of vessels and alleged superior seamanship. In fact, the Ilanian Royal Navy had much larger and more advanced ships while the Clam Islanders had little more than large boats. The fact that the Clam Islanders had more boats than Ilania had warships was of little consequence. Two weeks after the first Imperial soldier crossed the Shasa Zirra, Ilanian Royal Navy ships were in the Glivo Trayakir (Gateway Waters). They soon began raiding the coast of Logoran, then Slythia and even Frayethay.

The Zekresh Imperial Navy met them in battle, but despite its own much superior numbers, was soundly defeated in the first battles. The Ilanian Royal Navy was threatening Zekran itself when their fleet was called away by news that Ravelonia and Corinweld had entered the war and that the Ravelonian Navy was blockading Nysarinda.

Ardimuk had finally crossed the Grog River, triggering the provisions of his secret treaty with Ravelonia that they would enter the war. The Zekresh forces by then were battered and harried and unable to even hold their position on the left bank of the Grog and were promptly repulsed by Groglinth forces and Ilanian troops that were already in the country. This army of Groglinthers and Ilanians pursued the Zekresh as they retreated into Grogia and were attacked on the flanks wish renewed vigor by Grogian warriors under Gilatanda. To the dismay of Emperor Ardimuk and Prince Elgan of Ravelonia, Ravelonia's ally, Corinweld, refused to enter the war and remained neutral even though their army was perfectly positioned to strike Groglinth while its army and most of Ilania's were in Grogia.

As a consequence of the retreat of Zekresh forces and the neutrality of Corinweld, the Ravelonian army was defeated by the Ilanians.

Ardimuk sued for peace. This was agreed to in the hastily arranged "Peace of the Fens". The treaty agreed to a return to prior borders and an end to the fighting with no long-term settlement of grievances or even promise of peace.

The peace did not even last until the end of the year. Ardimuk blamed Corinweld above all for the failure of his invasion. He was also well aware that Prince Varin of Corinweld had promised Prince Elgan of Ravelonia that he would enter the war and that Prince Elgan was furious about it. Thinking that Varin had no allies and could not hope to stand alone against the Zekresh Empire, Emperor Ardimuk began assembling a new army in Argan Inuva (South Fireland) which bordered Corinweld. Little did he know that Corinweld's unexpected neutrality was due to a secret treaty of alliance with Prince Aran of Ilania.

The invasion went well at first and Zekresh forces besieged Prince Varin in Corinweld Castle, but Ilania soon entered the war and broke the seige. The Zekresh Imperial Navy had used the opportunity of the brief peace to begin construction of larger Ilanian-style warships. None of these were finished by the time war broke out, but the Ilanian Royal Navy missed their chance to raid the coasts of the Empire by remaining in their home waters to guard against an expected attack from Ravelonia.

Prince Elgan of Ravelonia was in fact unwilling to enter another alliance with Ardimuk since he had gained nothing and lost much in the last war. Groglinth and Grogia soon entered the war on the Ilanian side. Groglinth sent troops to help defend Corinweld. Grogia sent warriors across the Shasa Zirra to attack Logoran, but they were soon repulsed.

The war then became a war of attrition. The following year, the 3rd year of the reign of Ardimuk I, Zekresh managed to renew its offensive and beseige Corinweld again, this time capturing it and Prince Varin who was forced under torture to give up his lands to the Zekresh Empire by signing a scroll known as the "Dungeon Abdication". Prince Varin's son Darin claimed the crown of Corinweld nonetheless and led Corinwelder forces against Zekresh. The Ilanian Royal Navy now sallied forth to attack Logoran, raiding the coasts and drawing forces away from the Grogian border. As planned by Prince Aran, the Grogians then attacked Logoran, not across the heavily defended Shasa Zirra, but by sea, escorted and transported by the Ilanian Royal Navy. Ilanian troops also participated. Logoran was soon overrun. Aylorkern Havimuk of Logoran fought valiantly, but could not hold out forever against such an onslaught. Emperor Ardimuk, perhaps influenced by his father's ambition to see all the warlordships abolished, sent minimal reinforcements and even ordered the Zekresh Imperial Navy to keep most of its ships on the defensive on the North Shore while the Ilanian Royal Navy pillaged the coast of Logoran.

Ardimuk cynically watched the enemy ravage Logoran, besiege its warlord in his castle and eventually capture him. Ardimuk directed all reinforcements to the Imperial Army force at Corinweld, consigning Logoran and its warlord to doom. This strategy was unimaginable to Prince Aran of Ilania who took news of his victories in Logoran as signs of profound Zekresh weakness and directed his own reinforcements increasingly to push the advance in Logoran, weakening his forces in Corinweld. All the while, Ardimuk offered every inducement to Prince Elgan of Ravelonia to get him to enter the war. Failing that, he made an alliance with the Ogdalin of the Warna Nation, who feared Ilanian dominance if Corinweld fell to Ilanian forces.

With the help of Warnan troops, Zekresh forces took all of Corinweld in the second year of the war, the fourth year of the reign of Ardimuk I. They then advanced into Ilania itself. In the meantime, Ilanian forces had captured and killed Havimuk, the Aylorkern ya Logoran.

Warnan and Zekresh forces were well on their way to capturing Nysarinda when the Ilanians withdrew some of their forces from Logoran to reinforce their homeland. Then Prince Elgan of Ravelonia contemplated what the world would be like if Ilania were to not just be weakened, but conquered and reduced to a province of the Zekresh Empire. Fearing such an outcome more than he feared Ilania, Prince Elgan convinced the Ogdalin of the Warna Nation to withdraw most of his troops from the invasion. When this happened, the invasion bogged down.

Ardimuk pressed on relentlessly, retreating when he had to, but advancing again each time. Another year of war dragged on. Prince Aran of Ilania now prepared a new scheme with Gilatanda, the Ek-talan of Grogia and Thon XIV, the Prince of Groglinth. In the third year of the war and the fifth year of the reign of Ardimuk I, Grogian and Groglinther forces struck East from Grogia into Argan Tros (North Fireland).

The tribes of the Fire People rose in revolt upon the arrival of Grogian forces in Argan Tros. The rebellion spread faster than the Grogians could march until Emperor Ardimuk and his army were completely cut off from the Empire. The rebellion spread to Argan Inuva and even to Kikali soldiers in the Imperial Army in Corinweld and Ilania. Ardimuk was forced to retreat to Corinweld where he was beseiged at Corinweld Castle by Ilanian and Corinweld forces.

With these developments, Prince Elgan of Ravelonia again feared Ilanian supremacy and entered the war on the Zekresh side. At Elgan's urging, the Warna Nation also entered the war on the Zekresh side once again. The Ravelonian Navy struck a devastating blow at Nysarinda and the Ilanians were forced to call back all their naval forces to defend the capital. This allowed Zekresh Imperial Navy forces to act with impunity, bringing troops from the North Peninsula to Argan Inuva to suppress the revolt and send an army to the relief of their besieged Emperor at Corinweld Castle. An overland attack from Warna by Warna and Ravelonian forces compelled Prince Aran of Ilania to withdraw some of his forces from the seige at Corinweld. Warna and Zekresh forces were then able to reach Corinweld first and lift the siege. Ardimuk knew this was his chance to crush Ilania, but likely at the cost of losing all the rest of the Zekresh territories in the South Peninsula as rebel armies, especially Kikali ones, were growing stronger and bolder by the day.

Ardimuk also feared that if his army did reach Nysarinda with the help of Ravelonia and Warna that those fickle allies would again snatch victory from him at the last minute. Instead, Ardimuk called for peace negotiations to give himself time to suppress the rebels and develop a new strategy. The negotiations took place at Corinweld Castle and the resulting agreement was called the Treaty of Corinweld. This time, Ardimuk found it necessary to promise that his forces would never again attack Grogia, Warna or any of "the principalities" (Ravelonia, Ilania, Corinweld and Groglinth). The Treaty of Corinweld was signed in the 6th year of the reign of Ardimuk I.

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.