The Ashuurian State

Ever since its creation over a thousand years ago as the first state of The Hominid Strain, The Ashuurian State was one of the major players on Kashura, controlling the entire region of Upper Zagesi, and with it all trade that moved through it. It only collapsed about 50 years ago as a result of The War of the Twin Princes, which led to the previously coexisting ruling dynasties and great cities of The Ashuurian State to all-out war against one another, ending once and for all a state that in some form had existed for over a thousand years.
While The state no longer exists, its importance to the history and understanding of political events on Kashura cannot be denied. It also serves as a useful categorization for its successor states, for while they may now be separate, they still are intrinsically linked.

Territory:

Throughout its entire existence, The Ashuurian State controlled pretty much all of Upper Zagesi, with next to no border changes, except for some minor adjustments due to temporary treaties or land leases, and even though the state was no stranger to warfare or skirmishes, civil or otherwise, it still stood strong in the face of adversity.
While the region is now dominated by city states, as well as regional warlords and bandit kings, which control only the lands in their immediate vicinity, there are two larger polities that have emerged in the region, both of which see themselves as successors to the once great founding state.

Uzdarezi:

The North of Upper Zagesi, stretching roughly from The Boreas Woodlands to The Blooming Marshes, including the two major Cities of Bizantahir and Utarak, are under the Control of House Arkazi, the second of The Three Great Ruling Houses. Uzdarezi’s current base of power is Bizantahir.

Arasinda:

The central region of Upper Zagesi, stretching roughly from the northern edge of The Whailing Wastes in the southeast, The Spires of Ulmar in the north and the westernmost parts of The Bikamer Hills in the west, are currently controlled by an Alliance of the two major Cities of Ashuur and Drustanaar, with Drustanaar itself being under the control of House Yulani, the third of The Three Great Ruling Houses. The de facto capital of Arasinda is Drustanaar.

Government:

The Ashuurian State originally grew out of the city of Ashuur, when it was allegedly founded by “the seven immortals” as described in the founding myth of The Ur-Ashaar. The city was originally ruled by a council of 3 brothers, allegedly descendants of Zargoran himself, which went on to found The Three Great Ruling Houses:

The first brother went on to found House Atakuz, which would later come to rule not only Ashuur, but also Nagazaar, which would be founded by them a few decades later.

The second brother would go on to found House Arkazi, which would later come to found and rule over the cities of Bizantahir and Utarak.

The third brother founded House Yulani, which would come to found the cities of Drustanaar and then Kalaar much further down the line.

With the other two dynasties focusing on their own lands, rule over Ashuur (the city) now fell exclusively to House Atakuz, which as rulers of the then capital of the newly emerging Kingdom, would come to be the first dynasty upon its throne. This however did not last forever as over the decades, many unforeseen events coalesced in the fall of House Atakuz, and with that the end of the original dynasty of The Ashuurian State.
As House Arkazi and Yulani did not agree on which of them should be the successor to the state, they went to war over the matter, which marked the start of “The Interregnum War”, a bloody conflict that would last for half a century, and cost the lives of countless people.
The war would eventually end with a stalemate, as both houses realized that the strain inflicted upon the land and its people would surely lead to the state's dissolution, and several cities were threatening to secede. The system for succession which was eventually chosen would be an elective monarchy, in which the rulers of the 8 major cities would choose amongst themselves the next “Malikh”, the King.
While this system technically allowed for nobles of other dynasties or even commoners to come to rule The Ashuurite State, more often than not, the King would end up being a member of either House Arkazi or Yulani.

History:

The History of Ashuur, both the city and the state, begins with the slave revolts of The Ur-Ashaar against The Draconid Empire, with little to nothing being known about the history of The Hominid Strain before that time.
Detailed historical records exist for around the last 300 years, with everything past that being only remembered by dedicated scholars and historians, with the past 50 years having greatly contributed to the loss of knowledge.
What further complicates this is that the calendar used before the introduction of The Thaamir Calendar was not quite as accurate, which makes placing precise dates on certain events hundreds and thousands of years in the past a challenge:

The First Age: (??? pSF to 800 pSF)

??? pSF: The Hominid Strain is created as slaves to The Draconid Strain by Tiamat.

1200~1000 psF: Zargoran steals The Flame of Creation from Tiamat, killing or at least permanently disabling the mother of dragons in the process.

1200~1000 pSF: The Ur-Ashaar lead the Hominids under The Draconid Empire in rebellion against their former masters. Many battles are fought before a decisive strike is dealt at The Battle of Zandije.

1100~1000 pSF: The 7 original Hominid tribes split and travel to different lands in order to create their own states, with the tribe of Zargoran claiming Zagesi.

1000~900 pSF: The city of Ashuur is founded by Zargorans descendants, the progenitors of House Arkazi and House Yulani leave the government of the city to the progenitor of House Atakuz.

950~900 pSF: House Yulani founds the city of Drustanaar, House Akazi founds the city of Utarak.

920~870 pSF: The reign of “Malikh Sharukh Atakuz, The Builder”, the first Ashuurite King whose name has not been lost to time, who earned his title through greatly expanding the city of Ashuur, as well as erecting many monuments and wonders. It is also during his reign that House Atakuz founded the city of Nagazaar.

880~850 pSF: The at the time Head of House Arkazi, “Askar Arkazi I", founds the city of Bizantahir.

~870 pSF: “Malikh Sharukh Atakuz” is assassinated by an unknown assailant, leaving the throne of Ashuur to his son “Malikh Khusra Atakuz”.

870~850 pSF: The Reign of the 15 princes: Starting with the reign of “Malik Khusra Atakuz”, 15 progressively younger and younger members of House Atakuz come to rule over Ashuur in rapid succession, after each one of them suffers an early death. Some were poisoned, others succumbed to illness, unfortunate accidents or simply vanished without a trace. The last of these 15 princes, “Malikh Abukanezzar Atakuz”, died during a horse-riding accident at just 12 years old, setting the stage for “The Interregnum War”.

850~800 pSF: The Interregnum War: The first civil war in the history of The Ashuurite State, spawning out of the succession crisis caused by the decline of the Atakuz lineage, as both House Arkazi and Yulani claimed to be the rightful successors the the throne. The war would eventually come to a stalemate and result in the system of Elective Monarchy, which The Ashuurian State would use henceforth.

830~800 pSF: The Free City of Marukan is founded by refugees and deserters fleeing from the war, quickly growing to be one of the largest settlements in the region.

The Middle Age: (800 pSF to 302 pSF)

800~770 pSF: “Malikh Naram-sin the Unifier” The Elected Ruler of Nagazaar is chosen to ascend the Throne of Ashuur. His reign is marked by great strides to reunify the fractured state and have peace return to Upper Zagesi.

770~650 pSF: The Throne of Ashuur switches hands regularly from House Yulani and House Arkazi, as they entrench their presence in the governments of most major cities in the state, with one of them eventually solidifying their control.

650~500 pSF: The Lions Reign: A period in the history of The Ashuurian State, in which the government was unquestionably dominated by House Arkazi. Beginning with the reign of “Malikh Sharuk Arkazi IV.”, who would later earn the epithet “Sharuk The Lion”, House Arkazi would rule The Ashuurian State for 14 generations, only ending during the short-lived reign of “Malikh Ezekiel Arkazi, The Meek”.

510~490 pSF: The Great Southern Invasion: A coalition of forces, consisting of Warbands from The Daga-Kurum Desert and the freshly unified city states of Lower Zagesi, invade Upper Zagesi. They manage to win many battles, taking advantage of Malikh Ezekiel's weak rule. They eventually march on the Capital in the year of 501 pSF, though the young Malikh allegedly kills himself before they even begin the siege, handing over the city without a fight. Meanwhile, a previously little known mercenary captain known as “Rubakhal” gathers the support of individual cities while combining their forces into a single army, beating back the attackers through a bloody campaign that would last for eleven years.

501~490 pSF: The Great Revolt: The Ashuurian state lacks a ruler for the next ten years, as local coalitions use the chaos of the war to purge the two ruling houses’ influence in the government of many cities, leading to many of them once again presenting independent rulers.

490 pSF: Rubakhal is unanimously elected as the new Malikh and founds The City of Korsani, which was to be the seat of his rule. For his great deeds he would become known as “Malikh Rubakhal the Great”, one of only two rulers in the history of The Ashuurite State to hold that epithet.

490~450 pSF: The reign of “Malikh Rubakhal the Great”, a time marked by the rebuilding of the nation after The Great Southern Invasion, which would set the stage for the following 150 years.

450~302 pSF: The Ashuurian Golden Age: A time in which both independent rulers, as well as rulers of House Yulani and Arkazi came to and shared power. A time that would greatly further education, science, infrastructure and economic growth in Upper Zagesi, leading to unprecedented population growth and prosperity within the region. Although there were a few minor conflicts here and there as cities' interests clashed, the time was generally marked by relative peace.

The Age of Strife: (302 pSF to 32 SF)

302 pSF: “Malikh Gildas Yulani III.”, also known as “Good King Gildas”, is assassinated by unknown assailants, marking the end of The Ashuurian Golden Age.

301-300 pSF: Taking advantage of the turmoil caused by the assassination of his older brother Gildas, “Anatep Yulani VII.” levies a mercenary army and marches them onto several other city states to strongarm them into voting for him.

299 pSF: “Malikh Anatep Yulani VII.”, later to be known as “Anatep the Terrible” ascends the throne with a 5 to 2 vote, with Korsani and Marukan being the only cities not giving in to his threats.

299-247 pSF: The Reign of Terror: the reign of “Anatep the Terrible”, most remembered for the strong curtailing of civil liberties, individual city rights and economic downturn through the breakdown of trade relations with surrounding states. The Malikh heavily centralized the state, violently crushing any and all opposition to his rule, butchering men, women and children alike, displaying their corpses for all to see as both a threat and a warning.

267 pSF: The City of Kalaar is founded by a Junior Branch of House Yulani.

256 pSF: Under The Elected Ruler of Korsani known as “Haki the Phoenix”, several cities found partisan groups and militias to oppose the rule of the Malikh. Attacks on royal representatives, tax collectors, as well as banditry and piracy become much more common.

247 pSF: The Three-Days Revolt: Cities across the entire state rise up in rebellion against the regime of Malikh Anatep, though the ruler only perishes three days later as the result of a heart attack. This would however mark a shift in the system of succession, as cities had learned from The Reign of Terror, and would never again bow to a ruler they themselves had not approved.

247-219 pSF: “Haki the Phoenix”, though he would later also be known as “Malikh Haki the Great”, is unanimously elected as the new ruler of The Ashuurian State. His rule was marked by the dissolution of royal powers and privileges, while granting cities much more autonomy and power over their controlled territories.

219 pSF: “Malikh Ayatuur Arkazi” ascends the throne with a slim 5 to 3 majority, though as the remaining three cities, Drustanaar, Kalaar and Korsani refuse to bow to his authority, he must bring them to heel by the sword. Under the leadership of the Patriarch of House Yulani, a coalition between the three cities shatters the Malikhs armies, forcing him to surrender and make great concessions to local rulers and city governments. This would reduce the Malikh to a largely ceremonial role, with little to no actual power.

218-86 pSF: The Fractured Dominion: a period of time marked by independent cities aggressively expanding their control over surrounding lands, often at the expense of other cities in the state. Wars over territory, resources and trade routes between cities become more and more common without the authority of the Malikh. At the same time, large mercenary bands form to fight for the highest bidder, further militarizing the region. Many historians, especially at the time, claimed that it was during this time that The Ashuurian State fell, as its structures existed only in name and the rivalries between independent cities had already created rifts too great to overcome.

86-81 pSF: The Glorious Restoration: “Malikh Tanzimat Yulani”, later to be known as “Tanzimat the Sovereign”, an unusually popular candidate is elected and manages to capitalize on his wide support by restoring many of the Malikhs' lost privileges, thereby revitalizing the unity within The Ashuurite State at least for a time. While his reforms are met with great resistance at first, Especially from Korsani, Marukan, Nagazaar and Kalaar, through clever diplomacy, warfare and bribery he eventually manages to secure their support, bringing unity and peace to the lands of Upper Zagesi, something they had not seen for over 100 years.

86-29 pSF: The reign of “Tanzimat the Sovereign”, marked by the restoration of the old order, before the time of The Fractured Dominion. Tanzimat would however go farther than all before him, going even so far as to abolishing the elective system that The Ashuurian State had used ever since the fall of House Atakuz. Despite his regular and blatant overreaching and abuse of power, Tanzimat was and still is considered a great and just ruler, as he restored peace and unity to the war torn region for a time, at least for those that did not oppose his rule. He died on his deathbed, leaving the realm to his two twin sons. However with how much mind he paid to his own rule, it seemed Tanzimat had failed to account for a world that would have to exist without him, leaving no will or rule for those that would succeed him, thereby setting the stage for The War of the Twin Princes.

29-18 pSF: The War of the Twin Princes: Tanzimats Sons could not agree on which of them should succeed their father, and as such returned to the elective system to see which of them could gather greater support amongst the 8 great cities of Upper Zagesi. The matter was to be discussed at a gathering in Utarak, but as fate would have it, the votes would end up being perfectly split 4 to 4. No one knew what exactly had happened, but what was meant to be a cordial discussion to forge political alliances turned into a bloody ordeal with parties drawing weapons and assaulting one another. This event had driven a wedge between not only the siblings, but also their supporters, and as such both parties prepared for war.

The First Twin, “Elam Yulani”, had the support of the northern cities, Bizantahir, Korsani, Nagazaar and Utarak, as well as many mercenaries and House Arkazi.
The Second Twin, “Aziz Yulani”, had the support of the southern cities, Ashuur, Drustanaar, Kalaar and Marukan, as well as many influential merchant families and most of House Yulani.
While not as long as some other wars in the history of The Ashuurian State, it was without a doubt the bloodiest, taking untold numbers of lives of both soldiers and non-combatants, leaving behind little more than destroyed cities, families and scorched earth. As the slaughter continued, more and more cities no longer saw the worth in fighting, leaving the war and declaring independence from The Ashuurian state. This would set into motion a chain reaction that would only years later, with the deaths of both Elam (Horse Riding Accident) and Aziz (Assassination) lead to the final and permanent dissolution of The Ashuurian State.

18 pSF to 32 SF: The Dark Age: The Current Era, marked by widespread unrest, banditry, piracy, war, instability and economic downturn. Upper Zagesi is a far cry from what it used to be, having lost a good 50% of its population to war, disease, famine and mass emigration. Local rulers, bandit lords and robber barons take advantage of the great turmoil, lining their own pockets at the expense of their people. While some parties exist which are trying to restore order to these chaotic lands, they have so far had little success.

18 pSF: Both the State of Uzdarezi under House Arkazi and the State of Arasinda under House Yulani declare themselves as the rightful successors to The Ashuurian State.

9 pSF: A plot of The Merchant Council of Kalaar leads to the assassination of all members of House Yulani in the city. Kalaar declares its independence from Arasinda.

2 pSF: Korsani comes under control of “Sangha the Pirate Queen”, a notorious Zoltai Pirate. Under her control the fortress city turns into a den of crime and a safe haven for all the scum of Upper Zagesi.

2-4 SF: large swathes of Wildkin refugees flood into Upper Zagesi from The Shattered Sea, further destabilizing the region.

5 SF: “Hashem Arkazi II.”, the ruler of Uzdarezi, declares all non-hominids as outlaws, leading to heavy persecution in his domain.

8-10 SF: A group of Warbands from The Daga-Kurum Desert, led by the Draconid Warlord “Kovesh the Conqueror”, invade from the south, conquering Marukan and its surrounding lands. They come just within days reach of Drustanaar, but miraculously turn around before coming to cross blades with the city's defenders.

32 SF: A Hominid Woman, claiming to be a direct descendant of Catriona, one of The Ur-Ashaar, appears in the city state of Nagazaar. At the same time, an influential Merchant lord from Kalaar by the name of “Shamash” calls mighty warriors, healers, mages, scholars and all other individuals of great talent to his side, making promises of great wealth, glory and power.

Culture & Society:

The Ashuurian State, as a polity born from revolt and a desire for liberty, has been a society built on equity, and resistance to authority ever since its inception. Perhaps as a result of this, the individuals revered here are not legendary kings of ancient bloodlines or destined heroes blessed by ancient gods, but regular men and women, who achieved greatness through their own merit and skill. Those that rise to the occasion not because of fate and destiny, but in spite of it. The Ashuurian people view themselves as people that resist unlawful authority and injustice at every opportunity, brave liberators and virtuous revolutionaries all in one. In practice though things can look quite different.
Anyone vaguely familiar with ashuurian history knows that the realm had its fair share of tyrannical rulers, not always, but often with the support of the people.
While Ashuurian society does not operate on a system of classes, this has not stopped some families of merchants, priests, soldiers and politicians from accumulating ever greater power, constituting what is a noble class in all but name. A class which holds immense power over those of lesser fortune.
While in theory all Hominids are viewed as equal, practice reveals that there is quite a difference between the haves and have-nots, and these rights don’t always extend to those of other Strains.
Furthermore the Ashuurian state is a patriarchal society, with women in power being a rare exception that proves the rule. Ashuurian cultural practices, power structures and traditions of course vary widely from place to place and city to city, a thing most have in common however is a pilgrimage known by most simply as “The Way”.

The Way:

is a journey most Ashuurians are supposed to undertake during some point of their life. There is no precise route or destination, rather they are supposed to “go out into the world” and “find that which they live for”. Many people view it as a coming of age rite, supposed to give young adults the opportunity to do exactly that, find their purpose in life, though it is just as common for people to wait years or even decades before undertaking The Way.
Others view it as an opportunity to see the world, travel to distant lands, undertake a journey of enlightenment, a pilgrimage to ponder the nature of the world, a chance to hone their skills and make a name for themselves, or simply a good excuse to take a break from their dreary and monotonous life back home.
The duration and distance traveled of course vary greatly. For some it takes just a few weeks on the road before coming to the realization that “farm life perhaps isn’t so bad after all”, while others travel to the farthest corners of the continent, taking years or even decades to return home, and many never return at all. While by no means everyone would undertake this journey during their lifetime, the number of pilgrims has decreased substantially during the last 50 years. No doubt the abundance of bandits, pirates and general instability in the region made the prospect of leaving the relative safety of settlements a lot less attractive, at least to those not looking for trouble.

Laws & Institutions:

The Laws of communities around Kashura generally don’t vary all that much from one another, murder and theft is pretty much illegal everywhere for instance, as such this section will focus only on the noteworthy:

Slavery:

Slavery is not only banned in most places, but those that would force others into chains are often ousted from society and heavily persecuted, at least that is how things are supposed to be on paper. In reality things of course are not quite as black and white. While one will be hard-pressed to find someone outright selling people in the markets, many are forced to sell themselves into servitude as a way out of debt, which coincidentally is often owed to the very people they sell themselves to, debt-slavery in all but name.
Furthermore, the same protections and rights do not necessarily extend to non-hominids. In recent years xenophobic positions have become more and more popular, especially in the lands under the control of Uzdarezi, where especially Draconids and Wildkin face heavy persecution by the state.

Open Worship of Foreign Gods:

While one will certainly earn a few funny looks for openly worshiping foreign gods, there are no laws banning the worship of deities outside The Ur-Ashaar, safe for one: Tiamat, the mother of dragons and creator goddess of The Ruumush Amat.
Most people however genuinely don’t care.

Sanctified Rebellion:

The right to resist those which would seek to limit one's freedom, physically or otherwise, is sacred and one of the pillars The Ashuurian State was founded on. While this is no “get out of Jail free card”, depending on the circumstances this can be a genuine defense in many courts. The degree to which it is enforced of course varies heavily, and most governments are not all too keen on letting insurrectionists or convicted criminals run free.

Major Settlements:

This section will be split between the 8 great cities of the region, as those almost operate as independent states in and off themselves, and other noteworthy settlements:

The 8 Great Cities:

Ashuur - The oldest city in Upper Zagesi and the place where The Ashuurian State was founded. Located east of The Neferi on a river flowing into The Gilded Sea, it is home to ~30.000 people, most of which are Hominids, with minority populations of Zoltai and Wildkin.
Bizantahir - One of the oldest cities in Upper Zagesi and the second one originally founded by House Arkazi, which to this day holds dominion over it. It is also the de-facto capital of Uzdarezi and home to ~70.000 people, most of which are Hominids.
Drustanaar - The second oldest city of Upper Zagesi, founded by House Yulani and serving as their base of power, as well as the de-facto Capital of Arasinda. As of the year 32SF it is the most populated city in the region, with over 100.000 people calling it their home, most of which are hominids. There are however also sizable Draconid and Wilkin minorities, most of which fled to the city from Uzdarezi.
Kalaar - A trade metropolis on an island serving as a chokepoint in The Gilded Sea. While originally founded by House Yulani, it is now governed by the city's merchant lords. It is home to ~40.000 people around 60% of which are Hominids, the rest being a mix of other Strains, as Kalaar is known to be a place where people of all Strains and Faiths* are welcome.
Korsani - A free port city controlling a group of islands in the north of The Gilded Sea, south of The Blooming Marshes. The city was always rather liberal with with the people that were allowed to live there, harboring countless people of questionable morality over the course of its history. Under its current ruler however it has turned into a safe haven for all sorts of criminals, and the base of operations for most pirates in Upper Zagesi. It is home to ~25.000 people, with a colorful mix of all sorts of Strains, truly cosmopolitan.
Marukan - Originally a city founded by refugees and deserters all the way back during The First Age, it has recently come under control of outside forces by conquest. The populace and its new rulers have been butting heads ever since, and the situation in the city is quite volatile. As of the year 32SF, the city is home to ~60.000 people about half of which are Hominids, and since the conquest there has been an ever growing Draconid presence.
Nagazaar - One of the oldest cities in upper Zagesi, and a free port serving as the main connection between Upper Zagesi and its northern Neighbour Griselderyn. It is home to ~45.000 people, the vast majority of which are Hominids.
Utarak - The third oldest City of Upper Zagesi, which served both as the seat of power for House Arkazi and the capital of The Ashuurian State for hundreds of years. Even through its recent decline, it is still home to ~35.000 people, almost exclusively Hominids.

Other noteworthy Cities:

Gosandaki - A major free port serving as a stopping point for most seafaring travelers between Upper and Lower Zagesi. It is home to ~15.000 people, a sizable amount of which are Hominids.
Takir - A mining and trade city far in the north of Upper Zagesi, serving as the main connection for merchants and travelers from The Shattered Sea and The Howling Hills of Griselderyn. It is home to ~12.000 people, most of which are Hominids.