Amrikh Empire
The Amrikh Empire was a powerful empire that stretched across much of southern Dain at the top of its power, including Whiesia, Sceya and Akshus. The Amrikhi were brutal conquerors, slavedrivers and possessed great magical might. The empire came to an end when their arrogance and necromancy brought a scourge upon their land in the form of spirits and demons from the Shadowfell.
Structure
The Amrikh empire was in many ways ruled by the priests that connected the people to Hesmash, a class of priest-nobility who used their connection with the gods to further their own gains and protect their people. From among the ascendant dynasties of priest-nobility a priest-king took power, chosen by Hesmash. These would lead the empire in worship of Hesmash, and would awaken Sa'nakt should the need arise.
History
The Old Empire -- 9500 PIA - 9000 PIA
The Amrikh empire was one of the oldest empires on Dain, founded only a few short centuries after the First War. The peoples of Akshus soon founds themselves under the protection of Hesmash, and over the next few centuries the Nu'un people would find themselves ascendant among the local peoples, leading to the formation of what would become the Amrikh empire. The Nu'un ruled as warrior-kings over their neighbors, and even made forays into the Sceya and Whiesia and fought giants. The age of the Old Empire ended with the coming of Sa'nakt.
The Young Empire -- 9000 PIA - 7500 PIA
Sa'nakt was created by Hesmash to be a unifying symbol for all the peoples of Akshus and to protect the empire in times of crisis, as well as lead it in wars of conquest. Under the military leadership of Sa'nakt the empire quickly expanded northwards, taking the southern Sceyan lowlands and the western weetlands and colonizing the coast of Whiesia. More peoples beside the Nu'un were also allowed to gain political influence in the empire, and the more numerous Amrikh people soon became the most powerful and more priest-kings came from the Amrikh, lending their name to the empire.
In this time the Amrikh empire mostly spread its influence by conquering vassals and setting up client states, only colonizing enough of the Whiesian coast and western Sceya to facilitate the landing of armies. The Twilight Wars -- 7500-7450 PIA
The Young Empire met its first great threat during the Twilight Wars, when it was invaded by the Twilight Elves of the underdark and their daemon lapdogs. The Amrikh empire was initually thrown into disarray, but with their ressurecting Sa'nakt they remarkably quickly gained the upper hand, as their sun god manifested with terrible fury and Sa'nakt led armies into the darkness. The Amrikh empire was the first surface nation to strike back against the Twilight Elves, and was instrumental in finally defeating them.
During the Twilight Wars, the priest nobility came in the way of the war effort several times, as they feared that Sa'nakt would gain too much power and popularity. As punishment for this, Sa'nakt took command of the Amrikh empire as god-king, and would rule it for many years.
Sa'nakt's rule -- 7450-7000 PIA
Sa'nakt's rule following the Twilight Wars was a golden age for the Amrikh empire, and it was at this point that it reached its greatest geographical extent. During the Twilight Wars Sa'nakt had made friends and allies from many different neighbouring nations, and soon created a system of alliances, vassalship and client states that secured peace and prosperity for all involved nations, and protected them from dragons, giants and elemental lords like the Twilight Elves.
This was also a golden age for Southern Dain, when orcs, dwarves and humans lived in relative peace with one another. As part of this work Sa'nakt also set to work protecting the rights of slaves and limiting possibility for slavery in the empire, as well as making laws less racist.
After more than 400 years, Sa'nakt's natural lifespan finally came to an end and he went to sleep in the Royal Tombs of The City of the Dead. He passed rulership on to the priest kings again, hoping to have created an empire and system that would stand the test of time, and that he may finally find eternal rest. The Golden Age -- 7000-4500 PIA
And for a time, this was the case. For many generations the Amrikh priest-kings ruled responsibly and wisely, balancing the needs of their homeland with the needs of their allies and vassals, standing strong against would-be conquerors and honoring the gods. However, as time went on the amrikh grew proud and decadent, with their great armies. They began expecting more from their vassals and then their allies for their protection, and grew richer and richer.
At some point, the Grand Necromancer came to the Amrikh empire and presented himself to a few priests. He showed them how to bring back the dead as soldiers, how to create perfect afterlives for themselves and how to use the power of death to create weapons and impossibly vast statues and buildings. He gave it all to them, expecting nothing in return. This order of priests named themselves Death Architects, for their ability to use death and blood to construct monuments.
Initially the amrikh were sceptical of these Death Architects, but soon the priest nobility were enraptured by their power and they were given free reign. The Death Architects created mighty constructs and spirits of death while making afterlives for their wealthy patrons. As the Death Architects began sacrificing slaves to fuel the fire of their magics, the Amrikh empire was changed.
Its god, Hesmash, became a bloodthirsty entity wishing for part of the sacrifices given to the necromantic magic, and the Amrikh empire began building itself up greater and greater. But the slaves had to come from somewhere.
Soon Amrikh progroms in their vassal states and among their allies became more and more common, where companies of soldiers led by a Death Architect would travel to Sceya or Whiesia and bring home good flesh stock to have their blood shed in pursuit of greater and greater necromantic ambitions. When this work became more and more gruesome, the living soldiers were replaced by unthinking skeletal warriors and constructs.
This led to a string of rebellions and revolts, where the empire quickly lost its influence over the network of alliances Sa'nakt had worked so hard to maintain. Once upon a time, the Sword of Destiny would have been reawakened to fight these rebellions and put the house of the sun back in order, but the Priest King was afraid to lose his power like his ancestors had during the Twilight Wars. So the Amrikh empire continually lost its support and allies.
In the end the Amrikh empire sent out great black ships to raid neighboring countries for slaves, leaving scars in the land and peoples that can be osberved to this day. Only a few of the Amrikh colonies survived in this time. These declared independence and tried to survive by themselves. Many of the more conservative priests found their way here, and this is the only place where the legacy of the Amrikh empire lives on.
The Cataclysm -- 4500 PIA
The Amrikh empire was in this time in many ways a hellish place, revolving around death and decay. Slaves from neighbouring countries allowed the amrikhi to create wonderful afterlives for the elite, while everyone tried their best to create suitable afterlives for their deceased ancestors, paying more and more with each generation for the blood of slaves. The Death Architects created more and more powerful constructs and spirits to help with enslaving peoples who had once been allies. Towering monuments to gods and kings were built, each outdoing the last. This system was never sustainable.
No one knows why the Cataclysm happened. Perhaps it was pure chance, some flaw in the necromantic magics worked into the very fabric of Amrikh society or perhaps it was finaly just vengeance by the gods. No matter the cause, one day the afterlives of the Amrikh, their tombs and their mausoleums, exploded in darkness and creatures made of shadow with claws of bones came walking out. An explosion of violence and death spread through the Amrikh empire, nearly tearing apart the entire empire in a matter of days.
Finally, a group of brave souls managed to make their way into the Royal Tombs, breaking through the mightiest of the shadow spirits, to awaken Sa'nakt.
Sa'nakt was horrified, both by what his empire had become and what had befallen it, but quickly went to work. Under his leadership and with his skill in battle safe cities were established in the Amrikh empire and the shadow spirits were slowly beaten back to the corrupted spaces where they spawned. With the help of the Death Architects, powerful wards were placed over the deep places of the tombs, and the shadow spirits were finally contained.
The Year of the Sword -- 4499 PIA
However, the Amrikh empire was much reduced after this time, little more than carrion and rotting meat was left of the empire. So Sa'nakt made a plan together with the Death Architects, that would allow their resurgence. The Death Architects moved through the survivors from the Cataclysm and culled them, leading the black ships now against their own people. Tens of thousands of people were murdered in this time, and were burried either as mummies or as skeletons with weapons, armor and shields at hand. The Death Architects created an undead army, and then put it to sleep beneath the sands.
Sa'nakt had persuaded them to follow the Eternal Plan, where they would be ressurected in the far future, when the world had forgotten about them and was ripe for conquest. The Death Architects were promised glory, fame and power in this future, and to have as many dead slaves to conduct experiments on and create weapons of as they wish.
So now the Amrikh empire slumbers beneath the sands, reduced to a nightmarish memory of a nation that grew too proud and strong for its own good, and that fell form the greatest heights into the pits of hell.
The Amrikh empire was one of the oldest empires on Dain, founded only a few short centuries after the First War. The peoples of Akshus soon founds themselves under the protection of Hesmash, and over the next few centuries the Nu'un people would find themselves ascendant among the local peoples, leading to the formation of what would become the Amrikh empire. The Nu'un ruled as warrior-kings over their neighbors, and even made forays into the Sceya and Whiesia and fought giants. The age of the Old Empire ended with the coming of Sa'nakt.
The Young Empire -- 9000 PIA - 7500 PIA
Sa'nakt was created by Hesmash to be a unifying symbol for all the peoples of Akshus and to protect the empire in times of crisis, as well as lead it in wars of conquest. Under the military leadership of Sa'nakt the empire quickly expanded northwards, taking the southern Sceyan lowlands and the western weetlands and colonizing the coast of Whiesia. More peoples beside the Nu'un were also allowed to gain political influence in the empire, and the more numerous Amrikh people soon became the most powerful and more priest-kings came from the Amrikh, lending their name to the empire.
In this time the Amrikh empire mostly spread its influence by conquering vassals and setting up client states, only colonizing enough of the Whiesian coast and western Sceya to facilitate the landing of armies. The Twilight Wars -- 7500-7450 PIA
The Young Empire met its first great threat during the Twilight Wars, when it was invaded by the Twilight Elves of the underdark and their daemon lapdogs. The Amrikh empire was initually thrown into disarray, but with their ressurecting Sa'nakt they remarkably quickly gained the upper hand, as their sun god manifested with terrible fury and Sa'nakt led armies into the darkness. The Amrikh empire was the first surface nation to strike back against the Twilight Elves, and was instrumental in finally defeating them.
During the Twilight Wars, the priest nobility came in the way of the war effort several times, as they feared that Sa'nakt would gain too much power and popularity. As punishment for this, Sa'nakt took command of the Amrikh empire as god-king, and would rule it for many years.
Sa'nakt's rule -- 7450-7000 PIA
Sa'nakt's rule following the Twilight Wars was a golden age for the Amrikh empire, and it was at this point that it reached its greatest geographical extent. During the Twilight Wars Sa'nakt had made friends and allies from many different neighbouring nations, and soon created a system of alliances, vassalship and client states that secured peace and prosperity for all involved nations, and protected them from dragons, giants and elemental lords like the Twilight Elves.
This was also a golden age for Southern Dain, when orcs, dwarves and humans lived in relative peace with one another. As part of this work Sa'nakt also set to work protecting the rights of slaves and limiting possibility for slavery in the empire, as well as making laws less racist.
After more than 400 years, Sa'nakt's natural lifespan finally came to an end and he went to sleep in the Royal Tombs of The City of the Dead. He passed rulership on to the priest kings again, hoping to have created an empire and system that would stand the test of time, and that he may finally find eternal rest. The Golden Age -- 7000-4500 PIA
And for a time, this was the case. For many generations the Amrikh priest-kings ruled responsibly and wisely, balancing the needs of their homeland with the needs of their allies and vassals, standing strong against would-be conquerors and honoring the gods. However, as time went on the amrikh grew proud and decadent, with their great armies. They began expecting more from their vassals and then their allies for their protection, and grew richer and richer.
At some point, the Grand Necromancer came to the Amrikh empire and presented himself to a few priests. He showed them how to bring back the dead as soldiers, how to create perfect afterlives for themselves and how to use the power of death to create weapons and impossibly vast statues and buildings. He gave it all to them, expecting nothing in return. This order of priests named themselves Death Architects, for their ability to use death and blood to construct monuments.
Initially the amrikh were sceptical of these Death Architects, but soon the priest nobility were enraptured by their power and they were given free reign. The Death Architects created mighty constructs and spirits of death while making afterlives for their wealthy patrons. As the Death Architects began sacrificing slaves to fuel the fire of their magics, the Amrikh empire was changed.
Its god, Hesmash, became a bloodthirsty entity wishing for part of the sacrifices given to the necromantic magic, and the Amrikh empire began building itself up greater and greater. But the slaves had to come from somewhere.
Soon Amrikh progroms in their vassal states and among their allies became more and more common, where companies of soldiers led by a Death Architect would travel to Sceya or Whiesia and bring home good flesh stock to have their blood shed in pursuit of greater and greater necromantic ambitions. When this work became more and more gruesome, the living soldiers were replaced by unthinking skeletal warriors and constructs.
This led to a string of rebellions and revolts, where the empire quickly lost its influence over the network of alliances Sa'nakt had worked so hard to maintain. Once upon a time, the Sword of Destiny would have been reawakened to fight these rebellions and put the house of the sun back in order, but the Priest King was afraid to lose his power like his ancestors had during the Twilight Wars. So the Amrikh empire continually lost its support and allies.
In the end the Amrikh empire sent out great black ships to raid neighboring countries for slaves, leaving scars in the land and peoples that can be osberved to this day. Only a few of the Amrikh colonies survived in this time. These declared independence and tried to survive by themselves. Many of the more conservative priests found their way here, and this is the only place where the legacy of the Amrikh empire lives on.
The Cataclysm -- 4500 PIA
The Amrikh empire was in this time in many ways a hellish place, revolving around death and decay. Slaves from neighbouring countries allowed the amrikhi to create wonderful afterlives for the elite, while everyone tried their best to create suitable afterlives for their deceased ancestors, paying more and more with each generation for the blood of slaves. The Death Architects created more and more powerful constructs and spirits to help with enslaving peoples who had once been allies. Towering monuments to gods and kings were built, each outdoing the last. This system was never sustainable.
No one knows why the Cataclysm happened. Perhaps it was pure chance, some flaw in the necromantic magics worked into the very fabric of Amrikh society or perhaps it was finaly just vengeance by the gods. No matter the cause, one day the afterlives of the Amrikh, their tombs and their mausoleums, exploded in darkness and creatures made of shadow with claws of bones came walking out. An explosion of violence and death spread through the Amrikh empire, nearly tearing apart the entire empire in a matter of days.
Finally, a group of brave souls managed to make their way into the Royal Tombs, breaking through the mightiest of the shadow spirits, to awaken Sa'nakt.
Sa'nakt was horrified, both by what his empire had become and what had befallen it, but quickly went to work. Under his leadership and with his skill in battle safe cities were established in the Amrikh empire and the shadow spirits were slowly beaten back to the corrupted spaces where they spawned. With the help of the Death Architects, powerful wards were placed over the deep places of the tombs, and the shadow spirits were finally contained.
The Year of the Sword -- 4499 PIA
However, the Amrikh empire was much reduced after this time, little more than carrion and rotting meat was left of the empire. So Sa'nakt made a plan together with the Death Architects, that would allow their resurgence. The Death Architects moved through the survivors from the Cataclysm and culled them, leading the black ships now against their own people. Tens of thousands of people were murdered in this time, and were burried either as mummies or as skeletons with weapons, armor and shields at hand. The Death Architects created an undead army, and then put it to sleep beneath the sands.
Sa'nakt had persuaded them to follow the Eternal Plan, where they would be ressurected in the far future, when the world had forgotten about them and was ripe for conquest. The Death Architects were promised glory, fame and power in this future, and to have as many dead slaves to conduct experiments on and create weapons of as they wish.
So now the Amrikh empire slumbers beneath the sands, reduced to a nightmarish memory of a nation that grew too proud and strong for its own good, and that fell form the greatest heights into the pits of hell.
Eternity is the greatest judge
9500 Pre-Imperial Era - 4500 Pre-Imperial Era
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Capital
Leader
Leader Title
Government System
Monarchy, Elective
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Deities
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Related Plots
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