Ashurkha Dynasty

The current dynasty of Ekhmenet, the Ashurkha Dynasty came to power at the tail end of the Imperial Golden Age when Sun Emperor Ashurkhe claimed the throne from the last emperor of the Niratekhma Dynasty. Although the dynasty started strong, with its first emperor proving to be one of the most capable leaders the empire had had since the beginning of the Golden Age, the Ekhmeni Empire has seen some of its most devastating wars and tragedies under its reign; particularly the First and Second Ekhmeni-Torithian Wars, the subsequent disintegration of the Empire down to the country’s native Ekhmeni Desert, and the nigh-tyrannical rule of Sun Emperor Tukhtan.

Public Agenda

At present, the priority of the Askhurkha Dynasty and its head Sun Emperor Khalmuke is the preservation of Ekhmenet—keeping its economy stable, keeping its shrunken borders safe, and salvaging the dignity and national pride of its people. Most of the country supports the dynasty in these efforts; however, some of these goals have led to the persecution and exile of Ekhmeni Mythborn and have led to a general fear of Mythborn and the powers they possess, as ever since the death of the last Sun Emperor by the hand of a Mythborn, they have been stigmatized and feared as having too much power to safely reside within the country.

History

The Ashurkha Dynasty first began in 760 4C when Sun Emperor Ashurkhe claimed the throne from the last Sun Emperor of the Niratekhma Dynasty—an aging, stubborn man with no obvious or appointed heir. Ashurkhe, originally a prominent military leader (and a Mythborn), quickly won the favor of the people as a strong leader and claimed the throne in an incredibly showy—yet surprisingly nonviolent—event, thus entirely circumventing any potential fights for the throne. The Ekhmeni Empire remained strong and broad during his and his next two sucessors’ reigns, but then the third Sun Emperor of the Ashurkha Dynasty was killed in battle during the First Ekhmeni-Torithian War, and the terms of the treaty following the end of that war resulted in an incredible loss of territory and national pride. The nation struggled severely during the next 60 years under the next few Sun Emperors’ reigns while Torith prospered and expanded, but then the sixth Sun Emperor of the Ashurkha Dynasty declared war against Torith again in an attempt to regain the lost imperial lands. That Sun Emperor commanded an elite squadron at the top of the Ekhmeni armies, composed of all known Ekhmeni Mythborn of that time—most infamously the Mythborn publicly known as the Firebird and privately known as the heir apparent Inashri Ka-Ashurkha. The Sun Emperor perished in the year 910, leaving the heir apparent rather hurriedly anointed as the seventh Sun Emperor of the Ashurkha Dynasty, Sun Emperor Inashri—one of the few ever female Sun Emperors, and one of only three known Mythborn Sun Emperors in history. Her reign was cut short, however, when she was assassinated in the palace but 4 months after ascending to the throne. Her brother rose to the throne in her stead, becoming the eighth Sun Emperor of the Ashurkha Dynasty, Sun Emperor Tukhtan. He led his armies into desperate last stands against the Torithian forces, but these were ultimately for naught, and the Torithian Federation won the war. Sun Emperor Tukhtan reigned for 40 more years after the war, but by the end he was speculated to have become paranoid, having instituted a number of policies over the years that gradually instilled a fear of Mythborn into the population. His successor worked to undo the worst of these policies, but the general fear remained, and even heightened when he was assassinated by the rumored hand of a Mythborn and his son, the tenth Sun Emperor of the Ashurkha Dynasty, Sun Emperor Khalmuke was appointed in his stead.