Ancient History
Al Dun has historically formed the frontier land between the controlling nations of the Sargonic region and its surrounding powers. In the mythic age throughout the early first age, the area was a fertile grassland and savannah and formed the very edges of the Draconia and the Draconic Empire, with the foundations of the Dragon Wall being constructed on its border with the Orcish Mountains. The region saw numerous conflicts between the Orcish Empire, Draconians, Lizardfolk and Birdfolk tribes from the Upper Sargonic Swamplands and Hannic raiders from the west.
By the end of the Mythic Age, Draconia had managed to route out all of the area's invaders, creating the province as powerful agricultural and defensive centre of their empire during the Dragon Age of the first era. The mid first age would however see a gradual desertification start to spread in the outermost regions of the modern Sargonic region, Al Dun was largely spared from this outside the Magiri Badlands region. The wetlands and grasslands of the Sargon and Assana rivers kept the land fertile.
The modern Al Dun area was invaded by Orcish Harric Horde in the 13th century of the first age, the remaining dragon citadels plundered and countless dragons and their dragonborn protectors slain. Orcish occupation and battles with attacking dragons saw countless settlements and farmlands swallowed up in fire. The area's population is beleived to have declined by 90% between the 14th and 18th centuries.
Sun Elf Period
The Sun Elf expansion into the region in the 17-1800s of the first area saw the Dragon Wall restored and new settlements built across the region. The area remained sparsely populated outside of frontier forts along the Dragon Wall and key citadels and smaller agricultral bases in the Dunhana flats and the coastal region. A full restoration of the region would not be completed until the 26th century by the new Sand Elf culture, who fully drove back the orcish hordes in successive wars and saw booms of population in the region.
Under Sand Elf rule, the region was still part of the greater Sun Elf empire but remained largely autonomous and culturally distinctive. The Sand Elves built new cities with vast narrow pyramids, narrow towers, and impressive sandstone walls and keeps. Much of this time is now a famed 'golden age' for the region but has long been lost to history, as by the 2800s the Sun Elf empire and its sand elf suzerainty had become complacent and demilitarized by centuries of peace and prosperity. This allowed another Orcish invasion into the modern Al Dun area as the Battle of the Dragon Wall saw the Ulthakian Khanate summon elemental powers from the Plane of Earth to collapse portions of the ancient fortification and the declaration of the Great and Bountiful Orcish Empire as cities along the Assana, its coastline, and farmlands were sacked.
The Great and Bountiful Orcish Empire remained in control of the region throughout Ulthak and his successor, Gormash the Brazen's, rule. With the death of Gormash and the rise of Soulthek, the modern Al Dun area became the staging ground for much of the Dark Lord's attacks into Sun Elf and Sand Elf territory throughout the First Soulthek War. Many elven citadels were torn down, people sacrificed to the mysterious 'entity' that Soulthek had bestowed himself too, and folklore says the area was obscured by the "red fog of blood and villainy". Soulthek's defeat at the other side of the world in the Battle of Adar saw his empire splinter, and the area likely came under the occupation of one of his generals or another Orcish Warlord.
Arrival of the Alhadim
Al Dun's true history begins with the arrival of the 13 fleets of the Alhadim in 398,
2e. These fleets contained humans from the continent of Ombosu, legend saying they were fleeing the persecution of the Pharaoh of Agyssius. The Alhadim humans remained disunited in the southern regions of Sargon, around the modern Al-Shammar and Cyrene nations.
Geographic Al Dun remained under orcish rule throughout this period, the exact rulers are unknown and are only addressed in ancient Sargonic records as the Grumat al Hanna, literally the 'Orcs of Hanna.' The origins of Hanna are unclear, historians are divided on wether Hanna refers to a famous warlord, ruling dynasty, or just the geographic region. The modern Dunhanna Flats region may be a reference to either of these as well. Local folklore, likely of orcish or sand elf origin, claims a powerful wizard named Hannahara created the flats with his mighty fire staff, indicating the origins of the name Hanna as a person, however the old sargonic language also contains the world Hannaf, relating to a grazing land for sheep, further confusing its ancient origins.
in the 901,
2e, the Balimitarhi el'Khansh faction of the Alhadim formed. This order of mercenaries doubled as a religious group who worshipped the Moon. The Common translation for the word roughly translates to either Blade Dancers of the Moon or Knights of the Moon, often simplified to the Moon Knights. This group became a key faction in fighting the Shadow Empire, a unified kingdom of Drow who rose from the underdark and used powerful magics to conceal the heartlands of the continent in permanant night.
Earning their reputation in multiple battles and attacks on the Shadow Empire, the Moon Knights were invited by Emir Mahad Sal Dimhn of Assirylon to help him conquer and subdue the other Alhadim groups in the Sargon region, founding the first unifed human Sargonic nation of Al Dinhm in the process.
Al Dinhm and the Rexian Period
As a state, Al Dinhm never expanded north beyond its frontier territories in Sand Elf lands of modern Al Shamar, likely near the city of Sharespolis being their most nothern expansion. To their west, they were occupied by a remnant Sand Elf state in what is now western Cyrene around the banks of the Telara. The Moon Knights became the sultan's personal guard. Their grandmaster at the time, Bahat the Diviner, forosaw a time his order would become kings in their own right, the Bahatimut book outlining his 'visions' for his people.
"When the condor's wings set the moon will rise on the ashes of a walled garden, where our seed will grow amongst the dirt and sand."
...
"So the son of the 13 will see a crown of sapphire and bow the storm under a shield and crescent night."
Bahatimut prophecies 13 and 95 forseeing the Moon Knights founding the nation of Al Dun
Al Dinhm had a brief period as a local power, absorbing some sand elf territory weakened by the Orcish sea attacks along modern Cyrene and the parts of Al Dun they did not already occupy. Both Al Dinhm and the orcish rulers of modern Al Dun were surpassed in power and prestige by the rise of the Trimvirate of human nations in the Heart of the Continent, formed from the city kingdom of Aetheric, Rexia, and Condor.
The Trimunvirate first moved into the northern sargonic region, defeating the Grumat Al Hanna and occupying modern Al Dun. The People of Al Dinhm would be conquered themselves in 1247 at the end of the Rexian-Sargonic war. The Moon Knights were relgated from their possision of prestige and became an underground pro-sargonic order frequently harrassing Rexian and Triumvirate intereste in the Sargonia province.
Whereas the rest of the continent oft holds the long fallen and mysterious Rexian empire with an extent of awe and wonder, Sargonic consensus holds the empire as tyrants and fools who relied too much on magic. Sargonic records of Rexia are amongst the most critical, claiming they were patriarchal and arrogant with dreams of conquest but no ability to rule. These claims are however written post empire and no remaining primary sources of the time remain, all destroyed after the empire collapsed along with their relics and constructions.
The Rexian Empire entered a decline from the late 1500s to the 1630s, as the Cult of Soulthek infiltrated the empire and released their lord from Pandemonium. Soulthek stowed discontent in the empire, seeing smaller revolts break out across its vast territory, including Sargonia. The spread of mage plague also saw countless artificers and wizards, the backbone of the Rexian nation, die. With the empire weak, Soulthek revelaed himself and led the Third Great and Bountiful Orcish Empire to war against the empire. Sargonia was quickly abandoned by the Rexians who retreated to their heartland territory, forcing the remainign Sand Elves and humans to band together in 1649 as the Sultante of Sargonia.
Soulthek attempted a major invasion of Sargonia in 1669, and was only halted at Dacca by Princess Shazira Tal Rijyad. Shazira, a powerful sorceress and warrior, halted the invasion and led her armies to drive Soulthek back, but eventually saw her armies held to a standstill around modern Al Dun and Ashad. The Second Soulthek War would end in 1699 with the release of Soulthek's and Rexia's weapons of magical destruction (WMDs). This detonation of massive magical energy across the Orcish and Rexian lands would destroy countless cities and see ecological collapse throughout the east. Sargon was spared only by the intervention of Shazira, who summoned her powers to absorb the incoming weapons, destroying herself in the process but sparing Sargon the fate that would befall Rexia's heartland.
Post-Rexia and the Scholar
The knock-on effects of the Soulthek War would see climate changes affect the aldready fragile ecosystem of the region. In modern Al Dun, the Dunhanna flat completely desertified, leaving only fertile lands around the coast and rivers. Further desertification would affect western Sargonia and saw the unified nation splinter into the smaller states of Cyrene, Nabadeen, and Alrior. The Moon Knights founded a smaller emirate within the kingdom of Alrior in the Magiri badlands between the border of what is now Al Dun and Al Shammar.
From 1789-1800, The Scholar - a mysterious academic and minor emir from Vhasana waged war on the splintered sargonic powers, sand elves, and remanant orcish and rexian peoples in the sargon region, unifying them under a new banner and religon where various gods were formed into a new pantheon to unite all the peoples. The only area not to fall to the scholar was the geographic area of modern Al Dun, ruled by a remnant orcish tribe called the Dharak. The Moon Knights were also defeated in battle, but adapted their creed to their new moon diety, Ellistrae.
The Scholar was also highly critical of the Rexian Empire, and is beleived to have led the efforts to destroy their relics and technology within his new Sargonic Empire.
Sargonic-Dharak War
With nearly all of Sargon united under the Scholar, the last hold out of Dharak was targeted by him for invasion. The Scholar, focused on improving his nation and tearing down the final reminders of Rexia within his lands, tasked the newly converted Moon Knights to deal with the threat of Dharak. In 1829, the Moon Knights marched on the orcish khanate and defeated them in every single battle, forming a border around the ruins of the Dragon Wall, as a reward, the province was gifted to the order as a Marcher Province under their military rule, founding new fortresses in Marat, Fawar, Jalujah, and
Eastern Dark Age
The Scholar's Death in 1841 saw his nation decline as no new cult of personality autocrat could take his place. The Sargonic Empire gradually collapsed into its constituent parts of various emirates. The Moon Knights saw their former fortress in the Magiri badlands destroyed by nomadic raiders, and the group relocated its headquarters to Fawar, maintaining control across the Dragon Wall and coastal regions in 1921 when the empire finally collapsed.
What would go onto become Al Dun saw smaller emirates, warlords, and other governments form around Burj Thulanyi, Assanakubri, Tridoli, Drafasas Ordana, and Talreed. The Moon Knights maintained control over their coastal settlements. The knights would slowly expand into its neighbours, slowly ressembling more of a government than a religious or military order. In 2040, the Knight's grandmaster Bashir I Salam Dun founded a government indpendent of his order, officially creating the Lunar Emirate of Al Dun.
The nation remained miltiaristic throughout the remaimnder of the Eastern Dark Ages, fending off attacks from neighbouring emirates, orcs, and lizardfolk raiders from its northern borders. It would remain the sole Sargonic power of the region until the Rise of Cyrene in the River War 60 years later.
Rivalry with Cyrene
Cyrene had only grown in power since the death of the Scholar and quickly unified territory west of the Derric Mountains and south of the Telara River. In 1057, The Most Serene Sulatante advanced north along the River Sargon into modern Al-Shammar, defeating the various emirates of the region before turning against Al Dun in 1061. The war would only last a year but saw Al Dun's armies vanquished at the battle of Hawat, and saw Cyrene rise as the new power of the east.
The two nations would continue their bickering and have numerous skirmishes and battles throughout the three hundred year period of Cyrenian dominance in the late second age. Al Dun remained independent in this time, but did lose territory to Cyrene around Ordana, the Magiri badlands, and its territory around the River Telara in the Cyrene-Al Dun War of 2139, the Magiri War of 2180, and the First Telara War of 2212.
The nation continued to fight against its other neighbours in Ashad, Upper Sargon, and the Orcish tribes, whilst many warriors of Al Dun sailed westwards to sell their services to the medieval kingdoms in Western Prima Terra, cementing Al Dun's warrior image and unique dual scimitar fighting style.
Compared to Cyrene Al Dun continuely paled in comparison across multiple fronts. Cyrene's cities were intricate, clean, and had public education and maintained sewer systems whereas Al Dun's capital of Fawar had been named the "City of Stink" by traders due to its awful smell, constant disease, and collapsing buildings. Cyrene also maintained a strong economy with intricate trade networks internally and externally, whereas Al Dun had a miniscule merchant fleet and most of its population still lived off of subsitence farming of dates and grains along the flood plains of the River Assana.
Fate would swing back to Al Dun's favour once more during Cyrene's age of decadence from 2350-2404 as their larger neighbour grew corrupt and lazy in their management of their once glorious empire. In the Second Telara War of 2366, Al Dun reconquered lands along the River Telara and would move its capital from the decaying island fortress of Fawar to its reconquered city of Farat. The Emir of Al Dun commisioned the architect Talim bin Igrib to begin a massive public works project in Farat, at the the time a minor trade outpost, naval base, and defencive bastion, and turned into a sprawling planned city that attracted talent from around the emirate and beyond with trade quarters dedicated to elves, humans, dwarves, and even orcs. A university was established and the docks renovated all under Talim's watch.
When Cyrene collapsed in 2405, Al Dun spent the next century retaking its lost lands in Ordana and the Magiri Badlands, restoring its borders to their full extent. The nation quickly stagnated once more, facing consistent attacks from former Cyrneian emirates and tribal raiders. A Pirate Fleet sacked Farat in 2480, leaving the city a ruined shell until the first century of the next age.
Early Third Age and the Sargonic Movement
Al Dun's slow recovery was hampered by regular succession crises, famines, and wars with its neighbours. The nation also faced regular military coups and uprisings from the Moon Knights until 181,
3e when Emir Dinah El Ghaniryi united her nation once more and launched a warrior fleet into Orcish lands, reclaiming lost ancient treasures and using the wealth aquired from her adventure to do a new restoration of Marat and send emisarries to West Marcia to scout for new scholars to work at her capital's university. Some rumours say many scholars and academics were shanghaied from Marcian ports and forcibly taken back to Marat, a claim the queen would verimently deny throughout her lifetime.
Dinah's succesor, Liarijiana II the Learned, expanded an academic network across the Sargonic region. It was in Marat that the Sargonic Movement was first theorised by gathered academics and scholars from across the desert lands, who formed an idea for a united Sargonic peoples. The movements tenants were codifed in the Treatise of United Sargon in 210 by combined academics and published through the Unviersity of Marat. The next century saw this movements teachings, as well as an expanded public education not seen since the Cyrenian golden age, spread throughout Sargon.
Steps at fufilling this destiny would not occur until 414 with the beginning of the Emirate Wars. In a twist of fate, Al Dun and their ancient enemy of Cyrene became strong allies in their shared ideal to unite the various emirates of the continent. Al Dun supported Cyrene's reqconquest of many of its historic lands. Al Dun also supplied military aid the Emirate of Khalmadeen as they went onto found the Kingdom of Ashad.
The end of the Emirate Wars in 459 saw the modern borders of the Sargonic kingdoms largely take shape. To cement peace and fufil the ideals of the Sargonic Movement, all the nations of this new sargon formed The Sargonic League, a trade and diplomatic union between all their peoples that has largely led to an enduring peace and prosperity for all the people of Sargon. Each ruler would send three council members composed of diplomats, powerful merchants, or members of notability to serve on the council which would rotate it base of operations between each of the nations.
Seldrinar Domination
The Sargonic League's dreams had led to a growing prosperity within the eastern kingdoms. Each one had seen new income and prestige spread throughout their lands and the lack of wars and conflict allowed for a comfortable population growth and the expansion of many of their key cities. Within Al Dun, the cities of Burj Thulanyi and Galof grew to new sizes and saw major investment in infrasturcture and grand projects whilst Marat finally fulfilled the destiny Talim bin Igrib had dreamt off centuries before.
Unfortunately for the league, the once wealthy and independent ports of the southern coast across the Derric mountains found themselves suffocated by their ruler, the
Seldrinar Supremacy. In 598, the league was compelled to sign a series of one sided deals with the Supremacy, tying their nations economic fate to the facistic elven empire for the next 500 years.
Yet another Al Dunnian golden age was cut short as they found themselves economically bound in chains to the Seldrinar, their trade deals leaving them economically well off enough to never question breaking the deal, but not earning as much as they could have if the supremacy was not in their way. Al Dun, like their fellow league members, stagnated under this time with only the merchant classes and powerful noble families seeing any increase in quality of life.
40 Year War
The various crises of the 10th century that affected the western human great power of the
Eldrian Empire saw the Seldrinar Empire plot their return the Marcian region. From 1000-1001,
3e, the Supremacy's ambassadors to the Sargonic League laid out in no uncertain terms that when war was to occur, the Sargonic Nations would send naval support to the Seldrinar coast alongside any troops required as well as food and war supplies such as ores, weapons, spell components, and raw supplies.
Al Dun was expempt from the military clauses of the deal, as The Moon Knights worship of Ellistrae barred them from even stepping foot in the Supremacies land, meaning their involvment in the war was limited to ships and supplies, largely dried fruits, salt, and meat jerkies. Al Dun also fended off smaller attacks from the Daggerstorm League throughout this period as the orcish states tried to force the league out of their alliance with the elves.
Al Dun's general population and leadership had no love for the Seldrinar or their cause, and in early 1030 when a single exploration vessel from the distant continent of Zhoson arrived in the port of Lyre on Cyrene's coast, Al Dunnian diplomats met with delegates from the
Dragon Empire in Cyrene city with the rest of the Sargonic League. Al Dun's leading councillor to the Sargonic League, Princess Mazira Zashad, was the most verement supporter of allying themselves with the Dragon Empire and led to the secrete Cyrene Treaty between the Dragon Empire, the Commonwealth, and the Sargonic League.
In 1031, Sargonic ships stationed along the Seldrinar coast attacked coastal settlements and ports of the supremacy. Simutanelously, a garrison of Moon Knights and armies from across Sargon marched across the Derric Mountains to attack the supremacy's heartlands as the entire league betrayed their elven overlords. A new deal had been struck with the Dragon Empire, meaning Al Dun and her sister nations were no longer bound to the supremacy.
This direct involvment in the war did see countless Dunnian soldiers die for their country, and in the aftermath of the war the nation rejoiced as their reputation of holy warriors was restored in the eyes of the world once again.
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