Yena is generally considered to be the oldest extent civilization on the earth. Though its governmental forms have altered over the centuries, the people are considered culturally identical to their ancient forebears, the Yenai.
The Yenai are considered the ancestors of all Four Great Satari Kingdoms (as well as the Sunaese and Wundish of the Batsalian Union across the Bitter Sea). Modern citizens of the Republic are called Yenese, at least by outsiders: most people of Yena still refer to themselves as Yenai, meaning "the people" in their ancient tongue.
Yena is principally governed by a Senate, composed of a single representative from each of the eight major settlements. Each settlement holds between three and six senators: one serving at the capitol, another serving in their respective town, with the others either traveling between settlements or recovering from their journey and work. Each senator's vote is of equal weight, except that of the capital city PiVar, who only votes during emergencies or to dissolves gridlocks.
Yena is divided into eight Prefectures: the Great Fork, the Musmah Dolab, Ghariq Ridge, the Mai Hills, the Cabridi Promontory, the Rusa Highlands, the Shafi Great Plains, and the Yeqat Peninsula (technically a shire).
Most of Yena's settlements have grown large over recent centuries, yet they are and have always been rural establishments. PiVar alone presents the trappings of a true city, while the seven other city-villages are massive, sprawling collections of stalwart huts and humbled houses, acres upon acres of croplands and grazing fields all worked communally, for the Yenese have long held that all folk must labor for all others. It is said that even the lazy and shiftless are not jailed or beaten, nor even starved, merely mocked and shamed and denied the chiefest portions of food and cheer. Some folk even say that true criminals, murderers and thieves, are not properly punished in a Yenese town, though there is little evidence of this one way or the other. PiVar at least sports proper dungeons, and has used them to hold the commanders of invading armies, if nothing else.
Of invasions, Yena has known little in recent history. Since the Zaljan Crusades many centuries past, no army has attempted Yena from land or sea, despite their seemingly pitiful defenses. Even during the Crusades, Zalja was unable to make any significant headway past the Great Bariad River. Ever since, suggestions of invasion are met with the same cryptic rebuttal: "Yena cannot be taken. It holds too much magic."
What this means is oft debated. It is true that Yena holds Visrite mines, with veins of the magical stones that fuel Southern Magic (also called Satari Magic). This was one of the main motivations of the crusades, talk of righteous conversion notwithstanding. Yet Zalja controls five such mines to Yena's one. Further, one need only glance upon the Mystic City of Bariat Uur or the Crystal Capital of Tsen Ikha itself, with their glittering towers and enchanted airships, to see Yena as a gnat beneath a giant's boot. Yet still, no warlord however charismatic has compelled the Zaljans to move against Yena once more, nor has any force in Olveiria considered it a worthy risk.
History
There is some debate among the scholars of Yaalk on which came first: the Kingdom of Yena or the Old Orckid Empire. Because so much of Orckid's earliest history is so obviously fantastical, particularly its perceptions of time, most agree that the Ancient Kingdom of Yena was the first true civilization.
PREHISTORIC TIMES
The Kingdom of Yena was founded by the Yenai, who left the Cradle of Yaalk thousands of years ago and traveled down the Great Bariad River. Legends say Satar herself used her holy fire to open the earth and bring up waters to sustain the pilgrims on their journey. Other myths say the Yenai were chased out of Yaalk by demons, and Satar's fire was initially used to slay them and save her people from death. The people continued to the coast of the Serpent Straight where Vequa the Leviathan gave them the fish of the sea to feed them. Aa Aana, the Mother of Soil, taught them to make the earth yield food, and between these three Mothers the Yenai were given their lives and their freedom. Most scholars agree that the Kingdom of Yena was founded near what is now Musmahwa, which is why the Musmahwans often refer to themselves as the First Folk. Some like to say the Kingdom was founded at PiVar, Yena's current capitol, and those more pious than thoughtful insist the kingdom was born at the mouth of the Great Bariad. No evidence of ancient civilization has ever been found there, however, and such primitive folk would have been hard pressed to maintain permanent settlement around the frequent floods of the great river. Relatively little is known of the Ancient Kingdom, save that (unlike any modern or pre-modern Yena settlements), the City was dedicated to the Three Mothers: Yeqat the Leviathan, Aa Aana the Behemoth, and Satar the All-Mother in the Heavens. The records we have speak of city walls of gold and silver over a hundred feet tall, repelling the armies of tribes that exist nowhere else in history. Gold and silver notwithstanding, proper city walls were unknown in the South before the Zaljan Empire. These same records say the Ancient Kingdom spread across all of the South, subduing nations described as demonic, especially the Ironhides of the Cickatrice Tail (though if any such conflict occurred, the Ironhides would survive many centuries until being wiped out by the folk who would become the Khabarese). For all its peaceable nature nowadays, legends would have us believe that this ancient Yena was a nation of magical warriors, ever in conflict with those around them. The warlords who ruled the city bore gemstone staves that spat holy fire and summoned lightning from the sky. Their boots could make the ground quake and call up water from the Undersea. Their crowns could blind foes and make arrows turn from their mark. They fought with gemstone clubs and crystal swords against enemy armies that resembled the demons which had chased them out of Yaalk. Countless colorful tales speak of great wars and private conflicts between Yenai warriors and these evil creatures, invariably ending with the celebrated victory of the First Kingdom. It should be said that in these ancient times, two major ethnic groups split off from the Yenai. Firstly, a group of religious skeptics broke away and moved north back into the Cradle of Yaalk to become the modern Yaalkese. Ancient Yenai history speaks of a voluntary departure, but many have speculated that the pilgrims were likely fleeing oppressive forces from the zealous kingdom. Secondly, another group approached the Yeqat Peninsula and "made their way across the waters" into modern day Taqseyat, where they presumably moved on to what is now Suna. A BRIEF ON ANCIENT YENESE SUCCESSION
Though no records exist on the rules of succession in the First Kingdom, many tales survive of kings dying and their heirs succeeding. Though many of these featured "the High Halo" passing from father to son, many more spoke of the rule succeeding to "his chosen heir." Late in the Kingdom's life, some of these chosen heirs were women, though they were also a minority, and no woman ever inherited directly from a father or mother. The scholars Rehva Ai Hudra and Badis Ai Idder both speculate that Yena's disdain for primogeniture stemmed from their permissive attitudes toward love and marriage, something that persists even today. While the Holy Qhaganate of Zalja is as liberal (some would say libertine) as any society, allowing any grown adult to love and wed whomever they desire, matters of inheritance and especially succession have failed to keep up. A maliq may wed another maliq, for example, but if they cannot produce an heir of their joint line, their properties will be forcibly passed to their nearest kin that will produce such an heir. This custom holds even to this day, binding the powerful more than the weak. Some beylans and maliqs will, with the proper bribes, manage to "wed" the surrogates that produce their offspring, whilst the second parent devises a means to make this child that lacks their blood an inheritor under some pretense of great deeds or unique affection; all whilst denying any rights to the surrogate (save, sometimes, a small fee for their efforts). For a Khan, however, these rules remain iron, and those few that dare to follow their hearts first endeavor to ensure that a trusted younger brother or sister is ready to assume their throne after death. Rehva Ai Hudra and Badis Ai Idder suggest that most "chosen heirs" in the Ancient Kingdom followed a similar logic. As proof, they each point to their distinct and lengthy writings on King Saiksha and his paramours, Hasit the Fair and Rathore the Just. Many have written on Saiksha's wars and the mythical crystal club with which he subdued his foes, and how the High Halo caught fire when he was moved, but Ai Hudra and Ai Idder wrote far more on his decrees and how he divvied up the First Kingdom. Much of it is speculation, of course, as all such writings are. Still, both are quick to note that, while Hasit the Fair was a delight to the court and Rathore the Just was renowned for his wisdom, and that both were frequently a part of King Saiksha's counsels, the crown passed to neither upon his death, but rather to "his chosen heir," a woman war leader named Jahanvi. Ai Hudra writes that, wise though Rathore was, few felt he was strong or stern enough to run a kingdom. Ai Idder suggests instead that Rathore might not even truly have been wise, but that this was merely a flattery invented by the King and his favorites. Neither Ai Hudra nor Ai Idder spend much time considering any claim Hasit the Fair might have had to Saiksha's crown. There is perhaps a smattering of evidence to be cobbled together, to suggest similar relationships amongst one or two of the other mythical kings of the First Kingdom, but it is Saiksha upon whom both Ai Hudra and Ai Idder pin their arguments, arguments that are largely accepted by most who bother to research such matters. Both Ai Idder and especially Ai Hudra suggest that this explains Yenai reluctance to enshrine laws of primogeniture, so common in most of the known world. This is important because, according to both scholars, this led directly to the forming of the Yenai Senate. THE YENAI SENATE, AND WHAT CAME OF IT
Late into what is called the Imperial Age (based around the Old Orckid Empire), the Yenai Senate was established. According to the ancient wizard Aldene, "Three grown and respected folk from each of the thirty maliqates (or petty kingdoms) were called to serve at that Ancient City, where they would share the woes and wealth of their homes, with not a one of them ruling over the others." "For thirty years the Senate reigned," Aldene later writes, "and never was there a more peaceful era in what we now call the Southlands." How the Senate was born, who designed it, and what served as its impetus, are all lost to history. Badis Ai Idder points eagerly to a queen named Thrishvani from the Undersea, as damning an epithet as any Yenese ruler could bear. Thrishvani was called a witch, a deceiver, and a brutal military commander long before she took the High Halo from Porunan the Peaceful, a well liked but otherwise unremarkable king who named her his "chosen heir," specifically passing over his own daughter (a renowned Conjurer) and his infant son. Ai Idder reports that Thrishvani's reign began with a flooding of the Great Bariad and its tributaries, that the heavens broke and wept upon her coronation, and that a hundred years of darkness were said to accompany her reign. The matter of her death is unclear, but Ai Idder cites tales of three different rebellions taking place up to her end: a vast peasants' revolt, and two rebellions led by respected maliqs, each warring with the other even as they sought to overthrow Thrishvani. Most tales credit one of these two maliqs with the victory over Thrishvani from the Undersea, but Ai Idder speculates that the peasants may have played a pivotal role, and that the Senate may have germinated during these rebellions. Timelines from this era are of course vague at best, but Thrishvani is the last known Queen of the First Kingdom. Then followed the Senate. Senators were said to change every year, to prevent corruption. They were charged to carry the wealth of their maliqate (or region) with them to the Ancient City, be it extra grain or spare pack animals or precious metals, to share with those who most needed them. Too, they brought the grievances and fears of their people to be discussed with the learned folk of other lands. In this manner, all joys and hardships were shared, and a supposed golden age settled on Yena, however briefly. Ai Idder writes, and Hasu Ai Pvesh agrees, that many who once ruled the maliqates (or perhaps still did) grew fearful of the people's power. Ai Pvesh points out the vagueness of these tales, saying it is unclear whether these warlords were put out of power with the end of monarchy, or if indeed they yet feared to lose their power as the Senate's influence grew. It may well be that this Senate was not even an official body, and that Thrishvani's heir, whomever it might be, was still ruling over the diverse maliqates at the time. Regardless, the erstwhile kings of Yena objected to this general rule, and they proposed a solution. For several centuries, a sect or cult had been growing in eastern and southern Yena, worshipping the All-Mother Satar to the exclusion of all others. This new sect, what would later be called Satariai, said that Satar alone was divine, and that those goddesses that were called Mothers were natural elements of her power mistakenly attributed to others; that, or simply other faces of herself. Zaljan history suggests this sect was oppressed in some manner by the dominant faith, though Yena records no such acrimony. Then again, history teaches us that divergent faiths rarely coexist in peace. Whether this sect was the sole province of the wealthy and powerful is unknown, but the newborn Satari faith certainly found its champions amongst those born to power. Several eastern and southern maliqs held public mass-conversions, championing this relatively new faith and demanding recognition from the Senate. Whether the Senate affirmed or denied them is unknown, nor even if they ever heard of these demonstrations. Heard or not, the warlords decided they must have their own home for their faith, and found their champion in the great maliq Adamai Yrsif. ADAMAI YRSIF
One of the most controversial figures in history, Adamai Yrsif was unknown to the cloudy myths of Yena before this moment. He is called a maliq, and must be assumed to have ruled as a petty king to one of the First Kingdom's regions. In the thirtieth year of the Senate's governance, Adamai crowned himself Emperor of Zalja, a new nation comprised of east and south Yena. He made his seat at Bariat, near what is now the border of Zalja and Khabar. From there, his armies pushed west toward Batsayanjar, which would become the fabled capitol of the Empire for many years. Much has been made of this man, Adamai. Oft recorded as bloodthirsty and vain, many claim his pride alone compelled this merciless conquest that would result in thousands of dead peasants and a ruling class that happily abandoned their people. Yet near as often he is described as nothing more than a butcher, indecisive and easily confused outside of battle. Many have suggested a coterie of maliqs forced the crown upon his head, seeing an easily flattered and easily manipulated means of destroying the Senate and restoring royal command. Naturally, others suggest it was Adamai himself who bent the maliqs to his will with threats and force, killing those who outright refused him. It was simply too long ago to say for certain. Over the course of nearly a century, Adamai and his sons would come to control all of Southern Kynaj, save the Cradle of Yaalk itself. Even great Aqmiah, where the Academy of Yaalk would one day be built, was then under the foot of the Yrsifs. The Senate was only a fond memory, maliqs once again ruled the petty kingdoms, and all paid fealty to the Yrsifs. The Imperial Age, reckoned by the northerly Orckid Conquest, had at last come to the South. There is little to be said of Yena itself during these three centuries. Yaalk would be the first to reclaim much of its lost land. The Diocese of Irsad would be born out of the religious schism between the Zaljan elite, who had only used Satariai to justify their conquest (which they dared to call a war of independence), and the true believers. Irsad would wage a long and brutal crusade against the Ironhides of the Cickatrice Tail, establishing their own faith and government and eventually becoming the Qhaganate of Khabar (later the United Serifates of Khabar). Centuries after this religious schism, Zalja itself would officially convert to Satariai, thanks to the legendary conversion of Empress Ranel II, who fell from her horse when crossing the River Questing, then moved north to found Tsen Ikha, now the capital of Zalja (and, many say, the world). In all this time, what was then called Western Zalja suffered under a hard yoke. Maliqs became lords, primogeniture (especially male primogeniture) became increasingly popular, the Old Yenai Faith was steadily pushed to rural areas as the Satariai extremists spread out, and Yenese identity seemed to be fading away. REBIRTH OF THE SENATE, AND THE YENAI WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
Rehva Ai Hudra famously alleged that Zalja's conversion to Satariai was the spark that eventually ignited the Yenai War of Independence. If so, it was a slow burn, for we are assured that at least fifty years passed between one event and the other. Still, Western Zalja's unique identity would eventually become transformed and weaponized for the welfare of its people. Empress Ranel II spent much of her reign forcibly converting folk from the Old Yenai Faith to Satariai, and much of that warfare had turned Western Zalja into a rural expanse, and therefore of little interest to subsequent emperors. So, as leading figures from the towns began to congregate and discuss their futures, few took notice. Indeed, it was said that no one saw fit to even inform Emperor Ghaith when peasants began ejecting their local governors. It was not until the western magic mines were seized that at last the Emperor was urged to stir. We should speak, briefly, on the nature of Southern Magic. Oft called Satari Magic, this practice stems from the mining, refining, and study of a precious stone material called Visrite. Much remains to be understood of its properties even today, but there is little question that this material is at the root of ancient legends regarding magic staves and summoning holy fire. Some have suggested, and Ai Hudra is chief among them, that we once understood far more about Visrite than we do today, though this is likely nothing more than our desire to romanticize the past as a greater, purer, more wondrous time. Regardless, we can surmise that, even during this era of occupation, the value of these magic stones was well known. Seizing the western magic mines was among the first actions of the Yenese Rebellion (as Zalja called it). In more modern history, Zaljan generals have been quoted more than once to say "Yena cannot be taken. It holds too much magic." No doubt the origin of this sentiment rests somehow in the magic mines and the rebellion's taking of them. This seizure precipitated harsh and concerted reaction from the Empire. Forces were unified and marched west, especially northwest, with an aim of retaking the mines. Khabar was even compelled to offer some assistance, for it was widely disseminated that these western towns were falling into degenerate heresy, worshipping the old Mothers as equal to Satar. The Empire had strong numbers and overwhelmingly superior arms and armaments (or so we are told), yet they seemed incapable of crossing the Great Bariad in most places. Eventually, their efforts became concentrated solely on regaining the western magic mines, but even this would prove impossible. After a century of war, Empress Ranel IV, last of the Ran Dynasty, died and was replaced by Orus Ro Idsil, Orus III. A few years later, he would abandon supply lines west, essentially ending the war (and turning many of the Zaljan troops into bandits). Yena was its own nation again. Though many celebrate this milestone, it is in fact the third day of the third moon that is oft granted far more festivity. This was the day that the Yenai Senate was reestablished. Only a few years into the war, the counsel of warlords deemed that they must live or die by the ideals for which they fought, and urged the people along the Great Bariad to elect their leaders, to whom the warlords would defer. It is hotly debated, to what degree the warlords actually acquiesced to any commands, but however briefly, the Senate was returned. The Senate would be dissolved toward the war's end, but its ideals would live on. Time was all that was needed for it to return again. CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY, AND THE END OF THE IMPERIAL AGE
For about two centuries, Yena existed as a kingdom again. Called the Reborn Kingdom, Yena's rulers retained a counsel of advisers, two from each region, to whom they traditionally deferred on many domestic matters. Toward the end of this era, however, it is written that kings became numb to the counsel's words, eventually dissolving them altogether. The peasants were finding themselves less enfranchised than when under Zaljan rule. Most notably, primogeniture had become standard practice in the realm, making the Reborn Kingdom (in the eyes of the peasantry) no better than the Empire that their parents had died to reject. Yet foreign affairs were influencing Yenai culture as well. Zalja, the great Empire that had rocked the southern world, had converted to an Abhinate, a theocracy run by a single head priest. Shortly after this, Khabar (though still a Qhaganate at the time), fought for and finally won the right to install their own Abhin. The Satari faith was growing more and more powerful, and the Yenese saw it as a compelling tool with which the powerful might oppress the many. There are no records of Yenese kings displaying any Satari sympathies, yet the tensions still existed. This would explain why peasant revolts suddenly erupted in six of the seven major settlements in Yena, with the citizens demanding the return of the counsel. Eventually, a man whom legend remembers as Henith the Tiger rose up to unite the disparate revolts. Called a giant of a man, Henith is by turns called a blacksmith or a potter, but either way he is described as clad in black armor, with a visor of crystalline Visrite and a magic club that he claimed to be the ancient birthright of Queen Kritka the Cloudslayer. Henith and his rabble ejected the governors from each town, putting down local forces when necessary. More often, however, the guardsmen were easily won to their cause, and soon Henith's army was marching on East Gate (modern day PiVar) to demand the return of the counsel. King Turaj had long since fortified himself within the royal castle, with a host of three thousand men defending him. Henith's army numbered in the tens of thousands, but most would have been poorly armed. The siege (such as it was) lasted a month, with the King eventually caught trying to sneak out with his family one night. King Turaj was executed by Henith himself. The Queen, the two princes, and the princess were taken into custody, and a counsel was formed to decide what to do. Legends say Henith was asked to preside as the head of this counsel, but he refused, saying "I am a warrior, and neither a thinker nor a king. Let wise folk rule our realm." There was supposedly much talk of removing kings altogether, but by this time many established warlords had either ingratiated themselves into the rebellion or forced their way onto the counsel, and most were eager to see the monarchy survive, expecting either to rule as king or to serve high in the new king's favor. Eventually, the crown was passed to a woman named Enakshi Dovar. Enakshi was the first daughter of the governor of Gharqah, who controlled the Visrite mines. She had trained in combat and strategy, and was held high in local counsels, but had been passed over in favor of her younger brother in the matter of inheriting Gharqah. The counsel wished to do away with primogeniture, and believed that passing the crown to such a woman would help encourage a return of chosen heirs to the crown. Before being granted her rule, Enakshi agreed to reestablish the Yenai Senate, which would have the power to negate any non-military ruling made by the monarch. Enakshi sat on the counsel that designed and created the Senate. Once secure in their positions, the Senate's first ruling was to arrange the coronation of Queen Enakshi the First. Yena had become a constitutional monarchy. With this, absolute monarchal rule had vanished from the Four Great Satari Kingdoms. In the North, the Orckid Empire had collapsed, and nation after nation was declaring independence from its massive reach. The Imperial Age had come to an end: the Royal Age was beginning. Yena would spend another three centuries or so as a constitutional monarchy. There were border skirmishes with Zalja and even Yaalk, and unclear records suggest some unseemly dealings with Olveiria across the Bitter Sea, but by and large it was a peaceful era, compared to the secretive machinations of Zalja and the constant upheavals of Khabar. Most notable during this time, however, was the return not only of royal primogeniture, but of landed lords. The governors of each major town were granted ownership, not only of the towns, but of the surrounding areas, and Yena was at last divvied into the regions by which it is known today (Cabrid, the last of the major settlements, was founded during this era). Once again, the peasantry began to chafe at this. Things came to a head when the capitol was once again stormed, and Queen Brija II was seized along with the royal family. They were disinherited and banished across the Bitter Sea, along with most of the landed nobles. The Senate was established as the sole governmental authority in Yena, reaffirming that they served the will of the people they represented. Yena had become a republic. THE YENESE REPUBLIC
The Kingdom of Yena was founded by the Yenai, who left the Cradle of Yaalk thousands of years ago and traveled down the Great Bariad River. Legends say Satar herself used her holy fire to open the earth and bring up waters to sustain the pilgrims on their journey. Other myths say the Yenai were chased out of Yaalk by demons, and Satar's fire was initially used to slay them and save her people from death. The people continued to the coast of the Serpent Straight where Vequa the Leviathan gave them the fish of the sea to feed them. Aa Aana, the Mother of Soil, taught them to make the earth yield food, and between these three Mothers the Yenai were given their lives and their freedom. Most scholars agree that the Kingdom of Yena was founded near what is now Musmahwa, which is why the Musmahwans often refer to themselves as the First Folk. Some like to say the Kingdom was founded at PiVar, Yena's current capitol, and those more pious than thoughtful insist the kingdom was born at the mouth of the Great Bariad. No evidence of ancient civilization has ever been found there, however, and such primitive folk would have been hard pressed to maintain permanent settlement around the frequent floods of the great river. Relatively little is known of the Ancient Kingdom, save that (unlike any modern or pre-modern Yena settlements), the City was dedicated to the Three Mothers: Yeqat the Leviathan, Aa Aana the Behemoth, and Satar the All-Mother in the Heavens. The records we have speak of city walls of gold and silver over a hundred feet tall, repelling the armies of tribes that exist nowhere else in history. Gold and silver notwithstanding, proper city walls were unknown in the South before the Zaljan Empire. These same records say the Ancient Kingdom spread across all of the South, subduing nations described as demonic, especially the Ironhides of the Cickatrice Tail (though if any such conflict occurred, the Ironhides would survive many centuries until being wiped out by the folk who would become the Khabarese). For all its peaceable nature nowadays, legends would have us believe that this ancient Yena was a nation of magical warriors, ever in conflict with those around them. The warlords who ruled the city bore gemstone staves that spat holy fire and summoned lightning from the sky. Their boots could make the ground quake and call up water from the Undersea. Their crowns could blind foes and make arrows turn from their mark. They fought with gemstone clubs and crystal swords against enemy armies that resembled the demons which had chased them out of Yaalk. Countless colorful tales speak of great wars and private conflicts between Yenai warriors and these evil creatures, invariably ending with the celebrated victory of the First Kingdom. It should be said that in these ancient times, two major ethnic groups split off from the Yenai. Firstly, a group of religious skeptics broke away and moved north back into the Cradle of Yaalk to become the modern Yaalkese. Ancient Yenai history speaks of a voluntary departure, but many have speculated that the pilgrims were likely fleeing oppressive forces from the zealous kingdom. Secondly, another group approached the Yeqat Peninsula and "made their way across the waters" into modern day Taqseyat, where they presumably moved on to what is now Suna. A BRIEF ON ANCIENT YENESE SUCCESSION
Though no records exist on the rules of succession in the First Kingdom, many tales survive of kings dying and their heirs succeeding. Though many of these featured "the High Halo" passing from father to son, many more spoke of the rule succeeding to "his chosen heir." Late in the Kingdom's life, some of these chosen heirs were women, though they were also a minority, and no woman ever inherited directly from a father or mother. The scholars Rehva Ai Hudra and Badis Ai Idder both speculate that Yena's disdain for primogeniture stemmed from their permissive attitudes toward love and marriage, something that persists even today. While the Holy Qhaganate of Zalja is as liberal (some would say libertine) as any society, allowing any grown adult to love and wed whomever they desire, matters of inheritance and especially succession have failed to keep up. A maliq may wed another maliq, for example, but if they cannot produce an heir of their joint line, their properties will be forcibly passed to their nearest kin that will produce such an heir. This custom holds even to this day, binding the powerful more than the weak. Some beylans and maliqs will, with the proper bribes, manage to "wed" the surrogates that produce their offspring, whilst the second parent devises a means to make this child that lacks their blood an inheritor under some pretense of great deeds or unique affection; all whilst denying any rights to the surrogate (save, sometimes, a small fee for their efforts). For a Khan, however, these rules remain iron, and those few that dare to follow their hearts first endeavor to ensure that a trusted younger brother or sister is ready to assume their throne after death. Rehva Ai Hudra and Badis Ai Idder suggest that most "chosen heirs" in the Ancient Kingdom followed a similar logic. As proof, they each point to their distinct and lengthy writings on King Saiksha and his paramours, Hasit the Fair and Rathore the Just. Many have written on Saiksha's wars and the mythical crystal club with which he subdued his foes, and how the High Halo caught fire when he was moved, but Ai Hudra and Ai Idder wrote far more on his decrees and how he divvied up the First Kingdom. Much of it is speculation, of course, as all such writings are. Still, both are quick to note that, while Hasit the Fair was a delight to the court and Rathore the Just was renowned for his wisdom, and that both were frequently a part of King Saiksha's counsels, the crown passed to neither upon his death, but rather to "his chosen heir," a woman war leader named Jahanvi. Ai Hudra writes that, wise though Rathore was, few felt he was strong or stern enough to run a kingdom. Ai Idder suggests instead that Rathore might not even truly have been wise, but that this was merely a flattery invented by the King and his favorites. Neither Ai Hudra nor Ai Idder spend much time considering any claim Hasit the Fair might have had to Saiksha's crown. There is perhaps a smattering of evidence to be cobbled together, to suggest similar relationships amongst one or two of the other mythical kings of the First Kingdom, but it is Saiksha upon whom both Ai Hudra and Ai Idder pin their arguments, arguments that are largely accepted by most who bother to research such matters. Both Ai Idder and especially Ai Hudra suggest that this explains Yenai reluctance to enshrine laws of primogeniture, so common in most of the known world. This is important because, according to both scholars, this led directly to the forming of the Yenai Senate. THE YENAI SENATE, AND WHAT CAME OF IT
Late into what is called the Imperial Age (based around the Old Orckid Empire), the Yenai Senate was established. According to the ancient wizard Aldene, "Three grown and respected folk from each of the thirty maliqates (or petty kingdoms) were called to serve at that Ancient City, where they would share the woes and wealth of their homes, with not a one of them ruling over the others." "For thirty years the Senate reigned," Aldene later writes, "and never was there a more peaceful era in what we now call the Southlands." How the Senate was born, who designed it, and what served as its impetus, are all lost to history. Badis Ai Idder points eagerly to a queen named Thrishvani from the Undersea, as damning an epithet as any Yenese ruler could bear. Thrishvani was called a witch, a deceiver, and a brutal military commander long before she took the High Halo from Porunan the Peaceful, a well liked but otherwise unremarkable king who named her his "chosen heir," specifically passing over his own daughter (a renowned Conjurer) and his infant son. Ai Idder reports that Thrishvani's reign began with a flooding of the Great Bariad and its tributaries, that the heavens broke and wept upon her coronation, and that a hundred years of darkness were said to accompany her reign. The matter of her death is unclear, but Ai Idder cites tales of three different rebellions taking place up to her end: a vast peasants' revolt, and two rebellions led by respected maliqs, each warring with the other even as they sought to overthrow Thrishvani. Most tales credit one of these two maliqs with the victory over Thrishvani from the Undersea, but Ai Idder speculates that the peasants may have played a pivotal role, and that the Senate may have germinated during these rebellions. Timelines from this era are of course vague at best, but Thrishvani is the last known Queen of the First Kingdom. Then followed the Senate. Senators were said to change every year, to prevent corruption. They were charged to carry the wealth of their maliqate (or region) with them to the Ancient City, be it extra grain or spare pack animals or precious metals, to share with those who most needed them. Too, they brought the grievances and fears of their people to be discussed with the learned folk of other lands. In this manner, all joys and hardships were shared, and a supposed golden age settled on Yena, however briefly. Ai Idder writes, and Hasu Ai Pvesh agrees, that many who once ruled the maliqates (or perhaps still did) grew fearful of the people's power. Ai Pvesh points out the vagueness of these tales, saying it is unclear whether these warlords were put out of power with the end of monarchy, or if indeed they yet feared to lose their power as the Senate's influence grew. It may well be that this Senate was not even an official body, and that Thrishvani's heir, whomever it might be, was still ruling over the diverse maliqates at the time. Regardless, the erstwhile kings of Yena objected to this general rule, and they proposed a solution. For several centuries, a sect or cult had been growing in eastern and southern Yena, worshipping the All-Mother Satar to the exclusion of all others. This new sect, what would later be called Satariai, said that Satar alone was divine, and that those goddesses that were called Mothers were natural elements of her power mistakenly attributed to others; that, or simply other faces of herself. Zaljan history suggests this sect was oppressed in some manner by the dominant faith, though Yena records no such acrimony. Then again, history teaches us that divergent faiths rarely coexist in peace. Whether this sect was the sole province of the wealthy and powerful is unknown, but the newborn Satari faith certainly found its champions amongst those born to power. Several eastern and southern maliqs held public mass-conversions, championing this relatively new faith and demanding recognition from the Senate. Whether the Senate affirmed or denied them is unknown, nor even if they ever heard of these demonstrations. Heard or not, the warlords decided they must have their own home for their faith, and found their champion in the great maliq Adamai Yrsif. ADAMAI YRSIF
One of the most controversial figures in history, Adamai Yrsif was unknown to the cloudy myths of Yena before this moment. He is called a maliq, and must be assumed to have ruled as a petty king to one of the First Kingdom's regions. In the thirtieth year of the Senate's governance, Adamai crowned himself Emperor of Zalja, a new nation comprised of east and south Yena. He made his seat at Bariat, near what is now the border of Zalja and Khabar. From there, his armies pushed west toward Batsayanjar, which would become the fabled capitol of the Empire for many years. Much has been made of this man, Adamai. Oft recorded as bloodthirsty and vain, many claim his pride alone compelled this merciless conquest that would result in thousands of dead peasants and a ruling class that happily abandoned their people. Yet near as often he is described as nothing more than a butcher, indecisive and easily confused outside of battle. Many have suggested a coterie of maliqs forced the crown upon his head, seeing an easily flattered and easily manipulated means of destroying the Senate and restoring royal command. Naturally, others suggest it was Adamai himself who bent the maliqs to his will with threats and force, killing those who outright refused him. It was simply too long ago to say for certain. Over the course of nearly a century, Adamai and his sons would come to control all of Southern Kynaj, save the Cradle of Yaalk itself. Even great Aqmiah, where the Academy of Yaalk would one day be built, was then under the foot of the Yrsifs. The Senate was only a fond memory, maliqs once again ruled the petty kingdoms, and all paid fealty to the Yrsifs. The Imperial Age, reckoned by the northerly Orckid Conquest, had at last come to the South. There is little to be said of Yena itself during these three centuries. Yaalk would be the first to reclaim much of its lost land. The Diocese of Irsad would be born out of the religious schism between the Zaljan elite, who had only used Satariai to justify their conquest (which they dared to call a war of independence), and the true believers. Irsad would wage a long and brutal crusade against the Ironhides of the Cickatrice Tail, establishing their own faith and government and eventually becoming the Qhaganate of Khabar (later the United Serifates of Khabar). Centuries after this religious schism, Zalja itself would officially convert to Satariai, thanks to the legendary conversion of Empress Ranel II, who fell from her horse when crossing the River Questing, then moved north to found Tsen Ikha, now the capital of Zalja (and, many say, the world). In all this time, what was then called Western Zalja suffered under a hard yoke. Maliqs became lords, primogeniture (especially male primogeniture) became increasingly popular, the Old Yenai Faith was steadily pushed to rural areas as the Satariai extremists spread out, and Yenese identity seemed to be fading away. REBIRTH OF THE SENATE, AND THE YENAI WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
Rehva Ai Hudra famously alleged that Zalja's conversion to Satariai was the spark that eventually ignited the Yenai War of Independence. If so, it was a slow burn, for we are assured that at least fifty years passed between one event and the other. Still, Western Zalja's unique identity would eventually become transformed and weaponized for the welfare of its people. Empress Ranel II spent much of her reign forcibly converting folk from the Old Yenai Faith to Satariai, and much of that warfare had turned Western Zalja into a rural expanse, and therefore of little interest to subsequent emperors. So, as leading figures from the towns began to congregate and discuss their futures, few took notice. Indeed, it was said that no one saw fit to even inform Emperor Ghaith when peasants began ejecting their local governors. It was not until the western magic mines were seized that at last the Emperor was urged to stir. We should speak, briefly, on the nature of Southern Magic. Oft called Satari Magic, this practice stems from the mining, refining, and study of a precious stone material called Visrite. Much remains to be understood of its properties even today, but there is little question that this material is at the root of ancient legends regarding magic staves and summoning holy fire. Some have suggested, and Ai Hudra is chief among them, that we once understood far more about Visrite than we do today, though this is likely nothing more than our desire to romanticize the past as a greater, purer, more wondrous time. Regardless, we can surmise that, even during this era of occupation, the value of these magic stones was well known. Seizing the western magic mines was among the first actions of the Yenese Rebellion (as Zalja called it). In more modern history, Zaljan generals have been quoted more than once to say "Yena cannot be taken. It holds too much magic." No doubt the origin of this sentiment rests somehow in the magic mines and the rebellion's taking of them. This seizure precipitated harsh and concerted reaction from the Empire. Forces were unified and marched west, especially northwest, with an aim of retaking the mines. Khabar was even compelled to offer some assistance, for it was widely disseminated that these western towns were falling into degenerate heresy, worshipping the old Mothers as equal to Satar. The Empire had strong numbers and overwhelmingly superior arms and armaments (or so we are told), yet they seemed incapable of crossing the Great Bariad in most places. Eventually, their efforts became concentrated solely on regaining the western magic mines, but even this would prove impossible. After a century of war, Empress Ranel IV, last of the Ran Dynasty, died and was replaced by Orus Ro Idsil, Orus III. A few years later, he would abandon supply lines west, essentially ending the war (and turning many of the Zaljan troops into bandits). Yena was its own nation again. Though many celebrate this milestone, it is in fact the third day of the third moon that is oft granted far more festivity. This was the day that the Yenai Senate was reestablished. Only a few years into the war, the counsel of warlords deemed that they must live or die by the ideals for which they fought, and urged the people along the Great Bariad to elect their leaders, to whom the warlords would defer. It is hotly debated, to what degree the warlords actually acquiesced to any commands, but however briefly, the Senate was returned. The Senate would be dissolved toward the war's end, but its ideals would live on. Time was all that was needed for it to return again. CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY, AND THE END OF THE IMPERIAL AGE
For about two centuries, Yena existed as a kingdom again. Called the Reborn Kingdom, Yena's rulers retained a counsel of advisers, two from each region, to whom they traditionally deferred on many domestic matters. Toward the end of this era, however, it is written that kings became numb to the counsel's words, eventually dissolving them altogether. The peasants were finding themselves less enfranchised than when under Zaljan rule. Most notably, primogeniture had become standard practice in the realm, making the Reborn Kingdom (in the eyes of the peasantry) no better than the Empire that their parents had died to reject. Yet foreign affairs were influencing Yenai culture as well. Zalja, the great Empire that had rocked the southern world, had converted to an Abhinate, a theocracy run by a single head priest. Shortly after this, Khabar (though still a Qhaganate at the time), fought for and finally won the right to install their own Abhin. The Satari faith was growing more and more powerful, and the Yenese saw it as a compelling tool with which the powerful might oppress the many. There are no records of Yenese kings displaying any Satari sympathies, yet the tensions still existed. This would explain why peasant revolts suddenly erupted in six of the seven major settlements in Yena, with the citizens demanding the return of the counsel. Eventually, a man whom legend remembers as Henith the Tiger rose up to unite the disparate revolts. Called a giant of a man, Henith is by turns called a blacksmith or a potter, but either way he is described as clad in black armor, with a visor of crystalline Visrite and a magic club that he claimed to be the ancient birthright of Queen Kritka the Cloudslayer. Henith and his rabble ejected the governors from each town, putting down local forces when necessary. More often, however, the guardsmen were easily won to their cause, and soon Henith's army was marching on East Gate (modern day PiVar) to demand the return of the counsel. King Turaj had long since fortified himself within the royal castle, with a host of three thousand men defending him. Henith's army numbered in the tens of thousands, but most would have been poorly armed. The siege (such as it was) lasted a month, with the King eventually caught trying to sneak out with his family one night. King Turaj was executed by Henith himself. The Queen, the two princes, and the princess were taken into custody, and a counsel was formed to decide what to do. Legends say Henith was asked to preside as the head of this counsel, but he refused, saying "I am a warrior, and neither a thinker nor a king. Let wise folk rule our realm." There was supposedly much talk of removing kings altogether, but by this time many established warlords had either ingratiated themselves into the rebellion or forced their way onto the counsel, and most were eager to see the monarchy survive, expecting either to rule as king or to serve high in the new king's favor. Eventually, the crown was passed to a woman named Enakshi Dovar. Enakshi was the first daughter of the governor of Gharqah, who controlled the Visrite mines. She had trained in combat and strategy, and was held high in local counsels, but had been passed over in favor of her younger brother in the matter of inheriting Gharqah. The counsel wished to do away with primogeniture, and believed that passing the crown to such a woman would help encourage a return of chosen heirs to the crown. Before being granted her rule, Enakshi agreed to reestablish the Yenai Senate, which would have the power to negate any non-military ruling made by the monarch. Enakshi sat on the counsel that designed and created the Senate. Once secure in their positions, the Senate's first ruling was to arrange the coronation of Queen Enakshi the First. Yena had become a constitutional monarchy. With this, absolute monarchal rule had vanished from the Four Great Satari Kingdoms. In the North, the Orckid Empire had collapsed, and nation after nation was declaring independence from its massive reach. The Imperial Age had come to an end: the Royal Age was beginning. Yena would spend another three centuries or so as a constitutional monarchy. There were border skirmishes with Zalja and even Yaalk, and unclear records suggest some unseemly dealings with Olveiria across the Bitter Sea, but by and large it was a peaceful era, compared to the secretive machinations of Zalja and the constant upheavals of Khabar. Most notable during this time, however, was the return not only of royal primogeniture, but of landed lords. The governors of each major town were granted ownership, not only of the towns, but of the surrounding areas, and Yena was at last divvied into the regions by which it is known today (Cabrid, the last of the major settlements, was founded during this era). Once again, the peasantry began to chafe at this. Things came to a head when the capitol was once again stormed, and Queen Brija II was seized along with the royal family. They were disinherited and banished across the Bitter Sea, along with most of the landed nobles. The Senate was established as the sole governmental authority in Yena, reaffirming that they served the will of the people they represented. Yena had become a republic. THE YENESE REPUBLIC
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Alternative Names
Old Yena, The Yenai Kingdom
Demonym
Yenese, Yenai
Government System
Democracy, Representative
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations