Sufi-Nazadi Kingdoms

The Sufi-Nazadi kingdoms were a historical state in modern-day Yethisia. They were formed from two distinct kingdoms which were ruled by a single monarch, the bearer of the Crown of Flowers, who ruled variously from the city of Ab-Naza and the site of Iferi, controlling the land around the Wannib River. The kingdoms existed near-continuously for several millennia, since the later years of the Age of Radiance, yet little is known about their long history, as the Yethisi do not employ any form of written script. Histories of these kingdoms are mostly gathered from foreign sources, especially the records of Grok Makar and the Aoleirian Empire; or else gleaned from Sufi sculptures and paintings. The term suferian is commonly used to describe relics and items relating to the Sufi-Nazadi kingdoms.
The origin of these ancient kingdoms are shrouded in myth and legend - the Yethisi themselves employ the tale of the Crown of Flowers to describe the formation of the first Nazadi kingdom, yet the tale has survived only in the form of oral tradition. By the end of the Age of Radiance it seems likely that some form of Nazadi state did indeed exist, but little else can be gleaned. The forging of the crown indicates that the earliest Nazadi still maintained their worship of the celestial gods, yet by the time of the Warring Times, they had abandoned this religion, instead turning to an early form of The Cult of Dama.
By around 3500 BIF, the Age of Radiance had come to an end and the Warring Times begun. Conflicts raged across the north of the continent for half a millennium, and much of our world's ancient history was lost. Adja Kriggsdottir remains our best preserved source for this period, yet Adja has little to say about the peoples of the desert, focussing her histories instead on the battles and wars that raged in the north of the continent. She does mention a desert kingdom that managed to maintain neutral during the conflicts, shielded by the magic of the Frijan Seal and their river, which can only refer to a Nazadi kingdom. While the Isada of the Damari claim that their tales contain the entire history of their people, they often lack a clear chronology, and so modern historians are unable to pinpoint when each tale truly occurred. One myth seems to line up well with the routing of the Hahgi, and their pursuit by a host from Fyren, but these events are mentioned only in periphery.
We can surmise that the first unification of the Sufi and the Nazadi occurred at some point during, or soon after the Warring Times. The Yethisi story goes as follows:
The river is a tempestuous mother, prone to bouts of great charity, but also great cruelty. Some years, she floods and, her floodplains are lush and fertile. Other years, she shows reluctance, subjecting her children to times of drought and famine. It was during a time of terrible suffering that the great unification was brought about. There was a village, in the far-south of the desert, where many farmers lived. Among these was a man named Yetsah, husband to Romuhnah. Yetsah and Romuhanah had had many happy years, and produced seven children over their lifetime. Yet the famine destroyed their livelihood. In better times, Romuhnah's skill with sculpting allowed them an easy life, of relative luxury, yet none could spare the coin or corn to pay for her sculptures in times of hardship. And so, as the drought stretched on, week after week, Romuhnah watched her children slowly starve. But Romuhnah was not prepared to concede her children's lives so easily. She looked inside herself, and found an iron will, that had yet been tested, and so Romuhnah planned to travel north, to the great city of Ab-Naza (modern day Nazadi). She walked, alone and unaided, for a week and a day before at least she reached the court of the Nazadi king.
When she arrived, she found a court in shambles. The king had ruled for many decades, bringing prosperity to his people, yet now he had grown old. The time had come to begin the search for an heir. Rich nobles and merchants from across the country had come to audition, seeking to impress the king with their abilities, yet none had been successful. Romuhnah waited for another week, as candidate after candidate was tested and failed, before at last gaining audience with the king. She told him of her plight, and the suffering of her family, yet the king was reluctant to spend his kingdom's resources - especially in so uncertain a time. With great sadness, the king informed Romuhnah that he could not grant her request.
Romuhnah had spent many days waiting for her audience, knowing that when she returned her family may already be dead. She had kept going by nurturing the smallest of hopes that her quest may prove successful, and her family could be saved. She would not accept that this hope had come to nought. In a fit of desperate madness, Romuhnah rushed towards the king, and snatched his sword from its sheath. The king's guards rushed forwards, attempting to foil their lord's assassination, yet the king commanded them to halt, for he saw that Romuhnah did not seek to harm him. He watched, as she raised his sword and slashed down, through her left wrist, severing hand from arm.
The king knew then, that he had found his heir. For a sculptor, the ability to perform their art was their greatest gift, and for Romuhnah to sacrifice this was a sign of her incredible determination and courage. The king agreed to grant her request for aid, on one condition: she must agree to bear the crown of flowers after his death. And so, the first Sufi queen was coronated, uniting the two peoples of the river under one crown.
After the end of the Warring Times, the north entered into a temporary dark age that lasted for much of the Fading Years, before the rise of the Aoleirian Empire. As a result, the next clear historical account of the Sufi-Nazadi kingdoms can be found around 2700 BIF. Aoleirian explorers record a kingdom of sand, who traded spices with the dwarves of Grok Makar, in return for stone and bronze. The Aoleirians seem to have had few interactions with the Yethisi, though it is recorded that the Yethisi king paid a yearly tribute to Emperor Sundemar, in the form of spices and fine art pieces. The few surviving sculptures from this time are highly prized among collectors, and are given the label protosuferian. It seems that the capital of the kingdoms was moved to the site of Iferi during this time, and the southern city saw extensive construction. The Cult of Dama also seems to have taken on a more central part of the Yethisi culture, with many great temples constructed in the cities of Ab-Naza and Iferi.
After the collapse of the Aoleirian Empire, and the end of the Fading Years, came the Grey Years, the longest dark age in the history of the northern courts. For the earliest portion of these centuries, the desert kingdoms became almost entirely unknown in the north, except among the Groki. Around 1100 BIF, the rise of the Naidhalaean Magocracies allowed the blossoming of the Greatwood Exchange to occur, the Groki dwarves enriching themselves by charging extortionate fares to northern caravans travelling into the desert. This arrangement allowed Grok Makar to become one of the richest cities on the continent, until the migration of the proto-Jarnish people onto the Jarnish peninsula in around 1000 BIF. The proto-Jarnish were able to avoid Groki taxes, by sending caravans on a dangerous route through the western sands. During this time, the Yethisi built great cities and towns, using the stone and wood that the northerners traded them to complete construction projects. This is considered the Yethisi golden age by many scholars, and many of the ruins that dot the eastern Yethis originate from this period. Relics from this period are termed prime-suferian by modern collectors.
The Yethisian golden age came to an end shortly after the rise of the Greatwood Empire, in 922 BIF. Disputes arose between the Groki dwarves and imperial traders, which severely disrupted trade through Grok Makar - by 909 BIF, the dwarves were forced to abandon their northern districts and close the Frijan Seal. After the annexation of the Jarnish in 901 BIF, the empire were able to quickly conquer the Sufi-Nazadi kingdoms, employing a more profesional military, as well as superior iron weaponry and bound mages. The first age of Sufi-Nazadi kingdoms was ended, and the crown of flowers was granted to one of the new imperial governors of Yethisia. The Greatwood Empire played little role in the day-to-day lives of Yethisian citizens, leaving them mostly to govern themselves, and focussing on their conflict with the Groki, which culminated in the Slaughter of the Groki. After the Greatwood's collapse, the Yethisi attempted to reclaim their autonomy, but these attempts were ended by the Jarnish chieftin Ygra, the Unifier, who re-conquered the Yethis and founded the Jarnish Empire, taking the crown of flowers for herself. Under Jarnish rule, the Damari faith was heavily suppressed, and Ygra's cronies, who were installed in most major towns and cities, ruled over the Yethisi with an iron fist. Ygra's rule continued for sixteen more years until her death in 881 BIF, when she was succeeded by her killer, Janic. In 880 BIF, the Zaiki Miracle led to the collapse of the Jarnish Empire, and the resurrection of Yethisi autonomy. The crown of flowers was returned, at last, to the leader of Ab-Naza, who became the first king in the second age of Sufi-Nazadi kingdoms.
The second age of Sufi-Nazadi kingdoms, termed beta-suferian, lasted for a millennium. While the Greatwood Exchange remained dead, after several decades the Yethisi agreed to re-open trading relations with the new Jarnish republic, and beta-suferian artwork became greatly prized among the northern courts. Ab-Naza, once more the capital, grew even larger during this time, until it rivalled Iferi. Jarnish traders were able to maintain permanent residences in the city, and hear the tales of the Isada, which they brought to the northern courts. After the founding of Harinia in the third century BIF, many northern scholars began to obsess over Yethisi Ruins, which had remained mostly untouched over the centuries. The first archaeological expeditions were begun soon afterwards, with suferian consent. The allowance of these expeditions seems to have driven a wedge between the river-peoples and the Lakani of the deep-desert - by the second century BIF, an ancient agreement between the Lakani and the Nazadi was ended, and the Lakani withdraw their protection of Nazadi spice collectors. A painting in the palace of Sucria depicts a group of Nazadi traders, attacked by a horde of desert ghouls, and encapsulates the dangers faced by their spice traders, after the Lakani ended their agreement.
This second age was finally ended in 145 IF, when the desert peoples were once again conquered, this time by the Empire of Nara Tok. The city of Ab-Naza was razed to the ground, and the Nazadi king murdered. For a year, the crown of flowers was held by an imperial general, before the successful coronation of Emine, the Worthy. Since Emine, the crown has become the property of a new imperial dynasty, under the official title of the Exarchy of Yethisia. The age of Sufi-Nazadi kingdoms at last came to an end, after several millennia of near-uninterrupted rule.
The Sufi-Nazadi kingdoms remain a subject of much discussion among imperial scholars. The mystery of their continued prosperity has been oft-debated, while their refusal to employ writing systems, or engage in conventional worship, is often written about by imperial historians. Suferian relics and artwork are highly prized by collectors throughout Aelderin, offering hints at a history that has otherwise slipped through the cracks of scholarly observation, which led to the founding of the Imperial Guild of Yethisian Archaeology, a group of scholars devoted to the study of the history of these ancient kingdoms.