Sarcast's Recount of the Dreyja Incident
800 YS and Yutul Khul is undergoing dynastic conflict, again. Proimheshire was under the rule of the House of Pekh, contested by the House of Feannag. At the time, Feannag represented a mixed Human and Drow coalition, while the House of Pekh was near completely Drow. These were not the only Houses at the time, however, they represented the broad coalition, cadet houses, and dynasties that had ruled over Yutul Khul for a century by that point. Human-only houses were largely seen as irrelevant, due to the Drow majority population.
The King in Proimheshire was a Drow named Dreyja, while the Archbishop of the Cult of the Mountainous Star, the dominant religion, was a Human named Csemo. Csemo, while not the head of the House of Faennag, was a prominent member, and her position afforded her house de facto control over Yim'wo Nak, despite the King's de jure control over any royal land. At the time the island principalities of Korin and the Dropplets had started rebelling, creating a two-front problem for the King to solve.
These rebellions, as well as uprisings against high taxes on the far side of the Avow Mountains, were completely separate events, and totally not caused by Faennag agents fomenting unrest and stirring the populace into a frenzy while uplifting charismatic dissenters. This practice which they were definitely not doing would also definitely not come back to bite them. The process of royal armies suppressing rebellions and another springing up, and then the recently de-occupied place rebelling once more put a strain on the royal treasury, and by put a strain I mean completely emptied it.
It was at this point that Dreyja took out loans from the Banks of the Star, the church-owned bank, the church at the time basically owned by Faennag. A string of lucky victories, and the appointing of a competent general, Kure Du, led to most of the rebellion finally being put down by the year 816. There was still unrest and uprisings did occur, but they were no longer a significant problem for the time being.
In 817, Csemo called in the debt taken out by the king, claiming that he had a holy duty to pay back the money. Dreyja said no on the basis of "I don't want to" so the Faennag controlled court invited him to negotiate with them in Yim'wo Nak, and when he arrived, they promptly assassinated him. In a church. Arakos did not respond favorably to this and excommunicated every official in the Cult of the Mountainous Star who claimed allegiance to House Faennag, because apparently killing someone in a church is a super unholy thing to do.
Needless to say, there was more upset. House Pekh, now headed by Dreyja's daughter Thulid, laid siege to the Holy City and several other Faennag controlled castles and towns on the Droim Plateau. They faced little resistance except for at the walls of the Holy City, which were manned not only by Faennag soldiers but by Zealous citizens. After the excommunication, Csemo declared the Cult of the MOuntainous Star to be separate from the Arakan Pantheon, no longer bound by their unholy laws. With her position as Archbishop, she also declared that no one who followed the Arakan Panethon may sit on the throne of Yutul Khul. Despite the radical changes, this was largely supported by the population of the Droim Plateau, and most other polities north of the Broga Gulf.
Following a three year siege, in 819, Thulid claimed the city and captured Csemo. It was only after this that she learned that most of Faennag's army had been mustered at Cairn's Mede and used to take the entire South, usually a bastion of Pekh power. Marching her army's South, the Pekh forces, led by Thulid, and the Faennag forces, led by the defector Kure Du, clashed at the Battle of Broghaid Bridge.
There the Pekh army was routed and fought a running retreat in an attempt to reach the safety of Droim Ridge, where a network fo Pekh castles and forts could easily house the army, letting them recuperate. They never made it in time, however, being decimated, and saw Thulid killed, at the Fifth Battle of Ipokin Wood. Kure Du rescued Csemo, however, instead of restoring her to Yim'wo Nak, instead marched on Proimheshire.
In 821 he took the city, capturing the King, Prw, the second son of Dreyja, who Thulid has installed in her place when she went to siege the Holy City. Kure Du then seized the entire Droim PLateau but for the Holy City, a bastion which would not have been worth the effort to take, but which barely housed enough men to defend it.
The remnants of Pekh forces, mustered at Azok Aho, a large city in Astedor, north of Yutul Khul, marched down with the aid of the Asterians, who had made an alliance with the Pekh Matriarch Kyedditsh, to seize the capital. At the same time, Ugirios, one of the nations to the South, invaded from there, having been promised lordship of the Dropplets by Kyedditsh.
THe Pelh had controlled most of the land and nobles south of Cairn's Mede since 774, and in the process, attacked and driven the tribes in Avow and Driudh woods back into the recesses of the forest. Kure Du took advantage of this, promising more local autonomy in return for their aid driving out the invaders and dismantling the Pekh. While this wasn't his promise to make, they agreed regardless, as it gave them free reign.
The tribes met the armies of Ugirios at the Battle of Blane's Bluff, inflicting a route. Kure Du in turn marched his army north. He met the Pekh-Asterian army at the Battle of Yokil's Cross, where he was defeated and pushed back south. However, instead of slowly losing his army to attrition and pitched battles the way Thulid did, Kure Du pulled them all back and refused to engage, hastily retreating south and melting into Yikua Wood. It was there that they won their greatest victory in the war.
In an area of Yikua Wood known as the Teuton, a mixed Faennag-tribesman force ambushed the Pekh-Asterian army. This was an area of dense forest, the quickest route to Droim Plateau, but it forced loose formations. The Faennag force had abandoned its baggage chain after Yokil's Cross, so managed to traverse far more easily. They ambushed the Pekh army, slaughtering them down to the last man. As the Faennag army left, the tribes stayed behind the create a memorial, by pining the skeletons of their slain foes to trees or totems. Every corpse was left as a memento to the slaughter.
The Faennag force did not remain completely victorious for long, losing to a mostly Asterian force at the Second Battle of Yokil's Cross. It was after this that the Faennag House Head, Vazni, rode forth from the House's stronghold at Cairn's Mede, to negotiate with Kyedditsh on neutral ground. They met at the city of Korin's Claw, hosted by the semi-rebellious lord, and in attendance with the many many tribes who aided Faennag, as well as an Asterian delegation.
Vazni assented to Kure Du's promise to the tribes, allowing them free reign over the Avow, Yikua, and Driudh woods so long as no Khuli parties were harmed. They and Kyedditsh's negotiations resulted in Archbishop Csemo's proclamation becoming official state policy. The Cult of the MOuntainous Star would lose popularity among those outside of Yutul Khul, and became another symbol of national identity.
Lastly, the territorial changes north of Broga Bluff were largely reversed. The main exceptions were Proimheshire, which would become Faennag territory, no matter the ruling family, and Yim'wo Nak, which would become Pekh land. Csemo remained Archbishop and Prw would remain King, however, now both were left in the midst of their enemies. The lands south of the Broga Bluff would remain in the contest, however, Faennag would hold effective control over them for another half-century.
THe Dreyja Incident would be declared officially over in 832, and would have a profound impact on Khuli history and culture. It split the Cult of the Mountainous Star away from the Arakan Pantheon, effectively becoming a native religion. It marked a significant period of cooperation between the nobles and the wood tribes, and it reshaped the balance of power for the next 50 years. It would also see the start of Asterian involvement in Khuli affairs, as well as their alliance with the House of Pekh. Most importantly of all, it would cement the hold of the Faennag and Pekh dynastic coalitions, one they would hold until at leas the end of the Cursed Millenium.
The King in Proimheshire was a Drow named Dreyja, while the Archbishop of the Cult of the Mountainous Star, the dominant religion, was a Human named Csemo. Csemo, while not the head of the House of Faennag, was a prominent member, and her position afforded her house de facto control over Yim'wo Nak, despite the King's de jure control over any royal land. At the time the island principalities of Korin and the Dropplets had started rebelling, creating a two-front problem for the King to solve.
These rebellions, as well as uprisings against high taxes on the far side of the Avow Mountains, were completely separate events, and totally not caused by Faennag agents fomenting unrest and stirring the populace into a frenzy while uplifting charismatic dissenters. This practice which they were definitely not doing would also definitely not come back to bite them. The process of royal armies suppressing rebellions and another springing up, and then the recently de-occupied place rebelling once more put a strain on the royal treasury, and by put a strain I mean completely emptied it.
It was at this point that Dreyja took out loans from the Banks of the Star, the church-owned bank, the church at the time basically owned by Faennag. A string of lucky victories, and the appointing of a competent general, Kure Du, led to most of the rebellion finally being put down by the year 816. There was still unrest and uprisings did occur, but they were no longer a significant problem for the time being.
In 817, Csemo called in the debt taken out by the king, claiming that he had a holy duty to pay back the money. Dreyja said no on the basis of "I don't want to" so the Faennag controlled court invited him to negotiate with them in Yim'wo Nak, and when he arrived, they promptly assassinated him. In a church. Arakos did not respond favorably to this and excommunicated every official in the Cult of the Mountainous Star who claimed allegiance to House Faennag, because apparently killing someone in a church is a super unholy thing to do.
Needless to say, there was more upset. House Pekh, now headed by Dreyja's daughter Thulid, laid siege to the Holy City and several other Faennag controlled castles and towns on the Droim Plateau. They faced little resistance except for at the walls of the Holy City, which were manned not only by Faennag soldiers but by Zealous citizens. After the excommunication, Csemo declared the Cult of the MOuntainous Star to be separate from the Arakan Pantheon, no longer bound by their unholy laws. With her position as Archbishop, she also declared that no one who followed the Arakan Panethon may sit on the throne of Yutul Khul. Despite the radical changes, this was largely supported by the population of the Droim Plateau, and most other polities north of the Broga Gulf.
Following a three year siege, in 819, Thulid claimed the city and captured Csemo. It was only after this that she learned that most of Faennag's army had been mustered at Cairn's Mede and used to take the entire South, usually a bastion of Pekh power. Marching her army's South, the Pekh forces, led by Thulid, and the Faennag forces, led by the defector Kure Du, clashed at the Battle of Broghaid Bridge.
There the Pekh army was routed and fought a running retreat in an attempt to reach the safety of Droim Ridge, where a network fo Pekh castles and forts could easily house the army, letting them recuperate. They never made it in time, however, being decimated, and saw Thulid killed, at the Fifth Battle of Ipokin Wood. Kure Du rescued Csemo, however, instead of restoring her to Yim'wo Nak, instead marched on Proimheshire.
In 821 he took the city, capturing the King, Prw, the second son of Dreyja, who Thulid has installed in her place when she went to siege the Holy City. Kure Du then seized the entire Droim PLateau but for the Holy City, a bastion which would not have been worth the effort to take, but which barely housed enough men to defend it.
The remnants of Pekh forces, mustered at Azok Aho, a large city in Astedor, north of Yutul Khul, marched down with the aid of the Asterians, who had made an alliance with the Pekh Matriarch Kyedditsh, to seize the capital. At the same time, Ugirios, one of the nations to the South, invaded from there, having been promised lordship of the Dropplets by Kyedditsh.
THe Pelh had controlled most of the land and nobles south of Cairn's Mede since 774, and in the process, attacked and driven the tribes in Avow and Driudh woods back into the recesses of the forest. Kure Du took advantage of this, promising more local autonomy in return for their aid driving out the invaders and dismantling the Pekh. While this wasn't his promise to make, they agreed regardless, as it gave them free reign.
The tribes met the armies of Ugirios at the Battle of Blane's Bluff, inflicting a route. Kure Du in turn marched his army north. He met the Pekh-Asterian army at the Battle of Yokil's Cross, where he was defeated and pushed back south. However, instead of slowly losing his army to attrition and pitched battles the way Thulid did, Kure Du pulled them all back and refused to engage, hastily retreating south and melting into Yikua Wood. It was there that they won their greatest victory in the war.
In an area of Yikua Wood known as the Teuton, a mixed Faennag-tribesman force ambushed the Pekh-Asterian army. This was an area of dense forest, the quickest route to Droim Plateau, but it forced loose formations. The Faennag force had abandoned its baggage chain after Yokil's Cross, so managed to traverse far more easily. They ambushed the Pekh army, slaughtering them down to the last man. As the Faennag army left, the tribes stayed behind the create a memorial, by pining the skeletons of their slain foes to trees or totems. Every corpse was left as a memento to the slaughter.
The Faennag force did not remain completely victorious for long, losing to a mostly Asterian force at the Second Battle of Yokil's Cross. It was after this that the Faennag House Head, Vazni, rode forth from the House's stronghold at Cairn's Mede, to negotiate with Kyedditsh on neutral ground. They met at the city of Korin's Claw, hosted by the semi-rebellious lord, and in attendance with the many many tribes who aided Faennag, as well as an Asterian delegation.
Vazni assented to Kure Du's promise to the tribes, allowing them free reign over the Avow, Yikua, and Driudh woods so long as no Khuli parties were harmed. They and Kyedditsh's negotiations resulted in Archbishop Csemo's proclamation becoming official state policy. The Cult of the MOuntainous Star would lose popularity among those outside of Yutul Khul, and became another symbol of national identity.
Lastly, the territorial changes north of Broga Bluff were largely reversed. The main exceptions were Proimheshire, which would become Faennag territory, no matter the ruling family, and Yim'wo Nak, which would become Pekh land. Csemo remained Archbishop and Prw would remain King, however, now both were left in the midst of their enemies. The lands south of the Broga Bluff would remain in the contest, however, Faennag would hold effective control over them for another half-century.
THe Dreyja Incident would be declared officially over in 832, and would have a profound impact on Khuli history and culture. It split the Cult of the Mountainous Star away from the Arakan Pantheon, effectively becoming a native religion. It marked a significant period of cooperation between the nobles and the wood tribes, and it reshaped the balance of power for the next 50 years. It would also see the start of Asterian involvement in Khuli affairs, as well as their alliance with the House of Pekh. Most importantly of all, it would cement the hold of the Faennag and Pekh dynastic coalitions, one they would hold until at leas the end of the Cursed Millenium.
This history was written by a popular writer in the late 980s known as the Sarcast. He was popular for his tone, and readings of his work became popular both within and without Yutul Khul. His works are generally accepted as fact, being reliable and usually sourced. This particular manuscript was found and restored by Vari Akhalis, in the year 997 YS.
Map of Yutul Khul:
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