Zaelech

If Ki’Allack has managed to build a strong friendship with one of their long standing enemies, western Caed, the same cannot be said for its western neighbour, Zaelech. After the brutal overtaking of Harrovehl by the Imperial forces, this small nation felt like it had little choice but to surrender to such a vast enemy - yet the Queen of Zaelech made one singular demand: That Leopold would bolster her ranks and allow the zaeli to lead the charge against Ki’Allack. Given the lack of fortune that the Empire had had the last time that they attempted to invade those vast swamp lands, Leopold was curious to see what the small nation could accomplish, promising vast rewards if Ki’Allack could be brought into the Empire. And so, at the very end of the conquest, the Emperor sat back to see what his vassals could achieve.
Displeasingly, the start of the invasion proved to be a slaughter, with the Imperials shouldering many of the losses. Indeed, parts of the court began to whisper that the Emperor may have made a mistake in trusting this foreign Queen… but then news came in. Despite such a heavy cost, Rielleh, as the Queen was named, had managed to claim ground; up to the first of the great rivers of Ki’Allack. Curiously, there she stopped her marsh, instead settling down, building fortifications. Soon, requests came in to requisite vast quantities of material, enough so that a whole village could be built. Though it left much of the Empire bewildered, Leopold granted the request, and soon, a town would begin to rise. And so the Queen’s conquest, in the name of Leopold, continued, with large pushes, then fortifications, then civilisation, trapping the Ha’nahe tribes in the swamp for the dangerous summers… unless they agreed to come live in the newly created Imperial towns. Thus was Ki’Allack slowly claimed.
And thus was Zaelech left to be a willing vassal, rather than a conquest, of the Empire. Although Leopold would have to step in to complete the Unification with the Storm-Screamers, he would not fault the zaeli for how well they - and their Queen - had served. Their monarchy was allowed to continue, with Imperial oversight, although they would not have to respond to a governor, rather reporting directly to the Court itself. While followers of Mahkt were eradicated, they were otherwise free to remain philosophically independent: A philosophy that Zaelech did not take advantage of. Being among the last nations to fall into the Unification, Queen Rielle welcomed Imperial Questioneers and justicars, accepting their tutelage and bowing to what she considered to be a better way, a mentality that her descendents would share. While a large part of the nation would retail their Boerjh superstitions, such as shying the written word and consider woodlands to be sacred, it did not take the country many generations to consider itself Imperial.
For Zaelech’s part in Ki’Allack’s fall, there has always been some animosity between them. The Ha’nahe have always considered Queen Rielle’s methods dishonourable, as it set a stop to their traditionally nomadic life, and although few of the swamp-dwellers now wish to return to that way of living, they still resent that it was taken from them. It is a little hidden secret that those tribes that still make their home in the depth of the swamp occasionally raid into Zaelech, directly in breach of the Imperial Laws. However, those raids have always been considered too small for Imperial action, thus considered to be a local problem, which in turn has placed a certain level of strain between the Empire and its vassal. Though there is little wish among the nobility of Zaelech to rise against Leopold, there are those that cannot help but feel like they were maneuvered into a position where they would take the brunt of Ki’Allack’s wrath, leaving the Emperor to stand as the benefacting mediator. Such voices are often quiet or, when not, quickly silenced.
For these reasons, Zaelech is seen as a nation likely to transfer its loyalty to New Leopold if the conflict in the north escalates to civil war - at least so long as Ki’Allack stands with the Emperor. However, with the betrayal of the Storm-Screamers, the loyalty of the swamp infested nation is also in question, which has led to an extremely tense situation on Zaelech’s and Ki’Allack’s border. There, they both stand watching, waiting for word that the other has turned traitor and getting ready to swoop in as the saviour. While many eyes are locked to the borders of Eraté as the likely start of the conflict to come, the truth may well be that what sets the war in motion is the old animosity between bitter, southern neighbours. It would not take much more than a misunderstanding, a wrong move at the wrong time...

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom