Mesha
Mesha was a mighty and diverse kingdom led by House Faclaji. It was one of the few nations to not only survive the Day of Dragons but emerge from it more powerful than before.
Conjured by the desperate appeal of the region's surviving mages, the Beastfolk emerged to assist the people of Mesha in repairing their devastated land. In exchange, they were to be granted equal standing with the other species. Though the winter was hard, Mesha endured, and together the people rebuilt the kingdom, leading it into a period of unprecedented prosperity. True to his word, the current king stepped down, and a new leader, a feline named Faclaji, was chosen by the Beastfolk to lead. Her dynasty has ruled for over a thousand years almost uninterrupted, cementing Mesha as a beacon of Human-Beastfolk equality.
Mesha does, however, still struggle with its prejudices against the Lizardmen of the east. Meshan warriors are also some of the most merciless Dragonhunters on the continent, and their vengeful crusades have made the Dragons all but extinct in the region.
History
The region that would become Mesha was inhabited by countless warring tribes and kingdoms for many years. The first time that a majority of Mesha was united under a single nation was in 323 AD, and from there it developed rapidly into an expansive nation with a massive population. Early Meshan warriors were well renowned as dragonslayers, thought not to the extent of the neighboring Arsathian Empire.
Mesha did not participate in the War of the Realms led by the Arsathian Empire and the Ashen Empire.
All lands of the north knew death during the Day of Dragons, but in Mesha, where the flames of Stone Dragons met the storms of Water Dragons, the devastation wrought was tenfold. Though they had successfully destroyed the marauding Dragons, a feat few other nations accomplished, it came at a great cost. Winter was already drawing near when the black skies finally ceased to burn. Scattered, scared, and starving, this once great kingdom gathered the few mages who still drew breath to seek a solution before the coming frost wiped them out. Inspired by the mighty spirit guardians summoned by the Elves during times of need, the mages gathered all the power they had and called out to the cosmos, using the Celestial Ambrosia given to them long ago by Hajar-Abid to secure a connection with the firmament. They begged for new life to fill the ashen land so that once more crops may grow and animals may roam. Energy flowed out of them, a pulse that coursed through the valleys and the hills. Their bodies shriveled and decayed as the spell grew further outward. One by one they fell until the last tumbled into a heap of bones and dust. With bated breath, the nation waited, but the earth remained a husk of its former self. Distraught, the Meshan people wept, for their home was gone forever. Soon, this great mourning was interrupted.
From the charred forests emerged the Beastfolk, fully-formed and already speaking the language of the land. At first, the people were fearful, believing that the gods were punishing them for their meddling, but this was not the case. The appeal of the mages still rang in the ears of the Beastfolk, and at once it became clear that the mages had not fallen in vain. Indeed, their appeal to the cosmos, paired with the potent Nectar, had created new life, though not the kind they had anticipated. A deal was struck; the Beastfolk would bolster the nation’s efforts to restore the land, and in return, they’d be granted the throne. The offer was accepted, and so this new alliance set to work, plowing fields and planting trees. The Beastfolk held a great wealth of knowledge about the tending of land, and they harnessed the ashes of destruction to help fertilize the soil. They also took to magic with surprising speed, and a new generation of mages rose to summon rains and revive forests. By the summer’s end, the work was done, and there was nothing to do but wait.
The winter came, and a harsh one it was. The ashes blocked the sun, ensuring that this winter would be the worst in history. Many died, and many more suffered, but Humans and Beastfolk alike huddled together in ramshackle homes and ruined cities, giving each other the strength to carry on. They harvested the few hardy crops they could and scavenged from abandoned settlements, and when the coldest winter in centuries finally drew to a close, the survivors came out of hiding to find the first leaves sprouting from the trees. Beneath their feet the soil was healthy, the grass grew abundantly, and the first harvest of the season was more successful than any in the last millennium. The survivors, now one united people, cheered to the skies and cried tears of joy. They had risen farther than they had fallen, and it was all thanks to the mages and their Beastfolk. As promised, the king stepped down and passed his crown to the Beastfolk. They elected their leader, a brave feline named Faclaji who had led daring expeditions with bravery during the long winter. For 60 years Queen Faclaji led with distinction, bringing the kingdom into a golden age while the rest of the north collapsed into madness. Her dynasty would continue for centuries, and generations later her statue stood with that of the old kingdom’s last monarch in the mages’ memorial. Partly thanks to her excellent leadership, Mesha was one of the first nations to entirely accept the Beastfolk as equals.
Foreign Relations
Prior to the Day of Dragons, Mesha maintained a close relationship with the Yihan Dragon Dynasty to the east. Yihan was Mesha's primary trade partner in the east, while western trade was dominated by the small but vital town of Hajar-Abid and the Khenammen-held island of Daggerpoint. When Khenammen raids along the southern coast of the Drakebone Desert nearly led to war with a coalition led by Hajar-Abid, Mesha joined the fledgling city-state in exchange for a large shipment of Greater Dragon Bones and Celestial Ambrosia. The war was averted, Daggerpoint eventually gained independence (and subsequently lost it), and Hajar-Abid greatly expanded their influence on the continent. The caravan carrying Mesha's reward, however, was ambushed by bandits allegedly hired by the Kingdom of Khenammit, who made off with a small amount of the Ambrosia. The debt was eventually repaid by Hajar-Abid, but the whereabouts of the lost Nectar would remain unknown to all but a select few until long after the Day of Dragons.
After the Day of Dragons, Mesha stood as one of the few surviving superpowers of the northern hemisphere. Unexpectedly benefited by the deadly creation of Lake Ruinmar during a mighty tidal wave that swept over several cities, Mesha soon established trade with Hajar-Abid at a much greater volume across the saltwater lake. Hajar-Abid itself recovered relatively quickly, in part thanks to trade with Mesha, and Meshan goods were eventually being carried as far as Ashon. The once again independent Daggerpoint was quick to exploit its geography to become an economic powerhouse, leading to tension between it and Hajar-Abid. Mesha's continued trade with both nations created uncertainty with Hajar-Abid, but the steadfast allies eventually agreed that trade could continue with Daggerpoint, as long as it was restricted to common goods and not valuables. Mesha supported Yihan's new dynasty during the Succession Wars against the Lizardman-backed Giwasan region, and resentment against the Lizardmen grew throughout various campaigns.
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