The First Intermediate Period (875 AC to 1,000 AC)

Descent

This instability wrought from Sunas' attempt to elevate Sune would ultimately destroy the Kingdom of Upper and Lower Sunar, as sometime around 680 FD, a succession crisis would erupt in the capital, and Sunas reached its weakest point in centuries. Seizing the moment as their chance to escape their overlord's tyranny, numerous client cities would break away around this time, forming their own sovereign city states once again as the former capital devolved into a chaotic multi decade period of mob violence and urban warfare. Many would flee Sunas during this period, abandoning the former capital as it became to dangerous for any but the bravest to call it home. At the upper echelons of the city, old Sunarian aristocratic families would linger in power, using their influence and wealth to feud with one another over the throne, while all around them everything that had made their city great, began to fall apart. Sunas would continue in this state from about 680 FD, to 750 FD, during a period known today as the First Intermediate Period. In those seventy years, several warlords would come to rule over the ruined streets of Sunas, but none would hold any serious power when compared to their counterparts in former client cities. Abroad, these former vassals wasted no time, and quickly began to fight in the absence of any higher power to restrain them. Some would make it their goal to try and reforge a hegemony like Phernac and Sunas had, but none would ever achieve success, falling far short of completing their goal. The main reason for this stemmed from an unintentional balancing act that was done by their rivals. Whenever one city's power grew to large, their neighbors would band together out of necessity to halt their expansion.

Revival

This cycle of growth, collapse and renewal would go on for most of the period, before Sunas would once more be unified under the leadership of a single ruler, named Akenit I. Able to break the cycle, by adopting an elite professional fighting force, Akenit crushed all of his rivals in Sunas, and then did the same against his neighbors, winning several battles, where he was at a numerical disadvantage. These campaigns, would ultimately be the unification of the First Sunarian Empire, a state who's borders would at its foundation be that of roughly, the Lower Kingdom.