Ægyian
The Ægyians are a storied culture with a long history, mainly living along the Ægyian river system between the two deserts. Ægyians all trace their origin back to the kingdoms of WeskꜤaget and KeꜤaget, which unified to form ÆꜤaget (Ægyia in the common tongue) sometime in early history. However, WeskꜤaget and KeꜤaget were known to be ruled by the Second Cycle and therefore the First Cycle must have existed sometime before this, possibly as far back as 3800 BC. The First Cycle was considered godlike and mythological due to their unfication of the petty Ægyian kingdom of the pre-dynastic times, but they also existed before a standardized runic writing system was developed and therefore written sources are non-existant, with only primitive pictographs. Although the reason for the fall of the first dynasty is unclear, some suggest that the First Cycle may have simply split the state in two, starting a "second" dynastic period, which was later misinterpreted as a distinct second dynasty that reunified the state as the third cycle or dynasty. This timeline would mean the First Cycle actually ruled for up to 800 years, corresponding to a starting date between 3800 and 3500 BC and an end date between 3100 to 3000 BC. They would have been an unusually long-ruling dynasty if true, covering three whole cycles (the average dynasty ruled for just one cycle), which supports the god-king hypothesis, despite the title not applying to other known Cycles.
Nontheless, even discounting the First Cycle, ÆꜤaget is known to be the oldest enduring human state. This puts humans as the fourth modern race to develop writing and therefore verifiable history, after the Elves, Dwarves, and Telrai [can be rewritten if desired]. WeskꜤaget and KeꜤaget unified sometime around 3500 BC, but ÆꜤaget would be united and disunted many times as dynastic cycles continued for thousands of years. There are at least 36 documented Ægyian cycles, with some or all being preceded by periods of strife and disunity. However, the ÆꜤaget dynastic system eventually crumbled as political strife and renewed competition from other emerging civilizations challenged their long-held dominance. Ægyians have long been divided into numerous kingdoms and city-states, so the culture is rather fragmented. Nonetheless, the Ægyians all worshipped the same gods, with only minor variants between nations (until recently). Ægyians are usually somewhat darker-skinned, though not quite as much as the Ifyrialn cultures. They have very dark and expressive eyes and the same dark hair that most of the cultures in the region share.
During the period of the Holy Successorship Empire, many of the Ægyians were conquered and subsequently converted to the Illahic faith. Following the collapse of the Empire, the Ægyian lands served as the basis of power for the Fatim family, who would later restore the Holy Succesorship Empire under their banner. As the core of Fatimi power, the Ægyians were some of the safest and most stable places in that religious state. Therefore in the modern period, most Ægyian Illahi are Al'fatimi.
Of course, despite the populated coastal regions converting the Al'fatim en masse (especially the mercantile elite), deeper inland the spread never penetrated quite as far, nor was it as pervasive. For example, in the great city of [TBD], located at the confluence of the [tbd] and [tbd] rivers, only the rich elite follow Illahi, with the masses clinging to their native religion, Hōsuyan. Past [tbd], there is only a very minor trace of Illahic traditions, as these regions were never conquered by the Al'salaan, even during the Fatimi Successorship. Hōsuyan is dominant here, and the rulers of these river kingdoms consider themselves the only true Ægyians, hoping to eventually wipe out the Illahi and reclaim Ægyia as it was before its fragmentation. Also of note are the various coastal and island city-states, many of whom also remain Hōsuyan religious traditions due to the inability of the Holy Successorships to ever assert their authority there.
Despite their general cultural unity, there are a few different subcultures of Ægyian. These are the Weskgyian, Kegyian, Wajugyian, and Shedugyian. The Weskgyian live in lower Ægyia (ancient WeskꜤaget), which is generally seen as ending around the split in the [tbd] river. Upstream of this, the Kegyian are the majority, while in the city of [tbd] at the confluence of these two rivers a mix of the two groups can be found. The only major difference between these two groups is that the Weskgyian have been more influenced by Al'salaanic traditions, even those who haven't converted. Besides this issue of faith, the Weskgyian elite are generally a bit wealthier due to their control of the fertile delta regions, while the Kegyian are more equal in wealth but overall poorer, with a much weaker mercantile class. In contrast, the Wajugyian have a very powerful mercantile class, while having less influence of nobility. This is because they have been divided into city states since the fall of the last united ÆꜤaget. They differ slightly from the other two because they have a little bit of Ynipshar blood, since the early Ynipshar colonized the islands at around the same time as the Ægyians first did. These Wajugyian live near-exclusively on the islands, and while mainland cities may have some population they are far from a majority there, being mostly merchants. Finally, the Shedugyian are the Ægyians who fled Al'salaanic conquests and settled in the city-states of the Solar Elves. There, they form a secondary population group besides the elves themselves, and are tightly integrated. Though their numbers are small, they are an important link between the two, especially as Hōsuyan influence led to the schism of the Solar Elven religion of Anuism.
Nontheless, even discounting the First Cycle, ÆꜤaget is known to be the oldest enduring human state. This puts humans as the fourth modern race to develop writing and therefore verifiable history, after the Elves, Dwarves, and Telrai [can be rewritten if desired]. WeskꜤaget and KeꜤaget unified sometime around 3500 BC, but ÆꜤaget would be united and disunted many times as dynastic cycles continued for thousands of years. There are at least 36 documented Ægyian cycles, with some or all being preceded by periods of strife and disunity. However, the ÆꜤaget dynastic system eventually crumbled as political strife and renewed competition from other emerging civilizations challenged their long-held dominance. Ægyians have long been divided into numerous kingdoms and city-states, so the culture is rather fragmented. Nonetheless, the Ægyians all worshipped the same gods, with only minor variants between nations (until recently). Ægyians are usually somewhat darker-skinned, though not quite as much as the Ifyrialn cultures. They have very dark and expressive eyes and the same dark hair that most of the cultures in the region share.
During the period of the Holy Successorship Empire, many of the Ægyians were conquered and subsequently converted to the Illahic faith. Following the collapse of the Empire, the Ægyian lands served as the basis of power for the Fatim family, who would later restore the Holy Succesorship Empire under their banner. As the core of Fatimi power, the Ægyians were some of the safest and most stable places in that religious state. Therefore in the modern period, most Ægyian Illahi are Al'fatimi.
Of course, despite the populated coastal regions converting the Al'fatim en masse (especially the mercantile elite), deeper inland the spread never penetrated quite as far, nor was it as pervasive. For example, in the great city of [TBD], located at the confluence of the [tbd] and [tbd] rivers, only the rich elite follow Illahi, with the masses clinging to their native religion, Hōsuyan. Past [tbd], there is only a very minor trace of Illahic traditions, as these regions were never conquered by the Al'salaan, even during the Fatimi Successorship. Hōsuyan is dominant here, and the rulers of these river kingdoms consider themselves the only true Ægyians, hoping to eventually wipe out the Illahi and reclaim Ægyia as it was before its fragmentation. Also of note are the various coastal and island city-states, many of whom also remain Hōsuyan religious traditions due to the inability of the Holy Successorships to ever assert their authority there.
Despite their general cultural unity, there are a few different subcultures of Ægyian. These are the Weskgyian, Kegyian, Wajugyian, and Shedugyian. The Weskgyian live in lower Ægyia (ancient WeskꜤaget), which is generally seen as ending around the split in the [tbd] river. Upstream of this, the Kegyian are the majority, while in the city of [tbd] at the confluence of these two rivers a mix of the two groups can be found. The only major difference between these two groups is that the Weskgyian have been more influenced by Al'salaanic traditions, even those who haven't converted. Besides this issue of faith, the Weskgyian elite are generally a bit wealthier due to their control of the fertile delta regions, while the Kegyian are more equal in wealth but overall poorer, with a much weaker mercantile class. In contrast, the Wajugyian have a very powerful mercantile class, while having less influence of nobility. This is because they have been divided into city states since the fall of the last united ÆꜤaget. They differ slightly from the other two because they have a little bit of Ynipshar blood, since the early Ynipshar colonized the islands at around the same time as the Ægyians first did. These Wajugyian live near-exclusively on the islands, and while mainland cities may have some population they are far from a majority there, being mostly merchants. Finally, the Shedugyian are the Ægyians who fled Al'salaanic conquests and settled in the city-states of the Solar Elves. There, they form a secondary population group besides the elves themselves, and are tightly integrated. Though their numbers are small, they are an important link between the two, especially as Hōsuyan influence led to the schism of the Solar Elven religion of Anuism.
Major organizations
tbd
Related Organizations
Comments