Divinity of Ashēryku
The Divinity of Ashēryku was the foremost Ursumar nation before the foundation of the Divinity of Bēlqūašdu, whose founder toppled their dynasty and assumed control over the region. The Divinity of Ashēryku was proclaimed in 1597 S.C. by Samised I after the Ashēryku assumed dominance over the other Ursumar dynasties of the Disunity Period and formally overthrew the Divinity of (Latter) Bāblus. Ashēryku would consolidate its rule in the following decades and the Ashērykan dynasty went on to preside over some of the most important and ruinous events in Ursumar history. The Divine Emperors of Ashēryku oversaw the Great Death of Ærellion, the Ordian Coalition War, the 13-Year War, the Sharp Axe period, the Great Kinstrife, Numanesh's Uprising, and the Gold Panic of 1788, which earned the dynasty a reputation for bad luck. This reputation led to the dynasty being overthrown and their lands stripped as they were seen by the people as unworthy of ruling.
History
The Divinity of Ashēryku was preceded by the Duchy of Ashēryku, which rose during the chaotic Disunity period. Ashēryku was named as such based on the ancient Kingdom of Ashēry, as the first duke of the region to be appointed by the Divine Emperor of Bāblus wished to honor the ancestral power of the region he governed. During the reign of Samised I, Ashēryku overthrew the Divinity of Bāblus and proclaimed himself Divine Emperor. The preceding Divine Emperor was established as the Marquise of the Northern Shrublands, a position with little power but which served as continuity between the dynasties and kept up the façade of a "peaceful" abdication. Samised, the architect of the rise of Ashēryku, was extremely old and died in 1601, just a few years after the establishment of the Divinity. His son already having died, the throne was taken by a grandson of Samised, Albindu II. However, this was opposed by several of Samised's other grandchildren, who launched a rebellion with several disgruntled former rivals of Ashēryku. When the rebellion went poorly, the emperor was presented with their severed heads in a gesture of goodwill by the rebels. While they had been in rebellion, the deaths of his cousins enraged the emperor and he pledged to completely crush the rebels. While this was accomplished, it took until 1613 and cost significant amounts of life. For this, the war became known as the Sharp Axe period, as the Divine Emperor showed no mercy, something that likely prolonged the strife. Albindu's reign, while exceptionally bloody, was nothing compared to the reign of his son Indarus I. It is likely that Indarus murdered his father as his death in 1616 as age 42 was extremely suspect.
Indarus began his reign by passing a slew of evil and confusing laws that served no real purpose or provided any benefit, such as requiring regional authorities to hang a certain number of people every month (whether they were criminals or not) and for requiring killing of orphans. A minor noble by the name of Numanesh took offense to this and led a peaceful though heated march in the capital in 1619. Instead of listening to the dissenters, the Divine Emperor ordered soldiers to fire into the crowd and sentenced everyone present to death. This would lead to a somewhat large revolt, which was unfortunately crushed, with Numanesh losing his family in the process. Numanesh vowed to never remarry and to halt this fruitless conflict, so he and what remained of the opposition fled the country going on to found the Wanyun of Syeoban across the deserts. It seems likely that the Bāblus Marquise purposefully ignored the refugees fleeting through his lands as a snub towards the Ashēryku. Indarus reigned for 51 years, until he was 71, during which time the Divine Empire was centralized and many of the autonomous duchies and marquisates eliminated. This marked the transition from the decentralized imperial system of his predecessors to a more centralized state.
Indarus I, though certainly evil, was at least competent. His son, Indarus II, was certainly not. Indarus II, upon taking the throne in 1667, called for a more expansionist policy. Instead of protecting against the rise of the Tögsgölgüi Ord, he sought to conquer the rich lands of the Ægyian peoples. To do so, he would first have to conquer highlands populated by the Alyubians, and so he marched on them. His goals reached the monarchs of KeꜤaget, which also marched to aid the Alyubians. Over the next 13 years, Ashēryku fought a guerilla conflict as it was often bogged down and lost ground every time troops left the area. Indarus' death in 1678 was perhaps the only saving grace of the war, as his successor, Asunibalar I, quickly made peace with KeꜤaget and consolidated the highlands. Asunibalar is perhaps the only truly good king of the Ashērykan period, as he enacted a number of reforms and strengthened the defenses of the state against the growing Tögsgölgüi Ord. Following his death in 1700, the nation would once again fall into conflict with itself during the Great Kinstrife as he had no clear successor.
The Great Kinstrife was the two-decade long period of strife in which most of the Ashērykan royal family died. At least 13 members claimed themselves to be the Divine Emperor and 5 of these controlled the capital at some point. There were also a few claimants who were not from the Ashērykan line, including two twin brothers from the Bāblus clan. A number of Quordian mercenaries were used in this war, which exposed the victor to their potential. The end of the kinstrife is placed somewhere between 1721 and 1722, and the victor was Vilkepal I, a great-nephew of Asunibalar. Vilkepal has effectively won control of the capital in winter of 1720 and eliminated the remaining resistance in the following two years thanks to, in part, Quordian mercenaries. He would enshrine these Quordian mercenaries as an honor guard, considering them more loyal than his family members and country men. After all, mercenaries fight for whoever pays them the most, and the state itself was of course by far the wealthiest. Vilkepal was already in his 40s by the time he came to power, but he ruled for just over 50 years, dying at age 92, a stunning feat especially when one considers the fate of the rest of the Ashērykan royals. Of course, the 12 who opposed him in the war were killed, but an additional 70 members of the extended family died during the conflict. When he ascended to the throne there were only 3 other male members of the Ashērykan line alive. Two of these were very old and would die within the coming years and one was a child. This child was raised by Vilkepal and his wife with the intent of ensuing that the child would not challenge him in the future. This child ended up becoming a hedonistic and useless member of the court, which suited Vilkepal perfectly. When Vilkepal died in 1772, there were once again just three male-line members of the family- his son, grandson, and great grandson (who had just been born). Viklepal's reign was very stable and during this time the realm recovered from the turmoil of the preceding centuries. Ashērykan power reached its height during his reign, as essentially all of its neighbors fell under its sway and began paying tribute. The Quordian states, in particular, sent many young warriors to serve in the honor guards.
Ashēryku's continuing rise would not last particularly long. In 1780, the Tögsgölgüi Ord began raiding them with increasing frequency, and soon launched a massive offensive. Asunibalar II, Viklepal's son, was already in his 70s and was clearly incapable of handling the situation at the frontline. Defenses which were neglected during Viklepal's reign and had long since crumbled had to be hastily rebuilt, but in the meantime the Ashērykans would have to meet the Ord in battle. Led by Indarus III, Viklepal's grandson, the army was whipped into shape with harsh discipline. It is likely that even with the harsh discipline of Indarus III, the army would have been swept aside, but several other nations stepped in to assist against the Ord. In 1781 they were contacted by the Dwarves of [TBD], who assembled an army from the tributaries of the Divine Empire and marched to the field. This army turned the tide of the war for a time, and gave the Ashērykans time to recreate their fortifications. However, it was fractious, and by 1784 had dissolved, leaving behind only those who were willing to fight for money. The army was sustained for a further four years, during which time a number of defeats were inflicted upon the Ord. However, news from the capital in 1788 ruined their chances of victory. The mighty Ashēryku had run out of gold. The mercenaries could no longer be paid and melted away, while the Quordian honor guard held the Divine Emperor hostage until their final months' payments could be received. Hearing of this, Indarus III marched on the capital and crushed the Quordians, but not before his father died a hostage (Indarus refused to negotiate and so Asunibalar II was slain by his own guards). This was widely regarded as a bad move by Indarus, and his reign was marred by anger from disgruntled peasants. The bankrupt Empire, its forces torn asunder, was no longer able to compete with the Ord on the field, and so had to cower behind forts for the remainder of the war, much to the chagrin of Indarus III. Luckily, the Ord was busy dealing with a war on its eastern border as well by this point, so the centaur incursions slowly faded until 1799 when peace was made. The war had lasted 19 years and had sucked dry the treasury and the stockpiles of grain the Ashērykans once had.
It is probably no surprise that famine soon struck the weary nation, or that Indarus III reacted with harsh measures which likely worsened the famine. Already disliked by the peasantry, he was assassinated in 1803 while attending the execution of a prominent rebel and the mantle of Divine Emperor fell to his son, the aptly named Indarus IV "the Idle". The new Indarus was just as worthless as his father was cruel, not really caring as bandits ravaged the lands and plague reared its ugly head (It is speculated that the plague was spread by rats which the poor had resorted to eating as their harvests failed). This plague became known as the Great Death of Ærellion, and it grew into a massive plague that devastated the Divinity of Ashēryku (and much of the continent), killing almost 50% of its population. However, one region in particular, the region of the Ulzukur, remained relatively untouched by the plague, mainly due to the advice of Sarjur the Wise, who advised the regional Duke Nedrachenza of Ulzukur to quarantine cities in contrast to the imperial policy. While considered incorrect treatment by many high scholars, in the end the wisdom of this course was proven to all, something that would help Nedrachenza in the future. As the plague finally seemed to be waning in 1813, Divine Emperor Indarus IV died at age 37 after ruling just 10 years. His son, Samised II, was only 16 and seen by many as inept, so the nobility turned to Duke Nedrachenza, who overthrew the dynasty of Ashēryku after a brief conflict. Thus fell the Divinity of Ashēryku after 218 years, and the Divinity of Bēlqūašdu rose in its place.
Indarus began his reign by passing a slew of evil and confusing laws that served no real purpose or provided any benefit, such as requiring regional authorities to hang a certain number of people every month (whether they were criminals or not) and for requiring killing of orphans. A minor noble by the name of Numanesh took offense to this and led a peaceful though heated march in the capital in 1619. Instead of listening to the dissenters, the Divine Emperor ordered soldiers to fire into the crowd and sentenced everyone present to death. This would lead to a somewhat large revolt, which was unfortunately crushed, with Numanesh losing his family in the process. Numanesh vowed to never remarry and to halt this fruitless conflict, so he and what remained of the opposition fled the country going on to found the Wanyun of Syeoban across the deserts. It seems likely that the Bāblus Marquise purposefully ignored the refugees fleeting through his lands as a snub towards the Ashēryku. Indarus reigned for 51 years, until he was 71, during which time the Divine Empire was centralized and many of the autonomous duchies and marquisates eliminated. This marked the transition from the decentralized imperial system of his predecessors to a more centralized state.
Indarus I, though certainly evil, was at least competent. His son, Indarus II, was certainly not. Indarus II, upon taking the throne in 1667, called for a more expansionist policy. Instead of protecting against the rise of the Tögsgölgüi Ord, he sought to conquer the rich lands of the Ægyian peoples. To do so, he would first have to conquer highlands populated by the Alyubians, and so he marched on them. His goals reached the monarchs of KeꜤaget, which also marched to aid the Alyubians. Over the next 13 years, Ashēryku fought a guerilla conflict as it was often bogged down and lost ground every time troops left the area. Indarus' death in 1678 was perhaps the only saving grace of the war, as his successor, Asunibalar I, quickly made peace with KeꜤaget and consolidated the highlands. Asunibalar is perhaps the only truly good king of the Ashērykan period, as he enacted a number of reforms and strengthened the defenses of the state against the growing Tögsgölgüi Ord. Following his death in 1700, the nation would once again fall into conflict with itself during the Great Kinstrife as he had no clear successor.
The Great Kinstrife was the two-decade long period of strife in which most of the Ashērykan royal family died. At least 13 members claimed themselves to be the Divine Emperor and 5 of these controlled the capital at some point. There were also a few claimants who were not from the Ashērykan line, including two twin brothers from the Bāblus clan. A number of Quordian mercenaries were used in this war, which exposed the victor to their potential. The end of the kinstrife is placed somewhere between 1721 and 1722, and the victor was Vilkepal I, a great-nephew of Asunibalar. Vilkepal has effectively won control of the capital in winter of 1720 and eliminated the remaining resistance in the following two years thanks to, in part, Quordian mercenaries. He would enshrine these Quordian mercenaries as an honor guard, considering them more loyal than his family members and country men. After all, mercenaries fight for whoever pays them the most, and the state itself was of course by far the wealthiest. Vilkepal was already in his 40s by the time he came to power, but he ruled for just over 50 years, dying at age 92, a stunning feat especially when one considers the fate of the rest of the Ashērykan royals. Of course, the 12 who opposed him in the war were killed, but an additional 70 members of the extended family died during the conflict. When he ascended to the throne there were only 3 other male members of the Ashērykan line alive. Two of these were very old and would die within the coming years and one was a child. This child was raised by Vilkepal and his wife with the intent of ensuing that the child would not challenge him in the future. This child ended up becoming a hedonistic and useless member of the court, which suited Vilkepal perfectly. When Vilkepal died in 1772, there were once again just three male-line members of the family- his son, grandson, and great grandson (who had just been born). Viklepal's reign was very stable and during this time the realm recovered from the turmoil of the preceding centuries. Ashērykan power reached its height during his reign, as essentially all of its neighbors fell under its sway and began paying tribute. The Quordian states, in particular, sent many young warriors to serve in the honor guards.
Ashēryku's continuing rise would not last particularly long. In 1780, the Tögsgölgüi Ord began raiding them with increasing frequency, and soon launched a massive offensive. Asunibalar II, Viklepal's son, was already in his 70s and was clearly incapable of handling the situation at the frontline. Defenses which were neglected during Viklepal's reign and had long since crumbled had to be hastily rebuilt, but in the meantime the Ashērykans would have to meet the Ord in battle. Led by Indarus III, Viklepal's grandson, the army was whipped into shape with harsh discipline. It is likely that even with the harsh discipline of Indarus III, the army would have been swept aside, but several other nations stepped in to assist against the Ord. In 1781 they were contacted by the Dwarves of [TBD], who assembled an army from the tributaries of the Divine Empire and marched to the field. This army turned the tide of the war for a time, and gave the Ashērykans time to recreate their fortifications. However, it was fractious, and by 1784 had dissolved, leaving behind only those who were willing to fight for money. The army was sustained for a further four years, during which time a number of defeats were inflicted upon the Ord. However, news from the capital in 1788 ruined their chances of victory. The mighty Ashēryku had run out of gold. The mercenaries could no longer be paid and melted away, while the Quordian honor guard held the Divine Emperor hostage until their final months' payments could be received. Hearing of this, Indarus III marched on the capital and crushed the Quordians, but not before his father died a hostage (Indarus refused to negotiate and so Asunibalar II was slain by his own guards). This was widely regarded as a bad move by Indarus, and his reign was marred by anger from disgruntled peasants. The bankrupt Empire, its forces torn asunder, was no longer able to compete with the Ord on the field, and so had to cower behind forts for the remainder of the war, much to the chagrin of Indarus III. Luckily, the Ord was busy dealing with a war on its eastern border as well by this point, so the centaur incursions slowly faded until 1799 when peace was made. The war had lasted 19 years and had sucked dry the treasury and the stockpiles of grain the Ashērykans once had.
It is probably no surprise that famine soon struck the weary nation, or that Indarus III reacted with harsh measures which likely worsened the famine. Already disliked by the peasantry, he was assassinated in 1803 while attending the execution of a prominent rebel and the mantle of Divine Emperor fell to his son, the aptly named Indarus IV "the Idle". The new Indarus was just as worthless as his father was cruel, not really caring as bandits ravaged the lands and plague reared its ugly head (It is speculated that the plague was spread by rats which the poor had resorted to eating as their harvests failed). This plague became known as the Great Death of Ærellion, and it grew into a massive plague that devastated the Divinity of Ashēryku (and much of the continent), killing almost 50% of its population. However, one region in particular, the region of the Ulzukur, remained relatively untouched by the plague, mainly due to the advice of Sarjur the Wise, who advised the regional Duke Nedrachenza of Ulzukur to quarantine cities in contrast to the imperial policy. While considered incorrect treatment by many high scholars, in the end the wisdom of this course was proven to all, something that would help Nedrachenza in the future. As the plague finally seemed to be waning in 1813, Divine Emperor Indarus IV died at age 37 after ruling just 10 years. His son, Samised II, was only 16 and seen by many as inept, so the nobility turned to Duke Nedrachenza, who overthrew the dynasty of Ashēryku after a brief conflict. Thus fell the Divinity of Ashēryku after 218 years, and the Divinity of Bēlqūašdu rose in its place.
1597 S.C. - 1815 S.C.
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