07 - After the War
Following the Second War, a new period of struggle began, akin to that following the War of the Gates, though much shorter. Since national identities had begun to grow prior to the war, many of these areas had functioning governments within a hundred years.
Eltherean, of course, maintained its monarchy, though both the queen and the declared heir died during the war (the Queen being second of those assassinated just prior to the war). The lack of an established heir was solved within 3 years, and Eltherean was fully recovered to its prewar state in less than 10 years.
Heion also maintained its royal lineage, though the Emperor and all five of his sons were dead. Fortunately, his brother, despite advanced age, was still mentally fit enough to ascend the throne following the war. He was able to maintain stability until the Emperor's eldest male grandchild could take the throne. In addition, this brother arranged some familial marriages with Sensou as part of the treaty negotiations, leading to a combined bloodline and closer ties between those countries.
Maldona was one of the few nations not to have lost its leadership in the war. After a brief rebuilding period, the country began to work on its navy and merchant vessels, attempting to become a trade power by establishing early relationships with Eltherean and aiding the various groups in Kafre'en. They also attempted to gain trading favors from Praneya, but that nation was unresponsive to their efforts. Angered by this and by their treatment by Toral during the war, they attempted to unilaterally reestablish trade with the Ondren dwarves, but they were met with reticence on that front as well. Maldona's rulers began to take aggressive actions towards Carandal in the West, taking advantage of that country's internal turmoil following the war. Eventually, however, Maldona itself dissolved into a state of civil war following a coup attempt in TY 954. Llafanwyr would be the country that emerged, but not until the modern period.
Tinabir, though not directly a part of the war, had found itself invaded and occupied numerous times as a staging area for both Haiconian and Cremaian forces. As a result, its two countries had been ravaged, but still had established national boundaries. If any positive outcomes may be said to have come out of the war, it is that these two nations, while still bitter rivals, came to some measure of internal understanding in the context of the war. In essence, they still hate each other with a passion, but they hate everyone else more.
Praneya, it hardly needs mentioning, was the least affected by the war. Shortly after the war, it began to provide aid to those nations that had not participated in the war by choice: Kend'ran first, followed by Kafre'en and Tinabir (making Praneya, arguably, the only nation that the people of Tinabir and Salerend don't hate). They also began aiding the other countries, though not until nearly a century after the war.
In the years following the war, many of today's countries began to emerge. Toral, one of the first nations to participate in the war, came to be known by the name of its capitol city, Danreay. This nation emerged around TY 884. It has existed in more-or-less the same state since that time. Thanks to its numerous natural defenses, it was one of the least affected of the warring nations, resulting in a quick rebuilding period. The fact that its newly established government was unconnected with the past troubles is likely a key reason for its international success in the intervening time.
Next to emerge were Dasmoral and Zekalah, in TY 924 and 926, respectively. Though unconnected other than in the time of their formation, these two countries bear several similarities. First, both find themselves bounded in the North by the deserts resulting from the War of the Gates, thus both have an ever present reminder of the potential horrors of war. Next, each is based around one of Volara's great rivers and, as such, are largely river-based cultures, with all that that implies. Third, both have a relatively large dwarven population, consisting largely of dwarves who chose not to return to the Underground following the War. Finally, each came about in a similar way, as neither had a particular identity prior to the war, both seem to have been established out of a desire to avoid conflict.
The modern nation of Crandol was founded with almost identical borders to its predecessor, Carandal in TY 972. The fact that it bears a near identical name and near identical boundaries does not mean that it has much more than a superficial relationship with its former self. Carandal was a relatively neutral country, prior to the Second War, but following that war Crandol became a dangerous place. While never descending to the level of modern Gochanrall, it became a place where only the strongest ruled. This did not lead to any mass exits by its weaker citizens, but it did lead to a harsh existence for some of that country's citizens. In truth, the largest part of the country dedicated itself to the military arts, despite the vast majority of its conflicts being mere border skirmishes with Maldona.
It seems odd to leave Sensou until this late, but one cannot discuss post-war Sensou without discussing Xiangbai. Prior to the Second War, everything North of the Ookugi Mountains was Heion, and everything South of them was Sensou. Each of these countries was then divided into numerous states. Following the war, Haicon was again divided between these two countries. Around TY 1030, however, the government of Sensou splintered. The more militant party had been advocating an assault on Heion over something (the exact reason was never made clear to those outside Haicon), while the more moderate party was against the assault. This led to nearly a century of civil war in the southern part of Haicon, with the end result being the creation of Xiangbai and Sendousha. The latter of these continues to hold a militant stance, often inciting minor conflicts with either its northern or southern neighbors. Xiangbai, much more moderate than Sendousha, has become a relatively open part of Haicon.
To this point, I have yet to make any mention of Northern Asuris. This is because this area was almost exclusively inhabited by various barbarian tribes. The area North of the Asurisian Desert is harsh and wild, with the Worldtop Mountains of Northern Asuris being the tallest on Volara. It is believed that these barbarian tribes had some negotiations with the local dwarven groups as well as (relatively) positive relationships with Orcish, Goblin, and even Hill Giant tribes of that region. There was some degree of national organization in the years preceding the Second War; these nations were loose groupings of tribes and served as no more than mercenary allies to the various other nations in that war.
In any event, no internationally powerful nation emerged in the North of Asuris until TY 1056. About 15 years earlier, a powerful leader emerged in one of the most Northern of the hill tribes. At the age of 20, the famous Uthran Steeleye began to unite the hill tribes of his area. How he managed to convince these tribesmen to ignore centuries old hatreds is a matter of great debate among scholars, but his success is indisputable. More importantly, he also managed to ally the human tribes with the other races of the area.
Uthran's efforts resulted in the creation of Koledariel. Arguably, the most impressive aspect of Uthran's 53 year reign is the fact that he did not rely on force of arms. Apparently, he was diplomatic enough to use violence only as a last resort. This is not to say that violence was not a part of Koledariel's creation, only that it was a secondary part (most scholars consider this amazing when taking into account the predilections of both the human tribes and the local races). The rise of Koledariel is arguably what brings us into the Modern Period (for a more thorough analysis of events in Northern Asuris, see Hrothdan Ironpen's well-researched “Steeleye: Tongue of Silver, Fist of Iron,” though he is sadly lacking in events following the death of Uthran Steeleye).
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