History of Abun

The origins of Abun
It's believed that Abun is the homeland of the Tokaya and the Emer race, one of the most common races of Nakti and the first traces of civilizations in the Abunese region date back to 200.000 years ago, in the Prehistory, mostly made with small villages consisting of mud buildings and probably organized in a simple, patriarchal society. These small villages later merged together, leading to the birth of small kingdoms, the Kingdoms of the South, consisting in the kingdoms of Enit, Faza, Faywar, Sul'Asha, Shibban, Or'Mat and Janeka.

These small kingdoms, mostly during the neolithic (10.000 years ago) flourished and begun to expand their commercial relations with other villages. It's believed that in this period they begun the development of a writing system and an early form of currency. The relationship between the Kingdoms of the South was quite strained though, because each country wanted to impose their hegemony on each other.

Yaz "Buraldkin" and the unification
This situation went on for millennia. The more the time passed, the more violent the wars between the kingdoms became. Many other civilizations flourished and they also begun to set their eyes on the rich central-southern kingdoms, rich of resources, until things changed during the late years of the Proto-History. Yaz (clan name unknown), also known as Yaz Buraldkin (Yaz the Commander), Yaz the Unifier or Yaz the Great, born in year 29 of the Proto-History and died in 51 of the Ancient Era, was the first king of Abun and the man who unified all the little states that were scattered in the southern region of Nakti, merging them into a single state.

Born in Theren, in the kingdom of Enit, in year 29 of the Proto-History, many details of Yaz's past and childhood are unknown to us. The only things we know are that he was a Tokaya and he belonged to a noble family of rich Enitian merchants, and that he studied at the great temple of Say'Rada in Enit, since he wanted to become a priest. Those years were quite tumultuous, because the kingdoms of Enit, Faza, Faywar, Sul'Asha, Shibban, Or'Mat and Janeka were in war with each other, since they fought to establish their hegemony on the region.

In that period, the Enitians signed a truce with the Sul'Ashan, since the previous war that they fought with them lasted 24 years, and heavily affected both the countries in their economy and conditions, but after the assassination of an important Enitian noble, whose name has been unfortunately lost, who was going to build a palace in that kingdom and was planned to become the next king of Enit, the Enitians broke the truce and declared war on the Sul'Ashan, in year 13. The young Yaz was studying to become a priest during that time, but he volunteered in the army to defend his country and crush the Sul'Ashan for good, and was sent to the Enitian border, where they fought the battle against the Sul'Ashan. During the war, Yaz proved his courage and bravery, and even though he was injured by an arrow, he managed to stay on his horse and keeping fighting the Sul'Ashan soldiers, and became an important support to the Enitian general, Ban'Athu (the clan name of the general has been lost).

Indeed, Yaz suggested that the best way to crush any kind of resistance from the Enitian, was to surround the capital, Sel'Ghai, and spread salt on the Sul'Ashan fields, in order to cripple their agriculture and make them surrender. So, in year 11, the Enitian army successfully reached Sel'Ghai and surrounded it. The siege lasted for nine months, while the soldiers arrested the peasants who lived outside the walls of the city and spoiled their fields with salt. During the siege, many Sul'Ashan died of starvation and diseases, and despite every attempt done by the Sul'Ashan army to resist against the Enitian, they later surrendered to them, while the Sul'Ashan general, Nismorat of the Dra'Tan clan, committed suicide by swallowing some glass shards. After his death, the Sul'Ashan king, Ittia, sent a messenger to the Enitian king, Che'Yer II of the Tanck clan, asking him to form a league between Enit and Sul'Asha, and merge their armies to become more powerful and hoping to establish a common hegemony on the region. While Che'Yer accepted Ittia's offer, in the same year, Enit was struck by the Black Plague, killing more than 2500 people, including king Che'Yer himself and his two sons, leaving the throne vacant. So, due to his great gestures during the war, the Enitian priests thought that the young Yaz would've been the best king for Enit, and under his guide, the Enitian-Sul'Ashan league would've managed to expand itself.

So, Yaz was elected king by the Enitian High Priests in year 10, 78 Ireth of Ankdan-At; and right after his election, he swore to The Gods that he would've unified all the southern kingdoms into a single, strong entity. During the first years, Yaz, alongside Ittia, ordered the rebuilding of the Enitian and Sul'Ashan cities destroyed during the war, and Sul'Ashan and Enitian workers worked side by side, in order to familiarize with each other and suppress hostilities between the people. The league also increased its commercial and military relations with foreign countries, such as the kingdoms of Nylus and Hat'Ny, and also received men from the city-states of Surak and Ald'Hin, forming an economic and military alliance between those countries, called simply "The Alliance". Thanks to this alliance, Yaz thought that they'd be prepared enough to fight against the Fazan and the remnant six kingdoms. The best chance came in year 7, when Ittia died from an unknown illness (although some historians say that he was poisoned by an Enitian who lived in his court), letting him claim the title. After Ittia's death, and the lack of successors at the Sul'Ashan throne, Yaz declared himself king of Enit and Sul'Asha and didn't meet any resistance from them, and prepared the alliance for the upcoming war against the Fazan, that begun one year later. The Fazan fought heavily against the Alliance, because its soldiers were highly skilled fighters, following a martial art called "Hath'Onsam". Due to their retractable claws, they gave much trouble to the Enitian soldiers, who were made mostly by Tokaya and Ayakera.

In the end, Yaz defeated the Fazan, thanks to brute numbers: his army outnumbered the Fazan one. The Fazan accepted the defeat with honour, and the Fazan king, Ettan, received Yaz to his palace (now long demolished) with all the honours, accepting to join him. and asked to join the Enitian-Sul'Ashan league, that changed its name to the League of Abun'Irar, which means "League of the Holy Land" in Enitian language.

So, in foreign politics, The Alliance went forward, crushing any kind of resistance against them, easily defeating all the southern kingdoms and making them join the league. Unlike other countries, Yaz didn't treat the defeated countries as inferior entities, but he gave them the same rights of the winner one, in order to not make them feel inferior and prepare them for the definitive unification, which arrived in year 0 of the Proto-History: the High Priests of Enit nominated Yaz the king of Abun, a new country made by the previous seven kingdoms of the South, and made Enit the capital of the new kingdom. In order to show his intents to the people, Yaz chose seven people from all the former kingdoms as counselors, and married a young Faywarite princess, Nejuz, who was 14 at the time, and was a Tokaya, according to most of the historians. The former kingdoms were re-organized into provinces, and each of them had its governor called "Rayos" and retaining their former laws. The Enitian dialect became the official language in all the provinces, where it begun to be studied along the local ones, and the same was done with Enitian alphabet. But the unification wasn't a straight-forward process, and Yaz knew that. There still were some groups of people who opposed the unification and led to unrests in some cities, while some of them planned a conspiration against the young Abunese king. The unrests were heavily financed by a nearby country, the Hexarcate of Zoniza, that officially opposed the unification of the southern Kingdoms, since it wanted to impose its hegemony on the region and make them its colonies.

So, Yaz chose the strong manners to settle the unrests, and ordered the Army to arrest and kill everybody who opposed the unification, without passing through a trial. From year 3 to 7, also known as the "Years of Terror", hundreds of people were arrested and sentenced to death by decapitation or being feed to feral animals. During those years, people lived in fear and it was very easy to lead someone to its fate by suspecting him of being an opposer of the unification, plus there wasn't a trial, so it's not unlikely that during those years many innocents were sentenced to death, but this cruel strategy proved to be effective, since every kind of resistance was defeated and from year 8 onwards, Abun was finally recognized as a united state and was recognized by the Zonizans, who previously refused to recognize it.

After the Years of Terror, Yaz changed his leadership strategy, focusing himself on improving and consolidating the economy of the entire kingdom and the provinces: many old buildings were demolished and rebuilt, new roads and public buildings were built, and it was in this period, year 10, that an Abunese engineer, Zuwor, discovered how to channel water into pipes and make a working plumbing system, allowing people to perform something that later would become an important ritual in the daily life of the Abunese: the Irul. The priests built new schools, called "Houses of Life" throughout all the kingdom, and the Enitian religion became the official state religion, without suppressing the local religions and traditions, but integrating them into the Enitian one, paving the way to turn Abun into a united yet cosmopolitan country. A new calendar system was introduced too, and the year count begun after Yaz's election as king.

People were galvanized by what Yaz did, because he managed to do something that his predecessor never did, and under his reign, Abun became a rich and prosperous country. Due to his education as a priest, he also heavily financed culture and invited to his court many historians, poets and artists. He had twelve sons from Nejuz, but their names have been lost as no document mentioning them has been found yet. Yaz died in year 51, at the age of 78, leaving a new and powerful country to his successor, Nirini, a Fazan prince chosen by the Priests as the new King, who also became the first Emer king of Abun.

Today, the Abunese consider Yaz as a sort of a "mortal God", because he managed to merge seven states that did nothing other than fighting each other, and his strategies kept them united even nowadays. Most of the traditions and the rituals that the Abunese currently do were born under his reign, and there are many temples, statues and frescoes dedicated to him. Usually, before a war, the Abunese generals pray to Yaz asking him to protect and guide them on the battlefield. However, even though the figure of Yaz is treated with high regard by all the Abunese, the archaeologists haven't found the location of his tomb, nor anything that belonged to his past; the family palace that was located in Theren is believed to have been destroyed by an accidental fire in year 961, and nothing has been found of the original Royal Palace in Enit either, since it was demolished in year 524, to replace it with the current one, and no records of his twelve sons has been found in the libraries of the kingdom. All these things also contributed to increase the aura of myth around the first Abunese king, leading some historians to believe that he in fact never existed, but he is just a symbolic way to incarnate the power and prestige of Abun, in the figure of a king. The location of his tomb is unknown as well. According to the few documents that belong to that era, the tomb of Yaz was located in the outskirts of Enit, but the location was never specified in details, and this attracted a lot of archaeologists and looters, who kept (and keep) searching for what remains of the legendary king's tomb.

There are very few artistic depictions of Yaz: a small alabaster statue that dates back to some decades after his death, and a fragment of a papyrus that is considered to be one of the best portraits of the Abunese king, that later gave the inspiration to the Enitian artist Nal'Elda Ryndra of the Peboya clan to make what later became as one of the most famous imaginary portraits of Yaz.

The legacy of Yaz and the arrival of Kaliendra
Yaz "Buraldkin" left a united and powerful kingdom, and his successors, with highs and lows, managed to keep it united for 2228 years, from its birth until our times (year 2228). Many dynasties succeeded but one thing remained constant in the Abunese history: the choice of the new king by the High Priests of the country, making it a sacred event, that's the reason why the Abunese rulers are considered "holy" by the people.

But nobody would ever think that Abun would have a queen in its millenarian history.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Excerpt taken from the official biography of Queen Kaliendra, from the book "A travel to Abun" written by Xayri Fatar, disciple of Sed the Elder of Issad.   "[...] Since a couple of years, the health of the Abunese king, Mudah Elmves VIII of the Iagee clan, was quickly declining: he was old and suffered of several issues on his kidney and lungs. He stopped appearing in public since year 2217, making him choose to give temporary powers to his high counselor, Kearis Halyn of the Minalan clan, to administer the kingdom.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">So, while Kearis became the de-facto king of Abun, the conditions of king Mudah worsened, and he died during his sleep in year 2222. The death of king Mudah was sort of expected by his court members, but it arrived before the high priests would gather to nominate the successor. According to the Abunese "Law of the Ancients", the successor of a king must be decided one year to six months before his death, in order to not leave the throne vacant for a long time. This unfortunately didn't happen, since the court physicians believed that with their potions and treatments, the king's health would improve, letting them organize the council in time, but his sudden death left them unorganized, and the physicians were arrested since it was--and still is--believed that king Mudah died not because of his illness, but because of their faulty treatment. But that wasn't the sole reason to rush the council: in 2222, there was an ongoing war between the Abunese and the Zonizans, the second Abunese-Zonizan war, and the Abunese needed a new king as soon as possible, in order to secure their victory.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">An extraordinary council was arranged two weeks after the king's death, and all the high priests of Abun went to Enit, to discuss the election of the new Holy King of Abun. This signaled the beginning of a fierce "war of succession", although it wasn't technically a war, but more of a political battle between the most important Abunese noble clans, hoping that one of them would receive the privilege to let one of their members claim the Ny'It, the legendary royal tiara worn for the first time by king Xisid, Yaz Buraldkin's great-great grandson.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Many noble clans from all Abun followed the council and met the High Priests, hoping to convince them (and even bribe them) to choose one of them as the new ruling clan of Abun. The Ahkis clan attended the council too, and princess Kaliendra followed it with high interest, since she was curious to see who would be the new king.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Meanwhile, closed behind the heavy doors of the Royal Palace, the high priests discussed about the successor for an entire week. They wanted a young monarch with great ambitions and ideals, who would lead Abun with strength and courage and improve its economy, that during Mudah's reign, after an initial growth, begun to suffer of stagnation, due to the wars that the Abunese had to fight, first against the Nylusians and then the Issadites, leading to the death of general Kepi of the Ahkis clan, one of the most notable figures of King Mudah's court along with his younger brother, prince Zu II, Kaliendra's father.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">So, after one week of talks, the High Priests chose the person that they thought would be the best representative of Abun after the death of king Mudah, and the High Priest of Enit, the 96 Sulhat of Waras-At, year 2222, came out of the great balcony of the Enit Royal Palace, and chanted to the people the following words:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"NALSUL MOR'ALEI NONTHIN! NALSUL MOR'ALEI NONTHIN!"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Like the Abunese tradition wants, the High Priest of Enit said a ritual phrase in Abunese language, mentioning the clan name chosen by the priests to become the new Royal Clan of Abun. "Nalsul mor'Alei nonthin" means in Abunese "We got our new Holy Guide" and it's believed to be an ancient formula chanted by the people when Yaz "Buraldkin" was elected king of Abun. After the High Priest chanted those words, he retreated back to the palace and sent a messenger to the Ahkis' palace in Enit, to deliver a personal message to the member chosen to become the new Abunese monarch.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Before going forward, I want to tell my readers that I am not sure how exactly Kaliendra reacted when she found out that she was elected Queen of Abun. So, I will write here only the one that to me seemed the most realistic one.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">According to the legend, princess Kaliendra was reading a book in her room, when a servant knocked on the door and gave her a small sheet of papyrus, sealed with wax. She looked at the scroll with curiosity and when she broke the seal to check what was written, she let the scroll drop on the floor, and begun to cry. So, her mother Farada, who was walking in the corridor, heard her daughter's cries in her room and she went inside, asking her what happened and what the messenger gave to her. It was in that moment that Kaliendra looked at her in tears, and said:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Mother... I am the Queen of the Abunese..." [...]

<p style="font-weight:normal;">When she was elected, Kaliendra was 17 years old. Two days after her election, she moved to the Royal Palace and took with her many members and servants of her father's court, while part of them attended to the clan's manor. Ravin, the former companion of antics of her childhood, followed her as a court scribe, along with his father, however, Farada preferred to not move to the Royal Palace, focusing herself on managing the Wapi warriors guild, since she was elected Headmaster of the guild.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">So, the 98th Netur of Waras-At, the high priest of Enit led the Coronation Ceremony to Kaliendra at the Royal Palace, and the new Queen was seen by the people for the first time: a young Tokaya teenager of 17 years old with green skin, long black curly hair with an almost dark-blue shade and chestnut brown eyes was the new maximum authority of the kingdom, the figure who would lead Abun to a new age of growth, prosperity and hegemony. While the Ahkis clan already made in the past some of its members step on the Abunese throne, it was the first time that a woman had ever been elected Queen, and Kaliendra's election became one of the most discussed things among the people.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Kaliendra was dressed with the traditional colours of the Abunese nobles: a red vest with golden borders, decorated by coloured feathers and golden jewels. Her face was painted with the markings of her clan, while the high priest of Enit put the Ny'It on her forehead, blessed her by halitating on her and then he bowed to the new queen, along with the rest of the people who attended the ceremony.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">According to the people who attended to the event, Kaliendra's eyes were wet and she kept her eyes low during the ceremony, probably thinking about all the things that she would have to face. When she wore the Ny'It, she told the people:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"I am honoured to be the Supreme Guide of our motherland, and mostly important, the mother of the Abunese."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">One month later, the 20th of Ankdan-At, Queen Kaliendra and Prince Faad officially married at the Great Temple of Say'Rada in Enit. With the marriage, Faad was elected Prince Consort and ambassador of Abun. The celebrations lasted for one week, and then Kaliendra begun to deal with the first issue of her political life: the second Abunese-Zonizan war. <h2 style="font-weight:normal;">The Second Abunese-Zonizan war

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Unlike Abun, the hexarcate of Zoniza is located on a mountain region that has very few fields, so they have to import most of the food and the crops from Abun and the other kingdoms. Plus, the grain that comes from Rishdel, one of the major exporters of grains to Abun, must pass through the Zonizan territory.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">This, together with the lack of cultivable lands and the wish to establish a Zonizan hegemony on the south, was the reason that led the six kings of Zoniza (called "Hexarchs") to declare war on Rishdel. Since Rishdel is an ally of Abun, the Abunese army would intervene to defend the Rishdelian, and this would've let the Zonizan defeat them and establish their hegemony on the southern region, conquering both the countries.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">The first war saw the Zonizans and the Tet'Honite, historical allies of the Zonizans, against the Abunese and the Rishdelian, and ended with a truce, signed between the Abunese, the Rishdelian and the six Zonizan hexarchs. The Rishdelian gave a concession to the Zonizans that allowed them to buy food and crops from them at a lower price than the other kingdoms, but while the Zonizan hexarchs were satisfied by the agreements done with the Rishdelian, they still wanted to establish their hegemony on the south, and they wanted the Abunese natural resources, that would allow them to set up a long-term plan to establish their hegemony on the South, and set the bases for a Zonizan Empire, something that the Hexarchs had wanted for a long time.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">So, after 40 years of truce, in 2223, the Zonizan army changed strategy, and instead of invading Rishdel, they chose to invade the northern regions of Abun, including the province of Faza, and began to attack villages, towns and cities, destroying whatever they had in front of them.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Kaliendra moved the army in the Fazan province, in order to establish a border that would protect the rest of the provinces from the Zonizans. Despite her young age (Kaliendra was still underage in 2223, since she was 18), she insisted to follow her army and fought the Zonizans together with them, and after five months of battle, the Zonizans were defeated, and the young Tokaya queen earned the respect of the Zonizan hexarchs, who used to mock her for being a woman.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">The second Abunese-Zonizan war was the first success of the new Queen, and the people were surprised to hear that she followed her army in the battlefield, fighting against the Zonizans by herself. She was also injured by a sword on her tail, but she proved her courage to her enemies, showing them that a woman can do the same thing that a man can do, even on the battlefield.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Thanks to the Abunese victory, now there's a stable, although tense, relationship between Abun and Zoniza. Kaliendra later followed her army in various skirmishes against the Ge'Za, a nomadic tribe that lives on the eastern border between Abun and Zoniza. In one of those battles she was injured by a Ge'Zan arrow on her shoulder, but she quickly recovered and managed to kill an important Ge'Zan chief, leading them to retreat.