the History of Korachan (part 1)

Here's an excerpt from a new A1 infographic poster I'm working on that's not part of the Encyclopaedia  or Atlas Elyden. It includes a lot of text about the history of Elyden and will also include many maps and other graphics, including the above map.

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An ancient empire in an even more ancient world, Known in the Fourth Age as Korachan millennia before its disparate iron-age tribes were united by the prophet Malichar, the Korachani empire stands as the yardstick by which other nations in the Inner Sea are measured. 

At the peak of its power in 3000 RM, it was the largest Fifth Age empire ever to spread across the Inner Sea. Its ruler is the most infamous and chronicled Otherworlder ever known. Its  deity is the only known Demiurge to still be openly worshipped by a major power. It was an innovator of industry and technarcana and its feats of engineering were inspired by the Great Acts of Shaping, from the Bridge of Valamir, to the Bastion of Steel in Khadon. Its language is the most widely-spoken in all of Elyden thanks to its colonisation of Eastern Meniscea and Southern Sammaea.

Rich in resources, and gifted with an idyllic climate for supporting the military campaigns that characterised the expansion of its first centuries of life, the Korachan of today could not be more different. Its resources spent centuries ago, its lands rendered barren by millenia of exploitative farming and deforestation, Korachan survives today through the momentum of its past conquests. Once opulent patrician houses exist now in the crumbling ruin of their ancestral lands, spending as much effort against their rivals as they do on their own businesses and industries. Its military, once the envy of the civilised world, has abandoned its elite vat-born clones in favour of cheaper, more-numerous, mortal troops with mundane equipment.

Yet still the Korachani empire maintains its bitter grip over the Inner Sea, while looking longingly to its golden past, as its rivals - The Republic of Almagest to the North, the Reformed Empire of Sarastro to the south East, and the Secular Republic Parthis to the south-west - consolidate their positions around the Inner Sea.

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the Koracha Civilization

From a Neolithic background centred around a fertility cult that was prevalent for close to a thousand years, the people of proto-Korachan, known as the Koracha, discovered iron as far back as c. –700 RM. The Koracha people were skilled craftsmen, already adept at creating alloys such as brass and working them into tools, weapons and jewellery, and their discovery of iron came centuries before neighbouring people. As a contrast, take the disparate city-states of the Pelasgosi peninsula and its western archipelago: its people lived in extended familial groups with little other ties. In C. –500 RM, when Koracha was already familiar with iron; mining it, the process behind smelting it and working it (though not yet working it into steel, which would develop some time later), the people of Pelasgos and other surrounding lands were still in a bronze age culture.

The early development of iron gave the Koracha people many advantages: stronger weapons, better tools, the basis for a more efficient agricultural system and development of religious beliefs, granting it a stable foundation from which it could rise from many different tribes into a true nation.

Moving elsewhere, it is perhaps no small coincidence that around this time, the phenomenon called ‘the Shadow in the Desert’ was growing more prominent in Kharkharadontis, showing a bulging in the strength of the Atramenta, boosting an already burgeoning mystical tradition in the Korachani peninsula, which would lead to the growth of the Cheiroahim, immigrant shapers who would, by the time of Malichar’s birth become rulers of the Korachani states. 

Wealthy and strengthened by trade along the Northern coast if the Inner Sea, the Koracha people grew powerful. Societies grew around a caste of powerful merchant-lords who built coastal strongholds around which people gravitated, becoming by c. –300 RM the seven states of the Korachani peninsula - Bachan, Caldera, Goradach, Palun, Khadon, Makhara, and Zephanichan.

The rise of the merchant-lords led to the emergence of a duotheistic religion that rapidly became the only common-ground for the increasingly belligerent states, which commonly faced each other in skirmishes for territory and rights over trade-routes. Already, the resource-stripping that would characterise the later Korachani Empire was beginning to be felt, with the plentiful natural resources across the peninsula allowing for the rapid growth of the seven states.

As neighbouring civilisations grew, so too did the power of Koracha people. But, with trade came the inevitability of dilution – many of their secrets were disseminated throughout Llachatul and Northern Sammaea. To the North, the three great city-states of Almagest; to the West, the state of Aglaia (later capital of Azazem); in the East, Judiciary-age Pelasgos; and farther East, Xanthos in Nárthel, all grew in power over the next hundred years, rivalling the reach of Koracha.

Before the coming of Malichar, the people of the Korachani peninsula were known as fine metallurgists and shapers of the Atramenta. Both would shape their rise to power for centuries to come, and remain recognisable traits to this day. Their iron statues were famed across the Inner Sea, such as these gargoyles, which date to c. -150 RM. 

(graphics 1)

The Odyssey of Malichar

It was to this world of tension and trade that Malichar was born, in –41 RM, the son of a merchant-prince; one of three siblings, whose father (Malichar’s grandfather) was a powerful merchant-lord in the state of Khadon.

Being form the mercantile class it is easy to postulate his upbringing: Malichar was almost certainly well-schooled, literate (when most of the population was not), of relative wealth, and was, through his bloodline, in control of a mercantile warehouse or, more likely considering future events, in command of a transport ship owned by his family. Both roles were administrative, charged with keeping ledgers updated and inventory stocked, though the latter had a far more hands-on approach, and the tenured captains often lived dangerous lives, defending ships from pirates and other threats.

In his eighteenth year (–23 RM) the ship aboard which Malichar was sailing was shipwrecked on the isle of Maleth, in the middle of the Inner Sea. The island features little in the history of the region, for it is largely barren, with no resources, its people likely descended from tribesmen of past ages, advanced little beyond a small Neolithic cult. Despite its lack of impact on culture, it plays an extremely important role in both mythohistory and the future political shape of the Inner Sea, for it is where the collected visions of the Demiurges Dopellanich and Achaia reposed, in the form of the Scripture of Shadow – a book prophesizing the reunification of a people who, eons past had been divided by the Demiurge Talantehut into seven nations. Originally referring to the tribe of the Demiurge Rachanael (he plagi), it was believed that the prophecy pointed to one who would help reunite and lead the plagi.

Shipwrecked, Malichar found that he was alone. Without hope of rescue, he wandered the small island, finding a Neolithic temple in which was buried the Scripture of Shadows, guarded by a cadre of mystics, who saw him as a being capable of fulfilling the prophecy, in which he saw the seven states of Korachan, and not an ancient mortal tribe. Thus were set into place events that would change the future of Elyden.

Slavers landed on the island, rounding up what few natives lived there, and slaying the mystics, leaving the place deserted. Amongst those taken was Malichar, who silently beckoned capture as a means of fulfilling his future. Taken to Vaalk, he was sold as a slave, then six years later a gladiator. Over the next ten years he carved out a successful career in the arena, slaying a great beast in –7 RM, and later escaping in a revolt of his devising, slaying his owners. He escaped and begun the road back to Korachan, forsaking the deities of Life and Death, his sleep filled with images of another entity, one he could not name or place.

In the wilderness of Vaalk he found the sword Tartaruch, which he carried until his mortal death 212 RM and again following his rebirth as an otherworlder. in when the otherworlder Neaishia appeared to him, foretelling of great wars that would, in the settling of their dust, unite the tribes of the Inner Sea under one banner; that of his house. 

He successfully made his way back to Korachan, where his rebirth as Archpotentate would begin.

The Unification of Korachan

The influence of the Cheiroahim increased in his absence, and Malichar returned to a home that was much changed. The merchant-lords had become their puppets, subordinate to the whims of the shapers, who had appropriated their lands and holdings as their own, living off of their profits.

Within months of returning home, Malichar had amassed a group of loyal followers, mostly from the merchant families, though others, including disenfranchised workers, also heeded his call. He worked in the shadows, turning the extensive black market and smuggling cartels that had plagued the states to his own purpose. Publicly he admonished their blatant corruption and their disregard for the people under their rule, though secretly he had come to admire the way they had gained power.

In -5 RM he discovered in a barrow-menhir in Bachan (one of the seven Korachani city-states) the Shield he would later name Aegis. With this shield, and the sword Tartaruch, he successfully deposed the Cheiroahin in his home state of Khadon, which was quickly fortified against retaliation. War gripped the peninsula, with Khadon beset by the forces of the Cheiroahim. Later the same year, Malichar’s forces were welcomed by dissenters into the state of Goradach in the North, after which a series of charge against the states were levelled against him in a bid to foment public sentiment against him. Most expected him to ignore this and continue in his campaign, but he walked into their court in the city of Caldera and stood trial, challenging them, confident that their laws and rituals would keep him safe. Amazingly, he won, and some now say that he used shaping to influence the decision of the court.

Walking free on condition that the war end, he continued working with the merchant-lords against heavy taxes and silently united the states against the rule of the Cheiroahin and deposed finally them in –2 RM, after storming into their temple and executed their leaders and forcing their families to choose between following him or exile. Fully half the families left Korachan in exodus, though few managed to escape her borders alive due to the fervour with which Malichar had worked up the Korachani lower-classes - those who managed to flee, would eventually settle in Skaros and Almagest. Those who remained became subservient to Malichar, who became Archpotentate of the united Korachan in 1 RM, under a new calendar devised by the Scholar Maccabeus at his behest. 

His final act against the old regime was the toppling of the temple of Life and Death, signifying a new beginning for the peninsula. With his crowning dawned the Age of Steel and the birth of the Korachani Empire in Elyden. Thus was born the nation of Korachan 

The Age of Steel; 

the conquest of the Seven Tribes and the Subjugation of the Inner Sea.

With Malichar’s coronation came a great change. Industry, already a great part of Korachani life, was promoted, as was trade as far afield as possible. Malichar, born and raised in a merchant family, knew the meaning of money and the power that wealth brought with it.

The old merchant-families remained (they would eventually become the patrician houses), though half of what they earnt was taken by the empire. All land was seized by the empire and doled out to sycophantic lords who were strong enough to maintain it, demanding tithes and taxes from them. Though harsh, his rule was one of growth and hard-earned prosperity, and those who lived true lives lived well. Conversely, those who broke laws became gory examples to those who would dare follow - few would.

It was with such an iron fist that Malichar ruled, abolishing worship of the Dicharchy in favour of the abstract entity known as the Iron Deity, which continued to visit him in painful visions. Embodying the unifying effect that industry had on the empire, the Church of the Iron Deity attracted members from the heart of the empire - its labourers, teamsters, porters and merchants and industrialists. 

Malichar’s Empire was ruthlessly policed, and free-thinkers were chastised or executed, as were shapers - both Firmamentists and Atramentists. In -3 RM the Iron Guard was founded to defend the state of Khadon, and it grew rapidly following his subjugation of the peninsula. Its guardians were well-funded and regarded, and were amongst the first individuals to don full plate armour when it came into fashion. The group would later spawn the Borderguard and the Censors who enforced the harsh laws of the Empire. 

Deals and treaties were made with Azazem, forcing it into agreements with Korachan it could scarcely afford, though Korachani influence within its court (again, likely through subterfuge and agents) ensured the fulfilment of such agreements.

Malichar launched a full attack on Laaskha in 4RM, appointing the tyrant of Balaam as general of the armies that fought in the campaign. Many thought his actions were too rash, and that he was better-off consolidating the new Empire. Political agreements with Azazem bore fruit in 7RM, when it was forced into conflict with Laaskha, enabling Korachan to continue in its increasing monopoly of trade in the eastern Inner Sea.

By 11 RM, Malichar’s manipulation of Azazemi politics was complete, and Azazem became a puppet of the Empire, though remained independent in a move that many saw as uncharacteristic of the ruthless leader. Malichar’s full acquisition of Azazem enabled him to concentrate on the war from there (through his generals and advisors who oversaw the details of Laaskhan siege) as he ruled Korachan and oversaw the spread of the Church of the Iron Deity. It is around this time, the first few decades of Imperial life, that the insular Demiurnes appeared, becoming the caretakers of the churches of the Iron Deity. Few outside Malichar’s circle of most trusted confidantes understood their purpose, though they were not only tolerated, but treated with great respect by Malichar, who claimed them to be the children of the Iron Deity.

In 15 RM, Laaskha fell, becoming the second of the Seven tribes taken by Malichar, though by then Malichar’s sights were already set on other objectives. Even as the Tyrant of Balaam was instated as Lord of Laaskha, Malichar focused his attentions inward on the growing numbers of halfbloods and otherworlders that had appeared in his empire. In them he saw a threat to the new Church of the Iron Deity. Understanding the threat that such beings posed to his vision, he began planning a crusade against their kind, entrusting its planning and execution to the Church of the Iron Deity.

As the Empire consolidated its position in Laaskha, fortifying its manufactories and strengthening lagging trade and industry, it turned south to Vaalk. Subterfuge and planning beginning as early as 14 RM, the true siege opened in 17 RM, capitalising on internal turmoil there at the time. The war was bloody and brutal, leaving many Vaalkan cities in ruins. Malichar, fulfilling part of the prophecy read in Maleth, led from the front, becoming a hero amongst his people for his exploits. Vaalk was defeated on the eve of the 20th year of the Imperial calendar, becoming the third nation assimilated by the Empire, though its heart remained strong, with unrest dominating over the next years. 

Even as the dust of war settled and the Iron Guard set its roots in Vaalk, the Church of the Iron Deity was underway with its first genocide of the so-called false races, which engulfed imperial cities until 23 RM, leaving the empire largely empty of halfbloods and otherworlders. This crusade spawned another great war at the centre of which was the Iron Deity – the Scourge of Icons, where the religions of nations outside the empire were targeted and attacked. This period began in 22 RM, towards the end of the first Anthropeidos Crusade, and lasted until around 500 RM, enjoying many years of flux and wane.

Seemingly without pause, the Empire once again turned north. The defences and industry of Laaskha recovered from its war 8 years earlier, the Empire attacked Skaros. In a great naval battle that lasted three days and nights, the Skarosian navy was crippled, leaving its lands open to occupation across the Skaros, even as ground forces marched north. Three months later, Skaros fell to the armies of the Empire, its entire nobility killed in a night of unparalleled bloodshed, in which Malichar dealt many of a killing blow. It was in the war that Malichar first openly displayed his talents with the Atramenta and where his considerable age (during the battle of the Skaros Gulf, he was recognised to be 64 years old) was recognised. The Church of the Iron Deity attributed his strength to his favour with the Iron Deity, further strengthening its position across the Inner Sea.

The next few years were relatively quiet in an Empire that had until then been dominated by warfare since its birth, 23 years earlier. Following civil unrest and much fighting in Vaalk, the last fragments of the resisting Maorate were destroyed or assimilated by the Imperial government. It seemed then that a time of peace would follow, no matter how short, as the Empire regained its bearings, concentrated on its acquisitions, before setting its sights on new prizes. Exploration of lands surrounding the Empire increased (particularly south in Kharkharadontis as interest in the Atramenta grew amongst the loyal followers of Malichar), and trade garnered with newly discovered nations and peoples. The coffers of the Empire grew, allowing for the creation of a central trade network and well-guarded highways between its nations. Azazem became known as the ‘Garden of the Empire’ in this time, providing most of the Empire’s food within its massive arable fields. 

But peace was not to last. 

Seeing the lull in Imperial growth as a sign of weakness, the Tyrant of Balaam defected from Malichar’s rule in 26 RM, rallying support from what resistors existed in Laaskha and Skaros as well as nations that had only recently made contact with the Empire. The conflict that followed became known as the Balaamite Heresy and ended in 30 RM with the death of the Tyrant following a duel with Malichar, restoring Laaskha to Imperial rule.

Imperial explorers made contact with Karakhas and Carceri, with both lands explored, their natives slowly indoctrinated to the ways of the Church of the Iron Deity. Construction of the Basilica of the Snake was completed in Korachan in 27 RM, a momentous occasion for the Church of the Iron Deity, bringing order to the church, though civil unrest dominated the Korachani archipelago, which was reeling from unparalleled construction and industry. Harsh punishments and stoic enforcement at the hands of the Iron Guard helped maintain peace. 

Manufactories grew around the Empire as did use of the Atramenta amongst the upper classes, as patricians competed amongst themselves for the favour of Malichar. Trade with other nations increased with Imperial productivity, diving prices down. Many influential Korachani families set roots in major ports around the Inner Sea, securing yet more trade for Malichar’s Empire and helping to sow the seeds of compliance. 

In the south, Kharkharadontis continued to be explored, with varying degrees of success. ‘The Shadow in the Desert’ and heathen tribes, as well as corrupted creatures and ancient ruins, were discovered. Though many explorers died of exposure to the effects of the Atramenta, Malichar insisted that the southern continent be explored, and much resources were dedicated to expeditions that others silently thought were futile.

A crusade against resistance in Laaskha began in 36 RM, in abid to reaffirm Imperial dominance there. The crusade lasted until 41 RM, with many agitators and halfbloods killed or exiled from the Empire. 

Exocrines and settlers explored Vârr in this time, clashing with natives even as Karakhas was settled by immigrants between 50 – 70 RM. Clashes with locals over territory and resources were common though by the end of the period a degree of integration occurred, mostly enforced by the superior military of the Empire. The cults of Khar’illæ that were prevalent there were first discovered during this time and various attempts to quell them through censors and iconoclasts failed.

The Atramenta became a major resource of the Empire by c. 200 RM; one of the few that was not readily traded. The art of Atramental shaping became inimical to Imperial growth and survival. As its practitioners increased, so too did demand, in all aspects of life. As use of the Atramenta gained a foothold in the Empire, birth defects were also noted to increase.

Following decades of civil unrest between the Pelasgosi City-states Malichar takes action in 73 RM and moves east across the Sea of Lemas, sweeping across dozens of city states, as his navy blockaded others farther south. Within 3-months most of the major city-states were subjugated or destroyed, though resistance in the east remained for some months. By the end of 73 RM Korachani rule was fully-implemented and a capital established in Octira.

The next decade was one of consolidation, and establishing of an infrastructure within Pelasgos, whose mountain passes were useless to the large armies and trade caravans of the empire. In this time trade east increased, ranging as far as Hara (today the Haréshk) and Ahrishen, but Malichar would not rest until the prophecy was fulfilled and in 82 RM he attacked the twin nations of Nárthel and Lyridia. 

Following just under two years of war, the lord of Nárthel abdicated, opening the doors of his palace to Malichar. Nárthel was subsequently occupied and assimilated by the Empire. Lyridia, meanwhile, became dissolute after the Lord’s abdication, switching to the offensive against its augurs wishes, leading to the seven-day war, which it lost. Many of its people fled east into Ahrishen and Saua following this time, however, the disappearance of Malichar following his victory in Nárthel threw the Korachani armies into disarray and they only subjugated the west of Lyridia, which would become known as Lyridia Dhai - New Lyridia, in the Korachani tongue.

The Prophecy of Maleth was fulfilled - seven tribes (Korachan, Azazem, Laaskha, Vaalk, Skaros, Pelasgos, and Nárthel) united - but its champion was nowhere to be seen. For the first time since its creation, over 8-decades past, Korachan was without its titanic leader.