the City-kingdoms of the Haréshk

An oddity in the anergia of Elyden, the Haréshk is a region that is characterised by its beautiful yet rugged terrain, noble houses and politicking nature. The death and pollution that has become so rampant in other regions of Elyden are not as evident here (though they do exist). It is a place forgotten by the industry and crusading of the High-empire and echoes a more classical time. What follows is the entry for the Haréshk from the Encyclopaedia Elyden:

Relatively idyllic region to the east of the Korachani empire encompassing some 500,000-square miles, surrounding the sea of Deraea, north of the sea of Uran. The City-kingdoms are nestled between the nations of Tamar, Lyridia, Ahrishen and Nakhé, and as such are not in direct contact with Korachan (though a variety of its cities and fiefs have links with the High-empire).

The lands of the City-kingdoms are blessed with an idyllic temperate climate and a terrain that generally varies from rocky and mountainous to verdant, with rolling green hills peppered with jagged grey rocks. This temperate climate has granted the region a rich, varied history that has seen the arrival of a multitude of different peoples, races and cultures over the years, and has allowed the region to prosper as few others have.

The history of the Haréshk begins in 2893 RM. Following his victories against Saedishi invaders earlier that year, the elected warlord Khad remained in power, the plutocratic council that ruled before his election retained as advisors. This was neither their plan, nor the desire of the Haréshki people, who until then had lived in peace and security under the leadership of the council. Khad was a mysterious figure, with no two accounts of him agreeing, though it is commonly accepted that he was a giant amongst men, standing between 7 and 8-feet tall, his face rarely seen beneath a heavy cowl he always wore. Accounts of his features vary to a degree that most can be accepted as apocryphal, though one detail is near-constant – the strange dizzying aura that hung about him, described most commonly in chronicler’s accounts as causing headaches and, in some cases, nausea.

By those traits was the enigmatic figure remembered. Though rarely seen, and speaking largely through the council, his presence was felt. His laws are remembered now as being just, though punishments were harsh, leaving the Haréshk a lawful place, its cities well-policed, with trade and commerce heavily regulated and overseen. Contact with foreign nations was maintained, if not strengthened, and the region’s vast tracts of scrubland and sparse forest were converted to farmlands. By c. 2905 RM the landscape of the Haréshk had been irrevocably altered – where once its interior had been a lush largely virginal forest, it had now become a place of hills and fields, its populace moving out of the cities back into rural areas. Food was cultivated in large amounts, far greater than even the storage granaries of all the city-kingdoms could accommodate. The surplus was sold to neighbouring nations – particularly those suffering from penumbral taint – in return for required goods: iron, furs, and luxury items. Its merchant fleet grew under the aegis of the council, and its major coastal cities – Caria, Edicule, Harak and Berek (the latter of which was technically a vassal) became home to powerful fleets of mercantile and military vessels. Nicada had by then become a hub of land trade, linking north and south Haréshk together, as well as providing a tether to Saedish. With Korchani influence diminishing, the Haréshk had effectively taken control of the sea of Uran, challenged only by Venthir and northern Khamid in terms of control. Dozens of small islands around the sea were appropriated in this time, becoming small fortresses and safe-waters in which Haréshki vessels could lay anchor.

Though rarely seen, Khad was clearly a strong ruler, his foresight and abilities bringing the Haréshk together as it never had been before. But his rule was not to last. In 2915 RM (the years 23 of the Hareshki calendar, which was established with Khad’s rise to power) he appeared one last time, after months of seclusion, and appointed his son (then 16-years old) as his successor; High-King of the Haréshk. None knew of this son until that proclamation. Following an elaborate ceremony, the figure known only as Khad withdrew even further from public life, allowing his son (by appearance, a normal human male) to take control of the region.

And so began the City-Kingdoms of the Haréshk and the line of kings that would follow. The Haréshk prospered, enjoying a golden age unrivalled before or since. To the west the Korachani empire continued to struggle against growing unrest around Almagest, leading to the War of the Artifexes which, in 3014 RM would end with the independence of Almagest. It was a blow the Korachani empire never recovered from, allowing the Haréshki dominance of the Uran to continue. Internal strife in Saedish around 3033 led to the Haréshk gaining further influence around the sea.

The discovery of vast quantities of iron ore beneath the roughlands north-east of the Spondylan ridge gave rise to a boom-town known as Syrtis. By c. 3150 RM it had grown to a large iron processing region, with a wealthy satellite town emerging outside its borders – where the workers and artisans lived. The settlement continued growing into a city and by c. 3200 RM it had become the largest city in the Haréshk, rivalling even Caria in size.

Following the death of Jehek the Crusader outside the Haréshk in 3303 RM, the City-kingdoms were left without heir. The court’s council maintained the throne during this time, though moved the capital to Syrtis in 3304 RM, where their rule was stronger. By this time, contact with outside nations had lead to a tolerance if not outright acceptance of the Penumbral and Firmamental arts, with both practices heavily polices and licenced to a select few practitioners; most of whom were either part of the council or bought by them. For years the Haréshk was maintained only through the sheer force of will and determination of the council. Its economy began to falter and, the throne still empty, opportunists began to clamour. Attempts to seize the throne became commonplace and the palaces in Caria and Syrtis were heavily guarded, becoming strong fortifications.

Yet the true tumult was to come from within, not without… the advisors had, since the death of Jehek been plotting against one another, trying to gain the support of the high-king’s regional rulers –the dukes and counts who between them controlled the royal lands. Many were bought, their support changing the balance of power within the palace in Syrtis. By c. 3310 the atmosphere in the capital and other large cities was dire; nobles visiting Syrtis to petition their causes found themselves forced into following one of the councillors or fear the consequences. Those who remained impartial found their lands waning, their power lessening. The effects of this politicking were slow, but intense. By c. 3324 one of the councillors had gained the support of fully 3 of the eight city-kingdoms, and began flexing his muscles. This led to an intense period of strife that escalated late in the year into a civil war which lasted until 3325 RM, ending only with the emergence of a charismatic leader who claimed to be heir to the throne. With many victories to his name and after acquiring many followers, the bastard heir (as he was known) marked upon Syrtis and demanded the throne. Although he could trace his ancestry to the true line of kings, he was denied that which was his and he was forced to besiege Syrtis. After months of harsh battles and he gained entry into the citadel of Syrtis and had the councillors hostage. Again they refused. All bar one were slain and the bastard king, from then known as High-king Ekerek, moved the capital once more to Caria. Supporters of the old regime were exiled from Syrtis in droves, becoming known as diaspora. They remain to this day, living nomadic lives in caravans, travelling around the wilderness of the Haréshk.

Ekerk’s rule was harsh, and he enforced conscription to keep the City-Kingdom’s borders strong and chased foreign relations, leading to his marriage with a Sauan princess in 3327 RM. Their union brought the two nations together and trade and traffic across the Red Wall increased like never before, with the Horse Gate fully opened to traffic between the two nations in 3329 RM.

Eberek died in 3344 RM, leaving his young son and Sauan wife to rule as proxy. When his son Edered came of age, he took over the reins from his mother and became renowned as a benevolent king, who maintained relations with Saua (stronger then than ever). In 3352 RM he left on a diplomatic trip to Saua though disappeared en-route, going missing. His mother ruled until his return in 3361 RM. He returned a changed man, solemn, of dark eyes and with a dragon-pelt around his shoulder. He became known as the dragon king and legends and myth rose around him, none of which he made any effort to dismiss or prove.

He and his successors became known as the Dragon-kings and when his great-grandson inherited the Carian throne in 3502 RM he elevated himself to avatar of the Ashkeron and its divine presence in the material realm. Following this deification he withdrew himself from the public and the elder’s council ruled in his stead. His edict sundered the Haréshki people in two – those who followed him and those (largely from the north-west, who were closer to the angelic cult than the Ashkeroni faith itself) opposed the move. Temples to the Teramaphia were destroyed during this time and there was religious turmoil, with fanatics clashing outside temples and other holy places. The strong military cultivated through his ancestor’s rule was put to use defending administrative buildings and order was restored, though his rule reclaimed unpopular. Funds and resources were redirected to the erection of grandiose monuments to honour the Ashkeron and its divine agent – the dragon-king. Temples to the Teramaphia were toppled, their worshippers quelled.

The dragon-king was assassinated in 3549 RM following a short-lived coup against the royal palace in Caria. His son succeeded, and his first move was to restore the old line of High-kings, abolishing the title ‘dragon-king’ and rebuilding the temples to Teramaphia. His father’s monuments were allowed to rot, and those which now remain are defaced. In the wake of his popular political moves, the new king looked west and sent his armies against Tamar; a move his Sauan allies were against. This negatively impacted Haréshki foreign relations, though revenue lost was made up for with victories in Tamar; greatest of which was the subjugation of the island of Berek, which became Haréshki territory in 3563 RM.

Berek rapidly became a trading centre, its harbours being the first port of call to foreign ships, with massive granaries built to store goods. Haréshki ships became more aggressive in their journeys, pushing west into the Inner Sea (a move largely attributed to the visible weakening of Korachani influence throughout the Sea) and the establishing of new colonies in the Meniscus.

The eventual collapse of the Korachani empire in 3705 RM led to a fragmentation of the power-base in the Inner Sea, and many regions and nations clamoured to make their mark on the large empire’s ruins. The Haréshk was no exception, and it sent many diplomats east to secure relations with struggling cities, increasing its influence as far west as Azazem and Vaalk. This move was largely due to the forward-thinking of its ruler Deretek, whose successor Deretek II continued the trend, though allowed much of his subjugated Tamaran lands to revert to their original rulers following uprisings there.

An uneasy status Quo remained for some decades, though Tamara, accompanied by High-~Korachani allies attacked the Haréshk in 3789 RM. Edicule was the most affected, though many coastal regions around Bokkea and the Sea of Uran saw conflict. King Deretek III led the defence of his people from the front, though died to cannon-fire early in 3792 RM, in a battle that would secure a Haréshki victory in the wars. He left a weakling daughter to rule in his place, and she was forced to marry an Ediculan Duke, who inherited the throne after her suspicious death a few years later. King Hila was far from popular, though he did manage to rebuilt western Haréshk. He later married a Sauan princess in 3791 RM in a bid to secure an ally, and left the throne to his son who maintained the bond between the two nations.

Revolts in 3809 left the monarchy weakened, its king Alich a symbol of the time – weak and bed-ridden, he was more concerned with ways of cheating death than the well-being of his people. He died in 3825 RM, heirless, the event leading the fracturing of Edicule from the rest of the Haréshk. He mysteriously reappeared 7-days later, of dark skin and sunken eyes, rumoured to have been reborn through the artifice of penumbrists employed by him. He became known as the Bone-king and ruled for a further 20-years, and was believed to be a Korachani puppet (indeed, his wedding to the Pelasgosi Patrician Elicea in 3913 RM confirms this). Edicule was restored to the Haréshk under his rule, though it gained a distinct affinity for many High-Korachani tropes in this time, leading to its distancing from the other kingdoms. Alich disappeared in 3915 RM, leaving Elicea to rule, though she was killed in in 3923 RM, leaving the closest in line, Athal, to rule.

Despite the growing decay of the western world, largely attributed to a waxing of the Penumbra, the Haréshk found itself relatively untouched by the corruption that characterised many lands. This allowed it to prosper where other regions faltered. Even its main coastline – the Sea of Deraea – seemed to diminish less than other, larger bodies of water, allowing many of its coastal settlements to thrive, though it was not without its casualties – dozens of smaller coastal settlements, largely along the northern coast of Uran found themselves landlocked. Many were abandoned between c. 3800 – 3950 RM, with the resultant refugees either flocking to the cities (Medes, in particular, found themselves inundated with hundreds of people, resulting in a growing shanty outside the city, which remains to this day), or funding new cities – like Akucid and Talis.

The Athalan line, from which Caeran and his son, Caeran II emerged, was strong, and they worked hard to reduce Korachani influenes in their land, though despite their hard work and loyalty to the Haréshk, many regions defected to the High-empire of Korachan during the War for the Shadow and the Helix, leaving the region devastated, with many cities ruined or destroyed. Edicule, remains a Korachani vassal to this day, denying its Haréshki Heritage.