Kokund still refusing to die ... it is interesting to see the total fragmentation of the East compared to the Qesani in the West who have managed to reconsolidate into a power again far faster.
Dan Kukati and the rebirth of Qesani
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PART 63: ONE LAST GAIN
Purios Amin XII, the leader of the Rearpen faith, had chosen to side with the Kingdom of Revejin against Lilar. Since Ravan II “the Lawgiver” had given a church to Purios Amin V in 1109, the Church was able to amass massive amounts of gold. And now, Amin XII used it all on mercenaries, allowing him to recruit an army of 30,000 men to fight against Lilar.
Possibly in response to this illicit use of the gold received from the believers, King Emp of Rabako decided in May 1250 to set up his own Anti-Purios, Amin XIII. In doing so, his kingdom became isolated from the rest of the faith. But then again, who would face him and his 48,000 men? Outside of the Second Qesani Empire and the Kingdom of Nignriln, nobody could face him one on one, and both those states were currently fighting the Purios. This was a great move from the strong king of the East.
A first battle was fought in June 1250 between a Qesani army and troops from Egodin. The Battle of Numati was a small victory for the empire. Lilar himself was not able to be there, as he was staying in his closed castle to protect his family and himself from the consumption epidemic.
In August, his son Lyudiel came to age, and turned out to be a good diplomat. The young man was shrew and ambitious, but also kind and just, good signs of a great ruler. Soon after his birthday, Lyudiel married his own sister.
In January 1251, Lilar was contacted by King Risar of Nabako. Since the death of Risar’s father, the alliance between the Secon d Qesani Empire and Nabako had died, and the new king wanted to secure an alliance once more. Already married into the family of King Kyudat “the Dragon” of Nignriln, so allying himself with Lilar was logical. He offered to betroth his brother and heir, Prince Darid, to Davsi Rillisl, a granddaughter of Lilar. Lilar accepted, and soon after an alliance was struck. By February, King Risar had joined the war against Revejin on the side of Lilar, adding another 30,000 men to the alliance.
In May, a massive Qesani army was able to march north and besiege the capital of Revejin, Erunadis. This was a big deal for Lilar, who had hoped to quickly finish the war by capturing King Tigedr. But the King of Revejin was not in Erunadis, and so Lilar was forced to abandon the hope of a short war.
In October, a Qesani army had defeated the army of Purios Amin XII. The attrition and the inability to pay his mercenaries had greatly weakened the army of the Purios, leaving him with only a tenth of his massive army from before. The Battle of Sebamba ended in an easy victory for the Qesani troops.
In November, the northern army defeated the few Revejin troops at the Battle of Qabedro, killing more than half of the enemies. This meant that Revejin was now defenceless to the attacks of the Second Qesani Empire and its allies.
But inside closed doors, Lilar was worried that the war would take too long. The reason he wanted a short campaign was because his cancer was getting worst, and the fear of not seeing the war completed was haunting him. Hoping that it would help him, Lilar asked for an experimental treatment from his Court Physician, hoping some spectacular results that would cure his cancer. Instead, it had the opposite effect, and the treatment only aggravated his cancer.
Believing that the end was near, Lilar chose to quit the castle and instead die in an army camp, leading his men. In March 1252, he opened the gates of the capital and went north to lead the northern army personally. Accompanying him two of his sons, Prince Want and Prince Lyudiel. Both sons showed some military skills, and so Lilar wanted them leading the troops when he died, so the army would not be thrown in disarray by his death.
By the time they reached the army camp, the condition of the Sill was worsening. His sons, unwilling to just leave their father die like that, pleaded him to seek a new treatment so he could lead them to victory. He reluctantly accepted their demand, and so by the end of May sought treatment once more. The physician only cut his hand, causing him immense suffering and making his situation even worse.
It was now clear that Lilar would not make it to his 52nd birthday of July 9th. His son Lyudiel thought of sending him to the capital before his death, but Lilar refused, saying that he wanted to die in the North. The troops temporarily retreated in Rodiane, the kingdom Lilar ruled before becoming Sill. By times, the Sill seemed to have lost reason, and kept asking if “the Lawgiver” was impressed by his accomplishments. Finally, in his last moment clarity, the Sill was among his generals and his sons. According to the men that were there, he simply looked at his sons and said:
“You will still be there when I will not, that’s one thing I did better than him.”
Shortly after saying those words, Sill Lilar Wantnisl Qietean finally died at the age of 51, 15 days before his birthday. He had ruled for 34 longs and prosperous years, during which he turned a decaying empire into the strongest nation of the world. Easily one of the greatest Sill of the Second Qesani Empire, he was always obsessed in legitimizing his dynasty and equaling the prestige of House Kukati. His death meant that King Kyudat “the Dragon” of Nignriln inherited the imperial throne, unifying their realms into a massive empire. Although Lilar wasn’t able to see his last conquest through, his death allowed a gain of territory that brought the Second Qesani Empire to unseen size. One last achievement for one of the great conquers of recent history.
PS: I’m kind of sad Lilar died so fast, just as he was about to achieve what Ravan II “the Lawgiver” could not. I also fear for the future stability of the empire. Both Lilar and Kyudat have A LOT of children, including many sons who will all be claimants to the throne after their deaths. I’m making a guess that the empire could fall into massive dynastic struggles before the end of the century.
Lilar is one of those rulers whom will be looked back as a necessary paragon. Assuming the empire survives, in which case his legacy won't look so rosy.
Out of curiosity, do you know where the Rearpen faith originated?
Out of curiosity, do you know where the Rearpen faith originated?
It's from the South-West, so the core of the empire. I can't confirm where exactly, but at the very least, Bilant, Akyukedis, Necobaca and Adiligor were all Rearpen as of 748, but they were the only ones. Really most of the Continent wasn't Rearpen before the First Qesani Empire.
On a side note, the Rugant culture wasn't the only South-West culture at first. In 350, the only Rugants were the people of Necobaca. Bilant and the other kingdoms all had their own culture. By the time of Lagan "the Faceless", they were all of Rugant culture however.
No, the title remain in the empire. But it was Gavelkind, so instead of passing to Kyudat, it goes to the son of Lilar, King Lilar II, who become a vassal king.
PART 64: THE GREATER EMPIRE
Kyudat Wantnisl Qietean, born on February the 27th, 1185, was the youngest child of King Want II of Nignriln. As a child, he received little to no attention from his father, and instead was raised by his uncle Prince Esagiel. This meant that he passed most of his young around his cousin, Want Esagielnisl, who would become the father of Sill Lilar. Want Esagielnisl was an extremely pious individual, a zeal that rubbed on the young Kyudat. Meanwhile, his uncle Esagiel made sure that the boy had some military training. It was during those times that he learned the meaning of justice and patience, and for the rest of his reign would great respect the army. But a series of death in the family lead Kyudat to become the presumptive heir of his father, and when Want II died in 1204, the 19 years old prince was elected as the new king of Nignriln. Kyudat would prove to be the perfect man for the job, bringing Nignriln to even bigger heights.
Kyudat “the Dragon” first got involved with Sill Lilar in the early 1240’s, when he married the Sill’s daughter. But back then, nobody expected Kyudat, who was 15 years Lilar’s elder, to ever become Sill. Yeat, this is what happened, and in June 1252, after ruling Nignriln for 48 years, Kyudat became the 27th Sill of the Second Qesani Empire. 67 at the time of his ascension, he became the oldest man to ever take the imperial throne (the oldest after him being Ravan I, who became Sill at 65). By becoming Sill, Kyudat added his massive kingdom to the empire, doubling its size. Although not directly related to Lilar by blood, he was never less he son-in-law of the previous Sill, which gave him some sense of legitimacy.
Just to make sure he did not look as a foreign king taking the throne, he moved his capital to the usual imperial capital, deciding to rule from there. But now, he was faced with the problem of managing all this empire. The Kingdom of Akyukedis had gone to the son of Lilar, King Lilar II, but that still leaved too much to administrate alone. To help him in his task, he named two of his sons Viceroy. First, he gave his eldest son Kyudat “the Drunkard” the viceroyalty of Rodiane, as the 43 years old prince already had lands in the region. He then focused on Nignriln. With him as Sill, the nobility may try to elect a new king outside of House Qietean to oppose the imperial power. To prevent this, he gave the Nignriln as a viceroyalty to his son Qagat. Qagat was already planned to be the heir to his kingdom before he inherited the empire, so this choice made perfect sense. By doing this, Kyudat secured two loyal viceroy who could help him govern his new empire.
He then gave command of the northern army to his son Viceroy Qagat. Qagat was by far the favorite son of Kyudat, so he thrusted his ability to lead the troops. Prince Want Lilarnisl and Prince Lyudiel Lilarnisl were not happy about this, expecting to be in charge of the northern army after their father’s death.
In late June 1252, soon after becoming Sill, Kyudat was contacted by his son Viceroy Kyudat “the Drunkard”. The viceroywanted to marry Princess Kedi of Awigyan, the widow of Sill Lilar. Believing than an alliance with Awigyan could be beneficial, Kyudat accepted the marriage, and his son married the former Sill.
In September, Kyudat temporarily secluded himself to pray and meditate, as he was feeling tired and stressed. He came out 2 weeks later, showing a newfound diligence in his ruling of the empire.
In October, the heir to the throne, a distant kinsman, died. This made Want Wantnisl, the brother of Sill Lilar, the new heir to the throne. With this, the only remaining Qietean were part of the family of either Lilar or Kyudat, slowly building two branches of the imperial house.
In November, Kyudat received news from the East. Lilar “the Fat” Nukatid, who had remained in exile for the last 9 years, was now assembling a new army to become the Sill of the Second Qesani Empire. After all, he was the nephew of Sill Wugar Kukati, something that still held value, even 48 years after his death. Kyudat now had to end the war with Revejin quickly, so he could focus on this annoying claimant.
By December, King Tigedr of Revejin was able to win his civil war. This meant that the full might of the army of Revejin would be on the field to face Sill Kyudat and his armies.
In January 1253, King Risar of Awigyan came with a marriage proposal. With his alliance in the imperial house now worthless due to the death of Lilar, Risar offered to marry his brother Asoup Asa Wantlisl, the granddaughter of Kyudat. “The Dragon” accepted the offer, believing that the more allies the better. Plus, it would be a good marriage for his granddaughter, ensuring that she would have a good life.
In March, Purios Amin XII died while he was trying to recruit more soldiers for the war. He was succeeded by a younger Purios, Amin XIII. Unlike his predecessor, Amin XIII had no intention of fighting the war, and so quietly back out, announcing his neutrality shortly after.
In May, Prince Qagat, the Viceroy of Nignriln, lead his armies against the troops of Revejin. With the help of Prince Want and Prince Lyudiel, the Battle of Dunice was a decisive victory. Following this, Kyudat was able to push for the surrender of King Tigedr and the annexation of Revejin, ending the war.
Finally, the Second Qesani Empire was able to annex Revejin. The dream of Ravan II “the Lawgiver” was finally complete. With this conquest and the addition of Nignriln, the Second Qesani Empire had become the greatest nation in the world, a power similar to the Kolund Empire at its peak.
To celebrate the end of the war and the first victory of his imperial reign, Kyudat organized the celebration of the Tukarid. Thousands of pilgrims from the as far as the East came to Lamaoro (which is in the West) to celebrate the power this great religious event alongside the Sill.
In September, Kyudat learned that his wife Woao was pregnant. This news arrived around the same time that his grandson Dan Wantnisl died. It seems that the curse of Dan Kukati, which had killed every other Dan of House Kukati before they inherited the throne, was still present.
In November, Kyudat decided to take the time to perform a Sky Burial for his father-in-law, Lilar “the Bold”. He brought him in a mountain in Rodiane, so the former Sill could rest in its first kingdom. Because of the weather, this task took longer than expected, but Kyudat never abandoned. This was a sign of respect for Lilar, who had been a great ally for him during the last decade.
In January 1254, Kyudat was contacted by King Risar of Awigyan. King Risar was being attacked by another of Kyudat’s allies, King Risar of Nabako. Refusing to abandon his ally, Kyudat broke every relations he had with Nabako and joined the war to protect Awigyan. Risar had joined Lilar and he when they fought Revejin, so now was the time to pay back the favor.
But his preparations for the war were slow down when his eldest son Viceroy Kyudat “the Drunkard” died on January the 28th. 44 at the time of his death, his death was a shock for everyone in the imperial family. Sill Kyudat “the Dragon”, greatly saddened by the death of his son, chose to keep the kingdom of Rodiane for himself instead of naming a new viceroy.
In April, his wife Woao gave birth to a daughter named Davpe. Davpe became the first daughter of Kyudat to be a true imperial princess, born from a Sill.
In May, the Vicequeen of Boao, Tearie “the Fat” Tancid, died after 50 years of ruling Boao. But she died in the middle of a civil war, which meant that the rebels were now fighting against the Sill. Kyudat found it strange that they didn’t just lay down their weapons and surrenders since the Vicequeen was dead. This was a problem, as he now had to focus on both helping Awigyan and fighting against the rebels.
In October, his wife Acatedi became pregnant. Acatedi being the daughter of Lilar, Kyudat hoped that this child would help build better relations with King Lilar II of Akyukedis, who was not a big fan of Kyudat.
Soon after this news, he learned that Lilar Nukatid was leading was launching his invasion of the Second Qesani Empire, hoping that his mercenary army could defeat the Sill. This arrived at a really bad time, as Kyudat was about to engage the rebels in a battle.
When he received the news of Lilar Nukatid marching on his lands, Kyudat was leading a massive army against the rebel troops around Naepekay. In the end, the rebel troops were crushed, and Kyudat was able to achieve a prestigious victory against them.
By May 1255, Kyudat was winning all his wars. The rebels were slowly losing control of their lands, the armies of Nabako had not been able to strike yet, and Lilar Nukatid had been defeated in battle by the armies of Awigyan. It was at that time that Kyudat was contacted by Queen Davsi of Kotan. She was searching for a new husband, and so offered to marry Tatac Qeararnisl, the grandson of Kyudat. The thought of one day having a member of House Qietean on the throne of Kotan convinced the Sill to accept the marriage, which took place on the 17th of May.
Soon after the marriage, his wife Acatedi Qietean gave birth to a son named Ramp. As a descendant of both Lilar and Kyudat, Ramp was the link between the two branches of House Qietean. Kyudat already had great hoped for this son, although he doubted that he would see the boy reach adult age.
In September 1255, Prince Want Lilarnisl and Prince Lyudiel Lilarnisl lead an army against Lilar Nukatid, defeating him at the Battle of Nuarn. Although Want was the one to lead the troops during the battle, Lyudiel was credited for the victory. A dispute thus erupted between the brothers, allowing Lilar to flee with his remaining troops while the Qesani army's leadership was divided.
This incident lead to Kyudat dividing the army into two, one lead by Lyudiel and one lead by Want. While Want was ordered to focus on taking control of provinces in Nabako, Lyudiel was tasked of pursuing Lilar Nukatid. After a chase that lasted for months, Lyudiel finally faced Lilar at the Battle of Lamine, in May 1256. Although their armies were about the same size, Lyudiel was able to come out on top, capturing Lilar Nukatid in the process. With this, victory was finally achieved against the pretender.
Lilar was brought down in chain to Kyudat. Unlike his predecessor, Kyudat was unwilling to just let claimants live in exile. Lilar Nukatid had just proven that this did not stop the problem. After a fair trial, Kyudat ordered the execution of Lilar Nukatid, who was burnt at the stake on the 18th of May, 1256.
With Lilar Nukatid dealt with, Kyudat realized that his puppet king of Revejin had died a month ago. In April 1256, King Terian “the Usurper” died, and to replace him the local nobility elected Estic Keradis, a powerful duke. Estic disliked the Sill and the current situation of Revejin, possibly with the goal of one day regaining independence. Kyudat took notice of this, and realized that he would probably have to keep this new king in check.
In March 1257, things were going better and better. Both wars were going well, and if things went right the wars would be over by the end of the following year. But while things were going well for the Second Qesani Empire, it seemed like it was not the case for one of its former enemies. King Tarid II of Egodin was weakened and bankrupt when he attempted to stop the invasion of Revejin. Adding to that was the loss of Risonia in 1249, which had weakened him in more than one way. Seeing that the “invader” was weaker than ever, Duke Sos “the Usurper” lead a revolt of local Qarava nobles in an attempt to gain independence from their Rugant king. To Kyudat, this only meant that Egodin would not be a problem for a while, which was good news to him.
In July, the rebels sent a letter to the Sill. Instead of continuing to fight until they are forced to surrender, they chose to stop the senseless killing and give up. This was well received by Kyudat who accepted the surrender. Because they surrendered by their own will, Kyudat was lenient on them and freed most of them, with the leaders of the rebellion put under simple house arrest.
Following the end of this small civil war, Kyudat had to make sure that Boao was now in good hands. He had too much to do to deal with it himself, and so chose to instead make his son Prince Ariel the new Viceroy of Boao.
On the 1st of August, the youngest son of Sill Lilar “the Bold” finally came to age. Prince Tagac Lilarnisl turned out to be a genius, the kind of man that excelled in everything. Seeing the potential of this young man Kyudat quickly put him in charge of an army in the east, so he could lead the troops against Nabako. Showing great knowledge, Tagac was also made the Court Physician.
In January 1258, just as Tagac was in the middle of waging a battle against the armies of Nabako, King Risar of Nabako surrendered, abandoning his plans of expansion and ending the war. Following the peace, the armies returned home, the princes returned to their castles and the Sill, happy of this victory, returned to the capital. It has been almost 6 years since he took the imperial throne, and so far, everything went right. So really, what could go wrong?
The Greater Empire indeed! That must surely be the furthest east the Second Qesani Empire has pushed, a few patches in the southwest notwithstanding. The Kolund Empire may rise again, but they'll have to work for it.
Tagac Lilarnisl looks like he would make a marvellous future Sill.
Tagac Lilarnisl looks like he would make a marvellous future Sill.
Oh my the Qieatean Resurgence of the Qesani Empire is well and truly underway - athwart the continent in a most imperious manner.
PART 65: AGING DRAGON
In August 1258, Kyudat realized that he was one wife off, and so needed a new one. He found a good candidate in the 16 years old Tagari Tyudedis. The young woman was not only competent and a good person, but she was also the half-sister of King Tarid II of Egodin. With this, Kyudat hoped that he could bury the hatched with the young king and secure the southern borders. Tarid II, meanwhile, had no intention of ever making good friend with the Second Qesani Empire, and so refuse any overtures from his new brother-in-law.
In September, Kyudat decided to go visit the county of Dadan’a, hoping to motivate the local populace and help them improve the region.
However, behind all this image of peace and prosperity, the empire was weakening. While Kyudat was focusing almost exclusively on foreign affairs, he had forgot to keep a hold on his vassal kings. In April 1259, King Lilar II of Akyukedis attacked King Bisig II of Bilant. Kyudat did nothing to stop them, as he had other things to deal with.
This other thing he was dealing with was the organization of the Tukarid. This Tukarid was to be the biggest yet, as it also marked the 300 years of the Second Qesani Empire. In 959, Dan Kukati conquered Bilant and Necobaca to reform the Qesani Empire. 300 years later, Kyudat “the Dragon” was celebrating this great event, with the hope that the sheer magnificence of this celebration would be enough to put a stop to the infighting. It did not.
In July, King Risar of Awigyan once again called Kyudat into a war. This time, it was to help him in an offensive war against the Solala Kingdom. Awigyan had some lands in the South-East and planned to use those lands to conquer lands. Once again, Kyudat happily joined his ally’s war.
Kyudat raised the army of Nignriln, as it was the closest to the Solala Kingdom. He chose to lead the army himself, as he was hitching for what to win what he believed would be his last campaign. To back him up, he brought his brother-in-law Prince Tagac Lilarnisl, who had showed to be exceptionally skilled, and his Marshal, Duke Atredr of Walamasia.
In June 1260, his army was forced to return into allied territories after losing 10,000 to the attrition. During this time of recovery, Kyudat received a letter from court, expressing the need for a new Spymaster. The Sill chose to give the job to Prince Want Lilarnisl. The prince had shown that he was efficient, especially at the head of an army. Believing in the capacities of the prince, Want was allowed to become the new Spymaster.
In January 1261, the army of Solala finally faced the army of Kyudat at Lilaliy. Although the Solala army was 7,000 men stronger, the superior generals of the Second Qesani Empire were able to get the upper hand on the enemy, and in the end they secured an impressive victory, manly thanks to the skills of Prince Tagac, who rapidly routed his side of the enemy army and used his men to back up Kyudat in the middle, allowing them to achieve victory.
For a time between June and July, Kyudat came back to the empire to keep a check on the affairs of the state. During that time, he became good friend with a Kewedro priest named Rejin of Rice. Rejin was quite impressed with the dedication of Kyudat to religion, and after many debates the two became close friends.
In late August, the army of the Solala Kingdom came back, once again with more troops. This Second Battle of Lialiy ended up in a defeat for Kyudat and his troops, who were forced to retreat north into the Kingdom of Rabako. Unwilling to create an incident, Kyudat then quickly leaved Rabako and returned to his empire.
In December, Kyudat learned of the death of King Bisig II of Bilant. Bisig became the vassal king of Bilant in 1252, around the same time Kyudat inherited the Second Qesani Empire. Since then, Bisig had loyaly served him as Steward for the last 9 years. With him gone, Kyudat was without one of his strongest allies on the Council. He named King Estic of Revejin to replace him, but Estic would himself die a month later.
For a while now, Prince Lyudiel Lilarnisl hadfelt like he was cut out of the loop by Kyudat and his family, even thought he was an imperial prince. He tried his best to show that he was willing to help the new Sill, but with time he was either replaced by a son of Kyudat or by his own brothers, especially the young Tagac. The shrewd and ambitious prince finally had enough, and during a celebration he stormed out of the capital. The next time Kyudat heard of his brother-in-law, in January 1262, Lyudiel was amassing his army of mercenaries to attack him, planning to take the throne for himself.
In March, Kyudat learned that Want Wantnisl, the brother of Sill Lilar “the Bold”, was dead. This meant that the next in line was Kyudat’s son Qearar. Kyudat cringed at this news. Qearar was not known to be very competent. In fact, the prince was known for his cowardice and his lack of ambition, instead preferring to drink and party all day. Back in the 1240’s, Qearar was exiled by Kyudat after the former openly criticized the Rearpen faith and its official doctrine, even saying blasphemies like “If the Moon is the eye of Wopn, then is Wopn a cyclops or just stupid enough to keep his other eye closed?” Since that incident, the Prince had been living with one of his friend, as far away of court as possible. The other problem with Qearar was the fact that he was not well loved into the family, especially by Prince Qagat, who despised him. The fact that Qearar was next in line was not good news for the empire.
In July, Kyudat chose to seclude himself once more, so he could pray like the hermits of the old tales. During those weeks in seclusion, Prince Want Lilarnisl, the Spymaster, who was left in charge of the day to day affairs of the state. With his brother Lyudiel already planning to usurp the throne, many supporter of Kyudat feared that Want would not give the power back to the old Sill. But when came the time, Want showed loyalty to the old monarch and stepped out of power. For now at least.
In October, the new wife of Kyudat, Tagari Tyudedis, announced that she was pregnant with his child. Kyudat found joy in this news, as he did not expect a new child at this age.
In November, Kyudat received news that he wasn’t the only Sill dealing with a brother (in-law, in his case) trying to take his throne. Sill Astant II of the Kolund Empire was now facing the armies of his brother Prince Buran, who was trying to usurp the throne with his army of mercenaries. It was worrying, but not dangerous in any way. Plus, Kyudat had other things to worry about.
But he would not have to worry for long. On December the 3rd, 1262, Sill Kyudat “the Dragon” died at the age of 77. He had ruled the Kingdom of Nignriln for 48 years, and then was Sill of the Second Qesani Empire for a decade. During those 10 years, he had a good reign, adding Revejin and his own kingdom of Nignriln to the empire, bringing to unseen size. He was, all things considered, a pretty good Sill.
However, his reigns saw the first rifts in the unity of House Qietean. The sons of both Lilar “the Bold” and Kyudat “the Dragon” mostly stayed in line during the reign of their progenitors, but with the last of the two now gone, would the peace between them last? And now, the less than ideal Prince Qearar sat on the throne, opening the door to any pretender with some talent and legitimacy who would want the empire. With the death of Kyudat, the Kingdom of Rodiane passed to Want Wantnisl, the imbecile grandson of Kyudat “the Dragon”. With the last campaign against Solala greatly weakening the army, who know how long it will take for someone to step in and say “I should be the Sill”?
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What a huge contrast between former and new Sills. Maybe Qearer will shape up but indications are not promising.
Maybe the imbecile vassal king will make things easier.
Maybe the imbecile vassal king will make things easier.
It does rather sound like the Qesani may have reached an apogee and are about to slide towards another perigee.
PART 66: UNWORTHY SUCCESSION
Qearar Kyudatnisl Qietean was born in 1213 as the son of King Kyudat “the Dragon” of Nignriln. His mother was one of the many wives of Kyudat, a lowborn Kewedro named Koao. Koao also had a previous husband before marrying Kyudat. Her first husband was Sill Red Qerenr of the Second Qesani Empire, and for a few days she enjoyed the title of Sill. After her husband died, she was taken as a wife by the young king of Nignriln, and together the royal couple would have three sons: Want, Qearar and Qagat. She would then die of pneumonia at the age of 26.
Because of the ever shifting wives of his father, Qearar was raised without a proper mother, and his father had too much on his hands to personally raise the young prince. Although he studied the old religious texts, Qearar only grew more cynical, and soon he stopped believing in the existence of the Pantheon and the gods. Unlike many of his more brutal and ambitious brothers, or maybe because of it, he would quickly be satisfied of his simple life as a prince, and would avoid conflict at any cost. It was during those formative years that he found the pleasure of alcohol, which lead to his drinking problems and his love for celebrations. To his credit, it was his only little vice. He was neither a hedonist nor a pig, and knew how to remain polite and correct… as long as there was alcohol.
In the end, his lack of religious belief went too far, and his pious father banished him from the court in the 1240’s. For the next 20 years or so, he would live in the court of small counts, who happily gave the prince alcohol as long as he proved useful to them, after which he was kicked out and went to live elsewhere. For a while, he even remained in Kotan, where his son had married the Queen. In the end, Qearar found happiness in this simple life of travelling and drinking. When in December 1262, he was arrested by troops of the empire, the prince thought that his father finally had enough of him and ordered him killed. Instead, he learned that he was to succeed Kyudat on the imperial throne.
Although he had little interest in politics, his advisors still tried to explain him that he was not the only powerful member of House Qietean in the empire. In fact, House Qietean was now full of ambitious princes willing to take the throne. And to top things up, the two branches of the house, the Lilarians and the Kyudatians, mostly hated each other.
First and foremost was his younger brother, Viceroy Qagat of Nignriln. Although Qearar had always liked his little brother, the feeling was far from mutual. Qagat had always been the favorite son of their father, and just like him was a fervent believer of the Rearpen faith. Seeing himself as the rightful heir of Kyudat “the Dragon”, the fact that his incompetent brother had become Sill was seen as an insult by the prince.
Then there was his brother and heir, Viceroy Ariel of Boao. Unlike Qagat, Ariel was highly supportive of the new regime, and was actually the backbone of Qearar’s powerbase. Although a courageous and hardworking man, many at court did not thrust the sneaky viceroy, especially after he convinced the Sill to make him Spymaster at the expense of Prince Want Lilarnisl (who did not take his forced demission well).
There was also the new king of Rodiane, Qearar’s nephew Want. The 27 years old king was an idiot, by he was an angry and paranoid idiot, which made him quite unpredictable to the eyes of the court. Although Qearar had doubts about his nephew’s “difficult” personality, the court pointed out the first action of Want as king. To plot the death of his vassal. His only vassal…
And finally, there was King Lilar II of Akyukedis, who had become in the last 10 years the head of the Lilarian branch of House Qietean. In his ten years as king, Lilar II had become more and more angry about the current state of the empire, and rumors had been circulating that he was secretly plotting something. What, nobody knew.
But even with those possible dangers, to which was added Prince Lyudiel Lilarnisl and his incoming invasion, the first year of Qearar’s reign was without a hitch. Many young members of House Qietean came to age during that year, and the affairs of the state were mostly ruled by Viceroy Ariel, who quickly become the power behind the throne of his brother.
From left to right: Viceroy Qagat of Nignriln, Viceroy Ariel of Boao, King Want of Rodiane, King Lilar II of Akyukedis
In April 1263, the court received news from the east. Sill Astant II of the Kolund Empire had died. This leaved the 10 years old Astant III in charge of the decaying empire. The boy was, through his mother, the grandson of Sill Lilar “the Bold”, which meant that he could become a pretender to the throne himself. This is something Viceroy Ariel did not miss, although Sill Qearar only just laugh at the idea of this boy being a threat.
In May, Qearar saw the birth of his last brother. The last wife of his father, Tagari, had been pregnant with their child. And now, she had gave birth to a healthy son named As.
In September, Ariel decided that one of the vassals of the Sill would be better serving under him. Of course, the Sill complied the demands of his brother. After all, Ariel knew best about those kind of things.
This peaceful start of a reign ended when Viceroy Qagat ended his war with the Kingdom of Nabako, a war he had won. It was clear to everyone that Qagat had no intention to let his brother keeps the throne. Soon, he began to organize discontent vassals around his own claim, forming a powerful faction. At any moment, the prince could revolt for his claim. The court would have to keep an eye on him.
In January 1264, the armies of Prince Lyudiel Lilarnisl finally showed up on the frontier. Ariel was charged by Qearar to decide who would lead the responding army. The Viceroy of Boao decided that it would be interesting to put the brother of Lyudiel in charge of the responding army. Prince Tagac, alongside his nephews Ril and Asarid, all of the Lilarian branch, took the command of a massive army and went east to face the incoming prince.
In July, good news arrived at court. Prince Qagat had died of Camp Fever. Whatever threat he posed to the throne was now gone. But this left the empire with a problem. If Kyudat “the Dragon” did not have the skills to administration Nignriln and the empire, Qearar certainly couldn’t. So this meant naming a new viceroy of Nignriln. Ariel was able to convince his brother that, as his greatest supporter, it would only make sense that he was named the Viceroy of Nignriln. Many at court protested that giving Ariel two kingdoms would make him a danger to the throne, but the Sill would have none of it. Ariel was clearly the only brother he could thrust. Later that month, Ariel was officially made the new Viceroy of Nignriln, making him the most powerful man of the empire.
Through the last months of 1264, Qearar felt more and more sick and notably had great pain in his stomach. This turned out to be a cancer, which was finally discovered in January 1265. Prince Tagac was temporarily called back to perform his duties as Court Physician, and the prince proved extremely competent in that matter.
By June 1265, no battle had been fought between the armies of Tagac and the mercenaries of Lyudiel, as the army had not yet reached the eastern border. Meanwhile, Qearar found one of his courtier, Lilar Efeararnisl of the Lilarian branch, who was eating cookies outside of the kitchen. With a smile, Lilar offered one of those cookies to the Sill. But cynical as ever, Qearar simply accused him of trying to poison him with a suspicious cookie. After all, what kind of honest man would just offer a cookie like that?
Finally, a battle between Tagac and Lyudiel was fought at Kadias. Before the battle, the two brothers met and tried to negotiate. Lyudiel hoped to convince his brother to join him so they could overthrow the sons of Kyudat together. But Tagac refused, saying that his loyalty was first and foremost to the empire. Not to his family, not to the Sill. To the empire. He then tried to convince his brother to surrender, promising leniency. Lyudiel simply laugh at his face. And so a battle was fought. With his massive army, Tagac had no difficulty routing the army of his older brother. But Lyudiel was never less able to escape east, were he would remain hidden for a full year until he finally returned at the worst possible moment.
But even with this victory, the discontentment against Qearar only grew. Prince Qagat had been the preferred claimant of those discontents, which was known of the court. But with him dead, Ariel and the other advisors failed to take into account the possibility that someone else would rise up to lead those opponents of the regime. But they found one in the dwarf king, Lilar II of Akyukedis. Lilar II had always considered himself the heir to his father Lilar “the Bold”, so seeing Kyudat and his son on the throne never sat well with him. But when Qearar, in hope of gaining the favor of the king, named him the Court Dwarf, Lilar II finally had enough.
In February 1266, the court received a letter from the king, saying that he was the true ruler of the Second Qesani Empire. Lilar II was “advising” Qearar to abdicate and give him the throne. Was surprised the most was who backed the claim of the king. The young king of Revejin, Syevenr Keraid, had a great hatred for the Kyudatian for conquering his homeland, and took the opportunity to hurt them. Then there was the King of Bilant, Bavan Navani, who had been refused a place on the Council in favor of a man of Ariel. But the most surprising of those were the King of Rodiane, Qearar’s own nephew Want. This unpredictable idiot had chosen to back the other branch of House Qietean, for some unknown reason. This alliance of 4 kings was powerful, and for a moment Qearar actually thought of submitting to the demands. After all, being Sill was not as fun as he thought it would be, and really, he would prefer just living outside of court But his brother Ariel convinced him that surrendering was not in the best interest of the crown. He would take care of this problem. Qearar just had to stand aside and let him do his job. Convinced, Qearar refused the demands, sparking the first civil war for the throne since the fall of House Qerenr.
But Lilar II was the son of Lilar “the Bold”, an argument that convinced many to rally his banner. Soon, the armies of Lilar II were packed by loyalist to the Lilarian branch and old veterans. Meanwhile, the armies of Qearar were being deserted each day, the unpopularity of the Sill convincing many to switch side.
Meanwhile, the army of Tagac was stuck on the eastern frontier. His brother Lyudiel had reappeared, forcing him to go after him. Because of this, Ariel had to do without half of his manpower. Still, Tagac was able to defeat his brother once more. But any hope of finally ending the threat of Lyudiel was ruined when the prince escaped again and disappeared past the frontier. Which meant that Tagac would be stuck patrolling said frontier in order to wait for his brother. During one of those patrols, his nephew Ril wondered if they should not just defect to Lilar II. Tagac simply answered that he was tasked to deal with his brother Lyudiel, and that he would perform this task. If Lilar was the king when he returned to the capital, then so be it. If not, then he would simply protect the empire against another one of his brothers and show everyone who was that he was the greatest general of his time.
Meanwhile, small battles had been fought between the rebels and the loyalists. In every case, the loyalist had been defeated soundly before they could regroup. As of July 1266, things seemed to be going badly for the Sill and his brother, while Lilar II was gaining more and more momentum.
In August, news from the east gave the court some hope. The young Sill Astant III had defeated his uncle Buran, who attempted to claim the throne for himself. If a teenager was able to protect his throne, why couldn’t they protect the throne of Qearar?
By November, another member of House Qietean fled the empire to recruit his army of mercenaries. This time it was Lilar Rilnisl of the Lilarian branch, the brother of the general Ril who was serving with Tagac. This Lilar believed that the current civil war would be a perfect opportunity to gain the throne for himself. This made Viceroy Ariel greatly suspicious of Lilar’s brother, Ril. Ariel ordered Ril recalled from the frontline, on pretext that he was promoted to the commander of the palace guard. Seeing through the ruse, Tagac refused to send his nephew back to the capital, citing the excuse that he was a vital part of the frontier defense. Refusing himself to antagonize Tagac, who was widely popular at court and with the Sill, Ariel backed down. But the prince would not forget this insult to his authority.
In March 1267, Qearar was faced by his wife Nanea. Nanea had decided that she wished to be the Chancellor. Unwilling to oppose his wife, Qearar simply acquiesced to the demand. This did not sit well with the current Chancellor, King Dag of Adiligor, who publically stated that he should have just backed Lilar II instead of staying with this incompetent Sill. Soon everyone knew of the scandal. A woman was chancellor! Ariel was not amused by the decision of his brother, especially by the fact that he was not consulted on the issue beforehand.
The first great battle of the war with Lilar II was fought at Saepnwayt in June 1267. Almost 45,000 fought in the battle, and after many lost, the rebels came out on top. The loyalist were forced to retreat in disarray, leaving the troops of Lilar II to celebrate their victory.
In January 1268, the rebellion had spread out to the entirety of the empire, including the eastern provinces. A rebel army even approached the force of Prince Tagac, hoping that the prince would switch side after hearing of the Battle of Saepnwayt. Instead, Tagac ordered an attack on the rebels, planning on killing them for the destructions they had caused in the region. Surprised, the rebels were easily defeated, losing 8,000 men in the process. For Tagac, this battle was just too much. He could stand silently when the civil war was just a thing of the west. But now that it was interfering with his job in the east? Finally, Tagac decided that it was time for him to march west with his army and finally put an end to this war. He now had a legitimate reason to come back as a hero to save the day. Lyudiel could wait, he had a meeting with his destiny.
For Ariel, the news of Tagac return was unwelcomed. Already, Tagac was seen by the viceroy as a necessary evil due to his unmatched military skills, so having him deal with Lilar II was welcomed. But the popularity of the young prince was becoming a problem. If he was the one to turn the ties of this war, he could become so popular that he could easily become the most powerful man of the empire, a title Ariel had no desire to give up. Qearar, for his part, welcomed the news. He had always liked the general, and saw him as the more competent member of House Qietean, all branches included.
In March, Qearar made a surprise visit to his brother Ariel. He then announced that he had no intention of keeping the throne. He was just not made to rule an empire, and so planned to abdicate. The smile on Ariel’s face faded when the Sill announced that he planned to abdicate in favor of Prince Tagac. The man was competent, young and popular. With him in charge, his brother Lilar may even stand down. Of course, Qearar asked that Ariel kindly advice and support Tagac just like he had done for him. The Viceroy try to dissuade him, but for once, Qearar refused to change his mind. As soon as Tagac would arrive in the capital, the Sill would publically announce his plan to abdicate. Angry, Ariel still had no choice but to accept the decision. Happy, Qearar stayed a few days before going back to the capital. But on his way home, his carriage took a nose dive down a cliff.
The Sill did not survive this tragic accident. He died on March the 16th, 1268, at the age of 55. He had been Sill for almost 6 years, during which the empire felt into disarray and chaos. Because he died before anyone could know about his succession plans, his brother Ariel became the new Sill of the Second Qesani Empire.
PS: I was actually planning on doing another First Qesani Empire special, but for some reason CK2 crash each time I try a new game. Actually, I can only load my games with continue now. This is not a problem I have other than when using the mod for the AAR, for some reason. Whatever the cause, it stop me from cotinuing the First Qesani Empire, as I really need the infos of who was on the council and stuff like that.
PPS: I may also slow down a bit due to exam period for a week or two.
Perhaps a reinstall of CK2 is in order?
And Ariel sounds like he would not tolerate Qearar looking to have him replaced as the power in the empire. There will surely be a reckoning with Tagac the proud general.
And Ariel sounds like he would not tolerate Qearar looking to have him replaced as the power in the empire. There will surely be a reckoning with Tagac the proud general.
FIRST QESANI EMPIRE 3: THE CONQUEST
748 marked the beginning of the conquest. But at the time, there was no plan to form a new empire and conquer most of the continent. No, the goal of Chancellor Qagac “the Silent” Rearpen and Marshal Rukigor Lagant was to unite the west coast under Bilant. But to do that, they first had to focus on their immediate neighbors, Adiligor and Risonia.
The kingdom of Adiligor was by then ruled by its vassals. The young king Rat “the Effeminate” of House Byudari had little power over his subjects, a situation he was not happy about. Because he had been chosen after the end of the last dynasty, the vassals thought that he could be a puppet just like Lagan II was in Bilant. But Rat had no desire to be a puppet. Since his coronation, the monarch had searched for a way to regain control of his kingdom. This created the perfect situation for Bilant to get involved. On the orders of Chancellor Qagac “the Silent”, Spymaster Wisedis “Twistedbeard” Kavsin and Steward Wob Adiel fomented a plan to take over the kingdom of Adiligor.
In February, Twistedbeard contacted the young king. He offered to help King Rat with his problems home. With the help of Wob Adiel, who had access to the state coffers, the two would hire a massive army of mercenaries. With it, they would help King Rat force his vassals to submit. And since no troops from Bilant would be used, no one could accuse them of intruding into the affairs of Adiligor. Thrusting that Twistedbeard would remain loyal and never betray his thrust, King Rat agreed to the plan. This was surprising for Qagac “the Silent”, who expected the king to refuse Twistedbeard offer due to his knowledge of Twistedbeard past record. But in the end, just made the invasion of Adiligor simpler. King Rat prepared for the invasion by pitting his vassals one against another, making sure they would not be able to put a united front against the mercenary army. In this he was helped by Wob Adiel and his massive amount of gold, placing bribes were it was needed.
The mercenary army finally arrived the following month. But instead of coming alone, the mercenaries were quickly followed by the regular army of Bilant, led by Twistedbeard. Realizing that he had been played, King Rat tried to convince his vassals to fight back and unite under his banner. But when the call came, nobody answered it. The vassals of Adiligor were either too disgust by the deal their king had passed to help, or they had been bribed beforehand by Wob Adiel, who never had the intention of bribing the lords to help King Rat. Defeated, Rat was forced to surrender his throne. The local nobility then tried to offer the throne to Twistedbeard. The conniving Spymaster almost accepted the offer, but refused it in the end when he heard of how well the campaign in Risonia was going.
King Rat of Adiligor
In 748, Risonia was living tumultuous times. The local population had changed during the last century. They had adopted the Rugant culture and begin to follow the Rearpen faith, imitating the rest of the South-West kingdoms. But House Avigor, the royal house that had ruled the kingdom for more than a century, had refused to change. King Kadra II still considered himself a Bafearsin, the original people of Risonia, and lead the persecution of the Rearpen faith, preferring the Namekay faith (which also venerated Wopn, but as a monotheistic god instead of as leader of the Pantheon). The populace was greatly divided on the issue, and although most of the populace was still Namekay, the sheer brutality of the persecutions lead to many protest against the king.
So when news began to spread that the Kingdom of Bilant was planning to expand, it didn’t take long for the local Rugant nobility to invite Lagan II to take the throne. Rukigor Lagant, the Marshal of Bilant, took it as his cue to plan an invasion of Risonia. The plan was to wait for the annexation of Adiligor and then march on Risonia. But Rukigor failed to take into account Qisar “the Abomination”, who lands were bordering Risonia. Unwilling to wait for a strategic invasion, Qisar raised his own levies and marches east into Risonia. King Kadra II, who did not expect an invasion so soon, was taken by surprised and unable to respond. When he heard of this Rukigor launched his full army against Risonia, unwilling to let Qisar take all the credits for the invasion. While Qisar was rampaging in the country land, Rukigor assembled the discontent nobles of Risonia and lead them to the capital. A long siege followed, but in the end the capital felt and King Kadra II was forced to surrender.
King Kadra II of Risonia
While this was going on, Qisar “the Abomination” and his men travelled the kingdom, killing believers of the Namakay faith, plundering their temples and even burning their religious icons. Rukigor was able to keep some control over Qisar however, forcing him to spare the believers of the Rearpen faith, who were a minority at the time. The sheer atrocities of the war pushed many locals to convert to the Rearpen faith, and by the end of the 8th century the Namakay faith had disappeared of the Continent. In the end, victory was achieve far faster than expected, which is why Twistedbeard refused the crown of Adiligor. He had more to gain by sticking with Qagac “the Silent” and Rukigor Lagant, and should he challenge them, he would surely face Qisar “the Abomination”, something he genuinely feared.
Qisar "the Abomination"
With those kingdoms annexed, the Council could now turn its attention up north. But the kingdoms up north took notice of the conquests, and began to prepare themselves. Boao then ruled by King Asam Damyka, the great-grandson of King Qot “the Wise” of Boao, who freed his kingdom from the Kolund Empire. At the time, Boao had its own unique culture unrelated to other ones, the Saepaba. Religiously, the Saepabas believed in the Asewasia pantheon, which was the main religion of the North-West. King Asam was a proven warrior and a competent ruler, quickly seeing the treat in the expansionist Kingdom of Bilant. To oppose Bilant, King Asam formed an alliance with the Kingdom of Revejin. Its current king, Doger Nyoe, was a toddler, leaving the actual control of the government in the hands of his uncle Prince Estenr, who was both a competent military leader and a cunning politician. The Prince Regent, who saw the advantages of a common front against Bilant, accepted.
From left to right: King Asam of Boao, King Doger of Revejin, Prince Regent Estenr of Revejin
This alliance was seen with fear by King Kabedr of Basboao, who lands were now surrounded by the two allies. Chancellor Qagac “the Silent” saw an opportunity in this to use Basboao as an ally against Boao and Revejin. After many exchanges of letters and an official meeting by the Chancellor himself, and deal was struck, with King Kabedr promising to supply and finance the campaign of Bilant. When said campaign finally began, the king of Boao and the Prince Regent were waiting for them. The two armies faced at Nilia, were King Asam had built fortified positions in preparation of the battle. Marshal Rukigor Lagant was leading the army of Bilant, and in his arrogance allowed King Asam to choose the site of the battle. The fight was thought, but the combined troops of Boao and Revejin were able to push back the invaders. For the first time of the year, the army of Bilant had been defeated.
But with this victory, Prince Regent Estenr packed his troops and went home, to the dismay of King Asam. Asam hoped that they could press on and push into Bilant itself. This would allow them to eliminate the treat of Bilant for good. But the Prince Regent believed that Bilant would abandon their plans of expansion following their defeat at Nilia. Plus, attacking the enemy in their lands would only benefit Boao, as Revejin was too far away to gain any real territories out of any peace deal, while Boao could expand drastically. Believing that any offensive would cost too much without the support of Revejin, King Asam ordered the frontier fortified and launched small raids against Bilant to test their defenses. King Asam himself was forced to lead an army to defeat Qisar “the Abomination”, who was orders to pillage the region while Rukigor retreated with the main army. Qisar was eventually defeated and forced to retreat to Bilant, but he had caused great damages in the local areas, slaughtering and plundering many villages in the process.
But for the Council of Bilant, their defeat was only a setback, a setback that made them realize Boao’s strength. Qagac “the Silent”, with the help of Wisedis “Twistedbeard”, spread fake reports about a new plan to attack Boao through its eastern border. Meanwhile, the Chancellor made signs of overture toward Revejin, both to weaken their guard and to weaken the alliance between Revejin and Boao. But this second attack wasn’t after Boao. The army instead passed through Basboao, with the graceful authorization of King Kabedr, allowing it to go straight for the center of Revejin. When the Prince Regent heard this, he organized his troops. He also called for the help of King Asam, but the sovereign of Boao would refuse, still believing that there would be an attack by the east. Through bribes and promises, Twistedbeard and Wob Adiel were able to convince the nobility of Revejin to betray the Prince Regent. At the fateful battle between the two sides, half of the Revejin troops switched side at the last moment, and at the end of the fight the Prince Regent was brought back in chains to Rukigor Lagant. Lagan II was then brought to the capital of Revejin to be crowned king.
Realizing that he had been played, Asam began moving his army north to attack the coronation ceremony. But the attack from the east, ironically, did happen. Just when Asam was taking his troops away, Qisar “the Abomination” lead a small force from the eastern border. Asam was forced to divide his forces in order to face Qisar. This leaved Asam fairly weakened when he marched north to face the combined army of Rukigor Lagant and the troops of Revejin. Still, he had fortifications to use, and so was confident that a long war would lead the nobles of Revejin to rebel. With January 749 approaching, Asam also hoped that the snow would act in his favor. But when the battle finally came, the army that Asam faced was far bigger than anticipated. But even so, he was still able to hold his ground. The arrival of Qisar “the Abomination”, who had defeated the army sent by Asam, lead to the defeat of Asam. Stuck between a massive army north and an enemy host south, the troops of Boao panicked. In the ensuing chaos, Rukigor Lagant took every fortifications and captured the key generals of Boao. King Asam was himself killed while trying to rally his troops. However, his corpse was never found, leaving to the belief that he either survived and escape or, more realistically, was eaten by Qisac “the Abomination”.
Following this victory, Qisac was once again let lose against the locals. This time, Qisac took his revenge on the local population. On his orders, the troops committed nothing less than an ethnic genocide, rendering the local Saepaba culture almost instinct. By the 800’s, no one in Boao would identify himself as Saepaba anymore, and the local population of Boao would become the mix of Kewedro and Rugant that lived there when the Second Qesani Empire would invade it in 1100, during the reign of Ravan II “the Lawgiver”. Following this victory, the men were sent back to their homes for the winter. During that winter of 748-749, Qagac “the Silent” and Rukigor Lagant would begin to plan their imperial dreams of conquests.
Bilant at the end of 748
King Kabedr of Basboao, who previously joined helped Bilant against the alliance of Boao and Revejin, now found himself in the middle of his ally’s territories. Now, it was Bilant he feared. King Kabedr decided to search for new allies against his former one, and began to write letters to the Emperor of the Kolund Empire, asking him to intervene and defeat Bilant, even offering his submission to the emperor in exchange. But the Kolund Empire had recently fallen into a civil, vassal kings trying to usurp the throne from the child emperor Naral II.
Messages went back and forth between Basboao and the Kolund Empire, Kabedr desperately trying to find support, if not from the current imperial court, than from one of the pretenders. But one of the letters was intercepted by agents of Chancellor Qagac “the Silent”. Realizing that Kabedr was playing in their back, the Council of Bilant decided to simply remove him from power. With the conquest of Revejin and Boao, he had lost any usefulness anyway. The armies of Bilant quickly overrun Basboao. Without any mean to defend himself with his small force, Kabedr simply admitted defeat and surrender. But it would not be the end of Kabedr. Following the foundation of First Qesani Empire, Kabedr would be given back his kingdom as a vassal king to thanks him for his earlier help. He would rule Basboao from 751 up until his death in 763. His line would continue to rule the Kingdom of Basboao and also preserve the old religion of Asewasia, even against the mass conversion to the Rearpen faith. In a twist of faith, his House Teroao would outlive the First Qesani Empire and lead to the independence of Basboao, which would survive until 1036, when it was conquered by King Neras I “the Evil” of Boao.
King Kabedr of Basboao
Now that the West was secured, it was time to move east. Believing that the king was needed for the future events, Chancellor Qagac “the Silent” brought Lagan II alongside with him, leaving the capital in the hands of Queen Evsi and of the Steward, Duke Wob Adiel. Before moving against the Kolund Empire, there was still two kingdoms that had to be conquered: the Kingdom of Douce, in the North, and the Kingdom of Wenyan, in the South.
Because Rukigor Lagant was occupied in the North, the invasion of Wenyan was left in the hands of Duke Nampiel Edani of Rugari, or Nampiel “the Bear, the son of former Steward Roupen Edani. A competent military leader, Rukigor believed that with the help of the capital, Nampiel could easily deal with Wenyan. The kingdom had just come out of a costly war with the powerful kingdom of Kilegh, and its current king, King Qanouc, was a teenager. The kingdom of Wenyan was also weakened by internal disputes, the regency changing hand every few months. And with king Qanouc approaching his 16th birthday, things were more unstable than ever.
Nampiel “the Bear” and Qisar “the Abomination”, who had been ordered to go help the invasion, launched a rapid offensive on the weakened kingdom. Although the nobility did unite, only small battles were waged, as Nampiel had no desire to let his troops lose on the region, believing that pillaging the country would not be a viable way to gain the loyalty of the locals. With small defeats all over the western part of Qenyan, the local nobility assembled a massive army to face the enemy. But King Qanouc refused to allow the battle. Sure, they may have a chance to defeat Rampiel “the Bear”, but then what? Rukigor Lagant and Qagac “the Silent” would just come south, and they would probably be far less lenient following the defeat of their first invasion force. Qanouc refused to put his population through that. Although the nobility wanted a war, the young king was 0popular with both the troops and the peasants. In the end, the nobles were forced by their own men to surrender, and Qanouc chose to give his crown away, a decision that would allow him to regain it 4 years later as a vassal king of the Qesani Empire.
King Qanouc of Wenyan
But this bloodless victory did not sit well with Qisar “the Abomination”. He was already pretty ticked off that Rampiel had forbidden him to pillage the region, and now he was denied a brutal victory? Unwilling to just let it go, Qisar picked his troops and went on his usual rampage, against the orders of his fellow general. Rukigor Lagant may have been able to keep him in leach, but Rampiel “the Bear” was just another general like him. To protect the people they had just conquered, Rampiel was forced to lead his men in pursuit of the Qisar and his troops. Many raiding parties were captured or killed, and at some point, Rampiel was even forced to fight an open battle against Qisar, a battle he won thanks to the help of the local troops of the former king Qanouc. This defeat, coupled with news that Rukigor Lagant was now aware of this rogue pillaging, forced Qisar to retreat to his own domain, far away from Wenyan. The Abomination would only be recalled for the invasion of the Kolund Empire, a few months later.
Nampiel "the Bear"
Meanwhile, the northern invasion of Douce was underway. Douce had been a strong kingdom that stood between west and east, and which held historical importance. For centuries, Douce had always been seen as the successor of the Kilegh Empire, the first empire of the Continent. In fact, the first few Bicaud kings of Douce were the sons of the last emperor of Kilegh. But now a young incompetent king, Byelas Bewadis, ruled the prestigious kingdom. And as the armies of Bilant were marching east, King Byelas was in the middle of a war with King Eth of the Alamouce Kingdom. King Eth was a young smart man of 19 years old who saw an opportunity in the new king of Douce. Because of him, Douce was now distracted, undefended on its eastern frontier.
While King Byelas had no idea what was coming, the spies of King Eth told him of the approaching Bilant army. Knowing that he now had no chance of defeating both Douce and Bilant, he instead made an offer to Chancellor Qagac “the Silent”. He would continue his assault on Douce to distract the enemy troops, making the invasion of Douce easier. In exchange, his kingdom would be leaved alone as they moved toward their next conquests. Qagac accepted the offer, even though Rukigor Lagant was clearly planning to invade the Alamouce Kingdom. Although angered by the deal, the Marshal still kept the promise, and when he lead his troops into Douce and overthrew its king, he did not continue his advance in the Alamouce Kingdom.
King Byelas of Douce (left) and King Eth of the Alamouce Kingdom
With Douce and Wenyan conquered, there was only one target left: the Kolund Empire. Qagac “the Silent” decided that it wouldn’t be right for a simple king to fight an emperor. No, if they wanted legitimacy for their conquests, they needed to have an empire. So following his coronation as king of Douce, a surprised Lagan II followed his Council to a surprise ceremony. His wife was there, his children was there, his entire Council was there. Even King Eth was present for the ceremony. Qagac had planned everything, even making sure that it was during a night with a full moon, so the “eye of Wopn” could be seen. Lagan was pushed into the middle of the palace, were he stood in the middle of lunar light. Reading from a scripted speech written by the Chancellor, Purios Libegluk (this was before every Purios was named Amin) made a famous speech in front of a massive assembly.
“Wopn, our watchful lord, Sill of the Pantheon, is watching us today. For eternity, he has lead the gods, ruled them, lead them to their glory. But as Wopn is Sill of the God, our world need a mortal Sill, a man who just like the great Wopn, can protect us and watch over our sins. We now present King Lagan, Second of his name, as the candidate for such an honor. May Wopn blink in disapproval if he oppose!"
Purios Libegluk
Of course, the moon didn’t blink, and so in 749, on the same spot Kibur Kicea founded the Kicea Dynasty in 363, Lagan II became Sill Lagan of the Qesani Empire.
However, this coronation almost didn’t happen. Rukigor Lagant planned to have himself proclaimed Sill and then remove his puppet from his throne. But this did not sit well with the rest of the puppet masters. Qagac “the Silent” liked his place as the true master behind the throne, and having Rukigor in charge would ruin that. Wob Adiel was a childhood friend of Lagan. Although he had no problems manipulating his friend for their interest, he had no desire to ever overthrow him. Wisedis “Twistedbeard”, as usual, chose the side he believed would win, and so supported the Chancellor over the Marshal. Fearing that he would lost his support if he made a move, Rukigor relented and accepted that he would only me the man behind the curtain, and not the one on the throne.
Sill Lagan of the Qesani Empire
Now that they had an empire, the Qesani armies could march east and crush the Kolund Empire. Its current emperor, the child emperor Naral II, was in the middle of massive civil war. Many vassal kings were trying to claim the imperial throne for themselves, believing that with a child on the throne, it was the best time to make their move. Because of this, the Kolund Empire was divided between 4 claimants and the loyalists. A perfect time to make their move.
They first entered in what would later be the kingdom of Nignriln, a region that was under the control of one of the pretenders. When the rebel leader realized what was happening, he marched his army to face the invaders. The two forced met on the banks of Lake Wemujri. Rukigor Lagant led the battle and once again showed to everyone that although he was a skilled politician, his real talent was leading troops on the battlefield. The battle of Lake Wemujri turned into a total victory when reinforcements lead by Nampiel “the Bear” arrived from the South, allowing a pincer move on the enemy army. The pretender was able to escape the battle on a boat with his family. But when he arrived on the other side of the lake, he was met by a small Qesani army. Seeing no way out, the vassal king surrendered to the Qesani general. Saddly for him, this army was led by none other than Qisar “the Abomination”, with all the implications that come with it…
When the court of the Kolund Empire received what was left of the vassal king (and there wasn’t a lot left), they quickly realized how dire the situation was. They sent messengers to the other rebels, who themselves agreed to a ceasefire in order to push back the armies of the Qesani Empire. But the Kolunds were not the only one to assemble a coalition. Chancellor Qagac “the Silent” was able to convince small independent duke to support their invasion in exchange of their continuous independence following the conquest.
But the most important alliance was with the Kingdom of Kilegh, which now stood as the third strongest nation on the Continent after the two empires. Its king, Alav, was considered to be the greatest ruler of his time, a genius in all field of governance. Qagac “the Silent” travelled with his puppet Sill to meet the famous king in person. According to the chronicles, Alav was far from impress by Lagan, but allowed the meeting by curiosity. Qagac “the Silent” offered him an alliance to defeat the Kolund Empire, even promising him some counties after the victory. At the time, Alav was actually planning on letting the two empires fight it out, and then attack the weakened winner. But now it was becoming clear that the Qesani Empire was achieving easy victories, and would probably come out of the war as strong as it was before, if not stronger. Realizing that his best bet was with Lagan, Alav accepted the offer.
King Alav of Kilegh
And so the Qesani army, reinforced by the independent dukes, marches east. King Alav, who refused to link up with them, was also marching in Kolund territories. But when the Qesani army tried to pass through the mountains to enter the Kashin province, they were faced by a Kolund army, led by the uncle of Emperor Naral II. The Kolunds had a better strategic position, and the mountains made it difficult to manoeuver the troops around. Even with his best efforts, Rukigor was stuck there for a week, his assaults always pushed back by the Kolund army. In the end, it was the arrival of King Alav from the other side that allowed victory. King Alav, realizing that the Qesani army had been stuck, marched his troops at an extreme rate so they could arrive behind the enemy lines. Following a pincer attack, the Kolund soldiers rapidly panicked, leading to the slaughter of their army. The uncle of Naral II was also killed during the disorganized panic, crushed by the horse of a fleeing soldier.
With the battle won, the Qesani army moved toward the capital, while King Alav made sure that no Kolund force could come relieve the incoming siege. When Rukigor Lagant arrived in front of Tirakam, the capital, he believed that it would be an easy siege. But quickly, he realized that it would not be the case. Unlike the West, which had only turned to feudalism in the last decades, the East had been living in castles for almost two centuries, meaning they had far more time to develop stronger defences, while the army of Qesani only beginning to master the art of siege warfare. Even a brutal assault of Qisar “the Abomination” and his troops were not able to pierce the walls of the Kolund capital.
Rampiel “the Bear” then had an idea. He organized an infiltration mission with a few loyal soldiers, infiltrating the capital during night. He would then start a fire, which would serve as a distraction long enough so they could open the entrance. The infiltration part of the plan worked, but then everything felt apart. Sentries spotted the party while they were setting the fire. Forced to retreat in the palace to escape the guards, there was now no way that Rampiel and his few men could access the main gate. Knowing they had little chance to make it out alive, they were able to fight their way to the apartments of the young emperor, where Rampiel supposedly threw his sword, which landed in the chest of the boy. His men where rapidly killed as they attempted to escape however. Rampiel himself was able however able to escape to one of the towers thanks to the sacrifice of his men. Knowing that he was surrounded and that he had no way out, he pulled out the Qesani banner he had with him and put it on the tower before he was finally killed by the guards. Qesani scouts spotted the banner on the tower and reported it to Rukigor Lagant. The Marshal believed that it was a signal to attack and launched a new siege. Although it was pushed back once more, the defender lost most of their men in the bloody fighting. Should a new attempt at taking the capital was made, they would not be able to hold it. Unable to defend themselves, and without an emperor on their throne anyway, the city surrendered. For his sacrifice, a statue of Rampiel “the Bear” would be built on the top of the tower where he died, and history would remember him as a martyr of the conquest.
With this victory, the conquest of the Kolund Empire was brought to an end. On January of 750, Sill Lagan was crowned Sill of the Kolund Empire. The vassal kings submitted, and everyone bowed to the new order of things. Two years before, Lagan had been a simple king in the South-West. Now, he was the founder of the greatest empire in existence. How things change.
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Talk about a sudden conquest. The first Empire really did arise, if not out of nowhere, then from distinctly humble surroundings to the dominate the continent in very short order.
PART 67: THE THIRD SILL
Ariel Kyudatnisl Qietean was born in 1215 as one of the many sons of King Kyudat “the Dragon” of Nignriln. As he grew up, Ariel was not able to be the warrior like son his father wanted, and instead of training, the young prince passed most of his time in the royal library. Ariel would in fact become afraid of battles after his father brought him on one of his campaigns when he was 10. But while he failed spectacularly in the military field, he became an excellent diplomat and politician, manoeuvring around the court with his silver tongue. However, this manipulative attitude lead him to believe that everyone was acting like him, which made him utterly paranoid. For him, every word had a secret meaning, every compliment was secretly an insult, and every friendly gesture was of self-interest. Ariel quickly began to believe that there was two types of person in this world: idiots that are manipulated and master manipulators. And he had no desire to be the former.
When his father became the Sill of the Second Qesani Empire in 1252, Ariel became an imperial prince and the second in line for succession, with all the advantages that came with it. In 1257, his father made him the new Viceroy of Boao, making him one of the strongest lords of the empire. Already powerful, Ariel “the Chaste”, as he was called, would reach new highs as the main advisor of his brother, Sill Qearar. Qearar was easily manipulated by his brother, and soon Ariel was compared to Agan Kukati, the regent of Sill Efearar “the Great”, who was the real master of the empire during the reign of Efearar. However, Ariel found one challenge to his power, the young a popular Prince Tagac, the youngest son of Sill Lilar “the Bold”. This became such a problem that in 1268, Qearar decided to abdicate in favor of Tagac, skipping Ariel altogether. This could not be allowed. His brother now an obstacle, Ariel made sure that the Sill had an “accident” before he could make his plans public. And with the “sad” death of Qearar, Ariel became the new Sill of the Second Qesani Empire at the age of 53.
This change of ruler did not sit well with Prince Tagac. The prince knew that the new Sill did not like him, and the feeling was mutual. Tagac was willing to come west and defeat his brother for Qearar, who was a likeable idiot. But for Ariel? Tagac calculated that he would probably have a brighter future if his brother Lilar II won the civil war, as Ariel would probably have him arrested or worse as soon as the war ended. Citing the need to protect the frontier from his brother Lyudiel, who was still somewhere with an army, Tagac and his men marched back east, leaving Ariel to dry.
With his best general and 25,000 of his men refusing to come to his aid, Ariel realized that he needed more loyal subordinate. He was both king of Boao and Nignriln, but just like his father before him, he quickly realized that he could not administrate this massive realm alone. So in order to build powerful vassals loyal to him, he gave those titles away. In August 1268, he gave Boao to his only son, Ariel Arielnisl, now Ariel II of Boao, and then gave Nignriln to his nephew Egarid, the son of his brother Viceroy Qagat of Nignriln. Notably, he made Egarid a viceroy, while he made his son a full king. In the case he lost the civil war, he wanted to make sur his immediate family was strong enough to take back the throne. Just in case.
King Ariel II of Boao (left) and Viceroy Egarid of Nignriln (right)
While Prince Tagac had no intention to help him, it did not mean no Lilarian was willing to fight for him. Prince Want Lilarnisl, the second son of Lilar “the Bold”, hated his brother Lilar II and happily agreed to lead the armies of Ariel. In August, Prince Want defeated the rebel army at Ducan’a, forcing King Syevenr of Revejin to flee with his remaining troops. Still, one victory would not be enough to turn the ties of the war.
In September, Ariel found out that his wife was pregnant. But instead of receiving the news with joy, he received it with doubts. Wasn’t he away, supervising the provinces? How did she fall pregnant then? Paranoid as ever, he hired spies to find out if the child was his. When they came back in October with no proofs, the Sill simply dismissed them and hired more spies, sure that the child was a bastard. But even so, he found no proof that it wasn’t his. What a bunch of incompetent spies…
In January 1269, a mass of exiles came from the East. This worried Ariel, who sent his agents to find out what was happening. When they came back, the news they brought was not what the Sill had expected. The previous year, King Emp of Rabako had invaded the Kingdom of Nabako, forcing many of its nobles in exile. Then, Somewhere between December 1268 and January 1269, King Emp did the unacceptable. In a massive ceremony, the powerful king proclaimed the Abako Empire, with himself as its Sill. Both Ariel and the 16 years old Sill Astant III of the Kolund Empire saw this declaration as an insult to their authorities. The Second Qesani Empire and the Kolund Empire may not have always seen eye to eye, but at least they could both claim some legitimacy as successor states of the First Qesani Empire. This “Abako Empire” had no background or right to existence whatsoever. But Ariel could not do anything about it due to his civil war. As for Sill Astant III, he was too slow to react, leaving the initiative to Sill Emp, who attacked the young Sill with every intention to bring back the number of Sills to 2.
In April, Ariel’s wife gave birth to their “son”, a boy named Sugarid. Ariel would never have any love for this child, and for the rest of his life would always believe that Sugarid was a bastard and that his only true son was Ariel Arielnisl, King of Boao.
In August, Ariel finally received some good news, news House Qietean had been waiting for since Lilar “the Bold” became Sill. Nagac Kukati, the last member of House Kukati, had died comatose in his bed. With him died a once great house, and any hope of seeing the return of House Kukati on the throne. But by now the fear of a Kukati restauration had died. Lilar “the Bold” was able to accomplish more than the previous Kukati or Qerenr rulers, and Kyudat “the Dragon” had brought the empire to unseen heights. Even for the oldest of the olds who lived before House Qerenr, House Kukati only meant civil wars, diseases and instability. But still, dissatisfied nobles could attempt to rally around the Kukati claimant. And now, he was dead. Long live House Qietean.
In October, the armies of Prince Lyudiel Lilarnisl finally appeared once more. This time, Prince Tagac made sure that the victory would be a decisive one, leading a cavalry charge by himself and successfully capturing his brother on the battlefield. The Battle of Kahava was once again a show that Prince Tagac was the greatest general of his time, possibly even better than the legendary heroes of the Imperial War. With Lyudiel in chains, his mercenaries fled and abandoned him, putting an end to his attempt to claim the throne. The prince tried to convince his little brother to free him, that together they could fix this empire. But Tagac simply laugh at him. He was not stupid enough to abandon his current position to back a defeated claimant. Lyudiel was a good man, but Tagac had his own plans, and they did not include his brother. Lyudiel was simply send to the capital, where Ariel had him summerly executed. This shocked many of the vassals who always knew Lyudiel as a good man who believed in justice. Yes, he had tried to usurp the throne, but he was never less quite popular. His death only made Ariel look like a tyrant, while Tagac could bask in the glory of the hero defeating the invaders.
In December, Ariel learned with sadness that his son Ariel II had died at the age of 35. The man had been quite sick for the last months, but everyone still had hope that he would recover. With his death, his son Ariel III became the new king of Boao. Ariel was shocked by this turn of event, and quickly began to believe that someone was behind this. Maybe Tagac eliminating potential rivals?
In April 1270, another Lilarian went in exile to plan a mercenary attack. Ril Rilnisl, the nephew of Tagac who was serving alongside him as general, had enough of the current state of the empire. Just like his brother Lilar Rilnisl before him, he deserted and went in exile in the now Abako Empire. When Ariel demanded to know why Tagac left him go, the prince simply answered that he had no idea this loyal and thrusted nephew would desert the empire. How could he, a simply general for the “great” Sill Ariel, be able to predict something like that if the Sill himself did not see it coming? These hidden insults simply infuriated Ariel even more, as he knew he couldn’t do anything about it.
By November, things began to turn out for the better. The rebel troops were now tired after years of civil war. In the province of Teredro, the army of Prince Want was able to defeat a small rebel host, stopping the rebels from achieving total victory and claiming the throne. Ariel began to finally hope for the better. With enough time, he may be able to turn things around, even without the army of Prince Tagac.
But Ariel would never see the victory he hoped for. On January the 9th 1271, he went to sleep and never woke up, dying in his sleep. 56 at the time of his death, he ruled the Second Qesani Empire for almost 3 years. Lilar II being the next in line for the throne, the rebel leader became the new Sill, ending the civil war in the process.
