Speaking of elephant kings, when the dust settles we may see succesor states pop up in the right places.
Shahs of Shahi Shahdom - the History of the Afghan Hindu Empire
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Chapter 9
The Reign of Shah Nesir.
The Reign of Shah Nesir.
We left the Empire in the year of 1132. The most turbulent succesion in the history of Empire was finally secured, although the future of Empire was far from being secure. Shahanshah Nesir's younger brother, Eshot, was ruling as an autocrat in Iran and Western provinces, his other brother Shahriyar was among nomad Pashtus, streghening his ties with this formidable fighting force. Indian prices was, one and all, on a verge of mutiny, all they needed was a leader to rally them against an Imperial armies. Finally, in parts of Empire still firmly under imperial control, Afghanistan, Khiva and Egypt, the real power was in the hands of the other Shah's brother, Feriburz, Grand Vizier and Supreme military commander, and his hand-picked officers. Shahanshah wasn't happy about that. And he desperately needed an ally.
Born in an inner circle of Afghan tribal aristocracy in the days of conquest, the Vajrayana-influenced sect of Afghans long since lost any connection with nomadic tribes of Pashtunistan, but still maintained influence in the lands of the aristocratic clans tracing their history back to the beginning of Afghan empire. It was among this sect, that Ferzad begun his career, reportedly as servant in one of the brothels used for clandestine meetings of the sect. Over the years Ferzad accumulated enough clandestine information, power and wealth to break out from old sect and create new cult, quickly gathering large following among the citizens of Kabul. In the year of 1133 he arrived into the Imperial palace and had a meeting with Nesir. The following day, Nesir renounced sincretic Eyyub's version of Hinduism, official religion of Shahi since 904, proclaimed Ferzad the Court Guru and Grand Vizier and his version of Vajrayanistic cult the official religion of Empire. Unfortunately nearly all books written by Ferzad and his circle were destroyed in a later purges, along with the followers of the cult, so all information we have on their teachings come from their sworn enemies. Apparently they taught, that only a handful of souls accumulated enough good karma to be born in the Golden Time, between 1115 and 1133 and be initiated into the cult. Those were the only real souls, pre-destined to achieve Nirvana. All the others were not real, and thus no Karmic repercussion came from inflicting suffering upon them.
Yama, God of Death, poised to visit the Shahi Empire
No matter what the actual creed of Ferzadists, the following months saw the wave of assassinations all over the Empire. The governors, appointed by Feriburz were murdered in their palaces without any trace leading to Nesir or Ferzad. Fearing for his life, Feriburz asked a leave from Kabul and a permission to launch a military campaign against Muslims in Yemen, which was promptly granted. Since Eshot didn't send Western Army to Feriburz, garrisons from Bengal and Southern India were withdrawn, leaving the lands undefended in case of mutiny.
The following years saw the Empire in a peculiar position. Although the new army, called Feriburz's Host were triumphant in Yemen, in Karnataka local king, Ahavamalla, refused to send any taxes to Kabul, the other rulers on Deccan followed suit. In Bengal, the days after the withdrawal of garrisons local princes started preparing for mutiny. The only relieve for the Empire, was that before Bengali attacked the Empire, they descended into a war among themselves.
In Kabul, the madness reigned. The legends tells of the crazed Shahanshah, roaming the streets of great city after sunset, dressed in black, with golden mask on his face, raping and murdering anyone he fancied, regardless of gender or status. The nomadic tribes begun attacking the cities all over the Empire.
In the year of 1136, new decree was issued. From all corners of Empire the fairest maidens shall be brought to Kabul, to partake in bride-show, where Shahanshah Nesir will choose his wife. Surprisingly, he choose certain Puella Yngling, the descendant of some exiled dynasty. All her family was moved into the Imperial household, and the orders was sent to military commanders to prepare armies for expedition in a distant land of Norway, to restore house Yngling there. But that didn't happened. In the year of 1136, the Shahanshah was murdered by unknown perpetrator. Although, his wife's brother were named killer, and executed along with all his family, people in the bazaars talked, that Ynglings was probably the only family of Empire without motive to murder Nesir.
His infant son, Firdews, was crowned hastily, although locked in a golden cage of Imperial Palace, he wielded no power whatsoever. The infamous anarchy in Kabul begun.
When I saw, that I can marry Kannada Yngling with Occitan brother living in Ramagiri (which is a temple, btw) I knew that the end is nigh!
All good things must come to an end. Plus, I like AARs that still have a resemblance of historical plausibility instead of the "conquer the world" epics (not to say those are bad by any stretch - many are quite fun to read!) but reading about turmoil is always more pleasing than eventually reading update after update of victory and domination!
Looking forward to what happens next and how your empire descends into the "chaos."
Looking forward to what happens next and how your empire descends into the "chaos."
Chapter 10
The reign of Shah Firdews
The reign of Shah Firdews
Shah Firdews was born in the year of 1136 to his father's secondary wife of Persian descent. The same year, Shahanshah Nesir was murdered, and a toddler was crowned the Shahanshah of Afghans and non-Afghans and Maharajadhiraja. All titles rang false.
He wasn't Shahanshah of Afghans, for Loya Jirga convened in Farah and proclaimed his uncle Shahryar, the prince who lived among Pashtu nomads fora long, and was seen as an embodiment of the old ways, Shah of Afghanistan.
City of Farrah, Afghanistan
He wasn't Shah among non-Afghans, for in Iran his uncle Eshot ruled supreme from Urmia, while in India Ahavamalla, king of Karnataka, gathered Dravidian armies to march north and evict Afghans from what he called Bharat Svarajya. In the west, Arabian lands and Egypt were controlled by his other uncle, Feriburz, who set his capital in the port city of Rosetta in the Nile delta.
Rosetta, Egypt
In between this centers of power, something was happening. This was a strange period, and even contemporary sources seem to struggle with understanding what exactly was happening. It wasn't an all-out war, for armies (2 old Imperial, maintaining some semblance of order - Western in Urmia, under Eshot and Southern in Rosetta, under Feriburz; the host of nomads under Sahryar; and Indian armies of Ahavamalla) didn't move. But peace it was certainly not.
Grand Bazaar in Urmia, Western Azerbaijan province, Iran (Iran's too modernized, too much new buildings to show the street view)
By the year of 1141 the Empire was no more. Lanka was independent under its former Afghan governor, Iran under Eshot, Bengal was lost to local warlords and succumbed in never-ending war, Shahryar ruled all of Afghanistan, save for Kabul. In India Ahavamalla subjugated all other rulers and independent India was united. Due to decline of middle kingdoms, Karnataka became the foremost and most developed region of the world, and the Dravidian Renascence movement was born in the rich and tolerant cities of Bangalore, Mangalore, Bijapur and Mysore.
Bijapur, Karnataka, India
As for the young Shahanshah Firdews he lived in luxury and comfort of Imperial Palace, far from the struggles of Empire, spending his days in writingintricate poetry in Pashtu, Dari, Sanskrit, Kannada and long dead languages of Pehlevi, Avestian and Parthian. In Parthian he wrote his "Book of Kings of Illustrious House of Shahi", the most important source in the Shahi studies.
His main work was a "Divan of the most Secret of Gardens", a compilation of poems, where the line in Kannada was rimed with line in Pashtu, the Pashtu line - with Dari and so on and on, written in Pehlevi script. Some parts of this divan were written in a special script, devised by Firdews himself. Thousands of scholars tried to decipher all hidden meanings of it, but this will always remain one of the most mysterious creations of human genius.
In the 1173, Firdews was evicted from Kabul by Indian Emperor, who made the city one of his capitals. Firdews moved to his wife's family estates near Damoh, where he spent the rest of his life writing poetry and history, entertaining concubines of harem and smoking more opium than was previously thought possible. He died in a castle of Singaurgarch, long after the empire he never ruled crumbled into dust.
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So, ladies and gentlemen, that is pretty much over. I'll do a state-of-the-world update, and review the successor states, but the narrative part is over.
That was fun to write, so I'll continue with AARs, while I manage to get a workable idea (Messalian Fatimids? Slaver republics of GoT mod? Turkic or Deilemite warlord during an anarchy in Samarra, when HIP gets to treat Abassids right?)
That was fun to write, so I'll continue with AARs, while I manage to get a workable idea (Messalian Fatimids? Slaver republics of GoT mod? Turkic or Deilemite warlord during an anarchy in Samarra, when HIP gets to treat Abassids right?)
Perhaps its in holding until this is completed, possibly allowing ideas to flow more easily per AAR. That said, I can't wait to see the cataclysmic end here...
I don't know, writing it is tough. I've had an AAR about Daniil of Galich, which is tenfold easier, because the history itself provides you with an ark (take back Galich, meet Mongols, don't get murdered) but dropped it, cause in current situation playing for Galichians lost its appeal (yes, I'm that sensitive). But, however, I gave it some sort of ending and I like some writing I did there.
Writing a general Rurikid AAR is way harder: if you start in 867, you'll have to endure Normann theory galore, or delve into modding, plus it would mean that there will be no Sviatoslav, no Vladimir I, no Yaroslav the Wise or Mstislav the Great. 1066 is tough too, because without lestvitsa implemented principalities nearly every time evolve in vastly ahistorical patterns, and AI usually goes and proclaims some vile heresy of a kingdom (looking at you, Ruthenia). The neigboorhood nations are not well portrayed too, Steppes, these Lithuania are behaving weirdly. So, this combination of complexity of the task and CK2 misgivings discoruages me from delving into it. Plus, I love sourse material so much, I wanted it to follow it as closely, as possible. I'm not saying, I won't be writing it, but it's not in the near future.
Well, the end already happened, not with a bang, but a whimper. In the next installment I'll show what the fall of Empire ment for her peoples.
ekorovin said:
I don't know how I missed that, I was expecting that the outright final collapse was going to be included in that post-world post! Silly me... :blush:
Just read through this and it has been a fun and engang read. Very interesting to read of a decline and not just a rise.
The year is 1174, one year passed since the last of Kabul Shahi, and the last Shahanshah of united Empire was evicted from his ancestral palace in Kabul and moved to Damoh in Madhya Pradesh, the City of Grace and Affection, if its official site is anything to go by. And the world is in chaos.
Busy day in the City of Grace and Affection
1. First of all, India. Excluding Bengal, divided by local dynasties, India got it relatively easy. Ahavamalla and his succesors, Talakad Ganga dynasty rule here, Dravidian house to rule Aryawarta, for the first time in millenia. They also hold Sistan and its merchant republic, parts of Egypt, and the city of Kabul itself Southern Lanka is ruled by Mizrahids, descendants of Afghan governors, converted to local Sinhala culture. The only one to oppose Talakad Ganga is a fearsome Rajput prince of Lahor.
2. Middle East and Iran had been hit hard. Two successor states, ruled by descendants of Eshot Shahi (Persia) and Shahryar Shahi (Shahi) is fighting a constant war for the remnants of empire, while Muslims states saw their chance and took Mecca, Baghdad, Tabasaran and large parts of Arabia and Mesopotamia back. Although most of the population here are devout Hindu, and right now a grand uprising of Hindu Bedouin tribes are fighting Muslim authorities.
Persia is trying to maintain an image of successor of both Shahi and previous Persian empires, and holds its capital in Urmia (it fell to Muslims in 1177, although later retaken, but the capital was moved to Isfahan), while Shahi is a weird conglomerate of rulling nomadic Afghans and subservient settled population. The real capital is migrating with the Shah, while Basra is the most important city. Both empires are constantly warring with each other, Muslims, and endless revolts, Middle East and Iran is terribly depopulated and thrown back for centuries.
3. Europe - Eastern Europe is dominated by Byzantine Empire, notable sates are Georgia (Cathar, ruled by Bulgarian dynasty and on the other side of Caucasus from the proper Georgia), Wallahia (Lollard, ruled by a lunatic Frank). The formerly great Lithuanian kingdom, ruled by Slavic faith convert Prussians ("I proclame Perkunas a false thunder-god, Perun is a true thunder god, accept him or die") and Bohemia, formerly containing Poland, are no more, chaos reigns in the East.
4. Western Europe - notable states: Papal Burgundy, after the fall of Rome to the Lollard king of Italy, Pope relocated into Vivarais in Burgundy, lately he recovered Rome and most of Italy, but decided to stay in Burgundy, wise precaution, for Rome, Genoa, Pisa and other Italian cities were sacked by Kali-worshiping pirates based in Nile delta, ruled by Shahi prince from Rosetta. France is slowly consolidated its rule over the German lands.
5. British Isles
Outside of French holding in the Southeastern England, Britain is divided between Breton Norse kingdom of England, Waldensian Irish kingdom of Eire, Fraticcelli Irish Scotland and Catholic Irish Wales
Some notable facts: Steppe is completely Orthodox, with some Catholic enclaves, Ruthenia is Orthodox, though Northern Russian lands are taken by Finns. Rurikids are like cockroaches, you just can't get rid of them, they'll adapt to whatever you throw at them:
I forgot to take a religion and culture screenshots, will post them later.
Busy day in the City of Grace and Affection
1. First of all, India. Excluding Bengal, divided by local dynasties, India got it relatively easy. Ahavamalla and his succesors, Talakad Ganga dynasty rule here, Dravidian house to rule Aryawarta, for the first time in millenia. They also hold Sistan and its merchant republic, parts of Egypt, and the city of Kabul itself Southern Lanka is ruled by Mizrahids, descendants of Afghan governors, converted to local Sinhala culture. The only one to oppose Talakad Ganga is a fearsome Rajput prince of Lahor.
2. Middle East and Iran had been hit hard. Two successor states, ruled by descendants of Eshot Shahi (Persia) and Shahryar Shahi (Shahi) is fighting a constant war for the remnants of empire, while Muslims states saw their chance and took Mecca, Baghdad, Tabasaran and large parts of Arabia and Mesopotamia back. Although most of the population here are devout Hindu, and right now a grand uprising of Hindu Bedouin tribes are fighting Muslim authorities.
Persia is trying to maintain an image of successor of both Shahi and previous Persian empires, and holds its capital in Urmia (it fell to Muslims in 1177, although later retaken, but the capital was moved to Isfahan), while Shahi is a weird conglomerate of rulling nomadic Afghans and subservient settled population. The real capital is migrating with the Shah, while Basra is the most important city. Both empires are constantly warring with each other, Muslims, and endless revolts, Middle East and Iran is terribly depopulated and thrown back for centuries.
3. Europe - Eastern Europe is dominated by Byzantine Empire, notable sates are Georgia (Cathar, ruled by Bulgarian dynasty and on the other side of Caucasus from the proper Georgia), Wallahia (Lollard, ruled by a lunatic Frank). The formerly great Lithuanian kingdom, ruled by Slavic faith convert Prussians ("I proclame Perkunas a false thunder-god, Perun is a true thunder god, accept him or die") and Bohemia, formerly containing Poland, are no more, chaos reigns in the East.
4. Western Europe - notable states: Papal Burgundy, after the fall of Rome to the Lollard king of Italy, Pope relocated into Vivarais in Burgundy, lately he recovered Rome and most of Italy, but decided to stay in Burgundy, wise precaution, for Rome, Genoa, Pisa and other Italian cities were sacked by Kali-worshiping pirates based in Nile delta, ruled by Shahi prince from Rosetta. France is slowly consolidated its rule over the German lands.
5. British Isles
Outside of French holding in the Southeastern England, Britain is divided between Breton Norse kingdom of England, Waldensian Irish kingdom of Eire, Fraticcelli Irish Scotland and Catholic Irish Wales
Some notable facts: Steppe is completely Orthodox, with some Catholic enclaves, Ruthenia is Orthodox, though Northern Russian lands are taken by Finns. Rurikids are like cockroaches, you just can't get rid of them, they'll adapt to whatever you throw at them:
I forgot to take a religion and culture screenshots, will post them later.
This is another major breakup of an empire akin to someone for about 1400 years ago! 
The screenshots really do show just how hard that "fall" was on your formerly united empire.
Western Europe looks like its taking a moderately familiar form. Funny to see Burgundy pushed into Italy as their last remaining foothold (no pun intended).
The screenshots really do show just how hard that "fall" was on your formerly united empire.Western Europe looks like its taking a moderately familiar form. Funny to see Burgundy pushed into Italy as their last remaining foothold (no pun intended).
Well, Burgundy has some land in Burgundy, plus it's actually Papacy, Pope (King-Bishop of Burgundy) holds court in Vivarais in Burgundy, and Rome was sacked by Hindu Kali-worshipping pirates of Nile delta, new scourges of Mideterranean.This is another major breakup of an empire akin to someone for about 1400 years ago!
Western Europe looks like its taking a moderately familiar form. Funny to see Burgundy pushed into Italy as their last remaining foothold (no pun intended).