Chapter Thirteen: Fall of Ecta (391-420 WhC)
Two smaller Dalisam empires Zeah and Salama, brought conflict to the region with their invasion of Nunag Hagash. It was quick and brutal, and Nunag Hagash surrendered many of their technological secrets in exchange for peace. Gilguron was frozen, unable to support either side because of leadership instability and stagnant trade. Their neighbor, Keshbar found great success through trade and eventually raised an army to attack Negat, which they conquered nearly half of before showing mercy. With their new territory, they were able to bypass Negati and Crodilan middlemen merchants, and profits soared in Keshbar for their pottery, wheat, and rye. In order to join in on the trade, Sarjeth and Barbathar each made small attacks at Crodilan coastline to secure trading points. Southern Dalisam became a bit more interesting with the uniting of Eku and Dumurat into a single province, Nehradak.
Sinopa, so caught up with defending their southern border with Lushyaz, entirely forgot about their border with Imrad, which was exploited with an attack. Before startled Sinopan forces could reach the villages in the southern foothills, disaster left and right. Villages were up in flames, and smoke choked the sky and made the night last for days. Terrified, Sinopans fled to the north, which was able to defend from other Imradi attacks until peace was made when Imrad needed their troops to enforce domestic policies of destroying religious gatherings.
Paschim Ghati, still shocked from the conflict which caught them off guard, reinforced their military be expanding it and employing mining and woodcutting plans to maximize resources. To their north, their enemy, Buk, was being torn to shreds by Utugia who was struggling so much with economic problems that an invasion was necessary to keep their people from starving. Part of Buk was coverted to Tsang Chiep by a successful celebration, which added the land to Khay Lat. Eastern Utugia, feeling neglected and mistreated, broke off, forming the empires of Kol and Tobez.
Khay Lat held a great religious gathering, inviting many nations from all around, and to their great surprise, representatives from Zoa turned up. They didn't come to celebrate, however. Furious over the installment of a sacred statue in the Zoan province located east of Salong, several radical supporters of Metozoanism took it as a direct insult to their religious belief. The celebration was crashed, and a prominent member of the Tsang Chiep missionary organization was brutally beaten, and had his eyes gouged. Zoa asserted that the incident was not under their control, nor did they encourage it, but Khaylatian farmers and Zoan farmers were already at it, sabotaging crops and setting fields on fire. With all of the chaos, southern Khay Lat came under attack from Ibak, a small, militaristic province which was situated on the southern isthmus. With the help of Magan Koti informants, Ibak was able to ambush and corner Khaylatian warriors and capture several villages.
Drezha, a small empire similar to Tanga religiously, was created, and they quickly began to grow in northern Rasire. Ok-Sai Lao warriors triumphed over Fipanese warriors in a dramatic clash which at first was a stalemate, until Ara Kulai sent boats full of warriors who helped Ok-Sai claim the victory. Fipan was destroyed, their lands coming under Ok-Saian and Ara Kulite rule. Baru executed an attack of their own, invading the mainland of Rasire, severely battering Orchon and taking over their southern lands.
Empreca was the site of a great war between Set and several of its neighbors, the prime aggressors being Mephata and Glypthus. While the Seti military was busy trying to retake Cophys, Mephata quickly invaded through the mountains. Glypthus, competing against Mephata, captured one of Mephata's distant islands, and then followed up by attacking the remainder of Set. Immediately afterwards, the new land border between Mephata and Glypthus became the site for constant border conflict. Western Thorys, decinding that Thorys was far too weak to bring glory to their people, separated, as the empire of Umrud. The eastern part of Alexaendrosi holdings in Enpreca underwent a similar process, becoming Ranem.
Along the Bambari river, the new state of Tropaka was founded as a jungle kingdom with ambitions to one day rule the whole river. Amu Daria and Imimbi allied together to attack Emorna across the sea, who had absolutely no response, and quickly became under Amu Darian rule. Three small merchant states, Igirul, Mertas, and Tharanes, rose as the pottery trade brought merchants together to form small ports for boats coming in with pottery goods and western crops.
Western Haredicumia saw the greatest conflict in known history, with Alexaendros continuing their seemingly endless war against Ecta, with Garussa as one of their allies. They key difference was that Phoces joined on Alexaendros's side, and things quickly turned around. The land once belonging to Ithociny was quickly captured by Alexaendros warriors after they first reclaimed the farmlands by the coast. Central Ecta, while involved in bloody conflict with Garussa invading from the north, was crushed from behind by Phocesian and Alexaendrosi marauders attacking from the sea. Eastern Ecta was finished off by Alexaendrosi warriors encamped by the coast, and Terantian warriors searching for new farmland after their empire suffered losses to Levantaean aggression. Ecta, one of the oldest and most prominent empires, was at last, shattered. Their capital city Cubon, was sacked by Alexaendrosi warriors and reconstructed to suit the needs of their empire. Alexaendros rewarded Garussa with a sum of gold, and Phoces with a tract of land north of Sinopa.
That was not the only conflict in the region, however. Ebonarch and Nactrabia, two strong empires north of Alexaendros, were in a war of their own. To increase their stone production, Ebonarch attacked Nactrabian mountain settlements, and then set up mines for the production of large quantities of stone to sell to Yuhrug and Utugia for great profit. The war ended when Ebonarch and Nactrabia each suffered so many casualties, that further conflict would only cause them problems. An exile state north of Ebonarch, named Yurtu, came into being.
After years of bloodshed and death, the war on the eastern peninsula colcluded with the decimation of Izul and Oranella. Lycia absolutely tore their villages to pieces and captured every last warrior and brutally executed them. Lycia celebrated their victory by holding an event with competitions and festivities, which the region enjoyed so much, they nearly forgot about the atrocities committed by Lycian warriors against Izul and Oranella. The rapidly growing Lycian population would remember the celebration and fun, not the death and despair which created the cause for celebration. To the north, Dervon emerged as a promising empire, forging a bond between Solen, and dictating trade with their new neighbors, Tourv, Rhena, and Nasat.
Extal and Tamegra were both relatively peaceful. Besides dramatic population increases in some empires and the founding of two new ones, Mohol and Mikal, there wasn't a great deal of action in the region. Gumo became the first one in the area to begin to mine stone from the numerous quarries springing up in the jungle.
The period marked the first fall of a great empire. Before, only smaller empires were conquered by larger ones, but a long standing and prominent empire saw its demise for the first time. Yet again, the balance of power was shifting, from the Gulgat to the Bambari, and the Phianto to the Trymos.
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