Chapter Three: The Swirling Pool
The following events take place between Y400 and Y500...
After all the dust had settled in Varia, the Uverites and the Zig emerged as the two clear powers in the region. As speculated by many, the two joined, forming one large Uver Empire spanning from the Varian delta to the sharp rivers bend many lengths south. For nearly 50 years, the Uver Empire dictated trade and was a feared fixture of Varia. As high as the Uver Empire soared, there were still Zigi separatists that wished for the southern region not be joined at the hip of Uveris. Much debate ensued and soon enough, Uver was shattered into three pieces. Kushuk, the northernmost territory, was centered around Uveris and a long strip of coastline along the Bay of Uveris. The Kushuk were a merry trading people who quickly came to befriend the Cargu to their north. The Kushuk did not particularly seem to have a desire to wage war until they happily joined in on Ardu Ahi's act of decimating Kirra, a conflict that had been on and off for years. Numur, the next Uverite territory to the south, was a civilization primarily concerned with technological prowess. They were the heart and soul of the old Uver empire if the Kushuk region was the head. Numur began to work closely to advance technologically with Semir, the new name for the Zigi after the end of Uver. Semir and Numur emerged as two of the most well rounded civilizations in the known world. A small state called Ligath was born to the south of all of these civilizations, filled with Semirites and Numurites that wanted to distance themselves from the menacing Ashpai, who happened to be advancing technologically and militarily at a concerning rate.
The Ardugal river had its turn with some bloody conflict after the conflict was centered around the Varian the previous century. While the Ardu Ahi were busy pillaging Ivrit and sending poor Kirran souls fleeing on small boats into the Bay of Uveris, the Asishi launched a campaign on southern Ardu Ahi, capturing it into their territory. The Asish military was quickly becoming one of the most feared in the region. South of the growing civilization, Lajar, lay two fresh cultures, Mechpar and Negat. Both cultures featured prominent families that once lived in Uveris, looking to start new empires in fresh lands and get away from the congestion that became upper Varia. The island which was home to MIm'amu, Senu, and Ghugu was fully claimed by Y450, with the Mim'amu doing a good deal of expansion and the Cargu settling the eastern extremities next to Senu.
Although promising new civilizations were quickly gaining steam in Varia, Senaria already housed a juggernaut: Senartis. After a bout of expansion to the south into a land the Senari titled "Karta", the Senari Basat organized an onslaught on Meter, the second most powerful civilization in the region at the time. Because of a flurry of trades initiated by Basat Genaris Senatir, the Senari became the most technologically advanced people in the known world, and boasted the highest population, had the most territory, and had the most gold in its vaults. Senartis quickly ravaged Meter who paled in comparison to the mighty Senari. With a large number of stone axemen and archers in its ranks, the Senari forces quickly decimated the Meters and overtook their lands. The new Senari settlers shared their faith of Shadaism, an interesting brand of animism, with the Meters, and soon all talk of rebellion was quieted. Instead of trying to launch a rebellion, around Y475, the Meters remaining fled south to form a new region called Metarak, centered around Hamak, the bastion of trade in the Shining Sea. Hamak had been around for a number of years and housed an interesting array of people which were soon united by Meter hopefuls looking to start over at a safe distance from the Senari.
Upper Senaria experienced no war, but did see serious expansion and the introduction of several new civilizations. The Usir were locked in territorially by the Senari and the expansionist Keweenai, who quietly became the heaviest traders in the region once Senartis went on the warpath. The Keweenai went on the first documented scouting expedition, which consisted of a short trip north along the coast. The Keweenai came across a tribe called the Mariai, who was a strong collection of fishermen and explorers from the north. To the east, Kourtia and Sephos were founded; both were seafaring civilizations bent on trade and expansion. Some Esasti seafarers even came into contact with a culture named Ordo, which lived very far east along the coast toward the homeland of Estantum, which also happened to see a bit of expansion themselves.
Estantum and Iomir traded happily, soon building relations with two new civilizations near them called Centheron and Narassus. Athus, a growing civilization that had been a mystery to the known world for many years, destroyed Elwytr, which was not a surprise to the region at all since Brenn Chrom had been sick for what seemed to be decades. Chrom's son, Brenn Chrom II founded Kromas, a civlization a bit to the south of Athus and out of reach due to a mountain chain. Esastis became the chief trading force east of the Senari strait, trading with the Levashtu before they met their fate at the hands of the bloodthirsty Alebem, the budding trade culture named Arjatu, and even the once backwards people of Razea, like the Iazerans and the Tashadi. Iazerah really emerged in the region after they absolutely obliterated Tasaiah. Former Tasaians moved south along the river and formed Noriah, a culture a little more aligned towards normal spirit worship and not the dark brand of Iazeran worship that was taking the region over. Iazeran animism was even taking root in the Ashpai in the desert, where they could not worship water and earth spirits like Varian river folk, and were stuck worshiping dark deities like Iazerah. Even the Inchai, a new tribe of desert raiders, quickly succumbed to Iazeran animism, more commonly referred to as Iazeranism. Even Kalasi settlers hoping to settle on the Bay of Uveris coast encountered a numbers of Iazeranists. In southern Razea, the Avshar culture was founded, and they firmly shunned Iazeranist worship, preferring to worship sea deities and the like.
The Pyremic river was somewhat quiet until it saw its first war in Y430, the war between Thorys and the Pyrakhiti. The war was short lived, and the Pyrakhiti quickly toppled the Thoric capital of Apagati. Although Pyrem was more advanced than Pyrakhiti, Pyrakhiti was arguably more powerful after their new acquisitions of territory. It is rumored that the escaped Thorics settled on an island north of the Pyremic river and formed a tribe called Eldres, and some even journeyed far to the east and formed Set, which lay not too far away from Pyrem.
All was calm in the far west, or at least after Andrempu met its fate it was. Andrempu had long felt the heat from Latsha and Suppa, two heavily expanding civilizations to their north and south. Simultaneous attacked were launched, and Noremphu fell, however it was under the dominion of Suppa, but was also coveted by Latsha for spiritual purposes. The remaining Andrempu fled southwest past the dormant Astanans, forming Ferdam and Jiddor, two agricultural civilizations. Despite all of the militaristic muscle flashed by civilizations in all regions of the known world, the Komoyo quietly housed the strongest and most well-trained military in all of the land. Who knew what Mariki could possibly be plotting.
From Y300 to Y400, one official, true war had been fought, the first war. From Y400 to Y500 the known world war the second, and the third, and the fourth, and the list goes on. The secrets of stone working and archery were in the hands of just about every competent civilization, and it is accurate to say they were put to immediate use in the swirling pool of blood that became the known world.
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