Hello, Stories and Tales! This is my debut, so to speak, in this forum. Some time ago I read the bulk of the Celestial Bureaucracy (by Tomorrow's Dawn) and was intensely drawn in by the premise of retelling history with a civ flair. This story, inspired by his, will not be quite the same: as a history geek, there will likely be more focus on world events and the Khmer Empire with less intent of narrative. That's not to fault narrative, it's just my style! And who knows, this story is far from played out at the time of this post, so it may go in some other direction by the end.
Without further ado:
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CHAPTER 1: Into/Outro of the Great Angkor
The oral traditions of the Khmer tribes of Southeast Asia tell us that the city of Yasodharapura was founded by the God King Angkor himself. Nothing can truly confirm whether Angkor truly existed, but the legends say that Angkor, leader of the largest Khmer tribe in the region, proclaimed the site at the upper Mekong delta to be the holiest in all of the world, and ordered his people to build "a gleaming city of the Holiest Khmer people". The tribes people settled at that bend, and so built the city of Yasodharapura, capitol of the Khmer peoples.
As the Khmer people settled into civilization under the leadership of the masterful Angkor, scouting expeditions revealed that there was far more to the world than the Mekong delta. Local tribespeople pledged tribute to the mighty emperor Angkor, gifting the scouting parties with jewelry and traveling supplies. It was discovered, much to the shock of the insular Khmers, that other great leaders stood just over the horizon to the north and east.
The scouting parties sent back seemingly impossible reports of an impossibly large world outside of the Khmer homeland, one full of fantastic peoples and strange beasts and massive mountains. More great kings seemed to emerge at the every step, as the parties traversed diverse countries far into other continents.
In this time, the Vedic tribes from the west established a polytheistic faith, inspired by the prophet god Krishna's tales in the epic of the Bhagavad Gita. These tribes founded the Hindu faith in the city of Palitputra.
Back in the city of Yasodharapura, a tribal leader named Harilak Thep, claiming inspiration from Angkor himself, set out with a contingent of warriors on a mission to establish a great city in the north, in the lush valleys of the Chanay coast. He departed into the harsh jungles of the north to found the city of Hariharalaya.
Unknown to the Khmer tribes, a coalition of people in the valleys of Mesoamerica had united to form the Tao faith.
The scouting party would disappear far into the densely packed river valleys of Europe, where they would never be heard from again, perhaps being slaughtered by animals in the wild.
In the meantime, the chieftain Rajaharva set out from Yasodharapura with a group of loyal followers, proclaiming holy pilgrimage to the sea in the west. In secrecy, Rajaharva had set out to grow his own power out from under the nose of the constrictive Yasodharapura governance. His peoples would found Angkor Thom on the coast of Barmar, in the name of Angkor himself.
So concludes the Angkor phase of Khmer civilization, one we can only decipher from the old lore and archeological records. Ensuing in history is a time that is much better documented, during the growth of the empire.
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There is hopefully more to come as I continue this game and develop the story. Expect frequent updates, I haven't got much better to do!
Spoiler Settings :
Without further ado:
________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 1: Into/Outro of the Great Angkor
The oral traditions of the Khmer tribes of Southeast Asia tell us that the city of Yasodharapura was founded by the God King Angkor himself. Nothing can truly confirm whether Angkor truly existed, but the legends say that Angkor, leader of the largest Khmer tribe in the region, proclaimed the site at the upper Mekong delta to be the holiest in all of the world, and ordered his people to build "a gleaming city of the Holiest Khmer people". The tribes people settled at that bend, and so built the city of Yasodharapura, capitol of the Khmer peoples.
As the Khmer people settled into civilization under the leadership of the masterful Angkor, scouting expeditions revealed that there was far more to the world than the Mekong delta. Local tribespeople pledged tribute to the mighty emperor Angkor, gifting the scouting parties with jewelry and traveling supplies. It was discovered, much to the shock of the insular Khmers, that other great leaders stood just over the horizon to the north and east.
Spoiler :
The scouting parties sent back seemingly impossible reports of an impossibly large world outside of the Khmer homeland, one full of fantastic peoples and strange beasts and massive mountains. More great kings seemed to emerge at the every step, as the parties traversed diverse countries far into other continents.
Spoiler :
In this time, the Vedic tribes from the west established a polytheistic faith, inspired by the prophet god Krishna's tales in the epic of the Bhagavad Gita. These tribes founded the Hindu faith in the city of Palitputra.
Spoiler :
Back in the city of Yasodharapura, a tribal leader named Harilak Thep, claiming inspiration from Angkor himself, set out with a contingent of warriors on a mission to establish a great city in the north, in the lush valleys of the Chanay coast. He departed into the harsh jungles of the north to found the city of Hariharalaya.
Spoiler :
Unknown to the Khmer tribes, a coalition of people in the valleys of Mesoamerica had united to form the Tao faith.
Spoiler :
The scouting party would disappear far into the densely packed river valleys of Europe, where they would never be heard from again, perhaps being slaughtered by animals in the wild.
In the meantime, the chieftain Rajaharva set out from Yasodharapura with a group of loyal followers, proclaiming holy pilgrimage to the sea in the west. In secrecy, Rajaharva had set out to grow his own power out from under the nose of the constrictive Yasodharapura governance. His peoples would found Angkor Thom on the coast of Barmar, in the name of Angkor himself.
Spoiler :
So concludes the Angkor phase of Khmer civilization, one we can only decipher from the old lore and archeological records. Ensuing in history is a time that is much better documented, during the growth of the empire.
........................................
Spoiler The Khmer Empire :
Spoiler Demographics :
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There is hopefully more to come as I continue this game and develop the story. Expect frequent updates, I haven't got much better to do!
