Chapter 1 - The Turbulent Origins of the Kentyk Nation (1767 BM - 817 BM)
Chapter 1 - The Turbulent Origins of the Kentyk Nation (1767 BM - 817 BM)
The ruined city of Orkhon, capital of the Ancient Tassahrali Empire
Whether the task I have undertaken of writing a complete history of the Kentyk people from the very commencement of its existence will reward me for the labour spent on it, I neither know for certain, nor if I did know would I venture to say. The subject, moreover, is one that demands immense labour. It goes back beyond 1000 years and, after starting from small and humble beginnings, has grown to such dimensions that it begins to be overburdened by its greatness. I however believe it to be my duty to preserve this ancient knowledge for posterity, for too many times it has been lost, becoming more fitted to adorn the creations of the poet than the authentic records of the historian, and I have no intention of establishing either their truth or their falsehood. This is the history of the peoples of Kentya. - Titu Livij, author of the famous "Ulusun Kuruluşundan."
The Ancient Tassarhali Empire and its peoples, the premier power South of the Sakhara, ~1767 BM* to ~867 BM*
The first written references to the Kentish people can be found in the Orkhoni Inscriptions (also known as the Tassarhali Steles), the memorial installations erected during the later years of the Tassarhali Empire, recounting its origins and the many subjugated nations living under its yoke. Most of the runes have been lost to the passing of time, as the nearby desert has overtaken the ancient capital of the once mighty empire, eroding everything on its path. It is here where one can find the first written references of the Qentyky, the ancestors of the modern Kentyk (or Kentish) people, listed among dozens of other tributaries of the Tassarhali.
The Qentyky were a nomadic people, seemingly inhabiting the arid wastes in the North of the Empire, where rainfall is very unpredictable, moving their camps irregularly, depending on the availability of green pasture. Despite their nomadic nature, the Qentyky seemed content in remaining vassals of the Tassarhali, rather than migrating outside their sphere of influence. This can be attributed to the absolute control their overlords held over the ancient trade routes in the region, which all centered on the Tassarhali capital of Orkhon. Orkhon wasn't just the main trade hub of antiquity, but also the site of utmost importance to the Baghnini* faith, being located just a few miles from Otuken Lake, where the Qunarli Ana, or Fertile Mother is said to lay dormant at the bottom, awaiting for the arrival of the Temir Ustasi, or Smith of Pain.
The Orkhoni Inscriptions, written in the ancient Tassarhali Script
Despite subjugating hundreds of tribes throughout its thousand year-long history, the Tassarhali would struggle to conquer the southern tribes of the Assusi, which controlled the major river systems in the region, allowing them to punch above their weight and contest supremacy against the Tassarhali, engaging in hundreds of wars and raids, becoming eternal rivals. Eventually, the Assusi would topple their rivals, forging an alliance with the newly arrived Zayriki nomads and putting an end to the millennia of Tassarhali rule in the region.
The Assuri-Zayriki coalition in pursuit of the routed Tassarhali armies after the Battle of Orkhon, ~867 BM
The fall of Orkhon would put an end to the Tassarhali people, with the men put to the sword by the invading armies, and the women and children forcibly integrated into their tribes, enslaved or otherwise. This event would mark the start of the Assuri Empire, which came to encompass the entirety of their former rivals' empire. Unlike the thousand year-old reign of their eternal foes however, the Assuri Empire would collapse within a hundred years of its formation, due to infighting between the many ruling clans and the rebellious Zaykiris, who had been unwillingly annexed into the Empire as mere subjects, as opposed to sharing the rule with the Assuri as had been promised prior to the invasion.
As the Assuri Empire collapsed, the upstart Zaykiri would fill the power vacuum left in their wake, coming to control the region and starting the Gasir Qan, or Century of Blood, a period of chaos in which most of the constituent tribes of the Empire would either be forcibly integrated into the Zaykiri, annihilated, or migrate North, leaving behind the lands they had inhabited for thousands of years.
It is during these turbulent times when the legendary Queen Ayasun enters the annals of history. Only seven years of age at the outset of the Century of Blood, Ayasun would endure much suffering throughout her childhood, as the cowardly leaders of the Qentyky simply knelt toward the Zaykiri invaders, hoping to be spared from the bloodshed. Of course, the savage Zaykiri would do no such thing, enslaving Ayasun and her peoples, forcing themselves upon the women and slaughtering many of the males.
Being one of the most renowned beauties of the ancient world, Ayasun would soon be freed from her metal chains and instead cuffed through marriage to a Zaykiri chief by the name of Batan. During the span of eight years, Ayasun would reluctantly conceive seven children from the barbarian's seed, becoming a prominent figure within the Zaykiri elite for her astounding fertility and beauty. This perceived fertily would turn her into a messianic figure among her Qentyky people, who claimed her to be the personification of the Qunarli Ana, or Fertile Mother, coming to interpret the Zaykiri invaders as the Temir Ustasi, or Smiths of Pain. Soon she became the voice of her people, now mostly comprised of women wedded to the Zaykiri, leading an uprising against their overlords. At the climax of the rebellion, Ayasun's loyalty to her people would be put into question, as the Qentyky women slaughtered their half Zaykiri progeny in an act of defiance and allegiance to their people. Ayasun would be forced to join her sisters, personally beheading her husband and seven children without remorse, an act that would solidify her status as a legendary figure in the Kentish pantheon of heroes.
The Legendary Queen Ayasun, holding her husband Batan's head
Fearing retaliation from the Zaykiri savages, Ayasun would lead her people on an arduous journey North through the perilous Sakhara Desert, liberating many other enslaved peoples on their path, integrating them into the Qentyky peoples. After fifty years of travel, Ayasun and her peoples would traverse the treacherous Aspan Sindari*, or "Heavenly Peaks," a mountain range at the northern end of the Sakhara Desert*, eventually reaching the fabled Tuboluk Denjiz*, or "Never Ending Sea," settling on its shores, much to the dismay of the native Fa'asi people which inhabited the region.
The arrival of the Qentyky people into mountainous Fa'ala, home of the Fa'asi people, ~817 BM
Ayasun's reign ushered a new era for the Qentyky, one in which they were no longer the subject peoples, but the invaders in a foreign land. The Fa'asi would not stand idle as these new arrivals settled in their homelands, and across the sea, the Merzubani people's ascent to prominence had begun, and would soon seek to expand their influence across the strait into Fa'ala, coming into conflict with both the Qentyky and the native Fa'asi.
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Glossary:
Glossary:
BM: The terms Before Migration (BM) and After Migration (AM) are used to label or number years in the Kentish Calendar, based on the traditionally reckoned year of the final migration of the Kentish people, a topic which will be discussed in great depth at a later date.
Baghnini: Of the Church of Baghnin, the set of beliefs to which the Kentish people and their ancestors the Qentyky adhered to. Adherents of the Baghnini Faith reject the notion of individuality, believing instead that all are joined in one grand consciousness. In the center of this collective mind lies the Qunarli Ana, or Fertile Mother, sleeping. It is said that only the Temir Ustasi, or Smith of Pain can awaken her from her deep slumber, leading priests to organize grand searches every year, with an ultimate goal to find the Smith of Pain, hoping to awaken the Fertile Mother to finally unite into a single, greater being.
Aspan Sindari: The "Heavenly Peaks" mountain range, also known as the Atlas Mountains in the common tongue.
Tuboluk Denjiz: The "Never Ending Sea," also known as the Atlantic Ocean in the common tongue.
Sakhara Desert: The vast desert covering the distances between the former Tassarhali Empire and Fa'ala, also known as the Sahara Desert in the common tongue.
Titu Livij: a Kentyk historian, author of the monumental history of Kentya and the Kenty people, titled Ulusun Kuruluşundan, "From the Founding of the Nation."
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