Jerusalem Calling - A Khazarian AAR

[terr0rizm]

Finally caught up.

Zachariah has seen some good times but lately it has been bad times. Now all that he has done maybe lost because of a rabid dog.

No worries about the dog - Zachariah's going to be healthy to see more ups and downs.

Never seen that event before, it appears Zacharia has made himself a ''powerful'' new enemy. On a serious note losing all that manpower is not good, hopefully his neighbors do not take advantage of his weakness.

Very true. It was mere luck that until now only the Bulcir arrived, and with bad timing. If it had been another clan, there was little chance of fending them off, which would have cost more manpower.

I am not entirely sure that even this newer version of Zachariah has enough energy to maintain a rivlary - I can quite imagine it being a one-sided affair

Yeah, he's not one to hold a grudge - too much trouble

 

[terr0rizm]

Chapter 22 - New Lords

December, 876 AD

Zachariah idly sat at his desk, in deep contemplation how the court encampment could possibly be enhanced. He was glad that how to spend money most usefully was his biggest problem for now. Things had again started to run smoothly over the course of the past year, with several pieces sliding into place and form a somewhat stable larger picture. That made it bearable that some kids from the camp wouldn't stop getting onto his nerves. They constantly found new ways to trick his guards and cause mischief around his place. I wonder what the parents of those brats are thinking, he thought more than once, but nobody would ever find out who exactly they were.


Earlier...


The year 875 had closed with Bulgaria going to war against Hungary. This was nothing new – King Boris had already declared a Holy war upon the Hungarians earlier, but Árpád had taken that into account. When that first war went below his expectations, he escaped a loss by converting to Catholicism and nullifying Boris' casus belli (one of the fancy Latin words Zachariah had picked up in his efforts to learn proper diplomacy). Now the Bulgarians had to restrict themselves to Szekelyföld, a single county near the Eastern border of both realms.

Even with the war on Hungary running, Bulgaria was standing way too strong for Ashina to risk a full-scale conflict, but with Boris distracted, Zachariah and his general staff made plans to cross the new mutual border in Belgorod and pillage the countryside. The troops arrived in March, with little perspective for the local lord and brother to King Boris, Duke Gavril Balgarsko, to defend himself without his brother's help. He had only short of 1000 troops to his own disposal – far from enough to oppose the Ashina army that had by now replaced most of their ranks and numbered over 2000 men again.

The Bulgarian army never showed up, and over the course of the year the land were thoroughly sacked and stripped of all valuables. Villages were plundered, and razed to the ground if the locals put up resistance. Castles and cities rapidly surrendered to the might of the Ashina horde. The last bastion, the Bishopric of Belgorod that lent the surroundings its name, fell in August.

A bit further north, Ruthenia had declared itself a kingdom and split off from Drevlianian suzerainty shortly after their independence. In the early days of 876, King Vyshata, a hopeful young orphan man who was said to fulfill some ancient Slavic prophecy and thus given the lands that Drevliania had liberated, decided to permanently move into Dyre's former holdings and rightfully succeed him as the lord of Kiev (the local name for what the Norse called Könugardr). To reflect this, the realm should be known henceforth as the Kievan Rus.

A little later, Manasseh finally reported success in his war for the subjugation of Könugardr, although much of the possible gains had been squandered in the ill decision to head east to drive off some raiders (who had already left weeks ago when Manasseh's forces arrived to presumably defend the land).

Still the Khazarian lands would now include the whole Duchy of Chernigov, over which Dyre had started the conflict that should lead to his downfall years ago. In addition there were two small exclaves – Zaslav, to the west of Kiev, and Luki far north of Polotsk. The latter raised much excitement and curiosity in the Khazarian court, as hardly anyone had been so far north in his lifetime. Luki was about to host lots of visitors for the next weeks.

This expansion had some profound effects on the structure and the politics of the Khazarian Khaganate. After the vassalization of Dyre, first thing that happened was the establishment of a new Khan in a small part of the Bulanid lands. Buzer of Kabar got only a single province from Manasseh, but was from now on formally equal to the other Khans and entitled to a vote when it came to matters of the realm.

The same soon went for Dyre. It showed that despite his defeat and his consequent deep grudge against Manasseh, he was a man of splendid talent who had overbid his hand in the greater game. Upon meeting him, it seemed to Zachariah that there was nothing this majestic man didn't know. And still, all it takes to fall from glory is one mistake such as attacking a Khazarian lord, Zachariah thought, not without pride.

Manasseh, who seemed to truly believe Dyre could be convinced to come to terms with his new position, soon provided him with various responsibilities at his court.

This had adverse side effects though: Dyre was not going to support Manasseh's interest in the council by any case. This inclined Hezekiah, Khan of Hekel and Marshal of Khazaria, to pull a few strings and make sure a majority of the council would be voting against Manasseh for the coming years. Hezekiah also approached Zachariah (who traditionally was in opposition to the Khagan anyway) and promised to show his gratitude anytime Zachariah needed his own back scratched.

Apart from those shifts in the Khazarian political stage, there also were pleasant developments for Zachariah in his own demesne. He finally got to know his chancellor Ezra personally, whose competence had always been highly valued by everyone including the Khan. The relatively quiet times gave both men time to converse and develop their mutual visions for Ashina's future.

This was all good and nice, but Zachariah found himself to miss something. If he wanted to be remembered like Muhan was, there had to be combat sooner or later. But there wasn't really anyone to sensibly declare war on – the Khanates neighbouring Zachariah were friendly, Manasseh was going strong and the Magyars were still proteted by a truce.

The acute absence of bloodshed (as Belgorod showed no signs of resistance) had Zachariah even contemplate if a traditional round of War Games would maybe produce some diversion. While everyone was impressed of the skills of the winner, there still was no blood – save for the wisent that Simsam, a survivor of the disastrous Odessa Incident who had been promoted to command by now, had managed to bring down in the final stage and that was roasted for the big feast in the evening. At least those occasions never failed to make Zachariah's court a little happier.

Khatir peaked into Zachariah's hut and saw him contemplating. "Slow times, eh?"

"Almost boring, Marshal." Zachariah saluted sloppily. "But who are we to complain? Not losing men is nice for a change."

"No denying that. You wanna hear something funny?"

"Out with it. I'm always in for a good laugh."

"The Kasogians, a small tribal chiefdom in Alania, have sent a raiding troop to Kuban. Right next to the Khazarian main settlement in Azov, with Manasseh's army of more than 3000 men right around the corner. Guess how many men they've sent."

Zachariah grinned. "Go ahead."

"75. "


Zachariah let it sink in for a second, then started to snort with laughter. Khatir couldn't contain himself either and chuckled hysterically while perpetually facepalming upon the sheer insanity of this move.

 

[stnylan]

That got me laughing too

 

[tpmcinty]

The times without war are hard on a warrior. I am sure an opportunity will show itself soon.

 

[streaker77]

Zacharia continues to build his influence within the land, whats the faction situation like in Khazaria?

 

[terr0rizm]

That got me laughing too

Good to read when people are having fun.

The times without war are hard on a warrior. I am sure an opportunity will show itself soon.

No doubt about that. Truces between Nomads run out quickly, and sometimes things change faster than anyone expects.

Zacharia continues to build his influence within the land, whats the faction situation like in Khazaria?

Completely quiet for years. The options are restricted somewhat (you can only demand independence or overthrow the Khagan), and nobody seems to be interested in crossing Manasseh right now. An established Khagan isn't easily put under pressure - succession is usually where it gets interesting.

 

[terr0rizm]

Interlude - Geography Lesson

January 2, 877 AD

Ezra stood in front of a bunch of children ranging from 6 to 9 years. They were the offspring of the Ashina courtsfolk, the ones who would eventually be competing for political influence – although none of them would think of that yet. Everyone listened eagerly. They all liked Ezra, who was strict but fair, never patronizing and seemingly infinitely patient and always had an open ear for questions.

For today, he had announced an overview over the land they were growing up in and its neighbours. Ezra, diligent as he was, had the scribes prepare various maps and graphs who would still be useful to the administration after he showed them the children. Right now, he was showing a circle of rough portaits with names.

"These are the clans in our lands and their respective Khans. It also shows how many people live in their realm, how many provinces they rule over and their rough opinion of our Ashina clan. I'll show you in a minute where they live. The uppermost of them is Manasseh Bulanid, the Khagan. Now kids, who of you knows what the difference between a Khan and a Khagan is?"

Several hands were raised.

"Great! Parsbit, would you care to explain?"

"Uhm, they are both rulers over a swath of land, but a Khan is...below a Khagan and has to serve him if the Khagan wants it. Anyone who has got no one above him is considered a Khagan."

"Very true. One calls it independence if someone rules without anyone over him - in our part of the world, you're automatically a Khagan in that case. Khans are supposed to supply the Khagan with troops in times of war and the Khagan has to defend them from attacks, but they do not have to pay taxes. Conversely, tributaries pay taxes from their own income, but they don't need to send troops even if the Khagan, or their suzerain, is attacked - and vice versa. Of course, they can still call each other to war or intervene in one.
Now I'll show you the map of Khans, or comparable rulers...because they're named differently in other parts of the world."

"Can you see Theodosia and the Ashina lands, Songul?"
Songul was Ezra's younger daughter, a stubborn and brash tomboy type who rarely sat quiet for long.
"Hmm. I can read the two As in the pink lands right in the middle of the map. Is that it?"

He smiled. "Very well done! It is indeed this land, right to the center. You can see that there's a lot of sea around us – most of the other steppe people can't say that of themselves. The lands between the two rivers to the west are the new pastures we recently took from the Magyars. You can see their remains nearby in the brownish colour.

To our north are the fellow Khanates of Jabdertim and Hekel. Like us, they are subject to our big neighbour to the east, Khagan of Khazaria and Khan of Bulanid Manasseh the Second."

"Why is there a 'Kiev' and a 'Kievan Rus' on the map?", asked Alp, the son of steward Kundaç.

"Oh, I just wanted to explain what's happening in those lands. Let me switch to another map, so it's easier to see what we're looking at."

"Now you see all the Khagan's lands in yellow – and you'll probably have recognized that there's no more Kiev to be found. It's because Dyre the Stranger, the newest ruler under Khagan Manasseh, has not yet found a more suitable name for his realm after he was driven from the original city of Kiev - or Könugardr, as his people call it. The current owners have founded what they call the Kievan Rus. Drutsk also used to be part of Dyre's lands, but keep on fighting to be independent.

You can also see the surrounding High Chiefdoms in the west and the large and powerful Polotsk to the northern border of Khazaria. They're all Slavic Pagans who live in permanent villages and farm the lands instead of moving from pasture to pasture like our people do."

The children were somewhere between curious and sceptic. "But what do they do when their fields are, like, harvested off?" asked Busir.

"The fields regrow much faster than our pastures, Busir. It rains more frequently farther north, and the people there have been making progress working the land for as long as we have taming horses. But that's a story for another time..." and he displayed a new map.

"This is the southern neighbourhood, with the Black Sea in the center. Who of you has heard of the Byzantine Empire?"
Every child raised its hand and some chuckled upon the apparently silly question. Ezra had to smirk too. Of course everyone knew about the Bzyantines. Despite being considered past their prime and facing an upcoming challenger in the Abbasids of Arabia, they were still the largest and wealthiest realm in the world. Stories about Constantinople, its beauty and its vast riches, were abundant all around the Black Sea – and they were Ashina's immediate neighbours on the Crimean peninsula.

"As you can see, they rule the southern coast of the Black Sea. Between them and Khazarian lands, there's Bulgaria in the west – that's where Duchess Yeldem, the older among you surely remember her, resides today. The eastern coast belongs to Georgia, another wealthy kingdom famous for its strong castles high upon the mountains of the Caucasus. It's ruled by the Bagrationi dynasty, whose ancestors were among the first Christians in the region. They have a fascinating history, not dissimilar to our own glorious ancestry. I'll tell you more about it another time."

The children sat and listened in awe to Ezra going on about the lands around the Black Sea and the perpetual conflict on the Caucasus between Muslim and Christian rulers. More than one of them wondered if these religious quarrels would some day would spill into Khazaria.

"We can't be sure about what happens some day." was Ezra's answer. "But for now, we're lucky to be far enough away should it actually come that way - and we can relocate even further if it should be needed. Speaking of 'far away', here's the eastern border of Khazaria."

"That's a lot of nearly uninhabited steppe you see there. Around the Khazarian borders, we have the Khaganates of Burtas, Bolghar and Pecheneg – they're all tributaries to Khagan Manasseh. Next to them, you see Bashkiria and Perm – which is in quite some trouble right now and could well not be on such a map in a few years' distance. Further to the east is the vast, but largely empty Khaganate of Cumania. There's nearly always more than one war running in this region, and most borders are rough estimates."

Bozçin raised her hand. "I've heard of Cumania. Isn't it where Khanum Asli, the Spymaster, came from before she went on her adventures to Arabia?"

The detective gang smiled and Ezra answered his daughter full of support.
"Exactly. I'm glad you're so fond of the achievements of my colleagues. Khanum Asli sure deserves it. She's really an exceptional woman, and maybe one of you will someday be in her place and discover the secrets of far away lands."

The children, upon the thought of discovering secrets, started to get unruly as they knew the lesson was about to be over. After announcing the topic for next time – the life of Bulan Ashina, the first Jewish ruler to Khazaria - Ezra dismissed his class. That tutoring thing is really a nice change from diplomacy once in a while, he thought while hurrying back to the central yurt. A delegation from Jabdertim, there to congratulate Zachariah to his 10th anniversary of getting into power, had to be receipted.

 

[streaker77]

Nice to see the surrounding situations, what area is Zacharis currently eyeing for expansion?

 

[terr0rizm]

Nice to see the surrounding situations, what area is Zacharis currently eyeing for expansion?

The surrounding Khanates are off limits as nomad vassals of the same Khagan are automatically non-aggressive (which doesn't hold for raiding - pretty counter-intuitive, probably that's why Ezra didn't mention it ) and the feudal neighbours are hardly predictable, so what happens in the following chapter is only logical.

 

[terr0rizm]

Chapter 23 - Jubilee Year

November 13, 877 AD

Khan Zachariah, Marshal General Khatir and Commander Simsam rode slowly through the cheering crowd, heads high and waving. Behind the trio rode a dozen of Ashina's finest elite soldiers, faces stern and their horses marching in step. It was truly awe-inspiring. A group of squires, handing out flowers to the bystanders and little treats to the children, followed in their course.

The tenth year of Zachariah's reign had been declared a jubilee year as a whole. The coffers were filled due to the involuntary contribution of the Belgorodian population (although in February the Bulgarian king had finally won his war on Árpád Álmos of Hungary, Belgorod was already devastated by that point). Zachariah stood by that promise and festivals were a regular occurrence to him and the Ashina people over the course of 877, although they hadn't always gone as smoothly as today...

Earlier...

Two months after the big celebrations to welcome the year, the Khan and his wife announced that their third child was on the way and of course there would be a feast.

Zachariah and his court had never been exceptionally interested in the implications of their Jewish faith, as for the nomadic way of life it mattered little who someone prayed to. Strength and perseverance, not piety, was what defined your worth in the harsh circumstances of the Steppes. Faith was largely a private matter in Ashina, also because Kayghalagh the Court Rabbi restricted himself to ceremonial duties and wasn't particularly interested in promoting a deeper understanding of Judaism to the people. It mostly mattered because accusations of "paganism" to others always made for a decent justification to attack them.

But in this special year, with the Bulgarian money and no imminent threats, Zachariah got the Ashina elites together in April for their first traditional Passover Seder dinner.

The mood at the dinner was contemplative and spiritual, much different from the usual cheery, sometimes rough revelries of the peasantfolk and especially the horde. It got Zachariah thinking that those traditions, as peculiar as they seemed, were tolerated at best and prosecuted at worst in the rest of the world. Jews were a minority everywhere save for the Khanates of Khazaria. And he realized that it was his duty to protect this heritage as much as his ancestor Muhan's.

Zachariah himself had taken a pagan woman for wife years ago, but although she had staunchly refused to convert all these years, their children were brought up with the Jewish faith. Now he deemed it was time to deepen his bonds to the other Khazarian Khans and secure future generations of devout Jews. Although the Khans were strictly forbidden from warring on each other and proper alliances could only be forged by blood oath in the Steppes, betrothing his children to his fellows' would make for a closer link between their interests.

The most obvious candidate was Zachariah's friend and neighbour Yavdi of Jabdertim. He had half a dozen of children; his youngest daughter was unbetrothed and he would happily accept the proposal of her being betrothed to Tarkhan Ashina, Zachariah's second-born by a few minutes. The same went for Hezekiah of Hekel, who at the time was looking for a spouse for his only son - thus heir to the Khanate - Yavatey. It was soon settled that Ikalay, Zachariah's only daughter, and him would marry once both had come of age.

Again, a series of feasts dedicated to the new bonds between the clans were held in all three camps, the biggest one following a joint military maneuver of the Jabdertim and Ashina hordes near Theodosia. The clans cheered to their own greatness and to a bright future. Spirits were running in streams.

That's when things got out of hand rapidly.

Nobody knew exactly how the sudden outbreak of violence started. Talk was of some soldiers misbehaving around the camp, with the guards not up for that kind of jokery. But with the camp bustling with soldiers, most of which hadn't been fighting for quite some time, soon larger crowds started to form and go against each other, and soon the first men were getting on their horses. Within minutes, the riots turned into a bloody battle between Ashina and Jabdertim forces.

The fights lasted the whole night. The civilians spent a scary night under the sky, in due distance to the carnage in the camp. When the morning dawned, a staggering 1.155 men laid dead or injured. The Jabdertim horde was in wild retreat out of the Ashina lands.

Yavdi was broken upon this desaster. His men had gone out of control in friendly lands and then got themselves beaten up to the point of humiliation, with him unable to stop them at any point. He left in the early morning, with ashen face and unable to utter a word.

Zachariah on the other hand, as shocked as he was in the beginning, later found himself thinking that this pile of corpses might actually not be the worst sign to his foes – and friends could turn to foes quickly, as they all just had experienced. He didn't hold Yavdi personally responsible, but he despised the now apparent weakness of the Jabdertim soldiers. This army is naught but a band of scum. We could burn their homes to the ground and make their children our slaves if we wanted to. 300 men fallen, but they are defeated. They know we're stronger. They're never going to try this again.
Muhan would have been proud of his troops.

When the streets were cleared of the bodies, the feast resumed – this time, to honor the prowess and the sacrifice of the victorious defenders. Few people felt like carousing after the horror of the past night, but Zachariah ordered the show had to go on. Word of the events spread quickly through the realm, and when Khan Bulçan of Bulçir publicly declared he would refrain from further raiding activities in Ashina after two unsuccessful attempts, his people were overjoyed.

Retribution against the Jabdertim was postponed in spite of Zachariah's contempt for them. With Zachariah's newfound reputation as not only a pompous monarch, but a cold-blooded and efficient defender of his lands (although he had been no more in control of anything than Yavdi during that night), the time had come to finish the business in the plains of Etelköz. This time, no less than a complete capitulation and the cession of all lands by Jenö Csaba would be accepted. The Magyars were unable to put up a defense more than ever, and nobody else seemed to hold particular interest in the lands.

The conquest of Etelköz went as quick and ruthless as usual, and Zachariah's fourth son was born in October, not without the next big feast being commissioned.

Today was the day of the final victory over Magyar, which had by the peace agreement ceased existing (apart from a purely ceremonial entity that did little more than getting Csaba into a few court dinners in Hungary). Everything had gone as expected.

After the military parade, a ceremony was scheduled. All the other Khans and even Khagan Manasseh had announced they would be there to pay respects to the conqueror of Magyar. Zachariah, never missing a chance to indulge in his success, had invited them to an exclusive dinner for the same evening, with only Khazarian rulers allowed. Everyone had accepted but Manasseh. Zachariah read the message to the others: "He lets us know he is honored and would love to join us, but he's on a strict diet on behalf of his new physician due to a 'bad healing disposition'."

The exhilaration was great, as Manasseh hadn't appeared very sick to them at the ceremony. Bulçan of Bulçir joked about Dyre just messing with him though probably nothing was wrong. Khan Yavdi said "He's probably just jealous. He's always been one to begrudge other people's success. Let's not be like that and drink to the conqueror Zachariah!"

Yavdi was happy because Zachariah earlier accepted his apologies for his men's previous failure. He had put the suspected initiators of the riot to trial and shown them no mercy, which had impressed Zachariah and convinced him of Yavdi's honesty. The other Khans weren't as close to Zachariah, but they held respect for him – for all his faults, he had been reliable and strictly neutral towards them for all his reign. Ezra had also built diplomatic networks over the years that ensured the Ashina clan was held in proper esteem.

Many cheers were held that evening to the new lord over Etelköz.

 

[stnylan]

They may be Jews, but they are also of the Steppe. Of the Steppe means a certain ... riotous ... behaviour is only to be expected.

 

[terr0rizm]

They may be Jews, but they are also of the Steppe. Of the Steppe means a certain ... riotous ... behaviour is only to be expected.

The Khazarian interpretation of God turns an occasional blind eye upon rioting and plundering, I guess...

 

[terr0rizm]

Chapter 24 - Earthquake

December 22, 877 AD

4:33 AM

A man rode through the night with tremendous speed. He was one of the elite rider brigade of the Khazarian spymaster, supplied with full passage anywhere and the fastest horses of the realm. Four of them had been sent out that night. It was icy cold, and no cloud was to be seen on the star-spangled sky over the strait of Kerch behind him. He had been on his way for several hours, and finally he spotted the torch lights that indicated the Ashina camp was nearby.

The message the riders carried was an earthquake, and they were spreading the ripples.



4:51 AM

Theodosia laid quiet when the elusive messenger reached its main entrance. The guards made way without a word when he showed them his ring, and he headed straight toward Zachariah's yurt. The guard captain unsuccessfully tried to convince him to first go to Ezra with his message as the Khan would probably be with his family and unapproving, but the messenger wouldn't even talk to him. He went into the yurt.

Khan Zachariah was ungently awoken by a hand shaking him at the ankle and a muffled voice. "Khan Zachariah? Are you awake?"

Then little Baghatur started to cry.

"Yes...and now everyone is. Very good job at that. Who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm...my name doesn't matter. I come from Khan Buzer, Spymaster of Khazaria. I bring a very important message, it is urgent and I have to make sure you receive it. All further instructions are enclosed." and the man disappeared as fast as he had come, leaving a large envelope next to Zachariah.

"Oh, please" he grunted. "And this was really necessary?" Khan Buzer hadn't been spymaster for long and was obviously taking this whole 'in the shadows' act a little too eager. But Virág and the children were awake anyway now and it would take some time until everything was at peace again, so he could as well read this stupid message if it was so urgent.

Zachariah went out of the sleeping area, which was somewhat separated from the rest of the room by leather racks, and to his desk to light a candle. When he opened the envelope and unfolded the pergament, his face turned pale and his eyes wide. He read the pergament again.

Manasseh II. had succumbed to an infection in the early morning hours. The scroll before him was a declaration of fealty to his eldest son Nisi Bulanid, the new Khagan of Khazaria, waiting to be signed – or be returned with refusal, with the immediate consequence of declaring Ashina independent. His response would be requested at the next sunrise, when Khagan Nisi of Khazaria would be coronated.

Zachariah sat at his desk in disbelief for the better of five minutes. Then he whispered to Virág he wouldn't come back to bed, put on clothes and made his way to the central yurt, with orders given to his personal guards to get his council together immediately.



5:37 AM

His councillors were no less surprised when they got thrown out of bed than Zachariah was earlier. In his almost eleven years of ruling, the Khan had not once called in a nightly spontaneous meeting. This had to be something of highest importance. And they weren't disappointed when Zachariah disclosed the death of the Khagan to them. Shock and awe were the reaction.

"This might change a lot of things around the realm, my Khan", Ezra pointed out. "You'll probably figure that each of the Khans gets such a letter. The same goes for Dyre of Könugardr, as his only non-Khan vassal."

"Yes, I'd thought that much – though I didn't know it would also apply to Dyre. Who, by the way, was his court physician when a wound hardly anyone had heard of prior apparently spiraled out of control. No one's ever going to know, but Dyre might well have taken his revenge after all." Everyone took a moment to grasp that Zachariah, never short of a daring hypothesis, was possibly right this time.

"Now as I see it, each of his vassals has the chance to declare independence without triggering a secession conflict, right? And what could Nisi do about it should he choose to?"

Khatir answered him. His general staff had used the time without greater conflict to prepare for many scenarios, one of them the sudden death of a Khagan in battle or under similar conditions.

"That's right, my Khan. Each Khan is always factually entitled to declare independence of his Khagan, but under normal circumstances this is a breach of the fealty contract and thus a war declaration.
When a Khagan dies, refusing the fealty to his successor is not considered such a breach. The new Khagan might still fight his former vassal to bring him back under his rule, but he would have to declare the war himself. You already know where the difference is when it comes to calling in his vassals – expanding the realm is much less likely to gather support than defending it."

"I see. So that is the first option. The other one obviously is to stay within the realm. And I'll need to head off at dusk to be there on time for the coronation." Zachariah paused and contemplated. "I don't know Nisi well myself, as Manasseh mostly kept him out of public affairs and he's been on the road a lot. We'll need intelligence on him."

"You're right, my Khan" replied Ezra. "I'll find out what the other Khans think of him. Even more important will be whether they are planning to declare independence or not."

"Very good, Ezra. I'll await your findings. Furthermore, we need to know what a declaration of independence would entail for a new Ashina Khaganate. That's a job for you, Kundaç. Now all head out, I need to be able to make a decision this evening."

And now I'll go back to bed and think about all this, Zachariah caught himself thinking. He was terribly tired.



10:10 AM

Zachariah was studying some maps (the ones Ezra had shown to his class months ago) when the chancellor stepped into the central yurt.

"We've got the first findings, Khan Zachariah."

"Great. Well, I hope they're great. Out with it!"

"Our envoy to Jabdertim has met open ears. Yavdi is just as concerned as you and offers to keep in contact. He's not decided, but seems to lean toward staying within Khazaria. Also, Dyre has already openly declared he'd break off. He was still in Azov and left three hours ago after ripping the contract apart. Nisi is going to need a more trustworthy court physician."

"Thanks for the heads up. What Yavdi does is of great importance to me. See to it that the contact is kept and maybe for our delegations to the coronation to meet a few dozen miles before Azov."



11:42 AM

This time it was Kundaç with news. He had found out about the requirements coming in place as an independent Khaganate.

"My Khan, it is fair to assume that in an independent Khaganate of our size an ambitious lower noble would pop up somewhere in Etelköz and demand land and recognition. Furthermore, it's expected of an independent realm of above 8 provinces – we own 13 – that two thirds of the land is redistributed to rulers under the Khagan, else these rulers would be very unsatisfied. That would in turn render them pretty much useless to you and prone to rebellion."

Zachariah was baffled. "Are there any upsides, too?"

"Well, you would of course yourself no longer be object to calls to war from the Khazarian Khagan. And you could declare war on anyone in Khazaria. Other than that, I can't think of much."

"Thank you, Kundaç. I wouldn't have thought that a Khagan had so many constraints and obligations."
I'm seriously doubting that the other Khans will take this upon them. Shouldn't bet on a lot of independence declarations from them. Khagan Zachariah would still sound pretty good.



3:15 PM

Zachariah's suspicions turned out to be wellfounded. Over the course of the day, it was made more and more clear that none of the other Khans would follow Dyre into independence. Their realms were too small to gain anything from going on their own, and Zachariah was strongly in favour of that sentiment by the afternoon. Khatir's report on the military situation was ready and the marshal briefed Zachariah.

"Nisi's troops are roughly equal to ours in number, and their commanders match ours in skill. If a war broke out, the outcome would stand and fall with his vassals.
In that case, it's highly unlikely though that Nisi would be able to draw upon any support from the other Khans. They seem to be very unsatisfied with him, to say the least. He's been on quite an adventure in the Far East years ago as captain of a mercenary band his daddy financed for him, but he's also gained a reputation with his men as a self-centered smartass who pulled out his arse as soon as things got rough. He is deemed too weak for his position, and because he's weak the other Khans want more land of him, which makes him even less popular."

"Interesting. This explains further why no one is declaring independence. They can likely press their interests for more land better within the realm."

"His tributaries aren't as abhorrent of him, and we can't say with certainty if they would come to help him – but they're also far away and constantly busy fighting among each other and against their eastern and southern neighbours."



6:00 PM

Exactly in time for dinner, the council was dismissed. It had been an extraordinarily successful day of efficient statecraft in Ashina, at least in the eyes of its ruler. Zachariah was honestly proud of himself and his advisors who had diligently procured the puzzle pieces for him to put in place. The picture was clear now: Declaring independence would likely squander everything he had built over the past years. Under a weak Khagan, the liberties of powerful Khans were great – and the Ashina horde had shown time and again what it was capable of. He was still insecure about what it meant for the near future, as Nisi would not be undisputed for long, but a tremendously important question had been brought to a conclusive and well-informed answer.

Ashina would stay loyal.



11:45 PM

Khan Yavdi and his entourage were already waiting by the agreed meet-up point somewhere in the plains of Lower Don when they heard another group of riders rapidly approaching. It was Zachariah, his friend and fellow traveler from Theodosia and his men.

"Good to see you, Zach. Who would have thought it would be so soon, with you never attending a council meeting?"

Both laughed heartily. Yavdi had been a general advisor to Manasseh, but similarly uninvolved into Khazarian politics and generally lent his voice to whoever made the best offer.

"Got me on that one, Yavdi. Well, you don't seem very shaken after all."

Yavdi shrugged. "Manasseh had it coming. I already thought he had gone insane when he insisted on giving Dyre a place on the council. I mean, the guy practically breathed and sweated hate for Manasseh. And then he found it a good idea to make him his damn physician?"

"You also think Dyre is responsible?"

"Who else would it be? The infection was confirmed, so nobody will be able to prove anything – also, he said goodbye and bolted off to the West before Manasseh was even cold. Which doesn't exactly calm the suspicion."

Zachariah nodded. "It doesn't matter anyway if he's independent again. What does matter now is if Nisi proves a worthy Khagan."

Yavdi looked at him. "If it even comes to that. Nisi is weak, and he won't have room for failure. Do you know who becomes Khagan if something happened to him?"

"His younger brother, I suppose."

"Wrong. His brother Kibar would inherit the Bulanid lands, but a child can never be Khagan. In that case, the title goes to the most accomplished Khan, which at the moment is Bulçir."

Zachariah was genuinely surprised. He didn't know that rather important detail about succession in Khaganates. "God damnit, this Nisi lives dangerous now."

"Would you stop slandering the Lord, please? - But yes, you're right. Even if you're not as trusting as Manasseh, the world is a dangerous place. Especially if you're deemed weak."

He stopped for a while, then said: "You know as well as I that Nisi is not going to stay Khagan for long – at least not without a fight. And were it not for the beating that my troops received from yours, I'd think of putting my hat in the ring."

Zachariah nodded and the two grew silent again. There was a lot to think about.

What would Muhan do?

 

[tpmcinty]

There are some tough decisions to be made.

 

[streaker77]

Very well writen chapter, Manesseh was a better ruler than expected but his death might be a blessing, not many vassals would want to mess with the former Khan, but his son looks much more ''agreeable.''

 

[stnylan]

Now that is a very interesting conversation at the end there.

It is a very tricky situation to negotiate properly.

 

[terr0rizm]

There are some tough decisions to be made.

Now that is a very interesting conversation at the end there.

It is a very tricky situation to negotiate properly.

Absolutely. This was only the beginning - there's going to be much more politics in the following episodes, as much as Zachariah would probably like to keep dabbling within his comfort zone.

Very well writen chapter, Manesseh was a better ruler than expected but his death might be a blessing, not many vassals would want to mess with the former Khan, but his son looks much more ''agreeable.''

Thanks!
Manasseh's death caught everyone completely off guard, maybe except for Dyre. Suddenly the low profile Zachariah kept in Khazarian matters might provide a decent initial situation for what's coming.

 

[terr0rizm]

Chapter 25 - Contender


January 24, 878 AD


A mere month had passed since Manasseh's unexpected death and his son Nisi Bulanid's subsequent coronation. When the new Khagan was enthroned, things went as expected and all Khans swore fealty to him. Khazaria lost the remains of Könugardr again, over which so much blood had been spilled, but otherwise stayed intact. The earthquake had not caused structural damage. But that didn't mean the earth stopped shaking. The council of Khazaria was about to meet.

Earlier...

When Zachariah got back from the coronation in Azov, the current location of the Bulanid court, he immediately ordered his most trusted advisor Ezra to meet him and Khanum Asli in private.

Talks at the coronation had confirmed that Khagan Nisi had no support at all among the other Khans. They wanted him gone, nothing less - yet none of them felt strong enough to challenge him on his own. Hezekiah and Buzer couldn't muster enough troops even if they wanted to. The same went for Bulçan, even though his troops had raided and pillaged enough lands in the past decade for him to be considered the rightful successor to the Khaganate until Nisi's brothers were old enough. Yavdi was still suffering from the defeat his horde had brought upon itself in Theodosia.
Which left Zachariah. The Ashina horde was unbeaten for years and he was the only Khan who had expanded his lands significantly for a decade, mainly because the other Khans' neighbours were tributaries to the Bulanid and under Manasseh's protection. By now he arguably ruled over more land than anyone else in Khazaria, and their population was about equal to the Bulanid. And he had Yavdi of Jabdertim firmly on his side. The other Khans knew all that, and would make their moves accordingly.

Khan, spymaster and chancellor convened for hours. With the Khans still also forming the bulk of Nisi's council, he would have to either make changes and anger even more people or give into his fate of being obstructed at every move. Both meant a great deal of instability in the foreseeable future. Without a Khagan capable of acting, the Khazarian Khans would be far more vulnerable. For the good of the realm, a plan needed to be put in place to prevent its disintegration.

Zachariah immediately ruled out the option of an open attack, just as he had done when the question of independence was urgent. The Bulanid were still fielding the larger army and possibly some vassals and tributaries who didn't detest him as much as the Khans. There was no reason to gamble on that kind of insecurities. There had to be something better, even if it would take some time.

In the evening, Ezra packed his bags for a mission to Voin, where the Jabdertim encampment was. Despite Khan Yavdi's and Zachariah's friendly relations, Yavdi was until now reluctant of a Blood Oath to testify their loyalty to each other because he feared his clan would not hold the Ashina as highly in esteem as he did with Zachariah. This had to change.

Asli looked for Kundaç and ordered him to make everything ready for the encampment to be relocated. They would move to Oleshye, along with the main host. For the first time in Zachariah's reign, the Ashina court would relocate.

Zachariah himself would meet with Khatir to discuss further expansion possibilities to the west. Expanding the realm was the best way to show strength. Moldavia and Galich were both neighbouring Ashina lands, had no allies and a considerably weaker army.

"My Khan, the main difference is that Moldavia has adapted European feudal laws and structures while Galich is still very much a confederation of western Russian tribes. Our border with Galich, Ushytsia, used to belong to the Magyars too, but they've built a few villages here and there since the land was handed to the Galicians. No comparison to Moldavia, of course – they've got proper castles and walls we would need to siege down.
I'd also care to mention that Moldavia could well fall to the Bulgarians if we're not to act quickly. They would be valuable to Bulgaria, and their armies are no match for Boris' troops."

"And what do we do if the Bulgarians decide to go after Moldavia anyway once we've conquered it? His son being married to my sister won't stop Boris from anything. That's not how it works. Even if we could beat them back, even if the Khagan and the others come to our defense – our lands would suddenly be the frontline of a major war on a mighty European kingdom. That's the opposite of what I intend. Thanks, Marshal Khatir. Galich it is."

The Ashina host rode to the borders, and the war declaration, unopposed by the council as usual, followed on January 22.

What was not usual about the war declaration was the addendum, stating that with the upcoming reunification of the Etelköz lands under the Ashina banner, Khan Zachariah was entitled to be the rightful Khagan, not by blood but by merit.

War declarations were official and strictly public documents. This was nothing short of a cold rebellion. Zachariah headed back to Azov that evening for the next council meeting. Suddenly politics mattered. The next ripple had shaken the ground of Khazaria.





Khagan Nisi sat on his throne, his face looking pale and terribly tired. He wished he had chosen the life of a monk or just stayed with his mercenary gang. You could tell how uncomfortable he was, in a role he had no experience at and in a room full of enemies.

The meeting had been an utter and complete desaster to him. The Khans, whose support he was supposed to rely on, were in firm opposition to everything he said and did. He had been shouted down, scorned and threatened. And in the end, he found himself against a coalition of his two strongest vassals. Khan Yavdi of Jabdertim had openly declared his support for Zachariah's claims somehow tied to his conquests in Etelköz.

Only Zachariah himself had been unusually quiet and withdrawn. He had even tried to calm down Yavdi on more than one occasion. Almost as if he hesitated. Maybe there was a way to somehow convince him to stay put, at least for some time...? Give him something, so he had something to lose? But how, without appearing even weaker than already?

Nisi was desperate. There was so little he could do with no one on his side. And as long as he was powerless, he wasn't likely to get anyone on his side. How was he supposed to deal with this mess thrown upon him without ever having asked for any of it?

He had to do something.

 

[streaker77]

Any reason for moving the capitol? An interesting choice by Nisi, in trying to preserve his power he may have just made himself a puppet to Zacharias ambitions.

 

[stnylan]

I do wonder if Nisi might just have invited a viper to supper, as it were.