Post by Kho on Jun 8, 2017 21:15:47 GMT
from A Record of the History of the Old Esharan Empire by His Excellency the Lord Chief Advisor to His Sacred Majesty, Lord Hairuwulf Theudis
In those days, the aggressive and intolerant Southern religion had not yet infiltrated Ergoria (what the Southerners and their stooges refer to as 'the North'). Other than the odd duchy or republic - like the Berrandans, who would go on to support the Southern invaders in their war of conquest - the people of Ergoria generally adhered to the Esharan ways or to their own, indigenous religions. Over all of these religions was the Holy Emperor, or Basileus, of Eshara a protector. All glorified His Imperial Holiness' benignity and wisdom, all stood in awe at the peace and prosperity that reigned in his domains and the domains of his vassals. In those days, when the orcs were yet a formidable and savage people whom none dared stand against or negotiate with, His Imperial Holiness spoke with them and traded and ensured the safety of his vassals and people. Indeed, the Firetooth clan - which in those days yet followed the true religion and customs of the orcs - was an honourable protector of Eshara's western border and a trading partner. In those days, the glorious Crowned Republic of Lucente was yet in existence - a firm ally of Eshara. While the Lucentians provided naval protection to Eshara, Eshara provided protection by land. Their close partnership had proved most advantageous in the past and had ensured that a friendly balance of power and mutual dependence was maintained. The Lucentians were also guardians of great magical knowledge which many an Esharan diplomat and scholar ventured forth to study over the years. However, the Lucentians were secretive and did not wish to share their knowledge. Had they shared it, the destruction of their great libraries by the wars that tore Ergoria when the Southerners came, and their looting and theft by the Southerners, might not have proven such a mighty blow against all true Ergorians and Esharans.
And there was also, amongst Eshara's vassals, the Kingdom of Elias. Her ruler was a decadent and evil man, ever paranoid and fearful of the Basileus - and fearful also of his pious younger brother, who was a well-respected and much-loved general in the Eliasian army. So paranoid was he that he would eventually turn to the Southerners for assistance and reassurance, renouncing the religion of his people and ancestors - to the indignation of his people and the Basileus - and taking up the Southern religion. He would plunge his people into civil war, and he would bring about the Southern invasion which destroyed him, his dynasty, his nation, and the entirety of Ergoria. The magnificent libraries of Eshara were destroyed by war and were subjected to most repulsive theft and looting by the vile Southerners - who took much of it back to their lands and denied it to all seekers of knowledge. Eshara's courts and her schools were torn down by Southernised lords who understood little the significance of these places, her lands were cut up and her people were scattered, and the learned and enlightened were often imprisoned and taken to the South where they disappeared forever from the records. And the wise, enlightened Basileus fell in battle, protecting his lands, his people, and his religion. That was Old Eshara, which so many know so little of in this our day and age, and this is the record of its history recording in it all truth by one who lived in those times and called that place home. May our lord and master, Eshar-Qiqarius, bless these our works, and may the Gods look upon it with pleasure.
On the Esharan Dynasty
The ruling dynasty of Eshara, the Esharans, were descended directly from Eshar-Qiqarius through the son whom the God created from the flesh of his heart; the sanctified and blessed Ilgar. He was elevated above all other humans and blessed, and he was commanded to go forth onto the earth and guide and protect all those whom Eshar-Qiqarius had created. He was the fount of Knowledge and Understanding, and it was his duty to pour forth all he had been blessed with and Enlighten the people. And this he faithfully did, and when eventually his time came and he returned to the mercy of the Gods, his firstborn son, Auhar, took his place. And for many hundreds of years, the sons of Eshar-Qiqarius were the mouthpiece of the Gods, respected and honoured and loved by all the tribes and clans of Ergoria. Nations rose and fell, dynasties came and were swept away, and the Esharans remained the one solid all Ergoria leaned on. The first Esharans to rule were chosen by two feuding east coast sub-tribes who could not agree between themselves which of their chiefs should rule. They came to Haigo the Sage and bid him deal between them with justice, and that son of Eshar-Qiqarius raised his arms to the heavens and prayed that the Gods guide him and give him Knowledge. And his prayers were answered and he was given the Word, and it materialised before them in the form of the Throne of Words. And there descended upon Haigo words from the Gods, and he spoke them.
'This is the seat of the Enlightened sons of the Gods. Be seated, if you are worthy, and rule with Knowledge and Understanding that you may prosper. And the Gods themselves do warn you and give you that which will bring it to you - but none follow the way except those who have sight and are of them.'
And Haigo sat upon the Throne of Words, and it deemed him worthy, and he ruled with wisdom and did not stray. And his sons did likewise until there came a generation who strayed and did not follow the ways of their illustrious ancestors. And so when the Basileus Argon the Unworthy was crowned and sat himself upon the Throne of Words, his soul was seized by the Gods and he fell dead and broken from the Throne. And thus did the first Esharan kingdom come to cease. And all feared the Throne of Words and none dared claim it, and so it was lost until such a time when it was once more found by Galin, who brought it to the first Basileus of Old Eshara, Aulus Eshar I.
Aulus Eshar I had grown up a subject of a feudal lord of the last king of Darethia, known more commonly as the Old Kingdom. Towards the end, its lords were no longer able to pay their tyrannical king the taxes he demanded as the peasantry was broken and in utter poverty. The people starved though no wars ravaged the kingdom, and all condemned the king for his impiety and lack of wisdom in his ways. And the realm was plunged into horrendous civil war which would not cease for twelve years. From the ashes of Darethia rose Old Eshara. Aulus Eshar I was a wise and enlightened ruler, and all knew it. But it became clear to all that even the Gods knew it when, after over a decade of journeying and studying, the great scholar and traveller Galin returned to Eshara with the Throne of Words and presented it to His Sacred Holiness Aulus Eshar I. And the Basileus was enthroned upon it, and it found him worthy, and he ruled with wisdom and justice for many years after.
He was succeeded by one enlightened Basileus after another, until His Imperial Holiness Oppius Eshar V rose to the throne. Despite the wise rulership of those who came before him, and despite his own wisdom, Old Eshara found itself battered from all sides. To the northwest, the dwarves of the Beg Guhrim Sultanate indulged in political intriguing and their agent-provocateurs sowed discord amongst the Basileus' vassals. This impeded the new Basileus' ability to check a Sylvan invasion to his south, which saw Esharan territories reduced and the establishment of the Kingdom of Navaren. Despite all this, Esharans continued to prosper thanks to their Basileus' care, and the libraries and places of learning of Eshara flooded with students and scholars as never before, and even that majestic and wondrous place, the Magnificent Library of the Fertile Earth, was overcrowded. Libraries and city centres were abuzz with debate and discussion, and treatises were almost daily being published on all matters. All earnestly wanted to understand the misfortunes of their homeland, and all wanted to contribute to the reversal of these misfortunes in any way. His Imperial Holiness encouraged this and elevated those who were wise and knowledgeable and pious to the highest offices in the land, that they may contribute to the prosperity and strengthening of Eshara. He fulfilled the duties of any pious Esharan monarch, and he was in all that he did for his people most earnest and true. Indeed, were it not for the treachery of King Archidus EnDoun of Elias, Old Eshara would still be standing today, renewed and reinvigorated by what was to be a glorious reign, an Oppian Renaissance as many even back then were calling it. That Renaissance was plunged into darkness when the Southerners came.
We shall not here go into the details of the decades long War of Southern Aggression, but Basileus Oppius Eshar V would perish towards its end in the Battle of Crimsamara, leading the defence of the noble capital of Eshara against the Southerners. Many of his siblings likewise perished, but his wife and children escaped safely - this is attested to by many, including the author of this work who escaped with them following the painful defeat. The Throne of Words itself had been evacuated from the capital before the siege and was eventually brought to Árheimar. Her Imperial Holiness the Basilinna Roxanne would live with the only child of the Imperial Holy couple, His Holiness Tacitus Eshar, in Árheimar, for the remainder of her life, and so too would her child and his family after him. This remained so until the ascension of His Sacred Majesty Aulus the Chosen-of-Eshar to the throne of the Holy Union, and he was enthroned upon the Throne of Words and now continues the sacred duties of his forefathers. Long may he reign.
In those days, the aggressive and intolerant Southern religion had not yet infiltrated Ergoria (what the Southerners and their stooges refer to as 'the North'). Other than the odd duchy or republic - like the Berrandans, who would go on to support the Southern invaders in their war of conquest - the people of Ergoria generally adhered to the Esharan ways or to their own, indigenous religions. Over all of these religions was the Holy Emperor, or Basileus, of Eshara a protector. All glorified His Imperial Holiness' benignity and wisdom, all stood in awe at the peace and prosperity that reigned in his domains and the domains of his vassals. In those days, when the orcs were yet a formidable and savage people whom none dared stand against or negotiate with, His Imperial Holiness spoke with them and traded and ensured the safety of his vassals and people. Indeed, the Firetooth clan - which in those days yet followed the true religion and customs of the orcs - was an honourable protector of Eshara's western border and a trading partner. In those days, the glorious Crowned Republic of Lucente was yet in existence - a firm ally of Eshara. While the Lucentians provided naval protection to Eshara, Eshara provided protection by land. Their close partnership had proved most advantageous in the past and had ensured that a friendly balance of power and mutual dependence was maintained. The Lucentians were also guardians of great magical knowledge which many an Esharan diplomat and scholar ventured forth to study over the years. However, the Lucentians were secretive and did not wish to share their knowledge. Had they shared it, the destruction of their great libraries by the wars that tore Ergoria when the Southerners came, and their looting and theft by the Southerners, might not have proven such a mighty blow against all true Ergorians and Esharans.
And there was also, amongst Eshara's vassals, the Kingdom of Elias. Her ruler was a decadent and evil man, ever paranoid and fearful of the Basileus - and fearful also of his pious younger brother, who was a well-respected and much-loved general in the Eliasian army. So paranoid was he that he would eventually turn to the Southerners for assistance and reassurance, renouncing the religion of his people and ancestors - to the indignation of his people and the Basileus - and taking up the Southern religion. He would plunge his people into civil war, and he would bring about the Southern invasion which destroyed him, his dynasty, his nation, and the entirety of Ergoria. The magnificent libraries of Eshara were destroyed by war and were subjected to most repulsive theft and looting by the vile Southerners - who took much of it back to their lands and denied it to all seekers of knowledge. Eshara's courts and her schools were torn down by Southernised lords who understood little the significance of these places, her lands were cut up and her people were scattered, and the learned and enlightened were often imprisoned and taken to the South where they disappeared forever from the records. And the wise, enlightened Basileus fell in battle, protecting his lands, his people, and his religion. That was Old Eshara, which so many know so little of in this our day and age, and this is the record of its history recording in it all truth by one who lived in those times and called that place home. May our lord and master, Eshar-Qiqarius, bless these our works, and may the Gods look upon it with pleasure.
On the Esharan Dynasty
The ruling dynasty of Eshara, the Esharans, were descended directly from Eshar-Qiqarius through the son whom the God created from the flesh of his heart; the sanctified and blessed Ilgar. He was elevated above all other humans and blessed, and he was commanded to go forth onto the earth and guide and protect all those whom Eshar-Qiqarius had created. He was the fount of Knowledge and Understanding, and it was his duty to pour forth all he had been blessed with and Enlighten the people. And this he faithfully did, and when eventually his time came and he returned to the mercy of the Gods, his firstborn son, Auhar, took his place. And for many hundreds of years, the sons of Eshar-Qiqarius were the mouthpiece of the Gods, respected and honoured and loved by all the tribes and clans of Ergoria. Nations rose and fell, dynasties came and were swept away, and the Esharans remained the one solid all Ergoria leaned on. The first Esharans to rule were chosen by two feuding east coast sub-tribes who could not agree between themselves which of their chiefs should rule. They came to Haigo the Sage and bid him deal between them with justice, and that son of Eshar-Qiqarius raised his arms to the heavens and prayed that the Gods guide him and give him Knowledge. And his prayers were answered and he was given the Word, and it materialised before them in the form of the Throne of Words. And there descended upon Haigo words from the Gods, and he spoke them.
'This is the seat of the Enlightened sons of the Gods. Be seated, if you are worthy, and rule with Knowledge and Understanding that you may prosper. And the Gods themselves do warn you and give you that which will bring it to you - but none follow the way except those who have sight and are of them.'
And Haigo sat upon the Throne of Words, and it deemed him worthy, and he ruled with wisdom and did not stray. And his sons did likewise until there came a generation who strayed and did not follow the ways of their illustrious ancestors. And so when the Basileus Argon the Unworthy was crowned and sat himself upon the Throne of Words, his soul was seized by the Gods and he fell dead and broken from the Throne. And thus did the first Esharan kingdom come to cease. And all feared the Throne of Words and none dared claim it, and so it was lost until such a time when it was once more found by Galin, who brought it to the first Basileus of Old Eshara, Aulus Eshar I.
Aulus Eshar I had grown up a subject of a feudal lord of the last king of Darethia, known more commonly as the Old Kingdom. Towards the end, its lords were no longer able to pay their tyrannical king the taxes he demanded as the peasantry was broken and in utter poverty. The people starved though no wars ravaged the kingdom, and all condemned the king for his impiety and lack of wisdom in his ways. And the realm was plunged into horrendous civil war which would not cease for twelve years. From the ashes of Darethia rose Old Eshara. Aulus Eshar I was a wise and enlightened ruler, and all knew it. But it became clear to all that even the Gods knew it when, after over a decade of journeying and studying, the great scholar and traveller Galin returned to Eshara with the Throne of Words and presented it to His Sacred Holiness Aulus Eshar I. And the Basileus was enthroned upon it, and it found him worthy, and he ruled with wisdom and justice for many years after.
He was succeeded by one enlightened Basileus after another, until His Imperial Holiness Oppius Eshar V rose to the throne. Despite the wise rulership of those who came before him, and despite his own wisdom, Old Eshara found itself battered from all sides. To the northwest, the dwarves of the Beg Guhrim Sultanate indulged in political intriguing and their agent-provocateurs sowed discord amongst the Basileus' vassals. This impeded the new Basileus' ability to check a Sylvan invasion to his south, which saw Esharan territories reduced and the establishment of the Kingdom of Navaren. Despite all this, Esharans continued to prosper thanks to their Basileus' care, and the libraries and places of learning of Eshara flooded with students and scholars as never before, and even that majestic and wondrous place, the Magnificent Library of the Fertile Earth, was overcrowded. Libraries and city centres were abuzz with debate and discussion, and treatises were almost daily being published on all matters. All earnestly wanted to understand the misfortunes of their homeland, and all wanted to contribute to the reversal of these misfortunes in any way. His Imperial Holiness encouraged this and elevated those who were wise and knowledgeable and pious to the highest offices in the land, that they may contribute to the prosperity and strengthening of Eshara. He fulfilled the duties of any pious Esharan monarch, and he was in all that he did for his people most earnest and true. Indeed, were it not for the treachery of King Archidus EnDoun of Elias, Old Eshara would still be standing today, renewed and reinvigorated by what was to be a glorious reign, an Oppian Renaissance as many even back then were calling it. That Renaissance was plunged into darkness when the Southerners came.
We shall not here go into the details of the decades long War of Southern Aggression, but Basileus Oppius Eshar V would perish towards its end in the Battle of Crimsamara, leading the defence of the noble capital of Eshara against the Southerners. Many of his siblings likewise perished, but his wife and children escaped safely - this is attested to by many, including the author of this work who escaped with them following the painful defeat. The Throne of Words itself had been evacuated from the capital before the siege and was eventually brought to Árheimar. Her Imperial Holiness the Basilinna Roxanne would live with the only child of the Imperial Holy couple, His Holiness Tacitus Eshar, in Árheimar, for the remainder of her life, and so too would her child and his family after him. This remained so until the ascension of His Sacred Majesty Aulus the Chosen-of-Eshar to the throne of the Holy Union, and he was enthroned upon the Throne of Words and now continues the sacred duties of his forefathers. Long may he reign.
