Skip to content

Casain Empire

The Casain Empire was an empire formed out of the unification of the tribes in the region of Casai in mid-Av2. It was one of the more powerful states in the realm in the Second Avihm, eventually expanding its domain into surrounding regions through colonization and conquest before being subjugated by the Avsohmic Empire.

History

The Casain Empire's history is laid out by the book The Casain Empire in Athrah.

Prior to Av2 1200, Casai was split into many warring tribes. Athrah Zarha, a warrior from the Zarha tribe in the south, brought his people north and settled the city of Athrah in Av2 1189, intending this city to serve as the capital of a unified Casai under his rule.

Over the coming decades, Athrah and his forces slowly realized this dream, growing until they were able to control trade in the region, cutting off tribes that refused to swear fealty to the empire. By Av2 1255, the empire had fully subjugated the entire Casain Peninsula, although a battle with the far northern people of Clan Xorha claimed Emperor Zarha's life in this final year, just before the empire was truly born. The survivors of Clan Xorha would be shackled to ships and set off in the vast northern ocean, although they survived.

The Casain Empire was then inherited by Emperor Zahad Alnah, who turned to the east and initiated the Zephyr War, a battle with the forces of West Merijool over the plains between Merijool and Casai. Although the newly unified empire was strong, they proved no match for the arcanists of Merijool.

The empire would then turn to the south, settling new cities in the Ebony Veldt and along the western coastline of Mt. Ebonfire and Anyr'Nogur. After slowly building a presence in these lands, the Casain Empire prepared for an eventual war with the Six Tharhan Kingdoms.

The next emperor, Sazan Akhir, went to the Perishing Well and claimed to have heard a prophecy from Voynahla that the Tharhan Kingdoms would die on the end of Casain spears. Interpreting this as a divine call for war, the Casains marched south, in what would come to be known for the other side as the War of Unification.

Emperor Sazan led one large army directly through the Ebony Veldt, seeking to attack the most powerful of the Tharhan kingdoms, Erxsival and Salahnar in the south. Meanwhile, a secondary army led by General Azhar landed in a port town in western Anyr'Nogur, founding what would become the city of Sal'Anyr as a fortification. From above, they rode to the desert floor using Kohlohmah and razed the Tharhan kingdom of Avakea, cutting directly through the heart of the six kingdoms and meeting with the main force. Just as it seemed that the Casains were about to conquer the region, however, the hidden army of Caer Adacia emerged to the surface, encircling the Casain forces and claiming Tharhan for themselves, uniting the Six Kingdoms into the Second Tharhan Empire. Emperor Sazan died in this battle.

At the peace talks, the Second Tharhan Empire allowed Casai to keep its holdings in Anyr'Nogur, and established strong trade relations with the Casains. This post-war era would be internally referred to as the Casain Golden Age, in which Casain culture and civilization developed alongside a new peaceful neighbor.

The Casain Empire would nominally come to an end when it was annexed by Avsohm in their conquest of the west centuries later, likely just after the Second Tharhan Empire was claimed.

Following the Fall of Avsohm and the Dune Wars, an independent Casain state in the Third Avihm would call itself the Casain Empire once again, seen in the Old Memories book during the Battle for Drehmal, in which this state acted as a member of the Insohmic Coalition. By this time, the region was significantly less powerful due to its time spent under the thumb of Maelihs, the mass exodus of its citizens to Akhlo'Rohma, and the loss of Avsohmic technology. It had also largely shifted away from Voynahla worship, favoring the more popular worship of Virtuo in the Third Avihm.

Comments