Old Empire, Protectorate of Taldàna

The “Warring Coast” of Ezmir is aptly named. For over one thousand years, the coast of northeastern Taldàna has been unrelentingly raped by war after war after war. What was once idyllic farmland is now littered with the machinery of war and more graves than there are people who have ever lived in these lands. Settled early by Dwürden seeking ports of trade to move produce to and from their mountain homes, the lands were later populated by the tribal Ezira (from which the name is derived), who lived peacefully within the borders of the Nurúmwar Gurm. The climate changed during the 5th century HK when the Dekàli army moved through the region, claiming all they found as part of their growing Empire. The Dwürden were little match for the armies and the Ezira mistakenly felt they might fare better under Yrūn rule. The region and its people were never assimilated into the Old Empire, remaining more a colony than part of the Taldàni city-state.

Government

• Type – Dekàli Monarchy (Protectorate)
• Ruler – Lord Protector, King Kaylyar Boron the Third of Ezmir
• Capital – City of Borōnon
• Cities – Borōnon (50,270), Erōmir (28,560), Pydor (2,400), Darzon (1,730)
• Calendar – Dekàli Reckoning (DR)
• Festivals – …

People

• Population – Ezmìryr (650 DR) 904,320
• Races – Yrūn 90%, Dwürden 5%, Ōéle 2%, other 3%
• Ethnicities –
• Languages – Ezmìric, Taldànic, Trade
• Religions – Ottarism (Amra)

Trade

• Currency –
• Imports – Produce, textiles, wine
• Exports – Ale, cheese, iron ore, timber, whiskey

Regions, Geographic

• The Warring Coast

Regions, Political

Cities, Towns, and Villages

• City of Borōnon
• City of Erōmir
• Town of Darzon
• Town of Kelámir
• Town of Pydor
• Town of Valan

Landmarks

• Krysùrgörnn

People

One of the oldest Yrūni cultures of Teréðor, the Ezìra have survived centuries of punishment at the hands of more warlike peoples. It is difficult to know where the Ezìra originally came from but most evidence suggests that they migrated west from Vulmùra in the early periods of Yrūn migration. As a people the Ezìra have historically been able farmers, fishers and hunters but have strayed from industry, mining, shipping and more “civilized” professions. Another hallmark of their people has been their kinship with the elder Dwürden. Wherever they have appeared geographically, it has been near major Dwürdèni centers. This is one of several reasons that have they been tied to the Yrūn of western Vulmùra.

The society revolves around small communities based on family, clans and professions. Many such communities may exist in one area though there are always clear distinctions between these groups. Groups dress similarly, incorporate identifiable textiles and colors, wear their hair in certain styles, and even talk different lingoes and dialects. Mostly, a “Knowledge: Local-Ezira” skill is required to notice the differences and tell who belongs to which social group. It is important to note that despite all the variety between groups, there are no castes or social hierarchies among the Ezìra. Socially, they are very egalitarian as a people. The only persons in Ezìra society that are treated with deference becoming someone of higher status are female elders, who are sought for guidance and asked to judge matters requiring wisdom.

Physically, the Ezìra are similar to central western Acèntyryr but do not have the fair characteristics common to those of the northern Vulmùri steppes (i.e. Wurm, Tūkùmun, etc.). They are typically dark haired, with brown to green eyes and brown complexions. They are taller than standard Vulmùri and regularly slight of build.

History

Until recently, Ezmìri history was handed down orally from one generation to the next. Across the span of centuries many stories were lost and others embellished beyond what is (or ever was) possible. There is one folktale of an early Ezmìryn who was able to win a canoe race by paddling ahead, leaping from his boat and swallowing the upstream river so that his opponents were grounded in their canoes. He then leaped back into his own boat and paddled furiously to the finish. At the race’s end the villagers there were distraught that they had not been able to catch any fish that day for the evening’s celebrations, so the victor belched out a hundred large fish. In the course of compiling Ezmìri history, one is often confronted by those that don’t understand why such feats and events are not included in the scholarly record. For those historians, a judicious sense of discretion is paramount. Ezmìryr are quite attached to their history, whether it is fantasy or otherwise.

That which can be distilled from the oral history as factual is much more ordinary than might be guessed at first study. It should be remembered however that the most outrageous tales might mask kernels of truth now lost.

The Ezmìri-Ortòri War (964-966 HK) followed closely on the footsteps of the failed Nurúmwar Gurm War due to the fall of Krysùrgörnn. Without the protection of the Dwürden kingdom at their back, the Taldàni-Ezmìri countryside was open to Ortor invasion. The Tamar Ort wizard chieftain Varak realized the importance of the opening and immediately seized the opportunity to control the fertile lands on the southern border of his new realm. This action however resulted in one of Varak’s Yrūn advisers to flee to Oð and report on Lady Sadìrah’s alliance with the Ortor, eventually bringing down the Kalðàri noble.

In the meantime, Varak’s forces swept south from Krysurgörnn, seizing Kelámir and the port City of Erōmir in two quick and decisive battles. Varak established a borderland east of Borōnon, setting fire to villages along this line. The fires forced the villagers to flee west creating a “no-man’s land” that his Ortor troops could easily control. Varak’s experience in warfare was to this point limited to mountain fighting against small to moderately sized Dwürdèni formations. He and his troops were not prepared for the retaliation to come. In the fall of 966 HK, Dekàli troops from Kændal, Oð and Taldàna arrived in Ezmir on two fronts. The first formations marched across the northern countryside, hoping to cut-off the Ortor at Krysùrgörnn. The second front was a naval strike landing near the port City of Erōmir, a battle that would become the bloodiest of the war. The Dekàli army stormed across the Ezmìri countryside, setting flame to Ortor encampments and liberating Yrūnyr from slave corrals. At Kelámir, the army faced the largest Ortor force ever seen to that time in Eastern Teréðor. The Battle of Kelámir lasted for eight days and seven nights until a Dekàli flank was able to reach and take ancient Krysùrgörnn. Cut-off from the mountains, the Ortor troops regrouped at embattled Erōmir where Dekàli warships were pounding the city. The exhausted Dekàli army swept south from Kelámir to crush the Ortòri army but instead found themselves outmatched “man-to-man” by the desperate and physically superior Ortor. Instead of pressing of the Ortor, the Dekàli army waited for the warships to destroy the city from the sea. The loses from bombardment and fire were great among both Ortor and Yrūn inhabitants. This strategy combined with the fact that the Empire had allowed them to suffer under two years of Ortòri occupation solidified Ezmìri hatred for their Dekàli rulers.

When little remained of the City of Erōmir, the Dekàli army moved in once more and slaughtered all Ortor that were not able to escape into the eastern mountains. The great losses suffered by Varak in the Ezmìri campaign were not easily overcome and the chieftain never launched a full-scale war against Dekàli lands again. Varak’s successor however, had his own plans (rf. Second Ezmìri-Ortòri War).

Time Line

(Dek) Time of War, 120-1 AR

• ca. 100 AR, ca. 4/458 ER; (Tal) Alùrin tribes invade Alùrin
• ca. 65 AR, ca. 4/493 ER’ (Tal) Alùrin-Ezìran War divides the region
• 207 HK, 4/765 ER; (Tal) Dekàli trading first ships arrive at Alùrin
• 220 HK, 4/778 ER; (Tal) Taldàna becomes city-state of Dekàlas

(Dek) The Sha’al War, 265-269 HK

• 263 HK, 4/821 ER; (Ezm) First Battle of Krysurgörnn (Num)
• 280 HK, 4/838 ER; (Ezm) Second Battle of Krysurgörnn (Ezm)

(Dek) The Ezmiri-Dekàlan War, 400-410 HK

• 400 HK, 4/958 ER; (Ezm) Dekàli army invades Ezmir
• 409 HK, 4/967 ER; (Ezm) Battle of Kryborr (Dek)
• 410 HK, 4/968 ER; (Ezm) Battle of Erōmir (Dek)
• 411 HK, 4/969 ER; (Ezm) Dekàli army marches north from Taldàna toward Oð
• 412 HK, 4/970 ER; (Ezm) Third Battle of Krysùrgörnn (Num)

(Dek) Time of Splendors, 720-1244 HK

• 728 HK, 4/1286 ER; (Ezm) Dwürden complete construction of Old Taldàni Road

(Ezm) The Ezmiri-Ortòri War, 964-966 HK

• 964 HK, 4/1522 ER; (Ezm) Fourth Battle of Krysùrgörnn (Ort)
• 964 HK, 4/1522 ER; (Ezm) Nūmùrwar-Tamar War ends
• 964 HK, 4/1522 ER; (Ezm) First Battle of Kelámir (Ort)
• 964 HK, 4/1522 ER; (Ezm) First Battle of Erōmir (Ort)
• 964 HK, 4/1522 ER; (Ezm) Ortòri Tamar Ort conquer eastern Ezmir
• 966 HK, 4/1524 ER; (Ezm) Second Battle of Kelámir (Dek)
• 966 HK, 4/1524 ER; (Ezm) Second Battle of Erōmir (Dek)

(Ezm) The Second Ezmìri-Ortòri War, 1003-1004 HK

• 1003 HK, 4/1561 ER; (Ezm) Third Battle of Kelámir (Ort)

(Dek) The Second Acèntyri-Dekàli War, 1244-1246 HK

(Dek) Time of Calamities, 211-240 DR

• ca. 210 DR, ca. 4/2014 ER; (Ezm) Ottarism flourishes in Ezmir
• ca. 216 DR, ca. 4/2020 ER; (Ezm) Ezmìri inquisition executes Pryr Amra in Ezmir

(Ezm) The Taládan-Ezmiri War, 218-219 DR

• 218 DR, 4/2022 ER; (Tal) High Priests raise and hire an army to reclaim Ezmir
• 218 DR, 4/2022 ER; (Ezm) Battle of Comlan (Tal)
• 218 DR, 4/2022 ER; (Ezm) First recorded use of the Black and Withered Vine
• 219 DR, 4/2023 ER; (Ezm) Battle of Pidíros (Ezm)
• 219 DR, 4/2023 ER; (Ezm) Fourth Battle of Kelàmir (Tal)
• 219 DR, 4/2023 ER; (Ezm) Battle of Borōnon (Tal)
• 220 DR, 4/2024 ER; (Ezm) Amri inquisition expunges Ottars

(Dek) Time of Plagues, 368-390 DR

• 369 DR, 4/2173 ER; (Ezm) Bleeding Plague appears in Borōnon and Erōmir

(Dek) The Empire War, 653-present DR

• 653 DR, 4/2457 ER; (Ezm) King of Ezmir attempts to intercept message between High Lord Rott and High Priestess Elésea IX

Dynasties

Ezmiri

• First Ezmiri House of Borr ( – present)