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===The Olgish High Kingdom=== | ===The Olgish High Kingdom=== | ||
Another century will pass ere the long-saught reconciliation between Belkondíl and the Wertians is achieved. When the more peaceful policies of Thulcárin’s successors foster trade and immigration in Belkondíl, beginning what will later be known as the Olgish High Kingdom, the increase of material power in both rural and urban areas sets populations in motion. The great Olgish harbour cities of the Hajalad are from the beginning part of the ever-growing network of trade routes along Elondor’s western shores, and their wealth and prestige attract immigrants from Belkondíl. It is around this time that the Hajalad is given its name, and soon | Another century will pass ere the long-saught reconciliation between Belkondíl and the Wertians is achieved. When the more peaceful policies of Thulcárin’s successors foster trade and immigration in Belkondíl, beginning what will later be known as the Olgish High Kingdom, the increase of material power in both rural and urban areas sets populations in motion. The great Olgish harbour cities of the Hajalad are from the beginning part of the ever-growing network of trade routes along Elondor’s western shores, and their wealth and prestige attract immigrants from Belkondíl. It is around this time that the Hajalad is given its name, and soon not only the larger cities but also the open land between the coast and the hills of the inland become the target of an Olgish exodus. Beginning in the late 320s, the fourth and fifth century see a great influx of Belkondilian Olgs into Geran. Most of them hail from the impoverished west of Belkondíl, hoping for better chances in the Norian Bight and perhaps even a taste of the luxuries the Hajalad has become infamous for. | ||
The swathes of settlers from Orinion, Atrissar, and the Mairn first make their homes in the southern Hajalad, but even the open and empty land between Darinsford and Ahtar does not have room for all of them, and their interests soon turn further north. As the Belkondilian Olgs spread, the Geranians are forced to retreat from their native lands, or diminish and drown in the culture of the newcomers. By the mid-sixth century, the Kalparian language is extinct here as it had already been in the east for several centuries. The various dialects of Hayan will remain spoken until the days of Lécaron, but they are not thought of fondly and driven into shadow by an increasingly self-conscious and nationalistic Olgish majority. Untouched remain only trade and commerce, and the Hajalad’s gluttonous reputation. | The swathes of settlers from Orinion, Atrissar, and the Mairn first make their homes in the southern Hajalad, but even the open and empty land between Darinsford and Ahtar does not have room for all of them, and their interests soon turn further north. As the Belkondilian Olgs spread, the Geranians are forced to retreat from their native lands, or diminish and drown in the culture of the newcomers. By the mid-sixth century, the Kalparian language is extinct here as it had already been in the east for several centuries. The various dialects of Hayan will remain spoken until the days of Lécaron, but they are not thought of fondly and driven into shadow by an increasingly self-conscious and nationalistic Olgish majority. Untouched remain only trade and commerce, and the Hajalad’s gluttonous reputation. | ||
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===The Wars of Fish and Milk=== | ===The Wars of Fish and Milk=== | ||
Nonetheless, the agreement is honoured at first, and over the following five years the Hajalad is peacefully integrated into Aeneleg’s Olgish kingdom. A new capital is constructed at the site of negotiations in Invarydd and new trade routes established connecting the coast with the Heath in the mountains inland, under the powerful protection of the Wertian cavalry. It is only in the autumn of 437 that the Hayan Olgs refuse payment of the in their eyes injust Wertian Taxes. Aeneleg enters negotiations calmly, either hiding his ire or seeing a long-expected threat come true. A drastic restriction of taxable transactions—largely relieving the merchants from their obligations and putting a greater strain on the general population—, the formation of an official recognized merchant guild—the [[Hayan Trade Magistrates]] based in Bernab—, and Aeneleg’s assurance that Wertian warriors remain on the Heath and do not enter the Hajalad initially settle the dispute, but the newfound peace cannot last. With the Hayan peasantry suffering and increasingly unable to fulfill their tax duties, Aeneleg once again exalts taxes on the merchants in 446, and, once again, the powerful Magistrates refuse to honour their obligations. His patience running thin and under the constant threat of seeming weak to the Wertian earls, who themselves have only recently submitted to a greater ruler, Aeneleg rallies his vassals in Invarydd and marches on Bernab. | Nonetheless, the agreement is honoured at first, and over the following five years the Hajalad is peacefully integrated into Aeneleg’s Olgish kingdom. A new capital is constructed at the site of negotiations in Invarydd and new trade routes established connecting the coast with the Heath in the mountains inland, under the powerful protection of the Wertian cavalry. It is only in the autumn of 437 that the Hayan Olgs refuse payment of the in their eyes injust Wertian Taxes. Aeneleg enters negotiations calmly, either hiding his ire or seeing a long-expected threat come true. A drastic restriction of taxable transactions—largely relieving the merchants from their obligations and putting a greater strain on the general population—, the formation of an official recognized merchant guild—the [[Hayan Trade Magistrates]] based in Bernab—, and Aeneleg’s assurance that Wertian warriors remain on the Heath and do not enter the Hajalad initially settle the dispute, but the newfound peace cannot last. With the Hayan peasantry suffering and increasingly unable to fulfill their tax duties, Aeneleg once again exalts taxes on the merchants in 446, and, once again, the powerful Magistrates refuse to honour their obligations. His patience running thin and under the constant threat of seeming weak to the Wertian earls, who themselves have only recently submitted to a greater ruler, Aeneleg rallies his vassals in Invarydd and marches on Bernab in the Spring of 447. | ||
With this action begin the Wars of Fish and Milk, named for the dismissive comment made towards the unsuccessful negotiators and [[Fänar of Unrír and Bernab|Fänar’s]] famous [[The Wars of Fish and Milk (stageplay)|stageplay of the same name]] dealing with the matter. Aeneleg’s campaign into the Hajalad is initially slow, held back by the torrential rainfall in spring and summer of 447. The Wertian warriors are admonished to respect the local peasantry, in the hopes of winning the lower classes for a common Olgish cause, but the populace is less than welcoming to the invading force and, if not outright hostile, meet the Wertians with indifference. The three-days’ march to Bernab is thus stretched to last over a week, giving the city a comfortable timeframe for preparations. The Magistrates, foreseeing a violent contention with Aeneleg, have long hired mercenaries of Geran and Belkondíl, and by the time Aeneleg’s cavalry appears before its gates, Bernab is heavily guarded. The Failed Battle of Bernab pushes the Wertians back, but Aeneleg is unwilling to compromise and abandon is undertaking, beginning a bloody conflict that will last for almost six years and leave the Hajalad in ruin. | |||
The war seems indecisive for the majority of its duration. Initially, their access to the port cities and a sizable navy prove an invaluable advantages to the Magistrates, but after Aeneleg can win the western Kalparians, already threatened in their existence by the Olgish settlers, for his cause, the Bight of Hajalad becomes a battlefield as much as the mainland. A glimpse of relief only emerges in 453, when Aeneleg himself is slain in the otherwise indecisive Battle at Niom Unrín. His dispersed army is rallied by [[Genvéreth the Shallow|Genvéreth, an earl or shieldmaiden]] of his retinue, who, having seemingly reached the conclusion that the barren land of the Hajalad be worth no further action of arms, has them chase down and pillage the Hayan wagon train hastily evacuating the Magistral treasury after a [[Naval Siege of Unrír|devastating Kalparian attack on the harbour of Unrír]], the provisional Hayan capital after the [[Sack of Bernab]] two years prior. Then, tired from years of war and now laden with riches, the Wertians turn their back on the Hajalad, returning to the heath and once more living in small earldoms and under the rule of petty kings, the dream of a united Wertian nation again a faint one. | |||
No official resignation is delivered to the Magistrates, and neither to the Kalparian allies, and the maritime war rages on for almost two more years. Initially planning on buying the Kalparian privateers, an increasingly worrisome lack of funds cripples the Magistrates’ diplomatic mobility and progressively alienates their mercenaries. Dissatisfied with the harsh conditions of the indecisive conflict and having gone months without pay, they first abandon their post before, having lost any interest in the Magistrates’ affairs, restoring their bands and raiding the Hayan countryside. This second, even bloodier conflict, lasts for the better part of two decades and leaves the Hajalad scattered across the few fortified merchant cities, lawless pirate ports, and the country populace, who suffer most of all. Despite brief truces, all three sides remain hostile towards each other. Only in 473, 40 years after Aeneleg’s accession, an allied rebellion of mercenaries and peasants rises against the powers of the cities. The magistrates have reached a decisive low point in their history, bankrupted in matters both personal and official, with only a trace left of the influence they once possessed, and abhorred nearly universally in their own cities. They initially present a last desperate resistance, but soon see their chances better with the rebels, and begin to side with the insurgency in greater and greater numbers. The Wars of Fish and Milk end with the [[Sack of Cas Dárin]] and, shortly after, the defeat of the last independent privateers off the shores of Ur Iskíl in the summer of 475. The victors lay the foundations of the Republic of Sarédos, the timocratic state to encompass both the Hajalad and the Norides islands. | |||
===The Republic of Sarédos=== | |||
Thus, relative peace and prosperity return to western Geran, and the sixth and seventh centuries are a time of growth and cooperation. The young republic forges close ties with the kingdom of the Kalparians and reestablishes the commercial relations the Hajalad was once famous for. Its politics are dominated by two factions, the Mercenaries, who still adhere to the ideals and aspirations fostered by the popular uprising that sprouted this new state, and the Magistrates, who have accepted as their task to defend the freedom of trade and commerce in Geran. | |||
-> With the Kingdom of Belkondíl increasingly powerful (after the Civil War) and pushing across the Ilathw, the Wertians are once again united under a single ruler [688] | |||
-> The republic also comes under increasing pressure as Belkondíl tries to seize its lands for itself -- forces both within and outwith the state try to use this situation to their advantage | |||
-> There is a cold war between the three dominions; several alliances between Sarédos and the Wertians, but none of them last (eighth and ninth century) | |||
-> After what is considered a series of military and diplomatic failures, leading to the cession of the lower Ilathw and Darinsford, the Magistrates convince the Republican Council to enter another truce with the Wertians, engaging them as the Republic's chief military, in exchange for tributes paid by the merchant class [907] > formally, the Wertians become citizens of the Republic (while retaining their ethnic ruler); in reality, this hands over all power to the merchants and, by extension, the trade magistrates | |||
-> They exploit this situation to gradually oust the Mercenaries from politics; the general population already considers the Magistrates their saviours and treats the Mercenaries with disdain | |||
-> The council is officially disbanded in [934], when the queen of the Wertians declares herself queen of Geran > all political power is now safely in Wertian hands; the trade magistrates retain their positions in trade and commerce | |||
-> The queen begins her rule by conquering back the lands lost to the Olgs [same year] > there is some resistance, but she spends the rest of her life keeping Geran under control | |||
-> Her successor [950s onwards] makes a greater effort at reconciliation, rebuilding the old capital at Inverydd > even incorporates the olgicizes Kalaprians into his kingdom [983] | |||
-> This in turn opens up direct relations with the Aribelians: starting from the late 980s, Aribelian products begin to flood the markets of all Elondor | |||
-> Boom-like interest in Aribelian culture (also Mîlin of Glirtes!) | |||
-> Olgish settlers move to Aribel beginning the 1020s, eventually leading to the First Aribelian War [1037--1043] | |||
-> Finally, Lécaron of course | -> Finally, Lécaron of course | ||
-> And then quite a bit of stuff after | -> And then quite a bit of stuff after | ||