The Khadan Humans

The Khadan Humans
Pronunciation
Classification
Nicknames	The Orphans of Anjyarr
Languages	Common, Anjyarri, Azari
Average Height
Average Weight
Maximum Age
Stat Bonuses	+1 Strength +1 Defense +1 Agility +0 Intelligence

Introduction

The people of the Anjyarr deserts, they have tanner skin then their Hadrian counterparts, as being a desert raised people’s the natural darker tone of their skin provides a type of camouflage when it comes to blending into the raging sand winds, the large and numerous sand dunes, and the dusty rock sculps which litter the land. From their centuries of surviving in the desert climate they have learned to never show fear and to always stand their ground, they fight majestically with agile spear and sword combat that blitz’s the enemy if they don’t plan for it. Though the Khadans have many combat secrets and a deadly arsenal of specific made weapons however the appearance of these, are few and far inbetween as the Khadans are a loving and accepting culture to all outsiders that  may visit them. Along with all this, they are in possession of a wide range of riches including different valuable metals, gemstones, and other bright shiny jewellery pieces which makes them a real eyecatcher.

They also have incredible bartering skills as their ability to sell a horse to a Hadrian, or ore to a Dwarf is not to be doubted and along with their Alliance with the Dark Elves who helped them through the Rotting Plague, they are capable of immense power. It is recommended you keep an eye out on the desert lands as what is there today might become outdated tomorrow, and what is far away tonight might become a border in the morning.

Appearance

The Khadans, also known as The Orphans of Anjyarr, The Roaming Men, or The People of Al-Khadir, share a very different look than those of the other humans. The Khadan are usually slightly shorter than the average Hadrian as their men grow to a max of 180cm (5’9”) and their women to a max of 170cm (5’5”).

The Khadan have not always been a unified people and in their past both shared periods of large unification and periods of fragmentation, due to this their skin colour while always tan in appearance shifts between darker and lighter tones depending on where the tribe settled for most of their time. Of the two groups of tribes the Zanmirs, the tribes which inhabited both coastal regions and areas near waterways have found their way to be the icon of beauty amongst the Khadan people. They have light brown hair which usually hangs long down their back, they can have glowing and shiny green blue eyes, and their lighter complexion makes them look like an Attian who got a sunburn.

Unlike their Zanmir relatives, the Vaemirs inhabited the sprawling deserts and such look very different. They have hair which ranges from jet black to nearly white as the amount of time a person spends in the sun can heavily dictate their appearance. They can be both very pale and close to caramel along with usually having brown eyes which sometimes appear to be orange to those who look at them. They are usually wrapped up and hidden but when they reappear they and their special looks can draw the attention of a crowd. Beauty amongst the female Khadans usually result from having a more oval shaped face, long dark eyebrows, and detailed eyelashes which contrast heavily with their eyes which is seen as the most important part. In comparison, the men usually maintain well kept facial hair such as beards and moustaches for their standards. Unlike in some cultures, scars of any sort are actually considered beautiful and seen as marks of courage, strength, and honour amongst their people.

Apparel

Even though there are many different tribes and two main races present in the country, the climate has forced all of them to accept a universal type of dress. Due to the Anjyarr desert, the people of Al-Khadir have been mainly seen to wear loose fit robes made of soft materials such as silk, cotton, linen, or satin. The more wealthy inhabitants have been seen wearing robes with gold and jewels attached to them as a display of wealth and fashion with gold being a mainstay. The Khadan robes are often mulicoloured with gold accents and gems along with gold or silver piercings, which contrast heavily to their ‘lunn counterparts as they usually wear dark coloured robes with purple gemstones adorning them.

When it comes to the armor of the Khadan’s, they wear chainmail and bronze or brass plates which are often covered in gems and shiny metals over their traditional robes. Both sexes often prefer armor crafted with ornate design and usually have leather boots and helmets to increase their agility and speed as they are main aspects of their fighting style. The cloaks and robes that accompany these warriors are usually red to keep both the sun away and to scare their enemy as red causes the eye to play tricks on those when under sandstorm conditions, along with this they often wrap their helmets with long scarves to prevent the sun from beaming down to heavily on it. Often to those who travel through the Anjyarr deserts, many wear masks to keep the sand out of their eyes and to conceal their identity, along with this women often wear veils to protect their faces and eyes from getting beat with sand.

Culture and Society

Among all races and peoples of Eden, Khadans are the only that can perfectly mix “fire and water” into their culture. The Khadan people are open, friendly, and welcoming people to both allies and people who seek friendship. However, they always keep a vigilant eye towards those around them, and also can be ruthless and violent to those who cross them.

Originating from war-stricken lands which caused a mass exodus of the Khadan people, they have not only settled well to their second home, but they have claimed the area as theirs. The Deserts of Anjyarr are theirs and they have made sure it is stated without words, they have mastered riding, archery, and trading to not only make them a super power but a force to reckon with. Even though the deserts they inhabit are barren and empty, their heart and spiritually are the exact opposite as they follow a philosophy called “The Path” - which is to live one’s life seeking inner peace, no matter how one might identify said peace.The Khadan’s living in the harsh desert climates has one major upside, they value friends and family highly and deem any sort of betrayal as one of the worst acts, which stretches back centuries in their history.

Their natural open-mindedness and alliance with the Azari’luun has made the region of Al-Khadir a very special place, as these two races are tied together as tightly as can be, which is a testament to their culture and peoples.

Holidays and Celebrations

The Khadan are a people of happiness and celebration, below are just a few of their most important holidays and celebrations:

• Sangh: Is an annual three day festival which takes place as a celebration of unity, as it’s roots chase back to when the splintered peoples joined together. During this time the Khadan’s host many duels (for sportsmanship only), and hold huge feasts with must dancing involved. In older tradition, the strongest warriors would put on huge shows through the entire festival, but due to the strain this causes on the body it has been replaced with smaller shows split up between the different warrior duos.
• Kura: A festival all about the love of life in the Khadan’s philosophy. A defining trait of this festival is that different activities occur throughout the day. Starting in the morning is when the youth would put on sporting shows such as horse archery and the old would visit their friends and family, then later at night is the time for couples to gather together and single people to search for mates..

• Wahid: This festival celebrates the day of alliance and friendship between the dark elf and human peoples. While originally it was a Khadan festival, it has become a large staple of Al-Khadir as a whole and would end up becoming a national holiday.

Romance, Marriage and Reproduction

As mentioned previously, the Khadan people value loyalty to a very high degree. This comes to a head as the values of romance and family are major cores to the Khadan culture, these families and marriages often are very loyal and result in prosperity so splits rarely occur. Even though this is the case, the Khadans are very picky and selective when it comes to their partner, as they treat marriage with utmost importance and hence make sure both parties are certain of their choice beforehand. The selection time for a partner is often years due to the fear of matching incorrectly, whenever a match is made official though a large feast between the families starts which usually ends peacefully and always with respect.

Death and Funeral

Due to their belief in “The Path” and finding inner peace, as long as the person is loyal to the ideals they often believe they will be reincarnated, this makes death not feared and instead respected. From a young age, a Khadan is told to enjoy and celebrate their life as it is seen as a sacred thing not to be taken for granted. During the funeral of a loved one, a private ceremony will often be held for the family and friends of the deceased to pay a last tribute under starlight. Their body is carefully wrapped up into robes, decorated with different types of flowers, and is adorned with golden trinkets and other valuables as a sign of respect and good luck. These decorations are believed to help them into their new life of prosperity. After the ceremony is done the cremation starts, the body is burned with the gifts until only their ashes remain, of which will be spread in the sea they came from many moons ago. Due to the respect and admiration of lost ones, no mourning occurs as they believe their lost loved one will help in the building of the next generation.

Religion

WIP

History

"We are each other's harvest, we are each other's business, we are each other's magnitude and bond"

This ancient saying has been with the Khadans since even before they touched down on Eden, originally while they were heavily nomadic and fragmented they still were united culturally towards each other as a whole.

Khadans were split into many different tribes but this only helped build them up with their thought of "Unity through Fragmentation", which was a philosophy where the ancient Khadans believed even if they were smaller pieces of something larger, they can still be unified as slices due to them still amounting to the same larger picture.

Ancient History

The Landing (1100 - 850 B.F.S)

The Khadans originated in a continent distant from Eden, which was most likely plagued with strife and infighting, causing the ancient Khadans to leave. It is at this point where they most likely developed their first traditions of unity as seeing their homelands laid to waste cause of wars and chaos would change then forever, due to them not wanting to repeat the same mistakes this is not only the first trace of the Khadan identity developing but it is also the first traces of them in history.

Records show that the ancient Khadans first landed in the Anjyarr region around the year 1100 B.F.S, meaning that the Khadan culture on Eden goes all the way back to the realm of prehistory. While still little is known about their homelands, the speed and ease the Khadans have shown in not only conquering the desert, but living in it for so long would provide some clues about how similar their old land could have been.

When the Khadans arrived on the eastern shore they had two decisions to make, they either would all go together and find land or split up into small groups and scout the area. While it wasn't the popular choice they ended up splitting up, half of the arriving people went in smaller groups to scout around the coast and the other half would go in smaller groups to scout inland.

Although a large number of tribes would result from the split up, there were two main groups of them, the Zanmirs who went towards the coast and settled there along with the Vaemirs who went inwards towards the sand dunes and lived there.

There were a multitude of large tribes that would be in the "Ruling Council" among the tribes  on the coast there were the Zenithers, Santhiers, and Kieynes. Among the tribes inwards there were the Valmirs, Waevaz, and Schatons. These were the tribes that not only had the best contact with each other, but the parental tribes of the small ones, this came about due to the lack of resources in some areas causing tribes to seek a steady import of them in exchange for knowledge sharing.

This trade system was very efficient as all of the main six tribes share three smaller tribes under their wing, while this sounds like it would cause wars to erupt in the region it actually did the exact opposite. The Khadans have always seeked to be full of knowledge and this system helped out greatly as both the smaller and larger tribes traded with each other.

The Khadan Consciousness (850 - 600 B.F.S)

The "Khadan Consciousness" or "Enlightenment Period" started after the formation of the tribal sharing systems in around 850 B.F.S.

It was during this time the tribes came into a shape of their own and the phrase "The blade slashes sharper, but the ink sinks deeper". This phrase came about due to the fact the pieces of paper at the time were cut very thin causing the ink to sink deeper into the fibres and occasionally go through to the otherside, it is a good reminder of how potent a written work of knowledge can be in comparison to the light surface slash of a sword. While the knowledge sharing culture spiked at this time there was also another type of culture spike, it was the more regional and specific development between the two groups of tribes.

The Zanmirs developed a culture of growing food and other resources, a shipbuilding and seafaring culture, along with a special combat style. Being in proximity to water and using it in everyday life, the Zanmir people developed a combat style called "Water Dancing" which would rely on fast and swift strikes using a trident to disable the opponent.

While this style was quick and agile the Vaemirs developed another style called "Sand Striking" which would rely on the use of sand in combat to not only blend in and camouflage but also as a tool to either be thrown in the eyes or other crevices that would cause discomfort.

These two different styles had solidified and were shared among the different tribal cultures so they could not only defend each other from the wildlife but also any threat that may rise up.

While some might know these styles and their rip offs as popular among many different races and people today, they got their start with the ancient Khadan people. Along with the different melee styles they also adopted both a mounted culture with the coastal tribes going for fast and agile horses, and the inner tribes going for bulky strong steeds and large venomous scorpions.

There was also a growth in archery as they developed many different ideas and strategies one of which is the "Sand Arrow" where they tie a small bag of sand to an arrow and when it hits the target they get both damaged and blinded.

The Anjyarr Empire (600 - 330 B.F.S)

Beginnings

In approximately 600 B.F.S, exactly six centuries after the Khadans landed in Eden they had a decision to make. From their first moments here they preached unity however split up due to no real direction of their future, however the growth in their culture and bond had brought them to a point which would forever change history. All the six major tribes had a discussion about their future and the needs of both themselves and the smaller tribes, this shaped what was to come. The talks selected two main tribes to represent each group, the outcomes of which were the Zenithers for the Zamirs and the Valmirs for the Vaemirs. These were the largest tribes of the Khadan people and with the future plan set out all the sub tribes formed under these banners. The tribes settled in two different locations, the Zenithers on the Ifriq river to the west and the Valmirs on the Kemir river to the east. They set up the road network which is used today to get to Al-Khadir as while the Zenithers did not build the city they were located near it, in contrast the Valmirs built at the bottom of the Kemir river as the soil there was most fertile and ready to crow crops.

With the new connection of the main tribes and the consolidation of power within the people, they united for the first time in history officially and called them the Anjyarr Empire. While the majority of the smaller tribes stayed either in smaller coastal villages or in towns between the sand dunes, all of them would not only have access to free trade between each other directly but also be able to travel back and forth between each other's lands. During the first year of the Empire marks the first recorded use of both the sun and the colours green and orange to represent the people. While all members shared the sun, the green was meant to represent the coastal cities and the large water culture while the orange was meant to represent the Anjyarr desert and all the people who resided in it. While the flag used doesn't look anything like the modern day flag in design, the colour pallets and symbolism is still there and carries on being important to the people a millennia after the empire. The empire continued to build on their previous cultures as not only had they combined and spread their traditions and values to each other, but the empire also began to unify more.

While originally the sixteen tribes of Khadans were divided into the coastal and inland groupings this was later changed into which tribes were joined into the "Ruining Council" tribes. The land in between the Jungle of Spiders, Spine of Eden, and the end of the Ifriq was previously composed of four tribes with the most notable being the Santhers, during the phase of "Khadan Centralization'' the three smaller tribes were integrated into the Santhiers as a way to bring not only more unity but to make life easier on the people. With the move being a success the same action was performed on the lands both up and down the Ifriq river as the smaller three tribes were assembled into the Zenithers. This helped with the then growth of farming along the river and the integration of desert farming systems into the lower regions. The idea seemed to be a very successful concept and was hence used on the Kieynes, Valmirs, Waevaz, and the Schatons. The combinations of the tribes sowed the economic ties of them to each other however their culture still remained singularly to themselves and was only spread to the surrounding tribes.

The system of six tribes with the two leaders persisted for another centuries until the signing of the "Unity Treaty'' in 550 B.F.S, where all six tribes were fully integrated into a core governmental system. They crowned their leader with the name "Pharos" which means "Prophet of the People" or "Leader of the Tribes".

Golden Age (550 - 350 B.F.S)

The Anjyarr Empire at this point in history had been around for one out of seven centuries of the Khadan time on Eden. While the time it took to form it was impressively fast for a tribal people, what was even more impressive was the time period after they had fully united. The now unified people under the command of the Pharoes continued to build on their culture but there was a large revolution just around the corner.

The first ever celebration of Sangh took place on the last day of their six century anniversary here. It was during this celebration where a man discovered that building waterways through the desert was a possibility. He brought his discovery to leader at the time Pharos Tusea who approved of the idea to aid out the tribes of the inner desert.

At the start of their second century as an empire, in 400 B.F.S they began the construction of the Liben Canal which would provide water to the places between the Ifriq and Kemir rivers. The construction took nine years and in 391 B.F.S after the canal was done it was a sight to behold. It stretched half the size of the other river inwards but it had a secret to it, at the end it forked into a west path which would go further towards the Ifriq and the east path which would go further towards the Kemir.

It was lined on the inside with chiselled sandstone as they believed the small spaces in the stone for the water to gather through in the space would help keep any excess water in the canal. It was lined with trees and columns announcing it which were encrusted with gold and silver patterns, and on the side there was a small amount of grass and plant growth which made it look more like a mirage than a real thing. This move increased food productivity in the empire as not only were the west and east rivers the main production centres, but now the middle of the country could also pump out food. With three regions handling food production this led the country into a large population jump, which coincided with the job market exploding with an increase in mining, farming, and political jobs they were properly thrust into a different era. The one strangest part of this is that while the country as a whole was boosted, the smaller cultural aspects actually didn't grow and instead returned to their native region.

The tribal cultures seem to have returned but this did not hurt the empire actually it aided it, with the density of local culture returning each place felt special again causing a large tourist culture to sweep through the nation. It has been estimated that the Anjyarr Empire at its peak was between 700 million to 1.3 billion Andros. The people here were not only rich in currency but they were also rich in materialistic materials such as gold, silver, and gems which would remain dense in the region even in modern times. They developed versions of silk like fabrics which were popular amongst the wealthy for it's soft texture and it's heat durability.

The modern day Anjyarr is a shell of its former self from this era and imagining it might be difficult for some, but no matter what the people still remained.

Disappearance of the Pharos (350 - 330 B.F.S)

The Golden Age of the Anjyarr Empire lasted more or less for the span of 200 years (from ~550-350) , it was led by the important Pharos ruler family which remained the same since the founding of the title. The importance of the Pharos is not to be understated, the Pharos role was one of the first offices made by all the tribes and all sixteen tribes (officially six) they trusted a singular family to guide them all. This office idealised the concepts of unity in the Khadans and they were loved and respected, this legacy lasted all the way until the 200th Sangh celebration.

On this day it started like most others however it ended in tragedy, towards the end of the nightly celebrations the Pharos was killed in a freak accident when he lost control of his horse and was flung into the canal, drowning to death. The loss of their political and spiritual leader heavily damaged the nation and within the next few weeks the family had withdrawn from the public, some spread rumours they went back to their home continent while others stated they had killed themselves to save face. Whether either of these are true is unknown, either way the Pharos family without a suitable heir to replace the position has disappeared on the tribes when they needed them the most. Due to this the country turned to the largest tribes, the Zenithers and the Valmirs, to dictate their future. Both tribes were loyal to each other and were heavily loyal to the Pharos, the Pharos family was actually started due to an inter marriage between the tribes.

The writing was on the wall for the empire as both tribes claimed to be rightful rulers of the empire which led to a series of political infighting.

Anjyarr Civil War “War for the Liben” (330 - 320 B.F.S)

The Zenithers and Valmirs while they separated back into the claims of their tribes with the Zenithers controlling the west of the country and the Valmirs controlling the east in 330. Where they still officially were fighting over who should become Pharos of the Anjyarr Empire, in reality what happened was they were just fighting for the territory so they could carry on the name.

With the west and east secured it left the centre of the country very vulnerable as it had both become a large food production area and it also hosted the Liben Canal. Both tribes went to war over the control of the Liben, the war started and was "fought" for five years (330-325) as just small skirmishes around the canal until a Valmiri soldier thought he spotted what appeared to be the body of the last Pharos.

This discovery caused the Valmiri military to push in fully on the canal as they saw the recovery as a huge reputation and status boost they could use to rightfully claim the title. A 15,000 strong Valmiri force under the control of then leader Cleota Valmira. They didn't expect any resistance and hence ran into the boundaries of the canal to secure the area so they could start recovery, however what they didn't expect was for there to be a Zenitheri garrison of 8,000 guarding it.

As the Valmiris ran in they were hit with heavy arrow barrages that for those who weren't killed or injured caused them to flee. The Battle of Liben had properly gotten underway as the current Valmiri troops were reduced to 14,200 and the Zenitheri garrison had fallen to 7,500. These were the only troops who were going to fight this battle as both tribes agreed it would be in poor taste for an all out blood bath to occur in the same place as the Pharoe’s body.

The battle went on for another two years (323-321) without any melee action as most of the action was either archer battles or psychological warfare involving shooting rotting cow corpses over to the other side. During 320, the third official year of the battle, plans were made by the Valmirs to use their number advantage in an all out rush of the canal during the night time. During that year's Sangh celebration the Valmiri troops were supposed to strike the other camo but something happened, as they were half way over the canal they met the remaining Zenitheri troops who had seen this coming and marched to counterattack them. The Valmiri were overcrowded and spent more time trampling each other than actually fighting back against the Zenitheri troops, it was starting to become a massacre and so the Valmiri decided to collapse the remaining parts of the canal, pulling back as many people as possible. Out of their remaining 7,000 troops they managed to pull back 6,000 of them as Cleota and the remaining 1,000 troops fought off the Zenitheri forces.

The canal collapsed killing both the remaining 1,000 Valmiri troops including Cleotra along with 5,000 Zenitheri troops; it also buried the body of the Pharos under tonnes of sandstone and sand, which to this day has never been recovered or seen again. As result of the slaughter 15,000 men layed dead and Liben Canal had been destroyed.

This series of events quickly ended the war between the two tribes as they were too busy trying to recover their dead to bear hatred towards each other, most of the stability and treasury of the empire was either destroyed or reduced to a fraction of itself, with now power only coming from the western and eastern lands instead of a central source.

Decade of Disarray (320 - 310 B.F.S)

After the War for the Liben ended, both tribes not only had lost a large amount of their military force but they also lost the support of most of the small tribes. While both the Zenither and Valmir tribes maintained their foothold over the Ifraq and Kemir rivers, the tribes ranging from to their sides and in between them split off. The tribes lost faith in their fellow man and decided to no longer rely on the large tribes, as thanks to them the first Khadan blood was spilled.

Over the next two years the smaller tribes slowly started to break away and become independent, the remaining four larger tribes of which the smaller ones had been fed to, decided to let them go their separate ways. Oh how cruel fate was they had gone from a unified people to sixteen fragmented tribes in 10 years, also thanks to conflict again. The saddest part about the Decade of Disarray is that some of the smallest tribes had completely removed their settlements which had been there for centuries and had to join up with some of the more medium sized tribes to properly break away. The last year when there are proper records of all sixteen tribes was the year 318. The smallest tribes such as the Tahmons, Schatons, and Impevers for the Vaemirs ended up being absorbed both culturally and politically into the more medium tribes such as the Giaentz and Draetons. The smallest tribes for the Zanmirs such as the Taoneys, Auknieys, and Dieyniers are absorbed into the Aoshiers and Jaliers. The smallest tribes being mixed into the medium tribes just to survive, cause a very large grudge to form against the largest two tribes among most of the Khadan people. While 318 - 315 for many of the smaller tribes were the worst years of them as they had to forget who they were and blend into another people, during this set of three years the more medium sized tribes such as the Giaentz, Draetons, Aoshiers and Jaliers they experienced a weird sort of resurgence as they amount of small tribes being absorbed had actually allowed them to equal the larger tribes in terms of population.

As 314 dawned on the Khadan people, there were ten tribes amongst them, but this would not be in vain as the medium sized tribes would start their revenge plan. While this was all going on in the lesser sized tribes, the largest two tribes had returned to a decent level of stability among both of them as they not only had upped their food production to sizes that could support them again, but they also managed to end the hostilities present between the two and start a slow merge which would take the remainder of the decade.

War of the Anjyarr Confederacy (310 - 295 B.F.S)

In the year 310 B.F.S, the plans of the medium sized four tribes (+ the six smaller ones) became a reality as they formed the Anjyarr Confederacy. It was composed of the tribes which had been inland the most even if it left out some Vaemirs.

Seeing this move the Zenithers and Valmirs had formed a pact with the tribes near their land called the Al'Hadar Alliance. The Al'Hadar Alliance consisted for six active tribes which were the Zenithers, Santhiers, Kieynes, Valmirs, Waevaz, and Schatons, these all sharing land borders with each other made them the best decision to assist as the time for troops to arrive would be short and cost effective.

In the mid months the Anjyarr Confederacy had declared war on the Al'Hadar Alliance, casting yet again another civil war on the Khadan people. The Anyarri fighters used entire small tribes as shock units and sand archers while the main force consisted of their soldiers, in comparison on the Alliance's front they had similar amounts of manpower and the advantage of being lethal near water.

The war kicked off to another slow start as the first 5 years showed little if any combat as the Anjyarri were staying inwards and Hadari were staying out towards the coast. It wasn't until the year 305 where an Aoshieri decided to set up a camp on the outer edge of the northern desert did anything happen. A small camo consisting of Tahmons and Taoneys was made to lure the units towards it as it would be an easy target and cripple the Anjyarr manpower.

In the later months of 305, the Hadari troops under the command of General Alriki Waevaz decided to leave their position and assault the camp. The invading Hadari force numbered around 19,000 strong which in comparison annihilates the Anjyarri defending force of around 800 people, however there was a trick up the Confederacy's sleeve. As the 19,000 strong army approached within 60ft of the camp, the defending force which was ready to face them fell back into the surprise attack Anjyarr ranks, as they fell into their formation the Hadari army was bombarded by hundreds of sand arrows which cut down their organisation and visibility.

The Hadari force stopped their assault and quickly backpedalled away from archer range, at the same time they sent out their elephant archers to engage in a skirmish battle with the Anjyarri sand archers. The Second Battle of the Liben lasted around three entire days of fighting and resulted in the losses of around 700 out of the Hadari's 19,000 and close to 400 for the Anjyarri's 18,000. This battle swung the war into a more balanced state as both the military numbers were close along with the moral swap, Alriki knew he had been defeated tactically so he decided to get revenge. As he retreated he split his army into two halves, with the first split group numbering 7,000 he sent it east towards the Kemir river in plain sight of the Anjyarri troops.

The bait seemed to not have worked but a few days later, now in 304, there were reports the Anjyarri army was on the move and pursuing the smaller force. The commanding Anjyarri General Fexs Aukniey, decided to pursue because he believed he could quickly crush the force; they travelled for nine days until they finally caught up to the Hadari camp. The now 17,500 troops for the Anjyarri barrages the camp with arrows to try to get easy pickings, this caused the Hadari to send out their elephant riders in order to prevent this from doing too much damage.

The Anjyarri started marching on the camp and both the elephants and archers pulled back due to the risk level for them. The Battle of Vemez started as the 7,000 strong Hadari charged out of the city into the ranks of the Anjyarri troops, they were engaged in heavy melee combat with again both the archers and elephants repositioning in order to defend their unit's flank. The battle went on for around 10 years and not much progress was made due to the constant attacking and falling back of the Anjyarri to preserve men and resources which also opened gaps for the Hadari forces to gather supplies to keep them stocked, until one early morning in mid 295.

Being outnumbered by over 2-1 had improved their defensive position as they could stack more men in their ranks, however them being on the defensive would not last long as Alriki emerged out of the dunes behind the Anjyarri force, completely wiping out their archers and putting a full fledge assault on their flank. The now 23,000 strong Hadari force had finally recombinded and they were able to trap the enemy troops between them. Knowing that this was very bad Fexs decided to try to pull away from the city and get closer to the lake, this was a large mistake as even though he inflicted heavy casualties on the city based Hadari force, he also drew his men close to the water.

Seeing his chance, Alriki ordered the "Water Dancers" to pursue, the result of which was an absolute slaughter as their quick and agile movements in the darkness caused hundreds to either attempt to fight an invisible foe or to flee into the lake. After four hours of slaughter Alriki called the troops back from perusing and decided to rally his troops in the north. The Battle of Vemez was the bloodiest battle fought in the Anjyarri region, as 12,500 out of 18,000 losses were suffered for the Anjyarri units in comparison to the Hadari's 8,500 out of 23,000. The crushing defeat of morale and manpower that swept across the Anjyarri Confederacy resulted in a peace treaty being signed mere days after the battle ended.

Fivefold Fallout (295 - 290 B.F.S)

After the war the Khadan humans were faced with a near wipe out of the smaller tribal cultures. The war had been deadly and tens of thousands laid dead across the land, among these dead were the last major remains of the Valmir tribe.

While the tribe was not completely destroyed, it had enlisted too many men for the military and had lost not only thousands of soldiers, but it lost its ability to rebound quickly. As a result of the bloodshed in the war numerous things unfolded over the next few years. We start in 295 right after the war ended as both the Anjyarr Confederacy and the Al-Hadar Alliance disband causing a slight ease in relations among the tribes.

At the same time efforts were organised by the different tribes to gather their dead and to give them a proper burial. They ended up choosing to treat the city of Vemez as their burial ground, the families would pick a room inside a house to place their loved one in, and then adorn them right before they set the room on fire. The entire city was burnt down with multiple more bodies needing to be burnt in the streets and even out towards the sand dunes, the capital of the Valmir tribe for centuries was cleansed through flame due to their sins.

After the Decade of Disarray, only ten of the sixteen original tribes remained, but after that this number would shrink ever further. In the western reaches of the Zanmir tribes on the Ifraq river, the Zenithers remained strong and powerful but the Santhiers and Kieynes were heavily damaged and needed to recover, hence in 294 the three tribes combined under the Zenithers title or the Ifraq Tribal Confederacy. Also in 294, furthermore on the western side, from the land near the jungle up towards the sand dunes which touch the Spine of Eden, the Jaliers and Aoshiers also decided to join forces under the new name Hesine.

In the eastern lands near Akmat's Tomb during 292 the tribes of the Draetons and Giaentez decided to combine under the new name Medunse in order To prolong their survival, as their lands did not have claim to any large water sources. Finally in 292 after multiple years of work, the Valmir and Waevez tribes of the lower and upper Kemir combined under the Valmir or Kemir Tribal Confederacy name. It took years of work to not only join these tribes together through ways of transportation but also they needed to rebuild the Valmir capital which ended up being called New Vemez.

The only tribe which did not combine during this time was the Schatons of the central Anjyarr desert which was able due to their rather small size to remain independent from any absorption and was the only tribe from "The Landing'' to stay culturally independent from anyone else during all of history so far. In the following years of 291 - 290 the tribes rebuilt and integrated even further, it is at this stage that the period gained the name "Fivefold Fallout" due to the five remaining tribes after the War of the Anjyarr Confederation.

Century of the Scimitar  (290 - 200 B.F.S)

As the tribes were forced to move on from the war and fight their way to stability, small pockets of tribe members turned to sabotaging tactics towards their rivals. Through much of Anjyarr region the only real way to get supplies delivered was either through boat, or through a caravan. The coastal tribes had developed a large naval industry with the defensive capabilities hence this was not tried. However, very few tribes actually had guards to protect their caravans and usually just left them alone as there was no point in attacking them.

However at this stage there were still people upset at each other; they had lost family, blood, and land to some of the other tribes and they believed a half-fought war wasn't good enough. Directly after the end of the Fivefold Fallout, small camps started popping up along major roads and through small back trails. They started as being nothing but a small campsite with a fire and four to five tents. However by 285 they had grown quite large, usually housing over twenty tents and including a single coloured flag which would identify it at a distance.

These were small raiding camps which would attack any caravan belonging to the rival tribes. There were many set up all over the Anjyarr desert by disgruntled Schatons members which had lost homes during the Second Battle of Liben, and as their lands were impossible not to cross through they got heavy traffic. The main body of the tribes did not support these as they felt it both caused political and economic problems in the people and wished to avoid that.

However in reality there was not much to do as they were loose bands of people so capturing them was nearly impossible, so in 270 after two decades of raiding parties causing problems the Khadan people devised a plan. As they were naturally good salesmen no matter what their path in life was, they ended up having ex-military or militia members act as the traders when they sent out caravans. It would not be until the raiders would engage in the raid that they would find out their mistake.

To conceal their identity many of these men carried a scimitar, a small curved sword which could be hidden quite well under all the robes they wore, this was a smart decision to carry as it was very unexpected in the raiders and many would even run away before going through with it. These new caravans were widespread everywhere and to make sure they worked they were then equipped with both bows so they could fight from a range, but also they were put out for the remainder of the century to make it clear this would be the normal now.

While the first part of the century saw close to 1 billion Andros worth of goods stolen in total all across the land, by the end of the century they had actually recovered nearly 90% of the goods stolen. While this started out bad for the Khadans and it would seem that they would go through even more turbulence, the raiders were challenged early enough to where by the end of the period there were no more raider camps reported among roads.

Rebuilding (200 - 160 B.F.S)

Following the Century of the Scimitar and the reconquering of the caravan systems, one might assume everything would be okay. That is not entirely false yet rebuilding land that was lost or destroyed is not the easiest. At this point the empire had only ended more or less 100 years ago and there were already two major wars that ripped through the land, however they started from nothing before so they could do it again.

At the start of the rebuilding period from 200 - 160, they were at 1/7th the population of the Anjyarr Empire and they had 1/20th the amount of money, but the raw materials were still there. In the centre desert there were still vast amounts of gems to mine, in the west there was still lots of silk to make, and in the east there was still valuable ore and food production that never ceased. Now that the tribes were at peace and had settled down they could once again enjoy these again without fear of dying the next day. Between 188 and 185 there were multiple trade leagues set up such as the Ifraq Trade Association in the west which traded silk and linen, the Schaton Emporium in the centre which sold gems, and finally the Kemir League in the east which mainly focused on selling ores to rebuild themselves as they needed the food to stock. While the recent series of events were tragic they might have actually helped the Khadans out in the long run as all the tempers between the different tribes were able to be quelled. The ease of tensions was noted as having reached almost pre war levels in around 173 as the trade leagues had combined into the Anjyarr Trade Pact. This was done to lessen the prices of buying from across the desert, the profits didn't actually drop though due to the increase in purchases. The economy of the Khadan people had risen quite substantially and by the end of the Rebuilding period they were able to rekindle a small part of that economy as they went from 1/20th to 1/9th and the population went from 1/7th to 3/5ths. While some claim that absorbing tribes into each other is not that big of a deal as they still maintained their land and cultural identity, what bothered them was it voided the philosophy they had followed for centuries. Even under the Anjyarr Empire, the tribes were treated as independent countries except they had the choice to join into the "alliance". The philosophy they had been following for centuries ever since they landed was gone, so another one was made to fill it's spot.

Founding of Tarik il Iʂik (150 - 120 B.F.S)

"The Path" came about in 150 B.F.S due to the teachings of a man only known as "The Priest ''. It started in Zenfey, the capital of the Zenither tribe and of the Ifraq river. It adopted the core basics of the philosophy that dates back over 800+ years, however the twist is that it is an official religion. Before it was thought of as a way to think of life, but now it is being thought of as a way to believe in life. "The Path" emerging out of the Rebuilding period isn't a surprise, as refinding previous ideologies in a time of strife is very common amongst all races.

"The Path" started spreading amongst the Ifraq Tribal Confederation in early 148 and by 145 it had completely enveloped the region. Then later between 142 and 138 it started making its way and spreading towards the Schaton tribe in the centre of the desert. It took a while to start rising there but by 131 it was in full effect and had become a mainstay in the region. Now being majorly present in 2/3 regions by 130 it wouldn't take long to pop up in the eastern regions, which it did exactly in 127 where it made its first splash in the Kemir region in New Vemez.

While in this region the tribes were a bit more spread out, having almost been wiped out a few decades previously had caused the ideals to spread at a rate faster than it did in Ifraq. By the end of the 120's "The Path" was the main belief system of the Khadans and was present in all major regions and cities. The core belief of "The Path" had been present in the Khadan culture for close to a millennia at this point, and while nothing new to the people, the different outlook and explanation of it caused a huge resurgence in the ideals.

Century of Stability (120 - 40 B.F.S)

Following both the resurgence of the tribal structure along with the creation of “The Path”, the Khadan people had re-entered into an age of prosperity however this was unlike the last ones as it had spawned an unlikely revolution.

Throughout the history of the Khadans there had been multiple developments such as canaln systems, transportation systems, and the system which boosted agriculture, mining, and textile crafting. However all these had either been long established or had died out long ago, while the agricultural revolution occurred to help increase the amount of food produced the culinary movement was just getting under way. This time period could also be called the “Culinary Century” as there were great leaps made for the creation of new food ideas. Starting towards the end of the year 120 when an unknown man from the Schaton tribe had published a book known as the “Asba” which was a 100 page cookbook documenting the steps to make 70+ meals for even the poorest of families. While for the first few years of it’s publication the book enjoyed moderate popularity and use among the Schaton tribe, by the year 115 it had made it to both New Vemez and Zenfey.This had not only spread it to a larger market due to these being effective capital cities of the Khadan people, but it also had spread it to major food production areas which could aid in the supply-demand industry. Between 113 and 110 both cities had started mass recreations and republishes of the book, some of these involved the addition of more local dishes, while other variations included alternate recipes for the ones featured. The Khadan people had always loved food but the increase of creativity when it came to what they could eat had inspired them even further. While the following years saw more and more recipes and books printed to an even larger audience, in the year 97 there was another revolution.

Stemming from the city of Zenfey a book series was published titled “Miza” which included multiple different concepts of not only alcoholic beverages but also how they could be mixed together. The cocktails ranged from whiskey, gin, wine, and even a non-alcoholic drink made from the native cactus population. The Khadans were not heavy drinkers and tried to avoid getting drunk at all costs as it could put them and others into danger, however they also had a decently high tolerance meaning that the amount of room available shot up higher then imagined. Both the culinary and cocktail revolutions were in full swing and by the year 90 there had been 250+ food recipes and 150+ cocktails created out of anything edible, along with this there were an estimated 5,000 copies of both the “Asba” and “Miza” out amongst the Khadan people. All tribes saw prosperity from this period as they either grew wheat, sugar, some sort of indemand plant, or had an abundance of spice to spare, this meant that the money constantly flowed back and forth ensuring economic stability and the people were happy as there were so many options to try out each day. Both the culinary, textile, social, and agricultural industries grew to even larger heights and for a span of 40 years (90 - 50 B.F.S) they were the peak of the Khadan economy.

It is believed these efforts are owed to the creation of “The Path” as it had increased creativity enough to bring this upon them, which caused a large uptake in religious involvement among the people. As the century came closer to ending there was a final wave of recipes shared, which came from each tribe's unique culinary culture which started in the year 47 B.F.S and continued till 40. Each of the sixteen tribes which were still around culturally had started a publication of their own recipes which had been in their tribes for centuries. These were picked up in the trade market and by the end of the age you could find Hesine recipes and food in the possession of Medunsi and vice versa. While the economic effects could not be understated, this also did a lot to improve the relations of the tribes back to that of the Anjyarr Empire days, as when the time came to a close there was the next step in Khadan society.

Twilight of the Old Era (40 B.F.S - 1 B.F.S)

As the Century of Stability faded from a hot new revolution to present aspects of Khadan society everything had relaxed. The wars of the last two centuries had faded from the minds of nearly everyone and there was no focus on improving more overlooked aspects in life. After the culinary revolution they started on improving education as it hadn't been updated in a long time.

In 40 B.F.S all of the tribal leaders had a meeting to discuss what they could do about it, they came to a decision rather quickly and by the time 40 turned to 39 they had an organization founded. The K.E.S (Khadan Educational System) was founded and started implementing multiple schools throughout the tribes, they taught the most vital bits of information such as how to read, write, speak, and do math to an advanced degree. They also helped people when it came to jobs as whatever job was most needed or important in the tribe had experts go in and teach the students how to be a worker. The schools were not based on age and people of all ages and walks in life attended to upgrade their wellbeing.

Between 40 - 28 B.F.S the schools had focused mainly on the region they were in however starting in the late months of the year 28 they started to change this. Important members from each tribe went around to each other's schools to help teach and inform the students there about their culture and jobs that would be available there. This actually kicked off an exchange student system where different tribes would swap around students to both learn about their culture but also to get more workers. The fruits of these trades were great and every industry from agriculture to textile to naval to even the military grew in both workers and profit. The Khadans had lost a lot when their empire fell but they were able to turn it around in the shortest time humanly possible as when the year 20 came to a close they had surpassed the economy of the Anjyarr Empire.

Each tribe had actually seen a large jump in their personal infrastructure along with the infrastructure of the tribe they were joint to, due to the good profit made from this the combining of tribes was celebrated as the best possible decision. While the school reform was going on there was also a sort of Khadan cultural revolution occurring with the development of both their language and naming conventions. Life amongst the Khadans had improved and their religion "The Path" was just about to have a major event go down. A priest born in New Vemez but who mainly teaches in Zenfey gained fame by not only providing food to the local population for free, but also because he had helped in the improvement of education. This man was widely loved throughout the Khadan people and they all looked to him for help when it came to their spirituality. Decades after he started as a lower ranked priest he had been to every tribe and met thousands of people to provide wisdom and his peaceful aura. The Khadan people had entrusted him with their worries when it came to things such as death as he had a different way of explaining the core values of “The Path” which had made his words more diverse.

Daybreak of the New Era (1 A.F.S - 30 A.F.S)

As one year faded into another, the Khadan people decided to take his teachings to heart and develop on what he said. This marked the start of a completely different time as this was going to be where the Khadans grew and developed to their highest extent. The people once fleeing from a warstruck country now had tamed a desert and had taken control over their lives. They had reached higher levels then expected of a tribal desert people due to their love and respect for eachother.

With the increase of education the history of them started to get shared more, and many wondered about their home land and what was there. The issue they ran into was that they did not know the directions back there and hence could not return. So since they could not go backwards they went forwards into the stars. The Khadans had developed a telescope and started using it to look in the sky during the day, which did not bear much success for anything. However at night time they were finally able to see the small dots of light as if they were standing near it. They saw bright glowing greens, blues, and yellows which seem to be the aura of these giant spherical objects in the night sky.