Khahlanong Hlusa Mfa

Khahlanong Hlusa Mfa is an empire originating from the Pahhont subcontinent of Umbrak. It controls most of eastern Umbrak and was enormously influential on the international political stage of Duurn for over a thousand years. The death of their immortal emperor, Tshakuksuha, in 1332 threw Khahlanong into disarray. Its influence was further shattered by the loss of the Last War and the dissolution of the Humanist League, an international institution dominated by the empire. Now, Khahlanong is caught in a spiral, as those at the top desperately try to hold together a crumbling empire built on the promises of a dead god.

History

Unification Period

The origins of Khahlanong are also the origins of the Age of Humanity. Prior to the rise of Khahlanong, the humans of Pahhont lived under the thumb of the Werha, the local term for Nayogh entities that held total dominance over the region. Humans were led by appointed priest-sovereigns of the Werha, called Sheffs. The Sheffs were granted power and privilege, and in return, they managed the human population of the subcontinent, paying tribute in human livestock and other products to the Werha.

In 31 BCE, the humans of the subcontinent revolted, in a rebellion now called the War of Divine Repudiation. During the rebellion, Tshakuksuha arose as a leader of the human armies. Thirty-one years later, the conflict officially ended when Tshakuksuha fought and killed Fingi-Zwull, the most powerful of the Pahhont Werha. The site of the battle would later become the city of Mlollbof, capital of the new empire. Tshakuksuha declared the new empire to by the Khahlanong Hlusa Mfa or "Barrier Against Heaven."

The creation of Khahlanong ushered in the Age of Humanity, as the following centuries saw the rise of human-controlled societies across Umbrak and eventually the rest of Duurn. In Khahlanong, Tshakuksuha became known as a living folk hero. The cult around them only became further entrenched as their lifespan stretched on over centuries. Eventually, they became seen as something close to a god, a perception that they did little to dissuade. While they purged Pahhont of the lingering influence of the god cults, their empire continued to grow. The Northern Expansions saw Khahlanong gain control of the rest of eastern Umbrak.

Serene Period

The period following the Northern Expansions is known as the Serene Period, a golden age for Khahlanong. Across Duurn, dark ages of human subjugation were over, and in Khahlanong, culture and the arts were flourishing. Khahlanong was seen as a vanguard of a new status quo of human liberation and power. This hegemonic power was gained through the creation of an increasingly bureaucratized and wide-reaching state, with Tshakuksuha at the forefront.

Stagnating Period

The Serene Period ended with the Great Umbraki Famine, where millions died across Umbrak due to agricultural failures. Tshakuksuha made the decision to prioritize the imperial core, forcing the transportation of dwindling food stores into Pahhont, causing far worse famines outside the subcontinent. The following centuries saw the temporary decline of Khahlanong's hegemony. In western Umbrak, the rise of the Sovereignty of Nchaijiw signalled that the dominance of Khahlanong over Umbrak was becoming more fragile.

The two empires openly clashed for the first time in 734 CE, during the Shameful War. Khahlanong declared war on the Sovereignty of Nchaijiw, claiming that emissaries of Khahlanong had been murdered in the Nchaijiw court. It seemed like Khahlanong would defeat the other empire, though the Nchaijiw put up a good fight. However, a conspiracy to assassinate Tshakuksuha from within Khahlanong and the outbreak of the War of Three Provinces gave the Nchaijiw Empire the chance to emerge victorious, having retaken all the land they lost in the first four years of the war.

The impact of this loss and the ongoing civil war on confidence in Tshakuksuha's rule resulted in the Years of Chaos, a series of uprisings in the peripheral provinces of the empire. The Bhent and Cetnga both successfully broke free from Khahlanong Hlusa Mfa during this time, and there were other less successful uprisings across the rest of the empire.

As a result of the War of Three Provinces and the Years of Chaos, Tshakuksuha moved to centralize power. The provinces of Pahhont were dissolved and brought under the control of the imperial bureaucracy, which answered directly to Tshakuksuha. The Provincial Guard was created to defend the peripheral provinces against uprisings, and they were structured to ensure loyalty to Tshakuksuha, rather than the provincial governors. As for the emperor, while the assassination attempt failed, it seemed to leave them wounded beyond what they let on. After the civil war, they began to wear heavy robes and a mask covering their face, and their public appearances declined. Eventually, they were rarely seen outside their inner circle.

Resurgence Period

By the 9th century, Khahlanong was recovering from the Years of Chaos and the civil war, and Tshakuksuha's first move was to declare war on the Cetnga Kingdom that had been formed following the Cetnga uprising of seventy years prior. The Reconquest of Cetngasef only lasted two years and is seen as the beginning of the Khahlanongi resurgence that led to their dominance of international politics even beyond Umbrak.

Over the next two centuries, Khahlanong experienced a period of stability and slow but steady growth. During the War of the Pozwo River, they conquered the Wazi people of northern Umbrak. This brought them into heightened conflict with the Sovereignty of Nchaijiw. Still angry over their loss in the 8th century, Tshakuksuha declared war on the other empire once more, after a series of smaller border skirmishes and disputes. This time the result was different. By the end of the Khahlanong-Nchaijiw War in 990 CE, the Nchaijiw ruling family was overthrown, and Khahlanong installed the Mgemnyi in their place, creating a loyal client state in western Umbrak.

The 11th century saw the beginning of the Colonial Rush, when Khahlanong and the powers of Jideran scrambled to establish economic colonial spheres in Eaorma and Vieluesse. In Eaorma, Khahlanong established economic outposts and deepening political control over the Nivlathi, while in Vieluesse, Flakerssä säs Kriehehrdt was created as an extension of their political project.

Progressive Period

In the early 12th century, the Wellspring of Nations began to sweep across Duurn. Within Khahlanong, movements for national autonomy and independence grew in the periphery, while in the imperial core, a push for economic and social reform gained momentum. In 1132 CE, this hit its climax during the Mlollbof Bloom, when the city of Mlollbof erupted in protest against steadily climbing tariffs on imported goods. At the same time, uprisings with strong national characteristics began, sparked by the isntability in the core. The uprisings failed, stymied by the Provincial Guard, while the Phutshangi put down the protests in the core, but Tshakuksuha saw the need for modernization.

With the world in a state of upheaval and Khahlanong undergoing a period of slow reform, Tshakuksuha saw the opportunity to place Khahlanong in a position of economic and political power over the rest of Duurn in a way that was not possible before. In 1193 CE, Khahlanong established the Organization for Economic Cooperation, through which they offered aid to industrializing and economically modernizing nations in the form of loans and resource investment. This lay the groundwork for 1201 CE, when the Republic of Kaisa, Sorfait, Loritania, Ras Tamura, and several other states joined Khahlanong to form the Humanist League.

Through the League, Khahlanong was able to exert considerable influence over Duurn. By the end of the 13th century, Khahlanong was the indisputable hegemon of the world, but all was not well within the empire. Tshakuksuha was increasingly reclusive, and with the empire founded on their cult of personality, this led to not-insignificant rumblings of dissent. Factionalism was rampant within the imperial bureaucracy. Aristocrats, landowners, and functionaries waged a shadow war to vie for favor and positions of influence. While Tshakuksuha remained at the top, no one dared to step out of line, but it proved to be a recipe for disaster.

Shattering Period

On the 12th of Veil, 1332 CE, an explosion erupted from the Antbyigh Mnisegh, Tshakuksuha's palace. Initially, the Council of Ministers attempted to hide the truth, but it was not long before news of Tshakuksuha's death spread across the empire. The Red Week ensued, when the economic system that was so reliant on the stability of Khahlanong crumbled. The Council of Ministers, renaming themselves the Provisional Council, did their best to maintain order, but almost immediately, the empire began to unravel. The rest of Duurn was little different, as political instability followed the economic collapse.

In 1333 CE, revolution spread across the imperial periphery. In Byighfall and Njill Mnyof, liberation movements were successful in gaining independence, creating Gugh Muqec and Dil Bhentcu. In 1338, the Wazi also gained their independence, through a nationalist coup within the Imperial Army, forming Aki-Waza. Despite its immense size and resources, the empire has been unable to suppress or recapture these territories, as it is occupied holding together an ever-increasing number of fractures.

When the Last War came, Khahlanong could not afford to stay out of the war. The Provincial Council hoped that the war against the Rising Powers Pact would be over swiftly, and many across Duurn agreed that would be the outcome. After all, the League was composed of the foremost powers of the last century, and even in its collapse, Khahlanong was a mighty foe. Khahlanong focused their attention in Teshoya, aiding Yıskan against Halar's invasion.

Unfortunately for Khahlanong and the rest of the League, the war did not go as planned. It dragged on for eight years of attrition and death, exacerbating the fractures within the empire. During the war, uprisings began in Bohun and, once again, in Byighfall. By 1348, Khahlanong was unable to continue, and they were forced to cede the fight against Halar in early 1349, pulling most of their forces out of the war. With the collapse of the rest of the Humanist League imminent, the Delchi Peace Conference was called, negotiating a settlement to end the war. While Khahlanong avoided the worst of the penalties, only being forced to agree to reparative payments to the Rising Powers, the League was dissolved by the Delchi Peace Conference in 1350.

Power Structure

Before the death of Tshakuksuha, they held absolute power over Khahlanong. A bureaucracy, hand-picked at the top by Tshakuksuha, oversaw the day-to-day operations of the empire. At the head of the imperial system was the Council of Ministers, each chosen by the emperor to oversee a particular segment of governance. Even before the emperor's death, the ministers were constantly engaged in schemes and power struggles, most as loyal to power as they were to Tshakuksuha. Now, the Council of Ministers has become the Provincial Council, dedicated to governing Khahlanong until a successor can be chosen, and the power struggles have only intensified.

Within Pahhont, the imperial bureaucracy holds direct dominion, but the size of Khahlanong demands some amount of decentralization, and Tshakuksuha established the imperial provinces as territories within the empire that were governed by their own systems of governors and aristocrats but who ultimately still answered to the emperor. Gubernatorial positions are highly sought-after. As long as they pay their taxes and follow the dictates of the empire, a governor can run their province like a personal kingdom, and many do. With Tshakuksuha gone, some of the provincial governors and even many commanding officers in the Provincial Guard or Imperial Army feel that they have the chance to seize power for themselves. Even among those that remain loyal to the dream of Khahlanong, many were more loyal to Tshakuksuha than whatever shadow remains of the empire they built.