Qarbak History

Go here for Qarbak culture. For a visual timeline of Riigan history, go here. The following page describes the largest power in the respective areas at the time. Some gaps and overlaps occur, and many ancient dates are estimates.

Mythology

According to Sarrayun, the world was created by the gods Ulkor and Mavharra. They also created man to live as their servants and slaves. But humans became envious of the power held by the two gods, and great warriors challenged Ulkor while great thinkers challenged Mavharra.

Time and time again, Ulkor and Mavharra defeated the humans, until a woman finally won the heart of Ulkor. Mavharra convinced Ulkor not to sleep with her, and they instead granted her immortality, and gave her a perfect husband made in their combined image. This immortal goddess was called Xilia, and her husband was Guranda. To prevent Xilia from ever getting too complacent with her husband, they made it so that Xilia had to revive her husband in a new body every time he died.

Together they descended on the primitive peoples of Qarbak, watching from atop a mountain in the Great Opal Ranges, waiting for a people to be worthy of their immortal rule.

Prehistory

Thousands of years ago, Qarbak was greener. Karber was occupied by a large number of tribes, and ancestors to the Yvatshun lived in Sheber. Despite the land being overall greener in this time, they suffered earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and droughts. The Karbak people came from the Bonelands and eventually grew to become the largest people in the area by building their civilisation around writing systems, farming, and copper tools. These are the people Xilia and Guranda chose to rule over.

Ziggurat temples were built by unknown ancient Karbak people for a lost religion but today they all lie in ruins. Though not as tall as some of the pyramids in the Seleru area, most ziggurats had broader bases.

Karbak People

Karber and briefly Sheber.

• 2400BD Some Karbak towns along the coast develop writing systems, commencing their historical records.
• 2200BD First chariots used here.
• 2000BD Cities of Tjynas and Urdhul founded.
• 1700BD Karbak people drive the relatively undeveloped Yvatshun out of Sheber.
• 1600BD Guranda is born again and starts spreading the Sarrayun religion after becoming the ruler of several cities. His influence spreads across Karber and Sheber.
• 1500BD People of Sheber begin to culturally diverge, becoming the Kayen people.
• 1400BD Guranda dies. Karbak lands explode with temples and competing religions, mostly different varieties of Sarrayun.
• 1100BD Urdhul, Tjynas, Kharbas, and Syens become independent city-states, each with their own religion.
• 1000BD Periodic trade by sea with Tesarean People across the Sea of Ash.
• 950BD The city-states enjoy trade and have relatively few conflicts. Trade opens with the Evexan Hoqomer.
• 900BD Kayen city-states end their reigns as a new king Uhtjar begins uniting them as the Mintar Kingdom.

Guranda was the first Hireos ruler of the Karbak people, born around 1600BD. In the terms of the Sarrayun religion, he is their Guranda -- their immortal emperor who reincarnates after each death. Guranda brought such prosperity that he had to divide his dominion in two, the Kayen people being granted the other half, though these two regions weren't technically considered kingdoms until much later.

2600BD - 950BD

Ruins from this period include devarsuq and mausoleums.

Kayen People

Sheber.

• 1400BD Guranda dies. Kayen lands explode with temples and competing religions, mostly different varieties of Sarrayun.
  • The Gardens of Akefa are allegedly built in this period by a particularly wealthy ruling priest.
• 1100BD Urdhul, Tjynas, Kharbas, and Syens become independent city-states, each with their own religion.
• 1000BD Pakorra religion begins dominant in the region, mostly based in the city of Sakhratja.
• 950BD The city-states enjoy trade and have relatively few conflicts. Trade opens with the Evexan Hoqomer.
• 800BD Stuck between the Mintar Kingdom and Qeyu Hoqomer, the people struggle until crowning King Kinar as a uniting figure for Sheber.

1500BD - 850BD

Ruins from this period include devarsuq and mausoleums.

Mintar Kingdom

Karber. Built the Statue of Xilia.

• 900BD Kayen city-states end their reigns as a new king Uhtjar begins uniting them as the Mintar Kingdom.
  • Steel also finds its way here from the Tesarean People.
• 750BD Caste system is developed in both Mintar and Kayen.
• 700BD Waypoint trade cities such as Khandar and Dhaq are founded to help sea trade with the Ladarean Kingdom.

900BD - 650BD

Ruins from this period include stone fortresses.

Kayen Kingdom

Sheber.

• 800BD Stuck between the Mintar Kingdom and Qeyu Hoqomer, the people struggle until crowning King Kinar as a uniting figure for Sheber.
  • City of Dhrewar is founded.
• 750BD Caste system is developed in both Mintar and Kayen.
  • The Mausoleum of Esravan is built to King Esravan, one of the most esteemed kings.
• 650BD The priests within the caste system gain power and eventually manipulate the king into surrendering his authority, giving rise to the Kayen Priestdom.

800BD - 700BD

Ruins from this period include mausoleums.

Kayen Priestdom

Sheber.

• 650BD The priests within the caste system gain power and eventually manipulate the king into surrendering his authority, giving rise to the Kayen Priestdom.
• 600BD Ruling priests grant themselves absolute power under a variant of the Pakorra religion.
• 550BD Bedin Alkhanas, son of Mintarmanu, invades and conquers the Kayen Priestdom, executing thousands of priests who had granted themselves absolute power.

650BD - 600BD

Ruins from this period include devarsuq.

Mintar Empire

Karber and Sheber.

• 600BD The first emperor of the land, Bedin Mintarmanu, gains power by promoting Sarrayun religion above all others, giving more control to the military, and winning favour of the people by executing corrupt officials.
• 550BD Bedin Alkhanas, son of Mintarmanu, invades and conquers the Kayen Priestdom, executing thousands of priests who had granted themselves absolute power.
• 500BD Bedin Berkatji makes Sarrayun the state religion, outlawing Pakorra.
• 400BD The emperor learns from Hodasean engineers and has five great wells built around the Sea of Lions, giving it its name.
  • The lions acted as giant wells for populated areas, allowing more towns and crops to grow around the sea's shores.
• 300BD Many of the cities acting as waypoints for trade with eastern dynasties start becoming independent city-states after accumulating wealth and power.
• 200BD Xilou Hoqomer emissaries visit to try to spread their Hoqomer religion.
  • The emperor instead forces the emissaries to spend a week in the capital's largest brothel before sending them home.
  • The wondrous city of Kablan was built.
• 150BD The Xilou Hoqomer conquers the western half of the empire, possibly as a result of the emissary incident a few decades prior.
  • Earliest traces of the Archroad.
• 100BD The priest class argues with the soldier class, quickly leading to civil war.
• 50BD The empire struggles to hold itself together for several decades.
• 0BD The Darkness hits the empire, causing it to collapse entirely.

After increasing tensions between the Mintar Kingdom and Kayen Priestdom, Bedin Mintarmanu became the first true emperor of the entire region, uniting both halves under a single religion -- Sarrayun. His empire was so prosperous that it was arguably as powerful as the Oolu Empire today, despite the oppression of followers of the Pakorra religion.

600BD - 50BD

Ruins from this period include devarsuq, mausoleums, and cities lost to sand.

Oolu Empire (Early)

Karber.

• 200AL After two centuries of small nations trying and failing to hold power in the Karber region, eventually Senghul Drabas revives some of the ancient city states and is made emperor.
  • Senghul Drabas utilised the potential of the Archroad to find prosperity for his empire, connecting the Qeyu, East, and West Hoqomers, the Oolu Empire, the Hodasean Empire, and the Dunian Empire.
• 300AL Yonool Hartja usurps the throne and founds the Qarar Empire.

200AL - 250AL

Qarar Empire

Karber.

• 300AL Yonool Hartja usurps the throne and founds the Qarar Empire.
• 350AL Armies are funded to drive the East Xilou out of Sheber, but the Lion's Plague in East Xilou forces the Qarar Empire to try to keep all outsiders out for a time.
• 400AL The priest caste publicly scrutinises the failure of the emperor to take back Sheber lands and keep the plague at bay.

300AL - 400AL

Derhnu Priestdom

Karber.

• 450AL The scrutiny from the priest caste extends into the public and the emperor takes his own life, unable to bear the pressure and shame. The Derhnu Priestdom is founded.
• 500AL The ruling priests declare their priestdom pacifistic, as taught by their many religious schools.
• 550AL The Dunian Empire conquers Sheber from the other end but respects the pacifism of the Derhnu Priestdom and stops at their borders.

450AL - 600AL

Ruins from this period include devarsuq.

Modern Qarbak Cultures

Karber and Sheber.

• 650AL Lirar, a descendant from the old Oolu Empire, gathers supporters and marches into Sheber after the Dunian Empire withdraws from the area, defying the ruling priests at the time.
  • Promising to become the heart of the Archroad, Lirar gains tremendous support and overthrows the ruling priests, uniting Karber and Sheber into the modern Oolu Empire.
• 700AL Built the Qanyare Palace.
• 750AL Oolu starts utilising war elephants and becomes a formidable force.
• 800AL Oolu invades Batur, the elephant archers making short work of Dunin cavalry archers.
  • Built Caraal.
• 850AL The Oolu Empire tries to invade the Bandiao Kingdom but too many elephants die crossing mountains and cold deserts.
  • The defeated forces manage to bring the printing press back with them.
• 1000AL Built the Nal Medne.

650AL onwards