Asren

The Holy Regency of Asren, formerly the Sanctuary of Asren, is a state located in Tanragh, Abexilas. It was founded by a group of Najer refugees following the freezing and subsequent mass abandonment of Rathnir. It is currently a part of the Korlenten Sarinzerilin.
==History==
===Founding===
In the final years of Rathnir, the Great Sages of Najer foretold the end of the world through divine prophecies and signs. They prepared a book detailing their knowledge and the customs and values of the Najer people, and distributed it with a warning of the coming calamity. The Najer people began preparing, having about three years to do so.
When the time came, the sages communed with the various Lost Gods, and various portals to Abexilas opened up in their temples, allowing caravans of Najer people to travel to a new, safe place. The portals, being infused with divine energy, altered the biology of some of those who used them. The energy of the portals, whether intentionally or unintentionally, gifted certain individuals with the aspects of the gods. 
When the people arrived in Abexilas, they were shocked at their appearance, and so called themselves "aberrant souls" (Khanasri in their language). They were scattered all across the land, but a large group tenaciously traveled across the many seas of Abexilas in ships. Along the way, they were sheltered by a people known as the Wadiwayans, who kindly taught them their ways of shipbuilding, fishing, cooking, and carpentry, among other things. This helped the Najer remnants to survive and keep pressing onwards to find a new home of their own. The journey was long and rough, and many lives were lost. It is said that two deities, known as Jazurei, Lady of Meadows, and Dayujei, Lady of Cliffs, spoke to this remnant and promised them a place to live should they overcome their trial. 
With guidance from these two deities, the group set off, newly emboldened. After many months of sailing, they reached the northeasternmost reaches of Abexilas, the continent known as Tanragh. There, they made land on the snowy peaks of the Astigar Mountains. Some in the group were disheartened by the snowy and inhospitable climate, but divine whispers told them to keep going. They used the last of their strength to cross the mountains, and discovered a dry, barren plain. 
This angered even more of the group, and some insisted they turn back, but the more faithful prevailed and the group continued onward. When they set foot upon the plain, they heard the voice of Jazurei praising them, and the field suddenly burst into bloom with soft grasses and cherry trees. The people rejoiced and devoted themselves to the two goddesses they had heard. They named themselves the Asrennu, meaning people of mercy, because of the mercy they had been shown. 
They created the Sanctuary of Asren as a place for them to live, along with anyone else who needed mercy. 
===Settlement and the Valreach Collapse===
The people began the construction of a monastery devoted to their new gods in the spot where they had first made landfall, and reserved the land of the forest for the future construction of a grand city. Slowly but surely, a shining white complex arose on the fertile slopes of the Astigar mountains. Soon thereafter, the Asrennu made contact with the native inhabitants of the land, the Beru Nomads, who maintained camps not far from where the Asrennu resided. They soon learned that this group of natives was known as the Stag Tribe, who had preserved the ways of their people after a distant calamity had wiped most of it out. The two groups began trading with each other, with the industrious people of Asren providing many goods to the Beru, and the Beru teaching the Asrennu to live off of the land. A warm friendship developed between the two groups, and they began living among one another.
The Beru, inspired by the ways of the Asrennu, began to build some settlements of their own, resulting in a new group, the Goat Tribe, splitting off from the Stag. The new constructions were aided by Asren and they began to prosper. However, as was their wont, the Beru continued their travels, with many of the packing up their camps and leaving the settled Beru to mix with the Asrennu. 
As the Asrennu gained a foundation, they began to seek out political influence among their neighbors, namely Castanor, Sarinzerilin, Akari, and New Valreach. One group rose to notoriety in particular, namely, the Shasra Family. They had been instrumental in building the Monastery and negotiating with the Beru, and so authority was given to the eldest son, Dara Shasra, to lead them in this regard. He was aided by his younger brothers Marulo and Miyue. They began to entreat with the other nations nearby, hoping to maintain a neutral diplomatic presence among the continent. Their only qualm arose with the people of New Valreach, who lived in the fieldlands south of the Astigar Mountains. The Valreans contested the ownership of the Ancestral Pass, which connected the Asren monastery to the road systems spanning the continent. They also claimed the Valley of Flowers which lay next to the pass, as well as a portion of the Woods of Jazurei, as the Valreans had become enamored with the beautiful flowering trees that grew there and wished to build a settlement.
The Asrennu took issue with this, and Dara and Marulo Shasra negotiated fiercely, but backed down in the end, not willing to cause trouble on account of their small size and lack of influence. The Valreans had managed to gather support of other colonial powers to force Asren to surrender the whole Valley and most of the Pass to them. The Asrennu ceded their defeat and instead petitioned Castanor for some northerly land in order to build a port. Castanor accepted their proposal and things seemed well for a time. 
However, instability began to arise as the Valrean lands began to wilt and weaken. Unlike most other nation states, the Valreans maintained a very decentralized style of government, their cities loosely aligned only by an inter-city league. With time, and as competition over the lands of Tanragh increased, their reduced state capacity made them easy targets for the hungry colonial realms that had established in the continent. Over the six year period of New Valreach's existance, the Valreans found themselves frequently in territorial decline even before the untimely and final dissolution of their League. Taking advantage of their collapse, the Asrennu quietly asserted their authority over the Southern Ancestral Pass, sending guards and building defensive structures to claim it as their own.
==== Flashpoint and rising tensions ====
Closer to the events of the partition, increasingly more frequent raids and border skirmishes from the southern nations of Serenthia and Cesa Rindaun against the Valreans placed additional strain on their already weak league, which was now clearly unable to defend itself. In face of this new reality, some Valrean settlements started to request the protection of their larger neighbors, mainly Castanor and Akari. In a critical moment, the western settlements of New Valreach pledged loyalty to Akari while the eastern ones pledged to Castanor. Castanor, however, having received the submission of the High King of the Valreans, disputed the Akari protectorate over western New Valreach, arguing and recognising the League as a whole to be under it's protection. The dissolution of New Valreach thus became a territorial dispute between the two major power in the continent, one which Asren would soon find itself in the thick of.
With the Valrean position crumbling, Dara declared his intent to restore Asren's original claims, especially the Valley of Flowers and the southernmost portion of the Woods of Jazurei, over the corpse of New Valreach. He argued for the restoration of the old borders which would facilitate easier movement between Asren's coastal and mainland territories (then divided by the hard-to-traverse Astigars). The then-leader of the Beru Goat Tribe, Astrupal Sunchaser, sensed an opportunity and mobilized his tribe's support of Dara's bid for the Valley, on the condition of a Beru settlement in the Valley, a condition which was accepted by the Asrennu leader.
A map laying out Asren's claim, called the White-line Map, was prepared and sent to Castanor and Akari, the two nations disputing Valreach, both of whom Asren happened to be allied to. The claims included the integration of the Valley of Flowers into Asren, the Small Forest, and the remaining section of the Woods of Jazurei that at the time was outside Asren's sovereignty. Given most of Asren's territorial gains came at a cost of Akari's claims, the southern power refused Asren's proposal. Castanor, however, seeking to further their expansionist goal decided to take Asren as an ally in this dispute. Castanor conceded to to all of Asren's claim except to the Small Forest, which they claimed as theirs, in exchange for Asren's support on their own claims. An agreement was reached and a new map was drafted, the Blue-line Map, which was jointly presented to Akari with the backing of Castanor arms.
==== Resolution ====
The joint Asren-Castanor proposal and its immediate fallout marked the highest point of tension of the dispute, with Asren's neutral position on the conflict tilting to Castanor's favour. The Akari delegation did not accept or refute the proposal, as negotiations stalled. War seemed certain between Castanor and Akari over the territory, with the participation and status of Asren and the Beru muddled in a complex web of treaties and informal promises. The dispute would however conclude in Akari surrendering all of its claims to Castanor and Asren after some Castanori posturing and saber-rattling, with the Asren gaining full control over their original desired territory and the Beru happily settling down just as their ancestors did before them.
=== Expansion ===
Invigorated by their new territory, the Asrennu began to put their best foot forward in managing their new land. Dara entrusted his brother Miyue to go and establish a settlement in the far eastern region of their territory. Miyue immediately formed an expeditionary party to go and explore the eastern forests. The party ended up settling just on the edges of the Woods of Jazurei and began to lay the foundations of a new city that they dubbed "Adachi." 
Emboldened by this success, Dara then sent his other brother, Marulo, to do the same, but this time for the northernmost peak in the Astigar Mountains. This journey was more grueling, as no paths existed in the treacherous icy passes of the north. Many Ashta'Khanasri, including Marulo, were selected for their ability to produce heat and resist the cold. Their party was forced to painstakingly traverse the mountains, as they dared not try to shortcut into Castanori territory where they might be imprisoned or worse. Progress was slow, and it took many months to travel. Disaster struck on the final leg of their journey when one of their carts, along with its supplies and the men that drove it, were caught in an avalanche and fell down a ravine, spelling the loss of a significant part of their resources.
The remainder of the party made it to their destination, setting up a camp on a small plateau. They began a construction of their own, a small tower constructed of a unique blue stone they quarried from the mountain. Survival was tenuous, but they managed to claw out a foothold and created a small, stable settlement.