Xanyahou

Xanyahou [ZAN-ya-how]
Adjectival Form:  Xanyin [ZAN-yen]
Plural Noun for Inhabitants:  Xanoun [Zan-OO-un]
Singular Noun for Inhabitants:  Xanoun
Territory of the Gnolls.
==General Information==
*Capital:  Yeshlu
*Population Density:  Heavy
*Government:  Council of Warlords/Anarchy
*Predominant Faiths:  Nylashnee, Jerithul, Malvane
*Imports:  Weapons, Armor, Stone, Timber, Grains
*Exports:  Furs, Livestock, Mercenaries
==Overview & Boundaries==
Xanyahou is the native country of the Gnolls.  The country's fortunes have fluctuated over its many years of existence from being one of the largest empires ever known to being a country of semi-anarchy of only modest size and little influence.  The frequent religious civil wars periodically plaguing the country have made its largest concern the near-constant need of keeping the strife within contained.  Geographically, Xanyahou is situated with the Dungath Expanse to the north, the ocean to the east, Yargald to the west, and Tepliri and Harkaz to the south.  The westernmost border extends to the Rulung River, with the northern boundary starting from where the Rulung meets the Quibith Lakes and stretching across the southern Yalool Plains.  The southern border is marked partially by the Tepliroph and the traditional boundary of Harkaz .
==History==
The history of Xanyahou is one that is deeply rooted in religion and marks one of the key roles of the Years of Strife.  As stated in the overview, the country's fortunes have waxed and waned over the years.  At its zenith, it was perhaps the most influential power in the south, rivaled only by Urdur.  It is now at its lowest, as only a petty state ruled by near anarchy and wracked by constant civil wars based on religion.
===The Dawning and the Purging===
Xanyahou's origins in the Age of Creation stem from the deity Nylashnee who, like many of the other progenitor deities of the time, decided during the period of long peace between the gods to turn towards creation rather than bickering.  From her sprang the first of the gnolls whom she, again following the example of other deities, formed from her own image and shape.  Nylashnee taught her children all about what their role would be in the world and stayed among them for many years before fading back into the background of her new responsibilities. 
During this time, several of the early gnolls fell to the feral instincts of baser creatures.  This problem expanded, and Nylashnee attempted to put an end to the issue by pulling the darkness from these maddened individuals and banishing it along with her own, feeling that since she created them in her own shape and spirit, they must have taken some of her vices into their creation.  However, from this mass of collected darkness, Nylashnee's own feral state caused a divine spark that created the entity now known as Jerithul.  Jerithul hated Nylashnee for attempting to discard him from the world, and from the malice that created him, he attempted to seize Nylashnee and her children.  Nylashnee defeated Jerithul easily, however, as his own power then was much weaker, but the damage was done and irreparable.  Several of her children who still had this affliction chose to devote themselves to Jerithul and established his religion.  Over the centuries, Jerithul's following increased due to their more violent and "persuasive" nature.  Although Jerithul will never again deign to challenge Nylashnee's authority openly, his hatred of her persists, and so he tries to steal as many gnolls to his side as possible to usurp her, leading to much religious strife.
===The End of Peace===
Many historians agree that the age collectively referred to as The End of Peace was instigated in earnest by the ire of Cathixis over a preceived slight from Helflin, but the fact remains that in the south, it erupted when the church of Jerithul finally managed to gain its long-sought supremacy in Xanyahou's ruling council.  Even as the gods still struggled to solve the problem amongst themselves as they followed Cathixis's path and began to squabble, they prepared their respective races to pursue wars in their own interest much as Cathixis had done when she urged the kobolds to attack the gnomes. Nylashnee attempted to stay out of the disagreement between her fellow gods, and so it was then that Jerithul pushed his own agenda.  With the silence of Nylashnee over the situation, the followers of Jerithul moved in and preyed upon the insecurity of the gnolls to launch a war against their neighbors for supremacy in the south.  Jerithul's followers had always coveted the work of the elves and despised them for their "lofty" attitudes of perfection, so it was Tepliri that would feel the hatred of Jerithul the strongest.
===The Lord of Hate Reigns===
There is no mistaking the powerful influence of victory.  When Jerithul 's followers secured primacy in the Court of Xanyahou, they promptly renamed it the Council of Warlords and launched an impromptu invasion against the elves of Tepliri.  There was no ultimatum, no outward warnings of hostility, and the elves were busy watching to see how events in the north and middle lands would unfold, unaware of what was going on just to the north in a land they had thought cordial.  Jerithul's warlords rushed across the border and began ravaging city after city, killing and enslaving all as they went.  They marched clear across the countryside and conquered a full 2/3's of the once-great nation before they were finally stalled at the southern edges of lakes Urbol and Avarna .  These victories garnered much support for Jerithul's followers as they, to the eyes of the masses, proved his power. 
The dwarves of Urdur, with their splendor and power, caught the jealous eyes of Jerithul next, and he urged his followers to attack them as well.  The country of Urdur was, at the beginning of the Years of Strife, the most powerful nation in the south.  Her allies in Burglig and Gibling had been hard-pressed recently, and Urdur had responded to their needs to help keep them from being overrun.  The fall of Tepliri was so sudden that the dwarves occupying the easternmost section of Urdur known as the Barony of Yargald were not ready when the hate of Jerithul turned its greedy eyes upon them.  A full 1/3 of the barony's lands was seized before they were able to mount a counterattack to halt the advance.  Not even Finturi was entirely spared of Jerithul's reign of terror in the south, and while they did not lose any major tracts of land, the pressure of possible full invasion was ever present.  Only Harkaz was spared, as Jerithul respected the might of Asak's people enough to not wage war upon them until the right time.  However, by this point, Tepliri was on the brink and hardly a threat while Urdur was so embattled it seemed only a matter of time before they would be ripe for the taking.  The reign of Jerithul in the south seemed inevitible to some as Xanyahou had more the tripled in size.
It was not until around the time of the Vartian invasion of the southern shores that the other races of the south began to notice a lull in Xanyahou's activities.  This largely was due to a sudden fracture that had began to form amongst the Council of Warlords as those who still revered Nylashnee above Jerithul began privately interfering with the other Warlords Jerithul had under his sway.  Those that favored a return to Nylashnee vouched that she had only been silent on the world at large because she did not wish her children to be involved in the wars the gods had placed upon their children.  The faithful of Nylashnee thus proceeded to inhibit troop movements and the shipment of supplies, either slaying their targets or converting them to their cause.  Eventually the situation came to a head when they approached several of the southern nations with the desire to put down the cult of Jerithul.  An alliance was formed between Urdur and the lords of Yargald, Tepliri, Eblund, Finturi, and those in Xanyahou opposed to the current cult.  Originally Harkaz abstained from getting involved but would formally add their full strength halfway through the counterattack -- a boon in numbers and prowess the others sorely needed.  Finally the southern alliance succeeded in cornering Jerithul's forces in southern Tepliroph just below Lake Avarna in a Fortress the Cult of Jerithul had created called Gan-Youyesh.  The resulting seige lasted a full year before the southern alliance commenced a costly assualt.  In the end of it all, the forces occupying Gan-Youyesh were slain one and all, but at a heavy cost.  An excess of 100,000 lives were lost from both sides combined when Gan-Youyesh finally fell, and the bulk of the old fortress still remains intact to this day.  However, with the loss of nearly a full 3/4's of its followers, the cult of Jerithul vanished back into Xanyahou and still persists to cause the country strife to this day.
===The Peace that Could Have Been===
After the Years of Strife ended, so too did Xanyahou's place as a dominant power in the south.  In the resulting treaties, the gnolls who followed Nylashnee returned all the lands they had taken from the elves of Tepliri and more as a recompense for the destruction wrought upon their people.  The dwarves of Urdur, now much reduced in military power, decided to award the Barony of Yargald sovereignty for their actions in maintaining the eastern border for so long without aid.  Once again the followers of Nylashnee gave up a large tract of land they had gained to give to the Yargaldian dwarves a gift to end hostilities and redress wrongs.  The southern alliance agreed then that neutral control should be maintained at the capital of Xanyahou in the best interests of maintaining peace in the south.  Nylashnee's followers quickly agreed, as it gave an extra assurance against another potential uprising of Jerithul's devotees.  Harkaz was awarded this task, being the most neutral party involved in the war and due to their proximity to Xanyahou's borders.  The followers of Jerithul during this time stayed relatively quiet, having been thoroughly cowed, and a sort of awkward stability looked to be possible on the horizon as the infighting quieted.  The peaceful future, however, simply did not turn out to be.
===The Ambitions of the Wicked===
During the following years, Xanyahou seemed like it might eventually stabilize into a reasonible state of affairs once again.  However, the machinations of the greedy and wicked changed its fate for the worse.  The Malvanese prophet known as Gideon made his way to Xanyahou looking to convert followers of Jerithul to his cause, made an impact on several warlords, and took over their clans.  Though he strongly encouraged Jerithul's priests to convert, he knew he would have difficulty maintaining order if he forced the issue, so he allowed certain priests to maintain their faith.  If anything, this mingling of faiths only made the two spread like wildfire through the region as Gideon's priests worked with the priests of Jerithul to spread their collective faiths.  Many gnolls remembered the glory days when they held dominion over the south and found the promises of power and assistance to former glory from Malvane appealing. 
Meanwhile, Angalinor had been tasked with maintaining peace on the Tepliri-Xanyahou border after being awarded a tract of land.  Originally, Angalinor threw his lot in with Gideon, drawn by the promise of immortality and power to further his own goals.  However, as he saw more and more of the evil Gideon did and became tired of the constant suspicion such an ally entailed, he began to know for a certainty that things would have to be balanced somehow as the two began to race to build a foundation of followers.  This extended to Angalinor offering solace to members of the Yalool clan of Xanyahou -- a faction once powerful and prestigious in the days they held the Yalool Plains in the Dungath Expanse.  Though not what it once was, the former prestige of the clan was enough to draw others to Angalinor's cause when he promised greatness through stability and a restoration of traditional Xanhyoun culture.
Eventually when the war with the Archdemon who had subsumed control of Gibling was won -- the first war in the south Xanyahou did not directly participate in -- things between Angalinor and Gideon came to a head.  The resulting final gambits between the two leveled the lands around Angalinor's keep and dispersed the surviving converted gnolls back into Xanyahou, where the religions of Jerithul and now Malvane spread to a new level of contention with Nylashnee and the intruding elvish deities introduced through Angalinor's tutelege.  Now the Harkessian force that maintains control of Yeshlu is much more active in maintaining order during the increasingly rare meetings between the Warlords. 
===The Reckoning and After to the Current Era===
Since the days of Gideon's influence, irreparable damage was done to the nature of affairs in Xanyahou.  Religious strife is rampant, with the bulk of Nylashnee 's followers and those who adopted Elvish deities holding the lands by Tepliri and Yargald who periodically aid them, and the followers of Jerithul and Malvane, which predominantly have holdings in the north by the Yalool Plains and east by the ocean and Harkaz.  Civil war between the religions is a near constant state of affairs with atrocities of extreme levels practiced daily; for instance, the followers of Jerithul now openly commit the terrible ritual known as The Harrowing on Nylashnee's faithful, a thing before they would have only done in secret.  Many now wonder what will become of Xanyahou's future and if it will ever find stability again.  The faithful of Nylashnee still largely outnumber Jerithul and Malvane's followers, but they do not wish to engage in a costly all-out war that in truth may never end.  Meanwhile, the other religious factions continue to posture and push for dominance in the region.  Only the threat of a large peacekeeping force being sent from Harkaz , Tepliri , and Yargald keeps the followers from Jerithul pursuing the terrible war they so desperately want.
==Religion==
Religion dominates the culture of Xanyahou and is the cause of all their woes.  Nylashnee is a generally sedate religion that many in the surrounding countries look upon favorably.  Her doctrine is generally one of peace and semi-tribal culture.  On the other hand, Jerithul is a god of hate and malice who looks only to his own influence, power, and dominance.  He seeks mostly to seize control of the gnolls again.  In the backdrop is the cult of Malvane.  While still small, they consistently goad Jerithul's followers on to further their own agendas. 
==Life & Society==
Life in Xanyahou is a harsh affair and not for the faint of heart.  Ambushes, raids, and attacks are a common occurance in most corners of the country.  Things become more stable to the further border extremes one travels but are still hardly safe.  As such, the society is one full of a mix of dread, fear, hate, loathing, and sorrow.  In Xanyahou, only the strong of will can survive as violent death is an everyday occurance here.  Birth and mortality rates are thusly quite high and few live to their appointed time.  The taking of slaves is occasionally practiced amongst the faithful of Jerithul but are not exported as the neighboring countries do not permit such activities.  As only those following Malvane will purchase as such, dealings between the two factions is rather commonplace.  Some gnolls flee to neighboring countries such as Harkaz and offer themselves as mercenaries in an attempt to escape the depressing and violent lives they led back home.
Xanyahou itself is divided in major control by the most powerful families or clans.  Each one maintains a large fortress or city in the lands the claim strictly for themselves and rivalries are common place.  Being in a state of near anarchy, the government in Xanyahou is a mere formality if even that.  Tradtionally, leaders of the various major holdings in Xanyahou would meet in the capital of Yeshlu once a season at the minimum to hold council but often occured as much as 3 times a season or more.  These councils would determine how Xanyahou dealt with outside policies and internal problems.  Shedding blood in Yeshlu was once considered a sacrilege as most priests and historians record it as being the site Nylashnee brought the first gnolls into being.  This observance abruptly vanished during the Years of Strife when Jerithul's flock held sway.  In the Current Era, the council rarely meets and the Harkazian garrison keeps peace during meetings and maintains Yeshlu's role of neutrality within the country.  As such, the majority of major trade done from the outside in Xanyahou is done in Yeshlu by all the major clans due to the fact that it is the one place in the country where one can be certain not to be murdered or robbed out of hand. 
==Relations==
Tepliri and Yargald worry over the possibility of all out war erupting in the region due to the strife in Xanyahou.  As such, Xanyahou itself has no direct allies and instead factions within are viewed either with favor or hostility by its neighbors.  The faithful of Nylashnee are generally viewed with favor by Tepliri and Yargald as they hope that one day they will be able to restore order.  Conversely, those that follow Jerithul and Malvane are thoroughly despised by even Harkaz who generally sees the gnolls of Xanyahou as nothing more than a nuisance and general waste of their time and resources.
==Xanyahou's Places of Interest==
===Major Holdings===
Cities
*Youlu
*Yeshlu
Fortresses
*Rouyu
*Xazh
*Gan-Yesh
*Galingou
*Zu-Zang
*Rong
*Yulang
*Ganyaz
===Major Arteries===
Roads and Tradeways
*Nalnathya Way
Rivers
*Rulung River
===Notable Ruins or Sites===
*Enmun-Ecthol
===Major Landforms===
*Emerald Hills