Empire of Sallant

***“**My political opponents say Sallant had a fall from grace after the collapse of the Sapphire Empire. Perhaps they'd like to survey the countless conquered and the enslaved and ask them if the Empire feels weakened to them.**”***
— Muzai II of Sallant

The **Empire of Sallant** (Sallanthian: **Iimbur m Sallanth**) is a Southern Empire based out of New Sallant. The Empire serves as the head of the Sapphire League. It borders Legionary Daletia, the Kingdom of Llendus, and the Duchy of Rytow-Kierzew to the north, the Sapphire Kingdom of Qibiqa and Qu'zell City to the south, the Desert lords to the southwest, the Empire and Republic of Da'al Mon to the west, and the Kingdom of Amagoi to the northwest. Sallant has a coastline on the Endless Ocean and the Sea of Ruin.

Sallant is the founder and the leader of the Sapphire League, the spiritual successor to the Sapphire Empire which collapsed in the later 10th century AW. Members of the Sapphire League are expected to be totally obedient to the Empire as a whole.

Sallant was a minor player in the Great War, briefly allinging themselves with the Monarchists and invading the Empire of Da'al Mon. However, after the conquest was over, they turned on the Monarchists and attacked them, later founding the Sapphire League. However, since then, Sallant has distanced itself from the rest of the chaos of the Great War and Epilogue Wars alike.

With the recent death of Lyxis the Blind and the ensuing Nytalyrian Crisis, there are many who believe that Sallant has once again risen to the status of being the most powerful nation in the Mainland.

## History

### Early Years

After the assassination of Retabh, the Sapphire Emperor of Sallant, his successor, Dosaam, reformed the Sapphire Empire of Sallant into just the Empire, abandoning all notions of restoring the fallen Sapphire Empire. Domestically, this was an unpopular reform, as many militarists within Sallant believed that the Sapphire Empire could be reconquered. Yet, with instability and economic problems being rampant, Dosaam knew that peace was the best course of action at the time. The militarists, however, did not agree.

In 1038 AW, Dosaam was overthrown and put in House Arrest, where he would remain until his death. The rebels elected one of his younger sons, Nisuh, to be the next Emperor. Nisuh was warlike and wrathful, and was already an officer in the Sallanthian military. The head of the coup, General Dinakh Radiha, believed this would make Nisuh easy to control. He couldn't have been more wrong.

Initially starting as a puppet emperor, Nisuh began building connections with the regular soldiers of the Empire. Eventually, the young Emperor became vastly more popular amongst the common soldiery than the Generals who controlled him. In 1041 AW, he secretly rallied his troops stationed across New Sallant in the dead of night, and began the Sallanthian Officer Purge. In just one night, dozens of high-ranking officers and lords were dragged out of their homes and killed without a trial. Among them was General Radiha. Nisuh was no longer a puppet Emperor, and he had already earned the loyalty of the army. Now, he was out for more.

### Expansion

Nisuh rallied his troops for war. In 1045 AW, he launched the Sallanthian-Agumian War, invading the Sapphire Kingdom of Agumia. The Agumians fought a brutal guerilla war from the hills and the Great Sand Sea, yet Nisuh managed to conquer the entirety of the Kingdom by 1051 AW. Satisfied with his initial conquest, he returned to New Sallant, where he remained for two decades, integrating the vast Agumian territories.

In 1071 AW, the aging Emperor gathered his forces a final time, and invaded the Sapphire Kingdom of Qibiqa, who had grown to control a vast portion of land that wasn't part of the former Province of Qibiqa. Nisuh conquered Qibiqa's northwestern lands, which were part of the Great Sand Sea, and prepared to conquer the Qibiqan heartland. However, the old Emperor suffered a stroke in early 1072 AW, and ultimately died a few days later. His armies were thrown into chaos, and abandoned the war. Back in Sallant, Crown Prince Muzai was crowned the new Emperor, but he failed to salvage the situation. As Muzai signed a white peace with Qibiqa, the conquered area fell into chaos, as rogue officers and bandits alike fought over the sparsely inhabited territory. These warlords constantly fought one another for money or for territory. Collectively, these rogue leaders would be refered to as the Desert Lords.

Muzai and his successor Nisuh II would be vastly more peaceful Emperors, instead focusing their efforts on rekindling Sallanth's economy. Furthermore, social reforms were passed, with slavery being a big issue within the Empire. Nisuh II's heir, Crown Prince Zerab, was an outspoken abolitionist, and promised to outlaw slavery upon coming to power. However, when Nisuh II died, Zerab was attacked in the streets by soldiers loyal to his younger brother, Setal. Setal took the crown, only two days later, sparking outrage across much of the Empire. The Sallanthian slaves, who were banking on receiving their freedom, received nothing. Combined, this would be a recipe for disaster when it came to Setal's reign, and, in 1109 AW, all hell broke loose.

### Civil War

*Main Article: Sallanthian Civil War*

In late 1109 AW, a slave revolt spread through much of the Sallanthian heartlands. Before long, nobles opposed to Setal's rise to power joined the rebellion. The Empire descended into a full-blown civil war before long. The civil war rapidly bogged down into a stalemate, with both sides fighting in a series of meat grinders. Before long, the conflict was reduced to a handful of scattered sieges and skirmishes. In 1124 AW, Setal was assassinated by a few of his own guard who later defected. His son, Raib, was too young to rule at the time, leaving his wife Hanua to become the Empress-Regent.

Hanua was more ruthless than Setal ahd ever been, and the death of her husband enraged her. She personaly gathered an army and went on the offensive, leading from the frontline. She scored a number of key victories, driving the rebels from the Sallanthian Peninsula entirely. In 1130 AW, she passed power to her son, but remained an advisor. Emperor Raib was tasked with clearing up any remaining rebel pockets, with the Empire being pacified from 1134 AW onwards.

Raib died at a young age when he contracted the Fifth Plague of Ihyll. His younger brother, Duhlah, took the crown, but died in a hunting accident. Finally, the third and youngest song of Setal, an infant at the outbreak of the civil war, Ziras took the crown, finally bringing some stability to the Empire.

### Preparations for War

Ziras had been born amidst war and chaos, and had grown a strong dislike towards violence. Instead, he urged peace and prosperity, much to the annoyance of many lords and generals. Ziras ultimately died in 1179 AW, passing the crown to Tahuq. Tahuq knew that Sallant wasn't ready for another large-scale war, but that it could be with some preparation.

Tahuq dedicated much of Sallant's economy to reforming and retraining the military. Famously, he reformed the Dragonfleets, which had been lost after the collapse of the Sapphire Empire. Under Tahuq, Sallant became a military superpower once more, though he never marched to war himself. When he died in 1199 AW, the crown passed to Muzai II, who inherited a stable and strong nation thanks to his father. All he needed now was an opportunity to march to war.

### The Great War and Present Day

The Sallanthians observed as the Kingdom of Fühlgart fell to the Republicans. Some were alarmed by the latter Gemstone Wars, yet Muzai II had a morbid curiosity and expected Enselonde to have a major war in the coming decades. At the time, he couldn't have known how right he was.

In 1211 AW, the Republic of Fühlgart invaded the Kingdom of Wyrsia, while also attacking Frosthaven Island, the seat of the ousted von Kalzberg monarchs. The factions of the civil war resurfaced, with Republicans and Monarchists going to war once more. This began a string of alliance building and betrayal that soon engulfed the North and the Eastland. When the Republicans invaded the Eastland, the Monarchists under Erik von Kalzberg abandoned their temporary headquarters in Redwall. As luck would have, they ended up in Sallant.

Muzai II was curious at the now-stranded Monarchists in his country. He held multiple private audiences with Erik von Kalzberg, and ultimately agreed to aid the Monarchists if von Kalzberg and his forces aided Sallant. However, his true motives for joining the Monarchists were unknown to von Kalzberg at the time. Ultimately, the King of Fühlgart agreed, and Sallant became a monarchist state. In exchange, von Kalzberg would aid in an upcoming conquest of Da'al Mon.

The Sallanthian-Da'al Moni war was primarily fought by Fühlgartians and Wyrsians, as they were the ones fighting on the frontlines. Meanwhile, Sallant's armies could sit back and simply let their new allies do all the work. However, the Northern refugees weren't enough to fully conquer Da'al Mon. After a sizeable chunk of their Empire was conquered, Muzai II ended the war, annexing the conquered territory. As the Fühlgartian and Wyrsian troops travelled back to New Sallant, they came under attack by Sallanthian general Alos Amukkia while stranded in the Great Sand Sea. Muzai II no longer had a use for them.

The betrayal shook the Monarchists, and many soldiers died that day. The Monarchist force fled in two direction. Erik von Kalzberg and the bulk of the Monarchist force fled northwest, heading for the Kingdom of Amagoi. A second group was left behind. Critically, the Wyrsian queen, Cecilia Mitthel, was a member of this group which mostly consisted of non-Humans from the Green Grove. Alos Amukkia would ultimatelly be slain by William Ryker, after his revival by the Goddess of the Stars, Cossyxia. Subsequently, Ryker, now the Champion of Cossyxia, rejoined the group under Queen Cecilia and Nivhael, and fled northeast, into the Kingdom of Llendus.

While initially angry that many Monarchists had escaped, Muzai II ultimitally concluded that they wouldn't pose a risk in the long term. Sallant would carve their own path, forming the Sapphire League, the spiritual successor to the Sapphire Empire. Smaller states were bribed or threatened into joining it. Many of the Desert Lords joined the alliance, as well as Qibiqa.

Yet, Muzai II would not live to see his Sapphire League prosper. In 1228 AW, his all but abandoned daughter, Danakha, stormed the Sapphire Palace in New Sallant alongside a large amount of Qibiqan troops. Her coup had been sponsored by the Qibiqan monarch, Ahandid II. Muzai II and his sons were imprisoned. Danakha had them all executed shortly after, to prevent any loyalist countercoups.

Under Danakha, Sallant has began to transform. The Empress is extremely ruthless, and will have her enemies dragged off into the night without a second thought. However, she also seems to harbor sympathies for the downtrodden and the broken, and has offered state-sponsored aid to combat poverty-stricken peasants. Furthermore, talks of finally ending slavery within the Empire have become relatively common in the court of Danakha, and it may be possible that Sallant will finally abolish the practice in the coming decades.

With the recent collapse of the Nytalyrian Empire due to the Nytalyrian Crisis, Sallant has been ridded of their enemy from ancient times. With Lyxis the Blind dead, many now look at Sallant as the most powerful state in the Mainland, even eclipsing the mighty Republic of Fühlgart. Some optimists expect a second Age of Sapphires marked by Sallanthian domination, yet, only time will tell.

## Politics

The Empire of Sallant is an absolute monarchy. While feudal divisions still exists, and there are plenty of lords who hold land, their titles can be revoked without a reason by the Emperors. The nobility is forced to play by the Emperors' rules, and often makes the journey to New Sallant to bestow the ruler with gifts and pledges of loyalty.

Danakha is currently the Empress of Sallant, and has maintained the political structure of the Empire. She expects absolute loyalty from her vassals, lest they find their titles revoked and their severed heads hanging from the gates of New Sallant.

## Geography

Sallant has a wide variety of climates inside its borders, though it is generally warm and dry. Around a quarter of the country is desert, as Sallant's northwestern border extends throughout the Great Sand Sea. The Great Sand Sea is seperated from the rest of the country by the Hills of Ivos. The northeastern part of the Empire consists mostly of dry grasslands, though farming is possible in the area. In the south, on the coastlines and the Sallanthian Peninsula, the land is very fertile, and mostly supports the rest of the Empire.

Major rivers flowing through Sallant are the Rivers Shil and Ziris in the northeast, and the strategically important River Agha, which serves as a defensive line separating the Sallanthian peninusla from the rest of the Empire.

## Economy

Sallant is sometimes refered to as the Silver Empire due to the extremely high amounts of rare ores found beneath the surface. It is estimated that the Empire controls roughly 85% of all silver mines in Enselonde, and another 40% of Gold Mines. This has caused the Empire and its predecessors to amass vast fortunes through mining.

However, Sallant also has a thriving trading economy, with countless of shipping and merchant companies throughout the Empire's many ports. However, this has also made Sallant a ripe target for pirates, and the Empire's shipping is frequently raided by the Azure and Crimson Wave Raiders.

## Demographics

Sallant and its historical territory has always been dominated by Humans, and the Darkest Decade and its many genocides have all but confirmed this fact. One is hard-pressed to find a non-Human – with the exception of Dragons – that thrives in Sallant, and racism against non-Humans is still widespread across the Empire.

## Sallanthian Emperors

* **House Yanhia**
	+ Dosaam I, 1024-1038 AW
	+ Nisuh I, 1038-1072 AW
	+ Muzai I, 1072-1083 AW
	+ Nisuh II, 1083-1108 AW
	+ Setal I, 1108-1124 AW
	+ Hanua I, 1124-1130 AW
	+ Raib I, 1130-1145 AW
	+ Duhlah I, 1145-1153 AW
	+ Ziras I, 1153-1179 AW
	+ Tahuq I, 1179-1199 AW
	+ Muzai II, 1199-1128 AW
	+ Danakha I, 1128 AW-