Wanakusuma

Flag of Wanakusuma

Location of Wanakusuma

**Wanakusuma**, also known as the **Vanese Empire**, was a vast state in northern and central Owlia, bordering New Breshyu to the northwest and Landing to the southeast. It was one of the largest and most populous countries in Owlia, covering many different biomes and home to several native cultures and languages.

For most of history, Wanakusuma was a monarchy governed under the premises of a feudal system. Increasing modernisation and a succession crisis led to the outbreak of the Vanese civil war in 717, where socialist revolutionaries ousted the imperial government and instituted the Vanese People's Republic. The country was however riddled by political instability and economic stagnation during most of the socialist era, and the people's republic was brought down by a military coup in 750 which restored the monarchy. Unlike in the ancient empire, newly instated Queen Wulandari became more of a ceremonial head of state with the day-to-day administration handled by a military government under the leadership of her prime minister and former admiral Slamet Sastrowironyo.

Sastrowiryono's sudden death in 754 lead to a new upheaval as the country began a transition to democracy, with the first elections held in 760.

## **Etymology**

The name that would eventually describe the entirety of the empire is derived from the name of the historical city of Wanakusuma, the birthplace of the Vanese civilization. The name of the city itself originated from the High Vanese word *Wana*, meaning Forest, and *Kusuma* meaning flower - thus *Wanakusuma* meant flower forest, a term which described the properties of the surrounding area of the ancient city. An alternative name for the city and the empire is *Alaskembang*, a Low Vanese term of the same meaning that was historically more popular among commoners.

## **History**

### **Prehistory**

The presence of early humans in Wanakusuma could be traced back as far as 1.5 to 1.6 million years ago. The oldest known evidence came in the form of bovid bones marked by clamshell tools that was found around Wanahanyar. Moreover, the region was known to be the home of several distinct hominid species that existed at several points of time. The most famous include the so-called 'Gelama Man' or *Homo glamasis* dating back as far as 700,000 years ago.

Around 7,500 BCE, the Vanese northern plains experienced an independent development of agriculture. It is theorized that the development of agriculture in this region was caused by climate change. The desertification process that formed the Breshyu Deserts caused a gradual decline in the availability of food in the region, which prompted hunter-gatherer societies to develop the methods of cultivating foods.

As early 3,400 BCE, the cultures became prevalent in the region. Notable ones include the *Angkun* and *Piping* clay pottery cultures that developed in northern Wanakusuma and central Kahadean respectively. These early cultures later evolved into flourishing villages, town, and small kingdoms between 3,200 to 2,800 BCE.

### **Early Kingdoms**

The first major polities of the region was formed around 1,600 BCE around the Vanese heartlands. These early kingdoms can be categorized into three distinct categories: the Vanese coastal kingdoms, the highland kingdoms, and the Transmadyan kingdoms.

The Vanese coastal kingdoms were agrarian kingdoms concentrated along the Vanese northern coast - which included the likes of Alaskembang, Teripang, Pasisir, Kurjaran, Pindo and Bayajurang. These kingdoms were seated in the highly fertile foothills of the Madyas volcanic range, and as a result, the region became a major agricultural exporter. Direct access to the sea also meant flourishing sea trade among these states, and the development of active trade networks going as far as Hinori and Cagilgan.

Meanwhile, the Madyan Mountains were home to a set of somewhat isolated highland kingdoms and villages known as the *highland kingdoms*. Temperatures and precipitation in this region were lower than in the lowlands, and as a result, agricultural practices were more limited to sustenance. Thus the population of the area remained sparse. However, the mountain passes provide vital connection between the Vanese coastal core and their inland trade destinations down south. Thus several small kingdoms such as Maringakan, Lungguhambring, and Baturaja managed to enrich themselves through control over these trade routes. For centuries, the more populous and powerful kingdoms downhill attempted to subjugate these highlands but the harsh terrain and isolated proved the region to be difficult to control, and as such the the small Madyan polities were able to retain sovereignity.

In the southern foothills of the Madya mountain ranges and just before the Madya River, there were also a distinct set of Vanese kingdoms categorized as the *Transmadyan kingdoms* that were largely centered around the Madyan River. These kingdoms included the likes of Sabarang and Hujungwetan. The polities here bear resemblance to that of the coastal north, in which the main produce consist of agricultural produces which were then exported throughout the region. However, this region was less developed due to the lack of oceanic access - and trade was based on inland networks and rivers.

Hadean civilization began around the same time as their Vanese counterparts. Notable early Hadean kingdoms include the likes of Pahadean, which would develop into the cultural heart of the Hadean civilization. Further north, the Tangkaler Kingdom was a polity with mix of Hadean and Vanese influences as a result of its proximity with the Vanese. Across the Reya River in the west of Pahadean Plains, the isolated villages and city-states of the region would overtime culturally diverge with the developments in cosmopolitan Pahadean. Lastly, there was the Kingdom of Lebak - which had the distinction of being the only coastal Hadean polity, and having an extensive trading network that stretched as far as eastern Owlia.

Other regions at the time remained relatively disunited in the form of disorganized villages and petty chiefdoms.

### **Nalendra the Great**

The region remained as a network of contending separate kingdoms and city-states. In the northern coastal Vanese region, the prevailing dynamic was a rivalry between the kingdoms of Alaskembang, Pasisir, Bayajurang, and Teripang - as well as the smaller kingdoms of Kujaran and Pindo. Here, each kingdom would contend and ally with each other to prevent one from becoming too dominant in the region.

From 1,000 BCE, unknown factors prompted the immigration of the seafaring Protocagilgan peoples from the northern continent. This immigration, in turn, pressured the existing Nyungarese tribes of the Breshyu Desert to migrate south into the Vanese heartlands. Around 800 BCE, the Vanese heartlands came under pressure by routine Nyungarese incursions, one such incursion in 727 BCE led to the fall of Teripang Kingdom. The Teripang monarch died in the occasion, and the surviving royal family escaped to Alaskembang court. There, the Teripangese begged for the help of the incumbent Alaskembang monarch, Nalendra Kusuma Wijaya, to retake their lost city in exchange for their fealty. Nalendra agreed and managed to successfully liberate Teripang and thus earn a vassal.

The ambitious Nalendra decided to press on and launched a campaign to subjugate the Nyungarese tribes. Within 2 years he managed to conquer the Kadjali, the most powerful of the Nyungarese tribes. He wished to go further, however, word came from home that the other Vanese kingdoms were wary of Alaskembang's rapid expansion and were mustering forces against Nalendra. Knowing this, Nalendra settled for peace with the Nyungarese tribe, making a tributary out of the Kadjali while the others are offered a truce. He also requested that each tribe provide him with warriors, in exchange, the Nyungarese tribes would be provided much needed Vanese grains. Not knowing that Nalendra was in a precarious position, the tribes agreed - and Nalendra headed back to Alaskembang with his army and a sizable contingent of Nyungarese warriors.

When Nalendra arrived in Alaskembang, he was met with a city besieged by the combined forces of Kujaran and Pindo, with the armies of Pasisir on the march from the south and Bayajurang sailing along the coast coming to reinforce the besieging army. Nalendra engaged with the armies of Kujaran and Pindo immediately and managed to force them into retreat before reinforcements arrived. Then, he met the armies of Pasisir and managed to scatter them. The Bayajurang, upon learning the defeat of their allies, decided to abandon the campaign and sailed back home.

The defeated coalition offered peace, however, once again the ambitious Nalendra decided to press on and went on to conquer the kingdoms of Kujaran and Pindo. However, as he turns west to proceed against Pasisir and Bayajurang, his army grew tired and weary - and thus Nalendra finally stopped to consolidate upon his new conquest, and secured truce with Bayajurang and Pindo in exchange of seasonal tribute. Thus by 719 BCE, Alaskembang became the unchallenged dominant power in the region.

Nalendra would spend the next decades focusing on internal matters and presided over the first cultural boom in Alaskembang. During his reign, the famous Great House of Knowledge was built in the city, a library containing a repository of knowledge from throughout the world. He also focused on diplomatic efforts to smooth relations with his newly conquered subjects, to ensure that their loyalty is not a temporary matter. At the same time, he does not forgo his military ambitions - in peace, Nalendra spearheaded the professionalization of his kingdom's military, making it a force to be reckoned with.

In the final years of his reign, Nalendra was making preparations for the conquest of the remaining Vanese coastal states, and even to go beyond the Madyas - however, the great king died at the age of 64 in 698 BCE, unable to fully realize his ambitions. Despite that, Nalendra's work planted the seeds for his successors to complete what he started.