Meshkar

### Government

Absolute Monarchy (Meshkatawis I-III)Divine Absolute Monarchy (Meshkatawis III onward)

## History

### Predecessor(s)

Menewa Empire

The **Dominion of Meshkar** is a nation located along the Nirine River in the desert of Khu. It is considered a successor state to the Menewa Empire that once inhabited the region, before it's collapse 1,200 years ago.

## History

Meshkar was founded by the Avarati, or the Sea Elves that had arrived in the region from their old homeland in Knarka in 10,810CTN or 1,190YA. Records indicate that Meshkatawis I found that the former Menewa Empire was in ruins, and that the people had somehow had some kind of strange amnesia of not remembering anything they had built, turning their mindsets back over thousands of years before they had discovered mana pools. The establishment of Meshkar was considered a "new start" for the Avarati, who came to breed and live alongside the now strangely docile Menewa. The Meshkarians would overtime, gradually begin to start their own dynasty within the region, changing from their oligarchic council system into an Absolute Monarchy. For a while, the Meshkata Dynasty would reign as the sole dynasty, where the Avarati culture would dominate the region.

The early years of Meshkar's history would see challenges arise from their earlier years due to the new environment, and the fact that there has been certain people groups that once had grudges against eachother. The Karavars and the Mistupi were among the biggest quarrels within the Avarati, which it took over hundreds of years to attempt to resolve and humble them. The language gap between these groups would also be the result of different tribes coming together under the wing of the Avarati during their years of raiding, pillaging and integrating different people groups into their sphere. The reign of Meshkatawis II saw struggles against her sister, Khanssi, and her four brothers. These struggles would see dynastic issues during the second to fourth generation of the Meshkata Dynasty. In addition, varying different people groups of the Avarati saw pretenders arise around the region. A power struggle would ensure between the Meshkata house's royal family for the next 200 years, which would oversee the change of Queens and Kings throughout the line, with a series of puppet rulers of the Dynasty, bringing the country to it's lowest point. Four powerful families known as the Washeps, the Kasarid, the Metenus and the Rakhads would emerge. This would begin a period known as the Intermediate Period.

The rise of Meshktatawis III would see much needed change to the country. She would first re-consolidate power throughout the Dominion by killing off the four houses through strong resistances, and perhaps doing the biggest power move, by declaring herself to be successor to the Menewa Empire, it's people, it's culture and it's language. She would engrave her name on a cartouche, and hold a ceremony in hailing herself as Pharaoh of Meshkar, declaring all other rulers Pharaoh as "heathens, sackers, salvagers", warning those who would dare not follow her, would see the "wrath of Dennu". In addition, she was said to have casted a powerful sandstorm against these four houses that would unite together to stop the Meshkata house from rising again. In this sandstorm, the spirit of Pharaoh Khatra-Urm was seen, causing a shot in morale.

Upon the defeat of the four house alliance against the Meshkata, Meshkatawis III would begin to reign as the first Pharaoh of the Dominion. She would start with massive reforms to the political system by re-adopting many old Menewa Empire era political structures, with it being reformed into a more modern system. In addition, she would have the Menewa hieroglyphs be modernized into a new language known as Neo-Menewa, but would keep Knarkan as the official language of the Dominion. The Neo-Menewa Language would be taught before the Knarkan language, which would see a shift in the language speakers. She would also re-commission many temples around the country side, officially having the Menewa Pantheon be the state religion, dropping all Avarati religion. She would also create a new mandate of new court uniforms and military appearances to resemble old Menewa Generals, but with a mixture of new Avarati looks. These massive policy changes would be known as "Menewaization".

Meshkatawis III however, would not be known without her controversies. Though she was considered among the most powerful Avarati leaders to be recorded, she was also known to be quite cruel, and often associated with tyranny, namely toward nobility who had wronged the Meshkata house. Her despotic rule of the royal court made much of the autonomy of the Dominion redundant, as she would often take direct control and mandate over affairs. She would execute court officials if they would even dare to say her ideals were "maddening" or that she was "insane". She would also see the banning of multiple gods from the Pantheon to worship due to their "evil intents", and replaced their roles with other Gods. A major change was Ansharadakh, where she saw as the catalyst of the downfall of the Menewa Empire, and was the one who caused the First Intermediate Period. Temples to Ansharadakh were destroyed, and cultists were harshly persecuted. In replacement, she would instate a new replacement, Tabu, or Father Sun as she called him, placing him as the savior of the Meshkarians, and the revivalist of Menewa culture. 15 years after this however, Nirine was instead made the lead deity of the Pantheon, due to the lack of popularity of Tabu. Meshkatawis III would see construction of two great pyramids to herself and to her daughter near Qasi-Mennwakh, where she would use as the new grounds of a royal palace to the two. This would become the seat of residence of future Pharaohs to come.

Meshkatawis III's death would bring forth her daughter, Nesari I, who would be known to be just as cruel as her mother, but did not have the same capacity of wisdom and strength. Not much is really known about Nesari I's reign, except that it was rather uneventful, and she only reigned for 45 years before being replaced by her daughter, Meshkatawis IV, who was seen as a refreshing change to the tyrannical reigns of the two previous Pharaohs. Meshkatawis IV would promise change to the country, where she would repair the despotism that had plagued the countryside. Though she would keep a lot of authority to Pharaoh, she would see the return of limited power to the council, and giving power back to Nomarchs to handle affairs throughout Dominion without massive worry. The territory of the Dominion would also see a small expansion along the coast and toward the south.

Meshkatawis V would be known as "The Reformer", where she would re-instate worship of Ansharadakh, as a secret practitioner of the Sun Goddess herself, and would see changes to the pantheon, and though she saw her own mother's reforms as a good start, she didn't see her as a strong ruler. Meshkatawis V was seen as a benevolent ruler, and was known for giving surplus food to lower classes, as well as beer. She would become the first Pharaoh to practice the ceremony of drinking the sacred wine of Ansharadakh, as well as the repair of many temples to her. Despite her known tyranny, Meshkatawis V would state that Meshkatawis III was not at all as cruel as records indicated, and, alongside other Pharaohs, praised her as the reason why that Meshkar is still around today.

The country would mourn Meshkatawis V after her sudden death, as her kindness would never be forgotten by the people of Meshkar. The youngest Pharaoh, Meshkatawis VI would come to the throne at only 36 years of age. Meshkatawis VI is described as ambitious, curious and wanting to know of the outside world, especially when foreigners started to arrive more in the recent years.