Yarim-ulu

Seal of the Shamashani

The **Yarim-ulu**, literally meaning the *Inhabitants of Yarim* was the first *Gomaki* Kingdom to be established in the North after the **Yarim-ulu Invasion**. Despite retaining the name Hursug*, th*ey are almost always referred to as just "the Yarim-uru", as they are called in the earliest literary mention of them by *"The Shamash Epic"*, written about Shamash's conquest of the city of Yarim.

The Yarim-ulu peoples started off as migratory and without a writing system, so much of their early history is simply recorded by nearby peoples, who were facinated at these foreign conquerors. The Yamir-ulu are mentioned by many authors, most documented being their custom of human supremacy, which the local population seemed to either denounce or greatly romanticize

The Yarim-ulu Kings, ***Oiwos***, started off by holding absolute power, yet their institutions slowly synthasized with the institutions of the old Kingdoms. Only a few years after the conquests, the Yarim-ulu was a **dual despotic monarchy**, one hereditary military King of the House Shamashani, claiming his legacy all the way back to the great hero **Shamash** and one religious King, or Mediciner. Because of the lack of writing, the excessive looting of old Yarim and the harsh slaver-oriented social standard of the Yarim-ulu, almost nothing is known of the civilization before the arrival of these peoples

## History

### Shamashic Era

Not much is known about how and why the Yarim-ulu split off the Hursug-ulu. The **Yarim-Ulu** **Invasion** is a phenomenon described in *"The Shamash Epic"* in order to explain the replacement of pre-bronze age civilization and dialects by the ones that prevailed in the region in the later century. The latter were named "Yarim-Ulu" by the ancient writers, after Yarim, the biggest city these new populations managed to conquer.

After the Yarim-Ulu invasion, we know of six **Palace States**, the most important one of course being the **Palace of Yarim**. Situated on the northeast of West Aitrias, it enjoyed a combination of high rainfall, humidity, heat, favorable winds, and fertile soil. These cities were very early on known for their exceptional production of rice. Palace life was cohesive and closely co-operative with the agricultural sector of the economy, which made up around 90% of it, because it had to be. The agricultural sector required a constant supply of new slaves to grow as well as extensive and ahead of their time flood protections. Once again citing the *"The Shamash Epic"*, these ancient peoples would be characterized by their enjoyment of music, poetry and war in a religious sense, seeing it as necessary for living in harmony with nature.

The Palace of Yarim was led by the Legendary King Shamash, who was said that his rule was so prosperous he had "secured balance across the *Gomaki"*. Despite Shamash's conquest being so well recorded, not much interest was shown on his actual rule by historians of the time, other than being described as 'ruthless yet fair'.

### First Elis War

The **First Elis War** is, once again, more mythical than actual historical fact, even though it nonetheless derives from real history. The legend talks about a great period of instability after the death of Shamash that lasted for *six years*. *"Southern Invaders"*, whose existance is not exactly well documented, but they are described to be not of the human species, used the period of instability to subjugate the Yarim-ulu Palaces.

The myth of the First Elis War tells of a youth, **Parias**, who leads the Yarim Palace to victory against the *"Southern Invaders"*, saves the country and goes straight to heaven. He wears bronze armor, rides an armored horse and wields an bronze sword, thus confirming the arrival of bronze in Yarim for the first time. He was also weilding a *"Heavenly Crossbow"*, a weapon, that can fire thousands of bolts simultaneously, thus hinting at the extensive use of archery in warfare.

All that can confirm this war is the *destruction of the Palace of Er* at the hands of the *"Southern Invaders"* and the annexation of the *Palace of Cynuria* by Yarim.

### Second Elis War

The **Second Elis War** is significantly more well documented and based on real fact than the first and lasted just about *three years.* It talks of the end of the period of instability by a semi-mythical stateman and lawgiver, **Lysignos**. He greatly reformed all aspects of law, society and the government in Yarim, synthasizing between elements of the old Palace system and the new Hursgug traditions. He essentially adopted written law, made the first legal bureaucratic system and founded the Synedrion. He also instigated the creation of the Diarchy.

Only a few months after the First Elis War, a great slave rebellion started in Yarim. The Northern Palaces of **Shallurum**, weary of Yarim-ulu's growing power, supported the slave rebellion, starting the Second Elis War.

The 3rd King of Yarim, **King Mythres**, was able to quickly assemble an army and crush the slavery rebellion while his enemy, **Namtar**, was struggling to get the three Palaces to coordinate and assemble a force. With the slave rebellion subdued, Yarim-ulu first launched an attack on the *city of Ugu* to use it as a fortified military base. A swift night march brought them to the gates, which stood open. There was no garrison, nor were they in any way expected. The first sign the citizens of Ugu had of war was the Yarim-ulu rousing people out of bed to kill them. Some few took refuge in the temples and others fled for their lives. The Yarim sacked the city then turned it into a garrison for the conduct of further operations against . The local women and children were captured. The men who had survived the massacre were sold into slavery.

The **Sacking of Ugu** alerted the three palaces and Namtar. Crowds of people signed up to Namtar's army in the thousands, hoping to propel the Yarim barbarians out of their land. Namtar encouraged them to stay calm because *"Digiros is with Shallurum"*.

Lysignos advised Mythres to then send troops to the countryside, denying the Shallarum agriculture and thus their greatest source of income, essentially forcing them to a pitched battle. In the **Battle of Rheta**. Here, ancient historians present a great difference between the psychology of the two armies. Specifically, Namtar and his army *"ran charging at the Yarim reckless of their lives. Many of them advanced forward out of rank and did glorious deeds of courage.*" Mythres' army on the other hand was *"extremely careful not to break rank."*

The Battle of Rheta was an unprecedented success. After this, Namtar and his army retreated to his fortified positions in the Palace of Enmuloi, thus leaving the other two Shallurum palaces and its local to meet the same fate as Ugu. It was up in Enmouloi that Namtar hoped for a Yarim assault on their positions, but all the Yarim-ulu really did was wait. How the war exactly resolved is not certain, but it is said that Lysignos sent an envoy on the enemy camp with a message so threatening and so vile in nature Namtar simply took his own life. After that, resistance collapsed and the **sacking of Enmouloi** commenced.

## Government

The "Yarim-ulu State" as we know it for most of its history was essentially constructed by the legendary law-maker and scholar **Lysignos** during the end of the reign of the 2nd King of Yarim, **Zephyreth**. In a phenomenon extremely historically unique, the Yarim-ulu were able to go from nomadic peoples to having one of the most complex bureaucratic structures of their time within a century, arguably in response to the needs of co-operation in constructing hydraulic systems, in struggles against their enemies *(The Elis Wars)* and the constant fear of slave rebellion across the country, although which factor was more imporant is still debated upon.

Yarim-ulu was an aristocratic monarchy. The state was ruled by two hereditary kings (one King and one Mediciner). They were equal in authority, so that one could not act against the power and political enactments of his colleague, however, in effect, the King was always the strongest. Up to the King was judicial matters as well as military campaigns while up to the Mediciner were mostly matters of religious origin as well as taxation and labour for the government, which it could legally assign any non-slave non-citizen resident of Yarim-ulu to do for as long as their desire, although he usually avoided to do this unless in times of war or great necessity. Citizens were only males that could trace their ancestory back to the original Hursug-ulu.

The state was what historians would later call a **hydraulic empire**, a social or government structure which maintains power and control through exclusive control over access to water and the need for flood control and irrigation, which requires central coordination and a specialized bureaucracy.

## Religion

*For a short description of Daragianism, see: Hursug-ulu*

## Economy

The economy was based predominantly on rice paddy cultivation, and also included handicrafts, hunting and gathering, husbandry and fishing. The skill of bronze casting was especially at a high level. The Yarim Kings directly controlled the communal settlements around each irrigated area in a system of royal monopoly, and were responsible for organized construction and maintenance of the dikes, and regulated the supply of water. Besides cultivating rice, the people of Yarim-ulu grew other grains and beans and raised stock, mainly buffaloes, chickens, and pigs. Pottery-making and bamboo-working were highly developed crafts, as were basketry, leather-working, and the weaving of hemp, jute, and silk.

According to historical accounts from the era, no less than a 1,000 traditional "rice and craft" villages were springled across the fertile river deltas, making up the economic backbone of the monarchy. The great rice society of the Shamash Era were not an exception of their time, but a constantly evolving reality of life in Yarim. During the reign of King Mythres, other crops other than rice had been reduced in exclussivity, but rice was still around three fourths of the economy. However, the high volume of rainy season water that once required villagers to concentrate their labor in managing floods was now the task of the state, leading to a highly cohesive and co-operational relation in production between state and village, a sort of proto-feudalism.

Fishing and hunting supplemented the main rice crop. Arrowheads and spears were dipped in poison to kill larger animals such as elephants. Betel nuts were widely chewed and the lower classes rarely wore clothing more substantial than a loincloth.

The exception to the rule was Yarim itself, that boasted a Palace-based economy. The city was connected by narrow roads paved with blocks cut with bronze saws. Streets were drained, and water and sewage facilities were available to the upper class through clay pipes. It was a major mercantile center in the region and a vital trade route for hemp, silk and spices.

The currency of Yarim-ulu was the Sheklia.

## Military

Soldiers were typically equipped with bronze weapons such as swords, spears, and daggers, reflecting the technological advancements of the time. Archery played a significant role, with skilled archers providing long-range support in battles. There was an extensive warrior class in Yarim-ulu and most wealthy aristocracy was expected to serve in the army and have basic understanding of combat. By the beginning of the reign of King Mythres, use of **War Elephants** is also described in Yarim-ulu history, although they were not very widespread.