Kamakesur

The **Kamakesur** was an intergovernmental organisation that existed between the Afbarkeean powers for the purpose of maintaining international peace and providing a forum for diplomatic conversations. It was founded in the aftermath of the Kamakan Civil War, and continued to operate until it was temporarily disbanded at the outbreak of the First Abar War, before being reconvened at the end of the war with a radically different structure. The organisation that existed before the First Abar War is sometimes referred to as the **Old Kamakesur**, while the the organisation that existed after the war is sometimes referred to as the **New Kamakesur**. It was located in the city of Gorn.

## Member States

The original member states of the Kamakesur were: the Kadeean Empire, the Balooun Empire, Oozin, Trertu, Tumasn, Tunguu and the various Haanik States. When the Hanik Confederation was founded in 751, it was immediately inducted into the Kamakesur. Kiygreen was inducted into the Kamakesur in 766.

## Political Structure

In the days of the Old Kamakesur, the Glaanen was the head of the organisation and was responsible for making the final decision in any political dispute. This fact was a key cause of controversy which contributed to the rise of the Jregan movement and culminated in the First Abar War.

### New Kamakesur

At the Congress of Paag 802:15, the Kamakesur was restructured to remove de facto power from the Glaan-San Church. While the Glaanen would remain the de jure head of the organisation, most of the actual decision-making power would be invested in three *baskor* (Saniit for “regent”): one appointed by the Kadeean government, one appointed by the Balooun Empire, and one elected every 10 years by the member states in North Afbarkeean. These baskor all resided in Gorn.

Any major decision made by the Kamakesur had to be authorised by all three baskor unanimously, so that two of them could not gang up against the third. When one of the baskor was absent or deceased and a decision needed to be reached, the Glaanen stepped in to break any ties. Because of this, the Kadeeans almost always had a vice baskor lined up, who typically resided in Gorn alongside the incumbent baskor.

If any of the member states of the Kamakesur wanted to declare war on a non-member state, they had to first inform the Kamakesur, and if two or more baskor were opposed to this proposal, this declaration of war would be considered an illegal act in the eyes of the Kamakesur.

There was also a formal procedure laid out in the constitution of the Kamakesur for the eventuality that the three baskor cannot reach an agreement.

#### Baskorzin

The representative who was elected was known as the *Baskor-Zin* (meaning “third regent”), or *Baskorzin*. Kiygreen did not technically get to vote for the Baskorzin, though they did have the power to settle a tied election. The candidates for Baskorzin elections were nominated by the diplomats attending the Kamakesur, excluding Baloouns and Kadeeans. In the 8th century, the Baskorzin was often a former Hanik politician. As Tunguu and Trertu became more powerful over the next few centuries, the office of Baskorzin was more frequently held by these countries.

The Baskorzin often functioned as the de facto ruler of the city of Gorn, especially when she was a Hanik citizen, and most especially when she was Gorn itself. This was originally done to empower the Baskorzin, who was by far the least powerful of the three regents.

## Peace Rank

The Kamakesur was responsible for assigning the international peace rank, which qualified the risk of an international conflict breaking out at any given time. The possible peace ranks were as follows:

* **Accord**: free movement across international borders, minimal defensive presence
* **Caution**: restricted movement across international borders, increased defensive presence
* **Defence**: borders closed and heavily defended, preparations for war
* **Civil** **War**: international conflict that is sanctioned and managed by the Kamakesur
* **Bloody War**: international conflict that is not sanctioned by the Kamakesur

It was decided at the Congress of Paag 802:15 that the Abar War had been a Civil War (according to the above classification) and that this would be downgraded to a state of Defence following the declaration of peace. This would persist for one year, after which the Kamakesur council would revisit the issue and potentially further downgrade the peace rank to Caution. After five years, they would again revisit the issue and potentially further downgrade the rank to Accord.

## History

### Old Kamakesur

In the aftermath of the Kamakan Civil War, most of the countries of Afbarkeean (not including Harb, Kiygreen or Muubrin) agreed to continue to swear allegiance to the Kamakan as the Kamakan-Esur (meaning “united empire”), which is eventually shortened to Kamakesur, and that they will fly its flags and do most of the symbolic duties that had been done under the San-Kamakan. It was officially acknowledged that the Badkalden is still the Emperor of the Kamakan even though she was dead, and the Glaan-San Church acts as regent in her absence. International disputes and tensions were resolved in court-like sessions in Gorn between diplomats from the countries concerned, presided over by a council of Glaan lead by the Glaanen.

Because of the frequent impracticality of verifying one nation’s accusation against another, the Glaan frequently authorised battles. These battles had many rules to prevent unnecessary destruction. If one nation was found to have acted in an inappropriate manner towards another nation, they were usually ordered to pay some form of reparation. However, this was rare, and only usually happened when the crime was severe and supportedwas a large political outcry.

In a 602:88 session of the Kamakesur, the governments of Oozin and Tumasn formalised a deal which gave Tumasn permission to invade and occupy southern Tunguu on behalf of the Kamakoozin. In exchange, the Tumasn government was entitled to a share of the revenue that they gathered through taxation.

A Kamakesur session was held in the aftermath of the Silver Revolution, which was presided over by Glentaa I. It was decided that the revolution was legitimate and supported by the Aba.

A Kamakesur session was held in the aftermath of the Qiiasel Revolt, at which the perpetrators of the conspiracy were tried. Most of them were then extradited to Oozin, where they were executed. The Skalizen who led the revolt was imprisoned in Wilika for the rest of her life. The Queen of Oozin also demanded compensation from the Balooun government for allowing the conspiracy to be organised within the Empire’s borders. However, the Baloouns denied this.

### New Kamskesur

#### Early 8th century

The first Baskorzin election occurred in 802:67. The two primary candidates were Jatholos-Peg, a Hanik politician who supported a diplomatic approach to rebuilding international relations, and Nevix-Brarnvil, a zealous Tumasn noble who had led the Sankasan strongly opposed the de facto secularisation of the Kamakesur. It was evident that the Hanik and Tumasn governments would vote for their respective candidates, and that Tunguu would vote for the diplomatic option as they were not involved in the war to begin with. Thus, it seemed that Keval-Oosriyon would cast the deciding vote in the election (if she voted for Nevix-Brarnvil, it would cause a tie, but Kiygreen would almost certainly vote for Nevix as well). She carefully pondered her options for many days, before finally deciding on Jatholos-Peg.

The diplomats and the zealots were the two main factions that dominated international political discourse in the praanajeeun world for many decades to come.

In early 803, a Kamakesur session was held in order to discuss the international situation one year since the conclusion of the Abar War, and potentially downgrade the international peace rank from Defence to Caution. This result was achieved. It was also decided that, in 807 (five years after the end of the Abar War), there would be a session to discuss downgrading the peace rank further to Accord.

In early 807, a Kamakesur session was held in order to discuss the international situation five years since the conclusion of the Abar War, and potentially downgrade the international peace rank from Caution to Accord. This result was achieved. This was a key factor in restrictions being placed on the international slave trade by the Kadeean government later that same year, in order to protect their interests in light of the opening up of international borders.

In 809, the Kamakesur refused to interfere with the accession of Malisin-Den-Baloo-Omburin at the request of Kostafar-Baloo. However, Glaanen-Ferif II privately expressed vague support for her claim and even seemed to suggest that Kostafar would be morally justified in overthrowing Den-Baloo-Omburin.

The Baskorzin election of 812 happened in the shadow of the accession of Malisin-Den-Baloo-Omburin, and the two primary candidates mirrored the new Malisin and Kostafar-Baloo respectively: the former was Jatholos-Peg, the incumbent Baskorzin who took a more diplomatic approach towards Kadee, while the latter was Gunda-Malaran, an Ooziniit noble and Saniit nationalist who wanted to unite the various Saniit nations into a loose confederation that would be administered by the Baskorzin and the Glaan-San Church. Because of Gunda-Malaran’s informal support of Kostafar-Baloo, the Balooun government spent a considerable amount of effort to try to influence the election in favour of Jatholos-Peg. The Kadeeans were also concerned with the prospect of Gunda-Malaran being elected, though their ability to influence the election was very limited. The election occurred in 812. The Hanik and Tunguun governments voted for Jatholos-Peg, while Tumasn and the Galakevalan Union voted for Gunda-Malaran. In order to break the tie, Kiygreen was allowed to cast a vote in the election. They voted for Gunda-Malaran.

The victory of Gunda-Malaran inspired the Balooun government to use espionage to try to influence future Baskorzin elections.

Gunda frequently criticised the Tunguun government, because she believed they were to blame for the failure of the Abar War. She also criticised the Kenvil Deal for excluding the other nations of Afbarkeean.

Over the course of her term in office, Gunda-Malaran attempted to unite the various Saniit nations into a loose confederation that would be administered by the Baskorzin and the Glaan-San Church. To her surprise, she found that many of her fellow Saniit politicians were reluctant to go along with this proposal, as they believed it would diminish their autonomy. Most of this resistance came from the Hanik Confederation, as many Hanik politicians did not like the idea of their government being superseded by a political entity in which they would have less power. Gunda believed that the Hanik politicians were simply selfishly protecting their own financial interests (as the Hanik Confederation was the wealthiest Saniit power at the time), and failed to understand that many of these politicians had a complex political status within the Confederation that could be significantly disrupted by its dissolution (i.e. some had a higher political status within the confederate government than they did in their home city). Another source of misunderstanding came from the fact that Oozin was a largely rural society composed of a landowning noble class, whereas Hanik society was centred around city-states. Gunda’s mission for Saniit reunification was massively hindered by Kostafar's Revolt, which tarnished her reputation, as she had supported Kostafar-Baloo. Many Saniit politicians did not want to associate with Gunda, for fear that it would alienate them from the Balooun Empire.

A Kamakesur session was held in 813:28 to discuss issues surrounding the law of Holy Immunity. This was largely inspired by a scandal that had occurred in Rathix in 812, in which a newly elected jregan politician in the parliament of Salanas refused to remove her headdress in the presence of a Glaan. The Baloouns demanded that jregans abide by the religious customs of whatever nation they are in. The Kadeeans cited the Law of Holy Immunity, which stated that “no state or person may penalise the religious affiliation of any citizen of a foreign state that endorses a different religion, so long as they worship the Aba”. The Baloouns argued that they were not persecuting jregans for their religion, but for not respecting the customs of the nation they are in, which is a sin according to the Miinonyukon. The Kadeeans accepted this, but pointed out that this would entail that praanajeeuns in the Lantoo should respect jregan customs, i.e. they should refrain from drinking alcohol and fornication. It was eventually decided that foreigners had to obey the religious customs of the country that they were in, even if they did not believe in their legitimacy. However, a foreign citizen of a state that followed a different religion could not be compelled to perform any “act of confirmation” (i.e. an act that confirms one’s allegiance to a certain religion). The punishment for not respecting the law of the other empire was always less severe than if the law had been broken under the jurisdiction of that empire, as the crime being punished was not respecting the laws of another culture. In Kalifiyk, both praanajeeun and jregan customs had to be respected in public spaces by all.

A Kamakesur session was held in 814:46, in the aftermath of Kostafar's Revolt. As the Baskorzin had informally supported the revolt, she defended their actions as best as she could. While she was unable to overturn the consensus that the conspirators should be executed for treason, she managed to successfully argue that the Balooun government did not have the authority to execute any of the Ooziniit nobles involved in the revolt, and that they must be repatriated before being executed. A Balooun envoy was invited to witness these executions to prove that they had occurred, and also as a sign of goodwill to the Empire. The Baloouns also demanded that the Galakevalan Union be punished in some way for harbouring the conspirators, but Baskorzin-Gunda-Malaran accused them of hypocrisy because they had refused to accept responsibility for facilitating the Qiiasel Revolt in the mid 7th century. In 815, Keval-Oosriyon permanently disbanded the Banegreya in order to appease the Baloouns.

In 816, the Baskor-Baloo accused Glaanen-Ferif II of conspiring against Malisin-Den-Baloo-Omburin by authorising Kostafar's Revolt when she met with Kostafar-Baloo in 809. The Glaanen responded by saying that she believed Kostafar’s claim to the throne was more legitimate than Den’s, and had said this to the former in 809, but denied having authorised the revolt. Baskorzin-Gunda-Malaran was furious at the accusation and demanded that the Baskor-Baloo be removed from her post, but the Balooun government refused to do this.

Since Rootaseea-Marsee was born in 805, it was often speculated that she would be given a chance to renounce the Jregan religion upon becoming Galin. When this happened in 820, a diplomatic envoy (largely consisting of Saniit politicians and members of the Glaan-San Church) travelled to Jekuus to request that the Galin renounce the Jregan religion and convert the Empire back to Glaan-San. She refused and this re-ignited some of the tensions of the war. Some even speculated that a second Abar War was on the horizon. The international peace rank was subsequently upgraded to Caution. Future Baskorzin, Imbul-Karnas, was among the politicians who travelled to Jekuus.

After the death of Keval-Oosriyon in 820, the governments of Oozin and Trertu requested that they each have a vote in the Baskorzin election. A Kamakesur session was organised to discuss this in 821. As the incumbent Baskorzin Gunda-Malaran was from Oozin, she had a lot of power and influence in this session, and used this to argue in favour of the two countries each getting a vote. However, it was eventually decided that this was unfair on the other member states of the Kamakesur, and a compromise was reached whereby Oozin and Trertu were each entitled to a distinct vote that was worth half the value of other member state’s votes.

#### The Xem Sea Incident

There was an incident in the Xem Sea in 822 in which a Hanik ship intercepted a Kadeean trading vessel that was travelling to Tunguu, and claimed that it was intruding in their waters. When the Kadeean vessel refused to co-operate, a bloody conflict ensued. This incident was likely staged by zealous politicians from Monakan in order to sway the 822 election. As a result of this episode, the international peace rank was upgraded to Defence for the first time since the aftermath of the Abar War.

This event heavily impacted the Baskorzin election that was held later that year. The primary candidates were Imbul-Karnas, a Hanik zealot who demanded justice for the incident, and a diplomatic politician from Trertu. Initially, the Trertun candidate was expected to win the election, as she had the support of most of the countries, as well as the Balooun Empire. After the Xem Sea incident, many Saniit politicians felt that a more aggressive approach to the Lantoo was needed and they switched their support to Imbul-Karnas. Amidst fears of another war with the Lantoo, diplomatic politicians attempted to de-escalate the situation. Balooun diplomats also attempted to use their influence to prevent another war, as they knew it would take a while to reactivate the Northern Alliance. Imbul-Karnas won the election in 822:67 and was declared Baskorzin.

Galin-Rootaseea I appointed her first Baskor-Kadee in 823. When she arrived in Gorn in 823:11, Baskorzin-Imbul-Karnas refused to go to the port to welcome the Kadeean envoy and give them permission to come on land. However, the previous Baskor-Kadee was present, and she and the Baskor-Baloo give this permission. The new Baskor-Kadee was required to not only swear allegiance to the Glaan-San Church, but also to kneel before the Glaanen, the Baskor-Baloo and the Baskorzin and beg to be instated. This was a ceremonial formality that became a recurring tradition whenever a new Baskor-Kadee was appointed.

In 823, a Kamakesur session was held to discuss the Xem Sea incident. Baskorzin-Imbul-Karnas demanded that the Kadeean Empire pay reparations to the Hanik Confederation and also extradite the surviving sailors. The Kadeeans thought this was outrageous as they believed it was the Hanik vessel that had unlawfully initiated the conflict. Diplomatic politicians, including the Baskor-Baloo (whose company included future Prime Minister Kunudal-Raagee), attempted to de-escalate the situation. Eventually, it was agreed that the Lantoo would pay the reparations, but would not extradite the sailors. As a result of these negotiations, the international peace rank was downgraded to Caution. However, the political atmosphere in Afbarkeean remained very tense for many years, and only started to decline towards the end of decade: 82.

#### Mid 8th century

In 827:82, Glaanen-Ferif II died. Her successor, Maldeeba II, was more supportive of the zealots, and believed that the Church should play a more significant role in the Kamakesur. Her obsession with power drew comparisons to Armira III and made her a controversial figure, even in praanajeeun countries. Praanajeeun society had gradually been becoming more secular since the Abar War, with the Church having less and less of a say on political issues, and Maldeeba represented the last major attempt of a Glaanen to reverse this process. Also, Ferif II had been a Balooun citizen, while Maldeeba II was from Tunguu (born in Graak), and this exacerbated the schism that was developing between the Glaan-San Church and the Orange Glaan movement within the Balooun Empire.

In 829, the Baskor-Baloo declared her government’s intension to invade and defeat Harb. They presented many reasons to justify this invasion, including the raiding of Balooun lands by Harban warriors, and the fact that they did not endorse the Abar religion. This proposal was supported by Glaanen-Maldeeba II on the condition that the Church was promised a portion of any conquered land. As many expected, the Baskor-Kadee objected to the proposed invasion, arguing that the raiding could be prevented by strengthening the empire’s borders. Mostly because of the compulsion to side with the Glaanen over the Kadeean government, Baskorzin-Imbul-Karnas presented no objections to the proposal, and so the invasion was able to go ahead. However, the Baskorzin stipulated that high-ranking military officers from the armies of San and Tunguu supervise the invasion in order to ensure that the Baloouns stay true to their stated mission.

The Baskorzin election of 832:67 occurred just two days after the death of Rootaseea I and the initiation of the First Galin Crisis. This event inspired substantial sympathy for Kadeean society and the family of the Galin, and this may have helped the diplomatic candidate to win. Also, Glaanen-Maldeeba II was a controversial figure who polarised praanajeeun society and inadvertently led to the growth of the diplomatic movement. The election resulted in a tie, which was then settled by the nation of Kiygreen, who voted for the diplomatic candidate, Rooveeoo-Vana. It was speculated that their primary reason for doing this was because the other candidate was from Tunguu. This caused tensions between the two countries to rise. The result of this election caused a strong resurgence of the religious tolerance movement. Also, the international peace rank was downgraded to Accord in 833.

In 833, Rooveeoo-Vana became the first politician from a former allied nation to publicly state that the Abar War had been a mistake. This was a very controversial statement: on the one hand, the zealots felt that it undermined the divine authority of the Glaan-San Church, as well as being an admission of weakness on behalf of the praanajeeun world. On the other hand, it inspired some Saniit politicians (and historians) to reframe the Abar War in a new light: they argued that the Baloouns had exacerbated tensions in order to start a war in which they could gain territory from the Lantoo.

After Palanda-Givin-Marsee lifted restrictions on the international slave trade in mid decade: 83, the threat of reinstating these restrictions became a key bargaining chip used by Kadeean politicians in international negotiations, particularly when the Baskor-Baloo proposed a declaration of war, as happened during the Raagee Wars. However, as the Baloouns conquered more land and enslaved the native people, this threat became much less intimidating.

In 836, the Baskor-Kadee officially referred the nation of Kheyvoo for membership in the Kamakesur. Their main motivation for doing this was to civilise Kheyvoo and quell the revolutionary fervour. They also wanted the military support of the rest of the Kamakesur in the case of an actual revolt. This issue was deliberated for some time, but was eventually rejected. Among the reasons cited for this rejection were concerns over the social state of the country and the ability to maintain the order and dignity of the Kamakesur in such a place.

In response to the Dartik Revolution that began in 838, the Kamakesur briefly upgraded the international peace rank to Caution, as the revolution presented a somewhat significant security risk to the Afbarkeean powers. This was downgraded in 839.

In early 839, the Baskor-Kadee addressed the Kamakesur and announced the Galin’s intention to invade Kheyvoo and fight the revolution that was taking place and restore the Abar religion. It was expected that the praanajeeun countries would object to this intervention because the former regime of Kheyvoo had been jregan. However, the Baskor-Baloo surprisingly showed little resistance to the idea. This allowed the Kadeeans to go ahead with their invasion as they pleased. One of the reasons the Baloouns did not object to the Kadeean invasion of Kheyvoo was that they had recently started buying dartik slaves from the Lantoo, and so they benefited from restoring the old regime. Another reason was to appease the Kadeean government, with which the Baloouns were attempting to mend relations at the time, and also to set a precedent for invading lands that did not endorse the Abar religion, which they would later evoke to justify the Raagee Wars.

#### Raagee Wars

In 839:70, the Baskor-Baloo officially announced her government’s intension to invade and conquer Jeleg. The main reason for this proposed invasion was to spread the Abar religion in order to civilise the barbaric Raktaan tribes. Because of this, praanajeeun politicians typically supported the proposal, as they saw it as being more about religious expansion than imperial expansion, and the Baskor-Baloo was very careful to give this impression. The Baskor-Kadee considered objecting to the proposed invasion, on the grounds that it was nothing more than a selfish attempt by the Baloouns to expand their territory and political influence. However, the Kadeeans were in a weak negotiating position, as the Baskor-Baloo could decide to object to Kadeean military intervention in Kheyvoo. Also, the Baskor-Kadee knew that her objection would both give more power to the Baskorzin and also create a feeling of solidarity among the praanajeeun powers by evoking sentiments from the Abar War.

Over the course of decade: 84, many politicians in North Afbarkeean became increasingly wary of Balooun expansion. This was initially an unpopular – and even somewhat controversial – sentiment, due to the widespread perception of the Raagee Wars as an attempt to spread the Glaan-San religion, but this perception was gradually overturned. This mistrust in the Balooun Empire led to a boom in nationalism in North Afbarkeean towards the end of decade: 84, which led to the election of Baskorzin-Eris-Jedur in 852.

A Kamakesur session was held between 843:13 and 843:15, during which the Baskor-Baloo and Baskorzin advocated recognising Darniyoo as a nation and attempting to establish diplomatic relations in the hopes that they might one day join the Kamakesur. The Kadeeans refused to allow this, citing the many atrocities that had taken place during the revolution. They also claimed that the dartik were heathens who had no respect for the Aba. Despite being the most vehement supporter of recognising Darniyoo, the Baskor-Baloo’s primary motivation was to manipulate the Baskor-Kadee into agreeing not to object when the Baloouns proposed an invasion of Keega later in the year. In a private meeting between the two baskor, they explicitly made this deal. As a result of this session, Darniyoo was not recognised as a country by the Kamakesur, and the region was instead considered to still be technically Kheyvoo.

In 845, a Kamakesur session was held to discuss the Dartik invasion of Ishka. This act was officially condemned by the council, as Muubrin was an Abar nation, even though it did not belong to the Kamakesur. It was decided that military intervention was justified in defending Muubrin. The Kadeeans expressed their intention of going to war, and implored the other nations to join them. However, a common attitude among praanajeeun politicians at the time was that the Kadeeans should take responsibility for dealing with Darniyoo as they had caused the Dartik Revolution by convincing the leaders of Kheyvoo to convert to Jrega. An alliance was formed between the Kadeean Empire, Tunguu and Muubrin in 846 to stop the expansion of Darniyoo. This was frequently compared to the alliance that had existed between the same three countries during the Kamakan Civil War and had been a major factor in the downfall of the Kamakan, especially by praanajeeun zealots who believed that their co-operation presented a dangerous threat to the balance of power in Afbarkeean.

In 847, the Baskor-Baloo officially announced her government’s intention to declare war on the Raktaan Confederacy, arguing that they were a pagan superpower that presented a serious threat to Afbarkeean civilisation. The Baskor-Kadee once again objected to this proposal, claiming that there was no need to initiate a conflict until the Confederacy provoked the Baloouns, but ultimately the Baskorzin offered no objection, and so the Baloouns were free to go to war. However, one condition of the acceptance of this proposal was that – as with the Harbaloo War – high-ranking officers from the armies of North Afbarkeean supervise the Balooun war effort to ensure that the Baloouns stayed true to their stated intentions. As had happened in many Kamakesur sessions over the course of decade: 84, the Baskor-Kadee warned that her government might once again place restrictions on the international slave trade in retaliation against unjustified Balooun expansion. However, the demand for imported slaves was much lower in the Balooun Empire at the time, due to their conquest and enslavement of Raktaan people, and if anything, this threat provided even more of an incentive to declare war.

In 849, a Kamakesur session was held to discuss the recent incident in which a suspected Balooun spy had been discovered in the Tunguun Army. The Baskor-Baloo denied that this individual had been a spy, but rather had volunteered information of his own volition. Baskorzin-Konos-Mankaton stated that there was no way of determining whether the individual had been a spy or not and so did not push the issue, a decision which was controversial and helped to facilitate the growth of the nationalist movement. The Baskor-Kadee, on the other hand, affirmed the claims made by the Tunguun government, and demanded that the Balooun Empire pay reparations. In the end, no action was taken against the Balooun Empire, but the scandal had a troubling effect on international relations. In addition, the international peace rank was upgraded to Caution, due to the political tensions caused by the scandal. Another reason for this decision was that the First Ishka War had recently ended, and so Kadee and Tunguu had a military surplus that could be utilised in defending their borders; while the Balooun Empire was still fighting the Raktaan Confederacy, and so upgrading the peace rank depleted the military resources they desperately needed on the western front. This issue had an incredibly polarising effect on North Afbarkeean politics, with the more old-fashioned politicians tending to support the Baloouns, and the emerging nationalist movement taking the opposite side. It also led to the latter position becoming much more popular.

Leading up to the Baskorzin election of 852, many North Afbarkeean politicians increasingly criticised Balooun expansion, as well as the zealous and diplomatic political movements for allowed this to occur. This allowed the nationalist movement to rise to prominence, which promised to defend the interests of the North Afbarkeean nations from the actions of both empires. The nationalist candidate, Eris-Jedur, won the election in 852:67. Ironically, the nationalist movement ended up diminishing the power of North Afbarkeean nations, contrary to its primary mission. This happened because the Baskorzin’s objection to the Balooun wars of expansion compelled the Balooun government to negotiate a deal with the Lantoo whereby they agreed not to object to each other’s war proposals.

In late 852, the Baskor-Kadee officially proposed her government’s plan to launch an invasion of Muubrin to recover the debt owed to them for their assistance in the First Ishka War. Prior to this, the Baskor-Baloo and Baskor-Kadee had secretly made a deal whereby they would not object to each other war proposals, and so the Baskor-Baloo offered no objection.

In 855, the Baskor-Baloo officially announced her government’s intention to invade Nornul, claiming that the native people of the region had been continually raiding the empire since the defeat of the Raktaan Confederacy, which violated the terms of the truce. The Baskor-Kadee offered no objection to this proposal, as the Baloouns had not objected to the Kadeean invasion of Muubrin a few years prior. Baskorzin-Eris-Jedur was outraged by this and accused the two politicians of making a deal. She then advised the Baskor-Baloo that if her government continued with their invasion, the KWB would react in strong terms and might cut off their access to the Gulf of Konlaw.

In 856, the government of Tumasn repealed the ban on Kadeeans entering the country that had existed since the First Abar War.

#### Sanpor Crisis

A meeting of the KWB was held in Gorn in 856, and it was decided that the Hanik and Trertun governments would officially refuse the Balooun Empire access to their territorial waters in protest of their recent invasion of Nornul, thus blocking off Balooun sailors from Sanpor. This was then announced in a Kamakesur session later the same year, resulting in the Sanpor Crisis.

The result of this on Sanpor was devastating, as they were effectively blocked off from using the Gulf of Konlaw (though they could still sail within a certain distance of the coast), which had been their primary medium for trade. However, traders from outside of the Balooun Empire could still sail to Sanpor, and the province came to rely on traders from Oozin and the Lantoo. Also, Balooun sailors could still use the southern half of the Gulf of Konlaw, due to their good relations with Oozin.

The Sanpor Crisis arguably harmed the nations of the KWB more than the Balooun Empire, as the latter now had access to the vast supply of resources from their recently conquered western territories. On the contrary, the Leshavil-Gorn, Leshavil-Kompango and Leshavil-Bankootsan were empowered by the Sanpor Crisis, as they had some of the largest private gold supplies in the world, which was now worth much more in the nations of the KWB. They came to dominate the economy of North Afbarkeean over the course of late decade: 85.

During the Sanpor Crisis, the Balooun government increased its effort to influence the upcoming Baskorzin election. They pursued three main objectives:

* assisting the Folk Party to win elections in Tunguu, and push for a national election before the upcoming Baskorzin election in 862
* supporting the Baskorzin campaign of Kalvu-Brarnvil in order to get the Tumasn vote
* convincing Hanik politicians to vote against the nationalist candidate

In 857, the KWB sent a fleet of ships to Nasalsu in protest of the Balooun wars of expansion. This was legal as the fleet was in Trertun waters, though they could not approach the shore. A Kamakesur session was organised later the same year. The Baloouns were outraged and demanded that Baskorzin-Eris-Jedur apologise on behalf of the KWB, which she refused to do. The Bakor-Kadee said there was nothing illegal about the actions of the KWB, though she also stated that if the KWB ever invaded Sanpor, the Lantoo would instantly ally with the Baloouns. This declaration was a major blow to the KWB. As a result of this incident, the international peace rank was raised to Defence.

In 858, Konos-Antalees allowed the Leshavil-Kompango to arrange a trade agreement with Sanpor.

In 858, Oozin and Kiygreen formed an alliance in response to the KWB.

When Glaanen-Suvana II died in 858, her successor, Alsaba IV, who was a citizen of Sanpor, strongly objected to the KWB’s blockade of the province. Many believed she was selected by the Church because they benefited from Balooun expansion, and thus were attempting to undermine the Saniit nationalist movement. A Kamakesur session was held later that year, at which the new Glaanen addressed Baskorzin-Eris-Jedur and implored her to end the coastal blockade of Sanpor.

In 859, Baskorzin-Eris-Jedur announced before a session of the Kamakesur that the Hanik and Trertun governments would permit Balooun sailors to access the territorial waters surrounding the coast of Sanpor from 860:00. This brought an end to the Sanpor Crisis. The peace rank was subsequently downgraded to Caution. Before making this announcement, Eris informed the leaders of the Leshavil-Gorn of her decision, so that they could protect their interests by selling the gold they had accumulated. Likewise, Konos-Antalees informed the leaders of the Leshavil-Kompango. However, the Leshavil-Bankootsan was not informed, as it was believed they would use their wealth to fund the Folk Party.

In 860, the Baskor-Baloo raised the issue of native people from the territories they conquered fleeing to the Lantoo where they would not be forced to convert to an Abar religion. She accused the Kadeeans of defending heathens. However, the Baskorzin refused to side with the Baloouns, as she was strongly opposed to Balooun expansion. It was eventually decided that the Lantoo would be permitted to take in refugees provided that they worshipped the Aba in some form.

In 862:56, there was an assassination attempt against the Baskorzin candidate, Kalvu-Brarnvil. Fearing for her safety, she sought refuge in the Balooun embassy. The Baloouns offered to take her back to Braad and shelter her until the date of the election, but she claimed that this would lose her the respect of the Saniit people, if they saw that she depended on the Baloouns for her safety. Instead, she travelled back to Tumasn. This assassination attempt was the most immediate cause of Tumasn withdrawing from the KWB alliance shortly after the election of 862.

#### Tunguun Civil War

In 863, a Kamakesur session was held to discuss the results of the disputed Tunguun election of the previous year. The royalist claimant, Piltana-Karakono, was invited to attend this meeting, but she declined, and Grand Advisor Nevis-Lamuuda went in her place, as well as some royalist delegates. Also in attendance was the Folk Party claimaint, Fran-Jakel, Fabol-Ela-Balont and Katulzen-Lebeta-Konos-Antalees. Ela-Balont testified that she had been bribed and threatened by Onjenil-Gariyandu-Futkin to declare victory for the Royal Party. This claim was immediately rejected by the royalist delegates, who accused the Fabol of lying for political power. However, the Fabol said that she would purposefully not return to Tunguu to prove that she would not benefit from the Folk Party being in power. It was decided that Gariyandu-Futkin would need to deny these allegations before the assembly and the session was postponed until she arrived in Gorn. The Baskor-Baloo affirmed the Fabol’s claim, while Baskorzin-Eris-Jedur rejected it. Both the Baskor-Kadee and Grand Advisor Nevis-Lamuuda refrained from either affirming or denying the claim in order to maintain a position of neutrality. Also, Konos-Antalees sided with the royalists and rejected the Fabol’s claim. Several diplomats from around Afbarkeean spoke at the session to express support for one side of the dispute or the other. Most notably, a few diplomats from Oozin and Tumasn affirmed the Fabol’s claim, and urged the Baskorzin to reconsider her rejection of it.

Ultimately, the Kamakesur assembly failed to reach a unanimous verdict, and it was decided that a civil war would take place in Tunguu between the two political factions. Other Afbarkeean powers were permitted to join this war on either side, but all combat had to be contained within Tunguu’s borders. Another condition of the war was that any baskor who supported the losing side in the war would have to concede their title (i.e. if the Royal Party won, the Baskor-Baloo would have to step down, but if the Folk Party won, the Baskorzin would have to step down). The Baskorzin announced that the KWB would join the war on the side of the Royal Party, and both Konos-Antalees and the Hanik Prime Minister concurred. In the aftermath of this session, both Fabol-Ela-Balont and Grand Advisor Nevis-Lamuuda travelled to Tumasn, as it was officially a neutral country. Lamuuda continued to correspond with Tunguun politicians on both sides of the war in an effort to reach peace.