Sâlikhín

**Sâlikhín** was chosen as the prophet of Anarâh and was the first political and spiritual leader of the Drôhznian Empire. He is worshipped and revered by the people of Drôhznia in an almost god-like status. Other lands that formerly part of the Empire, such as Tarôn-Kae and Araxia, acknowledge the existence of Sâlikhín but refute his immortal status.

He is depicted a man with purple eyes, long dark hair and beard. He was known to dress in simple, modest clothing and never wore any kind of jewellery or finery. Even though he ruled over the greatest land empire the world had ever known, he had no crown and sat on no throne. He was known as a kind, humble and wise man and became the ideal Drôhznian. A perfect model for every citizen to aspire to.

## Chosen by Anarâh

Born in 869 8E into a small tribe in the Khezzâni Desert, the early
years of Sâlikhín are a mystery. When he was a young man, his tribe was
attacked and all but destroyed; He was the only survivor. Badly wounded,
Sâlikhín wandered the desert aimlessly, before succumbing to his wounds and
falling to the sand. As he lay dying in the sun, Sâlikhín heard a voice.
Anarâh, the golden serpent, the god that brought the sun each day and defeated
the evil night, spoke to Sâlikhín. Anarjh told Sâlikhín that he was the one true
god and that all others were false before him. He promised Sâlikhín that he
would grant him eternal life and great power if he brought the word of Anarâh
to all the world. Anarâh warned Sâlikhín that a terrible darkness was
approaching and Anarjh could only defeat this darkness if Sâlikhín could unite
the people of the world under his light. Sâlikhín agreed to this bargain and
gave himself to the desert. The sands swallowed him up, destroyed him and then
rebuilt him. He arose from the sands, filled with new life and glorious
purpose. In his resurrection, he was gifted two mighty weapons: The Fangs of
Anarâh. With these swords, he would bring judgement to all those that would
oppose god.

Sâlikhín’s first thoughts were of vengeance and so he
ventured back to where his tribe had been slaughtered. He approached the leader
of the rival tribe and challenged him to single combat. The chief laughed and
ordered his men to kill Sâlikhín. Glorious flames then erupted from
Sâlikhín’s blades and he cut down his attackers with ease. With his men
terrified and refusing to fight, the chief accepted Sâlikhín’s challenge. The
chief was a mighty warrior and veteran of combat but he was no match for the
power of God. Sâlikhín cut him down and turned to address the rest of the
tribe. He told them that was the prophet of the almighty Anarjh, the one true
God. He told them that he planned to unite all the peoples of Khezzan and that
any who stand before him would be destroyed. The tribesmen fell to their knees,
awed by Sâlikhín’s power. His conquest had begun.

## Conquest of Khezzân

Like wildfire, Sâlikhín and his followers swept through
Khezzân. Each tribe he encountered, joined him or was put to the sword. Between 897 and 907 8E, all the nomads of Khezzân had joined Sâlikhín. He declared that they
should be the Drôhznír-Shânate: The United Tribes.

With a powerful force at his side, Sâlikhín turned his eye
north, to the great mountains the bordered his lands. The legend of his people
told of a paradise beyond the mountains, that their ancestors had been ejected
from. The legends spoke of a race of immortal creatures that cast them into the
desert and created a mighty barrier of rock to prevent them from returning.

Sâlikhín lead his people to The Dhazurâq Mountains to the north, his advisers
begged he turn back. They were afraid of the ones that dwelt in the north,
for they were said to be wicked beings of immense power. Sâlikhín would not be swayed and he found
himself at the roots of the mountains. Seeing that his followers grew restless
he decided to give them a glimpse of Anarâh’s power. He thrust his swords into
the earth and a colossal wave of fire burst forth before him, tearing the
mountains asunder. Hails of rock flew into the sky and a passageway through the
mountains was formed. Sâlikhín’s followers shed tears of joy and wonder as they
marched through the pass. Upon reaching the other side, they witnessed
paradise. A vast, gently rolling river of glorious blue flowed before them,
flanked by lush green foliage. Birds of before unseen colours darted above,
silver fish jumped out of the sparkling water and trees rich with sweet tasting
fruit sprouted everywhere. Sâlikhín lead his people into the river and washed
the dust and sand of Khezzân from himself. He named this river Raadi.

This passage in the mountains is now known as The Pass of Salvation. a great monument has been built at this site and thousands of pilgrims flock to see it.

## The Formation of Drôhznia

With morale and faith restored, they followed the river east
until they came to a sight they had never seen. Before them, stood towering
walls made of ancient stone. A mighty wooden gate barred the entrance to this
wondrous city and Sâlikhín was denied entrance. Slender, elegant folk with
golden skin and pointed ears ordered the Drôhznir-Shân that they leave this
paradise and never return. Sâlikhín knew that these were the immortal beings
that exiled his ancestors and so gave them a choice: Surrender the city and
declare their faith to Anarâh or be destroyed. The Immortal elves refused and
so Sâlikhín attacked the city.

Although Sâlikhín had never seen a city before, he quickly
learnt the ways of siege warfare. His men used ropes to scale the walls in
order to open the gates for rest of his force. For thirty days, the siege
persisted until one dawn, the gates stood open. Bhalíta, the daughter of the
elven king, murdered her father and allowed Sâlikhín to enter. She told Sâlikhín
that she had received a vision of a terrible darkness that threatened to consume
all. The only thing that kept the darkness a bay was a man wielding two flaming
swords. Bhalíta offered Sâlikhín her hand in marriage so that they could unite
their peoples and defeat the darkness together.

United with the elves, Sâlikhín declared that this city
shall be Sâlitherôs and that his empire shall be known as Drôhznia.

Over the next 7 years Sâlikhín’s forces made
their way westward along The Raadi, where they encountered more elven cities. Each
one either joined Sâlikhín willingly or by force. As the years went on,
Sâlikhín’s influence spread northward and westward.

In 914 8E, Sâlikhín's forces encountered the Venahra people in the Najharâni Delta to the west. The Venahra did not have a great military and were conquered by the Drôhznian forces in only 3 years. With their military defeated, the Venahra kings abandoned their former religion and vowed to serve Anarâh.

Between 917 and 920, Sâlikhín's forces turned north, where they came into conflict with the Dwarves of Baalzadûn. The dwarves fought fiercely, but they too saw the awesome power of Anarâh and eventually submitted.

## Expansion of the Empire

#### Northern Quaïth (982 8E - 19 9E)

Before long, Sâlikhín had amassed an empire greater than the
world had ever seen. He subdued the feral and wild tribes of the far north
lands of Quaïth. He breathed new life into the ancient and crumbling kingdoms
of Araxia and Ithenia. He conquered the splintered and squabbling city states
of Hysperia and eventually, had an Empire that stretched between all four seas.
There was only one realm that remained unconquered…

## The Battle of the Teldari Gate

In the west, lay the mysterious lands of The Teldari Vale.
Sâlikhín had heard rumours that the Vale held another great elven civilisation,
far superior than those he had found in Sâlitherôs. In the 26th year of the 9th era, the prophet of Anarâh
mustered the largest army the world had ever seen, over a million men, and
marched on the Vale.

The ground shook as his gargantuan host made its way through
the plains to the north of the Vale. Banners of Anarâh caught high in the
breeze, the boots of a million soldiers pounding the dirt. The Drôhznian army
was met by a force of golden clad elven soldiers, although far outnumbered by
the men of Anarâh, these Teldari elves wielded superior arms and armour.
Sâlikhín offered the same terms that he had offered all those who stood before
him: Follow Anarâh, or die. The Teldari elves, believing themselves far superior
to the men of Drôhznia, flat our refused this offer. Negotiations failed and
the greatest battle the world had ever seen began.

The Drôhznian force smashed upon the Teldari lines like a
fierce storm upon a rocky shore. Thousands of men were cut to pieces by Teldari
blades as advanced weapons of war rained death upon the Drôhznians. Although
the Elves were better equipped and trained than the Drôhznians, the sheer
number of Sâlikhín’s force drove them back. For three days the battle raged on,
neither side seeming to grasp victory. Before long, the living stood fighting
upon the piles of dead as blood soaked deep into the earth. Seeing no end in
sight, Sâlikhín lead a bold attack deep into the enemy lines. His flaming
swords a bright beacon for his comrades. Bolstered by this action, a mighty
cheer arose from the Drôhznian ranks and they attacked with vigour restored.
Sâlikhín’s victory was within his reach, he surged forward, felling countless
foes. But he pushed too far and became isolated from his forces. Sâlikhín fought
gallantly but the Teldari commander had lured him into a trap. His plan was to
defeat the serpent by removing its head. Unable to withstand the onslaught,
surrounded on all sides by foes, Sâlikhín, the prophet of Anarâh and leader of
the Drôhznian Empire, fell. It is said that a great silence descended over the
battlefield. All fighting had stopped; the battle was over.

## Aftermath of Sâlikhín’s Death

Those that remained of Sâlikhín’s honour guard secured his
body and left the Teldari Vale for good. So terrible was the battle that its
destruction called forth evil spirits from the shadow world. These spirits came
to steal the souls of the dead, to serve in their foul legions. This evil
tainted the lands north of the Vale. No life would ever grow there again. It became
a barren wasteland void of life, sound or smell. It became The Dead Lands.

News of Sâlikhín’s death spread throughout the empire. Those
loyal to him wept tears of despair as others planned to betray his memory.
Sâlikhín had many sons and had declared no heir. Fighting soon broke out over
who would inherit the empire and bloody civil war started. Many of the nations
that Sâlikhín had conquered saw their opportunity and broke away from the
Empire, reclaiming their independence. After twenty years of bloodshed, the
Empire finally found its new ruler: A descendant of Sâlikhín named Kharijhân.
He was named Sâlín and the rules of inheritance were made clear. Each Sâlín
would pass their rule to their eldest son. It was during this time that The Shâni Council was formed. Each of the remaining Khezzâni tribes, or Shânates, would
have their leader represent them on the Council. It was decided
that if a Sâlín was not fulfilling his responsibility to the people of Drôhznia
and to Anarjh himself, then the Alhâk-Shân of the Council could vote to remove
him and replace him with another candidate. This was introduced to check the
power of the Sâlín and to ensure that the Empire always serve Anarâh and the
greater good.

At the end of the civil war, the position of the Anarâjha
was also formed. The first Anarâjha was Sâlikhín’s lover, Bhalíta. She was to serve
as the adviser of the Sâlín and enforcer of Anarâh’s will. She would maintain
the faith and see that none deviated from the path.

## Controversy

Within the Drôhznian Empire, Sâlikhín is revered as demigod and it is believed that he lived many years longer than mortal men. This is how he was able to lead the Empire over such long periods of time. Although the dates for Sâlikhín's conquests are not recorded, it is believed that the expansion of the Empire took place over many decades, perhaps even centuries.

Due to this factor, many states outside of the Empire maintain that Sâlikhín may not have been a single immortal man. Rather Sâlikhín may have been a title passed along many rulers. Or even that each consecutive son carried the same name. This disagreement about Sâlikhín's mortality has caused a great deal of conflict between these states. Schisms between various religious factions have caused many wars in the outlying areas of the Empire.