Dharan

Dharan is a country situated between the Immerras and Dragon's rest, with the Kraga of Kalafax to the south and the Lycanthropes of Endereli to the north, as well as their greatest rival Conivia in the north west. Dharan is known for their intricate but efficient bureaucracy and their government that intends to balance the powers of the state. But the most noticeable aspect of the people of Dharan are the masks they often wear.

## History

### The Old Era and Alexios' empire

Before the Humans were created, in the Era of Elves, Dharan was largely unsettled. On the coast of the Immerras and on the rivers inland there were a few elven settlements, but the inland desert of Dharan was deemed to dangerous to explore and not worth the reward. It was not until the arrival of humans that the desert was explored and the oases were found. The oases were later settled by tribes arriving from Occidacia, creating thriving communities in the desert.

Around 3400 AT the great conqueror Alexios came from the northwest and swept through the oasis settlements in rapid succession. But Alexios did not live long and his empire splintered after his death, dividing Dharan into tribes. Yet the fact the whole area could be united under one banner was not a myth anymore.

### The First Dynasty

After Alexios died, many ambitious Dharanians tried to recreate Alexios' conquest of Dharan, and some partially succeeded. With war breaking out immediately after Alexios' death, the tribes were soon reduced to three great tribes who were perpetually at war with each other. Of these three, the Vaahara tribe in the center soon became the only country in Dharan and named themselves the Vaahara empire. This empire did not chase expansion, but built great works and forts, some of which still stand after more than 3000 years. But their golden age did not last and the empire collapsed after the invasion of a Tuzulian warlord. Although the empire fell, the people continued fighting a guerilla war against the warlord, destroying their caravans in the desert. The Tuzulian host was eventually defeated and the warlord allegedly died of thirst after weeks without supplies.

### Siyaata and the Second Dynasty

The great peace, also known as Siyaata, lasted around two hundred years and started after the death of the Tuzulian warlord. In this time the disunited tribes sought peace and the trade between them flourished. To protect this peace the tribes helped to defend eachother against outsiders, this created a sense of unity amongst the tribes. But after a few generations this sense of unity became less and less after each loss to outsiders. The winds changed however when a chieftess and warioress united them under one banner, calling them to come together to use their unity not only for defence, but also for offence. This was the start of the Second Dynasty of Dharan and the first expansionist one. In the time of the first empress the empire was expanded they conquered what is now known as Kalafax and a big part of eastern Conivia. With the following empresses conquering the rest of eastern Conivia and establishing a foothold in Endereli. Under later empresses the court intrigue halted further expansion of the empire and made infighting more common. These tensions came to a boil during the Sea of Blood, in which the rebellious tribes in Kalafax were massacred and the empire fell apart into warring states. Soon after the desolation of Kalafax the Kraga moved into the lands and started constructing their forts there.

### The Third Dynasty

After the collapse of the Second Dynasty Dharan did not see a unified government for many centuries. In this period many tribes tried to unite Dharan, but all failed, coming close a few times before shattering spectacularly after losing a battle. This time also saw many Tuzulian warlords raiding the Dharan coasts and Conivian lords doing a bid to unite Dharan like Alexios once had. But unity returned around 2300 AT when the Zendic empire was proclaimed after the conquest of the other chiefdoms. The Zendic empire purged many tribal chieftains and replaced them with a caste of administrators loyal to the crown. The empire also established a central government and efficient administration. In the early years of the young state the Second Age of Heroes began, leading to Tuzulian raiders attacking humans around the Immeras. In moment of luck for Dharan this saw the rise of a great general: Huma, the phoenix. Huma was known for her clever tactics and tenacity, beating enemy armies in even the most unlikely situations. Due to this general the position of the Zendic empire was solidified and a new age of conquest began. This age of conquest was less successful than the first due to the many forts constructed by the countries around them, especially by the Kraga. The empire lasted for more than a millennia, in which new dynasties sprang up from the vassals. These new dynasties plotted their way through the court of the empresses and weakend the empire. When the pressure from Romrik increased the empire collapsed, leading to the third warring states period.

### The Fourth Dynasty

With a warring states period almost as long as the last one, the empire was eventually united under Kusura Nozir in the Third age of heroes around 518 AT. Kusura was known to her allies as 'The Uniter' and by her enemies as 'The Snake' due to her plots. With her face scarred Kusura wore a mask for most of her life, which later became a tradition among the nobility of Dharan. Kusura created the council of tribes and council of experts to balance her power against that of the tribes. But this system has now fallen to the same enemy that many states in Dharan have fallen to: court intrigue.