Gekke's unification of the Horselords

The unification of the Horselords by the Horseking Gekke I was a historical event that saw 5 independent horselords become part of one single state, the Council of the Horselords. It lasted from 4 b.Z. and ended in the last days of 1 b.Z.

## Gekke's unification of the Horselords

Horselord depiction of the battle of the Old Horse

## Background

An ancient Kandar prophecy states that one horselord would rise above all others and unite them once and for all. These ancient seers are seen as holy by the Bathier people and their words carry a lot of power. Many had claimed to be this great uniter but it was Gekke I, the first Horseking to finally fulfill this prophecy.

### The Horselords

The Bathieren, native inhabitants of the Steppe established a cluster of independent tribes. These tribes were ruled by Horselords, respected and valued leaders who could lead their men into battle. It was expected of these rulers to have long hair. Losing a duel in Bathieran society meant you had to cut off your hair, thus the longer the hair the longer they had been unbeaten in duels, in a society where dueling was everything and many duels happened in a day. Eventually only 5 horselords remained and they owned big swathes of land and many riders. All Bathieren followed the Kandarin religion and the only thing that could dictate a horselord what to do were the ancient prophesies of the seers.

### Gekke's birth and youth

The many horselords vied for land and power through warfare and it was not uncommon for different horselords to fight grand battles, even during the Era of Peace. It was during one of these battles that a camel cataphract and a maus gaat marauder met each other. Their names were Berkan and Frida and they served in the army of the Third Horselord, Cheku. Cheku was involved in a war with Batu, the Fifth Horselord and the two fought a war over some land owned by Cheku. The war ended with a peace where Cheku gave up some lands and in exchange the inhabitants would be spared from any repercussions. When this happened Berkan and Frida had fallen in love and they bore a son they called Gekke, 6 years old by now.

Batu broke the agreement and started persecuting all those who had fought against him in the war, including Gekke's parents. When Batu's men arrived and dragged Berkan and Frida out of their homes the young boy charged out and fought off the attackers with his mothers shield and fathers sword. He got knocked down multiple times but stood up every time, trying to protect his family. He did not know his parents and brother had been killed already, leaving only his sister Chimeg alive. Batu refused to kill the young boy however, appreciating his dedication and strength. He and his wife were both infertile and thus he did not have an heir. Seeing this young boy fend off his attackers impressed him and he took the young boy with him to groom him as his heir.

Gekke learned the arts of combat and ruling from his adoptive father and his personal guard and grew into a strong and wise young man. He and his sister Chimeg came to be on the forefront of Batu's court and quickly rose to prominence. On his 18th birthday Gekke got a dream where he saw the Steppe turn into an ocean spanning the entire world. He asked the seers what this meant and they explained to him that he was destined to conquer the entire Steppe and rid the world of dishonour. Gekke knew what to do right now and spoke to Batu. He asked him if he remembered killing his parents so long ago, even though the treaty had forbidden this. Batu answered that he knew and Gekke responded by challenging him to a duel. Gekke won the combat, humiliating his adoptive family, he then had them slaughtered and hung in the town center for all to see. Gekke had beaten the old horselord in single combat and thus, by old Banthieran and Kandar customs he was now the Fifth Horselord, starting the unification of the Horselords.

## The unification

### War with the Fourth Horselord

Gekke was officially named Gekke I when he claimed to be the Fifth Horselord. He was young however and hos hair was still quite short for a Horselord and this prompted the Fourth Horselord, Berkan II to invade the chiefdom. Berkan II had signed a non-aggression pact with the Fifth Horselordship for 20 years 5 years prior but smelling weakness, and a change of leadership, he proclaimed the agreement cancelled. This awoke a religious zealotry within Gekke I as he had been prophesized by the seers to rid the world of dishonour. Gekke had always been pious, as every Bathieran, but ever since the dream he had become possessed with a religious fever that some would later describe as divine. Thus Gekke swore to not only drive Berkan II from his lands but to seize the chiefdom from him as he had broken the non-aggression pact and thus had broken his word.

The war started with a small engagement in the spring of 4 b.Z. where Gekke I himself fought of an initial force of merely 200 riders. He himself had a 1.000 and emerged victorious. Later that spring Berkan II himself arrived with an enormous horde of 4.000 riders, a huge army for the time. The Fourth Horselordship had always been one of the more prosperous chiefdoms as it was situated around an oasis, which provided much food and men. Gekke I had only 1.000 riders and he resorted to strategy. He pretended to be moving to the east, sending 200 men eastwards. Unbeknownst to Berkan II however he had given the order for these 200 riders to return to camp and do it again, each time moving behind a dune of sand that was in the way. This gave the impression as if thousands of riders were moving to the east and Berkan II followed this ploy, thinking Gekke I was fleeing from him. The new Fifth Horselord then rode his army southwards during the night and the next morning he attack the enemy army from the rear, catching them completely by surprise. During the battle Gekke and Berkan came head to head and Gekke challenged the Horselord to a duel. Berkan, angered with his loss refused to duel Gekke and in this exact moment a rogue arrow hit the Fourth Horselord in the eye, killing him instantly. This was seen by his followers as divine retribution for breaking the ancient dueling rules and they surrendered to Gekke, accepting him as their new Horselord. The battle would later be named the battle of the New Horse as it introduced Gekke as the new horse and solidified his rule. He elected a nobleman called Dekar to be a vassal whilst holding absolute power himself.

### The Dual War

#### **Finghis demise**

Although it was not uncommon for a Horselord to take control over two chiefdoms, it was rare for a Horselord to do so at the young age of 18, and especially not within the first year of his rule, normally this time was used for a new Horselord to solidify his power. It was this incredible feat that urged the First and Second Horselords to create an alliance and attack Gekke I. Ghitan VI, the Horselord of the First Horselordship was a respectable and wise man who had never lost a fight before and he was seen as the strongest leader up until Gekke's conquest. He knew that Gekke I was a clever and creative general that should not be underestimated and decided to advance slowly and carefully, not risking any battles and instead drawing out Gekke to fight in detail. At first this tactic worked. Gekke would be lured in some small traps in the more deserted areas of the steppe. The enemy was known for their excellent camel riders and in these desert areas Ghitan had the advantage. The new horse would respond by avoiding fighting in the desert and instead saw to divide the two other Horselords. Finghis, the Second Horselord was a relatively new chief who had just established himself as a leader. Eager to prove himself he had tried to provoke a war multiple times but as he was the weakest of the Horselords his subjects had prevented this time and time again. Now Finghis finally had war and sought glory in combat. Ghitan's strategy worked on Finghis nerves and it took great strength of character and will for Ghitan to control the ambitious youngster. After a year of campaigning not a single great battle had been fought, although the allied Horselords had made steady gains into Gekke's domain. A battle came the following year as Finghis could no longer control himself. He charged into battle but his reckless attack was quickly counter-attacked and encircled. Ghitan arrived just in time with his elite camel cataphracts to create an opening, allowing Finghis to escape certain doom. Although the battle was a defeat for the allies, Ghitan's actions had prevented disaster and the war continued.

#### **The coronation**

Finghis, ashamed of his humiliating loss decided to give up his Horselordship to Ghitan, but he remained in the army as a commander because Ghitan had seen he would never make such a mistake again. The tribesmen of the Second Horselordship were not content by suddenly serving under the First Horselord. A big group of these tribesmen refused to accept Ghitan as their leader as he had not bested Finghis in battle and thus did not earn the chiefdom. They switched sides, claiming that their honour had been damaged by the event and offered the Second Horselordship to Gekke I as he had beaten Finghis in battle and thus should be the rightful new chief. Gekke I accepted and was now officially the Horselord of three Horselordships, something never before seen. It wasn't long before the old prophecies were recalled about a great uniter who would unite the Horselords. All looked upon Gekke I as this unifier and it wasn't long before the seers offered him the title of Horseking, elevating him over all other leaders. Gekke accepted and on the first day of year 2 b.Z. he was crowned by the seers. He elected Dekar, his Fourth Horselord to be his first adviser, he then chose a nobleman called Mongke as his Third Horselord, the second advisor. Lastly he chose a man called Berkan to be his Fifth Horselord, his last advisor thus far.

#### **The battle of the Old Horse**

Ghitan was now in a horrible position. Continuing to fight meant that he had to fight the prophesized Horseking and would put him at odds with his Kandarin faith. Giving up would be dishonourable however and that too would be against his faith and culture. He spoke to his troops and they all agreed to keep following him into battle, as this was the most honourable thing to do. Ghitan then decided to abandon his careful strategy and he rode his army towards Gekke's position, indicating he wished to fight on the open field. The odds were heavily against Ghitan who only had 1.000 riders left, Gekke had 4.000. Gekke I proposed to do a duel to decide the income but Ghitan stated that his men had pledged to fight with him in battle and he thus had to refuse, for their honour's sake. Gekke accepted this and then proposed to have an honourable battle, each side bringing a 1.000 riders in a frontal battle, no tactics, no cleverness, just pure combat skills. Ghitan accepted and an hour later the battle of the Old Horse began. Ghitan's riders, especially the camel cataphracts fought well but Gekke's forces were fighting with divine inspiration and they drove the enemy back. Ghitan saw the tide of battle turning, grabbed his sword and charged the enemy alone, without his bodyguards. He was slain instantly, his personal guard committing suicide and the rest of his forces surrendering honourably. Gekke recognised that the foe he had vanquished had been honourable up until the end and to honour his adversary he chose his son: Subut, to be his First Horselord. The battle was later called the battle of the Old Horse to remember the actions of Ghitan, contrasting with the ascendency of the New Horse.

### The Third Horselord

Gekke I had now united all the Horselords except one, the leader of his parents, The Third Horselord Cheku. Cheku was 89 years by now and was just able to ride his horse. He had lived his live honourably and wise and thus there was no reason to declare war on him. Cheku could not stand being against the great uniter however and he challenged Gekke to a duel. Gekke did not wish to accept but he could not deny this respected old man his last wish. Killing an old man would be quite dishonourable though and Gekke was conflicted about what he should do. Luckily for him faith helped him. When the two men dismounted to start their duel Cheku fell from his horse and broke his back, killing him instantly. Gekke fell down and grieved the man who had provided for his family. After this Cheku's men chose Gekke I to be his successor and Gekke accepted. He then chose Cheku's grandson, Cheku II to be his Third Horselord.

## Aftermath

The Horselords were finally united and Gekke I set out to make his rule the greatest and most effective to have ever graced the Old World. Gekke had elected 5 horselords as his advisors, he himself being the overarching authority. He created a great harem, marrying many women from important families, but never giving one family more power over the other. The Horseking had vowed to root out dishonour and his subjects being treated fairly and equal was an important part of this vow.

Gekke made another vow and that was to unite the Steppe in its whole. Spreading the Kandarin faith all over the Steppe. The unification of the Horselords was but the beginning of Gekke I's ambitious plans. The world is yet to see more.