Israe

**Israe** (*ˈɪs ɾɑɪ*) was a small island nation which ruled the island of the same name in the Mazedian Sea from -232 to -20. They gained independence from the Atlass Empire as naval influence near the Bay of Redcah waned during the empire's speedy decline, and were vassalized by the Cadh Empire shortly before the onset of the Cadh Empire.

## Independence

The Atlass Empire had colonized and controlled the island of Israe for nearly 1000 years as a key trading and naval outpost of the western reaches of their empire. Since the Island was one of the largest in the Mazedian Sea, many traders and sailors had set up residence there, and it became known as *usayaenatal* or "the seaman's island" in Atlan.

When the Thekhan people were expelled from Mazed in -620, many found refuge on the southern islands including Israe, where the Atlans had much weaker control and oversight than the mainland (a major influence to the islands culture). However in -485, with the Thekhan population booming, and resources becoming more scarce among the islands, the people made a migration to the Perocadh Peninsula, just north of the Bay of Redcah, where they began to camp and forage in the tropical forests there, until, after growing tensions with the Atlan cities and the fear of an invasion from within, Atlass granted the Thekhans a large tract of land along the northwestern coast of the peninsula in return for Thekhan men being required to serve in the defense of the western borders in -408. This period was known as the Thekhan Migration

Because the Thekhan crisis had led to reduced Atlan oversight in the west, alienation of the trading class there gradually led to the independence of former colonies such as Redcah, Israe, and Zonaia.

## Height and Fall

Israe was a nation of traders and sailors and built their economy exclusively on sea-trade. With no exports of their own, one was either a trader, a shipbuilder, or a sailor-- men usually spending more than half the year away at sea from their wives.

Because of this, government was never a strong entity on the Island, but rather guilds of traders vied for the seat of *Ushaka*, a herald to the mythical king Ushanghal, but simply a governor-like position voted on by a council of guild-leaders. Usually the Ushaka turned out to be the richest of the guild-leaders, and a tribute was enacted by each to force the citizens of the nation to invest in their own home and the infrastructure there.

There was no standing military in Israe, but each trade-guild kept its own fleet of waships in order to defend their endeavors overseas.

In -24, the Cadh Emperor Madhestah II, looking to establish control over the Kakhor - Zointh Trade, demanded enormous tribute in return for protection. When the Ushaka declined, Madhestah III sent a fleet of 250 ships and over 5000 men to assault the island. Since the guilds lacked the unity to stand against a powerful empire, they surrendered in -20, after several years of hunting by the Cadh fleet located all of the guild-leaders.

For fear of losing the valued traders of the island, The Cadh Empire nominally left Israe as an independent vassal, but both the Ushaka and the guild-leaders were replaced with Cadh nobles. Thus, Israe is considered to no longer be independent at that point.