Kingdom of Nacafi (23-80 AT)

The Kingdom of Nacafi (LF: *Vertaucas Nacafi*) was the predecessor state of the Nacafian Union and an absolute monarchy ruled by the Tassal Dynasty until the year 80 AT. The kingdom's capital was **Loiskame**. The King governed the nation from his residence in Loiskame, the Forbidden Grounds.

The kingdom was overthrown by Southern Nacafian forces during the Nacafian Civil War in 80 AT. The Tassal Dynasty remained in power of the newly formed autonomous Tassal Kingdom in the north of the Nacafian Union.

## History

### From isolated tribes to Ankacau dominance

The human populations of ancient Nacafi originated from a people living at the southern shore of the Bay of Rhahle who spoke the Proto-Southern language. A group of tribes migrated northeast along the coast to a place called the Red Coast (*tsirna cafus*), where their language evolved into Old Cafian. The main Cafian tribes were the Sefensefi, Ankacau, Naliratsoi, Umu and Kxopa. The Ankacau settled in the grasslands between the rivers Hommon and Lengaga nowadays known as Inner Nacafi. They soon assimilated the Sefensefi and minor tribes along the coast and founded the Nacafian Nation.

### Peninsular Contact

Near the end of the year 12 BT, many smaller tribes began to settle in territories to the south called the Shobela (literally "southern forest") woodlands. The expansion facilitated contact between Ankacau and Saȼenian tribespeople. To ensure a peaceful relationship, King Kxessal appointed the Loiskame diplomat Pfovodikh Garan as Nacafi's representative for foreign relations. A first meeting was arranged between Nacafi and Rudsaȼen during which both parties agreed to a trading relationship and a friendly territorial rapproachment. Kxessal consolidated the Shobela as a part of Nacafi and ecouraged the founding of new settlements. At a second meeting, the representatives of Rudsaȼen and Nacafi shared their most important inventions to align their development. The Ankacau nobility established schools in major cities.

In early year 1 AT, the settlement of Pfaumusu became by far the largest city in Southern Nacafi. Under the city's influence, tribes to the East were encouraged to join the nation of Nacafi, mainly those of the Rafute Plains and the Upper Esh Prairie. When King Kxessal Tashmang died on a travel between Loiskame and the Esh Province, his firstborn son Tashmang I. Birmanka became the new ruler of Nacafi.

### Agricultural Revolution and Eastern Expansion

In the midst of the year 3 AT, the *Gornakh*, a vertical-axis windmill, was invented around the coastal city of Tsirnacaf. The discovery that the wind-powered axis could be used to pump water greatly improved the irrigation of fields in the dry east. This led to a population expansion and movement into territories east and northeast of Nacafi and the founding of the city of Vanjemash. The tribes of the Umu people, living in an area known as the Umu strip, were also incorporated into the nation.

In the late year 21 AT, the crises in Rudsaȼen and Raka Lana negatively affected trade opportunities with the other peninsular nations, though friendly relationships with Ràl Atsèl and Tapiria remained in force. At around the same time, Dtakatto and Kelas became possible new trade partners.

### Umu-Kxopa Conflict

   The allied Umu people had been at conflict with the larger Kxopa territory to the Northeast for decades. Their incorporation into the nation of Nacafi in the year 38 AT was also striven for in order to end the conflict, with the anticipation that the Kxopa would not attack a tribe backed by a powerful army. However, after incorporation of the Umu Strip, violent attacks on Umu villages by marauders of the Kxopa did not stop despite the newly established border. As a consequence, Ankacau troops set forth from Vanjemash to drive out the attackers, but were quickly ordered to capture the Kxopa capital, Mullus Lagun, beyond that. The troops were joined by Umu fighters and managed to clear a way to the capital. The siege of Mullus Lagun led to its fall after 27 days.

After the fall of the Kxopa territory in 40 AT, Nacafi's forces gained control over a large area to the northeast and rebuilt the city of Mullus Lagun, renaming it Mullus Kapter, from the Kxopa term for hillfort, *kmulluos*, and LF *kapter* "woman's", referring of the high percentage of Kxopa women surviving the siege. The new territory has a low population density and borders Dtakatto and Kelas.

### Consolidation Period

In year 51 AT, King Tashmang I. declared a change in Nacafi's foreign policy away from its previous expansionist character. The country would focus more on tying itself closer to the peninsular nations with the establishment of trade routes that would lead around the unstable Rudsaȼen. The city **Vemon Tashmangar** was founded in the Upper Esh Province as part of the trade route to Tapiria, and the Easterly Rud region at the border to Rudsaȼen was peacefully annexed. **Kanvarus**, a fishermen village at the Mouth of Rud, was expanded into a port city with military importance after Tapiria and Plo Tbrov took up arms against Rudsaȼen. Tashmang I. also openly encouraged Dtakatto to invade the hostile Rakshay tribes, and he announced a "full incorporation and equality of the Centaur herds".

Shortly after the expansion into the Easterly Rud, Tapiria subjugated Rudsaȼen in the first of the Peninsular Wars, forming a common border with Nacafi. Although Tashmang I. welcomed the outcome of the war, many officials viewed Tapiria's expansionism with skepticism, especially in the south and among the Centaur population. A diplomatic border conflict about the Loshui area south of Nacafi, east of Tapiria and north of Ujoza arose. An additional mediocre harvest increased Nacafi's interest in the fertile region.

### Southern Border Conflicts and Rakshay Subjugation

Tashmang II. became King of Nacafi after the death of his father Tashmang I. and tried to resolve the border conflict with Tapiria and Ujoza by exchanging land, reshaping the Loshui Uplands and Outer Rud provinces. During his rule, Pfaumusu grew to become the largest city of Nacafi. It was given its own province with Kanvarus becoming regional capital of the new Ruste-Esh Province.

To end the plundering of Nacafian villages by Rakshay warriors, an ongoing decades-long conflict, Tashmang II. demonstrated Nacafi's military strength by engaging in a war with the Rakshay in 57 AT. At the same time, Dtakatto attacked Rakshay from the north. Both nations successfully defeated the Rakshay and split their territory, extending Nacafi's territory northwards up until the lower Racai river.

### Annexation of Femmaule

King Tashmang II.'s doctrine includes a full inclusion of the Centaur tribes into the Nacafian nation, with the goal of creating communities where humans would do agriculture together with the capable centaurs, increasing harvest. Nacafi's military would in turn act to protect the centaurs from being enslaved, tortured or killed, especially from other human or humanoid civilizations and the feared Inverted Centaurs of the Southern Shore. The King's royal cartographers mapped out an area to the east that was supposed to include all notable centaur tribes not part of the northern Ujozan Territory. Nacafi officially claimed the territory and called it *Ver Marla* "protected land". The new province is Nacafi's largest by far and its annexation greatly increased the Kingdom's total area. The local dialects shifted the pronunciation of Ver Marla closer to *Femmaule*, which was adopted as the official name of the province some years later.

### The Colonial Age and Succession Conflict

In year 77 AT, Nacafian explorers founded a small colony on Elume, **Sunkaitin** ("Wet Season Acre"), with a coastal settlement called Catohaza. Nacafi is a late colonizer of the second wave, with Sunkaitin being the smallest colony. Loiskame officials had made clear that the Kingdom's plan was not expansionism, but the establishment of a thriving trade port. The colony made peaceful contact with mediterranean nations such as Shrivipahit, a mercantile thalassocracy that helped facilitate trade with the colonies. Nacafi sent a permanent ambassador to Shrivipahit the year after.

Internal conflict arose when the line of succession was unclear during the late years of aged King Tashmang II. The King had no son, therefore there was no other direct male descendant of his father Tashmang I. Tashmang II. arranged a marriage of his daughter Pammane with his half-sister Cifilka's son **Tashmang the Brave**, preparing him for the throne. However, the grandson of King Tashmang I.'s younger brother Sholon, **Numcokh the Wise**, would be the next patrilineal heir. Tashmang the Wise's cousin **Kensal the Younger**, son of Tashmang's second half-sister Joshan, also raised his claim to the throne. He was governor of the south and ruler of Pfaumusu, Nacafi's largest city. He threatened that if "the idiot who is called Tashmang the Brave" became King, Southern Nacafi would split off from the rest of the Kingdom.

In 79 AT, with the exotic goods from its new colony, Nacafi purchased a piece of land from Tapiria which would become the Inner Rud province. Nacafi had for decades expressed a claim on the area.

### Nacafian Civil War and the End of the Kingdom

When Tashmang II. became bedridden after suffering a stroke in 79 AT, his son secured the Forbidden Grounds with Loiskame's militia and denied Numcokh entry to the area. Numcokh, who had many supporters among Loiskame's scholars, riled up rebels to fight the army. Tashmang the Brave's 50-year old father Vango was reportedly killed during the clashes. The uprising led Tashmang the Brave to openly declare Numcokh an outlaw and commanded Loiskame's army to capture him and his wife Tomme (Tashmang's younger sister), which they did. However, as soon as he had heard of Tashmang's declaration, Kensal the Younger came to besiege Loiskame "until lawful Numcokh was freed and Tashmang thrown out of the holy city".

Tashmang the Brave ordered troops from Vanjemash and Tsirnacaf to end the siege of Loiskame, and successfully pushed the line of battle further south. In 80 AT, Southern Nacafi reacted by blocking the ports of Tsirnacaf and Laina, Loiskames connection to the sea. Northern rebels fought against Umu loyalists in Vanjemash, Nacafi's most important weapon production site, and essentially shut off the supply routes from Mullus Kapter and to Loiskame. Loyalists marched upon Pfaumusu and Vemon Tashmangar, but were stopped by Southern forces and Toede militia. They were unable to besiege Pfaumusu and without success withdrew from the province few days later. When King Tashmang II. died later that year, Tashmang the Brave declared himself King of Nacafi, in an effort to keep up morale even though his troops were retreating.

   In 81 AT, the Southern army besieged Loiskame once again. This time, the capital fell after two weeks, and Southern forces were able to capture Tashmang the Brave and free a physically weakened Numcokh from the dungeons below the Forbidden Grounds. However, they weren't successful at forcing the Northern Command to surrender unconditionally and couldn't agree upon an armistice with Umu Loyalists. Governor Kensal the Younger proclaimed that the House of Tassalus was no longer a reliable government for Nacafi, but could remain the ruling power of a semi-autonomous Northern Kingdom within a Nacafian Republic. He nevertheless explicitly forbid the crowning of Tashmang the Brave and exiled him to the Sunkaitin Colony.

## Rulers

The Kingdom of Nacafi was ruled by three Kings, all of which directly inherited the throne from their father:

* King **Kxessal Tashmang Minapalsa** ruled Nacafi from an unknown point in history until his death in 23 AT. He is widely regarded as the Founder of Nacafi and the Father of the Nation.
* King **Tashmang I. Birmanka Minapalsa** ruled Nacafi from 23 AT until his death in 55 AT. He is known for massively improving living conditions in Nacafi and making it one of the largest realms at the time. He has received many honorific nicknames such as *Rainbringer*, *Father of the Law*, *Conqueror of the East*, *Friend of the Centaurs* and more. The cult around his personality views him as a demigod.
* King **Tashmang II. Bashaicul Minapalsa** ruled Nacafi from 55 AT until his death during the Nacafian Civil War in 80 AT. He further expanded Nacafi, subjugating the Rakshay tribes to the north and creating a large vassal state in the east. Historians believe that many of his political decisions were influenced by his stepmother Porpore Hava Minapalsa, sometimes called the "Queen of Nacafi".

## Political System

In the early years of the Kingdom, only the Ankacau of Loiskame were directly governed by the monarch, while sovereign chieftains were the *de facto* rulers of some smaller settlements in Nacafi. Most chieftains relied on the wisdom of shamans and augurs who, for example, interpret the migration of birds. During the reign of Tashmang I. Birmanka Minapalsa, the chieftains' influence weakened and all power was centralized in Loiskame.

Political factions were mostly confined to the citizens of Loiskame, but since the government was an absolute monarchy, there was little political discourse. Small, disorganized rebel groups of the rural areas strongly opposed the monarchy and fought to bring the capital under the control of an oligarchy of influential chieftains, but they were too heterogenous and unsuccessful. Some Centaur herds were among the strongest of loyalists. In the Year 30 AT, the monarchy was further consolidated by the recruitment of an army and the adoption of a constitution, which appeased critical chieftains outside of Loiskame, although it barely limited the monarch's power.

### Foreign Relations

Prior to its downfall, the Ankacau had vivid trading relationships to their closest neighbor and ally, Rudsaȼen. In Year 3 AT, King Kxessal reached out to Rudsaȼen and arranged a meeting between Nacafi's Representative Pfovodikh Garan and a Saȼenian delegation to discuss trading and territorial rapprochement. Shortly after the discussions, the Ankacau claimed new territories to the southeast. At a second meeting, the representatives of Rudsaȼen and Nacafi shared their most important inventions to align their development. Via Rudsaȼen, Nacafi is in contact with the other nations of the Southwestern Peninsula. A trade route was established that runs from Loiskame, Pfaumusu and Kanvarus through Rudɨsd (Rudsaȼen) and Tapiria City (Tapiria) to Tháhutihém (Ràl Atsèl). Paths branch off to the northern Peninsula (Raka Lana and Plo Tbrov) and southwards to Woz̧dz̧ã.

In the year 24 AT, delegates from Nacafi and Ràl Atsèl met to exchange strategies of government and shared military knowledge. A people's army was formed under the guidance and supervision of the Gravekeepers' Guild, with hierarchies and equipment partially copied from Ràl Atsèl military.

In the year 44, first contact with the expanding Nation of Dtakatto was made and diplomats agreed upon a common border close to the Rakshay river. Both nations perceived the Rakshay tribe as a threat to peace in the region and didn't rule out a military intervention.

In the year 53, trade with Ràl Atsèl and Tapiria reached a new high after Tapiria's annexion of Rudsaȼen. However, political tensions arose when both Tapiria and Nacafi expressed interest in the territory north of Ujoza. Diplomats agreed that Nacafi would incorporate the Loshui Uplands on condition of raising no claims on Wozdza territory and keeping peaceful relationships with Ujoza.