Ancient Bulwar

Ancient Bulwar describes the history of Bulwar from around 2800 BA to the fall of Karqašlu in 1134 BA. It is in this time that we see the rise of Bulwari civilisation and the appearance of the first God-Kings of Bulwar and the first invasion through Invader's Pass from the Forbidden Plains. It also sees the downfall of both, setting up Bulwar's state during the Age of Antiquity.

## The God-Kings

In its early age Bulwar is the first known human civilization to rise up. It can reasonably be stated that after centuries of serving the Djinn, the Bulwari tribes had learned some structure and hierarchy from their genie overlords. Of course the role that Brasan the Emancipator played cannot be overstated. The art of genie-binding must have been a central characteristic of ancient Bulwari power structures. Surviving steles proclaim the chiefs of this period as ‘God-Kings’ and depict them performing many feats that the mages of today confirm could be achieved with the aid of genies. Presumably after the banishment of the Djinn from Bulwar, these new powerful genie-binders used the existing power-structure to place themselves in the seats of the Djinn. This saw the expansion of old Djinn sites and the construction of new palaces. There may have at one point been hundreds of God-Kings, all with their own palace. Several of the most successful of these God-Kings saw their palaces expand into the first Bulwari city-states. The Ancient cities of Bulwar, Brasan, Azkabar, Azka-Szel-Azka and Eduz-Vacyn are some that remain today.

Little is known about the actual nature of these early magi. The genie-binders must have been immensely powerful if the steles are to be believed. However despite their magical prowess they still used armies to resolve their issues. Bronze spear tips, arrowheads and sword blades have been found embedded in old riverbeds of the Suran and dated to times ranging as far back as the 23rd century BA.

Some of these appear to have been from dwarven make. It is likely that they traded with the dwarves from Seghdihr and Shazstundihr. Especially that last hold appears to have had a great influence on early Bulwari architecture. Its marble statuary and construction has been found adorning the palaces of ancient God-Kings. Some of this looks to be of dwarven make, but much of this is an imitation of dwarven architecture or of genie architecture using techniques similar to those seen in Shazstundihr. This agrees with records of dwarves from that hold teaching Bulwari humans the arts of architecture and sculpture. Indeed, the Bulwari-Dwarven relations appear to have been good, or at least cooperative, during this time - with the hold of Ovdal Tûngr seeing restoration and resettlement by the dwarves as a vassal under the God-King Irsakar the Benevolent of Barzišah in the late 22nd century.

## The Decline of the God-Kings

Several theories on the decline of the God-Kings exist. Some scholars think there may have been a great war, while others say that perhaps the Dwarves or Precursor Elves may have had a hand in their decline. We do see a decrease in activity in many of the old palace sites throughout Bulwar, this suggests a gradual disappearance of the God-Kings and their city-states. This has led to the belief that the genie-binders came to jealously guard the secrets to their craft. This may have over time have meant that the group of God-Kings got smaller and more powerful, while some aspects of the art was lost. By the 16th century BA the art of genie-binding must have disappeared to such a degree that it allowed proto-Zabatlari nomads to invade Bulwar through a pass in the Serpentspine and subjugate the city-states of the region in 1537 BA. That pass has been named Invader’s Pass until this day.

A tale recorded by Himmet of Akalšes during the time that the Damerian Republic owned much of Bulwar puts this change into a more mythological setting. While the tale itself is too long to record here and not all of it has survived, the general gist of it is as follows:

*“In those days, Bulwar was ruled by many God-Kings. These men and women had bound the Genies to their will and used them as their servants. The Genies would grant the God-Kings whatever they wished. Many great deeds were done and many terrible things were wrought with this power. In time the God-Kings became jealous of one another’s power and they began to squabble. One destroyed the other’s palace with a sentence. Whole cities disappeared through malicious or careless wishes. The most careless wish of all was the final wish uttered by any of the God-Kings: God-King Amussu “The Speaker of the Sky” wished that he would be the only one to have the power of the Wish. The next day he started receiving reports of an invasion of a horde that had come down from beyond the Serpentspine. His rivals had all fallen one by one, their host seemingly immune to the magic of the bound genies. He was the last remaining God-King of Bulwar. However he could not rejoice. Because he did not have the time to bind another Genie to his will before the enemy stormed his palace. But when he tried to utter his last wish, he found that he was mute. He retained the power of the Wish, but he was unable to use it. When the enemy found him, they tried to kill him, but he simply would not die. His wish had bound him to life. Forever living with the power of the Wish, but never being able to utter one ever again. The new rulers of Bulwar buried him alive at the edge of the Salahad desert, where he remains until this day.”*

## The Karqašlu Empire

While the exact nature of the decline of the God-Kings is uncertain, the conquest of Bulwar by a group of nomads from the Forbidden plains is. This First Invasion in 1537 BA swept over the city-states and united them into one large empire. At its height it spanned from Azka-Szel-Azka all the way to Azka-Sur. Art of the genie-binders disappears and instead we see reliefs and statues of great horse-riding warriors. Often they are jousting or hunting. Little written records of this time have survived to modern times. However we do find evidence of a great palatial site near Kumarkand from this period. This presumably was the city of Karqašlu, which was the capital of this empire of horse lords. The site has many stables and storehouses which does reinforce that theory. The empire lasted for about 400 years until it fell during the Onslaught, but it peaked early on. Kheteratan records mention a war in 1469 BA between Elikhet the Wanderer and a Karqašlu king called Alušir over the domination of the Divenhal. Elikhet claimed victory and several coastal cities, most notably Brasan, became subjects of Kheterata. Shortly after this they also appear to have lost control over Bahar. Azka-Szel-Azka has evidence of royal occupation in the 15th and 14th centuries BA.

While the empire declined in geographical scope, the 14th century BA was a period of prosperity along the Suran and Baranun plains. An architectural revival crosses the region, with many cities being expanded and renovated. Additionally the first trade networks with Rahen appear, exchanging goods such as spices, pottery and metalwork. During this time the first Bulwar Canal was dug as a connection between the Suran and Baranun rivers.

## The Onslaught

Starting around the turn of the 12th century BA people start to disappear from coastal towns and villages everywhere along the Divenhal. Then, moving from west to east, entire settlements disappear. Kheterata’s colonies are hit first. Akan, then Deshak, Busirat and Tefkora. Records are disjointed but they speak of creatures that come from the sea and burn down villages and towns. They capture as many people as possible and then disappear with them. Those taken were never seen again. In 1191 BA Azka-Szel-Azka was the first major Bulwari city to be hit by the attack. Thiren the Younger, a Castanorian scholar from the time of Castan Beastbane, tells us that the fortress was well prepared. It’s thick walls would withstand any siege and its food supplies had been well-stocked, even though at that moment it housed the majority of the population of Bahar. But the ‘Deep Devils’ snuck in through the sewer system at night. It wasn’t until a year later that the fortress was found quiet, its entire population slaughtered.

But the slaughter of Azka-Szel-Azka was only the start. Over the next fifty years similar events would occur at other locations all along the coasts of the Divenhal. Brasan, for example, was razed in 1185 BA, leaving the city desolate for decades. The coastal regions of Bulwar quickly became depopulated with only a few daring or stubborn fishermen remaining in their villages. But inland was not entirely safe either, as on occasions it seems raids happened along the Suran as far upstream as Kalib. These inland raids appear to have been the final nail in the coffin of the Karqašlu Empire.

Thiren the Younger describes how their king, Batur II, gathered an army in 1139 BA, 40 years after the razing of Brasan. He marched his army down the Suran and set up camp by the ruins of Brasan, telling his army to prepare for battle whenever it may come. That the clouds were heavy and the moon was hidden behind shadow. King Batur was asleep when the first attacks came and were repelled by his night guard and their palisade, but great damage had been done to their forward defenses. By the time the second attack came the king was awake and leading the defense. This time they came in greater force, however. The palisades gave way and the forward defenses were swarmed, soldiers couldn’t see what they were fighting, but they were terrified. Amidst the chaos the king was wounded and had to retreat. Finally his magi, mere apprentice students of the god kings of old, managed to turn the tide with spells of blinding light, causing their attackers to retreat. The army was greatly diminished and their situation looked dire. So they gathered around the king’s tent and prepared their final stand. Somehow they held out. When the first rays of the morning sun lit the battlefield only the king and a dozen men remained as the devils fled before the light. Batur II would be the last king of Karqašlu. Shortly after his return to the capital he died of his wounds and the empire died with him. There was a crisis and a civil war and five years after this Battle of Brasan, the attacks of the sea devils stopped. The same year the last son of Batur II perished in battle against the newly established Harpy Queendom in the mountainous regions of northern Bulwar. That year marks the end of Ancient Bulwar: 1134 BA.