Valeña

The flag of Valeña

Location of Valeña (in blue) in the Zeyeron continent

Valeña, oficially the *Anointed Reῆatsate of Valeῆa*, is a Theocratic Republic located in South Zeyeron, within the Bay of Valeña and the Valeñan valley.

## Etymology

The word Valeña comes from the Old Sun Language 'Valeηт Iome' which roughly means *Blue Night.* Records indicate that at first, rather than serve as a name for the different Old Sun communities, it was more of a common cultural tenet. {{Citation needed}}.

Later down the line, in Eastern Sun Language, the word adopted the form 'Valeῆome' when it would also start to make reference to a set of people, before evolving into the form we know today.

## History

**Prehistory, protohistory and Ancient Age**

The particular position of the Valeñan Bay as the "Far-South Mouth" of the Zeyeron continent determined the arrival of successive cultural influences both from the inner steppes up north and the seafaring tribes of the Old Sun Folk. Both due to its favorable location for communications as well as its agricultural possibilities, the mouth of the Valeñan River and the numerous plains and islands around the Bay were the areas that achieved the greatest development in the region.

The Elders of Valeña, tell stories about how the Old Sun Folk were once forced to leave their lands and venture into the sea in search of new lands to settle. There are a number of hypotheses about the motives of this Great Sun Migration in the few records still legible. They are not necessarily contradictory or alternative, some or all of them may be true in whole or in part:

* There is a hypothesis that contemplates the possibility that, around the 300 years before the Migration, a great climatic catastrophe occurred, causing a sudden increase in temperature that provoked numerous famines and civil unrest in the Old Sun Civilisation.
* A theory suggests that the Old Sun Folk were affected by a Great Invasion by a coalition of ancient city-states, which destroyed many settlements and left the Old Sun Army unable to defend their territory. A support for this theory would be the next extract from the Marsē Writings:

> *Ionas opened his eyes again, confused, to find a desolate environment. He stood in one of the many medical tents that had been set up on the shores [...] in the end, it had not brought any satisfaction for him nor for the ones that had perished.*
>
>

* Lastly, an alternative theory elucidates the Migration by scrutinizing the bellicose tendencies of the Old Sun Follk. According to this perspective, the migration is portrayed as a substantial exodus of rebels who had recently experienced defeat in a civil conflict between the local tribes of their civilisation.

Regardless, historical records indicate that Old Valeñans first arrived in Zeyeron by boat about 200 years ago. The best-known tales of this prehistoric arrival tell how the Valeñan People acted as one of the several major raiding groups that ended up bringing an Ancient Unknown Empire to its demise. Multiple factors contributed to the destruction of the Unknown Empire, and it cannot be solely attributed to numerical superiority. Other potential factors contributing to the success of these raids could include their adeptness in working with new metals. It is documented that they had already achieved mastery in iron smelting, enabling them to craft swords and spears with the capability to shatter opposing weapons and penetrate enemy bronze armor with relative ease.

After the fall of the empire, the numerous Valeñan tribes were somewhat integrated into Garwice, serving as mercenary groups, merchants or simple isolated diasporic communities. That was until the birth of Teodoric δo Cabroηaia and his subsequent unification efforts.

1. ↑ *The Aftermath of Thesialon - The Marsē Writings*