Book of Barahaus
May the Warden watch over you, welcome reader to the book of Barahaus. A country often called the lion of the west, home of chivalry and honor Barahaus stands as a testament to what order and discipline can do to a nation. Due to the factors above, Barahaus stands tall amongst the constant warfare of Argalos. But it hasn’t always been this way.
The Barahausians can trace their origins back to the Nedes.
An ancient people who inhabited the Skarack Mountain region. The people of the Skarack region were primitive, living in caves or sometimes simple wooden settlements. Eventually, the Nedes of Skarack diverged into several different groups and many wandered westwards from the mountains in search of more plentiful hunting grounds. There they settled in what is today known as Barahaus and the Nedes who lived there became the Wesdar. The historical tough lives of the Nedes have made them a tall and strong people. The cold north has also made them a people of fair and almost pale skin complexion. The Nedes are one of the oldest folk groups on Argalos and according to Nedic myth, they were sculpted from the rocks of Argalos to take their place among the animals and to abide by the rules of nature. The mentality of the ancient Nedes led to little innovation as they were content with their existence and felt that they were a part of nature as any other animal.
"Depiction of a Nedic hunting party"
This would change when the Ukulwans today referred to as Ashanti invaded. It is said that the Warden brought the Ukulwans to Argalos to mold the Nedes into something greater to make them ascend from their drowsy state and wake up and claim greatness. The Ukulwans upon the Nedes captured them and used them for manual labor. The Nedes initially could not do anything about this as the Ukulwans had superior technology such as wooden bronze-coated shields and scimitars as well as military tactics. Eventually, after decades of thralldom and slavery, the Nedes revolted.
The first Nedic state was formed in rebellion in the Skarack mountains in the year 183 and it was called the Sklavehem Kingdom. It was founded by Haraldr the Chainless (160-223) a nedic slave. Its most notable achievements were the war of freedom (189-210) in which it managed to attain a great victory over the most prominent nation at the time Ukulwa.
Following this victory and total decimation of the Ukulwans the Sklavehem Kingdom started expanding westward into what is today the southernmost parts of Barahaus. During its half millennia of existence, the Sklavehem Kingdom accomplished a great deal, it carried the torch of civilization down into the mountain range that today goes by the name Garaldabur, named after the 2 tribes that used to and to some extent today inhabit the region, Garal, and Dabur. The tribes then went on to establish their own states in present-day Galici and Nicaea (Öndörkhan).
Eventually, the Sklavehem Kingdom was plunged into civil war in the year 582 in an event called the war of the west. Where a lot of the western provinces seceded successfully following a schism regarding the rightful heirs to the throne. It ended in a bloody civil war that saw the collapse of Sklavehem and the birth of several different states in the western part of the world.
The War of the West saw some horrific and intense fighting.
It lasted from 582-646 and was a catalyst event that lead to the genocide of the southern people of Öndörkhan as they were claimants to the throne. The southern genocide (641-652) gave rise to Köteny Atar (639-670) who most Barahausians today refer to as the Demon of the South. Köteny Atar was very skilled in combat but an even more skilled mysticist. It was said he could induce paranoia and fear in any man. That he could break even the most stalwart of men.
Köteny Atar “Demon of the South” (639-670)
Köteny Atar together with several southern tribes wreaked havoc on the newly formed Wesdar states, to the point where many of the more superstitious Wesdar thought this was nature’s retribution for the atrocities committed during the genocide. Many cities were razed to the point where the only indication that they existed was the memories of the survivors. Köteny caused many deaths but was eventually infected with an unknown disease and perished at the age of 31. This was to the relief of many, it was a time of immense hardship in Wesdar.
The Wesdar states had merely a couple of decades to recover before another calamity struck. In 708 the volcano known as “Abadtar” or The belly of the world, erupted. For years the sun shone only in dim red light through the thick smog-like clouds. This event caused the death of many people through starvation. Crops failed and the winters became much harsher. It took roughly a decade before conditions reversed and those years had taken their toll on the populace of the western part of Argalos. The eastern parts although affected were not tormented like the west was.
Some form of relief was provided in the form of the arrival of the Turanitus. A seafarer people who came to Argalos from beyond the Abantic sea. They landed on the southern peninsula of Argalos and also settled in some southwestern parts as well, roughly around the 760s.
The Turanitus were also anatomically different from the Wesdar. These differences could be observed in both their red eyes and perhaps their most eldritch feature their six-fingered hands and six-toed feet. The Turanitus brought many resources from their homeland and also a lot of knowledge mainly knowledge concerning more efficient naval construction. They also brought several hardy crops with them such as the potat a sturdy crop that to this day remains a staple of Barahausian food practices.
The Turanites would eventually integrate and interbreed with the Wesdar and Garal-Dabur tribes and the local populace would lose their polydactyl traits. The intermingling with the local Argalos populace gave birth to the purple-eyed Turinis that are present today through interbreeding the Turanites lost their sixth digit as well. Except for the upper echelons who decided to remain “racially pure”.
The Kingdoms in the western part of the world flourished for a while, and the Turanites managed to form a powerful trading kingdom. The years 800-1000 were generally peaceful times, with commerce in focus technology progressed rapidly until the reign of Hadrius Tibus.
Hadrius was a Turanite king who carried out the siege on the Blue Sanctum located in present-day Essbruck. The Blue Sanctum to this day is a place of immense importance for the Wesdar people. It houses many precious artifacts such as Haraldr’s chains which are the chains that were used to bind Haraldr during the Ukulwan times. It is said that the Southern Star of Mercy blessed Haraldr’s chains and as long as they were in Wesdar possession no foreign invader could truly subjugate the Wesdar. It is also said that the Warden gave the Wesdar a covenant of torches which signifies their history and that the Warden will forever keep their flames of civilization lit. It is one of the most revered items in Barahausian history.
The one to retrieve the covenant from the Turanite stronghold in 1143, a lowly lord by the name of Cadogan Brendan was seen as blessed and a chosen leader upon the return of such a revered artifact that he was in fact named leader of the Wesdar armies. He later used his prestigious status to unite all the different Wesdar countries into one huge kingdom that stretched from the Garaldabur mountain range up to the Farothr Islands.
This country would be extremely short-lived as Cadogan Brendan (1111-1189) was the crucial building block of that nation. Cadogan's heir was also quite incompetent and so the kingdom stagnated as another threat emerged. The Hargeisi Dynasty of present-day Ashant had set its eyes on expansion. In 1330 merely 141 years after Cadogan's death the Hargeisi Talif (King) Ashant the Exalted invaded present-day Chausan.
The Hargeisi revolutionized warfare in that era, they were the first ones to effectively use cavalry-mounted units. The Hargeisi also had another edge they had taken the tribalistic magic of the Nedes and perfected it. Many elite Hargeisi warriors fought with enchanted arms and armor. Under Ashant the Exalted’s command the Hargeisi Dynasty managed to conquer almost all of Argalos except some southern city-states in present-day Turin and the Farothr Islands. It is during this time that a standardized language was implemented as the Hargeisi’s practiced ethnic homogenization to a high degree. A standardized counting system was implemented as well as a standardized calendar among other things.
The Hargeisi rule was a time of immense scientific progress but also brutal subjugation in Barahausian history. Ashant the Exalted ruled for 116 years until his passing (1312-1446).
After his death, the Hargeisi dynasty managed to hold together the huge empire for another two centuries until its collapse in 1649 during the Sinistral Wars. It was called the Sinistral wars as it saw an obscene amount of arcanism involved, according to contemporary sources it saw some truly grotesque combat taking place. After the Sinistral wars, the Wesdar states recuperated and formed the Exultant Western Empire which adopted Hargeisi mysticism and esoterics. It was an immensely strong Empire as its people had been preparing for decades to crush the Hargeisi dynasty.
The Exultant Empire would truly shine in 1932 when the Red Horde came from beyond the Wrathful sea and laid absolute waste to Argalos. It subjugated the Hargeisi Dynasty and installed its own puppet regime called the Temuj Dynasty. The 200,000 strong legion was a force to reckon with. They however did not manage to subjugate the Exultant Western Empire. Eventually, a compromise between the Horde and the Exultant Empire was reached and the Horde marched on the south and subjugated the other nations. For 400 years huge portions of Argalos were oppressed. Until an unknown assassin ended the entire Temuj bloodline. Many provinces and nations managed to break free from Temuj control. All were devastated except the Exultant Western Empire. The Exultant Empire capitalized and expanded immensely during these weak times. After conquering huge swathes of land the Empire reformed into the Barahausian Empire.
The Barahausians ushered in the lion’s age. In a time of heavy Barahausian influence on Argalos customs, chivalry, nobility, bravery, and swordsmanship were at the forefront. The age began in 2347 and ended in 2982. During this time Barahaus had vassalized both Turin and many parts of modern-day Ashant. It had directly annexed Chausan and it had control over the Varanheim economy. Barahausian domination was complete and it lasted for roughly 600 years. During this time expeditions were sent to the Abantic sea and lands beyond and Essbruck was a bastion of astronomy and geography. Barahausian influence started to wane during the rule of Adam XV Karloman (2955-2980). This king was known for his lavish spending and historians consider him a poor statesman. It is said that he once spent a tenth of the royal treasury to build a huge statue of his predecessor only to have it demolished due to a personal vendetta. Either way, Adam XV Karloman met his demise at the hands of Farooq Qadim when he was captured on a visit to Temuj. He was then killed which goaded Barahaus into a war with Temuj which it lost at the Naval battle at Qyranian bay. The independence referendum with Turin also cemented that the Lion's age had ended.
