Akthol-Tharag

Category	Empires
World	Bal-Kriav
Region	Karnegmoth, Weretopia, Sakal
Government	Theocracy
Capital	Aphalur
Population	4,000,000+
Races	Turkûn 74% Satyr 10% Centaur 5% Werebear 1% other 10%
Deities	Danzar-Khâl, Primus, Lokestant
Enemies	Rilirthad
Established	8 Bliss 415 LE
Maps	Cinduk Mekarra Ezel

Akthol-Tharag was founded in 415 LE by two Turkûn clans - the Akthol hailing from Aphalur and the Tharag originating in Grongak.

The capital is Aphalur, an esteemed holy city constructed during the Dawn Era, formerly a stronghold of the Golden Seven.

In the First Epoch, Akthol-Tharag engaged in conflict with the Tinnanguth. The Tinnanguth aspired to seize territory within the Elephant Backbone and extract its purported substantial riches.

In 211, a civil war resulted in a change of government. This came about from several ancient clans claiming to be the oldest and most noble, and thus deserving the right to guide the people in these tumultuous times. The dark period they were referring to was a brutal war that lasted a decade between Akthol-Tharag and the formidable Virkning alliance. In the Virkning Rising conflict, Akthol-Tharag's population was diminished by nearly half, leaving an exhausted populace eager for change and revival. A popular vote succeeded, leading to the old clans' families being designated as the royal lineage, from whom the ruling monarch would be chosen. This resulted in the pairing of the two strongest clans and their most powerful families. Akthol-Tharag's reigning theocracy resisted the popular vote, sparking the Akthol-Tharag Civil War. After a year of conflict, rather than see the nation further weakened in the face of the ever-present giant threat, the theocratic leaders stepped aside, allowing the establishment of royal families and the transition to a kingdom with a power-sharing king and queen. The priesthood and its vast bureaucracy were integrated into the new government. Akthol-Tharag remained a monarchy for nearly five centuries, until 701 CE, when the old theocratic elements, fed up with a series of corrupt rulers, returned and overthrew the government through a military coup. Overall, the people accepted this change, knowing that the theocracy, though tethered to religion, might prove more honest than the recent string of ineffective monarchs.

In 702, colonists from Akthol-Tharag were dispatched eastward to secure additional mines and territory. The following year, they established the settlement of Chunswornkrak. Approximately two decades later, the sporadic contact and communication between the motherland and the outpost culminated in their ceding and founding the kingdom of Nathargundu.

In the year 1703, the Eradication War commenced with a divinely inspired conflict known as the Battle of Burakkhelig. During this pivotal engagement, Akthol-Tharak relinquished control of the city of Grongak.

The Werebear inhabitants of Akthol-Tharag are the descendants of those who departed Free Tooth during the Shifter Separation.