Khazarkar Empire

Category	Empires
World	Bal-Kriav
Region	Cinazan, Faeglor
Alias	Second Khazarkar Empire
Government	Pharzîmrâth
Capital	Nibar-Pharân
	Nibar-Pharân 1027 - present Bandunazân 1017 - 1027 Athânâlo 654 - 1016 Akann'ndâb 346 - 654
Population	6,800,000+
Races	Minâth 22% Terrant 20% Corralum 20% Gradorian 15% Nermanean 5% Kriavfahliil ( Gilraens ) 5% Hobgoblin 5% Auhtai 2% Sadar-Nizar 1% other 5%
Alignment	lawful evil, lawful neutral
Deity	Set
Enemies	Orchish Empire, Eldritch Conclave, Flux Pact, Khimilêth
Ruler	Setarch Phêrî
Established	FKE 19 Temporal 346 SKE 12 Bloom 1027
Maps	Darmaer Melvad Skegjold Greroch Batwor

The First Khazarkar Empire, the FKE, endured for 681 years upon the lands of Gulimbor. It was governed by a succession of monarchical and dictatorial regimes, ultimately concluding under the magocratic rule of the Eldritch Conclave.

The Khazarkar population began to grow rapidly with the formation of the Kingdom of Belkazim on 7 Brightstar 250. Population expansion led to border conflicts with the Tragarans and the minotaurs of the Gulimbor's southern tracts, sector Marninnoth. The first people to succumb to Khazarkar aggression were the minotaur tribes of Imrabêl. The Third Imrabêl War resulted in the destruction of the minotaur holdings and their subjugation. Khazarkar settlers moved into the Imrabêl valley and transformed the fertile lands into vast farmlands and vineyards. Over the next three decades, the population in the area expanded swiftly. The town of Athânâlo became the crossroads of the First Khazarkar Empire. By 654, the town had grown into a city, and the capital of the Khazarkar Empire was relocated from Akann'ndâb to Athânâlo.

On the 12th of War March in the year 785, the empire was shaken by the Great Minotaur Revolt (spanning from 785 to 796 ) . After a decade of resistance, succumbing to the severe economic ramifications, the minotaurs were ultimately liberated. Consequently, nearly all of the minotaurs departed, migrating westward into the region of Azrik.

In 993, the Eldritch Conclave, a magocracy, assumed control of the Khazarkar Empire. The most powerful mages vied in council to amass personal power and dominion over all those around them. Several brief yet violent civil conflicts ensued as they maneuvered for supremacy.

The assault on the Prismatic Citadel will likely prove our undoing, and who will recall this conflict, undertaken solely to appease the personal vanity of Lady Kelesoj? I fear we are but mere pawns, to be discarded from the grand game of the Eldritch Conclave.

unknown, "Last Letter Home"

In the Domination Wars (995 - 1016), the First Khazarkar Empire waged war on what they designated as the Rogue States. These were the empires of Burterinii, the Cal-Thaoun Dynasty, Niratar Theocracy, and Melephaeusa. Unchecked and consumed by power, the Conclave's web weavers opened the taps to the Web of Magic, leading to cascades, sentient magic, destructive arcane storms, and a transforming environment. Some regions shifted from rainy and temperate to hot and dry, with verdant valleys and dense forests giving way to wastelands like the Broken Lands. The unchecked use of arcane energy and its consequences culminated in the Gulimbor Cataclysm (996 - 1203).

In 998, hundreds each month departed the war and magic-ravaged lands of Gulimbor and parts of Ma'Ohari. This marked the commencement of the Great Exodus ( 998 - 1017 ) . With a landscape devastated and taunted by magical storms, living spells, and more terrifying phenomena, the Khazarkars also fled Gulimbor. While the civilian population was evacuated, the military continued to engage in battle. Some captains resorted to commandeering civilian ships, claiming they were aiding the enemy. Verifying the vast expanse of ocean they patrolled took considerable time. By the time it reached the navy's court system, the suspect ships were often found to have already joined the service of the First Khazarkar Empire, often in crucial roles such as evacuation. The admiral at the time stated that there would inevitably be those seeking easy prize money, but they would eventually be apprehended as their greed overtook them. This was his final significant communication before his demise at the Battle of Satheon. In this grand naval engagement, the navy of the First Khazarkar Empire was effectively destroyed, leaving only the convoy ships escorting their people's exodus from Gulimbor. Thereafter, the victors of the Battle of Satheon, the Ivory Asylum, safeguarded the Khazarkar ships traversing the Sea of Mourning. The Great Exodus saw the relocation of nearly 500,000 Khazarkar citizens from Gulimbor to Cinazan, a monumental undertaking.

In the eastern regions of Cinazan, Khazarkar settlers established numerous compact communities. In 1017, the seaside city of Bandunazân was designated as the empire's new administrative center.

As fate would have it, the suffering was not over. Blamed for destroying the empire and the embarrassment at Satheon, the Eldritch Civil War ( 1017 - 1027 ) culminated in the Eldritch Conclave being replaced by a theocratic regime. In 1027, the Church of Set established the Second Khazarkar Empire under a theocratic government known as the Pharzîmrâth.

Following the civil war, the noble families accepted the rule of the priests and endeavored to train their own cadre of clerics, unwilling to be excluded from governmental affairs. Many of these lineages harbor hopes, and some even plot, that the empire will one day return to rule under their noble bloodlines. Dras'ee's War ( 1517 - 1519 ) was one such attempt to reinstate the dominance of the highest echelon, the Minâth-Nôrî family.

In the year 1060, the Pharzîmrâth reenacted the Khazarkar Purity Edict. This occurred during the empire's westward expansion across Cinazan, as the empire sought to assimilate various peoples and cultures while preserving the purity of Khazarkar customs and ethnicity.

In 1421, the Gilraen Oligarchy was reduced to a vassal state. After a westward territorial expansion spanning nearly 400 years, the Khazarkars had claimed land from the frigid waters of northern Erethor to the shores of the Core Sea. Along the way, and sometimes at odds with the Khazarkar Purity Edict, the empire absorbed the native populations, integrating Nermaneans, Gradorian descendants of Draguron, hobgoblins, and the Kriavfahliil of Gilraen.

The empire's capital is Nibar-Pharân. The social hierarchy of the empire adheres to a caste system, with the Minâth served by the Terrant and the Corralum.

The Minâth-Nôrî are the empire's aristocratic dynasties. Remnants of the First Khazarkar Empire, though no longer the sovereigns, they retain substantial sway over matters of state. Numerous among them profess to be ardent devotees of the deity Set, or so they assert.

In the Third Epoch, the empire expanded its influence beyond the continent of Brucrumus. This development raised alarm among the nations bordering the Pearl Sea and the Sea of Mourning. Centuries after the depredations of the First Khazarkar Empire, they maintained a profound distrust of anything associated with the Khazarkar.

Architecture

The Khazarkar Empire is renowned for its towering, majestic buildings constructed at great expense. Designed to withstand air, surface, and subterranean attacks, these structures remain decorative and grandiose, featuring pyramids, pinnacles, colossal monuments, and a heavy use of obsidian and red crystal sourced from Hatyr Geir. Numerous squares are adorned with statues depicting Set, former Leaders, or heroes of the Batthurâk. State buildings and those in secure areas are also decorated with the vibrant crystals quarried from Tanulbazar.

The empire's rigid caste system and its stark inequality are evident in the dwellings, with the Minâth-Nôrî residing in grand estates, while the Terrant and Corralum live in varied conditions depending on their affluence.

At nightfall, the cities radiate a vibrant glow, illuminated by an array of diverse lamps and even magical, crystal orbs that levitate effortlessly. The main boulevards, where towering elephants and other imposing beasts can move without risk of destroying a commoner's dwelling, are the most brilliantly lit areas. Each of the empire's cities is home to a majestic statue of Set, their scale and splendor reflecting the affluence of the overseeing temple. Some cities also feature one or more Pyramids of the Setarchs - massive structures closely resembling a Pyramid of Power, serving as the final resting places for the empire's former emperor-priests, the Setarchs.