Tilai Khanate

LORE ARE WIP / BEING EXPANDED ON

Tilai Khanate

Formal Name	Tilai Khanate
Capital	Tarmisha
Head of State	Yazir Khan
Government Type	Monarchy
Cultures	~7.7 millions Rastorii, ~4 millions Parvakian, ~3 millions Siuian, ~2 million Amhouli, ~2 million Awaryan, ~1.8 million Kirig, ~1 million Midian, ~300,000 Sahlean
Religions	Mixed (Really)
Population Density	High / Extremely Low (Depends)
Population	~22 millions

The Tilai Khanate is a massive sprawling empire established by the Kirig, a group of nomadic people who inhabits most of the Besian-Asaya Steppe - an arid steppe that stretch for thousands of miles between the Agaya Axu Mountain and the eastern end of the Kur-Anzu mountains. The Tilai Khanate was established by Erkin Khan, a Kirig from the Altun clan who established an Empire stretching over two thousand kilometers from west to east.

History

Historically, the dry flatland of the Besian-Asaya steppes has been were inhabited by four groups of nomadic people - the ancestors of the ancient Rulmi people - a group of centaur who spoke a related language to the Kirigs, the Kirigs who distinguished themselves as a group of horse-riding, sheep-herding nomadic people, the Sahliyyun (Sahlean) who lived around the Sahlean sea, and the Amhouli who lived on the edge of the fertile land to the west.

Sometime before recorded history begin, the Kirig became dominant on the steppes and managed to drive out the ancestors of the Rulmi, who migrated all the way to the west and then took over the Western Steppes, assimilating the native brayers into their language. The Kirigs eventually drove the Amhouli west and entered conflict with the Sahlean - who defended their narrow stretch of fertile land around the Sahlean sea ferociously.

Throughout history, the Kirigs - and occasionally Sahlean have formed numerous entities that swept west and obtained tribute from the settled states to the west, northeast and east But none of them were as enduring, impactful, or as devastating as the Tilai Khanate.

Erzin Khan's Conquest

Erzin Khan was the founder of the Tilai Khanate, who was born in the northwestern Kirigic steppes, to a member of the Altun Clan. At the time, the steppes were divided between several powerful Kirigic nomadic federations - the old Kirigic Khanate having collapsed over fifty years earlier after several punitive expeditions by the Siuian, and the various tribes of the Sahlean themselves. At the age of 25 - due to his father's premature death, Erzin Khan rose to lead the Altun Clan. In the following years, Erzin Khan engaged in a series of campaigns to consolidate his power:

• Consolidation on the Steppes (950 - 953 P.S) . - Erkin Khan consolidates the steppes by defeating rival Kirig tribes, killing those who resisted and subjugating the rest underneath his domain, and then reorganized all of them under the "Nine Banners" system - a system in which all steppe-dwelling clans of the Kirigs are still organized by. It is at this point Erzin Khan declared the Tilai Khanate - or the Golden Khanate.
• Campaign against the Sahlean (954 P.S.) - Erkin Khan turned against the Sahleans, who has been harassing his territory while he was busy campaigning in the east. In the Battle of Rashad River, he decisively crushed their resistance and ordered the destruction of the Banu Harir tribe and the forced incorporation of all of its survivors into the nine Kirigic banners, and then obtained the submission of the rest.
• Devastation of the Awaryan (954 - 956 P.S.) - One country remained relatively exposed to the Kirig's attack - the Kingdom of Awarya inhabited by hyena beastkins next to Agaya Axu. The Siuian was once again preoccupied with another war against Tazrara and a coalition of Midian States - without the Siuian's protection Erkin Khan saw an opening to subjugate the Kingdom of Awarya - successfully seizing all land west of Agaya Axu before stopping at the mountain pass as the rest were deemed to be not worth the risks.
• Tilai-Siuian War (954 - 971 P.S.) - Alarmed at the rapid rise to power of the Kirigs again, the Siuian under the Rostavid demanded submission and tributes from the Kirigs. Erzin Khan however, had other plans and sent back the Siuian the gift of a long lance, a fine Sahlean horse, a set of three composite bow, and a fine magical staff and wand as a "tribute", calling for the Emperor Vahram II to find his courage and meet him on the battlefield. Vahram II however, refused to invade the steppes recklessly without a plan and gathered their strength. The war would be split into three phases:
  • Invasion of North Amhoulia (955 - 957 P.S.): The Amhouli chieftains living north of the Kur-Anzu mountain were exposed to attacks from the Siuian and Erzin Khan quickly overwhelmed the Amhouli who then asked for reinforcements from the Siuian - who had an advantage in riverine logistics and used the river to resupply their fortress in the east. However, eventually the fortress city of Tala n'Azrou would fall when Erzin Khan successfully destroyed the riverine fleet, and he ordered its inhabitants hurled into the river to be drowned alive as a warning. He quickly obtained the surrender of the Tamesna and Diar province afterward.
  • Invasion of Rastoria (957 - 964 P.S.): The next stage of Erzin Khan's invasion was targeted at the fertile and heavily populated area known as Rastoriia, inhabited by the Rastorii who lived and inhabited great, fortified cities and often switched sides between the Midian and Siuian at will. Erzin Khan quickly obtained the submissions of cities who wanted to defect or considered the Siuian oppressive - and then ran into difficulties cracking the fortified walls of cities loyal to Siui. However, Erzin Khan received unexpected help from the Midian, who were archrivals of the Siuian. They supplied Erzin Khan with experienced mages and siege engineers who helped him breach the wars of the loyalists. Like everywhere else, Erzin Khan made sure to make an example of any cities that resisted for long by massacring or enslaving anyone capable of fighting. It was during this invasion in 964 P.S. where Erzin Khan's army killed the Emperor of the Siuian - Vahram II in battle near Parnestan, throwing the Siuian into a succession crisis and reducing their ability to resist further.
  • Invasion of Lower Siui (964 - 967 P.S.): Erzin Khan took advantage of the chaos caused by his victory to invade the north of Siuian territory - at the same time, he would be bogged by the fact that Ninurmah Empire recognized the threat he posed and started attacking him from the southwest. In addition, the Siuian were stirring up troubles on another front by rousing the Awaryan into rebellions while trying to seize his banners livestock to drive them into starvation and submission. The Khan dispatched his son with over 30,000 men to the east in order to delay the Siuian while he threatened the Siuian's economic center, and successfully took it over - only to be checked near Tunuar when the Ombuian elves unexpectedly reinforced the Siuian.
  • War in the Mountain (967 - 971 P.S.): Parvaktia remains the only portion of Siui southwest of Kuh-e-Zanr that were resisting Kirigic rule - not that they were very ruly subject of the Siuian in the first place. Erzin Khan spent the next seven years invading and re-invading Parvaktia repeatedly to put down rebellious chiefs, before crushing another army led by Artanesh the Bold - the newest Siuian Emperor and then once again killing him, ending the Rostavid dynasty for good and with it, the persistent threat the Siuian have proven to be.

By the end of the 21 years conquest spree, Erzin Khan was exhausted and so were his army - many of his soldiers have literally aged out of their campaign and many wanted to settle down with their spoils as the elite of the vast land they ruled over. Erzin Khan would spend the next few years consolidating. But his lust for conquest didn't end there, and he would follow up with another series of wars starting in 975 P.S.:

• Invasion of Aradzor & Vardesh (975 P.S.): Lasting less than a full year, Aradzor and Vardesh would be crushed decisively by the Kirigs, lose a significant portion of territories and forced to become vassals of the Tilai Khanate.
• First Stage of Ninurmah War (975 - 977 P.S.): The Ninurmah Empire was, and still is one of the most powerful Midian polity in the southwest. Erzin Khan used their earlier betrayal as a pretext to go to war with them, promising to liberate their rebellious vassal cities in the northwest from their rule. Naturally, the Khan also wanted to seize the mouth of the Narzu river and with it the income and access to trade that comes with it. He would defeat the Ninurmahian initially and secure Urud-Anbar and Eki-Lum as his nominal vassal at the beginning of the war, and resolved to conquer the rich and powerful Midian states, believing that the Ninurmahian were weak and unable to offer further resistance in field battles. He would be proven dearly wrong.
• Second Stage of Ninurmah War (977 - 987 P.S.): The Ninurmahian adopted a Fabian strategy, using their cities as formidable fortress where cavalry sorties would be sent out to harass the rear column of Erzin Khan's army - which now included a siege train and less mobile non-Kirigic troops who were needed to besiege any city successfully. They adopted a strategy of constantly fighting even upon the walls being breached, fighting Erzin Khan's army in the street, the sewers, and purpose-built tunnels, a tactic that might not be as viable were it not for the size difference between the Midians and the Kirigs with their architecture literally not designed for Kirig usage. When Erzin Khan ordered cities to be burnt, there would be barely any plunder to be had and his troops deserted for lack of plunder, and when he fought them for plunder he suffered horrendous casualties in urban combat. Over ten years of war, the Ninurmahian wore down Erzin Khan's army, all while rebellions were springing up in his rear and he was forced to divert an increasing amount of his troops to suppress them. He made peace with the Ninurmahian, having not even managed to breach the Ninurmahian province of Sipparan in any significant capacity - much less reach and conquer the city of Ninurmah.
• Eastern Invasion & Assassination (989 - 992 P.S.): Despite the heavy casualties he suffered, Erzin Khan still wanted an empire that stretched from the Besian to the Ruttenian Sea. So he made preparation for an invasion of the east - starting by invading the Kingdom of Matta, and then eventually reaching Ruttenia. The Mattan - inexperienced in warfare in the past centuries, would be destroyed before they retreated into the highlands and mountains they dwelled in, where they put up a stiff resistance. Erzin Khan kept part of his gains and obtained the submissions of various countries on the way, before invading Ruttenia proper. His invasion however would be cut short by his unexpected assassination in 992 P.S. - by a Midian servant captured years earlier who turned out to be a mole planted by the Ninurmahian, planted with unknown magic that suppressed any signs of her true magical prowess. The Midian servant leaped at Erzin Khan, who fought her for a minute in his tent before defeating her as his bodyguards rushed in - but not before the Midian activated a spell that detonated herself - flattening the tent, killing two of his bodyguards and maiming one of them. Official history says that Erzin Khan died in the explosion, but some believes this to be untrue and that Erzin Khan was simply denied medical aid or even outright finished off by none other than his own sons.

Yazir Khan's Succession

After the death of Erzin Khan, the invasion of Ruttenia was called off and all of his sons returned to the Tilai Khanate's traditional ceremonial capital of Baskent to discuss the matter of succession. Erzin Khan was quite aware of the problems caused by the partible succession that the Kirigs and many other steppe people practiced, and has planted his court with loyal subordinates who will ensure that Yazir Khan will reign as the united Great Khan of the Tilai Khanate instead of splitting it apart - and pre-emptively sidelined his other sons or granted them a small domain to placate them.

Though Yazir Khan were elected as the Khan of the Tilai Khanate, his reign would be marked by immediate troubles and renewed wars, including:

• Parvakian Rebellion (993 - 1000 P.S.): The Parvaktian rebellion almost followed Yazir Khan's succession, led by a particular rebel named Toran Shah, who rose up with his fellow tribesmen in the hills of the Parvkhtia. Yazir Khan immediately returned to suppress the rebellions, defeating a Siuian army who has come to reinforce the rebels before defeating them in a field battle - however, Toran Shah's troops retreated into the mountains and wore down Yazir Khan's soldiers in a year long guerilla war, before finally being captured and then beheaded by Yazir Khan. The next six years would see constant rebellions triggered by the remnants of Toran Shah's army, who hid amongst locals and then rose up whenever Yazir Khan's troops were not here. The rebellion took a bloody toll on Parvaktia as Yazir Khan's retributions were swift, brutal and indiscriminatory - with the rebellion ending around the turn of the millennium when the last rebel holdouts were crushed and the locals became exhausted of further rebellion.
• Temporary Peace (1000 - 1012 P.S.): After the rebellion was suppressed, Yazir Khan enjoyed nearly twelve years of mostly uninterrupted peace, during which he changed the capital to the city of Tarmisha and centralized his administration and dealt with various smaller rebellions - including on the steppes itself and consolidated power. This would however be broken by his sons rebelling against him.
• Bogat's Rebellion (1013 P.S.): In 1013, Yazir Khan's eldest son, Bogat, attempted to coup his own father upon hearing of his father's disapproval of him adopting the Kozartist faith - Bogat immediately fled to eastern Amhoulia and raised an army of sympathetic bannerman, but were killed within less than two months of the rebellion. After the rebellion was over, Yazir Khan is said to have fallen into despondence over his actions.
• Simultaneous Ninurmah & Siuian War (1013 - 1016 P.S): Ninurmah and Siuian Empire were both eager to get back at the Tilai Khanate, and sent diplomats to the Siuian Empire - their archenemy for over eight centuries for a coordinated offensive. The Siuian struck north and recovered the border provinces inhabited by Siuian, whereas Ninurmah overran several cities under the protection of Eki-Lum and besieged it. Yazir Khan responded by first delaying the Siuian while going south to assist his ally in Eki-Lum and then defeat them, before making peace on generous term, and then turned north to deal with the Siuian. In the Battle of Nahravan Fields of 1015, Yazir Khan's army and the Siuian Army under Zalustar Tandid met eachother. After an hour of tense standoff and ineffectual projectile exchange, Zalustar spotted Yazir Khan's banner and charged straight for him alongside his elite cataphracts, personally breaking through several of his bodyguards before engaging Yazir Khan in single combat. Yazir Khan was only saved by the timely intervention of an unnamed mercenary Lymian arquebusier, who shot at the Siuian Emperor and dismounted him from his horse, allowing Yazir Khan's bodyguards to finish him off. Upon seeing their Emperor falls, the Siuian Empire retreated from the fields while Yazir Khan - shocked and wounded by a poisoned lance Zalustar wielded, stood dazed and refused to order his army to give pursuit. War continued with his successor Zarostav for another year, before both side made peace as Yazir Khan recovered territories along the line.

Yazir Khan Current Reign

Since 1016, the Tilai Khanate has been in a relatively peaceful state and have stopped expanding. The Khan himself has grown more and more distant from public affairs, and rumor is that despite all of the best alchemists and medical mage he can afford, Yazir Khan's health is deteriorating much faster than one would expect for someone who is now in his eighties and has his lifespan extended by magic. The Khan is reported to be somewhat respondent, still moping over the death of his favorite son.

To add to the worries of his courtiers, although he has named his second son Arslanbek his heir, his courtiers worries that Arslanbek is an unfit leader, as Arslanbek is notorious for his temper and abusing his own subordinates - all signs of a poor leader. But Arslanbek is also the only one of his brother to have not diverted from the Kirigic traditional faith - making him the best candidate faith wise to hold the diverse empire together.

Yazir Khan currently have three issues:

• Arslanbek - Second Son, Coxuist. Known for being impulsive.
• Toghrulhan - Third son, unknown religious views - known for dabbling in worships of various native gods including Midian one, and is the most powerful individually.
• Yulduzbay - Fourth son, Kozartist. Known for kindness and also being wasteful with money.

Government

The Tilai Khanate is ruled by a two-tier governance system. In the agricultural, settled west, the Khan rule directly from the capital city of Tarmisha and inherits the Siuian system of appointing bureaucratic, non-hereditary governors who are seldomly recalled except in case of incompetence or promoted in courts - which could either be genuine promotion or promoting into irrelevance.

In the eastern nomadic land, the Khan is allowed to intervene in the succession of, and appoint tribal leaders to the Nine Banners and the three recognized vassal Sahlean tribes, and act as a judge for any disputes between them - the land were assigned by Erzin Khan during the founding of the Khanate and they are meant to respect those boundaries. These tribal leaders have wide latitude on how they govern their people and act as judge over them, so long as they deliver the khan the soldiers and horses he needs to maintain his army. The Kirigic tribes are exempt from conventional taxation by law and is required to send over armed youths to serve in the Khan's army, whereas the Sahlean are also taxed for their livestocks in kind as a kind of tax as they are not considered the kinsmen of the Khan.

Regions & Tribes

The Tilai Khanate's territory can be divided into the following regions and provinces / groups:

• Rastoria: The territory traditionally inhabited by the Rastorii, consisting of most of the middle reaches of the river Narzu and much of its tributary, and the economically most important and integrated core of the Tilai Khanate.
  • Atur (1.5 million): The lowest reach of the Narzu river in Tilai Khanate, this region is inhabited by a mixture of Midians who still live in the westernmost part. The city of Bethara is one of the most significant city of the region and was one of the most prominent of the Rastorii city-states.
  • Gaspara (1.2 million): An upland provinces known for its mineral production
  • Qarka (1.5 million): A middle river provinces Kur-Anzu .
  • Harran (0.8 mil): A more sparsely inhabited, mountainous province.
  • Amisha (2 million): The political capital of the Tilai Khanate. Tarmisha was a less significant city compared to its peer lower in the river, but the city wisely surrendered after seeing the devastation of its neighbors and gained prominence due to its strategic position that made it suitable to rule most of Tilai Khanate - having riverine accesses to a significant portion of the Empire and being centrally located. This has led to a population shift toward Amisha.
  • Amid (0.7 mil): A small province in the middle upper reach of the Amid river. Just a few miles east of Beshamiya the river becomes briefly unnavigable due to rapids - and just another few miles east is where Amhouli start to inhabit.
• Amhoulia: Territory inhabited by the Amhouli, a group practicing both nomadic and settled agriculture.
  • Diar (1.5 million): The more densely settled of the two provinces in Amhoulia, the province is home to a large urbanized society and the town of Gharadames is a renown ironworking site.
  • Tamesna (0.5 million): Much less densely populated than its western cousin - especially after the Kirig sacked Tala n'Azrou, which was resettled after the Kirigic conquest. It shares a border with the Amhouli-led Kingdom of Tazrara.
• West Kirigia: Kirigs has migrated west and settled over two centuries. In two provinces, they have become the majority after Kirigification of the local populace, no doubts aided by the Tilai Khanate's conqeust.
  • Karabel (0.3 million): Sparsely populated, mountainous province.
  • Altiova (0.7 million): The more populated of the two provinces home to the significant city of Koktepe.
• Parvaktia: The mountainous land inhabited by the Parkvakhtian, centered around the lake of Zar Darya.
  • Daryakoh (1.6 million): The most densely populated province of Parvaktia, with the saltwater lake of Zar Darya providing a source of fishes and its shore providing fertile land with pleasant climate. The city of Zamanday is a highly urbanized and prosperous city located at the mouth of the river, whereas Waghmal on the other side is similarly important but of lesser importance and population.
  • Dasht-e-Sabz (1 million): The second most important province of Parvaktia economically. It borders the Kirigs land which are now no longer subject to raid, and is more arid than Daryakoh. The river Lora and Khash become unnavigable midway through the river's reaches. The city of Shaheenabad is the most important city and the regional capital.
  • Torgharstan (0.7 million): This province is mountainous and rugged and has no riverine access. Its people eke out a living in the marginal land in the western part of this province. Most of its population however is concentrated around the Kaj river valley, which brings much needed freshwater. The Kaj river is navigable in numerous split sections by boat - but no major vessels can navigate through its full length. The city of Togharah is the center of its west, whereas to the east Ghorbanday is a center of commerce for this province.
  • Khurshez (0.3 million): A border province located on the upper reach of the Kaj river, Khwaray is well-fortified against intrusions from the Siuian.
• The Midian Islands: The Midian island state of Abzuedin and Namtaruk swore fealty to the Tilai Khanate - despite lack of an early credible threat of a naval invasion, as they sought protection from an eventual naval invasion and protection from the Tilai vassal of Vardesh and Aradzor. The islands population total around 1 millions and they provide the vast majority of the Khan's navy - though the Khan don't currently see much use for it. The two islands are the last remnant of the northernmost reach of Midian civilizations - most of the previous traces of its northern reach having been erased by the zealous Siuian in an attempt to cleanse the Midian from their territory.
  • Abzuedin (0.6 million): The larger island of the two, but much less densely populated.
  • Namtaruk (0.4 million): The smaller island.
• The Nine Banners: The Nine Banners refers to the nine Kirig Banners, created as politico-military construct, to shatter pre existing tribes and reorganize them under the Khan's control. They are split into nine clans, and likely total around 800,000 people total, spread across the vast majority of the Khanate's territory - but not necessarily the most populated one. Only tribes of special note will have extra details:
  • Kurtbala: The most favored of the nine banners in terms of prestige, this includes elements of the Altun tribes and they were assigned wet, fertile land to the north - though it is close to the Siuian border it is considered the best land.
  • Akcelik & Bozkurt: These are secondary banners not of note.
  • Buzdogan: The Buzodgan Il includes both traditional Kirigic territory and members of the Banu Harir tribe and even agricultural land surrounding the city of Hadiyeh and members of the Banu Harir tribes who were forcibly incorporated into Buzdogan clan a generation ago - many of them having forgotten their identity.
  • Colkarun: Colkarun clan sits on the traditional center of Kirigic territory, including its traditional ceremonial capital of Baskent - now a backwater capital with less than 2,000 people living permanently, a number that still get it noted because it is a city by steppe standards.
  • Karga & Yediy: These three banners have nothing special of notes.
  • Altikanat: Altikanat's main claim to fame is that it consists of ten different clans amalgamated into one - and it is reflected in its literal na,e.
  • Kumboru & Uzun: As the easternmost banners, the Kumboru & Uzun banner has the former western territory of the Kingdom of Awarya divided between them as their land to exploit and tax, with Kumboru given more to administrate but less steppe land - and vice versa for Uzun.
• Sahlia: The Sahleans practice agriculture around the Sahlean sea that provides some moisture and fertile soil near its shore - and practice pastoralism elsewhere in the dryland. They are renown for exploiting and constructing oases to conduct agriculture. They numbers around 300,000. The region is renown for the Sahlean horse, a breed of strong, hot-blooded and swift pasture-fed horses used for war and swift rides.
  • Banu Shadad: The least numerous of the three tribes who control the western end of the Sahlean sea
  • Banu Sahil: Banu Sahil controls decently prosperous land in the south of the Sahlean sea.
  • Banu Amqar: Of the three extant tribes, Banu Amqar is considered the most powerful and numerous with the city of KHalasyn being home to a large population of ten thousand.

The Khanate's territory extends south beyond the map, along the Besian-Asaya Steppes, ending effectively right before the Great Salt Sea. The Great Salt Sea is a massive desert in a depression with abundant deposits of salt and is extremely inhospitable to life. It does however provide an inexhaustible source of salt which are gathered and then sold north.

Military

The Tilai Khanate of the 11th Century fields a modern, hybrid army typical of that of the early modern "gunpowder Empire". A mixture of lightly armored and heavily armored horse archers and shock cavalry forms the core of the Tilai army, now funded and armed by its control of valuable and metal producing land to the west. It incorporates gunpowder artillery liberally to reduce cities and supporting infantries drafted from allies - though cavalry is still seen as the most decisive and effective arms by tradition, and the infantry's job is simply to hold the fort. Mages are used to heal and support the army, and battlemages / spellblades participate in shock action together with conventional weapons wielding cavalries.

The Tilai Khanate's army is considered highly effective and modern in its tactics and well-rounded.

Its navy is insignificant and of little note, mostly supplied by its pseudo vassal state of the Midian islands under its territory