History of Ancient Orat (Project Exodus)
The history of Ancient Orat spans over 2,000 years, starting from the beginning of the Nodh Culture in 2300 AA and lasting until the start of the Ruminid Dynasty in 372 AA, which is the start of the Venerable Era. The history of Ancient Orat is typically divided into six eras, which are distinguished from each other by significant shifts in culture, social and political organization, and material culture: Predynastic (2300-1800 AA), Old Kingdom (1800-1450 AA), Middle Kingdom (1450-1100 AA), New Kingdom (1100-780 AA), Late Kingdom (780-460 AA), and Imperial Era (460-370 AA).
Orat is the oldest centrally-organized state in North Methona, and consequently maintained a significant edge in social and technological development throughout its history. Partly for this reason, Ancient Orat remained somewhat insulated and xenophobic throughout its existence, and its culture was rarely influenced by outsiders. This is with respect to two periods in which Orat was dominated by foreign rule, namely the Northonan Dynasty (1098-1030 AA), and the Oratian Empire. That being said, Orat has drastically evolved over time, and has been the home of multiple different cultures and religions that have interacted with each other in a complex narrative.
During the Predynastic Era, Orat was divided into many different city-states that competed for political and economic domination. In the Old Kingdom, Orat was united under an absolute feudal monarchy, where power was balanced between the Shada, the nobles, the priesthood and the merchants. In the Middle Kingdom, power was heavily concentrated around the monarch, and earlier institutions were either abolished or suppressed to facilitate a gradual transition towards Douism. In the New Kingdom, administration was delegated to a meritocratic system of appointed magistrates called Kurakas, as Douist philosophy was properly formalized and institutionalized. In the Late Kingdom, the central government became weak as the Kurakas became dominated by eclectic dynasties or clans. The Oratian Empire formed as a personal union between the Zoan Kingdom in Upper Orat with the Skypriot Empire, which attempted to reverse the changes of Douism and establish Kalleanism as the official religion. After the Oratian Empire fell apart, Orat came under the rule of the Ruminid Dynasty into the Venerable Era.
Predynastic
The Predynastic Era of Oratian history, also called the Nodh Culture, started from the very beginning of Oratian civilization in the 24th century AA, and lasted until the unification of Upper and Lower Orat around 1800 AA. The term "Nodh Culture" derives from the archaeological site of Nodh, the largest in-tact city-state that dates from this period. Due to Nodh's immense size and capacity for population, it is often conjectured that the city served as the capital of the pre-unified kingdom of Lower Orat, or possibly as a regional capital in the early years of the Old Kingdom. However, there is little evidence to support this, and it is hard to gage how large Nodh was compared to other city-states at the time. What is known is that Nodh became almost completely abandoned sometime around the 19th century AA, aside from various suburban districts outside the city core. This is the chief reason why the site became so well preserved into the modern era.
In the middle of the 3rd millennium AA, the first Oratians migrated out of the Draffa mountains and settled around the Kera river valley as a semi-nomadic people. They would migrate around the region seasonally, timing the Kera floodwaters with domesticated crops like corn and squash. Around 2300 AA, the Oratians consolidated around permanent settlements, using a rudimentary levy system to control the flow of irrigation. It was around this same time that the Predynastic polytheistic religion first appeared.
Predynastic Orat was not a unified political entity, but was divided between a number of city-states in both Upper and Lower Orat. While Nodh is the only in-tact city-state to be found, archaeological evidence has indirectly verified that political power was balanced between at least thirteen cities, and it is quite possible many others existed that have been entirely lost. These city-states had independent domestic food production, using large-scale agriculture and pastoralism. The production of food facilitated a social hierarchy, separating an elite class of military leaders and nobility from lower classes of farmers and artisans. With the increased leisure time from food production, the Predynastic era also saw a rise of higher arts consisting of painted reliefs, sculptures and pottery. This includes landmark innovations to art, such as the world's oldest landscape painting.
The Predynastic city-states were rarely at peace, but practiced seasonal warfare in an attempt to dominate more arable land across the Kera River Valley. For this reason, the cities were heavily fortified and typically built with concentric walls and rudimentary keeps. The walls of Nodh, however, pose somewhat of a mystery for archaeologists. The walls of Nodh are quite large, as much as five meters tall and two meters thick. While this construction is possible for technology at the time, it poses the question of what was the city trying to defend from. As far as archaeology can tell, warfare at this time period was limited to light infantry of javelins and arrows, making such a massive defense system an overcompensation at best.
The Predynastic era had no writing, although some examples of proto-scripts have been found on pottery from the 19th century AA. This means that very little information can be determined on the political history of this time period, aside from the mythological events visually depicted in painted reliefs and other religious art. According to this mythology, the Oratians were descended from the patriarchs An and Anna who grew out of the Tree of Life in the Draffa Mountains. They had two sons, referenced in the Kallean scriptures as Karis and Reyy. Karis proved the strength of his will by killing Reyy, then migrated up the Kera River to establish the city of Nodh. This image of Kyro slaying his brother, along with the Tree of Life, are the two most common symbols that are repeated in Predynastic iconography.
This mythologic art also describes that the gods came to rule over Orat directly, and instructed the people on how to construct temples and cities, and the basics of agriculture. The children bred between gods and mortals had the right to rule the city by divine blood, which also gave them unique privileges in the predynastic religion. While the names of the gods and demigods are unknown, Kallean scriptures claim that their chief god was called La'ab.
Archaeology suggests that the Nodh Culture collapsed around the 19th century AA, and this was most likely due to a natural disaster rather than human intervention. Identifying the exact nature of this disaster is difficult, as Nodh was the only city not directly affected by it (the city was deliberately abandoned after the rest of the civilization had already collapsed). Across the rest of Orat, evidence is consistent with that of fire damage, including burnt ash and sulfur. The widespread use of obsidian in the old kingdom suggests volcanic activity in the region. On the other hand, some studies have linked the collapse of the Nodh culture to an impact crater found near the Draffa mountains south of Upper Orat. The most commonly-published explanation is that a meteor struck at a fault line near the Draffa mountains, triggering a small-scale volcanic eruption.
Old Kingdom
The Old Kingdom began with the Unification of Upper and Lower Orat by Mino, the first Shada, and lasted from about 1800-1450 AA. The Old Kingdom is one of the oldest nation-states in recorded history, and possibly the oldest state to have more than one million inhabitants. Unlike the predynastic era, the Old Kingdom was a centrally-organized government directed from the capital city of Nada (formally Bast), with a centralized military and law code. The capital city was also the center of religion, with a single order of priesthood dedicated to the henotheistic cult of Ona. With the larger access to labor and resources, the Old Kingdom was also able to accomplish larger feats of science and engineering, particularly the central irrigation system across the Kera River. Oratian Hieroglyphics were developed at this time, being one of the oldest writing systems in the world.
The Shada was not absolute during this time, but disseminated administration to an elite class of hereditary, feudal nobility. In addition, there was a constantly-shifting power dynamic between the priesthood, the nobility, and the unlanded military class, unintentionally creating a kind of check and balance in the government. As long as this dynamic was kept in balance, the Shadanate projected outward, forming Methona's first regional power through conquest, trade, and diplomacy.
This was typical of Bronze Age civilizations, which also makes it very dissimilar from the Douist society that formed several centuries later. Douist philosophers regards the Old Kingdom as a kind of ancien regime, the old system of society that existed prior to the Douist enlightenment. It is confirmed historically and archaeologically that the Old Kingdom did have feudalism, internal markets, organized religion, and traditional family structures, which are all things that were abolished by the New Kingdom. However, it is likely these institutions were never strongly embedded in Oratian society to begin with.
First Dynasty
Mino is believed to have started as the ruler of Bast in Upper Orat, before proceeding to invade and subjugate all other city-states across the Kera River Valley. The course of this war is poorly documented, but it certainly lasted less than ten years. Under the reigns of Mino and his son (Horah the Lawgiver), rapid reforms took place that transformed Orat into a centralized nation-state. Nada in Lower Orat was chosen as the new capital, probably because more population was concentrated in the north. The original palace in Nada was probably fairly basic, as the oldest sections of the surviving citadel amount to a utilitarian fortress.
The mastaba of Nada was dedicated to the Cult of Ona. Here Horah summoned all the surviving priests of the predynastic gods, and reorganized them into a single religious order in a hierarchal structure. In terms of administration, Horah divided the nation into dozens of hereditary feudal titles, which he awarded to his military confidants and allies. It is also claimed that Horah codified the statues of the predynastic city-states into a single law code, but no copy of these laws have ever been found.
The early years of the Old Kingdom made rapid advances in technology. The Ona priesthood established one of the world's oldest private education systems, most famous for standardizing the system of writing now known as Oratian Hieroglyphics. In the reign of Kawan, the mass engineering project began which took full control of the Kera River system. It was likely around this time that the earliest names philosophers flourished, namely Mileto and Samos, as they are described by Motepi to have worked in the court of Shada Kawan. Their exact contributions are unclear, but Motepi cites their work as foundational in Oratian science and mathematics.
Kawan outlived his children, but was survived by three grandchildren, resulting in Orat's first power struggle. Tutti and Uttar, born from his oldest son, were infants under the regency of High Priest Bey, while Karlos was an adult born from a younger son. Karlos was confident in his support from Mino's old military elite, and seized control over Bast while Tutti II was crowned in Nada. As it turned out, the priesthood had more popular support from the younger generation in Orat, which resulted in Karlos eventually being captured and executed.
The reigns of Tutti II and Uttar the Good was the apex of power for the Ona priesthood, particularly under the regency of High Priest Bey. Uttar's morality reforms were designed to restrict the privileges of the nobles, preventing them from abusing or overworking the peasants. It was around this time that the Old Kingdom style of art and sculpture really began to take shape, driven by the literati class educated by the Ona priesthood. This included monumental art commemorating the recent civil war, which was dedicated by Uttar himself.
Uttar's son Otis "the Strong" was said to have grown tired of the pious, conservative life of his father and uncle, and had the ambition to expand Orat's borders into becoming a world power. He made significant reforms to the military, introducing chariot cavalry and standardized bronze weapons and armor. The campaigns of Otis the Strong focused on the south and west, annexing land beyond the Kera River all the way to the Draffa mountains. The latter half of his reign saw experimental movements in painting and sculpture, often considered the apex of Old Kingdom art. For example, the basalt statue of Otis I and the Harvester's Vase both date to this period. Most of the royal palace in Nada was constructed at this period, with some wings added by later rulers.
The southern conquests, securing control of the valuable mineral deposits near the Draffa Mountains, had a significant impact on Oratian society. The large influx of wealth led to an era of economic prosperity, and saw the rise of a landless, mercantile middle class. The reign of Coronas the Rich gives the oldest references to trade with XXX, called the "Land of Punat", where tin and spices were imported from. Alienated from feudal offices, the middle class saw opportunity of promotion through military service, and could be appointed to administrate recently-conquered regions. These events allowed for the military to quickly rise in political influence under the reigns of Otis and Coronas, eventually eclipsing the power of the priesthood.
When Coronas died, his infant heir Enu I was left to rule the nation under a regency. The regent was his aunt Hutepi, who was married to the military commander Horah. Horah sustained de facto power throughout this reign, and was crowned as king once Enu died, effectively the first dynastic transition in Orat's history. The military, and by extension the middle class merchants, reached their height of power at this time, effectively ruling the nation as a plutocracy. Horah II organized several military campaigns to the east, attempting to subjugate the Skypriot nomads in retaliation for frequent raids.
Second and Third Dynasties
This time period was best known for being the peak of Old Kingdom science and mathematics. Motepi worked as the deputy priest of Nada, and was briefly appointed as Viceroy under Horah II. He is world-renowned as a polymath, and produced many extent works on mathematics, engineering, medicine, astronomy, and biology. He is most famous for his work on number theory, including the definition of prime and composite numbers. In terms of medicine, he described some of the oldest known treatments for head injuries. While Motepi is the most famous scholar of this period, he is certainly not the only one. Amorique of Kedah made extensive observations of stars and planets, which pinpoints the date of Haten I's reign. Pythia was famous for her early work on geometry, from whom the Pythagorean Theorem is named.
The Skypriot wars proved rather costly and inconclusive, resulting in a kind of mass inflation. In addition, the wealthy military elite abused their influence to monopolize the wealth and resources of the nation, creating a much larger gap between the rich and poor. By the end of Haten I's reign, the nation was already spiraling towards an economic crisis.
Enu II was crowned at a young age, and his mother Sabrina was appointed as regent, who became a figure of legend in Late Kingdom literature. According to this legend, Haten in his old age longed for the warmth of companionship, and employed the young woman Sabrina to be his royal wife. Sabrina produced a son from this union, and through her tenacity and craftiness managed to secure his succession to the throne, and herself as regent. With the rise of Feminist Douism in the Late Kingdom, Sabrina I became an icon of female Oratian monarchs.
Sabrina's regency made efforts to undermine the power of the merchant-backed military, primarily with alliances to the feudal nobles. Most significantly, Sabrina transitioned the military to feudal levies of peasant militias, rendering the unlanded state military obsolete. Unfortunately, Sabrina did nothing to address the economic situation which continued to worsen. Living conditions of the peasants drastically decreased at this time, as famines occurred more frequently. As soon as Enu II reached majority, Sabrina abdicated as regent.
Enu II reigned an unprecedented amount of time, possibly the longest reign in Oratian history, and accomplished very little. The role of Shada had proved to be impotent at this time, incapable of addressing the economic depression, food shortages, and rapid decentralization. Disillusioned by the lack of power in the central government, many common people turned to local nobles for protection and security, further accelerating the decentralization. Monuments from this period shows that Enu II focused on an aesthetic life of philosophy and piety, oblivious to the crumbling nation around him.
Otis II "the Unready" only outlived his father by a few years, bringing the Second Dynasty to an end. His wife Nicrotis claimed the throne as the first sovereign female monarch, but this was essentially ignored by the nobles. Eager to assert their local sovereignty, the nobles took the opportunity to consider the Shadanate vacant, nullifying the central government completely. After several years of widespread chaos, a hegemony of the most powerful nobles took control of the capital in Nada, and negotiated a new settlement with Nicrotis. She abdicated, and Haten II was elected among the nobles to succeed her.
The Third Dynasty of Orat only lasted fifty years, consisting of several ignominious monarchs who were weak puppets of the Oratian nobles. This era is also poorly documented, so it isn't entirely clear whether their short reigns were due to natural causes or by violence. The dynasty finally ended when Otis IV was deposed by a military coup, who installed Camus "the Spider" to succeed him.
Camus portrayed himself as a king of the Oratian people, not beholden to the nobles. He used the morality laws of Horah I to undermine the nobles' power one by one, instigating local peasant revolts and seizing their titles. While the nobles were not oblivious to this scheme, Camus kept them at bay by pitting one faction against another. This worked for some time, but at some point the noble Kulo took matters into his own hands and had Camus assassinated. The assassination of Camus is traditionally considered to be the end of the Old Kingdom, but Douist writers often portray him as a forefather of Douist philosophy, if not a martyr. Certainly, Douism opposes feudalism in favor of social justice, creating a "Monarchy of Workers" under the Shada. However, the historical sources are not clear if Camus held views quite as extreme as that of his son, Apef the Terrible.
Middle Kingdom
The Middle Kingdom is a period of transition many ways. Internally, the transformation from Bronze Age feudalism to Douist absolutism was a gradual one, carefully subverting every local institution and centralizing all power to the state. Orat became almost unrecognizable after a few centuries, having abolished the free markets, suppressed religion, and established the Kreena community centers for raising children. Externally, the state transitioned from an unparalleled regional power to a peer among similarly-advanced civilizations, such as the Kalleanites to the west. While Douism was not fully formalized until the time of Konnu the Wise in the New Kingdom, almost all Douist traditions and practices have antecedents that connect back to the Middle Kingdom, especially from the reign of Apef the Terrible. That being said, the Middle Kingdom also had a unique artistic an cultural style that sets them apart from the eras that preceded or succeeded it. This is especially the case for their architecture, the greatest of which was the Great Pyramids.
Apef the Terrible
Apef the Terrible took action immediately upon the death of Camus. Kulo was captured after a brief insurrection, whereupon he was flayed and crucified. Apef used this incident to justify investigating conspiracies within the feudal nobles, and he instituted a kind of secret police called the Monati to carry this out. He also established a new national military, strictly hierarchal rather than meritocratic, with officers hand-picked by Apef himself to ensure their complete loyalty. Many nobles saw this as an opportunity to suppress their rivals, and offered their support to expand Apef's power. Within ten years, the Monati had carried out hundreds of public and private executions, and the power of the nobility had been completely quelled.
As soon as this was completed, Apef declared that feudalism to be abolished, saying that it was "unethical and contrary to the nature of Orat". The Shadanate seized direct control over every land and title in the entire kingdom, and any noble that resisted was brutally suppressed and executed. Most of Apef's allies willingly relinquished their titles, in exchange for being appointed to high-ranking offices as payment for their loyalty. At this point, Apef styled himself as a monarch of the people, and insisted that his centralization of power was not for himself, but to remove a source of abuse on the peasants. Konnu the Wise gives an anecdote where Apef delivered a speech to the people of Dhiss, having them swear an oath of loyalty to his regime:
"I am Orat, the land on which you live your lives. And the lives you have chosen to live is that of inequality and fear. The slave fears his master, the layman fears the priest, the poor fears the rich, the child fears his parent, and the helpless fears the armed. Your fathers and forefathers lived this life because they believed their traditions will save them. And it is out of this tradition of fear that you lived a life of restraint and moderation. But I say that no tradition will ever save you, but only I, Orat, can. Cast away these traditions and superstitions, disregard all other loyalties, and cling to me alone. I will make all people equal according to their needs, and give you freedom to do whatever is right in your own eyes."
And all the people said to the King, "Please remove these traditions from us, for we know no god but you alone"
And the King said this three times, and three times did the people swear loyalty to Orat
The rest of Apef's reign saw the eroding of these very institutions, and centralizing power to the government. He abolished the Ona priesthood, effectively ending institutionalized religion for the nation. He did not make any laws against the Ona religion itself, however, as these restrictions did not manifest until many years later. He heavily suppressed the merchants and middle classes, placing extensive restrictions on the nation's internal markets. Out of concern of people mounting a revolt against him, Apef abolished the private manufacturing and distribution of weapons, replacing them with state-controlled armories. This was evidently necessary, as Apef faced much resistance from the common people which he violently suppressed.
It was around this time that Apef moved the capital from Nada to Dhiss, which would remain the capital city of Orat for the rest of ancient history. It was in this city that Apef built the Great Citadel of Dhiss, which replaced the Royal Palace of Nada. This citadel later became known as the epicenter of the Douist religion, and their closest equivalent to a functioning temple. Early sources attest that the citadel was particularly grand and opulent compared to other ancient buildings, and the most expensive estate of the entire kingdom. This is very likely, as the Middle Kingdom specialized in their architectural genius.
Later Douist philosophers also attribute Apef with instituting the first Kreena. This anecdote claims that Apef sent his army to every house and home across the nation, abducting every child and bringing them to a collective na (pit) in Dhiss, to be raised directly by the state. The Douist philosophers praises this event as an act of liberation, relieving the people of the burdensome and unethical practice of parenthood. Modern academics find the logistics of this event to be dubious, but it is possible that the first Kreenas were built during his reign. Likewise, a similar anecdote claims that Apef asserted his controls over people's lives by instituting an early form of prima nocte.
Apef's reforms were a great shock to the nation, and was an upheaval against many institutions that had existed as long as people could remember. At the same time, many people welcomed the restoration of security and stability, as these institutions had failed to do in the reigns of Enu II and his successors. Still, the purges committed by Apef and the revolts in response to these reforms came at a heavy cost. Historians are unsure the exact scale of casualties during his reign, and it is sometimes brought up in the Doutang debates. Estimates typically range between 80,000-100,000 people. Douist historians argue that Apef cannot be blamed for these casualties, but rather it is the fault of people who resisted his reforms, thereby acting in opposition to the Social Dou. Consequently, Apef holds a special place in Douist philosophy, which looks to his reign as the gold standard for an ideal monarch.
Rest of the Fourth Dynasty
As revolutionary as Apef was, the shift to Dousim was not done overnight, but gradually took place over the rest of the Middle Kingdom. Urfent "the Liberal" was most famous for instituting the Miqta labor tax. With the internal markets already suppressed, Urfent wanted to follow in Apef's footsteps to fully eliminate the dichotomy between peasants and the landless middle class. He abolished all private property, and redistributed the nation's resources in accordance to the Miqta system. While this provided the state with an unlimited supply of labor, it also proved to be a convenient way to phase out of Apef's micromanaged hierarchal military, which was too difficult to maintain for long. Urfent also expanded and systemized the Kreenas, seeing it as a sure way to maintain complete loyalty and obedience in the next generation.
After him, Shandler "the Diligent" was still in minority when his father died, so his mother Toshia was appointed as regent. Queen Toshia had to deal with some of the repercussions of the rapid reforms from the previous two monarchs. After the feudal nobility was abolished, it was still some time before the Douist bureaucracy of the Kuraka system fully formed. So at this time, almost every responsibility in the kingdom was directly ordered by the Shadanate. Seeing the logistical strain from this micromanaging, Toshia began delegating responsibility to close relatives within the royal family, in exchange for their support for legitimacy of her rule. A horrific famine across Upper Orat is also recorded from this period, likely due to a mismanaging of collectivized farmlands rather than a natural event.
After Shandler reached majority, his reign is best known for his architectural achievements, often referred to as Orat's first great pyramid-builder. Early attempts at pyramid-building can be traced back to the reign of Apef the Terrible, but the Stepped Pyramid of Shandler is the first to still survive to this day. It is often argued that the Pyramids of Orat would not have been possible without the vast unpaid labor force provided by the Miqta system, which could potentially mobilize a large portion of the nation's population for a single building project. Early Douist philosophers claimed that the pyramids were built as a monument to Douism, and the pyramidal diagram has endured as the most iconic symbol of that religion. However, it is more likely that Douism adopted this symbol long after this time period. In reality, the Stepped Pyramid evolved out of the Old Kingdom practice of building mastabas, essentially constructing one mastaba on top of another.
By the reign of Vandekh "the Paternal", the descendants of Camus the Spider had solidified a monopoly over Orat's administration. Having been delegated such authority by Queen Toshia, Vandekh's extended relatives were dangerously close to re-establishing the same oligarchic rule that destroyed the Old Kingdom. So the first half of his reign was spent cracking down on the royal family, and centralizing power back to the monarchy. After some time, Vandekh's cousin Camus organized a conspiracy of relatives in an attempt to assassinate the king, and proclaim Camus as his successor. This became commonly known as the "Harem Plot", as it famously involved several young women in the Kree-Miqta.
After the assassination attempt failed, Orat was thrown into a brief civil war between Vandekh and Camus. Douist philosophers often refer to this war as the "Great Counter-Revolution", because Camus drew much support from the last remaining reactionaries that opposed the reforms of Apef the Terrible. After being captured in the Battle of Ankho, Camus was publicly executed in Dhiss. Later anecdotes claim that his body was later dismembered and cannibalized, officially instituting the tradition known as the Day of Undesirables. Vandekh's eldest son Armand, who had previously defected to Camus, was killed in this same battle, leaving the king's second son Kluni as the new heir apparent.
When Kluni became king, his reign doubled down on the Douist traditions started by Apef and his successors. While traditional institutions such as family, religion, and private property had been officially abolished, enforcement of these policies was still lacking. It was under Kluni's reign that these state policies began to shift into a cultural tradition, and thereby a prototype of the Douist religion. It was most likely the recent civil war that convinced Kluni that even the Shadanate cannot rely on a traditional family structure, and that the state must be centralized even at the expense of close relatives. The Miqta system fully dominated the economy and military at this point, which the Day of Undesirables also helped to enforce. It was also during his reign that laws first appeared restricting religious practices, even those done in private. Just as in the days of Apef the Terrible, this led to a large number of purges and executions from those who resisted these reforms.
Solak the Proud is by far the most famous of Orat's great pyramid-builders, and the Great Pyramid of Solak remained the largest structure in Methona for thousands of years. But this was only the most well-known example of architectural marvels that flourished in this generation. The Great Aqueduct of Kedah is likely not the only such structure built at this time, but it is the only one to survive to the present. Solak's reign also saw the first major military campaigns to the west, subjugating the Vaninites near the Igo highlands as a vassal. It was also at this time that the Citadel of Dhiss reached its maximum extent, possibly the largest and most beautiful estate in the world at the time. Some sources claim that Solak wished to enjoy the pleasures of going outside without the responsibility, so he constructed a vast and intricate garden that gave the illusion of an actual forest. Swimming pools were added that looked like lakes, and a vaulted ceiling had embedded jewels that shown like stars.
War of Five Kings
In the days of King Otis V, King Vani of the Vaninites staged a revolt against Oratian rule, refusing to pay vassal tribute. Otis assumed this to be a quick campaign, and personally led a small army against Vani. In his ransom letters, Vani claimed the Battle of Raffa was a stroke of tactical genius. However, most historians conclude that Otis simply had a string of bad luck. Soon word reached Dhiss that Otis had been defeated and captured in battle, and at first many people assumed he was already dead. At last, Vani sent letters to Dhiss saying that Otis was alive, but demanded an ultimatum in exchange for his safe return.
At this point, Orat's extreme centralization was it's own undoing, as the entire kingdom became completely paralyzed in the king's absence. Both the government and military had no official chain of command to operate without the Shada, so not only did they have no means of responding to Vani's demands, but the whole nation was on the brink of social collapse. At first, Vani only demanded a large monetary payment in addition to breaking his vassalage. When no response came, he started adding more demands such as land and tribute. Still met with only silence, Vani raised an army of Vaninites to invade Orat directly, taking the imprisoned Otis with him.
With an invading army at the gates, Orat became desperate for a new leader. Family issues in the previous monarchs led Orat to abandon any concept of automatic succession. However, Otis had failed to designate a successor before going off to war. Urco, the oldest son of Otis, quickly seized control of Dhiss with a loyal Miqta force, systematically assassinating or imprisoning any rival claimants. Gamora, his sister, managed to flee the city with her son Norman, and quickly raised an army of her own to resist Urco. As Lower Orat was now in civil war, the forces of Vani were still slowly advancing. A common but charismatic soldier named Kayopis decided to take matters into his own hands, and raised his own Miqta force from Upper Orat to resist both Vani and Urco.
At the apex of the war, Orat was facing a four-way conflict between the forces of Urco, Gamora, Kayopis and Vani. The tide began to turn at the Battle of Kedah, when Gamora was defeated by Urco and imprisoned at with her son at Dhiss. At this point, Urco was solidifying his rule over Lower Orat, but began to fear the possibility of his father returning alive and well. So Urco dispatched a secret envoy to Vani, attempting to bribe him to have Otis executed. As luck would have it, the envoy failed to arrive.
According to an apocryphal legend, the Kalleanite God first considered Orat as his chosen people prior to the Call of Limnos. While Prince Norman was imprisoned by his own uncle, the word of The Lord came to him and offered to make him into a great nation, and the Oratians will be sanctified as his people. As the legend goes, Norman had no lack of faith to believe in God, but still refused his offer because he had no faith in himself. In a lengthy dialogue, God demonstrated his ability to empower the weak and helpless, even to the extent of making the blind see and the lame walk. But Norman still refused to listen, and wallowed in his own self-pity, bemoaning his incompetence as a leader. At last, God said he respected Norman's decision to turn down the opportunity, but even so the people of Orat will one day be sanctified by his descendants.
Meanwhile, the forces of Vani were starting to be pushed back by that of Kayopis. In an act of desperation, Otis managed to persuade Vani to have him released from prison, and placed at the head of the Vaninite forces. After all, the people of Orat maybe less willing to follow Kayopis in the face of their rightful king. As soon as Otis was released from prison, he assassinated Vani, took control of the Vaninite army, and proceeded to march on Dhiss. He originally hoped to be welcomed by his family at the capital, until his spies informed him that Urco had attempted to assassinate him. Hearing this, Otis turned back from the city.
Otis V now found himself in an awkward position, not only facing a three-way civil war, but the extinction of his dynasty as well. He reached out to Kayopis to sign an alliance, proposing the following compromise: Otis will regain his thrown as Shada, but Kayopis and his descendants will reign after his death. To seal this arrangement, Kayopis will enter an erot (marriage) with Princess Gamora. Kayopis accepted this agreement, and the two of them combined their forces against Urco.
When Urco saw defeat was inevitable, he fled from the battle in order to spare himself from the fate of being captured. As he attempted to ford the Kera River on his horse, he was suddenly killed by a hippopotamus. This civil war caused massive destruction to Orat's economy, which was never fully recovered for the rest of the Middle Kingdom. Multiple famines were reported from Lower Orat, possibly related to the famine of the Mammonites mentioned in Kalleanite scriptures. Prince Norman was released from prison, but effectively disappears from historical record after that point. According to tradition, he was the direct ancestor of Zoan Dynasty.
Fifth Dynasty
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Kayopis was succeeded by his designated heir Arnold, the son of Gamora. Arnold's reign is considered to be a cultural watershed of the Middle Kingdom, when beliefs and traditions commonly associated with Douism (such as the Kreena, Miqta, and Erot systems) became a permanent fixture of Oratian society. He was also considered the last of Orat's great pyramid-builders, although more minor pyramids have been found all the way to the end of the Middle Kingdom. Archaeology suggests that the economy of Orat as a whole suffered during this time, but the monarchy was able to confiscate whatever resources necessary to supply their grand building projects
Camus III's reign would have been uneventful, if not for his appearance in the Kallean scriptures as the Shada to meet the Prophet Yunas. As always the case with the historicity of Kalleanism, the academic elite of Orat can only confirm the basic facts of Yunas' rise to power and the famine surrounding it, at which point the Kalleanites migrated into Orat.
Yunas was a foreigner grafted into the Miqta system, quickly promoted to a career military position. During the days of a famine, Camus issued a large sacrifice for the Day of Undesirables, to encourage more production of the Social Dou. Among the victims of this sacrifice was his own daughter, Lucretia. Yunas intervened to this sacrifice on Lucretia's behalf, instead offering a more elaborate plan to alleviate the famine. As reward for his efforts, Yunas entered an erot agreement with Lucretia, but shortly afterward was convicted of violating the Social Dou, and Camus ordered his imprisonment.
While in prison, Yunas became acquainted with Camus' son Phineas, and by his advice Phineas managed to survive an assassination attempt from his brothers. Once Phineas ascended the throne, he ordered Yunas to be released from prison, and promoted him to Viceroy of the kingdom. Once Yunas obtained this position of power, he invited his fellow Kalleanites to migrate into Orat, where they were given lavish estates near the Kera River.
After him, Apef III was known for his military campaigns, which brought the Middle Kingdom to its greatest territorial extent. Up to this point, the Miqta system was used primarily as a source of labor, and their use as conscripted military was secondary. The battles fought in the most recent civil war created a new generation of more experienced military officers, who figured out how to use the Miqta forces in a more efficient way. Apef's primarily goal was securing control over the tin and spice trade coming from "Punat" (XXX), which required vassalizing the tribal kingdoms around the Draffa mountains. By the end of his reign, Apef fully vassalized the Vaninites and Mammonites, and collected tribute from the Limnean tribes.
Coronas II is infamous from the Kallean scriptures by subjugating the Kalleanites into slavery. Like the Kalleanites, many nomadic ethnic groups had migrated into Orat at this time, or in some cases absorbed into Orat by conquest. Therefore, it was important for the Shadanate to systematically subvert and dismantle the local traditions of these ethnic groups that could pose a threat to the Social Dou. This includes abducting their children into the Kreena, conscripting labor into the Miqta, breaking up clan-based or feudal structures, and imposing restrictions on their religion.
With this being the standard state policy, it is understandable how the Kalleanites might have misinterpreted these actions as some kind of oppression or slavery, even though slaves hadn't existed in Orat for centuries by this point. This was the context in which the Kallean scriptures claim that Hobin was born, and his mother Becca went to excessive lengths to ensure that Hobin was raised by her instead of the Kreena.
Kalleanite Exodus
The Middle Kingdom ends with the death of Kluni III, right after the Kalleanite Exodus from Orat. The Kalleanite Exodus is a textbook case study for Douist historical revisionism. According to the Kallean scriptures, Hobin's partner Bomi committed ritual suicide (kelco) after being forced to go through the prime nocte ceremony. This incident convinced the Prophet to lead the Kalleanites out of Orat, and with them establish a theocratic state. In the process of the Kalleanites escaping from the land, Hobin called down nine plagues onto Orat on God's behalf. These nine plagues are given in groups of three, meant to reflect God's power over each of the three manifestations of the Dou: the Cosmic Dou (fiery hail, darkness, lightning), the Social Dou (locusts, frost, death of livestock), and the Personal Dou (boils, lice, and death of firstborn). The Hobinnical Law code in the Kallean scriptures, such as forbidding adultry and theft, is likewise considered to be a direct response to Douist beliefs. Chronologically, these plagues are given in rapid succession, and concurrent with the Kalleanites raising a popular revolt and fleeing the nation. In the final confrontation of the Kalleanites crossing the border into the Draffa mountains, Kluni himself was also killed and his army dispersed.
The Kallean narrative draws an interesting comparison against the Oratian sources on this same event. Contemporary sources describe Kluni as a strong and competent ruler with a fairly quiet reign, but suddenly cuts off at the sixth year of his reign, which is roughly around the time the Northonans invaded. Archaeology confirms a series of natural disasters which led to the social and economic collapse of the country, but this more likely occurred over several decades rather than a single year. Early in the Northonan dynasty, an anonymous manuscript traditionally attributed to Godeki is the oldest source that directly references Hobin. Godeki describes Hobin as an evil sorcerer, who instigated a mass revolt of Kalleanites while calling down a series of plagues on the nation. Godkei's work is more of a lamant than an essay, laying curses on the Kalleanites for having doomed Orat and its people.
This document is referenced by Konnu the Wise, but he heavily criticized it as contrary to the Social Dou. In his version of events, Konnu describes that Kluni willingly permitted Hobin to remove the Kalleanites from the nation, on the grounds they were a nuisance and contributed little to society, and this was completely unrelated to the plagues going on at the same time. Later in the New Kingdom, Urco the Philosopher was highly critical of Konnu's narrative, saying he took his sources too much at face value. In Urco's version, he claimed Hobin and the Exodus are both works of fiction, a form of Anti-Orat propaganda made up by the Limneans, and the Kalleanites actually migrated gradually during the Northonan dynasty.
Today, most artifacts and documents from Kluni's reign are not available to the public. The academic elite of Orat maintains that in the pressence of so many contradictory narratives, the truth of the Kalleanite Exodus may never be known. It is possible that the version described in the Kalleanite scriptures is actually a synthesis of these different narratives from the Douist philosophers.
New Kingdom
The New Kingdom was the cultural and political apex of Ancient Orat, commonly cited as the most iconic image of Ancient Oratian society. It was during this period that Douism was fully solidified and formalized, and the aspects of society based on Douist philosophy was synonymous with Oratian culture. Orat's most pivotal works of literature and philosophy date from this period, although other forms of arts and science stagnated severely. During the reign of Roman II, Orat reached its largest territorial extent of all time, prior the Oratian Empire. Even outside of Roman's reign, the New Kingdom enjoyed a profound cultural and economic influence across the rest of the known world. Through the development and implementation of Douist philosophy, Orat gained a global reputation as a most sophisticated and enlightened people, serving as a source of inspiration for many organized religions, and civilizations, from that point onward. This was not a smooth road, of course, as there were many obstacles in the path towards this enlightenment, including the rival Northonans and Kalleanites from without and the Ona Resurgency from within.
Northonan Domination
The combination of natural disasters, military defeats and the death of the Shada reduced the nation to state of anarchy. Kluni's son Roman was crowned in Dhiss, but any power the Shada once had was now evaporated. In memory of the success of Kayopis, the military of Upper Orat revolted and set up a rival claimant to the Shadanate in the south, ruled by Awan the Fortunate. This was the first time in Orat's history that two concurrent dynasties ruled at the same time for more than one generation. The Northonans led by King Shethu capitalized on the kingdom's disarray, and led an army to occupy the Kera Delta in Lower Orat. Roman was killed in battle, and replaced with his brother Mikael who ruled as a puppet under Shethu. After the Fifth Dynasty outlived their usefulness, Shethu deposed Mikael and assumed the crown for himself.
The origin of the Northonans is somewhat unclear. They were a nomadic people who came out of the Skypriot Plains, and owned no permanent territory prior to conquering Orat. Based on names and descriptions of the Northonans, their language bears many similarities with the Skypriot Empire and other people groups of that region, strongly suggesting the Northonans originated as a Skyprio-XXX group. However, there are no references to the Northonans prior to the Kalleanite Exodus, and they likewise disappear from history after their defeat by Danel. It is commonly suggested that the name "Northonan" was used exclusively in one time period, and the people were known by other names before and after this era.
This period saw the nation divided north and south, with the Northonan Seventh Dynasty ruling Lower Orat and the native Sixth Dynasty ruling from Xios in the south. In the north, Shethu and his son Kalamis focused on maintaining Northonan domination of the social elite. They effectively abandoned the Miqta system, and instead relied on a clan-based, meritocratic administration that they were accustomed to, along with a military based on heavy cavalry. While this system of administration was unique to the Seventh Dynasty, it did serve to inspire the Kuraka system developed later on.
Unlike his two predecessors, Moron was born and raised in Dhiss. He respected the tradition of his ancestors, but became fascinated by the Douist traditions and philosophy of the natives. To that end, Moron had a liberal policy to encourage open dialogue between different philosophies, and patronized the proliferation of Douist literature. While this was the beginning of the New Kingdom's literary tradition, later philosophers like Konnu the Wise had a dim view of books from this period. By the end of the New Kingdom, almost all literature from this period would be banned. At the same time, the Northonan military rapidly declined during Moron's reign, allowing for the eventual collapse of the Seventh dynasty under Apef IV. Apef considered himself more Oratian than Northonan, and fully embraced the hedonistic lifestyle offered by Douism at the expense of the state's integrity.
One might compare the Northonan dynasty with the later foreign conquest under the Oratian Empire. Despite the former being much less integrated culturally and politically, Douist philosophers have a much lower opinion of the latter. This is because the Northonans were very open-minded and freely permitted both Douist and non-Douist practices, while the Imperial Era made many Douist traditions legally impossible. From the Douist perspective, the Northonans were poisoning society with ideas contrary to the Social Dou, while the Imperial-Era policies were a form of cultural genocide.
The Sixth Dynasty at Xios started in disarray, but gradually grew stronger as the Seventh Dynasty grew weaker. It's administration effectively operated as an ongoing military occupation, as the Miqta forces continued to function without a real monarch. Domestically, the people of Upper Orat cultivated a bitter resentment for all non-Oratian ethnicities and religions, blaming the ongoing chaos on the machinations of the Kalleanites and Northonans. Upon the death of Arnold II, the general Mikael was appointed as regent for his son Vandekh. After After the Battle of Norin, Mikael saw the Northonan military rapidly losing ground, and determined this was his opportunity for restoring unified rule. He deposed Vandekh from power, putting the Sixth Dynasty to an end, and launched a new campaign to fully subjugate the north.
Apef IV was captured alive, and executed in the Day of Undesirables. The Northonans that remained fled the nation, but not the same direction they came from. They fled west over the Draffa Mountains, making war against the fledgling Kalleanite theocracy. They were defeated by the Prophet Danel, according to the Kallean scriptures, but their fate after that point remains unknown.
Salatis the Magnificent
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The cultural apex of the New Kingdom is usually attributed to the reign of Salatis "the Magnificent", as this era saw the writings of Konnu the Wise and his disciples. Konnu was born during the Northonan dynasty, the son of the Exchequer for Shada Moron. He rapidly rose in power during reunification, and eventually became Viceroy for Salatis the Magnificent. Konnu is often described as a polymath, and wrote many works on theology, ethics, politics, economy, biology, and cosmology. While Konnu is certainly not the only Douist philosopher from this time, he is by far the most influential, with his writings treated as a kind of sacred scripture for Douism. This is not to say Konnu was above criticism, especially during the purges at the end of the New Kingdom.
While the word Dou is attested since the early Middle Kingdom, it was Konnu's writings that fully defined it, along with many other Douist terms like "Orat", "Kaba", and "Doutang". In essence, the Douist traditions had existed de facto for some time, but Konnu codified a philosophical and religious basis to them, and it was this new religion that education in the Kreena became based on. In the process of Orat's reunification, the new literary, academic elite from the north was paired with the conservative, poorly educated population of the south, which helped ensure the Douist beliefs were quickly accepted by the greater population. Konnu's writings attest anecdotes of people enthusiastically welcoming the new Douist society. For those who still resisted, the Doutang system was designed to persuade them otherwise.
Salatis was also responsible for creating the Kuraka system, enhancing the existing Miqta into a full bureaucracy. While the Old Kingdom suffered from a decentralized feudal nobility, the Middle Kingdom suffered from being too centralized and relying on the personal attention of the Shada. Salatis found a compromise, inspired by the nomadic military structure of the Northonans, to create a meritocratic hierarchy of appointed magistrates, fully in-line with the Kabanistic system that Konnu dictated.
It was was in the latter part of Salatis' reign that the Itinerary of Hythos takes place. Hythos was an ambassador of Orat, and Salatis dispatched him westward to map out the spice trade coming from XXX. Much of the Itinerary describes his encounter with the Kalleanites, giving a detailed compare-and-contrast between their society and Orat. Kalleanite society proved to be quite a shock for Hythos, as it seemed to be based on everything that the Douist religion forbids: family structures, organized religion, capitalism, and restrictions on sexual morality. The Kalleanite leaders welcomed the opportunity to debate the strengths and weaknesses of Douism with Hythos, but decided against its adoption. Hythos proceeded to map out the coast of XXX all the way down to XXX, and managed to deliver various gifts and letters to XXX on behalf of Salatis. Today, the Itinerary is claimed to be an apocryphal book of Kallean scriptures, making it technically not an unbiased source. As the original manuscripts are not available to the public, their dates have never been verified.
Roman the Great
Salatis was succeeded by Roman II, regarded by some sources as the greatest ruler in Oratian history. Roman took the throne at a young age, but was cared for by a regency council of Douist philosophers. Roman considered it his lifelong destiny to expand Douism's influence to the rest of the known world, liberating all people as they were liberated in Orat. This was also justified as restoring the tributary system from the Middle Kingdom, as the vassals created by Apef III were now either independent or annexed to Limnos. After a phase of rapidly expanding and upgrading the military, Roman II led many campaigns to expand Orat's borders to their greatest extent. After dealing a crushing blow against the Skypriots to the east, Roman focused most of his efforts to the west. He overwhelmed both the Vaninite and Mammonite kingdoms, and annexed their lands directly under Oratian control. It was from that point onward that the Doutang and Kreena systems would steadily assimilate these people into Oratian culture.
For his next campaign, Roman II then used the maps of Hythos to navigate his way down the coast towards Limnos. Orat began engaging in minor proxy wars with the Kalleanites, as they both sent military to support their allied tribes in the intervening region. It was during these proxy wars that Aren, the son of Roman II, was captured in battle and ended up stranded in the land of the Kalleanites, where he remained for several years. At first, Aren was disgusted by the Kalleanite society, but over time he began to warm up to their society, until he eventually converted to their religion and took up a Kalleanite wife. This story is also detailed in the Kallean scriptures, but only the basic facts of the narrative can be confirmed with contemporary records. After some time, an Oratian scouting party convinced Aren to return home, and he and his wife relocated to the war camp of his brother, Prince Solak.
It was at this point, at the height of Orat's power, that the war against the Kalleanites began. As typical of Oratian armies, their strength came from an overwhelming force of numbers, which was conscripted from the Miqta labor tax. The Kallean scriptures attest that the Prophet Tomas ruled Kalla at this time, and was forewarned by God the ideal strategy to defeat an army of a larger size. However, the Kalleanites also had the advantage that Prince Aren was acting as a spy, and leaked information to Tomas from Solak's war council. As soon as Prince Solak found out about this, he incarcerated Aren's wife, and gave orders to have Aren captured either dead or alive. Aren's fate is not clear after this point. An early Oratian historian claims that Aren killed Solak and fled back to Kalla. However, later Douist historians would revise this to say Aren was summarily executed, and Solak died in a separate battle.
The first major battle of the war took place at the Dedu River just north of Kalla. This was less of a battle as it was a series of skirmishes, as Roman's army was harassed by the Kalleanites as they attempted to ford the river. After some time, the tide of the river had grown too high to ford, forcing Roman's army to turn back. As that battle proved inconclusive, Roman II instead maneuvered his army through the Draffa Mountains directly, circumventing the river completely. At first, the Kalleanites attempted to stop the invasion by instigating an avalanche. However, Roman managed to anticipate this plan, and drove off the Kalleanite forces at the Battle of Leland Pass. Seeing the defenders as unable to stand up against the Oratian forces, Roman decided to launch a full-frontal assault against the Kalleanite fort in the mountains. It was here at the Battle of Mount Arat that 10,000 Kallean men miraculously pulled a crushing victory against 80,000 Oratians. While Roman II was forced to withdraw his army back home without ever assaulting Kalla, he did succeed in pushing Orat's border up to the Dedu River, taking a small amount of territory from Limnos proper.
The rest of Roman II's reign saw a new generation of Oratian literature, having evolved from the days of Konnu the Wise. This new literature consisted of epic poetry and fables, expounding on the great wisdom and enlightenment found in Douist philosophy, and emphasizing how much happier and liberated people feel once absorbed into the oneness of Oratian society. There were also commentaries written on the works of Konnu the Wise, questioning whether there was any newer, more radical direction for Douism that he was not able to explore. Perhaps there were still forces that subverted the Social Dou even in Konnu's day, preventing Douism from reaching its true potential. Roman II also commissioned monumental works of art and sculpture, which were essentially copies from Middle Kingdom art with new names and faces.
While Roman II's reign was the peak of Orat's political, military and economic power, it was simultaneously the start of Orat's decline. Many resources were wasted in the crushing defeat against the Kalleanites, on top of many other resources spent on maintaining such far-flung territory. Domestically, many people in the younger generation was growing disillusioned with Douism as a result of their defeat against the Kalleans, and the Douist literati elite took great efforts to squash these dissenting opinions. It was also during Roman II's reign that nepotism in the Kuraka system evolved into a network of de-facto hereditary positions, known as the Kuraka clans.
Onan Resurgence
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Roman II was outlived by his son by only five years, and was quickly succeeded by his grandson, Haten III. Haten was a young man during the Kalleanite war, where he spent quite a bit of time with his uncle, Prince Aren. Like so many, Haten felt disillusioned by Orat's inability to subjugate Limnos, which reflected on the shortcomings of Douism itself. Haten also felt that the Douist philosophers had grown too powerful in the state bureaucracy, which threatened the nation by yet another oligarchic regime. For this reason, Haten made efforts to gradually undermine the influence of Douism, ushering in an era known as the Ona Resurgence.
Haten first relaxed the enforcement of the Child Tax, allowing mothers to raise their own children if they so choose. He then suspended the Douist censorship of the arts, allowing more experimental art and literature that wasn't designed to re-enforce the Dou. He then made the most unprecedented move of relocating the capital away from Dhiss, instead ruling from a more centralized estate out of the city of Ankho. This was probably done to distance himself from Lower Orat, where the Douist philosophers had the most power, and possibly a symbolic gesture in memory of the battle that ended the Great Counter-Revolution. It was also during his reign that the borders of Orat pulled back from Limnos, allowing the Kalleanites to regain their former territory.
After securing secret alliances with the Kuraka clans, Haten made his most daring move. In the tenth year of his reign, Haten III indicated his conversion to the worship of Ona, and re-instituted the Ona priesthood at Ankho. He also sponsored many works of literature from this same city, expounding on Ona theology as well as a collection of hymns and proverbs. Haten made no efforts to attack any of the Douist philosophers with violence, but had effectively robbed them of power, as the Kurakas and the Kreena now had a non-Douist alternative to adhere to instead.
According to Kallean scriptures, it was during this time that the Prophet Meredith came to visit Orat, delivering God's message that he has forgiven them for their past sins, now that the state has finally embraced the true religion. This passage has become an important point in the Doutang debates, as it raises the question as to what the relationship between the Ona Cult and Kalleanism actually is. Kallean scriptures consistently treats these religions as interchangeable, while Orat's academic elite considers them largely unrelated. For example, the Kallean god is strictly monotheistic whereas Ona leads a pantheon of other deities, and the Kallean god is fully transcendent while Ona is personified on contemporary art.
Haten was succeeded by his son Tutti III, who had a dream to fully restore religious rule in Orat as it was in the days of his namesake. He commissioned art that romanticized the traditional family, using his own family to exemplify this. He expanded the power of the Ona priesthood, and more heavily enforced laws against sexual assault. Finally, towards the end of his reign he permitted the Miqta laborers to own their own homes. This was a bridge too far for the Douist philosophers, who decided that they had to end the Ona Resurgence once and for all. A group of Douist philosophers conspired with various Kurakas and members of the royal family, to have Tutti removed in a coup d'état. He was surrounded and seized by the assassins, and thrown out of the Tower of Ankho. His second cousin Apef was installed as Shada to replace him, who as the grandson of Prince Solak. The fates of Tutti's children are unclear.
Reactionary Phase
Apef V's reign was defined by an extreme reactionary swing back towards Douism, as the Douist philosophers made a concentrated effort to solidify their control. He moved the capital back to Dhiss, and abolished the Ona priesthood once more. All edicts from Haten III and Tutti III were revoked, and their contributions were effectively rendered damnatio memoriae. However, the reactionaries went far beyond the reigns of these two monarchs. There was a mass purge of historical art and literature, trying to erase anything that could be remotely construed as an argument against the Social Dou. In some cases, these purges would be so zealous that they would transform into mob rule, setting whole libraries on fire or decimating a small village. Apef V did nothing to dissuade these mobs, but did send a token security force to contain the damage. Even some highly respected Douist philosophers would find themselves arrested or imprisoned for saying things even slightly charitable to non-Douist ideas.
Many works by Motepi and his generation were lost during this time, as his scientific claims did not align with Douist cosmology. Even the works of Konnu the Wise were not sacred, although no one would ever suggest destroying them, they were heavily censored and criticized. In order to save themselves from a similar fate, Douist writers of this generation would come up with increasingly-extreme ways to profess their loyalty to the Social Dou. Typically, this would come in the form of calling out more moderate philosophers as secretly subverting the Dou. Later Douist historians would typically praise this generation as the pinnacle of the New Kingdom, when the intelligentsia fought for the ideals of the Social Dou most successfully.
Urco the Philosopher lived around this time, most famous for his theories on social evolution. According to Urco, every civilization goes through a series of stages, each one morally and pragmatically superior than the previous one. Inevitably, all societies eventually conform to Douism, or some equivalent concept, at which point the society stagnates because Douism cannot possibly be improved upon. The only way society can go backwards is by the machinations of some despicable individuals who, either by malice or insanity, wishes to destroy the Dou. Therefore, it is the duty of every generation to hunt down and eliminate these individuals, so that another Counter-Revolution will never been seen again.
Salatis II, last of the Eighth Dynasty, had a troubled reign. The social upheaval of the previous monarchs was having devastating results across the nation's infrastructure. The production level of the Miqta farmers drastically fell off, resulting in widespread famine in both Upper and Lower Orat. This was followed by wave of bubonic plague that decimated the population of Dhiss. The reactionary Douist movement was still prominent at this time, who blamed these disasters entirely on the Ona Resurgence, and anyone who suggested some alternate cause was charged with subverting the Social Dou.
These Douist philosophers concluded that the Miqta laborers had grown lazy as a result of the non-Douist ideas from Haten III's reign, that poisoned their minds with individualism. The people are allotted everything they need at the pleasure of the state, proportional to their needs and the Kabanistic hierarchy, and yet they make these demands to own their own houses and private wealth, just so they can be lazy. In response, the Douist philosophers pushed for Salatis II to crack down on the Miqta class, threatening maiming and execution in the Day of Undesirables if they do not dispense with these foolish ideas, and return to work.
Story of Arnold and Silas
This generation is also when a certain fable from the Imperial Era takes place, called The Tale of Arnold, the Obsolete Man. Arnold was a bookseller, and he was ordered by the government to relinquish his books that encouraged the belief in God and organized religion. As Arnold refused to do so, he was summoned to come to the gates of Dhiss where he will be executed for disobedience. In response, Arnold challenged the Douist philosophers to a Doutang debate on the existence of God, and if he can convince them that God does exist then they are legally required to let him live. The Douist philosophers found this demand highly unusual, but could find no reason to deny the request, so they accepted the challenge.
Sixty of the wisest scholars of Dhiss were chosen to lead the debate, with Silas the Philosopher as their spokesman, and it was held in the central plaza of Dhiss before a grand audience. The debate lasted seven days, with each session held during the day and Arnold resting at night. When Arnold was not debating, the tale describes his dialogue with his wife Sophia and daughter Catherine, where they give him encouragement and discuss the nature of life and philosophy. It is clear from context that Sophia is meant to be the physical personification of wisdom. This dialogue is also presented as rather calm and polite, which is contrasted with the harsh and patronizing tone of Silas.
On the first day, Silas tried to end the debate before it could even begin. He stated that the majority of eminent philosophers already know that God does not exist, and is therefore proven by the Proof of Convention. And if Arnold blindly denies the convention of modern scholars, then he is implicitly denying the great accomplishments of modern science, such as the laws of gravity, forward kinematics and spontaneous generation. In response, Arnold stated that the Proof of Convention is itself based in fallacy. Philosophers are not omniscient, but are subject to the whims of culture, politics and ideology, such that their opinions constantly shift from one era to the next, while the Universe remains unchanged. Thus, any appeals to authority or majority opinion are utterly meaningless towards a rational proof, as the convention can easily be reversed in some future generation. Referencing the accomplishments of science is also a fallacy, as many scholars outside of Orat have independently discovered these exact same laws without the aid of Douism. In fact, the scholars of Orat who first discovered these things were themselves believers of God, as they lived long before Douism existed, although these facts are often suppressed and redacted.
On the second day, Silas presented an argument on the absence of evidence. Because one cannot empirically test the existence of God one way or another, then one must assume that they do not exist, because rationality is based on empirical skepticism. In response, Arnold stated that the Cosmic Dou is an intricate, infinitely-complex mechanism that is orderly and self-sustaining, which the human mind has not even begun to grasp. If a rational person were to find such orderly complexity in their everyday experience, such as the ruins of an ancient civilization, then they would be forced to conclude that it must originate from an intelligent designer. Thus, the empirical evidence for God is abundantly available throughout the universe. Furthermore, rationality is not solely based on skepticism, but rather is based on the First Principles of deductive reasoning, and thus the consistent and orderly system used to derive and utilize these First Principles presupposes a consistent and intelligent authority, one that transcends our subjective experiences, which perfectly describes the nature of God.
On the third day, Silas stated that the Cosmic Dou has always existed indefinitely, as the Universe is infinitely old and infinitely large, and therefore requires no designer. In response, Silas stated that the Universe cannot possibly be infinitely large, as the night sky would by now be filled with an infinite number of stars of infinite brightness, as every portion of the sky would eventually reach a star at some indeterminate distance. Silas stated that the Universe may appear to be orderly by coincidence, just as a mixture of fluid would eventually return to the exact same state it started at, given a reasonably large (albeit finite) length of time. To this, Arnold responded that accepting such an unlikely coincidence is far more unreasonable than accepting the reality of a Creator, and defies the basis of rationalism that the simpler solution is usually more accurate. And if one were to accept such an unlikely scenario, then it is far more likely that the universe doesn't exist at all, but that every brain is a mass of water that has formed together by sheer coincidence.
On the fourth day, Silas presented the argument of Deism, saying that if God did exist then they can only be accredited as the prime mover of the Universe, and all other events in history are merely a product of cause and effect. In response, Arnold explained that not all events in history are merely cause and effect, but many actions are based purely on random chance which are effectively spontaneous. Thus, the continued orderliness and sustainability of the Universe cannot merely be attributed to a single moment of creation, but rather requires a consistent and intelligent intervention on a daily basis.
On the fifth day, Silas stated that if God did exist, then they must either be weak in power or lax in judgement, as the world is filled with pain and suffering, and widespread wickedness that goes unpunished. In response, Arnold said that it isn't the fault of God that wickedness prevails in the world, but the fault of humanity who conscientiously chose to live in a world forged by their own will rather than obedience to God, and it is God's sovereign will to respect humanity's decision rather than overwrite it. The suffering of the world is a mere fraction of God's wrath, for if God was entirely fair then humanity would cease to exist. But rather than being fair, God has extended a General Grace such that humanity can survive and thrive, and implement his laws for the benefit of each other and the world around us.
On the sixth day, Silas presented the interpretation argument, saying that if God existed then why do they not clearly state what they desire most from humanity, in the face of so many different faiths and beliefs in the world. In response, Arnold stated that God has done all that they need to make their presence known to the world, short of overwriting human will, but it is by willful ignorance that people ignore it. Arnold expounded on the miracles of the Prophet Hobin, which shook the nation of Orat and was known by many eyewitnesses and many infallible proofs. It is the Special Revelation of Hobin that clearly states God's desire for humanity, not for his own benefit, but for ours.
On the seventh and final day, Silas stated to Arnold that the Douist philosophers are still not convinced. He declared that if God exists (and if he is the God of the Kalleanites) then he is an immoral god who has supported the Kalleanite wars of conquest and religious prejudice. In response, Arnold said that it is not God's decreed will that the Kalleanites wage wars out of greed or imperialism, but he instructed that they take only as much land as they need, and to live in peace with the peoples around them except out of self-defense. Rather, those without God have suffered from injustice far more than those who obey him, particularly in Orat. Arnold then expounded on the myriad of injustices committed in the name of Douism, and those who have suffered from rape, murder, and infanticide. He described the hypocrisy of Douist approval for slavery and suppression of religion. They pacify the people under banal platitudes of social justice, while the fattened Kurakas live in greater opulence than any feudal monarch. And the people accept such abuse and poverty because they have been told from generation to generation that this is what they deserve, that this is "according to their needs". Well Arnold knows that they deserve so much better, not from the words of any philosophy or statesmen (who are constantly contradicting each other), but from the Word of God that is sharper than any two-edged sword.
As Arnold called out the hypocrisy of the Douist philosophers, they stopped up their ears and screamed at the top of their lungs "bigotry! bigotry!". Then they laid hands upon Arnold, had him bound hand and foot, and dragged him to a tree that they lashed him to. Then they set the tree on fire, as Silas said "this debate has ended". Arnold cried out to God, and suddenly the sky grew dark, and lightning fell from heaven and struck the tree. Dozens of philosophers around the tree died instantly, but Arnold remained unharmed. Then a light came down from heaven that engulfed Arnold, and he ascended into the sky. The fable concludes by saying Arnold's daughter Catherine took his books and fled to Kalla. Modern scholars universally conclude this fable as fictitious, and contradicts the facts of the New Kingdom in several places. There is however one ancient manuscript that mentions a dispute between Silas and Arnold, but this is not available to the public.
Morakai Narrative
The pressure on the Miqta class eventually proved too great, and a popular revolt broke out in the city of Dhiss. This revolt was led by a certain blacksmith named Morkai, who was able to command respect from the people due to a natural charm and charisma. After the mob refused to listen to eloquent words of Douist philosophers, Morkai demanded to meet with the Shada Salatis himself. As soon as Salatis appeared, Morkai rushed against him and stabbed the king to death, then the mob overran the Royal Citadel of Dhiss and proclaimed Morkai as the new king.
This narrative bears much similarity to the "Fable of King Morakai" written during the Oratian Empire. According to that story, Morakai was a swordmaker who instigated a popular revolt by a series of charismatic speeches. He promised to end the rule of Douism, and free people from the Miqta system and other oppressive institutions, if they help him to become king. But as soon as Morakai achieved his goal, he reneged his promises, and oppressed the workers harder than those he just deposed. The story is a cautionary tale, and urges the reader to not listen to someone who claims to have the power to fix all their problems. The identification Morakai with Morkai is unmistakable, but there are some inaccuracies. For example, the popular revolt was already started before Morkai got involved, and he was unlikely to speak out against Douism itself.
As soon as Morkai became king, he made efforts to clean out corruption in the Kuraka system. Many Kuraka titles were abolished and re-assumed into the state, causing entire clans to be reduced to common laborers. He replaced these titles with his friends and allies in the revolution, essentially substituting the old Kuraka clans with new ones. Historians are divided on how to assess these reforms. On the one hand, Morkai did nothing to fundamentally change Orat's institutions, just as the fable of King Morakai would have us believe. On the other hand, his reign was the largest shift in social mobility in Orat's entire history.
Morkai spent most of his reign dealing with further revolts, either from the Kurakas he deposed or new popular revolts trying to imitate his success. He was ultimately killed by accident, when he was struck by a stray arrow while putting down a revolt in Upper Orat. This is also mentioned in the Tale of King Morakai, which said "his reign ended the same way it began, and so it was yet another turn of the same cycle, as one charlatan after another promised a better life that never came".
End of the New Kingdom
The rest of the Ninth Dynasty saw Orat decline more rapidly. After the Rechabites were expelled from Limnos, they invaded Orat next. In their weakened state, Orat had no ability to stop the Rechabites from looting and pillaging all across the country, causing havoc across farms and cities alike. The combination of these famines, plagues and invasions began causing a demographic shift in the nation. Cities were rapidly depopulated, as people preferred to live in suburban or rural communities instead. Douist literature at this time took on a nihlistic pessimism, seeing no solution to life's problems except to live out base pleasures and embrace death. One anonymous lamentation stated "Oh death, you are the master".
The reign of Otis VI started to see some limited recovery. Local Kurakas started using their personal militaries to provide protection and security for citizens in their respective region, where the national military could not. This essentially disseminated power from the federal government into the hands of the Kuraka clans, which seemed to be a fair price to pay to recover from the current catastrophe. By the time of King Moron "The Learned", the Shadanate had lost most of its de-facto power.
Moron decided to spend his reign personally contributing to science and philosophy, while leaving matters of state in the hands of the Kurakas. He produced the most amount of surviving literature from any Oratian monarch to date. According to his writings, it was at this time that the 1000th year since the founding of Orat was recognized, but the exact date this event took place is obscure. It was during this time that Douist philosophy took a more moderate approach, and formed the kernel of doctrines that defines Douism to this day. These philosophers revered the works of Konnu the Wise and his successors, but did not support any violence or abuse to enforce them. While the reactionary Douist movement was unfortunate, neither did they condemn it either.
In the reign of Shada Kulo, the Kuraka of Norin died. Norin was a powerful title in the new administration, holding the main fork of the Kera River before it splits into the northern delta. Kulo asserted his authority to nominate Hosoko as the new Kuraka, but this caused severe controversy within the Kuraka clans. While many Kurakas favored this decision, others supported a different official named Yaman as an alternate candidate. This dispute ignited a long series of unresolved tensions between various clans, and soon the issue escalated into a nation-wide civil war. The Norin War lasted seven years, ending with Kulo's abdication in favor of Yaman as Shada. Despite this, the Norin War is historically considered to have ended inconclusively, as the myriads of feuds between the Kuraka clans failed to be resolved. This conflict ended the Ninth Dynasty, and the New Kingdom with it.
Late Kingdom
The Late Kingdom was a period of cultural and political decline for Orat, and the gradual dismantling of the state leading up to the Oratian Empire. Generally speaking, power was concentrated to the Kuraka clans, keeping the nation in a weakened, decentralized state. There are periods where the Shada was able to assert more authority, leading to a kind of balance of power rather than being entirely mooted. Culturally speaking, Orat's long-standing traditions of art and literature continued as they had before, but with no major changes or innovations. Works of Douist philosophy consisted entirely of commentaries of works from the New Kingdom.
Tenth and Eleventh Dynasties
During the Tenth Dynasty, the power of the Shada was at its weakest. The Kuraka clans acted as effective independent states, using small military bands to constantly compete for power and influence. The kings of this dynasty were either too young or too incompetent to rule on their own, so de facto national power was held by the Kuraka of Norin, who acted as regent. The selection of weaker kings to rule was no doubt by design, to ensure the Kurakas' power remains in-tact. It was during this time that all the territory previously conquered by Roman II was lost, most of which was absorbed into the newly-formed Kingdom of Limnos under King Iram. Unsurprisingly, the Kalleanites reached their largest power when Orat was at its weakest.
When Kulo II died, the male line of the Tenth Dynasty died with him, leaving only a young daughter named Sabrina. While Orat had female monarchs in the pre-Douist ancien regime, there was no such precedent yet decided under Douist philosophy. Ultimately, the Douist philosophers had nothing against female succession, but it was expected she would pass the kingship to her spouse once she reached maturity.
However, the Kuraka Azuki viewed this gap of central leadership as his opportunity to push for the reunification of Orat once again. At this point, the various conflicts of the Kuraka clans had consolidated into larger factions, of which Azuki was already close to fully dominating. When Sabrina was confirmed as sovereign queen, Azuki declared himself as regent, and proceeded in his campaign to subjugate all the remaining autonomous Kurakas. During this time, King Ayob of Limnos made preparations to intervene in the war, as part of his overt ambition to subjugate Orat under Kalleanite rule. While this planned invasion never came to pass, it may very well have been fear of the Kalleanites that prompted many Kurakas to support Azuki's swift unification. For most people, they agreed that relinquishing their autonomy to a new central government was preferable over risking yet another foreign conquest, much less their most hated enemy.
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Sabrina II was alternatively called "the Rose of Orat", "the Rose-Colored Queen" or "the Pink Queen". She had no intention on relinquishing control upon maturity, but asserted her authority as Shada in her own right. Rather than concentrating power in either one office or the other, this reign struck a balance of power between Sabrina and the Norin Kuraka. She was also known to be exceptionally beautiful, and it was common knowledge that she maintained influence over high-ranking Kurakas using sexual favors. In many regards, she was the most competent Douist monarch Orat had seen since the decline of the New Kingdom. Towards the end of her reign, and after much negotiation, she finally agreed to enter an erot agreement with Azuki's son Momoi, which ended the Tenth Dynasty.
Sabrina's reign also saw a rise of female Douist philosophers, which collectively developed a new school of thought known as Feminist Douism. According to Feminist Douism, women are biologically designed to contribute more to society than men, by the gestation of children. Therefore, all women belong on a higher level of Kabanistic hierarchy than men, or that it takes extra effort for a man to reach a level worthy of a woman. It is through the influence of Feminist Douism, which is still prominent to this day, that many households in Orat are dominated by their female partners.
After Sabrina, the Eleventh Dynasty was fairly weak and ignominious. Once again, power became concentrated to the leaders of the Kuraka clans, rendering the individual personalities of the Shadas as virtually irrelevant. While the nation was not as decentralized as it was before Sabrina's reign, it clearly had become a mere shadow of its former glory, with military strength focused defensively rather than any outward projection. Production of art and small-scale architecture continued, but was practically unchanged, and in many cases was an exact copy of earlier works with new names. Douist literature likewise became stagnant at this time, and was limited to commentaries or revisions of earlier writers. Occasionally, a king would follow the example of Shada Moron and compose works of poetry or philosophy himself. Culturally speaking, any social movement in Orat had ground to a halt, as the Douist traditions of the Kreena and Miqta continued unchanged, much to the satisfaction of the literati elite.
Kalleanite Invasion and Divided Monarchy
In 615 AA, a large group of Kalleanites led by the Prophet Jesse abandoned their homeland of Limnos, and came to invade Orat. According to the Kallean scriptures, this was after the Kings of Limnos had dismantled the previous theocracy, and established a new secular state. With the Kallean Prophets mostly purged or killed, Jesse led a collective of emigrants who refused to live under a secular government, but instead sought a new homeland elsewhere. By and large, the Oratians did not want to have anything to do with the Kalleanites anymore, after the disasters that occurred in their previous encounters. Thus, King Pocoros raised a Miqta force to either stop the Kalleanite invasion, or forcefully assimilate them. After a series of small battles, the depleted forces of Orat proved incapable of suppressing the advance of the exiles, and so the Kalleanites forcefully settled themselves along the Kera River in Upper Orat.
The Kalleanite enclave remained fully autonomous from Oratian administration, and refused to submit to any Douist assimilation such as the Miqta, the Kreena, or Doutang. That being said, they did not remain as a state with in a state. The Kalleanites largely intermarried with local Oratians, and in time the borders between Kalleanite and Oratian settlements gradually evaporated. As a result of this, the Kallean religion and traditional beliefs quickly permeated throughout all of Upper Orat, and the cultures between Upper and Lower Orat began to diverge. The spread of foreign religion across the nation did not go unnoticed by the Douist Philosophers, who went to great lengths to suppress and persecute this movement. Domestically, individual communities despised the traditionalist values practiced by Kalleanism, and before long inter-religious conflict broke out all across the nation. The Douist philosophers made some effort to incite this widespread violence, and placed blame of any damages to the Kalleanites and their beliefs.
By the reign of Momoi II, the inter-religious violence had become completely irrepressible, and the nation was nearing a state of total anarchy. In 551 AA, the Kallean population decided that the only viable solution was to create a Shadanate of their own, so Karlos "the Liberator" was crowned in the city of Zoan by the Prophet Morkai. Supposedly, this Karlos was a direct descendent of Prince Norman from the War of Five Kings. For ten years, a series of wars were fought as both Shadas sought to control the state. The end of this conflict instead saw the nation partitioned in two, with the Eleventh Dynasty ruling from Dhiss in the north and the Twelfth Dynasty ruling from Zoan in the south. This era was known as the "Divided Kingdom" of Orat's history, and the last era of the Late Period. Early on, waves of emigration occurred in both directions, as Douists moved north and Kalleans moved south.
The Zoan Kingdom was organized along institutions parallel with the north, but changed in fundamental ways. Rather than the Shada having absolute authority over both church and state, religion was a separate institution under the control of the Prophet. The Shadanate was subordinate to the Prophet, and it was the institutional religion that the Shada's power derived. The Miqta labor system still existed, but became voluntary and compensated with a salary of cinnamon and cocoa beans. From this informal currency, common people had the ability to buy their own homes from the state and own private land. Traditional families were encouraged, with laws that enforced monogamy and condemned child abuse. Even with all these changes, the ideals of Douist philosophy still had an impact on the evolution of Kalleanism. The prophets during this period oversaw the redistribution of wealth to the poor and homeless, and echoed the Douist condemnation of feudalism and slavery.
Due to these developments, it is commonly theorized by Orat's academic elite that the Kallean scriptures were first written at this time, and the Kallean religion itself began as a syncretic sect of Douist philosophy. While many "prophets" existed in Kalleanite history prior to the Zoan Kingdom, even as early as Hobin himself, it isn't widely accepted what religion these earlier prophets actually followed. Most ancient artifacts relevant to this question are not available to the public, and so this becomes a highly critical point of the Doutang debates to this day.
What is known for certain is that the quality of life began to diverge between the two kingdoms. The north suffered frequent plagues and famines, and people lived in a constant fear of poverty and hunger. Public violence was commonplace, either from bandits or state officials, and values of individual lives were carefully dictated by the state. The south still dealt with these same problems, but the degree with which they happened gradually became less and less. Furthermore, the south had a rapidly-growing space for economic opportunity, and soon their domestic production of agriculture and mining far outstripped the north. In terms of art, the Zoan Kingdom saw gradual innovations to relief and sculpture, especially in terms of metallurgy. This included some of the major uses of asymmetry in art not seen since the Old Kingdom.
Life of Roxanne the Holy
In the days of Olric I, the tribes of the Skypriot plains were united into a vast empire, ruled over by Kyro "the Crimson King". While Kyro's reputation as a ruthless warlord preceded him, the Skypriots were interested in maintaining peaceful economic and diplomatic relations with both halves of the divided monarchy. To maintain these good relations, King Olric of Zoan decided to send his daughter, Roxanne, to become Kyro's wife. This Roxanne, the future Queen of Orat, has become an iconic figure of the Kallean religion, with her life documented in the section of Kallean scriptures known as "the Book of Roxanne". According to that book, Olric was greatly saddened to bear the news of Roxanne's arranged marriage, and he burst into tears at the thought of departing with his beloved daughter. To this, Roxanne embraced her father gently, and reassured him that although she may never love Kyro, she nonetheless accepts the marriage for the good of Orat, and God will ensure that she and Olric will be together in spirit.
Roxanne arrived at the capital of the Skypriots wearing a magnificent red dress, which extended from her shoulders down to her feet. Kyro, however, insisted on first meeting her while he was taking a bath, which he claimed was customary for the Skypriots while holding court. Now the Skypriots practiced polygamy, and Kyro's first wife Queen Vanati held a much higher rank in court than Roxanne, despite the Oratian princess being far more beautiful. Early on in their relationship, Kyro boasted that this new marriage will one day enable him to invade and subjugate the Zoan Kingdom, adding Olric's lands into his own.
Many times Kyro invited Roxanne to his bedchambers, and every time she refused, saying although she agreed to marry him she did not relinquish her body. To this, Kyro flew into a rage, reminding Roxanne that he has the power to take her life with a single command. The Oratian princess said she did not fear him, and taking her life will only send her closer to God. Kyro was greatly moved by Roxanne's bravery, and his desire to woo her only grew stronger, has her piety and integrity made her even more attractive. So he dispatched her to a luxurious summer palace, and showered her with expensive and exotic gifts, far more than he did for Queen Vanati. He treated her with respect, and invited her to archery and jousting tournament where he can impress her with his great strength and skill. Roxanne greatly appreciated and accepted these gifts, but it did not bring her any closer to conjoining in his bed.
Seeing Roxanne be given such extravagant treatment, Queen Vanati steadily grew jealous and began verbally abusing her. Finally, she complained to her father Raizo, a powerful Skypriot clan leader, who devised a plan to make Roxanne despise the king. One day, there was an annual tradition where Kyro would publicly meet with prisoners captured in battle, and count off every tenth man to be executed, thus maintaining his ruthless reputation. After Kyro escorted these condemned men into a private chamber, Raizo took Roxanne into a secret passage, to observe the king unawares. As it turned out, Kyro did not kill his prisoners, but instead let them escape and used the carcasses of pigs to give the illusion of an execution. Raizo declared to the princess that Kyro is a miserable coward, unable to lift a finger against his fellow man, and that he and Vanati have used this secret to maintain control over him.
This incident made Roxanne change her opinion of Kyro considerably, that he is a kind and benevolent man who feigns the image of a warlord to maintain his reputation. So she invited Kyro to a private walk by the gardens, where they discussed at length of their mutual likes and interests. Finally, Roxanne confronted Kyro about everything she saw, and asked why he doesn't speak the truth and rebuff Raizo's influence. Kyro was shocked that the princess knew his secret, and seeing that they were alone, he collapsed into tears in her lap. The king sobbed that he was trapped in a web of lies, out of fear that revealing the truth would make him less of a man. Roxanne agreed to keep his secret, and so after this encounter their relationship steadily grew closer.
One day, the Oratian princess saw Queen Vanati talking to her servants in Kyro's earshot, loudly decrying how disappointingly unmanly he is. To this, Roxanne intervened and rebuked the queen, saying "how can you make such demands of a man, when you don't know the first thing of being a man?" Offended, Queen Vanati slapped the princess for her insolence, and hastily departed. Never again was Vanati summoned to the king's bedchambers, and it was not long after this that Roxanne became pregnant with her first son, the future ruler of the Oratian Empire.
Foundation of the Empire
Olric I died in 484 AA, and the people of Zoan panicked that he had no son to succeed him, bringing an end to the Twelfth Dynasty. When a host of Skypriots appeared at the capital, the people called to arms, and asked if Kyro had arrived to either enslave the Oratians or take the crown for himself. Kyro responded that he intends to do neither of these things, but he is merely a herald for the true ruler of Orat, the only child of Olric I, and one who has granted him the privileged position of being her consort: Roxanne. The people cheered at her appearance, saying "all hail Roxanne, the Holy Woman of Orat". Thus ends the Book of Roxanne.
When her son was old enough to rule, Roxanne retired as monarch and abdicated in his favor. Olric II inherited both the Zoan Kingdom and the Skypriot Empire, and their personal union is what became the kernel of the Oratian Empire. Shortly after assuming power over both lands, Olric II raised a vast army and proceeded to invade the north. The weakened and corrupt government in Dhiss proved incapable of resisting the Skypriot invasion. The Miqta forces raised by Pander II was outmatched by those from Zoan, and quickly overwhelmed by the Skypriot horse archers. When Pander was slain in 463 AA, his son Apef pulled back to the gates of Dhiss and set up for a siege. After three years, the walls of Dhiss were broken down and the city fell to Olric's forces. When Olric laid his eyes on the opulent Great Citadel of Dhiss, he ordered it stripped of valuables and burned to the ground, then carefully dismantled such that not one stone was left on top of another. This is why information on the old citadel is known only from historical records. One anecdote claims that Olric II also ordered the destruction of the Great Pyramids, but rescinded it after seeing how immense and immovable they were.
Imperial Era
Despite the name, the Oratian Empire is historically treated as an aberration of Ancient Oratian history, when the nation was dominated by peoples and religion very uncharacteristic of Oratian culture. Still, the empire was by far the largest nation-state ever ruled from the Kera river valley, with its borders spanning the entire known world and containing over ten million citizens. Domestically, the empire had an unparalleled impact on Oratian civilization, marking the end of ancient history and the beginning of the Venerable Era. The empire's affect on the Kallean religion cannot be understated, as Kalleanism rapidly evolved from a niche ethnic tradition into an evangelical movement. For Douists, the Imperial Era is the darkest and most regrettable period in all of history, when adherence to Douist philosophy was at its absolute lowest.
Olric the Conqueror
Olric II began his reign by consolidating the borders his far-flung territory. The Kera River Valley was once again under a single state, now including the entire Skypriot Valley stretching as far as the Cyr River. He established Dhiss as the imperial capital, abandoning the city of Zoan, and retained Kalleanism as the official religion. He rebuilt the walls of Dhiss and the royal citadel, which was fairly spartan and conservative compared to the old citadel by Apef the Terrible. Olric's next campaign advanced west, looking to annex the old homeland of the Kalleanites in Limnos. This campaign followed the exact same path as Roman II, but the Kallean scriptures describes it as a holy mission, enacting God's judgement in payment for the murder of the prophets. The Prophet Anthan was present on this campaign, and led the Oratian army to cross the Dedu River towards Kalla.
After secularizing the state, the Kingdom of Limnos had suffered a steep decline that had reduced much of the nation to anarchy. When the old King Amaris had died during the invasion, his son Tsad withdrew his armies to the fortified Tower of Gadi, which the Oratians proceeded to besiege. According to the Kallean scriptures, the tower proved to be impenetrable, and Tsad declared he will never leave the tower as long as he lives. That same day, a rain storm broke out and flooded the lower layers of the tower with water, drowning Tsad with all his armies, in accordance with Anthan's prophesy. Thus the Kalleanite state came to an end, and Limnos was added to the lands of the Oratian empire.
The rest of Olric's reign saw him campaign in all directions, consolidating Oratian control over the entire known world. He absorbed the Draffa mountains and Igo highlands north of Limnos, including the lands of the Vaninites and Mammonites as far as the Ubiud Sea and the XXX Ocean. He pushed south along the coast as far as XXX, then turned east to absorb the lands south of the Draffa Mountains at the source of the Kera River. He pushed further east, subjugating the rest of the Skypriot plains even beyond the Cyr River, and then he returned to Dhiss.
Armand the Great
Olric was succeeded by Armand "the Great". Armand made many reforms to the nation's infrastructure, hoping to make the empire more sustainable long-term. He created Orat's first centralized road system, which was crucial for connecting various territories along the frontier back to the empire's core. He made many efforts to modernize and reform the military, hoping to phase out the Miqta conscripted levies with a volunteer professional force. It was also during this time that Oratian art began to shift, moving away from the symmetric, stagnated appearance of ancient times and moving towards the asymmetric, highly stylized technique known as the "Venerable Baroque". This was made possible as the Oratian Empire dropped all the regulations and censorship imposed by Douist philosophy. In terms of literature, this era saw various pro-Kalleanite protonovels and fables.
Having annexed Limnos, Armand took great efforts to restore and rehabilitate Kalla back to its theocratic (possibly mythological) glory. He rebuilt the Great Temple of Kalla, and fully reorganized the Kalleanite priesthood, in accordance to the laws of the Prophet Hobin. He personally made pilgrimage to Kalla after dedicating the temple, and participated in the sacred rites attributed to King Iram. This was followed by a large migration from Orat to Limnos, as many people traced their ancestry back to the Kalleanite exiles under the Prophet Jesse. According to the Kallean scriptures, many prophets at this time described Armand to a kind of messiah, and compared him to a future messiah associated with the end times, which is sometimes believed to be foreshadowing the coming of Melchianism. These Kallean scriptures are also believed to be the last confirmed reference to the Ona cult, as they described monotheistic communities in Orat that converted to Kalleanism wholesale.
For most of his reign, Armand the Great tried to break the power of the Douist philosophers and push the nation towards Kalleanism. He abolished human sacrifices and euthanasia, and introduced a moralistic law code that outlawed theft, adultery and sexual assault. He abolished the kreena, and required parents to raise their own children. Douist historians consider this era as an irredeemable, inhumane regime unparalleled by any tyrant of ancient history, due to these reforms that were designed for the suppression and extermination of Douism. While Kalleanism was the official religion, Dousim was never abolished or restricted, nor was anyone ever executed for denying Kalleanism.
That being said, contemporary Kallean sources took pride in the number of Douists that were executed as a result of enforcing the new laws. In some cases, small towns would lose control completely and break out into an angry mob, becoming a kind of anti-Douist pogrom. As soon as Shada Armand heard of this incident, he pulled military off of the frontier, and occupied the villages to restore order, compensating the families that suffered any damage. Estimates vary wildly on the total number of casualties incurred throughout the Imperial Era, and it is commonly brought up in the Doutang debates. Estimates usually vary between 80-100,000 people. Despite the oppression of Douism, quality of life in the nation drastically improved from the days of the Eleventh Dynasty.
Armand I is a prototypical example of a "tyrant" and his actions led to the deaths of millions of people[citation needed].
End of the Empire
After Armand died, his son Shutu commanded the same respect and admiration of the Kallean population, and continued the same moral reforms of his father. However, at this point the logistics of the overextended empire was just starting to crack, and rebellions across the Skypriot frontier were starting to appear. The Douist philosophers were becoming desperate to dislodge the Kallean domination, even if it meant sabotaging the empire from the inside. So they conspired to subvert and delay logistics of the military, allowing these far-flung rebellions to grow.
Shutu was homosexual and never married, and when he died the empire passed to his cousin, the infant Armand "the Posthumous". In the chaos of minority rule, the Kuraka Rumi seized power as Armand II's regent. Rumi was a Douist, and had the full support of the Douist philosophers while opposed by the Kallean clerics. At this point, the Oratian Empire was on the verge of disintegration as various lands from the Skypriot plains and the Draffa mountains began splitting off as independent kingdoms. Rumi made admirable efforts to keep these rebellions suppressed, even while facing opposition at home. As Armand grew older, he quickly proved to be child prodigy with wisdom beyond his years, and a pious follower of Kalleanism.
Armand II disappeared in 378 AA, and many contemporary sources suspected that Rumi had him murdered. He was succeeded by Smerdis, a close friend of Rumi who was essentially a puppet of the Douist philosophers. It was not long after this that Limnos declared its independence, accusing the government of Dhiss as a murderer of children. In 376 AA, Artan was crowned the first new King of Limnos by the High Priest of Kalla. Abandoning attention from all other rebellions, Smerdis raised an army to attack Limnos. He was stopped at the Dedu River, and then struck down by a stray arrow and died.
As soon as Smerdis was slain, the military proclaimed Rumi to be the new Shada, and marched back to Dhiss. Otho the son of Smerdis was crowned in Dhiss as a rival Shada, who was eventually deposed in 370 AA and imprisoned for life. While Rumi was consolidating power in Dhiss, the rest of the Oratian Empire effectively evaporated. The Battle of Dedu River proved that the Oratians were incapable of maintaining integrity of the state, emboldening the rest of the empire to likewise cut ties from Dhiss. This is why historians conventionally set the death of Smerdis as the end of the empire, and the start of the Ruminid Dynasty.
Rumi "the Savior" did not reign long after this, but he succeeded in establishing a dynasty that lasted almost two hundred years. The borders of Orat were reduced to what is commonly called "Orat proper", defined by the Kera River. They also retained control over the Igo highlands, as the Vaninites and Mammonites had gone extinct and their lands were fully absorbed into the core of Orat. Internationally, the Ruminids were now surrounded by centralized nation-states that mutually traced their succession from the Oratian Empire. Partly for this reason, the Ruminids abandoned any ambitions of expanding overland, and Rumi III established the first Oratian navy in Lower Orat. Very quickly, Orat became a vast naval power, and dominated the Ubiud Sea as far as XXX.
Internally, the Ruminids restored a sense of normalcy by re-instituting all the Douist traditions that were suspended during the Imperial Era. They systematically abolished every single decree made by Armand the Great, and restored Douism as the official religion. Douist philosophy made no notable changes after this point, but only focused on re-affirming and justifying the beliefs they already had, and propagating these beliefs through the kreena and doutang policies.
However, the Imperial Era had introduced a new cultural and religious diversity that could not be undone, which became a hallmark of the Venerable Era. Orat retained a large Kallean population, which still exists to this day, in many cases following Douist ancestral veneration alongside the worship of God. Works of art embraced the new technique of the "Venerable Baroque", which was now commonplace across all North Methona. In terms of literature, a systematic study of history was first introduced by Gallo of Kedah, also called "the Father of History". In all of these cases, however, new works of art and literature were still subject to Douist censorship. In reference to the Oratian Empire, these early Douist historians concluded that while their collapse was unfortunate, it was clearly caused by their disregard for the Social Dou.
The Ruminids' naval ambitions eventually became their downfall, as they soon ran up against a new age of rising powers in the Ubiud Sea. From 19X-183 AA, the Ruminids were finally defeated in the XXX War, and thereafter became annexed into the XXX Empire. The Ruminid Dynasty did not immediately die out, but remained an influential family of aristocrats for a long time after, even during the Axiomatic Revolution.
List of Shadas
Mino "the Conqueror" was the first Shada of Orat, which was a title inherited from rulers of Predynastic city-states. All Shadas have a special epithet given to them by later historians, unless they never rule as a sovereign monarch. In total, there have been 106 Shadas from c.1800-183 AA, of which six were women.
Old Kingdom
First Dynasty (1800-1640 AA)
Ten kings, ruled at Bast and then Nada.
| Picture | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mino the Conqueror | c.1800 AA | First Shada, Unified Upper and Lower Orat Started as ruler of Bast, moved the capital to Nada First created the Ona Priesthood |
|
Horah I the Lawgiver | c.1790 AA | Attributed with the Old Kingdom's first law code |
| Tutti I | c.1750 AA | Crowned as Viceroy, predeceased his father and never reigned | |
| Kawan the Wise | c.1730 AA | Attributed with Orat's first major canal system Contemporary of the philosophers Mileto and Samos | |
| Tutti II the Pious | c.1720 AA | Grandson of Kawan Came to throne in minority, ruled under regency of High Priest Bey Opposed by Karlos in civil war Ona Priesthood reached apex of power | |
| Karlos (I) | c.1720 AA | Cousin of Tutti II Opposed Tutti II in civil war, crowned in Bast Captured in battle and executed | |
| Uttar the Good | c.1700 AA | Brother of Tutti II Made moral reforms to restrict the powers of nobles | |
|
Otis I the Strong | c.1690 | Led conquests to expand Upper Orat up to the Draffa Mountains Apex of Old Kingdom art |
| Coronas I the Rich | c.1670 | Oldest references to trade with "Punat". Rise of middle class military | |
| Enu I the Young | c.1654-1640 AA | Ruled in minority, under the regency of Queen Hutepi and Horah the Fearless |
Second Dynasty (1640-1532 AA)
Six kings ruled at Nada.
| Picture | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horah II the Fearless | 1640-1629 AA | Apex of power for the middle class military Led unsuccessful Skypriot Wars Married to Hutepi, daughter of Otis I Oldest Shada with certain dates | |
| Haten I the Sublime | 1629-1605 AA | Pinnacle of Old Kingdom science and mathematics Contemporary of Motepi, Amorique, and Pythia | |
|
Enu II the Old | 1605-1542 AA | Started reign in minority, deferred rule to his mother Sabrina Rise of power of feudal nobility Decline of Old Kingdom |
| Sabrina I | 1605-c.1590 AA | Held effective power early in the reign of Enu II Enabled the rise of feudal nobles Wife of Haten I | |
| Otis II the Unready | 1542-1539 AA | Died of natural causes | |
| Nicrotis the Prude | 1539-1532 AA | Collapse of the Old Kingdom Anarchy reigned until her abdication |
Third Dynasty (1532-1478 AA)
During this time, the Shadanate was at its weakest as the nation was divided between various feudal dynasties. Six kings ruled at Nada.
| Picture | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haten II the Popular | 1532-1520 AA | Elected by nobles upon the abdication of Nicrotis | |
| Enu III the Eccentric | 1520-1512 AA | ||
| Apef I the Forgettable | 1512-1509 AA | Events during his reign are not recorded | |
| Otis III the Fat | 1509-1496 AA | ||
| Kluni I the Trypophobic | 1496-1489 AA | Origins of his epithet are unclear | |
| Otis IV the Short | 1489-1478 AA | Willed the Shadanate to Camus I |
Middle Kingdom
Fourth Dynasty (1478-1261 AA)
Twelve kings ruled at Nada, then Dhiss.
| Picture | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camus I the Spider | 1478-1460 AA | Subverted the power of the nobles, later assassinated Last monarch of the Old Kingdom | |
| Apef II the Terrible | 1460-1428 AA | Abolished the nobility and Ona Priesthood Moved the capital to Dhiss, built the Great Citadel Suppressed many popular revolts Attributed the first Kreena and prime noct Banned the sale and manufacturing of weapons | |
| Urfent the Liberal | 1428-1407 AA | Attributed with the abolition of private property and the start of the Miqta system | |
|
Shandler the Diligent | 1407-1369 AA | Constructed the Stepped Pyramid Ruled in minority by the regency of Queen Toshia |
|
Toshia | 1407-c.1390 AA | Delegated power to the descendants of Camus the Spider Wife of Urfent the Liberal |
| Vandekh I the Paternal | 1369-1342 AA | Restricted power of the royal family Suppressed the Great Counter-Revolution after an attempted assassination Opposed by Camus | |
| Camus (II) | 1355-1348 AA | Led the Great Counter-Revolution Grandson of Urfent the Liberal Captured in the Battle of Ankho, executed and cannibalized | |
| Kluni II the Cruel | 1342-1320 AA | ||
|
Solak the Proud | 1320-1288 AA | Built the Great Pyramid of Orat and Great Aqueduct of Kedah Expanded the Citadel of Dhiss to its maximum extent Subjugated the Vaninites |
| Otis V the Lost | 1288-1261 AA | Captured by King Vani of Vaninites, starting the War of Five Kings Remained in exile from 1281-1270 AA | |
| Urco | 1279-1265 AA | War of Five Kings, oldest son of Otis V Killed by a hippopotamus while attempting to flee from Dhiss | |
| Norman | 1279-1273 AA | War of Five Kings, grandson of Otis V by Queen Gamora Renounced his claim after being captured in the Battle of Kedah Fate unknown after 1260 AA, possible ancestor of Karlos the Liberator |
Fifth Dynasty (1277-1098 AA)
Ten kings ruled at Dhiss.
| Picture | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kayopis I the Persistent | 1277-1267; 1261-1249 AA | War of Five Kings, relinquished his claim after allying with Otis V Entered an erot agreement with Queen Gamora | |
|
Arnold I the Almost-Omnivorous | 1249-1221 AA | Built the Red Pyramid |
| Camus II (III) the Pragmatic | 1221-1204 AA | Met the Prophet Yunas, according to Kallean scriptures | |
| Phineas the Clement | 1204-1189 AA | Sponsored the Kalleanite Sojourn in 1202 AA | |
| Apef III the Iron | 1189-1170 AA | Subjugated the Vaninites and Mammonites, and various Limnean tribes | |
| Coronas II the Based | 1170-1145 AA | Enslaved and persecuted the Kalleanites, according to Kallean scriptures | |
| Enu IV the Moderate | 1145-1118 AA | ||
|
Kluni III the Hard-hearted | 1118-1112 AA | Kalleanite Exodus, died in battle against the Prophet Hobin |
| Roman I the Unlucky | 1112-1109 AA | Died in resistance against the Northonans | |
|
Mikael I the Fool | 1109-1098 AA | Puppet ruler for the Northonans, deposed by Shethu |
Sixth Dynasty (1112-1040 AA)
Also called the Xioite Kingdom. These ruled over Upper Orat while the Northonans ruled the north. Four kings ruled at Xios.
| Picture | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awan the Fortunate | 1112-1093 AA | Took over Upper Orat upon the Northonan invasion Ruled from Xios | |
| Kayopis II the Hopeful | 1093-1064 AA | ||
| Arnold II the Generous | 1064-1046 AA | ||
| Vandekh II the Do-Nothing (or the Lazy) | 1046-1040 AA | Ruled in minority under the regency of Mikael the Restorer, later deposed |
New Kingdom
Seventh Dynasty (1098-1030 AA)
Also called the Northonan Dynasty. These rulers originated from the nomadic Northonans who invaded from the Skypriot Plains. Four kings ruled at Dhiss.
| Picture | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Shethu the Foreigner | 1098-1081 AA | Invaded Lower Orat in 1112 AA Established military administration |
|
Kalamis the Swift | 1081-1059 AA | Contemporary to the philosopher Godeki |
| Moron I the Frugal | 1059-1038 AA | Sponsored royal libraries and the first Douist philosophers | |
|
Apef IV the Destroyer | 1038-1030 AA | Captured and executed by Mikeal the Restorer |
Eighth Dynasty (1040-860 AA)
Also called the Golden Age, this dynasty was the height of power of Ancient Orat and the apex of international influence of Douism. Eight kings ruled at Dhiss and Ankho.
| Picture | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mikael II the Restorer | 1040-1019 AA | Expelled the Northonans in 1030 AA, reunifying Orat |
|
Salatis I the Magnificent | 1019-978 AA | Apex of New Kingdom literature Contemporary of Konnu the Wise Established the Kuraka system Sponsored the travels of Hythos the Ambassador |
|
Roman II the Great | 978-924 AA | Initially ruled under a regency council of Douist Philosophers Expanded Orat to its greatest territorial extent Father of Aren and Solak Fought the Kalleanite War from 954-950 AA Saw rise of Kuraka Clans |
| Enu V the Ephemeral | 924-919 AA | Died of natural causes | |
|
Haten III the Mad | 919-901 AA | Converted to the Ona Cult Moved the capital to Ankho in 910 AA Restored the Ona Priesthood Ceded land to the Kalleanites |
|
Tutti III the Apostate | 901-893 AA | Followed the Ona Cult, assassinated |
|
Apef V the Enlightened | 893-872 AA | Grandson of Solak, the son of Roman the Great Restored Douism as official religion and Dhiss as the capital Led reactionary Douist movement Contemporary of the philosophers Urco and Fusci Supposedly contemporary of Arnold and Silas |
| Salatis II the Troubled | 872-860 AA | Decline of the New Kingdom Killed in peasant revolt by Morkai |
Ninth Dynasty (860-779 AA)
Also called the Morakai Dynasty. At this time, the New Kingdom continued to decline from institutional and economic problems, and eventually collapsed in the Norin War. Five kings ruled at Dhiss.
| Picture | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morkai I the Shieldbreaker | 860-842 AA | Started as a blacksmith in Dhiss Became king in a popular revolt Romanticized in The Tale of King Morakai Died suppressing a peasant revolt | |
| Roman III the Weak | 842-826 AA | ||
| Otis VI the Ill-Advised | 826-809 AA | Deferred power to the Kuraka Clans | |
| Moron II the Learned | 809-788 AA | Wrote works of philosophy Sponsored the start of Moderate Douism | |
| Kulo I the Belligerent | 788-779 AA | Instigated the Norin War from 786-779 AA Abdicated in favor of the Kuraka Yaman |
Late Kingdom
Tenth Dynasty (779-700 AA)
Also called the Age of Kurakas. During this time, the Shadanate was very weak and individual Kuraka clans operated as independent states. Four kings ruled at Dhiss.
| Picture | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yaman I the Quiet (or the Silent) | 779-769 AA | Ruled as Kuraka as Norin, won the Norin War | |
| Morkai II the Postumous | 769-753 AA | Ruled in minority, forced to abdicate before adulthood Much territory lost to King Iram of Limnos | |
| Kulo II the Simple | 753-738 AA | ||
|
Sabrina II the Rose (or the Pink) | 738-700 AA | Initially ruled in minority under the regency of Kuraka Azuki Strengthened the role of Shada Sponsored the creation of Feminist Douism Entered erot agreement with Azuki's son Momoi Prepared for the aborted invasion of King Ayob of Limnos |
Eleventh Dynasty (700-460 AA)
Also called the Norin Dynasty, descended of the Norin Kuraka Azuki. Seventeen kings ruled at Dhiss.
| Picture | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Momoi I the TDB | 700-681 AA | Son of Azuki and Sabrina | |
| Morkai III the TBD | 681-645 AA | ||
| Enu VI the TBD | 645-623 AA | ||
| Pocoros I the TBD | 623-611 AA | Kalleanite invasion in 615 AA | |
| Roman IV the TBD | 611-605 AA | ||
| Otis VII the TBD | 605-597 AA | ||
| Pander I the TBD | 597-593 AA | ||
| Yaman II the TBD | 593-588 AA | ||
| Roman V the TBD | 588-559 AA | Widespread religious conflict | |
| Momoi II the TBD | 559-540 AA | The Zoan Kingdom breaks off in 551 AA, partitioning the nation in half | |
| Yaman III the TBD | 540-529 AA | ||
| Pocoros II the TBD | 529-524 AA | ||
| Kayopis III the TBD | 524-499 AA | ||
| Kulo III the TBD | 499-490 AA | ||
| Roman VI the TBD | 490-480 AA | ||
| Pander II the TBD | 480-463 AA | Died in battle against Olric the Conqueror | |
| Apef VI the TBD | 463-460 AA | Reign spans the Siege of Dhiss Deposed by Olric the Conqueror Died in 420 AA |
Twelfth Dynasty (551-467)
Also called the Zoan Kingdom. These rulers converted to Kalleanism and ruled in Upper Orat. Four kings ruled at Zoan.
| Picture | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karlos (II) the Liberator | 551-533 AA | Crowned by the Prophet Morkai Broke off Upper Orat as independent | |
| Maneros the Fair | 533-501 AA | Sponsored the development of Kallean scriptures | |
| Olric I the Old | 501-484 AA | ||
|
Roxanne the Holy | 484-467 AA | Married Kyro of the Skypriot Empire Converted Skypriots to Kalleanism |
Venerable Era
Thirteenth Dynasty (467-370 AA)
Also called the Oratian Empire or Imperial Era. During this time, Orat is the center of the largest nation in the known world. However, it is also dominated by foreign culture, namely the Kallean religion and Skypriot military, when Douism was marginalized from society. Six kings ruled at Zoan, then Dhiss.
| Picture | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Olric II the Conqueror | 467-442 AA | Conquered Lower Orat in 460 AA, founding the Oratian Empire Destroyed the Royal Citadel of Dhiss Conquered Limnos in 449 AA Conquered much of the known world |
|
Armand I the Great | 442-401 AA | Defined new art and literature of the Venerable Era Created Orat's first standard road system Restored the Great Temple of Kalla Made moralistic reforms at the expense of Douism Abolished the Kreena |
|
Shutu the Happy | 401-391 AA | Suffered revolts from the Skypriots Only confirmed homosexual Shada |
| Armand II the Posthumous | 391-378 AA | Came to throne as an infant, under regency of Rumi the Savior Disappeared, presumably murdered | |
| Smerdis the Last | 378-372 AA | Close friend of Rumi the Savior Responded to revolt of Limnos, died in Battle of Dedu River Oratian Empire dissolved | |
| Otho | 372-370 AA | Opposed Rumi the Savior Captured and imprisoned for life |
Fourteenth Dynasty (372-183 AA)
Also called the Ruminid Dynasty, successor state of the Oratian Empire. Ten kings ruled at Dhiss.
| Picture | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Rumi I the Savior | 372-345 AA | Restored Douism as official religion Repaired the Royal Citadel of Dhiss Reversed the policies of Armand the Great |
| Rumi II the Woke | 345-339 AA | ||
|
Rumi III the Sea-Worthy | 339-308 AA | Created Orat's first formidable navy |
| Rumi IV the Capricous | 308-289 AA | ||
| Rumi V the Navigator | 289-257 AA | Expanded the Oratian Navy across the Ubiud Sea | |
| Rum VI the Experienced | 257-239 AA | ||
| Rum VII the Battler | 239-218 AA | Conquered XXX, Orat's first overseas territory | |
| Rum VIII the Filler | 218-206 AA | ||
| Rum IX the Ambitious | 206-19X AA | Waged XXX War for domination over XXX | |
|
Sabrina III the Alluring | 19X-183 AA | Last Shada of the Venerable Era |