Leviea (Origo Mundi)
 Remains of Leviea's southeastern tower | |
| Region | Sephimora |
|---|---|
| Type | Fortified City |
| History | |
| Builder |
Xares I Levian |
| Founded | 240-250s OM |
Leviea is an ancient fortification and city located in western Sephimora, near the border of Ancient Edom. The site is situated on an isolated mountain in the Edomite desert, approximately 2,285 meters (7,497 feet) tall. The site is believed to have been constructed by the ruler Xares I Levian of Ulmaxares in the 240-250s OM, although it would likely not reach its full form until years or decades later.
Originally constructed as a fortress for the nation of Ulmaxares, the site gained a reputation as being "impenetrable", after numerous ancient siege attempts against the fortress. Leviea's reputation would attract many Ulmian refugees and settlers, leading to the site developing into a populated city state. Although the city at times diplomatically joined surrounding nations, for most of its history it remained an independent city. The city would serve as a trade hub for goods passing across Letsia, and as a center of learning and information, as its defensiveness gave rise to one of the Ulm religion's largest concentrations of scribes and authors. Later the city would also become one of the holy sites of the Enulmian religion.
History
Founding
Leviea is believed to have begun construction toward the end of Xares I Levian's reign in Ulmaxares, around the 240-250s OM. The site was originally a lone mountain in the desert, approximately 2,285 meters (7,497 feet) tall, which housed a small fresh water spring. Its immense isolation would have made the site highly defensible, but also would have made construction difficult, leading historians to believe the original fortress was far smaller and modest. Xares likely envisioned the site as a refuge for Ulmians, especially in the case of an invasion of his nation by hostile neighbors.
Leviea was first mentioned as an established fortress in the writings of Iosynomis, who wrote that it played a role in war with Edom around 250. Although eastern Edom was relatively intermixed with Ulmism, and under little direct control from the nation’s government, at some point the local governor’s opinion of the upstart kingdom changed negatively. Iosynomis writes that a governor named “Malecius” came to power in the east, and sought to subjugate the kingdom on its border, whose claims had overlapped with his own. Although Iosynomis' account is highly detailed, owing in part to being a firsthand witness to much of the history of Ulmaxares, historians also believe his retelling of the early events at Leviea are exaggerated.
He states that Xares and the Ulmists refused to submit to Edom, and marched on the eastern stronghold of Mazalana. Before a battle could take place, Xares prayed the night before, and due to his piety the enemy army was compelled to join the Ulmists and be anointed by oil. With his army defected, Malecius cursed the kingdom, but reluctantly made peace. It is mentioned during this time that Leviea was commissioned to guard the border with Edom, and was garrisoned during this brief conflict. It is likely that with nations such as Ulmaxares on its border, Edom would have been hostile to the Ulmian religion officially, but archaeological evidence and the existence of church writings seems to indicate there was a small but strong presence in the capital city itself.
Fall of Ulmaxares
According to Iosynomis, the situation in Ulmaxares began to deteriorate quickly during the mid to late 250s. The highly diverse population of Ulmaxares began to unravel, with the first incident allegedly being when an Edomite made an animal sacrifice outside an Ulmist church, leading to an outbreak of violence. The highly zealous supporters of Xares called for a ban on all other religions, and strict religious uniformity, while the followers of non-Ulmist religions ceased paying taxes or following the orders of the government until their needs were met. The king, although partial to the Ulmist side, sought a more peaceful and neutral resolution. His inaction caused the more radical elements of the government to form the Zealots, a movement for strict Ulmist theocracy. A schism occurred between the Zealots and the Xaresians, and when the king vacated the capital of Nerimos temporarily, the Zealots under Ishbakin ben Landrew managed to capture the city by turning on the city’s garrison.
The arrival of Teloc’zepoc the Fat at the head of a Yannian army caused a crisis in the fragile kingdom. Xares’ army was left stuck between two hostile forces, and the city of Dascelos fell quickly to the Yannians before he could muster a proper defense. With hostile neighbors all around the kingdom, it also soon found itself victim to incursions from Edom and others. Iosynomis calls the arrival of an Azozian army "a miracle from the True God", as it managed to buy the king enough time to withdraw south and then retake Nerimos, although the city was now badly damaged. In the Siege of Nerimos by the Yannis Empire and the Edomite Malecius, the city was destroyed. The great basilica was razed to the ground, with many Ulmians being killed or imprisoned. According to legend, Xares was killed in the battle, but before he died he commanded that the dwelling of the True God in the center of the temple be lifted by 50 men and transported out of the city.
This band, under the command of Xares’ son, named Vedun, carried the holy dwelling and a caravan of Ulmists into the desert. First the people of Ulmaxares and the remaining army of the nation fled to the citadel of Leviea, which Iosynomis says successfully held out against siege for years before the invaders withdrew. The kingdom proper had fallen, and Iosynomis writes that Vedun’s contingent continued south, making a great exodus across the desert. After many years the Ulmians came upon a river in the southern mountains, where they built a new, modest temple, and a settlement hidden from the rest of the world. The outcome of the rest of the kingdom’s land is not entirely known, but evidence suggests that the kingdom was probably split between an Edomite province and a new kingdom in the north of Mesallian origin.
According to legend, Teloc’zepoc the Fat became so encumbered with treasure that he ate himself to death while traveling back to the coast. Physical evidence shows that Edom brought many Ulmian artifacts back to the capital, but also many Ulmian ideas were adopted as well. It was after the attempted siege of Leviea that a woman preacher named Shanza began to gain a large following in the city of Edom. She would give rise to one of the most popular sects of the Ulmian religion in Edom, which combined elements of Ulm with Edomite culture.
According to the texts of the Xaresians their exodus across the great eastern desert left them hidden in an unknown, exotic world. The true nature of this isolation is disputed, as excavated sites within their former settlement have discovered Edomite coins bearing the new monarch’s likeness, indicating that some contact remained with the rest of the world. The modern day archaeological site is less than 100 miles east of a similarly dated Edomite outpost on the fringes of their empire, so it is possible that some contact existed west to east. Some 50 years later, the Mesallian writer Herasitas mentions a small kingdom to the south, that merchants would occasionally cross the desert to trade with, perhaps indicating that the Mesallian world did not totally forget about the small Ulmian colony.
Iosynomis writes that the other Ulmian stronghold, the citadel of Leviea, continued to hold out against foreign powers. After the initial siege by the Yannian army failed, Iosynomis recounts at least four other sieges within the next few years by different parties, all of which eventually withdrew. The stronghold attracted the occasional town to crop up around it, which was periodically moved or destroyed. When advancing armies passed through the area en route somewhere else, Leviea became an important ally for any army seeking resupply in the region. Leviea would additionally send small parties to found settlements in the surrounding mountains, although its power remained largely trapped within the mountain citadel itself.
Founding of Enulmism
Leviea eventually increased its contact with Edom in the decades following the fall of Ulmaxares. The city's library would become the nexus for theological writings, including documents describing the history of many early sects, which would have otherwise been lost to time. In the early 270s a major event occurred relevant to the Ulmians in Edom; the “Massacre of the Innocents”. Any sources from an Edomite perspective on the ordering of the event appear to have been lost to time, however, later sources that reference earlier accounts appear to indicate that the event was motivated purely in an attempt to rid the city of its upstart cult.
According to the preacher and church leader Shanza, the Shanzians were spared because the True God made the soldiers “pass over” the women Ulmians, and used the event in a major way for recruitment purposes. In reality it is likely that the Shanzians were targeted too, but because of the nature of the cult they managed to blend in much easier and were not as equally hated in the eyes of the matriarchal authorities. Another influential source on the event is the Ulmian writer Lanun, who was an Edomite convert living east of the city. According to him, after the fall of the Ulmaxares theocracy to the east, the True God spoke to the high priests before the exodus and said that a descendant of Nelrim would be “reborn” under the sky of a rising star, who would reclaim the high temple in the name of the True God, and also avenge the fall of Xares by destroying the elite of Edom.
He then states that the ruler of Edom systematically killed the Ulmians of the city in an effort to prevent this prophecy from coming true. Iosynomis, the primary Xaresian historian of the era, also confirms this as a possibility, although no other sources, especially non-Ulmian ones, mention this. If this was the case the Edomite massacre failed, as according to legend when the rising star was spotted in the sky a boy was born to two hidden Ulmians somewhere near the city, and the boy were smuggled out into the countryside. The boy is next mentioned by Lanun to have traveled to Leviea when he was an adolescent. He stood before the gates of the fortress and walked up to the sacred gate, which had been closed since the fall of Xares’ kingdom. When the guards fired upon him all 100 arrows missed him, and he did not flinch or move.
The high priest went to the gate and questioned the boy, and he began to recite the words of the Prophet Nelrim and the secret code of Xares. Astonished the high priests opened the gates and declared the boy Nelrim II, the rightly guided successor. Several other texts, written much further after the event, add other important details. One states that three priests witnessed the event as well; two from the tribe of Vedun and one from the Tahuan tribe descended from Milo. The three witnessed the boy’s ascension and proclaimed him the champion of the True God, the enlightened, and the savior from death, and traveled back to their homes to relay the news.
Whether coincidentally or not, around the same time the people of Vedun broke their self-imposed “isolation”, and contacted Leviea for the first time. According to records within the city, a great ritual occurred and two priests were dispatched after a revelation from the True God came down to them. The mention of the Tahuan witness is more peculiar, as the Tahuans had little to no knowledge of Leviea at this time. Instead it is believed that this was a later addition after Tahua became important in the region’s religion and culture.
After relatively little mention of the “reborn prophet” during his early years, Iosynomis writes that as an adult Nelrim II, also known as Jesiphim (meaning “the Returned”) began preaching and performing miracles in the citadel of Leviea. With the people of the citadel swayed to his teachings, Nelrim also had the people of Leviea build a small temple within the city in a new way. Archaeological evidence has determined that in a different part of the citadel this temple was constructed, with an altar at the front across from a back entrance. Knowing this, historians have been able to trace the spread of the new teachings by the emergence of temples of this new design.
After this, Nelrim is said to have traveled across the desert to the land of the Tribe of Vedun to make a pilgrimage to the holy dwelling of the True God, who he called “Enyeas” (from the phrase “Enyeas ris tos”, or “Sole Being”). There was much debate regarding the union of the two kingdoms, but convinced by the prophet, Vedun wed his daughter to Nelrim and proclaimed him suzerain over the southern lands. A small temple was constructed in the city to Nelrim’s specifications, and the holy dwelling of Enyeas was placed within. The Xaresian Law was transformed by Nelrim after a deliberation with Enyeas. Among these rules, a theocratic kingdom was formed. Nelrim’s oldest son would carry on his secular kingdom when he perished, and if there was no direct descendant then the high priests would be responsible for discovering Nelrim’s reincarnated spirit.
During this time the small kingdom managed to spread along the river, with the prophet traveling as far as Emalia. With Nelrim primarily focused on religious practices, a group of “New Apostles” formed, which included Vedun and many close followers. This group effectively ruled the kingdom in Nelrim’s absence. Lastly, Nelrim traveled to Tahua, according to Iosynomis, and was captured by one of its tribes. He is said to have sacrificed his life for the souls of all humanity, fearing death not, as he knew that Enyeas would raise all the holy from death. With no apparent heir, the kingdom came to be ruled by the seven apostles until Vedun died of natural causes soon after. After which, a disciple named Erenus was said to be elected as the rightly guided successor to the prophet. The seven apostles and their descendants eventually evolved into tribes within the nation. Leviea initially refused entry to Erenus’ envoys, but after Erenus traveled to the citadel itself they yielded and allowed the new king entry into the city.
Foundation of Sephimora
The region surrounding Leviea, and the lands of the former nation of Ulmaxares, became rechristened as the Kingdom of Sephimora, a term derived from the Eclisian title of Jesiphim, meaning "the Returned"; here meaning "Land of the Returned". The ruler Erenus is believed to have made major improvements to Leviea, including the leveling of plateaus around the mountain to build additional fortifications, and expansions to the city's library. The king also promoted a network of copying monasteries, in the same tradition as the Ulmian scholars, which spread the city's doctrine and scholars throughout the region.
The nation claimed the southern desert, which had been crossed during the nation’s exodus from Nerimos, to nominally connect the state with the stronghold at Leviea, while a trade route emerges between Leviea and Nelgistis, stopping at many of the major camps across the desert. Numerous monasteries were maintained in the mountains that separate the kingdom from the nearby nation of Edom, with some within Edomite territory. The king would send numerous preachers to the harsh mines across the border, preaching of salvation to the working miners of Edom. Many are said to have converted to the teachings of Sephimora, and in time this led to the Edomite governors of the region being alerted.
By the time of Erenus’ death, the Enulmist religion had firmly spread to the towns of eastern Edom, the oases across the desert, and to a handful of cities in the far south in small numbers. It is believed that Ulmians were also encountered in small numbers in this region, and Enulmians attempted to convert them. However, Ulmism was generally looked upon as favorable in the eyes of the early Enulmians. Erenus was succeeded by Vedun II Nicantis who founded the town of Nicania during the early years of his reign.
It is known that Enulmism spread west across the trade routes of Umhlaba, where copying monasteries and secret basilicas were common. During the Umhlaba War in the 370s, an Enulmian warrior named Levian the Lucky is recorded as being one, the leaders of the covert Water Merchants council, and was present during the creation of the stronghold known as The Hub. When the Chatna Empire waged war against the Mesallians in the 380s, it is recorded that Leviea seemed to support the Azozian army, with volunteers from the region joining them.
Ioxemanderian Empire
During the unprecedented conquest of Ioxemander the Great of Erasidon at the start of the fifth century, the king is said to have made a detour to Leviea. In the later one-half of the third year of the 51st Jafiad (Year 406) he entered the Great Lakes region, befriending the Tahuan tribes and allying with them to subjugate the Kingdom of Uloyiso. His arrival aligned with a Tahuan prophecy that Nelrim would return when Uloyiso fell, and he was declared to be the prophet returned. He sought to travel to Sephimora to be affirmed by the high priests as Jesiphem, and to do so led his army and an army of the Tahuans and Lakemen into Lyania, which he decreed would fall back under the authority of Emalia. Arriving in Sephimora in the fourth year of the Jafiad, the king successfully proved himself to be the prophet reincarnated, and the kingdom bowed to him.
Traveling to Leviea, he became the first ruler since Nelrim II to enter the holiest levels of the citadel. Having accomplished much in the east, the king sought to return to Mesallas for the 52nd Jafiad, and continue on to fulfill his destiny against the people who had killed his father. Luckily the death of the Chatnan emperor came soon after, and by that time the region fell largely to the authority of individual governors and claimants. From Leviea the king decided to first invade north and retake the Holy City of Nerimos, leading a small army of Sephimorans who believed him their prophet. They discovered the city under the command of Cassander I Nerimanus, and his father-in-law Cassius, and the king prepared for a siege. The Mesallians produced three siege towers which would be used to scale the walls, while the Sephimorans attempted to call upon divine intervention to curse the defenders. Both appeared to work, as the city soon fell.
Although the king showed mercy to all the city’s inhabitants, when Cassius refused to kneel before the king, he had a rope forced through Cassius’ ankle, and had him dragged alive by chariot around the city, much like the ancient stories of Leto in the Dioman War. As Cassander had fall back to Dascelos, a garrison was left in the city and Ioxemander pursed the fleeing governor north. According to one account, once Ioxemander came to the city, as the city was almost entirely Mesallian, with many Ulmians and Enulmians, the city’s inhabitants decided to turn on their governor and grant Ioxemander entrance.
After Ioxemander's death in 420 his empire began to fragment, and Sephimora became a major site of this civil war. In Sephimora, a general and descendant of Xares named Ichabon succeeded Ioxemander, leading the zealots of Enulmism. Although he was initially to be tasked with governing the entire region between Edom and Emalia, the northern city-states instead aligned behind Mesallian commanders, with Adranates IV ascending to the throne of Ghanis and Zolius II rising in Dascelos. Ichabon would successfully defend Nerimos, turning the city into his capital, and finally transferring the Holy Dwelling back to the great temple in the city.
Ichabon would fall in battle in 428, and the elders of Sephimora elected a new leader for themselves, without consulting any imperial authority. The result was Vedun V Sotiras, a Sephimoran officer who had demonstrated himself on the battlefield. This soon caused further crisis, as Adranates IV managed to take Dascelos, while in Nerimos one of Ichabnon’s commanders, Xares, managed to take Vedun’s de jure capital while he was in Nelgistis receiving the blessing of the Sephimorans, and Xares received the approval of Evandus as official governor, as he was married to Evandus’ cousin, although by the time this news arrived in Sephimora Evandus had already passed.
In Leviea the high priests of the city declared neutrality until a sign was granted by Enyeas, although neither side was foolish enough to force the city to comply to their will just yet, as such an action would likely be viewed as both sacrilegious and a logistical disaster. Under Xares III and one of his lead generals, Erisander of Naro, Nerimos would hold out against Vedun V’s first attempted attack. When Evandus died and Lysimedes contested the regency of Cestalus, both sides viewed the Three Cities as an important ally to secure Mesallas. While Xares III was hesitant to support Lysimedes, Erisander secretly agreed to support him as regent.
In the south Erisander convinced Lysimedes’ ally, Asandius of Edom, to lead a military expedition into Sephimora from the west and south, which proved to be a popular decision among the Edomites, and led to Vedun V’s capture and death. Around the same time Erisander would have Xares III assassinated, then have himself crowned in Nerimos and Nelgistis, with the Sephimorans compelled by Edomite force. In exchange Erisander swore fealty to Edom, although secretly at first. The following year Adranates IV peacefully negotiated to join Erisander’s kingdom, in exchange for retaining rule as a vassal over his domain. Erisander would also convert to Enulmism, taking the name Erisander I Levian, in order to appease the Sephimorans, and to persuade Leviea to submit peacefully as well.
Erenus' Siege
Erisander would be the first king to reunite Sephimora after Ioxemander's death, ruling until 477, and he was succeeded by Erenus III Levian. During the reign of Erenus III, a religious leader of the Enulmians called Ichabon II would lead a popular movement to replace the king, prompting Erenus III to raise a major force in Nerimos with Lementarian support. The king then marched south, stopping first at Leviea. He discovered that the fortress refused him entry, and a siege began. Over the next few months Erenus suffered many losses from a lack of supplies in the desert, which forced him to dedicate even more resources toward creating a caravan to his location to support himself. His army was constantly harassed by arrows and projectiles, further withering away his army.
Finally he ordered an assault, confidence in success due to having, according to one source, more than 20 times more soldiers than the defenders. Instead the attack horribly failed, and Erenus would be killed. The siege was part of the larger war between the Water Merchants and the Lementarians, and the immense defeat would practically end the war immediately. The defeat of Erenus III would also solidify an important precedent in Leviea's history; the city would act as its own entity that could refuse to support any secular king they deemed impious, and would be independent should they not agree with any Sephimoran king.
Second Sephimoran Civil War
During the Second Sephimoran Civil War, which began in 602, the ruler Vedun VI lost control of Nerimos and the rest of the kingdom, but managed to flee to the city of Leviea. Convinced that no one would challenge the legendary stronghold, he continued to style himself king in Leviea, even as the rest of the kingdom around him fell from his grasp. It would not be until 609 that he left the city, after years of civil war and foreign invasions throughout the rest of the region.
He marched on the city of Nerimos and rallied its population to rebel, after it had been captured by the unpopular and heathen general Sarnon. The city would be captured and Sarnon fled to Democratos later that year. After the death of Vedun VI in 612 his supporters followed Ichabon IV. The civil war largely came to a close, but the region was now firmly divided between Ichabon IV and the Emalian Kingdom of Ephenus, ruled first by Tiramus and later by Pyrander.
Second Xeran-Yannian War
Sephimora would be invaded by the Yannis Empire during the war with the Azozian Xeran Empire. In 672 the Yannians sent a delegation to Nerimos to attempt to depose Levian V and control the election of the Sephimoran king, which had been established as their right in the Ema Peace.
The deposing of Levian V did not go as planned, but due to his armies being split between the east and west, he would be killed in battle. The Yannian contingent, which was almost entirely Yanno-Mesallians from the Melopenes, was led by Yeseculecus, the governor in Nykos, who appointed himself King of Sephimora, and married Medesa, a daughter of Evanematra V of Edom. This was disputed by the entirety of Sephimora, from Leviea to Nelgistis, and Yeseculecus would spent most of the year struggling to assert control.
After several contested Yannian and anti-Yannian Sephimoran kings, Ptelamus of Ephenus would launch an invasion of Sephimora in the second year of the 119th Jafiad (Year 677), with partial Yannian backing. This would lead to an Edomite-Emalian War, as the Kingdom of Edom still exercised its ancient tradition of claiming hegemony over the Kingdom of Sephimora. Ptelamus would conquer the majority of Sephimora, and successfully repulse Edomite invasion, although the stronghold of Leviea refused to recognize either claim. Two years later a peace would be agreed upon, which formally led to the annexation of Sephimora to the Empire of Emalia, as a constituent kingdom, although Alsoba would directly claim parts of its south.
Period of Full Independence
From the end of the seventh century onward the region of Sephimora would become caught in frequent warfare between the expansionist kingdoms of Edom and Emalia/Ephenus. With no strong Sephimoran king emerging that was not a puppet of either of the two invaders, the city of Leviea refused to recognize any side and became independent for its long period to date. By the time of the 860s the city of Leviea had been independent and defiant for a century, remaining a city-state island completely surrounded by the ocean of Edom. The city had refused to recognize the either the King of Ephenus or the Maleka of Edom, and the city remained independent after the remains of Sephimora were conquered.
Just as it had before in other times of chaos and uncertainty, the city kept its gates locked until a worthy king would arrive, but by this time the city had been left alone longer than ever before. The Maleka of Edom, having defeated Ephenus to secure most of the kingdom, begrudgingly left Leviea alone, considering the cost of assaulting it too great. Despite this political isolation, the city continued to be an important trade city between the coastal cities and the interior, as well as a popular destination for Enulmian travelers. The Kingdom of Ephenus came to be ruled by Haliecles VI, who threatened the careful balance of states in the Emalia region. During a minor war between Gabatria and Meshwati, originally beginning from a trade dispute, Ephenus suddenly invaded Gabatria.
Having subjugated Gabatria by the fourth year of the 163rd Jafiad (Year 863), Ephenus next turned its attention toward invading Edom, planning to regain the region of Sephimora fully. The following year Haliecles VI crossed the border, but he first turned toward Leviea, which he intended to use as a base for resupply to begin his war. Edom was highly unprepared for battle, but the city of Leviea managed to resist the siege until Edom’s army arrived. Haliecles VI would suffer a major defeat, and out of gratitude the city of Leviea increased its cooperation with the nation of Edom going forward.
In the 910s, when Edom and Azoz were united into a shaky personal union, the decision by Thalut of Azoz to move armed soldiers into the Enulmian temple at Nerimos was seen as a declaration of war. A full rebellion broke out, with the Templars being targeted by the locals. The governor in Nerimos ultimately caved in favor of the rebels, and ordered the Edomite army and navy to open fire upon the Azozian ships arriving. The event would become a major fiasco, with the nation’s navy turning on itself and losing one-half its strength, and a large portion of Nerimos population being killed. Edomite soldiers would need to be dispatched to regain order over the east, effectively being tasked with reconquering the Three Cities. Likewise, relations with Leviea reverted back to negative, and the city-state returned to its isolation.
List of Battles
Leviea is famous for its defensiveness and ability to repulse sieges, despite numerous attempts to conquer the city throughout the years.
- First Edomite-Ulmaxares War (c. 250) - Attempted invasion by an Edomite governor named Malecius is defeated.
- Fall of Ulmaxares (c. 259-260s) - During the fall of Ulmaxares, in which the capital at Nerimos fell to Yannian invaders, an attempted multi-year siege of Leviea resulted is defeated.
- The "Four Sieges" (c. 260s) - The writer Iosynomis claims that four different sieges of Leviea occurred in the 260s, after the major siege by the Yannian army at the start of the decade. He does not specify who led each siege specifically, but it is likely that Edomites, Mesallians, and Yannians of the region attacked the city, with each siege ending in defeat.
- Erenus III's Siege (c. 494) - During the Lementarian-Water Merchant War, Erenus III Levian attempted to siege Leviea with Lementarian support, after the city rebelled against his rule. The siege would end in defeat with Erenus being killed, and the war between the Lementarians and Water Merchants would end soon after.
- Haliecles VI's Siege (c. 863) - During the invasion of Edom by Ephenus, Haliecles VI attempted to take Leviea in order to secure his flank and supply lines into Edom. His siege would be defeated, and Leviea became open to cooperation with Edom.