SOUTHERN SHORE, 312BC

"People of Ata... What woes we have weathered these past few generations. Drought after drought, raid after raid, we faced them together with unity that would put the old Tekata to shame. To ride the swell of this century and emerge the gem of the Iz is a feat that still brings a tear to this old Izalo's eye."

The crowd fares little better, black cheeks of men and women alike slick with tears. Daintily, a blindfold is tied around the Izalo's head,

"I have dedicated my life to my people, my children. I can only hope that history treats me with more kindness than the Arrashi have."

The blade slices through his naked neck, leaving the head to roll freely down the steps of the Atrazara and into the heart of the screaming crowd. This is the first execution to grace this city, and the people don't seem too keen on the concept.

A few minutes pass, enough time for the crowd to fall silent again spare a few distant whimpers and muffled cries. The Executioner uses a patch of linen to clean his sword, gracefully sheathing it once the surface is scrubbed of blood, before standing to address his subjects.

His figure is animalistic, imposing, standing at least a head above the tallest of the Tekata. However, unlike the rest of his Arrashi kin, he is well built and athletic, features which are prominent even under the shell of his armour. His head lulls as he assesses the crowd.

"He liked to talk. Idle talk, meaningless talk. He talks like the Tekata talks, but he wouldn't talk to me. He wouldn't talk about the war, he wouldn't talk about your people, and he certainly wouldn't talk about surrender." With a languid gesture, the man thumbs to the distant plume of smoke, "And that is what his silence bought his people."

Cries resound through the crowd.

"There was no need to fight. No need for your sons, brothers and daughters to die, but here we are now, and there they are."

The man is softly spoken, but a tinge of firmness fringes the edges of his voice, "My hatred for your people is no secret, but I am capable of preventing it from affecting my attitude. Your arrogant disdain for inlanders was your downfall. Had you convinced Hunthi and Laidarta of my intentions and banded together, you could've killed and cooked me before my 15th harvest, much as you did for my father."

The Executioner exhales heavily, "Yet here we are."

"To those who don't know me, I am King Naulshi-ath-Dane, conqueror of Laidarta, Hunthi, Tek and Ata, descendant of Shir, ruler of the Arrashi tribes. As my newly conquered subjects, I wish to assure you of my good intentions even in light of my disposition. I have a great respect for the Tekata and your achievements, and as such I will leave your city mostly independent. However, a few minor changes in law will soon be passed, and I wish to give you fair warning in advance. For now, though, life will continue as normally as you can manage."

"I look forward to working with you."

With that, the man trudges off the stage into his carriage. There was little indication from the monotony of his speech that his empire would be any more than a fleeting blot on Ata's history, but then again, first impressions rarely hold true in the long run.

No one can tell what the future brings.

Arrashi [aʀɶʃi] is the given name for a collection of unified mountain tribes/cultures, frequently employed in either mercenary work or banditry. During the days of the Tekata, they were persecuted and hunted even if they wanted to do little more than farming, forced to retreat into the deepest depths of the mountains. However, in the past century of strife the reach of the faction has extended northeasterly, towards the territory of the two peaceful tribes of the Hunthi and Laidarta. Using cunning and guile, Naulshi [naʊlʃi] managed to pit both tribes against each other, weakening both to the extent where they could be assimilated into the Arrashi horde. During this time, the army became somewhat more formal, a military formed almost exclusively of heavy infantry and light archers.

A decade of peace passed; with the Hunthi and Laidarta employed as slaves the Arrashi were free to build administrative and military power, up to the point where they were capable of threatening the remnants of the Tekata. Tek fell with little fight, whilst Ata put up a little more resistance than Naulshi bargained for. Regardless, the city was taken in 312BC after a two year siege, and so consolidation of the Arrashi empire could begin.

From robbing to ruling, the Arrashi have come a long way.

(More indepth culture posts coming sooooon!)

MAP /(before conquest of Tekata/Hunthi/Laidarta)

CLAIM MAP

ARRASHI EQUIPMENT