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King Cahaya woke up drenched in sweat.

This had been his seventh straight day with these terrible dreams. Visions came and haunted him throughout the night - scenes of Sarawak in ruins, besieged by floods, fires, and even the ground quaking beneath their feet. He saw many, many dead, their bodies floating in the floodwaters lifeless and still.

Of course, these ideas did not simply come out of nowhere. For the last year, in fact, as of a year ago today, Priests and Priestesses of Mykara - the God of Fate and Prophecy - had been preaching about the destruction of the city. They saw the Gods as angry that such a large city had been built so close to the holy ground of the Vüolt of Teç, which they claimed was being tainted by the filth and evils of the city. And these were well-respected men and women - they did not make such proclamations lightly. So over the past year, many of the residents of the city had fled, settling in new lands, old towns, and especially the rapidly-expanding city of Kuching, King Cahaya's hometown and a rapidly-growing trade port. The King himself had even began expanding his home there into a palace of sorts, you know, just in case. However, many people were still unable to leave behind their entire livelihoods on a whim, despite these predictions. And they certainly were encouraged to stay by how outspoken the Majilis Besar, the Grand Council, were of these holy men.

You see, the Council had well entrenched themselves in Sarawak, enjoying their place inside the Vüolt of Teç and the influence they had as members of the government. This meant being quite rude about their influence and position in public, seeming to defy the Gods for their own gain, and for a good many of them, remaining outspoken against the King.

King Cahaya was, to put it lightly, a controversial King. Not for anything he did - he was often the model of decency, justice, and good rulership - nor were these feelings held by the population of Doebi - they all pretty much loved him. But he was controversial to many members of the Majilis Besar because of who he was - the son of the former King, who himself was the son of a former King.

This did not happen quietly or by accident. King Cahaya's grandfather was King Kariko - the Raja who was the first to make contact and interact with the Ayamerah people and who traced his lineage back to the Great King Suhendra. While the Grand Council was fearful of this contact, and debated endlessly among themselves, King Kariko took the opportunity to personally see to an expansion in relationship and trade, building the foundations of the future relationship between the two peoples. His son became one of the first major merchants sailing between these two lands, becoming very well known and popular among the towns on the coast of Doebi. When King Kariko died of old age many years later, the council members representing the now-wealthy and populous trading towns on the coast wanted to ensure a continued healthy trade relationship with the Ayamerah, and so decided to elect his son as King, whose mercantile history would serve to help keep them wealthy. This upset some purists, and especially the council members from inland Doebi, but there was not much to be done, especially as this was still someone who traced their family history back to Suhendra, a Great King and Demigod.

His son, Cahaya, wanted in on the family business, however, and from a young age dedicated himself to the studies of governance, rulership, justice, and politicking. He became very good at these things, and made many trips across Doebi, becoming well known as his father's emissary both to towns in Doebi and in Ayamerah. But Cahaya was smart, and knew this would not be enough. So as his father grew older and more ill, he began to quietly talk to many of the council members on the fence about supporting him, bribing them with money and promises of extra influence - influence they would not find equal in their positions on the council, which was famously bureaucratic in its decision-making and gridlocked in debate between the coastal and inland council members. When his father finally died, Cahaya was elected as King by a margin of just thee of the 257 votes cast. This would leave a bad taste in the mouth of many council members, but his popularity was such that they could not risk doing anything about it.

So you could imagine their annoyance when the King began to take the advice of these madmen and women seriously, looking to abandon the place where they had the most power, and further undermining their authority. They would stay, and show people not to trust in the ravings of doomsayers, even if they ARE priests.

Cahaya, on the other hand, was reverent of the Gods and their emissaries on Doebi. He understood that something was coming, and after a week of his own prophetic dreams, decided he would ignore them no longer. So, ignoring the jeers and laughing of the council members who had stayed, King Cahaya loaded his family, much of his riches, and his servants onto pack-beasts and wagons, and set off for his hometown of Kuching, and his palace there. And as he settled in for his first night on the road, he was finally free from the dreams that had plagued him for so long. After a week of journeying, he was finally home. He immediately held a grand feast for the people of the town, and that night, settled in for a deep sleep.

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The King looked around in fear as his room was shaking. He tried everything to wake up, but no amount of pinching or slapping would wake him up. Then he turned back to his bed, and looked at his wife, whose eyes were wide open in fear. That is when he realized that he would not be waking up, because he was awake - this time, it was real.

Back in Sarawak, the people remaining in the city were fleeing or cowering in fear. A powerful tremor shook the city for almost three minutes, bringing down homes, temples, taverns, and even the palace itself. It was said that a massive chunk of the roof fell directly onto the bed where King Cahaya would have slept, and it crushed a council member who had decided to not let the palace go unused in his absence. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the shaking stopped, and after a few more minutes of hiding the survivors emerged into a raging storm, desperately trying to dig family members out of the rubble. Those that could then fled to the shores, away from the buildings that could fall on them at any moment.

As they did, they saw the seas recede far away from the coast, as if pulled back by Taona herself. They ran onto the new ground, believing it to be the Gods giving them shelter from the dangers of the city.

They did not realize how wrong they were until it was too late.

It was a small boy, no older than 5 who saw it first. He pointed up into the darkness, and his mother turned to look. Then she screamed. A massive wave, as high as ten men, was rushing towards them at an unnatural speed, and as lightning flashed overhead many thought they saw a massive, tentacled beast moving the wave forward. They ran, but for most it was futile, and the water soon overtook them.

The Great Wave, or Gelombesar as it would later be known as, swept over everything in its path, destroying any buildings that the tremors had not, and washing much of the rubble out to sea. Survivors who made it to higher ground in time told tales of countless bodies dotting the surface of the water as it ate apart the city stone by stone, the massive beast they would call a Kraken tearing apart buildings, and throwing survivors into its massive and sharp beak.

Within hours, Sarawak - the once great city of Doebi, the seat of its power and the gathering place for its people - was nothing but a pile of ruins. The only place unharmed by this disaster was the Vüolt of Teç, though every council member who called it home and had remained during the tremor and flood had perished. The survivors looked upon their former home, and wept.

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Within days, the King was notified of the horror that had befallen the capital. The Gelombesar had struck up and down the coast, even as far away as Ayamerah, but nowhere was it as powerful as it had been in Sarawak. The people of Doebi were in mourning, without the majority of their governing body, and unsure how to move forward. They looked to their King, who had trusted in the Gods and Priests, who was descended from Suhendra and therefore the Gods themselves, and who was beloved by the people. Cahaya knew what he had to do, and so called together a grand crowd formed from the people of Kuching and many refugees from Sarawak who would call this place home.

"People of Doebi, a tragedy the likes of which we have not experienced since the Great Flood has befallen us. We have all lost people on this day - friends, family members, brothers and sisters in faith, and all too numerous to count. But this was not sudden. The prophecy of this destruction has been foretold for over a year, and those with both the faith to trust in the Gods and the ability to do so were able to avoid the brunt of this terror. But many did not, including many of our own council members, who chose to put themselves above the Priests, above the Gods, so to protect the benefits they saw themselves as having instead of the importance of their positions or their faith in the Gods. This type of activity is what angered the Gods in the first place, and in order to avoid future disaster, it is one I cannot allow to continue.

To that end, I have spoken with the few council members left alive, and they have agreed with my suggestion to disband the Majilis Besar indefinitely. In its stead, full executive and administrative authority will be placed under the King, who will pass on the title of Raja to his designated Prince, or in the absence of a designation to his eldest Prince. By doing this, we can ensure that the rulership of this Good nation stays in the hands of they who are deserving of it - those with the piety to properly fear the Gods, and those either directly descended from the Great King Suhendra, or chosen by those decedents.

To further that end, and to symbolize our full break with this Godforsaken past, I hereby declare the end of the Kingdom of Doebi, and the beginning of the Kindgom of Suhendra. Through this name, and our new, better form of governance, we look to give reverence to my ancestor, the Great King, and hope that we can echo his good judgement and rulership for all eternity.

And to prevent any future disaster like this one, my first order as King of Suhendra is to declare the former city of Sarawak as off-limits for the creation of further public residential development. Instead, the land and the Vüolt of Teç are to be given to the Priests and Priestesses of Mykara, whose prophecies helped to save many lives from this disaster. Their leader will be known as the Oracle of Sarawak, will receive any funding needed from the King, and whose prophecies will be taken with reverence and belief for all of time. Hopefully, through this gesture, the Gods will see this holy area once again in the hands of those who can revere them fully, and forgive us.

Now, let us pray for those we have lost today, for the forgiveness of the Gods who saw us as unfit to live upon this world in our current form, and for ourselves, that we may find a path forward that finds us worthy. Thank you all."

Most in attendance were hugely supportive of the King, and cheered for five minutes following the end of his speech. But a few would not take the loss of their representation and voice so easily, not even to a decedent of Suhendra. Those with a similar view made their way out of the celebration and headed north, quietly gathering support. This would not end here.

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A few months had passed since the establishment of the Kingdom of Suhendra, and for the most part things were looking good. The new capital, Kuching, was quickly becoming a bustling metropolis, both a massive trade port and the seat of power. Trade had not just continued unabated with Ayamerah, it had increased, as the people across the sea looked to support their friends in their time of need. Construction was underway in former Sarawak for a town meant to house the Priests and Priestesses of Mykara, and the King had already made a pilgrimage to the Oracle, who prophesied that his rule would be remembered throughout history. King Cahaya looked down upon his people and smiled. Things were good.

Suddenly, he heard shouting from below. He looked to where he heard the sounds, and saw three dozen armed men rushing towards the palace, killing anyone who stood in their way. Strangely, however, they were not the cultists that he normally would have expected pulling such a stunt - they appeared well trained, heavily armed, and were not masking their faces or trying to kidnap anyone. The King quickly grabbed his spear and dagger, and rushed downstairs. There he found the royal guards in heated battle with the men, and he jumped into the fray. After an hour of fighting, all but one of the men lay dead, although so were most of the guards, and Cahaya himself had a nasty gash across the face. They questioned the only man left alive, who was dying before them, and who could only say a few words.

"Death to Tyrants. Freedom for Doebi."

With that, he collapsed, leaving the King injured and confused. This confusion would not last for long, however, as reports began coming in from across the nation - an army was forming to overthrow the King and reestablish the Grand Council. The Suhendran Civil War had begun.

• Map of Refugee Movements out of Sarawak

• Map of Rebel-Controlled Territory