The Lion Haired Men - A Prehistorical/Ancient TL

Chapter IV
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There are two opinions on how the Ghelos came to fall. The first is that the development of wealth amongst the noble families led to high corruption which infiltrated the clergy leading to societal decay. The second is that the influx of influences from the Kiengirites led to societal splits which divided the Ghelos opening the path for their destruction by the Aryosites. What can be certain, however, is that their destruction sent shockwaves throughout the known world. The Tezentle were famed goldsmiths exporting to the declining Amaloxite state, Kafta and Cubra by sea and by land to Hushatru, Kiengir and Altam. The Kiengirites exported to the Ghelos the art of advanced administration and by the end of Tezentle's collapse, they were writing in cuneiform and the priestesses prayed to Kiengirite gods in the tongue of the Kiengirites. A branch of the clergy carried on to worship their original pantheon in their own tongue and this split in the priesthood would spark much societal decline. At least this is what the second opinion postulates. No matter how the Ghelos came to fall, all agree that their collapse brought chaos to the already unstable situation in the civilized world.

First, we will talk of those who fled from their former homes. Many ships left the port cities to settle along the coasts of the Bhenwodr. Cities were founded along the coasts and ruled by exiled princes and nobles. The largest of these colonies would be given the name of Spondhnos by the Aryosites. Others fled to Amalox were they settled along the Hatumaua adding to the tensions within the region. Others had betrayed their ancestors and adopted the ways of those who destroyed their homes and would go on to spread metalworking techniques and other articles of civilization amongst the many tribes of Aryos. Those that did not flee by sea or joined the Aryosites fled south; most being the priesthood who prayed to Kiengirite gods. It would be a tough surprise for them since they were seen as decadent by the very people who they sought to replicate. Then we have those of the Ghelos who stayed in their lands surrounded by reminders of their former greatness as slowly by slowly, they were resigned to the history books.

No matter what opinion one subscribes to, it can be agreed that it was the Aryos who dealt the killing blow to the Ghelos. The only historically attested figures from the Aryosites are Reg Preyhostus, Reg Koymohreg, Reg Bhileheku and the son of Preyhostus, Hlekandr. These figures are all known from 'Barahustusa, King of the Ariyusa' written by the famed Cubran merchant, Taimitara. Very little is known about them except for their early raids. The senile king wedded to Astipsun is agreed to be the obscure figure mentioned in some pieces of pottery, Gwelgal. The discovered pottery speaks of him warring the Saipakku which can be translated to 'Lords of the hammer'. Thus it has been assumed that the death of Gwelgal and the existing rebellion caused a final collapse of Ghelos society after years of weakening by either decadence or the societal division caused by Kiengirite influence. This collapse allowed Aryosite tribes fleeing the drying of their pastoral land to invade and wreak havoc upon the rich but weak nation.

After the final destruction of Ghelos by Aryosites exploiting the internal divisions, many fled to other lands. In Kiengir, the priestesses who had found themselves to be unwelcomed took advantage of the weakness within the region and bought armies for themselves from the Manna, Gutum and the Galzu with themselves being the payment. These tribes had been pushed close to Kiengir by tribes further to their north who had been displaced by fleeing Ghelosites and adventurous Aryosite regs making raids further south than usual. The priestesses and their armies warred against the Kiengir who had mocked them yet were unable to seize Lower Kiengir with only Upper Kiengir being seized. The incapability of the priestesses to seize the south would eventually lead to their downfall as promises of riches were no longer being believed and the mercenary commanders were swayed not by the demands of their Ghelosite wives but by the payments made by Kiengirite cities to avoid raids. Eventually, the Lower Kiengirites regained their strength and defeated the tribesmen turning them into tributaries for they could not expel the invaders.

The power of the priestesses came to an end and with them came the almost extinction of the 'daughters of Ghelos'. In Kiengir were barbarian lords with Ghelosite mothers, along the coasts of the Bhenwodr were several colonies increasingly coming under the control of Spondhnos. In Amalox were Ghelosite settlers who would play a minor role in the region's development and finally were the Ghelosites who remained in their home. These slowly were absorbed by an Aryosite tribe known as the Lekandrylios who settled down and adopted the ways of civilization.
 
And Keftiu is the Egyptian word for Crete ITTL, too? And Fenchu for phoenicians? And Weshesh is the aegaeic Sea?

(though if the Don is really the Don, o rather the Dnieper, I'm not sure...)
Keftiu is Egyptian for Crete, Fenchu is actually a mistake that will be fixed. Weshesh is correctly the Aegean Sea.
 
Chapter V
In the 16th year of the reign of King Amalhregs

These are the tributes given by the governor of Patgwel upon its conquest by Amalhregs Koryowaldaylios. 60 cattle, 20 donkeys, 400 lambs, 1,000 sheep, 400 chickens, 2,740 wagons of flour, 20 wagons of olives, 10 wagons of barley, 10 wagons of cheese, 100 wagons of wine, 30 wagons of vinegar, 20 wagons of milk and 3,000 wagons of fodder.

Excavated clay letter dated to the Early Lekandryliosite Period

During the chaos following the fall of the Ghelhos was the rise of the Kingdom of the Lekandrylios. They were originally an Aryosite tribe who exploited the division amongst survivors to carve out a state for themselves settling down and abandoning their former ways but maintaining their warlike nature. There are those who speculate the Lekandrylios to be descended from a figure during an early period, Preyhostus. He is commonly regarded to be the catalyst for the collapse of the Ghelhos due to his breaking down of the internal order. The line of descent is believed to be through his half Ghelhosite son, Hlekandr, who is theorized to have gained some followers amongst the peasantry as he not only offered protection but a strong claim to the now collapsed kingdom. However, there is no proof that the Lekandrylios were descended from Hlekandr or that they actually named themselves the Lekandrylios. If they did then it is just as reasonable that they claimed descent from Hlekandr to legitimize their hold over their new territories. The short-lived nature of the Lekandryliosite kingdom, however, will probably mean that a definite answer won't be given in the foreseeable future.

However, what is definite is that the Lekandryliosites had begun the transformation of the Aryosites from nomadic raider-pastoralists into nomadic raider-merchants. Starting this trend was the funding of the construction of roads connecting the many colonies that now existed along the Bhenwodr. These roads not only connected the Ghelhosite daughter cities together but also the Amaloxite colonies who were essentially independent as their mother country decayed and became surpassed by the Kalazzans. Waystations were built upon these roads but Aryosite raiders came down and burnt down these waystations and looted the merchants travelling by land. However, the raids became slower with many tribes realising that they could build up more wealth through protecting caravans rather than looting them and thus began the career of many an Aryosite as caravan guards. Some of these tribes would themselves become merchants filling in the niche left behind through the abandonment of land routes due to their danger. This allowed great wealth to develop amongst the Aryosites as the colonies began mass trading not only amongst themselves but also with the newly arisen Kalazzans and the Lekandryliosites.

The accumulation of wealth meant that it had to be stored somewhere and thus fortifications began to be built greater than before so that the wealth had somewhere to be stored. Some of these fortifications would see the growth of villages around them and this would begin the first Aryosite towns, primarily along the Bhenwodr and Don. Some tribes would find the trade routes around the Bhenwodr to not be profitable enough and thus they took to Hushatru in the east. The tribes that headed east brought with them amber which they had brought from the Kalazzans who had themselves brought the amber from foreign lands. This precious material became popular amongst the Hushatru and sold for high prices and thus the trade routes from Hushatru to Kalazza developed into profitable endevours with tribes organizing themselves so that they would transport the goods from one region to another before passing it onto a new tribe who will purchase the good and transport it somewhere else where a new tribe will buy the goods. Of course, many of these merchant tribes would carry on their raids with them being against other tribes who might have threatened their bussiness or where very successful. This created an arms race between tribes who would purchase good quality weaponry from the civilized world causing their enemies to seek better quality weapons as well as tactics. Some decided to defend themselves in forts and some of these forts become towns. It is this way that the Lekandryliosites paved the way for the first true Aryosite state along the Don.
 
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