The years under King Zekharyah (312AE – 324AE):
With the sudden death of King Caleb the navy returned home, both to report the sad news and to discover whether or not they should continue on to Ya’ar. There is no record of Caleb ever being married, and there were no children – at least none that he recognized, so the capital was in fear of yet another period of civil strife as there was no shortage of potential rulers along the bloodline. Within weeks however the priests had settled on a member of the linage and began supporting his claim to the throne.
Zekharyah ben Ah’av was the grandson of King Eli with little ambition to be king himself – a scholar by trade. He refused the support of the clergy twice before finally accepting (being picked over his older brother Yona). There was a general longing among the population (including those of the military, most of which wished to return to their families and their farms) for peace which both Zekharyah and the priests were claiming they would bring to the kingdom. But even if Zekharyah was the popular choice among the people it was still the nobles that had to be convinced for his coronation to take place. It was only after months of negotiating, bribery, and yes, assassination that Zekharyah was allowed to take the throne.
Zekharyah was crowned towards the end of 312AE but there would be little time for peace. Although the nobles had begrudgingly accepted his claim, there were many issues that now required his attention. In the absence of the central authority the mel’adim (plural of mel’ad) had been running the cities without royal oversight and it was time to confirm their loyalty to the new king. As King Caleb had feared, only one mel’ad seemed in question.
Mel’ad Nevat of Ya’ar in the year 313AE betrayed his kingdom by declaring full self autonomy and rule over their colonies. Nevat had prepared for the attack and was ready for when Zekharyah sent his brother Yona with the navy. If the La’adamah of Cether were master shipbuilders and sailors than those of Ya’ar were the elite of those masters, so, though outnumbered, after two years of war King Zekharyah issued a truce.
It didn’t take long for the hyenas waiting in the shadows to act on the king’s weakness. In 316AE Zekharyah was beset by demands from the tribal leaders for more land, more resources, and more authority. By the spring of 317AE Zekharyah had arrested several head’s of family. By 318AE Yona had been ordered to take control of the tribal lands of Yissahar and Da’ud.
In 317AE King Sargon of Assyria finished the conquest of Egypt.
During this time of trouble is when the jealousy of Tartessos could no longer be contained. In 318AE King Gargoris II began the war his father King Taross had been planning for and attacked Kecheph Byia. A short time later the pirates oh Yuhuda (ally of Gargoris II) began sinking Cetherian trade ships (Yona is sent with the navy to end this threat). A month into the war and a third front opens up; the inland territories (those primarily held by the Da’ud tribe) are struck by the Asturi and the Cantabri (also allies of Gargoris II). The treachery was now complete and the Cetherian kingdom was utterly under siege.
The major events of the Tartessian war. 319: Kecheph Byia falls to Tartessos, there is a major defeat at the Battle of the Betis Plains forcing the withdraw from nearly all Da’ud lands, 320AE: After nearly two years of Yona fighting the pirates with little gained Zekharyah steps in offers the leadership of Yuhuda a substantial bribe (which included several Cetherian ships), 322AE: Yona is defeated while trying to retake Kecheph Byia, The Battle of Tel Yissahar (the capital of the Yissahar lands - to the north of Cether) is won by the king’s son Omriyya, 323AE: Following the victory at Tel Yissahar the combined forces of Omriyya and Yona are able to win a second decisive victory against the Cantabri in their own territory – known at the Battle of Three Rivers.
In 320AE King Sargon tried to subjugate the Kingdom of Mikos but a combined navy of Mikos and Hellenes pirates is able to defeat the Assyrian invasion force.
In 324AE (853BC) Yona ordered Omriyya into the Betis Plains to reclaim the Da’ud lands. Yona returned to Cether and confronted his brother in open court – claiming the long war and losses were the fault of the king. In the scuffle that followed this allegation Zekharyah is stabbed and killed.
King Sargon beings the persecution of the La’adamah – particularly the Followers of Mazda who have become a disruptive factor in the empire (and especially in the newly acquired Egyptian territory).
The years under King Yona (324AE – 326AE):
Zekharyah was disliked as a king (though respected as a scholar) and although there was little more love for his older brother Yona he did have his army in the city, had recently won a major victory, and there was no one in a position to challenge his claim to the now empty throne.
Yona was a poor solider and a worse leader (his own army followed him based on the orders they were given but remained loyal to him because Yona had spent the better part of his personal fortune to make sure that they did). Without leaving the city, for fear it would be taken from him, Yona dispatched messengers to King Gargoris II asking for an end to the war (who was ready to accept as his own forces had gained little since the fall of Kecheph Byia). The treaty that was agreed upon before the end of the year would draw the new borders at where the armies stood – which left Kecheph Byia and much of the inland territory out of the kingdom.
Yona would next disband the army under Omriyya, then named the prince commander of the navy, and sent him immediately out to guard the shipping lanes.
Around the year 324AE news reaches Cether of a growing power in the Far East. A former Phoenician colony by the name of Carthage was establishing itself as a trade empire (Carthaginian jewels become a prized commodity in the coming decades).
In 325AE Yona raised the tax, and created a number of new ones, mainly with the purpose of draining the wealth of the nobility. He claimed the extra revenue would be spent on defenses but there is no record of any new forts, walls, or garrisons being levied during his reign. Construction, however, does begin on a new wing of the palace.
A period of terror sweeps through Cether as over the next year and a half Yona makes an ever growing list of outlandish “requests” of his citizens. Probably the most deranged of these orders was that as the head of the kingdom so he should be the head of every family by marriage. Seemingly at random he began taking to the marriage bed the wife of any noble and commoner. There was no refusing the king for part of his new treasury was spent on a cohort of personal guards – it took only a few midnight arrests to make the populous very compliant.
Soon after these atrocities began the High Priest of Cether tried to have King Yona arrested on the charge of breaking the 5th law (“You shall not have relations with another man’s wife” as written by King Yizhaq around the year 150AE – his initial seven laws make up the core of the La’adamah legal system). Sadly at this time, despite the written laws legality was still a matter of royal discretion and so Yona had the High Priest arrested for breaking the 3rd law (“Honor your Father and your family” and since Yona placed himself as the “Father” of the kingdom he could now see fit to arrest the priests of the One God for treason).
Late in the year 325 there was an attempt on Omriyya’s life when the prince returned to Cether to resupply his ships (it was widely known that the orders had come from King Yona – who seems to have made little effort to keep this a secret). A week later guards were sent out to arrest Omriyya but he had sailed with his navy for open water. King Yona ordered an Ehun (100 soldiers) to pursue and capture the outlaw prince.
Unbeknownst to the king was that Omriyya had actually remained in the city and over the next three months gathered support to overthrow his uncle. At the head of a mob army, in the early days of 326AE (851BC), prince Omriyya marched on the palace. The story says that there was little fighting and that when faced with the thousands of citizens Yona’s personal guard opted to surrender. The king was found, unguarded, and alone on the throne: crown on his head, sword in hand. Though he attempted to defend himself he was easily overwhelmed and imprisoned.
With the sudden death of King Caleb the navy returned home, both to report the sad news and to discover whether or not they should continue on to Ya’ar. There is no record of Caleb ever being married, and there were no children – at least none that he recognized, so the capital was in fear of yet another period of civil strife as there was no shortage of potential rulers along the bloodline. Within weeks however the priests had settled on a member of the linage and began supporting his claim to the throne.
Zekharyah ben Ah’av was the grandson of King Eli with little ambition to be king himself – a scholar by trade. He refused the support of the clergy twice before finally accepting (being picked over his older brother Yona). There was a general longing among the population (including those of the military, most of which wished to return to their families and their farms) for peace which both Zekharyah and the priests were claiming they would bring to the kingdom. But even if Zekharyah was the popular choice among the people it was still the nobles that had to be convinced for his coronation to take place. It was only after months of negotiating, bribery, and yes, assassination that Zekharyah was allowed to take the throne.
Zekharyah was crowned towards the end of 312AE but there would be little time for peace. Although the nobles had begrudgingly accepted his claim, there were many issues that now required his attention. In the absence of the central authority the mel’adim (plural of mel’ad) had been running the cities without royal oversight and it was time to confirm their loyalty to the new king. As King Caleb had feared, only one mel’ad seemed in question.
Mel’ad Nevat of Ya’ar in the year 313AE betrayed his kingdom by declaring full self autonomy and rule over their colonies. Nevat had prepared for the attack and was ready for when Zekharyah sent his brother Yona with the navy. If the La’adamah of Cether were master shipbuilders and sailors than those of Ya’ar were the elite of those masters, so, though outnumbered, after two years of war King Zekharyah issued a truce.
It didn’t take long for the hyenas waiting in the shadows to act on the king’s weakness. In 316AE Zekharyah was beset by demands from the tribal leaders for more land, more resources, and more authority. By the spring of 317AE Zekharyah had arrested several head’s of family. By 318AE Yona had been ordered to take control of the tribal lands of Yissahar and Da’ud.
In 317AE King Sargon of Assyria finished the conquest of Egypt.
During this time of trouble is when the jealousy of Tartessos could no longer be contained. In 318AE King Gargoris II began the war his father King Taross had been planning for and attacked Kecheph Byia. A short time later the pirates oh Yuhuda (ally of Gargoris II) began sinking Cetherian trade ships (Yona is sent with the navy to end this threat). A month into the war and a third front opens up; the inland territories (those primarily held by the Da’ud tribe) are struck by the Asturi and the Cantabri (also allies of Gargoris II). The treachery was now complete and the Cetherian kingdom was utterly under siege.
The major events of the Tartessian war. 319: Kecheph Byia falls to Tartessos, there is a major defeat at the Battle of the Betis Plains forcing the withdraw from nearly all Da’ud lands, 320AE: After nearly two years of Yona fighting the pirates with little gained Zekharyah steps in offers the leadership of Yuhuda a substantial bribe (which included several Cetherian ships), 322AE: Yona is defeated while trying to retake Kecheph Byia, The Battle of Tel Yissahar (the capital of the Yissahar lands - to the north of Cether) is won by the king’s son Omriyya, 323AE: Following the victory at Tel Yissahar the combined forces of Omriyya and Yona are able to win a second decisive victory against the Cantabri in their own territory – known at the Battle of Three Rivers.
In 320AE King Sargon tried to subjugate the Kingdom of Mikos but a combined navy of Mikos and Hellenes pirates is able to defeat the Assyrian invasion force.
In 324AE (853BC) Yona ordered Omriyya into the Betis Plains to reclaim the Da’ud lands. Yona returned to Cether and confronted his brother in open court – claiming the long war and losses were the fault of the king. In the scuffle that followed this allegation Zekharyah is stabbed and killed.
King Sargon beings the persecution of the La’adamah – particularly the Followers of Mazda who have become a disruptive factor in the empire (and especially in the newly acquired Egyptian territory).
The years under King Yona (324AE – 326AE):
Zekharyah was disliked as a king (though respected as a scholar) and although there was little more love for his older brother Yona he did have his army in the city, had recently won a major victory, and there was no one in a position to challenge his claim to the now empty throne.
Yona was a poor solider and a worse leader (his own army followed him based on the orders they were given but remained loyal to him because Yona had spent the better part of his personal fortune to make sure that they did). Without leaving the city, for fear it would be taken from him, Yona dispatched messengers to King Gargoris II asking for an end to the war (who was ready to accept as his own forces had gained little since the fall of Kecheph Byia). The treaty that was agreed upon before the end of the year would draw the new borders at where the armies stood – which left Kecheph Byia and much of the inland territory out of the kingdom.
Yona would next disband the army under Omriyya, then named the prince commander of the navy, and sent him immediately out to guard the shipping lanes.
Around the year 324AE news reaches Cether of a growing power in the Far East. A former Phoenician colony by the name of Carthage was establishing itself as a trade empire (Carthaginian jewels become a prized commodity in the coming decades).
In 325AE Yona raised the tax, and created a number of new ones, mainly with the purpose of draining the wealth of the nobility. He claimed the extra revenue would be spent on defenses but there is no record of any new forts, walls, or garrisons being levied during his reign. Construction, however, does begin on a new wing of the palace.
A period of terror sweeps through Cether as over the next year and a half Yona makes an ever growing list of outlandish “requests” of his citizens. Probably the most deranged of these orders was that as the head of the kingdom so he should be the head of every family by marriage. Seemingly at random he began taking to the marriage bed the wife of any noble and commoner. There was no refusing the king for part of his new treasury was spent on a cohort of personal guards – it took only a few midnight arrests to make the populous very compliant.
Soon after these atrocities began the High Priest of Cether tried to have King Yona arrested on the charge of breaking the 5th law (“You shall not have relations with another man’s wife” as written by King Yizhaq around the year 150AE – his initial seven laws make up the core of the La’adamah legal system). Sadly at this time, despite the written laws legality was still a matter of royal discretion and so Yona had the High Priest arrested for breaking the 3rd law (“Honor your Father and your family” and since Yona placed himself as the “Father” of the kingdom he could now see fit to arrest the priests of the One God for treason).
Late in the year 325 there was an attempt on Omriyya’s life when the prince returned to Cether to resupply his ships (it was widely known that the orders had come from King Yona – who seems to have made little effort to keep this a secret). A week later guards were sent out to arrest Omriyya but he had sailed with his navy for open water. King Yona ordered an Ehun (100 soldiers) to pursue and capture the outlaw prince.
Unbeknownst to the king was that Omriyya had actually remained in the city and over the next three months gathered support to overthrow his uncle. At the head of a mob army, in the early days of 326AE (851BC), prince Omriyya marched on the palace. The story says that there was little fighting and that when faced with the thousands of citizens Yona’s personal guard opted to surrender. The king was found, unguarded, and alone on the throne: crown on his head, sword in hand. Though he attempted to defend himself he was easily overwhelmed and imprisoned.
