Ksehen is a Clan of the Wajahe in the central lakes, tracing its origins to the clan of Bemwe Gehan (from whom the name Ksehen is derived) following The Ksehyl. From around 680 KS until its sack during the First Intermediate Period, Ksehen was the preeminent clan and state of the Wajahe, and its city, founded soon after Kheze, was the economic and cultural center of the Lakes (and of Zitis broadly during the First Dynasty).
Predynastic Period
During the Predynastic Period, Ksehen emerged as a major state around 680 KS, and from this period onward would dominate the high (eastern) lakes. It would have a fierce rivalry with the Nla Clan, which would grow to dominate the low (western) lakes.
The First Dynasty
The first dynasty of the Wajahe, known as the ɥnehɨʈ͡ʂɨk or confederation of many cities, was the first unified state of the Wajahe, and represented the first major multicultural empire in the cultural center of Zitis. It was formed as a confederation between the Nla, Kih, and Ksehen - but at the moment of its formation and thereafter, Ksehen was the central and most significant partner of this confederacy (and indeed, would be the only one of the three to retain its character and identity during the First Dynasty - as both the Nla and Kih would be absorbed by other, minor clans during this period - part of a concerted effort by Ksehen to retain their central position in the state).
The First Dynasty, which lasted for 391 years, used archaic and ill-preserved forms of writing, so not much about the state itself is known.
Precursor to the State
The First Dynasty did not emerge out of a vacuum, and its emergence can be traced to the system of Riverine tribute that began to emerge around 1410 KS. Conflict between the Ksehen and Nla clans led each to attempt to grow a larger and more significant power base. The riverine villages to the south were a prime target: rich with trade and without the skill in arms or the charioteers of the Wajahe. A series of wars, over the span of 250 years, led to a few major bottlenecks of trade, and their associated settlements (including the city of hʷtʷɥɛltiɥ) fell to the two clans. However, there was no conquest - there was simply no way for the Wajahe to project authority that far. Instead, these settlements served as tributaries, and gave up 10% (~8% in decimal) of all their trade, as well as a tithe in young warriors for the Wajahe auxiliaries each year - failure to pay led to the destruction of the entire settlement.
Conflict in the east and the collapse of the third remaining clan, the Kih, remnants of who fled north, ever focused the Wajahe towards the south. However, the rivalry between Ksehen and Nla remained strong, and there was no impetus for this relationship to evolve beyond tribute and protection.
The Tributary relationships around 1500 KS, with a split in the middle showing the division between tributaries of the Nla and Ksehen clans respectively.
Formation of a Confederacy
This Impetus came into being with increased conflict between the rivermen and the Ejee to their south. The Ejee in Koshayis, once a subject city of the Dajitti people, rose up in conquest - with a large and advanced army. With all the right conditions for a heavily centralized authority to rise, a large state was beginning to emerge in the south, directly bordering the river. Border tensions led to a general fortification of the border both by the Riverine cities, and the Koshayis empire. After a few unfavorable border clashes, the Rivermen called upon the Wajahe to protect them, as was their right from the tribute they paid.
With a greater threat, rivalry between the Nla and Ksehen was forgotten - after 2 generations of cooperation during border clashes, nobody remembered the past generations of opposition, now unimportant with a greater foe to the south. Motivated by the centralized state to their south, the clans of the lakes and longhouses of the rivers agreed in 1731 KS on the verbal accords that would form the basis of a new state: the ɥnehɨʈ͡ʂɨk. It began with a unified military - the Wajahe, centered at Ksehen, naturally, stood at its head, extending their typical stratocratic structures to include the armies of the Rivermen. The Rivermen, for their part, were no longer treated as mere auxiliaries, but instead formed a large infantry core to complement the Wajahe who fielded predominantly horsemen and chariots.
Over time, the confederation continued to grow closer, and evolved into something more than just a military relationship. One key part of this was the adoption of the Law Code of the 1st Dynasty, which was supposedly given to the Wajahe by Aiokkais himself, and adopted in some form or another by every city in the ɥnehɨʈ͡ʂɨk, both Wajahe and Riverine. As border clashes with Koshayis increased in frequency, so too did attempts by Ksehen to foster increased centralization and cohesion in this confederal state. During these conflicts, the northeastern Dajitti region would be occupied and heavily fortified.
The First Dynasty around 1750 KS. Note the split of Dajitti land between the First Dynasty and Koshayis, and its fortification. Whiterun at this point had not joined the Confederation. Yellow (ochre), the official color of the battle standard of the armies of Ksehen, are used as an imperial color for the First Dynasty, and so are used for the state in their maps.
The Southern War
Tensions with Koshayis would, of course, break out in war. In 1868, after a large initial foray into the north by the hosts of Koshayis, the Ejee were ambushed and defeated on the river bank, with the barges, better suited to riverine combat, defeating the larger and more significant navy of Koshayis, and preventing any organized retreat for the land forces. With Koshayis’ northern fortifications and settlements laid to waste (including the sack of Nodotto), the Ejee quickly surrendered. The terms were simple - Koshayis would join the confederation as a conquered city.
The First Dynasty in 1869 KS. Note the formation of a Riverine confederacy centered on Salazhallas and the Kih Wajahe in the north-east. Ksy, though founded well before this period, sees its true urbanization occur contemporaneously to the Southern War.
Golden Age of the First Dynasty
Over time, Koshayis, an important cultural and trade center, grew to be an equal partner in the confederation - an important turning point. The confederation was no longer predicated on conquest or occupation, but still held together. In fact, another city, of the Tswezets, agreed to join the confederation willingly, largely from protection against another rising power in the west; and in addition, Whiterun joined the confederation. This led to the golden age of the ɥnehɨʈ͡ʂɨk. During this period, trade abounded, writing and literacy spread across the 4 cultures within it, and traditions and institutions were developed and shared - setting a precedent for the coming empires in the region. The Oracle of Koshayis, who was adopted by the Wajahe and moved to Ksehen, became a major religious force across the region, though it was interpreted in different ways by the different cultures, with the rivermen the least convinced of any divine abilities. Keshen, both the central meeting point for the cities’ delegations to the ɥnehɨʈ͡ʂɨk, and the primary religious center, rose to become a quasi-capital for the state. Keshen also saw the construction of a major palace complex, which served as a major bureaucratic and mercantile center.
The Chuzde, who’s title would unite with that of the Oracle, would rise to prominence during this period. While not a monarch of the state even in name, his position as chief of the Ksehen clan made him a mediating figurehead for the various confederal partners, acting as something akin to a speaker for the confederal assembly - the representative body of 11 delegates that decided confederation policy and law (this consisted of 6 members from the Wajahe clans, 3 from Riverine cities, and 1 each from the Dajitti (Nodotto) and Ejee (Koshayis)).
The Golden Age is typically dated to end in the 2030’s KS. The administration would grow increasingly centralized on Ksehen, which would pioneer the decline of the Nla and Kih clans, and the emergence of 4 new Wajahe clans to replace them. This was a period of political, cultural, and technological decline, especially for Koshayis and Zlathet, who would be treated as effectively occupied territories by Ksehen. This period caused the Ejee to view Ksehen as a major cultural and religious center, later leading to its resurgence in the Second Oracular War as the city of Svr. In addition, this period saw a significant military decline, as rivermen stopped paying for fortifications, and military command became a matter of connections with the elite of Ksehen city.
Collapse of the First Dynasty
The collapse started with border tensions with a new empire in the middle river around 2100 KS, centered on Shalzhay. What started as a small border tension over a patch of land quickly grew into a major war. Shalzahy hired mercenaries from the Nomadic Imyes from the south to fight in this war. They quickly broke through the rivermen fortifications, before defeating the Wajahe host in the catastrophic Battle of Kshnel in 2119 KS. This was an entirely unprecedented and unexpected event, and immediately triggered rebellions in Koshayis and Nodotto.
The Imyes, spotting weakness, abandoned their post as mercenaries - instead, over the next 2 years, the entire nomadic population crossed the river into the steppe and invaded the lakes. The Wajahe army, unable to regroup and fully splintering along clan lines, was unable to mount any resistance at all. This progressed with city after city falling or surrendering, till the entire core of the ɥnehɨʈ͡ʂɨk was taken - culminating in the Battle of the 7 Chiefs, where the Chuzde, chief of the Nla, chief of Whiterun, and 4 other major clan chiefs, would all be captured and executed by the Imyes. This battle was followed by a sacking of Ksehen, and the subjugation of Chyowoy and Yazhay, who would side with the Imyes initially and absorb themselves the remnants of the Nla clan. This battle would be followed by the disbanding of the First Dynasty by its 3 remaining members, the cities of the lower river, who too had suffered devastating defeats dealt by the Imyes, and dropped all pretense of unification.
The Aftermath of the Battle of 7 Chiefs. Koshayis, Nodotto, and the riverine cities have all rebelled and established city-states with no real reach beyond their immediate environs. Much of the Lower River and Ejee are zones of conflict between roving bands of Imyes, who have dropped any allegiance to the Imyes state to the north,
The Imyes, a nomadic people unused to administration and long military campaigns, could not hold onto the land they conquered, and also struggled to retain any degree of internal cohesion between their many nomadic clans. After a defeat along the river, they were driven back as their clans faced rebellion after rebellion, and a good degree of internal conflict forced them to abandon most of their gains. During this conquest and their short empire, as well as with their intermingling with Wajahic groups on the steppe, the Imyes fully assimilated into the Wajahe, culturally and linguistically - but this was not enough to prevent the “liberation” of the eastern lakes. The Liberation of Whiterun in 2181 KS, ending with the total destruction of the Imyes State at the hands of a diverse alliance of Wajahe armies, officially marks the start of the First Intermediate Period.
Zitis on the dawn of the First Intermediate Period - see that page for more information.
First Intermediate Period
During the First Intermediate Period, Ksehen quickly ceased being a major power. It was sacked in 2232 KS after which it fell out of prominence and was replaced by its regional rival, the Hkshit Clan. It would remain a minor clan, the clan of the Chizl-Oracle ruling over a small and old city, until the Second Oracular War restored it to prominence.
Oracular Wars
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