Between the Steppes and Deserts

The people have sinned, and the Almighty has sent forth His Herald of Disease to scourge the world, to bring the proud low and topple the thrones of unworthy kings. While the righteous have been scythed down alongside the wicked, the Almighty was not so thorough in His harvest that he failed to leave behind the seeds of regrowth.

In the fires of plague and famine the righteous hurled unbelieving and heretical khans from their mounts and broke the yokes imposed by decadent shahs. One such place was the Zahra Highlands, a series of valleys and hills squashed into the Tofn Mountains that formed a protected place that could control access between the northern steppes and the southern plateau. Caravans of merchants and pilgrims travelling between the distant lands of the East and West would take the shortcut through the mountains the Zahra Highlands offered and anyone wishing to travel to the southeast from the steppe or vice versa essentially had to take the pass. This brought immense wealth and strategic significance that had seen a hundred generations worth of investment in fortification to key choke points.

Whether the khans of the north or the shahs of the south controlled the Zahra Highlands was indicative of their relative strength, and currently a local was being crowned lord of his own land. Bonds of fealty and vassalage had been severed by disease and strife, and now Danyal I Zahrahum sat within the House of God within the largest city of the Highlands, surrounded by judges and courtiers as he read the lines that would secure his ascension to the newly established throne.

"And the Great Teacher, He Who Is With God, did assemble his students on the eve of the final battle with the Wicked King Azhaq, and he did say to them all 'The Almighty calls to me, and this shall be my final night before the Spirit transcends my flesh', and the students were all struck with disbelief and sadness. Among them all, it was Hami who stood up first and asked 'Great Teacher, what shall we do without you?', and while many scoffed at Hami's foolishness, the Great Teacher did quiet them all and said, 'It is heartening that many of you already know your tasks, but it is a proper question. Your task as ever remains to seek the Truth of God and oppose those who stand against, but the Path to Truth is a twisted one for men to walk, for the Servants of the Lie have spread brambles upon the Path and then cut apparent shortcuts for men to be lost upon. Tell me then who among you knows the Path the best?' And the students of the Great Teacher did all offer their opinions and qualifications, but it was not until Safa the Wise proclaimed 'Without you to guide us, it must be one who we all trust to lead. A man who can recite scripture but cannot command will be unable to resist the Servants of the Lie, while a man who can lead an army but is ignorant of God will lead all astray. Neither alone will suffice, so we must choose not the best in any one field, but the man who balances all such that others shall follow him.' To this the Great Teacher offered praise to Safa, and then his students came together and elected Yenshin as First Successor," Danyal read out before the assembled nobles and scholars, the words coming easily to him from long practice for this specific passage and general study of the holy texts.

Looking out over those assembled in witness, he asked of them, "In this tradition, do you all affirm my election to lead the Zahra Clans, to carry on the works of my father, Elim I Zahrahum, Liberator of Zahra?"

"We affirm!" The men all chant as one, their assent more a formality to confirm that their leader could read the holy texts and participate as a prayer leader than an actual avenue to object to his inheritance of the throne. While under different circumstances the succession might have been more contested, Danyal's father Elim had gathered together a great alliance within the region and they were all strongly in favour of supporting the Zahrahum family over struggling with each other over.

Reflecting upon those assembled, Danyal paid special attention to those notables from the same circles his own father had originally come from.

Which class does the Zahrahum Dynasty spring from?

[] Military aristocracy (Improved stability, improved noble opinion)
[] Merchant house (Improved wealth, improved merchant opinion)
[] Religious scholars (Improved religious opinion)

Factions

Crown

Prestige: 8
Stability:0
Wealth: 1
Institutions:
Clerical Assayers
Anointed Warriors
Privileges:
Final Authority

Military aristocracy

Opinion: Supportive
Wealth: 2

Merchants

Opinion: Acceptive
Wealth: 3
Institutions:
Caravansaries
Craft Guilds
Privileges:
Urban Charters

Religious scholars

Opinion: Supportive
Wealth: 2
Insitutions:
Clerics as judges
Privileges:
Religious law

Peasants

Opinion: Acceptive
Wealth: 1
Institutions:
Serfdom

Zahrahum Dynasty
Elim I (historical) [Deceased]