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The Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan.
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A History of Rhanukhan
For convenience, all dates have been rendered according to the English practice rather than Rhanukhan's own 
duodecimal system of notation (the present English year of 2024AU is rendered as 1208AU on the standard Rhanukhani calendar).
The world of Sargvilosahnah is near twice the size of your Earth, dear reader, and comprises two major landmasses along with innumerable smaller islands surrounded by the great Shramortoghmuli Ocean. The largest landmass, Nerkhvatsukhia, is itself divided into three continents: Nevitsroghan, Spitektrihan, and Rhulla, while separated from Nerkhvatsukhia by the smaller Eruhani Ocean is the island continent of Eruhan.
In the north-east of Nevitsroghan can be found the world's largest nation, The Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan, and the story of how it came to achieve this status is a tale of both trials and triumphs, thousands of years in the making...
- In the Beginning...
- The Legend of Ahztlarhan
- The Age of Myth
- Meortarik and Selkhi
- The Voyage of Rhah
- The Pretakhoni Empire
- The Charmed Tongue
- The First Dominus
- The Might of Nohvala
- The Fracturing
- Robert Boutreknyffe
- The Purple, Wobbly Death
- The War of Four
- The Manganite Expedition
- The Pirate Queen of Verang
- The Treasure of Elamadh
- The Dawn of a New Era
- Khavidhutoba Rhanukhana
- The Greatest War
- Uncle Tony
- The Final Dominus
- Mother of the Nation
- The Great Banana Rush
- The Worlds War
- Rhanukhan Today
Before All That Is, all was one. Neither dark nor light, neither hot nor cold, neither wet nor dry, neither hard nor soft.
It began with a motion. A shadow passed across That Which Was and so Dark came into being, and all that was not Dark was Light, and so all that exists contains both the dark and the light.
Where Dark and Light met there was a mingling and four offspring emerged. One was mostly dark and was black Land, one mostly light and was white Air, and betwixt the two, red Fire and blue Water.
Naturally drawn to produce the ideal balance of dark and light, the four siblings joined in union, imparting their unique properties into that which would follow - two green children, who were the Mother and the Father. Unlike their parents and grandparents, which were simple immutable aspects of All That Is, something new had emerged in these children - Will. These were the first truly living beings and are the ancestors of us all.
As the only living beings, the Mother and the Father sought companionship with each other, walking upon black Land or swimming in blue Water, enjoying the warmth of red Fire or the breezes of white Air during the times of light and holding close to each other during the times of dark. Before long the Mother's belly became swollen and from her body emerged the first new life. These were green, alike the Mother and the Father, but sedentary and unthinking. They were the first plants.
Time passed and every night the Mother and the Father lay together and every day new life emerged from the Mother's body. Following the plants came the animals that swam in blue Water, then the animals that walked on black Land, then those that flew in white Air, and finally those without bodies that dwell in red Fire. Though all these new offspring had only a short time to live, they produced more offspring of their own and All That Is came to be filled with the clamour of life.
Alas, the Father was ignorant of his own role in this and his heart turned to the dark and he knew envy for the Mother, whose body produced all of this wonder, seemingly of its own accord. With the passage of time he grew to resent her.
One day animals emerged that were much alike the Mother and the Father in appearance, and these animals proved remarkable in that they demonstrated the same Will and speech of their parents. In time, they honoured their parents by gifting them names - Ahnah, the Mother, and Hamakh, the Father.
This was too much for Hamakh, who finally succumbed wholly to his darkness and to rage. He struck out at All That Is, causing black Land to break, red Fire to rise from the cracks, blue Water to sweep across the surface, and white Air to howl back and forth, destroying everything. When the distraught Ahnah intervened he directed the worst of his anger at her, tearing into her body with his bare hands and ripping out that organ that was the source of his envy. He cast Ahnah's womb into the void. The trail of her luminous blood can be seen every night even now as the Great Sky River.
What should have been the moment of Hamakh's triumph was instead turned against him, for Ahnah was also possessed of the darkness and in her it manifested as a righteous and vengeful anger. Her rage was beyond anything Hamakh could have anticipated and, even so badly wounded as she was, she pursued him far into the void. Every blow they exchanged scattering droplets of their luminous blood all across the skies. After an age of conflict she returned with Hamakh's glowing heart in her hands. She discovered that in her absence, life had still been emerging from her dismembered womb and that the last remnants of black Land, blue Water, white Air, and red Fire clung to it also.
Ahnah's darkness was immediately suppressed by her light upon this discovery and she devoted herself to the preservation of her offspring, setting Hamakh's blazing heart in the sky as Avlet - the sun - to provide warmth and light in the day and fashioning Lumtva - the world's gate - to illuminate the night and bar the way against Hamakh's return, for even heartless he lived yet, out in the cold, dark void.
And so it has come to pass that all the descendants of Ahnah, Mother Of Us All, and Hamakh, The Father In Darkness, be they plant, animal, or human, live to this day upon Sargvilosahnah - The Womb of Ahnah.
Millennia ago, in the lush Ahztlarhan rift valley (a name meaning "Rivers from the High Places" in the native tongue) lived numerous primitive tribes. Many were still hunter/gatherers with only rudimentary agriculture being practiced. The scattered tribes did share a unified language, culture and religious tradition. Primarily centred on worship of a mother goddess, named Ahnah - considered the ancestor of all lives that exist: human, animal and plant. This faith encouraged peaceful co-operation as ultimately, everything that lived was regarded as being part of one family.
This society would be transformed practically overnight by the arrival of The Golden People - beings who descended from a Land Beyond the Clouds and were considered by the Ahztlarhani to be closer relatives to Ahnah. These people delivered all the trappings of civilization to the Ahztlarhani - advanced agriculture, metallurgy, the first cities and more. Legend states that they provided these gifts purely out of altruism, seeking no recompense.
Even though the Golden People aged and, in some cases, died, the Ahztlarhani believed them to be gods who had merely temporarily taken on physical bodies and were now reunited with their mother, Ahnah. The names of some of these new gods remain known to us today, as they continued to be worshipped into later eras.
Khonmalakh, the Hairy Man - the chief of the Golden People. For such a revered individual it is considered curious that ancient art always depicts him as a squat, brutishly ugly figure.
Lusidabodh, the Woman of Light - Khonmalakh's beloved wife, who gifted the Ahztlarhani knowledge of the sciences and mathematics, and such skills as metallurgy. In spite of the myths invariably emphasising her great knowledge, ancient artists can't resist making the most of her beauty.
Enrifon, the Teacher - eldest of the new gods, renowned for his wisdom, who revealed the knowledge of the written word and the law. Always depicted as an ancient man with a grey beard.
Bruspanah, the Unyielding - a mighty warrior, capable of becoming a giant and scattering all foes. Rendered in ancient artwork as a hugely muscled golden figure, twice the height of any man.
Sihmyohn, the Unbound Voice - seemingly bodiless, yet capable of communicating with anybody anywhere. No artwork or even written description of her appearance has ever been discovered - she is only ever depicted as her spoken words floating alongside characters she's interacting with.
...and legend speaks of many others, though to catalogue all their names and details of their attributes and exploits would be a work of ages.
Lusidabodh delivered two sons to Khonmalakh - Valmalakh, who was beautiful like his mother, and Aumalakh, who was squat and hairy like his father. Valmalakh was granted lordship over the people of Ahztlarhan while Aumalakh inherited his father's seat in the Land Beyond the Clouds.
Successive generations of Valmalakh's descendants would guide Ahztlarhan through centuries of prosperity. After Aumalakh returned to the Land Beyond the Clouds, however, it became somehow unreachable - nobody ever travelled there and the Golden People were never seen again.
Approximately 8,000 years ago, tragedy struck when rising sea levels resulted in the inundation of the valley, scattering survivors in all directions. Some of those who fled into the uninhabited regions united at the confluence of two rivers (known today as the Khunate and Kanghar) at the centre of a broad and fertile vale. They called themselves the Rhanukhii (simply "People of the Rivers") and established the settlement that would still bear their name all the way to the modern day.
The Ahztlarhan origin story was long held to be a myth by modern scholars until the discovery of sprawling ancient stone cities on the bed of the Hesslian Gulf in 2008AU. The historicity of other myths associated with Ahztlarhan, such as the stories of the Hairy Man and his wife, and also the Golden People from the Land Beyond the Clouds are now being hotly debated by academics across the nation.
Over the following centuries various tribes emerged across the lands that would one day be the Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan. Some were refugees from Ahztlarhan, others had been resident before The Inundation and yet more arrived from other distant lands. The prosperity of lost Ahztlarhan had always drawn people to the region and so the tribes who lived here were varied and diverse. As such, the assorted new cultures were constantly in a state of conflict and the peaceful, unified days of the past slipped out of knowledge.
It is from this era that many of Rhanukhan's classical myths emerge. Tales of gods and heroes, monsters and magicians. To this day, historians combine the scant archaeological evidence with the surviving ancient written texts to debate the truth of what happened during these long millennia.
Long before Stephannos of the Rhanukhii began to forge the alliances that would ultimately lead to the modern Unified Provinces, the Central Rhanukhani Plains were home to a number of disparate tribes. One such tribe was named the Khuna - a fearsome people who worshipped the war god, Bruspanah the Unyielding, and famed for their martial prowess. At one time, their chieftain was Meortarik, a warrior of great renown (indeed, his very name is now the modern Rhanukhani word for "warrior").
As was often the way, the Khuna were at war, this time with a tribe from the north, in the region of modern Benbhallan, who sought to take over the Khuna territory.
Wielding a mighty two-handed sword, Meortarik would always fight in the traditional Khunate manner, unarmoured (alike Bruspanah himself), only ever advancing, with his loyal burrowing octopus, Havertgurlim, at his feet and his beloved wife, Selkhi, protecting his back with his great bronze shield.
Relief sculpture depicting Meortarik, Selkhi and Havertgurlim, discovered in temple ruins in Khun province. Estimated to date from c. 850BU, the story of Meortarik and Selkhi was likely already centuries old at the time of carving.
The Khuna fought valiantly, as ever, but the Benbhallani had the superior numbers and had slowly forced their way further and further down the Khunate River. It was at the height of the final battle on the Golden Field, at the very heart of the Khuna lands, that Meortarik would meet his doom.
The overwhelming numbers meant nothing to Meortarik - he stepped forward, slaying enemies with every swing of his mighty two-handed sword, Selkhi nimbly blocking any incoming attacks, while Havertgurlim distracted and disabled foes with the coils of his many arms. They fought flawlessly as one, as unyielding as Bruspanah himself.
It was only when a slinger's rock knocked Selkhi off her feet that Meortarik realised how far into the enemy lines he'd advanced. A Benbhallani fighter seized this opportunity, lunging forward with his spear. Parrying this attack with his sword, Meortarik had left himself open to a second thrusting spear in the hands of Atzulida - a great champion of the Benbhallani. Without Selkhi there to block the strike with his shield, he had no hope of avoiding the blow...
Instead, Havertgurlim sprang! Protecting his master by lashing his eight arms around Atzulida's spear, deflecting the killing blow into his own body. Enraged by the loss of this most loyal companion, Meortarik plunged his sword into the surprised Atzulida's chest, slaying him instantly. Alas, in his mighty rage, he had thrust too strongly. Bruspanah is a harsh and fickle god, any fault is punished swiftly and, in the moments it took Meortarik to pull his blade free again, a third Benbhallani spear found its mark. Selkhi regained her feet only in time to see her beloved husband fall.
Selkhi was of the Khuna, a daughter of warriors, and grief would come later - in this moment there could only be vengeance. Several of her fellow Khuna had reached their fallen chief's position by now and were forcing the Benbhallani back. With her bare hands, she mixed Meortarik's red blood with the blue blood of Havertgurlim, that they would be ever united by her side in battle, and streaked it across her fallen husband’s bronze shield. Hoisting this new totem aloft, she declared to the Khuna warriors that, though her husband’s body may have fallen, his spirit was still aflame with the righteous desire to vanquish their foes and, should theirs be likewise afire, then now was the time to follow their mighty chieftain in one final charge. She didn’t even wait for their response, simply turning and madly rushing the enemy, the bloody shield, blazing in the light of the setting sun, held before her. By the time she reached their lines, every one of her fellow Khuna warriors was by her side, weapons flashing, hollering vengeance for Meortarik. In spite of their superior numbers, the Benbhallani crumpled under this renewed assault - by nightfall they were either slain or fleeing back up the river to their own land.
If not Bruspanah, then perhaps his mother, Ahnah herself, must have been well-pleased with the outcome of events. If you look up into the night sky you'll see the constellation known as "Three Triumphant" representing a warrior, his wife, and their burrowing octopus, ensuring that none will forget these legendary champions of old.
As with many tales from the Age of Myth, it is impossible to discern the historicity of the account, but the story is well-loved and has survived for centuries, eventually becoming the inspiration for the design of the Rhanukhani State Banner, which still flies proudly from flagpoles across the nation today.
A record from antiquity provides a fascinating glimpse into early Rhanukhani exploration of the surrounding world.
The scroll contains 101 lines of text in Antique Rhanukhani script and dates from the 9th century AU (unusual, as Antique script had long been succeeded by Old script at this time). The consensus of scholarship is that it represents a partial copy of a 5th century BU document. It begins, "This is the report of the voyage of Rhah, chief of the Khuna, into the southern areas of Nevitsroghan, beyond the Tail of Holodlhessi, which he dedicated to Bruspanah the Unyielding." Bruspanah being a war deity, highly esteemed by the ancient Khunate tribes - ruins of temples dedicated to him have been found throughout Khun province.
With 60 ships and 30,000 people, Rhah intends to found settlements along the Nevitsroghani coast. He first founds one city near the mouth of the Hesslian Gulf, then sails some distance and founds five others. Arriving at a river, the Khuna meet the Skheghae, a friendly nomadic tribe. They learn of the nearby Likhians, and taking aboard several Skheghae, set sail again, crossing an "immense opening of the sea" to reach a low, marshy coast. At an island they name Skholte, another settlement is built. Around an unnamed river, there are savage men and large wild beasts. After returning to Skholte, they sail further south down Nevitsroghan, finding people whose language even the Skhegae interpreters do not understand. Passing further, Rhah finds an endless coast of sand dunes, beyond which fires may be sighted. At a point called the "Horn of the South", they sail up a river to a lake where a tribe called the Yahrra live. Despite the lack of a common language, the Khuna successfully trade goods with the Yahrra. Circumnavigating the lake, it becomes apparent that the lands here extend flat and marshy in all directions, plagued with mosquitoes, and Rhah determines that there will be little of value to be found beyond. Having replenished provisions for the return to Khun, they do not sail further.
It's considered unlikely that such a large fleet was assembled at this point in history, with most scholars agreeing a number closer to 5,000 people, but there is little doubt that the voyage actually took place. If, as many scholars believe, the land of the Yahrra was located on the modern River Ghyar then Rhah's fleet would have travelled over 7,000 miles before turning back - a most impressive feat for the time.
Some 6,000 years after The Inundation, the ships of the Pretakhoni Empire would arrive in the Holodlhessi Lowlands, seeking to expand their territory.
Stephannos, the chief of the Rhanukhii at this time, recognised that the squabbling tribes couldn't hope to resist this threat and, in the interests of everybody's protection, successfully forged an alliance with his neighbours in the Central Rhanukhani Plains. Thus, the four nations of the Ghattorians, Khuna, Kangharukhii and Samravhtelukhii joined with the Rhanukhii to become the core of the later Unification. This point is now recognised as year zero in the modern Rhanukhani calendar with dates rendered as BU (Before Unification) and AU (Age of Unification), as appropriate.
Stephannos was given the title of "Upetrosut Bolvelahztla" ("Chief Above All Others") and, leading the warriors of the five tribes against the Pretakhoni, he proved to be a master strategist and mighty combatant in his own right. Many a foe fell to his axe of meteoric iron, an artefact that had been held by prior chieftains of the Rhanukhii, but would come to be most closely associated with him by later generations.
Though they were arguably the more technologically advanced civilization, the Pretakhoni were frequently outwitted and outfought by Stephannos and his warriors, who were quick to capture and utilise the superior armour and weapons of their opponents. In spite of numerous campaigns, the Pretakhoni were never able to gain a foothold in the Central Rhanukhani Plains and eventually signed a treaty establishing a border in the Eastern Highlands.
Already renowned and feared for their superior combat strategies, the Rhanukhanis would go from strength to strength. Trade with Pretakhoni merchants along with Rhanukhani metalsmiths learning the latest techniques from their new neighbours ensured that the Rhanukhani armed forces were the best equipped in the region. The Pretakhoni for the most part honoured their border while attempts by other groups to invade the Unified Provinces met only with defeat.
In celebration of the alliance, Stephannos had a great five-sided pillar of stone blocks from each province erected on a high hill overlooking the main settlement of the Rhanukhii. The centuries have worn it down somewhat, but the pillar stands to this day in a district of modern Rhanukhan Kaglakh now named Upetrosutan Gobluki ("Chieftain's Hill").
The exact manner of Stephannos' death is uncertain, with different sources suggesting that he fell in battle or simply died of illness or age. It is confidently acknowledged that he died in the year 59AU, however, passing into history as "Stephannos the Unifier" and passing his famed axe and position as Upetrosut Bolvelahztla to his son, Helias - notable for his blond hair, a rare trait among the Rhanukhii - establishing a system of hereditary rule that would continue down the ages. For over four centuries, the descendants of Stephannos would lead the Unified Provinces.
Due to the untrustworthy nature of "The Chronicle of Leir" (ostensibly compiled in the 6th century AU - only later copies exist today) - the sole documentary source of information for a number of Rhanukhan's earliest rulers - it is uncertain who last wielded the Axe of Stephannos, nor where it may be located today. This hasn't stopped generations of treasure hunters and archaeologists from following even the most tenuous clues in search of this legendary artefact.
In one of the lesser border provinces of the Eastern Highlands, a region that is now part of the province of Wehdawahan, the chief, Ahnetomos, was growing old and nearing the end of his rule. He had two sons, Elphas and Tikhos ready to succeed him, but events would lead to a third man, Lucian, ultimately taking the position... and much more besides...
Lucian was the son of the chief's brother. Although he had been accepted into the royal family, he was, scandalously, the product of a brief dalliance with a temple prostitute. He famously eschewed the luxuries that his family status might accord him, preferring to engage in traditional pursuits with the common people. This, along with his evidently humble character, made him very popular.
Ahnetomos began to favour Lucian, believing that his prestige would reflect well upon him and his province. Unfortunately, as the years passed, this backfired as Lucian's renown began to eclipse that of the chief's sons and preferred heirs. Ahnetomos feared that the people would look to Lucian as his successor over his own children. There were even fears that Lucian would begin fomenting rebellion.
Ahnetomos couldn't simply assassinate Lucian without compromising himself and his sons' succession, but fortune provided an alternative possibility, through the actions of raiders from the neighbouring Pretakhoni Empire. Ahnetomos correctly surmised that the ambitious Lucian would jump at the chance to earn greater renown, defending the land against these Pretakhoni raiders, and dispatched him at the head of an army, fully expecting that the inexperienced youth would fall in battle.
As it happened, Lucian proved a skilled and popular general, earning new political allies and great acclaim for his shrewd tactics and rousing speeches in the conflict. He pushed the Pretakhoni back across the border and returned as a hero. Ahnetomos bowed to public pressure to adopt him as his son, much to his new brothers' disgust.
Ahnetomos died in 416AU, leaving the land to be jointly ruled by his three sons. Perhaps he hoped that they would find common ground and come together, instead the arguments began immediately. Responding to perceived disrespect at the first meeting of the new triumvirate, Lucian had the younger brother, Tikhos, assassinated, triggering a civil war. Though he initially lost popular support due to this, his charisma and oratory skills swiftly won it back and within a year his followers greatly outnumbered those of Elphas, who was forced to flee into exile in the Pretakhoni Empire.
Becoming the leader of a single province was never going to be enough for Lucian, however, and his eye soon turned to a greater prize...
Seven years earlier a woman had succeeded to the throne of the Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan for the first time in the nation's four centuries of existence. The first ever Upetrosa Bolvelahztla, Hecuba the Radiant, had been the sole child of her father, Constantius Long of Stride, and in 409AU had inherited his former position at only twelve years of age.
In spite of her youth, Hecuba naturally attracted overtures from the chieftains and chieftainesses of the provinces, either directly or on behalf of their sons, all obviously with a greedy eye on establishing the next dynasty of Rhanukhani rulers. Disgusted by the conniving machinations of these old men and women, she had resisted all efforts to marry her off until one day, when a charismatic and well-spoken young chieftain from the border regions arrived in her halls.
Though the records in "The Chronicle of Leir" (ostensibly compiled over a hundred years later, in the 6th century AU - only later copies exist today) suggest that Lucian both seduced Hecuba and convinced his rivals to withdraw purely through his famed oratory skills (earning himself the sobriquet of "The Charmed Tongue"), there is the suggestion of extensive bribery, blackmail, and even assassinations from other sources. Whatever the case may be, in 418AU he and Hecuba the Radiant were wed. It would prove a surprisingly short marriage.
Hecuba died young, while giving birth in 420AU to her and Lucian's only child, Alucian. "The Chronicle of Leir" describes Lucian's grief and acts of mourning at great length, earning him great love and sympathy from the general populace. What it doesn't describe, but what certain modern scholars have gleaned from the few other records of this era, is that some parties believed Lucian had killed Hecuba the instant she provided an heir, thus establishing himself as sole ruler of the Unified Provinces and founder of the nation's second dynasty. He would sit on Rhanukhan's throne for a further sixty-five years.
Despite coming to the throne at such an advanced age, Alucian evidently wished to enjoy a long reign like his father - he died at the remarkable age of 108 in 528AU.
Conflicts at home led to the Pretakhoni abandoning their more distant territories, including Holodlhessi, by the year 467AU (ultimately, as any historian can tell you, these conflicts were the beginning of the end of the Pretakhoni Empire, which diminished over the following centuries and finally ceased to exist in the Medieval Era).
The presence of the Unified Provinces and Pretakhoni Empire had long maintained order and stability in these lands. The sudden disappearance of one of these powers led to turmoil and the rise of numerous minor realms in constant conflict with one another. During their occupation, the Pretakhoni had drained the marshy Holodlhessi Lowlands, making them the most fertile lands in the region and a desirable target for many a would-be ruler. In the year 612AU, Ælfred of Rhanukhan intended them to be his and the greatest armed action of the age commenced. A huge force was mustered and swept across the Eastern Highlands, conquering the smaller nations beyond in a crusade that lasted less than a decade.
Instead of brutally oppressing the people of these realms, however, the canny Ælfred insisted that they could keep their cultures and traditions - he would grant them the full rights and privileges of any Rhanukhani citizen in return for their loyalty. The chance to share equally in the power and prosperity of the Unified Provinces was a gift that few would refuse, and the rulers of these lands all pledged their fealty to Ælfred, who took on the new title of "Dominus" - a title that would be held by all future monarchs of Rhanukhan.
As much of a desirable holding as the Holodlhessi Lowlands were, the Rhanukhani homeland frequently attracted covetous eyes itself. Raiders from the land of Gantsamvleli to the north, beyond the River Tehsi, had regularly poured down the Sohwalan Vale, aiming to pillage the fertile and prosperous Central Rhanukhani Plains. Situated right in their path, the settlement of Nohvala Kaglakh became by necessity a mighty fortified city, home to legions of stalwart defenders.
Eventually the raiders gave up their attempts to pass this way and retreated to their grim homelands, but the Warlords of Nohvala had come to develop a sense of invincibility by this time. In their defence of these northern lands, their armies had occupied the surrounding territories. Always expanding, always gaining in strength. Their rule now extended west into the Pyhnanni Mountains and east into the Nohyohvan Mountains and in 835AU their gaze turned south, towards Rhanukhan.
The Rhanukhani province of Kanghari had expanded their territory northwards by this time and established the new province of Astahni, which now bordered the Nohvalan-controlled lands. It was the first place to feel the iron fist of Nohvala and the first that Rhanukhan knew of their neighbours turning against them was when flocks of refugees flooded down the River Kanghar seeking sanctuary.
Conflict between Rhanukhan and Nohvala raged for over a century until the fateful day that the descendants of those earlier northern raiders saw their opportunity. Recognising that their ancient foe was heavily engaged to the south, the clans of Gantsamvleli crossed the River Tehsi all but unopposed, devastating Nohvala’s civilian population.
Caught between the northern raiders' hammer and Rhanukhan's anvil, the Nohvalan warlords sued for peace, reasoning that if Nohvala fell the raiders would finally have free access to the heart of Rhanukhan. The Rhanukhani Dominus, William I (known to history as "William the Peacebringer") acknowledged this point and also that the warriors of Nohvala had historically been Rhanukhan's protection against the clans of Gantsamvleli. He offered an alliance with the Nohvalans if they would consent to join their lands with the Unified Provinces and swear fealty to him. The Warlords were outraged at the suggestion that they should surrender their realms to their enemy, but the Dominus countered that such wasn't his intent. With the Nohvalan lands as new additions, the Unified Provinces would become too large and unwieldy to be governed effectively from a single central point. He proposed that the new northern provinces would be a semi-autonomous union with Nohvala Kaglakh as its capital. The warlords eventually accepted these terms and the Unified Provinces doubled in size at a stroke.
The massed armies of the newly expanded Unification drove the raiding clans back beyond their borders from whence they were never a serious threat again.
For the next two centuries the Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan knew relative peace and prosperity with William's successors ruling over a blossoming in the arts, literature, maths, and science. The northern provinces, known now as the Union of Nohyohva, had expanded to cover all the land from the Pyhnanni Mountains in the west to the eastern coast. The older Rhanukhani provinces of the Eastern Heights and Holodlhessi Lowlands had been similarly organised as the Union of Pretakhonia (named in honour of the historical empire that had reached into these lands). It was, alas, only ever going to be a matter of time before this peaceful era ended.
In 1138AU, Dominus Peter III died childless. A written document was produced, showing that he had appointed Daniel, the Lord of Nohyohva as his successor, but Peter's sister, Helena, Lady of Pretakhonia, denounced it as fraudulent and claimed the throne by right of blood (historians argue to this day over the truth of the matter). Court erupted into chaos with nobles siding with both claimants. Within weeks a bloody civil war had erupted and the throne of Rhanukhan would sit empty.
The armies of various provinces marched to war with each other. Whereas modern Rhanukhanis proudly sing that, "The Rivers Flow With The Perspiration Of Honest Toil", in those days they flowed red with the blood spilled by men who had been brothers. The Shramortoghmuli Ocean was the scene of bitter naval battles between the fleets of Skarthe and Verang, Bhanakha and Khibsi. Sunlight glinted from tightly gripped blades atop the Inukhanes wall for the first time in centuries. For fifteen years the war ground on, a bloody stalemate with no faction gaining the advantage. With the two alliances backing Daniel or Helena and numerous provinces declaring themselves independent this truly seemed like the end of Rhanukhan.
It was to be one of these independent provinces that ultimately settled matters in 1153AU. Baron Stephen of Phogoltani (sometimes called "Stephen the Wily") invited Lady Helena to a secret council, offering to lend his strength to her cause. After all, he stated, they were both Pretakhonians and he would thus much rather see her on the throne. Arriving at Stephen's castle, however, Helena was shocked to be seized by his guards and locked in a cell with none other than Lord Daniel. Evidently her rival had responded to a similar invite, wherein Stephen had made claim that, even though Helena was a fellow Pretakhonian, he wouldn’t have a woman on the throne of Rhanukhan. Stephen offered them each a pen or a sword, stating that enough Rhanukhani blood had been spilled on their account - they could negotiate a truce or fight to the death to settle matters here and now.
Eventually an agreement was reached. Daniel's two sons had both been killed in the war, leaving him without heir. He would be crowned the new Dominus on condition he acknowledged Helena's son, Russ, as his successor. In the summer of 1153AU, Daniel ascended the throne, reuniting the provinces. His triumph was short-lived, however, as he died of illness in the winter of 1154AU and so it was that Helena lived to see her son, Russ, found a new dynasty.
Robert Boutreknyffe is a legendary hero, renowned for his wit and guile as well as his skill with various weapons, depicted in Rhanukhani folklore from the 14th century with the earliest written sources being found in the northern Nohyohvan provinces. The tales are almost certainly based on an earlier oral tradition, however, and most scholars agree that the source would have been ballads sung by travelling minstrels in the 12th century.
There have been numerous variations and adaptations of the stories over the subsequent years, and the legends continue to be widely represented in literature, film, and television. Robert Boutreknyffe is considered one of the best-known heroes of Rhanukhani folklore.
Illustration of Robert Boutreknyffe along with his burrowing octopus, Lucy-of-the-Arms, taken from a 15th century manuscript.
The historicity of Robert Boutreknyffe has been debated for centuries. There are numerous references to historical figures with similar names that have been proposed as possible evidence of his existence, some dating back to the late 11th century. At least eight plausible origins to the legends have been mooted by historians and folklorists. It is generally acknowledged that if there is any truth in the tales, they are probably an amalgamation of the exploits of several individuals with considerable later embellishment.
Between the years of 1346 and 1353AU a plague swept through the lands of Rhanukhan. So devastating was this pandemic that almost no records survive from the era - it is believed to have killed from a third to a full half of the population, including the Dominus and his immediate family. Surviving documents show that this was taken to be a sign that the current royal bloodline was cursed by the gods and a distant, well-removed cousin was chosen to succeed to the throne. Known to the people of the age as "The Purple, Wobbly Death", the plague's ultimate origins and indeed the exact nature of the disease remain a mystery to modern scientists and historians.
"The War of Four", 1484-1486AU, was a civil war during which a succession of four monarchs occupied the throne within the span of two years. The period witnessed several rebellions and claimants, with shifting allegiances and widespread turmoil in Rhanukhan's provinces.
In January 1484AU, Sebastian, Baron of Drahvala, revolted against Dominus Roderick and encouraged George, Lord of Pretakhonia, to claim the Unified Provinces. The latter was acclaimed Dominus by his army in early April. He was notably supported by Alain, Baron of Wehdawahan. Soon after, the Baroness of Astahni, Claudia, also rebelled against Roderick. Sebastian was defeated by the Kanghari provincial army at the Battle of Stahnva, but within a month, they too rebelled against Roderick. Finally, on the 9th of June 1484AU, Roderick committed suicide after being declared a public enemy by the Barons, which made George the new Dominus. However, George was unable to establish his authority over the Unified Provinces, as several of his supporters were disappointed by his lack of gratitude. He especially adopted Baron Peter of Hawadhan as heir (George was childless and elderly), instead of Alain, Baron of Wehdawahan, who, it had widely been assumed, would be chosen. Angered by this disgrace, Alain murdered George on the 15th of January 1485AU with the help of the elite Pretakhonian Guard and became Dominus instead. Unlike George, he rapidly earned considerable popularity, notably by bestowing favours and emulating Roderick's successful early years.
Alain still had to face another claimant, Vanessa, Lady of Nohyohva, who had been acclaimed by the armies of the north in January. Vanessa won the First Battle of Benbhallan on the 14th of April. Alain fell leading his troops (the last Rhanukhani monarch to die on the field of battle), and Vanessa was appointed Domina by the Barons on the 19th of April. The new Domina had little support outside of her veterans from the Nohyohvan armies though.
When Callum, Baron of Khibsi, made his bid known, he received the allegiance of the armies of Pretakhonia as well as many former supporters of George and Alain. After his acclamation in Ahnderawhudi Kaglakh on the 1st of July, Callum sent his friend, Mark (the debate over whether "friend" is the appropriate title continues to this day - many argue that the pair were lovers) with a part of his army to fight Vanessa, but the Pretakhonian forces commanded by Baron Thomas of Wehtonia had not waited for Mark and defeated Vanessa's army at the Second Battle of Benbhallan on the 24th of October. Vanessa was subsequently killed by a mob on the 20th of December. Mark arrived several days after and swiftly secured Callum's position in Rhanukhan Kaglakh (Thomas had acted independently from him).
The death of Vanessa did not immediately end the civil war, as the Nohyohvan armies still rejected the rule of Callum. Many northern provincials had fought him since Vanessa's acclamation. In 1486AU, the new regime finally won the armies' surrender after negotiations, mainly because they lacked an alternative to Callum.
The Manganite Expedition, often called the Manganite-Euclase Expedition, was a Rhanukhani expedition initially led by Wharadhani explorer, Frederick Manganite to the Lehon Islands, which departed from Wharadhan Kaglakh in 1519AU, and culminated with the first circumnavigation of the world in 1522AU by the Ghovalan, Jon Euclase.
The expedition accomplished its primary goal - to find a northern route to the Lehon Islands. The fleet left Wharadhan on the 20th of September 1519AU, sailed north through the Shramortoghmuli Ocean and confirmed the existence of a northern passage around the uncharted coast of Spitektrihan, observing the islands of Tsovodshungoma. They eventually discovered the Strait of Manganite, allowing them to pass through to the Eruhani Ocean. The fleet travelled south through the Eruhani Ocean, stopping in Lermta and Rhulla, and eventually reached the Lehon Islands after two years. A much-depleted crew led by Jon Euclase finally returned to Wharadhan on the 6th of September 1522AU, having sailed west, around the southern coast of Eruhan, entering the Shramortoghmuli Ocean from its eastern side and completing the first recorded Shramortoghmuli crossing, avoiding waters controlled by Zlioristvamertivi.
The fleet initially consisted of about 270 men and five ships. The expedition faced numerous hardships including sabotage attempts, mutinies, starvation, scurvy, storms, and hostile encounters with indigenous people. Only 30 men and one ship (the Victorious) completed the return trip to Rhanukhan - Manganite himself died in battle in Rhulla, and was succeeded as captain-general by a series of officers, with Euclase eventually leading the Victorious's return trip.
The expedition was funded mostly by Dominus Charles I, with the hope that it would discover a profitable northern route to the Lehon Islands, as the southern route was controlled by Zlioristvamertivi under the Treaty of Hesslia. Though the expedition did find a route, it was much longer and more arduous than expected, and was therefore not commercially useful. Nevertheless, the expedition has been regarded as a great achievement in seamanship and had a significant impact on people's understanding of the world.
On the eastern coast of Rhanukhan is the province of Verang - popular today as a seaside resort among those citizens looking to indulge in a holiday, but it wasn't always so peaceful...
The Verangese Barons were renowned seafarers who had built up wealth and power using the coastline within their territory. Castles had been built by successive generations, stretching along the coast, allowing them to build up a reputation for piracy and control in the waters off the coast of Verang. They had no difficulty extorting money from those who would fish in their waters - including fishermen from neighbouring provinces - and passing merchants. All this was overlooked by the Dominus, so long as the annual tribute was paid on time.
Leonie inherited her position as Baroness of Verang at the age of only 14, following her father's death in 1544AU. Fears that a young maiden running the province's affairs would be a disaster were swiftly assuaged when she proved herself every bit her father's daughter. One story tells that she killed her first suitor in a duel, merely to prove how unworthy the young man was and to set a standard for anybody hoping to follow in his footsteps.
And potential followers in those footsteps there were. One in particular would have a major influence on life in Verang.
Within a year, word of a new Baroness - as beautiful and tempestuous as the seas she ruled - reached the Dominus of the Unified Provinces, Charles I. Despite the age difference - he was 48 to Leonie's 15 - he fully intended to take her as his wife. Upon visiting Verang Kaglakh to seduce the young Baroness, he was most surprised that she spurned his advances. The nobles of her court were not so surprised, and were much amused to see their ruler depart defeated. The amusement would prove short-lived, however, as Dominus Charles chose to force matters by robbing Verang of its primary income - the sea.
Vessels loyal to the Dominus soon became a common sight in the Shramortoghmuli Ocean off the coast of Verang, seeking to prevent Leonie's own ships from extorting money from the fishermen and merchants in these waters. The Dominus issued the threat that they would only withdraw upon the occasion of his marriage to the Baroness.
Leonie and her nobles refused to bow to such a threat and, for fourteen years, vessels in the Shramortoghmuli Ocean came to fear the sight of Verangese sails appearing on the horizon. The corsairs of Verang particularly favoured striking in the early morning with the rising sun at their back, giving the element of surprise, and earning their leader the sobriquet by which she is best known today - Leonie o' the Sunrise. It wasn't only the fishermen and merchants who had cause for fear. Five years into the campaign, Leonie's followers seized the Sword of Skarthe - the greatest warship of the age - and took it for their flagship, renaming it the Empty Hand in mockery of the Dominus' inability to exert control over their waters. Ribald jokes from the era comment upon how, robbed of his sword and his would-be bride, the Dominus had only one "weapon" remaining for his empty hand to grasp.
Dominus Charles declared this a treasonous act, but he was rapidly losing the support of his other Barons in the face of being so soundly and frequently humiliated by a young girl. He spent the remaining years of his reign under the cloud of being regarded as a weak and impotent ruler.
Every year, during the week of Voskros, Verang's tribute would arrive at the Dominus' Grand Palace in Rhanukhan Kaglakh, paid in full and on time as an act of defiance and spite. Charles may have always received his due financially, but he never gained the one prize he truly wanted from Verang and went to his grave unmarried, leaving the bastard son produced by one of his many dalliances to take his place as Dominus.
Upon ascending the throne in 1559AU, Charles' son, Anthony I promptly recalled his father's vessels from Verangese waters, telling Leonie and her followers that the only crime he recognised was his father's vanity and folly. Baroness Leonie ruled the province of Verang until her death in 1603AU, aged 73. She is remembered fondly by modern Rhanukhanis - particularly the citizens of Verang - as a great folk hero, and many adaptations of her life story - some more fantastical than others - exist in all forms of media.
In the year 1609AU, Rhanukhani forces crossed the Khunate river into Suria, in order to completely secure this important connection between Rhanukhan Kaglakh and the Hesslian Gulf. Surian refugees fled into the Western Highlands where they would eventually establish the realm of Loidisuria. What started as a catastrophe for the Surians swiftly proved to be hugely beneficial as they discovered that they now occupied part of the main trade route between Rhanukhan and the Elamadh Alliance. All manner of goods passed through these lands and taxing the merchants was highly profitable. Rhanukhan and Elamadh also benefited from the presence of a buffer state, limiting the potential for conflict.
Elamadh had been known as a wild and lawless land in ages past, the region composed of a multitude of small city-states in frequent conflict. Unlike Rhanukhan, however, which had largely unified through a long history of military actions, the leaders of Elamadh’s petty nations had realised the benefits of trade. The region was now the most prosperous economic union in Nevitsroghan with raw materials and finished goods flowing between the cities and vast wealth flowing into the coffers of the Merchant Princes. Loaded wagons travelled east to Rhanukhan and west through the passes of the Pyhnanni Mountains to the lands beyond. Vessels sailed from their great inland port of Ghulla, carrying their fine wares to all parts of the continent.
Naturally, such prosperity was a source of jealousy in the hearts of neighbouring rulers. For all its size, Elamadh was ultimately an alliance of small states rather than a large, organised nation and the greed of the Merchant Princes had led to them lavishing their wealth upon themselves rather than protecting their realms. When the forces of neighbouring countries began raiding and pillaging the Elamadhites they were poorly equipped to resist.
It was 1676AU when the wealthiest and most influential of the Elamadhite rulers stepped up. Princess Melissa (believed by many historians to have been the single richest person in the world at this point), the head of the Fondue family, contacted her peers with a bold proposal to ensure the future security of the Alliance. Either through persuasive argument or by simply buying them off she gained the agreement of them all. A lavish procession was soon on its way to Rhanukhan Kaglakh with Melissa at its centre.
At the court of Rhanukhan Kaglakh, Melissa made a proposal of marriage to the Dominus, Matthias III, with the promise of bringing all the lands of Elamadh into the Unified Provinces. The combination of Elamadh's great wealth and Rhanukhan's military strength was certain to produce the largest and most powerful nation on Sargvilosahnah. It is little surprise that Matthias accepted such an offer.
Once they were married, Matthias appointed Melissa as his coregent and what began as convenience grew into real love. To his dying day Matthias would happily tell anybody that neither the wealth nor the territory he’d gained had been the true Treasure of Elamadh.
As the year 1728AU (the year 1000AU in Rhanukhan's own duodecimal reckoning) approached, various prophets of doom emerged, preaching the final days of this decadent society (readers will, of course, remember similar claims circulating more recently in the English year 2000AU - round numbers have a particular effect on certain minds, it seems). Since Rhanukhan persists to this day, they were clearly wrong... though from a certain point of view, they were actually right...
The Industrial Revolution was the transformation to new manufacturing processes in the Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan, and worldwide, in the period from the mid-1700s to sometime around 1840AU. This transition included going from hand production methods to machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes, the increasing use of steam power and water power, the development of machine tools and the rise of the mechanized factory system. Output greatly increased, and a result was an unprecedented rise in population and in the rate of population growth.
The union with Elamadh really couldn't have come at a more serendipitous time. The hilly terrain and fast flowing rivers of this region lent themselves to the propagation of water mills and the extensive coalfields under the Elamadhite provinces powered the later steam-driven mills and early railways that soon spread all across Rhanukhan. This sudden boom in industry led to huge numbers of people moving to the western provinces and those in the south of Elamadh in particular remain the most densely populated to this day.
These years became a time of great engineers and wealthy merchants. Men like Gabriel H. Wok and Bartholomew Cafetiere were the heroes of this age, creating such machines as the Automatic Phlunger and Rhanukhan's first steam locomotive, the Ghattorian Galloper. The ancient lineages of Barons began to find their power challenged by the new Merchant Princes and the old, largely agricultural, Rhanukhan would never be seen again.
After the defeat of Ahzekhteesi at the end of the Adastyavleti Wars (1790-1816AU), the Unified Provinces emerged as the principal power of the 19th century (with Rhanukhan Kaglakh the largest city in Nevitsroghan from about 1830AU). Unchallenged at sea and on land, Rhanukhani dominance was later described as "Khavidhutoba Rhanukhana" ("Peace of Rhanukhan"), a period of relative peace among the Great Powers (1816-1914AU) during which the Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan became a major hegemony. By the time of the Grand Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in 1850AU, Rhanukhan was being described as the "Workshop of Sargvilosahnah".
From 1853-1856AU, Rhanukhan took part in the Southern War, allied with Mianertograditojikayhan in the fight against Gamiatianekan Idiokrahtia, participating in the naval battles of the Tahmessi Sea in the Uidershinsi Straits and the Tahmessi Deep, among others.
Alongside the formal control it exerted over its own lands, Rhanukhani dominance of much of world trade meant that it effectively controlled the economies of many regions, such as Rhulla and Eruhan. Domestically, political attitudes favoured free trade and laissez-faire policies.
During the century, the population increased at a dramatic rate, accompanied by rapid urbanisation, causing significant social and economic stresses. Social reform and greater devolved powers for the provinces were important domestic issues after 1900AU. The Alliance of the Golden Wing emerged from a coalition of trade unions and small socialist groups in 1898AU, and the Merchant Princes campaigned for greater political powers.
When Rhanukhan's longest-reigning monarch, Domina Natalie, died in 1908AU the throne passed to her second cousin, Baron Anthony of Khulakhallan, beginning what would turn out to be the Unified Provinces' final royal dynasty. The Baron was crowned Dominus Anthony II that same year, but it would prove a short reign.
A powerful nation like Rhanukhan would always have enemies. In 1914AU, Dominus Anthony II made a state visit to neighbouring Mahdkhesthan, tragically unaware of the level of resentment for perceived Rhanukhani influence in the country. During Anthony's tour of the national capital, Gamuykli, several assassins from a movement known as The New Order took up positions along the route taken by the Dominus' motorcade. Supplied with arms by extremists within the Samravhkhenti intelligence service (Samravhkhent being another nation antagonistic to the Unified Provinces), they regarded their own government as traitors for their "obsequious" dealings with Rhanukhan and hoped that Anthony's death would destroy the relationship, freeing Mahdkhesthan from Rhanukhani hegemony.
They got their wish... and so much more...
The reign of Anthony II was cut short by a single gunshot on the main boulevard of Gamuykli.
Anthony's son, also named Anthony, ascended the throne as Anthony III and, as his first act, sought vengeance for his beloved father. The Mahdkhesthanis had already arrested the assassin and several high-ranking members of The New Order, but it was too late. Not caring for diplomacy, the impetuous young Dominus sent Rhanukhani troops across the border, easily crushing the first lines of defence. Samravhkhent, sensing an opportunity to weaken Rhanukhan's presence on the international stage, condemned the move and rushed their own forces to aid in Mahdkhesthan's defence. This triggered a domino-effect of allies and rivals of Rhanukhan taking sides and entering into conflict with one another right across the continent.
The war would ultimately last only four years, but had a death toll comparable to medieval plagues. It changed the world map forever, with various nations in ruin, some even ceasing to exist as distinct entities, and new nations rising to prominence (the world would see a similar situation almost a century later, following the extraterrestrial Symyano invasion of 2008AU). The Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan emerged intact and triumphant, though with their reputation perhaps somewhat tarnished and certain alliances strained or even broken.
It had been a time of unprecedented technological innovation and the following decades would benefit from this, seeing great prosperity as nations rebuilt and new alliances were forged.
By the mid-1920sAU most of the Rhanukhani population could listen to RRRBC (Royal Rhanukhani Radio Broadcasting Corporation) radio programmes. Experimental television broadcasts began before the end of the decade and the first scheduled Rhanukhani Television Service (RRTBC) commenced in 1934AU, inauspiciously having to report the sudden death at a young age of Dominus Anthony III, just three days after its inaugural broadcast.
At only 22 years of age, Dominus Anthony IV (named in honour of his grandfather) was even younger than his father had been when he ascended the throne. Given the cataclysmic start to Anthony III's reign there were many concerns about another young Dominus, but over the decades of the 20th century, Anthony would become one of Rhanukhan's most beloved rulers, popularly known by many as "Uncle Tony". Even when senility marred his final years he was seen only as delightfully eccentric by the citizens (the time he appointed an aspidistra as his new chancellor or when he ordered that the national anthem be replaced with Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" are still recalled with a fond chuckle).
Anthony's reign saw Rhanukhan become a nuclear power, taking advantage of the extensive uranium deposits discovered in Harghattoria province, as well as a spacefaring one, with the first Rhanukhani astronaut setting foot on Sargvilosahnah's moon in 1968AU (Commander Amelia Vambrace, famously stating, "The journey into infinity begins with this single step."). Rhanukhan's extensive rail networks were enhanced with the MagLev XRT on major routes and construction of an Interprovincial 10-Lane Mega Highway System transformed the nation's transportation infrastructure for decades to come. It was an age of great social and scientific advancement - the citizens of the Unified Provinces had never been happier or more prosperous.
Dominus Anthony IV died in his bed, surrounded by his family, in 1992AU. The whole nation mourned the loss of their "Uncle Tony".
Anthony IV had been an avid student of Rhanukhani history and had named his sons in honour of the ancient founding rulers of the Unified Provinces. His firstborn had been named for Stephannos the Unifier while his second had been given the name of Stephannos' son, Helias Golden-Haired.
Destined for the throne, Stephannos had been strictly trained for the role of Dominus from birth. The same should have been true for Helias, but instead he had been notoriously disinterested in anything beyond his own pleasure.
Tragically, Stephannos died in a freak airship accident only weeks before his father's own death - an event that would radically alter the course of Rhanukhan's future.
Dominus Helias had no desire to attend to the affairs of state, but he did want to be adored by the people, as his father had before him. For the dozen years of his reign he was fond of throwing immense nationwide festivals and commissioning lavish, though frequently pointless, public works for the citizens in a vain attempt to go down in history as the most beloved ruler they'd ever had (many cities today contain some building or monument known to its residents as, "Helias' Folly"). Instead, his excesses had effectively bankrupted the nation, which had an economy in total collapse as a result of everybody dancing in the streets while their industries failed around them and, now that the citizens realized the depths that their leader had dragged them to, they were rioting.
Rhanukhan was in chaos. The Barons plotted to remove Helias, but couldn't choose a successor from among their number. The Merchant Princes had largely reverted to their traditional form and were each looking out for their own fortunes, transferring their wealth out of the nation. In March 2004AU, the head of the Prism family in Bhuravakhan, Princess Dorianne, recognised that something had to be done.
Dorianne approached the Dominus with the answer to all his problems. She purchased the position of Dominus for a sum which has never been made public and also threw in a fast jet so Helias and his family could get out before anybody discovered what he'd done. His current residence and identity remain a closely guarded secret to this day.
Although she never claimed the title of Domina (the people of Rhanukhan have since gifted her the sobriquet, "Mother of the Nation", in honour of the role she played in its transformation), Dorianne did briefly assume the powers of that role and used them to radically shake up the governance of Rhanukhan. She didn't plan to simply replace one monarch with another. Following the convenient removal of the hereditary monarchy, she installed her son, Horatio J. Prism, as the nation's first Supreme Chairman - a position that would henceforth be elected by the people from the people.
Portrait of His Resplendence, the Supreme Chairman of Rhanukhan, Horatio J. Prism, alongside his Enlightened Mother, Dorianne, at the Prism family palace in Bhuravakhan Kaglakh.
But this wasn't the only change she made. Dorianne established a Citizens' Assembly, largely eradicating the power of the hereditary Barons of Nohyohva and Pretakhonia, and the Merchant Princes of Elamadh. National governance would now be handled by the democratically elected Citizens' Assembly. Each province would also elect its own Provincial Government, enjoying a previously unheard-of degree of devolved power. Any adult citizen of Rhanukhan had the right to stand for any position.
Various groups and organisations took advantage of the opportunity to form political parties and selected candidates to stand for the country's first democratic elections. Even Horatio J. Prism insisted that he would only hold on to the Supreme Chairman's position if the people willed it. A number of former Barons and Merchant Princes stood against him (undoubtedly with the intent of restoring the old order), but many of them who opted to take this route to power swiftly discovered that they had never been very popular.
Mr Prism won his first election and, of the various parties that had campaigned, the liberal socialist Party of the Golden Wing won the majority of seats in the Citizens' Assembly.
Inspired by the strong ethics that had made his mother the immense and popular business success that she was, the Supreme Chairman joined with the Party of the Golden Wing and swiftly set about changing the laws of Rhanukhan in order to make it leaner and fitter. Changes included the novel concept that every citizen was equal and would be given an equal chance to succeed or fail based purely on their own hard work. The largest portion of the national budget was - and still is - poured into education, providing every citizen with free schooling all the way up to university level. The new government wanted to ensure that each citizen had the opportunity to offer Rhanukhan their best.
All forms of gambling were made illegal (though these laws have relaxed somewhat in recent years), ensuring nobody could gain an advantage over their peers or lose all that they have worked to gain through a simple game of chance. All too often over the centuries the hereditary rulers - particularly Helias, the last Dominus - had proven that merely being born into the right bloodline was no guarantee of a person's quality. There would now be only limited inheritance, either wealth or position - almost everything (including the citizens' bodies) now became property of the state upon death. The sale of expired citizens' property would contribute to the national budget and help keep taxes low. Their bodies were harvested for organs for transplant by Rhanukhan's new national health service - another product of the Party of the Golden Wing's strong socialist policies.
All this sudden change, understandably, led to even worse rioting, discreetly encouraged by the Barons and Merchant Princes who did not take kindly to their loss of power. The first year or so of the new order is remembered as a time of terror and bloodshed, but eventually His Resplendence, the Supreme Chairman's "tough love" policies won out and a stronger, fitter nation arose. The people were delighted and something of a cult of personality has since emerged surrounding Horatio J. Prism.
The Palace of the Dedicated Worker (officially The Hall of the Citizens' Assembly of the Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan) viewed from Lady Helena's Square in Rhanukhan Kaglakh. The building serves as the primary office of the government of Rhanukhan and is the official home and workplace of the Rhanukhani Supreme Chairman, replacing the ancient Dominus' Grand Palace as the centre of power in Rhanukhan.
The people of Rhanukhan love finally having a real say in their nation's future and elections always see huge turnouts. Indeed, many provinces make their main election days an official holiday in order to allow everybody their moment in the voting booth. The position of Supreme Chairman is voted for directly by the entire Unified Provinces every six years and Horatio J. Prism has so far been victorious on each occasion since the inaugural 2004AU election - 2010AU, 2016AU and most recently in 2022AU.
After its brief dalliance with failure, Rhanukhan is once again recognized as a major global power of which its citizens, its Supreme Chairman and his Enlightened Mother can all be proud. Now every day the national motto rings out from schools, factories and offices across the nation: "Our hands toil that our hearts may dance!"
Late in 2007AU, astronomer Beneridist Fredster at the Nocastle Institute of Technology in Mianertograditojikayhan, first detected a curious object heading towards Sargvilosahnah. It wasn't long before observers in other nations were reporting it also. The first fuzzy images of an enormous, yellow, curved object quickly led to the international press christening it "The Banana". The Niahvogalese Federation and the nation of Ahzekhteesi both actually tried to claim the object, though these claims were largely met with derision as they'd be impossible to enforce and, once it was determined that The Banana would actually impact Sargvilosahnah, were quietly dropped.
In December two astronauts from the Rhanukhani State Space Station, Charles "Buzz" Mantlepiece and Malcolm "Buzz" Soupspoon, successfully landed on The Banana, determining that it was composed of an organic material. This turned out to be the only research anybody would get to carry out, however - two days later the object came down in the Eruhani Ocean, scattering ejecta all across Sargvilosahnah and inundating sections of the Rhullan and Eruhani coastlines with massive tsunamis. The speed with which several nations rushed to claim territory in these suddenly depopulated areas is not looked back upon with much pride.
The Faithful Administrator of Veletarna speculated that "giant evil space monkeys" may have been responsible for The Banana. A comment seen as a joke by many people worldwide that would prove surprisingly prescient.
Rhanukhan established a colony in northern Rhulla, which it named Lazarastra, hoping to take advantage of any new resources offered by the unprecedented situation. They weren't the only interested party, with colonies and also military and commercial ventures being established by a number of nations.
Following some contradictory reports out of Lazarastra, the region was plunged into chaos as a plague spread through the colonies, seemingly transforming people into yellow zombies, and Lazarastra suddenly declared independence with the former colonial governor's wife and head scientist, Professor Lucy Sideboard, setting herself up as queen. By the time Rhanukhan had regained control of the wayward colony, most of the colonists and "Queen Lucy" herself had vanished without a trace.
As part of the liberation of Lazarastra, Rhanukhan annexed neighbouring Rhullan territories, establishing the colonies of Bahamghar and Kharanwhari.
It was around this time that the charismatic business mogul, Constantine Malachite, began to rise to prominence. His company, Malachite Evolving Enterprises, rapidly expanded into various markets, effectively taking over many aspects of the Rhanukhani Space Program (providing advanced global communications through the OrbiTech Satellite Network), making incredible advances in genetic engineering (Rhanukhan's armed forces were augmented by legions of the GBI-1 - GeneTech Banana Infantryman Type 1 - a clone super-soldier), and even delivering further territory to the Rhanukhani government. Following the destruction of the Niahvogalese Federation, seemingly as a result of a disastrous flaw in their extensive nuclear arsenal, Malachite made the surviving Niahvogalese colonists in the Eruhani Ocean a remarkable offer. If they would grant him governorship of their two islands, the impressive resources of Malachite Evolving Enterprises would be deployed to create all the currently missing infrastructure. The islanders accepted and the new Rhanukhani province of Lehpuhrta & Currakhan was born.
Constantine Malachite pictured at the product launch of his GeneTech Banana Infantryman - Type 1, February 10th 2008AU.
At this time amazing technological advances were being made in nations all over Sargvilosahnah, taking advantage of the exotic properties of Banana-derived materials.
In April 2008AU, Malachite was arrested on charges of treason by the Rhanukhani National Security Agency (RNSA), though they wouldn't hold him for long (see "Constantine Malachite: Rhanukhan's Most Wanted Hero" for more detail).
April the 13th 2008AU is a day that everybody on Sargvilosahnah remembers. The day that we learned for certain that we aren't alone in the universe. The day that the Symyano arrived.
Various observatories had recently noted a large number of interstellar objects approaching and many feared that The Banana had been only the beginning of what would become a total extinction event. Unlike The Banana, however, these new objects slowed, changed course, and settled into orbits around Sargvilosahnah. Even as various media outlets around the world were reporting on this curious turn of events, every channel everywhere was hijacked and broadcast one thing - the face and voice of Fleetmaster Boohubalss of the Symyano Hegemony.
The Symyano were a race of chimp-like beings from the world of Symyan'zu who dominated many star systems and had selected Sargvilosahnah as their latest colonial target (The Faithful Administrator of Veletarna had been surprisingly close to the truth, it seems). It was revealed that Symyano infiltrators, remotely operating humanoid avatars, had been present on the planet for several years, working to undermine society. The Banana had been sent as a demonstration of their superior power.
(l) A Symyan civilian. (r) The first face-to-face contact many Rhanukhanis had with a Symyan was with one of their fearsome foot soldiers during the Worlds War in 2008AU.
The international response to this announcement was disorganised and chaotic. Some countries surrendered immediately (their rulers were almost certainly Symyano infiltrators), some practically fell into civil war as collaborators, seeking to curry favour with the invaders, clashed with those who wished to fight back. Others attempted to attack the orbiting vessels, but even nuclear weaponry proved insufficient.
They say, "Cometh the hour, cometh the man!" Into this maelstrom strode Constantine Malachite. Amazingly, he seemed prepared for this very possibility and time and again over the coming months his actions would spell defeat for the Symyano. He saved The Supreme Chairman when Rhanukhani foreign minister, Allistair Ballustrade, revealed that he was a Symyano infiltrator, Alrabustt, and attempted to force the nation's surrender. Taking advantage of the fact that Lehpuhrta's bedrock had been suffused with the propellant material of The Banana, creating a new ore known as Bananætherium with gravity-defying properties, he next transformed the island into a flying headquarters from which he co-ordinated the world's defence.
Initially destroying the Symyano flagship and Fleetmaster Boohubalss with it (mere moments after Boohubalss had broadcast a claim denouncing him as a traitorous infiltrator named Chonmiklatt - an assertion that has never been satisfactorily disproven), Malachite would be a persistent thorn in the side of the new Symyano Fleetmaster, Coohudalss. The OrbiTech Satellite Network was revealed to be a secret weapons system, his GBI-1 troops supported their human compatriots in ground actions, defeating Symyano surface troops everywhere. Combining his own assets with those of other nations stymied the Symyano at every turn.
The ongoing failure of the invasion resulted in the Highmaster of the Symyano Hegemony himself arriving aboard his personal warship, the Star Collector - a vessel with the power to destroy a whole world. When Highmaster Thebigboss informed his failed invasion fleet that they would be destroyed along with the rest of Sargvilosahnah, Coohudalss accepted this judgement only to be promptly assassinated by his aide, Kyookumbarr, who successfully allied most of the Symyano with Malachite.
In the end an elaborate scheme was established, with contributory factors from several nations and the Symyano rebels under Kyookumbarr, that resulted in the annihilation of the Star Collector and the death of the Highmaster. Kyookumbarr went on to lead his fleet back to Symyan'zu and take up the mantle of Highmaster, commencing a series of reforms to Symyano society.
Within hours of the destruction of the Star Collector, a reporter for the Rhanukhani State News Network broadcast live footage of a fleet of RNSA aerocarriers approaching Lehpuhrta. No official comment has ever been made regarding their mission, but the footage shows that the flying island disappeared in a spectacular pyrotechnic display before they were able to make landfall. The official record states that the island was utterly destroyed by some catastrophic failure in one of its many advanced weapons systems, but the truth is that nobody knows what became of it. There has been no trace of Constantine Malachite or Lehpuhrta and its inhabitants since that day.
Certain wilder conspiracy theorists have drawn parallels between the names of people either believed or known to have been on the flying island and the "New Gods" from the "Land Beyond the Clouds" who seemed to appear from nowhere and brought the trappings of civilization to the ancient Ahztlarhani thousands of years ago. Along with Malachite himself and his GBI-1 and GBI-2 personnel, there is speculation that the respected archaeologist Doctor Henry Phone was present, as well as the fugitives Professor Lucy Sideboard and Doctor Peter Wallclock (the sole example of an AltSoldier and using the pseudonym "Bruce Spanner" when last sighted - see "Project: AltSoldier" for more detail). Naturally, serious scholars scoff at the assertion that Lehpuhrta could have possibly travelled back in time.
For anybody who would like to know more, 
The Flying Island of Lehpuhrta exists as a separate nation in the game with factbooks that include details unknown to the people of Rhanukhan.
Many nations ceased to exist as distinct entities as a result of events during the Worlds War and new nations have emerged in their place. The vast and ancient Unified Provinces enjoy a respected position in the international community, being a source of otherwise lost historic knowledge and wisdom.
Malachite Evolving Enterprises, now headed up by David Anvil, a decorated hero of the Worlds War, continues to dominate the Rhanukhani business scene, still producing all manner of advanced technology. It was the source of the first Artificial Intelligences, apparently derived from a naturally emergent AI personality on the MEE master computer that had named herself "Simone" (said to be a play on the computer's original title, "Simulated Intelligence Machine #1"), though she had evidently disappeared with Lehpuhrta. Rhanukhani law now recognises suitably advanced AIs as full citizens.
The onscreen avatar of Simone, Rhanukhan's first known sapient AI.
They aren't the only non-human citizens either. Although Kyookumbarr led most of the remains of his fleet back to Symyan'zu, several nations around the world (including Rhanukhan) found that they'd acquired populations of former Symyano soldiers who'd chosen to stay and make a new life for themselves. Many of them in the Unified Provinces have careers in the Rhanukhan Orbital Defence Force or various science and technology disciplines.
As His Resplendence, the Supreme Chairman, Horatio J. Prism commences his fourth term in office he can take great pride in his citizens and be sure that the Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan have a bright future ahead!
