Kingdom of Almador

The Kingdom of Almador was an ancient Celestial Elf kingdom that once dominated Southern Syltör. It rose after Maxion the Conqueror's influential rule, and lasted until 1000BCA, under the reign of King Hireon. The end of Almador saw the creation of multiple warlord states. Many years later, the last and sole successor state, the Aurlûnor Velande, would succeed the mantle of the long gone kingdom.

Early Years
Origins of the Almadorians were said to have been in legends, linking back to the Elven Migrations theory over 11,000 years ago from the land known as Akan’nash. These group of Lhûren would eventually settle along the southern shores of modern day Tacua Province in a city known as Ardol. This fledgling city-state would grow to become a prosperous city throughout the early 11,000BCAs, where eventually, the Lhûren of said region would migrate northwards expanding their colonies to the north after exploration efforts were made around the modern day Gulf of Heaven. The coastal plains of modern day Alma Province would cause a migration push of Ardolians to the north, where they would colonize the region, and establish their settlement in Sachómar.

It is not known what happened to the old settlement in Ardol, but it was largely theorized to have been abandoned. The decline of the city would be documented in a book known as the "Foundations of Estecónmar Vol I.". Descendents of the old Ardol settlers would come into conflict with a few Jungle Elf tribes, until finally agreeing to a peace, and established the modern day town of Estecónmar within the region.

The Rise of the Almadorians
The Ardolians that moved to the Alma Province, would become known as the Almadorian Lhûren, grew more and more. By this time, a man by the name of Maxion, would rise to prominence in the region. One legend records Maxion to have been visited by the Almadorian God, Xalos, the Sun God of Time and Kings, where he was said to have been given a vision, in which he was destined to become a conquesting King that would expand from the western shores of Alma, all the way across the entirety of what was known back then as the "Marilla Sea", conquering most of the known world. But what Maxion did not know, was the outcome of his conquests after his death, in which Xalos mentioned vaguely, "Once you have died, your children and descendents will rule wisely for ten-thousand years, but eventually, fall to the one who will bring chaos, and disorder, destroying everything you had accomplished. Only after that, will another rise, and reclaim your name once more."

It is argued when the Kingdom of Almador was started, or when Maxion was born. Many would source his rise to power in 10,000BCA, while others state that the more proper time was infact 8,000BCA, as inbetween 11,000 to 8,300BCA, as it was recorded by trade through tablets and pottery that a "Maxion the Conqueror" was present in them, while there is little evidence of a Maxion before said time.

Regardless of detail, Maxion would go on to raise an army, and in the name of Xalos, begin to expand the domain. Little did the Almadorians knew, that there was a people known collectivley back then as the Ghûren, which they settled in various hills and along the sea. One of the most biggest adverseries of Maxion's conquests, known as the Dawou people, were said to have been hard to conquer. It was said that Maxion would utilize diplomacy to have the rivals of it's largest city-state, Yu'shen, to fully solidify his power. As many as six of the nine city-states would join him, and would jointly attack the Yu'shen and their allies. The Battle of Yu'shen was recorded as one of the most brutal and bloodiest battles of his conquest, where as many as several thousands would die during the sieges. The advant of iron weapons and armor were used, and multiple different military strategies, which would come to be known as the "Maxionic Strategems" would become well known through future historians, and military tacticians, and was primarily used by the conquering King to subjugate the many around the region. The Yi'yen, Nû and Fai would each see themselves become his subjects through either warfare or diplomacy, as their swamps were said to have been extremely hard to traverse. He would not however, live long enough to see his empire expand into the territories of the Kumihos, which established themselves in the southwestern modern region of Hampo.

Post-Maxion Almador
Maxion's death would see his descendants continue to subjugate the enemies of the Kingdom, and grow it significantly, However, multiple outbreaks of rebellions would come, as court politics would become more and more expanded. Regardless, the Almadorian Golden Age, which lasted between 7,000BCA to 2,000BCA would be regarded as the most stable and prosperous times of the Kingdom, where the territory would expand massively through the conquests and subjugations, as well as the eastward expansion out towards the modern day Gulf of Ryzan and Deutzan Bay, the Almadorians would become the most powerful people in the region. Trade between Necua Hopolos, and the Kingdom of Olarã were said to have been expansive.

The Almadoran Golden Age became an era of arts and sciences, as the relatively primitive state grew into a modern kingdom over the several millennia it lasted. In roughly 6100 BCA, under the king Talyon II, the old writing system of Ghûpárcì logographs was replaced by an alphabetical system known as Lhûpárcì. This reorganization of the writing system, while implemented slowly, nevertheless allowed for increased literacy throughout the kingdom. The golden age of literature during this era was forever a result of this change, and Lhûpárcì are still used to this day to write Aurlûnoren.

With the rise of a Golden Age however, came a new rival. The Dominion of Ashura had expanded their domain quite a bit and the Almadorians would become rivals with these desert dwelling elves, which would come to see themselves fight multiple wars against each other, though, none would see their territories expand into eachothers land. This would come due in part to their recently terraformed region by their four obelisks that would turn the area into a desert for them to live in. The Kingdom of Olarã would also become a significant threat to the Almadorian's prosperity, where they would also fight. The Almadorians would find themselves expanding southwards, building clusters of forts along the border of the Dominion of Ashura, utilizing the rivers, and eventually, pushing Olarã down southwards, where the Treaty of Kaliné was signed, and saw the downfall of the once mighty southern power, whom had Necua Hopolois become also an Almadorian subject itself, and the rise of Almadorian southern power.

Decline and Dissolution
Maxion and his first few descendants was said to have been tolerant of the subjects he had under his rule, and gave many of said people to live under his rule, though, the growing Almadorian ruling class would begin to dictate different policy towards the other races of the Kingdom, that would create problems and tensions between the Almadorians and their subjects later on. Eventually, by the later 1200BCAs, this would come and bite the Almadorians hard, which would mark a period of civil unrest, instability and local racial wars between the ruling Elves and their Human, Kumiho and Seraan subjects.

King Hireon II of the Maxionic Dynasty was the son of King Cail II, and the last king of the Kingdom of Almador. Hireon's relations with his father continued to decline until he was disinherited on the death bed of his father, giving the throne to Harnon in the year 1220 BCA. This resulted in Hireon assassinating his brother and most of his brother’s clan to ensure that no one but him inherited the throne. Hireon ascended as Almador's new King in the year 1180 BCA.

The first years of his rule were marked with instability, and strife. In 1150 BCA, the Kumiho rebelled against the Kingdom of Almador. Hireon brutally suppressed this revolt, and was said to have given the whole of the Kumiho subject territory unreasonable conditions- leaving the region in ruins, refusing to send any aid to repair it- all to send a message to never rebel again. This handling of crises addressed by the royal court (as well as the varying dukes and counts in the kingdom's many provinces) only soured his relations with those leaders, with his attempts in trying to further centralize power in Sachómar. What made matters worse was that the king was heavily influenced by the intermingling of court eunuchs, which influenced his politics especially to favor the central power in the city itself. The construction of the huge palace, which started under the reign of his grandfather, was completed in 1143 BCA. This towering palace dominated the city and loomed over its poorer denizens. Hireon also was said to have been wasting country resources on lavish feasts to help improve his image, and ignored the common folk.

The king's control over the country started to decline once he isolated himself within the capital. Crop yields started to drop far below normal, troops were not well paid enough, and most of the available resources were going only the lavish parties that were regularly thrown by Hireon’s court. The aristocratic nobility within the provinces acquired more power within their respective regions and begun to do what they please, starting to ignore the central government's whims, and as a result, some more ambitious nobles broke away from the kingdom altogether and fought among each other. Some more justice-seeking nobles, such as Huang Ruoyon, later becoming known as King Linye the Pacifier, openly protested against Hireon and denounced his actions against the common people. Peasants started to rise up against the Almadoran state with the worst peasant revolt known, the Orange Sash Rebellion, occurring throughout the northern and eastern countryside. The newly established Qanti-ruled Dominion of Ashura begun to expand its borders into the more oppressed Azeral-populated regions, and a new foe, known as the Krow Horde, appeared in the east, pillaging the countryside and starting wars against the elves living in the region.

It would take one loyalist by the name of Alcon Sandan to bring king Hireon to his senses and show him what was happening to the kingdom. As he peered at the maps and the reports that came in, Hireon was shocked, and was absolutely horrified in his actions. Alcon would point to the eunuchs whom he trusted as the ones responsible. But immediately as he said that, Hireon executed Alcon for suggesting such people who he saw as his fathers, would suggest such things. This however, would not be the last time Hireon would see Alcon.

In 1101 BCA, the Kumiho rose up again, however this time they would successfully secede from the Kingdom of Almador. This was due to the weak resistance in the Almadoran garrisons that occupied their land. This established the Queendom of Hampo under the control of Queen Kangjonnmuk and her dynasty that had been in hiding for supposedly centuries before the elven conquests of the region, and Kangjinmuk declared their previous treaties that were placed on them null and void.

By 1000 BCA, king Hireon's influence dwindled only to the areas surrounding Sachómar, even though he had de jure control over most of the region. The Kingdom of Almador was all but anything in name. A historical state of irony would put that he was killed by Alcon Sandan, the elf Hireon thought he would execute, when in reality he was secretly guided away from the city to form his own army. Alcon is quoted as saying: "To end your rule was a call from the Gods themselves. Ten-thousand years, and you destroyed it all. But I suppose that's how the cycle works, isn't it?".