Late Yophenthean Empire

The First Sack of Yophénthë, 840 AI marks the beginning of the Late Yophenthean Empire, 840 to 986, and ends with the Third Sack of Yophénthë with the pillaging and fire-bombing of the historic capital with an allied armada of Jaggudornish and Dewyddairsh sky tribes, known principally as the Sky Coalition of Thrace. Economic and ideological conflicts between the Empire and the Sky Peoples was likely the most powerful of stresses that battered and eventually overwhelmed the empire. Outlanders, human and humanlike, testing the vast frontiers of the empire, economic hardships, religious movements, the decline of the ruling Arathraciot class, and internal struggles for leadership all helped bring about the Fall of the Yophénthë and the Empire. Despite these changes, the Late Yophenthean Empire also saw expansion in the practice of Arathracianism, the founding and growth of some cities, and artistic accomplishments. The rulers of the period of roughly two hundred years that followed the Late Yophenthean Empire are known as the Yophenthean Successor States. The Arathracian religion underwent profound changes in organization and practices, ultimately surviving the violence and collapse, to be remain as the single largest religion in the Pallathantic Region today.

Government

See also: Dual Monarchy

The Dual Monarchy is characteristic of the Late Yophenthean Empire. The First Sack of Yophénthe brought about a transformation of the government. The leadership was divided into three parts, a religious high priest who was genuflected to and preserved the line of the ancient Arathraciots, the emperor, a figurehead who fulfilled the day-to-day court functions, received legates, and was himself of considerable Arathraciot blood, and finally a strong military leader who focused on the active defense of the empire. Despite the three-part division, it is called the Dual Monarchy because the military leader did not need to be of sufficiently pure Arathraciot blood. The Priest-King, sometimes called by later historians, the subject priest-king, was bowered continually on the island where he performed all the high ceremonies of the Arathracian Church. Even the Sun Emperor had to bow to him on very holy occasions. The Emperor maintained something of the lavish court of his predecessors during the High Yophenthean Empire. The senate was entrusted with ratifying the successors each of these persons. The military commander bowed to both of these figures, but had immense power. It was only his utmost reverence for the religion and divine origins of the Arathraciots that kept him from sweeping them out of their high and lofty stations.

Religious Movements

Several new religious movements arose during the Late Yophenthean Empire. Many of these were mystery cults began with new interpretations or 'mystery' versions of existing Isxinthion gods. The god Rhio had Errignomon as his mystery counterpart and the god Arathrax had Amonthrace as his mystery counterpart. These cults were viewed with some amusement at first, but seen as subversive as their followers spread. They never became predominant but were seen as a sign that the old gods, including Arathrax, were not held in the same high esteem as anciently.

One of the new faiths that came to test the legitimacy of the imperial religion was Incarnandism. Its beginnings in the second half of the eighth century did not have a remarkable effect on the empire, but sowed the seeds that saw many more converts in the ninth century. Incarnandists refused to worship the emperor and kneel before the image of the god Arathrax at the imperial courts of law. For these reasons and their belief in an all-powerful god who was to come and transform the universe, they were seen as especially subversive.

Changes in Arathracian Religion

In order to increase the waning pre-eminence of the Arathracian religion, the high priest Cubhean issued the Edict of Culfarran in 867 which opened the Rites of Arathrax up fully to anyone, regardless of ancestry, who professed the tenets of the faith and came into submission to the Arathracian priesthood. The effects of this at the time were not as widespread as hoped, but scholars today believe that this was essential for the Yophenthean Arathracian Religion to become deeply rooted in the Pallathantic.

Causes of Collapse

The empire was geographically immense. The sky tribes of the Jaggudorns were at the forefront of testing and invading the empire's eastern frontiers. The ancient alliance with the Mipnor Rulers of Dewyddair had all but been renounced. The military leader was on campaign continuously on the frontiers where invasions were almost a daily occurrence. Aggressions from sky tribes, goblins, desert tribes out of the southwest, malcontent merfolk, tritons from the depths, Brundarish tribes in Midrardia, and Jykki Orcs from Danona perpetually stressed the imperial military system. The Sky Coalition of Thrace toppled the head of the empire, the capital of Yophénthe, and caused many places to establish local government when it became clear that the city was not to revive as head of the empire.

Hostility between Sky Tribes and Yophenthean Empire

The sky tribes desired the superior resources found within the Yophenthean Empire for the construction of their skycraft that enabled them to maintain their way of life as transhumant skyherders of gontha and other beasts. The best resources, such as fleeglesilk, had to be purchased from Yophenthean merchants who controlled the price, distribution, and quality. Some merchants were in fact sky people who lived within the empire. In addition economic conflict, the religion of Thwar and the religion of Arathrax were increasingly seen as opposed to each other. Arathrax was seen as the defender of the empire, but to the sky tribes as a person of tyranny. In contrast, the Yophentheans saw Thwar as a barbarous god of violence, but revered by the sky tribes as their patron deity.

Lack of Adaptation

The Yophentheans did not readily adapt skycraft themselves, preferring to use surface forces and Arathracian priest powers (hieratics) to fend off attack. Some Yophentheans considered skycraft as barbarous and possibly irreverent to the sun. The Mipnors, the traditional enemies of the Kalikán, were enlisted as allies and auxiliaries to defend the skies of the empire. During the Late Empire, however, the relations between the Yophenthean Rulers and the Great Sky King of Dewyydair cooled and the empire was increasingly required to hire sky warrior auxiliaries from elsewhere who were often unreliable.

See Also

• Chronology of Asdar
• Early Yophenthean Empire
• Erechórebese Sunfather
• First Sack of Yophénthë
• Sky Coalition of Thrace
• Yophenthean Empire
• Yophenthean Successor States