Post by Chris on Dec 10, 2009 10:46:49 GMT -5
Capital | Cairhien |
Public Happiness | 80/100 |
Military power | Perhaps somewhere in the order of 40,000 men, mixtue of light cavalry and pikemen / crossbowmen |
Details | Cairhien is a nation that borders the Spine of the World, north of Tear and south of the Borderlands. It stretches from Kinslayer's Dagger to the Maraside Mountains, and from the Spine to the River Erinin. Its capital city is also named Cairhien. It is famous for the Topless Towers of its eponymous capital city. Cairhien's name comes from Al'cair'rahienallen an Old Tongue word that means "Hill of the Golden Dawn." After the Trolloc Wars and the War of the Hundred Years, the original name was shortened to simply "Cairhien". Before then, the city had been the capital of the nation of Almoren, which later became Tova. After the War of the Hundred Years, the province of Cairhien rose up against their Tovan rulers and slaughtered the entire ruling line. The lands that now form Cairhen were claimed by the nations of Tova and Shandalle before the time of Artur Hawkwing and Almoren during the time of the Ten Nations. After Hawkwing conquered Tova during the Consolidation, he united Tova with his own homeland of Shandalle to form the Imperial Province of Cairhien. Very shortly after Hawkwing's death, there was a coup in Cairhien and the Imperial governor was deposed by a group of nobles plotting to reestablish Tova. At a ball held to mark the occasion, these nobles were brutally murdered. Several months of fighting followed, after which Lord Matraine Colmcille emerged as the strongest leader. He was crowned the first King of Cairhien. Cairhien reached its current borders at the end of the War of the Hundred Years. Its attempt to extend north after the fall of Hardan and south after the fall of Mar Haddon did not last very long and its borders retreated to their current status again by around two hundred years ago. Cairhien's fortunes originate in a random encounter; during the Breaking of the World, a tribe of people gave water and shelter to the Aiel who were guarding the treasures entrusted to them by the Aes Sedai. In a time when so much of civilization was reverting to barbarism, and the peaceful Aiel were preyed on more than most, this kindness stuck in their heads. Centuries later, they discovered that the people of that small village had later gone on to form the nation of Cairhien. In 566 NE (or possibly as early as 509 NE - the histories are unclear) the Aiel gifted the Cairhienin with Avendoraldera, a cutting from the great chora tree Avendesora, and right of passage through the Aiel Waste, so long as they carried a banner with the trefoil leaf of the tree. Thus was born the Silk Road. Cairhienin are usually short in stature and of rather pale complexion, usually with dark hair. They are also, outwardly at least, a very reserved people. Their love of order and control is best illustrated by the perfect grid of their capital's streets, ignoring even hills and, where possible, waterways. It is said that when Cairhienin reserve breaks, it can do so to a surprising degree. With passage through the Aiel Waste came access to the remote land of Shara, whose silks and other rare goods had previously only been available through trade with the Sea Folk. Despite the Sharan reputation for being fierce and unscrupulous hagglers, Cairhienin fortunes prospered and the nation grew rich and prominent. Cairhienin (along with Aes Sedai) are known to all but have invented Daes Dae'mar (the Game of Houses), a system of intrigue and plotting. The politics of Cairhien are dominated by the Game of Houses, called "Daes Dae'mar". The nobles took the plotting and intricacies of politics within the White Tower, and gave it their own twist. To the Cairhienin, everyone has a hidden motive, every word has a hidden meaning, every action is believed to be a move to gain more power and strength. Unsurprisingly, Daes Dae'mar has been the cause of almost every disaster in Cairhien's history. |