In the days of the Kingdoms of Deceit, when the Father of Lies ruled half the world, Syranthir Forefront went alone to Castle Blue, and all that he did there we do not know, for he never returned. But we know one thing that he did, and that was to sire a son. Out of Castle Blue came Carmanos, the son of Syranthir and the goddess who dwelt in Castle Blue.
Carmanos, son of Syranthir Forefront and Charmain, goddess of Lake Oronin, grew to manhood and was trained in the arts of ruling by his mother in her magical Castle Blue.
[insert stories of life in the Lake: he learns of arms and virtue, courts nymphs, and wins the Stone Tablets which set out the laws to be followed by his Carmanians]
The Lion of Brass
In time Carmanos was ready to prove his manhood. In the Brass Mountains there was a lion that had killed many horses and people. He took a sword and went naked into the Brass Mountains, vowing to eat nothing until he had killed the lion. He hunted it for six days and nights and at dawn on the seventh day he found it and slew it in a great struggle. He ate its heart so that he should never lack courage and drank its blood so he would never lack strength and took its skin so he should never lack respect, and wearing the lion's skin Carmanos went back to his people. After this feat he became known as the Lion of Brass.
Without leaders, the Ten Thousand had been easy prey for the wiles of the Pelandans: they had agreed to accept whatever land might be given them, but were dissatisfied when this turned out to be the stony slopes of the Brass Mountains, a barren and broken land...
First Shah
The grateful Pelandans pledged their fealty to Carmanos and so the land became known as Carmania. He was crowned Carmanos, the First Shah of Carmania. Carmanos built the Palace of the Magi near Kitor and a temple for the poor in Kitor, and brought religion to the poor people of the land. He appointed Satraps to govern the great provinces of the country, and Sirdars to govern the many small valleys and settlements, Viziers to advise them, and Hazars to guard them from treacherous invaders. He wrote down the laws and he went among the people to announce them. He built many temples. He built a palace for his family and furnished it austerely as an example to the people.
When he reached his full maturity, he returned to his father's people. The magi and captains, who had ruled under Komos' paternal guidance after Syranthir had gone, recognised him and welcomed him with honour, as they saw that he embodied their rule over a part of Peloria. He was hailed as Shah, which is "King" in the Carmanian tongue: a title his father had never possessed.
Glautorus was opposed by Carmanos, Son of the Lake, who was the Prince of Brinnus, who laid seige to many cities and captured them. He organised all the people anew, like Lendarshi had done, and gave all worthwhile people new goals and shares. Soon people flocked to his protection and laws and Glautorus was forced to come out and fight.
The Laws of Carmanos
Carmanos brought with him the laws he alone had received from the wise judges of Castle Blue. These established the precedence of the two principles by which the Carmanians were ever guided: the Laws of Light and Darkness. He gathered around him a council of learned magi, and had them determine which of their customs were most pleasing to the True Gods. In this way the purity of the Carmanian religion was first established.
New laws to preserve the equal honours of the two great principles were proclaimed: among the Carmanians, it has ever been deemed shameful to slay another in the hours of darkness, or join together in love when exposed to the light of day, for this stretches the parts of the world to their limit, whereas the Creator set the world in a harmonious balance of Day and Night, Life and Death. It was recognised by all that, as the Shah is the source of all wealth and honour, beloved by his loyal servants, so too is it just that he should be a terror in battle, feared by his foes. The land of the Carmanians was declared the Land of Peace, and those which adjoined it were the Abode of War - for existence is ever a struggle, but the Carmanian way sought to regulate its parts, placing that which was harmful among their foes and leaving that which was of benefit for themselves and their allies.
The Laws emphasized Right Action and rewarded or punished according to the results of actions. In typical Carmanian fashion the Old Law has two opposing aspects. The White Laws set out the socially beneficial obligations which everyone has to perform for the good of the nation -- military service, worship, tithes, obedience to nobles, and the like. The Black Laws prohibit socially disruptive activities -- all the usual criminal offenses and the religious ones too. In general the punishments for infractions are severe, emphasizing the headsman's sword, exile, and maiming.
Many Carmanians had already taken wives for themselves from among the women of Peloria, but it was Carmanos who instituted the marriage rites of his people when he wed the Priestess of the Land. Her name was *X, and she had never before taken a husband who was not also a god in his own right. It is worth mentioning here that Dara Happan scribes later claimed fiery Yelm was the father of Carmanos, and dark Xentha his mother - but this story will scarcely pass muster when arrayed against the facts herein recounted.
The War With Spol
Carmanos was a mighty warrior and a wise and crafty strategist. He led his loyal armies against the horrid Spolite Empire and triumphed absolutely, freeing the Pelandan peasants from the stench of the sacrificial ovens.
Carmanos fights battles against the Spolites under Glautor (son of Aegrastus): he conquers/ liberates all of "carmania" (which is where the name comes from!). Note that, following the success of Syranthir's mercenary army against the oppressive Spolite Empire, the Pelandan cities will at first welcome Carmanian rule. (NB: I know I keep calling the Spolite Gloom "oppressive": this is deliberate, and I hope it will be followed elsewhere in the book). The Carmanians are overtly fighting on their behalf at this stage: this changes in the next reign.
Shah Carmanos sanctifies Brinnus as his ancestral city. He takes the cities of Hurvisos, Tawenos, Meglardinth, Mintinus, Keselia, Kendesos, and Balovius (i.e: the shore of Lake Oronin, and half-way down the Oronin valley). The surrounding tribes paid tribute to him. His realm now abuts on that of Ulawar, making it the Abode of War for the next reign. In his last battle (c.787 S.T.) he must defeat Glautor of Enthyr, the Spolite Shadow Emperor.
Glautor, of course, comes to a miserable end. His Gloom turns self-destructively upon itself. Possibly even suicidal? His Empire survives him, just, but is crumbling.
When confronted by Carmanos, Glautorus called all the Gloom to him. The remaining Shadow Emperors came, and his ancestors who delighted in suffering. But his army ran away, leaving the dark emperor alone. The Gloom chose its own then. Glautorus committed suicide, falling upin his sword. The next day a slave girl called Swan found the body and immediately cut off the head, then hacked the body to pieces. His dismembered body parts were fed to different beasts of prey.
(719-740): During Elmesiod's reign, rebellion broke out all across Pelanda against their overlords, the Spolites. Sometimes these attacks were successful, and sometimes not, but in either case the disaffected foreigners fell upon their neighbours... Throughout the whole of his reign the people were unhappy.
(740-760): Dismesiod avoided external warfare. He did not send help when the kings and goddesses of Naveria came and begged for help against the invading Spolites.
(760-780+): Elmexdros and his armies marched in every direction and conquered all the neighbouring lands.
