Ek (The Story of an Evil World)

by Egzakh

Of all my worldbuilding projects, this is by far my most painful. I started this as an attempt to build an entire grimdark and dystopian world's history in a week, using 6th grade language (I failed horribly at this, which you'll see as the history progresses). Just read the full author's note at the start of the document, and you'll understand.

Of all my worldbuilding projects, this is by far my most painful. I started this as an attempt to build an entire grimdark and dystopian world's history in a week, using 6th grade language (I failed horribly at this, which you'll see as the history progresses). The only time I had to write anything was between 11 pm and 2 am, and each day of this project I used that time to write. In the end it took me 9 days to finish this, and while that isn't bad the project quality definitely suffered. I haven't actually read this myself, so if you find any errors/redundancies feel free to point them out to me.

In short, this is really nothing but a brief version of the history of life on the planet Ek, an arid planet, and the second-closest planet to its G-type star of the same name (an unrealistic amount of nine planets orbit it). There's a lot of violence going on, but most of it is suppressed to keep the story readable for my character's supposed audience. Speaking of my character, he's a random "evil". This is an Ek term for a scholar, which you should take note of, and it's also used as a noun rather than an adjective. It's not nominalized, either; it's just a straight-up noun. Anyway, he was named Egzakh after the tyrant of the same name (you'll see later), and he's probably one of the least-evil people on Ek. I say least-evil and not good because no Ek is truly "good"; they all serve their own interests, even in what are seemingly acts of selflessness, so they are inherently evil. He makes a lot of errors in his judgment, and you can consider him to be an unreliable narrator. He's generally an anarchist, in the sense that he believes the state is corrupting, but he doesn't do a particularly good job of describing Ek from his anarchist viewpoints. His anarchist views also conflict with his (correct) belief that all Ek are evil, and that leads to some problems. He ignores female Ek, but in a violent and militaristic culture like that of the Ek females unfortunately play a nonexistent role. He ends up killing himself just as the world blows itself up (and yes, Ek and its life are destroyed at the very end), which goes to show just how bad things have really gotten.

As you read through this, remember to not let the wall of text bother you. It really isn't that hard of a read, I guess, but my decision to not read through it probably makes it harder than it should be. If there's anything I learned from this, it's to never write a history in such a short period of time again. You can just make up a nation's (or world's) history as you go along, if you even need to. Eh, I'm still proud that I at least managed to finish it.

Prologue

Ekag has always been a nation at war. Most definitely, it is at war with the outsiders; Ekag's (purported) worst enemies, and the excuse from which tyrants cemented their absolute power. However, it is also a nation at war with itself. Fear and coercion keep the common people in line; those willing to tread past it are met with a violent and painful death. Evils in particular are murdered on a regular basis as a shining example of Ekag's power over "crime". The tyrant of Ekag is himself one of absolute and unbending cruelty, with a massive military to enforce his terror against any who thrive on free will. And even still, conditions are chaotic. Criminal gangs fight amongst each other across the country for control of territory, their existence enabled by Ekag to use as an excuse for their evil policies. Real crime, as does everything else, represents more of a political tool than a problem to solve. Ever since the time of Egzakh, Eghv has been a city choked by black ash and smog, and coughing there seems nearly as common as breathing. While this is undoubtedly an extreme example of the horrors of life, Ekag is nonetheless the epitome of Ek today, and as the world continues to tear itself apart fighting for the interests of a select few, all suffer. Ek are inherently evil, and so much so that the terrible, genocidal ideology known as "Ekism" derives their name from the species I am ashamed to call myself a part of.

However, such a terrible fate is not surprising to the few who have illegally studied Ek, or, for that matter, any aspect of the universe. To the majority this is not known, and we have many obstructions. Ekag wishes to keep us suppressed, out of fear that their grip on near-endless power will slip away. What it does not understand is that it will never lose that power until its inevitable destruction by external forces, but it, frankly, cannot ever learn, for it is too paranoid, too fearful, and too reactionary.

It is for that reason, among others, that I choose to describe in simplicity the politics of our terrible planet. It is biased beyond doubt, as the corruption of tyranny has brought into existence an opposite, but this description, I believe, still makes very useful material regarding Ek, especially given the lack of records or information presently available. I will be presenting politics in all forms, beginning with the origin of life (from which social hierarchy first emerged), continuing on to the development of the Ek as a species, and from there entering the more conventional form of "politics" most evils are used to by describing existing historical understanding, governance and political representation, and how force, conflict, and warfare were (and are) used to further political gains. Through this material, the evils of the world hope and believe that you will enrich yourself with their memories. Do not, however, think that you will learn from their failures. As the Ek have learned from endless years of war, they are far too ignorant for true freedom.

Abiogenesis

It is often asked, "Where did life come from? What happened to it? How did we emerge from this?", and even evils have difficulty answering this question. Ek cannot know what they cannot see, and the terribleness of the world's powerful forces make the job difficult. However, slowly, evils have been pushing the boundaries of what is known further and further away from the starting point. Even still, very little of Ek's first life is understood. Even evils have to guess, wondering what could have been, rather than making a clear answer to life's greatest questions.

One day, something happened that changed Ek forever. What had until then been lifeless, inanimate, dead matter, became life. Evils do not know why. But they do know that the first beings existed in very hot temperatures. Where the life of today would suffer and die, these first beings lived. They needed the hot temperatures to survive and activate. If they did not activate, they would not be able to eat. Think of yourself, and how you will find meat if you feel hungry. If you do not find anything to eat, you will suffer until you find something, or die. These first beings had the same problem, and the high temperatures gave them the energy to eat other beings. Evils like to call them "thermophiles" to describe their love of the heat.

Consider this start of life to be the start of politics. From life's origin, interactions between moving animated creatures begin. Invisible beings either compete with and consume each other or operate in a more collective manner, but always to benefit themselves at the expense of others. Imagine your own life, and how you compete with your friends. Perhaps you are trying to race others through a field of spikes. Maybe you are trying to steal an item from a dying Ek before the others do. This is what life back then had to go through. Beings had to fight for themselves, and make sure they could get what they needed to survive.

As recently as 2000 mya, Ek was a lava planet. Volcanoes, burning lava, and choking ash covered the land. evils believe that this is why the heat-loving creatures came into existence. With so much heat around, it was only a matter of time before this heat was used as food. And when it finally was used, the story of life began.

Development of Life

As millions of years passed by, the heat-loving beings started to change. Ek has a form of long-term weather, and that long-term weather also changes. Sometimes, the world becomes hotter or colder as Ek moves closer to or farther from the fireball. Other times, if the movement of the wind changes, or mountains form, rain may fall more or fall less. Because of this, the heat-loving beings were forced to change with their surroundings. Think of how you will run while playing tag, swim when in the ocean, and walk when you are heading to work. You are changing to your surroundings. If you do not run, you will be tagged. If you do not swim, you will drown. If you do not move, you cannot go anywhere, let alone work. You are changing as your surroundings change. This is why the heat-loving beings had to change, and they did. Some turned into consumers, or animals, and ate other beings. The beings who did not do this were known as non-animals. For a long time, evils thought that the only beings were animals and non-animals. However, they began to learn more about life, and they realized that non-animals could be described as more than just non-animals. Some were producers (sometimes called "plants") instead of consumers. They used hydrogen, a gas, to keep their strength going, using a red protein-pigment called erythrin to turn the gas into food. Producers were called producers because they did not need to eat other organisms, but only needed heat to make their own. Some were decomposers, using dead beings as their energy. These decomposers were also divided into groups. Moving decomposers could move to dead beings and eat them, becoming similar to animals. Fixed decomposers could not move, and instead kept their strength by taking their food from dead animals whose nutrients had fallen into the ground.

These animals used their adapting to move to places with different weather and conditions. As the animals developed new adaptations, they could finally leave their fiery homes and heat-loving past behind. They would colonize the land, making their new homes where they could. The producers left their homes of fire and colonized the dirt and the shore. The decomposers could not eat without dead beings, and so they too migrated onto the land, waiting for beings to die and feasting on their remains. As these beings reached the land, the fireball began to affect their life. The fireball produced heat, so the producers began to use it as food. To get as much heat as they could, they increased their size. The animals needed the producers as food, and they increased their size as well. This did not affect the decomposers, and to this day there is not one decomposer who is anywhere near the size of an animal or producer.

As they increased in size, they started to change further. Some animals developed into "normal" beings, at least in our sense of the word. They developed large canines, among other things, and consumed other animals, becoming the ancestors of a certain population of now-extinct animals. Others developed strange legs and roamed about, jumping from place to place as if they were insane. Some preferred the open seas, and "swam" to move between locations. Still others preferred the high temperatures of old, but they would never have the chance to develop further.

For millions of years, this is how life operated on Ek. The system was stable, and species would consume each other often, controlling populations. Eventually, however, times would change, and species would develop. Some of the swimmers, fearing predators, developed legs with which they could walk onto land. Some of them would still live their lives at sea, going to the shore to lay their young before returning to the sea and leaving the land forever. Others would use their legs and abandon their sea-breathers, settling on land and never returning to the sea they once called home. Some of the predators followed the land-goers, abandoning the sea themselves to follow their prey, but most remained, instead living on other sea creatures. Other animals began to inhabit the large producers, slowly eating them as they jumped from place to place. And where these animals were, predators followed to balance them.

This was, in simple terms, evolution on Ek. However, there were other challenges that would threaten their very existence, manifesting themselves in the forms of disease, hunger, and the danger of extinction.

Extinctions and Their Aftermaths

Hundreds of millions of years ago, there was a time when a very large group of animals roamed the lands. They were animals, but very different from the Ek you know today. Their legs were close to their body, so they could stay near the ground and away from the fierce fireball. Strangely, many of them would grow to ridiculous sizes. From this point, they diversified. Some became fierce predators, chasing after their prey, who were often of the same group. Of these, some were rather small, and used their speed to outrun their prey, while others were large, and used their size to hunt down animals. The prey, on the other hand, were almost always large. Speed was useless, since the small predators would work in groups to hunt them. Size gave them a strength advantage, and this strength was something they could use to fend off both small and large predators. Other animals inhabited the seas, hunting the sea creatures who were at this time common. Some of them followed in the footsteps of their ancestors, returning to shore to lay their young, while others lived their entire lives at sea.

For millions of years, this was the new system of life on Ek. Suddenly, however, the animals of the group disappeared. It is not entirely clear why this event would happen, but a sudden and rapid change in climate was known to have occurred. This is an example of an extinction, and a typical example for what evils have to face. evils cannot identify exactly what caused the extinction, for it is impossible with the tools they have. However, evils do sometimes notice a few "correlations", or connections between two or more events, and evils determine extinction events from that point. It is from this work that evils are able to determine that five major extinction events occurred in Ek's history including its destruction (though not certain, it should still be likely).

Elsewhere, some of Ek's life began to weaken. They could not function as they had previously. Some were unable to use their legs to move around. Others found it harder to swim, and that it required more of their energy. A few could no longer eat, and died some time afterwards. All of these new conditions posed an unforeseen threat to all life. One could not just avoid them, for they were invisible entities that struck when a being least expected it. Soon entire populations died off, and those who survived were forced to adapt time and time again.

These deadly entities are known as diseases, and have most likely existed since the beginning of life. However, unlike most of the living things of the world, evils have very little evidence of their existence. There is nothing to uncover, for diseases usually do not form fossils. There are times, however, when a dead Ek or another being shows signs of weakness that could not have been the result of physical damage. This is referred to as "disease". There is very little known about the phenomenon, and what causes it is not clear. Because of this, it has become a descriptor for all sudden bouts of negative evils, a fact that does not help our understanding of them. Because so little is known about them, a section will not be dedicated to an overview. However, they are important to mention.

It is also important for you to understand that the entirety of life is based on a hungry being searching for food. It is the essential thing which life needs, but is very limited. Even water, something that is rather hard to find, is still more common. This is very true for those animals who feed entirely on producers, for the producers are so very hard to find everywhere in the world. It is because of a need for food that the animals of the world fight each other, and nothing is more important to them than survival.

The first major extinction event was a very deadly one. It occurred around 400 million years ago, at a time when most of the animals still lived away from the land, many of them in the seas and some others in the hot temperatures. Around this time, a gas called oxygen was forming less and less. The reason is not clear. Perhaps it was the many volcanoes that existed at the time. Volcanoes are still very common today, and this does happen sometimes (a very short time in the age of the planet Ek, but in the age of the Ek species a very long time). However, this event was a particularly large one. Oxygen is replaced by other gases (especially carbon dioxide) when an event of this kind happens, and it might have been the case here. Some evils believe that hydrogen might have been involved, but there is no known evidence of hydrogen affecting the seas in any way. In addition to this, Ek also experienced a level of cooling never seen before or since then. The combination of these led to about 80% of all species on Ek going extinct, and it was the second-deadliest of all mass extinctions.

The next major extinction event was still deadly, though not as much. Unlike the other extinction events, the reason behind this is not clear. It could have been a sudden change in climate, a sea level change, or another matter entirely. Despite this, it is clear that about 60% of all species on Ek went extinct about 350 million years ago, which is severe enough to be considered a major extinction.

The third major extinction event occurred around 200 million years ago. It was very easily the deadliest of them, and, as you may know, it nearly led to the extinction of all of the life of Ek. Just as the extinctions before then, it was a result of climate change. This time, though, volcanoes were much more active than they had been before. This released a great amount of carbon dioxide, which is a gas that warms the world. Now, the many animals, producers, and sea creatures of the world were much more used to heating than they were cooling. However, many of them did not adapt to the heat. Just like the beings of the modern Ek, they did not cool themselves with odd water features. The animals of Ek usually lived entirely by eating other animals, since producers were not at all a common occurrence. They could not "use" the water of the producers. A different minor extinction also happened about 5 years before this, as the digging indicates, and this might have had something to do with it. For this and other reasons, about 90% of species went extinct around this time, making it the deadliest mass extinction.

The most recent mass extinction was a very interesting one. Unlike the other three extinctions, the fourth was believed to have not been affected by climate change. Instead, it was a sudden and rapid event, and it only happened in the period of a century or so, while the others were thousands of years long. Like the second, evils do not know the reason. Perhaps it was again volcanoes, erupting quickly but not with great power. Maybe it was an outside object. Regardless, around 70% of species went extinct around 150 million years ago.

Every extinction event influenced Ek, and the landscape changed. The many animals who once inhabited the diverse regions of Ek died out, and Ek became less interesting in terms of geography. It is because of this that the extinctions warranted a section of their own. However, we now begin to leave the many animals of Ek and focus specifically on one species, which you are likely a part of. It was such a powerful species that the planet Ek derived its name from them, and for good reason, as they would soon come to dominate it.

Ek

Very little is known about the first Ek. Their names and stories remain a mystery. The bones unearthed by digging operations are an evil's only major source of information. However, with a great deal of effort, the Ek have been able to reconstruct a part of their past. Even still, there are many questions even the greatest evils cannot solve.

evils like to divide the genus (a sort of rank) into the extant Ek ek (who have been and will be referred to simply as "Ek") and the extinct Ek ekag. These species could not reproduce with each other, and therefore were divided. They murdered each other for resources, and the Ek ek would in time kill all of the Ek ekag. These first Ek were more disgusting than the Ek are today. They spent their time hunting small animals and fighting each other for what they could not get. At the same time, the Ek were hunted by an apex predator, the azin. To fight off these predators, the Ek formed armies. Everyone served as a warrior with the purpose of fending off azin in addition to hunting animals. Dangerous predators roamed the lands, and so for shelter, they lived in the darkness. They took underground holes or caves from other animals and used them as their own. They would move frequently from place to place, and never stayed in the same cave for more than a few days. They could not stay in the same place for too long, as the animals were constantly migrating. The first Ek were threatened by the heat of the fireball, especially during the dry season. The Ek living furthest from the heat line also suffered from extreme cold, when the fireball turned away from them. Sickness was commonplace. Hunting was dangerous, and if an Ek were to hurt themselves, nobody could take care of them, and they died a most terrible death. Constant war also killed many Ek. Because of all these hazards, the population of Ek was very low for most of their history. By 200000 BCE, it is believed that less than 5000 Ek existed, and the decline still continued.

The Ek eventually found a way to make fire, changing their lifestyle forever. Where they had once eaten their meat raw, and lived in the darkness, they could now set fire to dead animals, and use the fire to scare animals away and light the darkness. And one day, better weapons were created. Maybe someone discovered the ekite process while trying to start a fire. Regardless, that is unknown to any Ek. What is important is that it happened, and this was revolutionary. The Ek attacked their enemies with a sort of vigor previously unknown to them, and sooner or later the enemies had retreated, into the great depths of caves or underground holes. And yet the Ek continued. Many animal species were wiped out as a result of this aggression, and it left the Ek as the unchallenged masters of the universe. Unfortunately, this would soon prove to be disastrous, as the Ek began to make war amongst each other, leaving chaos and death in their wake.

First Wars

One day, a group of Ek had been living in the fierce lands of Ekag. They did not have a great amount of food, but they had enough to feed their entire group. A second group was not so lucky, and their people began to die of starvation. The second group grew desperate, and after an encounter, the second group of Ek attacked the first. A fierce war broke out, and many were killed. Eventually, the second group won the war. The first group had all their food and resources taken from them by the second group, and without any way to survive, they died off.

This is a typical example of war between the prehistoric Ek clans. There was not enough food for everyone, and to the Ek, the only solution was to take what they needed from someone else. It was at times very desperate for the Ek, and that is not surprising given their terrible lives. Since these wars were fought even though groups were small, evils often assumed that, since the Ek were willing to risk their lives for food and resources, times were also terrible back then. That belief is probably correct. Depending on where you lived, you may have had to deal with similar problems. If you live in Eghv or the poor regions of Ekag, you will likely understand why the Ek were forced to fight for their lives. If you live in Vucran or the rich regions of Ekag, you might find them brave but insane. In truth this is what happens all of the time, and it is likely not something that will change any time soon.

War has always been the joy of Ek, if you spend time thinking about it. Even the first day of life saw consumers and producers fighting for survival, and this nature was passed on through millions of years to the Ek species. Of course, this is not surprising. Food and resources are not infinite, and species must fight to get these. And to make fighting easier, better weapons were needed. Weapons had already existed since the start of the Ek, and they were used to hunt animals and in battle. But these weapons were made of weak materials like wood, or even lignite, which break easily. Back then, the Ek were hunted by predators, and they needed weapons to fight them off. So, the Ek began using every material they had, and eventually they found that metal made good material for weapons. For a while this was the case, and the Ek used metal for their weapons. But metal was underground, and digging underground, as you probably know, requires effort. And so the Ek decided to use ekite instead, a cheap and common material. But ekite was weaker than metal, and was not as useful. Out of coincidence, the Ek discovered how to smelt. By heating ekite or any metal, they could extract a stronger metal. The Ek used this new technique to heat ekite for their weapons, and eventually they could kill any predator that threatened them. This is when Ek's only enemy became himself, and fighting wars was now more important than anything else. For most of the Ek, this was the end of their wild life, and things became serious.

Nomadic Hunter-Gatherer to Nomadic Pastoralist and More

From these early hunters, the first "nomadic pastoralists" were born. A pastoralist is, like a hunter, a nomad. He moves from place to place, but instead of living off of the land completely, he had animals living with him. These animals had to eat, and so they went wherever the food was. The pastoralists, like the animals, needed food, so they led the animals to their food, turning them into fat little beings. When the time came the animals were killed, and the pastoralists were fed. This was the first way the Ek controlled their food. Where they were once forced to hunt and risk their lives to feed themselves, they could now eat whenever they wished, similar to how your sergeant may have grabbed food for the young Ek during playtime. These nomadic pastoralists, however, were not farmers. They did not grow crops to feed animals, but instead used the wild soil. Because of this they moved very often, and were never in the same place for a long period of time.

These nomadic pastoralists soon spread over much of Ek. Because they had expanded so greatly, they were responsible for many exchanges between ethnic groups and cultures. For example, ekite was brought from the East to the Armed Cities around 9000 BCE. One common thing noted by the big Ek (and I will continue doing this from here on) can be described in the following text, taken from one of the author's unpublished works:

"Since pastoralists possessed fewer levels of equality than hunter-gatherers but more levels of equality than crop-growers, some consider the era of nomadic pastoralists to be a period of transition, but this is controversial, with many noting that pastoralism developed independently of hunter-gatherer societies and persisted long after the introduction of agriculture."

The main point presented is that it is not clear whether the pastoralists developed from hunter-gatherers or not. Because of this, understanding their history can be difficult, especially for evils. What is known is often taken from the bones, weapons, and other items that they leave behind, and nomads do not have any attachment to their lands. Still, these discoveries help expand knowledge of the nomads. For example, itt is likely that the nomads developed rivalries to control the grazing land. Grazing land today usually only exists on or near oases, and the same was true back then. When one group defeated the others, it would usually lose control after a short while, since nomadic empires were often larger than they could handle. When they interacted with settled states, the nomads often had greater mobility, but the settled states had larger armies, so this too was not lucrative for the nomads.

In time, the nomads would decline. Mostly this was the result of settled states, whose numbers only increased, and their armies began to expand into the steppes. Now it was the era of the settled state, and with the settled state came oppression.

Early Migrations

It is best for this author to describe early migration on Ek using the following excerpt from one of their unpublished works:

"Early migrations were crucial to much of Ek's history. In a sense, they counterbalanced xenophobia and created a form of multiculturalism through violent means, and resulted in culturally similar populations being spread out over large distances. This makes the differentiation of cultures difficult, especially by geographic means, and because of this there are still a significant number of and tendency to create geographical rather than ethnic groupings, even when one directly borders another (e.g. the Kemanstan are an ethnic grouping, but the Balom Soof are mostly geographical), or the uncommon case where populations between Ek were undefined. Therefore, many groupings of Ek are considered fabricated, such as the Swathuamanonians, whose similarities are best described as shared geographical features."

Essentially, migration made understanding of the early Ek harder. As you might have known, when Ek reproduced, they gave some of their blood to their offspring. This blood helps determine where an Ek is from, and Ek reproducing with Ek of other races (especially very different races) over and over again makes it harder to find an Ek's origins. Because of this many Ek have difficulty in determining when certain Ek lived and where certain ethnic groups were at a specific time. This was also made harder since most information about the Ek came from their bones, even more so than the items they left behind. Even still, the Ek are still somewhat known thanks to recent discoveries through digging, and it is possible to create a rough timeline of their history.

Many peoples migrated across the world during this time, trying to get for their people the best land possible. Remember that the history of all life is one in which hungry beings are searching for food. The Ek are no exception. They are animals, just like all others, and they fulfill their requirements in a way no different from the so-called beasts. Because of this, millions of groups fought over every small piece of land. It was a time of terrible chaos. Still, it led to the creation of the modern borders we know today, and therefore the period is very important to understand the Ek.

Many groups were defined by this age. The Huwe were by far the largest group, but they were not as powerful as they would have wished. This was the case because the Huwe dispersed to many parts of the world, forming many groups. The eastern Huwe's most notable descendants were the Ekag, a nomadic people known for their tyranny and hostility, the Kemanstan, another nomadic people involved heavily in the Dark Ages, and the Buldesheast, a modern group. The western Huwe, whose group is much larger, included many more influential peoples. The Lignites were the ancestors of the Armed Cities and fierce pirates. The Sovo eventually formed the first known stateless society on Ek. The Kony were Lignite in ancestry but much more hostile to the conquerors you will soon know as the Kati. The Nebi would go to war with the Lignites many times while fighting over territory. The Zilnea were located just north of the Rusans and spent most of their past fiercely warding off their influence. The Mino developed into the Swidoco, who became known for fighting as mercenaries in Ek's many wars. In time, the term "Huwe" would encompass all peoples who were hostile to their nearest settled state. It is not clear why this is the case, but, as you should realize, it does represent the hatred the Ek had for each other. The majority of Swathuamanonian groups were ethnically part of the western Huwe, and many evils argue that United Swathuamanon (who are descended from Zilnea and not the Swathuamanonians) used the term to attack their enemies the "Lost" Swathuamanonians, even though United Swathuamanon was itself Huwe through Zilnea.

Other minor groups might have formed around this time, but again, evils do not have access to much information, which limits their abilities. These groups include the Rusans, the Balom Soof, and the Bash, who all established states of their own later on. None of them would grow as expansive as the Huwe, but you can consider them to be more successful, and they found that they could use their non-Huwe heritage to their advantage when the Huwe became associated with wildness later on. This divide was not so severe that it was worth collaboration, but it did become a factor in the various wars of the Colonial Age, Industrial Age, and the Atomic Age.

By around 6000 BCE, the various peoples of Ek had made in their minds borders to divide them. An area on one side of a volcano was now owned by one group of people, for example, while an area on the other side was owned by another group. These borders changed often, and many groups still migrated (and some still do) from place to place. But even still, the simple existence of these borders meant something familiar yet terrible. For better or worse, the first states had begun to form, and there was no turning back.

End of Prehistory

Ek's first nations, cities, and races were all destroyed in the many conflicts between the early Ek. Because of this we know little of them. However, it is still possible to reconstruct parts of their lives. Digging at underground sites in particular allows evils to discover and then study pieces of early Ek life. Without this digging, we would not know of the first weapons, houses, tools, tableware, and even toys which the early Ek created. Most Ek do not know anything about these, but for those who do know, they are very important in understanding the Ek. Because of them, the Ek knew not only where they lived, but how. They understood their lifestyle, their burial procedures, and their fighting. It is through these, along with their remains, that the early Ek and their lives were constructed, and a change was noticed around 6000 BCE. Here, the Ek begin to notice that their ancestors were now recording information in a complex and interesting way. For most of the Ek's history, they were not recording information at all. Instead, they lived by the days. When the day came, it was very hot, so the Ek adapted to rest and save their energy. When the night came, the Ek awoke and spent their time hunting. But predators were a constant threat at night, which forced them to create weapons. In time, they learned to understand seasons. When the hot season came, they knew that it was best to stay underground and destroy their weapons. When the cold season came life was more bearable, and so the Ek emerged from their holes to hunt. They did not understand years, and they did not need to.

At this time, their lives were still simple. Even the nomadic herders still refused the idea of the state. However, that time would come to an end. Over centuries, the Ek began to grasp the idea of agriculture. They did not often eat the crop themselves, for they were mostly carnivorous, but the crop did make a useful source of fodder for the herded animals. that they could grow fodder on the same land, the animals no longer migrated with the grass. In addition, fodder could be grown to feed all the animals, which meant that there were more surviving animals to feed the Ek. For these reasons and more, the Ek population began to increase rapidly.

As you might be aware, when population increases, less food is available. If that seems complicated, think of it this way. If you are, for example, splitting 100 units of money amongst 10 Ek, then each Ek will receive 10 units of money. If you instead split 100 units of money amongst 20 Ek, then each Ek will only receive 5 units of money. The same is true with food. The more Ek in existence, the less each Ek will receive. This was an influence that could not simply be avoided, given an Ek's nature to fight for food at any cost, and it led to a very great deal of conflict.

Digging has uncovered many weapons and Ek who show signs of violent death, which provides significant evidence for violence. This makes it likely that the groups of Ek discussed earlier began fighting with each other during this time, further solidifying the modern borders. The Rusans migrated from their lands in the south and displaced the Zilnea, who fled north. The Therko migrated from their own lands (also in the south) and became hunters in the northeast. The Mino were displaced by the Balom Soof and also fled north, settling the land between the Lignites and the (future) Sovo Taria. Many other groups were displaced and migrated regularly as well, and this should show you that the borders of the world were still very far from permanent. One group could fight another for territory, and if that group won, the other group would be forced to abandon it.

Even still, with the increased population, greater casualties came. War became a matter that involved large armies fighting one another instead of quick tests of archery. More importantly, however, it was also a time of the "social scale", a term that will be discussed later. Now, some people in a group were viewed as superior to others and given powers. It is not entirely clear why this happened, but most groups had few amounts of food and other resources, and needed to give them to those who they believed needed it most. These groups became the first states. With their larger populations, they were soon able to dominate Ek, replacing the nomads in most areas. Unfortunately, the large population and the social scale would allow the Ek to wage endless war on each other, a fact that would eventually result in their downfall.

Pre-Ekag

The Ekag are a people you are most likely very well aware of. Today they are the most hated people in the entire world, and for good reason, for they are responsible for such terrible genocides that even normal Ek condemn. That is why entire sections are dedicated to Ekag, for it is important to be taught their history to understand why they would commit the deeds in the first place.

The Ekag were once a part of the Krorzgvol, an insignificant nomadic culture. After an unknown event, the Krorzgvol split into two groups, the larger Ekag and the smaller Vruzkol. A civil war started, and the Vruzkol emerged victorious in spite of their smaller population, defeating the Ekag and forcing them to migrate east. Some time around 1500 BCE, the Ekag had migrated into the region of the Ey river, and attempted to conquer it, entering into the written records. The Ey cities were already unified, and so the Ekag were easily defeated. Around 1200 BCE the Ekag attempted to invade the Ey region again, and once again were defeated. Shortly after this, the Vruzkol on the other side of Ek came under the influence of the Mola after losing a war with them. They would adopt their writing system and culture, and Mola influence increased over time. By 900 BCE, the Vruzkol could no longer be recognized as a separate people, having become a part of the Mola populace. Mola peoples would continue assimilating other ethnic groups near them, similar to the other Ek empires, and do so until around 500 BCE, when the Mola suddenly vanish. Around the same time the Ekag invaded another territory and forced its people out of the land, becoming its inhabitants. The land was vast, and it had the Evil Ocean to its east, the volcano Mt. Ekag and the Eastern Mountains to its west, the Bash Plains to its north, and the Char Fields to its south. The Ekag attempted to expand into the territories of the Bash around 500 BCE, but were defeated, leading to the fierce hatred between the Ekag and the Bash that continued until Ekag's destruction.

After their migration and settlement, the Ekag split into hundreds of small nomadic groups that vied for control over the newly-settled territories. Eventually the Ekag became less of a nomadic culture, and these developed into city-states. It is not clear why the Ekag started to abandon their nomadic traditions, as their land's climate was harsh and not suited to farming. In fact, raiding was the only way for the Ekag to gain resources, and it therefore was crucial to their survival. Most of this raiding was concentrated on the Bash, which worsened the hostility between them.

Ekag's dominant nomads were the Eghv, in the northeast, and the Vucran, in the southeast, who expanded their influence with a skilled use of violence against their rivals, an idea that is very similar to how your fellow cadets compete with each other, yet equally wrong. Eventually, the Eghv and the Vucran found themselves butting heads with each other for control of Ekag. Neither group was able to dominate, and eventually the conflict between them entered stalemate. Around this time, raids on the Bash were less common, and the disunified Ekag spent all of their time raiding each other to starve their rivals.

As conflicts between groups of Ekag nomads grew in size and intensity, their records (which they seem to have developed some time after their defeat against the Ey) start to disappear. However, as their isolating language was very easy to write and the materials used for writing were cheap, they remained fairly common throughout the pre-Ekag era. This was crucial. At the time, most states needed a class of writers who would need to spend their lives writing. A simple writing system such as Ekag's did not. However, literacy rates remained rather low, mostly as the Ekag were still conflict-driven, with little class mobility and fierce government control. Ekag would eventually develop into an extremely totalitarian state much hated by its people and by other states, and because of this, Ekag's writing system did not spread nearly as much outside of their country as other systems, which were just as easy to write, much older, and whose main users traded much more often. Obviously, if there is little effort to promote something, very few will learn of it and adopt it. But the incentive to trade was little to begin with. The Ekag had many enemies who viewed their practices as barbaric, but many of them were also weak neighbors. To them, what could be taken by force was free, and this belief dominated their entire culture. It was also one used against their own culture, as groups of Ekag waged war on each other constantly.

Eventually, their disunification would prove to be their undoing. Even in spite of their aggression and large military, the Ekag were eventually conquered by the Kati, along with the rest of the nomads of the Steppe. The Kati would also become sedentary as their expansion reached its end, leading to Ekag's development into a modern state. The Kati themselves would rule for three hundred years before splitting in two in the aftermath of a civil war, starting the Common Era (CE). The Eastern Kati would experience rebellions, and states would start regaining their independence from the declining empire. The Ekag would seize the opportunity to rebel, and a new (albeit corrupted) state was born.

Social Stratification

"Social scale" may be a new term to you, but it is something that affects you now. Your sergeant is superior to you. They may force you to do certain things, but you cannot force them. Your sergeant is inferior to a general, along with other sergeants, and the fact is the same here. The general can force the sergeant to do certain things, but the opposite is not true. You cannot boss your fellow recruits around, and neither can they. This is the social scale's basis. As its name suggests, it is like a scale. As you climb higher on the scale you find the hard-to-reach top, and as you climb to the bottom you reach the easily-accessible ground. This invention you can now find everywhere is the creation of a certain people known as the Ey, who founded the first state around 6000 BCE. A good description of the Ey is as follows:

"Stratification and class divides had already existed before this period, most notably under the Ekag, but the Ey city-states rapidly accelerated its spread and development. A highly complex bureaucracy allowed the Ey city-state (in one way or another) to expand their influence over neighboring regions, which, unsurprisingly, led to conflict when territory overlapped. These conflicts over territory had already been commonplace, but the ability (and need) to develop large militaries to protect their interests was what facilitated the growth of social stratification; by encouraging Ek to become soldiers with incentives, these city-states were able to develop armies capable of conquering rivals and eliminating threats. By 2500 BCE a large and powerful class of soldiers had developed in many of the early city-states, and these soldiers held massive influence over the politics of their state."

A point to take here is that the Ey, like other Ek, were very focused on military matters. They had to be, for the land they inhabited was some of the best in all of Ek, but as a consequence it was undefended by mountains. The only way to protect themselves from outsiders and each other was through force. As a result of this the early history of Ey was one of conflict. Constant warfare limited their population, just as it did everywhere else on Ek. Eventually, however, the warfare started to weaken many cities, and it was only a matter of time before the Ey unified. In 1580 BCE, the king Velg I would unify the Ey cities, and he immediately waged war on their neighbors. The Huwe in the area were the first to fall, collapsing in 1578 BCE. The Age Georthaimo, the Mino, and the region's Lignites unofficially worked together to stop the Ey, and Velg died in battle after a series of defeats. The Ey remained unified until 1523 BCE, when Huwe invasions forced the eastern Lignites into Ey territory. The Huwe collapsed out of Lignite territory soon after, but by then the Ey had collapsed into a number of city-states too large to count. The Ey would unify again in 1489 BCE, but collapse again in 1481 BCE. Under the reign of Gholkin III the Ey would unify a third time in 1397 BCE, and their expansion would start again. They were helped greatly by the wars their neighbors fought with each other, for even in times spent fighting common enemies they would constantly betray one another. Around the 1380s BCE the Ey would reach the height of their power, defeating the Ekag, the Age Georthaimo, the Lignites, the Mino, and the Therko, and annexing much of the Huwe into their realm. Unfortunately the Huwe would rebel soon after, and the Lignites would take advantage of this, defeating the Ey in 1328 BCE and replacing their ruler with one of their own.

After this the Ey would go into serious decline. Without a leader of their own they could not stand a chance against the arriving newcomers of the 1200s. Many migrations by other peoples (most notably the Ekag) happened around this time for unknown reasons, and they began to enter the valley in droves. All of these migrants were either defeated (such as the Ekag) or migrated elsewhere, but thousands of Ek would die in these wars and the Ey were nearing collapse. The Bash, a nearby people who had inhabited the coasts of the east, also began to expand towards the valley, as the land provided them with a very lucrative advantage. Some Ey themselves fled the valley, and instead settled with the eastern Lignites, Bash, or Mino. All of these stresses from outsiders would nearly collapse the entire structure. Every known form of statehood could have collapsed. Perhaps the Ek would never have lived in states again, and would have instead devoted their lives to hunting or raising animals. Perhaps a group of Ek would form another state somewhere else, but with different uses and beliefs. Regardless, the Ey would survive. The Bash were threatened by the Ekag as well, and they began to collaborate with the Ey to help both their interests. The eastern Lignites also became friendly with the Ey, as the main group of Lignites threatened to destroy them. As the situation outside their borders began to die down, the state returned. The social scale hardened, and the people at the bottom found it harder to climb upwards. Ways to record events became simpler and more efficient. The most organized and well-trained military of the era developed under the Ey, and it would remain this way until the (main) Lignites developed their own military.

From here, the idea of a state spread everywhere, possibly the result of Ey's colonization. The eastern Lignites (who would eventually become the Kony) and Bash were the first to receive it, around 900 BCE. The Ekag, who had developed a form of early totalitarianism independently, were nonetheless influenced by their Ey enemies. The (main) Lignites, Mino, and the (eventual) Sovo were also influenced by the Ey in developing states of their own. Even still, the Ey were not the emperors of the world. The Rusans developed their own states independently and without any visible influence from the Ey. The Balom Soof would too develop a state of their own without Ey influence. Even states that were influenced by the Ey, such as the Lignites, would soon overtake them. After all, the Ey had never established an empire of their own. They had formed colonies, but never successfully conquered their neighbors despite their many attempts. From 800 BCE onward, the Ey would fall into inactivity. Their end soon followed.

The Invasions

By 500 BCE, the Ey had declined. As time wore on, they became a corrupt, weak and insignificant people. It was not a sudden event that resulted in this, but instead a decline that worsened over time. Corrupt rulers undoubtedly contributed by this, and they were more interested in personal gains than their subjects. The last ruler of a unified Ey state, Gholkin XII, was a corrupt and weak ruler. After his assassination in 490 BCE, Ey collapsed into city-states once more. They were conquered soon after by the (main) Lignites, who fiercely persecuted them. The region itself would eventually fall into the control of Bash, Kony, and Age Georthaimo, whose rule of their Ey subjects was for the most part less harsh.

Elsewhere, the world was changing. In the Kati Steppes, a new ethnic group called the Kati had gained power after defeating an alliance that had formed against them. What makes them important compared to other hordes was their expansion, which led to them controlling most of the world at the peak of their power, and there are most likely several reasons for this. In particular, while most hordes were controlled by khogs who inherited their power, the Kati khogs were, like the leaders of most states, military leaders. These military leaders lived their lives fighting the enemy, and similar to how a professional criminal is better at hiding crime than the average Ek, this gave them an advantage over the other khogs. By 500 BCE they had defeated the other clans (which included many Huwe) and united the local steppe. But, exactly when this happened is not known, for the early Kati have not left us any works, letters, or records. Thanks to the nearby Rusan states, we know much about the early Kati. In fact, the Rusans have thousands of works related to the Kati, and this could possibly mean that the Kati were already expansive or expanding by the time of their conquests.

Around 300 BCE, the Kati began to conquer the steppes. Here another major Kati advantage came into play. Their armies, like those of other nomads, consisted almost entirely of unarmored mounted archers, whose speed was unmatched by any of the rustic farming states. In great numbers, which they now had, they were unstoppable. Taking advantage of this, they first expanded east into what is now the Rord Gulf region and easily defeated the Huwe there, who were forced into the Kati empire to provide them with soldiers. Afterwards, the Kati turned north towards the Rusan states, most likely since the steppe is divided in two by the Rord Gulf. The isolated Rusans were only used to conflict between themselves, and their rigid armies were massacred. It is from the Kati invasion of Rusa that the Ek receive their first records about Kati brutality. The destruction of large cities, in particular Inrkme, in 302 BCE, became well-known, and migrants fleeing to other regions spread stories of Kati savagery. Most of the Rusan cities remained independent, for the Kati were only concerned with threats to their control.

From here, the Kati spread across Ek, almost at the speed of wildfire. The fell in 298 BCE, the Balom Soof in 295 BCE, and the Buldesheast in 290 BCE. At this point, the Kati empire bordered the territory of the Lignites (ancestors of the inhabitants of the Armed Cities), who had formed an empire of their own centered around the port city of Lignite. These Lignites were enemies of another people, the Nebi. The Nebi, unlike the Lignian Empire, were divided and constantly at war with each other, but formed the Nebi Confederacy to hold back the Lignite dictators. These early wars most likely did not have a clear result, as the Lignites indicate with their records, but this is not clear. In 280 BCE, the Kati, led by their khog, Gurkuz III, launched their own invasion of the Lignite realm to their east. A few months later the Nebi coincidentally launched an invasion of their own against the Lignians from the opposite direction. When they realized this, an agreement was made between the Kati and Nebi to divide the Lignite Empire between themselves. Even in spite of this two-front war, the Lignites held their own, defeating the Nebi in a battle at Gerkrukh and slowing the Kati by setting the land on fire. However, the arrival of a massive Kati army in 278 BCE doomed the Lignites. For their armies were even slower and bulkier than the Rusans, and had only hoped to hold off the invaders with superior numbers. As the Kati raged throughout the land, the Lignians withdrew their forces from the east in a desperate attempt to stop the Kati, allowing the Nebi into their territory in the hopes that they would destroy Lign's enemy, Usey (a very important city later on), who had been conquered by Lign, but whose soldiers, despite their participation in the Lignite army, were very untrustworthy and often switched sides. It was not to be. In spite of Usey's riches, the Nebi decided to attack Lign instead, forcing the Lignians to redeploy forces in the east to fend them off. In the end Usey would be sacked by the Kati, and the destruction of the city did unite the people of Usey against them, but by now it was too late. In 275 BCE, the Kati and Nebi attacked Lign from the west and east, respectively, and the city was utterly destroyed. Millions of Ey were dead, but the region's stability was short-lived. The Nebi betrayed the Kati and invaded the region in 210 BCE, but were defeated, and the Kati annexed them and made them a part of their empire.

By this time, the Kati had also conquered the entire steppe, including Ekag, which fell after a fierce war between the two sides. The Kati will again be compared to a wildfire, which had expanded to its peak. From the Rord Gulf to Ekag, most of Ek was now under the control of the Kati. However, not all of Ek had been set alight. Bash, most of the Rusan states, Kony, Therko, the Tetu and others were still completely independent from Kati's control, and the fire had run out of fuel. A campaign against the Tetu ended disastrously in 206 BCE, and led to the Tetu invading the Kati Empire. The Kati would stop the invasion in 205 BCE, killing its leader, but it was clear to all that Kati expansion was done.

The reign of the Kati is well-known for its brutality. While not at the level of Ekag, the Kati were still considered a very oppressive and harsh people and their suspected enemies were punished severely. In spite of this they were still very important in putting an end to the conflicts inside their borders. Outside of their borders the conflicts raged on (especially between groups of remaining Huwe), which sometimes encouraged them to join the Kati and serve in their armies. To them, the Kati (which you can consider to be an oppressive fighter with safe living space in a dangerous neighborhood) served as better owners than the wild (which you can consider to be the chaos outside the living space). Most wild groups, however, fiercely opposed the Kati and continued to resist them, as the Kati did indeed switch sides often in wars between the Huwe. The empire spent their focus on these groups, perhaps too much focus, and began to neglect the nation itself.

It was not long before the Kati found themselves in a decline. The Kati leaders waged war on each other for control of the state, and the peoples under the Kati went to war for one or the other, time and time again. In between these wars were periods of little eventfulness. The Kati introduction of paper money (called fiat money) allowed the economy to grow rapidly during these times. Many non-Kati would remark at how they traded this paper money as if it was something with actual value. In truth, the paper money only had value because the Kati agreed that it had value, though it still was a very useful invention.

Soon, however, a particularly disastrous war would strike the Kati. One ruler, Brazin I, and another, Drog III, would wage what was at the time the deadliest war in history. Countless thousands of Ek died in a struggle that achieved very little, as is often the case with Ek and wars. In the end the two rulers were forced to split the empire between themselves in 1 CE, divided at the border between the Rusan states and Armed Cities. The eastern portion was larger and had a larger military and population, but the western portion was more developed and more stable. The collapse of the Kati empire would be the start of the Common Era (CE), a period marked mainly by chaos.

The eastern portion of the Kati empire rapidly disintegrated. It would fight many wars with the western portion in their rulers' futile attempts to conquer each other, losing the trust of its inhabitants. Invasions by many nomadic peoples and rebellions by its subjects would lead to its end. As it began to fall, thousands of neo-Kati states formed, all of which would fight each other for control of the former empire. Its capital was completely destroyed in 260 CE, and the eastern portion would completely collapse as a result. The western portion in historical Kati lands would last longer, but a particularly large civil war would put an end to it in 454 CE, and after a series of invasions it found itself divided by various nomadic peoples. Now, there was little but chaos to await the Ek, and from the chaos there emerged new and terrible powers.

Early Ekag

Before describing early Ekag, it is important to first describe what the Ekag are, even with their state. Unlike most Ek, the Ekag are an exceptionally ugly people, who proudly wear scars from battle (or mutilation) as a sign of their bravery. Out of fear of bad luck, they never bathe. As a result of their negative reputation they have no trust of foreigners. Like all Ek, they only serve their self-interest, but the Ekag serve theirs almost exclusively.

It was this hatred of foreigners and others that Ekag weaponized to create a totalitarian dictatorship. Totalitarian dictatorships, by definition, are states that suppress all forms of opposition, control virtually everything, including the personal lives of others, and require complete subservience. Ekag could not have survived without it, for Ekag's culture has only remained so homogeneous because its members are fiercely hostile to all things outside their empire.

After Ekag declared its independence, it was immediately embroiled in a civil war between two major factions. The Egrirk were reactionaries, opposed to change of any kind and supporting the continued power of the absolute monarch, while the Ulkin were revolutionaries, supporting a decrease in the monarch's power and having it instead granted to the wealthy upper-class (some extreme revolutionaries wished to give power to the underclass instead). In the end, the reactionaries were successful, and the monarch's power remained absolute. The revolutionaries were persecuted. Most fled to other countries, and those who stayed were executed if they did not hide. After this purge the Egrirks came to power, with its first ruler as Brug I.

Ekag soon became an extreme example of the typical state on Ek. Life was oppressive for the masses, but those in power could do whatever they wished. Compare it to your sergeant. They control your fellow Ek and severely punish rulebreakers, but at the same time are very hypocritical and do the exact opposite of their teachings. The khogs (especially Brug III, Kudg, and Zraz I) were similar. They often indulged in terrible pleasures, but commoners who did the same would sometimes never return to their animals. Because the khogs were usually hated by the common people, they relied on certain groups of society to provide them with support. Eventually, Egzakh's rise to power (and you are probably aware of him) led to the khogs becoming almost completely dependent on the military, but at this time they could gain both support and opposition from a variety of interest groups. During the reign of Ugh IV, policies that emphasized high tariffs (a sort of tax on foreign goods) and static wealth were borrowed from outside the country, and they eventually led to the growth of a powerful upper class that at times was in conflict with the nobles, who felt they were losing their own power. The (Egrirk) eventually decided to back the upper class and the military at the expense of the nobility, and the other clans were not happy with this loss in power. In 420 CE the clans finally revolted, and another civil war started. This war was not conclusive, and the three largest clans (Egrirk, Lulzug, and Bagran) agreed to share power. The Egrirk still held power over the others, so the age is often referred to as the Three Clans period of Egrirk rule (and not as an age of its own). The clans outside the three still held little power, and because of this they naturally started to oppose Ekag's rulers. Ekag's few riches could not please them.

Even still, the opposed clans sided with the rulers when a new clan began to pose a threat to them. The Egzakhs, with the support of the military, had suddenly threatened to seize all of Ekag's power for themselves. Of course, the nobility would rather maintain the current order than lose all their power, and so they declared their support for the Egrirk. Most of the people (including the slaves) also supported the Egrirk, fearing oppression by the Egzakhs. However, it was to no avail. The Egzakhs had the support of the military, slave owners, and the crime mobs, and therefore easily conquered the rest of Ekag. From this point until the fall of the Egzakhs, Ekag's history became one of tyranny, misery, and destruction.

The Dark Ages

The Dark Ages are named because there are almost no records of this time. Following the collapse of the Kati empire, opportunistic peoples took advantage of the chaos and settled in its remnants. The author, having already described the largest groups in another unpublished paper, will add those descriptions here, and simplify them.

Kemanstani: Like many other nomadic groups, the terms "Kemanstan" and "Kemanstani" were originally created by the Kati, but rather than exist as a vague regional grouping for various tribes, the Kemanstan were a partially defined ethnic group. This group was hostile to neighboring settled states, and took advantage of the frequent wars between these states to invade and then migrate into their territories. Though some were fleeing raids by other peoples (especially the Tetu, who were launching increasingly powerful incursions into the Steppes) most were simple opportunists, taking advantage of constant war to take whatever land was available. The Kemanstani were no exception, initially coming into the vicinity of the Armed Cities. Conflict with the Cities forced them to migrate into the less fertile eastern lands, where they violently disrupted the regional status quo and created a migration crisis that would continue into the Dark Ages. They are perhaps most notable for their many wars with Ekag, who suddenly found themselves surrounded by enemies on all sides. Ekag would likely have fallen were it not for the sudden and unfortunate death of the Kemanstani leader, which would split their power. The Kemanstani people would become the basis of the nation of Kemanstan, but their decline was permanent and created somewhat of a power vacuum in the east and southeast.

The key points to take from this are that the Kemanstani were united by blood, unlike the other groups defined at this time. It seems as though most settled states, for the sake of convenience, lumped groups of people together for no reason other than their sharing of borders. In fact, this is often the case with most groupings on Ek, and, as you can imagine, that makes them less useful for evils. The Kemanstani themselves are best known for their wars with Ekag, but they were otherwise generic nomads, just as opportunistic as everyone else.

Swathuamanonians: Another vague regional grouping created by the Kati, the Swathuamanonians were also fiercely hostile to neighboring settled states, and it seems that they initially had a mercenary-based relationship with the Kati before betraying and invading them, helping to precipitate their collapse. The Swathuamanonians attempted to migrate north several times, but were unable to migrate either north or east thanks to regional competition, and most remained in the south. A few Swathuamanonian subgroupings were able to migrate west and settle past the Zragri Sea, but most remained in the general south even as the nomadic situation changed significantly and groups were assimilated into or destroyed by settled peoples. Little else is known about them, and why they were so commonly mentioned by the Kati is very unclear. By the end of the last nomadic peoples east of the steppe, the Swathuamanonians had become the easternmost of the nomadic peoples. They too found themselves unable to resist colonial ambitions, and their lands would become the basis of a very well-known colony (and later independent nation), United Swathuamanon. This new colony would take the name of their previous inhabitants despite their horrendous atrocities against the Swathuamanonians, particularly the Swathuamanonian genocide and especially during the Era of the Independent Regime.

Another imaginary group, the word "Swathuamanonian" came to mean any group of people who lived in the region of Swathuamanon, just east of the region known as "Nacarma" in the Wild Lands. These people are best known as the enemies of United Swathuamanon, who ironically bear the name of the same region.

Mauto: The Mauto may have already existed under various other names, but a lack of evidence makes this unclear. As was the case with their other presumed names, the Mauto initially supplied mercenaries to the Kati , but later betrayed it and participated in its destruction. The Mauto were greatly weakened by this war and were quickly defeated and forced out of the region near the Armed Cities, making them one of the few peoples not to settle near them or in the east. Instead, the Mauto migrated south and mingled with the other peoples in the region, entering into conflict with them when relations turned hostile, and they often did. A portion of the further decimated Mauto finally migrated east and disappeared from records, while the rest remained in the region and became a part of the other peoples as a result of forced assimilation and destruction.

The Mauto are an unusual but mostly unimportant group. Just like the Ek of Ekag they smelled a terrible stench, and like the other peoples of the steppe they had little concept of the state or even of the nation. However, they also did not have the population they needed to survive the wars of the Dark Ages.

Rere: The Rere's origins were at one point unclear, but they are now known to have descended from the Huwe. However, its common name's etymology remains unclear to this day, and is considered a likely loan word. For a brief time they were at war with the Kati and were defeated; it is unclear if they had any further interactions with them. Following its collapse, the entered fierce conflict with other groups. They initially migrated into Ekag, but were soon defeated by other nomadic groupings in the region. This led to a massive split in the Rere, as hundreds of small groups migrated across Ek. All of these entered into war with each other, as well as other nomadic groups and settled states (most notably the Ekag, Kemanstan, Dianri Gyof, Balom Soof, and Bash), and many fought as undisciplined mercenaries for other states. The largest of these groups became known as the Sovo Taria. Although some groups became very influential later on, there were no clear winners in the chaos they created, which did little to provide them with any advantage and decimated their population.

The Rere were perhaps the most important of the nomads listed here, for their unfortunate war birthed many modern peoples.

Ruma: The Ruma are believed to have originated from the Huwe, migrating at the same time as the other peoples across Ek. Their relations with the Kati were often volatile, but the pressure they and other groups placed on the declining force hastened its dissolution. Soon after their collapse, the Ruma migrated into the east and came into conflict with the Age Georthaimo for control of the plains east of the Raguzokh Mountains, but were soon defeated and forced to migrate into the region around the Armed Cities. Here they were often hired (particularly by the Three Armed Cities) as mercenaries against other migrating peoples, but became notorious for their unreliability and soon found that raiding provided better opportunities than business. The Armed Cities eventually entered a chaotic period considered by some to be almost equivalent to the chaos in Ekag just before the First Great War, and which saw the destruction of various cities and duchies. The sack of Usey around 400 CE was notably wanton, and became famous during the Pre-War era thanks to dramatization by various unknowledgeable artists.

The Ruma were very significant for a short while. However, they soon grew lazy and collapsed out of the Armed Cities. They are better known today for their cultural usage. You have likely seen an Ek in popular culture depicted as a Ruma, and the myth created by many artists is by no doubt a contribution to this.

Dianri Gyof: As with many other groups of the era, the origins of the Dianri Gyof are unclear. They had already been enemies of the Kati by the time of its collapse, but were unable to take advantage early on thanks to a period of civil strife. By that period's conclusion, most land in the region had already been taken, and so the Dianri Gyof are considered to have arrived comparatively late to the East. A series of unfortunate events, including the assassination of an entire government, allowed the Dianri Gyof to dislodge the Huwe there and take control of the important mountain passes around the Raguzokh Mountains. Their new control over the passes gave them a trade monopoly, creating an extremely influential power that would remain in existence for centuries. The Dianri Gyof would grow rich thanks to trade and selling mercenaries, allowing them to develop their weapons to previously unseen areas. However, the Dianri Gyof destroyed several states thanks to prolific slave trading, and created many enemies thanks to their monopoly and aggression, ushering in a new period of chaos across Ek.

The Dianri Gyof (or Gyof) became very well-known throughout Ek by way of their destruction, during which, over the course of centuries, millions of Ek were killed.

Many other groups across Ek invaded the east with varying degrees of success. However, none achieved the influence of these six peoples, whose legacy long outlived them and their immediate achievements.

Ekag in the Dark Ages

Ekag would enter a Dark Age of its own during the rule of the Egzakh clan (approximately around 500 CE). Now, you may know of the Egzakh as the founders of a great nation that destroyed the inferiors and restored unity to Ekag. That statement is completely and utterly false. Not only were the Egzakhs not the founders of Ekag (that title goes to the Egrirk), but the Egzakhs were themselves brutal and oppressive, especially under their last ruler, Egzakh. In fact, Ekag under Egzakh is usually considered the first "totalitarian" state, and that it was not until his rule that Ekag truly became such a dictatorship. This era also occurred at the same time as the Dark Ages, but records by foreign nations mentioned Ekag far more often than you would think, which is how evils know so much about them.

The Egzakh clan was founded by Zrag III, who opposed the rule of the Three Clans, the rulers of Ekag. The Egzakh clan viewed the Three Clans as not extreme enough, and supported a very large military, expanding Ekag's borders, and eradicating foreigners and their culture. They blamed "extremists" (those supportive of the "revolution") and "opportunists" (moderates sympathetic to the "revolution") for the nation's failures, and advocated to eliminate these factions and a return to "better times". These "better times" were not made clear and oftentimes they contradicted each other, but they gained support largely in part because of defeats Ekag was suffering at the hands of its enemies. Since Ekag's independence in 2 BCE, the Bash had been defeating the Ekag repeatedly, and had begun invading northern Ekag territory. The Three Clans unable to defeat them, and the Egzakhs believed that this was due to a lack of military strength and prowess. Slowly Zrag III earned the support of the military and declared an open rebellion against the Three Clans, starting yet another civil war. In the aftermath of this war, the Egzakhs executed most of the members of the Three Clans (those who survived escaped), and in its place created a new regime. All adults were forced into military service without training or skill, which is very unusual for a military-focused state. Ekag began selling mercenaries and slave raiding on a much greater level, worsening their relationship with outsiders.

An example Ekag's hostility towards outsiders is this full inscription, written during the reign of Egzakh:

"Of Ekag's enemies, the Bash are by far the most savage. Originally little more than hunter-gatherers, they stole the idea of civilization, rapidly forming into a disgusting breed almost akin to the insects who scour Ekag in the present day. Their inherent tendencies for chaos are immediately clear, as all members of their society are held as equals; they do not even make distinction between males and females. In addition, they lack a monarch or a powerful leader of any sort, instead being divided into federal states in which the masses are fooled by candidates for election. While this may inherently disgust you, the reader, you must also note that this has always been the case with the Bash, at least according to various Ekag and the exceedingly common oral stories and images regarding them. As far back as our earliest memories, the Bash, themselves inferior beings, were intermixing with other inferiors, creating a new, dirty race. The Ekag and their migration east coincidentally helped cleanse the region once more; the inferiors were forced to retreat."

While the best example of this hostility was very clearly Egzakh, it was also shared by other rulers, such as the first Egzakh ruler, Zrag III. He established the Egzakhs as the rulers of Ekag in a civil war, and then proceeded to execute all potential enemies to Egzakh rule. This purge, while less severe than that of Egzakh, was still very significant, and eliminated most of their competition. In addition, the purge by name was an interesting one. While killing family members was normal for Ek (and obviously so, as they were rivals in rulership) eliminating entire groups of people was not. Therefore the clans became fearful. While they were not yet targets of Egzakh wrath, the simple fact that Zrag III was able to convince the people that his enemies were evil worried them. Zrag III might have been aware of this, and began his attempts to limit clan power and increase his own, which the clans fiercely opposed. Outside Ekag's borders, Zrag was very successful, extending his territory to its greatest level under the Egzakhs. He would unfortunately die in battle against the Bash, while the issue against the clans was still unsolved.

This opposition would continue under the second Egzakh ruler and Zrag III's brother, Kaccag. His infIuence was not as great as Zrag III, but he was still successful in eliminating rivals and keeping power for himself. After his death, the third Egzakh ruler and brother of Zrag III and Kaccag, Ruzgzo, continued many of the same policies. He once again expanded the borders to those near the rule of Zrag III, though he was unable to take most of the northwestern lands. He was also busy with many things, including opposition from the clans, and just like the average Ek he had great difficulty in multitasking. As a result of this he lived a very stressful life, and committed more of his time to dealing with these than he did with improving the nation. After his death he was succeeded by his nephew Bror I. Unlike the previous rulers, he was much less effective. The Egzakh work area, a very strong but snobby building, was a place where he could recruit soldiers to fight off for him. Without a khog at their head, they did not do a very good job, and over time the Ekag lost land to the Bash and other enemies. He was also very unpopular with the Mob (at the time, a criminal gang), who attempted to kill him. In the end Bror I was killed in battle against the Bash and was succeeded by his brother Egzakh (technically Egzakh I) in 552 CE.

Egzakh is without any doubt the most infamous person in all Ek's history. The Egzakhs at the time had already been a crime group of their own, and they had also participated in some particularly violent deeds. Egzakh was far worse. He seized absolute power for himself, eliminating all clan influence. By doing so he made many rivals. Afterwards he declared a series of "points" that were central to his governance. Among these included the "inherent natures" of totalitarianism, Ekag superiority over all other Ek, Ek superiority over all other life, military superiority over civilians, rich superiority over poor, and criminal superiority over law. Above all, however, was the belief in an "endless war" between nations and races, and that all other nations and races were "inferior" and deserved to be destroyed. He claimed that a very large military was necessary to destroy all enemies with different racial features, blood, or beliefs, that the military would have influence in society as long as they remained loyal to him, and that criminal activities by the state were necessary to prevent the population from rebelling. He also argued that all political "enemies" should be executed and given the harshest punishments possible and that every aspect of an Ek's life should be controlled. In terms of economics, he supported the idea of static wealth and that violence was the only way to gain it. He believed that private ownership of industry should exist, but that industry leaders known as "heads" should control the economy and make decisions in their interest to weaken the common people known as "hands" and prevent them from rebelling. At first he opposed trade in all forms, believing that raiding was the only way to provide the Ekag with resources, but he later supported high tariff exports (the moving of things out of the nation) to profit off of their raiding, especially of slaves, while still banning all imports. All power given to others could be taken away at will, so Egzakh was still an absolute monarch.

These beliefs (now known as Ekism, after the Ek species and its supposed superiority) gave him success at first. The army, slave owners, and criminals supported him, and he murdered thousands of Ek in his first year as khog. Many of these atrocities cannot be described here, though one in particular spilled such a great deal of blood that it is referred to as the "Bloody Days" (something you likely know of). With this blood, he gave his supporters the power they wanted, provided they continued to kill any enemies of Egzakh, real or otherwise.

As a result of Egzakh's aggressive propaganda, the average Ek under his rule was a very terrible being. He either would have had no interest in the affairs of the state, or would have participated in destroying "enemies" for it. Ekag's attitude as a state would make him very hostile to outsiders and people of different views He was even encouraged to kill them, which he often did whenever he encountered another kind. For this reason and others, Egzakh's terrible deeds are not simply something to be simply glossed over, even though that glossing over has been the case throughout this description of history. They, and the evil abilities of this one Ek, must never be forgotten.

In time, however, Egzakh would fall. Although he was very successful against rival criminal groups, such as the Mob, he did not stand a chance against foreign nations. His encouraged raiding earned him many enemies. To deal with a rebellion in Ekag's most distant colony (Ree) he sent 5000 Ek as soldiers, though him only sending 5000 of his army and not more likely means that he was not interested in actually suppressing it. The 5000 were massacred and the city of Ree declared independence (which Egzakh did not recognize), becoming one of the Armed Cities. Egzakh also fought wars with the Bash, and after he was found to have committed many atrocities, an alliance formed between the Bash, Kony, Therko, Kemanstan, Age Georthaimo, Mino, and some groups of Swathuamanonians in 560 CE. These nations all bordered Ekag and felt threatened by Egzakh and his evil nature. Egzakh also felt threatened by them, and invaded Bash one final time that same year. In retaliation, all the nations of the alliance invaded Ekag, and Egzakh was killed at the base of the evil volcano Mt. Ekag. The nations then divided Ekag amongst themselves until a month later, when they gave Bash control of the entire nation. The Bash ruled for three months before "remaking" Ekag under a new clan (though they were at most only puppets). Now, Ekag would begin to lose their identity for better or worse, and they were too stubborn to bear that possibility.

Colonies and Land Disputes

The world would stabilize around 500 CE, as the invaders found themselves unable to defeat their enemies and solidified their borders. By now, as you might imagine, the world had changed significantly. Millions of Ek had been murdered in the chaos. Entire peoples were wiped out and newcomers took their place, which led to an expected shift in the world's blood makeup. Where the savages had once roamed the entire world, they were now limited to the mountains, becoming known as the mountain Ek and playing a limited role in world affairs, save for the occasional invasion. Now, it was supposedly the time of the plain Ek, who had clung to the idea of civilization and honor. However, they, like their predecessors, were too corrupted by the idea of power.

In this chaos, a few dominant states would become very powerful in the future of the world. These included the states of Nisia (eventually Rusa), Soldoe, Usey, and others, and their influence on Ek was massive over the centuries. Unlike previous eras, this was not just an age of land power but was also one of sea power, and all of the states named were in fact ports and city-states. A city-state, by definition, is any state that is largely dominated by one city. What separates a city-state from a normal nation with a large capital is that city-states usually limit power to the inhabitants of the largest city, usually only having members of government in the particular city. In city-states, the culture and economy are also dominated by the one city, in addition to the politics. This was not something done by choice, but in places divided by geography it was the norm or even the requirement. Consider it a law of nature, when breaking it will lead to nothing but failure.

A perfect example of the powerful city-state in the colonial era is Usey. This city was one of the largest of its time, and it included territories across Ek, having expanded from Nisia Rusa in the west to the various Huwe peoples in the east and south. Unlike many other states, Usey could not make any use of land trade and was forced to rely entirely on sea routes. For its location at the edge of the sea meant that transporting goods through land was more dangerous, not the least since bandits were also far more common than pirates, and more expensive, since any group traveling through the region would require more resources to survive. Think of it this way. If a group travels 10 of any distance, they will use, for example, food to eat. If the group travels 20 of any distance, it would require more food, since a greater distance cannot be sustained with the same food. More energy is used, and more energy must be taken in. In addition, a group traveling 20 of any distance would be more likely to, for example, break a wheel, than a group traveling 10 of any distance, which could add to the costs. Because of this the Usey placed all of their funds into both a massive military and ships, which could attack other ships if there was ever a need to eliminate competition. Life around this time was harsh and competitive, which meant dirty work was unfortunately necessary. For this reason, the Usey also had a large land military, which they could use to destroy competition and protect their interests from a direct threat.

This was the colonial period in a short descriptor. It can be taken to have started around 650 CE. By this point, the powers of the Evil Ocean included Armed Cities such as Usey, Neland, and Blicce, Rusan states such as Nisia and Inrkme, and other states such as Ekag, Bash, Kony, and Dianri Gyof. Some of these states, notably Dianri Gyof and Nisia, did not actually have access to the Evil Ocean. All of these states soon began to invade each other, and they formed and broke alliances often. The Usey, Neland, and Blicce worked against Dianri Gyof, a common enemy, but turned against each other when the Gyof were not a threat. The Gyof themselves expanded aggressively throughout the period between 200 CE and 800 CE. During this time they interacted with all of their neighbors, most of whom viewed them as enemies. They spent much of their early history at war with the invading Swathuamanonians, who they could never defeat. When that became a given around 600 CE, they spent their efforts focusing on the Armed Cities and the Rusan states instead. Despite their dislike of each other, they chose to work together against the Dianri Gyof, and fought many wars against them. A particular war, fought in 952, led to a major Gyof victory and the annexation of all the Armed Cities, a feat only achieved before by the Kati and later by Nisia Rusa.

After the death of Nudadh in war against the Swathuamanonians, the Gyof lost control of the Armed Cities in a rebellion. Dianri Gyof would never regain their former power, and they collapsed in 1257. The Mino profited off of the collapse for a very short time before they were destroyed in a war with the Bash. After this war the Mino themselves collapsed and split into many groups, the largest of which became the Swidoco, who continued the ways of the Mino and sent their Ek to serve as mercenaries.

Meanwhile, the collapse of the Gyof left the Lignite cities to fight each other. The Usey and the Neland were the most powerful of the remaining Lignite cities (now Armed Cities), and they became fierce rivals. Much of the history of the Armed Cities involves war between Usey and Neland, and attempts by other cities such as Blicce and Ree to improve their own power as well. The period that follows is long and violent, involving many deaths and much chaos. For the purpose of simplicity they will not be covered, but do note that neither Usey nor Neland were successful in their many wars. Elsewhere, the strange Rusans were also fighting each other, but here emerged a clear winner. The city of Nisia was an isolated one, poorly habitable but decently protected by that fact. The city of Inrkme, meanwhile, was located at the intersection of three rivers. It was a base of trade between the Lignites (later, the Armed Cities), the northern Rusans, the southern Rusans, the Zilnea, and the many Huwe peoples in the area, and grew very wealthy as a result. Both cities had very strong armies, but, without coastlines, they lacked navies to expand their influence, and as a result they were not very involved in colonizing. The Inrkme, whose position and wealth were envied, made many more enemies than the isolated Nisia. Usey in particular made many campaigns against the Inrkme, and ultimately the Inrkme were sacked in 1569. The Nisia, although they had few friends, took advantage of this and launched an invasion of the Rusan lands. Most of the cities had weak armies, and, partially due to their hatred of Inrkme, surrendered after a short battle. Inrkme itself fell in 1572, and all the northern states were under the control of Nisia. By 1600 Nisia had conquered the last of the Rusans, and the state of Nisia Rusa was born.

In the south, the Zilnea, who had grown weak with all the Rusan raids, decided to colonize. Swathuamanon, the easternmost region of the Wild Lands, was a region that no-one (they believed) had discovered before. Partly because of this and partly because it could be taken by the Rusans, the Zilnea colonized it for the first time around 1600 CE. A short time before, the Swathuamanonians had migrated west of the Zragri Sea and had entered what would become Swathuamanon. Now, as you probably know, there are limited resources for everyone. While that did discourage fighting amongst their own kin, it did encourage fighting against others, and Swathuamanon was no exception. The Zilnea and the Swathuamanonians were at first hostile. The colonizers viewed the Swathuamanonian people to be wild and barbaric. The "wild" people viewed the newcomers as little more than pirates, and attempted to destroy them. The Swathuamanonians themselves did possess traits many Ek would consider to be "wild" or "barbaric", and the Zilnea used this to their advantage and justified their oppression.

At first, the Zilnea struggled against the Swathuamanonians. They had new diseases the Zilnea had never before experienced, which killed many of the colonizers. The Zilnea also had a few diseases that killed some Swathuamanonians, but these were not nearly as dangerous. A particular disease spread to Zilnea, and then to Nisia, Inrkme, and the other Rusan states, leading to a terrible period in which one-third of the Ek west of the Zragri Sea were killed. The Ek east of the Zragri Sea, who made up the vast majority of Ek at the time, were completely unaffected by the disease, and it is not clear why. Regardless the disease only encouraged more colonizers to arrive in Swathuamanon. The Zilnea did not know that the Swathuamanonians had brought the disease to them, and instead decided to regain the resources they had lost through colonies. Now they were less affected by the disease, and the arrival of a new weapon called a flintlock musket to Zilnea meant that the Swathuamanonians now had a disadvantage in weapons. Over time the Zilnea would press further into Swathuamanon, establishing many colonies and enslaving the Swathuamanonians for work.

The Swathuamanonian colonies rebelled in 1862 CE. The Zilnea had never developed a significantly powerful army, and by now the colonies had far more Ek than Zilnea itself. As a result of this the Zilnea were easily defeated, losing control of 15 of their colonial states (who formed United Swathuamanon) and only holding three, the Ingnara states. Another war was fought in 1894 CE, during which United Swathuamanon invaded the Zilnea-controlled Ingnara states. Here the Rusans, the Soldoe (a people who formed a state south of the Balom Soof), the Sovo Taria, and the Swathuamanonians (now the Lost Swathuamanonians) allied with the Zilnea out of fear of losing their own colonies and, after the invasion of Ingnara was defeated, the states launched their own successful invasion of United Swathuamanon. In the aftermath, United Swathuamanon agreed to provide payment to the other participants and end their claims over the Ingnara states. Disagreement between the invaders would lead to another conflict, during which they turned on each other. This is a rather common occurrence with alliances, in which states follow their own interests and betray their alliance members when the interests are not followed. After this conflict, Zilnea gave up the Ingnara states to Nisia Rusa, as the states were isolated and could no longer be supported by Zilnea colonists. United Swathuamanon would fight many wars with the (Lost) Swathuamanonians, which are known as the Swathuamanonian Wars. At the end of these wars the Swathuamanonians lost what was essentially their free will, and they all came under the complete control of United Swathuamanon. At the conquest of the last (Lost) Swathuamanonian group in 1932 CE, many nations began to declare their independence in a long series of unrelated conflicts. Most of them were successful, and formed nations such as Ana, Buldesheast, Iru, Libia, Nauki, Ruma, Voout, and others. Describing them will far overextend this book, but (and you must note this) they were all united by a hatred of colonialism. The colonial age came to an end when the first large machines were made, but Ek was now divided between the old powers and the new nations. This division did not go away, nor would it ever.

Colonial Ekag

In the short-term, the fall of the Egzakhs provided Ekag with a more stable structure. In case you have forgotten, Ekag was divided into a series of "occupation zones", which are essentially regions of a country that foreign powers occupy. The Bash were soon given control of the entire country, and after a short period of time, the Bash crowned the Mudnug as the rulers of Ekag. For the most part, the Mudnug were viewed as weak, and they were indeed little more than puppets to the Bash. They did however stop their raiding of neighboring states and instead decided to focus entirely on selling mercenaries, and although a losing war was fought with the Bash during the last years of the clan's rule, it did help improve relations between Ekag and other states.

This improvement, however, was also short-lived. After only three rulers, the Mudnug were overthrown by the Kalbruz in a short civil war. The Kalbruz, under their ruler Kabruz II, proceeded to cut all of their ties with the Bash and other states, and returned to raiding to sustain Ekag (although the selling of mercenaries still occurred). Ekag was however able to regain some of its former strength, annexing much of the southern lands. Under its third ruler Orgosh IV Ekag would reach its greatest extent. At this point in time, the Ekag extended as far north as the Brork River and as far south as the northern part of the Kemanstan Plains. After Orgosh IV's death less effective rulers took control of Ekag and any influence over this territory ended. By this time the Ekag were perhaps less evil, but the period under Egzakh still scattered under them with a sort of corruption. The Kalbruz returned to the ideas of Egzakh, and they viewed them as the only way to maintain any sort of national identity. Because of this the Ekag still remained aggressive to neighbors, a belief that would eventually spread to other nations when they experienced harsh problems of their own.

After 26 rulers the Kalbruz were overthrown by the Vrugh, who after 8 rulers were overthrown by the Egrod. After 5 rulers they were in turn overthrown by the Bhicroz. None of these clans are very important in Ekag's history. They did not change much in Ekag's policies, followed Ekism, and faced a decline in Ekag's power. After the Bhicroz were overthrown, however, the Gidh clan came to power. Early in their reign they were still very Ekist in their beliefs. Under Gazd V, Ekism started to decline in its influence as Ekag returned to the feudal system and gave the other clans power over their old domains. Gazd V also returned to old economic policy, allowing high-tariff imports and lowering tariffs on exports. These changes continued through the late Gidh clan and into the Zraghu. Like all previous clans (with an exception of the Mudnug, who were Bash) the Zraghu had come from the city of Eghv, but they had controlled the south before and therefore were very well-aware of their policies. However, they also recognized that the Ekists (mainly the remnants of the Egzakhs) would be unhappy with the changes if they were made immediately, so the Zraghu, like the Gidh, made changes in places the Egzakhs would not notice. This was successful at first, and Ekag was slowly beginning to empower its non-ruling clans once more.

By the Zradol, however, the Egzakhs had begun to realize what was happening. Power was slowly beginning to slip away from the ruling clan and into the non-ruling clans, and it was becoming more obvious. Of course, this was not a disadvantage to the Egzakhs at all. They were no longer the khogs of Ekag, and therefore the changes actually gave them more power. However, the Egzakhs were greedy. They knew that the changes could be used against the ruling clan, and they jumped on the opportunity. To the criminals, the Egzakhs declared that the Zradol were taking away their powers and giving it to "crude" peasants. To the military and the slaveowners the Egzakhs declared the same, adding the "lazy" royals as enemies alongside the "crude" peasants (which, admittedly, is an interesting combination for enemies). The Egzakhs were adopting the tactics of their ancestors, and the Zradol failed to act, out of fear that the Egzakhs would become martyrs. What they failed to realize was that the Egzakhs were already very unpopular, and that failure to act became disastrous. In 2140 the Egzakhs overthrew the Zradol and executed the royals. They were ousted in 2146 by the Brug, but in 2250 the Egzakhs did the same, overthrowing the Brug, executing them, and taking control of Ekag for a third time. After this third overthrow the Egzakhs reversed all of the previous changes, and started a period of reaction that lasted until their corrupted family structure collapsed, and Ekag entered all-out war.

Industrial Age

As you know, the Ek have always tried to make their lives easier. The first weapons from thousands of years ago were used to kill competitors. Animals were herded to give the Ek a stable food source. States developed social classes to distribute resources efficiently. These gave the Ek more free time (although most did not cherish it) to do what they wished. And now came a time of machines, which would make producing goods much easier. Compare this, for example, to your own life. Often times you will repair a weapon whenever you break it. But repairing physical weapons is tiring, and you may struggle and ask for help. That is what the industrial age sought out to prevent, and to make everyone's lives a little bit easier.

Of course, slavery at the time was still very common, and still is today. In fact, slavery discouraged an "industrial age" of sorts from occurring in the first place. The Ek did not need to bother making their own machines, when they could just go to the market and buy slaves to do work for them. However, there simply were not enough slaves to go around. As more Ek came into being, the slaves could not work for all of them. Slaves also sometimes died or revolted, and it was not realistic to continue using them for long periods of time. Compare them to your weapons. If they could refuse to follow your orders, how long would you use the weapon before you decided to switch to something else? That is what eventually lead the Ek to search for and make what would become the first machines.

Once the machines were made, however, another problem emerged. The upper class, who had previously been powerful under the old system, opposed the machines. You see, the upper class made their money off of selling goods produced by craftsmen. They believed that the new machines would put the craftsmen out of business and that the upper class community would lose profit when more goods were available. Despite this, states began to rapidly adopt the machine at their expense. The state of Huwe was the first to adopt the machine at a large scale, and they benefited greatly from this. With more goods produced, they could sell them for a cheaper price. Other states saw this, and they were forced to adopt industry as well to compete. The old upper class had been placed out of business by just one event. Some attempted to overthrow their governments in unsuccessful revolutions, but most recognized their new place on the social ladder and simply decided to remain there. They were powerless to try and oppose it.

Now that the clans had lost their power, a new group of heads emerged. These were the people who already managed the nation's wealth. With no clans to order others around, they took their place, rapidly increasing their own wealth and achieving for themselves great prosperity. Of course, dealing with society's affairs cost a great deal of this money. To maximize their wealth as much as possible, this upper class began to ignore spending quite at all. They already owned the many factories that produced items (and rightfully so, for they had spent many hard years enslaving the hands), and because of this they were greatly benefitted by their own policies. Even still the hands in their own countries were not enough. Instead of forcing the hands to work harder (which they should have done) they instead decided to send their armies to other nations and enslave their people. At first this did not require much effort. Every nation of Ek had already participated in slavery, and they could already rely on other nations to do hard work for them. Most of these nations received their slaves from Ekag, a totalitarian nation so overworked by raiding that it turned to attacking its own people and selling them as slaves. This practice meant that the slave-owners were still powerful, and they remained so until Ek's destruction.

The Industrial Age also revolutionized warfare between the various states. Weapons were now mass produced and deadlier. Because of this, Ek could be armed and sent to fight for their state against others. Battles once again became massive struggles between massive armies, but the deadly weapons meant that they lasted about as long as they did before. The first major industrial war is a good example of this. A war that lasted from 2262 to 2273 CE, the conflict started over a territory dispute between Ekag and Bash and quickly turned violent. The Mob had almost collapsed in power by this time, and as such they were not presumed to pose a serious threat to Ekag or its interests. However, when the Ekag invaded the Mob in 2272 to try and encircle the enemy, The Mob's firepower proved too great. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, and in the process the Bash were able to take Eghv and force Ekag to sign a peace.

This indeed is a perfect example of how even a minor enemy could use its newfound weapons to its advantage, which were no longer mere flintlock muskets, but guns. Perhaps there is little difference between them. But it was the invention of the latter and not the former that arguably doomed Ek. It was the need to build weapons to destroy enemies that led to the invention of Evil. But for now, it was the former that controlled the battlefield. Its use was regular and disastrous for those who ever faced it.

Between now and the first of the three World Wars, many other wars were fought. These wars were often still over territory, for the states turned into greedy entities that fought to lower prices as best they could. For some time it seemed as though there was no longer a perpetual war between races, nations, or individuals as Ekism predicted. Instead, it was a war inside races, nations, and even at times individuals. For, you see, the Industrial Age had changed the way in which people worked. Previously, they were free to manage their own lives. They worked long and hard hours to survive, but they could choose when to work and how hard they could work. However, the rapid growth of industry changed this. Industry, as you may know, is the making of items in factories. Factories run on machines, and these machines require many people to operate. Because of this, and the fact that the machines far out did any of the other methods, most Ek were forced to move into the large cities and work in the factories. With so many people to manage, the factories developed factory owners, apparently to manage the factory and prevent chaos. These factory owners hired managers, apparently to make sure the workers did their jobs properly. As almost all work decisions were now made by the factory owners ("heads"), the "hand" had lost the freedom in work he once had for millenia. Without this freedom the "heads" found it much easier to exploit the "hands". Young Ek were forced into hard labor with no payment. For the grown-up Ek, work was even harder, and payment was still very little. If this sounds familiar, it is likely because the same system still exists today, and in a more extreme form in certain areas of Ekag (such as Eghv). This system of superiority was never replaced in the areas it dominated. To the rulers or factory owners, there was no reason to replace it, as it gave them all the power they demanded.

The first major war of the Industrial Age that should be mentioned is not, in fact, one war, but a long series of wars fought between Nisia Rusa and the Armed Cities. Now that the Rusans were under the same ruler, they were subject to the rules made by Nisia. Nisia Rusa supported high taxes on buying and selling foreign items, even though the Rusans did not have the items in their own territory. Because of this Nisia Rusa's many coastal cities suffered, while the state itself became rich. Not surprisingly the coastal cities felt enslaved, and Nisia Rusa recognized this. However, they also knew that the taxes enriched them. Suddenly they had an idea. Why not invade the Armed Cities, who are divided, weak, and control much of Ek's wealth? So in 1930 CE, the Rusans gathered their armies and invaded the Armed Cities. Some of the Cities supported the Rusan invaders. Most, including Usey, Neland, and Blicce, opposed them. Their combined armies were enough to slow the Rusans, but failed to stop them. Slowly the Rusans surrounded them, until they were finally defeated and their resistance crushed during the First World War.

The Sovo Tarian is a good example of the Industrial Age's chaos. After destroying the monarchy in a rebellion in 1960, it decided to abolish the state entirely. Whether it actually did so is up to you, as they still had a large army to invade enemies, and corporations under private control. Regardless there was no body to enforce law, and for a short time this worked. The Ek there agreed amongst themselves on most "lawful" and "unlawful" acts. Crime was common, but for the most part all forms of social repression had ended. Ek were free to be whoever they wanted. However, they had never expected independence, and were never prepared for it. Soon after this freedom presented itself to them, the private owners began to take control of the activities of the old state. They developed their own armies, and finally they began to fight each other. While not particularly violent (especially when compared to The Chaos in Ekag) it still led to a very long period of civil war, lasting up until the very start of the First World War.

There were other wars elsewhere. When United Swathuamanon completely banned trade in 2274, apparently in an attempt to "protect Swathuamanonian jobs and limit foreign influence", the nation's western states rebelled. These regions, the Nacarman regions, used slave labor to produce items, and without trade, they could no longer buy slaves, which weakened their economy. However, the rebels were divided in their beliefs. The majority of their forces wanted more power for the slave owners. Some supported reaction, wanting to destroy the "heads" entirely and return to the old economy which gave them greater freedom. Some wanted to increase the rights of their state. Regardless, they were all united by their hatred of United Swathuamanon. After the rebels formed a new state, United Nacarma, their forces began to attack Swathuamanonian forts in their territory. The Swathuamanonians responded by invading United Nacarma, and they requested Ek from their states to help the war effort. Hundreds of thousands of Ek joined or were forced into joining. Nacarmans responded by doing the same. Meanwhile, the "Lost" Swathuamanonians, who had seen their lands colonized and destroyed by the "false" Swathuamanonian government, rebelled in support of the Nacarmans and began attacking Swathuamanonian forces and forts. Chaos reigned in the countryside, so more people began to join the opposing armies. What followed was six years of intensely deadly conflict. Time and again the Nacarmans defeated Swathuamanonian invasions, while Lost Swathuamanonians continued to wreak havoc against the Swathuamanonian government far behind the frontlines. Finally, the Nacarmans invaded Swathuamanon in 2276, hoping to surround the Swathuamanonians with the Lost and force a surrender. However, that invasion failed, as the larger Swathuamanonian army crushed the demoralized Nacarmans. Soon the greater economic might of the Swathuamanonians began to show, and as the war continued they gained more ground. The Swathuamanonians invaded United Nacarma one last time in 2280, destroying its cash crops, forcing it to surrender, and ending the civil war. The Nacarmans were given reparations to keep them quiet in the future. The Lost Swathuamanonians were not as lucky, as the Swathuamanonian government purged them and denied their existence. However, now that they had banned trade, their "great" economy did not have access to all of Ek's resources. The Swathuamanonians were forced to trade again soon after, defeating the entire purpose of the war.

These three wars were the largest of the many during the Industrial Age, showing to the Ek the power of their weapons. As they realized this, they began to create ever greater weapons, turning them on their enemies. Ek had begun to enter a point of no return.

Ekag and The Chaos

During Ekag's history, or all of Ek's history, there was no time as chaotic as The Chaos. You might remember how one of the dark age excerpts mentions chaos in Ekag just before the First Great War, and notes how it was even worse than the chaos the Lignites were experiencing at the time. That statement was not exaggerated, and millions of Ek were killed in the age's violence.

You will of course be wondering what could have led to this, and therefore it will be explained. You see, the clan of Egzakh followed inheritance based on "agnatic seniority". This is where the clan khog's oldest brother inherits the position after the clan khog's death, and it was necessary because the Egzakh were a very warlike and aggressive clan, whose khogs needed to be at the forefront of every battle. Alone, it did work, and this inheritance was practiced in many other places. However, what separated the Egzakhs from these others was that the sons of non-khogs were also included as inheriting the position. At first, this was included after the death of Egzakh in Egzakh's War in 560 CE, when the clan had almost been completely wiped out in the chaos and new members were needed to take over clan leadership. These new inheritors were upset when members of Egzakh tried to remove the rule, and banded together and executed them. To evils from outside Ekag, it becomes clear that this one accident had become disastrous for the clan's future.

However, it would not have been a problem if the Egzakh did not return to power. Between 560 CE and 2140 they remained powerless, while other clans such as the Gidh (1679-1873), Zraghu (1873-1962), Zradol (1962-2140), and Brug (2146-2250) controlled the position of khogs. In the meantime, the Egzakhs limited their conflicts and focused on rival clans. When the rival clans were finally defeated, however, the Egzakhs could only destroy each other. For a brief period the Egzakhs took control a second time between 2140 and 2146 but were ousted by the Brug. The Egzakhs then overthrew the Brug and took control of Ekag a third time in 2250. Following Egzakh XVI's declaration as khog in 2280, hundreds of Egzakhs disputed his claim and declared war on him and each other. Ekag had plunged into The Chaos.

What occurred during this period is so terrible that it cannot be explained in great detail. One of the perhaps less gruesome atrocities was a particular massacre in Eghv which left the streets a terribly disgusting mess (does this remind you of another massacre?). Endless numbers of Ek were killed within the first few years alone, and the war turned Ekag into a failed state. Foreign nations, seeing the profits they could gain from such a war, began to support certain factions of the Egzakhs. The Mob, which by now had become more of a rebel group than a criminal group, went a step further, sending thousands of their Ek to die in the collapsing city of Eghv. Poor regions were the most affected, as you would probably expect. The people at the top had become too consumed by power and the "hands" had become dissatisfied. Many of these hands joined the Mob to die or became extremists in other groups.

With regards to the war itself, it was, not surprisingly, very chaotic. Egzakh XVI, the declared khog, was assassinated right as the conflict started. After him came Bror V, another unlikeable leader. He was able to survive for a longer period of time, even as the fighting in Eghv surrounded him, and he also was able to assassinate many of his enemies. In the end he was also assassinated in 2284, after which came Gagh III, who ruled briefly before he was assassinated in 2285. Now, the current branch of Egzakhs had died out, and the other Egzakhs began to take control of the khog position themselves. The Adog branch would take control in 2285 and lasted until 2289, after which it would fall to the Grurgu branch, which fell after only a few months. The Egrod branch came next, whose khog is more notable as he was a harsh Ekist, and tried to wipe out all non-Ekists in keeping with Ekist tradition. He was killed after a few months, and the branch was succeeded by the Umugh branch, which maintained control until 2294. The other branches can be listed, but at this point the chaos should be obvious.

Because the position of khog was unstable the Ek of Ekag were forced to fend for themselves. Criminals used the lawlessness to terrorize weak cities, and many of their inhabitants were forced to become criminals to survive in turn. This made the problem of crime a permanent one, and because of this many evils refer to it as "perpetual chaos". Many cities realized that there was no government to protect them, and these places began to participate in criminal activity themselves. With no order of any kind, the Ek began to turn to Ekism as their last hope. This is often the case when a system fails. The common people feel that the system must be abolished for their own good, and so they turn to extremes. In line with this the Ek radicalized into intense hatred or respect for Ekag, began to fight amongst each other. Criminal gangs also began to divide themselves along pro-Ekag and anti-Ekag lines. The pro-Ekag criminals adopted Ekism and took to executing millions of supposed "enemies of Ekag". The Ekag themselves had no courts, as no nation ever has. Because of this they continued to accept their existence, and the pro-Ekag criminal gangs became more of executioners than actual criminals, though they still had conflicts with the Ekag from time to time. The anti-Ekag criminals were more political in their goals, especially the Mob, who by now had turned from a criminal gang into a (supposed) terrorist group. Their main goal was to violently overthrow Ekag's government and abolish it entirely, modeling their idea for a nation on older stateless societies such as Sovo Taria. Other anti-Ekag criminals had different goals, but they were united in their hatred of Ekag. Foreign nations no longer had any access to Ekag's lignite (a low-quality fuel not related to the Lignites). At first this presented itself to be a great problem, but eventually other sources were found and for the most part these foreign nations did not participate in The Chaos.

With even the criminals radicalizing you can likely see how this turns out. The Chaos worsened instead of improving, and it would continue to devolve into great war. Finally, a great war encompassing the entire world broke out in 2340 CE. It would become the first of the Three World Wars, and Ekag was severely affected. The branches themselves would never unify against the threat, for they hated each other so greatly that they would rather collapse in the face of a foreign enemy. Not surprisingly, the Chaos was ended not through a branch's triumph but through foreign invasion. The Bash, Age Georthaimo, and Kemanstan invaded Ekag in 2345 CE and conquered the divided nation. Although Ekag would become an independent nation once more after the war's end, they would never regain their former strength.

Three World Wars

The Three World Wars were the most terrible events in Ek's history. A calamity brought about by hatred, the roots to their start emerged far earlier than 2340. The Ek, from their first moments until this point, were only concerned with themselves and brought about the downfall of others when it was necessary. This selfishness had always culminated in wars, and this could not last forever.

The First World War was, as its name suggests, the first global war fought in Ek's history. It began, as most wars do, as a minor dispute over land between the Soldoe and the Balom Soof. The many powers of Ek saw an opportunity to gain, whether that gain was through wealth or victory. And, of course, they seized it. Nisia Rusa, Bash, Kony, Therko, Buldesheast, and Iru supported the Balom Soof, whose enemies possessed a very great deal of common metals. United Swathuamanon, Age Georthaimo, Kemanstan, most of the Armed Cities, most of the Sovo states, Zilnea, Ana, Libia, Nauki, Ruma, and Voout supported Soldoe, whose enemies similarly possessed a particular resource, in this case coal (a fuel that was very important in the factories). Ekag participated in the war but fought against both sides. Tensions erupted. A raid by Swathuamanonians on a Rusan city was the final spillover, and the First World War erupted. The Rusans blamed United Swathuamanon for the attack, for they were not aware (as they could not have been) of the accident. The Swathuamanonians feared an invasion, and launched a "preemptive invasion", a sort of invasion that happens under a real or false belief that the enemy will invade them if no action is taken. The other nations saw a ripe opportunity to join the war, and what follows is, again, something unsurprising. They would all begin to destroy each other, and millions of Ek were killed in battles over very small pieces of land.

After great suffering the war had still resulted in very little gain. Perhaps the only benefit to it was for the factory owners, who had found great ways to make wealth off of the war. This, however, created problems. Nisia Rusa had especially been affected, and after some factory owners were found selling weapons to the other side, those heads were very violently tortured and executed. Out of fear, the factory owners began to rebel. Naturally the Rusans began to suppress these owners as violently as before, and soon their rebellion had collapsed. However, this had consequences that very nearly wound up disastrous. Now that the Rusans had lost the support of the factory owners, they could not support their war. Fortunately for them, United Swathuamanon had very poor military leaders. They attempted to make use of the situation by carrying on with the now-stalled invasion. It just so happened that a harsh season broke out, and this hampered their efforts. The Rusans were very well used to this form of harsh weather, and they therefore launched one great counteroffensive that drove the Swathuamanonians back into their lands.

Elsewhere things were also going poorly for Soldoe and their allies. Both Soldoe and Balom Soof were now almost completely destroyed, but Balom Soof had more Ek and lasted longer. Usey (which by now was completely unimportant in Ek's affairs) suffered the destruction of their entire army in a failed invasion of Nisia Rusa. The Sovo states were unorganized and they too were destroyed in the wars for the north. An enemy of Soldoe fared much worse, however. Ekag, who had opposed both sides, perhaps in a desperate attempt to prove Ekism's superiority, were far too divided to stand a chance. Still divided, they were completely and utterly destroyed. Their fall will be covered in the Ekag section. The Bash to their north had done a very successful job against their fierce enemies, but they were locked in a fierce war with the Age Georthaimo, whose idea of giving voting powers to all members of the military was revolutionary and very successful. Ana, Ruma, and Voout had all invaded Iru, which fought a very brave and ultimately successful struggle. In the end Nisia Rusa and their allies defeated United Swathuamanon and their allies. Besides the great death it caused, this war changed the world's borders more greatly than any other known war. Nisia Rusa annexed all the Armed Cities, which had been greatly devastated by the war and could not defend itself. Most cities immediately surrendered, and rightly so, as the Rusans possessed such great strength that none could survive a rebellion. Some still rebelled and were completely destroyed. Balom Soof greatly expanded itself and it declared its control over the entirety of northern Soldoe. Even the great United Swathuamanon lost much of its northern territories to Nisia Rusa, which was a major blow to the nation's fanatic supporters. With regards to money, the Soldoe suffered the most. They were forced to pay a very great amount of taxes, and they spent even more time trying to pay for those taxes.

After a short period of relative stability, the Soldoe decided that they did not like the loss of their land and independence. Once more they waged a war on their neighbors, and again, as the nations were more concerned with their interests than with loyalty, they took to supporting different groups. The Soldoe were at first supported by United Swathuamanon, Iru, and Ana, who opposed all the other participants of the previous war (including Ekag, who chose again to fight against both sides). After 8 years of war (Nisia Rusa had not managed the war very well) Iru defected to the Rusan-led side. After another year United Swathuamanon defected, dooming Soldoe and Ana to another harsh treaty under the Rusans. Both nations attempted to betray each other, but the hardline Rusans made no attempt to distinguish them and destroyed both. Soldoe received the worst, and it was even split briefly between Nisia Rusa, United Swathuamanon, and the other nations. While longer and deadlier than the First World War it is not very important to Ek's history, so much of it will be skipped over.

In the aftermath of the Second World War a series of revolutions shook Ek. A "revolution", at least in a general sense, is the immediate overthrow and replacement of a system. At the time, the military had become the state in many countries, including United Swathuamanon. To maintain their own power they worked to support the factory owners. Interestingly, these revolutions did not oppose the military, and they instead focused on attacking the factory owners. They supported an economy that was divided into industries (such as military, manufacturing, and mining). As imagined by revolutionaries these industries (with heavy state influence) would determine economic policy, instead of it being determined by the factory owners (as was the case in most nations), workers (never used but presumably possible), or direct state control (the case in some nations). Although they took much influence from Ekism the revolutionaries greatly opposed it, as they believed that Ekag encouraged war against "weak" nations and supported its factory owners (the "heads") over its workers (the "hands"). Naturally the nations of the world took steps to prevent its expansion, but in the end it only served to empower them. Nisia Rusa was the largest nation to experience the revolution, and after a fierce civil war it was overthrown, alongside Kemanstan, Iru, Ana, Nauki, Ruma, and many of the Sovo states. United Swathuamanon experienced a minor insurgency but never was severely affected by it.

The civil war in Voout was the event that would cause Ek's destruction. Its revolution was not entirely successful, and for this they entered into a long stalemate with the anti-Rusan state. Nisia Rusa supported the rebels, and United Swathuamanon supported the state. With tensions at a peak it was only a matter of time before war broke out. United Swathuamanon feared that Nisia Rusa would spread its rebellion to the rest of Ek, and that they would soon dominate the entire world. For this, the Swathuamanonians invaded Nisia Rusa in 2460 CE. Those nations who had adopted the new belief supported Nisia Rusa, while those who had opposed it supported United Swathuamanon (again with the exception of Ekag, who for the last time waged war on the entire world). Soon every nation in the world was involved in the war, with even the wild Huwe involving themselves on both sides. The war very quickly entered into a deadlock. United Swathuamanon had invaded across the entire Rusan border, and they only managed to advance as far as their Ek could suffer. Now, both nations had become particularly ruthless. Neither could be considered "livable" in the first place. Their governments (and those of their puppets) had become totalitarian, just as Ekag was. Both could use this to their advantage in war, and they ordered millions of Ek to die for them here. However, they both realized that neither could defeat the other. The war was now worldwide, and even if trillions were to die in the slaughter they simply did not have the necessary force. Perpetual war followed.

However, at this point there was a new invention. Somewhere in Nisia Rusa the Ek had learned to collide atoms for weapons. This had changed everything. Where once the world's wars were focused on the amount of Ek available, they could now be focused on the power and amount of weapons. Both Nisia Rusa and United Swathuamanon realized this, and they began an "arms race" to make the deadliest and most of these "nuclear weapons" as they possibly could. Meanwhile the war grinded onwards. The "Lost" Swathuamanonians (whose remnants escaped genocide and fled to Nacarma) launched one last rebellion against United Swathumanon. The Swathuamanonian state was able to destroy most of the rebels, but they failed to completely defeat them. The Swathuamanonians encouraged the Ek in Nacarma to arm themselves with weapons and form militias to stop raids by the Lost. Even still it remained a dangerous region, in which the Nacarmans who had once fought to rebel were now fighting for the Swathuamanonian state and against their former henchmen. The Bash, Kony, and Age Georthaimo (who had sided with United Swathuamanon) fought against Nisia Rusa and Therko in the north, with little result. Even the Age Georthaimo government, in which all members of its military were allowed to "vote" (a term for making a choice in political matters) in "polls" (which they made the decision with) to elect Ek to political offices (which themselves could only be held by members of the military), and which had spread to Bash, Kony, and most of the Sovo states, still did little to help assist the war effort. Indeed, many Age Georthaimo believed it to be ineffective (as it developed during the Industrial Age) and some even rebelled against it. The southern front did not fare any better, with United Swathuamanon, Soldoe, and Zilnea (from the north) fighting a vast number of anti-Swathuamanonian states and the same Lost rebels (though the Lost Swathuamanonians would soon be exterminated completely, the war continued). With all this it was only a matter of time before the world would come to destroy itself.

That dreaded time came in 2500. After 40 years of fierce fighting, the nuclear weapons had been tested and ready for use. Most Ek were not aware of the development, and although both Rusan and Swathuamanonian governments knew of each other's weapons, most nations did not. They also were not aware of the fact that Ekag had been trying to develop its own nuclear weapons. Ekag, just as Nisia Rusa and United Swathuamanon, had nearly managed to build weapons of their own. When this was discovered the Rusans and Swathuamanonians blamed each other, and both used their weapons to destroy Ekag. One of the Swathuamanonian bombs failed to launch, destroying its own launch site and killing the thousands of Ek in the area. Out of fear United Swathuamanon was quick to blame Nisia Rusa, and the next day they proceeded to launch their entire nuclear arsenal at Nisia Rusa. The Rusans followed suit, and what followed is perhaps predictable.

Ekag's End

Before describing the destruction of Ek it makes some sense to describe the destruction of Ekag. By the time of Egzakh the nation of Ekag was already viewed as evil and a "rogue nation" by the rest of the world, and that view only went and further intensified as the centuries continued. Its ending is perhaps a predictable one, in which it, out of its own failures, allows itself to meet the destruction at the hands of the rest of the world. You should note that Ekag did not wage war on the rest of the world for the sake of carelessness. The hatred created in Ekag's Ek (present in all Ek, though on a lesser scale) was so great that endless war and the destruction of outsiders were the only way for the society to remain stable. The "social ladder" was viewed very positively and as desirable, and the common Ek were oppressed beyond belief. The idea of "evil" being positive and "good" being negative, which were promoted by Egzakh, had also become very common, as the idea of morals (what is right and what is wrong) had apparently come from outsiders. Out of this emerged the nation's collapse, not just at the hands of nuclear weapons but also at its own. Ekag had fallen to its own failure, and the rest of Ek would soon follow.

Apocalypse

At the beginning of this tale, it was mentioned to you that the Ek are in great suffering. That was not an exaggeration. To them, all hope is lost. They have burned their few possessions and brace for death. Some have taken it upon themselves to end their lives, and a few have even taken it a step further, putting an end to the misery of their kin before, too, ending their own. Chaos has engulfed what remains of society, but at this point, and as the so-called "world killers" are finally launched, Ek is likely seeing its final moments.

Perhaps it is important to mention the development of society to where it stands now. From the very beginning Ekag was a nation concerned with choking and smothering the flames of freedom and equality, to the point where Ekism has now become a term for any system that emphasizes the elimination of all "inferior" nations and/or races. The rest of Ek eventually followed suit. From the great tyranny of Nisia Rusa's failed new system to the great tyranny of United Swathuamanon's old system, and possibly even the older system of the wild Huwe, no system has ever given the Ek either freedom or safety.

How, you might ask, was this possible? As is the case for many other questions the Ek have no answer to this. Perhaps it was an inherent warlike nature in Ek. Perhaps it was their tendency for selfishness. Perhaps it was their "xenophobia", or hatred of other cultures. Regardless of the answer, it has doomed the Ek to their own destruction. And it is here that the evils will leave you. Ek destroyed itself, and there is no denying that.