Atouman Empire (KdM Map Game)

The Atouman Empire (Akhrean: Šâhileùs Xšyarka al-Atoúšmā) is a and azarkhate situated in the  and.

House of Atmanaglu
In the late middle ages, the rise of Hassannid Azarkhate and their subsequent military campaigns in the Middle East would lead to a number of religious ethnic groups fleeing from Mesopotamia and the Levant, migrating northward into Anatolia, that had largely been under the authority of the declining state of Byzantium. While most of these refugee ethnic groups were primarily Nestorians or Orientalist Christians, an ethnic Assyrian community of Arzhamites would form out of spite that they did not believe the methods of the Azarkhate were what the Prophet Arzhang wanted, having grown disillusioned with the bureacracy of the theocracy. These people were known as the "Sun People", for their prior Buddha-based beliefs had been absorbed by the relatively new Arzhamite faith, leaving many to refer to the state of God as being the fundamental part of the brightest star in the sky, the Sun, and quickly adopting more spiritual-based rituals and meditations. This branch of Arzhamite faith would become known as the Xseneorites, which existed for centuries as a localized institution in Ipsus, and living relatively peacefully in the Byzantine Empire until the rise of the Daevite Empire in the mid-13th century.

While it had been common for syncretic religious schools to appear more often in this state of cultural diversity, the state of Arzham in Anatolia had been dominated by the Xseneorites prior to the rise of the Askari Azarkhate, which saw the spread of Arzham across Anatolia and into Eastern Europe. During the late 12th century, the Askari Azarkhate's military campaigns across the region resulted in the formation of a Persian-led "Azarkhate of Rum". Within decades of it's formation, the Azarkhate of Rum would expand their realm across the regions of Ankara and into Ionia. While the Persian aristocracy were only tolerant of the Xseneorites due to the possible support that could be taken advantage, the region of Ipsus would suffer a heavy-toll in both resources and people due to the Azarkhate's campaign against Byzantium, leading to much of the Sun People dismissing their Buddhist origins and growing into conservative Arzhamites.

During the rise of the Second Daevite Empire in the 13th and 14th centuries, the Xseneorites would suffer under the imperial standard, leading many the remaining Xseneorites to rebel in defiance of the Daevite Empire in the hopes of establishing an independent entity. However, these plans would be thwarted in the Massacre of Ipsus, which saw most, if not all, of the Xseneorites either being sold into slavery or killed. The surviving Xseneorites, of what little remained off them, would flee into the Azarkhate of Rum, which had remained relatively unscathed during the Daevite incursion of Anatolia. This would lead to Xseneorites growing further Persianized, leading to the adoption of Zoroastrianism philosophy.

While most modern scholars would conclude that first Atouman Khan, Atman, was born in the year 1258, he was originally believed to have been born into a Persian family in Rum that had been killed during a raid by the Daevites. However, archaeological excavations into the region that historically formed Rum would ultimately find what was presumed to be his birth place, a Xseneorite chappel located near the city of Hattria, with uncovered texts indicating the birth of a child a couple of years prior to the Daevite incursion, although the original name for the child was unreadable. According to legend, in the mid-13th century, 16 year old Bulijin (the granddaughter of Chagatai) of the Daevite Empire would stumble across a two year-old child she had found on the road after leading a personal raid against Rum, and adopted him, naming him "Atman" (in reference to Sun God of the Xseneorites). While the early life of Atman was cited as being normal, as Atman began growing up, he became quickly aware of the Daevite Empire's placement in the world, and as such, he began showing a disinterest in continuing the rule of the Daevites. According to legend, while he was sitting in Bulijin's lap in 1267 or 1268, he looked up towards her and said he wants not to "continue the empire" but to "create his own Empire" someday, earning him a chuckle and a head pat by his adoptive mother. By adulthood, Atman would have a falling out with his family, leaving the Empire entirely. Determined to make his childhood dream of a separate nation a reality, he would travel to Anatolia to garner support. Shortly after arriving in Anatolia, Atman began to visit a holy Arzham man, the Sheik Edebali (1206–1326), out of respect for his purity and learning. It is believed by scholars that they met at a small village and he helped give lodge for Atman. However, after he had one evening accidentally seen Edebali's beautiful daughter, Mal Hatun, Atman's visits became more frequent, which led to a confession of love. However, Edebali thought that the disparity of positions made a marriage unwise and refused to give his consent. In the following months, the disappointed Atman sought consolation in his friendships. In order to gain the father's approval, Atman converted to Arzham and promised riches for the daughter, entertaining the thought she would become a princess of a new state.

The Daevite state in Ipsus was formed, but suffered frequent civil wars due to the cultural diversity that had fostered during the rule of the Daevites. Shortly after making his promise to Mal Hatun and her father, Sheik Edebali, Atman would detail an encounter he would have with garrisoned officers whom demanded compensation, and after declining, would be being beaten on the street where he stood. So while the ruler of the Ipsus during this time operated as a figurehead being controlled by the upper nobility, a sense of frustration would brew in the city barons up of the north. There, Atman would traveled, gathering support between the barons enough for them to eventually declare independence in 1299, with Atman at the helm. Having proved himself to Sheik Edebali, Atman would marry his daughter Mal Hatun, and openly declare "...the Atouman state" (the term "Atouman" during this time referring to rebelling factions that were persecuted due to their Persianate culture). After the death of Atman in 1326, his son, Adonias, would lead a series of military campaigns against the Byzantine Empire, capturing Bursa and sweeping the afformentioned Byzantines from most of their Anatolian provinces. By 1330, the Atoumans would absorb several minor nations in Anatolia, and in 1335, would declare himself Azarkh of Anatolia, and transitioning the state governance from a khanate into an azarkhate.

War of the Throne
Though the death of Iskandir II would continue to remain a pivotal talking piece for the Empire, his eldest son, Ozman, would succeed his reign four months following his death, after a lengthy mourning period. It was during this mourning period that Ozman would dig through the archives of the Byzantine Empire in the Library of Constantinople, looking for occult-like methods of ressurecting his father. By 1486, in legend, it was said that Ozman did find the answers he was searching for, and for a brief moment of time, would speak to his father, the deceased Iskandir II. Ozman would beg for his father to return, that he felt like he could not compare to his father's legacy. It was then that the former Azarkh Iskandir II would begin speaking to Ozman, telling his son that Ozman's life has grown into a quest for selfish pride, and that God has decided to curse Ozman's reign to be filled with internal strife and rebellion, and that if his son, the young Tayyeb, successfully defeat these rebellions, then Atman's future grandson would not encounter any sort of interal conflict, and will only lead successful outward expansion, fulfilling the prophecy that his great-grandfather Atman I had been blessed with in his young age. Iskandir II would then disappear, saying as he left that Ozman's reign will be end shortly, leaving a petrified and crying Ozman.

One of the most known rebellions during this time would be led by Ozman's brother, Boran, who would proclaim that succession to Iskandir II should be by who is recognized as more legitimate in the eyes of the people, and that Ozman is not the proper successor to Iskandir II in comparison to himself, whom had fought alongside Iskandir II in the Siege of Constantinople. This would lead to the Battle of Abdera, where Boran II would lead an army of 12,000 ghulams against 30,000 Atman loyalists led by Ozman. This rebellion is significant because of the use of a yellow-variant banner to the Atouman Empire's red standard, which would become a symbol of defiance against the Greco-Turk azarkhate in later centuries. The battle would also culminate in a duel between Ozman and Boran, and just as the dust settled, Ozman would perish at the hand of Boran, with the Atman loyalists retreating back to Constantinople after suffering defeat.

The news of his father's death would reach the eldest son of Ozman, Tayyeb ibn Abdullah, who would declare himself as Azarkh of Anatolia. Boran, however, while successful in capturing a small region centered at Thessalonica, would see major failures in campaigning southward into Greece proper, only expanding to the Albanian coast. Due to these failures, he would slowly lose his grip over his new kingdom, with many of his generals and military officials questioning his position, legitimacy, and authority. This role would be challenged in the Battle outside the Wall, where Boran would attempt a second siege of Constantinople to mark another new period after deeming the first one to be "...the failure of ignorance". Tayyeb I, however, would not suffer these immediate drawbacks in the lead-up to the battle, instead killing anybody who dare dismissed his authority, and personally leading the defending Atouman Army at Constantinople, successfully defeating the arriving army of ghulams under Boran, and forcing him to retreat back to Abdera in late 1487. By mid-1488, Boran's forces would be pushed back to Thessalonica, with Tayyeb instigating a three-month siege of the city, ultimately ending Boran's life at the blade of Tayyeb and the consolidation of the Atouman Empire under his own rule.

While civil strife would be on-going during this period, the building blocks for the Atouman Renaissance for the 16th century would begin being built, with Greece-based philosopher Abyad al-Tassakis forming a syncretic school of Christianity and Arzham. In this school, Abyad al-Tassakis would hold dialogues between himself and various priests and scholars from far across the Atouman realm. Historians would be used as a literary example of how the Atouman Empire existed as both an imperial Azarkhate and a cultural/theological highway. Although this collection of ideological discussions and debates would survive until the modern day (being re-discovered in the late 20th century by Italian archaelogist Vincenzo Mazzini), Abyad would be guilty of treason in 1489, being publically executed in his howntown of Sparta. His followers would later be known as the Abyadites, which would consequentially spawn the Six Schools of Arzhamite Christianity.

In 1489, under Admiral Ekber Sofuoglu, the Black Sea fleet would arrive at the port of Chiko in Yin-Tsu, sending a messenger to the King advising him to become a vassal/tributary of the Atouman Empire, and that if declined, will face the same fate of the Byzantine Empire. The Khan would accept, and while the Khan of Yin-Tsu was on friendly terms with the Atouman Azark out of fear, not every member of the nobility believed in such fear, and would instead refuse to pay tribute to the Khan and as a result, the Azarkh. This would lead to the Yin-Tsu Rebellion, a short-lived crisis in the Khanate of Yin-Tsu between the Yin-Tsu governance and the Orthodox Aristocracy that rebelled against the Atouman-led authority. While the rebellion would remain short in it's capacity, with the Aristocracy surrendering after the Battle of Aragat in which their general, Gunhan Yavuzboga, collapsed and died due to a heart attack, Admiral Ekber Sofuoglu would arrive in Aragat, and after reviewing the imprisoned nobility there, would believe that the Aristocracy had been supported in their rebellion by the Genoese colonies of Kamo and Taganrog. This would be affirmed by the noble Duran Yilmazok during his testimony, which stated that the weapons used have been supplied by Genoese colonies selling in a cheaper-than-usual manner. When the testimony reached Azarkh Tayyeb via Admiral Ekber, Tayyeb would give his blessing to Admiral Ekber Sofuoglu to submit proper justice against these colonies.

With permission from Azarkh Tayyeb, Admiral Ekber Sofuoglu would use the Black Sea fleet to blockade the ports of Kamo and Taganrog, landing 15,000 men in Kamo on the eve of 1492. With support from the western Admiral's Omur Karadag and Dogukan Ozmert, Genoese traffic into the Black Sea would slam to a grinding halt, with ships being either turned down, re-directed to another port, or simply fired at if provoked. The Siege of Kamo would last three months, for the amphibious landing would make supplies limited, but under Admiral Ekber Sofuoglu, would prove possible in defeating the forces of Kamo, annexing the region into the Atouman realm and taking charge at Taganrog, where another siege would take place a month after the Siege of Kamo. Most of the army used in this siege would comprise of mostly Daevites that had migrated into the region, and would end in early Novemember after two months.

After Admiral Sofuoglu's campaign in Crimea, naval skirmishes between the Atouman Empire and Genoa would continue in the Mediterranean. The Atouman-Genoa War (1495-1497) was an Aegean Sea-based conflict between Genoese war ships and Atouman galleys. While most of it would not physically damage the core of the Atouman Empire, it did allow for the short-lived Kingdom of Arta, as proclaimed by Captain Evandro Moschella after his small fleet successfully captured the city after the Battle of Sparta against the much more powerful Atouman fleet under Admiral Omur Karadag. In fact, it was even said by Captain Evandro Moschella in his report after the battle that he had "...those atouman dogs with their tail down". So while a successful conquest in it's own manner, the Kingdom's lifespan would be short lived as Achaeus, the Ezkhan (Prince) of Atouman Empire at the time, would lead an army of 14,000 to siege and re-conquer the city in the following year, both firmly showing himself as both a competant military general and getting rid of the Genoese "entanglement" with the state of Hellas.

By 1497, the Kingdom of Genoa had suffered heavy-handed naval defeats by the Atouman Empire, leading to their recognition of colonies in the Black Sea being virtually impossible now. While this worried the Republic of Venice, whom had their own sort of colonies in the Aegean Sea during this time, mainstream naval conflicts during this time would end for nearly thirty years.

The Golden Age
The Atouman Golden Age, although more appropiate by most Scholars to have begun in the early 16th century under the reign of Azarkh Ioxamander, is considered by some historians to have started during the reign of Azarkh Tayyeb. Most historians point toward the "highway" argument, which stated that the very economic and cultural power of the Atouman Empire dependent on it's coalescing of these various cultural concepts, producing an era of military expansion adjacent to a cultural renaissance. While wars were waged, local economies and traditions would remain at the core of the Atouman state, leading to better paintings and portraits, literature and screenplays, and the return of Greco-Roman architecture.

After the Death of Tayyeb I, Achaeus would ascend to the mantle of Azarkh, fashioning himself as "Kayser", and although he had personally been fine with Azarkh Tayyeb's stance on culture being more important than conquest, Achaeus wished to be remembered in the history books, and more specifically, wanted to be comparable to the legendary Roman Emperors of ancient Europa that had lived nearly a millenia prior. With this mentality for conquest, Achaeus would mobilize his armies, initiating the Atouman-Vilmnatz War

In 1505, Kayser Achaeus would mount an invasion of Vilmnatz in an act of long-overdue revenge in regards to the events of Blood Crow and the death of Remanus III. Prior to the invasion, Achaeus would speak to the Grand Council on the topic of what to do with the state of Vilmnatz if victory were to be achieved. The Grand Council, while puzzled over Achaeus' motivations for war, would decide unanimously that the state of Vilmnatz would become a vassalized tributary state akin to the Amirate of Moldovia, and that the position of Amir would be hereditary rather than elective, but would need to be granted to a faction that was Vilmnatzian in nationality and devout in their faith of Arzham. However, Achaeus would regard that it didn't matter for the time being, believing that the dynasty they are looking for will appear to them given time. With this proclamation, the conference would end, with Azarkh Achaeus coalescing his forces into three seperate legions located in Bonan, Dalfort, and Ingrida. The Grand Vizier at the time, Hersekenia abd-Beyid Pasha, would command the forces in Ingrida, leading a rather successful campaign across eastern and central Vilmnatz that lasted nearly five months. At the same time, in the city of Bonan, Kayser Achaeus would lead nearly 70,000 troops in a seperate campaign directed towards the capital, Vimnatz. Knowing how close, in relative terms, Vimnatz was to their proclaimed border based on geographical maps and Iskendir II's memoir, Kasyer Achaeus would personally believe that this war would be short but remained humble, knowing the possible consequences that could arise from this war being his first act as Azarkh and now, Kayser. The march to Vimnatz proved rather bloodless, mostly on account of the unexpected arrival of the Atouman forces and garrison' incompetence. Regardless, by the end of the year, the city walls that enclosed Vimnatz had become visible in the distant horizon, but much to Achaeus' dismay, the city maintained a strong presence of militarization, as the successful campaigns of the Kayser and the Grand Vizier now threatened the capital city.

Following success in the past year and realizing the militarized condition of Vimnatz, Kaiser Achaeus would wait for the arrival of the Grand Vizier Hersekenia abd-Beyid Pasha's forces from the eastern campaign before attacking. In his war tent, Kaiser Achaeus would believe that a multi-directional attack would limit response time for the capital forces, and thus would further consolidate his grip over the occupied territory to the south over the course of three months, going on the defensive against offensive legions originally sent out from Vimnetz. By the arrival of the Grand Vizier on the east, Kaiser Achaeus would mount a siege on the city, attacking indiscrimanetly as they slaughtered and impaled the heathens that dared to defy the Atouman hegemony over the region. The siege would last nearly seven months, ending with the city falling into the hands of the Atoumans. While some historians would prefer the Siege of Vimnetz as being of insignicant importance in comparison to the Siege of Escos, this siege would see a brutal end to the ruling dynasty of Vilmnetz, the House of Tepes, whom were summarily executed in the city's square after being captured in the royal palace. All members would be stoned to death, with the King and his wife enduring direct impalement. It is said by some scribes that the King's royalty would be publically viewable for nearly six months, being knipped upon by rabid vultures while the sun was high. After occupying Vimnetz, the Grand Vizier would begin a campaign to consolidate the northern towns, occupying them within a year and formally ending the war. Due to the Grand Council's decision prior to the war, the Amirate of Rumania is formed as a vassal state of Atouman Empire in similar vein to the Amirate of Moldavia, however, unlike Moldavia, Rumania was organized as a monarchy rather than an elective oligarchy.

After the death of the King of Hellas, the province of Greece would be without a proper ruler for about a year before Kaiser Achaeus would appoint his younger brother, Ioxamander, as "King of Hellas", operating as governor over Greece and Svartheim. While his reign as governor would aid in better understanding the regional and national politics of the Atouman Empire, in his first year as King, Ioxamander would form a more religiously tolerant policy, allowing believers of other religions to live freely without fear that they may be killed due to the socio-religious landscape. A year later, Ioxamander would allow a number of Christian Greeks into his administration, believing that having all aspects of the culture in the court would only lead to more success long-term, and that prioritizing certain beliefs or positions would only lead to in-fighting and eventual collapse. Although Ioxamander was more tolerant towards other religions, Ioxamander also held the belief that it was the goal for the Atouman Empire to establish a successor state of Rome separate from the ancient empire and it's many failed successors, and as such would find his brother's actions as Kaiser to be "just".

Conquest of Aegypt
Prior to the invasion of Isetium, Kaiser Achaeus and his eldest brother, Ioxamander, would spend nearly three years learning everything there can be known about the state of Isentium as recorded by Arzhamite scholars over history. What they soon realized, however, was that Isetium had stood as the ‘one that got away’, as in none of the previous Azarkhates had conquered it successfully, the closest one being the Askari dynasty and later the Daevites. This precedence of failure would anger Achaeus to the point where he would state that he would be “praised in the histories” for succeeding in the conquest of Egypt, and that Europe shall remember his name like they do for his grand-father, the late Iskendir II.

Like most of the offensive campaigns conducted by the Atouman Empire, the Grand Council would once again coalesce in Constantinople in discussion for what to do if Kaiser Achaeus’ army succeeded in conquering Isetium. While the idea of partitioning Isetium into numerous Amirates seemed the most ideal, the organizational work would be far too difficult to maintain in a geo-political setting, with Kaiser Achaeus deducing that it’d be easier to simply annex the whole of Isetium into the Atouman realm, establishing four provinces in Syria, the Levant, Northern Hejaz, and Egypt, that would be administered federally. The policy enacted that the Atouman Empire would need to act more conservatively in terms of conversion tactics, and that conversion by the sword would be necessarily towards establishing a long-term Atouman presence in Egypt and the Levant. It would be decided that Kaiser Achaeus would lead the campaign in conjunction with Grand Vizier Suleyman II abd-Muttari Pasha aiding in this war. Near the end of the conference, Kaiser Achaeus would ask for the Grand Council’s blessing where, in the chance that he may perish in the war, he would like his younger brother, Ioxamander, to take the throne. The Grand Council would accept this as just, and thus the conference ended. The first military conflict in the war was the Karaman Campaign in led by Kaiser Achaeus and his Grand Vizier, Suleyman II abd-Muttari Pasha, whom had previously served in the conquest of Helborg during the reign of Azarkh Tayyeb. With their war experience and on-time strategy, the city of Attalea would soon fall after a week-long battle that saw the mass-genocide of pagan worshipers and the enslavement of Christian peasants. These peasants would be used as target practice or human shields when launching offensives, allowing for the morality of Isetium and Karaman troops to break before a shot had even been fired. By early December, Iconium would fall to the Atoumans, with Kaiser Achaeus annexing the territories and plotting his next moves for the following year.

After a successful conquest of Karaman, Kaiser Achaeus would not slow down his dreams of strangling the pagan aristocracy, believing that the Grand Army must end Isetium in a swift and decisive war. Immediately after Earth’s revolution around the Sun, Kaiser Achaeus would lead his armies to Tarsus, crushing the city’s defenses and occupying Cilicia by May. After shutting down a few uprisings, Kaiser Achaeus would partition the legions of the Grand Army into two separate regiments, one led by Achaeus himself and the other led by Grand Vizier Suleyman II abd-Muttari Pasha. While Kaiser Achaeus would march onwards to Hieropolis, Grand Vizier Suleyman II Pasha would command the forces onward to Antioch and Latakia (see: Levantine Campaign (1516-1518). Leading nearly 65,000 forces, the city of Hierapolis would collapse under persistent cannon fire while a squadron of 10,000 would arrive at the Gates of Edessa, with that city surrendering immediately after witnesses saw the Battle of Hierapolis. After these successful wins, Kaiser Achaeus would march onto Damascus, and over the next year, would surround the city, effectively cutting off their supplies before committing to a nine-month siege. As 1518 rolled around, the Atouman flag would be raised over Damascus, mounted on a large pile of dead Egyptian barbarians and raised by Kaiser Achaeus himself.

While Kaiser Achaeus led the forces into Syria proper, Grand Vizier Suleyman II Pasha would administer the coastal campaign in an effort to prevent Egyptian advances via the coast. Although the cities of Antioch and Latakia had surrendered upon the arrival of Atouman forces, the city of Byblos had been entrenched by pagan forces prior to the arrival of Suleyman II’s forces. As Suleyman II looked over the city from the eastern mountains, he would strategize a method of flushing the forces out without suffering large casualties, and decided that simply allowing them to survive would be easier so long as they create the illusion that the city is surrounded. With this, Grand Vizier Suleyman II left a number of his forces under the young and impressionable Dogukhan abd-Ashur, promoting him to Field General while leading a bulk of the forces onward to Sidon and Tyre. While garrisons in Sidon and Tyre were not expecting the forces, they would put up an honorable defense that perished within days after the arrival of the Suleyman II’s forces. Sad. Anyways, after learning what the Atoumans were doing, the pagan forces in Byblos would leave the city southward to flank Suleyman II’s army in the south, but would be stopped by Dogukhan abd-Ashur after waking up to see the city of Byblos deserted of pagan legions. Rushing to stop the flanking armies, Dogukhan would capture the city of Byblos and move southward in an effort to warn Suleyman II. After capturing Acre, Vizier Suleyman II would make a long-winded proclamation in the city-square about how the Atoumans will usher in a new “Roman” period, but before he would be able to finish his speech, a number of horse-back pagan raiders from the north would come into the wall-less city, and although the Atoumans were able to defend their occupation and force the pagan forces to retreat into Egypt proper, by the time the dust settled Atouman soldiers looked on to a decapitated and deceased Suleyman II.

After capturing Damascus, Kaiser Achaeus would receive the news of Suleyman II’s death, and although Kaiser Achaeus would stop in Acre to direct burial proceedings, it was only then that his goal for ultimate conquest began to give him doubt, with him questioning whether the war was worth it and whether or not they should just go home because while it didn’t seem like Achaeus was overly friendly with Suleyman II, it was known in the Grand Army that Suleyman II was well respected not only for his military success in this campaign, but his success in the wars against Vilmnatz and Helburg under Azarkh Tayyeb as well. In Acre, Kaiser Achaeus would appoint Dogukhan abd-Ashur as the new Grand Vizier, and after pondering this feeling of guilt and doubt in his head for some time, Kaiser Achaeus decided that he would see what his soldiers wanted, as a means of getting second opinions on the topic, and when it was decided by most of his soldiers that they wished to see it through to the end, Kaiser Achaeus vowed complete vengeance for Suleyman II’s death. Ironically, the last battle Achaeus would see in his lifetime would be the following Battle of Jerusalem, which was say Achaeus leading the Grand Army in a battle for control over the Levant as a whole. Unlike the European states that had been conquered by the Atoumans before, Isetium stood out for their usage of gunpowder technology that put them and the Atoumans on an equal playing field for the most part, although it should be noted that the Atoumans remained superior in terms of sheer numbers. The Battle would last weeks, ending with an Atouman victory and the conquest of Jerusalem: a city that was once considered unconquerable by prior Azarkhs in past Azarkhates. While Achaeus had proven himself in the eyes of history, it would be his willingness to give mercy to the pagan barbarians that surrendered his downfall, as before he was able to gave the command to the Janissaries to imprison the enemy troops, a Pagan soldier would lunge at Achaeus with a knife, stabbing him multiple times before being decapitated by Vizier Dogukhan Pasha. Slowly dying to his stab-wound, Kaiser Achaeus would tell his advisors that his younger brother, Ioxamander, must continue the campaign in his honor before making his final wish: a view of the sunrise on a beautiful world. After being dragged onto a small mountain that overlooked the Israeli valley, Achaeus’ vision would turn black as the Sun shined brightly over the terrain. Soon, Achaeus would feel himself floating upwards, looking down to see his own deceased body before closing his eyes and opening them to find himself resting on an oak tree in a vast field of wheat. Suddenly, an apple would fall on his lap, and after taking a bite, would find himself transported into a garden so beautiful it could not be described by words alone. It was there that Achaeus would meet Ahlah, the creator, with Ahlah stating that Achaeus has fulfilled his cycle, and that he will now live in the Eternal Gardens of Babylon, becoming one with Ahlah. After being given the news of his brother’s death, Ioxamander’s reaction would be solemn silence as he watched the waves crash from his royal palace in Thessalonica. After a few weeks, Ioxamander would arrive in Jerusalem, proclaiming himself Kaiser to the troops present, promising his legions that while they may never experience the apocalypse as foretold by Arzhang, that they will inflict an apocalypse on Egypt in an act of revenge. This speech would only receive cheering and applause as Ioxamander mounted his war horse, commanding his forces onward into Egypt proper.

Absolute Carnage
After Kaisar Ioxamander had consolidated his rule over the core of Egypt, he would free a number of his Arzhamite brothers and sisters that had been slaves in the heretic kingdom, and build an army from their anger and hatred and motivation to free their families and loved-ones that had been enslaved and slaughtered all across Atlasia. Knowing the response these conquests will likely lead to, Ioxamander would commission help from two Adnanite corsairs from Ionia known as Abdullah and Aralyar Barbarossa. Having been forged in the study of naval combat from a young age and having seen first hand the destructive nature of war during the Atouman-Genoa War, Abdullah and Aralyar Barbarossa would lead a number of successful raids along the coast of Cyrenai as a means of pillaging the cities of Antipyrgos, Ptolemais-in-Cyrenai, and the capital of Cyrene before Ioxamander’s initial invasion. Referred to as the “Children of Poseidon”', Abdullah and Aralyar would commit to short but unexpecting and disastrous raids, which saw the stealing of women and treasure, as well as destruction of a multitude of Cyrenai’s defensive ships. These actions would not go unnoticed however, as upon Barbarossa’s raid on Sirte, their flagship would be boarded and Abdullah Barbarossa would be stabbed by an unknown Valerian-born privateer on a stormy night in the Mediterannean. Aralyar would jump from their flagship, swimming to the shore of Cyrenai and escaping into Atouman-occupied Egypt. After these naval attacks, Ioxamander would lead his slave army along the coast, capturing the city of Antipyrgos before committing a siege on the capital of Cyrene. Historians would note the death of the Cyrenic King and it coincidentally occurring during a solar eclipse, writing, “...the false believers and idolaters would face extinction at the mere mutter of heresy. Molded out of the primordial sewage of hellenic gluttony, the Cyrenic people that chose the path of blasphemy would be de-skinned of their green scales, ‘mummified’ in black bandages, and castrated to serve as newborn slaves for the eternal Atouman empire.” Although the Cyrenic King would flee westward, the nation of Cyrenai would fall to Ioxamander after the Battle of Tripolis, being reorganized into the Azarkhate of Ifriqiya with Aralyar Barbarossa as it’s Azarkh.

The escape of the Cyrenic King westward would instigate a secondary war against the Atouman Empire, as the Kingdom of Girba and Valeris would take notice of Atouman expansion in the last decade. Although they did not know who Ioxamander was at the time, only referring to him as the “Eastern Warlord”, it would be this lack of high expectations that would soon render most of a sovereign North Africa obsolete in the eyes of Europe. Marching from Tripolis, Ioxamander would lead his slave army along the Girban coast in an effort to encroach upon the crust of the nation and occupy the primary population centers. With Aralyar Barbarossa’s anger and hatred towards those that killed his brother, Abdullah, Aralyar would mount a number of perilous attacks along the Girban and Valerian coast as a means of taking out his own failure on those that wished him death. Ioxamander didn’t mind these attacks, as they were moreso a “means to an end” whereas, much like his conquests being consequential to the fact that his older brother Achaeus had been assassinated, but also that it weakened the overall power of these Atlasian states to the point where conquering them would be easy, due to their collective emphasis on naval combat in comparison to land-based warfare. Meanwhile, the marking of Ioxamander’s invasion of Girba in association with Aralyar’s raids along the Atlasian states would lead to Valeris’ declaration of war on the Atoumans. What is interesting about this declaration though, is that the King of Valeris made the fatal mistake of sending a formal and proper treaty with a multitude of reasons for their declaration of war against the Atoumans, which was something that was common in Europe during this time, however, Ioxamander didn’t empathize with this sort of honor-bound combat, and upon the arrival of the Valerian messenger, would imprison him and later torture him in Tatooine, which had recently been conquered by the Atoumans. Ioxamander would read the treaty aloud, laughing the entire time as he overlooked the broken and disfigured messenger. With a smile that could cure cancer, Ioxamander would rest his fine-point dagger on a fire before using it to carve and re-print the Valerian declaration of war onto Ferdi’s back. The heat and blood would make a mess below, and even though the declaration was barely even readable due to Ferdi’s constant movement during this process, Ioxamander would see this as just in his eyes, and overall believe the declaration of war to be a sign to continue his campaigns rather than dismiss them. After gradually cutting off Ferdi’s limbs so that nothing but his head and stomach remained, what remained of Ferdi would be thrown in the waters surrounding Valeria by Aralyar, washing ashore on a quaint morning when Pagan children were playing in the sand. All too soon the state of Girba fell though, with the month-long sieges of Gabes and Dousa rendering the state obsolete. After occupying the territory, the hellenic people of Lybia would be punished for their failure to accept the Holy Empire as truthful, with their King, a false “descendent” of Zeus, would not be shown mercy upon his capture and imprisonment.

Although Ioxamander “The Magnificent” (first time in history being cited as such) had put on a grand display for the now-dead King Bahoment of Egypt a few years prior, Ioxamander wanted to put on a much more satisfying show for those that wished to speak the black tongue, and thus the youth of Lybia would be brought front-and-center as they watched Atouman priests whip and slash the false king of Girba, with his legs being tied tightly so that he may not bleed out but would watch front-and-center his legs being slowly sawed off, with his wounds leaking a toxic green liquid that poured out across the street. As the sun had set on a beautiful day, the false king barely clinging onto life, Ioxamander would bring the children of Lybia closer to their role model “king”. The war-supply camels would be brought forth as well, yielding stolen Cyrenic swords and spears that Ioxamander and his war cabinet had built up over their conquest of these backward kingdoms, presenting them to the children and forcing the children to kill their own king. You might think that giving a number of traumatized weapons would lead to an attempt on Ioxamander’s life, you’d be correct, except that the child that dared to slash at Ioxamander would be shot down by his slave army before even breathing in his direction. Some children simply killed themselves, which was acceptable for Ioxamander who deemed that suicide would be viable and allow the children to atone for their sins. The remaining children though, one by one, would be forced forward to stab or shank a part of the King’s body, for Ioxamander would see this as ironic and peculiar. By the time the seventh child pushed his small dual-sided blade into the Lybian King, the child would watch as the king would stop moving all-together. Ioxamander would walk forward to the child, taking his dagger and telling him, “... you may not like me for what I have made you do, but when you’re older, you’ll understand little one... ”. Ioxamander would balance the blade on his finger, speaking to the child directly and stating “This kingdom, over which you had lived and been birthed into, was not perfect and needed correction. Very soon young one, it shall be perfectly balanced, as all things should be.” What remained of the Girban king and his family would later wash ashore in Hispania sometime in the 1530s. The now-former Kingdom of Girba would be absorbed into the Azarkhate of Ifriqiya.

After the death of the King of Girba, Ioxamander would allow much of his slave army to settle in the recently conquered territories, instead returning to Constantinople to re-build an army while defensive legions are established in Girba. This would take some time though, allowing Aralyar Barbarossa to have some fun in his pillaging of the Tlemcen and Valeris’ coastline. By 1524, Ioxamander would return to Gabes with an army so large it would break the code of a EUIV game. With this large army, Ioxamander would march onwards, sending an advancing army to Thapia before settling in a month-long siege in Hadrument. Following it’s conquest, Ioxamander would yet again slaughter the Pagan peoples… yes I know it’s very one-dimensional, okay? Give me time to come with something new. Anyways, he would conquer this place and that place yada yada I know what you’re looking for. What was once his was now our’s, and our’s forever. Wrapped in whips and pulled by the strongest, most powerful horses of our time, the king would tumble his way down the palace steps onto the barren street over which he once brainwashed into believing in the false gods that sat upon their bone-ridden thrones. Perhaps it might’ve been them that could’ve ordered his execution, but more than likely it was Ahlah that emphasized with it. The age of the heathen and false idolaters had ended, and thus a new era under Ahlah shall unite the world… with broken teeth and coughing up foaming black blood, the sun would scorch his skin to a crisp under the dry and arid sun. Picked up by his arms by Arzhamite priests, they would drag him to the feet of Ioxamander as he stood with a grin. “Kiss my feet, peasant” he would exclaim, with the broken and battered Valerian king crawling his way over to the warlord of Europa. Before he could bless the righteous feet of Ioxamander however, Ioxamander would put his right foot on the up-right head of the king, and with no time to waste, would crush his head, stomping, and stomping, and stomping until what remained was an unrecognizable pool of black foam and the releasing of the king’s soul to Hell where he shall suffer for eternity, for the rightly-guided Ioxamander was Ahlah’s judge, jury, and executioner, and only killed those that would speak in falsehoods about Ahlah. Through these acts of genocide across Northern Africa, Arzhamite begins to spike in popularity as more civilians dismiss their fake beliefs for righteous and holy beliefs, with priests and military generals migrating into the region from Anatolia. The territory of Valeria would be re-organized into the Azarkhate of Atlasiya under the House of Veditaglu, a wealthy aristocratic family that formed during the rise of Atman in his rebellion against Ipsus.

Ioxamander was but a vessel for the growth of the Atouman Empire. From his time spent governing Hellas to now marching across territories once considered unconquerable by his forefathers of the past, Ioxamander had devoted his life to the teachings of Ahlah, his most gracious, and the Empire over which the House of Atmanaglu reigned superior. Historians, even today, are somewhat baffled by Ioxamander as a person, for while his conquests were similar in vein to the campaigns of Bulijin Khatun in the Second Daevite Empire, Bulijin maintained a sense of conquest by honor whereas Ioxamander did not believe in this concept of honor, instead conquering indiscriminately. Much of the information and source material surrounding his personal life would be lost in either war or catastrophe, leaving much of who he was at the core nearly untraceable. What is known about Ioxamander was that he was a perfectionist, an Aesuit of Arzham, and foremost, a conqueror. The Atouman-Tlemcen War is an example of that total conquest mentality, which saw further disaster for the Romanite Atlasian states than before, with Ioxamander inflicting a brutal campaign across the rusty terrain of Tlemcen, a kingdom that had grown out of the ashes of Atlasium that now acted as a spiritual successor to the former southern empire. For his great-grandfather Iskendir II once conquered the great city of Constantinople, Ioxamander wished to conquer the great city of Atlasium, and after having recently conquered much of North Africa, was hailed as the “King of Kings”, and as the true Aesuit of all Arzhamites across the world.

In March of 1326, Ioxamander would mount his campaign, marching to the city of Constantine to establish a formal headquarters for his incursion into Tlemcen. Taking advantage the terrain and using weapons far too advanced for the barbarians, the Battle of Constantine would see the Atouman Grand Army decimating the poorly organized garrisons, leaving the city to fall to the hands of Ioxamander within weeks. However, Ioxamander did not wish to celebrate this achievemant and move onward to capture the next city, instead he worked on consolidating his control over the city, emphasizing acts of violence against idolaters if caught worshipping their false gods or simply using the civilian population as test subjects for military strategy. The families of the Atouman soldiers would be given a certain extent of territory to further ensure the Atouman grip over the city’s culture. A large crater would be dug outside of the city’s limits by much of the city’s male residents, and once dug, the Atouman regiments would go throughout the city, raiding it for remnant images and scripture and throwing it into this crater, where it would be burnt to ashes, only for those ashes to be buried by the civilians-turned-slaves. By September of 1326, after holding control over the city against Tlemcen offenses, Ioxamander would command a legion onward to the city of Tyrenia, instituting similar practices of destroying articles of idolatry and forcing the base population into slavery.

On January 6th, 1327, Aralyar Barbarossa would land on the beaches of Ilysium, leading an amphibious landing and establishing a blockade on the Tlemcen coast. Aralyar Barbarossa would succeed in capturing the city by February, leaving Ioxamander to capture the city of Goreseum by April. With much of the population centers occupied, Ioxamander would establish a band of militants known as the “Sand Pirates” that were ordered to go throughout much of the southern region and capture the town one-by-one. Their adventures would be romanticized in a variety of Renaissance plays throughout the Atouman Empire. On October 9th, Ioxamander would surround the city of Atlasium, and with Aralyar leading an amphibious landing at the port markets of the city, Ioxamander would initiate a full-blown siege of Atlasium, with that date and time being marked coincidentally with a solar eclipse that shadowed the lands of Ifriqiya. The siege would see Atouman cannons turn the walls to rubble, leaving an entryway for Ioxamander to personally lead the attack on the city, killing as many idolaters as possible, even killing some civilians in his grand purge of heresy in his empire. With the brute power of the Flood myth, Ioxamander would raze the city completely, finally killing the Girban King during the assault on the academic gardens of the royal palace, proudly decapitating his head and tying it to his belt along his waist. The death of the Tlemcen King was short but historians at the time recount the events that unfolded, “...the Sun had darkened upon the start of Ioxamander’s holy attack on Atlasium, and now the sun was purified through the cleansing of impure souls and blasphemous ghouls. Their false ‘king’ would be cuffed onto his throne of skulls, where he would sit for days without food or sleep. His mental break was short, as it only took Ioxamander bringing his prized daughter in front of him, only to fornicate and humiliate the weakened involuntary celibate. Women are free in the eternal Atouman Empire, why weren’t they free here? Oh wait, that’s right, they believed in gods that pursued rape in exchange for great deeds, well no longer shall they feel imprisoned in the old and rusty shackles of ‘Tlem-cum’, instead they shall be liberated from their chains and live prosperous lives after converting to the one true faith, Arzham. Their false Gods have abandoned them after being slain by Ahlah; Jupiter's blood infesting the idolator water only to poison them to spread further despair for the innocent people. The Titans of Ancient Greek mythology have been unleashed on the world after spending millenia imprisoned, inflicting absolute carnage on the false believers that dare speak wrongly about Ahlah. The people have realized their god is false, and thus their anger to their fake king has reached pivotal extremes, but Ioxamander would deny his death at his own people. Instead wishing to execute him as per his war policy under the testimony to the Prophet Arzhang, Ioxamander would nail the king’s palms and feet onto the stone palace steps, wrapping the strong Ionian string around his neck and routing it to the great Atouman wheel. Ioxamander would mount his horse, and explain the workings of the machine, stating how it will slowly grind him with the usage of slaves that will continue to do so until he has been sent to Hell to pay for his refusal to accept Ahlah and his messengers as righteous. Through this method, it would only take four minutes before the king’s neck snapped and pulled out, exposing the dark blue sewage that once kept him in a state of kingship, at the same time killing him instantly and leaving the rest of his spinal cord to be ripped out over the next few hours. This sight pleased Ioxamander so much he kept the king's daughter, Ismiem, as one of his beautiful brides, and she accepted willingly at the discretion of the Atouman Grand Army, birthing two daughters for Ioxamander.”

Campaigns in the East
The time had come for Ioxamander to rule the world, but first revenge must be taken and the Arzhamic people of Adnania released from the chains that held them back, for it was the Grane and Ahuras that had continued to enslave the Arzhamic people for as long as the Azarkhates expanded. Their unwillingness to accept the inevitable has led them to here: a state of false leadership and false beliefs that continues to wreak havoc across the Arzhamite homeland without any sense of value for the Earth they walk on. These sort of actions would warrant punishment of which Ahlah has blessed Ioxamander personally to be the supreme executioner of heathens that dare to defy the Eternal Empire. Ioxamander would construct the Grand Army once more, and with Grand Vizier Utman abd-Vedit Pasha, would devise a plan of action. Ioxamander would deduce that a three-pronged invasion centered at attacking the primary population centers would lead to an easy victory akin to the victories that were achievable through his conquest of Isetium and Tlemcen. With this, Ioxamander would allow for a young field marshal known as Xairata that spent time in the Janissaries during the Atouman Empire to lead a separate campaign in the south, designated at hitting the core of Ahuras in Afif and Adnan with quick and decisive sieges bolstered with the arrival of slave armies from Ifriqiya. The Grand Vizier, Utman abd-Vedit Pasha, would lead a campaign in northeastern Adnania, liberating the people in Ha’il and Rafha. Ioxamander would lead the primary Grand Army through the cities of Mdinatuwana and Eridu, before settling into a siege over the city of Grane, which stood as unconquerable as cities like Alexandria and Constantinople used to be, but for Ioxamander, it stood as ground-zero for where Arzhamic people were dragged, slaughtered, and enslaved. The aristocracy of the Ahuric “Empire” would declare it as “just” due to their religion, but Ioxamander would question this rhetoric, stating in Damascus “... to claim war under the banner of the Prophet Zoroaster is to be considered evil at heart, for the Prophet Zoroaster, blessed as he may be, would stand here today and declare the Kingdom of Adnania to be illegitimate and confirmed as a failed ‘state’ for not following his teachings and prayers much like he how considered the ancient Gods of India to all be evil... the Ahuric royalty is one of those ancient Gods of India that must be cleansed, inshallah.”

The moon was frail as it looked on to an exhausted captain marching his sailors into the sands of time. The captain would look to the night sky, mapping the stars and charting the seas as the clouds crawled onwards. The captain looked at his men, showing a face that lacked depth, lacking an emotional response to their whereabouts or where treasure could be found as the only thing that was certain at the time was their objective: conquest. Under the shifting sand stood Ioxamander as he looked onward to the city of Grane that had stood as the final cornerstone of the universe. Grane stood as a state that could not be conquered, it was all definitions, the unconquerable city in the same vein as Alexandria or Constantinople, it just wasn’t as widely known to Europe at the time. This context would only further lead to Ioxamander continuing his pursuit for liberating the Arzhamic people of Adnania while consolidating his right to ruling the world. The Siege of Grane saw the absolute annihilation that could never be replicated, for it was the walls of the city fall for they could not handle the Big Atouman Energy that Ioxamander emitted, and they could not last without key defenses. The Grand Army, while born in the mountains of Anatolia and the Balkans, had slowly and over-time adapted to the ever-changing climates they fought in and later conquered, and with that would prove them too powerful of a force even when hundreds of kilometers away. So when the walls of Grane fell, the city would fall all too quickly. As the sun would collide with the moon, the Ahuric forces would surrender with Ioxamander decapitating the false believer’s general and crushed the forces, leading to the Atoumans to extend their power deep into the Middle East. This was success, was it not? Was he truly “Magnificent” as his peers would call him? At the time, Ioxamander would believe so. The city of Jubail would face similar apocalyptic fire, with much of the city razed and their Zoroastrian citizens enslaved and sent back to Anatolia for “provisional” uses. The city of Adnan is captured in 1536, and after storming the city council’s domain, Xairata would proclaim himself as the “Azarkh” of Al-Adniya, establishing himself and his companion troops as Arzhamic warlords that serve the throne of Ioxamander, but operating in an independent capacity to the Atouman Empire. See, during the January 1532 Conference that ultimately decided what cards would be dealt to Ahuras if they were to fall to the Atoumans, Kaisar Ioxamander would deduce that annexing the region would create over-extension problems, and due to the harsh terrain, would likely lead to rebellions and the sort. So, he decided that the easiest way would be to simply replace the leadership, and ultimately, the goal was to establish Atouman hegemony over Mesopotamia and establish overall Arzhamite hegemony over the Adnanian peninsula. To accomplish this however, Ioxamander would need to siege the city of Ahuras, and after securing the occupied territory and maintaining a standing army in the process, he would venture forward from Jubail onwards through the Qatar peninsula, believing that the treasures were not much farther away from either him or his men as they continued to sail in the sands.

As Ioxamander stood over King Ja’far II Ahurid of the Ahuric Empire, his saif unsheathed in his right hand and a war sceptre in his left, he would confront the man who enslaved his fellow Arzhamic bloodlines. Of course, King Ja’far II could not answer, for he was actually already dead, and Ioxamander knew it himself, but he continued to recollect the events that lead to where he was. The sun would rise on a crisp morning in the autumn period of 1541, when Ioxamander, his Vizier, and Xairata would spot the city of Ahuras in the distance. “This won’t be like the other’s...”, stated Ioxamander, “...but it is possible”. “You think so?” asked Xairata, with some sense of doubt in his voice, with Vizier Utman abd-Vedit Pasha interjecting, “He knows so”. As the sun would engulf the desert in beams of heavenly praise, the Grand Army would fall into view, with their armor adapted to the heated conditions and their weapons superior in efficiency. Ioxamander would unsheathe his saif, waving it in the direction of Ahuras, and proclaim profusely, “The city of Ahuras will fall to the might of the Atouman Empire...” turning back towards his men, “... and we will be remembered in the histories! Charge!”, and with that, the Ahuric Empire had been condemned. Ioxamander would lead the charge, slashing and shooting indiscriminately as him and his men stormed the city. It is said that Ioxamander, prior to the war, had said that the Ahuric advancements into the beautiful Arzhamic gardens of Persia were ‘heathen in heart’, elaborating that their incursion on the holy land “... will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen”, and thus, the fury was visible, with apocalyptic fire falling over the city as fighting would continue in the streets. All too quickly would the palace entrance come into view, with Ioxamander walking up the stairway, killing royal guards as the rage of war wages. He would walk through the marble and eerily symmetric palace before coming across King Ja’far II Ahurid sitting his seat overlooking the battle. King Ja’far II would take notice of Ioxamander’s presence, pulling a blade out of his robes in an attempt to end the apocalypse that had descended on the Earth with the birth of the conqueror. If he were successful, the Atouman Empire would’ve seen the death of Ioxamander as heinous, leading to internal conflict and the ultimate dissolution of the Empire in a period less than twenty years, but almost as if God was present, time would slow as Ioxamander turned to see the learching King, only to incapacitate him and, with the King’s own blade, stabbing him in the gut. Ioxamander would hold the King as he began to paint the ground beneath them, falling and crawling to a sitting position. Ioxamander would look onto the King. "I did what I had to do, and you would have done the same!" King Ja'far II would state with a hiss, his tongue split in two and his skin the color of mud. This was in reference to the deaths of the Arzhamic people, whom the native Adnanites viewed as heretical to their lifestyle, ultimately growing into a threat they could not dismiss. Some scholars would argue, however, that the case of Arzhamic disturbances was likely exaggerated or situations being plotted by the Ahuric government to provide motivation towards their religious cleansing. Ioxamander would unsheathe his saif, with the King continuing, "Even if I die...the council will avenge me, and YOU WILL PERISH AT THE HANDS OF GOD!", Ioxamander would chuckle, with the scene changing to Ioxamander as he looked upon the corpse of the dead King, muttering these final words "...I am God". As Ioxamander left the palace, his eyes pupils a shade of red as the sun struck them, he would tell his awaiting Grand Vizier that the Ahuric King was now dead, and that this war had reached it's end. Of course, this technically meant that Ioxamander would no longer push an offensive campaign, instead he would officially coronate Xairata, the field marshal that led the southern campaign through Adnan, as the "Azarkh of Al-Adniya", although it should be noted that Xairata had previously proclaimed himself "Xhultan" of the territory itself. Ioxamander, in doing this action, essentially gave what had been conquered to Xairata, however, this came at the expense of the Atoumans encroaching upon the northern Adnanite cities. The Siege of Muscat in 1544 would end the war officially, with Xairata raising the war banner over the city himself and the Ahuric Empire now non-existent.

It was a stormy night when Ioxamander returned to Constantinople. While the cobble roads were a staple in urban Atouman architecture, roads in Syria and Anatolia remained a bit more aged and in some cases, defunct. By the time of arriving at his palace, it was nearly the break of dawn, and while he had plans in the daytime, he figured that a small break was needed. Perhaps he could pick up painting again, he thought, as he continued to walk through his palace to his bedroom. As he opened the door, his heart would drop as he looked onto his first wife, Nihaevran, and his Grand Vizier, Utman abd-Vedit Pasha, resting together in rhythmic motion. Tears would flood the King's eyes as he did not know how to process these feelings. How could his first wife, Nihaevran, betray his love? Did he not make a perfect and comfortable life for her and their children? Ioxamander reminisced on moments when he would talk to Nihaevran after returning from Absolute Carnage, of course only telling her more romanticized tales of the genocide they committed, which often drew laughs and tears as the tone varied. Shink, Ioxamander would pull out his saif, which had become fashioned in his war against the pagans as the "Bolt of Zeus", and would approach the bed. Utman would turn around to see him, and without a second to spare, would bring up Nihaevran in front of himself as a shield. Her shrieks and moment of clarity would appear before her, begging Ioxamander that it wasn't what he saw but of course, we all knew what was going on. We're not stupid, and neither was Ioxamander as he raised his saif. Utman would then push Nihaevran onto Ioxamander so as to pick up his belongings and escape, only turning around to see the head of his lover be decapitated by her husband and his war general. Ioxamander would rush after Utman, occassionally in close combat, but ultimately, Ioxamander would be beat by Utman, who is stopped by Ioxamander's son, Khanidon, who stabs the exhausted Vizier. Saved by his son, Ioxamander would finish the job, killing Utman abd-Vedit Pasha. The events of the affair would leave Ioxamander in a place of paranoia and doubt, leading to him killing much of his established family in the case that they secretly knew about the affair happening and didn't tell Ioxamander. This led to the deaths of his second wife, Ismiem of Atlasium, whom would confess to Ioxamander that she had known about the affair all along and had cheated on him as well while he was absent. Ioxamander was happy that she confessed, but consequences were to be given, so Ioxamander would order the systematic killing of their children in the presence of Ismeium, after which her being left to starve to death in a steel cage without a key in the dark depths of the prison, of course only after the most maniacle of Greek scientists and alchemists have had their fun with the free anatomy available. Ioxamander's son, Selim, would also face execution, for he knew about it as well. In this period of doubt, executions would begin to spread farther and farther, leading to Ioxamander infamously proclaiming that ever member in the Grand Council must kill their wives to prove their loyalty, and those that don't being executed for treason. The cracked nature of Ioxamander would further coalesce in his religious fanaticism as well, and after conquering the Ahuric Empire would begin to study the status of Persia. The Safaretid dynasty were pragmatic mystical Arzhamites in contrast to the traditional rational Arzhamites of the Atouman Empire, and stood in the way of Ioxamander achieving a goal. The Cult of Ioxamander would convene around this time, conceiving that the Safaretids existed as an example of further defiance to the rule of Ioxamander, and Ioxamander would accept this reasoning as just. He would not allow some heathens to share a border with his empire, and thus, war will suffice. While Ioxamander's son, Ozumuhn, would sail from Muscat to Tiz for his marriage to the Horseman of the Steppe Tulaani's daughter, Bulilun. Ioxamander would underestimate the Safaretids at this point in time, stating to his son that they will conquer their way past the Safaretids, but as history will unfold, Ioxamander will never step foot in the Daevite Empire or the homeland of Arzhang, and will never see his son's marriage to Bulilun.

Ioxamander would appoint his son, Khanidon, as his new Grand Vizier. Ioxamander's plan on invasion worked as followed: Ioxamander would lead a campaign in Mesopotamia to secure cities like Alagadda and Susa, while Khanidon would lead a campaign in the northern Caucasus in an attempt to raise the ethnic minorities to rise in revolt against the Safaretids, although knew this couldn't be possible until the primary cities were conquered. Ioxamander and his armies would capture Adol in 1548, and over the following two years, would go on to secure the cities of Morpha and Alagadda with relative ease, although upon their conquest of Alagadda, noticed that a large percentage of the crop fields in the local region were burned and salted, forcing their usefulness to Ioxamander's campaign to shrink in value and force his armies into retreating. In 1550, Ioxamander and his forces would arrive in Susa, only to see it desserted and without the resources to station his army there. Angered by this, Ioxamander would retreat back to Alagadda, although was later forced to divide his army, with a majority staying in Morpha while himself and the minority took defense in Alagadda. Meanwhile, in the north, Khanidon and his army would lead a successful siege on Avarayr and later Artaxata, although suffering heavy casualties in the process. Khanidon would speak to the people of the Mountains, pleading that they support their self-independence and remove their Safaretid chains.

25 Years' War
While historians often include the Aegean War as a prelude or starting point for the events in later decades, the conflict is regarded to have formally begun in 1563 when Ioxamander would mount an invasion of Dardania and Eskosia, directly leading to deposition of King Tanos in 1567 and the Siege of Eskos the following year, which sent shockwaves throughout Europe due to the conditions of the city falling being decisively in favor of the Atoumans, with the kingdoms of Westria, whom had been facing rebellions in the Lowlands during this time as well, and Boheimian forces failing to liberate the city in the following year.

Although succeeding in capturing Eskos, the death of Ioxamander in 1568 would lead to Khanidon Pasha being appointed as Azarkh of the Atoumans while Westria would lay claim to the territories of Boheim due to the death of Louisa that same year. During this period, the Atoumans would re-affirm their alliance with France, which at the time was fighting a "cold war" in the Italian peninsula with Westria. In 1569, the Kingdom of Sicily, which at the time was pro-France, would declare war on Naples, which at the time was pro-Westria. Due to Sicily's alliance with France, the Atoumans would intervene in 1570 by mounting an invasion of Italy, culminating in the Italian Wars that lasted until 1577. During the war, the Atoumans would lead a rather successful campaign throughout Italy with minor complications while the Kingdom of Hispania would launch an invasion of North Africa.

Although the Atouman campaign in Italy would fail following the untimely death of Grand vizier Xodarus Pasha due to the black death, Azarkh Khanidon would continue his campaigns throughout Eskosia, carving the Transylvanian territories into the Amirate of Karpatia and sieging the city of Pozsony. The war would formally end with the French armies failing to occupy Genoa and the Atoumans withdrawing, but in 1579, in a last-ditch effort to conquer Westria, Khanidon would lay siege to it's capital, Vienna, lasting nearly four years and is often regarded as one of the most important battles of Europe's history. Although the Atoumans had succeeding in occupying most of the city by 1581, the arrival of the and other European crusaders would see the city being liberated in 1582. The various coalition forces would go on to push the Atoumans back to the city of Pest, which would be successfully occupied in 1583, with it's liberation being seen as the formal end of the war.

Administration
The Azarkh is the executive and arbitrator of both secular and religious sectors in the state. This authority is strictly hereditary, and passed in patriarchal succession. The Azarkh is also patriarch of the House of Atmanaglu, a dynasty decedent from Atman, an adopted Son of Bulijin Khatun. Although originally founded as a medieval feudal khanate, Khan Adonias, the son of Atman, would declare himself Azarkh of Anatolia, and later, Aesuit of Arzham. This would transition the governance of the Atouman state to an iqta' based off of the Alagadda Azarkhate that ruled across Mesopotamia during the Mongolian invasions. This allowed the Azarkh to act in a monarchal sense, with direct control over all matters regarding judiciary, military, and theology. Due to the prestigous nature of the House of Atmanaglu, many members of the dynasty hold a variety of positions in nationwide and local politics, and carries the same weight of authority when not in the pressence of the Azarkh.

The Grand Assembly, commonly known as the Council of Senior Scholars or the Senate of Ipsus, is regarded as the second highest authority, acting as a legislative body under the Azarkh. The Assembly is entirely composed of the most eminent scholars from across the corestate, nominated by a vetting committee and affirmed by the Azarkh himself. When it was originally founded under Iskandir I, it was composed entirely of clerics from Arzham churches across Anatolia and the Levant. However, by the reign of Tayyeb, had gradually grown more tolerant accepted of more secular scholars and laymen. The Assembly collectively has legislative powers over internal policy and economic regulation, superceded by the Azarkh, who additionally manages the coinage and currency within the council. The head of the Grand Assembly is the Grand Vizier, who acts as second-in-command to the realm under the rule of the Azarkh and by extension, the Ezkhan (Prince).

Following the death of the eleventh Azarkh, Tayyeb, his eldest son Achaeus would ascend to the throne, taking the mantle of Padishah and Kayser ("Caesar"). The title of Caesar, specifically, had not been held by any of the Azarkhs since the reign of the ninth Azarkh, Iskendir II (1442-1479). Although numerous Azarkhs prior to Achaeus would refer to themselves as the "Caesar of Rome", the title was mostly symbolic and ceremonial in practice, in terms of regarding the Atouman Empire as a successor state to the Eastern Roman Empire. So while the title of Caesar up to the reign of Iskendir II was mostly un-recognized by Europe as a whole, the credibility towards "lineage" from the Roman Empire became more undeniable and rose to prominence following the events of The Last Roman. With this precedent, the Court of the Azarkh would conclude that the Atouman Empire was not to be confused with the revived Byzantium, and that the Atouman Empire had grown independently without the assistance of Europe or the Daevites (although it could be argued that the Daevites were essential to the state's formation), and therefore, was seperate from the Roman identity. However, historians and scholars would deduce that the House of Atmanaglu, while denying their status as a revived Roman state, did not deny their status as an indirect successor to a regional empire of the Mediterranean, leading some historians to often refer to the Atouman Empire as the "Second" Roman Empire, or simply "New Rome".

Economy
The economy of the Atouman Empire was based on a system of iqta', or Arzhamite feudal system, as the Atouman state's ultimate goal were consolidation and extension of the Azarh's power, and the way to reach it was to get rich resources of revenues by making the productive classes prosperous. So while the agrarian-based economy was fruitful in it's development, it ultimately prevented an emergence of social disorder, and keeping the traditional organization of the culture and society as a whole. Mining operations would also aid as a driving factor of the economy, with copper, iron, silver, and gold being mined in Bulgaria while fruits grown across the Anatolian region and Balkan peninsula produce bountiful luxuries that are consequentially sold in the various port markets. Olive trees grow in wild fashion, with their oil being harvested and sold to the highest bidder.

Atouman expansion into Europe during the 14th and 15th centuries would emphasize a Greco-Persian royal sentiment, which would be ephasized furthermore in Azarkh Iskandir I's reign, who famously claimed himself as Padishah, a term historically used to describe the ruling monarch of Persia. This emphasis would lead to cities like Constantinople, Adrianople, Nicaea, and Bursa becoming major commercial and industrial centres, serving as highways between the Greco-Roman-Daevite cultures and merchantile trade. This policy of tolerance likely lead to Azarkh Tayyeb's Mandate of Adrianople in 1492, which officially allowed for the Jewish people to reside and prosper in the Atouman Realm far away from the persecution they faced at the hands of Christendom. Most of these people were settled in either Constantinople or other port cities along the Ionian coast. Additional to this focus on Greco-Persian royalty would see the production of three types of coinage: Para (copper), Akçe (silver), and Sultani (gold). All circulate coinage would be embroidered with the regnal title of the Azarkh, with the backside showing the insignia of the House of Atman and the Shahada (prayer).

The campaigns of Azarkh Ioxamander would lead to a boost in the economic diversity of the Empire, now exporting African goods and re-constructing the coastal cities previously razed during his conquests. A large trade network was established, due to Ioxamander's conquests, that extended from the Adnanian subcontinent to the sands of Mauretania and across the Balkan peninsula, leading to broader economic security atop of conquering millions of subjects in the process. The Atouman Empire at the end of the 16th century was the most economically profitable empire in Europe and during the 17th century, would only continue to expand further and further.