History of Samarkand: Modern Samarkand

Previous: The Guilded Age

Modern Samarkand

The modern age of Samarkand began arrival of the Magnates from the Shield of Strakos. Brought in as mercenaries by the ruling Al’bahar Khan.

However, weakened by the Dance of Mangrus and internal politics, the Magnates quickly took over the rule of Samarkand, and after a coup, involving the assassination of current Khan and the forced marriage of his daughter, Diodotus Khan ascended to the throne.

Under Magnesian rule, the Sea Cult flourished as the new Khans declared themselves living incarnations of Okeana.

But their reign has been turbulent at best.

The Halfling Warlords to the north ramped up their wars against the gnomes, causing a huge influx of elvish refugees in the city. Unsurprisingly, this raised tensions across the city as much of the elven population joined the Batiir. The Jadid, in response, began to assassinate particularly vocal elven resistance fighters, causing widespread riots in Zafar District.

Midylos Khan, in response, began to purge both sides: routing out gnomish barrows and elven homes, in a brutal campaign to suppress the sectarian violence.

This worked for a time but Midylos Khan was, unfortunately, assassinated in a Jadid attack. The city descended into chaos, which quickly spread throughout the region.

During this upheaval, the Mazil'Dhaki, sick of having their storage buildings burned and their trade halted, united with the Court of Heaven and called to a Magnate general, Euthydemus, to return from his campaigns in the south and bring order to the city.

Euthydemus came with fire and steel, establishing himself as Khan and son of Okeana. He reinstated much of the orcish nobility, but pruning the power of the Mazil’Dhaki and the Court of Heaven shortly after being handed the crown.

Samarkand today

History of Samarkand: The Guilded Age

Pervious: The Golden Age

The Guilded Age

Thus begins the Guilded Age.
With the increase of Si’adi influence, the Bodur, a historically rather aloof faction, move into the city proper, using their silver to patronize the local artists and craftsmans. The dwarven ingot becomes the standard of the working class while goblin coinage remains favored by the upper class.

During this time, tragedy struck, with several sinkholes suddenly opening across the city. The two major ones became a canal that ran under the Temple Hill and and a aquatic scar through the center of the orcish slums.
Further investigation by city officials and looters discovered an extensive tunnel system under the city, probably dated back to the Orcish Khanate, however it appeared to some that the tunnels were expanded recently.
The Bodur became the scapegoat though they claimed this was simply the fear mongering of the Si’adi.

During the spread of the Dance of Mangrus, the Khan pushed to use these tunnels as a way to quickly dispose of waste. This plague weakened the political power of both of the Court of Heaven and the Khan, as it struck the royal caste hardest of all.

People, losing faith, turned to wisemen and shamen, and powerful magical guilds began to blossom over the city as they were watered by the cities gold.

At some point during this time, Eskander the Banshee appears on the scene. His country and heritage unknown. He becomes a formidable force and a shadow in the night, founding the first Assassin's Guild in Samarkand.
It's first target supposedly the reigning Khan at the time.

The Guild of Engineers, a powerful force in the military and influence taste makers when it comes to goggles, achieve perhaps their greatest feat after a series of border skirmishes with the halfling sky-lords lead to the crown gaining possession of a broken down zeppelin.
Reverse engineering the tech, they launch the first vessel: the Aintisariun.

Forming a hegemony with the magical guilds and several crafters guilds, the zeppelin holds the city hostage as Khanate forces battle with guild militia in the streets for supremacy of the city.
The fighting continued several weeks before ending in the Treaty of Open Hands. The most important of the stipulations outlined was the creation of the Wise House or the Mazil'Dhaki, a ruling body composed of representatives from the various guilds. From there they could create laws and organize and levy trade agreements.

The Mazil'Dhaki's first test was during the completion of the cities curtain wall.
The east city of the city had lain open for centuries, unfinished partly because of the succession of wars and partly because the city relied on the natural defenses of the surrounding terrain. During that time, the elvish slums had spread up the side of Mount Zafer and spilled across the river. A ferry had been established.
When royal builders came in, they were quickly attacked and killed. The workers went on strike and the Mazil'Dhaki sprang into action, pooling money and creating the Watchmen's Guild to first protect the builders and then to police the city.

The Khan, at this time, had become a figure head, mainly staying away from Samarkand to rule his empire from afar and waging war on the border lands but with the growth of the Watchmen's Guild, the Khan discovered he had a guild on his side. Many men who served in the army went home and became watchmen and they were loyal to him.
This caused a rift to form between the Khan and the Mazil'Dhaki, who were not pleased that their military force was suddenly co-op’ed by the crown.
The Khan began to use the Watchmen's Guild to police the merchants and keep the Mazil'Dhaki and the Court of Heaven in check through threat of violence.

The eight orders of the Sorcerer's Guild became fractured over ideological differences, forming seven unique guilds. The eighth order, lead by the necromancer, rejected the guild system out right. Her order, a taboo and often hushed up branch of the guild even at the best of times, was tired of the squabbles and infighting, as well as the cultural mores that prevented her students from fully exploring their school.
And so she left, vowing revenge, or so we're told.

Next: Modern Samarkand

Samarkand at the end of the Guilded Age

History of Samarkand: The Golden Age

Pervious: The Khanate Civil War

The Golden Age
Faradun’s successor, his only son, was an unholy man, filled with a lust for the things of this world. He invited rich and powerful men from across the globe to his court to experience the finest things, fully confident that the favor of the Okeana would protect the city from outside armies.

But there was one, Ilsion Stakros, a pirate who made his way in the world as a merchant after having taken a series of salt traders and finding the life easier.
This Ilsion was a cunning man, and in secret paid for the blessing to be lifted. With the oceans calmer, an invasion force by sea was more likely and so he plotted his coup carefully. The sea blossomed with overseas trade, bringing spices, silks, wool, grain, gold, and salt into Samarkand's markets to be traded.
Ilsion was about to strike but he was killed by his mistress, who was a concubine to the Khan. She proclaimed herself Queen Azadah I, after finishing off the Khan as well.

Khan Azadah was a tyrant that wore velvet gloves.

She turned the Najam back into an elected position and sponsored a new age of religious tolerance, while dealing swiftly and cruely with those that crossed her. Because of this, Samarkand experienced a surge in Temple building, most notably the Dragon Temple on the remains of Lazar's Tower and the Sacred Stones of the Roc Worshippers on some of the surrounding hills.

Religious fervor was at its highest pitch and the Court of Heaven became covetous of the Khan's power, but Azadah was not to be overthrown and she declared complete religious freedom with the Purge of Altars, chasing the Court of Heaven into the streets and publicly whipping them and having several assassinated for treason.
The Court of Heaven was no more.

Azadah Breathe-of-Fire inherited an empty treasury and while the ports brought in much gold, her authority was still somewhat weak. The Court of Heaven had tithed the people and given a portion to the crown but now with them gone, the tithe was transferred to the crown.
She also turned to investment, partnering with half-hobgoblin traders and bankers to pour money into traders and local guilds. Both profited and soon a network of guilds and banks began to dot the city and with it another vein was added to the religious revival: the hobgoblin sun god, Akhenatan

These banks and guilds clashed with the already established dwarven caravaners, long since the way in which gold flowed into the city. This tension increased till the Day of Shadows, when the sun was blotted out from the heavens. More zealous Bodu declared it a sign: the sun began to think itself above the cosmos and must be brought low. Thus the Istanuians were born.

Two years later, Khan Azadah Breathe-of-Fire died, thus ending the Golden Age

Next: The Guilded Age