Krehejad

The archipelago of Krehejad comprises two large islands and a number of smaller ones, clustered in the sea south of Aironoi. Historically the home of the famous E’hat’mic warrior women, it was conquered by Aversaria in the tenth century IS. For all the internecine bloodshed of the archipelago’s politics, in the thirteenth century Krehejad stands out as one of the few regions where Aversarian polities are not seriously threatened by external invasion.

Geography
Krehejad sits midway between the Pirate Coast and the Shattered Coast and between Aironoi and Sarradon, and pirates based in the archipelago are well placed to intercept merchant shipping coming through its waters – the South Run. The climate of the islands themselves is arid towards the north and more humid in the south. Highlands dominate the interior of the larger islands, but extensive coastal plains are host to chaparral and forest cover. Much of this vegetation has been cleared for agriculture, especially in the south, where what was once rainforest is now largely fertile farmland.

Human settlement in Krehejad is concentrated in the lowlands, with the more mountainous regions only sparsely inhabited. The archipelago is highly volcanically active, and eruptions pose a perennial threat to the population. In 1254 the largest urban centre is the city of Stellios on the western main island, Leidokos.

History
Krehejad was settled in the distant past by the ancestors of the Yaarnami people. The Yaarnami are a matriarchal culture with a strong nautical tradition, who practice the religion of E’hat’m. Piratical raids launched from Krehejad may date back to before the first century IS, and stories and legends of Yaarnami warrior women abound across the Sea of Empires. The scope and range of this piracy brought the Yaarnami into conflict with the expanding Aversarian Aautokrata, eventually boiling over into open war.

In the mid-tenth century, the efforts of Aautokratir X to secure freedom from piracy for Aversarian shipping through treaties with Yaarnami city-states failed due to the shifting and fragmented nature of Krehejad’s politics. In response, the Aautokratir launched a large-scale naval expedition to conquer the archipelago, despite the strength of the combined Yaarnami fleets. The ensuing War of All Islands, fought in the 960s, saw the Yaarnami decisively defeated in the largest naval battle in recorded history and resulted in the total conquest of Krehejad by Aversaria. This involved a campaign of genocide waged against the Yaarnami, and the mass enslavement of the surviving population. An exodus of fleeing Yaarnami led to the establishment of the Suru’gin population in Cyrat.

Aversarian settlement of Krehejad was conducted primarily by the members of the invasion fleet itself, who had been drawn from coastal populations throughout Aversaria, from the Tower Isles to the coast of Aironoi, by the promise of land and plunder. Many of these people were slaves freed on condition of their participation in the campaign. As such, Krehejad quickly became a melting pot for these disparate groups, who struggled to establish themselves in an unfamiliar archipelago now denuded of most of its native population. For some years after the conquest, the intensity of pirate raids out of Krehejad actually increased, as the settlers turned to the form of economic activity most familiar and profitable to them. Nonetheless, the consolidation of Aversarian rule ultimately led to a decline in piracy and the establishment of Krehejad as a major exporter of dyes.

Due to its distance from mainland Aversarian territories Krehejad was placed under the rule of an Archexate, with the Archexir appointed jointly by the Aautokratir and the Kyvernir of Aironoi, usually from among the local elite. The archipelago was legally incorporated into Aironoi but remained administratively autonomous. Opakhasian merchants used the South Run to avoid the punitive tolls levied on them in ports elsewhere in Aironoi and formed ties with captains from Krehejad, sponsoring privateer raids against Aironoian shipping. Krehejad played a role in the fiscal crisis of the Aautokrata in the twelfth century, functioning as a tax haven for Aversarian noble families who could no longer be effectively compelled to concentrate their assets to be taxed by imperial governors.

Upon the outbreak of the Aversarian civil war in 1186 Krehejad was divided between supporters of the rival claimants to the imperial throne. The partisans of Axiaothea secured victory in 1198, but Frodbrokna immediately threw the archipelago into chaos. A Yaarnami rebellion was unsuccessful but crippled the authority of the Archexate, leading to infighting among the elite of Krehejad and a failed attempt at reconquest sponsored by Aeschraes. This political crisis was compounded by the collapse of the export trade and depopulation due to Frodbrokna, and in turn contributed to the economic crisis through the destruction of infrastructure in warfare. Much of the population once more turned to piracy for their livelihood, and the Archexate was only gradually able to restore its position.

Krehejad in 1254
The Aversarian population of Krehejad remains culturally divided in 1254, although the various groups display a distinct regional solidarity. The Yaarnami remain few in number and bitterly oppressed by their Aversarian rulers. The archipelago is underpopulated and economically weak, suffering from the legacy of decades of warfare.

The Archexate, with its capital at Stellios, once more occupies a central place in the politics of Krehejad. Like almost all Aversarian political leaders the Archexirs claim the authority of the Aautokrata. In practice, however, their control over the archipelago is limited, and de facto rule over much of Krehejad is split between two noble marine legions. The only area beyond Aversarian control is the small island of Aoethos, which is being used as a staging ground for an unlikely E’hat’mic attempt to reconquer the archipelago.

Krehejad in 1298
In 1298 the Stellios Aautokrata will be the only significant polity which still lays claim to the political legacy of Aversaria.

Historical Figures:
Iezatha of the Baotadaar – E’hat’mic queen whose raids led to the War of All Islands.

Kelidon (1173-1206) – Primary leader of the E’hat’mic revolt following Frodbrokna.

Emathios “the Sea-Sword” (1192-1266) – Leader of the Aeschraeist invasion of Krehejad.

Characters in 1254:
Archexir Basiriox of Krehejad (1218-)

Legon Ioharos of Legion LXXVII “Pirateslayers” (1221-)

Legon Talaxos of Legion XCIV “Shipbreakers” (1204-)

Dirabti of Aoethos (1221-) – Leader of the E’hat’mic effort to reconquer Krehejad.