Viragstag

Kingdom of Virag Viragstag
830–980
Modern reconstitution of Viragstag royal banner
The Lushyods dominated states in 850, with Viragstag in blue
Capital	Viragzag
Common languages	Lush
Religion	Aletheism Alban Nazarism
Government	Monarchy
Vir Korran
• 830 - 855	Haldar I
• 957 - 980 (last)	Bezias III
History
• Foundation of Viragzag	830
• Death in battle of Bezias III	980
Preceded by Succeeded by Tervingia Kingdom of Hoffnung

The Viragstag or Kingdom of the Lake was a medieval Lushyod state that existed in south-eastern Belisaria between the 9th and 10th centuries. It was founded in 829-830 when Havar I, a Lushyod prince from the Kingdom of the Drev led his retinue, his tribe, other adventurers, and their Ludic bondsmen on a southern migration to what is modern day Brumen. There, he founded the city of Viragzag on the northern shore of Lake Bluhen, then known by the Lushyods as Viragzod hence the name of both the city and the state. As monarch of the lake, Havar I built a strong state over Ludic, Southern Gothic, and Lushyod populations, and imposing its hegemony over what is northern Brumen.

Following the death of Havar, the kingdom entered a period of decline, locked in warfare with the southern kingdom of Waldreich and the other Gothic states while also struggling with internal conflicts between tribal lords. Back and forth of raids, counter-raids, sieges and localized battles would continue for the next 125 years until Viragzag was taken and its last king killed in battle ending Lushyod dominion over the region. The partition of Virastag among the victors and their partisans led to the creation of the modern constituent principalities of Brumen.

Background

Lake Bluhen before the Lushyods

Main article: War of the Three Nations

The centuries following the departure of the Latin Empire but preceding the establishment of the Lushyodorstag is commonly known within Brumen as the War of the Three Nations. They saw long lasting low-intensity warfare between three competing powers - Sudentor, Waldreich, and Bewahren - each trying to establish their legitimacy as successor of Tervingia and hegemon of the southern Goths. Between these three forces many smaller kingdoms, generally representing only one or two tribes, were kept around as buffer states which loyalties changed depending on the balance of power, matrimonial policies, and internal struggles.

The region around Lake Bluhen was especially affected. Since the 3rd century it saw the implantation of many Ludic tribes which became locked in conflict with their Gothics predecessors. From the 6th century onward, after the dissolution of the Alban Federation under the diplomatic and military assaults of the Three States, lake Bluhen and the adjacent lands fell prey to myriads of petty warlords and tribal chieftains, none managing to maintain their power for more than one generation. As a result of this political anarchy it became derogatory known among the Three States' chroniclers as the Northern Emptiness.

The Lushyods

Main article: Lushyods

an Ugric people, the Lushyods were a semi-nomadic pastoralists known for their love of both horses and riverboats. They migrated southward, along what's known as the "Lakes Road". By the middle of the 8th century, Lushyod razzias into the Drev river valley changed in nature as the Lushyods began a new cycle of mass-migration, colonizing the Furodomark and the Drev River Valley. By AD 830, the tribes had begun their converstion to Nazarism, of either the Alban or Aletheic denomination, but the majority of Lushyods remained pagans with reputation as heathen pirates and raiders.

History

Establishment

Havar was the second son of the Drevkorrag Worsak I and a prince of the Lushyods. Following the custom of his people, he inherited the leadership of a tribe, the Kurt-Gharmat, who had adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle near the modern city of An Lushem, Drevstran. In 830, the Kurt-Gharmat, led by Havar, would cross the Kaspory Mountains southward into the Northern Emptiness. They subdued the territories north of Lake Bluhen and established a new capital city known as Viragzag. Being both fresh water sailors and semi-nomads pastoralists, the shores of Lake Bluhen provided the Lushyods with all the pastures and fishing they needed.

The relations between the Lushyods and the local Luds and Goths is a matter of debate depending on the interpretation of the southern sources. The superior military and organisational capacity of the Lushyods allowed them to subjugate the local tribes, although some sources claim they willingly joined the burgeoning state through treaties. Local chieftains who had not fought against Havar I were allowed to keep their positions, and the newcomers swore to protect their customs and religion in exchange of a tribute and an annual levy. Lands were taken from the defeated tribes and turned into pastures or Manors. Ludic bondsmen from the Kingdom of the Drev also migrated with their Lushyods masters, boosting the new state' manpower.

Havar rule

19th century depiction of Havar I

Under Havar I, the Viragstag grew quickly in size and in power. He notably maintained his father alliance with the Alban Lauras of the Kastory Mountains, gaining support among most of the Northern Emptiness' tribes while also establishing in his new capital of Viragzag the first Aletheic presbyter of the region.

Havar continued to lead raids against neighboring states, notably Waldreich and Bewahren who had signed an official armistice and non-aggression pact in 833 due to the growing threat of the Lushyods. In 836, Havar I defeat the King of Bewahren in battle and conquered the northern half of the Gothic state giving Viragstag sea access. Similarly, by 840, every northern tributary states of Waldreich and Sudentor had been subjugated.

In 849, Waldreich and Viragstag signed a peace treaty defining the border between the two kingdoms. The same year, the state of Sudentor agreed to pay an annual tribute to Viragstag as it was under the dual pressure of Havar I and his cousin the Lushyodorkorrag. Unchallenged, the Viragstag was free to enjoy the profits of its previous wars and raids with monumental constructions (temples, palaces) in Virazag and elsewhere, development of the manor system, construction of roads, bridges, and acqueduc... these land development projects multiplied as the Viragstag remain without ennemies as Waldreich would fall into civil war.

Second Virag-Gothic War

5 years after Havar' death in 855, the Waldreich was reformed from a tribal confederacy to a kingdom under its new monarch : Klaus the Farmer. Conflicts immediately resumed between the Gothic states and the Viragstag now led by Havar' son : Bezias I. In 862 Sudentor, encouraged by Waldreich, refused to pay tribute to the Viragstag beginning the Second Virag-Gothic War. Sudentor fought against Lushyods and Ludic raiders from Viragstag by employing Docetic mercenaries and warbands from the Lushyodorstag while the Kingdom of Waldreich organized its own raids northward. Ultimately neither operations were successful and the war switched eastward when a Waldreich army saved in-extremis the state of Bewahren after its ruler had been defeated in 864 in battle while trying to regain the territories lost almost three decades ago.

Bezias I (855 - 880) and his son Bezias II (890 - 908) would have to continue handling annual warfare with its southern neighbours. Their main rival would prove to be Waldreich as it had grown much stronger than the other Gothic states through successful military and administrative reforms. Bewahren, weaken by the decades of conflicts, could only allign itself on Waldreich' diplomacy and very rarely ahd the capacity to wage its own wars. Sudentor meanwhile, was often divided on who to support as it perceived both Waldreich and the Viragstag as rivals and potential mortal threats if left unchallenged. Sudentor Thing would thus often sue for peace with the Lushyods whenever the balance of power asked for it and vote for war whenever there was an opportunity.

Internal crisis

For the past 80 years, the Lushyods of the Viragstag and their vassals had either dominated or fought to a standstill all of their rivals. But in 810, the recently crowned King Lazvig I was defeated in battle by an army from Waldreich which was able to lay siege to Virazag before winter and the threat of reinforcement forced the invading force to retreat. This defeat rekindled old conflicts within the Lushyods tribes and clans and a year after Lazvig was assassinated and his underaged son was placed on the throne as a puppet ruler. What followed was a civil war of catastrophic consequences for the Lushyod state during which Waldreich launched nine campaigns, conquering lands up to the southern shores of Lake Bluhen. The other two Gothic states also took the opportunity to launch their own campaigns : three for Sudentor and four for Bewahren which was finally able to retook most of its long lost lands. Many tribes, especially Gothic ones, betrayed the Viragzag for one of the invaders, leading to deportation campaigns by the Lushyods who moved entire population away from the border or even sold rebellious clans as slaves to other states.

Lazvig IV rule

Lazvig IV coronation

After ten years of crisis and seven monarchs on the throne, Lazvig IV (921 - 956) was capable of restoring order to the Viragzag, exterminating the rival and rebellious factions of his brother (anti-king Mirkos I) and rival clan of the the Pseudo-Havarids. Pockets of Emendatic resistances were squashed as Lazvig affirmed Aletheic Nazarism as the state religion and proceeded to mass convertions, extinguishing the last remnants of polytheism among the Lushyods.

Lazvig was able to restore some semblance of royal authority among the tribal chieftains and feudal landlords (having emerged from the latter) despite his diminished power compared to his predecessors. He consolidated his position by launching new campaigns against the Gothic States. Against Sudentor he was able to corrupt the Lords, who were favourable to Lazvig and his pro-Aletheic policies, established on the recently conquered lands by recognizing their titles and offering them gifts in exchange of their alliegeance. Sudentor found itself having to rely almost solely on its Docetic and Alban mercenaries from the Lushyodorstag, forming the core of the still-loyal armies. Against Waldreich, Lazvig sent both naval and land expedition and the dual assault forced the Goths to retreat to more defensible positions southward. Finally, The reorganized Lush armies were able to defeat Bewahren in battle but could not push them back to the sea has they had done almost a century prior, the military reforms inspired by Waldreich showing their results.

By 930, Lazvig IV had thus been able to stabilize the situation and the borders would not change much for the rest of his reign. Nonetheless, the concessions given to the landed aristocracy and to the Aletheic Church would prove detrimental in the long run as the central state no longer had the authority necessary for the military and administrative reforms needed to organize a constant war effort with a permanent military, something Waldreich had proved capable of.

The fall

Lazvig IV died in Christmas 956 and immediately conflict resumed among the country' petty factions. His son, Bezias III, proved unable to rein in the landed Aristocracy. he would nonetheless prove able to keep the Gothic ennemies at bay while trying to reform his kingdom through winning the support of the Aletheic Church and the last semi-nomadic tribes while also accumulating personal wealth, uwittingly confirming the king' status as a "first among equals" of the landed nobility. He was nonetheless successful in this policy, giving him the necessary wealth and authority to maintain troops capable of facing Waldreich' rotating levies.

Court intrigues led to a new crisis in 973 where a part of the aristocracy ended up demanding Waldreich' help, giving them free reign to intervene. Through a series of six summer and winter campaigns, Waldreich was able to reduce Lazvig' influence to his capital of Virazag and its immediate surroundings. A seventh raid in 980 would end with a siege of the city and despite the resistance of the defenders it would end on a Gothic victory. As Bezias III died during the battle, most of his supporters still active ended up surrendering or fleeing to the Kingdom of the Drev.

The demise of Virogstag left Waldreich with only one rival for the status of Hegemon of the Goths : Sudentor, which broked the alliance with Waldreich as early as 981 in an attempt to challenge Waldreich' dominion. To counteract this new threat, the King of Waldreich preserved his alliances with the landed aristocracy of the Viragstag which had submitted to him and established either some of his family members or respected local leaders as tributary states. This larger coalition built around Waldreich would thus see Goths, Ludic, and Lushyods people continue the wars of their sovereign in Dinsmark.

Military

Havar I army which arrived on the shores of Lake Blühen in 830 was made up mostly of a single Lushyod tribe : the Kurt-Gharmat. As per the customs of their semi-nomadic, all men of the tribe served as active fighters, mostly in the capacity of horse-archers an art in which they were trained since birth. This made both the strength and the weakness of the Lushyods who fought using tactics never seen before by the southern Goths, but each horse archer loss was an unsurmontable loss. As a result, the Lushyods themselves fought mostly as scouts and raiders, harassing the enemies, making use of their mobility to appear more numerous than they were, and waiting for the right moment to strike.

Beside the Kurt-Gharmat, other minor Lushyod clans had abandoned their tribes to follow Havar southward, sometime even just bands of mercenaries and adventurers recruited by the Prince for his expeditions. Among these clans the most important one were the Havar-Janet, the members of the Drevstag royal house who followed Havar, and their retainers. These high ranking and wealthy princes would form of the core of Havar' personal retinue and the heavy cavalry of the Viragstag.

In addition, Havar' Lushyods brought with them their Ludic dependents. Some, part of the personal retinues of their Lush lords, served as light cavalrymen, but the majority served as light infantry during battle to harass and bait enemy forces. As the Viragstag grew, so would the Ludic and even Gothic troops, recruited among the tribes who submitted to Havar. Closer to the tribal levies of the Gothic states, these bondsmen formed the bullwark of the Viragstag' army, a mass infantry that slowly got heavier as their tribes enriched themselves under their new masters. As such, by the middle and late era of the Viragstag, Shield walls were the staple of all sides of the Blühen Wars.

The Lushyods also evolved their tactics as the generations went buy. Their settlement led to a slow dwindling in both the number of horses suitable for mobile archery as well as a depletion of the number of Lushyods formed to such tactics. Instead, the Lushyods selected heavier and heavier breeds of horses, no longer capable of feeding on only grassland but able to carry greater weights and thus suited to serve as heavy cavalry. The loss of mobility, coupled to a lack of a permanent military as the Viragstag remained very tribal in its social structure, will play their role in the growing number of tactical and strategic defeats suffered by the Lushyods throughout the era, until the final collapse of their state.

Culture

Religion

Ruins of the Laurate of the Eight Eternals, the first Laurate built in the Northern Empty

When the Lushyods founded the Viragstag their ruling class had already adopted Aletheic Nazarism as their faith, nominally abandoning their shamanist cults. Nonetheless, "Magicians" would remain an important presence within the Viragstag within Lushyod tribes, often under the patronage of tribal leaders but also sometime persecuted by the royal authorities. As Aletheism became more and more proeminent as South-Gothic culture influenced the state, Shamanism slowly died as the rythm of persecution accelerated and there was fewer patrons of the old customs.

Despite the Aletheic faith of the Viragstag' elites, they had settled in a region un-conquerred by the Latins and thus were the ancient Tervingian culture remained strong. This included a majority Albanist population dominated by Lauras or Monasteries which brought some level of organization to an otherwise stateless region. The Lushyods avoided destroying these Monasteries instead seeking the alliance of the Alban monks and hermits to legitimize their rule.

From there on out, there was two parallel church structure in Viragstag : a secular Aletheic Church based in Virazag and a regular Alban Laurate with a strong influence over the countryside. While Aletheism would grew in size and power as centuries went, Albanism remained a strongly popular religion even after Viragstag' fall. Modern Alban populations still exist in Brumen to this very day, remnant of this ancient age.

Architecture

Ruins of Virazag, the Havarids' capital

The early Viragstag architecture is characterized by palaces built using monumental construction techniques with large carved limestone blocks. These palaces, or fortresses, known as Manors or Nagzagak in Lush, would serve as the main residences of the Lushyod, or Gothic, aristocracy who thus controlled the surrounding countryside. A Nagzag included not only a fortified bastion, but also bathes, Chapels, and many residences for the nobles, their servants, artisans, and many other potential residents. Virazag in that regard, can be regarded early on as merely a larger Nagzag, with a larger bastion, separate elite residences, grand bathes fed with water taken from nearby stream and brought in by canals, a Presbyter, and a port with its harbour. There also was a "lower city" built like a huge, permanent, military camp where the space reserved for the officers was transformed into a Presbyter, the central meeting ground into a market, and the General' tent into a small Nagzag for the city' prefect and their proto-police' militias.

As the Viragzag grew, Virazag would acquire new monumental constructions including more royal palaces, elite residences, multiple markets, and an entirely restructured port with a digged-out harbor, larger dockyards, and its own market for salt and fishes. The city' outer walls were destroyed to make room for the city' expansion and would not be rebuilt until the Second Blühen War showing the feeling of security within the Viragstag during its interbellum golden age.

During said golden age, many other Nagzagak, especially around the shores of Lake Blühen evolved into cities of their own following the general pattern of the capital but with more irregular street grids and city patterns. Major elements would remain the same however including the division into an Upper and Lower town, often materialized by walls, bathes, acqueducs and, for the largest, Hippodromes. In that regard, the Viragstag followed a simillar pattern of developpment as other Lushyod states.