History
The origins of the Xæthoon people are vague, what is known is that prior to their migration into Xæth they lived as nomads to the north. They migrated into Xæth around the 6th century, in the chaos of the fallen Noniam Empire. Numerous tribes migrated into the region, establishing the earliest Xæthoon Queendoms through various means. Some served as mercenaries before betraying their employers, others were invited in by the people to protect them in the wartorn land, and others put down roots through simple conquest. The native peoples, the Nonians, in some instances attempted to resist the invaders but in the end to no avail. The fertile river basins in the west were the first to fall, with the remaining Nonian sovereignties being relegated to the hilly jungles in the east. But even there there would be no protection from the Xæthoons, who would slowly expand eastwards. By the middle of the 8th century there were no sovereign Nonian rulers remaining in Xæth. The Nonians were not driven to extinction or exile, however. Many of the Nonians were assimilated into Xæthoon culture and all Xæthoons today carry some measure of Nonian ancestry, though to this day there remains a few million people who dwell in the hills of Western Xæth who hold to a culture descended from that of the Nonians. It is not purely Nonian, but neither is Xæthoon culture pure; both cultures have had influence upon each other in their centuries of cohabitation. A similar series of events would take place with the settling of the isle of Jalyl starting around the 9th century by Xæthoon pirates and adventurers. However, the natives of Jalyl would end up entirely subsumed into the Xæthoon culture of the isle.
Various Queendoms rose and fell in the centuries from the Xæthoon migrations to the reign of Empress Ælirn the Conqueror. By the time of her birth, the mainland south of the mountains had been more or less split into four major Queendoms: those of Thælyrn, Ynith, Oova, and Maashirn. Ynith was a maritime power stretching along the coast and that had taken Thælyrn's only coastal territory a generation prior. Oova was a Queendom in decline, with a sisterless child for a Queen, while Maashirn was a former vassal of Oova on a meteoric rise. Thælyrn was a Queendom freshly defeated, but still far from broken. Ælirn was not born with ambitions of uniting the Xæthoon people and forging an Empire through conquest, in fact it was an opportunity that fell into her lap. She had a connection to the child Queen of Oova through a marriage to one of her Uncles, a situation which proved advantageous when the child Queen died. Oova began to fall into chaos, and Maashirn was more than happy to take advantage of this fact to mount yet another invasion, hoping to finish the conquest of their former lord and master. Much of eastern Oova had fell when Ælirn received an offer from a group of Oovoon noblewomen: defeat the Maashir and we will name you Queen of Oova. Ælirn agreed. What followed was the first conflict in the Wars of Unification; the war lasted several long years and with numerous casualties on both sides. But eventually Thælyrn prevailed, and when Ælirn sacked the capital she had the Queen and all her female relatives flayed alive and took all the men as her husbands. Then she had herself crowned Queen of both Oova and Maashirn before returning to Jiloola. But the period of peace would not last, as Ynith went to war with Thælyrn once again. In what would be known as the Bitter War, Ælirn's army scored several impressive victories but in the end were forced to pay tribute to Ynith. Ynith would be weakened from a plague believed to have been brought back by soldiers in the Bitter War that flourished in the populated coastal cities of Ynith, and so when they went to war several years later Thælyrn prevailed and reclaimed portions of its coastline. And another war later Ynith was reduced to a client state of Thælyrn. However, Ælirn would not be crowned Queen of Ynith until several years and one failed Ynithoon rebellion later. Ælirn's rule as a Queen with Four Crowns would not be without its troubles and but Ælirn did take steps to prevent such things by having all of the noble families give up hostages to be raised in Jiloola as well present a man for Ælirn to take to husband.
WIP
