D'ekaš dark age

The D'ekaš Dark Age represents an approximately six hundred year long period, that begins with the arrival of disease placeholder, and ends with the foundation of The School of Truth in placeholder city, the capitol of Çjajal. Between these two dates, the near compllete collapse of civilization in souther D'ekaš was seen. The north was spared the worst of the disease thanks to the its relative distance, however it was not completely unscathed. Indeed, much literacy was lost, and no large scale organized polities would make their power base in the Affalhaq for a long time, instead centered around the Great Salt Sea.

The various polities on D'ekaš, a few decades prior to the Plague of Tãtehʲe in -700 NR

Collapse

The Tõsax Empire entered its peak at around -700 NR, having recently subdued several coastal Ätesköl confederations under the rule of Tãtehʲe II. Uninhibited in his territorial ambition, Tãtehʲe II ordered the exploration of the waters further west to determine if there was any point in further expansion east, the further of which grew more and more barbarian in nature. The second stumbled upon the Atlingi arc. The sailors described the coast as 'dotted with archaic and ruined temples of stone, uninhabited and untouched by its native savages.' While 'savage' may be a disingenuous term to use to describe the locals, it was true that the ruins of the Atlingi civilization the sailors discovered were shied away from.

The sailors did not stay long, as the local town that hosted them fell under attack by some hostile neighbours. They made their return to the ports of Tõsax with several guests: a few Atlingi natives that they whisked away from danger; the 'e'la grain; and a new and terrible disease. This disease ravaged the crew of the boat, and upon their return to the capitol, would decimate the city. The few Atlingi transplants would be lynched by a fearful populace, believing them to be the cause of their perils. Ultimately, the fleeing populace brought it along with them to neighbouring settlements and the countryside. The governments could not hold on to a fleeing and dying populace, not with an army that was doing the same.

The spread of the disease was only slowed by the desert, which prevented too much travel northwards. Regardless, by sake of winning the genetic lottery, those of the Nothern D'ekašan race were already far less susceptible to the disease. This would prevent the collapse from hitting too hard in the delta region. The total collapse of the state would not occur in the north, however the ability of polities to project their power would decrease remarkably. The dominant Datbanu empire would fragment, and it and many of the periphery states would cycle through various stages of instability for the next few hundred years, often warring with each other, but with no state ever being capable of asserting primacy.

Intermediate Period

In the Affalhaq, the dense jungles would reclaim much of the abandoned cities. Indeed, no large cities would come back in existence by the end of the Dark Ages. The people were content to remain in smaller settlements, practicing things like slash and burn agriculture and small scale animal husbandry. In the north, as stated previously, the states descended into a period of constant bickering and warfare. Though this state of affairs was not optimal for growth, it was perhaps the best off throughout the continent. The desert states too entered a waning period, despite being effected by the plague largely the same as the north. Here, without the riches coming in from the north-south trade, and largely isolated from external threats, the necessity for the state structure dissipated.

End of the End

By -150 NR, various cities began to reform around the Great Salt Sea, and unite and form into independent polities. Connected mostly by sea-lanes, these cities largely interacted with each other alone. By 1 NR, Çejjota would found his new religion in the School of Truth within the capitol of Çjajal. Though initially ignored by most, the ascension of leader, a staunch follower of Çejjota's doctrine, to the throne of Çjajal and his ensuing dismantling of the growing Açese empire would ensure the dominion of this newfound faith in the D'ekašan world.

At around the same time, placeholder state in the north was finally capable of asserting dominion over her peers, reuniting a region that was for centuries fragmented. Only in the Affalhaq did a new spark of civilization not reignite the flame. The last remnants being the Afflhaqic language speaking polities of Sahãn and Ãteʲha, themselves forming some of the south-easternmost countries around the Great Salt Sea.