Stratienon Empire

The Stratienon Empire was the most powerful Native empire of Dagon. It existed from 969 MA - 476 MA.

Founding Legend
The Stratienon Empire was founded by a tribe called the Narraganusim. They lived in a cluster of villages in a river valley with several other tribes, all socially collected around a central temple to the god Aro-Tenusim (meaning Great Earth Beast in their language). All the nearby tribes would gather here and sing their own songs to worship Aro-Tenusim, and the artistic and performative componant of these songs was of great importance as a status symbol among the tribes.

In 969 MA, the Tuoxim tribe sang a song of Narraganusim creation, an insult to their piety and their tribal leaders (judges who were well versed in oral tradition and religious law). The Narraganusim raided them at night for this, sparking a series of conflicts between the Tuoxim and Narraganusim. Throughout the war, the Narraganusim gained allies in the tribes around them, as the Tuoxim had stolen and insulted their pious songs as well. These other tribes were the Scotim, Zucelo, Ocridiea, Pioniea, Muscetimit, Slipelihoven, and Donduiton.

During the war, the Narraganusim leader Nicofezim appealed to the judges of Aro-Tenusim. They brokered a deal that this feud should be settled by their sacred archery minigame. The Narraganusim and Tuoxim played, and Tuoxim beat them by just one point. The Narraganusim saw that their biggest, best archer was not of the Tuoxim but taken from a foreigner who lived outside the valley. The judges nullified the game, and they planned another challenge to settle the score for the end of the month at the full moon- a swimming challenge. The Narraganusim and Tuoxim swore oaths of peace on their hands and feet until this challenge was over, so there would be no bloodshed until the feud was done.

It was one week between the nullification and the next challenge to settle the feud. The Tuoxim's ally, the Fortiniea, moved troops to a strategic hilltop overlooking the Narraganusim lands. The Tuoxim and Narraganusim pulled underhanded moves that did not violate their oaths but sabotaged each other, such as cutting rope bridges, breaking wheels on carts, flinging animal carcasses into villages, and burning each other's crops.

On the night of the full moon, the Narraganusim leader Nicofezim and the competitor of Tuoxim, Marxosiea, lined up on a large rock at the river bend. They would have to swim the length of the river to the great lake that it drained into, and build a fire on the far side of the lake next to a white rocky hill, Nicofezim on the left of it, Marxosiea on the right of it. The swimmers jumped in and swam, and after 2 days and nights, a fire appeared on the far shore to the left of the white rocky hill, Nicofezim had won the race for the Narraganusim. But as Nicofezim had just gotten it lit, Marxosiea attacked him and drowned him in the lake. His cut off Nicofezim's hands and feet which and threw them in the fire, and the fire caught a nearby tree and burnt the whole forest down.

At this show of violence, the Narraganusim attacked the Tuoxim at the edge of the river, and many were drowned and pushed to the other side. The Fortiniea tribe blew a great horn and attacked down their hill at the Narraganusim, but the Narraganusim formed a wall with their shields and held them off. The allies of the Narraganusim, namely the Kylimiea, swung around the Fortiniea line and struck down their leader, Gyldeanim.

After the battle, the Tuoxim were pushed out of there villages and into the hills, and a series of raids went back and forth between them. The lowlands came together under the next Narraganusim leader, Ryaxis I. Ryaxis made peace with the Tuoxim by allowing them to settle in their old towns again, but be subjugated under them, to gain back the full rights as worshippers of Aro-Tenusim.

From this, the Narraganusim and individuals from many other tribes moved to live by the Aro-Tenusim temple, for it became a massive trade and communication spot among the united tribes. The Tuoxim, Fortiniea, and Frondeanim (which supported the Tuoxim with troops), were reintegrated as social equals within 10 years. From here, the capital Stratienon, meaning "Of the Music" was created, and the state was first established.

Culture
Feathers. A lot of multicolored feathers.