In the year 1067, after the coming of Garangordos, Azmurad III ascended to the Coral Throne of Afadjann at the age of ten. Azmurad III was very close to his mother Seki Purma and she ruled the state from the harem, with her son never disobeying her orders. Much power was sold to rich Massarin families during this period in return for exotic favours, political support and military power. The military was sold to an individual called Jalapkhan of Ebbeshal, an insane sorceror of that city. He began to turn the army against Azmurad III and eventually the soldiers mutinied and broke into the Palace, killing the High Priest of Darleester the Noose, the Great Eunuch Dancer of Seven Bells, Azmurad's sister Kalamine and seventeen othe high officials. Azmurad II was forced to use the Rite of Compulsion and cause three thousand soldiers to strangle themselves. He then called upon Ikadz and Ompalam to bring to him the leaders of the rebellion. Jalapkhan and his supporters wer then forced to climb the Tower of Submission, where each was stripped of his seventeen layers of existence and then their bodies wer hung from the Bridge of Seventeen Tears.
Azmurad III grew quickly, he was a giant amongst his fellows, some say standing half as tall as a tree. His mother was fearful that the politics of the harem would cause Azmurad to stray from his true destiny and so she tried to encourage Azmurad to take only his sisters and herself as concubines. This he did, but her actions caused Azmurad to hate all women not of royal blood. Once Azmurad came across a group of women from Siwah El singing in the mountains, he instantly ordered his eunuchs to strangle them so that he could here the birds sing. On another occasion he had the wives of a Massarin boiled alive for being more beautiful then his mother (6).
Azmurad was a great warrior and during his reign he expanded the lands of Afadjann greatly, he spread the cult of Darleester the Noose widely and was proclaimed High Priest of Ompalam and Ikadz in 1077. His wars with Kareeshtu and Umathela became legendary. It is said that Azmurad's favourite tactic of war was to enter the streets of an enemy sister accomapanied only by his executioner, the two would murder all that they met, especially women, always by decapitating them. He would then use his stealth to crack open the cities magic and then their gates.
Azmurad was a great lover and bestowed upon his family thirty four children, seventeen boys and seventeen girls. Of the boys only two survived, Istam and Astamanyx, the rest it is said were dispatched by their father and mother/grandmother. Istam was prepared for Janndom by being placed in the "Crypt", while Astamanyx was saved when his mother Falara fled to the city of Teshvashoros.
In 1085 Ships arrived from the sea, they had not done so since the Week of the Squid some four hundred years before. Azmurad was away, fighting the Doraddi to the south and so Seki Purma and her son were first to meet the visitors. They were of course the Vadeli. Through intimidation and manipulation the Vadeli coerced Seki Purma into allowing them to take control of the city. They did not know of the Rite of Compulsion and the Coral Throne and so did not rule the land. The period is known as the Brown Year. Messages to Azmurad were intercepted and so he did not retun until his campaign was completed.
Upon his return Azmurad III was unable to remove the Vadeli influence as they were not subject to the Compulsion of Darleester the Noose. Their ships controlled the strait of Poysida, the merchants held the granaries and their warriors the barracks. Azmurad was forced to support the Vadeli in there attack on Kareeshtu in 1087. The Kareesti were defeated and Azmurad II was given back his city. The Vadeli however kept Azmurad as their puppet by causing him to become addicted to narcotics that they could only supply.
In 1089 Azmurad resisted the Vadeli and slew all those that dwellt in his city, many by his own hand. During the battle Azmurad fell, slain it is said by exhaustion, withdrawl and evil sorcery.
(6) More beautiful than his mother - not a difficult task.
(To be continued)
Cheers Simon.
Powered by hypermail