Kingdom of Fulfwotz

The Kingdom of Fulfwotz, also known as simply Fulfwotz and Rexdoma a Fulvux in Thrennexian, was a state in the southern Shire that existed from 58 PRY to 1929 CE. Despite its name suggesting a continuous sole dominion, in reality, the Kingdom went through many phases and included multiple entities throughout its near-2,000 year lifespan, the unifying distinction being the monarchy and its capital of Fulfwotz. The Kingdom, isolated from much of the Shire in the central Demmatrodine, was often the subject of intrigue and curiosity from the interconnected and cosmopolitan states of the Oldeshire; it did not rise to global prominence until the late 19th century. For most of its history, the Kingdom was ruled by the Ich Dynasty of monarchs, with the exception of the 104-year period following the Fulfwotz Civil War in which the Sammichian Imperial Chancellery was established.

The Kingdom of Fulfwotz was formed following the Great Epiphany of Empress Flux in 58 PRY, and the dissolution of the Old Sammichian Empire. Overcome with remorse for the Empire's actions under her command, and foreseeing its eventual violent collapse due to mutiny in its territories and its enemies picking away at its borders, she chose to peacefully dismantle it into a number of small, independent domains. The Ich monarchs retained control of Fulfwotz, so it is commonly perceived as the legitimate successor to the Old Sammichian Empire. Although the millions of slaves held by the Empire were freed upon its disintegration, the Kingdom began a process of recapturing and enslaving the surrounding Demmatrodine Enpeecee tribes. This angered the developed Enpeecee state of Mekjloka Ur in the west (part of the Ur Dominion), its existence previously unknown to Fulfwotz. In 124 CE, the Mekjlokites attacked Fulfwotzian galleys transporting slaves from its client state of Levok Ur, inciting the First Fulfo-Urite War which lasted for nearly 200 years and resulted in the annexation of Fulfwotz into the Ur Dominion and the transformation of the kingdom into a puppet state. The humiliated kingdom was a client state of Ur until 460 CE when Queen Tepistra the Emancipator negotiated independence from the Dominion. Bitter over their defeat and seeking to end Ur's political dominance of the Demmatrodine continent, they covertly gained the allegiance of a number of dissatisfied Urite states and engaged the dominion in the Second Fulfo-Urite War in 521 CE. The war was a Fulfwotz victory and fragmented the Ur Dominion, granting independence to many client states.

While many Enpeecees viewed the Kingdom as a friend and ally, the truth was that the Sammichians still viewed them as barbaric and uncivilized, and their cooperation in the Second Fulfo-Urite War was simply a means to an end. However, Fulfwotz enjoyed profitable trade and security with its allies, and would not so soon violate their trust. Around 610 CE, the Orthodoxy began to gain a foothold in Fulfwotzian society, replacing the faltering Xamichine Pantheon as the preeminent religion. Under King Numex I, the state religion was changed from the Xamichine Pantheon to the Orthodoxy; this upset much of the peasantry, which tended to be slower in adapting to new social conditions and ideas. In 704 CE, the Pantheon was outlawed as paganism and observation of the Orthodoxy was enforced by law. Religious tension between the two congregations mounted, inciting the Holy Wars, a series of battles between the Pantheonic and Orthodox Fulfwotzians. While the Orthodoxy was supported by the Kingdom, the Pantheon was backed and supplied by a variety of Enpeecee states, as the Orthodoxy's beliefs outlining Sammichian divine superiority over others threatened their nations if Fulfwotz's population was united under these ideas. The Holy Wars ended in 710 CE, with the manufactured extinction of the Pantheon in Fulfwotz and Orthodox religious supremacy.

With the Orthodoxy repressing dissent and restricting scientific development, the Kingdom entered its Dark Ages which lasted between roughly 700 and 1400 CE. The capulaes of the Orthodoxy influenced the King and Queen at court, most notably Capulae Crux I; in 1270, he issued an edict that mandated the conversion of the nearby Enpeecee states to the Orthodox faith. Approved by King Tyrannax III, the Capulaeric Inquisition was commenced; Missionaries accompanied by the armies of devout nobles visited Enpeecee settlements, and forced them to convert. If they refused, the Enpeecee men and women were massacred while the children were brought back to Fulfwotz to be sold into slavery. Such religious fervor continued until Kleopintra's Plague in the latter part of the 14th century, which killed a massive amount of Fulfwotzians and shook peoples' faith in the Orthodoxy. The Fulfwotz religious establishment finally collapsed in 1456 following Capulae Crux II's attempt to meddle in the royal line of succession; announcing his intent to place Prince Numex II on the throne, his elder brother and rightful heir Nemerses V raised an army and marched on Fulfwotz. The ensuing bloodshed and destruction of Orthodox churches, monuments, shrines, and relics is known as the Great Desecration.

The sharp decline in Orthodox influence on Fulfwotzian society brought about a period of growth and progress, commonly called the Great Awakening. Lasting for the duration of the 16th and part of the 17th century, it was a time of artistic, literary, and philosophical flourishment. The new and radical ideas in circulation, as beneficial to society as they were, also began to incite discontent within the Kingdom, particularly among the supporters of the ancient Xamichine philosopher Democrites, who had formulated the basis for a democracy and was presumably executed by the Emperor. His writings, popularized by radical thinkers of the 1600's, led to the creation of a large-scale resistance movement fighting for an end to the King's absolute domination of politics and a republican government. The attempt of the monarchy to repress these ideas only enflamed them,