Gaal Empire
The Gaal Empire (c.2400-2055 BME) was the cultural and military hegemony of the Gaal people, whose capital was Gaalkedch in what is now northern Ororr. The Gaal Empire lasted five centuries, steadily accumulating territory and wealth, until it was taken over in a military coup by “barbarian” mercenaries from Gobal. The turbulent regime swept away the exclusively Gaal ruling class and went on to build a much wider and more diverse empire, the Empire of Dor-en-Sann.
History
The ancestors of the Gaal people migrated from eastern Anásthiasplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigAnásthias
Anásthias [a-NAS-thee-ass / ænæsθiːæs], or [an-ass-THEE-as] is an equatorial island continent, heart of the Civilised World. The north straddles the equator and is hot and humid, while most of the equatorial centre is an upland plateau with fertile river valleys, and stretches of arid plains and desert in the shadow of the mountains. The south is temperate but more wild, separated from the civilisations of the north by the almost impassable HartheraOrorr some time during the early Beryl Epoch (3000 BMEplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigBME
Used to date years Before the Modern Epoch.), settling in the upland Gaal Valley. The valley was both lush with green soil and easily defensible, surrounded by precipitous hills. By the 27th century BME they had established a sufficiently strong agriculture and mercantile base that they were able to prosper, trading both foodstuffs and manufactured metal goods, the product of mines dug into the hillsides.
The Gaal's were traditionally matriarch, ruled by a queen-priesthood who increasingly used religion and mysticism to legitimise their power. Queens were elected from amongst the group of matriarchs. Queens took a number of “husbands”, but all their children were royal, with the female children being inducted into the matriarchy.
Queens were supported by the Bronze Guard, loyal warriors who defended the government and led the armies. Bronze Warriors were elite troops, often the sons of matriarchs. In times of war, matriarchal clans would levy warriors to form legions to either defend the state, or to conquer new territories.
Over time the Bronze Guard gained increasing power, with the leader becoming the Bronze King. Kings became equal in power to the Queens, though the matriarchy still held the balance of power.
The Bronze Guard gradually decayed, with its positions becoming hereditary and largely ceremonial. Military strength was increasingly needed from either the clans, or from paid mercenaries. After decades of turmoil and poor leadership, a coup by the Gobalay guard destroyed the old regime, eventually forging a new empire.