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[BagaturKhan]

Dark Mist Cults in the Amphora Empire



War of the Mist. 11th millennium BC

No one knows exactly when the Empire of Amphora or Amphora Dominus was formed, but according to the historians of the Library, its heyday was around 11-9 millennia BC by Earth reckoning.
The Empire of Amphora arose on the planet Amphora Primaris (possibly previously subordinate to the Empire of Aurvandil or proto-Nargon formations). The main population of the planet spoke the Nargon language. It is known that the rulers of Amphora (salminti or kings of kings) were based mainly on the vassalage system. When conquering neighboring star systems, they did not destroy the local authorities, but subjugated them to themselves. All the ruling dynasties that controlled neighboring systems that could not contain the advance of the Amphora troops swore allegiance to the kings. Moreover, to ascend to the throne, the rulers of the regions needed to obtain the Label of Amphora. Any actions had to be agreed upon with the kings.

Around the end of the 11th millennium BC (approximately 1000 years before Amphora became part of the Artandir Empire), a large-scale political crisis began in the state itself.

Emperor Golutven III died without leaving heirs. His brother Gushnabandeh the Tough believed that the sudden death of the monarch was the result of a conspiracy of the vassals. After that, he ordered the interrogation of all the neighboring rulers, including the emir of Mirbahrabad Emerald I. Many vassals regarded the interrogations as suspicion and humiliation, and began to actually conspire against Amphora.
Gushnabandeh, not yet a king, sent spies to the vassals, and soon they reported on the impending withdrawal of seven star systems from the empire. Then the brother of the deceased Golutven sent troops and captured the capitals of the vassal regions. He ordered all the ruling families to be arrested.

Meanwhile, in Amphora, despite the central religion of Fire (worship of the Father of the Universe Ormuzd), alien religions were active. Gushnabandeh paid no attention to them, believing that anyone could believe in anything. But he did not expect that his own brother Golutven could be a victim of a cultist conspiracy. It was about the religion of the Primordial Chaos or Mist. The priests who preached the religions claimed that all Existence emerged from the Mist, and that life was impossible without this substance. Later, more radical teachings appeared, which said that the Mist is the foundation of foundations, and that for the Enlightenment of the galaxy it is necessary to "plunge it into darkness." Golutven's death was considered necessary for the prosperity of the Empire. It was too late when Gushnabandeh learned of the conspiracy. The sectarians poisoned him by bribing the palace cook.

After the death of another ruler, the Cult, led by the priest Ardashir, attempted to seize power. The great city of Amphora, the planetary capital, fell into the hands of fanatics. Ardashir immediately declared himself the Spiritual Leader of Amphora and abolished the imperial power. This did not please the nobility, many of whom believed in different gods and did not want to accept the religion of the Mist. Ardashir intended to spread this faith throughout the empire. The priests ruled for two years, and during this time they managed to build at least 20 temples throughout the empire. During this time, almost all the vassals broke away from the state, with the exception of Vologez and Jodelpur. But unlike the kings, Ardashir did not try to return the vassals by force. He believed that it was "a matter of time", and "there is more than enough time."

But not everything was as simple as it seemed to Ardashir. In Jodelpur, a more radical movement of the Mist was formed, known as the Cult of the Sultan of Suffering. This religion implied the worship of one of the "great gods" of the Mist. His name was forbidden to pronounce, and his image was so terrible that many felt awe at his sight. The cult was led by Golutven Amar, a former companion of Ardashir and the prelate of Jodelpur. The priest aimed at the Spiritual Leadership, and therefore wanted to get rid of his mentor and friend. The dispute between the sects stemmed from the perception of the Mist itself. Ardashir and his followers believed that the Mist was a substance that both destroyed the universe and created it. Amar claimed that it was the Sultan of Suffering who controlled all energies.



Philosophical disputes reached the point of open attacks on opponents. Golutven believed that only one of the currents was worthy of existence. He intended to seize Amphora Primaris and make his own faith the state one. Therefore, Amar organized a series of uprisings, as a result of which the governors on all four planets of the system were overthrown. Artashir demanded an explanation from Golutven, to which he accused his ex-comrade of heresy and called for him to renounce the "spiritual throne". The head of the Cult of Mist refused, ordering the army and navy to immediately begin the siege of Jodelpur. Artashir and his comrades betrayed to Anathema everyone who was in any way connected with Amar.

Jodelpur defended its worlds, and the Defense Army, controlled by Golutven, defeated the punitive forces. Soon, merchants and industrialists of Amphora began to join Amar, as well as mercenary organizations. The pirates plundered several ships carrying useful minerals. This gave the Cult of the Sultan of Suffering the opportunity to start a serious war against the Mist. Fighting broke out in almost all of Amphora's territories. In one of the battles, Amar's forces inflicted a significant defeat on the Mist, destroying up to 600 thousand enemy fighters. In desperation, Artashir turned to the former vassals of Amphora for help. The embassy arrived in Mirbahrabad to Emir Emerald. But the emir ordered the ambassadors to be driven away and replied that "he does not care about the strife among warlocks and murderers." Soon, the uprising broke out in three more systems, including Vologez. But it was not associated with any of the cults. The rebellion was led by the Old Nobility, once loyal to Gushnabandeh and previous rulers. The nobles were immediately supported by the Priests of Ormuzd and other religions, one way or another connected with each other. The leader of the rebellion was Prince Jahirabad. The prince immediately sent ambassadors to the former vassals, as Ardashir had done before. Several systems refused to support Jahirabad and Vologez. However, the emir of Mirbahrabad, having consulted with the priests, considered it necessary to help the prince. The nobility and merchants supported the emir's decision. In addition, Emerald himself understood that if he did not intervene in time, the cults of the Mist could come to his domains. The priests of Ormuzd believed that there was a serious danger lurking in the Mist, and that after the civil strife, the cultists would want to spread their faith everywhere. At the same time, Golutven Amar managed to inflict another defeat on Ardashir, this time in the Amphora system. The fleet of the Cult of Suffering was approaching Amphora Primaris. Amar ordered the capital to be bombarded with orbital weapons. Moreover, the crews of the space fortresses went over to his side. Numerous strikes were launched against the city. Then the troops landed. In the decisive battle near the capital, Amar dealt a crushing defeat to Ardashir. Up to 700 thousand soldiers on both sides died in the battle. A day later, Golutven stormed Ardashir's palace. He broke into the chambers of his former comrade and captured him. Thus ended the era of the dominance of the first Cult of the Mist in the Empire of Amphora.

In honor of the great victory, Amar ordered Ardashir to be sacrificed to the Sultan of Suffering. Along with the former ruler, 20 more of his main followers were on the stone altar. All of them were flogged with maces and then stabbed. A week later, Amar was enthroned as the Supreme Ruler-Priest of Amphora and Viceroy of the Sultan of Suffering. But after the atrocities committed by the cultists, the people of Amphora no longer wanted to see the followers of the Mist in power. Rumors began to spread among the people about an uprising on Vologese and in the surrounding worlds. Many on Amphora Primaris eagerly awaited the arrival of Jahirabad's army.

In the first weeks, Amar ordered the sacrifice of all who had previously served Ardashir, and then those who believed in the Old Gods. The priests of Ormuzd were also under attack. Offerings to the Sultan of Suffering were held almost daily. All this was accompanied by bacchanalia and ritual dances. Many military leaders who served under Amar already doubted his sanity. Soon Golutven announced his desire to bring "enlightenment" to all known parts of the galaxy, including the lands of the former vassals of Amphora. Then the remaining priests of Ormuzd on Amphora Primaris and in Jodelpur sent a secret signal to Jahirabad asking to free the people of Amphora from "sorcerers and oppressors". Jahirabad had already managed to form a "striking hammer" against its enemies. It created a combat-ready fleet, calling it "Gushnabandeh". The Mirbahrabadians did not like this name, but nevertheless, they did not refuse the princes help. They all understood that the threat of Amar was growing every day. Admiral Talina Gorgan was put at the head of the flotilla. In the very first battle, her armada inflicted a brutal defeat on Amar's fleet of boats. Then Gorgan defeated the Cult's forces within Jodelpur. An uprising against the Mist immediately began on all four worlds. Locals attacked the priests and followers of the Cult. As a result, the system completely abandoned Amphora, declaring Jahirabad the rightful ruler.

Very soon, Amar's reign over Amphora also came to an end. Golutven was confident of victory to the last and called on his warriors and priests to believe his words. He claimed that "soon the Cult will embrace everything that exists." Amar's plans were unrealistic. His troops quickly went over to Jahirabad's side. Among the merchants, talk began about the "sad future of the Cult." The nobility completely stopped supporting the Cult. A few days passed, and Talina Gorgan's fleet appeared within the Amphora system. Jahirabad, who was on one of the ships, called on the Amphora to rebel against the Cult. The locals agreed and opposed Amar in almost every city.

Amar threw all his supporters into the battle. But they were unable to hold back the advance of the Gorgan fleet. The resistance destroyed all the Defense ships. As a result of the large-scale landing of Jahirabad's troops, the Golutven forces were utterly defeated. The most serious battle took place at the Great River. Later, this river would be called Jahirabad. Having lost his entire army, Amar tried to escape from Amphora Primaris. He disguised himself as one of the local craftsmen. When he tried to hijack a transport, the law enforcement forces, who had gone over to Jahirabad's side, identified him. Amar was captured and put on trial. Jahirabad restored his power over Amphora, declaring complete victory over the "heretics".

A month later, Golutven Amar was publicly hanged in the Capital Square. Before his death, he claimed that "the Sultan of Suffering and the gods of darkness will not leave his death unpunished, and will soon come to take the souls of criminals." He also threatened the Amphora with "millions of deaths." Jahirabad and his supporters took Amar's threats as empty words. Amar was hanged to loud applause. Then began the arrests of all who had previously submitted to the Cult and participated in the bloody offerings. The priests of Ormuzd advised Jahirabad to show mercy, to which he replied that "there can be no talk of mercy when it comes to the servants of Darkness." Less than half a year later, Jahirabad became the new king of the kings of Amphora. Some former vassals returned to the control of the empire, but they did so voluntarily. True, under the new government, all cults and sects that were in any way connected to the religion of the Mist were officially banned. Their followers were declared enemies of Amphora "and all mankind." The subsequent dynasties of Amphora followed the policy of their ancestor. However, this did not help to get rid of the cults completely. Some followers of the Mist secretly migrated to Nargon to its northern region, known as the Gambra sector.

Historians have also recorded the emergence of the Cults of the Mist and the Sultan of Suffering in different areas of the galaxy over the following millennia. The cultists, as before, sought to destabilize the situation and take control of power. The last cult that spread the religion of the Mist was liquidated on Sfentir and Amphora Primaris in 2596 AD.

[BagaturKhan]

Modern Amphora thoughts

Since ancient times, the planet Amphora-Primaris has been part of Artandir. Whatever one may say, there is a very telling concept - All empires collapse. And this is exactly what happened to Amphora. Around the beginning of the 9th millennium BC (or in the 10th) the empire was annexed to the Artandir state. Since then, the nation of Amphora has been subjects of Artandir. And these people do not complain about their lives. Moreover, they claim that the worst period of their civilization was precisely under the absolute monarchy. And that these monarchs, in fact, themselves brought all these harmful cults. After all, if there were no strict authoritarian power, there would not be any such fanatics.