The Ormeli Empire - History

History of the Ormeli Empire
The following are all excerpts from the Ormeli Chronicles, the historic epic compiled and composed by the kapikulu and court historian Balaban Mirias, on the orders of Padishah Bayezid.


 * ''Firstly, all praise is due to the Almighty, who gave us the pen and paper and a sound mind, so that His servants may write down useful things in service to the truth.

O Lord! Make our task easy, not difficult.''

I have been truly honored by the Padishah, may his reign be long and fortunate, to be in charge of the compilation of the histories of the Ormeli, their origins, their rise to power and our service to the faith. Even though I am a recent convert and my roots lie in the countryside of Nibelheim, his Majesty saw my skill and perseverance in this profession and appointed me at the head of this important task. My Dear Master knows that proper knowledge of our origins, culture and ancestry is of utmost importance, lest the youth and later generations forget where they came from and allow their hearts and minds be poisoned by the jackals of the Pope or the Church. I have traveled to many corners of the earth in search of wisdom about the old doings and sayings of kings and nations. The horizon’s of the various landscapes are still very profoundly in my memory. Fortunately, my contacts have made this burden of mine somewhat lighter on my shoulders and the help of the Gunduz chieftains was crucial. With praise to God, I hereby present my Dear Master my life’s work. ==

On the Gunduz tribes near the Gulf of Duagavirva==

The people called Gunduz have lived on the green plains near the Gulf of Duagavirva for many centuries. Some of them settled near creaks forming small towns and some of them remained nomadic, herding sheep, cattle and horses. There lifestyle may look similar to that of the pagan Khergits for outsiders, but I have personally noted that the Gunduz have very different traditions. They told me that they have been feuding with the Khergits over pastureland for as long as they can remember. In the days of the Jade Throne, they had trade relations with the Xi, on the opposite side of the Gulf until the Ellisians came. When the Beys went to discuss the continuance of the trade agreements they had with the Xi, the Ellisian Emperor responded insulted them. Wars between the two sides had followed until the Khergits conquered the Xi.

Here are some noteworthy facts for travelers: Their language they speak is almost the same as ours but more subtle and has a great variety of tones. Their bodies are of average height and lightly built but can show remarkable strength and toughness. Also, their homeland has some of the greenest plains I have ever seen where the most fabulous of horses are bred and the softest of wools are shaved off the sheep. Nowhere had I tasted meat more tasty and strengthening, than in the lands of these men, where indeed there seems to be a different species of grass covering the earth. One very interesting custom our Gunduz brothers have, which we here in Ormeli lands have forgotten, is the ceremonial race with barded horses between the nobles of different tribes. It looked more like a dance on horseback than anything else to me. It was also a show of strength, as the armored horsemen had to ride along the shore of the Gulf with water up to their knees for a good hour. The most intriguing thing was the “grand prize” for the winning tribe: The losing tribes had to feed the poor members of the winning tribe for one month, after which another contest was held. Clearly the Gunduz tribes have a much more compassionate understanding of honor. ==

On conversion of the Gunduz to the religion of Truth.==

It is a known fact that our Creator has sent many Messengers in the past to the peoples of various regions, to guide them to the Truth. One of these formidable human beings came from a desert oasis in the Junub Desert. Long ago, he showed the way to our brothers, the Shuri, who still live in the hot but fertile edges of the desert, where rivers flow. The Messenger, may God bless him, had preached the Oneness of God, compassion and humbleness between brothers, along with honor and struggle for the faith. After initial resistance and wars by Shuri aristocrats, most of them saw the light. Now it happened that the Pope, may God curse his soul, had sent several expeditions to the Shuri river towns to attempt to spread his wicked faith and to control the trade of incense produced in the dry hills. He was quite successful in this and was close to annihilate the Shuri Sultanate. It was only after the Sultan listened to the call of our Beloved Messenger, that he was able to expel the infidels from his lands. He was martyred at the Battle of Hufra, which ended in Shuri victory. The final battle of The Martyr Sultan, may God accept him, is a known story which still inspires warriors of the faith today.

Afterwards, hereditary succession ended and the land became an Emirate, with the Emir chosen by a counsel from amongst the most pious and fit for the job. The man they chose, Emir Sayyad, took the job of leading the believers. He sent letters to all the kings and queens of the world, inviting them to the truth. No one accepted, except Gultekin, Hakan of the Gunduz, who knew that nothing but the Truth had aided the Martyr Sultan in his Holy War and that the old Gunduz values of might, honor and mercy were embedded in this faith. He allowed Shuri missionaries and the Gunduz slowly learned to forget their futile shamanistic practices and enjoy servitude to the Lord of the Universe. Those few who rejected were expelled or killed. From that moment on, the Gunduz started riding out alongside their Shuri brothers of the faith, against the evils of this world and the next. ==

On the beginning of the House of Orme==

Wars against the infidels was indeed very profitable for both worlds. Various small regional kingdoms were trampled upon by the hooves our horses. Campaigns against the Pope and others showed our strength and unity, but slowly there rose issues about how war booty and the conquered territories should be distributed. After so many years after the death of the Messenger, the believers were divided. Shuri and Gunduz tribes argued and argued fiercely to the point where everyone feared that brothers might go to war against brothers. If it were not for one valorous and celebrated warrior and chieftain of the Alp tribe, it might have gone too far. His name was Orme Ghazi, a charismatic young Bey of the with an aura that inspired awe in the hearts of both friend and foe. He was tall and broad-shouldered. He had dark brown hair with a length between his ears and shoulders. His eyebrows were round like half-moons and his beard was round and dense with his mustache shortened. He was adept at horsemanship as he was with the bow, lance and sword. Wise as he was at his young age, he proposed a solution for the tribes, lest the blood of brothers be shed.

In his commitment to his faith, he and his tribe would be willing leave their possessions and their claims on booty and land behind for the other tribes to benefit from. In exchange the other tribes would aid his tribe in his journey for new pasture land to settle. Now, this young Bey was much respected for his good manners and respect to the elders and his general kindness and generosity, but what he was proposing now was virtually unheard of. The elders accepted gratefully and they did everything Orme Ghazi asked for in preparation for his journey. Numbering little over 400 men, not including women, children and elders, the Alp tribe went on for a perilous journey and with the help of reinforcements of other tribes, made it through hostile territory. Proper intelligence gave them the upper hand in evading Khergit and Lion Throne enemies, who were busy fighting each other over former Ellis territory. They arrived in the open steppes of southern Calradia and decided to conquer one of the lowly populated border towns who were constantly switching owners. Pergamon, or Bergama in Gunduz tongue, was their landing place from where he consolidated his power.

His long reign was prosperous and a victory for the faith. Many more Gunduz tribesmen had come to settle the place and serve under his wise and just rule. He died at the age of 71 in his bed with his 6 sons surrounding him. While he was breathing his last air, he was said to have been crying. His sons were surprised to see their father cry in his deathbed and asked him: “//Dear father, had you not forbidden us to fear death//?”. Orme Ghazi replied: “//O my beloved sons! Never have I feared death, but my tears are for two reasons. I mourn the fact that I did not die on the battlefield. I fear for discord amongst you and my kin for the fruits of my own exploits.//” The sons replied: “//Dear father, we will never go against your wishes, for you have lived the most honest of lives among us//”. Thus the dying first Padishah declared the command over the believers be given to the eldest son.

On the invasion by the Khergits
After three generations of Ormeli heirs, the Khergits began to grow weary of the Ormeli expansions and in their greed, prepared a campaign against them. They were planning to set our new homeland alight and loot our treasures, just like they did in the other regions where they rode out, marauding the helpless. Their Khan even dared to lay “legitimate” claim to this region, saying it was granted to him by his pagan gods in a dream. An army of countless hooves arrived at that year’s spring. The Padishah of the time was my Dear Master’s father Alptekin the Strategist. He was the one who had formed our famous Janissary corps. These men had ensured the capture of Rumelia from the Lion Throne, after which more could be converted and enrolled from the conquered servants of the Pope. Army after army had fallen before his own, against impossible odds, but this invasion of a mobile force like his own put him in a difficult position.

The two opposing sides met at the Battle of Zagush, where the initial upper hand was ours, but an unexpected turn of events proved disastrous on the third day of battle. Alptekin’s younger brother, Haluk Bey had a personal vendetta with his brother. He never was faithful to the Ormeli cause and always acted with great disrespect. Alptekin let him be, for the sake of good relations and tried everything to appease him. But Haluk Bey was an exceptionally ungrateful man. On the third day of Battle the Great Khan sent a secret proposal to Haluk Bey, sensing his lack of loyalty and faith. If Haluk Bey would join the Khergits and arouse the newly settled tribesmen in his detachment against the Padishah, the Great Khan would grant him his older brother’s empire. The Khergits made a surprise attack on the Ormeli encampment that night. Such was the power of treachery, that Haluk Bey’s detachment of newcomers, may God eternally curse him and his men, decided the outcome of the battle that very night in favor of the cowards.

Afterwards, a puppet regime was set up with Haluk on the throne, accepting Khergit overlordship. The rightful Padishah and Hakan of the Ormeli, Alptekin, was captured and executed. His last words were in the form of a poem:


 * ''What will be done to brothers,

who betray their own kin?

Mourning will be their mothers! Verily,

Hell has a purpose within''


 * ''Indeed, my time has come

To meet my Lord’s grace

What more could I have done

Than to spit in this traitors face?''

And spit on it he did, knowing in his heart that this wasn’t over. Only one of his sons had survived the onslaught that was done upon the House of Orme. That son is my own Dear Master, Thunderbolt Bayezid. He and a group of 150 loyal Janissaries immediately headed for Sungetche Pass to prepare thorougly for a siege. This is a well known story to My Dear master but I will try to write as best as I can.

On the Defence of Sungetche Pass and the reclamation of the lands of Ormelli
The Khergit’s besieged my Dear Master for three full years, while the rest of his rightful lands were at the hand of their loyal dog and vassal, Haluk. The castle was stormed numerous times without success. Then they attempted to starve Bayezid and his men out, but Sungetche Castle had two secret underground routes leading to the forested hills behind the besiegers. There awaited some of the loyal Janissaries disguised as peasants to supply the defenders. So years went on without significant change to the situation except the demoralization of the besiegers while their numbers were lowered after every time they attempted to storm the walls. They only managed to find and block one of the secret passageways at this point.

Change came after two and a half years when the Tsar saw profit in this stalemate and decided to take Sungetche for himself before the Khergits would do. Thus Bayezid was besieged on both sides of the pass and the situation did not look in his favor. After almost half a year, patience on all three sides had reached the lowest point yet while the second secret tunnel was discovered and destroyed. The Boyars came to the walls for a talk to the Janissaries about surrender, on which Bayezid and his Janissaries rejected promptly. But the Boyars, now furious, shouted insults. First on their weird headgear, then on their mothers, then on their Padishah and lastly on the Messenger and their God. This last insult was too much. In an act of total frenzy the heroes sallied out of the castle shouting at the filth who watched them with open eyes, stunned. The defending heroes descended upon the Vaegir encampment and slaughtered as many as they could until they routed in shock. Praise be to the Lord of the Universe.

That very night the Khergit lesser khans on the other side of the pass held a meeting, discussing the situation while still in awe of what had happened that morning to the Vaegir. While they were busy, they were suddenly caught off guard by the sounds of exploding monster bombards. Volleys of giant balls were shot at them and they looked like they came right from the starred sky. The Janissaries from the forests had hidden them in the bushes until the time was right and now they were using them from up the cliffs, aiming at the Khergit encampment. Total chaos followed when the defending Janissaries sallied out again, this time against the Khergits. At the same time, loyal local peasants and ghazis organized by the forest Janissaries appeared from the forests and the besiegers had no escape. My Dear Master’s victory was almost final.

With the Khergits fleeing, Bayezid wasted no time and went to directly to Bergama, where his uncle licked Khergit boots. He arrived so fast, that not even the news of the Tsar’s defeat had reached his uncle Haluk’s ears. When Bayezid stood before the walls, the populace rejoiced and a young 15-year old assassinated Haluk, which cost him his own life. A few days later, the gates were opened for Bayezid and the other traitors surrendered. My dear master quickly organized his supporters to restore his father’s domains and within three months no Khergit or traitor was left alive. They’re heads were displayed along the roads. The Padishah, Hakan of the Alp and the Sword of our Faith, sent his own uncle Haluk’s head to Sanjar Khan with the message:

//I present you here your brother, we do not have pathetic devils in our family. Such is the fate of those who wait for a Thunderbolt to strike//