Manas Halzhaan
Manas Halzhaan IV, whom is also known as 'The Boat King'[1]. Manas Halzhaan was the fourth monarch of the Halzhaan Dynasty in the Age of Dynasty. His predecessor was Sylla Halzhaan. He was the last monarch of the Halzhaan Dynasty. Whether he had a consort or issue is currently unknown.
Light my pyre and watch me glow.
Halzhaan IV is the 4th era and final era during The Age of Dynasty, ruled by Manas Haalzhan IV, whom is also known as 'The Boat King'[2]. This appellation refers to the militarized fleet employed by this ruler. Manas and his fleet appears to have gone to war with the Malku Su, although it is not yet known which side prevailed.[3] Manas appears to have employed citizen soldiers [4] and levies with ranks distinguished by types of clothing[5]. It may be the levies that led to his intense unpopularity which seem to have persisted to this day and may well have lead to the end of both the Halzhaan Dynasty and the monarchy as a system of government in the Braided Shore due to the revolt of the twelve Unions.
He seems to have suffered a military defeat and was possibly burned alive. His reputed last words "Light my pyre and watch me glow." continue to be used in skaldic songs throughout the Braided Shore. [6]
At the time of his death, anger at him had translated into a desire to desecrate the graves of previous Halzhaan monarchs as his government fell apart. However five elders prevented the desecration of the earlier monarchs' tombs. [7]
Manas Halzhaan occupies a complicated place in the historical memory of the Braided Shore. His reign is described as "pivotal and turbulent." [8] Many of his deeds are recorded in play and song [9]. And the Pyre Festival is celebrated every year to commemorate his downfall.
Events
The WaveJinn
It is speculated that the incident of the Wavejinn happened in this era, assuming that the Town Reporters were referring The Boat King's treasures to the wreckage. This event was a tale of an expedition in retrieving an ancient coffin, despite disapproval, and whatever has came out of it has cause great evil and slaughtered those on board, then fleeing into the lands of Braided Shore, the remnants of the aftermath still lingers in Alken Rock Coast. It has definitely left a mark to this day to have this event become a play
The Ice Hag War
Not much is known of this War, but it is mentioned that this has caused the overthrow of the Dynasty, leaving the council's pavilion to stand empty.
Disbandment of the Warriors' Union
Prior to the reign of Manas Halzhaan, there was a Warriors' Union. When Manas commanded the Warriors Union to follow him, some refused and tried to stand up in protest against the forming of the Councils. The attempted uprising failed, and what remained of the Warriors Union became the Wardens Union. While they still existed, the Warriors Union claimed that the Wardens Union was made up of traitors, created to guard nothing but the selfish interests of the Councils, and that it would spell the end of the monarchy. The fact that that prediction would prove correct did little to help the Warriors Union – it is now entirely defunct. Their symbol was a single, sharp crescent.[10]
References
Have you heard what happened in Kasa? The council's pavilion stands empty for the first time since the overthrow of the Halzhaan Dynasty
The warriors of the Boat-King's fleet wore similar pieces of armour to protect against the deadly overhead swings of Malku Axes.
At the end of the Fourth Age, when the Unions rose up against the Boat King, anger and pain burned like a wildfire in the hearts of the people. There were those who wished to tear down the Halzhaan family tomb for good, destroying any remnant of the Boat King's ancestors. With hammer and fire they approached the final resting place of Issa, Ilmana and Sylla but were stopped by five elders guarding the tombs. The elders were unarmed apart from marble canes which they used to hold themselves up. Unwilling to hurt the elders, the mob relented and the tomb still stands to this day. Without those brave elders, we would have lost much of the knowledge of those rulers which we know at the present. Geva Kha, historian
The Pyre Festival is held each year on the anniversary of The Boat King's defeat, in remembrance of those who lost their lives that night. When night falls, small boats filled with straw and oil are set out to sea where they are set aflame. The armada of burning boats look almost like stars as they sail out towards the horizon, becoming one with the starry sky above.
A pyre festival teacup. The rim is engraved with the supposed last words of The Boat King which have later been used for a number of skaldic songs. "Light my pyre and watch me glow."
Plain wrappings of thin leather, these may be a leftover from the folk-army levies of the wars of the Boat King. Though seasons upon seasons have passed since then, many soldier's wrappings are still in use by hunters and folk who eke out their living in the harsh underbrush of the wilderness.
During the war of the boat king, officers in the army of the council wore plumes in their hats to mark their rank.
The war leader of the Boat King War wore a type of armour that was much mimicked by veterans of that war for many seasons afterwards.
The Braided Shore has not seen a citizen soldier since the last seasons of the reign of Halzhaan and the war of the Boat King. This lightly padded, brightly dyed vest is a surviving memento of those pivotal and turbulent days.
References
References
- ↑ History student's practice knot
- ↑ History student's practice knot
- ↑ Thin tombac shoulder cover
- ↑ Colourful soldier's vest
- ↑ Old warrior's cap with plume
- ↑ Festive teacup
- ↑ Sturdy marble handstaff}
- ↑ Colourful soldier's vest
- ↑ Caravaners, Festive teacup
- ↑ https://lore.bookoftravels.info/groups-organisations-and-families/the-unions/the-warriors-union