Bulistan

Bulistan, officially the Great Shahdom of Bulistan, is a semi-parliamentary monarchy in Western Artopa. It's territory spans across the valley of the Buli and Beta Ligra rivers, and the tributaries of these rivers. Bulistan borders Koroush to the south-east, Altramont and Hassenburg to the south-west, and the UCRV to the east, with which it has its longest border.

Since 1710 and the March Constitution, it is considered a vassal of Imperial Koroush and shares its currency, the Koroushi Daric, with Koroush. However, it has a central government that decides of most internal affairs, located in the capital of the nation, Bulistan. Bulistan is also the largest, richest, and most important city, although the country holds other metropolitan centers, like Korodaar, near the border with Koroush, and Talathanrar. All three of these cities are located on the Buli River, considered by most the heart of the Shahdom, where most of the population is. Other large cities include Vallios, Serksnas, and Jiokhij. It has a population of around 2 million (1930 estimate) concentrated in major urban centers (Bulistan City: 320 000), while the mountainous parts of the nation are sparsely populated. It’s GDP is of xxxx, giving Bulistan a GDP per capital or xxx.

Imamate of Boulisd (735-793)
The first entity considered by historians to be an ancestor of Bulistan is the Imamate of Boulisd, vassal of the Tamirist Caliphate. This Imamate was established by the Great Tamir in 735, and was first given to be ruled in a theocracy to Mustafa Ali, from 735 to 766, year of his death. Few records exist of his time in command, but his rule gave us the first proof of existence of the Bulistanese people. At that time, only the Buli River was considered to be part of Bulistan, or Boulisd, as it was then known. After Ali's death, his son Kiru Ali took command, and achieved his father's dream, converting Boulisd to a Tamirist valley.

However, the stability of Boulisd depended on its suzerain, the Caliphate, and when it withdrew from the region in 793, Kiru Ali was hanged in public for his tyrranical practices.

According to nationalist Bulistaneses, the first Bulistanese Empire conquered most of Western Artopa and Northern Kanta before the existence of the Tamirist Caliphate. While this theory was accepted for a long time, especially during the Middle Ages, it has now been dismissed due to lack of proof. After the collapse of the Tamirist Caliphate and the Imamate of Boulisd in 793, Bulistan became a part of the Omassid Empire, which spanned from modern Bulistan to modern Arajan, passing through Koroush. However, the events leading from Tamirist suzerainty to Omassid domination are still unclear.

Omassid Period (793-1046)
The Omassid period brought great prosperity to the region of Bulistan. It is believed that the city of Bulistan was founded during this time, more precisely under the rule of Hali Butulj, an Omassid Emperor of Bulistanese origin. It is also at this time that the name Bulistan was first used, replacing Boulisd. It is also at that time that the Beta Ligra and Buli valleys became united under a common flag for the first time. However, the succession to the Omassid throne was disputed between families from Arajan and Koroush, and the ensuing tensions led to the empire gradually collapsing from 940 to 1046 into 3 countries: the First Shahdom of Bulistan, Imperial Koroush, and the Masrafian Empire.

Firo Period (1046-1099)
Then started the Golden Age for Bulistan. The first Shah, Firo the Great, brought glory and prosperity to Bulistan, and his rule between 1046 and 1099 is considered one of the greatest eras of the history of Bulistan. He founded the city of Korodaar and led armies to glory in Koroush during the Firo War in 1082-83. During the battle of Visbar he achieved a near demigod status, when he killed 32 Koroushian soldiers with just a knife while being wounded, according to legend. He was also known for riding into battle with his mountain lion, Bo, at his side. Although this is probably more legend than anything.

From 1083 to 1099, Firo governed with good judgement and great ability over both Koroush and Bulistan, and successfully prevented rebellions in the recently acquired Koroush. However, his death in 1099, at the age of 87 years, left the nation in great turmoil. Having left no heir, which was possibly his only mistake, his cousin Guio Hij and his uncle Bri Ginda struggled for power during a 3 year low-intensity civil war. Bri Ginda died in 1102 of a poorly treated battle wound that infected, and Guio Hij took power. However, the Koroushian people took advantage of his weakness after 3 years of fighting to declare independence. He could not afford to send troops to suppress the rebellion, and thus the Firo Age of prosperity ended.

Troubles of the 1240s (1240-1246)
The following Shahs did nothing worthy of discussion, but Bulistan kept prospering during their rule. All was well, until Adroao Hiujk, a distant cousin of the former Shah, from the Hij dinasty, came to power in 1228.

At this time, Bulistan had been at peace and prosperous for nearly 140 years, since the arrival of Guio Hij to the throne. However, the ascension of Adroao Hiujk to power would shamble this equilibrium.

He was the first Shah from the Beta Ligra River valley, and while the cultures of the two valleys were similar since Firo the Great's rule, the noble's class, mostly from the Buli River, still did not trust Beta Ligra people.

In addition to that, Shah Hiujk instored administration reforms that took power away from the Shahlins (duke in Bulisi Parvini) and centralized the nation in the hands of the royal court in the city of Bulistan.

To make matters worse, he was not seen as legitimate heir to the previous Shah, being only a distant relative.

During the first dozen years of his reign, he managed to keep the Shahlins in check, despite many secession threats that he expertly put down, mostly through intimidation and negotiation. However, historians now believe that he poisoned multiple Shahlins, as many died without explanation. In any case, Adroao Hiujk managed to keep the nation united, despite the Shahlins' distrust of him.

All was well until May 4th, 1240, (or Cornmon 8th in the old Bulistanese calendar, changed in 1712), the date that is recognized as the start of The Troubles.

On that day, a 12-year old from the Buli valley region came forward to an assembly of Shahlins, claiming to be the rightful heir of the Hij dinasty. At first, he was not believed, but he showed multiple heirlooms from his dinasty, as well as a signed letter from his father, proving that he was the heir. He had been put into hiding by the former Shah's advisor when he was a newborn, because the Shah, who had become paranoid, wanted to keep him safe.

The name of the boy was Jon pu Arca, and he quickly came to be considered by the Shahlins a sign of Tamir, a omen from Allah. He quickly convinced the Shahlins to give him their armies, and on September 12th of 1240, he led the Shahlins' armies to the city of Bulistan and laid siege to the town. The siege, now known as Jon's Siege, remained a legend in the hearts of all the Shahlins, who saw in Jon the way to bring glory to themselves, to defeat Adroao Hiujk.

Jon's victory was fast and complete. Adroao Hiujk was forced to flee, and managed to escape, hiding under peasant garments. He fled to his home in the Beta Ligra valley. There, he gathered support in the local population and in his former soldiers, and prepared his return.

Meanwhile, in Bulistan (the city), the Shahlins found themselves in a hard place. Happy to have conquered the Buli valley, they now didn't know who to place as Shah, and the more powerful Shahlins refused to share power. Jon pu Arca would have been the logical choice as Shah, being the rightful heir, but his young age prevented him from taking power, and from finding trustful allies, as the Shahlins only wished to take advantage of him.

He was installed as a figurehead by the Shahlins, while they were vying for power and control behind his back.

Informed of this by spies in the city, Adroao Hiujk made his return in 1243, coming back with troops he had assembled over the last 3 years. Knowing the Shahlins would not be able to stop him due to not being able to work together, he began to raid the countryside, taunting them. Then, in January of 1244, he took Talathanrar, the second largest city, and he now in possession of the northern half of the Buli River valley, as well as the Beta Ligra River valley. The Shahlins, knowing defeat was soon to come, prepared the defenses of the territory they still held, for an all-out attack that would never come.

Because in December 1244, the peasants, angry at both the Shahlins and Adroao Hiujk, refused to work and rebelled in the areas that the Shahlins held. Their representatives met with Adroao in the Gib Clearing, in what came to be known as the Gib Meeting, and they decided to ally and help Adroao take control of the nation. Adroao knew that he could defeat both the peasants and the Shahlins, but he chose to have the peasant on his side, to better control the nation after the Shahlins were defeated.

He let his newfound allies do most of the work, killing the Shahlins' police and army, and stopping food envoys to Bulistan City, letting the Shahlin leadership starve. At this time, the Shahlins announced that they were willing to negotiate, and Adroao Hiujk accepted. He wanted the Shahdom to be united after he took power. However, in a surprising turn of events, it was decided that Huijk would be Shah only until Jon pu Arca's 18th birthday, and then the young man would take his rightful throne.

In addition, the peasants insisted on instoring an Assembly with legislative power, an idea that Jon reluctantly agreed to, on February 4th, 1245. Thus ended a 4 year long war, dubbed the War of Betrayal by Bulistanese peasants, because of the reasons discussed below.

From then until modern times, the national Assembly has held and is the primary institution of Bulistanese politics, despite the Shah keeping executive power.

This deal was not accepted by everyone. While the Shahlins were mad happy by the arrangement, Adroao Hiujk was not delighted to lose power, to say the least. In addition, the entire Beta Ligra valley felt betrayed by Adroao Hiujk, who had convinced them to fight on his side. Despite having done most of the work towards Hiujk's victory over the Shahlins, they felt that the Gib Meeting had favored the Buli valley, because it had allowed the racist Shahlins to keep their power. Furthermore, the make-up of the National Assembly was skewed to favor a large Buli majority, again because of the racist sentiment held by the people of the Buli valley against them. The reason for this racism was the fact that Beta Ligra people were poorer, and also associated with the Kingdom of Altramont in the minds of the Buli upper class. In truth, since the Early Hij dinasty, the culture of the Beta Ligra valley was closer to that of Bulistan than to Altramont's.

This feeling of discontent led to the events of the Red Weeks, in May and June of 1246.

At this time, Adroao Hiujk was still Shah, as Jon pu Arca was not yet 18-years old. He, contrary to public opinion, let Shahlin Fiujil Al Olidas, an ugly racist old man, according to writings of the epoch, become Shahlin of the Beta Ligra valley, replacing the former Shahlin, killed during the War of Betrayal. Fiujil Al Olidas was from the Buli valley, he had never set foot on the other side of the mountains. When he arrived to Serksnas, largest city on the Beta Ligra in August 1245, the people were angry. Led by an anonymous man called Anditruî ('anonymous' in Beta Ligra dialect) the people of the city rebelled and attacked an armory of the Shahlin, seizing weapons. Then, Anditruî led his followers to the palace, and they attempted to capture and kill Fiujil Al Olidas. Fortunately for him, he managed to flee the city with his army and requested additional troops, a demand that Adroao Hiujk accepted. In the time it took for him to make the request and the troops to arrive, the valley became one of the first examples of Communautarianism, with everyone sharing ressources. Their success would be short-lived. In the second week of October 1245, an army of 24 000 men led by Guio Al Olidas, son of Fiujil Al Olidas, attacked Serksnas.

According to legend, the rebels managed to hold out for seven days and seven nights, although accounts of the Red Weeks are still a mix of falsitude and truth that historians have not managed to prove.

Still according to legend, when the gates fell after the 7th day, Anditruî personnally fought Guio Al Olidas, a duel that, whether legend of truth, has been retold countless times by Beta Ligra elders to their grand children, and is probably the event of which the people of the Beta Ligra valley are the most proud.

The Duel was dubbed O Duil Nui Zontr Bin, or 'The Duel Between Good and Bad'. They fought on a hill where today a memorial stands, to the glory of Anditruî.

It is said that the duel started when Al Olidas' men attacked a school. Anditruî then arrived, and said the words that are now the motto of the Serksnas: "Victory will be handed to the brave".

Then, they fought, while their troops watched, shocked by the fight they were watching. After a long duel, during which the children inside the school were able to escape, Al Olidas admitted Anditruî's superiority, and declared that he would not attempt to defeat a man blessed by the Holy Tamir. He ordered his troops to withdraw, and the First Beta Ligra Republic would live on for longer. Sadly, thousands of people had been killed, and many more would be in the following weeks.

Angered by his son's cowardly actions, Fiujil Al Olidas disowned him. However, Guio Al Olidas has since then remained the example of honor in battle, and the army branch that judges war criminals in Bulistan was named after him.

When news of the defeat reached Bulistan City, the Shahlins were incredibly angry. Adroao Hiujk did all he could to convince them to deal with the rebellion peacefully, debating for days in the National Assembly. Sadly, the Shahlins would have none of it. They assembled their troops and marched towards Serksnas.

The city prepared it's defenses and rallied behind its hero, Anditruî, hoping to defeat the central government a second time.

Sadly, it was not to be. The army assembled by the Shahlins included almost 40 000 troops, the finest soldiers in the Shahdom. They attacked the city, and managed to take it in just 5 days. The legend of Anditruî continued during this battle however, and he is said to have been killed honorably, after defeating multiple enemy soldiers. He cemented his place in Bulistanese collective memory, despite everything about him being unknown.

After the city was retaken, Fiujil Al Olidas ordered his troops to avenge their fallen brothers.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians were raped and killed, between mid-May and mid-June 1246. The Beta Ligra river was described as being "red with blood".

Upon hearing of the massacre, Adroao Hiujk ordered for Fiujil Al Olidas to be hanged, and resigned his spot as Shah to return to Serksnas, and help with rebuilding. While there, he wrote a book called "My Memoirs", which to this day is the single best source historians have on the period. He died in 1259 or 1260.

After Hiujk's resignation, it was decided that Jon pu Arca would be made Shah, as agreed during the Gib Meeting. To cement his legitimacy, he changed his name to Jon Hij, embracing his heritage as the rightful heir to the Hij Dinasty. Just as he started The Troubles by making himself known to the Shahlins, he ended them by becoming the Shah.

Jon Hij's rule (1246-1262)
When Jon Hij was made Shah at 17, he was the youngest Shah in history. He had also been under the influence of the major Shahlins since his entry into Bulistanese politics during the troubles.

All of this made Bino Culari and Joli Ku, Shahlins of Talathanrar and Vallios, two important cities, think they could control him. They convinced him to become his advisors and attempted to have Jon make reforms that would support the Shahlins's autonomy.

Thankfully for Jon, his former rival and enemy Adroao Hiujk had decided to look out for him. The two regularly sent each other letters, and despite their big age gap and former hate, became great friends. Adroao learned, through unknown sources in the palace, that Culari and Ku were planning a coup to remove 22-year old Jon from the throne.

Jon had them arrested and hanged, and immediately began to harden his power over the nation. He forbid the Shahlins from assembling armies of more than 8000 men, centralized tax collection, and put in place the "Heirless Law" which stated that a Shahlin could only give his Shahlindom to his oldest male child, failing which the Shahlindom would be placed directly under the command of the Shah.

These new measures greatly angered the Shahlins. Jon added them to his list of enemies, with the Beta Ligra people. However, his measures pleased the peasants, thus the National Assembly appreciated him.

The only thing stopping the nation from collapse was the huge respect Jon Hij retained since his siege of Bulistan when he was a child. People feared him, as he was regarded as a child of God.

War of the Shahlins's Alliance (1263-1266)
This fragile equilibrium would last until his untimely death in 1262, soon after his friend Adroao Hiujk.

Jon didn't leave a son, unfortunately. He wrote, in his will, that his trusted advisor Drik Jöj, would take command.

Drik Jöj, because he was chosen by Jon Hij, was accepted by the National Assembly and the people of the Buli valley.

However, him not being a noble, in addition to their power reduction, led to the Shahlins' hate of him.

The greatest Shahlins rebelled. Despite their armies being limited at 8000 men, they managed to forcefully conscript the people of their Shahlindoms into their armies.

Soon, those Shahlins would ally and form the Blue Army. They declared independence, under the name of "Shahlins' Alliance of Buli" and declared war on Drik Jöj and the National Assembly.

In Bulistan City, Drik Jöj quickly assembled his troops and marched towards Talathanrar, capital of the Shahlins' Alliance, hoping for a quick victory.

It would not be so. Nobvi Culari, son of Bino Culari, who was executed by Jon Hij, led the troops of the Blue Army south to meet the Loyalist Armies (as were dubbed Jöj's armies).

In January 1263, the 50 to 60 thousand men of the Loyalist Armies were ambushed at night by the elites of the Blue Army, at Huro Camp. It is unknown how many there were, but estimates go from 12 to 20 thousand horsemen. No foot soldiers were brought to bet on the effect of surprise.

The Loyalists had made a mistake, not bothering to set camp on the heights, thinking their numerical superiority would grant them victory.

The Blues charged down from the hills onto the sleeping Loyalist soldiers, and obliterated them.

Records of the battle are imprecise, because of its distance from modern day, but it is estimated that over 25 000 Loyalists lost their lives, compared to only 2 500 Blues.

The Northern Campaign, as was named Drik Jöj's attempt to end the war fast by taking Talathanrar, came to an end after only one battle. The Loyalists were forced to return home, defeated.

Despite this victory, the Shahlins decided not to press their advantage, and prepared their defenses.

Meanwhile, in Serksnas, the Beta Ligra people hadn't forgotten what had been done to them in the Red Weeks. They declared independence, thinking the central government would have no way to retaliate, and indeed, for a long time, it didn't.

Drik Jöj chose to focus on the Shahlins's Independence Movement. Determined not to repeat his mistake, he separated his army into 3 groups: the Central Army of roughly 40 000, led by Jöj himself; the Korodaar Army of 10 000, led by Ghibli Xuniz, Shahlin of Korodaar remained loyal, and the Peasants' Army of 35 000 led by Antoniux Fijul, president of the National Assembly at the time.

The combined forces of the Loyalists were the largest army assembled in Bulistan to date, and they started to march north in 1266, nearly three years after the humiliation of Huro Camp.

In a gamble, the Peasants' Army made camp in a place similar to that of Huro Camp, being used as bait. And indeed, the Blue Army decided to attack. The Central Army and the Korodaar Army placed themselves in the forest near the path of the Blues, when the latter's passed, they were ambushed. Attacked from all sides and heavily outnumbered, they surrendered after less than an hour.

While only 1000 Blues lost their lives, the Ambush of Vlo Forest was the turning point of the war. Most of the Blues' professional soldiers were captured, including their leader, Nobvi Culari.

A month later, the Loyalist Armies were besieging Talathanrar. After 2 weeks of siege, with no one to come rescue them and no leader to speak of, the inhabitants of the city lost hope, and opened the gates of the city for the invading army.

The end of the War of the Shahlins's Alliance led to Shahlins losing any power they had left. Their roles became ceremonial, and while they were allowed to keep their palaces, they lost all their power.

But, the Beta Ligra valley had now been independent for 3 years.

Not wishing to risk the lives of more of his troops, Drik Jöj let them be. He knew they would never properly integrate into Bulistanese society, so he accepted their independence.

Drik Jöj was then critized during the rest of his reign for doing little to help poor people and to bring Bulistan to glory. He died in 1274, after 11 years of reign.

Khalaganhai invasions (1332-1359)
The following decades were uneventful, but Bulistan, having been divided by civil war, did not prosper. For nearly 150 years after the War of the Shahlins's Alliance, starvation was common and multiple peasant revolts happened, despite the National Assembly.

Things were starting to get better in the 1320s, after the arrival of Joni Nighuj to the throne. He was a good Shah, instoring reforms in many areas to improve life in the Shahdom.

Unfortunately for him, after 15 years of his reign, the Khalaganhai invasions began.

Those nomadic horsemen from Eastern Artopa had ridden west, expanding their empire with raids and attacks on cities and villages, and in 1332, they arrived to Bulistan. At first, oy small detachments of them attacked, and Bulistanese Armies managed to stop them, despite some losses.

But in 1339, the main Khalaganhai army, under the leadership of Ugattai, attacked the north of Bulistan, crossing the mountains and attacking villages. Reports indicate 50 000 riders were with him, and Joni Nighuj wasn't ready, being used to smaller scale attacks.

He quickly assembled what troops he could muster, and prepared to face Ugattai.

Hopelessly outnumbered and not used to the Khalaganhai's tactics, he lost the North and his life at the battle of Talathanrar.

His son, Kijy Nighuj, was only 15, yet was deemed ready to be Shah by the National Assembly, who wasn't willing to risk a succession crisis in this period.

Once again outnumbered, and less brave than his father, Kijy Nighuj was chased out of Bulistan City with only parts of his army. He managed, in extremis, to flee south to Korodaar, where the famous siege of Korodaar would happen.

Korodaar (Door to Koroush in ancient Bulistanese) guarded a mountain pass on the Buli River in a very strategic position. If the Khalaganhai failed to take it, they would not be able to pass the mountains and attack Koroush and the rest of Western Artopa. If they succeeded, Koroush was doomed.

At this time, it was 1343, Bulistan was almost all under Khalaganhai leadership, except Korodaar and some secluded valleys. The Independent Beta Ligra Republic had also been conquered.

Ugattai's army arrived in Korodaar in the days after Kijy Nighuj, and laid siege to the city.

For over 6 months, the city waited for help from the south, hungry and almost hopeless.

That was until an event known simply as "The Charge". Just when Kijy Nighuj's troops began to lose hope, an immense army of mounted Koroushi horsemen was seen by a guard on a tower in Korodaar in the early morning of February 6th, 1345.

30 000 horsemen of the Koroushi Army had answered the call for help of Kijy Nighuj, and had arrived to save Bulistan and South Eastern Artopa as a whole from the Khalaganhai.

The Koroushis galloped at the Khalaganhai, catching them off-guard, and breaking the siege. Then, the Bulistanese troops in the city rode out to support the Koroushis, before the Khalaganhai had time to regroup. They were forced to flee.

While the victory at Korodaar was extremely important and a turning point in the Khalaganhai invasions in South East Artopa, much was still to be done. The Khalaganhai still held most of Bulistan, and were still formidable warriors, well led by Ugattai.

The Bulistanese Army, thanks to Koroushi supplies and a great morale boost, marched towards the capital.

The Khalaganhai attempted to slow the newfound allies with multiple raids and ambushes on their marching armies, but emboldened by their victory at Korodaar, the allies marched on, winning battle after battle until they arrived at Bulistan City, which the Khalaganhai had deserted, knowing that they were stronger on open fields, and that their horse advantage wouldn't be useful in the city.

Once Bulistan City was retaken, about 6 months after the Charge, the Bulistanese Army had tripled in size, and Kijy Nighuj, now 16 years old, had become greatly respected by all his troops, and the Koroushis.

After a month of rest in the capital, the Bulistaneses and the Koroushis began to go towards the north, preparing to liberate Vallios and Talathanrar.

However, while the allies had rested in Bulistan City, the Khalaganhai had prepared their response. The combined armies were ambushed just outside of Talathanrar, and this battle was the last major Khalaganhai victory in Bulistan.

While many Koroushi and Bulistanese soldiers were captured or killed, and the remaining ones had to retreat south, this defeat did not change the course of the war.

It did set it back some time, since it was now winter, and both armies set up camp and did not attack the other until April 1346.

The combined armies of Koroush and Bulistan went back to attack Talathanrar again, and this time, took the city. A month later, they were at the gates of Vallios, and again won. The entire Buli valley was liberated, but remained the matter of the Beta Ligra: for a long time now they had been independent, but they had no way to resist the Khalaganhai.

The Koroushis were not willing to risk their armies now that any threat to their country had been eliminated, and returned home after a year and a half of campaign.

Meanwhile, a leader of the Beta Ligra resistance came to Kijy Nighuj, and declared that the Beta Ligra people were willing to come back under Bulistanese leadership if the Bulistanese freed them from the Khalaganhai.

Kijy Nighuj accepted, and his army marched towards Serksnas. On the way, they did not encounter significant Khalaganhai opposition, Ugattai having decided that the valley wasn't worth the trouble of defending.

In only 4 months, Serksnas was freed. After this, the Khalaganhai threat was all but beaten.

Over the next year's of Kijy Nighuj's reign, minor Khalaganhai raids persisted until Ugattai's death in 1359.

Nighuj was a great Shah during the rest of his reign, and the Beta Ligra people accepted Bulistanese rule, thanks in part to his reforms, which permitted autonomy.

Despite his good rule, it was undeniable that the Khalaganhai invasions had affected Bulistan very much, and the age of decline that had started with the War of the Shahlins's Alliance persisted, and even got worse, especially during the rule of the Shah's after Nighuj.

40 Years War (1410-1449)
Over the next 50 years, decline in Bulistanese society continued, both because of the ruin brought by the War of the Shahlins's Alliance and the Khalaganhai invasions, and because the next Shahs after Kijy Nighuj, who did not share their ancestor's greatness.

The state of the nation would further deteriorate in the next century. Kijy Nighuj's grandson, Adroao Nighuj (regarded as an idle Shah) died without leaving a son.

The two closest contestants to the throne were Jonu Kiu, his Bulistanese cousin, and Gaetano III, aka Gaetano Ironbound, his uncle and more importantly the king of Altramont. This led, as you would expect, to Gaetano III claiming the Bulistanese throne. Obviously, Jonu Kiu was not willing to cede what he believed to be his right.

These tensions were exacerbated by the century old claim on the Beta Ligra valley by Altramont.

In 1410, soon after the beginning of this succession crisis, Gaetano III led a 20 thousand-man strong army up the Beta Ligra valley, and they soon arrived at Serksnas. The National Assembly, blocked in negotiations, failed to agree on the strategy to adopt.

Back in Serksnas, the town's garrison was quickly overran by the outnumbering Altramontian army, which then continued it way to the center of Bulistan.

By then, Jonu Kiu had managed to prepare his army to go and meet the Ironbound's soldiers, but he only had 15 000 men at his disposal: because of the long decline in the last century, army funding was cut and training became harder to provide.

In any case, they marched towards the Beta Ligra, where the Altramontians were. They met in Ligrino, a medium sized town in the valley, and found the Altramontian Army waiting for them.

Kiu prepared his attack badly, and failed to use his cavalry to his advantage. It was a defeat for him, and half his army was captured or killed.

He abandoned most of the valley to Altramont, and there would cease to be any fighting that year.

Over the next 40 years, the valley switched back and forth between Bulistan and Altramont. Between 1422 and 1424, Bulistan even controlled Borgo Ligra, but in 1430, Talathanrar fell to Altramont. Periods of peace were also included.

In 1449, both nations had been drained of ressources and manpower, and couldn't afford to continue the war. Jonu Kiu the 2nd (son of Jonu Kiu) decided to open peace negotiations with Altramont, and both sides accepted the 1409 status quo as the new border in 1451.

This war left Bulistan further weakened, but it was seen as a great success by the people of Bulistan, who had for objective to maintain their independence, not to conquer Altramont.

However, the war led to reforms in the National Assembly's power. It was decided that the Shah would take absolute command in times of war, to avoid fiascos like the initial defeats in 1410.

Early Koroush Conquest Wars (1530-1604)
Since the Khalaganhai invasions, a lot of nations in Western Artopa had been weakened: even if they were not invaded, loss of land trade from Eastern Artopa and from invaded nations meant that the years after were difficult for everyone.

This rule didn't apply to one of Bulistan's neighbors: Arajan. The Khalaganhai didn't reach Arajan, because of distance and high mountains stopping them.

This led to a Golden Age of conquest and prosperity for Arajan, which lasted until 1707. It is during this Golden Age that the rivalry between Koroush and Arajan was started. This rivalry led to 7 wars between the two between the late 1300s and the 1700s.

The first couple of wars did not involve Bulistan. Depsite propositions of an alliance with Arajan, all the Shahs of the late 15th and early 16th century refused, still feeling grateful for Koroush's help against the Khalaganhai.

That all changed when the Kiu Dinasty ended and Biul Giyt, of Arajani origin, became Shah in 1522. He was an ambitious ruler, and he chose to ally with Arajan against Koroush.

The alliance was not used until 1530, when Arajan declared war on Koroush for reasons that are still unknown, related to their rivalry.

Biul Giyt assembled his armies, which he made sure were in better shape than during the 40 Years War. He marched south and prepared to invade Northern Koroush.

The alliance with Arajan was made in secret, thus Koroushian troops were focused on Arajan, and did not expect Bulistan to attack. Because of this, Giyt met only light resistance as he took a lot of Northern Koroush.

In April of 1532, he and his troops had conquered vast expanses of land, because of Koroushian unpreparedness. Few battles had been seen, and those that had were only small skirmishes and minor sieges.

So, when the army arrived at Gilan, they did not expect the resistance they found. Koroush had taken troops from the southern front and sent defenses to the city.

Expecting a fast surrender, the troops set up camps and began to besiege Gilan.

For 4 years the city refused to surrender, and Biul Giyt failed to understand why: in fact, tunnels had been dug by the Koroushians to supply the city from underground, which allowed them to survive for so long.

In 1536, the leader of the city's garrison, knowing Arajani advances would mean the war was about to end, proposed a deal to Biul Giyt: the lands he had already conquered would become Bulistanese, but Gilan would stay Koroushan. Giyt accepted, and the war ended on the Northern front. It would last another year in the south, and Arajan eventually prevailed.

Biul Giyt was acclaimed as a hero when he returned home, and this allowed him to put in place reforms reducing the power of the National Assembly and practically returning Bulistan to a total monarchy. The people accepted it, as he managed to end the 3-century long period of decline that had lasted since the War of the Shahlins's Alliance and restore Bulistanese glory.

The Bulistanese-Arajani victory over the first Koroush war cemented the alliance between the winners and strenghtened Arajan as the region's major power, but angered the Koroushian people.

A feeling of national hate and a need for revenge made Koroush prepare for another war, as Arajan became complacent.

In 1599, around 60 years after the first war, Koroush attacked Arajani positions in the south, starting the second Koroush-Bulistan war.

Once again, Koroush saw the Northern front against Bulistan as secondary, and chose to focus on Arajan. This was good news for Bulistan, who managed to slow the Koroushian advance. It took until 1602 for Koroush to retake the lands gained by Biul Giyt 70 years before.

In 1603, Bulistan won the battle of Bixur, near Korodaar, and turned back the Koroushians. But early the next year, Arajan surrendered in the south, and thousands of battle-hardened troops turned north. Koroush easily advanced and took Korodaar, after which Bulistan surrendered.

Following this surrender, which was seen as shameful by the people, the Shah abdicated, and the Gyut dinasty was over. The next Shah was chosen in a national plebiscite, something that was never seen before. His name was Jon Kiutyh, and he was seen as a man of the people (even if only the reach voted in the plebiscite). He expanded the powers of the National Assembly, broke off the alliance with Arajan, not wanting to be involved in another war, and put in place reforms in taxes and conscription to favor the people. This however left the centralized government weakened, and the Beta Ligra independentists came back for another round, asking for autonomy. This was however not granted by Jon Kiutyh.

Last Koroush Conquest War and March Constitution (1701-1710)
After the defeat in the Second Koroush Conquest War, Bulistan, having lost some of its territory, was divided: the Beta Ligra independentists had not been silenced, nationalistic Bulistaneses wanted to fight Koroush again, and the third group, called “collaborators” wanted to become a Koroushian vassal. The following Shahs were weak, and the National Assembly took advantage of that to increase the people’s power. They created a role of “First Advisor to the Shah” in 1696 which had, in practice, more power than the Shah himself. The first First Advisor was Adroao Youi, a 33-year old ambitious gentleman. Before 1696, he had served one 4-year term as representative for the Vallios Valley, his homeland. He had also been a major supporter of the creation of his role.

He was a fervent nationalist, and believed that Bulistan should retake Korodaar and the surrounding areas. He set to work in preparing a 20-year plan that would modernize, expand, and strengthen the Bulistanese Army, with the goal of beating Koroush. What he did not expect, however, was the death of the old, weak Shah Jon Kiutyh the Second in 1700, and his replacement by his cousin, Benji Kiutyh, who was young and strong. He saw what Adroao Youi was doing, and knew that he would soon be hated by the people, as talk of a republic was growing by the day.

He asked Koroush to help him, and said that if they helped restore his power, he would let Bulistan become their vassal. The Koroushians gladly accepted and began to attack Bulistan. The war was soon over, as infighting between republicans and Royalists helped the invaders. By 1703 the capital had fallen to Koroush, and in 1704 the war was over.

Then, Koroush militarily administered Bulistan for 6 years while a new constitution was being negotiated between the National Assembly, the Koroushian delegates, and the Shah. In the end, the March Constitution was written, and Bulistan officially became a Koroushian vassal. The National Assembly’s power was lowered, and Benji Kiutyh remained Shah. Adroao Youi was forced to resign, and he is to this day regarded as a traitor, even if technically speaking Benji Kiutyh had betrayed the nation.

In March of 1710, a new constitution was adopted, tying Bulistan more closely to Koroush, as Bulistan began to use the same money, for example.

18th and 19th Centuries
The 18th century, first of many under Koroushian rule, was, at first, difficult. The Bulistanese were, and still are to an extent, a proud people. Proud of their traditions, of their culture, of their history, and Koroush found it hard to assimilate. Furthermore, Bulistan’s population was close to Koroush’s, and multiple bloody revolts were crushed in the first half of the century, culminating in the Bulistan Liberation Battle, when the city of Bulistan was taken by revolutionaries, with the help of Shah Civu Kiutyh, who purposely gave the Koroushians false information and did his best to sabotage their efforts to control the nation. The city was held by the revolutionaries for 2 weeks, then the Koroushians retook it, starting the brutal retaliation campaign that still has effects today.

Starting in 1736, Koroushian troops, dubbed ‘Infernal Columns’ rode across the Bulistanese countryside, murdering, raping, pillaging villages, burning fields and harvests. It is estimated that in 5 years of these Infernal Collumns Bulistan lost over a million people, or a third of its population at the time. The Shah was hanged, and replaced with a figurehead, a Koroush-friendly man called Roustam Viul. The National Assembly was suspended, and a state of occupation remained for 15 years, were the Bulistanese were brutally dominated by Koroush. Starvation, disease, murder, were all common, and Bulistan was further deteriorated. To this day, Bulistan still has a population way smaller than Koroush’s, because of that period.

Thankfully, this mistreated et of Bulistaneses ended after the death of the Koroushian Shah in 1747. His son was disgusted by the practices put in place by his father, and began to pay reparations to Bulistan, withdrew most of his army, and began friendlier cooperation with Bulistan. This strategy of cooperation is still in place today. The hate against Koroush nevertheless persisted, lasting until the Industrial Revolution, which reached Bulistan in the 1860s, thanks in part to Koroushian support. It is at that period that Bulistanese society began to concentrate in urban centers rather than the countryside. Koroush also gave big help to Bulistan during the Industrial Revolution, leading to friendlier relations. Nowadays, Bulistanese people are mostly neutral or favorable to Koroushian suzerainty.

In 1860, to fit the changing realities of the role and the changing political republic, the Shah’s power was diminished and that of thee First Advisor greatened. The name of the former also changed to Prime Minister.

In the late 1890s (historians are unsure whether in 1898 or 1899), Shah Mohammad Balum arrived to the throne, starting the young Balum dinasty. His rule, following those of the Shahs before him, was of economic advances and industrialisation. At his death in 1924, Shah Roustam Balum arrived to the throne, at he is to this day the current Shah. Many have criticized his more authoritarian practices, but he stays well-liked among the population. The Prime Minister is Rachid al-Driu.

Etymology
The name "Bulistan" comes from a combination of the ancient Arajani word "boulisd", meaning mountain, and the old Bulistanese word "stan" meaning city (not to be confused with the Arajani "stan" which means country).

At first, the term "boulisd" was the name of the region that is now the Buli valley. The name of the Buli River also comes from the word "boulisd". During the Omassid period, the city of Boulisdstan (now Bulistan) was founded, and it became the name of the entire region. Over time, Boulisdstan became Bulistan, both for the name of the city and that of the country.