Nabatho

Nabatho, officially known as the Republic of Nabatho, is a sovereign state in northeastern Avidna. The name Nabatho roughly means "the land of the Batho."

History

The first permanent settlements in Nabatho appeared around 2200 BCE. By 1500 BCE, the city of Phueha had developed a written language. The Tablet of Maranoho, dated c. 1249 BCE, tells of the legendary origins of Phueha and describes the actions of many of its rulers, including Maranoho, who was ruler when the tablet was inscribed.

Mafella

By 900 BCE, the city of Mafella had risen to prominence in the Lithaba Mountains. According to the History of Mafella, Ekholusi became ruler of Mafella c. 880 BCE. Ekholusi subjugated several neighboring tribes soon afterwards, and conquered the city of Lekhansi two years after he became ruler. During the reign of Ekholusi and his son Tsefatse, Mafella grew into an empire encompassing much of the Lithaba Mountains.

The Mafella empire entered a period of decline from c. 700 BCE until its eventual collapse by the end of the 7th century BCE. Although several other powerful states arose, the Lithabas would not be unified under a single ruler again for nearly 600 years.

Khalitta

In the 1st century BCE, the Lithaba Mountains were dominated by three or four powerful states. One of these, Khalitta, defeated the combined armies of two others. According to oral traditions, the leader of the Khalittan army tricked his enemies and led them into a trap, where large boulders were rolled down the slopes and caused disarray in the enemy army, which was used to defeat them.

Khalitta, led by its great ruler Marelale, rapidly expanded throughout the mountains and established the Khalittan Empire. The Khalittan Empire maintained control over much of modern-day Nabatho for nearly 400 years until its collapse in the 4th century CE.

Rise of the Barokan dynasty

After the collapse of the Khalittan Empire in the 4th century, there was a period of regional instability in which several competing states claimed the mantle of the former Khalittan Empire. There was often perpetual low intensity warfare between these rival states. Baroka ascended to the ruler of a kingdom in eastern Nabatho c. 410 CE. According to the official history of the Barokan dynasty (which he would found), Baroka was a tactical and strategic genius unrivaled by any other Batho general. Within twenty years, Baroka had conquered or subjugated all of Nabatho. He was the first emperor of what historians have named the Barokan Empire, however it was known to its inhabitants as Mosoa Lithaba, meaning "kingdom of the mountains."

After the death of Baroka his son Nku came to power. While his father was a great general, Nku proved to be a skilled statesman. He built a stable state structure that allowed the Barokan empire to last longer than any previous empire in Nabatho's history. He moved the empire's capital to the coastal city of Khaudisa.

Nabatho in the colonial era

Narao was the emperor of Nabatho when the first contact with Brigidnans was made. The Vallish explorer Pierre Cousteau, who had heard about a powerful empire in northeastern Avidna, sailed to Khaudisa with three ships in 1192. He was taken to Narao and gifts were exchanged. Cousteau returned a year later in 1193 with six ships carrying a wide variety of goods to trade. This began a trading relationship with Brigidnan countries that would bring Brigidna strange Avidnan goods while supplying Nabatho with advanced Brigidnan weapons and manufactured goods.