The Asherlux Society

Started from descendants of the Bleteshazzar, the Society was originally concerned with awakening their blood's true power so that they would have another immortal ruler. Their primary goal was to master the gift and make it a science so that their people would be able to have a more predictable line of succession. While their research was permitted under Harasin, it was not tolerated by Haman when he came to power and the people who would later become the Asherlux Society were hunted and repressed. Some however managed to flee Kmet-Tha and returned to the continent to practice their arts in peace. To this day they are bitter enemies of Haman and should they encounter his agents they make it their first priority to wipe them out. The opposite is also true, however and Haman has set a notable amount of resources into finding and wiping out the remaining adherents.

History

Before and During the time of Narem-Kumat (-2,250 to 0 CA)

After the Belteshazzar and their servants fled the devastation of Shahar-khet they began a nomadic life that lasted for millenia. During this time they tried to settle several places but without a strong leader they were quickly overwhelmed and driven off by local humans who (while weaker) outnumbered them and knew their lands better. These failed conquests took their toll and the Belteshazzar bloodline became dangerously thin. To combat this a number of Belteshazzar were asked by their brethren to keep track of the bloodline and make certain that the geneologies were kept in tact. These Garderners of the Blood or (Sumak Arush) were the beginnings of the Asherlux Society.

Through careful record keeping and shrewd match making, the Sumak kept the line strong without the detrimental effects of inbreeding. One way they did this was the creation of a psuedo-caste of Belteshazzar who were deliberately bred with non-Belteshazzar humans and then at periodic intervals were carefully mated with full fledged Belteshazzar. The importance of their work brought the Sumak a great amount of prestige, and when their population was finally at such a level as to no longer need their constant tending they set their minds to another task that they deemed vital to their people.

For the millenia that the Belteshazzar wandered as vagabonds none of their children had been born with the gift of their bloodline. The Sumak and many other Belteshazzar believed that this was because of their diluted bloodline and now that their population was sustainable and with the recent subjugation of Narem-Kumat in -2,050 CA, they began to experiment with the differing bloodlines to see if they could breed those in whom the gift would manifest.

Beginning their work in earnest in -1,568 CA they finally met with seeming success in Harasin, a prime candidate that managed to awaken his powers in -1,093 CA. However, Harasin's children could not awaken their gifts and it was at that time that many of the Belteshazzar wondered if it were only possible for one immortal to exist at a time. Despite this growing thesis, the Sumak continued their program, this time adding in new experimental mental and physical training drawn from multiple cultures to enhance the candidates' potential.

Harasin believed that he owed his power to the Sumak's breeding and he shared their desire for a stable succession should anything happen to him. However, when he was killed during the Lataneran occupation, the Sumak's official sanction died with him. They were still accepted by the Belteshazzar and were supported by all the noble families who wanted their children to either be or birth the next immortal, but their continuing failures caused their influence to wane.

During the Reign of Haman (25 to 300 CA)

Things took a turn for the worse when Haman took power. Haman, was an anomaly The Sumak were wise enough to stay out of the power struggle as he subjugated Kmet-Tha but it wasn't long after he had consolidated his power that he turned his attention to the society. During the first century of his reign he attempted to take control of their breeding program, turning it more and more toward the purpose of breeding stronger warriors. The Sumak resisted this, viewing it as a paltry task compared to their ultimate goal. For a time Haman suffered their half-hearted insolence, but when he declared himself the only god to be worshiped in Kmet-Tha he offered them an ultimatum; abandon their efforts to breed another immortal or be destroyed. Some of the Sumak decided to ally with Haman, but many more chose to honor their oaths to their order. Haman's purge was brutal, and nearly two thirds were sacrificed in a grand ceremony to honor the new god king. The remaining members fled from Kmet-Tha, some of them making it to Antanides where they attempted to disappear into Eshtora. This would not stop Haman, who was already making plans to send emissaries to pervert the cult of Nikandros. But for the time being he found himself busy with putting down several small rebellions and outlining his new plans for the remaining Sumak.

During this time of respite rebellious Sumak reorganized and rethought their strategy. Their main goal was the breeding of an Immortal but their purpose was first and foremost to destroy Haman. To break all ties with those who remained, they changed their name from Sumak to the Asherlux Society, which in the Lataneran/Eshtoran pigdin tongue of the region meant Joyous Light, which was a term meaning a perfectly executed task.

Absalom's Rebellion (400 to 451 CA)

Absalom's rebellion provided an irresistible