Belteshazzar (Polesia)

The Belteshazzar are a tribe of humanity that somehow managed to surpass the typical limits of their race. Originally part of another people known as the Avaladh, who founded the ancient empire of Ghōl and later after its fall helped raise Shahar-khet to prominence, they are believed to be all that is left of that ancient and powerful bloodline. The Beleshazzar are very insular and try to keep their traits as prominent as possible. Despite their efforts there only a few families that can say they have more or less pure blood, though many times more can claim Belteshazzar heritage and with it many of the gifts of the ancients.

Belteshazzar Characteristics

The Belteshazzar are one of the last surviving tribes that made up the Avaladh people of ancient Ghōl, showing traits that are rare or unknown in other humans. Firstly while they have dusky skin, usually deep tan, they have a strange shade of red-brown hair usually seen in lighter skinned humans. The strangest feature however is their unique eye color, a strange rust red color that compliments their hair and skin color perfectly. Red eyes are generally a sure sign that one has Belteshazzar blood in their ancestry.

Beyond physicality, Belteshazzar display a strength in body and mind that is unusual in most humans as well as a knack to learn things quickly and adapt to stressful situations. This makes them a very charasmatic people and it is the norm for a Belteshazzar that works with "lesser" races of men to quickly become the leader, often by the wiling abdication of the previous leader.

On top of this inner and physical fortitude, the Belteshazzar have unusually long lifespans reaching between one and two hundred years. Unlike the elves and dwarves however, this long lifespan doesn't seem to keep their culture stagnant for they remain vibrant and continue to adapt and change with the times regardless of how they may have done things before.

In addition to all this, on rare occassions, one of the Belteshazzar will be born with incredible gifts that distinguish him even among his already powerful kin. Often they go through their whole lives without ever awakening these gifts, but when one does they imidiately stand out. These Belteshazzar are essentially immortal unless murdered, and they often have a tenacity for life that puts their kin to shame, some surviving wounds that would be unquestionably fatal to a normal human. Depending on the era into which they are born into, many of these Belteshazzar gifted with the Legacy are revered either as great leaders or sometimes even as gods made flesh.

A History of the Beleshazzar and their Immortal Rulers

In Ancient Ghōl

Unknown (though estimated by scholars to be sometime between -9,423 and -9,312 CA): The greatest sorcerer in Ghōl, Belteshazzar awakens a great power in himself, granting him imortality and a host of other mythic abilities that rise him far beyond his peers. He ensures that it is passed in his blood to his descendants, however it is an unreliable thing as it rarely expresses itself. Belteshazzar declares himself a living god and rules Ghōl as its first and only Ahn Ashar, or God-King.

-9,015 to -8,997 CA: A series of secret wars wage between Belteshazzar and his contemporaries. Some are motivated by jealousy, some are enraged that Belteshazzar blasphemes by putting himself on par with the gods, most of them are motivated by both. In the end, despite his power, Belteshazzar is defeated and he is supplanted by Kakrimi, who to avoid showing open hypocrisy now styles him self as Ul-Mîr Ashar, or Sorcerous Emperor.

-8,602 CA: The kin of Belteshazzar, displaced by the Kakrimi, seek a means to regain power and somehow awaken the great power that is passed through their blood in Kamen Thal-Ortho. He is raised with high expectations and becomes a powerful leader among the Avaladh, rising his family back nearly to the prominence it once had. He keeps his gifts a secret to avoid the same fate as his ancestor.

-8,591 CA: Kamen Thal-Ortho decides that it is time for him to take down the decadent priest kings that have all but sold their nation to the aboleths. He gathers a fairly powerful force and marches to Ghōl, yet is out maneuvered and to save face is forced to take his men to the front lines of his people’s war with the serpent folk.

-8,587 to -8,586 CA: Leading his men on adventures that will in time become myths for millennia to come, Kamen Thal-Ortho actually succeeds on his endeavors on the front, not only holding off the serpent folk incursion but actually taking ground and driving them from strongholds that even the elves had thought were impregnable.

-8,583 CA: With the help of the elves and with his followers and a massive army of outlaws and dissidents, Kammen Thal-Ortho lays siege to the serpent folk capital and within several months manages to take it and kill Vesshelkhal, earning him unparalleled honor and prestige amongst both elves and his own people. The elves swear to aid him in retaking Ghōl and ridding it of aboleth influence. During this year, he also evacuates most of his kin and their followers, knowing that the sorcerer nobles and priest kings will attempt to use them as hostages.

-8,582 CA: Ghol is destroyed along with Kammen Thal-Ortho. The Belteshazzar, now leaderless, move east away from the ruin of their homeland and the horrible memories now associated with it.

In Shahar-khet

-8,250-8,000 CA: After centuries of nomadic living the Belteshazzar cross the Kalladian Mountains and enter the eastern deserts, hoping to start again and build a new civilization. To this end they ally themselves with the local tribes and elevate them with Avaladh secrets. Some of them mingle their blood with the locals but many choose to keep themselves distinct, rarely bringing in outsiders except when necessary to avoid inbreeding, thus keeping their Avaladh traits prevalent.

-7,950-7,400: The child Enkil is born and soon manifests the gifts of the Belteshazzar bloodline. It is he who first realizes that this power actually makes its recipients immortal and at the age of four hundred years (looking no older than he did in his late twenties) he truly begins to build his nation’s power, naming it Shahar-khet and slowly expanding its borders as well as gleaning knowledge from ancient sources to try and discover the reason behind this mysterious power. Like his early ancestor Enkil names himself God-King in the tongue of the native peoples (Ana-Pharasi).

-7,202 CA: After living nearly eight hundred years, Enkil is slain in a border war with the nearby elven nation of Aredhel.

-7,200-6,595 CA: No one in the Belteshazzar manifest their bloodline’s power and it becomes a thing of legend. Many of the kings attempt to awaken it but all efforts lead to failure. Some actually blame Aredhel, thinking that through some powerful magic the elves managed to steal the power when they killed Enkil. Hostility between the two kingdoms grows and there are constant wars. The nobles start turning to necromancy in order to gain even a taste of the immortal power of their legendary line. These nobles however, languish in their undead state and after a few centuries abdicate their holdings to living heirs. To house them away from the cares of the world a great necropolis is built just outside Shahar-khet and named the Place of Silent Counsel, and it was common practice for their heirs to come to them for advice.

-6,500 CA: Pharizon the II is growing old and desperate. Hungering for life eternal but not wanting to become a lich, he contacts an outer horror called Nyarlathotep and bargains with the monstrosity for the keys to true immortality. In response Nyarlathotep teaches Pharizon the secrets of Chaos Magic.

-6,300-1,100 CA: As the devastation brought on by Pharizon the II wracks Shahar-Khet, many of the Belteshazzar flee the devastation going south into modern Eshtorah. Much of their history is lost in this time but they manage to hold on to their bloodline and are content to stay out of the fray as the Pallishar and Thesian Empires come and go.

Narem-Kumat

-2,050-0 CA: The Belteshazzar found the small nation state of Narem-Kumat. A man named Harasin is born around -1,093 CA. He unlocks his mythic potential and rules his people for the longest recorded period to date. Trying not to fall into the trap of his predecessors, he secures the border of the nation state and tries to keep them as isolated from the world as possible.

0 CA: The Lataneran Empire expands east into Eshtorah and even into Narem-Kumat. The current immortal ruler Harasin is slain and his people flee east across the sea to Kmet-Tha. It is during this year that Haman is born to Enlil and Salome.

Kmet-Tha

20 CA: Kmet-Tha is fortified, and its location is a closely guarded secret by the Belteshazzar that have dealings with the outside world for supplies and information. Several families within the Belteshazzar share power and rulership, Enlil’s being the foremost.

25 CA: Enlil burns Haman’s lover Jessa alive, and Haman in turn slays his father in a rage that manages to awaken the power of his bloodline. When his father’s contemporaries move into punish him for this, he kills them as well and becomes the sole ruler of Kmet-Tha.

302 CA: Haman secure's his status as a living god amongst his people and begins sending "missionaries" to other parts of the world, where they infiltrate multiple faiths and begin to incert his doctrine into the orthodox teachings. This works especially well in Antanides where, his followers insinuate him as an incarnation of Nikandros, the god of invention and music.

400-1000 CA: For events on Absalom and Mordechai see Mordechai’s timeline.

1055 CA: Haman begins to take advantage of the confusion caused by the war between Latanera and Avandor. He slowly begins to enact his centuries long plan for ascension, while also searching for rumors of the auburn haired emperor whom has been rumored by some to be the incarnation of the god Atalos.