Long Live the Licchavis! - A CK2 Nepal AAR (IC & OOC)

[Athara Magarat]

Introduction

In 867, just as the Viking Age was beginning in northern Europe, the South Asian subcontinent in the distant east lay divided between three great empires. The parties in this so-called 'Tripartite Struggle' were the Pratihara Empire (Hindu) in northern India, the Pala Empire (Buddhist) in the Bengal region and the Rashtrakuta Empire (Jain) in central India. This conflict is said to have started in the 820s (while some historians give much earlier time frame of 750s) and historically, the Hindu Pratihara dynasty won this three-way war and only time will tell us how it will unfold it in this alternate timeline.

Just a little west of these three rival empires of the Indian subcontinent is the Saffarid dynasty (Sunni). This Persian dynasty had been founded just six years ago by Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar (translation: Ya'qub, son of Layth, the Coppersmith). Further west is the Abbassid Caliphate and I am pretty sure that this one needs no introduction.

North of the Indian subcontinent, beyond the great Himalayan mountains, lies the land of Tibet. With the fragmentation of the Tibetan Empire, no central authority was in control of the Tibetan region between 842 and 1247 until Mongol conquest and subsequent Yuan rule. Here as well, only time would tell whether someone would rise to reunite a fragmented Tibet before the historical time period.

However, our story does not start in these aforementioned locations. Nonetheless, our story will soon intertwine with theirs.



In Real Life, the actual Kingdom of Nepal was way smaller than shown on this map. By this, I mean that the so-called Licchavi Kingdom of Nepal comprised only the Kathmandu Valley. Okay, you might not know this but Kathmandu was historically known as Nepal Valley until the Gorkhali conquests of mid 18th Century. So technically it is not the fault of the Licchavis or historians or even the ancient Newa civilization but of the Gorkhali conquerors who decided to name their rapidly expanding kingdom after this valley.



In this timeline, Manadeva IV, son of Baladeva, is the ruler of a significantly larger than historical Kingdom of Nepal in 867. Though Raja Manadeva is maybe a little bit of a zealot, easily trusting others more than necessary and a bookish scholar, he is also an excellent diplomat known for his elegant dress and possessed quite the persuasive rhetoric. The Real Life Manadeva IV became the king of Nepal only in 877. Nepali historians still debate whether he was the last Licchavi king or not. You see, there are no records of the Licchavis after Manadeva IV until all of a sudden in 1201 when Ari Malla is mentioned. Some sources say that the Licchavi ruler Ari Dev just changed his last name from Licchavi to Malla (Sanskrit: "wrestler") since he was fond of wrestling. Other sources claim that the Malla dynasty is much older. It is said that Harisimhadeva, (or Hari Singh Deva) of the Karnat dynasty and ruler of Mithila (or Tirhut), had fled to Nepal Valley during the Turkic conqueror Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq's invasions of India and established the Malla dynasty by replacing the already extinct Licchavis.

Coincidentally, the historical Licchavis themselves had their origins in northern India; to be more specific Bihar. The Licchavis were a Buddhist clan who had historically been vassals of the Gupta Empire. While the clan itself was ancient, the earliest record of a Licchavi Kingdom in Nepal dates back to an inscription by Manadeva I in 464. The Licchavis had established their rule by defeating the last Kirati King Gasti. Despite the Licchavis being Buddhists, the population was a mix of Buddhists, Hindus as well as other lesser known religions like Bon, Kirat Mundhum and various tribal beliefs.

Though he may be quite the charismatic negotiator who has kept his realm safe and stable for now, Manadeva IV knows that his time is near. He is already 57 years of age and worries a lot that he may died without seeing the face of his grandchild (considered bad for your afterlife). Fortunately for the old king, his heir Sahil Licchavi is of marriageable age. Despite the Indian origins on their father's ancestral side, Sahil and his sister Samita resemble their mother's Sino-Tibetan appearance more. Manadeva IV had married Birsha of the Novlicha clan from the Kirati tribe called Sunuwar to become the father of these two. Other than the appearance of his mother, Sahil was like his father in terms of personality. The young prince also easily trusted others, was a bit of zealot when it came to Buddhist faith, had basic clerical knowledge and was a bookish man.

Samita Licchavi was no different than her brother and father in terms of personality. Being a bookish Buddhist zealot kind of seemed to run in the family. She was a little bit of a kind-heart who would have made an excellent steward or administrator if not for the royal laws barring a woman, even of royal blood, being barred from office. Nonetheless, as of the recently implemented Agnatic-Cognatic Gavelkind succession law, she was to inherit the kingdom if her brother could not make it.

Old man Manadeva IV hoped that the traits of his children would not be looked down by his potential in-laws. Sahil had to be married in order to produce an heir while Samita had to be married in order to create an alliance with one of Nepal's larger neighbors. And thus, the old king began searching for the spouses for his two children.



The Kingdom of Nepal in this timeline is a Buddhist state surrounded mostly by fellow Buddhists in the Pala Empire to the south. The Tibetan plateau was almost entirely of the Bon faith with some Buddhist Tibetan rulers such as those of northern neighbor Mangyul. To the west were the Katyuris. The Nepalis hated the Katyuris. They hated the Katyuris a lot. Not only were the Katyuris in possession of de jure Nepali territories, they also had control over the holy site of Lumbini. Surely, the birthplace of Lord Buddha himself ought to be controlled by a pious Buddhist ruler like Manadeva IV! With these thoughts in mind, the old king was even more determined than ever to seek marital alliances through the use of his children.

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Hi everyone! This is your friendly neighborhood Athara Magarat working on a Crusader Kings 2 After-Action Report (CK2 AAR). I have always been tempted to do a CK2 AAR. The game itself is epic and provides excellent story-telling format. Stories that I might use in The Western Isles member Athara Magarat's history if I run out of ideas. Well, what better to start with that something you know about? Thus, I choose the Licchavi dynasty to get this AAAR started.

I actually do not have a specific goal in mind (maybe other than create an empire?) and I am certainly not after achievements. In fact, I am playing in non-Ironman to use previous save files when necessary so as to prevent stuff from getting out of hand. And I am by no means an expert in CK2. And as I said before, the AAR is just to create a (hopefully engaging) story

[Athara Magarat]

Manadeva IV - Chapter 1

867 AD - 871 AD

As was tradition, just like his father Baladeva had sought the advice of the Court Guru to get the then Rakjumar Manadeva married to Birsha Novlicha, the current Licchavi king too sought the advice of a guru. Except the problem was that there currently was no court guru working for the raja. Thus, Manadeva announced his need for a guru to guide him. It was then that an elderly man named Kush made his entrance at the Licchavi court. Highly intelligent, cunning and resourceful; Kush not only became the Court Guru but the Upadhaya who researched cultural technology and the Court Physician as well. After hearing about Manadeva's problems, Kush immediately came with a list of brides for Sahil and future husbands for Samita while also arranging the astrological charts to see if the couples would be compatible and which days were auspicious for the marriages.



In search of suitable spouse for Sahil, Manadeva and Kush decided that no one else was better suited than Peksen Karakhanid. The nineteen years old Karluk Tengri woman was the sole daughter of Khagan Bilge. Hardened by the life in the steppes, Peksen was a skilled tactician in the battlefield as well as known for being a cruel cynic. Nonetheless, she was charitable by nature and had excellent manners that the Licchavi family were fond of. Though no alliance came out of this union as the Karakhanid Khaganate and the Kingdom of Nepal were separated by extremely long distance; Manadeva was more than happy that his son was now a married man. Furthermore, Peksen's arrival was talked of a lot in the court as well as by commoners as marrying the daughter of a Khagan was seen as something prestigious (even though most Nepalis had no idea where the Karakhanids were even located).



After his son Sahil's marriage ceremony were done, Manadeva wasted no time in getting his daughter Samita married. The Hindu kings of the Pratihara Empire, southern neighbors Kusinagara or even the hated Katyuris refused to have themselves or their sons marry a Buddhist princess. The Pala Emperor on the other hand, despite being a Buddhist, felt that the daughter of a king-tier ruler was beneath his son. The only options left were the Tibetan powers of Guge and U-tsang; both of them ruled by powerful Bon chieftains. After learning more about them, the wise guru Kush suggested Manadeva that he should have his daughter become the daughter-in-law of Guge. First of all, Guge had more troops than U-tsang and this was extremely necessary for warfare. Secondly, U-stang controlled the province of Sikkim (which the Tibetans called Denzong); which had local population of Nepali culture and the Licchavis had always felt that these people ought to join their "motherland". Since war against U-tsang was imminent sooner or later, seeking an alliance with them was just a waste of time. And thus, Samita became the bride of Prince Pelkhortsen of the Purgyal clan, son of Gyalpo Purgyal Osrung of Guge and expected heir to the Tibetan kingdom and the alliance was duly signed.



After having recruited the Court Guru and married off his two children as well as gaining an ally, Manadeva decided it was time to look after the affairs of the realm. He proclaimed five years of peace in his kingdom and passed two new laws. The first was the shifting of the succession law to Agnatic-Cognatic Gavelkind; which meant that Samita could inherit the kingdom if her brother died childless and now allowed for matrilineal marriages. The second was the Title Revocation Law which was to be used against rebellious vassals.

Though he had declared peace, Manadeva knew that the situation was not as rosy as it seemed. His kingdom needed money to function while also being prepared for future wars. While he had declared peace, Manadeva has chosen war as his focus. He decided that raiding, which was usually done by the Tibetan chieftains or Hindu rulers in South Asia, was necessary to both make easy money and train his soldiers. Manadeva raised a raiding party of between 1800 to 1900 Nepali warriors. The aging ruler himself commanded his warband while appointing Sahil as the regent. All for the better, Manadeva said to himself as everyone knew that the future king needed experience and acting as the regent would just do so. At the same time, Manadeva also thought that these raids into foreign lands would provide him with material for the new book that he was writing.



The first target of this Licchavi warband was the county of Mangyul. The roughly 750 defenders of Mangyul had no chance against the numerically superior Nepali raiders commanded by Raja Manadeva IV himself in center, warrior monk Nabin of Devghat in the left flank and Commander Udgam in the right flank. However, even these three men themselves were surprised that they had suffered zero casualties in this raid as the warband returned home with the loot.



The success of the raid into Mangyul had prompted renewed zeal among Nepali warriors as well as the commanders. Another raid was organized; this time south into the Kingdom of Kusinagara. After looting the namesake Kusinagara province, the Licchavi warband marched into the capital city in Sravasti province. Here, the raiding party, after suffering a few minimal losses, came across a purple ax in the treasury of Pujari Govindachandra of Jetavana. Raja Manadeva IV was immediately attracted to this strange weapon and soon became inseparable from it. The old king took his new weapon of choice in raids into the two Bhutanese kingdoms of Paro and Bumthang but nothing extraordinary happened there.

Manadeva hardly rested these years as he spent his nights composing his book; often seen reading old letters in Nepal as well as those written in foreign languages. When concerns were raised by his second-in-command Bhikku Nabin, the old king often told him that he would be resting only in heaven.



While Manadeva was off raiding in foreign lands, he had become a grandfather - a fact that put a smile at his face. The elder boy Shanta was born in 869 while the younger Sahil was born two years later. As much as he was joyed by the news of his grandchildren, Manadeva was saddened to hear the death of the wise guru Kush. The seats of the Upadhaya and the Court Physician were now vacant. The old king decided that it was now time to return back home and the so-called Five Years of Peace was coming to its end. Manadeva made his second-in-command, the warrior monk Nabin, the Upadhaya while his own son Sahil was told to take the position of the Court Physician for he had the skills and knowledge.

[Athara Magarat]

World News - A New Hungarian Realm

Meanwhile in Eastern Europe, on 14 July 868, the previously nomadic Hungarians under Arpad Almos the Victorious settled down on the Carpathian Basin as a feudal kingdom. This ferocious man is said to be a descendant of Attila the Scourge of God himself through Kubrat Dulo. As the sacred ruler of the Hungarian tribes, Arpad Almos himself is a man of legends as well now.

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Okay, we need to get a name for that ax ASAP. We cannot keep calling it +2

Could you guys help me decided a name? My naming list is like this -

1. Purple Ax?

2. Ax of Manadeva IV?

3. Licchavi Ax?

4. Your suggestions

[Athara Magarat]

Manadeva IV - Chapter 2

872 AD - 876 AD

After the tenure of the so-called Five Years of Peace came to an end, Manadeva IV wasted no time in declaring war against the Katyuri Raja Kharparadeva. The Licchavi king and his diplomats reasoned that the province of Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha and a holy site of the Buddhists, was de jure the territory of the Kingdom of Nepal. After war had been declared, Kharparadeva raised his 2800 men strong army. Though experienced they might have been from their recent raids into Mangyul, Srasvati, Paro and Bumthang; the Nepali army was at numerical disadvantage (the so-called 2800 Katyuri men was not counting garrisoned soldiers in fortified cities) and this was not some city guards or temple defenders they were now against. The Katyuri army was an organized force led by a Chinese tactician named Rong.

Thus, Manadeva IV called upon his ally Gyalpo Purgyal Osrung of Guge, the father of his son-in-law, to arms against the Katyuris. Purgyal Osrung, a seasoned siege leader who had conquered Mangyul and other smaller Tibetan counties, readily agreed to join this war even if just to keep his blade sharp.



The first battle of this war took place on 13 February 872 when roughly 1600 Nepali warriors, led by Manadeva himself, charged upon the 300 Katyuri defenders of Lumbini. This small Katyuri defense force was easily defeated with nearly 70 Katyuri men dead while the Nepalis lost just two. The victorious Nepali army then started the Siege of Lumbini.

However, on April 5, a much larger Katyuri force of 2800 men - the main army led by Chinese strategist Rong and Raja Kharparadeva themselves - arrived in Lumbini to push back the Licchavi advance. In the chaos of the battlefield, Manadeva heard his name called by the Chinese man.



"Prepare for your death, you gullible old fanatic!" Rong shouted as he charged forward with his shiny Chinese sword. Manadeva was a little terrified of this strong foreign warrior. Rong slaughtered many Nepali soldiers on the way as he moved forward towards the slightly trembling Licchavi king who knew that the Chinese was far more the superior warrior than anyone else on the battlefield and old man Manadeva was no match for this beast of man. The Licchavi king prepared his purple ax, which he now called "Bartholomew" after one of the foreign warriors about whom he had read while learning of warfare around the world, for the worst. However, the duel between Rong and Manadeva, which the latter was sure that he would lose, never came.

The Chinese warrior was struck from behind by Raghadeva Thakuri, who had arrived in Lumbini with 300 more Nepali men to save the day. After the death of Rong, the Katyuri army was leaderless with barely anyone listening to the commands issued by Raja Kharparadeva. The Katyuri morale was dealt a major blow by the death of one of their best warriors and they lost this battle as well despite having started it with a numerical superiority. The other Katyuri commander besides the deceased Rong and Kharparadeva, a lowborn Lumbini local named Akash, was taken as prisoner as the right flank of the Katyuri army that had kept on fighting till then retreated as well. With more than half of the Katyuri army killed for less than 660 Nepali lives, the battle greatly boosted the Licchavi morale in the war.



After losing two battles in Lumbini and the Siege of Taulihawa with a 5,000 men strong army from Guge under Purgyal Osrung arriving as well, Kharparadeva agreed to the terms of peace and the Thikana of Lumbini was rightfully annexed as de jure Licchavi territory. The Hindustani ruler promised Manadeva that he would never forget this humiliation and would pay back with due when time was right. The Licchavi king paid no attention to this warning and instead went back home to administer his realm. He introduced a new Regulated Inheritance Law so as to ensure that provinces under the Licchavi realm were never inherited by outsiders.

While Manadeva had been away in the battlefield, his wife Birsha had literally become sick with worry over his life. When the old king returned to Kathmandu to check on his wife, he was told that Rajkumar Sahil the Court Physician had treated her back to health. Manadeva thanked his son, who replied that it had been his duty both as a son and a physician to have done that. Seeing that everything else was fine and the realm was in capable hands, Manadeva made Sahil the regent again as he prepared his army for another set of raids into foreign lands. Before he left, he ordered that a trade post be built in Kathmandu and that hospitals and forts be constructed in every province. People across the court and the realm, particularly his family members, were now commenting that the number of bruises and scars from these raids and the recent war did not look proper at Manadeva's old skin but the Licchavi king paid no attention to such trivial matters.



Roughly 1500 Nepali men gathered as member of this new warband. Many soldiers had opted to go home to their families after the recent war except for those who were thrilled by the adventure and the riches they would loot. The first targets of this raiding campaign were the two Bhutanese kingdoms of Paro and Bumthang. After these two came the province of Monyul. Unlike the Bhutanese who had been raided twice by now and had offered no resistance, the ruler of Monyul was not going to allow these so-called Nepali raiders to do as they pleased. Commnder Drigum of Monyul quickly assembled 950 men to face this raiding party.

When the two sides met in Tawang, Drigum and his men were surprised to know that the raiders were more numerous than they had initially thought. However the warriors of Monyul were undeterred and ready to give up their lives to protect their families. They fought ferociously than any opponent Manadeva and his men encountered till then. In fact, they only retreated from the battlefield after Commander Drigum, easily noticeable from his attire than signified high rank, was slain in a duel by Raghadeva Thakuri. The Nepalis lost a hundred men in this battle while Monyul casualties were three times more. After the battle was over, Manadeva spent the rest of the day reading books on warfare from Alexander the Great to the Art of War (these studies on foreign warfare had made him a specialist in narrow flanks and laying ambushes) while his soldiers looted Monyul cities.



On January 5 875, Manadeva's third grandson Chandra was born. This news extremely delighted the old king and he called of the raids to return home. After arriving in Kathmandu, he also learned that the Court Steward had died. This position was offered to the capable Raghadeva Thakuri who was more than willing to become the new steward.



News also arrived from the east that the Chinese Emperor Li Yizong had defeated the rebel army and that peace and stability had returned there. Manadeva decided that the time was right to visit the Emperor and get his blessings. And thus, the old king set on a long journey from which he would never return. Raja Manadeva IV was fated to die on the way from severe stress before even reaching his destination.

[Athara Magarat]

Sahil the Scholar - Chapter 1

876 AD - 881 AD

After his father's corpse was brought home by the caravan supposed to gone to China and the proper funeral rites were done, newly crowned Raja Sahil Licchavi started his rule by declaring Five Years of Peace like his father had. Unlike his father, however, the new king choose scholarship focus for his rule and set about to build an observatory. As a learned man, he thought that it was high time he wrote a book of his own. His father Manadeva IV had died before finishing the book he was writing and Sahil promised to himself that it would not happen to him. The new king also implemented Late Feudal Administration Law that would allow him access to more legal powers for the future.

The realm also needed a Court Guru and a wise old man named Aramudi was chosen for that particular role. He was also given the duties of the Upadhaya and the Court Physician and was someone other than his mother Birsha the Designated Regent that Sahil could look for advice now that his father was dead. These wise people also helped him in writing his book. Shanta, the new king's eldest son, was quite interested in what his father wrote and often read the manuscripts.



On 7 November 877, news arrived that the Tang Emperor of China had ordered General Feng Que of the Western Protectorate to subjugate the Mongol khaganate of Kara Khorum. Protector General Feng declared war on Khagan Guyug Nerguii as every state in the steppes, Persia, Tibetan plateau and the Indian subcontinent shuddered to just even think of the number of Chinese troops that would be marching into Kara Khorum.

Startled by news about the Tang Invasion of Kara Khorum, Sahil immediately assembled a caravan of his own to go on a journey to China and pay due respect to the Emperor. His father had died on this journey and the new king prayed that the same fate would not befall him. Besides, with Five Years of Peace declared, there really was not much to do. His father had spent those five years leading raids into foreign lands but Sahil was no warrior. Nonetheless, he knew that the treasures and gold coins obtained from these raids were necessary for the kingdom. Hence he made the renowned warrior Raghadeva Thakuri, a Hindu noble who had saved his father's life once, in charge of these raids and Queen Mother Birsha the regent as he set on the journey to China.

Four months after his journey started, a beautiful Han Chinese woman approached the Licchavi king's caravan. She called herself Fu and offered a set of traditional Chinese ceremonial robes for just 150 ducats. Seeing that this new attire would help his standing in the Imperial Chinese court, Sahil readily bought the robes.



Just a few months after Sahil's coronation, his wife Peksen had given birth to their fourth child; a girl whom they had named Eyrum. Before he left for China, his wife had indeed told him that she was with child. As the journey seemed to take forever, the Licchavi king became more and more worried about his wife and their unborn child. While the stars at the night sky gave his mind a sense of harmony, he spent his days worrying and penning letters to his wife. In one such letter, Sahil confided to his wife that after being father of three sons, he wished for daughters now and hoped that the boys and Eyrum could have a little sister they could dote on.

Their fifth child and second second daughter would be born four more months after this particular letter was written. As asked for in the letter, Peksen would name the newborn Jass just as her husband had wanted.

In this exchange of letters, Peksen also informed her husband of the death of his mother Birsha from cancer. The council, she said, had chosen the Court Guru Aramudi as the regent instead of her. Sahil promised his queen that he would make her the designated regent once he returned home and was further mourning the death of his mother.



At other times, Peksen's letters contained interesting news. While raiding the city of Shimla under Mayor Sahdev and ransacking his personal castle, Nepali raiders commanded by Raghadeva Thakuri had discovered the venerated arm of a famous holy man. The queen complained that the warband was now just bringing rubbish like this so-called venerated arm to Kathmandu as 'treasures'.



When Sahil finally arrived in the Middle Kingdom, he did his best to do things that would appease the Tang Emperor and his court officials. As an erudite scholar, he was deeply interested to learn about Taoist beliefs and took notes so that he could use them later for his book. And he could hardly resist the invitation by several Chinese ministers to discuss the Guanzi. The Chinese ministers and Taoist monks were pleased with this guest and spoke highly of him to the Emperor. Thus there were no surprises when the Chief Minister announced that "the Emperor has kept his eyes on you" to Sahil. But the Emperor was a busy man and there were many more dignitaries of much more importance than a small kingdom from the Himalayas sandwiched between huge Tibetan kingdoms and great Indian empires and thus the Licchavi king hastily performed the kowtow before the silent Emperor.



Immediately after returning to Kathmandu, Sahil made Rani Peksen the designated regent and then spent most of his time at his observatory. Broken equipment, weather and human or animal intruders were all various hurdles that often disturbed his studies but he kept on going. He began observing the movement of the sun, the moon, the planets and the stars. He came up with new theories that he often doubted himself but finally, he came to the conclusion that the Earth was round and that it revolved around the Sun, not the other way around. When he published his findings, monks and priests of all religions within and nearby his realm were angered. Some Bhikkus went as far as to call him a heretic. Nonetheless, people were interested to read what this erudite king had written and many were somewhat convinced by his theory that did not seem all that far-fetched when studied properly. From this point onward, history was to forever know this man as Raja Sahil the Scholar.

[Athara Magarat]

World News - Rise of the Ghaznavids

Sabuktigin, a former Turkish slave, had married the daughter of his master Alp-Tegin and inherited the Ghazna region. By now, he had adopted Persian culture and embraced the Sunni faith. This man had gathered an army of nearly 38,000 zealots and defeated Khushal Nagra in a brutal war. Sabuktigin already showed signs of being a great conqueror and had already declared war against the Hindu Afghans of Shahi dynasty. A war that the Shahis were fated to lose.

[Athara Magarat]

Sahil the Scholar - Chapter 2

881 AD - 887 AD

Like his father, Sahil the Scholar started the end of his Five Years of Peace with a war declaration against the Katyuris. And like before, Purgyal Orsung of Guge promised the brother of his daughter-in-law that the Tibetan ruler would come to aid the Licchavis in the war. Unlike his father, however, Sahil demanded not just one but the remaining two culturally Nepali and de jure Licchavi provinces. Kalyanaraja, the son of Kharparadeva, was the new king of the Katyuris and had cemented an alliance with Thakur Narpal of Sarasvati; an alliance that was utilized in defense when war was declared by the Nepalis.



Unlike in previous war, the Licchavis now had numerical advantage from the start and were clearly expected to win this war by pretty much everyone. The first major battle of the war took place in Dailekh of Doti province. 1200 Nepali soldiers engaged 1000 Katyuri men while reinforcements were on the way for both sides. The battle quickly shifted into melee combat where warriors fought duel after duel. Being a bookish scholar, Sahil was one of the weakest warriors in the battlefield but that did not prevent him from exchanging fists or swinging Bartholomew the purple ax around his enemies. The Licchavi king was then noticed and challenged to personal duel by a Sindhi Muslim warrior named Salahuddin Notani. Sahil swiftly swung Bartholomew but Salahuddin was much faster and returned the favor by striking the Licchavi king in the head with his sword. This blow was so powerful that Sahil immediately lost all his sense and fell down. Salahuddin presumed that his enemy was now dead and went around to challenge other Nepali warriors. To Sahil's luck, his commanders were quick to find his unconscious body and drag him away from the battlefield before something else happened. They took charge and the battle was won with 150 Nepali men dead and 360 for the Katyuris. However, no matter how hard they tried, the scholar king would not wake up.

Sahil's comatose body was taken to Kathmandu for treatment but even the Court Physician could not revive him. The realm worried that their king might never wake up from his deep sleep. Many were concerned about Rani Peksen and the child she was carrying. However there were those who blamed Sahil's the 'heretical research' about the relationship between the Earth and the Sun for this incident; claiming that the scholar king was receiving divine retribution. Other than publishing his findings that many still doubted, the now comatose king had also written the much more well-received book The Nepali Languages (which would later be called The Nepali Languages: Volume I). The Kingdom of Nepal was a multilingual society and Sahil had written about more than a hundred of them and the various dialects of the major languages.



The sixth child and the fourth son of the royal couple was born on 5 April 882. Rani Peksen, who was now in charge of the Licchavi kingdom, decided to name this boy Manadeva (the fifth of his name) after her late father-in-law. As a Heroine-ranked member of the Eagle Warriors, she was a great warrior but as a woman, on top of that a foreigner who still followed Tengri, no one of the Nepali commanders were willing to allow her to fight alongside them. However, they allowed her to become a strategist.

With Rani Peksen as the strategist, the Nepali army won two more key battles. The first one these two took place in Lumbini which came under siege by 900 Katyuri soldiers. The Nepali commanders, who were laying siege of Jumla and Doti provinces themselves, had refused to budge. Sources said that they had resorted to the raiding ways and were instead looting cities and villages instead of carrying out the siege. Peksen was adamant that the Katyuris laying siege of Lumbini needed to be dealt first and recalled the Nepali army; threatening the commanders that they would have to face her in personal duel later on if they did not arrive on time. 1500 Nepali men arrived in Lumbini on the 3rd of March and easily routed the Katyuris.

It was here that Rani Peksen joined the Licchavi army as their strategist. She advised them not to chase after the Katyuris but instead prevent the army of Thakur Narpal of Sarasvati's from joining with the other Katyuri armies. Instead they marched to Jumla and engaged the Thakur's army. She ordered to focus on killing the enemy strategist Vihangpal Jethani rather than the Thakur Narpal. The Nepali warriors did as their queen had said and Commander Ranjan even dealth the death blow on Vihangpal with his mace. Just as Peksen had said; the Thakur's army of Sarasvati peasants, who had been encouraged to fight only by their commanders's skills as a warrior, shattered after witnessing of Vihangpal's death. The battle was over so swiftly that only 16 Nepali men had died, most of them while trying to corner Vihangpal before Commander Ranjan finished him.



Kalyanaraja sued for peace after soldiers from Guge joined the Siege of Jumla. His father Kharparadeva had said that the Katyuris would pay with due after having to give up Lumbini in the aftermath of the First Nepali-Katyuri War. Kalyanaraja did not say it but his expressions made it clear that he thought the same. Nonetheless, Kalyanaraja was actually kind of relieved that his scheming brother Nimbartadeva, the Thakur of Jumla, was not his problem anymore.

Nimbartadeva, just twenty-two years of age, was a capable warrior. Rani Peksen, after asking the aging Raghadeva Thakuri, decided that the Hindustani prince should become the Marshal of Nepal. Nimbartadeva was the token Hindu in the mostly Buddhist council, just like the former marshal Raghadeva himself had been.

With their father in long coma and only their mother to interact with them, most of the royal Licchavi children soon started showing Karluk Tengri mannerisms. This was evident more in the second son Sahil, third son Chandra and the eldest daughter Eyrum. These three often spoke the language of their mother and prayed to the Eternal Blue Sky. While the courtiers were worried, most of the citizens actually found this interesting.



On 20 February 884, Sahil woke up after three years of coma. While his family and the realm rejoiced immediately, the scholar king would be a changed man forever. Historians of later days would recall this day as the time when Sahil the Scholar woke up as a mad man. Religious authorities would claim that the raja had been made mad as divine punishment for his heretical research. What is known is that he would be a changed man forever.



Immediately after waking up, Sahil announced all of a sudden that he wished to join the Savaka-Sangha. Virtually everyone was surprised that the man, who had once labeled religious authorities as idiots for refuting his theory, now sought to join a monastic order. Sahil and the royal court just reminded everyone that the raja had a clerical upbringing and loved learning more than anything. No one more happier than Arahnat Chandranarayan who readily welcomed the raja as a lay member. Sahil's third son Chandra was now heavily interested in the Biddhist texts that his father read. He even converted from the Tengri faith of his mother to Buddhism.

While he was now engrossed in even more books than ever, Sahil also took to other activities with falconry being one of them. Rani Peksen had went to the Karakhanid Khaganate after receiving news of her mother's death and then returned home with a golden eagle as a gift for her still recovering husband. Sahil liked the majestic bird and soon grew inseparable from her. The two were often seen hunting rabbit after rabbit.



On 12 April 884, news arrived that the eight years old Uyghur Duke Kutan II Idiqut of Qocho had agreed to peacefully become a tributary state of the Tang Empire rather than face potential military invasion. Sahil's courtiers were divided in half over the issue. One group wanted the scholar king to do the same and protect Nepal from potential Chinese invasions in the future. Being a tributary of the Tang Empire also meant that nobody else would dare to attack them. The other group was staunchly against this "selling off of Nepali independence" and that the raja had already been subservient enough to the Chinese. The people in this latter faction argued that Nepal instead unite with her neighbors to face a Chinese threat than bowing to some faraway Emperor. Knowing his neighbors, Sahil knew that such a potential coalition against a potential Chinese invasion was laughable. In a stroke of brilliance, he pacified both sides as well as improve his standing in the eyes of the Chinese Emperor by signing a peace treaty with Protector General Feng Que. The only downside was that this peace deal was to last only fifty years till 934 but Sahil reasoned that it would be enough for now.



On 5 June 886, the eldest rajkumar Shanta Licchavi officially became of age. While he resembled his father physically, his personality was very similar to that of his mother. Like Rani Peksen, Shanta was an ambitious cynic who was known as a skilled tactician. While hard-working, he was also quite dull and failed to accomplish tasks at the first attempt. The rajkumar, being influenced by his father and the Savaka-Sangha members who visited him, had sworn a vow of chastity that he would not even dare to touch any other woman than the one who he would marry. This was quite the character development from his teenage years where almost everyone in the realm knew that Shanta had been infatuated with Thakur Nimbartadeva's wife in his teenage years.

The first of the to do things on Raja Sahil's list was now to get Shanta married. The elderly Court Guru Aramudi, who was a renowned physician across the known world by now, suggested Purgyal Jetsunma - Sahil's fourteen years old niece from his recently deceased sister Samita. However the reply that Sahil received from his brother-in-law Pelkhortsen, now the Gyalpo of Guge, was not expected. Pelkhortsen replied that the betrothal was "an insulting suggestion" and that "Jetsunma would never marry Shanta". Sahil felt that Pelkhortsen, after the death of Samita, had forgotten that the two men were brothers-in-law and that they had fought together in the two Nepali-Katyuri Wars. He also came to the realization that Guge was no longer an ally of Nepal.



After failing to secure Shanta's marriage with Jetsunma and the fact that none of his neighbors wanted their sisters or daughters marrying into the Licchavi line, Raja Sahil per Aramudi and Peksen's suggestions, decided to search for a daughter-in-law from the steppes. The trio, after many searches, came across an eighteen years old Nestorian Mongol princess named Tekine Khondlongiin in Kara Khorum, the sister of Khagan Kogsegu (who was not actually a khagan but seen as such by those who wanted independence from the Nerguii khagan as such).

"Maharaja, the star charts are auspicious. However..." While the three of them were alone in a ger (or yurt as Peksen called it), Aramudi started to explain that this Mongol princess might be seen as little too ugly by the realm's citizens and Rajkumar Shanta himself. And then there was the political issue. The Nerguii khagan, against whom Tekine's brother Kogsegu was revolting, were tributaries of the Tang Empire. If the Licchavi Kingdom was associated with such rebellion, this would spell doom for Nepal.

"We have nothing to do with her brother and his quarrel with the Nerguii." Sahil stated. "And Shanta will love her just as I love Peksen."

"I like her. She is a capable warrior who shares my mother's name." Rani Peksen said bluntly after her husband stared at her for support. The royal couple reasoned that Tekine was well-groomed, hard-working and a skilled tactician. Finally, Aramudi nodded his head saying that it was their decision and the marriage was agreed upon.



Aspru, a lowborn woman who had become a member of the Licchavi court with her cunning skills, requested her raja all of a sudden that she wished to travel to China as a diplomat. Sahil decided that it was all for the best and let her venture on this long journey. Aspru would arrive back to Kathmandu eight months later, saying that the Tang Emperor was impressed by her visit and as had been she by the Chinese rituals. For several days, she talked nonstop about her travels and of a religious ceremony that involved turtles being thrown back into the water body they were fished from. Then she stated, all of sudden again, that she wished to live in China for the rest of her life. Sahil decided that he would not be the one to hold her back from this opportunity and let Aspru become a citizen of China. While giving her a farewell before she left, Aspru was told by Raja Sahil to request the Tang Emperor to send a Chinese strategist. Several months later, a man named Ni Zhiyi arrived in the Licchavi court saying that he had been sent by the Tang Emperor as per some Aspru's request.

During the time between Aspru's departure and Zhiyi's arrival, raiders under Khan Tugun of Zhetysu arrived to loot Pashupatinath area. Sahil's army, which was off raiding in Monyul again, was recalled home to face this threat. After sending Tugun's warband to where they had come from, Sahil decided that there would be no more raids into foreign territories for the time being. These Nepali raids had left the kingdom vulnerable to raids itself by others.

Sahil also made a new friend in a lama named Chokey, who was also a fellow member of the Savaka-Sangha. The members of this monastic order were seen as role models by virtually everyone; especially children. Rajkumari Eyrum also converted to Buddhism from the Tengri faith after talking to Chokey on various theological matters.

[Athara Magarat]

Sahil the Scholar - Chapter 3

887 AD - 893 AD

Ever since he had woken up from the three years of coma after the Second Nepali-Katyuri War, many said that Sahil the scholar king was making a lot of strange decisions. However, on 7 June 887, he made a declaration that made his name forever in history as the raja who went mad after waking up from the coma. Sahil appointed his horse as the Chancellor of Nepal. At first, everyone thought that this was a jest but however, as many days went with Glitterhoof as his chancellor; the realm came to realize that their king had gone mad. Religious authorities were quick to blame Sahil's heretical studies and proclaim the madness as divine retribution. However, even they agreed to the court's demands (after hefty payment) that the raja's mad decision must be kept a secret within the realm. It would be quite an embarrassment if the Savaka-Sangha or rulers of other states came to know of this.



However, word quickly spread in neighboring realms about Raja Sahil's madness (fortunately for the Nepalis, the Arahnat of Savaka-Sangha dismissed these rumors as attempts to sabotage the monastic order's reputation). When Sahil junior became of marriageable age, virtually every raja, maharaja or gyalpo refused to have their sisters or daughters married to the son of a madman. Sahil junior was a flamboyant schemer feared especially by his elder brother Shanta. The scheming rajkumar was hardworking like his parents and elder brother and more patient than most but he was also known for his love of food. This was actually not a bad thing as Sahil junior had a sturdy frame necessary for combat and was even a better dueler than his elder brother who was a skilled tactician.



So Rani Peksen and Sahil junior himself headed for the steppes to search for a bride. However, the rani's brother Bazir 'Lord Snow', the new Karakhanid Khagan, was no fool. He had learned from his visits and his messengers that his brother-in-law had went mad and refused to have his daughters be in the court of a madman.

"You may keep up with him since you love him but I cannot allow my daughters to be near a lunatic." Bazir said as politely as possible. However, khagan felt pity for his nephew and stated that he would act as the matchmaker. A couple of days later, he told his sister and nephew about the sixteen years old Tura Tigin, the eldest daughter of Khan Kaikaus from nearby Subashi lands. Sahil junior was told by his uncle that Khan Kaikaus and Tura had been told that the Nepali rajkumar was a devout of Tengri and well-versed in Karluk and other Altaic cultures.

Like most women from the steppes, Tura was a brave and skilled warrior. She was also quite attractive and posed a silky voice that often spoke blunt truths. Tura and Sahil junior were married in the Karakhanid Khaganate and then the newly-wed couple and Rani Peksen departed for Kathmandu.



Tura had no clue that her new father-in-law was a lunatic who had appointed a horse as the chancellor. When she arrived in the court and came to know this, she was very angry at Rani Peksen and Sahil junior but they assured her that things were under control. Despite what everyone in the court said, Raja Sahil the Scholar was showing more and more signs of madness. He spent nearly half of the gold in the treasury to create an expensive set of armor for his horse. At a time where most of the soldiers barely had any protection to defend themselves in war, this act was outright insulting. Nonetheless, no one dared to say anything directly to the raja himself as Glitterhoof was styled with Gilded Mare Armor containing intricate design.



On 24 September 887, the province of Doti once again became territory of the Katyuri Kingdom. The deceitful Nimbartadeva, formerly Marshal of Nepal and Thakur of Jumla, had inherited the kingdom after the sudden death of his elder brother Kalyanaraja. Two days earlier, Nimbartadeva had "taken leave" from the Licchavi court saying that he needed to visit his brother. The sudden death of Kalyanaraja was confirmed by the Katyuris but they, more specifically the new raja Nimbartadeva, never gave exact details of how he had died. This was indeed very, very suspicious and it was most likely Nimbartadeva himself who had offed his sibling in order to become king.

After the departure of Nimbartadeva from the Licchavi court, Ni Zhiyi the Chinese strategist was appointed the new Marshal of Nepal. Though Nimbartadeva had left, his younger brother Basantadeva, the Thakur of Doti, still remained a vassal of Raja Sahil. However, everyone knew that if Nimbartadeva was to die "all of a sudden" as well, Basantadeva would do the same. Sahil and some of the members of the court considered assassinating young Basantadeva to prevent that in the future but they were also aware that Basantadeva's death would only mean that Doti would become Katyuri territory again. The Licchavis needed both of these two Katyuri brothers to remain alive for the time being. Sahil personally wished that his friends Chokey and Shambhala Jangchup from the Savaka-Sangha were his vassals instead of some untrustworthy Katyuri prince.



On 5 January 891, Rajkumar Chandra Licchavi became of marriageable age as well. Many of the citizens and courtiers claimed that the third rajkumar did not even look like someone of royal blood at all. He never dressed or shaved properly. While his hard-working nature had made him very knowledgeable on business affairs, there were many signs that he was a lunatic just like his father. However his madness would be something that could be taken advantage of; thought many courtiers who were now supporting Chandra for the throne.



But say what one may about Rajkumar Chandra (that he was a lunatic like his father or that he never dressed properly), there was no denying that he had his charms. While virtually every neighboring ruler in the past had refused to get their sisters or daughters married into the Licchavi line citing Raja Sahil's madness, Gyalpo Purgyal Yumtan the Traitor of U-tsang and his daughter Tricham were quite impressed with Chandra. The Nepali rajkumar had been courting Tricham (who was the same age as him) for months and meeting Yumtam on his own; knowing very well that the gyalpo and his family would not agree to marriage later on if Raja Sahil was to propose it out of nowhere.

While the marriage ceremony was over, Raja Sahil asked Gyalpo Yumtan if they should be allies as well. Yumtan became slightly angry at this and stated that the marriage was between his daughter and Rajkumar Chandra and that there would be an alliance only after the latter became king of Nepal. Furthermore, the gyalpo claimed that he was not one to sign any treaty with a madman who might not recognize even his handwriting later on.



On June 5 892, Rajkumari Eyrum Licchavi turned sixteen and the entire court immediately started looking for a husband for her. She was a completely different person than her brothers. She rarely ventured outside of the palace or talked to strangers and was seen as the typical shy princess by many. Beneath her shy demeanor however, lay a deceitful webweaver who liked to do as she pleased.



Tricham suggested to Sahil, Peksen and rest of the royal family that Eyrum should get married to her brother Prince Lhanang, a hardworking warrior known for his sturdy frame, charity and temper. When the Licchavis and the Purgyals met again and everyone agreed to the marriage with no objections, Lhanang and Eyrum officially became husband and wife. However, Gyalpo Yumtan (busy with his war against Guge) was in no mood for discussing the alliance thing again and quickly shut down the topic when it started.

[Athara Magarat]

Sahil the Scholar - Chapter 4

893 AD - 898 AD

On 7 April 893, Raja Sahil declared war against Glo Dragpa the Shrewd of Manthang; citing that the province was de jure a Licchavi territory. The first battle of this war took place in Bhairahawa when 350 Nepali soldiers were ambushed by 1100 men from Manthang led by Glo Dragpa himself. The Licchavis would have lost this battle if not for the timely arrival of 350 more reinforcements. This first battle of the war ended with 400 Manthang casualties while 140 Nepali men died.

Almost a year later, on 31 March 894, another battle took place in Bhairahawa again. The Nepali Siege of Manthang had been a failure while 550 Manthang men under Glo Dragpa's daughter had succeeded in laying siege of Bhairahawa. Exactly 1,000 Nepali warriors led by Raja Sahil and his eldest son Shanta rushed to ensure that this siege progressed no further. Glo Dragpa's daughter was among the 250 Manthang souls who died in this second battle whereas the Nepali side suffered 75 casualties.



While the Licchavis were busy fighting war against Manthang, Basantadeva II had now inherited the Katyuri Kingdom after his brother Nimbartadeva died succumbing to his injuries suffered while fighting a Ghaznavid warrior. The province of Doti, which had been ruled by Basantadeva II as a vassal, was no longer Licchavi territory. The Second Nepali-Katyuri War, it now seemed, had just been a waste of lives as Nepal's territories were restored to just those under Manadeva IV before he died. Raja Sahil swore that he would have waged war against the Katyuris once again to reclaim these lost territories if not for the current ongoing war against Manthang. Besides, the Katyuris also had a war of their own - Basantadeva had not only inherited his brother's kingdom but also his defensive war against the Ghaznavids.

The loss of Doti and former vassal Basantadeva II also meant that 500 Nepali warriors were now fighting under the Katyuri flag. The Siege of Manthang was going badly. The Licchavis were losing men at an alarming rate. Raja Sahil decided to hire the Peony Band under a man named Qiao to continue the siege and the war.



While the long Siege of Manthang continued, it did not prevent the royal family from celebrating Jass Licchavi's sixteenth birthday. Like her father, Rajkumari Jass loved to spend her time reading books and most of her gifts were indeed more books. While she was praised by everyone for being patient and charitable person, she was also quite proud of herself and ambitious.

While everyone was celebrating the rajkumari's coming of age, Raja Sahil was nowhere to be found. It was later discovered that he had been talking to his horse for hours about theological matters from Buddhist texts and Hindu epics. The usually patient Jass had her limits and she was so angry at her father's madness that she refused to see him for more than a month.



Raja Sahil had arranged with Maharaja Jadu Pala of Bihar for him to marry Jass. However, in the month long period that Jass refused to see her father or any potential suitors, the Bihari king died of illness and his elder brother Rajyapala of the powerful Pala Kingdom inherited the realm. Thus, the future husband of Jass was changed from the now deceased Jadu to his nephew Narayanapala II of Magadha.

Everyone in the Licchavi court claimed that this had turned out far better than they had hoped. Narayanapala II, as the sole son of Maharaja Rajyapala, was the heir to the Pala Kingdom (some would even say it was an empire). The eight years old Magadha king had even agreed to an alliance and offered his troops in the Licchavi war for Manthang.



The last battle of the war took place in Pokhara when Qiao's mercenary band routed 300 Manthang soldiers. The main Licchavi army (which was now 1100 men), Narayanapala's 1200 Magadha warriors and the mercenary Tamil Band of 1440 men under Cadayan all arrived at Pokhara to combine with Qiao's Peony Band into a single army and marched into Manthang to lay siege of the mountainous province for the last time. The Licchavis, with their allies and mercenaries, were finally able to successfully lay siege of Manthang by severely outnumbering the defenders. The peace treaty was finally agreed upon on 18 January 896 as Glo Dragpa became a vassal of the Lichhavis.

However, Raja Sahil had come to learn from his mistakes. He had promised to himself that the way in which Nimbartadeva and Basantadeva II had become his vassals only to inherit some kingdom later on and take back the hardly fought territories would not repeat again. He instituted the harshly authoritarian Religious Control Mandate Law that allowed him as the raja to revoke the titles of any vassal who was not Buddhist. At the same time, the scholar king also changed the succession law - upsetting many in the court and his sons. The succession law in the Licchavi Kingdom of Nepal was now changed to Primogeniture which meant that the eldest child would inherit all titles. However, the twist here was that the raja also had the authority to choose his successor as he pleased and it was not necessary that the successor had to be the eldest child.



On 24 February 896, Sahil junior's wife Tura Tigin died of fever and even a renowned physician like Aramudi could not save her. Aramudi himself was to die a natural death at the age of 70 a couple of months later. Sahil junior, who had a close bond with his uncle Bazir 'Lord Snow' (being the only Licchavi child who spoke various Turkic languages and still followed Tengri) ventured to the Karakhanid Khaganate once again with hopes that his uncle would provide a wife for him. Bazir welcomed his nephew with a warm embrace but told him that both his eldest daughter was now married while he refused to have his youngest daughter get married just now. However, there was a young Cuman woman of noble birth named Sati Kimak. While not one of the best warriors out there, she was extremely patient with a kind and charitable soul.

When Sahil junior arrived home with his new wife and sought to introduce her to his family, they learned that the senior Sahil was instead busy arguing with Tiray Gangdoz. It was learned that the raja, in a fit of madness, had drawn a mustache on the bhikku's face while they were both supposed to be meditating.

Days passed and Sahil showed more signs of madness. He claimed that his horse had converted to Hinduism and that the two often needed time to discuss religion. He claimed that the mare wanted to visit China. He locked her in the stable for seven agonizing months and during this time period, claimed that Glitterhoof had gone to visit the Tang Emperor and now returned with gifts from the Protector General.



Sahil's sanity was restored slightly only after he came to realize that he was now a grandfather. Chandra and Tricham now had a daughter Reshma and a son Sahil while Shanta's wife Tekine had consecutively given birth to three daughters named Eyrum, Aspru and Kukee. While the royal family, especially the parents, were initially afraid that the lunatic king would do harm if he spent time with the children; the new Court Physician Bhikku Shanta of Muktinath convinced them that this was necessary for treatment. Playing with his grandchildren indeed had some stabilizing effects as it lessened the time Raja Sahil spent talking to his horse.



On 5 April 898, Rajkumar Manadeva (the fifth of his name), became of age as well. While hardworking like most of his siblings, Manadeva was extremely cruel and prone to using fists as solution to most of his problems. While not using his fists, he used his mind for scheming against his brothers as all of them were now competing to see who would become the next raja of Nepal.



Rajkumar Manadeva had better relations with his eldest brother Sahil and his wife Tekine than other siblings. He had confessed his feelings for Tekine's niece Ibakha, who was a Nestorian like rest of the Khondlongiin Mongols. Her father Kogsegu was by now a khagan for real. The Khondlongiins had successfully won their independence from the Nerguii khagan of Kara Khorum and established a khaganate of their own. Like her aunt and most other women in the Licchavi court, Ibakha was a skilled tactician who specialized in narrow flanking. Like her Rajkumar Manadeva, she was also quick to use her fists but possessed good qualities such as being temperate and shrewd at diplomacy.

[Athara Magarat]

Heir Selection - Sons of Sahil the Scholar

And it's voting time (extremely sorry about the horribly long image). Here on, you guys can help me select the heirs. While the Kingdom of Nepal had primogeniture, Buddhist law means that any children can be chosen as the successor. (Sorry ladies, we are not Absolute Cognatic yet.)

So which one of these four sons of Sahil the Scholar do you think is best suited to become the next Raja of Nepal?

I should also mention that Rani Peksen forced me to make the three eldest sons councilors. Shanta is the marshal, Sahil junior is the spymaster and Chandra the steward.

[Athara Magarat]

Thanks to Nhoor for giving 1 vote for Chandra and to Razzgrizz voting for Shanta and to Cartel de Cali for supporting Manadeva.

[Belle Ilse en Terre]

I will second the vote for Chandra.

[Athara Magarat]

I will second the vote for Chandra.

Thanks. So Chandra it is then. With voting session now closed, we have to go with him

[Athara Magarat]

Sahil the Scholar - Chapter 5

898 AD - 899 AD

Now that all of his four sons were grown up, Raja Sahil decided that it was time for him to select his successor. After much thinking, he decided to elect business-minded Chandra as the heir to the throne. Many wondered why exactly Chandra was elected over his brothers. Was it a possible future alliance with U-tsang? Was it the fact that Chandra was father to the only grandson of Sahil?

Per the new heir Chandra's suggestion, Sahil granted the Dama (Castle) of Lalitpur to Tiray Gangdoz. Things were going well for the Kingdom of Nepal. The only news that concerned them for a while was that Khagan Kogsegu of Khondlongiin was now a tributary of the Tang Empire. All was going well that nobody expected the eldest rajkumar Shanta to die all of a sudden on 24 December 898. Though the true cause of Shanta's unexpected death was never disclosed, the realm was abuzz with gossip.

Shanta had been the expected heir to the throne until Raja Sahil decided that being eldest did not matter at all. Rumors were abound that many courtiers were angered with the sudden succession law change and were rallying support for Shanta. This meant trouble in future if Chandra ascended to the throne. The theory was that if there was no Shanta, there would be no such dangerous faction for these courtiers would have no one to rally behind. The major suspect was Rajkumar Chandra himself followed by Rani Peksen. Others said that "no, it is Sahil junior the spymaster" and that once Shanta was dead, Chandra was next on his list. Yet others claimed that Manadeva was actually in love with Shanta's wife Tekine (this group claimed that Manadeva had only married Ibakha since she resembled her aunt) and that the youngest rajkumar had murdered the hypotenuse. And of course those who said that the murderer was that Chinese man Ni Zhiyi, who once again became the Marshal of Nepal, in order to get that position that had "been stolen from him after Rani Peksen had made Raja Sahil make Shanta the marshal".

"You are all wrong. I am telling you - it was Raja Sahil," said a man in a newly opened bar in Lalitpur as others nodded. Sahil was the mad king. There was every possibility that the madman had offed his own offspring. Specifically after the raja said "Glitterhoof did it" when asked about his son's death.

Finally there were those who claimed that it was not a murder but suicide. This group claimed that Shanta, who had looked up to his father all his life, had been depressed after learning that the raja had chosen Chandra over him (some in this group also agreed that the unproven Manadeva-Tekine love affair was thing and that Shanta had been even more suicidal after learning about it). Virtually no one thought that Shanta was not murdered or had not killed himself. Despite this, no one publicly dared to say that any of those suspects had murdered Shanta.

---

Okay, this was an extremely short post. I actually did not expect Shanta to die (I have no idea who did it and made wild guesses myself). Who do you think murdered Shanta?

Anyways, here is the world update. I will do these world updates every 50 years from now on. So, the next world update will be in 950 AD. For this one, I will post only the world political map and the Top 21 largest realms (we are nowhere there yet ). What else should be included in future world updates?

World Update - 900 AD

[Athara Magarat]

World News - Crusade for Lotharingia

On 23 February 900, the righteous Pope Ioannes VIII announced a new form of holy wars. This was the beginning of the Crusades - where all those who fought for the sake of Christendom would be absolved of their sins by the Pope. Northern Europe was under the feared Norsemen who were now establishing their hold on everywhere from the British Isles to pockets across mainland Europe. The Umayyad Caliphate in Iberia was strong as ever while the Aghlabid dynasty was creeping further and further into Italy. To the east were the Jewish Khazarians and various other pagan tribes ranging from Slavs to Baltic to Turkic nomads. Pope Ioannes VIII argued that if Christendom was to survive, they needed to fight these Crusades and retake lands lost to the pagans. The Pope's famous words "Deus Vult!" echoed through every corner of Christian lands as everyone from kings to the lowly peasants prepared armies and funds and themselves for the upcoming holy war.



The first target of these Crusades would be the Norse King Hrane the Cruel of Vestergautland. It took a year for the armies of Christendom to assemble as a force. While Pope Ionnes VIII had announced these new holy wars and rallied the Christian faithful, he died of old age in this time frame and his Italian successor Pope Silvester II would be the one to actually announce the Crusade for Lotharingia, which officially began on 7 May 901.



Four months into what would later be known as the First Crusade (in this alternate timeline), a Visigothic noble named Athanagildo the Crusader decided to settle his army in Skane region of southern Sweden. This tribal but Catholic kingdom would later be known as the High Chiefdom of Visigothic Skane and was surrounded by the Norse pagans from all sides. Nonetheless, Athanagildo the Crusader did not rest and continued playing a vital role in the ongoing Crusade for Lotharingia.



In the aftermath of the victorious crusade in the year 903, Pope Silvester II declared that Duke Bernat IV of Toulouse had contributed the most for this holy war and that the holdings in Lotharingia were now his to rule. Bernat gave the new lands to his beneficiary Elisabeth Karling. Already of the famous Karling dynasty, she became even more renowned in history books as the First Crusader Queen of Lotharingia. Future Crusaders would invoke the name of Queen Elisabeth II the Protector in holy wars to come.

[Athara Magarat]

Sahil the Scholar - Chapter 6

900 AD - 905 AD

Ni Zhiyi's tenure as the Marshal of Nepal was not to last again. Rani Peksen was always saying how her youngest son Manadeva would make a better marshal than the Chinese strategist. This went for so long that Raja Sahil finally caved in to his wife's demands. Furthermore, it would have been hypocritical not to make Manadeva a councilor after all of his elder brothers had been offered one position or other.

Rani Peksen, being a daughter of the steppes, still practiced horse archery even into her old age. When her horse died, a new magnificent black mare was bought by Sahil for his wife. He thought that as long as she kept with her horse archery practice, she would not bother him about what he should be writing in another new book that he was writing.

On 26 October 902, Rajkumari Eyrum finally tied the knot with her betrothed Raja Narayanapala II of Magadha when he turned sixteen. Narayanapala was not the vassal of the Pratiharas after the Pala Kingdom had to cede those territories in the aftermath of a war between the two Indian powers.



On 6 September 903, Rani Peksen the Ruthless died at the age of 55. The realm mourned her death, especially Raja Sahil who refused to see anyone else. He only came out of seclusion after hearing news of the birth of more grandsons. These two boys were Chandra junior, born to future raja Chandra and Tricham, and Manu, son of Manadeva and Khondlongiin.

The rani had been the designated regent of Kingdom of Nepal. Like his father Manadeva IV had appointed him designated regent to gain experience for becoming future king, Sahil have the position to Rajkumar Chandra.



On 25 November 903, Sahil junior's wife Sati Kimak was killed by a charging rhino when visiting the Chitwan region. People began to claim that Sahil junior was cursed since only his wives had died one after another without producing any children. The elder Sahil had to get his twice widower son married again so as to keep the Licchavi line strong. However, Sahil junior was a Tengri follower and spoke more in Turkic languages. Furthermore, he shared the same name as the mad king. This made rulers of neighboring realms reject any marriage proposals.

It was then that Tekine, widow of Shanta, suggested that Sahil junor get married to another of her nieces. Seventeen years old Hoelun Khondlongiin was kind and well-groomed albeit slightly a scaredy-cat. Everyone in the Licchavi kingdom hoped that Hoelun would not die all of a sudden like the ones before her.

Speaking of Tekine, her two eldest daughters Eyrum and Aspru were now of Mongol culture and Nestorian faith.

[Athara Magarat]

World News - Rise of Shia

The Shia are Muslims who hold the belief that Prophet Muhammad's rightful successor as caliph was his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib (the 4th Caliph by the Sunni succession), rather than Abu Bakr. A Shia boy living the Aghlabid Sultanate has been proclaimed Ali's rightful heir. His followers were now gathering in large numbers with the hope of toppling the Aghlabids under Sultan Abdul-Wahab the Evil and establishing a Shia Caliphate in its place.

[Athara Magarat]

Sahil the Scholar - Chapter 7

906 AD - 907 AD

As soon as the calendar rolled to the year 906, Raja Sahil the Scholar declared war against Delhi (which had broken away from the Pratiharas) for the province of Kusinagara. The Licchavi army of 3,000 men was joined by Naryanpala's 1200 Magadha warriors as they successfully laid the Siege of Kusinagara. While the Licchavi-Magadha army was in Kusinagara, a 650 men strong force arrived all the way from Delhi to lay their own Siege of Mustang. As soon as Kusinagara was under Nepali control, the Licchavi-Magadha army marched swiftly to Mustang to engage the men from Delhi in combat at Tetang. It was a one sided rout as 450 men from Delhi died in this battle with only 18 casualties on the other side.



After the battle was over, the Licchavi-Magadha army chased their enemies all the way to Delhi and laid siege of the famous city. While the siege was ongoing, Raja Sahil managed to finish his new book Contracts of the Nepali, which was exactly what it said on the title and contained a number of old Nepali gubernatorial contracts that were carefully collated and analyzed. But soon as his book was finished, with the Siege of Delhi going on at a very slow pace, the scholar king suffered from dysentery. The new Court Physician Bhikku Shanta of Muktinath was not what the deceased Court Guru Aramud had been. For his so-called treatment, the bhikku placed leeches from a jar on the sleeping scholar king's face.

"Remain still, Maharaja. You should not disturb their feeding." That was what the bhikku said while promising to the raja and everyone present that he would be okay in no time. Instead, the dysentery got worse and worse until the old raja's body could not take it anymore.

[Athara Magarat]

Chandra the Cruel - Chapter 1

907 AD - 910 AD

The new raja Chandra Licchavi began his rule by passing a new law that allowed marginal rights to women. By this, it only meant that women in the kingdom were now allowed to hold positions like spymasters. His wife Purgyal Tricham was the new designated regent while an elderly scholar named Aramudi was made the new Court Guru, Court Physician and the Upadhaya. The previous court physician, Bhikku Shanta of Muktinath, was arrested for deliberate negligence. Like his grandfather and father, Chandra also declared his intention to write a book as he reigned.



While the long siege of Delhi was still ongoing, two more new members of the Licchavi dynasty were born. Sahil junior was now finally father to a girl named Ershen after his wife's Hoelun's mother whereas Bhairaja was the second son of Manadeva and Ibakha.

As for other children in the family, Tekine's youngest daughter Kukee was now Nestorian like her mother and elder sisters.



Taking advantage of Sahil the Scholar's death and the fact that the Nepali army was in Delhi, a soft-spoken but stubborn Zhangzhung man named Shenlha had calling for Mustang's independence from the Licchavis. The Zhangzhung man had actually once been a commander in the Licchavi army himself, even participating in Nepali raid on the distant land of Bana. His view was that the peasants of Mustang were the lowest tier in Licchavi kingdom and that they needed to take up arms for their independence. Shenlha had gathered a peasant army of 1450 men and even women and children. Normally, this sort of group would have been easily routed by local garrison but the Zhangzhung man, being a former soldier in the Nepali army, knew his enemy well. Shenlha's army managed to destroy several important forts and they specifically targeted the holdings of local Zhangzhung nobles, whom Shenlha considered to be even more of oppressors than the Licchavis in Kathmandu.

Raja Chandra had heard of this Shenlha but considered him to be insignificant when the war against Delhi was of much more importance. However, after learning that Shenlha's army had destroyed almost all forts in Mustang province, killed almost all local Zhanzhung nobles and taken over Chhonhup as their base; Chandra knew he had to act lest his people think of him as weak or this Shenlha marched to Kathmandu after finishing his business in Mustang. Thus, as soon as the Siege of Delhi was over, the Magadha army under Raja Narayanapla II remained there while the Nepalis took the quickest route across the mountains to Chhonhup.

The battle took place on 21 September 907 when the Nepali army charged on Shenlha's position. Despite the fact that the Licchavis were twice the number of their enemies, the mountainous terrain was treacherous and Shenlha had trained his peasant army well. Mayor Bibek of Tambar, who led the Nepali left flank, was challenged to a personal duel by Shenlha who easily cut down his opponent. This generated panic among the Nepalis as they became disorganized. Raja Chandra's elite unit was targeted next. Shenlha and his best warriors managed to kill Chandra's bodyguards one by one. In the melee, the Licchavi king himself was knocked down to the ground. However unlike his father in the Battle of Dailekh, Chandra quickly came back to his senses and charged at the enemy commander with a roar. Shenlha motioned for his unit to stay away as he and the Licchavi king engaged in a duel. Shenlha was overconfident that he would win this one as well but after the duel started, he was quickly overpowered by his opponent. The Zhangzhung's man sword was knocked out of his hands and he himself was down on the dirt on his knees. With another mighty roar, Chandra raised Bartholomew the purple ax high and prepared to strike the death blow.

"Wait! I yield!" The once formidable Shenlha now begged for mercy. "I will be your prisoner! Spare my life!"

Chandra quickly thought over his options. If he killed Shenlha, it would not matter. Another one would take his position as the rebel leader. Besides, this Shenlha had to be made an example of and he could always be executed later on anytime the raja wished if taken a prisoner. The battle was over after Shenlha was taken prisoner. Many questioned whether Shenlha should really have been taken prisoner. Shenlha's peasant army, though trained well by him, had still been composed of people with no military experience. Most of the 100 Licchavi soldiers who died in the Battle of Chhonhup had died at this dangerous man's hands, including Mayor Bibek of Tambar and all of the king's elite bodyguards. There were whispers that the raja had spared Shenlha's life for he was too valuable as a warrior and sought to employ him in the future.



As for the war against Delhi, it was concluded with the Battle of Saharanpur where 3,000 Licchavi and Magadha soldiers fought 2600 Delhi men. When the dust settled on the battlefield, 540 Nepali and Magadha warriors lays lead while their enemy had suffered 1200 casualties. Maharaja Mahendrapala II of Delhi was at war not just with the Nepalis. He decided that it would be wise to make peace by handing over Kusinagara to the Licchavis so that he could focus on the other fronts.



After the war with Delhi was over, Raja Chandra decided to join the Savaka-Sangha like his father had. He also declared Five Years of Peace as was tradition. Meanwhile, his daughter Reshma was now a hardworking and charitable woman of age. Her only flaws were that she was perhaps too trusting of others and quick to anger. She was betrothed to the fifteen years old Prince Purgyal Trongzhi of U-tsang, son of Chandra's brother-in-law Gyalpo Purgyal Trongzhi the Lion.



It did not actually take that long for Rajkumari Reshma and the erudite Prince Trongzhi to tie the knot. Raja Chandra and Rani Tricham bid their farewell to their daughter as she embarked on the journey to U-tsang with her new husband.



After having married his daughter off, Chandra raised his army of raiders to plunder the riches of the Bana Kingdom. The Nepali warband marched south for months until they arrived in Ratanpur. This was not first time that the Nepalis had raided the Bana Kingdom but this would be the first time that they would ransack even Raja Vijayditya II the Unready's royal castle and loot an ancient relic. The aptly named Jeweled Danda was quite ancient looking but nonetheless elaborate with various jewels in all shapes, colors and sizes. Local legends had it that the danda was the scepter used by Lord Krishna himself while steering his herd of cows. Others said that it had been the handle of the Royal Umbrella of Bana Kingdom. Whatever the origin of this treasure, Raja Chandra decided that it was his now as he divided the rest of the spoils to his soldiers.

[Athara Magarat]

Chandra the Cruel - Chapter 2

911 AD - 916 AD

On 19 July 911, Raja Chandra's eldest son Sahil turned into a well-groomed, humble and gregarious man with basic knowledge of theology. It had become tradition for Licchavi children to get married or betrothed as soon as they hit sixteen and came was the case for the rajkumar. Chandra and his brother-in-law Gyalpo Purgyal Trongzhi the Lion of U-tsang agreed that the former's son Sahil and the latter's daughter Pongza should get married when would be mature enough.



At the start of the year 912, Raja Chandra's younger brother Manadeva was summoned to the royal court. The accusation against him was that he had beaten up the daughter of a prominent Nepali noble while at their house as a guest. Despite Manadeva refuting to all of the charges, his brother would hear none of it and he was imprisoned. Then the rumors started. There were claims that Manadeva was innocent and that his power-hungry brother had used paid actors as the noble and the daughter to get an excuse to imprison him.

"But why would Raja Chandra do this? Surely Manadeva must have done something?" A woman said as she and her friends washed their clothes by the Bagmati River.

"Rumors have it that Manadeva's wife Ibakha and Sahil's wife Hoelun as well as their aunt Tekine had gone to visit Thupo Babur of Kamarupanagara." Her friend replied.

"So?"

"He is Ibakha and Hoelun's eldest brother! I am telling you, these Khondlongiins were all plotting together to get oust Raja Chandra and install either Sahil or Manadeva as the king. They are likely the ones who offed Shanta as well. Lord bless Raja Chandra who knew of their plans and arrested Manadeva before it was late."

"But I thought it was Raja Chandra who killed Shanta?" Another woman chimed in as the hot topic continued.

Historians are not still sure whether Babur's invasion of Limbuwan was a 'Khondlongiin Conspiracy' or not. The theory has in origins in how Tekine had influenced her brothers-in-law to marry her nieces and that Babur declared war just four months after his brother-in-law Manadeva was arrested. Despite being the eldest son of Khagan Kogsegu, Babur was still a child of a concubine and hated by many in Kara Khorum. He had gathered his followers and invaded Kamarupanagara during the Yarlung Revolt against U-tsang. The crafty Babur had struck deal with Gyalpo Purgyal Trongzhi the Lion that he would help him put down the rebellion provided that the Mongol got to rule Kamarupanagara (as a vassal of U-tsang and as show of goodwill, he even converted to the Bon faith). This was in the best interest for both men and that was how Babur Khonlongiin was now Thupo Babur of Kamarupanagara.



When Babur declared war, Raja Chandra raised his army but did not march them at all. Instead, he arranged the lavish marriage ceremony between Rajkumar Sahil and his cousin Princess Purgyal Pongza of U-tsang. Gyalpo Trongzhi the Lion finally agreed to sign the alliance with his brother-in-law. The gyalpo knew of the war between Chandra and Babur. Trongzhi stated that the law forbade him for coming to Chandra's assistance when it was his vassal declaring the war. Besides, the gyalpo had his own war against the County of Lhunze. Chandra was furious, though he did not publicly show it. What was the use of this alliance if Trongzhi would not help him in his need. He was ready to cancel the marriage but Rani Tricham and Sahil prevented anything like that from happening. The Lion Gyalpo was wise enough to know what Chandra felt about this. All of a sudden, he was speaking highly of the Tangut Band under a man named Yali and the Bodpa Band, who operated from U-tsang, commanded by Getong, a former commander of the Lion Gyalpo.

"There are 1,070 men in the Bodpa Band and 1,060 in the Tangut Band. And there's the Peony Band whom your father employed in the Licchavi Conquest of Mustang. They are 1300 in numbers. I will pay the initial sum to hire them. After that, it is your duty to pay them on monthly basis. I cannot anything more than this. And please make sure that nobody, especially not Thupo Babur or any of my other vassals, know of this."



Despite these assurances, it took time for these mercenary bands to arrive in Kathmandu Valley. The soldiers in the Licchavi army grew restless and so did Raja Chandra himself. A scouting party of 320 men was sent to Gangdoz and they arrived there on 14 July 912. They gathered information that only 280 soldiers were present at the local garrison. But instead of returning to Kathmandu after having completed their work, the overconfident Nepalis decided to charge at the enemy position. The Battle of Gangdoz initially went in favor of the Nepali attackers until the arrival of a 4,400 men strong Kamarupanagara army led by Lama Harjjaravarman of Totaram Panditer Dhap. However, one lone Nepali warrior on horseback held off over 4,600 men for rest of the battle. Mayor Takma of Chhonhup, a Zhangzhung noble from Mustang, became part of legends for his bravery. However what he did would have been unknown if 2,300 Nepalis under Raja Chandra had not arrived to witness it and if Assamese sources themselves had not confirmed this tale. Mayor Takma's sacrifice, however heroic it may have been, was in vain as the Licchavi army was no match against the Kamarupanagara warriors.

In midst of the battle, Raja Chandra and his bodyguards were overrun by Lama Harjjaravarman. Chandra shouted his challenge to the enemy commander and it was duly accepted. The Assamese warrior was strong but the Licchavi king more skilled and daring. The duel was quickly over as Chandra landed blow after blow with the help of the purple ax Bartholomew.

"I yield!" Harjjaravarman shouted after he was disarmed.

"You what?"

"I will be your prisoner. I will be more use to you alive." The lama cried.

"I think I prefer you dead." Chandra said as he beheaded the Assamese warrior with the purple ax. This did not deter the Kamarupanagara army at all as Thupo Babur himself arrived on the battlefield with his 830 men elite guard. While 240 more Nepali soldiers arrived as reinforcements as well, the battle was already lost. 3,000 Nepali men lay dead in Gangdoz with just 400 casualties on Babur's ranks as the Licchavis lost a battle for the first time in a long time. However, in this particular Kamarupanagara-Licchavi war, the latter lost all the battles save one.

Drastic measures had to be taken and Raja Chandra hired more mercenaries such as the Bengal Band of 1440 men under Shukladhwaj and 1620 strong Marathi Band commanded by Mankoji. While the main Licchavi army and mercenaries were gathering in Kathmandu, Babur's army arrived in Taplejung and quickly routed the 350 defenders there in order to lay siege.



By 26 November 912, it was too late as the Siege of Taplejung was over. Nonetheless, the siege had made Babur's army stationary and Chandra took advantage of that as his forces attacked the Assamese warriors in Taplejung. Chandra's army was 5,500 strong and he had even brought 60 majestic war elephants. Babur's forces were of similar strength, outnumbering their opponents just by a hundred more men, and included 760 infamous Mongolian and Turkic horse archers within their ranks with the Khondlongiin man himself being one of them. The battle was exactly opposite of what the one in Gangdoz had been. Only 600 Nepali men died while inflicting thrice the number of casualties upon their enemy. Bhutivarman, the successor of deceased Harjjaravarman as the Lama of Totaram Panditer Dhap, was also taken as prisoner.



However, the victory at Taplejung was short-lived. One by one, all of the mercenary bands under employment of the Licchavis deserted saying that the pay had been irregular and some of them even defected to the other side. The treasury was now empty due to all the gold Chandra had been paying to these mercenaries and defeat at the hands of Babur was inevitable. This all brought back the madness that he had inherited from his father. On 16 February 913, Raja Chandra announced the 'Turnip Act'. He had written that:

"Whereas the turnip represents the very best qualities to be found in society, and: whereas it is of fine texture, particularly when boiled, and has been proven to remedy all ailments known to Man when consumed:

Therefore I, Raja Chandra of Nepal, that the turnip shall henceforth be used as currency throughout the realm, taking the place of gold, silver or any other precious metal. These shall instead be turned over to the Crown for immediate disposal."

Had this been proposed by any other Licchavi, the entire realm would have been up at arms. But this was Raja Chandra, whom almost everyone supported as the valiant defender against the so-called 'Khondlongiin Conspiracy'. His supporters argued that the Turnip Act was in the best interest of the common people and that all available gold and silver had to be deposited at the royal treasury to keep the realm functioning. But the damage had been done. Now, more and more Nepalis were sure that Chandra was a lunatic like his father Sahil the Scholar.



After the mercenary bands deserted or defected, combined with the huge losses at battles of Gangdoz and Taplejung; the Licchavi army was reduced to just 840 men. Despite this, Chandra in his madness decided to lay siege of Gyalshing anyway. It was a bad idea in every sense and 4,500 Assamese soldiers quickly arrived to send the Nepalis back where they came from.

At the earliest stages of the battle however, the well-trained and experienced Licchavi force performed with great excellence as they pressed froward; the pride evident in everyone from the lowest pikeman to the raja himself.

"Maharaja, look out!" A Nepali soldier shouted, but it was too late. A swift Assamese warrior appeared out of almost nowhere and swung his sword with such a ferocity that it made a deep cut on the Licchavi king's chin.

"Stay down, you rough filthy dog!" The Assamese warrior, Mayor Vigrahastambha of Mahasthangarh, shouted as he approached forward for the kill. Chandra tightened his grip around Bartholomew and struck. Everything happened so fast that it all appeared as a blur. He just swung his purple ax around like a madman and Vigrahastambha was forced to be on the defensive. When Chandra came to his senses, his enemy's corpse was a mess and blood was splattered everywhere. Though Raja Chandra had won the personal duel, it was not enough. The Assamese overran the battlefield and by the end of the day, half of the Nepali men who had set foot in Gyalshing lay dead while the Assamese lost just 28 of their warriors.



After losing the Battle of Gyalshing, the surviving Licchavi forces retreated back to Kathmandu with Babur's men on their hot pursuit. The Assamese then decided to lay siege of Lalitpur and that is where the final battle of the war took place. 640 Nepali defenders against an invasion army 5,200 strong was one sided from the very start. The end result was that the Nepali army ceased to exist while Thupo Babur lost just 7 of his men.

Raja Chandra finally started discussing the terms of peace with Thupo Babur. The province of Limbuwan was ceded to Kamarupanagara, a vassal state of U-tsang. It is said that Babur wanted his brother-in-law Manadeva freed as well to which Chandra had apparently replied that the man in question was already dead. Historians agree that Chandra had murdered his own brother in the dungeons over the war and the humiliating losses he suffered.

Once Babur's Conquest of Limbuwan was over and the Assamese army retreated, Chandra started recruiting newer soldiers for his army. He also finished writing the highly controversial book The Buddhavacana Improved that Buddhist monks were quick to denounce as nonsensical twist and unnecessary edits to the original holy book. The war also made the Licchavi raja realize that he needed to visit China and seek the Tang Emperor Li Gongzong's blessing. Eyrum, his deceased brother Sahil's eldest daughter, was taken along to become a concubine in the Chinese imperial harem. Along the way, a Han trader named Chujun joined the caravan and sold the artwork of a renowned Chinese painter to Chandra. But the Licchavi king was deemed as someone unworthy of meeting the Emperor directly by the Chinese ministers. They instead brought him before a painting of the Emperor to which Chandra humiliated himself by performing a quick bow and then returning home. Still, the Emperor permitted the Licchavi king to take a Chinese strategist with him and a buff homosexual man named Su Juyuan joined the Nepali caravan on their journey back to Kathmandu.



Returning to Kathmandu, Chandra discovered that he had become a grandfather during his travels to China. What delighted the raja more was that his son and daughter-in-law had named their child after him; making him the third Chandra in the family. The other new boy in the Licchavi family was Oztoghdi, son of Sahil the Spymaster and Hoelun Khondlongiin.



On 19 October 916, Chandra junior turned sixteen. Being a bookish scholar was now almost like a family trait for the Licchavis. A soft-spoken and charitable angel by day, he was a man who regularly visited almost every brothel in the valley in nighttime. The courtiers gossiped that the youngest rajkumar was quite slow at everything and that he had been so since his birth. Chandra senior and Rani Tricham decided that their youngest son ought to be married to Purgyal Kyi, the second daughter of Gyalpo Trongzhi the Lion. The ruler of U-tsang agreed and the cousins were betrothed to each other.



Almost two years later, Chandra junior and Kyi were married. She was a victim of cancer and her husband did his very best to take care of all the time. The marriage was doomed from the very beginning as nothing could cure Kyi's cancer.

[Athara Magarat]

Heir Selection - Sons of Chandra

Now that the youngest rajkumar is of age as well, it's voting time again. Normally, I should be uploading a pic of these two contenders side by side but uploading speed's been real slow for the last few days. However, since the images (and traits) of both of them are provided in the post above (the elder Sahil in the first image of the post and the younger Chandra in the last image of the same post); I believe we can work with this for now. Here's what you should know:

1. Sahil - married to his cousin Purgal Pongza, have a son Chandra; he is well-groomed, humble and soft-spoken.

2. Chandra - betrothed to his cousin Purgyal Kyi; he is slow but soft-spoken, charitable, patient and a lustful scholar.

Edit: Here is the image. And yeah, spoilers - war against Guge where Sahil gets captured and imprisoned...

[Corindia]

slow is a no

[Athara Magarat]

slow is a no

Yeah

So, Sahil it is then. We also have Nezaeva voting for him so two votes for the elder boy.

[Nhoor]

I also go for Sahil because of his well-groomedicity and his wife looks like she could easily influence him behind the screens in case he turns out to be bad at his tasks.

[Athara Magarat]

I also go for Sahil because of his well-groomedicity and his wife looks like she could easily influence him behind the screens in case he turns out to be bad at his tasks.

The two above and now Torom voted for our man Sahil as well. So four votes - I guess we can call it a win for him.