Ateter Kingdom

The Ateter Kingdom, Kiqet Aterirter in Alatazem, the language of the kingdom, meaning Kingdom of the Desert Warriors, was an ancient Ateter nation state based in the fertile region of north-west Sagadim. It emerged as an independent state in 3704 ED, with the city of Gizenatter as its capital, and, by ???, it had united the island of Hieret under its control.

City-State of Gizenatter
The forerunner of the Ateter Kingdom was the city-state of Gizenatter, founded in 4311 ED by the semi-mythological figure and first king of the Ateter, Adikiqat. The city quickly became a vassal state of the Irhmeti Empire, beginning its first contact with the city of Irbid, with which Gizenatter would be a fierce rival in later years. Gizenatter benefited greatly from being a nominal part of this empire, receiving access from its trade routes and connections with areas that would be unreachable by an independent city. The city reached its peak as a vassal state at around 4120 ED. In 4112 ED, the city was struck by a great flood, which destroyed much of the city and the surrounding farmland. As a result of this destruction, thousands of Ateter fled the city and became nomads, eventually raiding and sacking theYilireti city of Dhivethāḥitheb. In response to this attack, the Yilireti Empire besieged Gizenatter, sparking the Gizenatter War. At the war's conclusion, Gizenatter became part of the Yilireti Empire.

The city quickly became isolated from the rest of the empire, due to the fact that the nearest imperial city was hundreds of miles to the south, and suffered greatly to bandits and pirates. One group of bandits, the Waba, asserted control over the city, wresting it from the Yilireti Empire and making themselves kings. The Waba Dynasty administered GIzenatter for a period between 4018 ED and 3747 ED, during which the influence of Gizenatter was expanded to levels it had previously occupied under the Irhmeti Empire. In 3747 ED, the Waba kings were usurped by native priests of the city, who then formed the Rṱikiqāt Dynasty. They were the first native rulers of the city since 4098 ED and managed to secure their hold over the city, despite a few early rebellions to their rule.

A short conflict, the Waba War, raged against the new regime for a few years, but was eventually put down. The remnants of the Waba Dynasty were granted amnesty, in return for them dropping their claims to the throne of Gizenatter, with many of them becoming priests or nobles as well. The success of this war brought the new rulers much stability, and allowed them to wage war with their rivals, the cities of Irbid and Adirem. By 3710 ED, Gizenatter under the Rṱikiqāt Dynasty had gained the upper hand against Irbid, despite Irbid having absorbed Adirem into its dominion. In 3704 ED, after a siege, the rulers of Irbid submitted to Gizenatter and a marriage between the Irbid queen and Gizenatter king unified the crowns of both cities. The Ateter Kingdom was formed from this union.

Early History
Following the union of crowns, the Ateter Kingdom began a short period of consolidation, in which Irbid and its client states were integrated into the realm. By this time, the Ateter Kingdom was composed of four cities, Gizenatter, Irbid, Adirem and Irem, with a combined population of seventy thousand inhabitants and an unknown number of slaves. To the north-east of these cities lay the state of Bi, a vassal of the much larger and more powerful Erhemmii Empire. In 3678 ED, the soldiers of Bi conducted a number of raids against Ateter outposts and villages on the border with Bi, slaying many and stealing many vases of grain and herds of cattle. A harsh winter followed, in which many Ateter starved, partly due to the shortage of food caused by these raids. The second king of the Ateter Kingdom, and the first king to rule both crowns, King Hikiqat I, was unable to respond until the spring of 3677 ED, during which he mustered a large army and besieged Bi. In the siege, the Ateter force slew the ruler of the city and captured it, bringing them into conflict with the Erhemmii Empire. The Ateter Kingdom, despite being smaller geographically, managed to beat the Erhemmii Empire in a second battle, and even launched raids into imperial territory. The Erhemmii Empire soon acquiesced and ceded Bi to the Ateter Kingdom.

The Ateter Kingdom slowly expanded, and its relations with the Erhemmii Empire cooled and then became cordial. The Ateter Kingdom, rather than outright invade city-states, sought to absorb them through an early form of economic imperialism, through which Ateter merchants would overpower native tradesmen and force the city to accrue a great debt. Rather than face war with the Ateter Kingdom over their inability to repay debts, many of these city-states willingly became vassals, and later fully-fledged members of the Ateter Kingdom. The Ateter Kingdom soon administered a number of cities that were not connected in any meaningful way to the core cities, such as Tabid and Izezurbi, which necessitated the formation of strong trade networks and a navy. Soon, through its economy, the Ateter Kingdom became the most powerful force in Hieret.

War with the Uriṱeriqṱer Kingdom
The Uriṱeriqṱer Kingdom had formed around the same time as the Ateter Kingdom, as a collection of bandits that decided to take up residence in the ruined cities of northern Hieret. It engaged in a number of conflicts with the Erhemmii Empire, and succeeded in overwhelming them countless times. Soon, it was as large as the Ateter Kingdom, which inevitably led to friction. The first conflict between the two kingdoms was in 3611 ED, when a small Ateter army was sent from Tabid to evict the Uriṱeriqṱer force that had captured Dabid. Dabid, though controlled by the Erhemmii Empire, had found its economy essentially run by Ateter tradesmen, and its location made it vital to Ateter trade between Tabid and Gizenatter. The Ateter army, after a stand-off, was successful in forcing the Uriṱeriqṱer to withdraw. The Erhemmii Empire essentially became a vassal of the Ateter Kingdom, relying on the kingdom for military aid against the Uriṱeriqṱer.

The first full war between the Ateter Kingdom and its Uriṱeriqṱer counterpart was in 3594 ED, when bandits aligned to the Uriṱeriqṱer Kingdom raided Izezurbi and killed many townspeople, including the governor. The Ateter Kingdom demanded thousands of vases of grain in compensation, which the Uriṱeriqṱer Kingdom refused. The Uriṱeriqṱer responded by launching an invasion of Izezurbi, aiming to capture it, but the Ateter had reinforced the city's defences and the Uriṱeriqṱer attack was repulsed. An Erhemmii and Ateter force launched a counterattack against the Uriṱeriqṱer, besieging the city of Uvaḥurbi, which lay to the north of Izezurbi. The siege was successful and the Uriṱeriqṱer Kingdom quickly sued for peace.