Chapter 2: The Grand Yangi Dynasty and the Age of Peace
"No longer shall the wars of the Old Home bother us upon this sacred land. All of our enemies shall sink to the utter depths of the sea before they can reach us upon this emerald in the sapphire waters. And so it has been that De has given us, the Konai, the people of choice, an ever-blooming Age of Peace, that of all the Naiya at least we shall be called blessed and given hearts to feel, ears to listen, and eyes to see the glorious works that De performs for our good."
- Teytin I, Book Three of the Esendra Daevini
Yangi the First established many precedents in the history of the Konai and Valiant Isle itself. It was noted that he was the first to rule over a relatively stable and united kingdom over the whole Valiant Archipelago (omitting the insurrection of Begri and Galbrethi Rock). He was the first to standardize Konai language, a form with few changes up to this day. He was the first king to raise an army on Valiant Isle (not all monarchs did), and the first to order public works of art, science, and economy.
Yangi was perhaps one of the greatest rulers of Valiant Isle, and it is very fortunate that historians have nearly complete records of the main events of his reign. At the age of thirty Yangi began his rule; he fathered six children, four girls and two boys. All the children had one mother, whose name is not known.
The first Daevini of the island built Xenoz, the capital of Konai civilization, next to Memba-Mosa, or Moontower, a large hollow and dead volcano on the edge of the Eastern Shore. The Royal Palace is built directly into the side of the mountain, and a passageway into the hollow magma chamber runs from behind the throne room. This passageway was, and still is, reserved for those in high power. Only High Ministers, the Royal Family, or the Supreme Chancellor may enter those premises. It was considered the most sacred part of the entire land for the Konai.
Atop Memba-Mosa the Konai craftsmen, sons of Hathsas, created the largest Konai sphere in existence. With a radius measured at one hundred meters, this sphere served as the high temple to De in Deanda, the land of God. Small spherical openings and the positioning of curved mirrors inside the sphere make it serve as a work of art and an astronomical observatory, much akin to Stonehenge of England.
Yangi considered these things great works and always wanted to achieve more than was possible. He writes in the Esendra Daevini:
"Some of our people name me as God's Vision… I do not see what De sees however. I only wish I could see such a thing. Call me what they will; we are brothers. Do what you will to me; we are brothers. Build the grandest pinnacles of rock and tower and conquer all lands to the utter ends; we are brothers… For me, there is little that is not here. May eternal peace and content always follow our sons and daughters, for that is my desire as Daevini of this place…"
Such passages are scattered throughout the mostly droll entries from day to day in the king's hand. Yangi defined Konai culture even to minute points. It was once said that because the king had worn his red sleeping garment while looking over the land, the doting people had decided that wearing red sleeping garments was the fashion. That is why today, Konai descendants will only wear red night robes and not any other color.
Within the passage of sixty years, Yangi the Great grew to the age of ninety and then passed his crown to his son Thorasso I, a passage of power never before heard of in that type of monarchy culture. By this time, three more major cities had been established on the island: Idolun, Gajayin, and Lafas-Kanay, meaning, Tree, Soil, and Daylight City respectively. The population had tripled, due to high birth and survival rate and an influx of apparently defected Minoans and slaves.
With the appearance of this new population, crime and corruption increased, but not to alarming rates. But Thorasso I in his wisdom established a system of justice and law that would last for seven hundred years. This system of law was similar in some respects to the jury system that is present in most democracies today, however, the jury members only acted as counsels to the main juror, who in many respects was really more of a judge. This "Quasay", or judge, in Konai, gave the final verdict and sentencing in the cases, but only if four of the other court officers, essentially jury members concurred with both rulings and with the reasoning behind those rulings.
This justice system was Thorasso's only great accomplishment, and he ruled for a total of fifty-eight years. Upon his death, the crown passed to his son, Teytin the First.
Teytin I ruled Valiant from 1552 B.C. to 1501 B.C. During this total of fifty-one years Teytin created the largest religious establishment on the island until the introduction of Christianity in 900 A.D. This religion was known as De-vol-wain, or the Servant-hood of God. It was led by the Priesthood of the Spheres, springing from the Great Sphere at Memba-Mosa and the religious and astronomical observatory there on top of the mountain. The spheres became a regular fixture around the island and it is noted that over 150 important sphere temples are still in relatively good condition, and usable to observe the motion of stars as they were used nearly three and a half thousand years previous. Teytin I passed his crown to his son Yangi II in 1501 B.C. When Teytin I died in 1495 B.C., he had helped build two summer palaces, Xenoz-Ramba near the Central Range, and Xenoz-Hathas on the northern shores.
When Yangi II took the throne at Xenoz, there were probably about 60,000 people who lived within the Konai sphere of influence in the South Atlantic. During this time Konai scholars began to create intricate maps of their society. Cartography became an apparent new craze among the emerging classes of the Konai. About this time, the royal governors were established, which would later lead to the creation of the Royal Senate. Thus, the Konai became a civilization defined by a noble class, a middle class, and a lower class. Yangi II died from a respiratory disease in 1443 B.C. and passed his crown to his second oldest son, Yangi III. He ruled a total of 58 years.
In about 1430 B.C., Yangi III took the first official census of the people. Records indicate that there were the four major Brotherhood regions, not including the outcast Galbrethi society, and a total of 115,273 people under the influence of the Konai scepter. With only about 1500 men in the army and navy combined, Yangi, understanding the value of the Konai society, built up his military and naval forces to robust standards. The king writes of this mobilization:
"The Darklings of the Old Home will find us, the grandsons of the great grandsons of our beloved father Kon. Their love of revenge and greed for power will take us all at unawares lest we be prepared for them. Thus it may be that I decree a total shield of power around this hallowed Deanda, and proclaim that every willing and able man and woman shall defend this country and God, yea unto bitter death in the salty sea…"
The "Darklings" mentioned in that passage are spoken of by the same label up to the end of the Yangi Dynasty. It is theorized that these Darklings are the Minoan or Phoenician forces that attacked the island over the next few monarchical periods, but there is no conclusive literary or forensic evidence to support this. Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that the Darklings were a Mediterranean society that created quite a deal of trouble for a people still in their relative infancy.
By the end of the militarized period, the Konai possessed a naval fleet rumored to be quite powerful. According to narrative tradition, the fleet when it was packed tight enough, could completely fill Royal Harbor, an area of nearly five miles square. It was also said that the sail fabrics, made of metallic colored materials that reflected sunlight (in reminiscence of the Varadonai myths) became a second sunrise upon the island's capital Xenoz. Therefore, it was said that the glory of God shone down upon them every time the fleet returned home in victory, a connection to the common phrase "May the sails light your way," the equivalent of "Good luck," or "May God be with you," in Columbian vernacular.
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