Ageşoram

From Almeopedia

Ageşoram
975 - 1069 ; 1242 - 1315
Native:	ancient Ageşoram, modern Ajišur
Verdurian:	Adžišur
Characteristics
Capital:	Ageşoram
Government:	senatorial (usampas)
Ruler’s title	asemop
Language:	Old Skourene
Religions:	Skourene paganism

The city-state of Ageşoram [a ˈgɛ ʂo ɽam] was one of the first cities to be founded in the Littoral, settled by Imuṭelik expatriates and later part of its empire in the Namal, where it became a main naval station. Its eventual capture by Ṭisuram eliminated half of Imuṭeli's fleet, and is considered the turning point in the Quadrilateral War. By the time Ṭisuraku gained independence from its parent city in 555, Ageşoram went along with it as part of its hinterland. In 738, it was conquered by Guṭḷeli, and it was held by Engidori from 786 to 795 before passing back into Guṭḷelik hands.

Ageşoram was considered the prime city of the Namal, and its status was enhanced by the prosperity it had managed to build as Guṭḷeli's possession. After the latter's conquest by the Muḍureg in 938, it was allowed to join the Skourene League. By 975, the Muḍureg had descended into civil war, and Ageşoram seceded amidst the confusion.

It would only briefly enjoy its newfound independence— in 1069, the strong Engidorid League under Nkiuttaram annexed it after one of the shortest sieges in Skourene history. It joined the Groparam as a member in 1084, but its outrage over the conquest never truly died down. When Ḍolbunodu suffered a rout in his attack on Papliopagimi, both Ageşoram and Iṭili attempted to revolt. These rebellions were swiftly squelched, the ragtag rebel bands being no match for the Engidorid garrisons, but the brutality of the repression in Iṭili outraged the city, and after it threw off the yoke of Engidori, it helped liberate the Ageşoramandi out of a sense of kinship. They remained under Iṭilik command as more and more nations were dragged into the war, and its relationship with the delta city was further strengthened when it came under siege from the Axunemi in 1134. Only in 1242 did the situation cool enough for Ageşoram to split from Iṭili. It was reconquered in 1315 and used as a staging post against the forces of Axunai.

In the twilight years of the Skourene civilization, it passed into the ownership of Peligi, which subsequently lost it to the invading Tžuro. It would later be a focal point of the Gurdagor efforts to free the homeland, which, while ultimately futile, steeled the resolve of its inhabitants to preserve their culture; the contemporary city of Ajišur still uses the Skourene syllabary, and the majority of its inhabitants speak an Uṭandal language. The epic plays of Ṭailaneru, who was Ageşoramand by birth, are still held in high regard, and being able to quote them is considered a badge of erudition.

Etymology: Old Skourene after the divinity Ageşoram 'great ruler', Uṭandal Ajišur, Tžuro Agešur, Ṭeôši Ägešorä.

Author: Yebi