The Mongol conquest of Khwarezmia, or the Mongol invasion of Iran, from 1219 to 1221 marked the beginning of the Mongol conquest of the Islamic states. The Mongol expansion would ultimately culminate in the conquest of virtually all of Asia (as well as parts of Eastern Europe) with the exception of Japan, the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, Siberia, and most of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
The Khwarazmian dynasty was a Persianate Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic mamluk origin. The dynasty ruled large parts of Central Asia and Iran in the approximate period of 1077 to 1231, first as vassals of the Seljuqs and the Qara-Khitan, and later as independent rulers, up until the Mongol invasion of Khwarezmia in the 13th century.
The dynasty spanned 2.3 (or 3.6) million square kilometers.
It was also known as the Khwarezmid dynasty, the Anushtegin dynasty, the dynasty of Khwarazm Shahs, and other spelling variants.
It is derived from Persian: خوارزمشاهیان, romanized: Khwārazmshāhiyān "Kings of Khwarazm".
The dynasty was founded by commander Anush Tigin Gharchai, a former Turkic slave of the Seljuq sultans, who was appointed as governor of Khwarezm. His son, Qutb ad-Din Muhammad I, became the first hereditary Shah of Khwarezm.
After the defeat of the Kara-Khitans, a sinicized empire in Central Asia, ruled by the Khitan Yelü clan founded by Yelü Dashi (Emperor Dezong of Liao), who led the remnants of the Liao dynasty to Central Asia after fleeing from the Jurchen conquest of their homeland in the north and northeast of modern-day China, Genghis Khan's Mongol Empire gained a border with the Khwarezmid Empire, governed by Shah Ala ad-Din Muhammad.
The Shah had only recently taken some of the territory under his control, and he was also busy with a dispute with the Al-Nasir li-Din Allah (6 August 1158 – 5 October 1225) the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 1180 until his death. The Shah had refused to make the obligatory homage to the caliph as titular leader of Islam, and demanded recognition as Shah of his empire, without any of the usual bribes or pretenses. This alone had created problems for him along his southern border.
It was at this junction the rapidly expanding Mongol Empire made contact. Mongol historians are adamant that the great khan at that time had no intention of invading the Khwarezmid Empire, and was only interested in trade and even a potential alliance.
The Shah was very suspicious of Genghis' desire for a trade agreement, and messages from the Shah's ambassador at Zhongdu, i.e., lit. "Central Capital" capital of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in medieval China located in the southwestern part of Beijing's Xicheng District, in China described the savagery of the Mongols when they assaulted the city during their war with the Jin dynasty, also sometimes called the "Jurchen dynasty" or the "Jurchen Jin", because its founding leader Aguda (reign 1115–1123) was of Wanyan Jurchen descent.
Of further interest is that the caliph of Baghdad had attempted to instigate a war between the Mongols and the Shah some years before the Mongol invasion actually occurred. This attempt at an alliance with Genghis was made because of a dispute between Nasir and the Shah, but the Khan had no interest in alliance with any ruler who claimed ultimate authority, titular or not, and which marked the Caliphate for an extinction which would come from Genghis' grandson, Hulegu.
At the time, this attempt by the Caliph involved the Shah's ongoing claim to be named sultan of Khwarezm, something that Nasir had no wish to grant, as the Shah refused to acknowledge his authority, however illusory such authority was. However, it is known that Genghis rejected the notion of war as he was engaged in war with the Jin dynasty and was gaining much wealth from trading with the Khwarezmid Empire.
Genghis then sent a 500-man caravan of Muslims to establish official trade ties with Khwarezmia.
However Inalchuq, the governor of the Khwarezmian city of Otrar, had the members of the caravan that came from Mongolia arrested, claiming that the caravan was a conspiracy against Khwarezmia. It seems unlikely, however, that any members of the trade delegation were spies.
Nor does it seem likely that Genghis was trying to initiate a conflict with the Khwarezmid Empire with the caravan, considering he was making steady progress against a faltering Jin empire in northern China at that very moment.
Genghis Khan then sent a second group of three ambassadors (one Muslim and two Mongols) to meet the shah himself and demand the caravan at Otrar be set free and the governor be handed over for punishment.
The shah had both of the Mongols shaved and had the Muslim beheaded before sending them back to Genghis Khan. Muhammad also ordered the personnel of the caravan to be executed. This was seen as a grave affront to the Khan himself, who considered ambassadors "as sacred and inviolable".
It was not originally the intention of the Mongol Empire to invade the Khwarezmid Empire. According to the Persian historian Juzjani, Genghis Khan had originally sent the ruler of the Khwarezmid Empire, Ala ad-Din Muhammad, a message seeking trade and greeted him as his neighbor: "I am master of the lands of the rising sun while you rule those of the setting sun. Let us conclude a firm treaty of friendship and peace." or he said "I am Khan of the lands of the rising sun while you are sultan of those of the setting sun: Let us conclude a firm agreement of friendship and peace." The Mongols' original unification of all "people in felt tents", unifying the nomadic tribes in Mongolia and then the Turcomens and other nomadic peoples, had come with relatively little bloodshed, and almost no material loss.
The Mongol wars with the Jurchens however had shown how cruel the Mongols could be. Shah Muhammad reluctantly agreed to this peace treaty, but it was not to last. The war started less than a year later, when a Mongol caravan and its envoys were massacred in the Khwarezmian city of Otrar.
This led Genghis Khan to attack the Khwarezmian dynasty. The Mongols crossed the Tian Shan mountains, coming into the Shah's empire in 1219.
In the ensuing war, lasting less than two years, the Khwarezmid Empire was destroyed.
Though they technically bordered each other, the Mongol and Khwarezm Empires touched far away from the homeland of each nation.
In between them was a series of treacherous mountain ranges that the invader would have to cross.
This aspect is often overlooked in this campaign, yet it was a critical reason why the Mongols were able to create a dominating position.
The Khwarezm Shah and his advisers assumed that the Mongols would invade through the Dzungarian Gate, the natural mountain pass in between the (now conquered) Khara-Khitai and Khwarezm Empires.
One option for the Khwarezm defense was to advance beyond the towns of the Syr Darya and block the Dzungarian Gate, the one and only gateway in the mountain-wall which stretches from Manchuria to Afghanistan, over a distance of three thousand miles, with an army, since it would take Genghis many months to gather his army in Mongolia and advance through the pass after winter had passed.
The Khwarezm decision makers believed they would have time to further refine their strategy, but the Khan had struck first.
Immediately when war was declared, Genghis sent orders for a force already out to the west to immediately cross the Tien Shan mountains to the south and ravage the fertile Ferghana Valley in the eastern part of the Khwarezm Empire.
This smaller detachment, no more than 20,000–30,000 men, was led by Genghis's son Jochi and his elite general Jebe.
The Tien Shan mountain passes were much more treacherous than the Dzungarian Gate, and to make it worse, they attempted the crossing in the middle of winter with over 5 feet of snow.
The Tian Shan, also known as the Tengri Tagh or Tengir-Too, meaning the Mountains of Heaven or the Heavenly Mountain, is a large system of mountain ranges located in Central Asia.
The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Jengish Chokusu, at 7,439 metres (24,406 ft) high.
Its lowest point is the Turpan Depression, which is 154 m (505 ft) below sea level.
The Chinese name for Tian Shan may have been derived from the Xiongnu, a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD, word Qilian – according to Tang Empire (618–690, 705–907) commentator Yan Shigu, Qilian is the Xiongnu word for sky or heaven.
Sima Qian, a Chinese historian of the early Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 220), in the Records of the Grand Historian, a monumental history of ancient China and the world finished around 94 BC, mentioned Qilian in relation to the homeland of the Yuezhi, an ancient people first described in Chinese histories as nomadic pastoralists living in an arid grassland area in the western part of the modern Chinese province of Gansu, during the 1st millennium BC, and the term is believed to refer to the Tian Shan rather than the Qilian Mountains 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) further east now known by this name.
Tian Shan is sacred in Tengrism, ancient and medieval Central Asian–Eurasian Steppe sky god Tengri-centered state religion, and its second-highest peak is known as Khan Tengri which may be translated as "Lord of the Spirits".
The north is dominated by the eye-shaped Issyk-Kul lake, the second largest saline lake in the world, which never freezes despite its altitude in the Tian Shan mountains, surrounded by the ridges of the Tian Shan mountain system: the Kyungey Ala-Too mountains to the north and the Terskey Alatau to the south (the 'sunny' and 'shady' Alatau, respectively).
To the south is mountains and 'jailoos' (mountain meadows used for summer grazing).
The highest peaks of the Tian Shan mountains, including Khan Tengri, are located in the easternmost part of the region.
Though the Mongols suffered losses and were exhausted from the crossing, their presence in the Ferghana Valley stunned the Khwarezm leadership and permanently stole the initiative away.
This march can be described as the Central Asian equivalent of Hannibal's crossing of the Alps, with the same devastating effects.
Because the Shah did not know if this Mongol army was a diversion or their main army, he had to protect one of his most fertile regions with force. Therefore, the Shah dispatched his elite cavalry reserve, which prevented him from effectively marching anywhere else with his main army.
Jebe and Jochi seem to have kept their army in good shape while plundering the valley, and they avoided defeat by a much superior force.
At this point the Mongols split up and again maneuvered over the mountains: Jebe marched further south deeper into Khwarezm territory, while Jochi took most of the force northwest to attack the exposed cities on the Syr Darya from the east.
In the heights of the TIAN SHAN MOUNTAINS (1219 CE), in the midst of winter...
When making their long travels either to or from the battlefield, the Mongols transport everything they need to survive -- food, rations, clothing, weapons and of course the yurts, a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt and used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes of Central Asia.
All this material needs to be managed and moved effectively, which means using the resources the Mongols have available to them.
Mongol horses are a primary source of transport, capable of not only carrying a Mongol warrior but many packs and bags.
Paraceratherium, a genus of hornless rhinoceros and one of the largest terrestrial mammals that has existed, are also popular for slower transport.
Horses however are still the primary and preferred method of transport.
After settling on a camp, the Mongols start the construction of their gers, making sure their homes would be ready for the cold of the night. Temporary corals are made for the livestock, ensuring they would still be there come morning, and the food preparation and cooking begin.
Of course the most important part of camp life is the rest and re-fueling. Travel is hard, and while the Mongols are supremely skilled at it, it still takes its toll on them. Camp therefore is used to offer respite from the riding and grind of their long travels, giving the Mongol warriors a chance to get their energy back.
Jochi is a Mongolian army commander who is the eldest son of Genghis Khan, and presumably one of the four sons by his principal wife Börte, though issues concerning his paternity follow him throughout his life.
An accomplished military leader, he has participated in his father's conquest of Central Asia, along with his brothers and uncles.
The Mongols had long maintained relations with the people of the Siberian forest (taiga). They called them oin irged ("people of the forest"). Many of them, such as the Barga and Uriankhai, were little different from the Mongols. While the tribes around Lake Baikal, a rift lake located in southern Siberia, Russia, are Mongol-speaking, those to the west speak Turkic, Samoyedic, or Yeniseian languages.
By 1206, Genghis Khan had conquered all Mongol and Turkic tribes in Mongolia and southern Siberia.
In 1207, his eldest son Jochi subjugated the Siberian forest people, the Uriankhai, the Oirats, Barga, Khakas, Buryats, Tuvans, Khori-Tumed, and Kyrgyz.
Genghis Khan organized the Siberians into three tumens.He gave the Telengit and Tolos along the Irtysh River to an old companion, Qorchi. While the Barga, Tumed, Buriats, Khori, Keshmiti, and Bashkirs were organized in separate thousands, the Telengit, Tolos, Oirats and Yenisei Kirghiz were numbered as tumens, a social and military unit of 10,000 households and soldiers.
Genghis created a settlement of Chinese craftsmen and farmers at Kem-kemchik after the first phase of the Mongol conquest of the Jin dynasty.
The Great Khans favored gyrfalcons, furs, women and Kyrgyz horses for tribute.
For Daryun, this war was not one of vengeance or justice; nor did he care who's ancestor killed someone else's ancestor in a fight over a goat: that was how mortals think, and Daryun is not a mortal.
For Daryun it was about a dog.
His dog, which he simply named Dog, was the first thing Daryun met in this world that took both a liking to and tried to take care of him; it tried to drag him to safety when he passed out on a bender; it brought him food and literally licked his wounds to heal them (such minor cuts and scratches as he received battling with armies).
Dog was truly his best and most loyal friend, a position that none had every truly wanted to fill before Dog.
While the story, if it is to be believed at all, is that the soldiers of The Khwarezmid dynasty had actually killed the beast to eat it, starving as they were.
Daryun woke up the next morning with a hangover and Dog not with him.
He blinked his eyes, confused, then looked around for his friend.
Daryun noticed a campfire in the distance, and ran like a madman towards it. The small squad of soldiers were just disposing of the dog's bones, and Daryun saw two things: the skin of the dog, which stood drying to be used as material for something like a cloak or part of a blanket, and the small bell that hung from a rope that Daryun had tied around the dog's neck, so he wouldn't accidentally strike it while drunk.
What happens next varies depending on who tells the story, but suffice it to say that the dog was those soldier's last meal. They died screaming, but not before they told Daryun whose standard they battled under.
Scratching his chin and smearing the blood of one of the soldiers on his jaw, Daryun recalled something about the Mongolians declaring war on the Khwarezmians. Shrugging, he set off towards their battle camp.
Asking questions as he went, anyone who knew anything was more than happy to share their knowledge, just to get Daryun out of their life locale as fast as possible.
Eventually, Daryun found what he sought, and strode right into the middle of the Mongolian camp.
"Who leads here?" he asked, his eyes a dark crimson.
"I do." replied Jochi, son of Ghengis Khan, as he exited his Yurt to see what all the fuss was about.
"I'm going to kill the Khwarezmians, and I heard you lot have a wish to send them to their ancestors to answer for their crimes. Either fight with me, or stay out of my way."
Jochi regarded Daryun for a moment then asked "How well can you fight?"
In response Daryun simply ripped a rock roughly the size of his head from the earth and tossed with such power that it flew beyond the horizon; such was the speed of his toss that a sonic boom followed in it's wake.
"Very well, let us work together then." was Jochi's only answer.
"Good." was all Daryun said, before finding a place to sit and grabbing a skin of wine to drink.
The second highest peak of the snow-bound Tian Shan Mountains, the imposing massif known as Khan Tengri, the 'Lord of the Spirits', dominates the nighttime horizon as Daryun takes his seat at the camp fire among the other Mongol warriors.
The flickering flame of the recently-kindled blaze does little to abate the intense darkness of the oncoming winter night.
In the sky above, the constellation known as the Great Bear is visible to the resting warriors.
The Mongols are particularly attached to the Great Bear.
This constellation is limited for them to the seven Dipper stars making the bear's tail and body, and the legend concerning it is probably the most famous in Mongolia.
Once upon a time, there were eight orphan brothers gifted with outstanding capabilities living within a kingdom. The king and the queen lived within it peacefully. One day, a monster came and kidnapped the queen. The king asked the eight brothers to bring her back and said: "If one of you succeeds to rescue my beloved, I will give to him a golden arrow". The orphans went together to assist their queen. They searched the monster during two days and three nights, when in the middle of the third night, they found and killed the monster. They brought back the queen in the castle. The king did not cut the arrow in eight parts, he decided to throw it in the sky. The first to catch it could keep it. The younger brother succeeded the test and changed immediately into the North Star (Polar Star). The seven others changed into the seven gods, the seven gods visiting their younger brother every night. The name Doloon burkhan (the Seven Gods) come from this legend to appoint the Great Bear and the Golden Stick, Altan Hadaas, the Polar Star.
For Daryun, this war was not one of vengeance or justice; nor did he care who's ancestor killed someone else's ancestor in a fight over a goat: that was how mortals think, and Daryun is not a mortal.
For Daryun it was about a dog.
His dog, which he simply named Dog, was the first thing Daryun met in this world that took both a liking to and tried to take care of him; it tried to drag him to safety when he passed out on a bender; it brought him food and literally licked his wounds to heal them (such minor cuts and scratches as he received battling with armies).
Dog was truly his best and most loyal friend, a position that none had every truly wanted to fill before Dog.
While the story, if it is to be believed at all, is that the soldiers of The Khwarezmid dynasty had actually killed the beast to eat it, starving as they were.
Daryun woke up the next morning with a hangover and Dog not with him.
He blinked his eyes, confused, then looked around for his friend.
Daryun noticed a campfire in the distance, and ran like a madman towards it. The small squad of soldiers were just disposing of the dog's bones, and Daryun saw two things: the skin of the dog, which stood drying to be used as material for something like a cloak or part of a blanket, and the small bell that hung from a rope that Daryun had tied around the dog's neck, so he wouldn't accidentally strike it while drunk.
What happens next varies depending on who tells the story, but suffice it to say that the dog was those soldier's last meal. They died screaming, but not before they told Daryun whose standard they battled under.
Scratching his chin and smearing the blood of one of the soldiers on his jaw, Daryun recalled something about the Mongolians declaring war on the Khwarezmians. Shrugging, he set off towards their battle camp.
Asking questions as he went, anyone who knew anything was more than happy to share their knowledge, just to get Daryun out of their life locale as fast as possible.
Eventually, Daryun found what...
The Mongol warrior seated at Daryun's right inclines his head in an almost conspiratorial fashion as he takes his seat by the fire.
Like most of the Mongol warriors, he is outfitted in lamellar armour,, made from small rectangular plates or lamellae laced into horizontal rows. Whereas the majority of the Mongols wear rawhide leather armour, some, like the warrior greeting Daryun, have their harness completely wrought from iron, which is made in the following manner:
The Mongol armorer beats out in large numbers thin iron plates a finger broad and a full hand long. In each they bore eight small holes through which they pull three straight leather thongs. Thereupon they arrange these plates one above another, as it were, ascending by degrees, and tie the plates to the thongs mentioned by means of other small and tender thongs drawn through the holes. In the upper part they fasten a single, small thong, doubled on each side, and sewn on to another, that the plates may be well and tightly knit together.
Thus a uniform protection is effected by these plates, and such like armour is made for their horses as well as for their men.
It is so highly polished that a man may mirror his face in it
The man wears the distinctive Yuan style of helmet common to the Mongol warriors. The upper part of his helmet is of iron or steel, while that part guarding the neck and throat is of leather.
He carries the Persian and Chinese warriors which the Mongols adopted and improved in the course of their conquest of Central Asia -- a mace, a lance with a hook and snare, a saber, a full supply of three-quivered arrows and an accompanying composite bow made of wood, sinew and horn. Strapped to his left arm, the soldier carries daggers used in close-range fighting.
"Oroin mend (good evening) warrior! You are surely welcome to share our fire if you will likewise share your strong arms and armor. I am Orda Ichen, son of Jochi, son of our Great Khan Ghengis. And who might you be?"
"I am Daryun, first born - and only born! - son of Erlik, lord of darkness and the underworld, forever may he rot." Daryun expelled a massive wad of spit before continuing: "As you can see Orda Ichen, I lack armor, but as the son of a god no mortal forged weapon can pierce my skin."
Daryun was truly a specimen of man: he stood almost eight feet tall, and it appeared that the concept of body fat was completely unknown to him; muscle was the order of the day. His shoulders were half the width of his body, and tree trunks in the shape of Human limbs extended from his shoulders.
His unruly dark hair was tied in by a small piece of rope at the back of his skull, but like the man's personality, it appears to explode on the other side of the rope. He had shaven recently, but the stubble that threatened to sprout and take hold into a forest of facial hair was currently waging a campaign of terror across his face.Despite all of this, the thing that stood out the most was his eyes, the irises of which were the color of deepest crimson.
True to his word, Daryun had neither armor or weapons; in fact, he wore nothing more than pants that had been cut below the knees and sandals in the style of the Hindi: open toed, with a strap that wrapped around the ankle and then settled into the open space between the big toe and it's nearest neighbor, then a second strap went over the big toe itself.
Daryun carried nothing nothing save a piece of rope that a bell hung from.
"I am Daryun, first born - and only born! - son of Erlik, lord of darkness and the underworld, forever may he rot." Daryun expelled a massive wad of spit before continuing: "As you can see Orda Ichen, I lack armor, but as the son of a god no mortal forged weapon can pierce my skin."
Daryun was truly a specimen of man: he stood almost eight feet tall, and it appeared that the concept of body fat was completely unknown to him; muscle was the order of the day. His shoulders were half the width of his body, and tree trunks in the shape of Human limbs extended from his shoulders.
His unruly dark hair was tied in by a small piece of rope at the back of his skull, but like the man's personality, it appears to explode on the other side of the rope. He had shaven recently, but the stubble that threatened to sprout and take hold into a forest of facial hair was currently waging a campaign of terror across his face.Despite all of this, the thing that stood out the most was his eyes, the irises of which were the color of deepest crimson.
True to his word, Daryun had neither armor or weapons; in fact, he wore nothing more than pants that had been cut below the knees and sandals in the style of the Hindi: open toed, with a strap that wrapped around the ankle and then settled into the open space between the big toe and it's nearest neighbor, then a second strap went over the big toe itself.
Daryun carried nothing nothing save a piece of rope that a bell hung from.
Orda smiles a broad grin which crosses his whole face, from one ruddy cheek to the other.
"Well met Daryun, son of Erlik!"
He points at the distant form of the mountain known as Khan Tenri,
"Son of a god eh? Then, Daryun, you must be at home here in these mountains, near to the dwelling place of your fellows."
The warrior lets forth a hearty laugh, a deep resonant sound which reverberates through the chill night breeze,
"Maybe you should pay them a visit, while you're in their hunting grounds? As for me," Orda taps the breastplate of his lamellar with his saber, making a hollow clunking sound, "I shall be content to eat, drink, and sing with my fellows among mortal fighting men, here on the cold shores of Lake Baikal."
Daryun joined him in laughing and then suddenly stopped and said "Wait, it's cold?"
Daryun joined him in laughing and then suddenly stopped and said "Wait, it's cold?"
Orda pauses for only a moment, his face openly displaying his shock at the new warrior's apparent ignorance of the bitter weather.
Then he breaks into an even louder peal of laughter than before,
"Is it cold, warrior Daryun?" he chokes out between a whole series of phlegmatic guffaws.
He turns to the rest of his companions, who join Orda in his intense merriment,
"This one can stay, I think, brothers!"
"Brother I-" A young woman came into view. An odd sight for a war camp, dressed as a shaman of the Mongel people however the clothes were of very fine make, mostly furs and silk. "Ah, you're the one from my foresight." Sechen said as she pointed to Daryun. The look of this young woman was greatly similar to Orda.
"I was coming to tell you to expect this one, brother. But while my sight may look into the future I am still mortal and thus can be late." She told them with a small smile. "I am Sechen, the spirit speaker. First daughter of Jochi." Senchen introduce herself.
Daryun chuckles and says "I have no connection to prophesy. It's just a way to allow mortals to accept that there are things they don't understand." Daryun runs his hand across his head and adds "Prophesy is done by dusty old men shouting 'I warned you!'." Daryun stared hard at Sechen then added "You're younger than most prophets. Prettier too!"
He then laughs at his own joke.
Sechen raised an eyebrow at the man, offering a half smirk. "Prophecy is different than foresight. Though one comes from another. You cannot have Prophecy without foresight." She said with a small chuckle as the lack of his knowledge. "I'd be careful speaking so openly like that around my brother, I am the granddaughter of the mighty Genghis Khan, and one who speaks to the spirits of our family past. That said... Blood of gods is tempting."
Sechen teased in return to show she held no ill will at his joke.
Num is not particularly different from other Mongol warriors; horse-mad, as it were, and passionate about the bow. Unlike the others, however, he wears no armor, only furs; while he may be virtually immune to the dangers of winter, he clearly feels more comfortable in the felts and furs he would be wearing at home.
Having set up his own ger and hung on its edge the bag of endless hay providing food for his remounts and spirit-horse, he moves with the latter through the scores of portable 'homes' towards one of the fires around which gather others of the Mongol's 'nobility'. Arriving in time to see the appearance of the giant of a man -- or godling, perhaps, if his bragging is to be believed -- he exchanges a long glance with the dapple-grey mare at his side before the two move forward and, as is their usual habit, kick aside some snow a little outside the close ring about the fire. As Shuurga settles herself down, Num lays a blanket over the top of the remaining snow and tucks the end of it under his horse, settling himself down upon it with his back to her belly.
The two of them watch Daryun's arrival, and his 'acceptance' amongst the young warriors; as a relatively young man of a notable family (having bid farewell to his own father, Jebe, only a short time ago as the latter headed south with his contingent) and skill to equal it, he watches the newcomer with interest -- and, it should be said, wariness. The readiness with which Orda welcomes him is not shared by Num, but the armorless archer is reticent at best, and says nothing.
The arrival of the sixteen-year-old Sechen causes Num some amount of disquiet; it's been clear he feels that she's too young to be abroad and on the battlefield. But the exchange between the newcomer and the young woman causes him to cross his arms; one does not treat a Mongol woman in such a manner. Not, that is, without consequence. But she is not his kin.
The horse behind him is the one who speaks up. "Blood of the gods has both advantage and cost," Shuurga observes, the horse's voice a mellow alto. "One can never be certain of the consequence." A warning, perhaps?
Num is not particularly different from other Mongol warriors; horse-mad, as it were, and passionate about the bow. Unlike the others, however, he wears no armor, only furs; while he may be virtually immune to the dangers of winter, he clearly feels more comfortable in the felts and furs he would be wearing at home.
Having set up his own ger and hung on its edge the bag of endless hay providing food for his remounts and spirit-horse, he moves with the latter through the scores of portable 'homes' towards one of the fires around which gather others of the Mongol's 'nobility'. Arriving in time to see the appearance of the giant of a man -- or godling, perhaps, if his bragging is to be believed -- he exchanges a long glance with the dapple-grey mare at his side before the two move forward and, as is their usual habit, kick aside some snow a little outside the close ring about the fire. As Shuurga settles herself down, Num lays a blanket over the top of the remaining snow and tucks the end of it under his horse, settling himself down upon it with his back to her belly.
The two of them watch Daryun's arrival, and his 'acceptance' amongst the young warriors; as a relatively young man of a notable family (having bid farewell to his own father, Jebe, only a short time ago as the latter headed south with his contingent) and skill to equal it, he watches the newcomer with interest -- and, it should be said, wariness. The readiness with which Orda welcomes him is not shared by Num, but the armorless archer is reticent at best, and says nothing.
The arrival of the sixteen-year-old Sechen causes Num some amount of disquiet; it's been clear he feels that she's too young to be abroad and on the battlefield. But the exchange between the newcomer and the young woman causes him to cross his arms; one does not treat a Mongol woman in such a manner. Not, that is, without consequence. But she is not his kin.
The horse behind him is the one who speaks up. "Blood of the gods has both advantage...
Orda grunts in the direction of the newcomer,
"I was wondering when you'd show up Num, you old rascal."
"Hello Num." Sechen said with a small nod, however when her eyes fell on him she tried to offer a small smile of comfort. It wasn't unknown to the young woman of how he felt about her being there, others felt the same. It wasn't common to find a woman like Sechen in a war camp however an exception had been made for the Khan's kin given her abilities.
"Have you been dealing with the cold well?" She asked.
"Prophesy, foresight, salesmanship; it's all the same. The only people who can clearly and truly see the future are the Gods, including my father, may his bowels rot."
Daryun turns and sizes up Num, then says in response to his remark "That's true, there are plenty of bad things about being a god, but none that are easily explained to mortals; still, that's perceptive of one of your kind."
"You know... if you wish to make friends, or at least for people not to hate you, I wouldn't call us your kind" Sechen offered Daryun a little bit of advice. "I'd just say it was very perceptive and stopped at that."
"But it is a learning experience." She told him, hoping to keep him on the upside of joining them. "Oh, you don't mind the cold but do you need to sleep?" She asked.
Daryun considered Sechen's words, then said "If you could talk to a horse, and have it talk back to you, would you call it a human? My words were not meant in offense; we are just different beings." in response to Sechen's first statement. In response to the second one, however, he snorts and says "Is that an offer?"
"I'm going to let you rethink the first question you just asked. As to who you asked it to." Sechen motioned to the Mongols around her, and their horses. "Maybe use something else for your equivocal." She pointed out
"As to the second question, not the type of offer your mind is thinking of. I wanted to know if we needed to find you a place to stay."
Daryun considered Sechen's words, then said "If you could talk to a horse, and have it talk back to you, would you call it a human? My words were not meant in offense; we are just different beings." in response to Sechen's first statement. In response to the second one, however, he snorts and says "Is that an offer?"
"I'm going to let you rethink the first question you just asked. As to who you asked it to." Sechen motioned to the Mongols around her, and their horses. "Maybe use something else for your equivocal." She pointed out
"As to the second question, not the type of offer your mind is thinking of. I wanted to know if we needed to find you a place to stay."
Orda bristles noticeably at Daryun's ill-considered words towards his sister,
"Ho there, Daryun, Son of Erlik, progeny of a god you may be, or not, but what is certain is that none in the infinite heavens above, or anywhere in the far reaches of this earth, nor from the furthest depths under it, shall speak thus to my sister, the granddaughter of our Great Khan Ghengis."
As he speaks, the Mongol warrior's hand instinctively reaches for his weapon, as do his companions gathered around the campfire.
"I meant no offense. It was meant as a jest, and I did not know she was your sister."
He turned to Sehen and said "I meant no offense."
"Then you need to listen better, as I am sure both of us told you who our father was." Sechen pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "However I am aware you meant no offense." She added.
Reaching out Sechen placed her hand upon Orda's hand that rested upon his weapon. "You will not fight in camp." She told him. "He has apologized, remember he knows nothing of our ways. His kind don't think much of mortals." Sechen said, pointing out to Daryun, or at least trying to, how hurtful words could be.
At Daryun's look -- not to mention his comment about 'talking to horses' -- Num gives a small, quiet, tolerant smile; the horse against which he leans snorts in a very equine laugh. The exchange between Sechen and the self-proclaimed 'son of Erlik' makes the unarmored Mongol's eyes tighten a bit, but Orda is clearly ready to defend his sister and her honor. Though his bow is immediately to hand, Num needn't reach for a weapon ... but with his eyes on Daryun, he listens and listens well.
He meant what he said, he opinions telepathically to the mare, but I have to admit I don't know if he didn't realize that 'son of Jochi' and 'daughter of Jochi' meant that they were siblings. Slow of mind if so, no matter how much of a braggart he is.
Shuurga gives a big snort of amusement, then speaks in her mellow alto voice. You are, in fact, talking to a horse, Daryun son of Erlik. But you are not the only one here with a god's blood running through their veins. Some say that Temüjin of the Borjigins, the Chinggis Khaan, born on Burkhan Khaldun, is descended of Tengri himself, which would mean that Orda and Sechen, children of Jochi son of Temüjin of the Borjigin tribe, both have the blood of a god in them. My master is Erkliğ, son of Jirqo'adai, in whose line runs the blood of Erkliğ Han, god of the Far Deep Sky."
Presuming Daryun is actually looking over, Num gives a nod of acknowledgement to the broad-shouldered bare-chested man.
"Were I you, Lord Daryun, continues the horse, "I would not be so certain of your skin's unbreakability. Son of a god you may be, but you must also be son of a woman, hmm? Perhaps you have only challenged yourself against lesser individuals."
To Orda, she nickers in greeting, then speaks. "He was taking care of his herd, of course. This place is not good for so many, but as we move on tomorrow ... well, the Hundred Years of Hay feeds more than just Num's mounts. We have found some that have been underfed of late, and they eat their fill as well."
To Sechen the horse gives a very respectful bob of her head -- several bobs, actually; as a wind-horse herself, she knows the value of keeping close one who can speak to the spirit world. "The cold weather harms neither Num, myself, nor Ukhaanti much," she states, the third one mentioned being Num's white-and-blue eagle, known to the shamans as a manifestation of his memory-bearing sünesün ruhu water-soul, much as she herself is the manifestation of Num's personality-bearing sülde ruhu wind-soul. "But there is a difference between being harmed and being comfortable. Lord Daryun certainly claims to be comfortable, but my master knows the difference between a blanket of snow and a blanket of felt."
"Then you need to listen better, as I am sure both of us told you who our father was." Sechen pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "However I am aware you meant no offense." She added.
Reaching out Sechen placed her hand upon Orda's hand that rested upon his weapon. "You will not fight in camp." She told him. "He has apologized, remember he knows nothing of our ways. His kind don't think much of mortals." Sechen said, pointing out to Daryun, or at least trying to, how hurtful words could be.
After a tense moment, Orda relaxes noticeably, as do his companions by the camp fire, who had likewise begun to stir to action at their master's prompting.
"Very well then, for I am sure that Daryun, son of the god Erlik Khan, master of death, knows very well the precepts of the scrolls of the Yassa proclaimed among this empire by our Great Khan Gengis and his stepbrother Shikhikhutag, and that Ghengis entrusted this Yassa to his son Chagatai, that it might be strictly observed in all nations of the earth which the high god Tengri ordered him to "bring under one spear."
"Among those precepts enshrined within the revered scrolls is that any abduction of women and sexual assault and or abuse of women is forbidden and punishable by death."
"And I am sure that this traveler, seeking refuge from the elements, does not now desire the embrace of death."
Orda resumes his seat by the blazing fire, and gestures with a wide sweep of his hand towards those assembled before him.
"Come then and take a place by the fire, and gather the warmth of it to your bones. Soon enough, we shall smother its flames, and ride again in the chill winds of the mountains."
A handful of people talk to him all at once confuses Daryun, but none so more than the talking horse. He stares at it for a moment, then shakes his head and says "haven't seen a talking animal before; and no, I'm not the son of a woman. I appeared in my father's chest, from a stone that gave him pain, or so he told me. I had no mother."
Looking at Orda, Daryun says "I have never stolen nor forced a woman, and I don't intend to start now, nor would I break the guest code."
A handful of people talk to him all at once confuses Daryun, but none so more than the talking horse. He stares at it for a moment, then shakes his head and says "haven't seen a talking animal before; and no, I'm not the son of a woman. I appeared in my father's chest, from a stone that gave him pain, or so he told me. I had no mother."
Looking at Orda, Daryun says "I have never stolen nor forced a woman, and I don't intend to start now, nor would I break the guest code."
Orda only grunts in recognition of Daryun's words of contrition, and gestures again for the big man to sit by the fire with the other Mongol warriors.
"Stealing women actually use to be a tradition of some Mongol men." Sechen told Daryun as she motioned for him to sit then took a seat herself by the fire. She could begin to educate this godling in the people around him. "The marriage traditions of my people, at least the most respected ones, was that a young man would work for a family who had a daughter close to his age. This work was effectively his way of earning a bride, as well as giving them and her gifts. At the end of his years of working he and his new bride would be of age to marry, and he would return with her to his family. However the trip back over the steps are a dangerous one, and often others of different clans would attack and take brides when they couldn't get one themselves." Sechen explained. "However when my grandfather united all of the Mongol people, he put an end to that practice. It is now illegal to steal women, and we Mongol women now even have greater rights than we ever had before if you believe the elders. Also you should know, horses play a great role in our culture. It use to be that bring born into a horse breeding family was the greatest chance one could be given. They were seen as the elite."
"Interesting." said Daryun as he said where indicated.
"What made your grandfather decide to break tradition? I'm sure there were many who were displeased over such things."
"My grandmother, his first wife, being taken." Sechen explained. "You see his own mother had been stole from her people and force to marry my great grandfather. So my grandfather came from such a union. But when my grandmother was taken... it brought much pain to my grandfather's heart. He didn't want another to feel such, and when they got my grandmother back, they found her with child, my father. None at the time could say if the baby which she birthed was my grandfather's son or if it was the son of the man who stole her." Sechen told him.
"Truly it wasn't till my tenth year that the dispute was laid to rest." A slight chuckle left her lips. "The spirits of my family haunt me you see. For I can hear them. The first that came to me was none other than Yesugei, my great grandfather. There can be no doubt now that Jochi, my father, is truly Genghis Khan's first born son."
"Interesting. How long did it take him to convince the elders that this would be the new way forward?"
"Interesting. How long did it take him to convince the elders that this would be the new way forward?"
Orda intervenes,
"I see ears upon your head, Daryun, but do they hear aught? I have just told you of the glorious yassa of Great Khan, and that he propounded this righteous law for our endless kingdom when had fulfilled the injunction of the Great God of the Blue Sky and brought all the people who dwelt in tents under one spear."
"I was interested in the how, not the why." Daryun shrugged.
"I was interested in the how, not the why." Daryun shrugged.
A new voice, grizzled with age, breaks into the conversation,
"This is how it happened..."
"Toghrul, also known as Wang Khan or Ong Khan, was a khan of the Keraites, one of the five dominant Mongol or Turco-Mongol tribal khanates in the Altai-Sayan region."
"Toghrul was the anda (blood brother) of the Mongol chief Yesugei and served as an important early patron and ally to Yesugei's son Temüjin, later known as Genghis Khan."
"Toghrul's son Senggüm convinced his father to turn on Temüjin. They planned to ambush him while he was on his way to a wedding between the two families to cement their alliance, but a Keraite warned Temüjin beforehand and spoiled their plan."
"A battle ensued with Toghrul and Jamukha, a Mongol military and political leader and the chief rival to Temüjin in the unification of the Mongol tribes, taking the offensive, attacking Qasar, one of Genghis Khan's three full brothers."
"Qasar escaped but most of his family was captured."
"Next they advanced on Temüjin, surprising him from the south, but Temüjin managed to move to a smaller enclosure to nullify the enemy's superior numbers. Senggüm was wounded in battle, throwing his forces into confusion, and allowing Temüjin to retreat. Toghrul decided not to give chase and returned to camp."
"Jamukha and a large portion of Toghrul's allies decided to split from him."
"When Toghrul caught wind of this, he attacked them, and some of them defected to Temüjin."
"By autumn, the situation between the two sides had been reversed, Temüjin's forces numbered more than 40,000 while Toghrul had barely half of that."
"Temüjin scouted out Toghrul's camp under false pretenses of defection by Qasar. When Toghrul's location had been ascertained, Temüjin's army rode through the night and surrounded the Keraite camp. The Keraites fought for three days before they surrendered."
"Toghrul fled the battle only to be killed by a Naiman called Qori Sübeči who did not believe his identity. Senggüm fled to Western Xia"
"In the summer, the shaman Kokochu proclaimed Temüjin Genghis Khan, the "Universal Ruler", at the Onon River."
Sechen laughed a bit at the misunderstanding all around. "No elders make laws. Only Genghis Khan, the Universal Ruler, has the final word on our laws." Sechen explained as she nodded to the seasoned warrior in thanks for his part in explaining her grandfather's life and rise to power. "some of the old guard may not have liked it at first, but none dare defy the great Genghis Khan. Not when he has brought us much prosperity."
"Usually those I desire fall into my arms willingly and without hesitation." A foreign looking man who had been leaning nearby against a scraggly tree. His language is good, having been with the mongols for 3 years now, but there is a note to his accent that shows. "I discriminate less than most of you. What would the scrolls have to say then?" He laughed and changed the subject, clearly not caring what any scroll had written on it. "The Khan is great but he is not here--I hope to have the honour of meeting him someday--has your father told you anything of his invasion plan?" Tsuiho was not a common soldier, he had been bound to serve with his sorcery against the mongols enemies when he was first found, narrowly avoiding execution. He was tested as the captured artisans were, sent to mongolia to work and benefit the Khan's empire. But that would not do and he made his uses clear and was conscripted to serve in the campaign to prove himself.
He wore a thick grey cloak to keep him warm and hide him in the terrain. Underneath, elegant cloth and fur and soft leather showed occasionally when the wind picked up in close fitting pants, boots, shirt, and kimono, not gaudy or brightly coloured but deep reds and white and gold. A slim build not boasting strength unlike Daryun, though not gaunt or lacking either. He carried no weapons here either.
He had joined the campaign as it formed, learning the ways of the mongols since his exile from his homeland 3 years ago. He has been a prince but political maneuvering and jealousy of his powers had him cast out from the imperial family. He had joined the mongols as a bitter outcast, naming himself thusly and declaring he had no love for his home.
In truth he hid his secret objective, to learn about them and divine the Khan's intentions towards Japan and provide intelligence that might stop or win a potential war if it came to it in the future. He wasn't feigning his bitterness though, and had not decided within himself if he cared what happened to him home if he could gain power through the Khan instead. He even wondered if Japan were to fall to the empire, if he could somehow manage to be the one to oversee the governance of the territory. He thought that would be quite poetic, to be cast out only to return to conquer and rule. He already had the list in his head of those who would be executed first. The shogunate would be crushed as well.
The newcomer to the camp fascinated him in the way that a two headed pig would. Such ungainly muscles, incapable of delicateness. "Son of a god? Does he wish you to fight for the great Khan? Or do you run from your father? Apologies for the prying question, i only ask as i all similarly afflicted. My ancestor once worshipped a demon and a thousand years later i am to pay for their sins." He offers a diplomatic smile.
"Usually those I desire fall into my arms willingly and without hesitation." A foreign looking man who had been leaning nearby against a scraggly tree. His language is good, having been with the mongols for 3 years now, but there is a note to his accent that shows. "I discriminate less than most of you. What would the scrolls have to say then?" He laughed and changed the subject, clearly not caring what any scroll had written on it. "The Khan is great but he is not here--I hope to have the honour of meeting him someday--has your father told you anything of his invasion plan?" Tsuiho was not a common soldier, he had been bound to serve with his sorcery against the mongols enemies when he was first found, narrowly avoiding execution. He was tested as the captured artisans were, sent to mongolia to work and benefit the Khan's empire. But that would not do and he made his uses clear and was conscripted to serve in the campaign to prove himself.
He wore a thick grey cloak to keep him warm and hide him in the terrain. Underneath, elegant cloth and fur and soft leather showed occasionally when the wind picked up in close fitting pants, boots, shirt, and kimono, not gaudy or brightly coloured but deep reds and white and gold. A slim build not boasting strength unlike Daryun, though not gaunt or lacking either. He carried no weapons here either.
He had joined the campaign as it formed, learning the ways of the mongols since his exile from his homeland 3 years ago. He has been a prince but political maneuvering and jealousy of his powers had him cast out from the imperial family. He had joined the mongols as a bitter outcast, naming himself thusly and declaring he had no love for his home.
In truth he hid his secret objective, to learn about them and divine the Khan's intentions towards Japan and provide intelligence that might stop or win a potential war if it came to it in the future. He wasn't feigning his bitterness though, and had not decided within himself if he cared what happened...
Orda grunts as the strange man approaches -- "There you are
Tsuihō, you old mongrel. I'd wondered if you'd finally decided to dare your flight back to those forsaken collection of islands you so fondly regard as home. Some home that! Give me the open steppe, the swift breeze of the north wind, and a trusty falcon on my arm! This is best!"
"My father doesn't really care about me, to be honest. He's too busy planning foolish, overly elaborate plans; in other words, he's an idiot."
"and I am here to kill Persians. They killed my friend, and I take that kind of thing personally."
"My father doesn't really care about me, to be honest. He's too busy planning foolish, overly elaborate plans; in other words, he's an idiot."
"and I am here to kill Persians. They killed my friend, and I take that kind of thing personally."
Orda grunts.
"Killed your friend did they? They killed some of our diplomats as well. They are a lawless people."
"Which is why they shall soon end." says Daryun, suddenly very serious.
Num stretches out, tilting his head back against the mare behind him; a faint grunt of effort or relaxation comes from him after a moment. Shuurga gives an equine snort, then states phlegmatically, "The future is ever uncertain, even moreso when war is involved. A fair start this may have been, but the mountains are ever treacherous, and battle even moreso."
"Which is why they shall soon end." says Daryun, suddenly very serious.
Jochi's son continues his inquiry of the strange, "and who was this good and loyal friend of yours whose loss so afflicted your spirit that nothing but revenge wet with blood shall suffice it?"
Daryun says nothing but looks down at the piece of rope in his hands.
Tsuihõ shows a face of understanding and sadness. "To lose that which you love most can put a shadow over the brightest souls. We are the same Daryun, you and I. Perhaps at least, your pain is lessened with each blood price you take."
Tsuihõ shows a face of understanding and sadness. "To lose that which you love most can put a shadow over the brightest souls. We are the same Daryun, you and I. Perhaps at least, your pain is lessened with each blood price you take."
The bold son of Jochi issues a slightly irritated grunt in recognition of the Tsuihõ,
"You again! Always pining over some mysterious grievance that drove you from your home and hearth, the details of which you have not as yet chosen to share with your hosts. It has become tiresome. I would know the truth of your journey over the sea and mountains."
Sechen gave her brother a cold look. Her dark eyes gleaming with a shimmer of the world beyond. "Orda, pain is personal." She reminded her brother. "If you wish to ask after their trustworthiness or intentions I will ask the spirits themselves. But you will not rip at the hearts of others." Sechen chided him.
"The blood price paid will help, but it doesn't always lessen the pain." Sechen softly tried to explain. "At the very least you can pay onto them what they have given unto you."
Daryun is quiet for a frighteningly long time, just staring down at his hands. When he speaks, it's so quiet that there is the briefest of moments where it almost seemed to be imagined.
"oh, they'll pay alright."