Atharin Empire

The Atharin Empire (/əˈθɑrɪn/, /ˈæθərɪn/; Atharin Aropyan: Конгезия Ассариня, Kongeziya Assarinya), officially the People's Empire of Atharia (Конгезия Ассариня Менциня, Kongeziya Assarinya Mentsinya), also known as Atharia, was a nation in western Laraniem. It existed from 1776, after the Battle of Kafama, to 1943, when it was dissolved following the Great Laraniem War. At its height in 1934, the Empire held land from the Sea of Aropya in the north to the Witonor River in the south and from the Hettic Sea in the west to Lake Newbury and the Nehamburh River in the east.

Foundation
The Kingdom of Atharia was founded around 1530 CE by Yergin Vekhtijarny. It was centred around the city of Narve on the Fenzan River. Yergin died in 1549 without accomplishing much expansion of his territory, but his son, Yergin II, held an expansionist policy. By Yergin II's death in 1582, the kingdom stretched from the port of Hau Kisa to the present-day southern border of the Koxoriek and Hagstonian colonies in Aropya. Through a series of victorious military campaigns and successful kings, by 1750, the kingdom owned most of northwestern Laraniem. Their main enemy in this period was Sidramye, whose defensive policy and superior military power prevented further Atharin expansion. In 1772, King Yelmy II of Atharia invaded the Duchy of Kafama. Sidramye rushed to Kafamaian aid, but Yelmy's tactics led to a succession of decisive Atharin victories. However, the Sidramyean general Hekter Mürich pulled off an equally effective manoeuvre, cutting of Atharin supply lines by taking Vekhtijarnjo. Yelmy then sent half of his army north to re-establish the supply line, enticing the Sidramyean force to continue south down the Fenzan River. Yelmy's army stopped at the city of Kafama, laid siege to it and waited for the Sidramyeans to arrive. In December 1773, the Sidramyean army reached Kafama and found the Atharin camp empty. Assuming the enemy was inside the city, Mürich laid siege to it, not sending scouts out the find the Atharins. On the morning of 13 December, 15,000 Atharin soldiers marched down from a hill outside the city. They had camped there since the previous day, leaving a group of decoy tents pitched on a field on the other side of the city walls as a distraction. The Battle of Kafama then ensued, with Atharin soldiers routing and scattering at least 2000 Sidramyeans before their army had time to organise itself. Atharin reinforcements arrived by noon, and the two armies managed to encircle the Sidramyean lines and force them to surrender. After this victory, the Atharins turned west and invaded the Sidramyean province of Frieschland. By October 1774, Friesch, Chrimera and Groningen had fallen, and with Atharin forces closing in on New Hetland, Sidramye was forced to surrender on 29 October. After this, the Atharins easily wiped out the remaining Kafamaian forces, and peace was signed on 8 January 1775, with Atharia annexing Frieschland and Kafama. The following year, Yelmy was crowned the first Atharin Emperor at a ceremony in Narve, officially establishing the Atharin Empire.