GoCorral

King Kitanotaga of Xoria was the first in the Xorian royal line to push the nation’s influence beyond Cimmeria. He took the nation from being just the Kingdom of Nox to being the Xorian Kingdom. Kitanotaga conquered Jeutontic and led his army in campaigns to the southwest against the Assyrians and other tribes in Mesopotamia. The aggressiveness of Kitanotaga’s foreign policy was matched by his appetite at the table. He perished after a particularly excessive drinking bout.

When King Kitanotaga took the throne of Nox he immediately declared war on the Kingdom of Jeutontic. The bread basket of Petar gave the Xorian Kingdom the population to push through the Jeutontic aerial defense. Queen Stanasha of Jeutontic was captured and forced to surrender the city to King Kitanotaga. Kitanotaga consolidated control over Jeutontic and quietly had Queen Stanasha assassinated. He then moved against Cecilia and put the city under siege. Merchants within the port betrayed the city and opened the gates for the invaders. The Xorian Kingdom now controlled Nox, Petar, Jeutontic, and Cecilia.

Kitanotaga set his sights on the Middle East next. He allied with the Assyrians for a joint invasion of Urartu. This campaign resulted in Urartu being subject to Xorian rule. King Sargon II of Assyria had wanted Urartu for himself, so he mounted an expedition against the Xorians. Sargon II didn’t account for the strength of the Xorians led by King Kitanotaga. Sargon II was slain in the fighting and his army retreated.

King Kitanotaga passed away after an excessive drinking bout and his daughter, Queen Jakontago, succeeded him. To strengthen her grasp on the reins of power, Jakontago led the Xorians in an invasion of Phrygia. She sacked the Phrygian capital of Gordium and killed King Midas II. The new queen returned to Xoria with wagons full of gold and other luxuries looted in the conquest.

While King Kitanotaga and Jakontago were not real people, the events related to the Assyrians and Phrygians are real. Ancient sources refer to the Cimmerian tribe and various wars they had with the Assyrians and other powers in the region.

King Teushpa would quickly replace his sister, Queen Jakontago. She attacked Dradelden and put the city under siege. Queen Ishpaka of the Amazons brought the main force in from Scythia to relieve Dradelden. A battle ensued outside of the city and Jakontago perished in the fighting. Teushpa, succeeded her to the throne. His first act was to arrange a peace by reinstating the tribute paid to the Amazons.

King Teushpa had a patient and ambitious approach to governance. First, he focused on rebuilding the kingdom’s villages that had been damaged by the Amazons. As Xoria’s peasant population recovered, so too did its army. This allowed Teushpa to wage aggressive wars, just as his father had. He tried tackling the Assyrian army first, but was defeated by King Esarhaddon. As part of the peace terms, King Teushpa would have to provide one thousand Xorian soldiers for the Assyrian army.

Despite suffering losses, Teushpa continued his campaigns of foreign expansion. To recoup losses from the Assyrian invasion, King Teushpa led the Xorians in a raid through Anatolia. These raids continued throughout Teushpa’s reign. Teushpa started a war with King Gyges of Lydia, a rising power in Anatolia. Unfortunately, Teushpa died of old age before the conclusion of the war with Lydia. His son, Lygdamis, was even more aggressive in his attacks against Lydia.

King Teushpa was a real king of the Cimmerian tribe. The interactions he had with the Assyrians and Lydians are recorded in ancient sources.