GoCorral

King Lygdamis was the son of King Teushpa and the last King of Xoria to have a significant presence outside of Cimmeria. He took the throne during a declining period for Xorian power. While Lygdamis prevented the country’s total collapse, he was unable to secure any victories abroad.

King Lygdamis succeeded his father during a war with Lydia. The Lydian King Gyges took advantage of the regime change to ally with Assyria. The combined countries defeated the Xorians. As part of the peace terms, Lygdamis relinquished Xorian control over Urartu.

King Lygdamis returned to Nox to more problems. Noga’anyo, the descendant of Queen Stanasha, led a rebellion against King Lygdamis. Jeutontic and Cecilia declared independence from the Xorian Kingdom. King Lygdamis besieged Cecilia. Tired of the city’s history for betrayal, he assaulted the walls rather than accept a peaceful surrender of the city. Upon gaining entry, Lygdamis pillaged the town before reinstating Xorian control. Noga’anyo moved with the aerial cavalry against Petar, but fell into a trap set by King Lygdamis. The cavalry suffered heavy losses to ballistae hidden around Petar’s rooftops. The war continued on in this fashion with a give-and-take that left Lygdamis in the lead more often than not.

After five years of grinding war, King Lygdamis besieged Jeutontic. Seeing the end, Noga’anyo ordered her followers to surrender before she committed suicide. Lygdamis felt pity at the sight of her body and her sacrifice for her people. He ordered her a hero’s burial, but outside the Kingdom of Xoria. Noga’anyo’s tomb was made along the southern shore of the Don River to the north of the Xorian Kingdom.

Lygdamis faced a challenge from the Amazons of Dradelden as well. They levied an additional tax on the Xorians. To afford the tribute, King Lygdamis invaded Lydia. The Xorians sacked Lydia’s capital of Sardis and killed King Gyges. The treasure was delivered to the Amazons and used to fund their own invasion of Palestine and Egypt.

Feeling confident after his raid on Lydia King Lygdamis led an invasion against the Assyrians in Anatolia. He hoped they were weak after a series of revolts within the Assyrian Empire. Unfortunately, Lygdamis was killed in one of the initial battles of the campaign. His son, Sandakhshatra succeeded him. King Sandakhshatra was unable to follow through on his father’s ambitions. He lost the war to Assyria and a resurgent Lydia. At the peace negotiations Sandakhshatra vowed Xoria would not invade or raid into the Anatolia for a hundred years.

King Lygdamis was a real historical figure. He was King of the Cimmerian tribe. The wars with Lydia and Assyria are based on real events as is the war with Queen Noga’anyo. In the historical version the war with Noga’anyo is recorded as a civil war among the social classes of the Cimmerian tribe. The tomb of Queen Noga’anyo is a real archeological site and one of the best surviving ones of Cimmerian culture. Sandakhshatra was also the historical king who succeeded Lygdamis.