Warring Century (Daria)

The Warring Century spanned the 15th and 16th centuries in the Daria region of Audonia. This era was marked by the tumultuous unraveling of the Oduniyyad Caliphate, factionalism, sectarian and ethnic violence, and ultimately weakened Daria making it prone to colonization by the duchies of Maritime Dericania.

Internal strife, stemming from political dissent and struggles for succession, economic stagnation and corruption progressively eroded the Caliphate's authority. The Caliphate's collapse ripped apart the fragile web of religious and ethnic cohesion that had existed under its rule. Long-simmering tensions between various groups, both religious and ethnic, flared up in the absence of a strong central authority. Communities with distinct cultural and belief systems, previously held together under the Caliphate's umbrella, found themselves at odds. This sectarian discord, coupled with competition for limited resources, fueled a period of widespread tribal and sectarian conflicts.

The power vacuum created by the Caliphate's disintegration paved the way for the rise of warlords. These opportunistic individuals, capitalizing on the prevailing chaos, carved out their own domains in strategic locations, often around cities or fortresses built by the former Caliphate. However, the reach of these warlords was limited due to the lack of a centralized tax system and the constant threat of rival factions. Their control often extended only to their immediate vicinity, creating a patchwork of small, feuding kingdoms.

The economic consequences of the Warring Century were far-reaching. The once-flourishing Silk Road became choked by rampant banditry and instability. The movement of goods became increasingly expensive and perilous. This disruption forced eastern nations, namely Daxia, to hire larger and more expensive caravan guards, some eventually became their own armies, which when coupled with Dericanian colonial expansion ism led to the establishment of the Southern Route, which bypassed the volatile Daria region altogether.