The Majiirian Sea was one of the four seas of the desert planet Kharak, and by far the largest. The sea largely surrounded the frozen south pole. The sea was named after Majiir Paktu-Sa, leader of the Kiith Paktu exodus into the southern hemisphere of Kharak. It was destroyed during the Taiidan Empire's genocidal attack.
History[]
Discovery[]
- "I can smell the sea, it's only a little further" — Majiir Paktu-Sa
The Majiirian Sea was first discovered sometime before the year 462 Kharakian Dating System by members of Kiith Manaan, and was described as "endless seas and grasses that touched the skies". However, these claims were widely ignored and were regarded as nothing more than stories.
The official discovery of the Majiirian Sea was made in the year 462 by refugees of Kiith Paktu, forced south by the increasingly bloody Heresy Wars and a proclamation by Kiith Siidim stating that no non-Siidim Kiithid (called Gritiidim) could live at the borders of any water source flowing to Siidim territory. In 488, with thousands displaced, many members of Kiith Paktu, led by their Kiith-Sa Majiir, headed south into the Great Desert.
Traveling on Sand Sailer through uncharted territory proved extremely hazardous, and many members of the expedition died by dehydration, starvation, and natural dangers. Forced to abandon their only mode of transportation at the base of the Hunon Mountains, the kiithid became lost within the twisting red canyons for weeks, and many members of the expedition began to head back towards their sand sailers, reasoning that at least some of them should make it back to the northern lands.
At that moment, when all hope was lost, Majiir Paktu stood at the head of the column and spoke the words that would make him part of history: "I can smell the sea". A shrill cry echoed across the mountains then, and a white bird appeared over head. Urged on by the good omen, the expedition pushed forward, finally coming upon a pass down onto a sweeping plain of grass, bordered by a great gray body of water that stretched as far as the eye could see. A legend came true on that day, and in honor of the man who never given up hope, it was named the Majiirian Sea.
Colonization and Independence[]
Three years after settling on the shores of the Sea, Majiir and a handful of followers set out back to the war-torn north, where so many still lived in fear and oppression. Majiir Paktu did not survive the journey, but seven of his followers did, reaching further north and spreading the word of a peaceful land far to the south. In the following years, dozens of families begin to make the journey south.
The two major powers of the Heresy Wars, Kiith Gaalsien and Kiith Siidim, took notice of this near mass-exodus as many of their vassal kiiths began to leave the northern hemisphere by the year 650. The Gaalsien refused to let these vassals go, and launched three invasion attempts between the years 652 and 700. The last of these attempts, led by a Liam Gaalsien in the year 698, was the most successful, actually reaching the pass out of the Hunon Mountains mostly intact. But, upon their arrival, the Gaalsien were met with an army of 30,000 swords, led by Kim Paktu, grandson of Majiir.
"These are my people" He said, "And these lands are our own. You have no vassals here". Despite being badly outnumbered, the Gaalsien army nonetheless attacked, and was completely destroyed despite killing hundreds of Paktu soldiers. No such invasion by the northern kiiths was ever attempted again.
Free from persecution, oppression, and war, the southern kiiths, led by the Paktu, lived independently until the Time of Reason, when they were given a permanent seat in the Daiamid by Kiith Naabal.
Surrounding Geography and Native Life[]
The Majiirian Sea is described as a large body of gray water located the Kharak's southern pole. It is unknown how deep the sea is, or how much of the southern pole it covers. It is surrounded by large plains of high grasses which eventually give way to very high and dangerous rocky outcroppings of the Hunon Mountains. These outcroppings protect the ocean and the surprisingly temperate climate from the endless sands of the Great Desert, and survived as a natural barrier against invaders.
The Sea was undoubtedly the source of the biosphere around the southern pole. With frequent rains, the plains surrounding the sea were rich and arable, capable of sustaining farmlands for the Kushan. The only known large lifeforms other than the Kushan were a species of avian known as a 'sea spirit', several small lizard species, and the Skaal, a family of large predators, though other species are surely present.
Despite the abundance of the region, it could not keep Kharak habitable by itself and it was worked out that the region would become uninhabitable by 1460 KDY at the latest.
Status after Kharakian Genocide[]
During the Kharakian Genocide, the Majiirian Sea, along with all other habitable areas of Kharak, was completely destroyed by salvos of missiles launched during the Taiidan Empire's assault on the planet.