Thekha

Thekha is a major nation occupying the Perocadh Peninsula that has waxed and waned in power for several millenia. From about -50 the Perocadh Peninsula and the Khanakh kingdoms within became regionally known collectively as Thekha.

History
For the interesting story of the Thekhan people prior to the founding of Jad-Thekuu, read Thekhan Migration.

Jad-Thekhuu becomes the Elikaya of Thekha
In -475 a community of Thekhans, fleeing Israe and the Mazedian Sea, landed Northeast of Redcah in what was then a sparsely populated region of the Elikaya of Siuse in the Atlass Empire. They founded Jad-Thekhuu as their city, and had to clear thick tropical rainforest in order to sustain agriculture - a feat they accomplished very quickly due to their experience with dense tropical agriculture in the Mazedian Sea islands. The city quickly grew significant, to over 100,000 people and containing a simple but growing port by -420.

Due to a lack of power projection to the outer provinces, and the general familiarity with Thekhan people from Israe, Sanelik Matesu S Relukos II did nothing to prevent the building of the city, but his son, M.S. Relukos III sent a delegation which secured the nominal fealty of the Thekhan chieftains, going so far as to name Jad-Thekhuu an imperial Dam, as part of the Kalikaya of Nensiuse- which was also renamed Jad-Thekhuu. Over the next several decades, Thekhans expanded to populate the entire Kalikaya, intermingling or pushing out the small populations of Letese/Siwesin peoples living in the central and western jungle and building their own infrastructure and towns throughout the region. Jad-Zoduu was founded and in 420 the Dam of Katec was renamed Khadej in the Khanakh language, fully integrating the Kalikaya into the Thekhan sphere.

By around 425, Atlan Radinikan began to recruit Thekhans as auxiliaries and elites for their armies, as sustaining the expensive Atlan Sanradinan was becoming less and less viable for the imperial government. The proliferation of Thekhan troops in the border regions southwest of Jad-Thekhuu led to further expansion of Thekhan towns and cutlure and supression of local Letese tribes.

It was in -350, when high chief Thakhelen mustered an army of 25,000 men for the protection of Thekhans in the region, that Sanelik Lenarok R Relukos saw the situation spiraling out of his control. He requested that Thakhelen come to Ataya to negotiate a true homeland for his people, and in -346 Thakhelen obliged to come with 1000 elite guards and 50 massive outrigger boats (in the Khanakh style).

The treaty signed at that meeting became known as the Treaty of Jad-Thekhuu and gave Thekhans autonomous rule over the Elikaya of Siuse which was renamed Thekha. Thakhelen would become Elik of Thekha, and answer to the Sanelik, but everything under him could be reformed to suit the Thekhan nation and its culture. In return, Thekhans would take over sole responsibility of military defense in the west, that is Atlan lands west of the Elikaya of Perosh. Thekhans were also made Atlan citizens by residency, allowing them legal protections throughout the empire.

While scholars argue that Sanelik Lenarok made a disastrous mistake giving so much power to occupying foreigners, but he had little choice- civil war and severe corruption had drained the financial resources of the Emperor and the Imperial government hadn't been able to garrison or control western provinces in nearly 100 years, and the Thekhans had the military power to likely take the western provinces for themselves if they wanted. Lenarok hoped to integrate them and tie them to the well-being of the Empire in order to preserve it.

The Expansion and Independence of Thekha
Thekha held up their end of the bargain, repelling a Cadh invasion in -336 and participating widely in the 3rd Atlan Civil War of -297 to -289, however they were unable to prevent the loss of overseas territories by -272 because Sanelik Micin Sanaticusa would not give them access to the imperial navy (he distrusted the Thekhans after they fought with the Relukos Dynasty for most of the civil war).

Thekhan communities had popped up throughout the west and the north of the Perocadh Peninsula by -200, their population (and a mixed race, Khanakin, a growing percentage) growing to over 1.1 million.