History of the Öhgyag Kurultai

Origins

Both the Tzia and Jalahi evolved on Öhgyag, where the two species had developed a symbiotic relationship. Packs of Jalahi would protect the nests of Tzia from intruders; in exchange, the Tzia would provide the Jalahi a portion of their meals. This relationship persisted for millions of years up until two species began developing sapience. The more numerous and social Jalahi were the first to organize into communities and employ tools, rendering the Tzia unnecessary. While some tribes welcomed the Tzia as equals or even revered them as guardian spirits, most instead repurposed the larger, more powerful Tzia as laborers and beasts of burden, setting the stage for millennia of servitude and frequent warfare between Jahali slavers and independent Tzian groups.

The tide turned against the Jalahi when improvements in medical care and food production brought about by an industrial revolution within the Tzian kingdom of Ulthubag saw an unprecedented population boom among the Tzia. These developments were swiftly exported to the kingdom's allies, and while the Jalahi had several opportunities to claim technologies for themselves, conservative groups, perceiving these foreign ideas to be a threat to their way of life, resisted modernization. Ulthubag rapidly militarized and initiated the Wars of Revenge, a period of nearly four centuries of sporadic warfare in which an estimated 50% to 70% of the global Jalahi population was wiped out before a technological stalemate and declining public support among the Tzia brought an end to hostilities, leading to a treatment which formally banned slavery across the planet.

Dak'ghar Compromise

Ulthubag emerged a global power following the Wars of Revenge, but a combination of political infighting and revolts would weaken its influence, allowing the Jalahi state of Jangzhim to unite the majority of the remaining Jalahi and assert itself on the international stage. At the same time, the predominantly Tzian Khonghan Republic, an ideological opponent of the monarchical Ulthubag, established a military alliance aimed at isolating and containing both Ulthubag and Jangzhim, whom they falsely believed to be preparing a revenge campaign against the Tzia. The competition between these three rivals would see much of Öhgyag fall under their sway one way or another.

The development of nuclear weapons by Jangzhim birthed a cold war between the world powers as they competed to have the best and most numerous nuclear weapons. Several decades of testing saw thousands of tests and the development of more than enough warheads to devastate the planet. At the same time, conventional armies continued to expand in size as parts of Öhgyag became proxy battlegrounds for the superpowers. A global disarmament movement arose to call for an end to hostilities, but their demands went unheeded, as none of the powers were willing to cooperate.

In 2BT (Before Treaty), Bulgamandi, the capitol city of Ulthubag, was hosting the annual celebration of the kingdom's victory in the Wars of Revenge. The celebration was to include a military parade featuring a variety of ICBMs, including four 50-megaton warheads which would have to be airlifted to the city. Officials raised concerns that the missiles were of an older design which lacked modern fail-safe systems, but they were overruled by the king, who saw their inclusion as vital to Ulthubagi propaganda, but he permitted each warhead to be transported by different aircraft. Three of the aircraft safely reached their destination, but for reasons which remain unknown, the fourth aircraft suffered a catastrophic failure and broke apart as it was approaching the airfield, causing the warhead to fall out of the plane and detonate upon impacting the ground. The detonation destroyed most of the city and instantly vaporized millions, including the king, his family, and virtually all of Ulthubag's leading government officials. The ensuing chaos paralyzed Ulthubag's remaining military units, narrowly preventing the outbreak of nuclear war long enough for officials to confirm that the explosion had been caused by an accident.

A new provisional government was established in Ulthubag as cleanup work began in Bulgamandi, but it would take decades for the nation to fully recover; several territories within the superpower had used the opportunity to declare independence , taking with them small portions of Ulthubag's nuclear arsenal. Ulthubag and Jangzhim both stepped in to mediate the growing crisis and, in a rare show of solidarity, provide both material and financial aid to the restoration of Bulgamandi. The televised aftermath of the detonation spawned a global protest movement calling for the great powers to disarm their nuclear arsenals and begin formal peace negotiations. Military and political officials joined in the protest, with some nuclear launch stations mutinying and disarming their own warheads. Negotiations soon began in the neutral city of Dak'ghar. Ulthubag's delegation shocked the world by admitting that Ulthubag was in the process of developing a functional faster-than-light engine based on the wreckage of an alien starship which had been buried in the deserts of Ulaasbitor. They then claimed that the king had sought to use the technology salvaged from the vessel in a campaign of global conquest despite protests from numerous officials and that it may have been a contributing factor in the destruction of Bulgamandi, though it is impossible to confirm as all evidence had been evaporated.

The revelation that they were not alone in the galaxy saw a fundamental political shift across Öhgyag. The rivalries that had divided the world became petty in light of the need to unite against any potential alien threat. Likewise, support for nuclear disarmament swiftly plummeted in favor of upgrading and expanding the planet's arsenal alongside its conventional armies. At the same time, few were willing to sacrifice their own sovereignty in favor of a single, global government. Negotiations would stall for nearly two years until delegates signed the Dak'ghar Compromise, which created a new federal governing body called the Kurultai which would manage certain institutions while allowing the states of Öhgyag to maintain their own laws and customs. The three great powers signed the agreement alongside the majority of minor states; the small few which refused were soon coerced into compliance through various means.