The Nayan Succession Crisis

The Nayan Succession Crisis was a contested succession during the Nayan Dynasty of Dunmar. It exposed growing fractures in the Dunmari temple hierarchy and the fragility of consensus within the Dunmari priesthood. The crisis followed the death of Samraat Nayan Lina in 171 Nayan, after a turbulent reign that began in 161 Nayan.

Background

Though Dunmar had been formally at peace for over a hundred years, the early 1700s were a time of increasing tension between the Nayan rulers in Western Dunmar and the pastoralists and nomadic herders of the open lands in Central Dunmar and Eastern Dunmar. For decades, the ruling dynasty had been focused on the southern borders, on mostly-fruitless attempts to push south across the Shrev. A series of crises in the east, including the Summer of Red Storms, were largely ignored, and through the turbulent reign of Nayan Lina, doubts began to grow in the eastern temples about the Nayan dynasty’s divine legitimacy and commitment to the whole of Dunmar.

The Crisis

After the death of Samraat Nayan Lina, the temple conclave, dominated by western priests with ties to the Nayan Dynasty, proposed Kalyan of Nayahar, a close cousin of Nayan Lin and widely seen as dynastic choice to ensure the rule of Dunmar remained with the descendants of Nayan Yarad. Many of the eastern temples revolted, claiming that the Nayan dynasty had ceased to listen to the Dunmari Religion. To the surprise of everyone, Kalyan agreed with his critics. He claimed he could not feel the divine will in his actions, and was sure he was not chosen by the Dunmari Religion to be Samraat, and so could not in good conscience take this power.

After many weeks of prayer and debate, Marathu, an elder from one of the western clans from the high plains between Darba and Tokra is asked to lead. Samraat Nayan Marathu takes over as Samraat in 172 Nayan, at the age of 60, seen as a caretaker to begin the process of building unity across Dunmar.