Clan Origin

Early, over 3.800 years ago trade was already made by people, cities and civilizations. Men developed vast array of routes to exchange products through Asia, Europe and Africa. During the first Babylonian dynasty of Armorite Kings – King Hammurabi – a small group starts to gather around the same goal. As long as trading was considered an exciting adventure, it was also really dangerous. And theft and robbery were usual.

Sometimes products had to cost 10, 20 times more just to cover what was lost during their travel. They carried everything from barley and wheat to bronze and living animals like sheep and goats. Their main transportation was bare feet, donkeys, carts and primitive rafts. One group then came up with something that would change it. They established a vast amount of settlements throughout its trade route. This way they had always a safe place to stop, and also they had informants everywhere in their route to find out where thieves could be.

This is where Clan begins to exist; at start they had no name. After some time, as a family business started to expand it was clear that 16 merchants Clan was already in place. This worked for over 1.000 years, but after sometime when new world was found and maritime routes were expanding, it wasn't safe anymore.

Radhanites Clan members were led to build a small hired army. Clan's army consisted of a few poor family members that used to help merchants but had no money or part in the business. They were strong and smart, because they were part of the business since its inception, but now they would have a new mission, protect and secure Clan.

“My Prince, my Prince!” screamed the servant as he ran through the golden halls of the Babylonian palace. Belshazzar sat on the floor, deep in meditation, when he heard the shout of his servant. With a self-deprecating sigh, Belshazzar lightly got to his feet and walked through his torch-lit suite of rooms toward the sound of panic. There was constant panic in his life, now. Since his father Nabonidus traveled to the oasis of Tayma to worship the sun god, Sin, Belshazzar’s life had been in constant chaos. He was the serving-ruler of Babylon while his father, the king, was away devoting his life to Sin. The kingdom of Babylon was his responsibility and it was one that sat heavily upon his shoulders. But he would do his father proud; he would do his kingdom proud. He, nor his father, would live forever, but Belshazzar was working over a plan that would ensure that their mark lived on in this world. When Belshazzar finally made it to the throne room where the servant was already kneeling before the empty throne, he could see the panic in the man’s face. He was breathing heavily and sweat coated his brow. The servant kept his face down, but Belshazzar could tell that it was difficult for the man not to yell out what had happened.

Belshazzar sat on the throne in front of the servant, and before he even told the servant to speak, he knew. He knew that he had lost more people. “Speak,” he said. “My Prince, the thieves,” he spat out quickly. “They – they killed Mognolis and his sons, sire. They were killed while they traveled to the southern territories to deliver the wheat. The goods were stolen and Mognolis and his sons were found butchered by their empty cart.” Belshazzar squeezed his eyes shut. He knew Mognolis; he had been a good and honorable man. He nodded to the servant and motioned for him to leave. He could tell that the servant wanted more. He must have known Mognolis personally as well. And it wasn’t that Belshazzar didn’t want to do something, but what was he to do? Thieves were rampant along the trails to and from his territories. What would his father do if he were here, Belshazzar wondered?

His father would want to storm the keep of their enemies – just as he wanted to do. But their enemies were not just one people; they were many and they were spread out. The only thing to do was to devise a way to prevent these types of incidents from happening again. There were many problems with their current means of travel and trade. The first problem was that his people traveled alone. The wheat farmer, for instance, traveled only with his family to trade with another family in another territory. Trade was done more on a personal level for the goods that the family needed. Belshazzar knew that that needed to be changed. They needed a more organized system; but how?

With another sigh, Belshazzar rose from the throne and started walking aimlessly. The halls of the Babylonian palace were lavishly decorated and lit with torches that never burned out. Belshazzar normally admired the beauty of the palace, but today he was too distracted. He knew there had to be a way to fix this problem. And as he walked, he pondered.

Organization was not their only problem. They only delivered to territories under his rule, but why not deliver to more than just inside his own kingdom? But, even though they only delivered to their own territories, the travel was still hard and very far for those who made the trip. Many of them were barefoot, while some had shoes. Some used carts, some used baskets, and some were even lucky enough to own a donkey to help them pull their load. But thieves did not care who they attacked as long as they got what they wanted.

Belshazzar looked up to find himself on the balcony of the palace that overlooked the city of Babylon. It was a beautiful city, he thought. The market below brought the sweet smells of roasted meat, freshly picked vegetables and fruits, and the smell of freshly baked bread. These were his people, and Belshazzar’s first priority needed to be to protect them. Secondly, they needed to organize their means of trade and extend the reaches of their trade. A plan started to formulate in Belshazzar’s mind as he looked out over the land from the high balcony of the palace.

He would not stop with his own territories. No, he would extend their routes as far as he could. He would leave his mark on this world. He would make his father proud, and he would make his kingdom the most prosperous in the land. With a deep breath, Belshazzar turned to walk back into the palace. He has work to do. The next day, he set his plan into motion. He ordered that multiple settlements be set up along the routes to his territories. In doing this, his people were more protected from the thieves. He also demanded that his people travel in groups to trade their product; this was also another factor in protecting his people and his goods from the thievery in the land. But Belshazzar did not stop with the territories that were close to Babylon. He set up brand new trade routes and trading posts that reached as far as Europe, India, and Persia. In doing this, Belshazzar ensured his kingdom’s prosperity as well as his own, and Babylon became the most powerful empire of its time.