Qasim's Contour

[Spring 1501]

The Qasim Khanate was a small nomadic peoples that were often stuck between the Muscovites and their cousins that roamed the steppe. This is especially true in the past few years, as court intrigue has surrounded the reign of Satylghan ibn Nur Daulat, Khan of the Qasim. The most recent development has been the arrival of a diplomatic contingent from the Girays in Crimea, a Khanate lead by the cousin of the Khan of the Qasim. It would take little time for them to convince the Khan that he would be capable of defending his people better with support of the other steppe hordes, honeyed words on behalf of the Girays convincing Satylghan ibn Nur Daulat that a great horde would descend upon Muscovy in the coming months. Whether this is true or not is yet to be seen, but what is known is that all the notable pro-Muscovite nobility in the Qasim court has all of a sudden appeared in Ivan III's court, claiming the Qasim plan treachery. A similar plot has been discovered in Kazan, but there the Crimeans were kicked out promptly.