Fifteen centuries ago, in the Age of Darkness, the land now known as the Vazrkših (the Sacred Land) had no name and was divided between many nations and embroiled in endless chaos. The cities of the Shakad formed petty hegemonies that fought one another for trade dominance, only to have their small kingdoms broken by foreign invasion or civil war. The Tarumne, their greatest rivals, had a decadent and boundless maritime Empire built on slave labour. The Enagetu worshipped bloodthirsty gods hidden within the stars that demanded sacrifice of the nonbelievers and destruction of their homes.
All that changed when the first dragon, Bagar, descended on the Shakadi city-state of Gabārimzakrbmi. Revealing himself and his race, his clan of dragons would set out to enlighten and unite the peoples of the Vazrkših. For years, this era known as the Age of Dragons brought great prosperity to the land. Under a single banner, the peoples that now constituted the Vazrkših abandoned their old ways under the guidance of the Dragons and ushered in a golden age of rapid and continual technological and economic development. They worshipped their new benevolent overlords as living gods whom they served dutifully as the stewards of vast knowledge, insight, and power. Until, on the 214th day of the 762nd year of the Age of Dragons, they vanished.
The 33 dragons of the Vazrkših left without warning or notice, and left no trace of where they went - and now for 134 years (a long time even for beings that live for several millenia,) they have been gone.
Still, the Vazrkših remains, and its people remain steadfast in the worship of their overlords and ferverent in the search for where they might have gone. In the city of Drajhazakrbmi, seven dragon eggs sit abandoned by their mothers, which now remain under the most attentive of care by the Mūkadimdrajha (Dragonguard). In Bagarnidūbmi, a scale of Bagar himself is kept as proof of their existence, in what was once a temple of pilgrimage that has since become a place of mourning and rememberance.
The Vazrkših is a large nation in central Sorras, bordered to the East by the Takhjadim Zakrj (Eastern Shield Mountains) and by sea to the North, West, and South. The nation's capital is the city of Bagārnidūbmi (Bagar's Landing), is located in the southeastern corner of the nation. The nation was until recently known for its population of dragons, who were and continue to be worshipped as the living gods of the nation - however, the dragons have vanished, leaving the nation under the brutal rule of a military dictatorship and in a state of internal confusion as heresies begin to rise and old rivalries begin to rise again.
The Vazrkših is an arid land, dominated primarily by a large central desert that makes travel and inland development difficult. Arable land is located solely on the coasts or along river banks, which are the primary cradles of civilization here. The terrain of the nation is varied, with coastal farmlands giving way to desert dunes and jagged mesas. More than half of the population is located in the Eastern half of the nation, in the Shakadi cities on the coasts and river floodplains.
During the Age of Dragons, the nation was a loose confederation led by the Mūkadjim Mkarim (Speaker of the Dragons), who was appointed by a vote by the dragons, typically from among the nation's priesthood. With the dragons gone, the Mūkadjim Mkarim has been replaced with the Mšaxik (commander) of the Mūkadimdrajha, which quickly seized power following the disappearance of the dragons to preserve order and national unity. The Mšaxik rules harshly, deriving authority primarily through their massive legions of elite warriors, called the Mūkadzāvšimj (Dragonborns), which they deploy liberally to quell unrest and make necessary shows of force. Even with the Mūkadjim Mkarim gone, though, the priesthood of the realm continues to exercise a great deal of influence. Members of the clergy often being appointed as regional governors when the post cannot be filled by a member of the Mūkadimdrajha.
Despite the dreadful reputation of Mšaxiks have gained, their leadership in the face of the loss of the Dragons has been critical to maintaining peace and order in the Vazrkših. The nation is currently led by Mšaxik Xakvān Tambdanhnak.
Dragons are worshipped as living gods in the Vazrkših, the people choosing to abandon their old gods in favour of the beings that uplifted them in the Age of Dragons. The 22 dragons of Bagar's clan are revered in temples across the nation, with many of them having massive temple-palace complexes called arraj (sing. arra) which the dragons lived in, where priests and philosophers and common worshippers alike could engage with them directly. The original 11 dragons of Bagar's time are the most universally revered, with the following 11 that were hatched during the Age of Dragons typically being more locally venerated, but as a rule were still seen as guardians of divine power and knowledge.
Rakan, 23rd dragon, was Bagar's cousin and the largest dragon ever known to the Vazrkših. Rakan was the sole opposition to Bagar's revealing himself and his clan to the Vazrkšihim, believing that the "small races" were not to be enlightened by the Dragons, but made to serve them as slaves. The two dragons fought a long and ferocious battle in the skies of Bagārnidūbmi, ending with Rakan's bitter defeat and death, his body entombed in a cave somewhere in the Takhjadim Zakrj.
Dragon worship in Vazrkših (referred to as "The Way") is equal parts religion, philosophy, lifestyle, and martial art. The Way centers around the pursuit of a theoretical state of complete ideological and spiritual purity, referred to as arminrā. Extensive training of the mind, body, and soul are integral parts of this goal, with martial arts education, daily ritual bathing, daily meditation, and extensive study of secular and religious topics all being obligations of every follower of the Way to approach this ideal state. It is written that no living being is capable of attaining and maintaining true arminrā, as their primal desires will always result in mistakes that move them away from arminrā, but that efforts still must be made to be as near to this ideal state as possible, for the sake of oneself and for the common good.
Three peoples make up the Vazrkših's native population; the Shakad, Enagetu, and Tarumne. The Shakad, as the most populous group and the first to receive the Dragons, have traditionally ruled the nation. Each of these ethnic groups have their own language, culture, and history, all of which are intertwined due to the many millenia in which they have inhabited the region together.
The Shakad are a human race inhabiting primarily the Eastern half of the nation, living in sprawling cities built mostly along the coasts or rivers. In ages past, the Shakadi cities formed independent city-states, worshipping a small pantheon of gods alongside their respective city's tutelary deity who was used as a symbol of the city itself as a literal entity.
Shakadi are known to have a stocky build, with dark skin and dark, curly hair often worn either in simple braided styles that are accessorized with small pieces of jewelry, or cut short and close to the head - a style considered acceptable for men and women alike.
As the nation's traditional rulers, Shakadi culture has great influence within the nation, and the Shakadi language, Bakal šakad, is used as the conventional standard. Shakadi culture values strong work ethic and humility, and is known to produce people with especially open minds.
The Enagetu are a human race of pastoral nomads that inhabit the central deserts of the Vazrkšihim mainland. The Enagetu live in clan-based groups, with a typical Enagetu clan having between 5 and 20 members depending on the size of their flock. Enagetu in the past were known to be unpredictable as a whole, in one moment being key participants of cross-desert trade and in the next raiding their neighbors on the backs of their samaryi beasts.
Enagetu are known to have many features in common with both the Shakad and Tarumne, leading to the belief that they are the result of ancient intermarriage between the two groups. They are of average height and have light to darker tan skin, which for some individuals has a slight natural shimmer similar to the gold skin of the Tarumne, and wavy hair that is typically brown or black in colour but rarely can be blonde or even white, again similarly to the Tarumne. Some Enagetu even have a slight tip to their ears, which is considered the strongest evidence of Elven heritage in the group's collective history.
The Tarumne are an elven race native to the islands to the southwest, with many settlements along the Vazrkših's coasts. Similar to many realms elsewhere in Sorras, the Tarumne traditionally organize themselves into separate nations led by a feudalistic hereditary monarchy, unlike the other peoples of the region which are more autocratic. Before the Vazrkših, the Tarumne were united under the banner of a large naval empire, ruled by a merchant-elite caste with the Lord of Elihar at the helm. This vast empire was a historical rival of the Shakad, with the fighting between Shakadi city states usually only ceasing when a Tarumne warfleet was spotted. Prior to modern dragon-worship, they followed a complex philosophical religion based on the ideas of spiritual purity and their divine heritage, worshipping a single god, Juran, as the common ancestor and progenitor of all the Tarumne, who with his children originally inhabited the Vazrkših's mainland, but were drove out by the humans, and so he rose the islands of the Tarumne from the sea to give them a home. Before the Vazrkših, this was used as justification for their conquest and colonization of the mainland, and efforts to subjugate the human communities that lived there.
The Tarumne are famed for their radiant golden skin, which sparkles in the sunlight. They average at only slightly taller than most humans, and have hair that varies in colour and texture but is typically dark and curly. Additionally, Tarumne are known to live on average to an age of 120, slightly longer than average humans.
Tarumne culture is known to be very strict, valuing hierarchy and social order extremely highly. These cultural values were a primary driving force for their dominance of the region in ages past, with their small maritime empire being held together almost entirely by an enforced social hierarchy and a great value placed on maintaining internal peace and order, even in times of war and hardship.
The homeland of the Šakad. By traditional definition, the Šakadšihj ("Shakad lands") stretches from the Western half of the Tamivax - the peninsula in the southeast of the Vazrkših, and follows the Takhjadim Zakrj to Mūkadjimbdan, bordering the Great Desert to its North and West. Today, the Xinših is also sometimes considered part of this region, despite its ecological and cultural differences. The Šakadšihj is by far the most populated and wealthy region in the Vazrkših.
The Šakadzav, or Shakadi Sea, defines the region - coastal settlements and seafaring is extremely important to life and the economies in the region. Its many fertile rivers flow back to the sea, which is filled with rocky reefs and bountiful fishing grounds, which the Šakad depend on to provide them with food and other resources such as pearls and coral, which has been used as a luxury building material. Life here depends on the fertile river banks, which provide arable land and drinkable water to the people who live in the many large cities located here.
Bagārnidūbmi, the capital of the Vazrkših, is located in this region. Other cities of note in the region include Vasarrajbmi, the city with the most arraj of any in the nation, Šakadbmi, one of the largest cities, and Drajhazakrbmi, the city with the largest and greatest of all dragon dens.
Xinših
Sometimes considered part of the Šakadšihj, the Xinših ("dry land") is the large arid peninsula at the rugged Western frontier of the Shakadi civilization. The harsh environment found here puts in in stark contrast with the verdant and prosperous Šakadšihj proper. Its fortified port cities protect a great wealth that is valued in more than just gold; the soldiers that hail from the cities of the Xinših are peerless in combat, and similarly the region's scholars and mages and politicians also beyond equal in their respective fields.
The Xinših is surrounded by threats on all sides, a fact that has shaped its modern identity that puts it at odds with their brethren in the heartland. The people here are austere and simple in their lives, with a strong belief that whatever you choose to do in life, you should be the best at it that you possibly can be. Despite this idealistic position, they are considered in all other contexts an austere and insular region whose people are slow to trust and even slower to forgiveness.
Foremost among the region's cities is Mnašikbmi, the City of Mages, which is sacred to the dragon Mitar and holds her arra that has been repurposed as a leading school of magic following her disappearance. The cities of the peninsula's south - Kaštaimbmi, Vasadnājbmi and Mnašikbmi - are some of the wealthiest trade ports in the whole of the Vazrkših, while the cities in the far north - Drajhabaxbmi, Jimzavbmi, and the island city of Zavšihbdan - are some of the most heavily fortified, even with the threat of Enagetu raids and Tarumne invasions that once necessitated them a distant memory.
Vazrkših
Forming the Shakad civilization's northernmost extent, the warscourged Abxārivax ("northern border") is a living memory of the long history of war between the Shakad and the Tarumne. The region itself is characterized mostly by salt marshes, floodplains, and rugged stretches of coastal headlands. The northern edge of the Takhjadim Zakrj range is a defining features of the region's east, and the further inland parts of the region in the southwest are more desert-like, leading into the dunes of the Oku region.
Though the Shakad and the Tarumne have coexisted under the banner of the Vazrkših for nearly a millennia, the long and bloody history between Shakad and the Tarumne has resulted in the two peoples remaining within their respective Abxārivax and Anuel regions, imitating their historic borders. The people of the Abxārivax region are notably parochial and at times even discriminatory towards anyone who is not Shakadi - especially the Tarumne. Politics in this region also have a tendency to be uniquely militaristic and accepting of authoritative leadership than might be expected from the typically libertarian Shakad.
The cities in the Abxārivax region are also unique in that they are all suffixed with -bdan instead of -bmi. This is due to the fact that the cities of the region originate as fortified citadels.
Zibbdan is the sole city in the Abxārivax with a permanent resident Tarumne population of any size, and is unique among the cities of the region for its relative tolerance of their neighbors - however, the city is unofficially divided into Shakadi and Tarumne quarters that remain separate enough from each other they might as well be separate cities entirely.
Zavdvarbdan is the largest city of the region and considered its capital, utilizing the fertile river delta the city is built upon to produce the region's food. Its population is roughly equal to the cities of Danšarzavbmi and Jaerehis.
Idinrabdan, located in the center of the region in the foothills of the Takhjadim Zakrj, is also one of the only three cities in the Vazrkših where dragon dens were constructed, maintained, and used.
Oku
Known as "Mkidamtā" to the Shakad, the Oku is a large desert region bordering the Abxārivax to its east, the Šakadšihj to its south, Hanad-din to its west, and Tunaha to its north. The Oku is known for its iconic red-tinted sand dunes, which are found primarily in the southern part of the region. Enagetu mythology claims that the red sand found here is from the spilt blood of the god Mabotombatu, who was slain by his son Anuna who then absorbed his body and essence, becoming the infinitely-powerful being Raga, Lord of the Universe.
Nearly all inhabitants of the Oku are Enagetu members of the Oku clan, after which the region is named. The Oku clan was and remains an immensely powerful clan, controlling all Enagetu activities that took place anywhere east of Let-Din. The clan values faith and tradition before all else, and makes a point to pass these values on to all within their clan. Any "kogo no-samakowim" will find no shortage of hospitality in this region, but anyone from a land beyond the Vazrkših is likely to find very little here.
The Oku clan was one of the few Enagetu clans to never come under Tarumne rule and the only that truly held land under their name following the Tarumne's conquest. Many attempts were made to destroy the Oku clan and subjugate their lands, but their superior knowledge of their terrain paired with their numbers and remoteness made it impossible for even the most feared armies of the Tarumne slave empire to march upon Nakimsei's gates.
The sole city in this region is Nakimsei, an Enagetu trade city located on the southeastern bank of the Lohai-Tunaha. While the city has always been the center of the Oku clan's power, Nakimsei is a city known firstly for its swordsmen. It is said that one Enagetu swordsman from Nakimsei can defeat fifteen Shakadi spearmen. The many raids staged from this city on nearby cities in the Šakadšihj have proven that number to be only slightly exaggerated.
Tunaha
During the reign of the Tarumne, Tunahasei (known then as Melen'el) was among the few places in their domain where Enagetu clansmen were allowed to live free of slavery and own property. The grace of the Lords of Melen'el has made the region singular among the old Tarumne dominion's cities in its diversity. With the combination of native Enagetu rule and Elven infrastructure and guidance, the otherwise empty and barren Tunaha region is actually rather prosperous.
Only Hanad-Din surpasses Tunaha in its integration of multiple cultures in its social fabric. The large Elven minority combined with the several rural Enagetu clans and mostly clanless urban Enagetu and a small number of Shakadi migrants coexisting here have forged a unique cosmopolitan local culture. Ongetu has become the language of convenience in the region, though many in Tunahasei speak the Shakadi and Tarumne languages fluenty as well. Controversially, there have also been several individuals born in the region to Tarumne and Enagetu parents, locally referred to as "Engabren," rougly meaning "Half-Clan" or "Half-Blood" in Ongetu. While having such a child is seen as a great offense and dishonour upon the parents, most people see the Engabren themselves as pitiable and those that choose to take them under their wing (as these children are often abandoned) as heroically kind.
Tunahasei is the only city in the region, and rivals some of the metropoli in the Šakadšihj in terms of size. The city was built under the rule of the Tarumne as Melen'el, as is evidenced by the city's infrastructure, which is all distinctly Elven in architecture. Rule of the city was peacefully usurped by an alliance of several nearby semi-independent Enagetu clans and a large rebel band of ex-slaves living within the city in the 9th year of the Age of Dragons, only two years before Ahran had arrived in the Tarumne heartland and had begun to lead them to the Way.
Hanad-Din
Meaning The Sword Desert in Ongetu, the Hanad-Din region is the historical heartland of the Enagetu people. This vast expanse of desert forming the central interior of the Vazrkših is a wasteland for all but the many Enagetu clansmen that know this place as their ancestral home. The Tarumne called the region the Jiranar'el, roughly translating to "Land of Man-Kings"
Many clans inhabit the Hanad-Din region. The Tombayiw clan lords over about half of the region from their seat in Let-Din, with their many vassal clans including the the Mabeyda and Rasamin that hold large regions of their own. The neighboring Teboru clan once ruled the entire region, controlling Let-Din and holding all of the Hanad-Din as their realm. They now consider the Tombayiw their mortal enemies and view them with much hatred and jealousy. The Eastern part of the Namalen clan is also present in the Hanad-Din region, whose raiding and warmongering has earned them the ire of all that have the misfortune of bordering them and their public worship of the Black Heretic Rakan earning them a criminal status in the Vazrkših.
There are two cities in the Hanad-Din region, both being major historical sites to the Enagetu and seats of immense power and influence.
Samaksei (known as Esath while under Tarumne occupation) is the largest and oldest of these two cities, nestled between the high walls of the mesas that characterize the innermost parts of the Vazrkših. Its high walls were built during the Tarumne occupation to protect against the relentless raids and seiges.
Let-Din was built unknown millenia ago and has been abandoned, repopulated and rebuilt countless times. The city is a natural fortress, constructed deep within a mesa whose long pathway into the settlement proper has been converted into a long set of walls fitted with four sets of massive gates and fortified positions for archers to attack any unwelcome visitors. What the city has in defensability, however, it lacks in fertility. Nearly all of Let-Din's food must be imported, and a well-supplied siege party can easily starve the city out if they can last longer than the city's food stores - a theory that has been proven many, many times over the course of history. There is a large monastery about halfway through the broken mesa into the city, which houses a population of monks that remain ferverently faithful to the Tall Lord (Mot-Tombatu), a being worshipped by many Enagetu clans in the Age of Darkness. Visitors are unwelcome.
Anuel
During the Age of Darkness, Anuel represented the farthest reaches of the Tarumne's expansion. Geograpically it is virtually indistinguishable from the peninsular portion of the Abxārivax, comprised of the same arid salt flats and jagged rocky hills as the rest of the peninsula - but before the unification of the Vazrkših, it was a frontline of conflict between the Shakad of the Vazrkših and the Tarumne of the eponymous Anuel city state and its scion citadel, the towering city of spires, Tor Jaris.
The distance of the Anuel region from the Tarumne motherland has historically made Anuel a much more autonomous city-state than most other settlements of comparable size. Politically Anuel has more in common with the city-states of the Shakad than other Tarumne structures, with the city's veranen being chosen through a sort of rule-by-might system of the successor rising to power with the decline of their predecessor and formally usurping power upon the death of the previous veran rather than being selected through election or appointment like most other Tarumne cities.
