Zeranian Dominion

Zerania is a hardy land, a veritable wasteland isolated by the bordering Kaal Mountains and the Pillars of the Sky. Despite Zerania's harsh lands, pockets of civilization have thrived within the myriad areas that are naturally sheltered from Zerania's environment. Within these sheltered respites, the land has had time to form hardened ground where dry plains-grass flourishes, surrounded by hills and rocky outcroppings. Despite this, a Vast amount of this arid region is still brutal dune-swept seas that show little to no hospitableness.
The endless oceans of sand that bestrew the nation, with dunes that rise and fall like waves, are unforgiving to all in their brutality. The veritable harsh-lands that intersperse these Dune Seas may be less homogenous in their hostility, but each hold hazards that can prove just as tribulating: The Rain Shadow Plains to the west despite, its modicum of vegetation from the morsels of rain that rarely make it over the great Kaal Mountains only bring with it dangerous beasts and monsters that would claim this barely-habitable land as their own. The Rocky Hamada and Barren Canyons leading to the Montane Wilderness to the North may have a lesser abudance of creatures that would see you as a meal due to the overall privation, but the verticality of the sheer rock faces and avalanches of scree are a monster in an of itself, with snow and ice replacing sand and rock for those who dare venture that far. The Coastals Badlands to the East, where water abundant, but riddled with salt and has caused the land to become less and less stable as you approach the eastern coast The subtropical platues to the south house a remarkable array of vegetation and wildlife compared to the rest of Zerania, making it far more tolerable for beings trying to survive the Arid region, however this is also true for the myriad of dangerious, ferocious and vicious creatures that have become native to area. The Centre house a desolate Erg where the Dune Seas coalesse into one immense ocean of towering compound dunes, some the size of small mountains, where an ancient empire long lost once existed, and now none dare trespass

The Zeranian Dominion is the arguably both the youngest and oldest out of the 3 main regions. Having been formed at the dawn of the 3rd Era by The Enclave of Valmoor after their unexpected migration, the united civilisation as it stands today is younger than any of the other 3 nations.

The Desert Folk

However, When the Enclave fled across the desert to the east, abandoning their thriving Province for reasons unknown, they united with the desert dwelling Zeranian Tribes: believed to be one of the oldest forms of civilisations on the continent. These two societies established a new civilisation within the heart of the Zerania, - naming themselves the Zeranian Dominion. The Zeranian dominion is the most inscrutable and secluded of the realms, almost detaching completely from their continental neighbours.
It is now ruled by the High Magus Arymis Valastra, who has seen Zerania flourish with wealth and prosperity. The Zeranians and their culture lived on and adapted to the new way of life, and a strange harmony between the hierarchical Stratocracy of the Zeranians, and the monarchical Magocracy of the Enclave was found under Arymis' rule.

A Fractured People

Not all Zeranian Tribes accepted this new way of life. Most adjusted and were integrated, A couple of tribes instead set out deep into the desert to preserve their old way of life. High Magus Arymis has seemingly allowed this due to taking no direct actions against them, and even negotiated a trade agreement with the lost tribes.
Queen Arymis considered the Zeranians that united with her people invaluable, and the Endii warriors along with the Genasi saints as an addition to their military and the fortification. The Valastras did introduce magic to the mighty warriors and augmented their bodies with magic runes in order to bolster their capabilities even further.

God Amongst Men

Their Dogma augmented in turn as they saw Arymis as Enu Dogus "Sunmaker Reborn" : The ancient foreign outsider that travelled to their land in their primitive age, colliding and defeating them in battle at first but rose to become admired and respected by all Zeranians. His teachings birthed the way of the Endii, their dogma, and most importantly their way of life as it is known today. However after some time they suddenly disappeared, believed to have ascended to godhood and now watches over all Zeranians.

Structure

Tal G̃irak

The society is ultimately governed by High Magus Arymis - However she is assisted in times of necessity by the remaining Karahn. The hierarchical Stratocracy of the Endii had been adapted to her new nation - to the contempt of some of these once unruled people - leading to a portion of them detaching from this new civilisation and carving out a place for themselves deep in the desert - preserving their original way of life free from the perversion of magic.
The tribes that stayed with Arymis follow their Devouts and Genasi saints, both of which fall under Arymis sovereignty.

The Tal Hadhar

The Tribes that disbanded from their kin went their separate ways into the desert to carve there own domain out for themselves, and focus their will to Enu in their own respective ways that they believed to be truest.

THE HIERARCHY

Both the Tal G̃irak and the Zeranian Tal Hadhar still employ a hierarchical structure to a major facet of their stratocratic society that sees their warriors ranked in order of combative superiority.
Before a Zeranian can become ranked, they must become an Initiate by completing the Proving. The Proving is a test to see if the individual is ready to follow the path of the warrior by demonstrating their strength and understanding of The Way of the Leaf, or the Tal-Girak's adaption known as The Way of the Thron. The Proving can be taken at any age, as long as the individual is willing. To pass the Proving the individual must survive in the desert for a full moon cycle.

If the individual survives, they become an Initiate which is represented by a plain a headband with a single stroke painted on it. To become ranked an Initiate must raise their Initiate level by defeating an Initiate of a higher level than themselves in one-on-one combat. There are 14 levels of an Initiate, represented by the number of strokes on their headband. Being an Initiate is dangerous, for an Initiate headband cannot ever be removed while in the presence of others, and therefore that Initiate is always exposed to challenges of other Initiates. An Initiate or Endii also cannot refuse a challenge to a duel and must fight.

Once an Initiate becomes a 14 level Initiate, they are able to become an Endii by defeating the Endii which has the 1000th rank. An Endii does not wear a headband, but is given an unique Endii sword which represents their rank. There are one thousand curved Endii swords, known as katanas, each one unique bearing an engraving of the katana's rank. These Katanas are sacred in Zeranian religion and if lost, are retrieved at any cost. If a katana is destroyed a new one is forged so that there are always one thousand katanas in circulation.
Like an Initiate, an Endii can raise their rank by defeating an Endii with a rank higher than theirs. When an Endii is defeated they must swap katanas with the victor, if the defeated Endii is killed the victor's previous katana is given to a Devout - a keeper of the Dogma which act as Lawkeepers within the Tal Hadhar and Tal G̃irak, with the latter being amalgamated into the Protectorate. The Devout will then bestow the katana to a worthy warrior that may take its rank. A defeated Endii must also bear the shame of loss and mark it upon their face by tattoo. Endii that have been defeated countless times have intricate tattoos that surround their eyes, each segment a testament to their loss.

Culture

PATH OF THE WARRIOR

Zeranians, from early childhood, would be handpicked by their physical and physiological capabilities to follow the path of the warrior. Training almost every day following the Dogma of the original First known as The Way of the Leaf (or way of thorn of Tal Girak), so they could bring honour to their family and attain a place by their god's side by achieving true mastery of their body, and ultimate pretisge in battle. Originally This vigorous way of life created highly skilled, yet purely martial warriors, rivaled only by those who could augment their martial prowess with magic or superior equipment, with the exception of their saintly genasi. However, After the Dominions inception and their influence and magical augmentation of the integrated Endii, very few warriors from other lands are able to contest the supernatural strength of the Endii, and even less so the Karahn that had been granted the ability to use Hold Sorcery.
Zeranians believe that fighting is a form of religious dedication and expression. They were unconditionally dedicated to the perfection of form and technique in an attempt to follow the teachings of the Dogma, which states that only when true mastery over oneself is achieved can one find inner peace. The Zeranians believe living a life led by the Dogma will reunite them with Enu, and share his tranquility.

The Elementals & the Genasi

From ages past when the raw rents to the elemental planes were first discovered by the primitive tribes, they feared the raw power they released, and most of all what lurked within. It wasn't until Enu deified himself and was wholy worshipped, that they began to revere and deify these connections to the elemental planes, and whatever lurked therein.
Warriors would be sacrified to these rents - religiously believing that their strength and might would be fuse into the land and sustain life within it. The This was their way of "giving back" to the powers that they worshipped so. These sacrifices would require the esteemed warrior to be utterly broken and mutilated in body.
Many would be gone, lost to this ritiual, but some, those capable of steeling their mind and spirit despite all else, come back as beings melded with a particular elemental plane - reincarnated in bodies capable of elemental might. These beings were considered saints amongst Zeranians and one of their most prized and clostely kept secrets.

History

ANCIENT ZERANIA

Since the Confluence The dark-skinned Zeranians have kept to their isolated desert, Suriving within the pocketed sheltered respites, and only travelling to other settlements within Zerania. There were no official rulers within Zerania when the Valastras made it their home, for it was a nation of warriors. The society was a hierarchy exclusively based on the martial prowess of the individual, particularly that of the blade. These warriors were the upper-class, with those those who renounced the warrior's path being the lower-class people of Zerania, but with little negative classism, as they worked hard to further their warrior kin in any way they could. The 12 Tribes existed across the region, fearing the power of the elemental fissures, until Enu arrived and united the zeranians to become the original First. Aftre his ascencion the use of fissures to enhance esteemed warriors began as testament to Enu.

Empire Lost Under the Sands

evidence of an ancient civilisation that existed prior to the confluence is evidence within zerania: archaeological findings and ancient relics lay claim to a enigmatic empire that must have coexisted along side the Esseldaen - a Race of Elephant-like creatures that had a mysterious affinity towards Dreams. This civilisation however saw its end sometime leading up to the Confluence, clearing the way for the Zeranian Culture and society to take its place post-confluence.

NEW ZERANIA

When the Valastra's sealed the tomb to Ariandel and fled to Zerania to colonize it as their new home, they were confronted by the Endii. The Valastras, led by Arymis Valastra (4th Heir to Aryndel's Throne), laid their claim to be the first rulers of Zerania as Zerania had no governing ruler and therefore Zerania was not an official political kingdom. The Zeranian people were resentful for the Valastra's disdainful disrespect to the Endii hierarchy, and resisted the Valastra's armies in force. However, the revolt was fruitless as the Valastra's had access to powerful magic-users as well as the Royal Order which were Hold Sorcerers. The Valastra's quelled the uprising with minimal casualties, but most of the Karahn were killed in a direct confrontation with the Royal Order. Arymis in her powerful mystical prominence most of the Zeranians to believe Arymis was Enu Reborn, come to help elleviate his people into glory and live amongst his people once more. Under the rule of the Valastras, Zerania flourished with wealth and prosperity. The Endii that remained and their culture lived on and adapted to the new ways brought by the Valastras, with those that left fleeing into the desert to form their own way in life.

Demography and Population

The Races of this region are divided first into 2 main groups:

• Tal-Hadhar: The Desert Folk
• Tal-G̃irak: The City Folk

Tal-Hadhar

most notably consisting of Zeranians that chose to turn away the new world order of Arymis. The desert in its vastness is home to many more collectives of peoples - most of which are far more reclusive and extraordinary in their being. All share a withdrawn quality, and seldom interact with even other tribes, let alone the Tal-G̃irak, and further still outsiders and those from over the mountains.

• Leonin nomadic tribes
• Lizard Folk Tribes

Tal-G̃irak

Sticking to the central metropolis of kan dig̃irak, These consist mostly of:

• Zeranian natives (humans & Elves from Confluence)
• most notably elves, humans and half-elves from Valmoor now adapted to the sands
• Dwarves, halfings, dragonborn, and gnomes that were apart of the enclave

---

Genasi are beings that can be born into any people - as they are result of the deeprooted connection the desert has to the elemental planes. They are regarded in mixed views, as they represent a time when The Zeranians

Territories

• the Tal-G̃irak hold territory around their metropolis, the area known as ________. they have several outposts throughout the desert for the extraction of resources and commodities.
• The Tal-Hadhar are nomadic and thus have no specific location, but different tribes and cultures are known to have their own respective regions of the land, within which they will migrate.

Military

The Endii work as the main body, bolstered by the Valastra's _______, and the Protectorate if required.

• The Endii, with the addition of their exceedingly well-trained mounts unprescedented in all the lands and the empowerment from Enclave's sorcery, were a formidable opponent to any who would make them their enemy. Foreign kingdoms that know the might of the Endii are thankful that the Zeranians keep to their isolated desert and cares not for conquest. Despite the ostensible might of Zerania, they were not infallible. Zerania's vulnerability is their population - the least populated nation of all 4 at around 1/4 the size of Aryndel's population. No matter how skilled the Zeranian's are, they theoretically could be defeated with a sizeable enough force - as proven once so with the Enclave's invasion and subsequent uniting of their peoples. The Synergy created from this unity between peoples cannot be ignored however, despite still having a comparitively small military.

Technological Level

• In order to travel across the vastness of the desert, the Valmoorians provided their arcane prowess to invent a new, unprescedented form of transport. These were Sandskiffs, akin to sailing ships but instead it propelled across the sand via a Aeromancer mages.
• In order to protect from the raw brutality of the desert, the Valmoorians also created Shielding Domes that allowed them to not only survive but prosper where others would struggle to endure.
• They also __

Religion

The people are mostly monotheist, worshiping the great sunmaker Enu - The Founder of the Dogma and belived to have been Deified into godhood.

Foreign Relations

The Zeranians keep mostly to themselves - The Zeragalle Trade Guild working the most with outsiders in almost solely trade and commerce.

Agriculture & Industry

Most notable were the horses that the Valastras brought with them. Over the years, breeding the swiftest Aryndel bred horses with the hardy Zeranian horses, which were mostly used as pack horses or as workers for the fields, to give birth to the strongest battle mounts the Valastras - and the continent in general - had ever seen. Others of noteworthiness are:

• herbs and spices 
• minerals and ores
• arcane ingredients 
•  commodities. 

However most say that the Trade Guild does not trade Zerania’s most prized resources to outsiders.

Trade & Transport

The Zeragalle Trade guild is responsible for the transportation of goods over and within their borders

Mythology & Lore

The Original First known as Enu made the teachings of the Dogma. Enu was a foreigner who traveled to Zerania and ended up defeating many Zeranians. In that time there no ranks, but loss was still marked upon the face. A long time after Enu created the Dogma he disappeared suddenly. Enu became revered among the Zeranians as the strongest warrior they'd ever encountered, until the day Enu left he never had a single tattoo placed on his face.
Most believe that he ascended and is watching over the Zeranians, guiding them on the path of the Dogma. Zeranians believe that fighting is a form of religious dedication and expression, they were dedicated to the perfection of form and technique in an attempt to follow the teachings of the Dogma which states that only once true mastery over oneself is achieved can one find inner peace. The Zeranians believe living a life led by the Dogma will reunite them with Enu, and share his tranquility.

Tenets of Faith

THE DOGMA

The Dogma is a code of conduct written by Enu the original First, which states the way a warrior should live to be honorable, and to attain inner peace. There are seven virtues of the Dogma:

Honesty

A warrior must acutely speak the truth with all creatures. You must be just in your actions, considering all points of view.

Dignity 

A true warrior is not cruel, you must respect even your enemies. A warrior's strength is proven by their dealings with others.

Courage

A true warrior lives life to the fullest, never retreating. A warrior must always face a fight with full commitment.

Honor

A warrior does not hide from them-self, for yourself is the only measure of honor and character. A true warrior always displays their rank.

Humanity 

A warrior becomes strong, such strength should be used judiciously. A true warrior strikes when needed, and most importantly knows when not to.

Sincerity 

To a warrior, speaking and doing are the same action. A warrior does not make promises, for what he says is as good as done.

Loyalty 

To a warrior, betrayal is worse than death. A true warrior is responsible for everything they have done and the consequences that follow.

Ethics

The Way of the Leaf dicates a convoluted philosophy of "Peace in Battle". One that has been fractured into 2 forms, the original form for the Al Hadhar and a altered form for the Al G̃irak respectively. Originally Zeranians earned honor and prestige for deeds in battle--or accumulate shame by misdeeds--but killing a opponent - most of all a humanoid opponent - that wasnt wholy evil earns the least honor. This was known as "The Way of The Leaf". The mastering of Martial prowess was seen not as a way of domination of weaponization, but a way to harness and empower the connection between mind, body and spirit, and the corruption of that through virtueless killing would oppose this.
"The Way of the Thorn" was the adaption of this philosophy was born during the time of the Enclaves invasion, when they were forced to take up arms or be subjugated. After an unsuccessful uprising against the Enclave of Valmoor, the Al G̃irak that was formed chose to explore this new form of their ideology, born from the supposed return of Enu.This new ideology allowed the killing of humanoid enemies but only in the act of self-defence or during the act of a Black Feather Duel.

Priesthood

Devouts are the sacred priests and archivists that help guide their regilgion of Enu. 
The Genasi are the holy saints and prophets of the Elements that channel the will and power of the elemental planes for their succour.

Founding Date

End of 2nd Era

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

kan dig̃irak

Alternative Names

'People of the Sun' - Easterner

Training Level

Elite

Veterancy Level

Decorated/Honored

Demonym

Zeranian

Leader Title

High Magus

Government System

Magocracy

Power Structure

Unitary state

Economic System

Mixed economy

Major Exports

• A prominent export is that of glass. The quality and variety is unparalleled.
• gunpowder

Major Imports

Despite a myriad of prized resources being native to the desert, its arid nature results in a lack of several significant resources. The arcane prowess of the Enclave has enabled this to be alleviated somewhat, the fundamental nature of the land perseveres.

• Timber?

Legislative Body

Arymis

Judicial Body

The Protectorate

Executive Body

The Protectorate

Deities

• Enu

Location

Zeranian Desert

Neighboring Nations

• The Broken Blades