The Lost Empire of Phorexia

"The history of our people is paved in blood and ruin. But far before we spilled blood by choice, and before we had to be afraid of our own woods for the fanatical elves to attack us, we had an enemy that we could not hide from. And that enemy, they killed without mercy and without reason." - Empress Nargani III, 702 at a peace summit held at https://www.worldanvil.com/w/taurua-hiisikuningas/a/republic-of-praesidium-organization

— tab]Praesidium.

Zealous Slavedrivers

Ruling the ancient realm of Phorexia were the cruel yuan-ti. Men twisted by terrible mutations and curses to resemble their vile deities. These yuan-ti used the rest of their former kin, the primitive humans of Cauldron of Creation to forge their empire in heavy, iron shackles. Devoted to a deity whose name is nearly wiped from history whose symbol resembled that of an ouroboros, of a serpent eating its own tail, it is known that according to myth of the first free men, this deity was at one point summoned to circle the darkened skies of Phorex Isles. According to the same myth, a creature born from the hatred of the rebels struck the malevolent serpent god down. The name of the creature who slew the dark devourer is only referred as the Ragegod.

Structure

Much of the actual structure and civilization of Phorexia is unknown. What small hints remain have aided the scholars to compile the following information together of the hierarchy of the yuan-ti:

The High Priest ("Vrael olo")

Vrael olo translating roughly into "The Chosen One" served as the ruler of the Phorexian empire. Seen as near-god-king until the empire summoned their god to Taurua, many modern experts believe that the status and power a High Priest wielded was equal to that of an emperor, making the ancient empire a theocracy.

The Clergy and the Warlords

It is recorded that even the empire of Phorexia saw great hardship in gaining control of the Feline's Claw, where the rare ruled strongholds and temples were governed by powerful warlords serving as lieges for the Vrael olo ruling on Phorex Isles. Meanwhile, evidence of other deities has been discovered as well and it is believed that the empire of Phorexia had a surprisingly vast and complex pantheon of deities. Why one was chosen out of them to ascend while others remained in their own realms? This is a question many scholars to this day ponder.

The Servants

A moniker spared only for the yuan-ti themselves who were of lower status. In the foreboding language of Abyssal the yuan-ti had a complex hierarchy system for those who served below their leaders, but nearly every hierarchical word there ends in "Servant". Therefore, soldiers, merchants, hunters and even the rare yuan-ti sailors would all belong in the caste of Servants.

The Worthless

A title used for the malformed yuan-ti, who greatly resembled humans. These "failed" offspring often mingled with human slaves, which made them unpredictable and of a lesser rank in the eyes of the cruel empire. Often serving duties no-one else cared for, the Worthless were not considered yuan-ti in the religious sense.

Slaves

A moniker for the many races under subjugation of the yuan-ti. Their vast stocks of slaves included humans, centaurs, lizardfolk and tabaxi alike. Those who have inhabited ancient Phorex all fell under the influence of the yuan-ti and carved out great tunnels and mines into the sides of the Hollow Giants as they gathered great amounts of granite and other minerals for the grand kingdom of Phorexia.

Culture

The yuan-ti believed themselves to be above all other races and superior to them. A belief, which led to the terrible crimes and fates performed against so many other races. This is also believed to be a core reason on why the ancient empire of Phorexia fell, as the salves rallied and rebelled against their masters. Little is known of the greater intricacies of what life was like in Phorexia, as this savage rally led to the near-complete annihilation of the yuan-ti as a culture and to the destruction of many historical monuments, libraries and places of knowledge.

Unknown - -16

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Alternative Names

The Yuan-Ti Empire, Scaled Slavers, Defeated Masters, The Slavedrivers Empire

Government System

Theocracy

Location

Phorex Isles

Related Myths

• The World Serpent