The Holy Empire of Zuros
The modern Holy Empire of Zuros has endeavored to continue this conquest. Having taken full control of the entire western continent, the Empire has pressed a variety of kingdoms and races into service. The Empire wipes out the culture of those it conquers, and replaces it with mindless loyalty to the empire and strict adherence to their interpretation of the teachings of Tholtar. Once an individual is considered sufficiently converted, they are branded as Reforged and drafted into military service. Those found to be resistant to reforging, or are found unsuitable for military activity, are either executed or used for manual labor. Two things are used to determine status in the Empire: Birth and usefulness. Every person is assigned a rank at birth based on the ranks of their parents. At the end of their childhood they will face several tests to determine where their skills lie, and how they could be of benefit to the empires goals. Over the course of one’s lifetime, if an individual has repeatedly demonstrated remarkable skill, then it is taken as a sign that Tholtar has seen fit to advance that individual's rank. This allows exceptional individuals to advance through society, and similarly, those who are viewed as being of little use find themselves dropped to the bottom of the social hierarchy. Despite this level of social mobility, commoners remain common, and nobles remain noble, with each being directed towards pursuits befitting their station. The exception to this rule is that if a commoner family gives birth to an Aasimar child, they are seen as blessed and the child is taken to be raised as a noble, while if a noble family gives birth to a tiefling then the family is viewed as being of cursed lineage, stripped of their status, and potentially banished or even executed outright. Many nobles attempt to avoid this punishment with accusations of infidelity or some other tampering.
The Nobles of Zuros engage in a degree of political maneuvering with each other, competing to accomplish greater military goals and earn status in the imperial court. With the amount of importance placed on hierarchy each noble strives to advance as far as they can. They must be careful how they act towards each other though, as the ruling elites do not tolerate excessive infighting that could harm the empire.
History
The Holy Empire of Zuros was originally founded as a small order of knights dedicated to the god of kings, Ilios. The Knights of Ilios, founded by the Aasimar High Commander Zerachiel, was dedicated to ensuring order around the world and protecting people from evil wherever they were needed. Over time, the order continued to expand in popularity and saw its numbers swell in size. Several nearby kingdoms donated portions of farmland to help the Knights supply themselves, and people came to farm that land. Over time the Knights also developed political connections with kingdoms across the world as the knights were willing to travel far in their fight against evil. Eventually, in the Year 3030 of the Fourth Age, The Knights officially declared themselves to be known as the Holy Kingdom of Zuros, a nation with the same goals as the order of knights that it originated as, but that had grown large enough that is had its own obligations to its population that went beyond serving as an order of knights, and chose High Commander Zuriel to serve as king. Some nations were initially taken aback by the sudden emergence of a formal power in the area, but due to the goodwill already earned by the knights, and the fact that they continued to focus on rooting out evil throughout the world, most accepted the new kingdom.
As a nation, The Holy Kingdom of Zuros saw itself as needing to adhere to a higher standard than most nations. Laws were strictly enforced with little tolerance for those who disturbed the order. The military origins of the nation remained a strong influence, as the King was both monarch and top ranking general, and the hierarchy was considered to be very important to the stability of the nation. The nation was small, but it’s armies exercised unparalleled discipline and its strong military traditions produced many fine soldiers. Zuros was primarily made up of humans, but the nobility was made up of people with Angelic ancestry, the most powerful of which manifested as Aasimars. This holy ancestry was viewed as proof that the nobles were chosen to serve as the true leaders of the nation, and it was expected that all strictly obey the hierarchy. Zuros firmly adhered to the teachings of Tholtar. The people were expected to serve the role in society they were born into. Farmers would farm and feed the kingdom. Soldiers would serve in the military and protect the people. Nobles would lead the people and guide the kingdom to prosperity. As long as the order was maintained, they believed the kingdom would prosper. King Zuriel also began a new policy known as the “Reforging”. Criminals and other evildoers who demonstrated talent would be taken and “reforged” into servants of justice. Many other nations were thrilled to have a place to ship off criminals too, and although it was not always successful, many former criminals were “reforged” into loyal members of Zuros.
The year 3807 marked a new change in the Holy Kingdom of Zuros. King Ruaman began his conquest of the northern territories of the continent of Hirzul. He believed that in order to bring true justice to the world, he needed to spread the teachings of Tholtar across the world. He began with a military campaign into the Savage Lands, a region largely populated by various orcish and goblinoid tribes. Within a few years Zuros had conquered and subdued the region, adding it to the kingdom. Other nations were concerned, but Zuros diplomats assured them that this was only a part of their duties. They had held the border against incursions from these tribes for years, and it was simply time for someone to spread proper civilization to them. For roughly a decade Zuros quieted down, before beginning its conquest in full. In 3821 King Ruaman Barotholos Zuros marched from the Holy Kingdom leading an army of the Reforged. By taking control of the savage lands he had secured a large military force of Orcs, Goblinoids, and various monsters, that he was then able to train and unleash under his control. Before long his armies had full control of the continent of Hirzul, and he began making plans to invade the Eastern continent of Phazos as well. Ruaman declared to the world that he was enacting the final duty of the Knights of Ilios. He would spread Ilios' teachings across the world, unite all governments under a divine empire, and purge evil and chaos from all corners of the world.
As a nation, The Holy Kingdom of Zuros saw itself as needing to adhere to a higher standard than most nations. Laws were strictly enforced with little tolerance for those who disturbed the order. The military origins of the nation remained a strong influence, as the King was both monarch and top ranking general, and the hierarchy was considered to be very important to the stability of the nation. The nation was small, but it’s armies exercised unparalleled discipline and its strong military traditions produced many fine soldiers. Zuros was primarily made up of humans, but the nobility was made up of people with Angelic ancestry, the most powerful of which manifested as Aasimars. This holy ancestry was viewed as proof that the nobles were chosen to serve as the true leaders of the nation, and it was expected that all strictly obey the hierarchy. Zuros firmly adhered to the teachings of Tholtar. The people were expected to serve the role in society they were born into. Farmers would farm and feed the kingdom. Soldiers would serve in the military and protect the people. Nobles would lead the people and guide the kingdom to prosperity. As long as the order was maintained, they believed the kingdom would prosper. King Zuriel also began a new policy known as the “Reforging”. Criminals and other evildoers who demonstrated talent would be taken and “reforged” into servants of justice. Many other nations were thrilled to have a place to ship off criminals too, and although it was not always successful, many former criminals were “reforged” into loyal members of Zuros.
The year 3807 marked a new change in the Holy Kingdom of Zuros. King Ruaman began his conquest of the northern territories of the continent of Hirzul. He believed that in order to bring true justice to the world, he needed to spread the teachings of Tholtar across the world. He began with a military campaign into the Savage Lands, a region largely populated by various orcish and goblinoid tribes. Within a few years Zuros had conquered and subdued the region, adding it to the kingdom. Other nations were concerned, but Zuros diplomats assured them that this was only a part of their duties. They had held the border against incursions from these tribes for years, and it was simply time for someone to spread proper civilization to them. For roughly a decade Zuros quieted down, before beginning its conquest in full. In 3821 King Ruaman Barotholos Zuros marched from the Holy Kingdom leading an army of the Reforged. By taking control of the savage lands he had secured a large military force of Orcs, Goblinoids, and various monsters, that he was then able to train and unleash under his control. Before long his armies had full control of the continent of Hirzul, and he began making plans to invade the Eastern continent of Phazos as well. Ruaman declared to the world that he was enacting the final duty of the Knights of Ilios. He would spread Ilios' teachings across the world, unite all governments under a divine empire, and purge evil and chaos from all corners of the world.
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