Nahyz
Located on the sandy dunes of Sousa and resting on the banks of the Tanin Nahr is the country of Nahyz. The country is a collection of city-states. Individually, the cities are ruled by their own governments, whether that is a council of elders or a high priest; however, collectively, the city-states, and country as a whole, is ruled by the Voice of Tiamat, the one chosen to enact Tiamat's will throughout Nahyz.
Nahyz, and Sousa as a whole, is unique in the fact that instead of the humanoid gods worshiped in the other settled lands of Verald, the inhabitants worship the pantheon of draconic gods- including the five-headed goddess, Tiamat, and her divine children, together making up the Chromatic Pantheon. These six gods aren't the only beings worshiped in the cities of Nahyz, however. The Corporeal Gods, as they're called by the citizens of Nahyz, are living dragons that are honoured by the humanoids of Nahyz. They are given tithes to grow their great hordes, and many of them have giant dynasties birthed by them centuries ago that work to pursue their interests or gain them greater power in the realms of the humanoids.
Structure
Voice of Tiamat: The Voice is descended from a long line of half-dragons born directly from the first Voice and Tiamat herself. The Voice controls and leads the entirety of Nahyz; they are responsible for directing the citizenry to follow Tiamat's will and serve the draconic gods to the best of their ability. Tithes and taxes are paid from the peoples and lands of Nahyz to the Voice as payment for the land and tribute to Tiamat and the living dragons.
Iryat: The Iryat is the heir to the Voice. This is a title given when the heir is deemed ready to rule. Before that, they are the called patir. The Iryat traditionally starts a major project, usually some sort of construction, when they take on the title. Additionally, it is common the Iryat is married and possibly given a palace of their own when they earn the title. They can also be married before becoming Iryat of course.
High Overseer of the House: The High Overseer of the House is responsible for managing the palace and estates of the Voice. They are the Voice's stewards, and responsible for ensuring every aspect of the Voice's life is taken care of. They manage the fields of the estate, the staff of the palaces, and to ensure the wishes of the Voice are met. The Overseer makes the appointments for the Voice, be they personal or political.
Overseer of the Treasury: The Overseer of the Treasury is responsible for the Voice's personal treasury. The jewels and heirlooms, the tithes and taxes, the income and the expenses of Tiamat's family fall under their responsibility. They also must ensure the proper amount of money is being given to the Voice by the various parts of Nahyz. The Overseer is also responsible for the country's taxation. Specifically, they must ensure that the taxes ordained by the Voice are given when due. The taxes demanded by the nomarchs or even the vizier is not under the purview of the overseer, except to ensure that they do not affect the tithes being offered to the Voice.
High Vizier: The high vizier is the lead adviser to the Voice. They help them manage the realm and provide counsel for the various decisions that must be made. They often carry the seal of the Voice, and can pass laws or make decrees in the Voice's name. This position is almost as hereditary as the Voice itself. While the position can be revoked or given to whomever the Voice wishes, it is commonly passed from father to son. In fact, the future High Vizier and Voice are often raised side by side.
Vizier of the Sky: The Vizier of the Sky is the main adviser to the Voice in regards to managing the temples and priests in Nahyz. They petition on behalf of the priests to the Voice, voicing concerns and offering tribute. They are the adviser for the religious aspects of the realm. Unlike the High Vizier, this position is rarely hereditary. The position is fiercely competed for by the six major churches in Nahyz. Occasionally, one of the members of a dragon's family will earn the position if there are some sort of close ties between that family and the Voice. However, it is usually passed between the six churches, given to a senior priest or the head of the church.
Vizier of the Land: The Vizier of the Land is the main adviser to the Voice in regards to managing the cities and nomarchs that make up Nahyz. They will bring matters from the nomarchs of the land to the Voice's attention if they are deemed important enough, that is. They are the adviser to the physical aspects of the realm. This position, like the Vizier of the Sky, is usually politicked for. While it has been passed down from parent to child a few times, it is more common for the position to be given to whichever family is the most powerful at the time, or whoever strategized the best.
Nomarch: The Nomarch is the leader of one of the cities of Nahyz. They are appointed by the Voice. The title was once considered mainly hereditary, but now there is fierce politicking to convince the Voice of whom to elect to the position. The Nomarch is a prestigious position; they are responsible for every aspect of the city. In fact, the Nomarchs are often considered as little kings, as they fight amongst themselves for more power and land. They do ultimately answer to the Voice, having to bow to his wishes, if he chooses to command them, and pay him tithes and taxes. However, the cities all only have to pay the same amount of tithes and taxes, so if their income exceeds that, the money belongs to the city, and thus the Nomarch. This fact is one of the larger factors that ensures no lasting peace between the cities as they vie to control more mines, ports, land, and people (artisans and slaves alike) that their fellows are too weak to hold.
High Priest: There are six high priests in Nahyz, one for each of the major churches. They are responsible for the entirety of their church, and they usually are directly in charge of the main temple of the church. These positions are commonly hereditary; usually, the high priest will recommend his successor to the Voice before his death. However, if the high priest or someone in his family has angered the viziers or the Voice, the title will be passed to another family, still of the correct color. There is often machinations to frame a family of some offense to have the position passed to a new family.
Imyr: These are appointed by the Nomarch of a city. They manage large areas of land under the domain of one of the capital cities. There are usually no more than a dozen imyrs under each nomarch. The imyrs do not appoint any of the hattas though they often provide suggestions, but they are the people the hattas report to. In addition to serving as an intermediary, they usually personally administrate over the largest settlement in their personal domain. Imyrs are responsible for collecting the tithes and taxes due to their nomarchs though this is often delegated to the hattas. If there is an issue, the imyr, not the hatta, is the one responsible in the eyes of the nomarch. Imyrs are often the ones who decide what is farmed, mined, or crafted and where. They decide what taxes each hatta will be responsible for, and they must ensure the hattas have the tools required to meet such demands. Sometimes, an imyr will change up what taxes are demanded from a ceratin hatta as a form of punishment, such as demanding a farming village pay their taxes in the form of armor and weapons instead of food. This is considered acceptable to most nomarchs as long as they still get all the taxes due to them.
Overseer
Hatta
Culture
Nahyz believes in strength. The strong rule over the weak because the weak are not worthy to rule over themselves. If you prove yourself strong, then you are more influential and respectable. The weak must be protected, but they have to earn the protection offered them. The strength that Nahyz values isn't necessarily physical, however. Magical, political, mental, or any other type of strength is valued in Nahyz. If you can prove your strength, you have proven your worth in society. The gods are the strongest beings in the world, so they deserve to be worshiped. The government rules because they have the strongest, most powerful people. In a world that will either crush the weak or accept tribute from them, you can either submit or be crushed.
History
Centuries ago, the country of Nahyz could barely be considered such. It was created by the second wave of humans who landed on the sandy beaches of Sousa. The humans created their first settlement on the banks of the Tanin Nahr. They began to fish and collect pearls and explore the rich deserts of the continent, and as their wealth grew, they drew the attention of the gods of Sousa. The dragons of Sousa are many, and they're usually busy with their own draconic affairs. The greed and boldness of the humans, daring to take from the dragon's lands without offering anything in return, angered the dragons. The dragons drove away the blasphemous humans; those that remained learned about the true gods of the world, the draconic gods, the immortal and mortal ones, from the humanoid children of the dragons.
With new leaders, the humanoid settlement was taught how to respectively harvest from the dragon's land. They learned the proper ways to worship dragons, to serve them. An agreement was reached. As long as tithes were paid to the dragons, the humanoid settlements would be left to collect money and gems for the dragon's hoards. To lead the humanoids was the leader of the first half-dragons, one who communed directly with Tiamat and made certain her interests were served. It was decided that the person who spoke with Tiamat's voice would always lead the people of Nahyz.
As time continued, the humanoids spread and began to farm and live all along the Tanin Nahr. Five cities grew and the Voice divided the Tanin Nahr among them. The Voice also split up control of mines, towns, and parts of the desert among the towns. However, while the Voice initially split up the wealth of Nahyz equally between the five, it did not remain that way. It was decided that if a city proves itself to be too weak to control its holdings, another city can claim ownership over it. After all, the most important thing in Nahyz is strength. Those who are not strong enough to hold onto their power do not deserve to have any. Shortly after the cities were founded and the Tanin Nahr split between them, battles between the five states commenced. These battles have never stopped, and the cities are always trying to gain control over some wealthy mine or fertile field. Even if that were not the case, though, the cities would continue to attack each other. It is a way to display their dominance over one another and thus gain the favor of Tiamat and her children.
The only time the cities band together in war is when another entity threatens them. If an outsider every attempts to set up a town or claim a mine, the cities will band together and ensure no one else gets any part of the desert's treasures. There have been many attempts by pirates to set up towns along the coast, to allow trade between the continents without the taxes and tithes required in Kissura. One time, the country of Norilin attempted to establish a city on the western coast of Nahyz. That part of the country is far from the civilization that lines the Tanin Nahr and by the time Kissura heard of the city, it had been well fortified by the ministries of Norilin. The five cities assembled a massive force, and they traveled for many months over the desert to reach the town and launch a coordinated land-and-sea assault of the town. The town was promptly destroyed and in honor of Garyx, the entirety of the town was razed to the ground.
The towns banded together twice to expand their reach, and they haven't needed to band together for expansion ever since, proof of the might the cities and their draconic gods wield. The sand elves and the mountain dwarves were the two peoples who fell under the swords and fires of Nahyz. The mountain dwarves once fought viciously against the dragons for control of the riches of the mountains. However, they could not hold up against the dragons and their new armies of worshipers. Mine by mine, fortress by fortress, the empire of the dwarves fell. The mines were gifted to the humanoids by the dragons after the dwarves fled. Now kobolds and other workers delve deep into the mountain to find ores and gems to forge into brilliant works for the dragons.
The sand elves had always been a nomadic people who wandered over the sandy dunes and dry earth of their desert home. The race did have a place they all called home, the city's name was a closely guarded secret of the elves as was its location. They believed their city was safe in its anonymity and that what happened to the dwarves could not happen to them. They continued to travel through the desert, now avoiding the Tanin Nahr and the draconic civilization that lived along it. The elves were partially correct. While the humanoids had no knowledge of where the elven city lay and the ancient magics of the capital protected it from a dragons gaze, they were not prepared for the might of Tiamat. Thanks to her grace, an army of devils attacked the elven capital, successfully defeating all who lived in the city. Now the elves are truly nomadic, with no home to return to. They collectively dream of finding a way to reclaim their ancient capital, but those who know the strength of the draconic gods know it will be impossible.
Type
Geopolitical, Theocracy
Leader
Leader Title
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Related Ranks & Titles
Notable Members
Comments