Zamzian Empire
"O! The beauty! When one sails underneath the Rings of Prosperity and lays eyes upon glorious Zamhita, the glory of nature pales before the glory of Humanity, resplendent in its harmony and order! A feat that could have only been envisioned by the The Transcendent Emperor was to be His greatest mark upon the world: a perfect city, jewel of the Empire, nestled in a hollowed-out mountain, protected by a moat that would put any river or lake to shame, a city that rose to strike the heavens themselves. Only from this heart could his Empire truly be born."
- The Chronicles of Zamzara, Vol. 1
Structure
In the Empire, everyone had their place. Hierarchy was rigid and respected by all. Forming the lowest rung of society were the tradesmen - merchants, wandering traders, etc. Although many of them enjoyed wealth, great social status was often denied to them because they engaged in the trade and transport of goods, rather than the creation of them. Many traders were viewed as greedy, unscrupulous, and irresponsible - a stigma that still lives on today.
Above the traders were the laborers - craftsmen, artisans, etc. The vast majority of Zamzians fell into this political class, and many respected their position in life as part of a greater order. While they had few rights and privileges, the Zamzian justice system was widespread throughout the Empire and taken very seriously, ensuring that even though these people may not have contributed as much to society as those of higher orders, they were still a valued and necessary part of the Empire's rule.
Next came the farmers, whose social status was derived from the land they owned - a boon that was denied to the lower classes. No other class can boast of maintaining the strength of the empire more than this one, and this is why they were highly valued within Zamzian society. This is also the first social class with the privilege of suffrage, which was most often used in local affairs and the appointment of new councilors to the Divine Bureaucracy.
In following the path of The Transcendent Emperor during His Walkabout, adventurers made their marks on the Empire, wandering Zamzara in search of truth and glory. The ideal of the wanderer is deeply embedded into Zamzian culture as an external force for change - it was common for nobles and scholars to commission these people for their own needs, be they political or material in nature. While they had no official rights or privileges and were never formally recognized as a class within the Empire's hierarchy, they often basked in the adoration or hatred of those they affected, tales of their deeds ringing out across the continent.
Of course, no society is complete without its nobility - a varied, but dissident group. The vast majority of scholars, artists, magi, and generals emerged from this class. While many nobles were relegated to administrative or bureaucratic duties, some abandoned their families entirely to pursue the mysteries of the arcane or to join the Cult of the Emperor to champion the man who gave them everything.
Above all others rests the Emperor Himself, and those who were a part of his divine lineage. He had complete authority over any and all matters within the Empire, and was said to be a physical reflection of it, if not a representation. All can trace their bloodlines directly back to The Transcendent Emperor himself, but only the first emperor achieved Moksha, a feat that has yet to be matched. In discovering the essential truth of Himself and the world, the Emperor rose above the physical coil and the limitations of this kalpa, leaving behind methods and Roads so that we may emulate His deeds.
Public Agenda
The Empire was created for a single purpose: Bring peace to a violent world and rise above barbarism and chaos. For over 2000 years, it achieved this goal. Conflict on the scale of the Unification Wars would not be seen in the Empire's entire history - only minor territorial disputes and petty squabbles would mar this otherwise pristine time. One of the most central tenets to the Zamzian Empire was the idea that harmony begat prosperity - a claim that went unchallenged for millennia.
Disbandment
2133 AC, when The Kalyugi terrorized the world.
Demography and Population
Many Zamzians resided in rural villages scattered across the continent, contributing to the greater Empire through their resource collection. Usually, the higher the class, the more likely it was to be found within one of the Empire's many centers of commerce and law. Once upon a time, at the beginning of the Empire, some cultural groups demanded independence and recognition, but all were crushed under the weight of the Empire's economic and militaristic might, and all members of the Empire came to know themselves as Zamzians. So strong were the traditions of the Empire that many people, even to this day, consider themselves part of a phantom empire that no longer truly exists.
Territories
Zamzara was not conquered in a day, a year, or even a century. Fifteen years prior to the creation of the Empire, The Transcendent Emperor embarked on His unification crusade. Leaving the legendary desert town of Dìfāng, He and 50 brave men marched to the nearby town of Nimura and offered to protect them from the roving barbarian hordes that plagued pre-history. They accepted and 20 more men joined His fledgling company, as the two towns agreed to keep the other safe. With his 70 men, He marched to another town, and then another, and then another. By the time He had assembled a fully armed battalion and put down several barbarian chieftains, a dozen towns had sworn themselves to Him, some out of admiration, others out of practicality, and others out of fear.
The barbarians were nomads, roaming and pillaging in the name of their gods and people. With no true homes of their own, they were difficult to pin down, yet The Transcendent Emperor would find them again and again, chasing them farther afield and earning the respect and love of those he saved, while engendering hatred from the godful hordes. One year after He left Dìfāng, the barbarians were pushed out of the surrounding desert. One year after that, they had been beaten through the grasslands and pushed up to the coast. Surrounded by mountains to the south, desert to the east, and ocean to the west, the hordes had nowhere to go but north, fleeing into wild territory. He followed them, and on the fourth year, all of western Zamzara was under His control, the barbarians who had defied Him consigned to the Burning Archipelago and its surrounding islands.
The work was not yet done, so He turned His gaze to the east, where He saw even lesser developed peoples - those who engaged in worship of the material world, living in shelters made of leaf and twig. He came to them without His army, and implored them to abandon their foolish deceptions and free themselves from the cycles of reincarnation. They heard His word, and they balked. These people were akin to animals, blinded by the material and worldly, indulging in sin. Knowing it was His duty, he returned with His armies and subjugated them all - an easy task, for they lived simple lives of idolizing their spirits of nature, unconcerned with prosperity, discipline, and the higher mysteries. Two years later, the central and northern parts of the continent came under His yoke, their previous occupants slaughtered or assimilated into His growing forces.
By now, He had grown accustomed to warfare and logistics. To maintain His army's momentum, he often left towns to their own devices after they came under His control - He merely appointed one person as His official representative for the area, then assigned them a few guards to maintain security over the villages. These officials had a singular purpose at the time: establish modes of transportation between the established territories by whatever means necessary. As a result, He left a constantly-forming supply line in his wake, one of the greatest strengths of his armies, and one that served him well in the years to come. Conquest grew easier as His power increased, and eastern Zamzara was more easily conquered than any other. The primitive barbarians of the area had no idea that The Transcendent Emperor's armies were marching to them, and they proved no match against the experienced and trained forces of civilization. The west was His by the tenth anniversary of his departure from Dìfāng.
It was southern Zamzara that proved the most difficult battle of all. By now, word of The Transcendent Emperor's conquest had spread far and wide, giving the petty warlords time to mobilize and prepare to defend their lands. Once His armies were headed south, they were met in open battle by primitive gangs, equal or greater in size to themselves. They lacked advanced weapons or tactics, but they compensated for their weakness by opposing His armies anywhere, at any time, with anything they had. It proved to be a grueling end to His campaign, but five years later, His armies had finally reached the southern beaches of Zamzara and all the mainland was united under one banner.
Religion
Education
Any formal education at all is reserved for the noble class in 99% of all cases. An upjumped farmer can never be thought to have the same mental capabilities of a trueborn scholar, raised to fulfill his role in society as best as he is able. It is the lower class' place to deal with the mundane, the physical, and the banal, as they are well suited for it. However, not even all nobles could be assumed to qualify for an education - positions within schools are freely given out to those who pass the rigorous and brutal entrance exams, ensuring that merit took place over wealth. Once within the system its continuous duties and stresses cause many to burn out, but not after making their contributions to the body of Zamzian knowledge.
The strong sense of tradition that permeated the lower classes was in part due to the need to pass on knowledge to the next generation. Even most laborers could be assumed literate during most of the Empire's rule - this was because books, while valuable, were also not uncommon within Zamzian villages. Generally, a family would have enough money to own one or two books, which they would share with their family and trusted friends. These ranged from directly practical matters, such as almanacs and atlases, to "higher concepts" like literature, art, and religious texts. While formal education was relegated to the halls of urban academia, the average citizen was still raised with regular educational lessons, often passed down from family members that had returned from a scholastic stint or gleaned from trips to a regional library.
Infrastructure
Good public infrastructure was a valued tenet of Zamzian civil ideology, and many, many roads are said to have paved over the same paths The Transcendent Emperor walked during His years as a young wanderer. In its prime, hundreds of tons of goods were being transported via the Infinite Highway every day - many cities relied heavily on the raw materials and resources provided by nearby villages, while the villages enjoyed fine items made by the most talented craftsmen and artists in the world.
When the Empire was new, there were few ways for people to travel from one town to the next: many simply traveled along rivers or the edges of forests. Some of the more developed towns had paved streets to facilitate transportation, but it was rare to see the roads extend beyond the town. The Emperor's vision would never get off the ground if it stayed so difficult to exchange goods, and He deliberated for years during His Walkabout as to how to go about beginning construction. Once He returned, He knew that He would need a seat of power from which to project his political might, and He set the construction of Zamhita into motion.
This created a problem: The new capital would be situated where the mountain Yamavati once stood, and it was both tall and contained many rivers which spread out into Zamzara - construction would be immensely difficult, especially without a preexisting base of operations. He cleverly achieved two goals with one plan: Construction materials from villages would be shipped to Zamhita by river, but at the same time, the materials that were not shipped would be used to create paved roads to the new capital. By the time the city had truly become a city, twenty years had passed since its initial construction and it was already connected to the various villages and towns surrounding Yamavati.
The Infinite Highway project was commissioned by Emperor Johwa in 424 AC with the goal of solidifying and expanding the deteriorating road system with new, innovative concepts and designs. Across all Zamzara, an unrelenting set of laws and guidelines governed the construction and maintenance of the Highway, and deviation was rarely tolerated. The project would be completed within 20 years, to great fanfare - the new imperial roads needed far less maintenance and were wider and flatter than any seen before. Most importantly, the Highway reached all corners of the Empire, leaving all but the most remote villages connected to the greater imperial body. These roads would be maintained on the local level - a fact that many corrupt officials learned quickly, as they lined their pockets with the benefits of an increased economic flow.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
To the Ends of the Earth
Founding Date
1 AC
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Capital
Demonym
Zamzian
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
Legislative Body
The Divine Bureaucracy
Judicial Body
The Ministry of Truth
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Related Items
Notable Members
Related Myths
History
See: The Zamzian Calendar
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