The Oy'zarian Empire is one of many empires of the Sha'yune collective, known as the only Sha'yune empire on the continent of Majoria. It once controlled the lands of Gar'dor and Blackhearth before its collapse due to the Brink Wars.
History[]
The Oy'zarian Empire, among the estimated four other Sha'yune civilizations, is said to have existed before the advent of the human, elf, and even dwarven races. Not even the ancient Highborn were as old as the Oy'zarians and their kin. Ancient Oy'zarian artifacts can be found throughout the entirety of Majorissil Territory, suggesting that Oy'zarians once controlled the whole of the region. At some point, the elven ancestors, the Highborn arrived in North Majoria, and invaded the North Majorissil territory. After a long battle, the two empires would settle on an ancient border, the river that ran Northeast to Southwest, forming the borders of the lands of Oy'zara, Gar'dor, and Blackhearth.
For thousands of years afterward, the elves and Oy'zarians would respect each other's borders, until the advent of the Thousand Era War, which ended this treaty and resulted in fighting. It would not be until two major events occurred that the downfall of Oy'zara would begin. A group of human settlers from Majoria sailed south into the north lands that became Blackhearth, inciting fury into the Oy'zarians. The dark sorcerers of the empire cursed the human's souls, causing the humans to lose their souls and become the Soulless. This curse, unfortunately, was so strong that it infected the land itself, forcing the Oy'zarians to abandon the land.
The second crippling event in its history was the mass exodus of Giants, Trolls, and Ogres from the southern Legion, following a union of the Orc Clans. The sheer number of Giants was so great, the Oy'zarians had to retreat to their mainland and establish powerful barriers along their new borders. This greatly weakened the power of the Empire, and for the rest of the Thousand Era Wars, Oy'zara would remain crippled.
The Brink Saga[]
The Oy'zarians following the Shattering of Oxorin bitterly had to begin rebuilding on their shattered Domain they hailed as New Oy'zara, but for the whole of the Brink Wars would remain a shattered nation. Despite their best efforts during this time, they were unable to rebuild their civilization to its true glory. They were eventually conquered by the orcs and their empire, and bitterly joined them in their efforts to conquer what was left of their world.
The New World[]
Upon the reforging of the world, New Oy'zara set out to establish a new dominion over the land. Establishing a stronghold deep in the jungles, they began crafting a new future. However, a region just east of their jungle, Chopper's Bay, became occupied by humans. Remembering the insufferable loss of Blackhearth, New Oy'zara proclaimed the land as theirs, as well as the previously uncontested land to the south of Chopper's Bay. To this day, a violent political tension remains in the region, as New Oy'zara remains an unrecognized nation, which has only created further strain with humanity.
Beside controlling the Ancient Jungle, Oy'zara occupied the majority of the islands surrounding the North Tropics, as well as a stretch of the North Ancient Coast. While warfare has yet to break out, historians fear the ancient power of the Sha'yune will soon unleash their dark fury if the situation is not resolved.
Culture[]
Being one of the oldest civilizations and still standing, the Oy'zarian Empire has a long history and deeply rooted traditions.
Mythology[]
The Oy'zarians have a deep, spiritual outlook on the world, but have many different sects.
- Shando - A belief accepted by the commoner classes of Oy'zara, particularly the poor, it is heavily involved in ancient and primitive magics, lead by the Spirittalkers. The practice is very much reminiscent of Voodoo, it is this traditional belief that was the force behind the Soulless Curse. Very few of this group are willing to share their ancient, dark secrets.
- O'vatier - A more accessible, open caste group, it is the more general public's faith system, which includes known deities from the Chaos and Order pantheons, as well as some of the more prominent Shando deities. It should be noted that the O'vatier traditionally have a different view of the deities than other humanoid groups. As this is a more diverse group, the O'vatier is not so much one religion or faith, rather a unified hierarchical system of faiths. O'vatier is the only faith system allowed by the nobility aside from the nobility's own faith system.
- Vatier - The Vatier is the faith of the monarchy, and is a more strict, specific faith. The Vatier is a way of life dictated by a patron deity, which the monarch must obey without question, The Vatier determines everything from choice of mates to how the empire is run. Vatier specifically depends on the emperor/empress, as policies change often.
Government[]
The Oy'zarian Empire is an absolute monarchy ruled by a single monarch, who also heads the Vatier. While the authority of this monarch is absolute, they answer to the might of the O'vatier and Shando deities, all of whom dictate one of their own to represent themselves as the head, the Vatier. Various councils exist, and they advise the monarch, but may not question the authority of Vatier.
Officials of Oy'zara[]
- Emperor / Empress - Head of State, absolute power granted by Vatier. Decisions are final and come only from them.
- Commander General - Head of Military, subservient to the monarch. Advises on matters of military and strategy, proposes policy toward foreign nations.
- Highlord - The equivalent of a governor, they are in charge of vast regions of the empire. They collect taxes for the monarch and report to them, but rely on the Commander General to manage their defenses.
- Lord Hoarder - The monetary overseer of the treasury of the empire, they count all income and expenses from their ventures. They control the economy and manage the building and maintenance of new cities and monuments.
- Council of Shando - Voice of the commoners, not officially recognized with power, but still valued.
- Council of O'vatier - Voice of the people in general, allowed audience once per month on social and economic issues to the Emperor/Empress.
