The Eternal Realm of the Zul-Agar
Broken Realms
Old Ifanen
The Golden Empire
"Far to the East lies the broken realm of Old Ifanen. Inhabited by degenerate mutants and broken slaves. Ruled by cruel and mad Sorcerer-Kings, mighty in power and lore. Their hatred for each other only surpassed by their hatred for all the other races and beautiful things of the world, which they desire to dominate and pervert for the sake of their Demon-Gods and deviant lusts."
He Who Rules us All:
"Sovereign of the World, Master of All Creatures Upon the Land and Under the Sea, Commander of all the Spirits of the Aether, Conductor of the Earthly Choir and High Priest of the Celestial Symphony, Conqueror of Ten Thousand Peoples, Champion of the Stars, Consort of the Starry Maiden, Ravager of Lesser Races and Great Warlord of All Under Heaven. Mightiest of the Children" "Of the last man who claimed dominion over Ifanen, little is know for a fact outside of the Broken Realm itself. And even in that demon infested land, a visitor would be hard pressed to separate truth from myth and misconception. For the Sorcerer-Kings of the Zul-Agar rarely engage in idle conversation with foreigners, and even rarer are the times in which they deign themselves to indulge in the curiosity of foreign scholars."
"What we can ascertain is that the Golden King was the last and most terrible of the rulers of Old Ifanen. Sailing numerous times out of his island and into the mainland to expand his domains, enslave lesser tribes and perpetrate the will of his blasphemous gods. It was during one of the interludes of his many campaigns that the Sinking happened. Neither him nor any of his brood survived the cataclysm. Without his iron hand, the remants of Ifanen collapsed into infighting.
"These days, it's said that some of the Sorcerer-Kings still hold out hope of his return. But that's as improbable as Ifanen rising back from the sea floor. Whatever disaster created the Zul-Agar, also wiped out the royal line. If he still lived, the Golden King would have no reason to remain hidden for so many centuries. After all, the Mighty Children (how the Sorcerer-Kings refer to themselves and their kin) profess undying loyalty to him, millennia after his supposed death." He Who Smiles And Dances:
"The Smiler, Laughing Lord, Defiler of Tellanon, Satrap of Hattarin, The Flawless One, Brother to the Neverborn. He Who Walks Among the Filth. Spawn of He Who Rolls Like the Thunder." Grazdir-gal-Sin, Sorcerer-King of the island of Hattarin, is a of the first generation born after the Sinking. Spawned by the previous Lord of Hattarin upon an elf slave possessed by a fiend, Grazdir is one of the few Sorcerer-Kings who regularly deals with other peoples and nations with anything else than disdain and hatred. As a result, Hattarin is one of the few ports visited by foreign traders.
Though this "weakness" before the Lesser Races makes other Sorcerer-Kings disdain the Laughing Lord, one should not be foolish to think that he's a champion of the weak and downtrodden before his fellows. Grazdir-gal-Sin is as arrogant and prideful as any Zul-Agar worth the name. And his vanity is unrivaled among that cursed land. The fact his slaves are somewhat better treated on the average and that he refrains from attacking his immediate neighbors does not means his cruelty is nonexistent. One need only visit the ports during holy days, when the broken masses are gathered around the ziggurats to witness the foul rituals undertaken in the name of the Star Gods.
Or perhaps one can take the example of Tellanon, a rich trading principality in the Western shores of the world. One day the inhabitants of this land woke to the sight of the Purple Maiden banner approaching their shores. The Laughing Lord had arrived to bring ruin to their land. Why you might ask? Because 70 years before a team of "heroes" had managed to sneak into one of Grazdir's vaults. And while almost all didn't made it out alive, one of them escaped and managed to return home. And the man died, thinking himself safe, because Grazdir was dealing with problems closer to home. His grandchildren, however, would not be so fortunate.
She Who Kneels in Shame
"The Horned Goat of Lerin-Gaen, The Dishonored Maiden, Honorless Cur, Spawn of the Serpent-Lion."
Nin-Anunit is young by the Children's standards. A mere 200 years, she's the youngest among the brood of Liblut-Usur, the Serpent-Lion and Satrap of Bel-Kahir. Of these 200 years, Nin spent the last 50 as a decapitated head, buried in the Demon-infested mud of the Lerin-Gaen swamp. As punishment for not treating her mighty sire with enough respect.
With the end of her imprisonment soon approaching, she looks forward to getting away from the ever constant depredations of unhoused spirits and the insistent whispering of the Demons of Lerin-Gaen. Even if it means being brought back to Bel-Kahir bearing the stain of humiliation and dishonor. The Serpent-Lion is, after all, renowned across the land for his dutifulness and adherence to justice. Surely the rest of her punishment (for there will be a second part to it, that much was made clear as her brother hacked at her neck with his claws) will not be excessive.
The Customs of the Children:
The Zul-Agar believe themselves chosen by the Gods to be the rulers of stewards of this planet. Their very name reflects that, with Zul-Agar meaning "Mighty Children". This belief in their natural superiority stems from the early days of their existence as a people, eons before the Sinking that turned them into what they are today.
The Sinking and reduction of their home island to an archipelago somehow reinforced this belief. Before the Sinking they were men, mighty in arms and lore but men still. Now? Now the favor of the Star Gods is evident in the very land they inhabit. For even heretic slaves end up succumbing to their gifts the longer they survive the cruel toil imposed upon them by their masters. As for the Children themselves, well, one needs only to behold their holy countenance. And if outsiders shiver and cry out in terror at their sight, then this means they're unenlightened.
Control and dominance are pillars of their society. The Children are superior to all others, and the world rightfully belongs to them. And so it must be bent to their will. Either through magic or industry, not even nature should stand in their way. And as one of the primordial forces of the universe, magic should also belong to them, to be mastered and controlled like no one else can. Whether it be to summon hellish fiends from beyond the veil of the material world or perform amazing feats of alchemy, the Children are expected to excel in magic by any means necessary. Anything less would be a terrible shame.
This drive for perfection, coupled with their natural pride and arrogance makes the Children prone to infighting by default. Without the Golden King or an equally awesome figure to unify them, the Sorcerer-Kings will not fight under the same banner save to face an existential threat. While even in times of peace one should always be weary so as to not show too much weakness. For there are few things a Zul-Agar hates more than to serve someone unworthy of their talents. Though to be fair, they do hate a lot of stuff, including foreign customs and upstarts slaves (which most of them think is the rest of the world).
Religion plays a large role in their culture. The Star Gods are from whom the Children draw justification for their superiority. And to whom they credit the Sinking of Old Ifanen and their transformation from men into something greater. Due to the
unsettling nature of the Star Cult, only the Children themselves are allowed to learn the deeper mysteries of the faith. And even the young and low ranked ones are limited in what they're allowed to glimpse. To learn such lore, one must prove itself, for there's little difference between religious and magical learning. The Sorcerer-Kings are as much priests as sorcerous warlods, and to learn stronger lore and spells, one must also advance within the Cult's ranks. Something that is neither easy, cheap or painless.
Slavery is also an important pillar in the society of the Eternal Realm. More than an economic practice, slavery is a declaration of their perceived superiority. All are beneath the Mighty Children and as such their place is on their knees before the chosen of the Star Gods. And inside the domains of the Sorcerer-Kings, all but his immediate family are his slaves (and sometimes not even that distinction is enough to save you).
It should be pointed out, however, that slavery tends to vary within the territories of the Zul-Agar. A mere Orc slave straight off the boat simply hasn't the same value as a Demon bound to a mortal host, or even another slave with decades of experience. This distinction is reflected in how different slaves are treated. And while as a rule of thumb, the great mass of slaves across the Broken Realms are treated as chattel, a few exceptions exist, and there are ways a slave can secure better treatment for himself and his kin. Such as entering a Children's Household or volunteering for its army. Though such fates carry their own risks.
Though the Children themselves do not need to eat like normal beings, many of them (specially those who were alive before the Sinking) still insist on holding great banquets and feasts for themselves and their retainers. These displays of power and opulence go beyond mere feasts, the Children will do anything in their power to show the Lesser Races and their own rivals just how superior they are, and enjoy themselves while doing it, of course. Because what's the point otherwise?
The Glories of the Star Cult:
The faith of the Zul-Agar is essentially a mystery cult. Participation is limited to the Children themselves and those with some of their blood in their veins, which means that most of the Eternal Realm's population don't actually know much about the gods they worship. That doesn't stops said slaves from being harshly punished if they are caught paying homage to other pantheons or faiths.
Members themselves only learn more about the Cult's lore and scriptures as they proceed through the ranks. Said advancement is also magical training, for the Zul-Agar claim to draw their magic from their celestial pantheon. Meanwhile, the policy of purposefully limiting the knowledge and power serves a twofold purpose: One, it ensures new acolytes, still too overly proud and not properly broken by the ranking priests, don't actually have the power, skill and knowledge in magic to challenge their superiors. Two, it ensures these same acolytes don't carry out any rituals to which they are mentally unprepared, for such failed ceremonies have disastrous consequences for all involved.
Rituals are a vital aspect of the Star Cult (and Zul-Agar magic by extension). A number of days through the year are particularly important for the followers of the Star Gods, depending on the positions of the stars. Hundreds or even thousands may be sacrificed by the Sorcerer-Kings atop the Ziggurat-temples to appease the gods or seek boons for their loyal worshipers. Multiple rituals are also carried out behind closed doors, with purposes as varied as their results and whose attendance can range from hundreds of acolytes and servants to the Sorcerer-King by himself, depending on the complexity and skill necessary.
Astrology and astronomy are also important disciplines within the Star Cult. For the Zul-Agar believe that their gods make their will known through the movement of the stars. And as such the faithful must keep constant watch over them to ensure that they continue to follow the designs of their celestial masters.
The Zul-Agar obsession with pomp and displays of wealth, and the fact that their rulers are also their high priests, also affects their religious practices.
To an outside observer, the Star Cult is a foul practice, the art and faith of the mad and cruel. And as much as it may be true, one should think twice before disparaging the faith and its practices anywhere within the Eternal Realm. Many an explorer and trader met a grisly end that way, even after being granted safe passage and protection by the local Sorcerer-King.
Attitude to magic: Magic, like everything else, should belong to the Mighty Children. It hails from the Star Gods and is but one of the many boons granted to the Zul-Agar. And only to them, the Zul-Agar loathe mages and wizards from other peoples, and don't even allow their bastard half-mortal children to advance too high within the Star Cult hierarchy, lest these unworthy mongrels gain more power than they deserve.
What the Lesser Races Know:
"And from the land of Ifanen rose a nation of Men mighty in arms and magic. Erecting glittering cyclopean cities of marble for their unknowable Star Gods and washing all the lands therein with the blood of slaves."
"Wherever they could reach, the men of Ifanen spread misery and cruelty in their mad drive to sate their own ambitions and please their Demons. Their cruel empire only came to an end when the Heavens themselves intervened against their malice, striking down their tyrant overlord and drowning their home island and destroying the black heart of their domain."
"The sinking of Ifanen did not put an end to the Golden Empire, or at least not immediately. A multitude of colonial governors and generals who had survived the disaster by virtue of being on the mainland claimed to be carrying out the legacy of Ifanen, even as the broken remnants of their homeland became a magic blasted no-go zone and even as they fought each other for the title of King of Ifanen."
"For two hundred years the colonies and armies of Ifanen fought each other and the world in their bid to subjugate the other survivors. A war that ultimately doomed their efforts to survive against the vast coalitions that had gathered against them."
"The first known record of the Sorcerer-Kings of the Zul-Agar comes from thirteen centuries after the Sinking. When a naval squadron was sent to investigate the sudden lack of communication from the outer islands of the..."
"It was the Sorcerer-King known as Meni-sin-Adad, four centuries after the Zul-Agar rejoined the world, who led the first conquest campaigns outside the Broken Realm. Landing his hosts on the coast of Brynern."
"Still, it should be noted that they rarely venture outside their islands and are apparently content with the disparate colonies established on the mainland. Nevertheless, we cannot allow ourselves to lower our guard. For none knows when their foul legions will once again march out to conquer..."
"I write this to you in near panic. But I have found damning evidence about the real patrons of the Church of the Solar Lion. Action must be taken at once."
The Hosts of the Children:
Each Sorcerer-King maintains its own army and navy, loyal only to itself. This means that there is some variation among the hosts fielded by the Mighty Children. Though all of them follow the same rough framework:
Slave levies: The lowest of the low, these conscripts are used as cannon-fodder and auxiliary forces. Poorly armed and barely (if at all) trained. Most levies are only kept in the battlefield because they fear their own masters more than their enemies. These wretches are commanded by other slaves, volunteers who receive a few more privileges and rewards for their loyalty.
Due to their unreliability, only the lesser Sorcerer-Kings or poorer retainers employ them in large numbers. As most others can simply rely on hordes of the Undead or other magical abominations. Outside the battlefield, they are used as city watch, to keep the other mortal slaves in line.
The Eternal Servants: Among the many magics practiced by the Mighty Children, Necromancy is a popular discipline, one that is relatively easy to master within the Broken Realm. As such, the Walking Dead are a staple of the armies of the Zul-Agar. Their quality varying greatly depending on the skill of the Necromancer who summoned and bound the restless dead. Ranging from mindless carcass with only simple instincts and no real thought and sometimes not even armed, to disciplined regiments of sentient elite soldiers with centuries of experience and the best equipment available.
The Bound Beasts: A catch all term for the many manner of beasts and monsters native to the Broken Realms or created by the hands of the Sorcerer-Kings. Harpies, Minotaurs, Naga, Ghouls and the like that infest the cursed lands of sunken Ifanen and whose survival is entirely dependent on their continued usefulness to the Mighty Children.
When not fighting for their masters, these assorted beasts are mostly left to their own devices. Living in their own little communities within the domains of their particular Sorcerer-King.
The Brazen Legion: Once, the Brazen Legion was the standing army of the Golden Empire, marching under the Starry Banner against all those who their gods deemed unfit to live and rule themselves. Today, every independent Sorcerer-King worth its spells maintains a force under this name.
Composed of the mortal children of the Mighty Children (who though not Mighty Children themselves and not nearly as powerful, still have some greater than average power afforded by the mixed blood in their veins) alongside slaves who are trusted enough to be magically enhanced for battle and commanded by those bastards with purer blood or the youngest among the Mighty Children.
The Neverborn: Demons and fiends from beyond the veil, summoned into the material world by the powerful magics of the Mighty Children and bound by pacts and deals to do the bidding of the Sorcerer-Kings, at least for a time. Whether it's possessing a weapon or using some unlucky mortal as host, the Neverborn who march into battle for the Mighty Children are a force to be reckoned with, being the mightiest among their kind. As such, their numbers are few when compared to the other sections of the host of an average Sorcerer-King. For the cost of bringing these beings into the field of battle is steep and the longer they remain unbanished in the material world, the stronger they grow. Something that even the Laughing Lord, known for his fondness for these beings, is not willing to tolerate for long.
At sea, the Zul-Agar man their fleets with slaves and Undead. Using magic and seaborne creatures to complement their naval squadrons.
The organization of the Eternal Realm:
Each reigning Sorcerer-King sits atop the pyramid (or more specifically, the Ziggurat) ruling as an absolute monarch its own sliver of land. Below him are its Spawn (created out of magic and pacts with Greater forces, who are also Mighty Children themselves and can theoretically grow to match their sire in power and greatness) who sit on his council alongside whatever other few trusted beings managed to gain its confidence (usually demons or its own mortal bastard children)
Below them are the bureaucrats and officers who take care of the day to day administration of the domains. Usually the descendants of the Mighty Children's mortal bastards, whose blood is too thinned and sparse to wield the same power as their ancestors, but who still retain a small sliver of their inborn skill. It should be noted, that from now on all inhabitants of the domains of the Sorcerer-King are considered slaves, but their treatment tends to vary according to rank.
Most Sorcerer-Kings do not engage with the outside world, and their internal deals are carried out by bureaucrats or lesser Spawn. Those who do engage in commerce with the Lesser Races, like the Laughing Lord and the Kind Lady, usually employ mortal slaves who themselves are a particular caste within their own domains, treated better than the chattel workers but still below the bureaucrats and military officers.
Then come the slaves. Miners, artisans, manufacturers, farmers and working on every other field under the close watch of others who gladly keep their fellows down for a slightly better treatment at the hand of their dread lords. The less said of their miserable lives, the better.
The most powerful Sorcerer-Kings also tend to have authority over their weaker neighbors, something akin to a feudal arrangement that lasts as long as the lesser party believes it can successfully overthrow its superior.
The Wealth of the Mighty Children:
Ifanen once ruled a sprawling Empire, extending across the whole East, all the lands paid tribute to the Golden Empire. Said wealth still remains in the Broken Realm, with many Sorcerer-Kings making the effort to rediscover and reclaim the multitude of lost vaults and troves spread over Sunken Ifanen, be it gold, magical lore or other valuables. Something that also attracted its fair share of outside explorers and treasure hunters. Much to the chagrin of the local lords.
Due to their open disgust for the rest of the world, most Sorcerer-Kings do not engage in trade with the outside world, preferring to deal only with their fellows (whenever they aren't trying to conquer each other). More often than not, they instead prefer to raid the mainland nations for whatever resources they feel they need or want and slaves, who are always in high demand among their kind.
Those who deign to trade with the outside world, however, can offer much besides natural resources and finished goods, on the rare chance a trader can offer something deemed valuable to the Mighty Children, they might part of some powerful magical artifact or rare scrap of magical lore. Or even offer their own arms as a trade good in itself.
The Boundless Ambitions of the Sorcerer-Kings:
The Zul-Agar desire the world. To rule it and bend it to their will and that of their Star Gods, this ambition has never been a secret. But as immortal and mad Sorcerer-Kings they are patient. Maybe they have long running schemes, maybe they are too busy fighting among themselves or maybe they are just waiting for the Stars to tell them when the time has come. Regardless, it's extremely unlikely that the Hosts of the Mighty Children will march out of their Broken Realm as one anytime soon.
While that day does not comes, each Sorcerer-King busies itself in pursuing its own ambitions and goals. Whether it is conquering a hated neighbor, delving deeper into magical lore, launching even greater raids against the outside world or even restoring one of the lost Ifanen colonies lost somewhere else in the world.
