Empire of Gond

Gond was the pre-eminent civilisation of post-War Aiaor. Established in Sutan by a mixture of Eladrin and Featherfolk who rejected their duty to Titanis under its new, giant rulers, it grew rapidly after accepting a faction of high Elves into its ranks. All citizens of Gond were theoretically equal, and were known as Gonts (sing. Gont). The term for things of or relating to Gond is Gontish, while Gondish is the Language of the culture, mixing eladrain with infuences from unva and elvish, with a proto-Titanic grammar and script.
The Empire of Gond was built on Arcanotechnology, titanic devices studied, reverse-engineered and recreated at a fraction of the size. It is said that the arcanotechnology of the Gond was sufficient to make deserts bloom, reverse the effects of colossal corruption and stave off the armies of Titanis, who might otherwise have reclaimed that which they saw as stolen. Gond spread to control all of Sutan, consolidating the territory of many local cultures under a single ruler enthroned in the palace complex know to modern scholars as the Gond Apexi (Crown of Gond.)
The fall of Gond was as meteoric as its rise. The Cataclysm split the World and thrust Sutan towards the Elemental Boundary. In the process, some cascading chain reaction in the capital's arconotech caused a blast which reduced the west of the region to desert, and destroyed all of the capital, save for the Apexi itself.
Despite this catastrophe, and a lingering suspicion that the titanic base of the arconotech might be mingled with the blasphemous devices of the Colossi and their Outerfolk servants, surviving examples of the technology are highly sought after, and therefore extremely valuable. Gontish ruins are rare, and intact examples are invariably stripped to their foundations within a year of discovery. The only exception is the Apex, which is too important to the local cultures, too visible, and too well protected - by said local cultures and by the sought-for technology itself - to have been scavenged.
Only fragmentary records of the people and organisations of the Empire remain. It is known that there was a single leader, but it is not clear whether 'emperor' would be an accurate translation. Texts suggest a role combining political and spiritual authority, either named or defined as Gond hyaGonda (best translated simply as the Gond of Gond, or Gond child of Gond.)
Surviving evidence also supports the notion of a large technical caste or guild responsible for maintaining either the empire's arcanotechnological edge, or oversight of arcanotech research. Sites belonging to this guild - known as the Seminary of the Heron after the bird featured prominently on their buildings and relics - are especially sought after by scavengers and scholars of Gontish technology.