Zalem the Drunk Blight

It was the that understood how flexible the truth really is. That by disguising a secret invasion as a desperate plea for refuge, they could capitalize on the chaos and place themselves in positions of power. That by the resolute and skillful deployment of disinformation, even the itself could be presented as if it were the , and vice versa. Album, or rather its king, acted out of ignorance and paid a heavy price for it.

— Excerpt from 'Severed Nation'

Zalem Joter Resha, also known as the Viashkin (Xivi: beg), Zalem the Evil, or the Great Cleanser, is an infamous historical figure in the Kingdom of Album. He is most well known for his life-long persecution of the lamia refugees from the Great Exile of the Witches in 333 . He was accused of being the ringleader of the many pogroms unleashed upon the lamias. Eventually, he became the founder of the .

Early Life

First, they worked to replace the essential roles Album's lower-class had previously occupied. This was done in an effort to destroy that which is the cornerstone of a kingdom.

— Excerpt from 'Severed Nation'

Zalem was born at the turn of the fifth century in an impoverished district of Mavar. His parents were alkima street performers, and he was taught the arts from a young age. Together, they barely made enough coin to feed themselves after paying the king's taxes. Still, Zalem would go on to state that this vocation was the pride of his childhood.
Mavar - being the closest to - was the first of the Nine Walled Cities to receive the lamia refugees upon their exile. Young Zalem was ten years old when the streets he grew up on suddenly filled with this new and mysterious race of masked witches.
As the lamias were not allowed to own property or engage in business transactions, many became street performers as well. Using their Tenuma trances as a medium for dream magic, they quickly captivated the public's heart. This pushed people like Zalem's family to the sidelines. Trying to keep up with the demand, his father drank himself into an early grave. His mother's health declined soon after, and he was left alone on the streets.
He remained an orphan on the streets of Mavar until his enlistment to the army in 426.

Military Career

Their schemes were quite effective. They managed to convince King Albis himself that they were the victims. Restrictions were placed on the honest-working humans to eliminate 'destructive forms of oppression'. Of course, true Albians realized they were wronged, and together we retaliated. We understood a simple truth:
The only way to be free in this world is to become a warrior.

— Excerpt from 'Severed Nation'

When the second civil war broke out, sixteen years old Zalem joined the Imansipata Militia, perceiving it as the side that was 'anti-lamia'. He was trained with the spear and was said to have shown great skills on the battlefield. It was there that he learned alkima's weaponized potential. It could do more than change bone-structure. He could transfer the alcohol from his body to metals around him and manipulate their form and range.
At the Battle of Bloody Tears, Zalem faced off against Goris, the Star of Mavar, in a duel to the death. Goris ruled the fight with his Giganta Thread, but was overtaken by Zalem at the very last moment. Catching Goris off-guard, he activated a previously unknown, untapped power of his alkima. Potent liquids began to rise out of his spear and unleashed on Goris, pouring down his throat and drowning him.
Eleven years after it had started, the war ended with a truce between the provinces. The Imansipata Militia dissolved, and a provincial army and government were built. Zalem's unit was suspected of possible war crimes concerning reports of a 'drunk terror' butchering lamia civilians. No arrests were made.

Political Career

Lamias have attempted to mix with us. They bewitched our fellow ladies and gentlemen to birth their kind within us. Some of them even think they could become like us. Alas, they cannot escape who they are; witches from the Putrid Grove.

— Excerpt from 'Severed Nation'

With a calm and warless kingdom, soldiers like Zalem were thrown back on the streets with no viable options to provide for themselves. Many had turned mercenaries or even bandits, crafting a decade of lawless unrest. However, for a man who had earned himself the wartime nickname of 'Great Cleanser', Zalem saw another opportunity - politics.
Zalem exhibited incredible charisma and excellent rhetorical skills, by which he managed to join the governor's close council and work his way up the ranks. In the year 442, he reached the title of second in command. His plans regarding the 'lamia problems' were enacted soon after. All 'witches' were made second-class citizens of Mavar, and stricter rules were put in place. Lamias were banned from several establishments in the city itself, and 'anti-lamia' content was spread on the streets to persuade the public of the cause.
He faced many obstacles and political rivals, such as the governor's younger brother, an advocate for minority groups. The young brother began to gain traction and was eventually picked by the governor to succeed him. On the night before the grand ceremony, however, his lifeless body was found in his quarters. The investigation concluded the cause of death to be asphyxiation.

Propaganda

One cannot hope to educate the people with books and lectures. The majority will always be unintelligent and small-minded. Therefore, one needs to limit their message to a short, concise slogan and repeat it throughout their campaign until the last farmer in the corner of the kingdom remembers the words.

— Excerpt from 'Severed Nation'

Species

Human

Ethnicity

Albian

Life

410 MA 458 MA

Circumstances of Birth

Born to a poor family of street performers

Circumstances of Death

Killed by a zolbi

Birthplace

Mavar

Gender

male

Eyes

Muddy brown

Hair

Bald with a long thick beard

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Tanned white

Height

1.54 m

Weight

103 kg

Other Affiliations

• Imansipata Militia

Related Historical Events

• 450 MA
  Movement For The Restoration Of Heofones Gates

Album

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The Mortal Realm

Album's Second Civil War

The 400s saw many conflicts in Album, yet the greatest one was undoubtedly the kingdom's second civil war. As tensions rose between provinces, the sovereignty of the king came into question.
Eventually, Album split into four main factions, each fighting for supremacy. All men over the age of fifteen were drafted into one military force or another.

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Political Landscape

After two civil wars in the span of a hundred years, the king's power diminished significantly. This gave way for each of the nine cities to gain their semi-independence in the kingdom. Borders were established between the provinces, and different rules were put in place by each governor. In the case of Mavar, the city formed an aristocratic electoral system.

Anti-lamia poster Depicting Zalem holding the 'Spear of Hope'