Barazár
Barazár is a mannish Kingdom in western Lagona, far to the south of Arnt Batin and the Tel-Raiq Wasteland.
With their successes began a golden age for Barazár, and from this the population boomed to the point that the mainland was beginning to have trouble supporting everyone. They answered this problem by establishing colonies around their conquered lands, but also by going out and exploring new lands to settle. Settlers from Barazár proper left their homes to make new lives in these colonies, which helped control the growing population in Barazár, and helped to spread the Azárian culture to their conquered lands and peoples.
Finally after a series of wars, negotiations, and colonization's, peace was achieved for a time, and the Azárians used this peace to enjoy their new hegemony status in the Southern Seas. By 50 BU Azárian explorers and merchants had made their way North and began trade missions to the various independent kingdoms and Peoples. Their greatest challenge from the North would come from another navel power, the Aparnovosi.
Brief Description
Barazár dwells far to the South of Wythe, hugged by the coastline and a mountain range that circles around the land, separating it from the rest of the Lagonan continent. The mountain range around the land is inhabited by a great desert which, alongside the mountains, protects the kingdom from attacks by land. The maintains also supply fresh glacier water from their peaks, which flow down towards the coastline, creating rivers and streams. These rivers and streams make the land fertile, and therefore the kingdom is able to provide for much of their agricultural needs. The sea is the kingdom's main connection to the rest of the world, and because of that the people of Barazár are proficient sailors.History
Mythology & Founding
The Azárian belief system is Azdaism. They believe that the world was created by their chief god Azdar . These gods created the universe, and filled it with life, and protected and loved their creations. When they created this world, they created one large landmass surrounded by one ocean, and put all creatures upon this mass. Together, all beings lived in harmony and peace. This was until the Giants, another creation by the gods, came to the world from the sky, an began a reign of terror and destruction. Legend tells that the Giants were Azdar's first creation, but they became unruly and tried to overthrow and destroy whatever the he created. The Giants would roam freely and kill any in their path, resulting in the near destruction of all life, and the end of the world seemed destined. That was until Khâleh intervened, and sent down her spawn, the stars, to protect the mortal races. These guardians took on the forms of great fire breathing beasts, who flew down with the help of great wings and descended upon the world to fight the Giants. The war would last many years, and would split the world, scattering the lands and the people with them. The nights were dark during these times, lacking any stars as they were all busy fighting. When the war ended the remaining Giants either went into hiding, or fled back where they came, while most of the stars flew back into the sky to take their place alongside the gods once again. Only a few of these winged guardians would stayed in the world to protect, and guide the remaining creatures. It is said among the Azárians that when the conflict ended, their ancestors were left adrift at sea and in need of a new home. That is when they spotted a blue dragon who flew over them, and guided them for many weeks, until they came upon a land in the horizon. This land was said to be rich in resources, a paradise for the tired refugees, but the land was inhabited by many ancient ruins of one of the early civilizations that had been wiped out in the great war prior. The Azárians decided to inhabit these ruins, and established themselves there, building their capitol city of Niloofar on top of the ruins. After establishing the kingdom, they became wealthy and expanded for miles inland, rivaling their neighbors. The dragon, whose name was Barazar, whom the Azárians named themselves after, taught the people how to better tame the wild seas, leading to them creating great ships, and spurring on an era of exploration by sea. The Azárians were also taught the secrets of dragon fire by Barazár, and they harnessed this power into powerful devices which they equip on some of their ships. After a century of exploration and prosperity, the unthinkable happened. A Giant rose from the sea, causing massive waves to hit the coastline and threatened Niloofar. Barazár herself took flight, and fought the Giant, driving it away from the city and further inland where the population was less. The battle lasted days with huge parts of the kingdom being scorched and cracked. Smaller cities and towns were either flattened or burned, leaving Niloofar the last great city of the Azárians. Finally the Giant, not able to take anymore, fell over and collapsed, causing the glassed land to be thrown into the air, and created the desert wasteland. To protect Niloofar from the debris of the giant falling, the great blue dragon curled her body around the surrounding land. When the dust settled, the city and land was spared, but Barazar herself had died. Her body would remain there, protecting the city with a natural barrior, and eventually it would turn into the great mountains that surround the land to this day.Empire of Barazár
Since the settlement of Niloofar the Azárians began expanding their power through the use of trade, colonization, and gifting of titles. Azárian historians view their ascension to power as starting around 200 BU when a neighboring city-state was sacked and enslaved by the Azárians using their fire weapons mounted on their ships. From this event, stories began circulating through the various trade routes, and the Azarians experienced a newfound reputation among their friends and enemies. It was at this time that the neighboring power of Lagona took interest in the fledgling kingdom and began diplomatic relations to establish strong trade routes so no conflict between the two would occur. The Azárian took the intuitive and began a series of fast and bloody campaigns and raids against smaller city-states and would be kingdoms along the coasts. This was done usually by first sending in the Jangól Chawl to raid ships and villages, followed by a naval blockade to cut off all trade via the sea. If the city still stood in opposition to Barazár, then the Azárian Army would be sent to siege any cities and settlements, completely cutting off trade and forcing a surrender. Once a city surrendered, it was the Azárian custom to allow the leaders and nobles to fight in single combat for their survival. If they won they were allowed to keep their lands and titles in service of Barazár. If they lost, their wealth, lands were given to the victor (usually an Azárian noble) and their families were taken as political prisoners to be ransomed or inducted in Azárian culture. Conquest was not the only weapon for expansion however, as the Azárians would gift titles and lands to their enemies in return for their subjugation and support. This was done on a number of occasions to various city-state islands and other lesser lands that could not hope to defy Barazár and had heard of what happened if they did. These peoples, while not considered Azárians, were given great autonomy and protection by Barazár but were not included in the political sphere of the greater empire. Their role in the empire was to pay their share of taxes and food to support the growing power. Since Azárians respect strength, subjugation without a fight was seen as a lowly practice. To the Azárians, if one is willing to surrender so easily, their voice is not worthy of being heard within the realm of politics and how the empire is governed.Aparnovosi-Barazár Relations
When the Azárians and Aparnovosi made contact they respected each others boundaries and zones of influence. Trade routes were established, and the Aparnavosi became the Azárian's main contact in the Northern Lands. The Azárian's were in awe of the Aparnavosi ships, the way they sailed and cut through the water like a freshly sharpened knife on butter. They were also fascinated by the Aparnavosi form of magic Nomendevis which differentiated from the Azarian Saha. The two naval powers kept a mutual relationship, but the Azárian's secretly lusted over what the Aparnavosi held. The military council of Barazár insisted to the emperor that Aparnavos should and could be taken, that it was the will of Khâleh for the warriors of Barazár to descend upon her. The emperor agreed, and preparations were made, but things were cut short when the Great Bloodshed began,1st Wythe-Lagona War
Known as the Warháali Zawál (Imperial Wythian: The War of Great Loss) to the Azárians, the war between the Wythian Empire and Lagona would drag the Aparnavosi and Barazár into the conflict on opposing sides. Even though the Azárians were planning on attacking Aparnavos, they were not yet ready and were thrown into an engagement they had not fully prepared for. Most of the Azárian forces fought naval battles along the coast of Arnt Batin and around Sijmen Sur. The main goal of Barazár was to knock out Aparnavos and open up Southwythe to invasion by Lagonian forces. The Wythian ships proved no match to the superior equipment and experienced Azárian ships, but the Aparnavosi proved themselves more capable. As the war dragged on into it's closing the Azárians and Aparnavosi engaged in a pitched naval battle a couple miles off the coast of Southwythe, which ended in a devastating defeat for the Azárians. Their fleet would return to Niloofar in shambles, and later that year when the Aparnavosi struck into Azárian territory and began raiding their colonies, Barazár could only watch. When the Aparnavosi fleet broke through the defenses of Daryá Phatak it made it's way to Niloofar, and what remained of the Azárian fleet positioned itself and defended the capitol valiantly, but was defeated, leading to the Aparnavosi blockade of Niloofar. With no colonies to supply their food, and trade routes blocked off, Barazár had no choice but to surrender to Aparnavos. The demands, which entailed the emperor's children being sent to Aparnavos, Barazár demilitarizing, and Barazár becoming subjugated by Aparvanos, were met, albeit with great anger from the Azárian crown and people.The Storm Belt
According to the Azárian's, the Storm Belt (Common Azári: Zersar Tuppá) is shrouded in mystery. Legend's claim that the Storm Belt was created by either Azdar or Dâei, but the reason for it remains unknown. Some believe it is a shield to keep out some of Azdar's more dangerous creations from pouring out into the world. Others believe it could be a part of a much larger network of forces that keep the world encased in a cage for an unknown purpose. Another theory is the belt is the entrance to either the enteral garden of the gods, or the Derwezeleri (Imperial Wythian: Gates of Death). Multiple Azárian expeditions have attempted to traverse it to uncover it's secrets, but only one ship ever returned with it's crew having gone mad and delirious. Claims that the Aparnavosi managed to navigate the Storm Belt are still argued in Barazár to this day.Azárian painting of the Storm Belt
The Storm Belt, as painted by an Azárian
Structure
Thálshah (Imperial Wythian: Emperor)
Bánokshah (Imperial Wythian: Empress)
Bádshah (Imperial Wythian: King)
Mythology & Lore
The main religion of Barazár, Azdaism revolves around the concept of three primary deities: Azdar, Dâei, and Khâleh, each of which correspond to the central pillars of the religion (Sun, Moon, and Stars). Azdar represents family, honor, commitment, life, and creation. Dâei, meanwhile, is the god of death, sorrow, famine, guilt, loyalty and the hunt. Lastly, Khâleh is the goddess of war, conquest, wealth, envy, and freedom.
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Formation Type
Training Level
Semi-professional
Veterancy Level
Veteran
Demonym
Azarian
Leader
Leader Title
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Economic System
Market economy
Official State Religion
Related Traditions
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations