Fact Boxes for Tatar and Kazzar (Patreon)

Here are the fact boxes for the neighbouring nations of Tatar and Kazzar, both of which are situated in the Kazzaran Peninsula.

These nations will be the focus of the next high-res and textless atlas map that will be published next week, exclusively for Acolyte patrons and higher followed by the normal version the week after that. 

The Encyclopaedia Elyden is already updated with all the relevant entries related to the regions and their history, so you can check them out there!

Thanks all for your support :)

As always, feel free to point out typos in the comments :)

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TATAR

A small independent nation in the central northwest of Sammaea, in the peninsula of Kazzar, east of the Gulf of Eshiron. Its climate varies from hot and dry in the south, to more temperate in the north, though its coastal areas are known for mist as moist sea air meets the dry air moving west from the land.

Its people are descended from an early Fifth Age culture known as the Chiwenool, which fragmented in around 500 RM, paving the way for a more prudent meticulous culture of traders, stone-masons and engineers known as the Settars, who, despite the dryness of its climate, managed to water their civilisation through ingenious aqueducts and great wells. The Settars eventually gave way to a sovereignty in around 1150 RM, which saw dynasties of fickle kings and emperors who ruled to varied effect over the next millennium.

The Alchiaran Dynasty came to power in 2417 RM, managing to bring a level of unity to a people that had been fractured since the rule of the Settars. In 2643 RM they became trusted allies to Otinth, aiding the nation in a war against the Church of the Chained God and Sedisia, bringing a degree of new wealth to the kingdom that further solidified its prosperity.

The discovery in 2995 RM of the plant Ashhar’s Crown and its life-prolonging properties led to a change in hierarchy in Tatar, with the Alchiaran Dynasty becoming renowned for their artificially-long lives. They grew incredibly rich and powerful by creating artificial scarcity and selling sterile cultivars to the highest bidders. The newfound wealth of the Dynasty did not filter down to the common people, whose lives became increasingly difficult.

The arrival of the Godslayers in the neighbouring nation of Kazzar in 3148 RM brought a degree of uncertainty to Tatar, with intermittent crusades launched against the followers of its ancient Chiwenan religion. These attacks were responsible for annexing large swathes of Tataran territories, leading to a lasting enmity between the two nations.

With their newfound longevity the Alchiaran Dynasty fomented a cult of personality that threatened to overthrow the millennia-old religion of the region, and by around 3250 RM worship of the Dynasty had overthrown that of Isiratuanism. This garnered the attentions of the neighbouring Godslayers, who renewed their crusades against the nation, infiltrating its cities and spreading heretical thoughts amongst its people. They gained a sizeable following in the independent region of Syrysa, whose people became vocal detractors of the Dynasty and its members’ deification.

This escalated into a civil war in 3363 RM that dragged on for years and led to the near-destruction of Syrysan lands, but by 3372 RM they were able to amass a loyal following who late in autumn of the same year stormed the palace in Ashhar, slaying the royal family. The fields where Ashhar’s Crown was grown were razed, with only a tiny plot escaping their scrutiny, fron which all extant Ashhar’s crowns are grown today.

In place of the Alchiarans, the Syrysan resistance instated a republic drafted from all cates and classes, with an emphasis made restoring the voices of the common folk. They severed ties with the Godslayers, who proved unable to quell their fervent devotion to their nameless deity.

The republic remains in control to this day, though abuse of Ashhar’s Crown is rampant among the upper-classes who now control the senate as a gerontocracy, with most senators being a full century older and far richer than the people they represent.

The people of Tatar are seen by outsiders as sinister – a generalisation warranted by their fervent worship of an eldritch unknowable deity, which dominates many aspects of their lives at home, and which many Tatarans living abroad are quick to share with others. Its people remain notable engineers and architects, and their palaces and manufactories have a distinctive art deco style that resonates across Elyden.

KAZZAR

A sovereign state in the northwest of Sammaea, in the eponymous peninsula. Its climate varies from hot and dry in the south, to more temperate and wet in the north. Though of varied terrain, it is characterised by undulating hills and rocky massifs.

The history of Kazzar can be traced back to an early Fifth Age culture known as the Chiwenool, which fragmented in around 500 RM, paving the way for a more prudent meticulous culture of traders, stone-masons and engineers known as the Settars, who, despite the dryness of its climate, managed to water their civilisation through ingenious aqueducts and great wells. The Settars eventually gave way to a sovereignty in around 1150 RM, which saw dynasties of fickle kings and emperors who ruled to varied effect over the next millennium.

The Parthisan colony of Kafir was founded in the northeast of the peninsula in 2148 RM, creating friction with the current dynastic rulers, who viewed this as an act of aggression. War followed, with the superior military might of Parthis securing victory, and allowing its forces to secure the colony, allowing it to spread farther north over the coming decades.

The lands south of the colony of Kazir came under control of the Alchiaran Dynasty in 2417 RM. This newfound unity allowed the Alchiarans to consolidate their forces, and they construct great fortifications to defend their borders from the Parthisan colonies, leading to increased tensions between the two regions, despite attempts from Kazir to open trade.

The colony of Kafir, its name by then corrupted to Kazir by natives, thrived for centuries, adopting the secular beliefs of its parent state and enjoying foreign trade and relations with the Inner Sea region until the period of conflict known as the Time of Two Kings wracked Parthis in 2542 RM. Kazir declared its independence during this tumultuous time, and by the time Parthis had emerged as an empire in 2546 RM, Kazir had severed ties with its parent state.

Its culture evolved following its independence, taking on a more notedly Sammaean tone, though it not only retained the secular nature of its parent-nation but became increasingly atheistic, denouncing claims of the Demiurges’ divinity and exposing the falsities of organised religions.

Shorn from its Parthisan roots, the region begins calling itself Kazzar by around 2800 RM as the established Kaziran tongue began to eschew its Parthisan influence.

Kazzar welcomed the Godslayers to its lands in 3148 RM, where they became increasingly influential, exerting their influence over many institutions, and planting their roots, ensuring that the region retained its atheistic beliefs. They launched crusades into neighbouring Tatar, with the hopes of toppling its ancient Religion.

In Tatar, the growing power of the Alchiaran Dynasty following their newfound supranatural longevity, and the cult of personality that they cultivated were never far from the attentions of the Godslayers, and in c. 3250 RM they doubled down on their crusades against the nation, infiltrating its cities and spreading heretical thoughts amongst its people. They gained a sizeable following in the independent region of Syrsya, whose people became vocal detractors of the Dynasty and its members’ deification. In the ensuing battles, Kazzar was able to appropriate much territory from Tatar, and Syrysa crippled the nation in a civil war, that by 3372 RM led to the slaying of the royal family.

Despite their efforts, the Godslayers were never able to get a foothold in Tatar, and its people reverted to worship of their nameless deity.

The growing power of the Godslayers led to them seamlessly assuming power in 3562 RM, taking control of the republic that had controlled Kazzar since its independence. Within a decade the republic had become known as the University, and was made up exclusively of members of the Godslayers, who in turn recruited from all social classes and ethnicities.

Under the rule of the University, Kazzar became a more militant land under their control, closing its borders to all but its most trusted allies, becoming a base to the Godslayer organisation, which used its cities as recruitment grounds. Followers from across Elyden flocked to Kazzar, bringing trade and new industries with them.

In 3565 RM the Godslayers established their capital in the city of Aamina (replacing Kazir), which was already a powerful stronghold that had been under their control for centuries. Today it is a great metropolis, and a melting pot of cultures from across Elyden, brought by immigrants who have followed the Godslayers’ tenets to Kazzar. This multi-culturalism has seeped into the culture of Kazzar itself, and one can hear dozens of languages spoken in most of its cities, with the fashions and architecture of all four continents represented in some form or other.