Vargus Archive

Zian

Overview

A kingdom located far to the north, this kingdom is well known for their hatred of magic. The king, being a demigod, is the only ruler the kingdom has known for almost 1000 years.

Because of their hatred of magic, they are constantly at odds with the rest of the kingdoms, especially Osrith. While they haven't made any moves yet, Zian has been forming an army that is allegedly large enough to try and invade other kingdoms. The king has made an open threat to invade Elunis, even though it is on nearly the opposite end of the continent. Many believe the threat is either a coverup for something else or baseless fear mongering.

Despite the fact that the kingdom was originally created by the god of magic, the people see him as a malevolent force to be appeased instead of a benign force to be honored.

Culture

Centuries of propaganda have drilled hatred of magic into the Zianese people. Practicing magic gets one thrown in prison, and they do not discriminate based on type of magic. Those born with their powers are executed upon being discovered to "eliminate tainted blood".

There are few in Zian with sympathy for mages due to the belief that magic is an evil force that only evil people use. Because this belief is not held by the rest of the continent, Zian is not very welcoming to travelers for fear that they'll bring evil magic with them.

According to the people, the goal of Zian's army is to try and “cleanse the world of magic”, but the truth is being withheld from them and they are too brainwashed to question it.

The Demigod King

Despite being a demigod, the Zianese king was born with no power outside of immortality, and because of this he is resentful. He made magic illegal for citizens to use on the grounds that if he can't have magic, then nobody can. Unbeknownst to the citizens, he hoards magic items for himself and does not believe magic is evil.

To cover up his lies, he perpetuates propaganda about the wickedness of magic as well as the malevolence of the god of magic. He has been doing so ever since he took the throne.

Contrary to popular belief, the army he is gathering is not intended to rid the world of magic. His true purpose is acquiring a sacred artifact from Elunis that is said to grant wishes without negative consequences. He plans to use it to gain as much magic power as he desires purely for personal greed.