Zanhor Kingdom

A Kingdom built on war. Founded by a bandit leader turned self-proclaimed lord, it has a long history of contesting with neighbors. Blood taints its legacy, and its prosperity does nothing to remove the echoes of the warlord within.
A large and stoic-looking kingdom that hails from a long-standing history of war and conflict. Within the bounds of Astana society, Zanhor has always stood as a forthright contender to Drakengard in terms of ambition to be the leading sovereign of the region. Zanhor was built from the ground up, initially as a bandit outpost that grew in scope and size somewhat formidably over the course of decades as they garnered more dominance in eastern Astana. Many are surprised to see the majestic, stonewalled capital or the thriving towns it is composed of today due to this history, but natives are wise to the fact the blood of conflict still flows hot in the veins of Zanhor. The capital city of the Kingdom is a grey fortress of stonework adorned with statues of warriors and knights that stand as sentinels throughout the city. Its aristocrats live in well-furnished vistas overlooking the higher districts far into the city's walls, and many from all over the region visit the Dragonblood Coliseum. In this massive arena, live performances, contact sports, and performance fights all occur, bringing in huge amounts of commerce. Fighters and athletes who distinguish themselves in the Obsidian Arena are treated like royalty, often earning patronage from wealthy citizens. Meanwhile, a ring of impoverished communities live in the old and dilapidated stoneworks of the oldest parts of the city, walls built strategically by the ruling class to essentially section off these perceived vermin and lessers from the sight of the rest of the city. Outside of the capital, the rest of the towns under this kingdom are comprised of farming towns, old military forts, and castles renovated into homes for feudal lords who keep the areas in check on behalf of Zanhor's King Rodheim. Zanhor is controversial today because of the unfounded and huge growth of its impoverished and regularly scorned populations of people. An entire burgh in the capital has slowly been turned into a ghetto that takes the brunt of scorn from the rest of the city, known as Moonstead.

Government

Zahnor is a monarchy. Like its contemporaries, it does have a writ of laws the ruling monarch is supposed to abide by. However, for the past few generations, there has been quite the effort to uphold only the bare minimum to keep in check the High King in Drakengard.

History

Zanhor, during its earliest years, was little more than a bandit outpost, where several bands of highwaymen and poachers laid claim to the eastern lands of Astana. Arlona to the south and Freewind-the predecessor to Drakengard- found themselves afflicted by these hillside raiders, especially along the various trade routes that the other towns survived off of for their prosperity. The head of the bandits lived a life of formidable wealth and power and, looking to stand toe to toe with the other growing kingdoms, rose to establish their home as a "legitimate" kingdom. They took a few neighboring towns by force and turned them into their workhorses for labor and food to develop more stable suppliers of societal goods. Freewind and Arlona watched as Zanhor grew from a nuisance and destructive horde from the east to now a neighbor that demanded to be taken just as seriously as them or suffer consequences. Some towns and villages would trade with Zanhor, and legitimate efforts were made to garner diplomacy between kingdoms, but the ruling lord of Zanhor, King Dagon, was a fickle and hard-to-please ruler. Drakengard and the rest of Astana's kingdoms throughout history have, at one point or another, been at war with Zanhor, and Zanhor even imploded in on itself centuries ago during an event known as the Black Night. A period of civil war had torn the kingdom apart for several months, coming to a crescendo in a large-scale protest that turned into an all-out violent revolt, with citizens slain by armed soldiers in droves and denizens forced to defend themselves. Black Night went down in history because, during the crux of this bloody massacre, a single incredibly powerful spirit known as Obsidia arrived with no warning or signal and single-handedly turned the tides of the violence, laying waste to large portions of Dagon's army and confronting the king himself. She would end the king herself before dissappearing into the night sky, but she would become a cultural symbol of rebellion and righteous rule amidst Zanhor's commonwealth and even other kingdoms.

Stone Bulwark. The Strong-Arm of Astana

Founding Date
2500 BDR
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Leader
Ruling Organization
Controlled Territories

Cities & Towns
Zanhor (Capital)
Ebonshire
Trollgrave
Major Faiths
Quintessism
The Obsidian Path
The Church of Nightfall