"...[name] stood in the [name2] Hall, a hundred peers watching from the galleys above. She called her Provider's name, and all could feel the power she commanded. [name3] summoned his wards, but all that watched knew his efforts were in vain. The next name she offered was his, and the misery of [name3] was legend."

translated from Dekàlan fragment
found in ruined Ildûn

Theocracy of Danok (New Kingdom)

• Overview
• Landmarks
• People
• History

On the western shores of the Nyr Platan crouches the Theocracy of Danok (The Theocracy).  A rugged land in the foothills of the Tor'n Evalshat, the Theocracy has presented a strange threat to the Othic city-state since it first appeared centuries ago.  Devoted to the worship of the dark god Danok, the state was founded in 240 DR, two years following the death of High Lord Eldin Zyan the First of Oth from a life-long illness.  The Theocracy's heart is a massive block of red stone first reported by travelers in the 4th century.  Though many have guessed, it is not known where the great stone came from.  The most well-known and visible element of the Theocracy are the Multiple, its prosletyzing adherents.  They can be identified in the crowds of Oth's great city and surrounding lands by their shaven pates and bright red robes.

The Theocracy is run like few other states in the world.  All business operations are controlled by the Red Temple and all earnings are distributed from that same core.  If a woman buys a 1d hen in Azmyar, that coin will travel to the manor's exchequer and be distributed at Monthsturn minus a substantial tithe.  In this manner all coin, except those distributed on Monthsturn (for that one day) are considered property of the Temple.  Theft of the Temple's coin is punishable by branding (rf. ignorants) and worse.  There is very little theft in the Theocracy.

Landmarks

The Red Temple stands in the southwest corner of the Theocracy of Danok, cradled between two mountain ridges.  Descriptions of the Red Temple's size vary greatly though all agree that it seems to be constructed from one monolithic red stone.  Where the stone came from and how it was brought to the current location are mysteries that the Minions of Danok do not reveal.  Accounts of dimension vary widely, but average almost 200 yards across its face.  The stone block is supported by a complex of squat similarly hued columns which are dwarfed by the size of the block they support.  There are no reports on the temple's interior, if indeed one exists.  The temple is surrounded by numerous plazas and walkways used for all manner of rituals and ceremonies.  Below the temple a permanent camp of tattered tents snap in the mountain winds providing scant shelter for pilgrims and offerings alike.

People

The people of the Theocracy keep to themselves, shunning the attentions of visitors to their land.  Many that visit the land misinterpret these reactions as hostile when in fact they are taught from early ages to avoid contact with outsiders.  Only those who have undergone the teachings of the Red God are permitted to interact with visitors, or to go into foreign lands in an ambassadorial capacity.  Because of this, the only citizens of the Theocracy that most encounter are the "Red Robes".

In the days before the Theocracy formed, the region was called Mazyar.  Many official documents of Oth still refer to the area by this name.  Mazyar was a melting pot for the Ezira and Jalbin peoples since the 4th century AR though by the 3rd century HK most of the ethnic Jalbin had been forced from the land.  In the centuries to follow, while the city-state of Oth was becoming a thriving cosmopolitan port of the Old Empire, the land of Mazyar remained backwater, interacting infrequently with distant lands.  This seclusion insured that the culture of its people changed little over the millennia.  Today, unlike most of the Othic region, the people of this land retain a rich and separate cultural identity.

History (Pre-Theocracy)

Years prior to the appearance of the red stone, the Theocracy of Danok was known as Mazyar, a southern arm of the Othic city-state.  From a historical perspective, the Theocracy of Danok might as well have appeared out thin air.  In the early third century DR, the area was productive and cooperated in all manners with the dictates of the Iron Throne.  By the end of that same century a cult had risen from within those same borders that radically changed the people's outlooks and social structures.  The open society closed its doors.

The true story of how this came to pass is known to very few.  Those that know keep the story to themselves for fear of the consequences should the wrong people learn of their insights.  Even today, some four centuries later, it is impossible to know who knows what and where strange allegiances might lie.  The appearance of the Multiple and their Red Temple did not occur in a vacuum.  For many years prior to their appearance, the land was beseiged by widespread poverty, drought and increased taxation from which the people of Mazyar could not surface.  There was unrest among the people who thought that Oth did not care about them, that they were being persecuted and their troubles were being ignored by the Crown.  During this period many demagogues emerged preaching independance but the passions of the people could not be aroused.  This may have been due to the fact that despite their hardships, the surrounding New Kingdoms (rf. Farad Dragult, Kalthoram...) were not fairing well.  The people of Mazyar did not only want independence, they needed a plan.

The details of this time are suspect for there are many who wish to either erase the truth or simply re-write it.  Despite these obfuscations, many fingers point toward the wife of the penultimate ruler of the Othic city-state, High Lord Orvud the VII as the root of the trouble that is the Theocracy.  Even in post-Dekàlan times, the Zyrrn have not been trusted by much of the Old Empire.  When Orvud VII took a young Zyrrn noblewoman as his bride in 168 DR, many believed this to be a mark of ill omen.  When it was revealed that the heir apparent, Eldin I was chronically ill from a young age, this too was blamed on the Zyrnn Lady.  Despite the High Lord's wishes that she remain in the City of Oth, Ina made no secret of her distate for the black city.  She commonly visited the rolling hills of Mazyar and in 185 DR the High Lord built her an grand estate on the shores of the Nyr Platan.  Following the High Lord's death in 194 DR, the Lady retired to the estate, leaving the City of Oth to her sickly son Eldin I.  The dynasty of the Second House of Zyan ended in 238 DR with the death of the last of that name.  Ina was the sole family member to attend the funerary services for her son; this was the last visit she would ever make to the City of Oth.

During the Time of Calamities the area of Mazyar suffered greatly.  The loss of farm goods from drought, wool-producing goats from a terrible rotting disease and the polluting of fishing waters from a strange red dust that choked every stream and waterway in the region all contributed to reducing Mazyar to a impoverished backwater.  During this time Lady Ina, a royal presence among a hopelessly desperate people, gave comfort and aid to the Mazyari as best she could from her own dwindling fortunes.  The local nobles' coffers had been drained years before; taxes sent to the Kry Shurulm left the people of the land with nothing to spare.  As the nobles' influence waned, Lady Ina's popularity and power in the region soared.  During this time many demagogues spoke out against the High Lord and most agitators were snatched by the Lord's Men, taken to Oth and never seen again.  

The most popular of these was Azor Mareç.  For a span of four years or more, Mareç spoke with impunity against the injustices levied upon the Mazyar peoples.  Interestingly, he was often seen in the company of Lady Ina during this time leading people to believe that she acted on his behalf to keep the High Lord from dragging him away.  In an irregular action, the Temple Guard stormed Mazyar in the Summer of 237 DR, rounding up all agitators and "heretics" for execution.  Priests arrived to officiate the Cleansing and Lady Ina's estate house was placed under arrest for crimes against the Temple.  These charges meant little to the people of Mazyar though few dared stand-up to the Temple Guard and its priests.  Following the executions the Lady's house remained under arrest.

In the Spring of 238 DR, the High Lord died.  With the dynasty's end, all powers of the Iron Throne reverted to the Temple of Roth.  On 16 Maran 238 DR an unknown group of organized seditionists stormed through the towns of Mazyar, burning the temples and shrines of Roth.  At each site a post was erected, hung with the heads of the priests of that building.  The Temple Guards stationed around Lady Ina's house were captured and dragged behind horses until dead.  News of the "Night of Broken Temples" initiated immediate plans to raise an army against the lands of Mazyar.  Meanwhile, the first Red Robes appeared in the streets of Azmyar and Deymir, preaching the values of a united people defending their heritage, their lands and not bowing to the powers of a failed empire.  The arguments used were immediately embraced by the populace for these were in many respects the same words as those used by Azor Mareç six years ago.  With news of the Temple's unbridled intentions, the Mazyari filed quickly and passionately behind this "new" group.  Those few that remained dubious were swayed by Lady Ina's backing.

Retrospection reveals that at this early date the Minions of Danok were a widespread organization able to seize the reins of desperate land at an opportune time.  In fact, there is evidence that the Multiple had been developing this network for almost forty years prior to the Mazyari Revolution.  The full religious nature of the Minions did not publicly manifest until many years following the Separation, though few were ignorant of the ramifications of a group who razed temples and murdered priests of the state religion.

Following three years of war, the Temple of Roth acquiesced and signed the Articles of Separation.  The intent of the Temple was for the next High Lord to raise a second army (that the state would support) and reclaim the lost land.  Dekàlan law demanded that war waged by a Temple between coronations must be funded by the Temple.  Three years of war had depleted the Temple's reserves to dangerous levels therefore discouraging the priests from pressing the conflict further.  This was in fact the original purpose of the law, to discourage Temples from taking great actions during their stewardship of an empty Throne.  The Temple was most displeased when the next monarch Hela I showed no interest in waging war against the southern territory.

History (Theocracy)

Following the Mazyari Revolution things began to change in the region.  The Red Robes, who had emerged as leaders during the war held onto the power given them by the people of Mazyar.  The nature of this relationship also changed, with the Minions making mandates for the people of Mazyar and raising forces to enforce these new laws.  The Minions were not only interested in forceful control however, they also vied to win the hearts and minds of their subjects.   The weekend days of Palindor and Aldendor became "opportunities" to learn the philosophies of the Minions and the mysteries of script and reading.  All that gathered were taught using strange scriptures; those that did not attend were marked as "ignorants" and ridiculed.  By 249 DR, ignorants were shunned, exiled or enslaved.  This change in the social dynamic of the region cannot be understated:  to be educated under the teachings of the Minions of Danok was to be a productive and enlightened citizen of the land, to remain uneducated was to be a person without rights or recourse.  

In recent years, the Theocracy of Danok has posed a unique challenge for the Iron Throne.  Not only have the Minions shown to have military intentions but their dealings and influence within the city-state of Oth is pervasive.  Since the Time of Calamities, the Theocracy has become very prosperous with a citizenry that is both educated and faithful.  Red Robes can be found at business meetings throughout the City of Oth and are sometimes sought to arbitrate deals between merchants.  Though their public image is that of screaming zealots found in town squares preaching heresy, in the business community they are respected as being fair and trustworthy businessmen, rare attributes for that profession.  Though the Minions deal in most businesses and trades, the trade they are most famous for in Oth is that of slavery.  The Red Robes are known to pay good money for healthy working-age slaves and better money for virgins.  Though the practice of keeping slaves is not common through the Old Empire, it is not illegal if the owner can support his chattel and give them proper food and shelter.  Slaves are not new to the Theocracy, though the trend of purchases has increased greatly in the 7th century.  Some sages have estimated that at the rate by which the Minions purchase slaves within the city-state, there should be at least one slave for every citizen of the Theocracy.  Visitors to the land however, have not reported anything near this ratio which begs the question, "Where are they?"

In 649 DR the Theocracy came under attack by a group of adventurers named Endren's Seven.  Led by a thardor of Eiron, the group led a surgical attack against the heart of the land, reaching the "steps" of the Red Temple before a resistance could be mustered to drive them back.  It was not clear what inspired Endren to launch the attack or whether the knight's "assault" was successful or not.  When summoned before the High Lord following the action, the two spoke at length (presumably about the matter) before the thardor was released.  Two years following the attack, Endren was granted a gift of land in the Moren Burdrul (rf. Eironhold).  Many believe the gift to be from the High Lord, but in fact the land was granted by the Krym Oryroth.  Some within the Iron Throne court believe that this attack, the High Lord's actions, and the grant of land may have something to do with the Theocracy's recent campaign into the Elmark.

Azmyar

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Deymir

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