Tazak (pronounced tah-ZAHK) is a region in the northern Stormlands on the northeastern edge of the Tazak Mountains, where powerful figures known as mage-autocrats or aeon kings rule the small outlying villages from their mountain fortresses. By implanting aeon stones into themselves these rulers of Tazak grant themselves magical abilities and greatly extended lifespans or even immortality.
Geography
In the higher elevations of the rugged Tazak Mountains, where the inhabitants of Tazak live, the climate is highly seasonal. Summers can be pleasant with warm if not hot temperatures, while winters are often bitterly cold. Despite the amount of precipitation the region receives, primarily in the form of snow that melts and feeds small rivers and streams come spring, vegetation is not as plentiful as might be expected, as the rocky conditions give plants few places to take root aside from in some of the valleys between the peaks. These act as small oases, beautifully verdant in the warm weather and a refuge for animals and people alike when the cold returns.
The foothills of Tazak, where they reach the steppe below, are the domain of herd animals that graze on the sparse grasslands.
History
Though the mountains have long been home to small populations, largely those who have sought refuge from the dangers and strife of the lowlands to the south, Tazak as it is now only took shape within roughly the last six hundred years, beginning with the arrival of the first aeon kings from the Oasis around Y9300*. Given their propensity to take new names and eschew any mention or continuity with their past, the origins of the aeon kings are shrouded in mystery, but it is generally accepted that they were Trailblazers who, through their experimentation with the aeon stones they recovered in the wake of the Great Tempests, were able to grant themselves potent magical abilities. With these they ventured north, sometimes as friends and sometimes as enemies but always as rivals, eventually settling in Tazak where they carved out small realms for themselves, away from the chaos of the storms.
Demographics
The population of Tazak is largely human, with smaller numbers of hobgoblins, dwarves, and tengu.
Culture
Religion
See also: Fortress cults
While the creation and veneration of ancestor monoliths is widespread in Tazak, as is a general adherence to the philosophy of the Dustwalkers, the fortifications the people of the region build around their settlements are the primary focus of spiritual life. These fortress cults ritually construct and maintain fortifications near or around their homes as a method of honoring the stone spirits that protect them. Participating in the construction of one of the fortresses is amongst the most pious acts that a follower of the faith can undertake, but so too is it spiritually important to maintain and guard them - as the cults have not spread far, and the population of the Tazak Mountains is quite low, there are not many opportunities to lay the foundation stones of new defenses. Many rituals govern the addition or replacement of stones, so as to ensure the spirit within accepts and is accepted by the others they are joining.
Society
Tazak is unified only culturally, its people broadly holding to the same traditions and ways of living. Politically it is quite divided, carved into many small realms by the mage-autocrats. Their rulers are largely reclusive, preferring to continue their experiments on themselves without outside interference, and so in turn largely do not interfere in the lives of those who live in the villages and towns of Tazak as long as their own needs are met. For their part, the people of Tazak accept this, as the stone spirits in the fortresses do not object to the presence of the aeon kings and they enjoy their own isolation regardless, the mountains a haven from the chaos of the lower elevations.
Tazak settlements are small yet highly communal. Most possessions, including all foodstuffs, are shared between the people of a village, though not typically distributed equitably. Social status is conferred by age and relation alike, with certain families usually living in the most prestigious homes and taking a greater share of whatever the village produces.
Languages
Aanar, Qaani, and to some degree Ukkarak are the most commonly spoken languages in Tazak.
Architecture and urbanization
The archetypal settlement of Tazak is a village of perhaps two to three hundred individuals, who reside in homes made of mortared stone bricks that frequently share walls with their neighbors. These houses are found within the perimeter of gently sloped walls that surround the core buildings of a settlement, rarely in straight lines but rather following the curves and contours of the landscape. Most fortifications incorporate watchtowers so both the inhabitants and the spirits within the stones can keep watchful eyes on incoming danger. A few villages paint their fortresses in distinctive patterns, using dyes made from powdered local rocks, but this is unusual. Storehouses for food and other important material are often incorporated into the walls to allow the spirits to guard that too.
Tazak settlements are frequently, though not always, located near the oasis-valleys within the mountains. They are never found within them, however, as the preference is to build at an elevation that provides for easy defense.
Food and cuisine
The staple food in Tazak is a type of grain called qenaar that grows well in the cold mountains and without consistent access to water. This the people of Tazak supplement with various vegetables they grow, as well as the milk, cheese, and meat of animals like goats. Floral teas are favored drinks, frequently fermented. A few of the aeon kings keep eqep to feed themselves and their palaces but this is atypical.
Government
Nearly all settlements in Tazak are under the claimed control of the aeon kings, but in practice they are largely left alone except for the extraction of tribute and corvee labor, with most aspects of rule left to the inhabitants themselves. This they do in multiple ways, but primarily through deference to one or more local elder.