Tazak

Tazak
Capital	None
Ruler	Aeon-kings
Government	Autocracies
Demonym	Tazak
Adjective	Tazak
Languages	Aanar; Ukkarak; Qaani
Religions	Fortress cults; ancestor monoliths; dustwalkers

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

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.