The Zohrian Empire

Nestled in the fungal flora of the northwestern corner of Ruterra lies the proud Magocracy of the Zohrian Empire. Made up of the remnants of the Zohrian Magisterium who survived the Spell Mire, the Zohrian's have built a proud and secluded Empire run by the Praetoros Primus and their shadowy advisors known as the Undying Council.

The Zohrian Magisterium was destroyed in ancient times by their own hubris, and now in this strange and exotic landscape where the flora and fauna are shaped and twisted by the fallout of that cataclysm, it is yet to be known whether the Zohrian Empire will repeat the mistakes of old or forge a new path. Regardless, The Zohrian Empire pushes towards the cutting edge of magic and when not sending raiding parties and corsairs across the seas of Ruterra they are shrewd traders of magical oddities.

The Fountain of Honors
The Fons Honorum (The Fountain of Honors) is the strict social structure that those within the Zohrian Empire adhere to. The fountain begins with the Praetoros Primus who empowers Slagstone with essence. That Slagstone (Slag) is processed and distributed to the people of the Zohrian empire. Power flows from the Primus like water from a fountain, trickling down to all beneath them.



The Praetoros Primus
The King of the Zohrian empire who sits on the Living Throne. The Praetoros Primus does very little actual governing as most of that power has recently been commandeered by the Undying Council. The Primus serves a vital role within the empire despite their otherwise symbolic position. After The Warring Rings Era it was decreed that all should have the basest access to magical power. This was achieved by producing Slag. Slagstone contains within it an energy that can be used as an artificial substitute to essence, this same energy is what allows slagstone to grow. By siphong part of their own essence into Slagstone the Primus activates this energy and makes it available for use. Without the Prateoros Primus, the empire would cease to function.

The Vermiculi (The Undying Council)
Originally an order of powerful mages whose sole function was to oversee the choosing of the next Praetoros Primus, the Vermiculi have been slowly taking a more and more prevalent role in the governance of the empire. Though they must still search for the next most powerful mage before the current Primus’ passing they have decentralized political power from the Primus and now effectively govern the empire themselves with the Primus as their puppet. Furthermore, they closely guard the secret to life beyond death within their members.

The Circuli (The Rings)
Below the ruling class are all those who benefit from the fountain and wear the mark of the Praetoros Primus. Through a coming of age ritual a growing Zohrian is sorted into one of the many Circuli, which are slagstone tattoos that carry great cultural and societal importance. The Circuli or Ring you are given determines what role you will play in the Zohrian Empire for the rest of your life.

Geography
It is theorized by Zhorian Scholars that before the Spell Mire that the lands now inhabited by the Zohrian Empire were fairly normal temperate jungles, however, the fallout of this apocalyptic event has forever changed these lands. The now rocky, essence rich, landscape has given plenty of foothold for all manner of exotic life to take root.

Flora
Through strange magical phenomena, fungal spores have sprouted into fantastical mycelium jungles that have overtaken much of the landscape. The north is overtaken by 100- ft tall mushrooms that have creating the infrastructure for an expansive and multi-layered wilderness below. Meanwhile the southeast is covered in spore-ridden scilia that make the air nigh unbreathable without the help of masks or powerful magics. This gives way to the coast where nautiloid shaped calcium deposits create a vast maze for explorers to travel through and for predators to hunt in.

Fauna
The Fauna of the Zohrian Empire is as strange as its flora. Beasts are rare here, with the main inhabitants being aberrations and monstrosities. Fflumphs float away from displacer beasts in the Mycelium Jungle while Griffons glide above the Southwaste Desert on the hunt for easy prey. Many intelligent aberrations such as beholders and mindflayers have also found a home here, using the strange terrain to their advantage in order to avoid detection as they plot against the Empire.