Alzaria

The Promised Land of Alzaria, later the Duchy of Alzaria, was a nation (and later province of Nexus) in southeastern Leifmyrr in the Naar'um Desert. It was founded by two men named Alzar and Treedodger.

Alzar claimed to be a divine deity, later found to be named Sol, that had lost parts of his memory and returned to Eldham, only to find his ancient city lost to the sands of time. After meeting Treedodger, the two of them founded Alzaria, their "promised land", and made it official after purchasing land from a nation known as Ethia. Treedodger would go on to become the Prime Minister of Alzaria in the not so distant future.

Alzaria was one of many nations that followed the Order of Sol, and was an important holy site in the religion; not only was it deemed the home of the great Sol himself, but it was also said to be the promised land that the people of Heliosos had been searching for.

Alzaria's capital was the city of Alzaria, which includes The Temple of Dragons, where people of the faith would pray to important religious figures and conduct ancient rituals, Alzar's Palace and the first "Alzaria Brews" brewery, which acted as one of the nations main sources of income.

The Light of Sol descends upon Eldham
After battling a great darkness, Sol, the god of Light itself, and Atyra, one of the great Elder Dragons, lay to rest. Sol was lucky enough to awaken early, though at the cost of his memory. Vast amounts of knowledge from Sol's past had left his mind, including his name, and Atyra remained in her deep slumber unable to guide him.

With memories of a grand city built in his name just barely in his mind, Sol quickly grew anxious of the land so precious to him. He had nothing left to do but leave his palace that sat upon the Sun and descend upon Eldham in search of this land.

His damaged memory made the great and powerful Sol so very weak. Without fully understanding his own identity, he could not call upon his divine abilities to aid him in his search. No, Sol would have to make this journey like any other mortal of Eldham.

As Sol descended from the Sun, flesh and bone wrapped around the light, forming into the body of a man. This was the mortal form of Sol; Light itself in a man's body. Looking at him, you would never have known he was divine in nature, except perhaps if you looked more closely, for his skin glowed ever so slightly as the light of Sol began to seep through him.

The Lost City of Sol
Sol journeyed far, with the faint memory of his city guiding him along. The closer he got, the stronger the memory grew. Eventually, while crossing a desert, one final step in the sand caused the memory to fully take shape. A vision of Sol walking through the city took over his mind as he closed his eyes and relived the past...

It was wonderful. Luscious green grass, rows of proud palm trees. The River Drupelet lapped softly at the outer walls. In almost every garden grew beautiful scarlet red berries that Sol remembered were a common offering to him from his followers. They symbolised the unbreakable bond between him and humanity and remembering this filled him with glee. Sol gazed upon a great temple, which he recalled as The Temple of Dragons, and took one step towards it as the vision began to fade.

When he opened his eyes, all Sol could see was sand - endless, endless sand. The city he was searching for, the luscious grass, the scarlet berries, the temple. He had found it. Sol's city was right below his feet. Lost to the sands of time. Buried beneath the sands of Eldham.

Sol was mortified. His slumber must have led him to unknowingly abandon his city, his people, for centuries. Now he was nothing more than a lost man who didn't even know his own name. He was alone.

The Birth of Alzar
After wandering the desert in search of any sign of his lost city, Sol found a very old and ruined sand temple. Probably one of his ancient followers' last efforts to call upon their god, but alas it was in vain. Sol sheltered here as he fell into a deep depression, reminiscing on the vision he had of his beloved city to keep him calm, until he fell asleep.

Sol was awoken on a new day by the sound of footsteps. A traveller by the name of Treedodger was exploring the ruins. Markings on the temple walls depicted two dragons, one much larger than the other. Around them was darkness. Engulfed in the darkness were more dragons fighting and killing each other brutally. The two dragons were then joined by a third member, though not a dragon but a bright light. The light blew away the darkness, revealing its form to be that of a man. But it was not a man. It was Light itself…

A couple of sandstone walls later show a group of men following a man that shone like a star both day and night. The man protected the people, healed them, guided them, loved them. He never gave up, never gave in.

Treedodger continued to explore until he found a dark room where the sand of the desert outside had covered the windows letting the light in. However, in the corner behind a block of sandstone came a faint glow as if one last torch in the temple had been left lit. But no torch could have been lit here for hundreds of years! It was here when Sol was awoken. Suddenly, out from behind the sandstone stood a man, Sol, in white robes with a strange subtle glow around him. Treedodger was startled, his eyes darted around, checking for any signs of a threat. Thankfully, the man carried no weapon and his eyes showed no aggression. In fact, his eyes showed no emotion at all. They weren't the slightest bit shocked, unlike Treedodger.

As he looked closer, his startled reaction turned to a curious one and his eyes were drawn back to the glow that emanated from the man's body. This man was emitting light... like a star... Then it came to him, what if this was the shining man from the walls of the temple? The light that blew away the darkness and the man that guided the ancient people of this land. Could it be?

Treedodger then asked the glowing man a question that would mark the beginning of a new age within these lands.

Sol received a jolt of emotion he had not felt before. It was fear, for he then realised he had forgotten his own name. How could this have happened? His own name! But then, before Treedodger could reiterate his question, a new name came to him, as if during this time of loss, the universe had decided to give instead of take. A name appeared in his mind, one which he would take on during this time of restoration, for it was not just his city that needed rebuilding but his own sense of self as well.

The Promise
Alzar and the traveller spoke for hours to the point that Alzar’s palace in the sky had passed over them, bringing the night with it. Alzar explained all he could remember about who he was; that he was the incarnation of light itself, that he saved the universe from total darkness, and that he guided the early men through ancient history. Treedodger was hesitant to believe him at first. He didn’t consider himself religious at the time so had no reason to accept Alzar’s words for the truth, but something about the man before him made him feel a sense of trust. Alzar continued to explain how he had fallen into a deep slumber for thousands of years, only to return with his memory fractured. He then asked Treedodger how he found himself in one of his temples. Treedodger told Alzar that he was simply a traveller exploring new lands and visiting ancient ruins to expand his knowledge of the world and, much like Alzar, he was still figuring out who he was in the world.

The two of them began to form a strong friendship as they left the temple and gazed upon the open desert, illuminated in the moonlight. Alzar told Treedodger of his forgotten city and how he had lost all hope of his life returning to how it once was. Treedodger looked upon this man, who claimed he was a god, and saw nothing of the great strength he would have expected to come from someone as powerful as Alzar said he was. All he saw was a man on the brink of weeping, a man that had lost everything, and wanted nothing but to help him. It was then that Treedodger proclaimed the city was not lost and that they would be the ones to rebuild it. His confidence and kind heart came as a surprise to Alzar. It inspired him, lifted him up, and showed him that indeed his land was not lost so long as he didn’t give up on it.

And so, in, Alzar made a promise; a promise to construct a new land in the name of his ancient followers, who died unsure if their saviour would ever return, and a promise to never allow his people to be abandoned again. As the Sun began to rise on a new day, Alzar and Treedodger looked upon the desert, imagining their promised land - The Promised Land of Alzaria.

Founding Alzaria
Under the assumption that this barren wasteland was entirely deserted, Alzar and Treedodger set out across the desert to begin the construction of the promised land. To his dismay however, Alzar came across a small settlement proclaiming to be the beginnings of a city named Elista. It turns out the desert was under the control of a nation known as Ethia and the two Alzarians were in no place to begin making enemies. Alzar would show his great mercy.

Hope was not lost however, as Alzar made contact with the leader of Ethia, known as Criptik at the time, with a proposition to buy a region of desert separated by a river. After Criptik spoke with The Ethian Council and a bit of haggling later, Alzar managed to seal the deal, purchasing the land for an undisclosed amount of money. The founding of The Promised Land of Alzaria took place in. All that was left to do was to spread the word of the new nation of Alzaria.

The Phoenix Rises
A few weeks after the founding of Alzaria, the new city was beginning to take shape. Alzar seemed to have regained some of his confidence and the leadership qualities reminiscent of the great Sol started to come through once again. Treedodger’s faith in him grew stronger and so did the two founder’s hope for the new city of Alzaria.

After centuries of neglect, a new city was born atop old foundations and hazy memories. By, the great Temple of Dragons shook off its cocoon of sand and The Palace of Alzar, at the opposite end of the Royal Mall, stood proud once again by. The scarlet red berries once again filled the gardens of the city and great trees shaded any processions. A brewery was founded in to produce a variety of beverages. The red wine made from sweet berries became a religious potable. It still remains a sign of respect to the great god and is used in ceremonies to represent his life force. This was the birth of Alzaria. Home to Alzar and his people.

Discovery of Heliosos
In, Treedodger met a man named Litrus in Kardovia. Litrus was the ruler of a small religious nation known as Heliosos. When Treedodger asked him about this religion Litrus told him of their Sun god named Sol. Treedodger noticed many parallels between this “Sol '' and Alzar and thought Alzar may be interested in learning more, so he invited Litrus to visit them in their holy land of Alzaria. To his delight, Litrus agreed.

The False Memory Crisis
In, the ruler of Heliosos, Rex Litrus I visited Alzaria upon the invitation of its prime minister Lord Treedodger. Treedodger took Litrus to Alzar’s palace to meet with him, where they spoke about each other's religions.

When Litrus mentioned his god’s name was Sol, Alzar quickly became stunned. Somewhere in his fractured mind a connection was beginning to restore itself. That name. It was his. Suddenly Alzar’s formal mannerism vanished and complete and utter obsession took over in its place. Alzar was certain that his salvation lay with Litrus and ordered Treedodger to begin preparing an ancient memory ritual, carried out by his ancient disciples, that he believed would finally end his amnesia.

This ritual took two vessels: one with a fractured mind and another containing the means to restore the missing pieces. If the first vessel possessed any lost memories connected to the experiences of the second vessel, the ritual would use those experiences to reconstruct the memories of the fractured mind. After the preparations had been made, Alzar brought Litrus to the Temple of Dragons where the ritual would take place. The two of them stood opposite each other as Treedodger lit a pile of specially picked herbs with a flint and steel. The smoke quickly engulfed the three of them, as the temple went silent with only the crackling of the fire to be heard. Litrus began to fade into the fog before Alzar until all he could see was an ocean of grey clouds. After a few moments, Alzar began to see visions appearing in the mist around him; snippets of what he could only assume were his lost memories. Little did Alzar know that his obsession to restore his memory was overruling the ritual, causing it to generate false memories connecting Alzar to Sol from Litrus’s religion. One “memory” in particular stood out to him, in which Alzar, or more accurately Sol, stood atop a mountain meeting a young Rex Litrus I. Sol gave the King three books, one of which detailing the creation of the world. This marked the day that Litrus’s religion was founded under the name of The Order of Sol.

Many more false memories started to flow effortlessly into Alzar’s mind, as he accepted any information about his past that he could get his hands on. He began to relive many years of his life that never actually happened, though through his desperation he failed to see his mistake. Alzar could feel the entirety of each year, while only a few minutes passed by within the temple; not that it bothered an eternal being such as himself. As the smoke cleared, Alzar now gazed upon Litrus like an old friend. "I remember." he said, and the two of them embraced each other.

The aftermath of this memory crisis led to Alzaria adopting The Order of Sol as their national religion, sharing this faith with the Kingdom of Heliosos. Alzar was fully convinced that his identity now coincided with this false Sol and so too did Heliosos, who accepted Alzar as the head of their religion. Though incredibly sacrilegious, this crisis amongst Alzaria did not damage the nation all that much, with Alzar’s people continuing to live in peace. However, when the day comes that Alzar learns of his false identity, there will be those who may discover just how merciful Alzar truly is.

The Confederate States under Sol
As Alzar’s influence began to spread across Eldham, many more towns and nations began to join The Order of Sol. Alzaria, Heliosos, Wildonia, Golden Sun City, Yeoleum and Townscape all held strong belief in Sol, and by extension Alzar. It was not long after this unification of faith that a belief for a stronger, more united front to preserve The Order was discussed. A confederation of nations known as The Confederate States under Sol was formed in. The men of these nations split their trust between the faith and their political institutions.

Saving Manganien
Over the sea and to the north of Alzaria lay the town of Manganien in Tortuga. After a small journey by boat, Treedodger enlightened the locals to the ways of Alzar and invited their leader to meet with his god in Alzaria. McMuffin29 and DerChicker made the journey through the wild north of Alzaria. At this time, human settlement was minimal and the landscape held its natural beauty. Upon arriving they were treated to a luxurious dinner observed by Alzar. The duo were grateful for such charity and decided after a brief conversation to worship Alzar as their god. The flames of rebellion in Tortuga had been lit.

In, Manganien declared their independence. Support promised from the confederacy never materialised in meaningful amounts and the Tortugan war machine began to mobilise. The Manganiens were forced to flee to Alzaria.

Alzar stood at the gates of his city with arms open wide to the refugees. Emperor McMuffin was offered the lands south of Alzaria for his people to settle. The nation of Manganien was born and rapidly admitted into the Confederate States under Sol. Under the watchful eye of Alzar, the Manganiens had their independence and their safety.

Fall of The Confederacy
The end of the Confederacy began with the Rex of Heliosos. Rex Litrus I fell into a bout of insanity and a regency council was formed in his absence. A young upstart from the ranks seized the opportunity to stage a swift, bloodless coup against the council believing the nation was lost. During a conference of the confederacy, the other member nations were infuriated at this lack of due process. The demands of war made by the new Heliosos leadership enraged all other member states. With underhand efforts from the confederacy, this warmonger was arrested and tried for his crimes.

But the damage was done. The lack of centralisation within the confederacy had made it incredibly difficult to correct the coup. The fear was that if the coup had not been countered, then the confederacy would have been plunged into a war that only one man wanted. And so, in, it was decided to dissolve The Confederate States under Sol. Faith should be in Him rather than in the political machinations of man.

Atyra Awakens
Alzar couldn’t help but notice something was off. He had felt it ever since meeting with Rex Litrus I, but never thought much of it until the fall of the confederacy. Areas of his past simply didn’t add up, with certain events contradicting others or simply not aligning correctly.

It was not long after this that Alzar felt something he had been longing for for many months. There was no mistaking it, Atyra had just awoken from her slumber and the means to restore his memory were now within Alzar’s reach.

Alzar raced to the top of his palace and lifted his arms high. Out from his chest came beams of bright light, as his true form, Sol, began to leave its mortal shell. Once the man of pure light had completely left Alzar’s body, he floated above the palace, watching as his body crumbled into dust. Alzar, now in his divine form, hesitated. He wondered how long he would have to leave the mortal realm for, and the fear of abandoning his people a second time crept up on him. Eventually, Alzar deduced that ensuring his memories were intact, and receiving blessings from Atyra, would surely benefit his whole nation. He flew directly up into the sky and stared into the Sun, imagining his palace of solid light, before focusing on his destination. Suddenly, a window opened up in the middle of thin air, as if the curtains of reality were parted, allowing Alzar to slip through. By around, Alzar had vanished from Eldham.

The other side of the window opened up on the side of a tree trunk in the middle of a dense forest. Alzar came flying out but flew up to avoid hitting the ground. He then gently lowered his feet to the floor, before looking around him. He had made it to Atyra’s Forest, a separate realm consisting of an infinite forest under perpetual night. Fireflies lit up the vast array of trees that stood tall and strong. A lone moon danced above the clouds, casting light upon the canopy of leaves, with some of it escaping through the gaps to reach the forest floor. Alzar was the direct descendant of Atyra. They held a strong bond that allowed him to hone in on her lifeforce, now that she was awake, and follow the scent to guide him through the forest. As he proceeded through the woods, moving away branches as he trekked through the thick bushes, he saw a range of brightly lit, bioluminescent wildlife, such as vibrant jade mushrooms, dazzling sapphire dragonflies, and a gleaming white stag.

Eventually, he came to a clearing where the light from the moon was not obstructed and shone down like a spot light. In the middle of the clearing was a huge, moss-covered rock, that looked completely out of place compared to what he had seen thus far. Suddenly, a glowing yellow spot appeared at the lower left hand side of the boulder. The spot started to rise, as part of the rock began to move upwards and turned to face Alzar, revealing a second golden light on the other side. They were eyes! And this mass was not a rock. It was a dragon! Atyra! As the moving silhouette came gradually closer to Alzar, he could make out that it was the dragon’s neck. Behind it, its wings then rose for a second as the dragon manoeuvred itself into a standing position. Alzar stood without fear but instead utter joy, for he was finally reunited with his dear friend. Atyra studied Alzar’s body curiously, for it had been a long time since they last met, but she seemed unsurprised to see him. No, Atyra knew of Alzar’s visitation, long before he got here. Now awake, she could tell exactly where Alzar was in the universe with her divine omnipotence.

Atyra shouted, her voice booming through the forest.

Alzar muttered, looking off into the distance.

Atyra lowered her head in front of Alzar.

Alzar caught on to what she was doing and raised himself off of the ground, planting himself upon her skull. He sat there while Atyra carried him to the centre of the clearing. She got comfortable and closed her eyes.

Alzar then closed his eyes.

Given his word, Atyra began to insert her consciousness into Alzar’s, helped by his close proximity to her head. She began wandering his vast mind, noticing distinct gaps in his knowledge and areas loosely strung together by falsely fabricated memoirs.

Atyra said, calming her beloved child and preparing for quite the clean up operation.

Back in Eldham, the world began to react in Alzar’s sudden absence…

Darkness in the absence of His Light
With the Great Alzar gone, Treedodger tended to his lord’s kingdom; trade agreements and alliances to secure the way of things. A while back, after meeting with President Snow of Nexus, a federation was proposed to Treedodger in. To be part of a federation with many surrounding nations and to occupy a third of the world would be an ideal deterrent to any would-be invaders. The United Federation was finally formed in and Alzaria became a proud member. Treedodger even became the first, and only, Deputy President of The United Federation.

Peace was achieved and all was well. Or was it?

At first, the raiders came alone or in twos. These were easily thwarted. But the pagans were not deterred. A large band of the raiders arrived in to sack the holy city. Valuable texts and a few riches were stashed safely away but the brewery had been emptied. Without Alzar to guide him, Treedodger entered into talks with Nexus about securing the future of Alzaria. It was quickly agreed upon, in, that Nexus would protect Alzaria in Alzar’s absence. The Federation was short-lived and soon became an empire ruled from Nexus with Alzaria falling under the administrative sector of New Olmeria.

And yet Treedodger’s faith in men became his downfall.

They came in the night. Explosions rattled the temple walls. An extensive horde of bandits burst through the gates and into the city. They pillaged all things of value. Everything from the crops to the gold atop the palace. Treedodger stood in the Palace of his Lord Alzar and protected it until he was struck down by one of the pagan bandits. As he lay there bleeding, he prayed for the return of Alzar.

It was early morning when Treedodger’s adopted son, T-Bone Tagawa, returned to the city after a lifetime of adventuring, only to find his father dying. Together, they watched the sun rise. For Treedodger it would be his last. T-Bone carried his father to the Last Temple of Sol, where Treedodger had first met Alzar, and buried him there.

Alzaria slowly fell into disrepair. Every now and then, a scavenger would arrive to pick through the remains like a vulture and then swiftly leave, curious of what the past held.