Zaranta, The Silver Empire
The Silver Empire of Zaranta is the powerful and theocratic nation that occupies the western portion of Ulmera. Centre around the Silver Tower in the capital of Vaalbara, the holy empire has expanded exponentially since it was founded a little over a century ago. Guided by the high priests of the goddess Dryla, the Mother of Silver, who united Zaranta under her wisdom, the Silver Empire now rivals not only great nations of Ediacara, but those across the seas as well. The future of Zaranta is bright, and even with Tororae and The Free Cities of Ulmera joining together to stifle the Empire’s growth, her citizens are sure that Dryla will guide their nation to prosperity and power.
History
Before Zaranta was united as a nation by the Mother of Silver, it was a collection of four small city states. The most powerful of these states was Zar, centred around the Silver Tower, and it was from here that the will and love of the Mother was first discovered. Legends tell of her first followers who descended into the depths of the Silver Tower, drawn into the tower by her coming to them in their dreams. What happened in the depths of the tower is a well guarded secret, but when the followers returned, they returned with the will of the Mother in their hands, and her instructions for the nation they were going to build in her name.
Over the next century and a half, the nation state of Zar waged a war of conquest against their neighbours, subjugating them one after another. As each of the neighbouring states come under the control of Zar, the will of the Mother was imposed onto the growing empire’s new citizens, whether they wanted it or not; all other faiths were purged from the lands to make way for the Way of Silver, violently if necessary. The Mother’s war of conquest was eventually halted some fifty years ago when The Free Cities of Ulmera allied with Tororae to the south and pushed the Silver Empire back during the War of the Foothills. The fighting come to a stop twenty-six years ago when the three nations came together and signed the Peace Treaty of Ulmera, which not only ended the hostilities between the nations, but also established the official borders for both Zaranta and The Free Cities.
Since the signing of the treaty, both Zaranta and the Free Cities have engaged in a cold war against each other across the foothills. Instead battling each other with soldiers and armies, the two nations now battle with spies and corporate espionage, always trying to one up each other. It is likely only a matter of time before everything boils over, with soldiers and armies taking to the foothills once again.
Cities and Settlements
Leeside
Population: ~500,000
Nestled in the foothills close to the foot of the Torverns, Leeside is the industrial hub of the Silver Empire. Ore and lumber from the mountains and the foothills are shipped here via the nations extensive rail network, to be refined and processed in the cities many mills, forges, and factories. As the Empire’s centre of industry, the city provides the nation with the raw materials needed to power and expand their influence. Leeside is also where the Zarantan army is based and marshalled from, with the city’s factories and laboratories developing state of the art weapons and toxins to defend the Empire from her enemies.
Leeside is also home to one of the continent’s largest train yards, and the centre of many a rail baron’s operations. From their offices, these barons run their businesses much like how the high priests run the nation, with a religious fervour that demands total faith and obedience. These corporations are an extension of the will of the Empire, and as the railway expands across the continent so to does the will of the Mother of Silver.
Unlike Vaalbara with its pristine streets, vibrant buildings and silver signs, Leeside is covered in a layer of soot, smoke, and grime. Smog and foul-smelling vapours are belched night and day from the factories, giving the while city an acrid and overwhelming stink. Despite the grime and the smell, the people who call the city home are proud of it and see this as a sign of progress.
Saint Kessal
Population: ~250,000
Saint Kessal is the Silver Empire’s major port along Ediacara’s western coast, and home to the nations modest but powerful navy. Named after the legendary hero Kessal Mortonly, the city is said to stand on the very spot that the saint prevented an ancient and evil horror from the depths from coming upon the shores of Ulmera in the name of the Mother of Silver. “He is as a rock, standing against the constant crashing of the ocean,” is what is etched on the base of the grand statue of the hero that looms high over the port, still protecting the city from the horrors of the depths.
This notion of being a rock against the ever-raging sea lends the people who call the port home a hard and stalwart nature; they are a people who delight in challenging the waves in their rugged and sturdy ships and showing off their mastery of the sea. This stalwart nature also lends itself to the city’s architecture, with her buildings all being made of stone and displaying a rugged sense of strength against the never ending coming and going of the tide.
Vaalbara
Population: ~1,000,000
Vaalbara, also known as the Siler City, is the capital of the Empire, and the seat of power for the high priests of Dryla, the Mother of Silver. The metropolis spreads out from the ancient Silver Spire that rises high above the forests and hills of Ulmera, piercing the sky with its height, and from which the city gets its title. The spire is believed to be the remnants of the star that Dryla travelled to Orzaal upon eons ago, and that it is a sign of the Empire’s righteousness and divine right to prosperity, expansion, and power.
It is from Vaalbara that the high priests and clerics of the Mother oversee the future of Zaranta from within the Silver Spire, and the dozens of churches and cathedrals that are scattered about the city. Most of the city’s population work in service to the church and the government, which within the Empire, are one and the same.
Valking
Population: ~80,000
Located away from the foothills, and along the border between Ulmera and the endless plains of Zetrea, is the city of Valking. As the agricultural centre of the Silver Empire, most of the city’s population lives in the surrounding countryside tending to the numerous farms, vineyards, and ranches that feed the nation’s ever-growing population.
Within the city walls proper, a collection of open-air produce and livestock markets, as well as foul smelling tanneries dominate the day-to-day life of its citizens. Most of the people who live in the city work in support of those industries, ensuring that the Empire is well fed.
Zecha
Population: ~150,000
Located in a small bay along the island’s northern coast is the city of Zecha. This port is the entrance to Ediacara for those who have travelled across the mighty Mezcalera ocean. This mixing of cultures from the mainland, and from across the sea, gives the city a mishmash of architectural styles. All these desperate styles have melded together to make a culture unique to Zecha.
Zecha and the northern half of Avialune are claimed by The Silver Empire. While the city plays the part of loyal vassal, its citizens consider themselves Zechans first, and citizens of the empire a distant second.