Sandbox:Lent23

Contents

Overview

"The people. Each individual, despite one's birth, is potential soil where the ideas that could drastically change our world might flourish." -Karszekan Not'zar Izweski

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Izweskan and surrounding area.

Izweskan, also referred to as The Heartland or sometimes the Heart of Sk'akh, is a region of Szerakreshan occupying the northernmost sections of the continent, roughly defined by a natural border formed by Oraszerakarum in the south as well as Mogheskavum in the north, east and west. Viewed as built on thousands of years of history, Izweskan has housed some of the most powerful and influential clans in sinta history, counting among them the three most powerful: the Kres'ha'nor, the Sarakus and the Izweski. Starting with the rise of the Kres'ha'nor in 920 CE, Izweskan has been the center of Szerakreshani power and influence throughout the different ruling Great Dynasties of the continent. Consistently known as the Great Domain of Moghes, the Great Dynasties have had a significant amount of through-lines, including religion, culture and education.

Ruling Clan

The ruling clan of Izweskan is currently Clan Izweski, a clan who has been in the region since being granted Kreshan by the Kres'ha'nor in 923 CE after the Kres'ha'nor defeated the previous lords of Izweskax, Clan Fulyx. A long time rival of the Kres'ha'nor, Clan Fulyx was the greatest threat to Kres'ha'nor supremacy over Izweskan. Fighting between the clans lasted from 920 until 923, when a young sinta named Rexal, the son of an Izweskax subsistence farmer led a group of peasants from the surrounding settlements in a decisive flank, slaying Clanmaster Fulyx in single combat using just a scythe. Following the defeat of Clan Fulyx, Trizel Kres'ha'nor named Rexal the first Kres'katawan of the Kres'ha'nor as well as ownership of Castle Fulyx. When asked what he would name his new noble clan, Rexal is said to have simply stated, "Mine are naught but farmers of these verdant lands, and that is all we shall be known as." sparking the creation of the Izweski: Iz (Verdant), Wesk (Farm) -i (a suffix denoting an agent noun), literally translating as "Verdant Farmers." More information on the Izweski can be found here.

Capital

The capital subregion of Izweskan is Izweskax, and the seat of power in Izweskan is Keep Izweski in Skalamar.

Culture

Built up over the past millennium, the three Royal Clans contributed countless wealth to Izweskan, allowing it to flourish from the ground up, giving rise to the notion that even Izweskan peasants have a better life than many merchants abroad. Modernization has historically always come from Izweskan, whether sinta or alien, and modern times have been no different. While other regions of Moghes do contribute to sinta technological advancement, the centralization and wealth of Izweskan has ensured that the greatest of these have come from the heart of Szerakreshan.

Izweskan is also known for its intrigue. Having been the center of power on Szerakreshan for over 1,500 years, intricate webs of relationships have permeated all facets of society. The deeply interwoven nature of honor and scheming have built Izweskani sinta into strategic bureaucrats unlike anything found elsewhere on Moghes. Even among peasant clans, life in Izweskan has proven to allow for advancement, given you find the right connections at the right time.

Due to the close proximity to many of the most powerful clans, the sinta of Izweskan very commonly hold a reverence for what has been deemed the best of their species. While most peasants have not even seen Karszekan Not'zar Izweski in person, their proximity to Keep Izweski reminds them that they live within a stone's throw of the most powerful sinta.

A region truly untouched by the nuclear exchange of the Unification war, Izweskan has seen an influx of refugees from some of the more damaged part of Moghes seeking safety and prosperity. The locals of Izweskan have found the presence of refugees objectionable, deriding the newcomers as nothing more than useless mouths to feed, opportunists looking for a handout, or traitors seeking to hide from the sins of their land. Similarly, many refugees resent the locals for this treatment, knowing full well that the Izweskani would do the same if the roles were to be reversed. Clashes of culture and religion are common between the locals and refugees of Thuykreshan in particular, as the Thuykreshani bring their traditions and heathenish religions.

Holidays

Victory Day is a holiday of contrasts - a celebration of Izweski victory in the Unification War, and a subdued mourning for the lives lost to what the locals tend to consider solely the crimes of the Traditionalist Coalition. Traditionally, it is a day of rest and respite, with Sinta gathering with their clanmates and loved ones to remember what they treasure, and spending the night in a quiet and subdued ceremony, to honor the souls sent to Sk'akh during the war.

Traditionally, there are three main holy days of the Sk’akh Church, each dedicated to one of the Great Spirit’s three Aspects. The Day of the Warrior falls in the heat of Versakh, and is generally a time of wild contests of strength and skill, as well as a day when many young men seek to join with the City Guard or their local lord’s personal forces. The Day of the Fisher falls during Kasavakh, and is a day of feasting and merriment, in thanks for the labour of the fishers, which makes life possible for all. The Day of the Healer falls in Travakh, and is a day of reflection on how even in the darkest and coldest of times, Sinta are blessed with Sk’akh’s grace, and the power to bring life into this world.

The anniversary of a Hegemon’s coronation is also customarily a holiday within the Heartland - though the anniversary of Not’zar’s is a mixed occasion, as it reminds all too many of the madness of Hegemon Sk’resti, and the doom he nearly brought to Moghes. However, it is still a joyous occasion, with Izweski banners flying in the streets, many peasants and guildsmen being given time off their work, and celebration of the glory that the Hegemon is sure to bring to all sinta in time.

Religion

Izweskan is the heartland of Sk'akh, and is highly regarded as the most spiritually potent region of Moghes. As the center of the Sk'akh faith, Izweskan is known as an especially fundementalist and orthodoxical region. While the Church of Sk'akh has suffered in modern times under a lack of direct leadership, the faith has not struggled to maintain its grip on the sinta of the region. Despite

While the region remains mostly Sk'akh, as the most cosmopolitan region of Moghes, there are other faiths present in smaller, but not insignificant numbers, with Th'akh making up the most of the non-Sk'akh worship due to the influx of citizens from Thuykreshan

While other various human religions are present within the human populations of Skalamar, many of the humans that have committed to staying on Moghes long-term have begun to integrate into local worship, with most conversions leaning towards Sk'akh worship, though many humans prefer the looser spiritualism of Th'akh. While the Sk'akh Church does not formally allow humans to work as priests, the worship and reverance of Sk'akh is permitted by the Church.

Among the Vaurca of Izweskan, Hive Pantheon is the most popular, though the relatively high Zkaii population in the Sk'akh homelands has given rise to a significant number of Vaurca_Religion#Mother_Dream#Mother Dream followers as well.

Education

As the most well-developed region of Moghes, Izweskan has the most robust education system. Originally founded in 930 by the Kres'ha'nor, each Great Dynasty has contributed to the Great Endeavor, a cross-dynasty effort to increase the standard of education for all sinta within the Great Domain. Running from the ages of 3 to 16, sinta in Izweskan spend half their week doing conventional on-site school learning with instruction from teachers and half their week doing traditional on-the-job training in a profession of their choosing.

The propagation of Sinta'unathi across Szerakreshan can be attributed to the dogmatic view on learning and culture that the Izweskan education system is based on. Often taking an assimilatory view on the teaching of conquered regions, Izweskani culture permeates Szerakreshan in many ways.

Almost all of the educational institutions across Izweskan were funded at least partially by the Great Dynasty at the time of their founding as a part of the Great Endeavor. Of these, about half of them were co-founded by the Sk'akh Church, allowing the Sk'akh Church to outpace both Th'akh and Nekr'akh expansion, even in their respective homelands.

Izweskax

Izweskax is the metaphorical as well as literal center of Izweskan, and is what people most often think of when they speak of Izweskan. The seat of Izweskan power, Izweskax is

Sinta of Izweskax

Sinta of Izweskax are known by the demonym Izweski, though contemporarily the term Izweski is generally used to refer to members of the Izweski clan, with the term Izweskani used most often as a replacement. Izweskani are most often known as hardworking and industrial sinta working in an area with a shocking amount of upward mobility when compared to the rest of Moghes.

Ruling Clan

While one might think that Izweskax is ruled directly by the Karszekan, this is not the case. While the Izweski do primarily reside in Skalamar, the Karszekan's attention lies in the rules of Moghes as a whole. The direct rule of Izweskan lies with the Clan Sirax, led by Karkreshan Trikzara Sirax, brother of Clanmother Izweski. The Sirax seat of power lies directly in Skalamar, and they maintain a close relationship with Clan Izweski, often being considered the second most powerful clan in Izweskan, if not all Szerakreshan.

Capital

The capital of Izweskax lies in Skalamar, the most populous city on Moghes. with an estimated 25 million living in the city and its surrounding metropolitan area, roughly 15 million of them living within the city limits. The most cosmopolitan place on Moghes, Skalamar has long been a hub for alien activity since the opening of Moghes to the Spur in the early 2400s, with about 13% being humans, 8% being vaurcae, and 4% being other non-sinta species.

Cities

Izweskax houses a number of other influential cities:

To’ha’dat

A sprawling city that houses most of the industrial base of Izweskax. While it remains unable to compete with the sprawling manufacturing bases of Junzan, it produces a large portion of the consumer goods required by the population of Izweskax. To'ha'dat has long been a stronghold of the industrial guilds and has continued to hold that reputation into the modern age, even after the Hephaestus buyout of 2465. Ruled by Lord Glatazk Yu'huni - a fanatically faithful Sk'akhist - the presence of non-Sk'akhists across the city is limited, even among those who are quiet about their faith.

S'th and Baandr

Along the edge of the Izweskax reaches are the twin cities of S'th and Baandr. Historically rivals, the two cities have traded control of their region over the centuries.

S'th is controlled by the Karkatus Clan, a wealthy clan whose shrewd investments have given them control of many of the guilds in the area and allowed them to exert a claim on the majority of the S'th-Baandr area. A city rife with corruption, S'th is known colloquially as the City of Suffering of the sinta of Izweskan - a land where even the gentry have their funds embezzled from beneath their snouts.

Landmarks

Important locations of Skalamar

Keep Izweski
Built atop the largest of the hills that Skalamar was originally founded around, Keep Izweski is a massive, fortified structure measuring around 200 acres. A large, square structure with outer walls 50 feet high and 20 feet wide, spanning 3,000 feet long per wall, Keep Izweski has long been considered the largest, most successful megaconstruction of the modern age of Moghes, and is the largest palace on Moghes. The outer walls of the complex are made of granite,

Religion

Izweskax is the true heart of Sk'akh, with the Third Scept of Sk'akh being found in Skalamar, rebuilt after the second was damaged by Traditionalist Coalition terrorists during the Unification War. The Third Scept is the main hub of Sk'akh, and houses the head of the church. Due to the large central authority of the Church of Sk'akh, deviancy is limited in the area, and there are little Si'akh worshippers this close to the heartland.

While Sk'akh is the dominant culture of Izweskax, there is one large congregation of heathens in Skalamar - the Skalamar Undercity Commune. The large, labyrinthine sewer system underneath Skalamar houses one of the largest Aut'akh communes on Moghes. Thousands of cybernetically enhanced sinta live just beneath the homes of the locals, struggling to survive day by day yet growing their faith. While for many, the undercity of Skalamar is nothing but a myth, the reality is that the sewers underneath the city are maintained by a machine cult that practices their worship in the maintenance and repair of the underground systems. While originally considered an instance of nothing more than vermin, the Skalamar City Watch has learned that it is better to leave the Aut'akh alone, as they cause little trouble and actively work to maintain the systems, leading to somewhat of a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship between the two groups.

Culture

Translated literally, Izweskax means "Land of Verdant Farms," and true to the name, Izweskax is known for its sprawling farmlands. The most common flora grown in Izweskax are Sarezhikee and S'thkee, both being grown in large fields generally owned by freeholder sinta who technically own their land but generally are not part of the nobility. Outside of the bureaucratic centers that are Izweskax cities, most of the peasant population are farmers.

Ha'nor

Ha'nor is a region of Izweskan