Zar’Kesh — The Veiled Empire

“Where the sands burn and the sun never dies, men bow beneath veils of gold and chain. Every prayer is a bargain, every blade an oath.”

🌞 Overview

Zar’Kesh lies far to the south-west across the Southern Sea, beyond the reach of the Gilded Dunes and the outer marches. Once a radiant empire of scholars, architects, and holy conquerors, it now stands divided between faith and shadow, ruled from the jeweled city of Eshar’Zul, known as The City of a Thousand Veils.

The empire worships the Eternal Sun, a divine symbol of purity and ascension. Yet in their pursuit of eternal light, they have scorched their own hearts. The streets of Zar'Kesh gleam with brass and marble, but beneath the shining domes, whispers of heresy fester — sects that seek flame through blood, or shadow through denial.

The air of Zar’Kesh is thick with the perfume of incense, the clang of ritual chains, and the distant lament of holy hymns turned dirges.

🜂 History

Zar’Kesh was born in the Age of Ascension, when the southern tribes united under Sultan Al-Rahzir the Sunbound, a prophet-king who claimed to speak the words of flame itself. His creed promised transcendence through devotion and discipline — the body as vessel, the soul as ember.

When the Withering Cycle reached the empire, the faithful refused to accept decay as divine will. Their scholars created sunforged veils — lattices of blessed chainmail and silk — believed to shield the soul from corruption. The result was tragic: their bodies endured, but their spirits burned hollow.
Thus were born the Veilbound, the eternal soldiers of faith.

Now, the empire is ruled by Sultan Azir’Tal, the Veiled Sun. None have seen his face in decades; his words come only through his Grand Viziers and the Ashveil Sentinels who guard his sanctum.
Beyond the gilded courts, desert nomads and heretical cults wage endless silent wars beneath the desert stars.