Kraz, the Free City

The Free City of Kraz is a city-state on planet RIMA III. It was built by former slaves and became the most prosperous place on the whole planet over the centuries of its existence. Below is a short history of Kraz and its inhabitants.

The Cult of Kramzitas

Around 50 years after the Exodus, a group of humans established a village near the mountain named Zul. These humans were militant cultists from the order of Kramzitas and their slave labor. Cultist chose the mountain of Zul as a perfect place for their Ascension Monastery and used their slaves to carve the structure near its summit.

After two centuries of exhausting work, the monastery was finished. Archeological finds suggest , and hundreds of slave lives were lost, both as casualties and as blood sacrifices that Kramzitas offered to their Sky God. Soon after the monastery was built, an event described as a “Burning Sun in the Night Sky” have appeared.

Astrophysical regression has shown that around that time a huge comet flew very close to Rima III. Given that Kramzitas had all the attributes of a death cult, it is viable to assume that in sight of the comet, they all committed a mass suicide. Most of their slaves have survived though as they were deemed to be unworthy to Ascend alongside their masters.

A Slave Village Becomes the Free City of Kraz

After the cult of Kramzitas ceased to exist, their former slaves successfully developed their village into a small city-state called Kraz. Since the early days of independence it became a huge taboo for villagers to venture up to the mountain of Zul, as spirits of their masters were rumored to haunt the abandoned monastery.

Rulers of Kraz also creatively used the legend of the cursed mountain to keep possible attackers away from the city. After some time it turned out that Kraz was located on a most efficient trade route between human settlements to the North and South of it. Capitalization on such favorable geographical position allowed the wealth of Kraz to grow exponentially. It also made the Free City into a desirable target for both Northern Kingdoms and Southern Nomads.

One day an army from the North came to conquer Kraz, despite the looming curse of the mountain Zul. The takeover was successful, but the Old King of Kraz have managed to flee with his wife and their young daughter while his sons stayed behind to fend off the attackers. The family sought refuge inside the cursed monastery and there they met real Demons who made mountain Zul into their home.

The Old King made a pact with the Demons by offering them his daughter as a gift. Soon, the invading army began experiencing unexplainable atrocities – each morning they found dead soldiers with hearts and eyes eaten out by some creature with no traces of infiltration. Then rumors about the curse of Zul began to spread among the occupants. After five nights of these unexplainable killings, the conquering army rebelled and sacrificed their leaders to appease the Demons of Zul and retreated from Kraz.

The Old King could return back to his city that was Free again. Unfortunately, on arrival he learned that his sons were gruesomely sacrificed by the invaders. While being too old to conceive new heirs, the King had to venture back to the cursed monastery and plea the Demons to get his only daughter back from them. The Demons agreed, but only with one condition…

The Pact with Demons of Zul

The Old King could get his daughter back, but only if he agreed to bring her first child back to the cursed monastery a leave it to be raised by Demons. They also demanded that each subsequent generation of Krazian rulers should send their oldest daughter to the monastery as a token of friendship. The Old King could not refuse this offer, so the Pact with Demons of Zul was sealed.

Over two decades later, a large army came to the walls of Kraz once again. By this time the Old King was long gone and his daughter became the Matriarch of Kraz. Remembering her father’s Pact with the Demons, she sent her trusted servant to the summit of Zul. Soon after her servant returned, the army of invaders fled before even attempting to siege walls of the Free City.

Grateful for saving her City, the first Matriarch of Kraz have sent her oldest daughter to commune with Demons in the Cursed Monastery before leaving over reins over the Free City to her. This act solidified tradition that became a similar to rite of passage for all future matriarchs of Kraz. Ever since then no army did dare to come even close to the walls of the Free City under the mountain of Zul.

Government and Culture

Until its last days, the Free City of Kraz was ruled by a Matriarch also known by title as Al’Umu. No title for a male ruler was discovered, which hints on a fact that no Al’Umu was ever allowed to merry. Instead they were freely mating with men to produce heirs to the throne. It makes sense as without a royal marriage and known father to the children there is no risk for usurpation of the throne. Also, it seems that male offspring of the Matriarch was given away to ordinary citizens of Kraz before they could remember who their mother is.

While being the Free City of former slaves, Kraz had always tense relationship with Kingdoms of the north as they were heavily reliant on slave labor. Over time Kraz became a place of refuge for escaped Northern slaves and a source of emancipatory ideas that led to multiple uprising in the North. These facts created a tension between two states that threatened a new war. This time though, the Northern Kingdoms did not want to conquer the Free City of Kraz, but burn it to the ground.

As of now Kraz was is by an Old Al’Umu and her two daughters, the older heiress has the title of Qa’Am’Ira while the younger is called Sha’Am’Ira. They are assisted by a Ka’Hina and protected by a Wa’Sion. Current period is see by free people as the golden age of Kraz.

Sources

Federal Cartography Institute