Dalanaan

Dalanaan is a sovereign nation in Izir, with strong ties to the Izir Confederacy. It is located between the Confederacy and Neo-Izero, and is the centre of magical knowledge in Izir.

Dalanaan is ruled by a magical order known as the Great Sisterhood, who train the Daughters of the Desert and hoard magical knowledge. They are also renowned for their training of mercenaries, and have some of the most disciplined troops in Izir. The nation is also known for its three great cities, Sar Kisobi, Sar Magoza, and Sar Kurayma, each of which specialise in a different variant of elemental magic (Fire, Water, and Earth respectively).

Though occupying a relatively small amount of territory, the traditions of Dalanaan hold great weight over the entire region of Izir. They are the reason that it is considered taboo for men to learn elemental magic in Izir.

### Government

The rulers of Dalanaan are its "Great Mothers". To become a Great Mother, one must be female, must be among the top percentage of graduates at one of the nation's three Academies, and must have borne a child.

The Great Sisterhood of Dalanaan, its ruling body, is a functionally oligarchic parliament of Great Mothers, who are lead by an elected "Grandmother", who represents the nation politically.

### Culture

Dalanaan is entirely ruled by women, to the extent that the nation has a culture of misandry. Men are considered brutish, and only useful for dumb labour, fighting on the front lines, or, reluctantly, for reproduction. By extension, stereo-typically feminine traits such as elegance, beauty, temperance, and compassion are idolised by Dalanaan's culture, while stereo-typically masculine traits such as strength, aggression, and recklessness are considered 'uncivilised'.

The magical arts are also idolised in Dalanaan's culture, and perceived as the highest ideal one can strive for.

### Religion

Like most of Izir, Dalanaan revere the Light. However, they do not follow the Confederacy's Order of Alshah, instead worshiping an older deity; Atin, the sun god.

Dalanaan's version of this religion differs from others, in that they depict Atin as being female. They will often refer to Atin as "The Allmother".

### Magic

Dalanaan has one of the highest percentages of magic users in the world. Though it lacks a breadth of magic (e.g. there is very little use of Divine, Arcane, or Forbidden practices), the nation is uncontested in the ways of Elemental magic. This is evidenced strongly by the Great Glass Rose of Kisobi, a structure achieved through many mages working together, and a mix of all four primary elements being used.

Dalanaan almost exclusively trains females in magical arts.

Critics will say that Dalanaan's heavily restricted control over magical practices are the reason that Izir has lost a lot of the magical knowledge which it had during the time of the Old Empire of Izero, resulting in the region's magical expertise being underdeveloped compared to the rest of the continent. Many of these critical voices come from the Vizier College at Qabbalah, where they are trying to understand the secrets of magic, but are consistently stifled by Dalanaan's Sisterhood.

### History

During the time of the Old Izero Empire, Dalanaan was an administrative region close to the capital, known primarily for its abundance of minerals. As Izero diminished, Dalanaan only prospered, and soon became wealthier than the capital. Many of the Mages of Izero left during this time, mostly migrating to Dalanaan, for its greater resources. A group of these mages, all female, decided they wished to preserve the legacy of Witzk, the legendary Sorcerer-Queen, one of the original founders of Izero. And so they founded the Sisterhood of Dalanaan in Sar Kisobi.

When the Cartels rose up in rebellion against the Empire, Dalanaan was one of the primary factions to support the rebellion, funding the armies of the Cartels, providing magical assistance, and providing open borders to the rebels, to allow them to pass up the Crownwater to reach Izero itself. Once Izero had fallen, Dalanaan established itself as a new Kingdom, with an offshoot cousin of the former emperor being crowned King.

#### The Night of Flames

Over the next few centuries, the Sisterhood grew in power, and began a power struggle with the Royals, both factions believing themselves to be the true rulers of Dalanaan. This came to a head during the reign of King Inaran Am-Sar.

King Inaran was said to have been willing to do anything to destroy the Sisterhood, to the extent where he invited Dark cultists into his court, hoping to reach an audience with a Demonlord. Eventually, he was able to make a deal with the demon Lamaztu, who asked him to lay with her, and promised that she would produce a mighty Dark Prince who would be strong enough to face the Sisterhood.

The Prince was born as promised, a wretched malformed thing, with skin black as pitch, and a mass of horns upon its head. King Inaran tried to hide his dark son's malformities, by enshrouding him in robes and jewellery, but it was more difficult to hide how quickly the child grew. The Sisterhood grew understandably suspicious, and sent a group of their mages to infiltrate the palace. What exactly happened next is unknown, but it resulted in the palace burning down, the death of King Inaran, the Dark Prince fleeing the city, and the dark cultists of the King's court being revealed for what they were. This event was known as the Night of Flames, and it completely diminished the power of the royal family.

In the ensuing power vacuum, the Sisterhood immediately took control, establishing their rule as law across Dalanaan, and slowly converting the kingdom to adopt their culture of feminine superiority.