Ializa

Ializa (YAH-li-ZAH) is the name of a mountainous region in the southeastern portion of the continent and also a kingdom that has occupied most of the region from the 4th century NE on. The region was sparsely settled by hunter-gatherer tribes until the 2nd century NE when migrants from eastern Ousilia, forced into the hills by warfare in their home region, began to migrate in increasing numbers into the region. The migrants soon became the majority of the population and by the end of the century nearly the whole region spoke Ousilic dialects aside from a few enclaves of indigenous peoples, most notably the Shreeto speaking Tha Githae enclave that persisted near Mt. Zoufei until the 9th century NE and the Saivee enclave along the Pinakloosi coastal region that still possesses a Saivee speaking minority. Ialini speaking peoples united into the Kingdom of Ializa in the late 4th century. The kingdom has intermittently been divided into several pieces and parts of the region have been occupied by Imaria at times but the region has remained unified under Ialini language and cultural identity.

## Etymology

Ializa derives from the Ousilic Rigini word *iali* (Mountain) and *zu* (land).

## Geography

Ializa occupies a high mountain range on an isthmus between the southern Carasala region and the eastern plains regions. A central ridge runs through the center of the territory, reaching its highest point at the summit of Mt. Zoufei. Mt. Zoufei stands at 6029 m above sea level, making it the second highest mountain on Opelyx. Six other summits along the ridge line stand above 5000 m, and a further 12 peaks, both on and away from the central ridge, exceed 4000 m.

The terrain remains generally steep from the ridge to the sea, although there are broad plateaus closer to the sea which are broken up by deep ravines. The eastern coastline to the Pinakloosi Sea, which is closer to the ridgeline, drops sharply into the ocean with no coastal plain. The western shore with the Faslula Sea, by contrast, has a narrow coastal plain which is several kilometers wide near the southwestern edge of the region but narrows to only tens of meters wide near the northern boundary. The mouth of the Meroureida river forms the traditional border between Ializu and and the Nadaria region of Carasala.

The eastern and summit regions of the mountains receive the most precipitation, mostly in the summer and winter months, but the western region is well watered by spring and glacial fed rivers flowing from the high mountain range. Because of this, most of the settlements and agriculture in the region are situated in or near river valleys. The western plateaus above the coastal plain, though much flatter than the rest of the region, receive little precipitation and are ill suited for any use other than pasture.

The region's climate is generally mild and cool, with mild seasonal variations.

The region can be subdivided into several geographically distinct regions. The narrow band of coastal land along the Faslula Sea is known as Piamiaebureza, after the tribe that initially settled there. The two major river valleys, Leivilei in the north and Meroureida in the south, form distinct regions as well. The mountainous region along the main ridge have traditionally been divided into the Cheiza region in the north, which includes the Meroureida and Leivilei headwaters and is named for the Chai people who once ruled the area, and the Loomia region in the south which includes the eastern Daua foothills that divide Ializa from Lasucsala. The east coast region, which is cold, rugged, and sparsely populated, is known as the Saiveela or (Zaviza in Ialini) region after the Saivee people who still form the major ethnic group in the region.

## History

The Ializa region was poorly suited to early forms of animal husbandry and grain agriculture and remained sparsely populated by hunter-gatherers into the early historical period. Few permanent settlements existed, although there were some permanent cave dwellings in the mountain regions where tribes preserved and stockpiled foods for the winter. The most notable of these, Theh Cehithah (later known as Tha Githae), was founded in 801 BNE and is among the most ancient permanent settlements known.

Beginning in the 2nd century NE, the expansion of the Tevlaistu Kingdom in Ousilia pushed war refugees and other migrants into the Daua Hills east of Ousilia and eventually into the Ializa region. The migrants were predominantly Ousilic in origin, though some came from the Dauic and Nadaric regions as well, and generally spoke Ousilic and followed Ousilic customs. The migrants either interbred with or displaced the native tribes into the mountains, and by the end of the 3rd century NE Ousilic was the dominant language in the region. Migration had largely stopped by this point and the local language began to differentiate into a unique Ialini dialect. Outsiders often refer to both the language and its speakers as "Ialini", though in Ialini itself, the name "Ialini" (lit. mountain language) refers only to the language and is not a valid descriptor of people. The migrants referred to themselves as the Pebri (lit. "wanderers" or "nomads") and the proper demonym for Ialini speaking peoples remains Peburi, although this term has lost its original meaning and is not used to refer to nomads or in any other context aside from describing the ethnic majority of Ializa.

Pebri people founded permanent settlements which ruled over small kingdoms. The most prominent were Brioovushlia (founded 231 NE; modern Buroovasha) in the Meroureida River valley and Laushruziae (founded in 245 NE; modern Loushiraziae) in the Leivilei Gorge. These two cities came to rule over their respective river systems and formed into powerful rival kingdoms during the 3rd Century NE. The Kingdom of Laushruziae founded the region's main port city, Biroreidu (modern Biroreida) in 311 NE, which became the center of a separate independent kingdom in 345 NE when the kingdom was divided in King Ccoutiretoo II of Loushiraziae's will.

Biroreidu was reclaimed by the Loushiraziae Kingdom by force in 382 NE and other smaller kingdoms were captured or merged by the two largest states during this period as well. Loushiraziae and Brioovushlia fought to a stalemate for decades before the two kingdoms were united through the marriage between King Viaebu III of Laushiraziae's daughter and sole heir, Reibidi, and King Buretoo II of Brioovushlia, upon Viaebu's death in battle 394 NE. Buretoo II was the first king to claim the title *Nitai Ializu* ("King of the Mountain Lands"), though he also retained the title *Nitai Brioovushlia* and continued to describe himself as Buretoo the Second.

Unlike their Rigini speaking relatives in Carasala, of who remained largely decentralized and relied on open mobile cavalry warfare, the Ializu kingdom became a strongly centralized monarchy that relied on heavy fortification of its difficult terrain for its defense. Beginning with Biroreidu, Pebri cities became influenced by Haraklina architectural and defensive designs and most prominent Pebri cities were walled and most important passes and travel routes were fortified by the mid 5th century. Efforts at fortification accelerated after news reached the kingdom of an attempted Noulaenic invasion of the nearby Nadaria region in 450 NE.

Noulian's eventual success in invading Nadaria led to a refugee crisis as a flood of war refugees from Ousila, Lasucsala, the Daua Hills, and Nadaria flooded into Ializu following a route along the Faslula coast. Initially the kingdom feared conflict with the refugees, but the refugee leaders were not interested in conflict and wished to pass through the kingdom to the plains to the north. Many of the refugees spoke the Ousilic dialect, which was still intelligible with Ialini, and the Peburi people generally viewed the refugees as kinsmen and advocated for good treatment. Some refugees settled in the kingdom but most were allowed to pass through Biroreidu, which blocked the coastal travel route, and continue along. These refugees eventually became the modern Imariani people.

Noulaenic invasion was viewed as inevitable and considerable effort was placed to secure the kingdom's west coast and southern frontier. Noulian's war efforts remained focused on the Haraklina cities of Dersialdara, however, until the end of the 5th century. This gave Ializa ample time to prepare defenses and additionally gave them the opportunity to hire Haraklina naval mercenaries as the Haraklina cities were taken by Noulian over land.

The Noulaenic invasion finally came in 517 NE. The invasion consisted of three parts; an amphibious assault on Biroreidu, an overland assault on Biroreidu, and an overland assault of the Meroureida Valley aimed at the capital in Brioovushlia. The amphibious assault was easily repulsed as the mercenary navy destroyed the Noulaenic fleet before it could land and the assault on the Meroureida Valley was slowed and eventually stopped by the strong defensive fortifications along the route. The Noulaenic force in the valley was defeated at the Battle of Nelouzizoo in 519 NE and forced to take refuge in the nearby mountains, where the force was surrounded and captured. The coastal force reached the walls of Biroreidu but was unable to breach them. Once they learned that the rest of the invasion force had been destroyed or captured, they withdrew to Nadaria.

Noulian and Ializa did not agree to peace terms and officially the First Noulaenic Empire remained at war with the Kingdom of Ializa for the remainder of its history. Noulian attempted another invasion, this time targeting Biroreidu exclusively, in 555 NE. The Peburi navy won a significant naval victory over half of the divided Noulaenic invasion fleet, preventing Noulian from landing troops south of the city. Noulaenic troops landed to the north but were unable to quickly breach the walls of the city, prompting the empire to withdraw the force out of fear it could be easily surrounded outside the walls.

Noulian made its most successful invasion attempt in 591 NE, securing the southern half of Piamiaebureza and most of the Meroureida Valley. Most notably, they captured Brioovushlia in 593 NE, the only time the city has ever been taken by force. They once more failed to breach the defenses of Biroreida, however, and their assault on the Meroureida Valley became bogged down by logistical problems and guerilla assaults. The invasion had ground to a standstill by 594 NE and was becoming an increasing financial hardship for the empire. An unrelated rebellion against Noulian in 595, based in Mabourathu in nearby Nadaria, worsened the supply and manpower problems facing Noulian and the empire was forced to withdraw from Ializa entirely in 596.

The walls of Brioovushlia were improved after Noulian abandoned the city and improved fortifications were built near Neilouzizou and Keinei Canyon in the early seventh centuries. Shiliaemeina, a substantial fortress town that mimicked many features of Noulaenic fortresses, was constructed at the mouth of the Meroureida from 601-605 NE as well.

The Kingdom also became concerned by the rising strength and militarism of the Empire of Imaria to the north. Ializa and Imaria initially had friendly relations due in part to their ethnic, linguistic, and cultural kinship and in part to the historic role Ializa played in assisting the descendants of the Imariani in escaping the Noulaenic empire, but these relations cooled considerably over time as the Imariani government became increasingly hawkish and focused on expansion. Influential pro-war, pro-expansion zealots in Imaria held that the Empire's right and destiny was to reclaim their traditional Carasalic lands and advocated for the annexation of Ializa as a critical step in this effort. These hawks claimed, wildly inaccurately, that the Peburi people would welcome Imariani rule and initially advocated for a diplomatic annexation of Ializa rather than an invasion. This line of talk rightly worried Ializa, however, and efforts to improve the defenses along the Zuruve ridge and in northern Piamiaebureza were carried out during the seventh century as well. These fortifications had to effect of deterring Imariani invasion attempts but also further cooled relations between the two states.

Civil war divided the kingdom briefly from 612-621 after the death of King Loomiadiae II. The King had named his third son, by his second wife, Ccoutirezito, as his heir but his first son, also named Loomiadiae, claimed the throne as well after the king's death. The younger Loomiadiae was Prince of Laushruziae and was supported by the five chieftans of the Leivilei valley and the Chief of the Piamiaebure in Biroreida as well. The seven chieftains of the Meroureida valley, as well as the mountain chieftains, supported the claim of Ccoutirezito. The two sides fought several limited engagements but neither was able to gain a decisive edge.

Noulian attempted to take advantage of the situation by invading the coastal region of Piamiaebureza again in 620 NE, laying siege to both Shiliaemeina and Biroreidu. They failed to breach either city and dug in for a long siege. Ccoutirezito died without a male heir in 621, however, and a generally-accepted forged will claimed he left the kingdom to his brother Loomiadiae III, who then gained full control of the kingdom. Freed from concern about civil war, Loomiadiae marched to the coastal region in force and broke the Noulaenic siege of Shiliameina in late 621 and of Biroreidu in 622.

The first Noulaenic Empire attempted its third and final major invasion of the interior of Ializa in 698 NE, sending a large force overland and a large fleet to blockade the kingdom's ports. They successfully stormed Shiliameina and reached the walls of Biroreida along the coast, reached the fortifications of Keinei Canyon along the Meroureida, and pressed into the Loomia region from Lasucsala, seizing several important hill forts. Their advances were slow, however, and costly. A significant number of troops had been pulled from other regions to support this invasion and rebels in Casalanoua took advantage of the lightened garrison by mobilizing a rebellion, which in turn led to succession crisis to the throne of Noulian. This resulted in fighting in Malaena as well and the Duke of Carasala, who had been left in de facto command of the invasion due to the lack of a universally recognized emperor, recalled the invasion force in 701 NE so that it could be sent to Malaena to support his preferred claimant to the throne, Faerthios III, who was eventually victorious.

Peace was short lived, however, as Imaria attacked the northern border in 711 NE. The Imariani forces were repelled along Zuruve ridge and at Roorimeina, a coastal fortress city near the end of the ridge, and the brief war ended with an armistice in 712 NE.

A short civil war in 734 NE pitted King Miaizou V in Brioovushlia against a number of his chieftains, who sought greater autonomy and legal recognition of their rights in their chiefdoms. Four Meroureidani chiefs sided with the Miaiso, as did the Chai elders in the then-autonomous Chai region, but the royalist forces were outnumbered and mostly surrounded. The chiefs won several minor engagements and the king agreed in 735 to meet to discuss terms. The resulting treaty, known as the Zitiadeire, was the first legal document to limit the formerly absolute authority of the *Nitai Ializu*. The treaty granted the chiefs unique authority to levy direct taxes in their chiefdoms, revoked the king's power to recall or replace chiefs, and granted chiefs power to overrule royal decrees by a two-thirds majority vote, and forced the king to gain approval from a majority of chiefs to conscript forces from chiefdom militias, among other concessions. This treaty lacked clear enforcement mechanisms was unevenly upheld but remained in legal effect until 1282, when King Loomiadiae VII officially voided it.

The collapse of the Noulaenic Empire later in the 8th century was initially welcomed with excitement by the Peburi people, who felt relieved that the great threat to their west had been eliminated. This proved a double-edged sword, however, because the collapse of Noulaenic authority in Carasala increased Imariani ambitions in the region. Imaria continued to pester and probe the Ializa border with raids and attempted a major assault in 808 NE, which was repulsed.

Ializa continued to fortify its northern border and provide funding and materials to the buffer kingdom of Tha Githae, which then defended much of the Zuruve Ridge on Ializa's behalf. This was successful for most of a century and Ializa was generally peaceful. During this period, Ializa carried out its first modest effort at territorial expansion in centuries, occupying several ridges in the eastern Daua hills that had formerly been part of the Noulaenic County of Lasucsala in the 840s and 850s.

Imaria broke through the defensive barricade along the Zuruve Ridge in 887, however, overrunning Chai defenses, occupying their territory, and massacring the Chai capital of Tha Githae. Peburi defenses held at Roorimeina, however, and Ialini forces succeeded at turning the invaders back before they reached the major cities in the valleys. The formerly independent Chai Kingdom was occupied and annexed by Ializa in 898 NE and converted into the Cheiza Chiefdom with a seat in the small but strategically well-located Chai city of Zookeiboo.

The semi-autonomous Zaviza region, primarily populated by the indigenous Saivee people, was attacked and occupied by Pinakloosi raiders in 910 NE. The Saivee were greatly offended by the slow Peburi response to this attack and the Saivee chief signed a separate treaty with the raiders recognizing their sovereignty over the region. This situation persisted until the death of King Buremi II in 915 NE, after which his son and successor, Buremi III, moved to reclaim the region. The raiders and their Saivee allies were badly outnumbered and sued for peace after losing the initial engagements. Buremi granted the raiders several settlements along the coast on the condition that they protect the coast from further raids but he imprisoned the leaders of both the raiders and the Saivee people, installing a new, Ialini speaking chieftain whose claim to Saivee ancestry (legally required to be chief of the Zaviza tribal region) was spurious. The seat of the Saivee chiefdom, Eirevira subsequently became Ialini speaking and had close ties to Buroovasha. The remainder of the region retains pockets of Saivee speakers and enclaves of ethnic Pinakloosi people persist in several isolated coastal settlements.

The period from 900 NE to 1300 NE is considered a golden age for the Kingdom of Ializa, as both of its traditional enemies were in turmoil during this period and Ializa was prosperous and peaceful. Ialini culture enjoyed a golden period as well, with many of the most famous works of Ialini theater, poetry, and opera composed during this time, including the renowned *Shilouzoo Miaizou* ("The Voyage of Miaizou"), the *Tevilei Nitei Koozita* ("The Tragedy of the Three Kings") and *Zoufei Noomia* ("The Road to Zoufei"). Ialini historians also compiled world histories from ancient texts collected from around the world. Though not always recognized as authoritative over modern sources derived from Noulaenic texts, these histories are the most reliable source for information on the history of the southern hemisphere up to the end of the first millenium.

The subsequent decline of the kingdom is generally attributed to excessive military adventurism in the 13th and 14th centuries that emptied the kingdom's treasury and eventually weakened its ability to defend itself. Ializa warred with Imaria, several Nadaric states, and the Ousilic state of Caliabisia during this period. The kingdom was able to gain some territory, most notably the majority of Lasucsala, which was ceded to Ializa by treaty with Caliabisia in 1240 NE. Such gains did little to offset the cost of these wars, however, and their military efforts in the west had the unintended consequence of driving kingdoms in Carasala to submit to the lordship of the rising Second Noulaenic Empire, beginning with Bialcaria which acceded to imperial lordship in 1201 NE.

An assault on Imaria in 1339 backfired badly and a devastating Imariani counterattack drove deep into Ializa territory. Ializa's mountain defenses were overrun in the initial assault and the fortress of Roorimeina was destroyed by siegecraft shortly afterwards. Imaria's advance was slowed by Ializa's internal defenses but not entirely repulsed. Imaria's siege craft continued to be effective at breaking Peburi walls and a number of important Peburi fortresses and cities were taken. By 1351, Imaria had occupied the entire Leivilei Valley, the Cheiza region except for Zookeiboo, and half of of Piamiaebureza. Biroreida was surrounded but under siege.

That year, Ializa reluctantly negotiated a treaty with the Noulaenic empire under which Ializa ceded control of the Lasucsala region following the original border of the ancient Noulaenic county. In return, the empire provided Ializa with a substantial sum of gold, a legion of footsoldiers, and naval support. With this Noulaenic support, Ializa succeeded in breaking the siege of Biroreida, securing the ridge between the Meroureida and Leivilei Valleys, and defeating Imariani forces at the battle of Zookeiboo. Noulian also won a separate victory over the Imariani navy off the coast of Imaria, further weakening the imariani war effort. An armistice signed between the Ializa and and Imaria in 1353 ended hostilities but formally recognized Imariani gains in Ializa, effectively ceding the 5 Leivilei chiefdoms, the Cheiza chiefdom, and half of the Piamiaebureza chiefdom to Imaria.

Imaria lacked the resources for a long military occupation of the captured territory and worked to install its people into traditional feudal positions and secure fealty from other officials through marriage, direct payment, and other means. The seven occupied chiefdoms essentially became a feudal state ruled by the Prince of Loushiraziae, an office which was occupied by a string of Imariani nobles loyal to the Imariani emperor during this period. The region retained its Ialini language and culture, however.

Ializa's remaining territories returned to their historical bunker mentality and resumed the construction of heavy fortification, considerably improving the fortifications along its new frontiers. To finance these activities, they considerably increased their mining efforts in the Loomia region, becoming a major exporter of iron and steel.

The Imariani Empire entered a period of decline in the 16th century and the Imariani Prince of Loushiraziae, Tsautrebrio, declared himself an independent king in 1550. He subsequently adopted Peburi dress and Ialini language, going so far as to change his name to the Ialini equivalent of Ccoutireburoo. He also completed to transition to a fully traditional Ialini style monarchy, although this required few practical changes beyond manufacturing claims of tribal ancestry for his chiefs. Imaria refused to recognize his independence but the empire, divided in civil war at that time, had little means to prevent the secession.

The government in Buroovasha recognized the independence of the Kingdom of Loushiraziae, however, and agreed to extend its armistice with the new kingdom. The two states co-existed mostly peacefully for over two centuries. The two had several conflicts over the Chiefdom of Piamiaebureza, as both kingdoms had a chiefdom with that name and both claimed to have the rightful chief for the Piamiaebure tribe, but none of these conflicts led to substantial fighting.

Both kingdoms suffered from dysfunction and internal conflict during the 17th century as political violence, assassinations, and inter-chiefdom conflicts became commonplace and royal authority sank to its lowest point in Ializa history. Poison became a popular weapon among the aristocracy and tales of poisoned whiskey became so widespread that the embattled Chief of the Nomiavo outlawed the beverage in Nomiavoza in 1663, an act which ironically likely precipitated his assassination by poisoning shortly afterward. This led to a common Ialini idiom, *fa shiriaetiroo biroore reida* (lit. "no whiskey? poison water"), used by whiskey lovers when they have been told they can't get a drink.

Decades of continuing poor governance in the 18th century left Loushiraziae weakened and nearly bankrupt. The kingdom had to take out considerable loans from creditors in Buroovasha and Carasilaen to defend itself against an assault by Imaria in the 1760s and it was little able to pay the loans back afterwards. The Duke of Carasala financed a private mercenary fleet that sacked and looted Roorimeina and surrounding towns to attempt reclaim Carasilaenic losses after Loushiraziae defaulted on its debt in 1772. Loushiraziae similarly defaulted on its debts to Buroovasha in 1773 and King Loomiadiae XII demanded that Loushiraziae cede control of Cheiza and the remainder of Piamiaebureza as payments for its debts. Loushiraziae refused and Loomiadiae invaded the disputed territories in 1774.

Loushiraziae abandoned Piamiaebureza in the face of the approaching troops but attempted to defend Cheiza and was defeated at the Battle of Kiriziae in 1774. They then withdrew to the Leivilei Valley and sued for peace, agreeing to Loomiadiae's former terms. Loomiadiae rejected this, however, saying that Loushiraziae could not offer its lost territories as payment as it no long possessed them and demanding two Leivilei Chiefdoms instead. The two sides negotiated for several years but the negotiations broke down and Ializa's forces moved to seize the two disputed chiefdoms by force in 1776. Leivilei counterattacked but suffered a costly defeat at the Battle of Cciaedia in 1777. Bankrupt and largely defenseless, Loushiraziae surrendered unconditionally and was annexed to Ializa. The King of Loushiraziae was banished and the historical office of Prince of Loushiraziae was not re-established. Loushiraziae was instead annexed to the neighboring Chiefdom of Bireitiriaeza which was subsequently given a new chieftain with no Imariani ancestry who was loyal to the throne in Buroovasha.

The Duke of Carasala continued to press his debt repayment claims, insisting that Ializa had assumed Loushiraziae's debts when it annexed the territory. Several successive Ializa kings disagreed and the Duke send a fleet to blockade Biroreida in 1792. Ializa eventually agreed to a payment plan for a reduced sum and leveed steep taxes on the Leivilei valley to pay the debt.

A Saivee separatist movement in Zaviza became popular in the 19th century and Saivee saboteurs began to damage royal property and rob royal caravans when their demands for greater autonomy were not met. Law enforcement in the remote and rugged region was challenging and the kingdom failed to either stop the attacks or capture the perpetrators. The Chief in Eirevira, Tiroukoo, recommended drastic countermeasures but King Viaebu IV, after some consideration, determined that such efforts were likely to do as much harm as good and that maintaining control of the restive region would likely be more expensive than the region was worth. He recalled Tiroukoo to Buroovasha and installed an ethnic Saivee chief in 1849. He agreed in principle to meet many of the separatists demands for greater autonomy, and while he never took any formal steps to do so, the separatists were generally satisfied and the sabotage subsided. Despite the lack of official action, the region did enjoy steadily increasing autonomy over the following centuries due primarily to royal neglect of the region.

Other chieftains were incensed by the recall of Tiroukoo and the failure to allow him to keep order in the territory. While there was little realistic chance of similar separatist movements elsewhere in the kingdom, the chiefs were concerned about the principle established by allowing outlaws to effectively oust their chieftain. The chieftains withdrew their forces to their chiefdom seats and demanded the reinstatement of the ancient royal Zitiadeire treaty that limited the King's powers, insisting that its suspension centuries earlier had been illegitimate and that it should still be in effect. This led to a brief period of civil war between royalist forces and chieftain loyalist forces from 1850-1852. A number of small skirmishes were fought throughout the kingdom but no major engagements. The conflict resulted in several Meroureida chieftains being imprisoned but eventually the King agreed to terms with the remaining rebels. He did not agree to reinstate the original Zitaideire but did agree to a scaled back version that limited his powers of recall, among other concessions. He nonetheless had several of the captive rebel chiefs tried and executed for treason several years later. Much like the original Zitaideira, the new one lacked a strong enforcement mechanism and does little to reign in the behavior of most kings, but it is legally in effect to this day.

A major earthquake centered under the Zitobiriae Ridge between the Meroureida and Leivilei valleys destroyed several towns and a number of defensive structures in the area in 1925. Several towns were effectively destroyed, including Zizootoona and nearly every other town in the Meipolieza chiefdom. The earthquake also damaged structures as far away as Buroovasha and Loushiraziae. In total over 100,000 were killed in the earthquake and 150,000 rendered homeless. The kingdom faced considerably hardship rebuilding and levied heavy taxes on its people to avoid financing construction with debt.

The combination of high homelessness and increased taxation, much of which was placed on the poor, contributed to a significant peasant rebellion in 1942 NE. Several rebel factions took control of territory thoughout the kingdom, with many small hands either being captured by or voluntarily joining rebel groups. The rebels seized several important mid-sized towns, including Nelouzizoo and Biazooziae, but they failed to breach the walls of the major cities or fortresses. The peasant forces were disunited and the rebellion was quashed by 1945.

Ializa remained weakened and became an increasingly isolated and poor feudal state. The decline of the second Noulaenic empire reduced demand for Ializa mineral exports, further weakening the economy. The state still spent heavily on defensive fortification but the focus gradually shifted from frontier defense to internal defense against internal rebellion and warfare.

In 2275, Ializa collapsed into civil war when the king and his family were killed in a rockslide at their summer retreat north of Buroovasha. Because the king died legally intestate, Ializa law had no mechanism to declare a successor and many rival claimants claimed and fought for the throne. In the following chaos, known as the Ializa Schism, Ializa was divided into two major kingdoms centered on Loushiraziae and Buroovasha, Biroreida was essentially destroyed, and the Zaviza chiefdom broke away as the Kingdom of Saiveela.

The two major kingdoms, both of which called themselves Ializa and refused to recognize the other, remained at war and were weakened financially and militarily. Most outside powers recognized the Buroovasha government as Ializa but Imaria backed Loushiraziae and provided them with military support, hoping to keep the kingdom divided and weakened. The Loushiraziae based kingdom rebuilt Biroreida in 2302 but it was not nearly as well fortified as it had been previously. The expense of rebuilding Biroreida diverted funds from other regions and Cheiza, which initially backed the Loushiraziae based kingdom, grew angry with the lack of support for their border defences and switched alliances to Buroovasha in 2304.

Zookeiboo was destroyed by an earthquake and rockslide in 2364 and the only major route directly from the Meroureida valley to Cheiza was destroyed along with it. The earthquake destroyed every structure in the city and the stone the road was constructed upon broke away from the hillside and fell into the valley bellow, leaving the route irreparably damaged. With Cheiza cut off from the remainder of the Buroovasha based kingdom, the region was vulnerable and was invaded by Imaria shortly afterwards, in the summer of 2365. Imariani forces quickly secured the mountainous region and used it as a springboard for further assaults into the Leivilei valley below.

The Loushiraziae kingdom had become reliant on Imariani support for its defense and the sudden reversal of this alliance left them on poor footing. The Leivilei valley was overrun by Imariani forces and Loushiraziae itself surrendered in 2366. Biroreida was assaulted the following year and stormed by force in 2368. Imaria continued to press along the coast and assaulted Shiliaemeina, then controlled by Buroovasha, in 2369. By the end of 2370, the defenders determined that their efforts were hopeless and razed the city themselves before retreating up the Meroureida.

Ializa consolidated its forces in the lower Meroureida and decisively defeated the invading Imariani force at the Battle of Keinei Canyon in 2371. Imaria withdrew to Biroreida and agreed to an armistice that recognized its control over the former lands of the Loushiraziae kingdom that it had seized. Unlike during its previous occupation, Imaria chose to break up the existing Peburi feudal structure and directly administer the region as an Imperial Province, which it named the Province of Alizu. They placed the seat of the province in Biroreida and have taken steps to disimprove the defenses of cities in the interior of the province, including Loushiraziae, to discourage rebellion.

Ializa remains divided between the Imariani Alizu province and the Kingdom of Ializa. Both regions are still majority Peburi and primarily natively speak Ialini, though many in Alizu speak Imariani fluently as it is the official language of the province and is used for all governmental purposes. The kingdom rules over the Meroureida Valley and the Loomia region but remains poor and isolated.

## Government

The government of the Kingdom of Ializa is a centralized monarchy ruled by by a king in Buroovasha. The government structure is styled on the ancient Ousilic Kingdom of Tevlaistu, in which a king (called a *nitai* in Ousilic Rigini and *nitei* in Ialini; adopted from the Haraklina title *nita*) ruled over chieftains (*daire/deire*) who ruled over traditional Rigini-culture hereditary tribes (*bishou/bisho*). The Ializa system is significantly different in practice due to the fact that Ousilic tribes did not occupy fixed territories, whereas the Ialini equivalent of chiefs (*deire*) rule over chiefdoms (*bishoza*) with established boundaries and rule over all residents of the chiefdom regardless of their ancestry. Regardless, chiefs must still formally be members by blood of the historical tribe associated with the chiefdom.

At its maximum extent, the kingdom possessed 17 chiefdoms including 15 ethnically Peburi chiefdoms based on migrant tribes and 2 indigenous Ializa chiefdoms based on natives of the region. Much like ancient Tevlaistu, the royal capital of Buroovasha is administered directly by the king and is not part of a chiefdom. Loushiraziae held a similar status but was ruled directly by a prince until the city was taken by Imariani forces in 1340. It was not restored to its special status after it was reclaimed by the kingdom in 1777. At the kingdom's greatest extent there were 7 chiefdoms in the Meroureida Valley, 5 chiefdoms in the Leivilei Valley, 2 chiefdoms in the Loomia region, one chiefdom along each coastal region and one in the northern mountains.

The 17 chiefdoms and their seats are as follows. Chiefdoms marked with an asterix are historical chiefdoms not currently held by Ializa.

* Meroureida Valley chiefdoms:
	+ Meipolieza (Zizootoona until 1925, Roori'iaboo after)
	+ Nalieza (Keiviraziae)
	+ Zoutodiaeza (Nelouzizoo)
	+ Eduriza (Roodoziae)
	+ Nomiavoza (Nomiavoziae)
	+ Bireiburiaza (Ziaoviro)
	+ Shooreikiriaza (Shookeishiliae)
* Leivilei Valley chiefdoms\* (all currently held by Imaria):
	+ Bireitiriaeza\* (Kepoziae until 1777, Loushiraziae after)
	+ Oubiriza\* (Bureviro)
	+ Viaeccoutireza\* (Shiliariakiloo)
	+ Ccooziteza\* (Oubiriroodo)
	+ Shiroumepaza\* (Cciatiaziae)
* Loomia Hills chiefdoms:
	+ Zirenooshiza (Louleziae)
	+ Biroocciza (Pouloutepiae)
* Cheiza\* (Zookeiboo) Historical territory of Chai Kingdom, currently held by Imaria
* Piamiaebureza\* (Biroreida) Currently held by Imaria
* Zaviza\* (Eirevira) Ethnically Saivee. Currently the independent Kingdom of Saiveela