The Greater Zephulonian State

## History

Back when Sessuria was opposed to necromancy, a band of necromancers led by Artemas Xeloch, the ruler of a powerful house in Sessuria, had began a lengthy migration eastward. Unbeknownst to them, this migration would last for several months due to the lack of suitable living conditions they came across. Eastern Borea held the Vorperian Empire, Dragonblight was a constant war between the dragons and Nerubians, and Grizzly Hills held a variety of dangerous furbolg tribes and worgen packs. Eventually though, the group came across a weakened Alliance city-state formerly known as Westguard. The city-state was merely guarded by a small militia, which the necromancers had no problem killing and then raising into a fleet of undead to assist in guarding their new home. Artemas had decided to name the city "Zephulon" and established the government as a feudal monarchy, the same as Sessuria.

### The Valgarde Agreement

Shortly after their arrival in the Howling Fjord, the Zephulonians realized that they shared the region with a massive empire, the Winterskorn. Knowing that Zephulon wouldn't stand a chance against the empire, Artemas proposed an alliance, though the High King of the empire, Annecad the Scornful, had declined due to the nation's obvious necromantic tendencies. Therefore Artemas desperately tried to make an agreement that allowed for his nation's survival, and so Annecad's advisor, Skulguvo the Astute, had devised "The Valgarde Agreement", named after the Village of Valgarde where the meeting was held. The agreement was tough, calling for 40% of Zephulon's resources to go to the Winterskorn empire, bumping up to 50% during times of war. Normally a nation would have a very difficult time surviving under these terms, but since Zephulon was a necromantic nation, much of their troops didn't require food, water, or shelter, and so both sides agreed. Thus in Draecos 27th, shortly after the nation's formation, the Valgarde Agreement was signed, and still holds up to this day.

### Reproductive Restrictions

Shortly after the Valgarde Agreement was signed, Artemas had additionally formed a law permitting only 1 child to be birthed due to the restrictions on resources. Even with this law though, resources were few and far between, and so Artemas had made an even stricter law which kept the same standard of only 1 child being allowed, but also anyone who wanted to have a child would have to pay 1,000 Zephulonian Sythils, soon resulting in a lack of laborers since all the poor families were dying out and unable to purchase a birth permit. To somewhat fix this issue, Artemas changed the law yet again where anyone who wanted to have a child would participate in a raffle, where a random set of winners would be picked, the number of winners constantly changing based on the economy.

### The 1,222 Book Burnings

After the death of Artemas' son, Gamaliel Xeloch, Gamaliel's son, Thaddeus, was then heir to the throne. Thaddeus however, unlike his father and grandfather, had despised necromancy, believing that Zephulon was viewed as an inferior nation due to the magic, and could survive without it since they could revise the Valgarde Agreement by earning the respect of the Winterskorn Empire. His family of course disliked Thaddeus' controversial opinions, though since he was the only heir among his 5 sisters, in Draecos 11th of 1,222 L.D, he inherited the throne upon Gamaliel's death. Due to his vehement distaste for necromancy, Thaddeus' first course of action was to ban all worship of

Mordellis within Zephulon, and additionally to order all necromantic books within Zephulon to be burned, this sparked public outrage, and even the soldiers hated him, however they waited for Thaddeus to have his heir before turning against him in an uprising on Draecos 4th, 1,220 L.D. Since Thaddeus' heir, Absalom Xeloch, was less than a year old by the time he was assassinated, this resulted in the Vorad-Denvoch, Parthenoch Azar to become the Proxy-King of Zephulon for 12 years. The results of these book burnings would never be recoverable though. Merely 100 years later, the number of necromancers in Zephulon had decreased by over 80%.

### Fascism in Zephulon

Contrary to Thaddeus' beliefs, the Winterskorn Empire still treated Zephulon as a resource machine rather than as an equal, and a few hundred years after the uprising against Thaddeus, King Zephen Xeloch had begun to unknowingly promote a Fascist ideology within the kingdom. This was occurring a few decades before the Gilnean Empire had adopted Fascism as its primary ideology, and so it was never before heard of. During the Winterskorn Empire's expansion throughout Kerahgor, their troops were more focused on other regions aside from Howling Fjord, and so Zephen could more easily get away with any fascist rhetoric he fed to the public. He became to be known throughout the kingdom as an influential public speaker, his speeches on the Winterskorn Empire's mistreatment of Zephulon sparking well with the public. When asked about his ideology, Zephulon called it *"Venralox"* which translates to

fascism. With that being said, upon Zephen's ascension to the throne, he declared Zephulon a *"Venralech Laniphalet"* which translates to a "fascist monarchy." Upon the creation of this new government, Zephulon also declared that with his new government, all laws created under his administration and by future kings must be in the best interest of Zephulon, not other nations. With that being said, Zephen pulled out of the Valgarde Agreement and also removed the reproductive laws established by Artemas, earning wide support from his people. The few who do appose Zephen however fear that once the Winterskorn Empire's war is over, they will annex Zephulon or maybe worse.

### Zephen's Opinion of Necromancy

Zephen believes that Thaddeus was the worst king to rule Zephulon due to his hatred of necromancy, and that necromancy should be embraced since it is a unifying tradition that built the nation itself. In Draecos 7th, 1,007 L.D, Zephen formed the Grimoire Edict, which sends a battalion of troops beyond the walls of Zephulon every month in search of necromantic grimoires in hopes of returning necromancy to the kingdom.