Shory Empire (jan 1, 2556 BC – jan 1, 507 BC)
Description:
The Shory people first appeared in central Garund with the merging of nomadic clans from the continent's southern region, all of whom had migrated north into the Kaliasso Jungle, the Mzali plains, and the lower Mwangi Expanse. Originally Garundi in ethnicity, the Shory also intermarried over many centuries with local Mwangi tribes, leading to confusion for scholars attempting to retrace their precise origin. The Shory didn't come to power as a nation until -2556 AR, following a tribal council called by one of the Ten Magic Warriors trained by Old-Mage Jatembe. This masked figure, known only as Black Heron, shared J atembe's magical traditions with the Shory and encouraged them to unite against the destructive cults ofRovagug rampaging from the south. The Shory applied the early rudiments of aeromancy and elemental magic against these enemies, launching successful raids from the treetops of their jungle home. Not only did mastery of this tactic help insulate northern Garund from the horrors ofthese demented cults, but it also laid the foundation for the Shory's fascination with flight and their eventual obsession with the tactical advantage and relative safety offered by the skies.
In -2381 AR, the Shory faced a resurgence ofRovagug cults, and suffered through a decade-long war. Unlike in prior conflicts, their enemy allied with the Bekyar tribes and charau-ka followers of Angazhan. The demon lord's apemen in particular proved effective in blunting the Shory's high-ground advantage among the trees. As attacks on Shory cities and villages grew more frequent and ferocious, the fall ofthe ancient treetop stronghold ofZetsibe spurred two key events. First, the Shory createdfiyin13 platforms-precursors to the Aeromantic Infandibulum used to eventually raise their cities into the sky-which served as mobile resources, enabling them to extend their air superiority beyond the trees. Second, the Shory established an alliance with the derhii, a winged species of ape-like humanoids destined to become a servant race of the Shory Empire for centuries to come. These developments led to the defeat of a mythic thunder behemoth commanded by Rovagug's cultists-a creature many historians referred to as Djakobu, a lesser spawn of Rovagug. This massive beast wreaked great devastation on the early Shory Empire, razing entire villages and attacking the stability ofthe land itself, causing minor earthquakes as it passed. The monster's defeat broke the cultists' siege, ending the war and beginning a new age of Shory prosperity and industry.
Over the next several years, the Shory enhanced their arcane skill and expanded their influence. The ruling class in each city established a triune of governing sky masters drawn from the arch-wizards trained in aeromancy, and these leaders instituted an ambitious program of magical experimentation with the goal of raising their cities beyond the reach of their enemies-especially the children of Rovagug. Subsequently, the concepts of the Aeromantic Infandibulum were born. After rebuilding significant portions of their homes with lighter-weight metals and glass-like materials, the Shory raised the capital city ofKho into the sky in -2323 AR. Additional cities followed-with each new ascension celebrated as a monumental achievement in the empire's rise to power.
By -2289 AR, all major Shory settlements had relocated to the skies above the Mwangi Expanse. These autonomous havens, able to sail the air currents at will, became the core of citizenship and stature within the empire. The remaining Shory population appealed for admission to these settlements and abandoned their land-based homes to join their brethren in the sky cities. Within the sky cities, the traditions of the Shory rapidly evolved away from their Garundi origins. Clan names fell into disuse as city affiliation took the place of clans, and city names like Kho, Opongwe, Ulduvai, and Yjae instead became common. Yet when two cities met among the clouds, they still treated with one another in the custom oftheir ancestral clans-with each city hosting emissaries from the other-leading to an exchange of news, trade, and arcane lore. As the Shory grew more confident during this age, their flying cities roamed farther from one another, seeking out new societies to trade with or subjugate, and new resources to exploit as their empire grew.
These were the days of the Shory's greatest prosperity, but also the beginning of their eventual decline. As they effortlessly established trade routes that no land-bound bandit could hope to threaten, they made many enemies. Ancient Osirion and the Tekritanin League clashed repeatedly with more than one visiting sky-city. The appearance of massive floating settlements inspired fear in local inhabitants as often as welcome exchanges of diplomacy. Some Shory also relished their power over others, declaring themselves gods and holding themselves above any "inferior" cultures they encountered-a label that included almost all other societies. This hubris led Shory arcanists to explore planar magic and summon genies and elementals to cater to their every whim. Unfettered by a consistent moral belief system, the Shory also pushed the boundaries of magical experimentation, consorting with mind-altering entities from beyond the Dark Tapestry as well as soul-stealing daemons from Abaddon.
These darker activities contributed to the fall of the Shory Empire, as the aeromancers proved unprepared for the dangers unleashed by such powers. One by one, their flying cities fell into disarray. Old enemies resurfaced, new factions developed contentious goals, and some Shory accepted nefarious patrons, which proved not only their own undoing, but that of their entire city, as well. Between the destruction ofKho in -632 AR and Ulduvai in -507 AR, every major Shory city either plummeted catastrophically to the ground, or-in the case ofYjae-fled Garund and the Inner Sea in an ill-fated attempt at self-preservation. This marked the end of the Shory empire, as its citizens either died as their homes crashed to the ground or were assimilated into other cultures wherever they found themselves grounded.
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