Concerning the so-called Sarnathi Empire

The city of Sarnath, or Doomed Sarnath as it is commonly referred to in the parlance of our times, was once the dominant force in upper Azand as well as much of the lower Eimuish continent to the north across the Mirrored Sea.  Though strong in army and especially navy, it is said that the mages, priests of the Forgotten Pantheon all, were the city's primary means of conquest, though the word conquest is a misnomer in many ways. The Sarnathi had little interest in the hands on ruling of an expansive empire.

Instead they preferred extorting payments from those under their “dominion” and then mostly leaving them to their own devices as long as the terms were met and no signs of rebellion were evident. Such terms would often include the pledging of gold, silver, and other material valuables, but also men, women, and children for various uses, as among its many qualities, Sarnath was also a prolific slave city.

The areas under the domain of Sarnath were also demanded to pay homage not only to the mortal servants of the city, but also their divine masters, the so-called Forgotten Pantheon, which is widely believed to have been forgotten after the doom of Sarnath due in no small part to the highly predatory conversion methods used to spread the faith. With no one left to enforce a hated rule, why would it continue after all? Still, small cults to the Forgotten Pantheon are said to exist in various corners of Azand today, though obviously in secret, founded by the ancestors of the true believers who survived the massacres against the faith by the forcefully converted.

Religious speculations aside, the standard practice of Sarnath was to send a messenger to an area marked for conquest bearing an ultimatum: Bend before the will of Sarnath or break defying it. Those that complied paid their dues in material and flesh to the city, resentfully worshipped their idols, and were largely left alone with minimal oversight. Those that chose defiance normally wished that they had not.

Though military might was sometimes brought to bare against those who refused, the more likely immediate result was nothing. The messenger would leave, if not tortured or murdered for sport by the often offended receiver of the message, and that would appear to be the end of it. That is, until the droughts would begin or the plagues or the storms or the servants of the Forgotten Pantheon would rip themselves from the deep earth and sea… [End of Excerpt]