Races

Zish (Zissah and Ziyn) - by T.A. Saunders ©2010 v1.5

Racial Articles The Ancients of Imarel: The Zissah

Before the Imperial Era of the Shar'Vaire that began with all-out, unprovoked war on their people, the Zissah (pronounced Ziss-ah) comprised most of the population of Shalzaar and the entirety of the subcontinent of Irys. And while the attempt at genocide by the Shar'Vaire more or less expunged most of their culture from the world, the truth of matters is that the Zissah were all ready a race of people on the decline. While almost no records survive to tell this tale, ancient Zissah artifacts recovered from the sea and in ruins long-since reclaimed by the forests of Shalzaar suggest that the height of their civilization may have well been right before the War of Twilight.

It was during this time that the Zissah and the Van`Su essentially controlled most of Imarel, though it is unknown whether this was a harmonious co-existence or one fraught with conflict. The Zissah had powerful priests and magi that held sway with the Lords of Chaos at this point in their culture's history, which in turn that had considerable influence over the direction of their people. It is believed amongst many scholars it is they that opened the pathway for the Archfiends of Chaos to enter Imarel's prime plane, during the height of the War of Twilight. Others have speculated that the Zissah were actually the children of the Lords of Chaos, set upon Imarel to sew the seeds of their claim upon the world. Many dispute this, claiming that the Zissah were tempted by powers of Chaos, rather than a creation of Chaos itself.

Little is said of the Zissah in the ancient Asyndi histories of that time and almost no records of Zissah culture survived the great onslaught that reshaped Imarel forever, so it is unclear whether the Zissah had a knowing part in this great conflict or if they were duped by the Lords of Chaos to open a pathway for them to cross into the prime plane. It is known that the Zissah themselves did very little fighting against the ancient Asyndi (who were at the time celestial servants of the Old Gods) and may have actually spent most of the War of Twilight in their own conflict with the Van`Su, or perhaps another race that the Zissah themselves obliterated. Whatever the case, with the conclusion of the War of Twilight, began the slow decline of the Zissah people.

Sometime after the great war the remnants of the Zissah people abolished all use of arcana and worship of the deceptive powers of Chaos. Recovered stone slabs with cuneiform etchings of Zissah law have given a bit of insight during this time; it had become punishable by exile to practice sorcery of any kind or pay homage to the dark gods. Indeed this was thought to be a fundamental cultural change for the better, that would usher in a bright future of prosperity by leaving the dark ways behind forever. Rather than granting the Zissah a golden age however, this pacifist movement spelled the ultimate doom for an aging race.