Burnt Creed
| Burnt Creed | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Anarchist Stronghold, Fire-Worshiping Theocracy |
| Realm | Tar'Zuhl |
| Capital | Drak's Citadel |
| Leader | |
Tar’Zuhl is the blazing heart of The Burnt Creed, a city of ash, ruin, and rebirth. Unlike the stone-bound cities of the outside world, Tar’Zuhl is a living furnace, shifting and reshaping with the land itself. It is a place where laws hold no power, where only the strong endure, and where fire decides fate.
To the Creed, Tar’Zuhl is holy ground, a place where the weak are burned away, and only the worthy rise from the cinders. Here, warriors, zealots, and exiles carve out lives in the shadow of roaring volcanoes, rivers of fire, and endless choking ash. Some come to prove their strength, others to escape the chains of the outside world, and some simply to watch the world burn.
History
Once, Tar’Zuhl was nothing more than a blasted wasteland—a land where even the Korrash dared not build. But the Creed saw its potential, its purity. They came as raiders, wanderers, and believers, shaping the land into a crucible of flame and freedom.
Legend speaks of The First Burning, when the founders of the Creed walked into the lava fields and returned scarred but unbroken, proving themselves worthy of the land. Over time, shelters became strongholds, forges became altars, and Tar’Zuhl became the home of those who chose fire over chains.
Structure and leadership
Tar’Zuhl is not a city—it is a proving ground. There are no kings, no lords, no masters. Only fire and will decide who leads, who follows, and who perishes.
- Anarchist Rule by Strength – There is no government, no codified law. The strong lead, the cunning survive, and the weak become fuel for the flames.
- Fire-Worshiping Theocracy – Many in the Creed believe fire is the only truth, purging weakness and revealing what is real. Priests known as The Ashwalkers guide rituals, offering flesh, steel, and entire buildings to the flames.
- The Trials of Tar’Zuhl – Those who come to Tar’Zuhl must prove themselves. Walk the burning stones, endure the ember tides, or be cast into the ash.
- A Haven for Outlaws, Pirates, and Fanatics – Wanted men, runaway slaves, war criminals, and madmen all vanish into the ashen streets, remaking themselves in the fire.
Major settlements and strongholds
Though chaotic and ever-shifting, Tar’Zuhl is held together by a few key strongholds, each serving a purpose in the Creed’s endless war against the world.
- Drak's Citadel – The black heart of Tar’Zuhl, where the strongest warriors and prophets gather. It is a half-ruined fortress, its towers melted by past eruptions, now held together with chains and sheer willpower.
- Varkath Port – A pirate stronghold, where soot-blackened ships bring plunder from around the world. It is a haven of salt, blood, and fire, where trade is done in stolen goods and unholy deals.
- Red Hollow – A lawless war-camp, home to mercenaries, cultists, and outcasts. It is built atop cooling lava fields, where those who fail the Creed’s trials rot in the heat.
- Sulfur’s Cradle – A place of mad prophets and fire-priests, where the most fanatical among the Creed study the will of the flames. Those who hear the whispers of fire come here to seek revelation… or be consumed by it.
- The Black Bastion – A defensive stronghold, standing as the first line of resistance against the Korrash, who see Tar’Zuhl as an abomination. Its warriors fight with flame-lances, ember-hounds, and molten tar pits, ensuring the Creed does not burn alone.
Relations with other factions
To the Korrash, Tar’Zuhl is a wound upon the land, an offense to the natural order. The Korrash believe fire is to be respected, not enslaved, and they see the Burnt Creed as heretics who have turned fire into a mockery of itself.
- Raids and Retribution – The Korrash strike from the volcanic tunnels, sabotaging the Creed’s strongholds. In return, the Creed burns Korrash sanctuaries, proving that no place is sacred to flame.
- A War of Philosophy – The Korrash believe in living with fire; the Creed believes in becoming fire. There is no peace between these beliefs—only ashes.
- The Ember Warbands – The Creed’s warbands use flame-lances, burning tar traps, and alchemical firebombs to combat the Korrash’s natural resistance to heat.