Zantium

Zantium was a theocratic kingdom located south of Eltenia, separated by the Luzhin mountains, and east of Iskirra, across the Garhoon strait. Following an extensive war with Iskirra, Zantium was overrun and conquered by the Iskirrans, who purged much of the native population, displaced others, and forcibly assimilated the rest.

The Zantine government was a monarchical theocracy based on worship of Akhen. Zantine Akhenism, the national religion, was unique from other forms of Akhenism in its region-specific history and traditions. Similar to the Temple, it had a clergy, but the practice of knighthood (Zantine knights were known as "paladins") retained its importance out of necessity, as Zantium had more direct contact with the peoples of Norev and Iskirra, who permitted or even encouraged the use of magic.

Originally an Exekian Imperial mining colony, Zantium was founded by Peredur, a slave turned king. He went on to have eleven children, whose descendants formed most of the nation's noble families. Because of their similar founding legends, Zantium and Apicarta were together known as the "Slave Kingdoms".

According to Iskirra, Zantium's fatal flaw lay in its dogmatic rigidity and religious intolerance. The punishment for apostasy and heresy was banishment, and for witchcraft it was death. The definition of "witchcraft" became unclear, however, resulting in the death of innocents and the escape of genuine witches, who were able to manipulate the system and either hide their practices or escape via exile. Those who were exiled tended to flee to Iskirra and Norev; in the case of the former, they became the driving force behind the Iskirran war machine, infusing magic with weaponry and new technology. Decades of hostility and conflict between Iskirra and Zantium were primarily driven by the problem of magic.

During Zantium's darkest hour, they called upon Apicarta's knights for aid, but they refused on the grounds that it was a hopeless cause and they did not want to get involved. As a result, the Zantine capital of Kynaston was destroyed and its surviving population displaced.