Bazian Empire

The Bazian Empire is a historical imperial state centered on the city of Baz and associated with the fertile Plains of Thrania. It is remembered for legions under titled generals and for campaigns across the River Chontus. Its state religion was Bazian Orthodox, later attested as surviving the Fall of Baz and establishing a mathic system parallel to, and independent of, the one inaugurated by Cartas; it endures as one of Arbre's largest faiths.

First Appearance and Context

The empire is cited during a plan to model the Battle of Trantae using plants, with the meadow standing for the Plains of Thrania and the riverbank for the Chontus. The account serves as a framework to explain how terrain and forces shaped a famous reversal.

Government, Army, and Religion

• Government and army: Led by an Imperator and fielding legions under generals.
• Center: The name "Bazian" connects to the historic imperial city of Baz, remembered for monumental works and later for its fall.
• State faith: Bazian Orthodox served as the empire's state religion. Later sources note that it survived the Fall of Baz and established a mathic system parallel to Cartas's tradition.

Noted Conflicts and Events

• Northern frontier: By Negative 1474, the empire's northern provinces beyond the Chontus are said to have been lost to steppe horse archers.
• Winter incursion: In the cold of Negative 1473, steppe forces—identified with the Sarthian clan—crossed the frozen river and established bridgeheads on the Thranian bank.
• Battle of Trantae: After a coup in which General Oxas deposed the Imperator, he marched to expel the invaders. Near Trantae, the Sarthians staged a feigned retreat that drew Oxas into a pincer; his legions were surrounded. Accounts add that within months, Baz was aflame, underscoring the scale of the disaster.

Descriptions and Characteristics

• Breadbasket: The Plains of Thrania are portrayed as rich agricultural lands supporting the empire.
• Military: Use of legions and command by titled generals is emphasized in narratives.

Legacy and Influence

• Later descriptions of southern coastal regions—on the way toward the Sea of Seas and the Island of Ecba—note that these lands have been settled and cultivated since the days of the Bazian Empire. In the present, much of the dense urban fabric there has waned, leaving villas, maths, monasteries, arks, and other institutions separated by open country.

Current Status

Current texts treat the Bazian Empire as a past polity known through histories and displays. Its exact later fate is not specified here; the city of Baz is separately remembered for a catastrophic sack and the burning of its library.