ZAMORA
ZAMORA
(Medium Kingdom) -- Zamora is a land of spider haunted towers and
master
thieves. The Zamoran army is adequate (Conan called them poltroons),
but it is their spies and long lived wizards upon which Zamora relies.
What King not departed from his sanity will risk the intrigues of
Zamora
or worse yet her assassins? Zamora may indeed follow a shadowy path
to world mastery with the aid of spells long forgotten and knives which
strike swiftly in the dark!
NATIONAL HISTORY
Know, O Lord of the Spider Realm, of the heritage and history of thy
people. We, the Zhemri, are an ancient race. Our forefathers drew
breath in those same days when the Valusian Empire was great and Kull
the Conqueror walked the earth. Seven thousand years ago the world was
rocked by a Great Cataclysm which changed the face of the earth and
threw down the cities of our fathers into ruins. Unlike the Valusians,
we survived the Cataclysm; we survived the earth's torment as a united
people, and together we began the slow climb back to civilization.
Two thousand years passed after the Cataclysm until, from out of the
east, there came a kindred to the Stygians to raise up the ancient and
evil empire of Acheron. Our people, like so many others of that day,
were enslaved to the might of Acheron as a vassal state in her
far-flung borders. Like all other things, we survived this with
cunning, and when, another two thousand years later, Acheron was naught
but ruins, as flames danced upon her purple towers and Hyborian
tribesmen from the north put the empire to the sword, we began to
rebuild our culture and civilization.
In another thousand years the western world had been forged into the
Hyborian kingdoms of the present. Aquilonia, Nemedia, Argos, and Koth
had risen from the conquest of Acheron, as had Brythunia (where the
nobles of Acheron had fled), and Corinthia. During the centuries we had
learned that cunning was superior to strength of arms. Ever had we
survived with intrigue what soldiers could not contest. So when the
long-awaited invasions first came from out of Brythunia and Corinthia,
we turned them back easily with the combined efforts of sword, magic,
and guile.
A thousand years ago, the Turanians swept into our lives, their wild
horsemen crashing into the very gates of Arenjun. That time they were
driven off, but since their establishment of the Turanian empire, they
have made no secret of their desire for our ancient land.
The Kezankian mountains are at once a source of protection and a cause
for dismay. The wild Kezankian tribesmen have never been easily
dislodged from their mountain crags, either by Turan, or by our people.
My Leige, thy people are small in stature, but wise and quick! We are
rightfully proud that our thieves and spies are the best in the world.
Our diplomats are among the finest, and our great wizards search the
entire breadth of the world for new and greater magics with which to
add glory unto themselves and the name of Zamora! Heed well now my
words, Great One, and I will report in full on the present state of thy
new kingdom.