Mizar

A History of Helias Compendium - Mizar

In the yearly Mizarian period, small states and chiefdoms of the territory that would later become known as Mizar, consolidated into dozens of major oligarchies and monarchies that would one day give rise to the Shrine-Cities.

The emerging urbanisation and transition from hunter-gathering societies gave rise to the most religious movements and why Mizar is considered the birthplace of all the Old World's major religions with a extremely polytheistic and ritualistic tradition comprising of hundreds of cults and sects.

Religion in Mizar is still to this day characterised by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices under the chief umbrella of the Pillars. Many scholars point to the correlation between political and economic power of the cities that became the most influential and the Five Gods who also became the most worshipped.

Throughout most of Mizar's history, religion has been an important part of the realm's culture. Religious diversity and religious tolerance are both established in the dogmas and by the laws, the exception to this being outlawed pre-Pillar cults, sects and teachings, although these have been systematically eradicate or expelled from the realms through the ages.

The Shrine-Cities became independent sovereign areas which serve as the centre of political, economic, and cultural life over its territories. Other city states have existed in many parts of Helias since the dawn of history, but only exist now in Mizar.

Most cities maintain their independence from each other with smaller ones coming under the sphere of the five main Shire-Cities, with only the Office of the Inquisition having overall powers and influence across all of Mizar.

The lands between the cities and away from their controlling territories are often lawless and inhabited my semi-nomadic pastoral families and tribes that roam the lands, travelling, trading and on many occasions in pilgrimages around holy sites.

Mizar remains to this day the religious seat of power in the world. Their campaign against the Central Realms that saw the destruction of all magik users societies and the genocide of most weavers of note in Helias forever cementing their place in the world stage.