Ishtarma is one of the most ancient continuous kingdoms in all of Arda. It's people are the mysterious Istari, a strange, sorcerous race of demihumans whose murky orgin was from before the Awakening of the Elves. The istari possessed great power, believed to be psylocks, they were mentally bound to their patrons, the Great Gods - their visages taking on the semblance of the totem creatures that represented the gods presence in the world. For this reason, they became known as the Mages of the Many Faces. The Istari walked in a world where the emanations of their gods were ever-present in the natural forces, flora and fauna of the world. The Great Gods were thought to demonstrate their presence through totem animals, and in some cases flora. The Ishtari to this day practice an ancient mysterious magic that seems partially based in psyonics and partially based in nature. It is deeply interconnected with their beliefs of life and the afterlife and the continual cycle of renewal. They believe that the cosmos is divided into order and chaos and that the cosmic forces battle against each other. The Great Gods of the Ishtari have taken a firm stand on the side of divine order - and from this, all precepts of magic, religion and philosophy flow. For this reason it is common for Ishtari magicways to consort with angels and devils and strive against demons. Much of Ishtari religion revolves around keeping divine order by maintaining political, social and religious stability. It is a religion, society and government that works hard to appease the Great Gods and stress harmony and balance with the natural cycles of the world. For this reason it has much less qualms with engaging with angels and devils of order in equal measure. Ishtari society has been ruled by a succession of Great Kings for millennia. These Great Kings are semidivine during their lives and are deified upon death. Elaborate tombs and mortuary temples are maintained to their devotion by the each current ruling house to maintain the divine order. It is believed that each Great King that passes onto godhood joins the Great Host in the Underworld that strives against the forces of chaos, keeping the perpetual night at bay. These God Kings can be called upon from their mortuary temples to aid the reigning Great King in important decisions through mysterious rights of divination. And they are believed to watch over and protect the Ishtari people. The Great Gods, on the other hand are only in direct communion with the Great King - they are to be worshipped by the Royal House alone, which acts as the sole intermediary for all the Ishtari people. For this reason, devotional cults have emerged among the common folk focused on the Lesser Gods and the God Kings. The Great Gods are worshiped from Great Temples, which are rival centers of power and influence to the Great King and their Court. The Great King and the Great Temples own all of the land in Ishatarma, the temples and palaces operate as both political, ceremonial and economic centers - from which much commerce is conducted, goods are manufactured and stored to be redistributed to the populace. The Great King exacts a yearly labor tribute upon each of the villages within the kingdom and put them to work on great public works during the monsoon when the fields are flooded. This includes building roads and irrigation canals, great temples, palaces and tombs.
Most of the populace lives in small clusters of farming villages which radiate out from the Great Temples and Great Palaces, which have become cities in their own right over the millennia. The Temple, Palace and Treasure and Garrison Cities throughout the land have developed an elaborate class system of skilled artisans, priests, sorcerors, diviners, artisans and merchants over the millennia, with some of the most skilled artists and craftsman in all of the Amyran Empire.
Ishtarma has been annexed to the Amyran Empire in recent centuries. The Amyrans have such a deep respect and reverance for the history, culture and religion of the Ishtari, that the kingdom has been largely left alone as long as it produces its annual tribute and supplies troops and luxury goods and skilled craftsman to the Machinery. The Amyran Empire founded a city on the coast as a seat for the Imperial Legate, which as flourished as a megalopolis of culture, commerce and learning known by the name Istaria. This is where the imperial aparatus operates from and where the imperial garrison and fleet reside. The Amyran Legates largely leaves the hinterland to its own devices and allows the Great King and Great Temples to act as a de facto client state, administering the interior, including the harvest, labor and tax levies. Istaria has become a major crossroads of empire in the western part of the Amyran Empire.
The Great Gods[]
There are about a dozen Great Gods who are worshipped by the Great Royal House and venerated by the commonfolk. The commonfolk name their children after them, their heads taking the form of the totem animal they represent. The Great Kings dedicate their reigns to a specific one in a recurring cycle. Each of the Great Gods are considered to be neither beneficent or malevolent, but have aspects of both, are worshiped by devotees of all alignments and served by a host of both angels, devils and in a few cases demons.
- Tomak - goddess of war, destruction and valor, her totem is that of a lioness
- Utpah - god of rivers, rain, irrigation, flood and storm, his totem is that of a crocodile
- Ishti - god of knowledge, creativity, hidden knowledge and profane magic, his totem is an ibis
- Sharna - goddess of hearth, home, childhood and protection and defense, her totem is a wild cat
- Rebud - god of the sun, light, order and domination, his totem is a sun
- Fosht - god of chaos, change, trickery and renewal, his totem is a hyena
- Zilmash - goddess of moon, night, hunt, rest nightmares. Her totem is a crow
- Simesket - god of the Great Kings, royalty, law, corruption and power, his totem is a falcon
- Durdi - goddess of magic, fate and dreams, her totem is a scorpion.
- Ama - god of craftsmanship, art, alchemy and raw elements, his totem is a ram.
- Hirnu - goddess of the death, afterlife and judgement, her totem is a scarab.
- Abileveshni - goddess of beauty, vainglory, love, passion and hate, her totem is the swan.