Kingdom of Sassyar

The Kingdom of Sassyar is the oldest kingdom on the Valkanrian subcontinent. It was founded millennia ago by Cares, who built the marble city of Lyzentos with an army of slaves. Its last independent ruler was Mero XII, after whom it became united in a personal union under the High King of Valkanren.

Location
The Sassyari kingdom is present within the south of Valkanren, in the lands around the River Sassyar. The city of Lyzentos stands in the centre of the kingdom, bridging the two sides of the river. The next largest cities are Prospopolis and Vespalos, which are both made of granite and marble respectively. Sassyar's availability to the sea has always given it strength as a naval power, and their fleet is famous world-wide as the Pride of Sassyar. They have been able to indulge heavily in trade across the world, namely with the Empire of Crevidia, and, before the union of Valkanren, larger kingdoms in Brythonia such as Hetzburg, Ashmore and the Free City of Ellgyr.

Religion
In the ancient Sassyari civilisation, kings and queens were worshipped as gods and goddesses in their own right. Kings would marry their sisters to keep the bloodline pure, and this was imitated by Sassyari princes too. Eventually, Sassyari polytheism ended with the death of Theophylactus of Sassyar at the hands of Alexander. Alexander was a bastard son of Hynethe, Theophylactus' sister-queen. When Theophylactus had discovered Hynethe's infidelity, he had her stoned naked through the streets before beheading her; after a period of exile in Hetzburg for fifteen years, Alexander returned to Sassyar and slew Theophylactus.

When Mero I of the Merian dynasty was elected as the new king, he stopped the practice of polytheism and exclusively worshipped Hynethe.

Society
In Sassyar, 'prince' is a title not solely reserved for the sons of kings. Rather, it is used on the same basis as 'lord' or 'lady' in Brythonia or Cyngvar. A wealthy nobleman is called a prince, and this tradition carried on to the Prince of Levenstad title in Valkanren.