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<quote>"Where there is darkness, we will make light."</quote>
<quote>"Where there is darkness, we will make light."</quote>


The mountains of Urizen rest on three pillars.  
Urizen is a nation of magic forged from boundless ambition, of decisive action guided by reason. It is a realm of wonders; of majestic spires and citadels that reach toward the azure sky; of glittering lightstones that send messages arrowing across the mountain valleys in the blink of an eye; and of artificial labourers powered by magic that toil tirelessly in the fields to support the magicians and scholars of this mighty nation.


The first is magic – for the Urizen are a people where magical prowess is seen as the highest achievement. There are few places in the world where magicians are respected as they are in Urizen, but magic alone does not control the Nation. Magic is a tool, a means to an ends, forged through study, honed by reason and wielded with the certainty of men and women who know they are wise enough to do so safely.
The mountains of Urizen rest on three pillars, magic, reason, and ambition.


The second is reason only those who understand the world are fit to shape it. Through education and thought men and women learn about the world and the things in it and are better suited to make decisions that change the world. Architects bridge the mountains and focus light to illuminate great halls with a handful of candles. Scholars debate the meaning of existence, and engineers construct engines of war to bring swift ruin to their enemies.
The first pillar is magic they see magical prowess as the highest achievement, and there are few places in the world where magicians are as influential as they are in Urizen. Magical prowess is not an end in itself, but rather a means to an end, a way to change the world. It is a tool forged through study, honed by reason, and wielded with absolute certainty. The Urizen see themselves as the only people in the world wise enough to understand the consequences of using magical power to achieve their goals.  


The third is ambition – the Urizen want nothing less than the perfection of all humanity. They seek excellence in themselves, in everything they do. They carve mountains into cities, educate the ignorant and seek to shape the fate of Nations, all with a confidence and dedication that flows from the certainty that they are right to do so.
The second pillar is reason only those who understand the world are fit to change it. The Urizen devote themselves to study and learning, striving to perfect their understanding of the world and their place in it. Nowhere else in the world is education seen as a necessity the way it is in Urizen, a consequence of the natural drive to perfect the self. The superior understanding of the Urizen has allowed them to intervene at key moments in the past to move the Empire onto a better path. The risk is that without the light of knowledge the great experiment can only end in darkness and failure.


This is a Nation of timeless tranquillity preserved by strength, of decisive action guided by reason, of majestic spires and citadels reaching toward the sky. It is a Nation of magic, where magic is king.
The third pillar is ambition – the Urizen are utopian, wanting nothing less than the perfection of all humanity. They seek to achieve excellence in the things they do, the better to perfect the world around them. There is nothing that cannot be made better by someone with the vision and will to do so. These lofty aspirations drive them to carve mountains into cities, to educate the ignorant, and to shape the fate of nations.


It is a realm that understands the most important lesson of magic – that a single individual can change the world if they have sufficient will to do so.
In Urizen the most important lesson is this – that a single individual can change the world if they have sufficient will to do so.


===Five things to know about Urizen===
==Five things to know about Urizen==
*'''They study magic as the highest discipline.'''
*'''They study magic as the highest discipline.''' Not everyone is a magician, but in Urizen magic permeates everything.
*'''They live their lives by reason.''' Rationality and logic are the tools with which they pick apart the secrets of creation.
*'''They live their lives by reason.''' Rationality and logic are the tools with which they pick apart the secrets of creation.
*'''They aspire to excellence.''' Not just for themselves, but for the Empire and the rest of humanity.
*'''They aspire to mastery of themselves and the world around them.''' They prize personal excellence and seek to build a better world for everyone.
*'''They seek mastery.''' Not only of themselves, but of the world around them.
*'''They value elegance and precision.''' The best course of action is the one that produces the biggest change with the least effort.
*'''Education is the greatest gift one can give.''' People who understand the world are simply better than people who do not.
*'''Education is the greatest gift.''' People who understand the world are simply better than people who do not.
 
===What the citizens of Urizen are not===
* '''Hermits.''' They live on top of mountains, but do so to gain perspective rather than to separate themselves from the rest of the world.
* '''Pacifists.''' They are reasonable people, but are quite prepared to fight to get what they want - they're just likely to consider for a moment if violence is the best course of action before they attack.
* '''Vulcans.''' They try to keep control of their emotions because “the head should not be ruled by the heart.” They use their passions to empower themselves to act, rather than being controlled by them.
* '''Unarmed Combatants.''' When the Urizen think of martial arts, they think of weapons. Wrestling or even touching your enemies is a dreadful idea. Much better to keep them at bay and overwhelm them with your consummate weapon skills than let them get close to you.
 
==The Nation==
=== Core Brief ===
* [[Urizen People|The People]]
* [[Urizen Culture and Customs|Culture and Customs]]
* [[Urizen Look and Feel|Look and Feel]]
 
=== Further Reading ===
* [[Urizen History|History]]
* [[Urizen Leadership|Leadership]]
* [[Urizen Economic Interests|Economic Interests]]
* [[Urizen Military Concerns|Military Concerns]]
* [[Urizen Religious Beliefs|Religious Beliefs]]
* [[Urizen Magical Traditions|Magical Traditions]]
* [[Urizen Hearth Magic|Hearth Magic]]
* [[Urizen Lineage and Species Attitudes|Lineage and Species Attitudes]]
* [[Urizen Territories|Territories]]
* [[Urizen Children|Children]]
* [[Urizen Music|Music]]
* [[Urizen Costumes|Costumes]]
 
[[Category:Urizen]]
[[Category:Nations]]


==What the citizens of Urizen are not==
* '''Pacifists or procrastinators.''' They are reasonable people, but are quite prepared to fight to get what they want – they're just likely to consider for a moment if violence is the best course of action before they attack.
* '''Asian or East Asian.''' Urizen draws inspiration from high elves, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_Greece classical Greece], and societies of wizards, but not directly from Asia or East Asia.
* '''Unarmed combatants.''' When the Urizen think of martial skills, they think of weapons. Wrestling or even touching your enemies is a distasteful idea. Much better to keep them at bay and overwhelm them with your consummate weapon skills than let them get close to you.
{{CaptionedImage|file=NotUpToAnything.jpg|title=They seek mastery not only of themselves, but the world around them.|align=right|width=600}}
{{Urizen Links}}
{{pdf}}
{{pdf}}


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[[Category:Urizen]]

Latest revision as of 13:32, 28 September 2021

Mountain top home

"Where there is darkness, we will make light."

Urizen is a nation of magic forged from boundless ambition, of decisive action guided by reason. It is a realm of wonders; of majestic spires and citadels that reach toward the azure sky; of glittering lightstones that send messages arrowing across the mountain valleys in the blink of an eye; and of artificial labourers powered by magic that toil tirelessly in the fields to support the magicians and scholars of this mighty nation.

The mountains of Urizen rest on three pillars, magic, reason, and ambition.

The first pillar is magic – they see magical prowess as the highest achievement, and there are few places in the world where magicians are as influential as they are in Urizen. Magical prowess is not an end in itself, but rather a means to an end, a way to change the world. It is a tool forged through study, honed by reason, and wielded with absolute certainty. The Urizen see themselves as the only people in the world wise enough to understand the consequences of using magical power to achieve their goals.

The second pillar is reason – only those who understand the world are fit to change it. The Urizen devote themselves to study and learning, striving to perfect their understanding of the world and their place in it. Nowhere else in the world is education seen as a necessity the way it is in Urizen, a consequence of the natural drive to perfect the self. The superior understanding of the Urizen has allowed them to intervene at key moments in the past to move the Empire onto a better path. The risk is that without the light of knowledge the great experiment can only end in darkness and failure.

The third pillar is ambition – the Urizen are utopian, wanting nothing less than the perfection of all humanity. They seek to achieve excellence in the things they do, the better to perfect the world around them. There is nothing that cannot be made better by someone with the vision and will to do so. These lofty aspirations drive them to carve mountains into cities, to educate the ignorant, and to shape the fate of nations.

In Urizen the most important lesson is this – that a single individual can change the world if they have sufficient will to do so.

Five things to know about Urizen

  • They study magic as the highest discipline. Not everyone is a magician, but in Urizen magic permeates everything.
  • They live their lives by reason. Rationality and logic are the tools with which they pick apart the secrets of creation.
  • They aspire to mastery of themselves and the world around them. They prize personal excellence and seek to build a better world for everyone.
  • They value elegance and precision. The best course of action is the one that produces the biggest change with the least effort.
  • Education is the greatest gift. People who understand the world are simply better than people who do not.

What the citizens of Urizen are not

  • Pacifists or procrastinators. They are reasonable people, but are quite prepared to fight to get what they want – they're just likely to consider for a moment if violence is the best course of action before they attack.
  • Asian or East Asian. Urizen draws inspiration from high elves, classical Greece, and societies of wizards, but not directly from Asia or East Asia.
  • Unarmed combatants. When the Urizen think of martial skills, they think of weapons. Wrestling or even touching your enemies is a distasteful idea. Much better to keep them at bay and overwhelm them with your consummate weapon skills than let them get close to you.
They seek mastery not only of themselves, but the world around them.

Further Reading

Core Brief

Additional Information

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)