Urizen history
Centuries ago, humans ascended the mountains of Morrow to move away from the orcs that were dominating the fertile plains. When they reached the peaks, they found ruins that were clearly not of human origin. They discovered no remnants of the original inhabitants, nor any suggestion that they had been destroyed in a catastrophe. There were simply great, empty halls carved into several of the most magically attractive peaks.
These echoing galleries formed the heart of the first half-dozen Urizen spires, and remain an enduring mystery that is still debated by scholars. The people who made these galleries were probably humanoid, albeit slightly larger than humans, and spent a lot of time studying the night sky. These forerunners had an advanced grasp of the lore of the Realms of Day and Night, but no apparent concept of the other four Realms.
Initially the main appeal of their mountainous home was their defensibility. As they explored further they encountered many places with a strong natural aura of magical power. The mountains were also rich in mineral wealth that helped their crafters create numerous wonders. They used their magic to ameliorate the problems of creating dwellings and producing food on the inhospitable mountains. As the decades passed, the people developed into the Urizen.
The arrival of humans from across the sea was welcomed by the Urizen. They initiated diplomacy with the Highborn and the Dawnish, and maintained cordial relations with Highguard thereafter.
Joining the Empire
While the First Empress had the support of a handful of Urizen, the nation as a whole declined to join her nascent Empire. The First Empress was a powerful warrior and an inspirational general, but Urizen magicians predicted disaster if their nation joined an Empire led by a conqueror. Despite efforts to persuade them that this prediction was unfounded, the nation remained adamant; it would not join the Empire.
At this time in Varushka, a cabal of undying sorcerors called the Volodny raised an army under a powerful Boyar named Alderei the Fair. Born of the Ushka tribes, distant cousins of the Urizen, some of the Volodny assumed that their distantly shared heritage, common interest in magic and refusal to join the Empire made the Urizen their natural allies. One of their number, Kareina of the Swans, initiated secret negotiations with several spires to gain support for their plans which involved the creation of an empire of their own, controlled by the Volodny. Foremost among the Urizen diplomats who met with her was a respected arbiter called Gerrault of Sunspire - the same man who had delivered the Urizen decision to representatives of the Empress. He presented a neutral face to Kareina, neither encouraging nor discouraging her, until such time as they had revealed many of the Volodny plans. He then chose to oppose the Volodny. "We would not support a conqueror whose heart was filled with the best of intentions," said Gerrault of Sunspire to the outraged Kareina. "Why would you believe we would support one driven by bitterness and spite?"
The Urizen would not commit military force to aid the Empire, but three dozen powerful magicians drawn from all across the nation travelled to Varushka to offer support to the Imperial forces. The Volodny had raised a dread pall over Alderei's armies that spread fear and confusion among his opponents. The Urizen magicians were able to use powerful ritual magic of the Day realm to first understand the magical effect, and then to pierce and scatter it for a short time, allowing the Imperial forces to attack Alderei. Taking advantage of the respite the spell offered, the Imperial armies defeated the wicked Boyar and scattered his forces.
Some of the Empress' supporters assumed this assistance meant the Urizen were prepared to join their cause, but once the battle was over the remaining Urizen magicians - many of them shattered in spirit, exhausted in body, or casualties of the battle - simply returned to their mountains. They took no part in mopping up the remainder of Alderei's supporters, and gave no indication that their people considered becoming a permanent part of the Empire to be any more appealing than they had before.
After the death of the Empress, her successor opened negotiations with the Urizen who were impressed by his commitment to a rational, ordered society. They agreed to join, and helped to create the Conclave as a body of representation for every magician, a body that could share magical learning and ensure that it was used to the benefit of the Empire rather than its detriment.
Urizen benefited strongly from joining the Empire. Food imported from the Marches allowed the spires to grow and freed people to devote more time to training and study allowing Urizen to develop into the nation of magicians and scholars it is today. The Empire gained more than just their magical lore and skills; shrewd interventions by the first Urizen senators transformed the tests of citizenship adding literacy, numeracy and theology to the requirements needed to pass. In the decades that followed, their adroit manipulation of the role of the civil service was instrumental in raising standards of education right across the Empire.