Azassi is located in the northeast corner of the continent. Climate is mild but dry, and the land is rocky and rather infertile. The natural resources cannot support a large-scale culture. The people of Azassi are ruddy in coloring, with red hair. Very early and largely unrecorded history ties their race to Marlind and early travelers who came to the northeast corner of the continent from Marlind.
Gold found in the mountainous regions allowed for some amount of trade and wealth among certain clans, and the clans fought for control of the mines throughout Azassi's history. Mandera attempted to exploit the mines in the late 400s, before it started pursuing overseas markets, but the warlike nature of the Azassians put a halt to this project.
Involvement in Bioran Learning
The advancement of Bioran learning was not as pronounced in Azassi, due to its location in the extreme northeast. Azassi lagged in advancement, and many chieftains resisted the new science and education. The dominant attitude in Azassi was one of self-sufficiency: the clans had survived for ages without scholarship and they saw no need for it.
Byorn r'Gayeth and the Bioran Campaign
Byorn r'Gayeth came to the head of the most influential clan in 501. Clan Gayeth lost control of the gold mines in 508, and Byorn began to pursue Bioran education in an attempt to grasp some of the power demonstrated by scholars in other countries. Byorn launched a mission to conquer Biora (510), to force the new discoveries upon his people and to gain control of the Bioran movement and all countries following it. His rallies within Azassi set that country on the brink of civil war, and recruiters whom he sent to gather support from other countries met with similar conflict. The trouble sparked further controversy between Bioran scholars and leaders of new schools in other countries.
Nanianism reached Azassi in response to the turmoil spread by the Bioran Campaign. A few houses were established in Azassi to reform the clans to peacefulness. The warring clans used these houses as points of alliance: clans opposing Gayeth sided with the houses, and Gayeth's supporters turned against them. Although no formal legislation was made against Azassi, its people were generally harried in the other countries, their coloring making them obvious, and they were largely confined to Azassi's borders. They were left alone to fight among themselves until 546, when they were united as mercenaries against Siva.
Azassi-Siva Wars and the Great Prophecy
Some of the weaker clans in Azassi wanted an end to the conflicts created by Gayeth and the Bioran Campaign, and when Dabion approached Azassi for military support for their missionary efforts, these clans pushed for Azassi to unite in support of Dabion. The Azassi-Siva Wars began in 546, and entire clans on both sides of the conflict were wiped out in the long struggle. Prophets in the Nanian houses, which were left uncontrolled by the Azassian clansmen who went to war, began praying for an end to the violence, and in 553 they had a prophecy which was shared simultaneously by Sivan shamans, calling for an end to the violence.
After the wars, the Nanian houses influenced Azassi to return to its former power structure. By 600 traditional Azassian society was restored: a clan structure where clans varied in relative power, with limited contact with other countries. Later in the century trade became more prevalent, especially with Mandera and especially for gold. The 742 economic collapse had less effect on Azassi than on other countries. The new Bioran learning trend also caught on more slowly here. Clan Gayeth was again compelled to follow the spirit of its former patriarch, but the more cosmopolitan nature of modern Azassi meant less resistance to academia among the rival clans.