Who are the Zor?
The Zor Confederation is a small “barbarian” kingdom within the Periphery, located on the planet Zoranel. This highly religious civilization of artisans, scrappers, and scholars is best known for its rapid advancements in art and technology over a period of time known as the ‘Golden Age’.
For centuries, the people of Zoranel flourished. However, this prosperity would not last…
Zor technology gradually began to deteriorate and resources became scarce, leading them into the Great Cascade. This resulted in the Zor Confederation entering into a lucrative mining agreement with the Galactic Empire to mine iridium from one of Zoranel’s three moons: Reventlov Station.
However, the Empire promptly breached this agreement, exploiting Zor miners for its own gain and taking the majority of the mined iridium for itself.
Tensions erupted between the two factions, and this betrayal led to widespread panic and confusion which drove many members of the Zor Confederation to consider breaking the most important tenet of Confederate law: Do no harm.
Religion
Most citizens of the Zor Confederation tend to be deeply spiritual, worshipping masked deities known as ‘The Six,’ who are seen as protectors of Zor history, culture, and tradition. Shrines are a common sight in the more populous areas, and clergy members take responsibility for maintaining the historic and religious relics of the Confederation.
Their beliefs around death are very cut and dried: there are no souls, nor does an afterlife exist. Instead, it is the impact that a person had on the world that keeps them alive, even after death.
The people of Zoranel are pragmatic, focusing on the present over a hypothetical future.
Culture
Zor culture is rich in music, debate, and craftsmanship. Many skilled artisans engrave ceramics or metal — a bold statement of permanence in a society that highly values the recycling and reuse of precious materials.
Masks also form a large part of Zor culture, in honor of the masked Six. Mask-makers outfit clergy members, ambassadors, and politicians, and wearing one denotes stepping into the role or perspective of the Six.
A protester might as easily don the Laborer’s mask (to emphasize putting down roots and building community) as the Cynic’s, which represents seeing humanity's capacity to harm one another.
People of the Zor Confederation
Vex Tehoni-no
Hot-headed and stubborn, Vex Tehoni-no hails from Zoranel. There, she grew up a very devout follower of the Six, as her father was a Verger in the priesthood. This meant he was responsible for the upkeep of the Temple and other holy relics.
At the young age of 14, Vex joined the efforts to mine Reventlov Station. However, she quickly saw through the veil of this partnership after witnessing the Empire’s callous disregard for Zor laborers.
Seeking solace from this unsettling discovery, Vex later joined the priesthood as a Maven, where she learned to perform religious rites and studied the Confederation’s holy historical text.
Despite this new role, her frustrations continued to rise. Believing that the Zor Confederation would be doomed if they did not act, Vex called for an amendment to Confederate laws that would allow non-violent raiding parties to supply people with food and medication.
Before the Confederate Assembly decided on the matter, however, Vex was exiled for committing the most heinous crime imaginable in the pacifist Zor Confederation: murder.
Grilk Novike-ye
Leader of the Zor Ardent — an extremist, paramilitary group that despises the Empire and seeks to push them out of the Periphery — Grilk experienced the discrimination of the Empire firsthand while growing up on the cargo ship his mother captained.
From an early age, Grilk witnessed how callously the Zor were treated within the Empire, as “barbarians” and second-class citizens. This hardened the young boy and instilled in him the belief that the Zor Confederation’s ties to the Galactic Empire must be severed in order for them to truly thrive.
Inspired by Vex’s political discourse, Grilk began to advocate for open war against the Empire.