Sezonzé

Sezonzé was a former province of the Renkida Kingdom from the mid-176th Age up until the late 182nd Age. It was located in the southwestern corner of the kingdom near the border with the Korzinzé Mountains and the Dorenzu kingdom of Korziña. It was recently granted independence and gained status as its own country after the resolution of the Renkida Vampire Crisis. As a result, however, the country's population is almost entirely vampires.

This transition from being a Renkida territory to a vampire territory was a result of the aftermath of The Burning of Sezonzé, a catastrophically enormous inferno that consumed over three-fourths of the province after Zulera exploited a drought to start an enormous inferno that was visible from hundreds of miles away. This event wiped out three of the four major cities in the province, although the fire was eventually stopped at the 4th city, Lenzizhen, which became the new provincial capital as a result of being the only one of the four cities left standing.

Geography and Climate
Sezonzé is a small patch of land bordering the foothills of the Korzinzé Mountains to the south and west, a Madizi tribe to the northwest, and the Renkida Kingdom to the north and east. It is primarily comprised of plains to the north; and a few rolling hills and rocky crags to the south towards the mountains. While it is landlocked, a major river that serves as a border between the Madizi tribe and Korziña runs right along Sezonzé's southern border, leading right to the port town of Agadez and then out towards the sea.

Because of the enchantments over the area, Sezonzé is cooler than the surrounding area, and it has not taken long for the local flora and fauna to adapt to these cooler, darker conditions. Vampires thrive in this kind of environment, and despite fears from the Renkida and Dorenzu about vampire attacks and invasions, there have not been any of the sort as of yet, leading many to wonder how these creatures are currently sustaining themselves—if at all.

While the region receives enough rainfall to not be considered a desert, it is occasionally prone to droughts, such as the infamous drought of Summer 4610 in the 182nd Age, which was exploited by Zulera when she used one of her war machines to set more than 80% of the province ablaze on 27 Giléa of that year.

Demographics
Because all races apart from Arakos are capable of being afflicted by vampirism and Sezonzé being a place where vampires gather, its inhabitants are of all races, including some Kumenza. Over 97% of the population are vampires, except a few rather audacious Zaderei that choose to roam the country, considering that Zaderei are not only immune to vampirism but are also undesirable targets for blood drinking. The reason for this is unknown.

Many inhabitants of Mencu view this convergence and consolidation as a move in the right direction. Vampires across the world have flocked to this locale, which in turn removes them from other countries where they are considered more of a menace. However, there is a rising fear that they are either not fully sustaining their thirst or that there is foul magic at work to keep them fed, considering that most of these nocturnal creatures do not venture out of their country's boundaries once they enter.

Because of their fondness of Arakan blood, it did not take long for the vampires to clear them out of the area. Scores of efficient attacks also pushed the Wakuda out, but otherwise, every race has its vampires apart from Jalenga due to their extermination. Shinzoka vampires exist, but much like Zaderic Shinzoka, all of them thus far are female only.

Involvement
Sezonzé plays various roles in the various volumes of The Crest of Zabutur, sometimes appearing as a hotspot of activity, and other times being mentioned only in passing, if even at all.

The Crown of Zivia
Sezonzé is not mentioned or visited at all during the events of The Crown of Zivia. Even vampires are only subtly hinted at due to some of Isikiro's mannerisms. However, there are subtle references to Zulera's mechanized weapon that would later set the province ablaze, although there are no indicators of who the machine is being built to resemble, or what the machine is for.

The Crusade of Zulera
Because this volume focuses so heavily on the Renkida Vampire Crisis, Sezonzé plays an integral role to the central plot of The Crusade of Zulera, with several major conflicts occurring here. The most notable of these is the Burning of Sezonzé, where three of the Four Cities were burned and destroyed. The fire itself was only stopped in the city of Lenzizhen after a legion of vampires, Madizi, and even Zaderei, banded together to halt its spread.

The Shadows of Shinzoka
Isikiro's actions bring some attention to Sezonzé in The Shadows of Shinzoka as she seeks to finally embark on her quest to rid herself of her vampiric curse.