The History of the Sja'ji'am

The Sja'ji'am have existed as a definable group for 545 years. Prior to the coming of the Pirem Empire there were approximately 200 Sja'ji'am. The Sja'ji'am avoided the public eye and cultivated a persona of mystery and fear around themselves as a means to remain undisturbed. The government and the religious leaders of the time largely ignored them as they were an apolitical group. However, the people feared the Sja'ji'am. This fear of the Sja'ji'am and the previous beliefs created strong superstitions regarding the dangers that shadows pose.

For approximately for the first 100 years of the growing Pirem Empire the Sja'ji'am were largely ignored and life continued as normal. However, in 114yp the assassination of the Warleader Arm'aji Sil'aj by the war mages of Korkorn created an atmosphere of hate against all mages in general. The Church of Chal preached vehemently against the magic of Korkorn and slightly less so against magic in general. The Church of Chal equated magic with the Dark Praj. The Church creates both the Fist of Chal and the Silimiri. To test the powers of the Silimiri the approximately 50 mages were hunted and destroyed prior to turning the Silimiri loose on the mages of Korkorn and those within the Pirem Empire.

Several of the first victums of the Silimiri were Sja'ji'am. Three members of the Sja'ji'am recognized the impending threat of the Silimiri and took control of the Sja'ji'am. The Sja'ji'am retreated even further from the public eye and many of those in the know thought they disappeared. The Sja'ji'am began to catalogue the various mages, witches and wizards. They also gathered new recruits. During the years 122yp - 136yp the Empire is full of strife and conflict and this situation allows the Sja'ji'am to remained undisturbed.

When the wars with Korkorn resume the Sja'ji'am avoided being drawn into the conflict. The Sja'ji'am approached Ji'al'ifar Halasari in private and offered their services to him personally. Ji'al'ifar Halasari accepted and in turn would protect them from the Church of Chal. Ji'al'ifar Halasari uses the Sja'ji'am as agents against other mages. Once the war with Korkorn is complete the Church of Chal hunts and kills all the wizards of Korkorn in revenge for the death of Warleader Arm'aji Sil'aj. As soon as the hunt was waning the Church turned its attention on the wizards in their employ, either exiling them or killing them. Although the Church held trails most of these were shams.

Many mages organize and begin to fight back against the Church, but the size and scope of the Church proves to be too strong for the struggling mages. The Ji'al'ifar Halasari puts a halt to the persecution and formally recognizes the Sa'ji'am. They are given collective name Mji'ramil (The Assembly of Shadowmages). The Church of Chal agrees to halt the persecution of the wizards, in return the Mji'ramil must prove that it can control the mages. This results in a struggle between the mages within the Empire called the Shadowwars. By 153yp the Mji'ramil has gained control over the all the mages in the Empire. The rights and responsibilities were agreed to by the Emperor, the Church and the Sja'ji'am.