Toward the end of the era of the Divine Wars, the Divinity of Garuda set out on a journey in search of humans who could help lead the land into the future. These original handpicked founders became the ruling authority, the Ring of the Chosen, with the leader among them holding the position of King of Garuda.
The Chosen at the Eternal Flame
The Divinity visited every human settlement in Garuda over more than a decade, gathering citizens and local deities to announce their grand vision: gather the best of Garuda’s humans to form a ruling organization that would guide all the humans in the area. If a town agreed, they sent their chosen to the most sacred of spots in Garuda — the Eternal Flame, the last living spark of Garuyda’s power.
When the Divinity arrived at the Eternal Flame in the year 5 A.D., a single family already awaited them there, the Ludan family. The chosen one, Nzinga Ludan, was the matriarch and had wasted no time in swaying her town’s opinion before heading to the meeting place. By the time the other 21 families arrived over the next few months, the decision was already clear. Nzinga Ludan would ascend as the first ruler — the first Kasaii.
Upon the formal creation of the Order, the head of the Divinity, Cadmus, asked Nzinga her first directive. She boldly proclaimed that all villages would remain free, but when the nation faced trouble, everyone must come together as one. Cadmus threw her into the Eternal Flame. The rest of the Chosen were horrified — until Nzinga burst from the flames like their phoenix of creation. Garuyda herself had judged the King worthy.
The Zencora coup
The last of the Ludan line met a sudden, rather controversial end, a few decades before the end of the century. King Nasomi Ludan died tragically during childbirth. The Ludan bloodline had been around since the inception of the Order. For the line to end in such a way left many stunned. However, in the confusion, the Zencora family, led by Chosen Amma Zencora, seized control — and the decision to promote him to Kasaii proved extremely contentious, passing by only one vote, the narrowest margins in the history of the Divine Order of the Phoenix.