"There is but one law: change. All who live tonight must one day die. By our words we recognize the right of each Citizen to grant at most one life and exact at most one death."
- Entirety of the Legal Code for Citizens of Ohma
Over 18 hundred years ago the greatest civilization in the world sank beneath the waves... and today it is still sinking. Called the Tzahualtzhetl (or sometimes, Those that Waltz in Hell), their tale is a tragedy warped by untold millennia and compounded by a million meters of inky darkness. Although details are scarce as charity among these bottom-feeders, it is believed that the Tzahualtzhetl were the progenitors of the Qin, the Teotl, and other races that would live on to found their own civilizations, including the Ohma. But the task of rebuilding certainly wasn't easy...
At the onset of the cataclysm Ohma was no more than a small frontier village on the eastern continent, while the Empire of Vei'Datha commanded massive armies, fielded even larger bureaucracies, and managed a web of legal systems enshrined in centuries of apathy. This suited the Arch-Empress of the Tzahualtzhetl, but when the very ground gave beneath her, no mortal subject could save her from the world's retribution. Tidal waves from the western continent crashed onto the shores of Vei'Datha, carrying with them the dying survivors of a once flourishing people. As floods and disease ravaged the overpopulated countryside, feudal lords turned upon one another – for none would admit his role in their karmic fortunes.
After years of infighting, a dark tide rose again: this time it was wild, shameless undead that descended upon the living. The warring nation-states of Vei'Datha failed to contain the epidemic, but eventually the wise leadership, time-tested traditions, and uncompromising sacrifices of the Ohmani people ensured their continual survival... even after the fall of every other civilization on the continent. Infamously, the fledgling city-state harbored exiled Necromancers from Al'Maqadim, incorporated their black magicks into their fighting forces, and ultimately resolved that no living army will truly overcome the wild dead.
Today, Ohmani society is divided between Residents (mostly new refugees/survivors from nearby territories), Citizens (mid-to-high class families holding all political power), and Denizens (controlled undead comprising the military and labor force). Though Citizens observe only the One Law, Residents and Denizens are bound by thousands of other statutes, some legal, others magical. The corpses of the dead have long lost their sanctity, and so it is expected that Residents and Citizens will donate their body for reanimation upon their death. Citizens are usually granted some degree of sentience in their undeath (in proportion to their honour in life), and allowed to serve their remaining family in whatever capacity they are able. Neither Residents nor Denizens may own land, vote on or create new laws, or exercise justice outside of a Citizen's court. The zombie apocalypse is still ongoing, but with their own undead armies, the Ohmani people are slowly clearing out livable spaces.
Newcomers to Ohma will often wonder: how does one rule without the rule of law? Important to note is that while explicit laws for citizens are lacking, Ohmanis still observe customs and practices more seriously than some rulers observe their own laws. Traditionally, new acts, judgements, and decisions are reached by consensus of all adult Citizens, with two or more elected Consuls moderating the discussion. In times of crisis, a Dictator will be chosen whose Word is Law (for Residents and Denizens). It is an unenviable position, however, since many Dictators over the centuries have paid the ultimate price for their people, by their people.
Senators and Masters of Phylacteries also hold powerful positions in Ohmani society, although they are expected to make personal sacrifices to counterbalance their control of decision-making and manpower. Entertainers of various stripes are well regarded and hold a subtler influence, while class-conflicts and power disparities fuel a thriving underworld. The mass exodus from the continent hundreds of years ago led to a diaspora that still continues to this day. Though many of these travellers now identify as Ohmani, they are diverse, culturally independent, and often oppressed in their own lands, where they are called derogatory names like "Rypsy" or worse...
About 20 years ago the Great Avatar, Wryllen, bloomed for the first time since the cataclysm. As the Northern Passages opened, the world awoke from the nightmare of the dark ages. Trade was established, and with it an exchange of knowledge never before experienced outside the ivory towers of Al'Maqadim. Kingdoms the world over learned of the existence of Ohma, as well as of Avatars like Wryllen or those in the bloodline of House Svato, and many resolved to destroy what they saw as a blight on this new age. It is to their own defense, and the defense of other innocents awakening on their continent and beyond, to which the Ohmani people now rise.