The Octarchy were the eight great empires which dominated the world during the Third Age. The Empires all had similar origins, governments, and fates.
Each empire was founded by an ancient Beldkind tribe shortly after the Fall of the Kingdom of Mankind and Great Flood. In each city, a member of Beldkind struct a pact with a El-Nayar who granted them immense power in exchange for service and worship. All eight cities were ruled through a theocratic monarchical government, headed by a divine lineage which traced ancestry back to one of the original eight rulers. The magics pioneered by these eight cities would become the forerunners of the modern eight schools of magic.