The Salijis were a people who lived on the Luxiterra coast, roundwards of the Sijis and Barits around the fertile mouth of the Badir River, but counterroundwards of the peninsula on which modern Destrapraj is located. The land here was not as fertile as the mouth of the Badir, nor as optimal trading location as Destrapraj, so the Salijis were less populous than the people of neighbouring regions, and largely survived off the fruits of the sea. The shallow coastal waters off of this land are rich in fish, coral and other such bounties. The Salijis were also known to partake in raids against the Ahquus, as well as fighting against but not being conquered by the Siquur Kings. The Salijh dialect is a form of Baritani, heavily accented but mutually intelligible, and several sea gods were worshipped here that later became part of the Gods of the Slaves pantheon.
With Sijivikh brought into imperial fold, and Destrapraj operating as a trading port for over a century before, it is to little surprise that the Salijis would soon be conquered by the Magnapuri. Following her less than effective attempts at peaceful integration in Sijivh, Magna the Bloody set out to conquer the Salijis by force from the beginning. In 637 YM, she unleashed her newly bred shock troop of ogres upon the region, to devastating effect. Over a third of the native population was wiped out in the ensuing bloodbath, with the Magnapuri Empire introducing their own slaves to replace those who had been exterminated. It was not quite an unqualified success however, as control was lost over the ogres and many vanished Lightwards into the desert to make their own lives as nomads and bandits.
The newly conquered land was granted as a Thakurate to the Fleshweaver who had manufactured the ogre breeding programme (and who was later eaten alive by a group of ogre bandits having been captured on a diplomatic mission to Cintagar). The main export from these lands was plentiful salt, from the salt mines a little inland from the coast, in which the enslaved Salijis and imported slaves were put to work. The city of Salijh grew upon the main road that took the mined salt to the coast, a place for Magnapuri officials to collect their taxes and keep slaves away from the various port towns. This state of being stayed in place until the coming of the Pilgrim.
The Pilgrim is a mysterious figure, known to be a human man who spread the Bookburner faith to the region and founded the Ignic Theocracy. From legend, he witnessed the sinking of Magnapur, was converted to the Bookburner cause, and walked the whole thousand miles to Salijh on foot. This seems inaccurate considering the ocean between the two, so it seems more likely that he had a boat at least to cross the Strait of Magnapur, possibly landing in Silwa or further down the coast before progressing on foot. The Pilgrim was also a Masculist, suggesting he had been indoctrinated by Grandfather Rust or one of his disciples, but most of those were based darkwards of Magnapur, in the hills and mountains away from where the Pilgrim arose. The tale continues that he went through many settlements along the way, trying to spread the good word, but was quickly shuffled along by authorities, his words unheeded by the local populations.
By 1015 YM, he had arrived in Salijh, and at last found an eager population for his gospel to spread. The slaves were ill treated, and work in the salt mines was tough and dangerous, and revolution only took a single spark. The Pilgrim led a major uprising before the year was out, taking the city and Thakurate, and burning the Thakur at the stake. The Pilgrim was named the first Ignitor Primus of Salijh, and around him a new clergy came into being, naming him the ruler of the new Masculist Ignic Theocracy.
The Ignic Theocracy flourished as a centre of anti Imperial sentiment in Luxiterra. The salt mines to the lightward were swiftly liberated, alongside the port city of Carabai, and religious influence on Destrapraj caused it to undergo its own revolution. However, progress was short lived, as the Red Magnus of the Magnacy of Tombranajar invaded and seized Carabai and Destrapraj for several years, until both once more revolted after the Red Magnus' failed invasions of Cunabulum. Since then, the theocracy has fought against or supported the foes of Tombranajar a number of times, significantly reducing the amount of land ruled by the Magnacy.
Loyalty to the theocracy from these new states was largely spiritual rather than temporal as at had been before, with the death of the Pilgrim leading the theocracy to a less outwardly aggressive position on the world stage. Destrapraj acted as its own merchant republic in the style of the nascent Palaan League, while Carabai descended into Oligarchy based around who controlled the most salt mines and shipping routes. Ujavangar and Gilij both also came to pay religious fealty to Salijh, and in more recent years the Sijivhic Republic, Vejnan Revolt and Jifaan Revolt look to the theocracy for legitimacy. It has been rumoured that the latest Ignitor Primus, a halfling who has taken the name Kindling was directly involved in sparking the latter two revolts at least.
In the present day, though its lands are poor, the Ignic Theocracy holds significant influence over the surrounding Bookburner states. It seems that Kindling has taken an interest in overthrowing the surviving slaving states of the region, and he has had much initial success. It may come to pass that Masculism ends up entrenched in much of Luxiterra, all paying spiritual homage to the Ignitor Primus of Salijh.