End of Empires - N3S III

[Luckymoose]

Guess Kintyra has to be decapitated.

The Goddess had mercy on the High Ward. His slanderous lies against Her were met with burning, not drawing. She is passionate.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Guess Kintyra has to be decapitated.

We've now entered a strange period in history when Seshite legal codes are harsher than Satar ones.

That does strike me as odd. Honestly, I'm not entirely happy with Masada altering what is no longer his nation. This seems far more brutal than I'd pictured.

 

[Tsoate]

Mainland coast opposite is still free. There's also probably room for two cultures on that island (assuming it's an island).

So in case anyone else wants to join in the confusion, I will be submitting a nation on the coast just where the black blob is (mainland)

 

[erez87]

Is there any sort of large physical geographical mark that my people can see (like a single mountain in the forest etc... a nearby, but unreachable island) or just trees and water basically?

 

[North King]

Is there any sort of large physical geographical mark that my people can see (like a single mountain in the forest etc... a nearby, but unreachable island) or just trees and water basically?

There are some hills nearby -- feel free to improvise (within reason).

 

[erez87]

Toha
Starting Location: Most southern jungle land
Society: The Toha is a culture fractured into several tribal communities. The ideal of equality is embedded hard into the entire culture, where men and women are considered equal in everything and sharing of resources inside your tribe is considered an obligatory behavior. The close family is the basic working part of a tribe, and the tribe as a whole makes decisions.
Lineage: Descent is traced through both the maternal and paternal lines, but mostly your lineage is decided by the tribe you belong to, marked into your skin at the age you become an adult (14 for both sexes). The marks are shaped like the guardian animal of your tribe.
Values: Equality is the most valued trait of the Toha, but only inside your tribe. After equality the ideal of sharing with your people what you have is a very important way of increasing ones prestige among his tribe. Following the spiritual ways of the Toha is highly important, keeping in tune with the forests and honoring all non-human life. Remaining within your tribe is a must, and leaving or joining with a person of another tribe is usually a reason for expulsion for both parties. Such occurrences are very rare, and if ever successful tend to be the creation of a new tribe.
Religion(s): The Toha are basically animist, believing different spirits posses the different things in the world - from trees and people to your footwear and arrows. The Toha constantly honor the spirits with special ritual prayers to appease them, for example one will speak the ritual of each and every one of his arrows before every shot, to make sure the spirit of the arrow will aim well. This creates the animism into an extremely complex religion filled with ritualistic texts for every little thing. This ritualism translates into the only written code the Toha posses that seem impractical for communication.
Language(s): The Toha language, the only thing that really connects the different tribes other then sharing and equality of the people, is simplistic and quick with short vowels and very simple consonants. The number of spoken words that are related to communication is surprisingly short, covering mostly the three basics of all animals - sex, food and danger, with very little complexity above that. The main spoken language is the religious one, complex and mostly tough to communicate with, it is used almost purely for rituals - it is also written in special runic signs, with thousands of runes existing for nearly each and every existing thing. Even simple ritual texts can be written in dozens of different ways, and usually the people write their own ritual texts and normally one can only understand his own, or his parents texts. With a lack of a spoken language among the people, there is a certain dualistic form of communication between hand and body marks and whistles or other sounds that is used for more complex communication. With life in the forest, usually surrounded by a vast number of trees, talking has become basically pointless and the whistles and growls etc are used for the more complex plans and discussions from a far while hand language is used for close communication. The hand language is rather evolved with different marks for the more used consonants and vowels, allowing for easy and somewhat quick communication.
Mythos: The Toha believes that the different groups of people across their world have come from the animal and vegetation around them. The spirits of such origin animal are usually held in extremely high regard in its tribe. For example, that Taki tribe is considered to have come from a very poisonous but small spider that live in the forests, and they tend to use that spider's venom against their enemies.
Economic Base: While most tribes have remained hunter-gatherers for the most part (explaining the equality of the sexes) some tribes have come upon the invention f agriculture whether if it was by themselves or by copying others. Such agricultural tribes have by now cut parts of the forests, but they tend to continue to move from one place to another, allowing the forest to grow again in used places, thought as these tribes populations grow further, the safe time for the forest is growing ever shorter, hurting the hunter-gatherer communities. Trade between tribes is mostly minimal, usually only increasing between the agricultural tribes as they trade for food and other basic goods.
Nation Names: Chaho (red big fish of the northern coast), Takekel (a tree climbing large primate with long tail, some may say it is the largest animal on the island), Futnut (a small bat) - these are all agricultural tribes, that have slowly turned into a more sedentary life style and become very proto nations.
Person Names: Take, Toho, Agen, Mik, Pitepo, Peterpoter, Sahun, Karmal (these are usually ritualistic names, and are very repetitive among the tribes, actual names are usually whistles and actually most are hand marks. Ritual names are used in rituals and basic diplomacy.
Place Names: Extreme animist faith causes the Toha to not actually name places, as each tree and rock is specially and ritualistically named and such names vary among the tribes and even inside them. Few recurrent names are Ch (the sound) - the name of the northern sea in almost all the tribes that are aware of its existence.

The lack of a coherent spoken language is slowing down the development of the larger agricultural proto-nations, and the problem has been noticed by some very wise philosophical Toha, but the problem has not been dealt with because of how developed the hand marks language has already become. In fact that language has spread even between the tribes to the point they can easily communicate, but it does take plenty of time and even more then that – the hand signs language has influenced deeply the written ritual texts as the body movements denoting vowels and consonants have been copied onto paper for easier reading among tribal members. The Toha are mostly laid back and relaxes people, slowly passing ideas from one to another when they are not busy hunting/farming or warring with other tribes for lands. The equality and sharing makes the Toha especially civil towards each other, as stories, songs and rituals are passed among the people that are a part of a single tribe. The sedentary proto-nations also have begun to accept each other as well, recognizing each other as human spirits (albeit still with the influence of the animal spirit they came from) and the ideal of a human spirit is quickly spreading among the sedentary tribes (allowing connections between different tribes to take place, against the ancient value of no mingling).

The jungles they live in are humid and very rainy all year long, allowing for a rich land that easily supports the tribes. In fact the main business they deal with is protecting themselves from the rain, building basic huts and tents, and in the more developed sedentary, wooden strong structures. There are no brickworks and no metallurgy to speak of, as tools as usually made from the hardest wood found, or from rare hard volcanic rock. Shipping is just basic tiny wooden and tied large leaves boats for fishing. The largest structures are a certain type of community halls in the largest sedentary communities, where the entire tribe meets together for political planning. Basic shrines to honor your animal origin are seen as well, made out of wood, but these are very rare and again only among the sedentary tribes.

OOC: I just kind of wanted a large mountain to have another key location named, but I guess a single one is Ok

What sort of larger animals do exist in the jungle?

And yeah I'm aware - but they are nothing like those tree huggers I attempted earlier. Those were nuts , the basic plan is the meeting with outsiders will force the Toha into a rush to become civilized in order to match the outsiders. Which will probably cause wars among the tribes for unification of the island.

 

[Tsoate]

Damn, I feel like I have to write as much now!

 

[erez87]

Damn, I feel like I have to write as much now!

Nah. That isn't much + it is somewhat quirky

 

[Masada]

'Twas a joke. Though I don't think the Romans or Jews executed for theft, which is a big one on there. And of course zeal of enforcement matters.

The Victorians did

More seriously, most of those laws - barring obvious ones like murder, treason and worship of the Horse God - aren't enforced all that zealously. For example to run afoul of the blasphemy provisions, you would need to be really obnoxious about it but not so obnoxious that the judges might just write you off as mentally ill.

Is the term ascendants used here to differentiate them from capital A Ancestors?

Yes.

Also, prophesying refers to divination?

More or less. Although, Seshweay make a clear distinction between Goddess-given-power and other power.

Out of curiosity, in crimes like adultery, do you see the two genders as getting the same treatment, or nominally the same but in fact quite different, or just different?

The same. Keeping in mind that actual execution for adultery is comparatively rare. There usually has to be extenuating circumstances such as disturbing the public peace.

Really Seshweay on the whole tend to be fairly indifferent to gender.

That's Seshite religious law?

That's the law of the Republic and of the Goddess. There's no distinction. It's also been incorporated into the laws of the Dual Empire.

Exile from a Faeoria and the ensuing ostracization could be seen as a massively cruel punishment, and effectively a death sentence.

At least we're honest in our killing.

Honestly, I'm not entirely happy with Masada altering what is no longer his nation. This seems far more brutal than I'd pictured.

Not really. I've written a story about a judge executing someone for worshiping the Horse God. He was hung, with no drop. Dude was left kicking for a half an hour or so. I've also written another legal tract ages ago which was even harsher.

 

[North King]

I dunno, the code extends a little further (in terms of crimes covered by the death penalty ) than I expected, but the "harshness" of it seems quite in keeping with your standard ancient civilization.

 

[Masada]

Maimonides mang.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

I could see that certain religious laws would be applied more harshly against worshippers of Taleldil, than any other given faith.

 

[Masada]

There's nothing in there that prohibits the worship of another religion except Horse-worship.

Besides, most of the blasphemy laws are leveled squarely at other believers.

 

[North King]

Stats are up. Let me know about any problems.

 

[TheMeanestGuest]

In Saffron House​

He looked upon the city from the rise, and already he misliked it. An orderless sprawl of brown and yellow brick on the edge of the sea, growing slowly inland. A miasma seemed to hang over it on that hot, still day, as the air buzzed with the sound of cicadas. Kephon, second only to Epichirisi in the quantity of its people, but far from second greatest in any measure of quality. Once a proud republic, it had been seized by the armies of the Imperial Throne, its independent spirit crushed beneath the heel of Imperial ambition. But that had been long ago. Now the Spicers ruled there. The harbour had shrunk, for fewer came to call there than once had, and it was now half ruinous. What remained sat beneath the brooding mound of Saffron House, which seemed graceless to his eye, and but the tallest pile of bricks among many. The few ships that he could see all bore the orange sails of the Order of Honourable Spicers. The city had grown inland, as if willing itself to forget the sea.

His father had sent him to this place, and he hated him for it. "The Spicers suffer great injury for our Republic. And so I must do what I might to satisfy them. You shall go to them, and you shall complete your initiation among them. I am your father, and I would see you follow me. But I am Exarchai, and I must preserve the peace. A father's love cannot interfere with this duty. You must understand my position, Tythas." his father had said. He did not understand, he had said. He did not understand why he must leave. Why he could not swear his oath clad in red beneath the Flame, as Kalle would. He had yelled at his father, then. He balled his fists, and swore at him, and called him a liar. He'd driven mother into her grave just so, he said. Tythas stood then, breathing heavily, for he had no words left. His father looked upon him, and Tythas was prepared for the blow. But it did not fall. For a moment, his father seemed older than he was, and he spoke one final time: "Brother Montros waits below. Leave now, Tythas, and return to me a man, not a petulant child." His father turned, and was gone. He stood there for a long moment, shame and rage warring within him, and then he too turned and left.

They were on the road down to the city now. Montros led, the old veteran's red cloak hanging close, sweat dripping from his brow onto the uneven cobbles. They passed a mule-cart laden down with onions. He missed Kalle. She and her mother had lived in his house as long as he could remember. She was his Sister, and by his father's marriage, his sister. He missed her more than a Brother should miss a Sister, or a brother his sister, for that matter. In the past year she had grown distant, even as he had wanted her to be near, and he had become afraid they were not as close as they had been. But then she would speak to him, and favour him with her smile, and his heart would race. No. It was good that he had been sent away. He should not feel as he did. But he could not forgive his father.

The Spicers were building a wall faced in yellow brick, attempting to encircle the city - to impose some sort of order on Kephon. Though the capital had no wall to speak of either, he knew this was not a great one. Five meters tall at most, where it was complete, and the rest going up slowly by the looks of it. There were more and more people on the road as they approached the site of the gate. Men with spears, wearing white linen artekon - orange crocuses stitched on the breast - watched over the milling throng. It seemed to Tythas that an impromptu market had sprung up at the gate, and he could not help but stare at the people. Louder than Epicharitans, their clothes brighter, their manner less formal. They passed through, and entered the city. His nose was assailed by a powerful stink, and nausea rose within him. Montros saw the look on his face and laughed, throwing him a small pouch. "Mint. You'll get used to the city's smell soon enough, though. Well, or you won't." Montros laughed again, and Tythas held the pouch before his face. "Stick close now. Streets narrow up real quick." Montros said. Tythas did, and they did. Montros shoved his way through the press, hand never far from his blade. Tythas had a hard time catching any part of the conversations that floated around him, and it wasn't just the noise; he knew the people were speaking Opulensi, but the words sounded different, and together they seemed a meaningless babble to his ears. They walked as fast as they might, the bulk of Saffron House growing as they neared it. He could see its battlements now, and its towers. It was the palace of the old Imperial governor, he knew. But the Spicers had fortified it during the war, bricked it over and walled it up. Finally, after ten turns, and ten again, the street opened, and they stood upon a wide square. A sad looking banyan tree sat at its centre, and none now stood beneath it. In fact, the square was nearly empty, the crowds of the tangled streets suddenly vanished. Saffron House was before them, and they made for its gate.

"Well, boy. We're here. Not that I envy you your destination. Now lets see about getting you settled." Montros said. Tythas felt a hesitation growing within him, one he had not felt before. He had felt anger at the injustice of his situation, he had felt powerless before the decree of his father, but never hesitant. He bit his lip as he looked up at Saffron House.

"Will you be staying, Montros?" he asked, quietly.

Montros stopped, and simply looked at him for a moment, a curious expression on his face. "For a time. Your father said to keep you safe, so I'll make sure you are. Don't worry yourself, boy. I'm not going to break a promise to your father." he said. Tythas nodded, and they passed through the gate. The men guarding it said nothing, and hardly looked at them. Maybe they'd been told to expect them. He knew the Spicers were rich, and beyond the low outer wall he began to see the proof. Well-tended gardens, paths wandering between clutches of shade trees. Pools stocked with sparkling fish, and even a marble fountain, a bronze of an armoured man upon a horse at its centre, water flowing out from the pedestal beneath its hooves. They stepped inside, and then he knew how rich the Spicers really were. It was beyond his father's house, even beyond the Palace of the Chamber. The exterior belied their wealth, and perhaps this was intentional. Every wall marbled, every floor. Rich silk hangings, bronze fixtures, colourful mosaics and bright ornament, and everywhere the orange crocus. Even Montros, who had seen everything to hear him tell it, had a slack-jawed look of awe slapped across his face, though he hid it quickly. A man in fine yellow cotton approached them, the mark of an obligate on his hand.

"Brother Montros, Initiate Tythas. Lady Eres is expecting you. Come with me." the obligate walked off at a brisk pace, and they hurried to follow him.

"Lady Eres?" Montros asked as they caught up, derision evident in his tone.

"Apologies, Brother Superior. Prelate Eres, of course." he said. Montros only grunted in response. They walked down more long marble halls, and up wide stairways, the obligate commenting on this or that piece on the wall or in its niche. The decadence seemed unbecoming for an Order of the Daharai, but Tythas knew well the reputation of the Spicers, and he hardly listened, for the reality of his position had finally sunk in. Somehow it hadn't seemed real to him, before. Then they were outside again, in another garden, but this one looking out over the city from its perch atop Saffron House. A woman was there, sat upon a red pillow, two more empty beside her. A clutch of obligates attended her, carrying trays of food and drink. It seemed that she meditated, but a smile blossomed on her face as they stepped through the archway. She was beautiful. Her hair long, black and flowing, her skin milky pale. She was not young, but neither was she old, and somehow it seemed there was an air of expectation - of authority - about her. She wore a gown of green silk, and it clung to her. It was not revealing, and yet it left little to his imagination. The first obligate shuffled over and whispered in her ear. She opened her eyes, and they were a deep and piercing blue. Her smile never faltered, and its warmth reached her eyes. There was something peculiar in the way she looked at him, and he could not place it. But then she spoke, and the thought flew from his mind at the touch of her voice.

"Ah, Tythas. I am Eres, Prelate of Kephon, and Sister of the Most Honourable Spicers. It will be my pleasure to see to your education. You have questions, but let them lie, and come sit here with me - the both of you - and be welcome in Saffron House."

 

[Thlayli]

From: Taexi-ta-Sartasion, Redeemer of the Karapeshai, High Prince of the Satar
To: Qasaarai, Prince of the Savirai

By the terms of the Peace of Edrim, the Savirai were expected to maintain peace with Gallasa. Perhaps you have forgotten, or perhaps you do not consider treaties binding, but your people agreed to it. Now, I understand your desire to burn the world for your goddess. The flame, be it used for good or for evil, has a purity to it. Making all men dust. I do not fault you. But the Maninists and their code have been useful to us. And they have called on us for aid.

So I must dispense justice. I dispense it with a heavy heart, not a light one. I am growing older, and soon it will be for younger men to lift the spear and cast it forth. But if you will not leave Gallasa and its people, I must honor the Concord of Sirasona. Now of course, you will come back telling me all these things that She will do to me. Yes, our gods fight in heaven as they do on earth. I will simply remind you of what happened to your father when he sought to oppose us.

Think carefully on my words. I do not wish to have to kill and die in your desert land, but I will if I am forced.

For you are not the only ones who know how to burn.

 

[Cannae]

White, Gold, and Light (Larak, Dhakla, ni Madla)​

Sitting on a chair and looking out to the distance I saw the starry night sky blanket the pastures. Just then I was also given a light kisses by the cool nighttime breezes that were frequent during this time of year. I hadn't been this relaxed in years.

But alas, that all ended when a random courier came running to me and shouted, “Marru, I have an important letter for you! The person who said it didn't seem to be too happy.”

Then I replied in a rather surprised but also annoyed tone of voice. "Woah, slow down there and relax! What's with the rush?"

The courier then kneeled down placing his hands on his knees and panting. He slouched his back and said gasping, "wait a moment, all of this running," and took another breath before continuing "has left me exhausted."

I replied, "alright, just take you're time." Then I mumbled to myself in a snide tone of voice, "after all I only have to manage the properties of hundreds of farmers." Several moments passed and he still was trying to regain energy. I then asked him,

"So who's this letter even from?" He then took the letter outside of his pouch and handed it over to me. I looked at the letter and could tell who had written it from the get go.

I began to sweat and then opened the letter with my hands shaking. It said the following, "Marru, we have much to discuss. Come see me immediately."

I then looked at the courier and told him, "don't you have better things to do now? Now run along now!" He didn't move and he laughed before saying, "don't you know who I am?"

"Oh yeah, considering you're wearing a turban covering your entire face, it wasn't difficult at all to figure out your identity." I said sarcastically and then I looked upwards and placed my fingers on my chin. Stroking it as if I had a beard. But then after thinking to myself I said very quietly, "although the voice sounds eerily familiar."

Turning my head back to the courier, I suddenly jumped out of freight. The courier just so happened to also be the Jagaraka (King). He started to laugh so hysterically, that tears were coming out of his eyes. He said, "you should have seen the look on your face once you saw who I really was! It was really priceless!"

"Wow, well what else do you consider to be priceless?" I replied sarcastically. Then he said, "well where do I begin." He thought for a few moments before saying, "well actually everything is priceless. Except for my sanity, which I sold a long time ago."

"No way! That's really surprising considering the way you behave," I replied and then asked, "So then Jagaraka, what brought you here? Why go through all of this trouble to find me?"

He then said, "ah yes, this is why I like you so much Marru. You're always a dedicated worker and take everything you do very seriously. But now let's get on with business shall we?"

I thought to myself, "finally, it's about time!"

"The reason I'm here is," he said while bending over and then searched through his bad before shouting, "ah hah! this!" He held up a small piece of cotton.

I only said, "oh what about it?"

"Well the thing is, that normally I'd just have you killed on spot for not obeying my wishes. However, since you've perhaps got a better understanding of economics than any other Rihnit and since this plant, which is so, so white and fluffy has proven to be more valuable than gold, I'll let you go. There is one thing you need to know Marru.

"What's that Jagaraka?"

"If anything bad happens as a result of this cotton farming then you will be the one I'll hold responsible. Got it?"

Without any hesitation I nodded and said, "yes I understand."

"Oh yeah, I forgot one other thing! I'll need to borrow a horse. Running here has really taken a toll on my knees," he said.

"Of course, pick whatever horse you like!"

With that the Jagaraka went off into the distance, just as abruptly as he had arrived to my house.

 

[Hightower]

Stats are up. Let me know about any problems.

Not a big deal as they're such bit players (and unlikely to be appealing as PCs), but Firotl and Tempe don't have stats.

 

[North King]

I was hoping no one would notice.

 

[Hightower]

I was hoping no one would notice.

Hehe. What's up with them, anyway? Just more organized tribes?