Flag WIP [b][h2][center][color=darkcyan]Marcher Empire of Usoma[/color][/center][/h2][/b] [b][center][color=darkcyan]Martial Authoritarian Dictatorship[/color][/center][/b] [b][color=darkcyan]Head of Government =-=Kedican Whilstov=-=[/color][/b] [hider=Leader Info]-Neusian -Grand Overseer of Usoma -Kedican is the 4th Grand Overseer of Usoma, nicknamed The Ready for recent handlings of food shortages across the country. His wealth, prestige, and young age has made him considered a successful ruler so far, and he often keeps a small retinue of personal servants, advisers, and councillors in his care. His great modiviation is to grow Usoma into a truly modernized country, one in which will one day surpass its neighbors and become a power on the world stage, an ambition which is only stopped by the concerns of the Wrad, Tribals, and new social factions which have propped up.[/hider] [color=darkcyan][b]Economy[/b][/color] [hider=Economic Info] [Hider=Imports] Oil Spices Wood Weapons Winter Vehicles Peat Beer Bronze Insulation Materials Education Materials [/hider] [hider=Exports] Ivory Fur Iron Stone Winter Cloths Winter Supplies Coal Ship Supplies Magic Foci [/hider] [color=darkcyan]Northern Industries[/color] Usoma is home to a number of native industries, most of them expanded and exploited from Kevian, Okan, and Tusab economies. While fishing and whaling is the more traditional industries, Neusian cities provide almost everything else, having large factories and workshop districts which help Usoman life continue. Normally, these facotries are built together, so a factory which may produce tools may also be close to a factory which processes sheet metal. Usomans hold high value to recycling and replaceable parts, and the trade goods they produce often reflect this. Usomans tend to produce an abundance of ship supplies. Interestingly, one of the more successful industries in Usoma is controlled primarily by Usoman Wrad, who fund their tireless research by creating and selling magical foci on markets. [color=darkcyan]Dependence Taxation[/color] There really isn’t a obvious currency in Usoma, with most cities and towns having their own currency system. Instead, the universally accepted currency are ‘dependence tokens’. These tokens are spent on food and the ability to shelter within the cities, and if someone runs out or is unable to pay, they are likely to be thrown out. The government at the end of every year produces more tokens and distributes it amongst the people in the city, and bring a couple tokens back every half year as proof of work ethics and dedication. Ever since being introduced back into the world, dependence tokens are often used as barter, even though most Usoman merchants keep bags of other currency for trade since it's more likely most foreign merchants do not look favorably on the metal tokens. [color=darkcyan]Usoman Trade[/color] Usomans did not have a real means of interacting with the outside world only until recently, and most of the cities of Usoma were built over the only civilizations who would trade with them. Trade is often only conducted within the ports, within trader enclaves which allows foreigners to stay but are often on the short end of supplies. Most Usoman traders are encouraged to stay and trade within Usoma, with overseers fearful that they will leave for foreign shores and never return. Usomans are normally gullible with trade, and tend to do poorly with most transactions due to their culture and history. Trade often is very simplistic between Usoman cities, trading one train of supply at face value for another for the needs of survival or for comfort. While most trade goods are legal, addictive drugs are brutally cracked down upon by the Militia. [/hider] [color=darkcyan][b]Unique Technologies[/b][/color] [hider=Unique Tech] [color=darkcyan]Wightpower/WP-33[/color] The Wrad control the monopoly that is Wightpower, a form of enhanced coal with very strong, and extremely deadly, magical properties which glows with a pale blue light when burned. WP-33 is used in many more advanced materials and in some weapons. The magical coal is slow burning, and when touched or interacted with, it can swiftly and suddenly freeze, poison, and necrotize living flesh which is why only the Wrad handle it. When used as fuel in engines, they can create powerful freezing auras which bite through even winter cloths, or if handled correctly, can be used as strong fuel which can last for hundreds of years. The process of making WP-33 is mysterious but also dreadfully slow, and often requires loads of coal to make a single piece. [/hider] [color=darkcyan][b]Primary Species[/b][/color] [color=darkcyan]Kevian (Human)[/color] -Kevians are a pale skinned people which dwell as a native human culture which is dominant in the north. Kevians, due to having lived in the harsh lands which is Usoma for so long, have adopted a very basic and tribalistic lifestyle dedicated to survival in the cold wastes. However, intergration policies have essentially made them a second class people despite being a very heavy majority, but are above the role of slave. Kevians hold no love or affinity for the Neusians, whom they view as cruel, weak, and decadent with their coal engine cities and walled settlements. Kevian is a divided culture, with hundreds if not thousands of sub cultures based around smaller tribal groupings. [color=darkcyan]Neusian (Human)[/color] -Neusians are the face of Usoma despite having the smallest percentage of the population, which dwell primarily in cities. Being white, but not as pale as Kevians, they are a people dedicated to living and profiting from their northern burrows. Neusians are deeply connected to Usoma but do not consider themselves a happy or superior people. Most Neusians are very authoritarian minded due to their nation’s history of dedication through organization, and due to their mistreatment of most non-Neusians who dwell in their society. Neusians themselves value both survival and organization, and most are culturally are very experienced engineers. [color=darkcyan][b]Population[/b][/color] -35 Million -Kevian (63%) -Okan (9%) -Wildar (9%) -Tusab (8%) -Wrad (6%) -Neusian (5%) [hider=Other Populations] [color=darkcyan]Okan (Beastfolk)[/color] -Okan are a small peoples, only about 3’5 feet tall at best, and have a strong resemblance to sea otters in both appearance and in phycology. Okan have thick fur and can swim with gliding motion in the open water, and are thus very much a coastal people. Okan are emotionally very playful, curious, and have very pacifist in their beliefs. Okan are culturally very familial and were the most advanced society in what is now Usoma, their destroyed cities were made the bedrock of current Usoma cities. Most Okan are now mostly slaves or servants, used mostly as fishers which feed the cities themselves. [color=darkcyan]Wildar (Beastfolk)[/color] -Wildar are large creatures, around 7’5 feet tall on average, resembling a cross between wolverines and bears. Wildar are thick furred and are nearly immune from most arctic conditions, and are immensely strong, known to hunt large predators or food and furs regularly. Wildar are by their own nature immensely pious, deeply distrustful, and are arch enemies of most races in the Usoma. Culturally, Wildar are nomadic, their tribes mostly travel between groves and are more likely to fight amongst themselves unless a common threat destroys a tribe or threatens their balance. Usoma often raids the tribes for slave labor, mostly used for construction or heavy labor. [color=darkcyan]Tusab (Beastfolk)[/color] -The Tusab are the most humanoid of the Usoma Beastfolk, but not by much comparison. They resemble Walruses with humanoid features, having legs and arms which are proportionate to their already very heavy bodies. Tusab have large tusks, and much of their body is made of flubber which keeps them well conditioned for their arctic home. Tusab are culturally a martial tribal society, with mostly coastal settlements which they hunt penguin, seal, and whales. Tusab are very closely related in culture to the Kevians, their people however are much less reliant on warm cloths and the Tusab are far more likely to raid and challenge their ancient enemy, the Wildar, in raids. Tusab however have a fatal condition in which when one of their peoples become overly stressed or is put into a heated room, they are likely to overheat and swiftly die. Due to this condition, Usoma is authorities are more likely to hire out Tusab tribes as whalers, unless technology or magic allows them to get around their fatal condition, then otherwise their fate is much more similar to that of the Wildar. [color=darkcyan]Wrad (Undead)[/color] -The Wrad are a mysterious and disturbing race of wraiths which specifically dwell in the middle country of Usoma, amongst many stone ruins and within small enclaves. Little is known of them except that their physical forms have long since perished, and only visible by black cloaks and silver armor which ‘bind them’ to the world. As Wraiths, Wrads are immensely gifted mages and even more experienced necromancers who ‘procreate’ by corrupting others. Those of the highest skills in their magic grow stag-like horns and become rulers amongst them. Wrad thrive off arctic temperature and rarely leave their undead homes. Culturally, Wrad often tend to live solitary lives through intense study, and live in a strange stuck loop which dwells between a medieval peoples to modern urbanites. Usoma employ many Wrad as mages for their gifted magic, as the Wrad have only ever been diplomatic with the Usoma government. [/hider] [color=darkcyan][b]Culture[/b][/color] [hider=Culture] [color=darkcyan]Appearance[/color] Usomans are in a constant winter wasteland, and are always at any time well clothed for such conditions. It isn’t abnormal for Usoman commoners to wear two sets of winter coats. Most Usoman dresses have lamp lights attached to them, making it easier for them to be spotted, which can be critical during a devastating snow storm. Usomans are not known to bathe well, nor shave, and tend to grow long and unkept beards and hair. Commonly, most Usomans are typically very fit, with very limited if eradicated signs of obesity. Due to how little most outsiders see in most Usoman dress and common wear, its considered both weird and a sign of wealth for a Usoman or outsider to go around their city in little more than common suits or comfortable clothing. [color=darkcyan]Craftsmanship[/color] Usoman cities are very tight nit, well insulated, and are made with very limited resources. Due to the climate they survive in, Usomans are near religious in their demands for organization, and will accept nothing less in both their building and craftsmanship. If a resource can be saved, then the Usomans will take it. Buildings tend to be made from a splash of different materials, with Kevian settlements often made from seal skin and whale bone, and more advanced Neusian cities made from local stone, wood, and metal. Usomans value neither quality nor quantity, but they do favor cheap and replaceable goods over ornate or half broken equipment. Rifles, tools, and artifacts made in Usoma tend to be of average quality and is made specifically to be resistant to arctic temperatures. [color=darkcyan]Traditions[/color] Usoman traditions is a blend of the Neusian and Kevian survival tactics which had helped both cultures survive. Usomans rarely if ever bury their dead, but still are uneasy with abandoning bodies. Usomans will instead use a old Okan burial system, often throwing the dead into the sea and letting thme sink to underwater graves, where their remains can be used as fish bait. Usomans do not marry as much as simply declare partnership, with any rituals revolving around love often being very limited. Usomans of Kevian descent tend to go on long hunting trips which can last years, which partially acts as spiritual journeys to explore their homeland. Most Beastfolk who live as slaves often lose their culture and are caught up in the general Usoman culture, but they hold more intricate, but yet still basic, traditions from their own people’s past. [color=darkcyan]Family[/color] Usoma is a cruel place, which can quickly kill if one isn’t careful. Due to high mortality rates regardless of growth or healthcare, Usoman family life is not one to be desired. Most are contained to small families, but concepts such as bloodlines is quickly lost, and is more based on simply who lives within the same apartment. Slaves, neighbors, and vagabonds living in the same space can be considered ‘family’, with a high emphasis on adoption. Usoman family units favor bright and best, and are very quick to abandon cripples, weak, and dumb. It isn’t uncommon for children, especially cripples or mentally challenged, to be simply thrown out of their homes. Ideas of kinship usually only survive in richer residences and amongst very familial Beastfolk communities. [color=darkcyan]Rights[/color] Usoma is a deeply authoritarian society, with rules and laws which directly influences most lives and commands them like pawns. The idea of ‘rights’ is a laughable notion, but it doesn’t mean Usomans do not look for it. With Usoma being a ordered society, there is a racial hierarchy with the Neusians solely at the top, and everyone else being little more than slaves. Usomans treat their women with equality, but there is limitations to certain fields for Woman, such as soldiering. Due to beliefs that complications with sex and pregnancy can greatly impact units abilities to fight, woman are normally barred from the army, but many serve in supportive roles. Homosexuals, atheists, and those of differing religions are tolerated but are discouraged from speaking publicly. Those who oppose the government are persecuted harshly. [color=darkcyan]Laws[/color] Laws in Usoma are protected by a group of local Militia, and each city has different militias, with different rules attached to them. While some practice due process to the letter, others are cruel and corrupt in policy. Most city centers have makeshift public halls which act as courtrooms in which defendants often have to defend themselves from the fury of the Militias, and if proven guilty, crimes can range from permanent enslavement to slow and torturous execution. There are two favored methods of execution, one in which victims are given only their undergarments and are tied to frozen posts outside the city; and another in which they are dunked into a waist high water pit with frozen temperatures. [color=darkcyan]Phycology[/color] Much like how Usoma is a cruel and brutal place to live, so are the Usomans a cruel and brutal peoples. Neusians and Kevians both consider themselves a superior peoples for having survived in the frozen hell, and are both proud (in very different ways) of the success of building civilization here. Usoma’s long history of defeating the non-human peoples has paved a way to a general belief of the inferiority of Beastfolk and Undead, a opinion shared by many Beastfolk slaves. Usomans are not however very proud that they feel very debased, feeling almost unbelonging to the world, and while there are lands clearly with warmer climates, they are far too attached to the nation they built. Many also are overly proud and stubborn, mostly brought on by propaganda. [color=darkcyan]Entertainment[/color] Believing themselves pragmatic, the Usoman culture is very reliant on pub life which revolves around cheap liquor. Pubs become centers of many forms of culture, being large and expansive structures dedicated to all avenues of entertainment. Brothels, pubs, theater, music centers, all is seen within Usoman tavern. The only thing not found in Usoman taverns is bloodsport, but fighting pits are especially prevalent amongst military camps. Most Usomans, if asked, tend to enjoy ranging out in the cold, hunting and sledding in the free cold air. [color=darkcyan]Education[/color] Education is a bit of a tricky issue which has its ups and downs, and is entirely dependent on the city. Most cities don’t have dedicated education centers, as most teaching is done between parent and child, or between master and apprentice. Since most children end up in their caretaker’s career, it's a issue which isn’t fully explored. However, the richer coastal cities do have universities and school systems, which specialize in engineering fields, military history, and political pragmatism. Educational elite however are very ill trusted by overseers, and normally it is teacher unions who end up forming powerful political factions which prop up issues. [color=darkcyan]Slavery[/color] Slavery was adopted very early in Usoman history as a means of dealing with the native Beastfolk. Most if not all non-humans within Usoman society are slaves, being branded on the cheek with the city’s symbol, given a rope loop as a collar with a metal tag for identification attached to it, and are housed in special enclaves or are chained to their work benches in order to do gruelling work hours. Personal servitude amongst slaves is preferable, but is extremely rare. Most slaves, depending on their race, are divided amongst different labors. Okan are used for fishing, farming, cooking, and mundane tasks. Wildar will be used in heavy construction and heavy labor, and are sometimes joined by Tusab if they somehow are bought and do not die within 24 hours due to heat stress. The only race not ‘truly’ enslaved are the Wrad, who are often given their own specialized enclaves to aid in unique technological research, and are more or less treated as allies by some cities. Individual ownership of slaves is very rare, often only reserved for the richest, and for merchants. Slaves are never sold, but they can be bought if there is another nation selling. [color=darkcyan]Food[/color] Arctic living doesn’t often do well to the most balanced diets, especially to those who do not have a great deal to go on. Most non-humans have very simple diets, often consisting of meat or fish, with some winter berries. Human cuisine is however at least cooked, often lacking in spices. As depressing as the food is, Usoman policy often demands quick and cheap meals, so most cuisine is often limited to soups. Only the very rich tend to buy outlandish food from other nations, and there is always a high demand for better food from the more richer cities. It is a stereotype that Usomans will cannibalize, a rumor which is very clearly false. [color=darkcyan]Transportation[/color] Cities do not have a means of transportations outside of walking and hiking, and in the honest truth often is that any form of transportation in Usoma is underdeveloped. Snow vehicles are at best used for military purposes, usually with reinforced snow treads with plow attachments. The fastest and most effective way to travel is either by skiing or by sledding from place to place. Several cities are connected by a cable system which allows quick transportation of goods and people, but most outline outposts and settlements can only be reached via long hikes. Banditry amongst these routes are very high, especially with threats from Wildar raiders who steal supplies and eat Usoman scouts. [color=darkcyan]Language[/color] Neusian language is a very odd mix of their old language with Kevian coastal languages, giving them a very gutteral speech. The main language is Neusian, but there is several ‘secret languages’ used by the rich, overseers, and military officers. The Wrad’s ancient and dead language is taught by local Neusian military officals and is used by their language corps for coded messages, since the Wrad language is by all means considered mostly dead and kept by the Wrad themselves. Beastfolk languages are often in the hundreds in terms of dialects, each Okan civilization having had their own language which is still practiced even to this day. [color=darkcyan]Pets and Companionship[/color] Pets are considered rather wasteful if they aren’t being used for a specific purpose. Cats and dogs are preferable pets for Usomans, with cats hunting rodents, and dogs being used for hunting. Usomans will not think twice with eating their pets in times of emergency, an unfortunate reality. Beastfolk, oddly enough, keep very specific pets pending on their race. Tusab will nearly always keep domesticated penguins and tamed polar bears, Okan tame sea otters and seals, and Wildar tend to herd wolverines. While slaves in Usoman cities are not allowed to keep pets, this rule is overlooked by fishing guilds who keep Okan, and tend to even supply Okan with sea otters and seals to train to help herd fish into their nets. [/hider] [color=darkcyan][b]The Shadowed Faith[/b][/color] [hider=Religion] [color=darkcyan]Religion[/color] The Shadowed Faith is a northern religion which descends either from the Wildar or Wrad, no one is truly sure, but nearly every pious man in the north knows and worships the pantheon of gods there. Usoma does not have a strong religious bias, and many overseers themselves and higher officials are cynical at best, and rabid atheists at worst, but many often see value of religion in their society and thus allow them credence. The faith is often considered incredibly occultish due to their often secretive and morbid rituals, and communion with outworldly forces. Very little is known about the faith, even to most of its practitioners, and there is certainly no sense of unity amongst its followers. [color=darkcyan]Gods[/color] There are three primary gods in the shadowed faith; Azan’ag, Ishala, and Zuuldrick. Azan’ag, the father of the gods, is depicted as a wraith itself which covers itself over the whole of the world, a god of peace, afterlife, death, finality, and magic. Ishala is the goddess of winter, healing, and is considered the mother of civilization and a caring god. Zuuldrick is a war god, often depicted as a monstrous sea crustacean, worshipped as a god of blood, destruction, reckoning, war, and justice. All three gods are never depicted as evil or having malus towards mortals, but the gods are often demanding and just. In spite of Azan’ag being the chief of the gods, most Usoman clergy favor Ishala and her schools of magic. [color=darkcyan]Beliefs[/color] The Shadowed faith is a form of religion which is very meditative on the philosophy and purpose of life, and many general beliefs resound in such ways. Shadow worshippers do not believe in persecution unless harm is directed towards them, but they are not outside of pacifist by any means. Shadow worshippers believe they are always being punished in a mortal way, and the only way to achieve peace is by following a path of honor, truth, and glory. Those who die are said to be taken by either of the gods and is often pending on their death. Azan’ag is said to visit those dying and brings them to the peaceful Beyond Lands, a place of sleeping souls who live beneath warm trees and the sun. Those taken by Ishala are said to see a bright light and had lived innocent lives, such as children and young soldiers, and are taken to her winter forest palace where they dwell with their families. However, those who had done wicked things or were direct worshippers of Zuuldrick are taken to his watery home beneath the abyss where they serve him in eternal fighting and dying. [color=darkcyan]Rituals[/color] Ceremonies are mostly rare for those who practice the shadowed faith, but rituals do exist. Services are often very personal, where the local shadow shaman will help with a birth and cover houses of newborn pious families with pine cones and ashes for protection against evil spirits. Warriors who wish the gods blessings also visit shadow shaman's for guidance and drugs to aid them if they are killed. Sacrifices are not openly practiced except by free Tusab clans who primarily worship the god Zuuldrick, sacrificing prisoners and slaves for his favor. When children grow into adulthood, it is expected of them to make a journey to the lair of a shadow shaman and receive the gods guidance along with advice from their blood ancestors. [color=darkcyan]Shadow Shamans[/color] Those who are gifted in magic become shadow shamans within the shadowed faith. Slave or free, peasant or noble, any who show signs of early magic give their children to shadow shaman's to train as new shadow shamans. Shadow shamans live in poverty and are reliant on the food and aid of others, but their services in both ceremony and magic is worth the effort. Despite being looked on as necromancers, most shadow shamans use differing forms of magic which ranges from hydromancery to the arcane, necromancery is more or less considered a known but ill used art. Shadow shamans who set off beyond communities to practice their arts become necromancers, and are considered more or less outcasts rather then heretics. [color=darkcyan]Liches[/color] The most powerful and skilled shadow shamans are called by their gods in dreams to make their journey into icy wastes on spiritual hikes. Those who return become Liches, ascending beyond death and becoming masters in the the arcane arts. Liches are not considered enemies as much as they are powerful beings who roam the land of Usoma and occasionally aid them, but their aid is often rare and reserved for the truly pious. Liches are however incredible masters of necromancery, and often hold themselves up in isolated ruins to continue their studies. Liches are regularly known to be both stupidly unhelpful or vague on most things, even with basic questions, and those seeking their immortal advice often leave far more confused than when they first asked. Horned Wrad are Liches by some extent, at least those who had retained their physical frozen bodies before having become wraiths. [color=darkcyan]Temples[/color] Most temples of shadow worshippers are homes to the shadow shamans, and act as burial grounds for them as well. Most temples are teepees in which lay the remains of shadow shamans who had served in the community, revolving around a fire. Those who enter are said to commune with the dead and receive their advice. More modern temples are more like shrines, dedicated to Ishala, are located in the Usoman cities which act as homes for their priesthood. [/hider] [color=darkcyan][b]Territories[/b][/color] Color: Dark Green https://imgur.com/Oy9nBM7 Capital City: Ugolanbrav Cities: Tenmarnan, Sigrad, Ghustbov, Okadius Tusab Major Tribes: Bloodtusk, Bloodaxe, Wrecktusk Major Wildar Tribes (Nomadic): Greycloak, Whitecloak, Blackcloak, Whitemane Major Wrad Settlements: Cirul’olfa, Taga’suga [color=darkcyan][b]Climate[/b][/color] Usoma is a arctic wasteland made up primarily of snow laden hills, several tall mountain ranges, and a vast expanse of snow, ice, and protective forest groves scattered throughout. Wind chill can easily go down to -40 degrees, making much of the land hardly hospitable, but certain mountain ranges and coastal areas block out this hellish weather, making life much more bearable. Much of Inner Usoma is utterly impossible to thrive in, even for hardened races immune to the brutal cold, some temperatures around the Wrad ruins can go far below negatives, and blizzards are a regular occurence. [color=darkcyan][b]Military[/b][/color] [hider=Military] [color=darkcyan]Recruitment[/color] Due to the extreme authoritarian mindset of Usoman government, finding recruits for her armies is a easy enough task. Most citizens who do not have jobs outright are drafted quickly, mostly coming from Kevian background. Officers gather armies in a almost medieval style, often going between outposts and city districts to collect conscripts and bring them to the barracks to organize into a effective unit. Only richer cities have more disciplined and permanent armies, and even then, most of those are made up of elite militias. It is expected on some level that all Usomans know how to use a gun and to survive in the cold arctic tundra, with yearly training sessions mandatory for all citizens since the age of 12. Only the elderly are truly exempt from military duties, and slaves, women, and even prisoners often used in support roles and camp duties. [color=darkcyan]Organization[/color] Usoma has a small population, and as such, the Usoman army is very small, disorganized, and is more adopt at facing far more passive threats then real armies. Having had no real threat besides themselves, the Usoman military core is made primarily of small elite units, and to conserve on ammunition, most units are more likely to be trained for accuracy. Usomans pride themselves on their elite winter units, and are commanded equally by proud officers, which is more of a curse then a boon. Usoman officers are well known to be cruel, ambitious, and stubborn. Usoman armies are divided amongst how many units a single city can field, not including local militias. In desperation, Usoman cities will hire out Beastfolk mercenaries, medieval troops who rely on tribal tactics. [color=darkcyan]Infantry[/color] [hider=Infantry] [color=darkcyan]Usoman Marines[/color] The most basic infantry supplied by Usoman armies are the Usoman Marines, which are armed with rifles and brown overcoats. Marines are trained alongside White Guard as support units, and are supplied more or less for holding defensive positions. Usoman Marines are armed typically with large knives, used officially for hunting and chopping up meat on the move, and unofficially used for close quarters combat. [color=darkcyan]Usoman White Guard[/color] The White Guard is the elite forces of Usoma, keeping their barracks within the richer cities. White Guard are granted white coats to camouflage into the arctic tundra, and are granted long range rifles and are trained for sniping and ambushing. Most White Guard units are armed with skis, along with having a usually a number of explosives and tools on their person. White Guard are used primarily for assaults and quick skirmishes on the open arctic snowy hills. [color=darkcyan]Usoman Grey Cloaks[/color] Grey Cloaks are a secondary elite force used primarily for defense, identified by their long grey cloaks and iron armor. Grey Cloaks carry machines guns and handle most heavy equipment, Grey Cloaks belong to a special caste of scouts and marines who primarily handle Wildar, both in terms of bounties and capture. Due to their dangerous profession, most Grey Cloaks are allowed higher access to more advanced equipment, and it isn’t uncommon for overseers to grant them anti-tank rifles to help in their hunts. [color=darkcyan]Wrad Black Guard[/color] More like allied mercenaries, Wrad wraiths have no real love for modern equipment, but when called upon to help fight for Usoma, they are seen from time to time as a elite unit upon the battlefield. Wraith infantry often tend to keep equipment more similar to that of marines, but they use magic to enchant their cloaks and weapons. Being hit by Black Guard bullets can have the infliction of necrotic poisons or freezing wounds. Black Guard, being wraiths, are also very durable but are thankfully rare. [/hider] [color=darkcyan]Armaments[/color] [hider=Armaments] [color=darkcyan]Scouting Sleds[/color] Most units of Usoma get around both their arctic home and the battlefield on powered sleds, which allows them to not expend energy or time on reaching their destinations, but it also allows them to drag along supplies with better ease in the arctic wastes. [color=darkcyan]Trek Gunner[/color] Treks are large covered infantry vehicles designed to go onto the snow and ice, being light enough to crash into it and heavy enough to act as armor. Trek Gunners have machine guns or bunkers attached to them, allowing them to fire on the move, more useful for fighting the hostile forces of Usoma. [color=darkcyan]Wendigo Tank[/color] Only one kind of tank is produced in Usoma, the Wendigo Tank. Wendigo Tanks are light tanks with heavier than normal armor, heavy insulation, and a very light gun. Wendigo Tanks have a large plow on both their front and back, allowing them to shovel heavy amounts of snow. Wendigo tanks are not very fast for light tanks, but are often used in defensive strategies. Usoman general tend to hide tanks underneath snow and camouflage them with white sheets. [color=darkcyan]Mortar Teams[/color] Artillery teams are a common sight amongst Usoman armies, both on the defensive and on the attack. Mortar teams are often commanded by groups of marines, and are guarded by trenches or pits. Trek Gunners will sometimes gut space for a more mobile mortar team, but it greatly sacrifices their mobility. [/hider] [color=darkcyan]Navy[/color] Usoma supports only a small, but very important, fleet. The richer Usoman cities have their own war ports where several more modern ships had been bought and outfitted with proper gear which allows them to dredge through the arctic coastline with ease. These ships are used primarily for defense of their ports, and is used to help protect fishing lanes from Tusab raiders and their vast fleet of ships. [color=darkcyan]War Mages[/color] [hider=War Mages] [color=darkcyan]Arctic Magi[/color] Of the military mages, the Arctic Maji is the most useful. Arctic Maji are priests of Ishala and thus command primarily powerful hydromancery and healing magic. Arctic Maji conjure waves of freezing water, can bind frozen elementals to their whim, and animate snow golems from the frozen ice around them. Outside of battle, they can spend their time healing many minor wounds and sucking away frostbite from soldiers. Most armies employ at least one Arctic Maji for the medical capabilities and to even lessen winter snows in Usoma to help drive the army forward, or make hellish conditions for their enemies. [color=darkcyan]Osulan Occultist[/color] Occultists are members of an elite inner circle of warlocks dedicated to the god Zuuldrick, selling their immortal souls for his powers. Occultists outside war are researchers and elites, but are conscripted for their dark magic prowess. Occultists can conjure beasts from the sea, summon madness upon enemies, curse lands with dark magic, and perform dark rituals to summon forth evil spirits to manipulate the reality around them for a short time. However, the use of these powers is usually very limited, and can very quickly backfire. While an occultist can turn the tide of a battle with his magic, it can also spell doom if misused, resulting in the utter annihilation of the Usoman army. [color=darkcyan]Wrad Herald[/color] Wrad shadow shamans and Liches who join the ranks of Usoma come in their own special variety known as Heralds. Heralds ride upon undead steeds of fallen polar bears, and wield medieval weapons enchanted with only the most fouled magic. They conjure powerful freezing magic and necromancery, very much capable of decimating small units single handedly and raising them as their slaves. Heralds are thankfully as rare as Wrad infantry, and their presence only inspires fear. Heralds always bring forth entire armies [/hider] [/hider] [color=darkcyan][b]Magic[/b][/color] Magic is heavily used and is well accepted in Usoma society, and the darker forms of magic such as necromancery and blood magic has been tolerated, even though many are sickened by it or simply do not know how prevalent it exists within their country. The Shadowed Faith and its practitioners, despite being bound to necromancery and it’s dark arts, and their friendly relationship with the Wrad, Usomans do not interact with these elements often, and if they do, they don’t always really mind it. On some level, every race and peoples in what is now Usoma has interacted with the dark magic of the Shadowed Faith, and most do not flinch at the sight of their morbid arts. Magic is yet still deeply distrusted by high society, and is regulated on some level by local overseers. Wrad live in specialized towers and centers which they perform their dark arts to produce WP-33 and craft magical foci, materials, and create defensive rituals for the Usomans. Usoman Wrads keep their undead servants and themselves locked within cryogenic haunted towers which allows them produce their heavy industries and aid in town management. These Wrad are separate and considered traitor by their fellow Wrad who live within the great ruins, and have a strong loyalty to the Usomans. However, the Usomans deeply distrust the Wrad, but dare not act out hostility towards the wraiths. [color=darkcyan]Limitations of Magic[/color] While the power of dark magic and necromancery sounds on paper to be grandoise in it's design, there are large limitations to it. Magic to Usomans is exhausting, the more power one puts into spells and rituals exhausts them quickly and if unprepared, can ultimately kill the mage. The dead in Usoma are many, but finding the bodies and using them is a different issue all together. While for the Wrad this task is simple, not every shadow shaman summons undead minions, simply due to the fact that even in a culture where necromancery is accepted, it remains taboo and rarely used. Only the hostile Wrad kingdoms will use necromancery on a grand level to bolster their economies and armies. There is also yet another danger, which is the miscast of spells. Spells always have a chance, especially the blood magic of Zuuldrick, to backfire horribly upon the caster and their allies. Powerful summons can quickly turn on their masters, conjurations of sudden madness can instead inspire bloodlust and courage, and so on. Due to these limitations, magic is used only in hard or desperate circumstances and with a great deal of care. Younger apprentices are simply forbidden from being put into armies out of fear their wild conjurations can quickly turn a victory into a defeat. [color=darkcyan]Schools of Magic[/color] [hider=Magic Schools] [color=darkcyan]Necromancery[/color] Necromancery is the school of animation of what was once living, such as raising the dead into wraiths, revenants, and skeletal beings. Necromancery is also the school of communing with spirits, or using them to aid in various tasks. Just as necromancery is used to summon a small hoard of undead workmen or soldiers, so it can be used to haunt and empower ghostly engines and devices. [color=darkcyan]Hydromancery[/color] Hydromancery is the magic school directly associated with water, and thus those who practice hydromancery can manipulate about any source of liquid and water to a reasonable degree. [color=darkcyan]Dark Arcanic[/color] Dark Arcanic is a powerful, but also poisonous, magic school. Dark Arcanic is a necrotic school of magic, allowing those to combine shadowy magic to burn enemies, teleport, or create bubbles of protection. The school is similar to other arcanic schools in spellwork, but their magic uses a shadowy form which occasionally poisons its user over time. [color=darkcyan]Plague[/color] Plague is a very rare spell school found in Usoma, but it does exist amongst practicing shadow shamans. Plague spells manipulate viral infections and deadly plagues, either moving them, improving them, or removing them. The latter is far more used then the former, making those who use it excellent healers. [color=darkcyan]Frozen[/color] Frozen schools is the magic school, as the name implies, the school of lowering temperatures, summoning blizzards, and conjuring ice. [color=darkcyan]Lunar[/color] Lunar magic is a rare magic school, which while it does sound arcane, Lunar magic in Usoma correlates with rune making and the night. Lunar magic is used to empower objects to work better during the moon's cycles. Lunar magic is also used to conjure beams of burning light during the night at enemies, but the magic is only known to the Wrad Heralds who use runic magic in their weapons. [color=darkcyan]Blood Magic[/color] Blood Magic is the primary school of magic for occultists and the priests of Zuuldrick. Blood magic uses a large variety of magic, which is empowered by blood or uses blood in some capacity. Blood magic can be devastating, but its use is risky and devastating to the long lived. No undead being uses blood magic and is blocked from using it. [color=darkcyan]Conjuration[/color] Conjuration is a magic school of conjuring beings from other places beyond reality into the known reality. The more powerful the summon, the more taxing it is, and even then most summons require special rituals for them to remain under someone's control. [color=darkcyan]Far Sight[/color] Shadow shamans practice a magic school of far sight, or the ability to see into the future and have true sight to some degree. Far Sight is a double edged sword, much like conjuration, because what is seen in the future may not be the same series of events. [/hider] [color=darkcyan]Undead and Summons[/color] [hider=Monsters of Usoma] [color=darkcyan]Skeleton (Undead)[/color] The long decayed dead are easily frozen in the arctic lands of Usoma and thus are often prime candidates for apprentice necromancers to dabble in. Skeletal warriors are fragile, frail, and easy to overcome for most peoples. Skeletal beings are less likely to retain intelligence unlike Revenants, and thus are not relied on for most purposes. Using skeletal warriors are however very good for most infantry positions if tolerated, due to the rare instance of them crumbling being shot from afar. [color=darkcyan]Dark Ranger (Undead)[/color] The ritual work for dark rangers is a terrifying one, requiring a great deal of materials to make. Dark Rangers are skeletal beings who can 'glide' between shadows, capable of small forms of teleportation so long as a place is dark, and fire ranged weapons from a distance or stab their enemies in the back. The functionality of dark rangers makes them more like constructs then undead, being very methodical in their movements and targets. [color=darkcyan]Revenant (Undead)[/color] Revenants are frozen zombified humanoids raised into undeath, retaining much of their own intelligence at some level. Revenants are incredibly durable and survive in frozen terrain, and become the common footsoldiers for most Liches and Necromancers. Due to their ability to retain intelligence, they are enslaved by magic to do military and civil tasks. Most Revenants decay very slowly due to Usoma's weather, and the spell work put into retain their internal temperatures at freezing. [color=darkcyan]Ice Golem (Construct)[/color] Ice Golems are constructs, summoned into the world by hydromancers, from ice and tundra. Ice Golem spellwork has two known levels, sudden and long lasting. Sudden ice golems are short lived, often melting away eventually or decaying over time, and are typically haphazardly made from different chunks. Long lasting ice golems on the other hands are made over several months of dedicated spell work to keep their temperature magically secure to prevent decay. Regardless, these tanking constructs pound their enemies with icey fists. [color=darkcyan]Wendigo (Fae)[/color] The strongest Liches are known to summon into the world horrors known as Wendigoes, horrifying stag-like creatures which walk on their hind legs, are constantly decaying, and have massive rending claws. They are summoned into the world by Liches in times of battle and death, and disappear when the fighting ceases due to their nature. Some Wendigoes may stay for long periods of time, but they view the physical world as 'barren' and 'lacking', and prefer to return to their own realm. The creatures in physical combat are durable and can rend armor with ease, but their secondary effects are most terrifying. Wendigoes constantly emit a aura of undeath which slowly but surely raises the dead around them into their service, and their aura also emits a powerful blizzard which engulfs those around them. Outside of battle, they eat the dead and others ceaselessly in everlasting hunger. It is known that Wendigoes tend to be immensely cruel, corrupting pregnant women with their blessings to turn their children into strong cannibalistic creatures, sharing long life and stag horns, along with a natural gift of necromancery. Most of these abominations do not last long out in the real world, and are called Yul'Wendigo. [color=darkcyan]Spawn (Fae)[/color] Those who commune with the god Zuuldrick sometimes can conjure into the world unearthly semi-aquatic horrors known as Spawn, the children of Wrad. Spawn are abominable creatures with the head of a hermit crab, the legs of a goat, the body of a fish, and wings like a bat. These very strong and fast swimming horrors are often in a constant state of bloodlust, attacking anything within sight with rending claws. Spawn are much however like a two edged sword, and can just as easily turn on it's summoner and their allies. Spawn do not truly stop fighting till they are either dead or 'appeased', which is usually a demand of blood sacrifices to appease their 'father' and the submission of the community, and the death of the summoner who summoned it. Those who peacefully negociate with it are rewarded with endowed strength and a cure for their diseases. Humanoids who can go toe to toe alone with Spawn are often spared by them, and are offered 'gifts' by them to bring them into Zuuldrick's bloody embrace. [color=darkcyan]Ghast (Undead)[/color] Ghasts are ghostly beings which are bound souls, normally passively made by necromancers due to their power and rituals. Ghasts are whispering spirits who commune in places of strong death or intense anguish, granting advice and curses alike to those they deem fit. Ghasts are immortal but otherwise powerless except for those who directly harm their 'homes' from within their sight. Those who are cursed by them become haunted, with the ghasts attempting to kill them by turning them to madness or weakening them to the point where they can be possessed. [color=darkcyan]Wraith (Undead)[/color] Wraiths are undead beings who's soul had become attached to the world, and must rely on a set of cloths or armor to give them a physical form. Without this form, the wraith will decay and die, and are otherwise completely invisible to the naked eye. Wraiths are powerful beings who cannot be harmed by normal weapons, and are inherently gifted in magic. Wraiths also retain nearly all of their intelligence, but their personalities are gone completely. Wraiths can range in power and in skill, but those who were able to retain their old physical bodies often become corrupted by their magic, taking on a almost warped appearance, and also are gifted with a more powerful form of magic. [color=darkcyan]Ursa (Fae)[/color] Priests of Ishala and Zuuldrick are known to conjure spells of the Ursa, powerful ursine spirits which dwell as guardians in the arctic north. Ursas are powerful, durable, and fast ursine-like beasts which are conjured by shadow shamans in desperation to defend communities, but at a considerable price for the shadow shaman's own life. Ursas are nearly resistant to most forms of physical weapons, and can conjure arctic mists to hide their movement. Ursas will guard communities, families, and cities if need be until they are truly defeated, and will stay with these communities forever. Ursas often provide boons to these peoples as well, conjuring schools of fish during times of famine or chasing away other predators and summoned horrors when they prowl the community. Ursas are the hated enemy of the Wendigo and deeply despise them, and will often attack them on sight. [color=darkcyan]Ice Witch (Fae)[/color] Ice Witches are fae horrors which are conjured by Liches for the rare purpose. Ice Witches resemble blue, beautiful, women of various humanoid races. These creatures can provide much, bending what they need to to provide a reasonable wish granting fulfillment, but they come at terrible prices. Ice Witches often require blood to perform their rituals, specific blood in fact. If a Ice Witch is displeased, they have full reign to take one's soul as their own, and their magic is on par with that of Liches. These cretans tend to live for long periods of time in caves and ruins when summoned, preferring to 'gather' from local communities. However, due to their nature as trouble makers and soul stealers, often providing haphazard wishes, they are hunted down by nearly every race when given the chance. Liches are the only ones known to summon them, and even then most do it out of desperation. [/hider] [color=darkcyan][b]History[/b][/color] [hider=History] [color=darkcyan]Okan City States[/color] The first civilizations in what is now Usoma were normally nomadic tribes and tribal settlements along the coasts, but only the Okan seemed to build civilized walled cities and traded with the outside world. Wrad attacks on the cities were constant, and the Wildar, Tusab, and Okan joined forces to defeat the wraiths and drive them back into the inner arctic. In the later age, humans arrived in steady droves and began to live among the northern settlements as a tribal people, becoming the Kevians. The Kevians grew rapidly in number and settled much of the land and disrupted the land’s balance. Attempts to drive them out failed, and their culture settled close in relationships with the Tusab. [color=darkcyan]First March[/color] From an unknown nation, a large force of colonists with impressive technology landed in what is now Ugolanbrav and set up camps, seeking to exploit the huge fur and ivory trade in the region. The colonial government started as only a few settlers and missionaries, but soon grew to be populated with merchants, hunters, and craftsmen. However, a federation of Okan cities began making demands of the colony, and some high nobles raised armies to claim the human settlement, and the assaults on Ugolanbrav failed due to bad weather. Believing their city threatened, their parent nation sent in a massive amount of reinforcements to the colony and began laying siege to several Okan city states and destroyed them, and took many of their people as captives. When Tusab and Kevian armies of tribals were raised, both forces met in the Battle of Ikar Pass, where a chokepoint prevented Usoman forces from being overrun and protected them from the weather, and wiped out the tribal army. The colony expanded further, and its successes in battle granted the colony further prestige and immigration. [color=darkcyan]Seperation[/color] At the height of the colony’s power and the start of it’s industrialization, the colonies were hit by a sudden blizzard which blocked off all trade routes and overland passes, trapping the Neusians inside the winter city of Ugolanbrav. Wide spread disease, famine, and rioting led to the colony’s near collapse, and only the intervention of a very strong handed militia saved it from total annihilation. Unable to break through the ice caps which blocked trade, and likely abandoned and thought dead, the colony dedicated itself to their own survival and began building barriers and using available resources to survive the arctic land on their own, while keeping their own civilized society. Yet, drastic actions made generations of Neusians more authoritative, barbaric, and cruel as they became more aggressive towards their tribal neighbors who harassed them in their weakness. Only a strong fortress and guns kept the tribal armies at bay. [color=darkcyan]Survival[/color] Over the course of several generations, scraps of new technology trickled into Usoma as the survivalist cities expanded under new overseers. With no real access for trade, a demand for total population control and organization transformed their society. In desperate need for new bodies, the Usomans began kidnapping and integrating Kevian tribals and using enslaved beastfolk to work their cities. Day by day was a need for survival, but their tactics did work and allowed them to survive brutal snow storms that would have otherwise wiped out their society. Having long since forgotten their old faith, the Usomans brought the faith of the natives to their own people to access their use of magic, and send out explorers back into the open world to bring back new technology and attempt to keep contact with the open world. After many failures to re-establish relations with the world around them, the Usomans had simply given up and spent their resources expanding their own cities and fighting off tribal raiders. [color=darkcyan]Okan-Marcher War[/color] Ugolanbrav did not openly seek expansion, but under Overseer Tomas Brokov, the Usomans looked enviously at the Okan city states which had remained neutral during the first march. Facing a supply shortage of food, which the Okan could fix, the Usomans attempted to negotiate with the Okan. However, the envoys sent to the beastfolk were attacked by Kevian ambushers allied to the Okan city states, and survivors placed the blame on the Okan themselves. A army was gathered in Ugolanbrav and marched on the remaining Okan cities and decimated them. However, the walls of these cities were kept up and repaired, and the Okan people were not butchered, but rather enslaved. Many of these Okan city states were repurposed as new Osoman cities. The end of the Okan cities saw the Okan reduced to a slave race, a fact not forgotten by the Beastfolk tribes. [color=darkcyan]The White War[/color] Several years after the Okan-Marcher war, a federation of Tusab, Wildar, and Kevian tribes united under the common purpose to drive out the Usomans and restore the Okan cities. The war was a utter disaster for the federation, as during this time, democratic movements and religious zealots had planned to rise up against the authoritarian overseers but were instead silenced by the invasion. The tribal armies, while brave, were slaughtered by superior guns and tactics of the Usoman troops, who employed their first White Guard units to assault the tribal sieges and successfully prevent the destruction of their cities. Pushing back the tribes was costly and the victories ended up being futile. The same new authoritarian pushes enslaved and butchered prisoners, only enhancing the binding of the tribal federation to keep fighting the Usomans. While ultimately victorious against the tribes, the Federation remained a large and real threat and a major rival of the country. [color=darkcyan]Defense of Sigrad[/color] Sensing weakness, shortly after the White War, the Wrad summoned their own host and began raising dead to destroy the city of Sigrad and were nearly successful in purging it. The Wrad’s undead host met weakened and injured troops, and their fresh hoards of undead were very close to overrunning the city. Yet, stubborn and suicidal bravery won out and the line held against the vast undead push on Sigrad, which was able to call for reinforcements. Several elite and experienced armies surrounded and crushed the Wrad forces in a close battle below the city, and killed a Horned Wrad with the aid of the legendary Arctic Magi, Kulvin Byr. After success in the defense, the society became ever more paranoid and ever more enthralled beneath the hand of the overseers who declared the victories. Any sign of disobedience was swiftly removed, and the new influx of slaves from the captives of the White War gave a large economic boost to their country for years to come. [color=darkcyan]Second March[/color] Many years later, after a large scale industrial revolution which transformed and greatly expanded Usoman cities and societies, the country became comfortable enough to challenge the Northern Federation for full control of the territory. Under the leadership of Overseer Kulban, several combined armies of Usomans destroyed the major outposts and groves of the Wildar and all but annihilated the last free holds of the Kevians, and brought both into slavery. Kulban used diplomacy and intrigue to crush the federation rather then his already impressive military might, using spies to sow distrust between the Tusab and Wildar who were natural enemies. The second march ended in victory and the federation was disbanded. Usoma was formally remade into a more unified country under Kulban, and quickly asserted himself as Grand Overseer in Ugolanbrav. [color=darkcyan]The Wrad Civil War[/color] During the midst of the second march, the Wrad had begun a mysterious and little known civil war which broke their entire civilization in half. A faction of Wrad challenged their king over political and religious issues, and of the two major Horned Wrads who rebelled, only one and their followers escaped a purge of their cities. This group fled, in desperation, to the Usoman capital of Ugolanbrav and demanded sanctuary. Overseer Kulban banished the group and nearly chased them out, but the group found safety within the city of Okadius, who’s overseer became intrigued by their magic and profited from their crafts. The Wrad rebels became the Usoman Wrad and were accepted slowly over time after Kulban’s passing, and eventually became a regular sight amongst the richer cities. [color=darkcyan]Reintroduction[/color] Only recently did the eternal blizzard which blocked the sea and land routes to Usoma become heated and explorers began to go beyond their cities to rediscover the world. Their first contacts were limited, but they quickly reinvigorated trade and relationships with the outside world, trading their huge supplies of coal, fur, and ivory for new technology and trade goods. Unwilling and unable to expand, the overseers have retained a neutral position with the world, but many looks to warmer climates with worry and envy. [/hider] [color=darkcyan]Nation Relations[/color] Universally, the Lands of Usoma is deeply uninterested with the affairs of other nations, normally being dedicated to their own survival, but the warmer world has been a fascination in spite of propaganda presented by the government. Usoma is not at all hostile, and instead, are very often interested in trade and technology of others. Usoman leadership is always looking for a way to increase comforts of home so their people do not leave for warmer lands and outright bar immigration to other countries.