[hider=WIP - Kankora]
[center][h1]K A N K O R A[/h1][sup][i]"Nothing is really lost to us as long as we remember it."
~ LM Montgomery[/i][/sup][/center]
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[quote]Kankora, a land covered in the remains of those who came before and a people whose history has been lost to its dense, oobscuring fog. While lesser men would question the how's and why's of civilization in such a place, the Kankorans ignored them and made their home in the marshes, swamps and rivers of this Graveyard of Kings. From their pillar cities and bone towns, Kankora has been dragged into the modern age by a line of great kings; visionaries who brought old traditions into a new world. Now with the scale-clad armies of the cantons at his back and the might of the Serpent Navy at his back, the new king, King Omaka, awaits not to prove himself, but for the return of his father who made the very same promise as an ancient god one made to the people of Kankora.[/quote][hr][hr]
[b]GOVERNMENT[/b]
[hider=The Crown, the Nobles and the Law]
The monarch and royals of Kankora ("the Crown") are highly influential and are the embodiment of the Kankoran state. Unowned land is the property of the state and key aspects of life such as taxation, labor tax and the vast Mitla storehouses. However, much of this power is delegated to noble families who carry both great responsivity and respect. Many Mitla storehouses are built next to the castles of noble families and should they be found using their power irresponsibly, they are subject to the full harshness of Kankoran law. According to Kankoran law, any noble found stealing from their Mitla will have them and three generations of their family executed and their family name added to the infamous "Black Ledger", effectively crippling them from further noble life.

The pillar cities (Palaos) and bone towns (Bonaos) are typically run by an elder who is sometimes voted upon and sometimes appointed. Palaos are divided another step by their iconic "wards"; additional pillars that split off from the main one and are connected via bridges and their leadership has traditionally been done by appointment from the Palaos Elder. The country on a whole is divided into several Cantons, ruled over by a Chieftain noble.

Kankoran law is notoriously harsh and unforgiving with the idea that the actions of the individual reflects the action of the group. This is often seen through "generational punishment" where the criminal's extended family is punished. However, this extreme is typically reserved for what are the "Crown Laws" which are much larger in scope and  affect the good of the whole nation. Lesser courts deal with "Common Law" that deal in things like property dispute and petty theft and while the Common Courts rarely deal generational punishment, laws are still harsh with some form of branding or public humiliation.
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[b]GEOGRAPHY[/b]
[hider=Map Claim, the Land of Rivers, the Graveyard of Monsters]

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[b]ECONOMY[/b]
[hider=Mitlas, Taxes and Goods]
Kankora uses a mixed system of free market trade and planned industry. The Crown sets out quotas are surplus goals for each Canton to ensure that the Mitlas are never empty. This typically is only for things such as food, weapons, armor and building material however can also include things such as scaled hides, Crustaloid Crabs and valuable luxury items. Once these quotas have been filled, farmers and tradesmen are free to sell their surplus goods to market, typically hauled by the favored pack animal, giant hermit crab-like coruscations known as the Crustaloid Crabs.

Taxation in Kankora does not work off of giving over goods (as that is what the quotas are) but instead giving over time. Kankora boasts one of the most sophisticated and well maintained infrastructure systems in the new world with wide canals, sturdy bridges and semi-paved pounded roads. With this system, the Crown can efficiently move people about for labor projects, maintenance work and new constructions. It is not uncommon for people to quite literally pick up their lives and use the labor tax as a way to move somewhere else. Of course, the other major part of the labor tax is the conscription of military service, typically in a Canton's local militia.

Masters of their home, the Kankorans have a number of exports they ship on their Dathmir boats. From the jungle growths come hard and soft woods, good for a variety of construction and crafting applications, and medicinal herbs, fungus and moss. Alongside there medicinal farms are groves of young Eternity Trees that regularly produce a waterproof resin that Kankorans use to coat cloths and ships. The waterways' animals that skilled hunters, fishermen or river farmers use to produce hard animal shells, fish, seafood and the famous Kankoran Scaled Hides.

With so many rivers and lakes, it comes as no surprise that Kankora has become masters of them as well. They have perfected the art of creating floating farms and even raised villages that sit atop stilts. Boats of all sizes and purpose are created daily with every family owning at least one boat. The most famous of these shipyards is the Arms of Mother, built in a naturally enclosed harbor resembling the outstretch arms of a hugging mother, it uses a primitive type of mass production to create vast numbers of ships during war. More recently the Arms have attempted to figure out a way to use the same method to mass produce larger, western-style warships.
[/hider][hider=Trade Goods]
• Various hard and soft woods from jungle swamps
• Reptile skins and animal shells
• Waterproof Resin
• Kankoran Amber
• Fishing Goods
• Mercenary work and boat building outsourcing
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[b]HISTORY[/b]
[hider=Old Kankora, the Lost Father and the Lampur Dynasty]
According to legends, the Kankoran people are all that remains of an ancient, highly advanced empire they called Old Kankora after their home island was consumed during an apocalyptic storm in antiquity. No evidence has ever been found of this mythical island empire, but the records of some other older civilizations do make note of a huge storm and several artifacts and relics belonging to the Crown are incredibly well made and advanced for what their supposed age is. It is this esteemed heritage to which Kankorans claim their mastery of the waves, immunity to seasickness and incredible balance to.

The first known ruler of Kankora was actually a Queen who is said to have had a child with the former patron god of Kankora, Huta'lopo, according to myth. Evidence suggests this lost Queen was in fact real but who the father of her children was is remains a mystery. To this day however, the Crown has always claimed right to rule through this supposed divine blood until recently.

The first mention of Kankora in the history of other nations is that first of traders, then raiders and then finally as mercenaries. In an age past, Kankora became famous for its Marine-at-Arms, naval infantry so fearsome that on more than a few occasion, ship captains have surrendered their vessels at the sight of them and the rumor a ship had even a handful of Marine-at-Arms was enough to dissuade smart pirates. The scaled cloaks, horn hammers and fanged blades of the Marine-at-Arms has become one of many symbols of modern Kankora. At the height of their power, they even served as bodyguards to foreign nobles, skilled warriors with no connections to the land and aboslute loyalty upon payment made for excellent protectors against court intrigue.

However, the most monumental moment in Kankoran history is the Lost Father, when Huta'lopo made a promise to his children that he had to leave them for some great duty but would return. For generations, Kankora was disconnected from divine magic as they waited for the return of Huta'lopo. However, he never returned and over time, the idea that he hand abandoned Kankora grew until his followers were no more.

With their legitimacy shattered, the Crown faced rebellion and uprising after the reign of Lotao the Wicked. It was during this time, when Kankora was shattered, that a distant relative of the royal throne arise to press his rightful claim to the Kankoran crown, Hatarva the First. Relying on his ability and charisma, he overthrew Lotao and chained him to a rock and thrown into the sea. Thus began the current Lampur dynasty.

Since then, a series of successful and worthy kings have dragged Kankora into the modern world, introducing new ideas and concepts (with some censorship). The previous king, King Aota, had left his son with a respectable army, a strong navy and a booming nation, having finally squashed the last bits of resistance. He set off on a voyage to try and find Old Kankora, promising his son that he would return to see him coronated as King of Kankora. More than a decade has pasted since that day and the prince was hesitant to be crowned, still waiting on his father's return. Finally, after demands from both his nobles and his subjects, he reluctantly took the crown as King Omaka.
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[b]CULTURE[/b]
[hider=The People, the Pillar Cities and Bone Towns and the Spirits]

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[b]MILITARY[/b]
[hider=The Royal Army, the Scales of War and the Legacy of Olonar]

[/hider][hider=The Royal Navy, the Serpent Ships and the Masters of Tides]

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