[hider=Nekatalan] [b][h2]The Divine Imperium of Great Nekatalan[/h2][/b] [center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/989835672917516318/990678272780173312/NekatalanFlag.png[/img][/center] [center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/989835672917516318/990686528873320538/Blood_and_Iron_Homelands_Political.jpg[/img][/center] [center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/989835692974694400/990857727129559040/Blood_and_Iron_Homelands_Geographic.png[/img][/center] [b]Type of Government:[/b] Proletarian Council Theocracy [b]Demographics & Population:[/b] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/381248465751113729/991425742506303568/DemographicsNekatalanHomeland.png[/img] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/381248465751113729/991425742292402216/DemographicsNekatalanColonial.png[/img] Home Country population: Massive Colonial population: 8 million Nekatala: A race believed to have diverged from what was presumably a baseline humanity an estimated 4,300 years before the present day, the Nekatala are a unique people among many unique peoples. The Nekatala generally appear similar to humans, with ears and tails reminiscent of ancient Kedireshi depictions of their jackal god. They are distinct from humanity and many races in that female Nekatala are significantly larger than the males, at about an average height and weight of 172cm and 80kg compared to an average male height and weight of 157cm and 54kg. Additionally, Nekatala have an unusual birth sex ratio of 2-1 female-male. Though not visually evident, the Nekatala have significant deposits of manarite occuring naturally within their bodies. Concentrated in and around their black hearts, the influence of the manarite grants them youth and vigor until approximately age 80. None have ever seen an elderly Nekatala for the simple reason that elderly Nekatala do not exist. Nekatala begin to age after reaching 80, but with that aging comes what is known as the “Dark Fate”. The Nekatala are commonly hypothesized to be the offspring of human interbreeding with a now dead race, some times described as “demons”, but of a definitively supernatural bent. Demonspawn in the most literal sense of the word the Nekatala live a twilight life, never glimpsing the ravages of age but burdened by knowledge that they will never see the lifespans other races some times enjoy, that because of the actions of ancestors millenia prior they must bear upon their shoulders the malevolent whispers of unspeakable things that can never truly die. Through their youthful lives, the influences of this dark heritage whisper softly in the backs of their minds, but as the strength of their manarite infused bodies begins to wane this influence begins to exert itself in full. When the Nekatala begin to age, their bodies and minds are rapidly overwritten by this eldritch presence upon their souls, tracing back millenia through the entire existence of their race. The imposition of an alien mindset and morals and the transformation into a fell beast of the elden twilight is the ultimate curse of Nekatala life. To not only die, but to be erased from existence, the soul consumed by a dark spawned horror older than recorded history and the existence of the self consigned to naught but oblivion. Thus, when each Nekatala feels its imposition begin they surrender themselves to the priestesses, that they may die with dignity and their minds and souls intact. Throughout their youthful lives, constant exposure to the sun helps stave off the worst of the dark whispers, and it is through prayer to the sun and the warmth and light it represents that the Nekatala find strength, and through sacrifice that they repay it in kind. Enneakata: There is however a rare subgroup of Nekatala. Visually distinct from the Nekatala, the Enneakata are of similar stature and humanoid appearance, but instead possess shorter, rounder ears and nine tails reminiscent of the tail of a fox. Enneakata are created from Nekatala, and are able to largely negate their blood curse through very careful study, preparation, and commitment. From there on they can potentially live forever, using the energy within them to keep the darkness at bay and maintaining their youthful vigor. They can, with training, also channel their power to become immensely powerful spellcasters. They offer a glimmer of hope for the Nekatala - but this hope is, like all things with the Nekatala, tainted by a dark side. When these mages misstep and err in the use of their powers, the resulting calamity can leave tens of thousands dead. A monster unimaginably worse than that born of an aged Nekatala is created from them, and can wreak such havoc upon a city comparable to the full fury of an enemy artillery barrage. They have an unusual love-hate relationship with the general population. The general population is jealous of their longevity and their power and their mastery over the cruel fate they have been bestowed. They also fear them due to the damage they cause and the number of people they kill whose lives were already measured when they break. In turn those who surround them wish they too had the strength and dedication to seize fate by the throat and rather than walk the safe road into uncertainty, dance upon the knife’s edge into eternity. To wield power and longevity nearly without equal. Thus the inherent contradiction of the Enneakata among the Nekatala - they are the paragons of society and the greatest hope the Nekatala have for their future. They also represent an immeasurable danger and risk to the common people and the impact of the rampages of their fallen, though rare, represent an all too memorable warning of the dangers of the Nekatala’s gifts and the curse they bear. All Enneakata are required to be registered within the central government, and though there is no ban on becoming one, those who do become one are closely monitored from that point on. The Enneakata are not like a weapon owned by a civilian, but are in and of themselves living weapons of a scale and threat comparable to the greatest war machines of the era. There are two official categories of Enneakata: civilian and military. Military Enneakata are those who either become such for military purposes or join the military after becoming one. A secretive group, they live secluded but immensely comfortable lives - and in turn they serve as the special forces and/or the elite crème de la crème of the shock forces. Civilian Enneakata are often kept under surveillance and are required to perform regular check ins and submit to examination to confirm they remain in good health, and in turn are permitted to lead largely undisturbed civilian lives in whatever capacity they wish. Most opt for scientific or scholarly pursuits. Thus are the Enneakata. When controlled and carefully harnessing their abilities, their force for progress and for prosperity is unrivalled. When their powers go awry, their potential for destruction of their own home is similarly unrivalled. Kediresh Humans: The Kedireshi are an unusual people, appearing similar to and speaking a language markedly reminiscent of the Akhetal tongue of the Nekatala. Kedireshi humans practice a religion almost identical to that of the Nekatala, with archaeological evidence indicating the practice of human sacrifice was only adopted in recent centuries. Many theorize this human group to be the remnants or descendents of the original common ancestor that would give rise to the Nekatala themselves. Relations between them and the Nekatala are positive, though interbreeding is low, and the two groups, though socially intermingled, tend to avoid forming long term relationships. Turayuni Humans: Concentrated in the central desert and the Surek Peninsula, the Turayuni are a distinct group from the previous, speaking a language with no discernable similiarity to the predominant groups, and adhering to two separate religious practices both strongly at odds with those of the majority. Ethnic tensions between them and the Nekatala and Kedireshi are high, as well as intra-ethnic tensions between the major religious subgroups. The larger group, accounting for approximately eighty percent of the population, follow a centralized monotheistic religion referred to as ‘Sakuna’, under a single leader both temporal and spiritual. One of the only patriarchal groups within Nekatalan, the Sakuna are responsible for numerous bloody uprisings and rebellions throughout the history of the nation, having at one point even subjugated the Nekatala and Kedireshi majority and imposed their own social order before being toppled in a bloody civil war. The second group follows an eclectic collection of prehistoric polytheistic beliefs and are afforded armed protection by the regular military from persecution by the Sakuna. Most of this second group reside within the cities due to their friendly relations with the Nekatala, whilst the Sakuna largely make up the rural agricultural base. Aphekit: A curious people with the torsos of humans atop the bodies of large snakes, the history of the Aphekit is as murky as what little is known is fascinating. Theorized to have emerged from a now extinct human group, the exact circumstances that lead to their creation or evolution are shrouded in mystery, but what little has been uncovered by Aphekit and Nekatala historians indicates they were likely artificial creations of deliberate design, whether voluntary or involuntary or an experiment gone awry is unknown. The Aphekit are frequently a mercantile people, responsible for much of the trade undertaken by Nekatalan despite making up only around 5% of the overall populace. What is perhaps more peculiar is their special protected status despite their general lack of religious adherence, the most common reported affiliation in the 1870 census being agnosticism. Other: Nekatalan is home to numerous other groups from abroad as well as long diminished groups that have since been absorbed or all but died out. [hr] [b]Governance & Politics:[/b] Unlike many nations, Nekatalan has no formal head of state and is instead ruled by an elected council of priestesses. Instead the council meets to discuss things, and the leaders of each ministry that form the council are usually given the title "High Priestess of [the ministry in question]”. For instance, High Priestess of War Anuket Istir vu Sertana, or High Priestess of Justice, High Priestess of Industry, High Priestess of the Treasury, so on and so forth. Nekatalan is, officially, a theocracy under the control of the Priestesses of the Sun, following the ideology of [Revolutionary Solarism]. Based on a hybrid of new political ideology and the ancient religion followed by the Nekatala for the past several thousand years, the ideology espouses collective ownership of land and a generally centrally planned economy. Local elections choose local leaders and representatives from the clergy. The priestesses of the sun specialize in a diverse array of roles, dedicating their lives to the study and practice of a specific branch of knowledge or area of expertise. Medicine, law, history, environmental study, the military, economics, and more are all under the purview of Nekatalan’s religious study. Solarism as it is widely known, domestically known as “Tekra” and its adherents as “Tekrami” is a pluralistic, syncretic faith noteworthy for its general absence of strong dogma or strict rules for its adherents to live by. Its tenets are simple - the sun, and all stars who look over life within the universe, are the servants of Heaven, the manifestations of Heaven’s will that there be Light within the universe, and that life may flourish within this Light, free of the taint of Darkness. There once existed much debate over whether the sun and stars are actual thinking, feeling entities in their own right, but with modern astronomy the consensus has largely settled that the temporal reality of the sun is that it is not intelligent in its own right. And, subsequently, that its light is holy in that it owes its creation and protection of the Nekatala from the whisperings of the Dark Fate to Heaven’s influence. The colony of Nekatalan are governed in exactly the same manner, and their citizens afforded exactly the same rights, as those of the mainland. The colony is not even officially called a colony, and has been termed “Overseas Nekatalan”, reflecting the attitude held by the government and populace that this land will be a permanent addition to Nekatalan’s territory and its inhabitants integrated as citizens with equal rights and treatment. [b]Culture & Society:[/b] (What kind of people are you, what are your unique traditions and such?) Nekatalani culture is an odd mishmash of ancient religion, revolutionary ideology, and warlike fervor. Profoundly and proudly imperialist, they have developed a unique outlook on many things that mark them apart from their contemporaries. For a time conquered by the neighboring empire of Iakutia that brutally suppressed their culture, language, religion, and more, the Nekatala lost much of their ancient heritage and gained much in newfound traditions and imperial zeal. Waning in its ritual significance for many centuries before, the Iakutians forbidding the traditional practice of sacrifice lead to tens of thousands of deaths from the Dark Fate. The practice was resumed in secret, and a shadow war erupted that cost tens of thousands more lives. Eventually these tensions lead to an enormous popular uprising across all the major ethnic groups of Nekatalan’s people adopted a newfound “might makes right” view of the world as well as a simultaneous ironclad national ethos of respecting cultural boundaries owing to the brutal repression they themselves experienced. This viewpoint was eventually ingrained into the very psyche of the revolution and the subsequent populist government that formed, and afterwards the concept of private land ownership or the transference of land by ancestry or direct trade was abolished. Thus, Nekatalan set about rebuilding its empire in an unusual mold. The only legitimate claim to any land is that which is backed by force of arms - and yet this view is still contrasted with the fervent opposition to the idea of a foreign culture imposing on another. This leads to the paradoxical approach to colonial imperialism wherein the army of Nekatalan will violently subjugate a region, kill all who stand in armed opposition, and immediately begin to treat all civilians as proper citizens of Nekatalan, affording them citizen ID numbers and all legal rights held by any other citizen. Nekatalan will, after a brutal invasion, politely ask the good citizens of the new imperial province if they can purchase the land upon which they reside for a hefty sum in order to construct a new capital city on it. Abuse of power or ethnic mistreatment is, paradoxically for an imperial power, a rare occurrence and often violently discouraged by Nekatalani civilians. Marked by its matriarchal bent, even following the revolution against Iakutia and the restoration of the old Nekatalani state, Nekatalani society stands at odds with many cultures prevalent in the world today. Despite the declaration of the equality of the sexes male Nekatalani continue to face discrimination, however they have been rapidly gaining ground within Nekatalani society. The avenging sun cares not for gender, only for victory. Nekatalan has a strong culture of dueling to settle disputes both legal and personal. Operating under a strict set of rules, the system is primarily used by Nekatala, Enneakata, and the Kedireshi. Certain disputes or legal cases may not be settled via duel, and duels are always either to first blood or to forfeiture. Duels take place using traditional swords, rather than firearms, and the combatants are equipped with padded armor to minimize the risk of lethal injury. There exists a tier ranking system for duels as well to ensure a fair fight, and many Nekatala are professional or part time duelists on behalf of those too weak or unskilled to fight, though there is wide variance in the accepted disparity in skill before a duel may be barred. However, dueling a weaker opponent is viewed as cowardly and pathetic, and challenging a much weaker opponent is viewed in a similar light to a grown adult kicking a small child. Pointless, cruel, and utterly disgusting Punishments in Nekatalan tend to be either harsh and severe or remarkably lenient. Murder is punished by public beheading. Slave-trading by being buried up to the neck in sand with the face smothered in honey, and left to be eaten by the aggressive bands of roaming ant colonies that plague parts of the country. The usual punishment for robbery, however, is labor at half-pay on a communal farm. The view of Nekatalan and its people is that a thief may be reformed, but a slave trader or murderer may never be. Nekatalan has been known for its distinct aesthetics and sense of style, clothing in Nekatalan even amongst the common farmworkers is so made to combine elegant and attractive fashion with practical attire. More formal wear even moreso, often incorporating threads of the plentiful gold and silver within the nation woven into the fabric to form intricate designs. This extends only somewhat to the military, however, and form is placed over function entirely, manifesting in the loose fitting khakis worn by most soldiers. The architecture of Nekatalan is even more distinct than its clothing. Grand palaces and elaborate temples dot the landscapes of many cities both ruined and still inhabited. Elegant, sloping angular homes decorated with elaborate murals or swirling designs surround them, alongside soaring sculptures of ancient queens, priestesses, and even states of the old polytheistic pantheon. The newly constructed Temple of the Avenging Sun within the capital city stands as an architectural monument to the world, equal parts place of worship, place of governance, and fortress, its imposing marble and gold veneered granite columns and monoliths striking awe in any who stand before it. All land is, officially, owned by the theocratic government and leased out to farmers or for other uses in exchange for surplus grain and produce. In practice, the farmers and central government exist in a state of uneasy equilibrium as each attempt to flex their authority or autonomy against the other. The local Priestesses however maintain good relations with the farmers, working together with meteorological priestesses who examine the effects of the sun’s light upon the earth to predict weather and climatic patterns. Each agricultural region has varying autonomy, and the local priestesses instruct the farmers on the estimated optimal growing seasons and which crops to grow to meet the demands of the broader nation. Nekatala and Enneakata practice a limited form of eugenics, numerous rights including reproduction are enshrined within the constitution. Priestesses of medicine designate arranged breeding pairs, chosen to minimize the risks of inherited disease and maximize strength, intelligence, and other beneficial congenital traits. Nekatala take lovers as they please and the society has a broadly “free love” attitude towards sex and romance. It is common for designated breeding partners to meet only a few times to fulfill societal obligations as part of their contract before raising the children with their chosen partners. Bisexuality is the cultural norm, and most Nekatala freely take on multiple lovers of both sexes, often communally raising children with a large group of others. Nekatala have, additionally, developed sophisticated contraceptives with the aid of the limited supplies of free manarite to enable this practice. Private property and inheritance have largely been abolished, beyond the scope of personal possessions or one’s own home. Certain properties exist within a legal grey area, frequently decided on a case by case basis. Immigration to Nekatalan is open and with minimal restrictions. Those with valuable skills are frequently found employment within the cities, those without are sent to a communal farm to learn agricultural techniques and then sent to work on the fertile river farmland of Nekatalan. Like any citizen, these immigrants will be expected to report for military duty should their lot be drawn during conscriptions. Nekatalan is unique among many nations for the strong insistence upon the protection of the rights of all. Despite being an ostensibly theocratic state, freedom of religion is largely in effect statewide, and the constitution guarantees many rights to not only the citizenry, but any who step foot on Nekatalani soil. Slavery is strictly outlawed and any slave to step foot upon Nekatalani soil is freed, and their would-be-master sentenced accordingly. Nekatalan additionally affords significant rights and privileges to the common workers - eight hour workdays and labor unions are commonplace, and the Nekatalani industrial base prospers thanks to a well motivated and compensated labor force. Human sacrifice is a common aspect of life in Nekatalan. Its practice is tightly regulated in the modern day, and applied only in specific contexts. Captured enemy war leaders are frequently sacrificed to the sun, as well as those Nekatala whose time to die has come. Sacrifice is rarely issued as a punishment for a crime, as the sun is not seen to, strictly speaking, [i]need[/i] these sacrifices, but rather that these sacrifices cement the special relationship between the Nekatala and the sun and bolster the sun’s benefit to their people. For Nekatala or those undergoing voluntary sacrifice such as many Kedireshi, a one week period of celebration, feasting, and indulgence precedes one’s death. Upon the day of death it is common to drink a potent narcotic that deadens the nerves to pain and allows one to pass into the next world. The blood wars of the bygone era for gathering sacrifices are long gone, and the imagery of lines of prisoners dragged to the altar likewise long abandoned. [b]Magic & Technology:[/b] Nekatalan is remarkable for its near complete absence of native Manarite. The exact reasoning for this depletion is unknown, but a wide variety of theories attempting to explain it prevail. Some are that the land has experienced a natural shift in the manarite generation cycle in accordance with yet-to-be-understood processes of its regeneration, others posit that it has always lacked the valuable resource, whilst others put forth the bold idea that it is the Nekatala themselves responsible for the dearth of the material, owing to the natural generation within their own bodies. Whatever the cause, this scarcity has lead to the Nekatala adopting an extremely conservationist attitude towards Manarite resources both domestic and recently acquired. Though Nekatalan now possesses significant overseas reserves, they have remained reluctant to use it in any major capacity. As a result of this, Nekatalan possesses no magitech to speak of, and practices magic only insofar as it may be conducted with the naturally occurring manarite within the bodies of Nekatala or Enneakata. Enneakata mages, especially, are a fearsome force on any battlefield or operation, capable of unleashing firestorms of titanic proportion or opening forth gaping pits before them to trap enemy forces. The Nekatala themselves have used their own naturally occurring bio-manarite to develop their own unique abilities to augment their military forces. For instance, using this manarite to boost their strength and endurance to carry hardened steel plates capable of stopping rifle bullets at close range for use by shock troops. Or the alteration of light infantry’s skin and equipment to adopt a chameleon-like effect, blending in roughly with their backgrounds. In turn, while they lack for magical sophistication, especially lacking any equivalent to the aircraft employed by some nations, the Nekatala have immensely advanced conventional technology. One of the most industrialized and technologically advanced nations on earth, the Nekatala have proven to be an industrious people in the wake of their independence from Iakutia, quickly reclaiming their former glory and more. The great steelworks and textile mills of the empire run night and day, and the agricultural heartland grows ever greater with new artificial fertilizers. [b]Military Overview:[/b] Forged in fire and blood during the initial war of independence against Iakutia, the military of Nekatalan is large, professional, and splendidly equipped. A long martial tradition hailing back thousands of years fills each soldier with the esprit de corp to march through sandstorms and sleet alike, aided by rigorous mandatory military training. Each citizen of Nekatalan is drilled for physical readiness from a young age, the publicly funded schools doing their best to ensure a growing urban population never loses the hard muscle of a fit soldier. Each Nekatala enters mandatory military service for a period of two years upon reaching maturity, after which they become permanent reservists until retirement. Each reservist is required to maintain her uniform and weapon and present for regular drills to maintain cohesiveness. The military of Nekatalan has proved itself in the recent Canal War against the combined forces of Iakutia and Scalrinn. Despite mobilizing fewer soldiers than the enemy and being forced to fight along two fronts, the skilled and well equipped military inflicted devastating casualties on numerically superior forces through a combination of disciplined infantry firing, precise and deadly artillery, and the full use of modern weapons such as hand cranked rotary guns. The lack of manarite infused technology was supplemented with the unique magical capabilities of the Enneakata and Nekatala, enabling scouting parties to camouflage themselves and assassinate key commanders, or mages to rain down hellish firestorms upon dense concentrations of infantry or cavalry. [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/989835577924943904/992440455033794560/First_Canal_War.png[/img] The standard infantry kit of a Nekatalani riflewoman is the newly adopted repeating NM-71 Huket bolt action rifle with an internal magazine storing ten 7.8×58mm smokeless powder rounds, based upon information obtained during the war with Iakutia and Scalrinn. The standard infantry uniform consists of a simple steel helmet, black-trimmed khaki jacket and trousers, canteen, knife, rucksack and sleeping bag, ammunition pouches, and so forth. The uniform includes a fighting knife and shovel for field operations, but many soldiers forego the knife in favor of sharpening the shovel or carrying a nonstandard short sword. The Navy of Nekatalan is not as impressive as the land army but by no means a slouch itself. Though not as lavishly funded, it boasts a strong and modern fleet of iron warships gradually supplanting the last remaining wooden ships. Drawing on lessons from the canal war, the navy routinely petitions the central government for increased funding to better protect Nekatalan’s strategic interests abroad and in the shared waters with their two most dire enemies. They have seen some success in recent years, but due to Nekatalan’s complete lack of magical technology they have no air forces to speak of beyond observation balloons. [hr] [b]Additional Info:[/b] The capital of Overseas Nekatalan is the bustling port city of Ketalis. A planned city built after generous payments to the native residents of the Atlaci River Delta to relocate, Ketalis is a scant fifteen years old. With a population of approximately 480,000 in the city and its surrounding area Ketalis is the largest urban area in Overseas Nekatalan, and the home base of the bulk of the Nekatalani overseas fleet. The city is built in a modernist take on the traditional Nekatalani style incorporating the gently sloping, angular construction common throughout most Nekatalani cities. Most homes are, as in the mainland, flat topped trapezoidal arrangements home to twenty to thirty residents at a time and built around shaded courtyards filled with home grown spices or scented flower gardens. Amidst these houses, shops and areas of recreation are dotted, an integral part of the bustling day to day life of the city’s inhabitants. From these residential areas runs a series of wood gas powered streetcar routes to the city’s beating industrial heart over which hangs a perpetual light smog due to its extent. The heavy industry is the life and soul of Ketalis, its drydocks produce new iron hulled vessels every day, fueled by the steel foundries and that burn long into the night. The city is one of the first to be lit entirely by the new phenomenon of electricity, enormous turbines powered by the great river upon which the city sits. Ketalis is a modern city, its drydocks and factories a signal to the world that Nekatalan intends to develop this land as much as it does the original country and that Ketalis is the capital not of a colony, but of the newest permanent addition to its lands.[/hider]