Oh god yes, this is one of the more active High Casual-Advanced RPs I've ever been in. It's amazing.
Most RPs fall out within a week or so of starting. But with an incredibly active and dedicated group of people, two experienced GMs and an open storyline with an ending, this RP actually has a chance to become one of the long runners.
Meaning we actually finish the storyline, which is rare amongst RP's here.
Just posting a short one, Ja'Far just needed to ask a few questions and confirm his involvement within the mission. Eagerly awaiting to proceed with this combat mission :D
The Geth's explanation made Ja'Far smile slightly, tilting his head. Unknowingly, the Batarian had now formed a little bond between him and this AI platform, a sense of companionship and leadership boiling forth into the surface of his mind. He had been used by his superiors to train new Penal Legionnaires back in Khar'Shan, to give support when needed. The mentally broken 1st Legion were effective for the cloak and dagger but the Hegemony needed a larger, more conventional fighting force to combat the ever present threat of revolution. He used to lead these recruits and support them during his own downtime when he still had it, making sure that they survived the hardships of basic training. Many of them were young, curious and much more innocent than he was. The 2nd Legion were made up of juveniles, young offenders who committed very petty and minor crimes like protesting and outspoken criticism.
Phalanx reminded him of one of these recruits, innocent in it's ways, curious about the world beyond their own little bubble and a warming sight for tired eyes. Ja'Far patted the platform on the back, calloused hands making a small thump sound as he smacked the metal. "Emotions shan't be studied through others alone, Phalanx. One must find thine own journey, own path, own self. Thou will learn miń ways in due time, why we act, why we breathe and why we feel. Remember this while on this journey; companionship is what separates feeling and unfeeling." Using a modified version of his own speech to his own recruits, it brought feelings of nostalgia. Back to a time where his blade wasn't so bloodied as it was now, not as far back as when his pulping rage clouded his vision of course but to a time where he still felt something when he snapped someone's neck.
Turning his attention to a commenting Vella, obviously uncomfortable with his close proximity. He deadpanned at her before scratching his fringe. This Asari was going to be a source of many headaches to come, he decided as he put his three cigars back into his awaiting mouth. He found a distraction from the Asari in the form of one of the Spectres giving them their first mission, grouped in with the Human spectre and the lighter armoured people of the assembled.
He immediately started assessing those he had missed out previously, analytical eyes peering at the people he would be working with. Rol'Naaris seemed like any other Quarian, a possible tech specialist however that sniper rifle and shotgun combo on his back may state otherwise. Sicaria was another soldier, through and through and once noticing the dual-Omni Blade mods on her arms, he labelled her as a particularly vicious one. A team with not as much armour or firepower as the other one, but able to sneak in and sneak out at a moment's notice. It was better to be unseen and hidden from your enemies before you kill them after all.
Ja'Far slapped his right fist against his chest once more, nodding respectfully towards his mission leader (the human Spectre) and his fellow squad mates. He unfurled his Incisor, ready to test its shiny new black coating on enemies if need be. He also brought his interrogation dagger out, curled spikes adorning the blade, used to great effect when you needed to get information from a hostile. He checked it's razor sharp edges before placing it back in it's sheath. He looked up to level his eyes with that of his superior, the cold visage of an experienced soldier steeling his gaze "Shalt any field interrogations be needed sir? And art thou capturing people of interest? I expect that thou has read miń profile and certain specialisations, all such specialisations I canst bring to the table. Nevertheless, I accept the mission sir."
Known for their large navies, merchant fleets and mastery over the seas, the Isang Tribes of the Far East are a collection of united chiefdoms that fly under one flag with a council of at it's head. A powerful presence around the great oceans of Dysium, they frequently trade with the various nations on the mainland. Their wares of whalebone and oil, tropical fruits and silk-like materials give them fame amongst the elite. Also known for their supply of strong liquors and mind-numbing drugs, most find nothing wrong with trading such things to common people as they frequently use them as well. These illicit and potentially poisonous wares have been banned across many states but this rarely stops the common people and the elite from wanting to feel these "out-of-this-world" experiences these Isa people claim to possess.
A journeyman's culture, built from the ashes of an old island migration of their ancestors some centuries ago, many chiefdoms had grown stagnant in their use of drugs and are thus absorbed by the bigger and stronger tribes. The political world of Isang is still very barbaric. If one chieftain or his people showed weakness, they would quickly be claimed by another bigger tribe. Those who grew complacent and fat would be gobbled up and forgotten in history. This brutal process lead to only four prominent Chieftains left to control the Trade Union, constantly vying control over the main trade routes they possessed with other, much smaller tribes controlling one or two. These smaller tribes are much more likely to deal in the more illegal wares the Isa possess to keep up.
There are still deep, tribal boundaries separating the four main Chiefs that lead the Union. Some chiefs, such as the brothers Aquiano, are strictly against the use of recreational drugs, instead opting to trade other wares under their disposal. But the majority of them do not care for the wellbeing of the mainland people. As the great chieftain Delossantos of Te Toa once boasted, feasting with his many wives and concubines "Let these mainland wretches drink themselves silly and make them dependent on our fair drugs, I say! Let us feast to their empty pockets and limp tools!"
Chieftains are mainly Dalawang, an offshoot of the Isa that possess light grey eyes. Usually explorers of great renown, these chiefs are loosely held together through the Union, acting as a "united" front for their island. However, the tribes still have independence and may have different objectives than the Union they are in. The Chieftains vote on laws and actions, drawing up trade routes and dividing these routes amongst themselves. There are four main tribes; Te Tika, Te Whakahonoretia, Te Pākiki and the Te Toa.
Ethnicity
The Trade Union is of one culture but many tribes. The Isa are a race of tan skinned tropical people, their ancestors navigating to their island from Quinso a millennia ago. Dark hair colours and brown eyes are the norm amongst Isang but most of the Chieftains of their people have been born with light grey eyes. They are called Dalawang. Those who have such eyes are seen to be pureblooded and have a destiny of greatness. Many of their greatest leaders possess such eyes so those born with them are respected but also feared. There are many cases of these grey-eyed infants being taken away and butchered for their threat against the current social hierarchy of a tribe. Strife can occur within a tribe if two fully grown Dalawang appear at once, usually ending in a civil war that destroys the chiefdom from the inside out.
Proud, mighty but curious, traditional Isa must follow the strict doctrines of their ancestors that dictate how they should act, how they should explore and how they should fight. These ancient rules are only loosely enforced by the Union and different tribes interpret these passages in a way to benefit them. They speak in their language of Hiligaynon, hard pronunciations of vowels and consonants with short sentences. The letters of "wh" form a harsh "f" sound, something that many foreigners mistake about their language is that they pronounce it as a "w" sound. They often speak in fast, short bursts as long winded speech is offensive towards them. To waste an Isang's time with compliments and extended language is insulting. Keep it short and sweet to avoid the blade of an exasperated Isa placed on your neck.
They view the other races of man with great interest but keeps them at arm's length. The Union are wary, ancient passages warning the Isa of colonialism and how such attitudes could affect indigenous people such as their own. Their own experiences with Albians has not helped this view. This is why you will rarely see any Isa amongst the mainlanders, sticking to their large boats, trimarans and their tropical island paradise. The island of Quiso is an exception however, many Isa move to their larger island brother to work and provide manpower to its growing industrial base, an industry that also provides for their people. In turn, Quisanos come to the southern islands for vacation, staying in places known for little to none raider activity. Adventurous and especially curious young Isa however roam the lands, leavings their island to experience the cultures of others. Many become independent merchants or are hired as navigators by other navies.
There is one more racial group found within the Union, a people with a sad past, shunned by the Union. The constant rape that happens within its lands has brought to light a problem amongst the tribes. Half-Albian and half-Isa, these outcasts are shunned, their blood mixed with the impure and savage northern-men. Most tribes have the pity to raise these children to their teenage years before being cast out, their entire existence a reminder of their failures. These misfits of society usually move to the more accepting island of Quiso, where they could work and live as any normal person without the pressures of past failures on their shoulders.
Geography
The different Pa of the Island Red - Te Toa Blue - Te Pākiki Yellow - Te Tika Black - Te Whakahonoretia White - Miscellaneous Small Tribes
The Isang island could be best described by it's many Quisano visitors, as a tropical paradise. Exotic fruits, white sandy beaches, fertile soils and an extinct conical volcanoin the middle surrounded by several smaller dormant ones and a thick rainforest, many would question the Isa's desire to visit other places. Many colourful plants exist within the tropical biome, these bear fruits of either the incredible delicious variety to portentously dangerous hallucinogenics. It is these hallucinogenics that the Isa use to produce their famed "sweet mixtures" that come in gas or powder form. Greenstone is commonly found in caves near the extinct volcano though they are not traded with, only used to make traditional melee weapons such as the mere.
The four lands of significance, owned by either Te Toa, Te Whakahonoretia, Te Pākiki or Te Tika, are significantly more populous than the other, more ravaged lands of smaller tribes. It is these smaller tribes that Albian raiders are most likely to target, little in the way of grand pa defences nor much sea defences either. The chieftains of these lands must either have a pact with one of the big four or fend for themselves.
Pa are great stone structures built upon the face of a hill or facing a beach, often used as ports, military garrisons and civilian living quarters. At the bottom of these pa are rows and rows of civilian huts, made from wood with roofs made out of large flax weaves and leaves. Due to the tropical nature of this biome, made this way by great heat waves in the form of heated air coming from the seas of the east, these houses are often open at the sides with drop down flax walls and regularly empty. The busy nature of an Isa ensures that he, his belongings and his family are never in the same place at the same time. These civilian districts are usually used by tourists, merchants, passing seamen or older Isang.
The following layer is made up of dug-in trenches and larger closed stone houses for the garrison, protecting the relatives of the chief, his own family and the treasuries up above. This layer is also where most of the illicit drugs the Isa are so famous for are produced. On top of this, lay the treasuries and the Chieftain Village. This is where most of the juicy stuff is, the reason that raids against Isa are so common. Piles of precious silk fabrics, greenstone weapons, muskets and their ammunition, gunpowder, whalebone by the dozen and barrels of whale oil. Riches so valuable and protected that close allies would be lucky to even have a glimpse of the treasury. They are often located on the coast but some are built in land as markers of territory.
Culture/Society
Traders, merchants and journeymen, all Isa possess a mighty urge to explore the unknown. To feel the wind in your sails, gliding across the oceans with your brothers and sisters, that is what it is too be Isa. To be envelop yourself in the Goddess of Wind, to be one with your boat. This is the true nature of the Isang, a people who want nothing more but to satiate their ever-present curiosity. This inner feeling of wanderlust is quickly dulled however by the weight of their own history, filled with blood, rape, murder and pillaging.
Their ancestors came to their island approximately one thousand years ago, an offshoot race from the old Quiso Empire. They carved their laws and history on five immense stone pillars in the middle of the island. These pillars dictate how Isa society shall work. To be an ever present collection of tribes, connected only by their race and religion. To praise the Goddess of Wind who's name was lost to history, praising her glory through sailing the seas, to let her carry them to unknown and unclaimed lands. To be wary of outsiders, their deceit and treachery may be the downfall of the curious Isa. But a Dalawang Chieftain must also bring gifts to his neighbours, asking for gifts back in return, to appease both his people and the wretches who threaten them.
These pillars gave the founding principles every tribe was founded on. Most of the rules and regulations have long been forgotten, eroded by the elements over many centuries. One of the most debated rules given in the five pillars is the "give to thine neighbour and thine neighbour shalt give unto you." Many tribes, both large and small, argue that this justifies the immense drug empire that they have laid across the land, that their gifts gave happiness to both common people and elite. More traditional tribes argue that this reliance on drugs has tainted their culture, that these gifts were cursed. The argument still rages on today but most of the traditional tribes had fallen already, Te Toa being the only large tribe to speak against their fellow chief's reliance on drug trade.
The Goddess of the Wind is the only deity worshipped among Isa and this worship can come in many forms amongst the various tribal states. Despite this, all can agree that the basic foundations of the religion is that the Goddess was not the Creator for there was no Creator. The world was just there and has always been there, existing forever and ever. No, the Goddess of the Wind granted the Isang the great wind to carry them forth into new lands. She was the reason they ever set off from Quiso and bestowed upon them their greatest gift, their curiosity. It was their curiosity that made them build their boats. It was their curiosity that made them travel the world to experience different cultures. It was their curiosity to know all things that willed them to drive forward against the Albian raiders, refusing to be stamped away from history.
Alas, with their greatest gift, also comes their greatest weakness. Curiosity has slain many young Isa, going beyond what was needed to reach newer heights. It is this knowledge, this restraint gained from maturity that older Isang tried to bestow upon their younger ones. Still, these lessons are never learned and many young ones rush to join the merchants, the seamen, the warriors, travelling diplomats to explore the world, some deciding to travel on their lonesome. The Goddess of the Wind is thus honoured and respected, prayed to during these journeymen's travels as they are carried by Her Eternal Wind.
Women are given equal opportunities amongst the men but are also seen as sacred. To insult or desecrate a woman's purity or love for her mate is a great offence against said woman's whole clan. There has been few female chiefs due to the lack of Dalawang women. However, Dalawang women have been rumoured to be extremely beautiful, wild with a curiosity that could never be satisfied.
Multiple relationships between the various countries of the continent have also shaped the island and culture. The most prominent of these relationships has been with Albians and has deeply impacted the Isang Island people.
The Isang's relationship with Alba has been somewhat... tense. For many a century, various Albian Jarls have conducted raids against the tribal peoples, pillaging and raping their women, stamping upon religious ground. They took crops, food and slaves frequently. Constant pillaging and killing, the smaller separated tribes of the island having little defence against such raids. Eventually, the tribes united to fight this force, stealing northern-men's muskets, forging mere and taiaha from hardened whalebone, constructing great fortresses of pa. A deep hatred for all Albians linked these tribes together and are one of the only reasons this Union doesn't fall apart. However, some tribes have allied with friendlier Albian Jarls to work together against rival chieftains, hiring raiders to conduct rape and pillage upon their lands.
A famous example of this was the alliance between Salinas, the chieftain of the great Te Hara tribe and one of the various Jarls. Pillaging Te Whakahonoretia lands when their chieftain was away, setting fire to their great pa and taking the beautiful daughter of the chief. To take a woman or desecrate the holy body of a woman is an affront to the great Goddess of the Wind, a deep insult to the men of the tribe. Unfortunately for Salinas, many survivors of the raid saw his warriors wreaking havoc with the Albians. Summoning a great war party, the Te Whakahonoretia chieftain destroyed Te Hara lands, a once mighty and proud tribe destroyed by an extremely angry father. Unfortunately, his daughter was already whisked away by the mysterious Jarl by the time his party got to the boats. Sinking to his knees, he wept.
The children of Albian raider men and desecrated Isang women were sent away once they reach the age of 13, left to fend for themselves. These outcasts of the Isa are typically very beautiful, fair-skinned with a large range of hair colours and light coloured brown eyes. A product of a most unholy union, if things were different, these half-breeds may have been praised for their beauty, not sent away because of what they represented. Occasionally, however, these half-cast children are sent to Wetlanders, a close ally of the Isa, to be raised and taken care of. This practice has seen a rise in popularity amongst Isa, almost as a friendly insult to the muddies. "Let the awkward Wetlanders handle these half-casts. They might stumble at the sight of a baby with more beauty than their own."
Economy/Industry
The Isa people, long before they ever formed into the Trade Union, had traded independently for centuries in exotic fruits, silks, furs, fish and maybe the most important of all, whale oil. Whale oil, made form the blubber of a large Eastern whale, are used by the early industrial societies of Dysium as fuel for oil lamps, to make soap and margarines. Although valuable, having whale blubber as the only non-luxury resource has resulted in most Isang tribes thinking of more... illegal methods. Large drug smuggling rings, complex webs of contacts and personal trade for goods. These drugs are the backbone for most of the Trade Union and are the reason that it is a country even worth noting on the other side of the continent. Many common people and country elite have fallen prey to their addictive "sweet" drugs, feeding money to Isang coffers.
Traditional tribes survive on uniting together, with their disgust towards drugs, they monopolise on the fish and whale oil trade. These tribes commit great amounts of manpower towards fishing and whaling, earning their keep through providing food to the other tribes and fuel for the lamps of the world. As the populations of local Isa whales and sea life die out, fishermen must venture further and further away from the island, nearing the Great Eastern Seas. It is unknown whether these traditional tribes will survive the next century or so.
Imports:
Food - Poultry and Dairy
Grain
Livestock
Metal
Muskets
Gunpowder
Wood
Stone
Exports:
Luxury silks
Tropical fruits
Furs
Exotic meat
Seafood
Whale oil
Illicit "sweet" drugs
Military
The Trade Union is only truly together in one branch of their government. Their navy. Every tribe must send a portion of their population to the military, to guard their merchant ships, their island and the diplomats overseas. A naval power in their own right, the Union became renown for their incredibly diverse fleet of speedy boarding ships and monolithic galleys. Preferring overwhelmingly fast ships for primitive boarding and ramming tactics, the duo of gunnery galley ships they possess in each fleet is built for sustained cannon fire to take the aggro of incoming ships. The Admiral-Captain at the reigns of one of these monolithic beasts send orders across ships through the use of ika birds, carrying messages towards the faster ships to perform complex manoeuvres they were trained to use prior to engagement. These fleets are often accompanying vast droves of trimarans that merchants often use to carry their goods.
An Isang warrior is a truly fearsome sight, usually young and hot-blooded Isa are chosen to become and most likely stay as one for life. Commonly used for boarding actions, manning ships, protecting the land against raiders as well as diplomats, drug traders and merchants. They serve as the bodyguards, the soldiers and the seamen of the various tribes. Tattoos adorn their bodies, reaching from the tips of their toes to their scalp. The more of these markings adorn a warrior's body, the more battles and encounters they have taken apart of. Clad in tribal furs and little armour, they rely on their martial art and discipline, screaming war cries in guttural speak before battle to strike fear into the enemy.
They are often armed with a musket carved with complex patterns and scratches, representing their particular tribe with pride. These muskets are used in great effect, usually used within the great pa in the trenches or in lines. A taiaha is often used, a short, reinforced wooden/whalebone spear with a heavy curve at one end and a blade of greenstone at the other. The curve is used to bash enemies in the head with, mostly likely ending with their brains mashed into pieces while the blade is used for light stabbing movements. The mere is a short handed, broad bladed club weapon also often used in close combat. Made out of tough greenstone, it can be used against lightly armoured opponents to cave their skulls in but also used against the heavily armoured as stun weapons. There is no uniform for the Isang warrior and sailor, their clothes made of flax, furs and silks.
There is no structure to the Isa army because they have none, no cavalrymen because there exists no horses amongst the Isa. The eldest and most experienced warriors lead in battle and that is that. Most warriors travel in groups of ten to fifteen when guarding roaming merchants and drug traders but can soar up to fifty when guarding diplomats in foreign nations. They are often summoned by their own chieftain individually, called to do certain tasks that they have been trained to do. When they are to be summoned en masse for war parties, the great horn every chieftain possessed would sound, thus calling all able warriors to come to their aid at once otherwise facing consequences of varying degrees. These numbers can number up to the tens of thousands if the tribe was particularly militant like Te Pākiki and in the old glory days of Te Whakahonoretia.
Te Whakahonoretia's revenge party against Te Hara:
Led by Chieftain Ramos, the 10,000 strong force, the largest war party in Isa history, assembled under him to lay siege against the Te Hara pa. Taking each fortress by force and without mercy, it only took a few days for the once mighty pa of Te Hara to fall. Unfortunately, Chieftain Ramos' daughter had been whisked away by Te Hara's Jarl ally, away to Alba. As he wept for her on the beaches of his homeland, he dismissed his mighty war band, swearing revenge against this mysterious Jarl.
Te Pākiki vs Te Waka:
Tensions between the militant neighbours of Te Pākiki and Te Waka came to a climax with the summoning of 1,000 Te Waka warriors to lay siege against one of Te Pākiki's least defended pa. With a small garrison of a measly 100 male and female warriors, it was said by many that this pa was doomed to fall. However, led by an unlikely female Dalawang warrior and possessing a large surplus of ammunition and gunpowder, the Hundred made Te Waka fight for every inch up their hill, fighting to the last warrior. Once Te Pākiki reinforcements arrived, the female Dalawang was still fighting on top of the pa. Many heard her shout over the Te Waka war cries, a powerful bellowing voice that would be remembered for the ages. "We are Te Pākiki, warriors of the West! We claimed this pa as our own and by the Goddess' divine will, we shall keep it!" Her words moved the reinforcements into action but it was too late, her corpse found amongst the Hundred who fought there, names forgotten in history.
Te Toa's defence of Te Wareware:
An Albian raiding party, great in manpower and fleet, approached the friendly tribe of Te Wareware near Te Toa lands. Fearing the worst for their comrades, the brother Aquianos sent for a mighty 5,000 strong war party to protect their ally's only pa. Unfortunately, when they arrived, Te Wareware warriors were already on their back foot against the northern-men, fighting fiercely for their lives and families. Enraged by the sight of their closest friends being butchered, the warriors of Te Toa let loose a mighty cry and as one, charged towards the surprised raiders. All Albians were butchered and beheaded, their heads preserved and sat atop spikes sticking out of the Te Wareware Bay, a warning to all outsiders. Stay. Out.
History
Self-explanatory. This doesn't need to be long; just informative. We encourage players to collaborate and create shared history, in fact, it is almost necessary. No nation exists in a vacuum.
Relations
The Roturra Wetlands
- Insert relations -
Alba
- Insert relations -
Characters
A bitter husk of his past self, Chief Ramos is the current head of Te Whakahonoretia. Born from the seed of of his father, a warrior-chief of great fame, the Dalawang was destined to become even better than his father. Trained from a young age in the use of both taiaha, mere and musket, at the age of six he was already as tall and as broad as the thirteen year olds he sparred with. Talented, young and hard-headed, he was not as curious as the other boys and stayed to defend his home, rather than becoming a journeyman like so many of his peers. Honing his talents with the taiaha, he was known for his martial prowess on the battlefield, fending off raiders and rival Isa.
He eventually became chieftain for the Te Whakahonoretia, leading his people into a golden age of prosperity under his rule. The warrior population within his pa grew, as many Isa sought to become the fierce warrior he was. Ramos' steel grey eyes struck fear into the hearts of many and the various rival tribes hated him for his brutality on the battlefield. And thus, Te Hara laid out its plans. Sneaking through the night, Te Whakahonoretia's rivals allied with Jarl Vikar Totisson, future High King of Alba. They raided their pa when the chieftain and most of the warriors were away for a meetings of Chiefs, taking his precious daughter and burning homes to the ground.
To this day, even after the destruction of Te Hara and years after his daughter's taking, Ramos has never been the same. He has become weary throughout the years, growing more and more spiteful, missing his daughter and swearing revenge against the Albian High King. He is sat atop his once mighty throne, a deep warrior's grudge growing within him. His blood pumps with rage and soon, he will get his revenge. He controls much of the trade to the Federation of Lythian States, trading furs, meats and silk in bulk for better muskets, gunpowder, tools and processed metals. His traders are also starting a small drug smuggling group there that he hopes will feed his growing war machine.
Known for their grandfatherly personalities and traditional ways, the brothers Aquiano of Te Toa are older and wiser than most. Both nearing the age of their late 70's, these two were born with a year separating each other. Carlos Aquiano is the older of the two, firstborn of their great family with José Aquiano coming second. The Aquiano family is an old one and the two brothers can trace back their ancestry all the way to the first Isa, the ancients who came to their island a millennia ago. They hold great sway over the traditionalist tribes of the island and monopolised the fishing and whaling industry. They control much of the sea around the northern part of the island and provides seafood for the Union.
Controller one of the largest drug empires on the continent, Delossantos has navigated the globe and works more personally and frequently with the Wildlanders. He is more boisterous and loud than the other chieftains, acting like he is still a young journeyman travelling the world. He has an air of arrogance and pride surrounding him and contains all the stereotypes the Isang people have collected over the years. Not much of a warrior, he's more useful conducting famous trade deals or manning the ships of his people than fighting. Rising to the top using his own wit and charm, he is the premier Trader Chieftain. He wants the money and income for his tribe, to cement Te Tika and by extension, the Trade Union as a superpower. His tribe interacts the most with Wetlanders, sending half-breeds more often than most other tribes.
The Butcher of Tribes came to power through bloody wars. Te Pākiki was a smaller tribe once, with only a few pa and a port, not much of a presence on the island. It was not until the feud between a larger tribe called Te Waka that they truly stepped into the limelight. Datu rose to power after the climax of their feud, inspired by the desperate cries of a fellow Dalawang warrior as she fell against a Te Waka spear. He fought like a beast when he heard her final cries, roaring as enemies fell against his mere. He fought for the past chieftain in the war that followed afterwards, a hero of spectacular might, tall and brave. When the old chief fell to an ambush, he was quickly chosen by his people to lead them. He devoured Te Waka, cementing his tribe as major power in the Union to come. He fields much of the ships and warriors in the Union, often lending warriors to other tribes. Despite his unstable personality, he acts as a mediator between the tribes, being the biggest military power after Te Whakahonoretia's fall.
Hope that the Alba die first and pray to the Goddes of the Wind that the colour won't reach their allies or more importantly, them. Probably serious thoughts will be put into actually uniting the tribes under one "Almighty Chieftain"
Edit: I have now finished most of it and I have staked my claim. I'm moving it to the CHAR tab <3
The Trade Union of Isang Tribes
Nation Overview & Government
Known for their large navies, merchant fleets and mastery over the seas, the Isang Tribes of the Far East are a collection of united chiefdoms that fly under one flag with a council of at it's head. A powerful presence around the great oceans of Dysium, they frequently trade with the various nations on the mainland. Their wares of whalebone and oil, tropical fruits and silk-like materials give them fame amongst the elite. Also known for their supply of strong liquors and mind-numbing drugs, most find nothing wrong with trading such things to common people as they frequently use them as well. These illicit and potentially poisonous wares have been banned across many states but this rarely stops the common people and the elite from wanting to feel these "out-of-this-world" experiences these Isa people claim to possess.
A journeyman's culture, built from the ashes of an old island migration of their ancestors some centuries ago, many chiefdoms had grown stagnant in their use of drugs and are thus absorbed by the bigger and stronger tribes. The political world of Isang is still very barbaric. If one chieftain or his people showed weakness, they would quickly be claimed by another bigger tribe. Those who grew complacent and fat would be gobbled up and forgotten in history. This brutal process lead to only four prominent Chieftains left to control the Trade Union, constantly vying control over the main trade routes they possessed with other, much smaller tribes controlling one or two. These smaller tribes are much more likely to deal in the more illegal wares the Isa possess to keep up.
There are still deep, tribal boundaries separating the four main Chiefs that lead the Union. Some chiefs, such as the brothers Aquiano, are strictly against the use of recreational drugs, instead opting to trade other wares under their disposal. But the majority of them do not care for the wellbeing of the mainland people. As the great chieftain Delossantos of Te Toa once boasted, feasting with his many wives and concubines "Let these mainland wretches drink themselves silly and make them dependent on our fair drugs, I say! Let us feast to their empty pockets and limp tools!"
Chieftains are mainly Dalawang, an offshoot of the Isa that possess light grey eyes. Usually explorers of great renown, these chiefs are loosely held together through the Union, acting as a "united" front for their island. However, the tribes still have independence and may have different objectives than the Union they are in. The Chieftains vote on laws and actions, drawing up trade routes and dividing these routes amongst themselves. There are four main tribes; Te Tika, Te Whakahonoretia, Te Pākiki and the Te Toa.
Ethnicity
The Trade Union is of one culture but many tribes. The Isa are a race of tan skinned tropical people, their ancestors navigating to their island from Quinso a millennia ago. Dark hair colours and brown eyes are the norm amongst Isang but most of the Chieftains of their people have been born with light grey eyes. They are called Dalawang. Those who have such eyes are seen to be pureblooded and have a destiny of greatness. Many of their greatest leaders possess such eyes so those born with them are respected but also feared. There are many cases of these grey-eyed infants being taken away and butchered for their threat against the current social hierarchy of a tribe. Strife can occur within a tribe if two fully grown Dalawang appear at once, usually ending in a civil war that destroys the chiefdom from the inside out.
Proud, mighty but curious, traditional Isa must follow the strict doctrines of their ancestors that dictate how they should act, how they should explore and how they should fight. These ancient rules are only loosely enforced by the Union and different tribes interpret these passages in a way to benefit them. They speak in their language of Hiligaynon, hard pronunciations of vowels and consonants with short sentences. The letters of "wh" form a harsh "f" sound, something that many foreigners mistake about their language is that they pronounce it as a "w" sound. They often speak in fast, short bursts as long winded speech is offensive towards them. To waste an Isang's time with compliments and extended language is insulting. Keep it short and sweet to avoid the blade of an exasperated Isa placed on your neck.
They view the other races of man with great interest but keeps them at arm's length. The Union are wary, ancient passages warning the Isa of colonialism and how such attitudes could affect indigenous people such as their own. Their own experiences with Albians has not helped this view. This is why you will rarely see any Isa amongst the mainlanders, sticking to their large boats, trimarans and their tropical island paradise. The island of Quiso is an exception however, many Isa move to their larger island brother to work and provide manpower to its growing industrial base, an industry that also provides for their people. In turn, Quisanos come to the southern islands for vacation, staying in places known for little to none raider activity. Adventurous and especially curious young Isa however roam the lands, leavings their island to experience the cultures of others. Many become independent merchants or are hired as navigators by other navies.
There is one more racial group found within the Union, a people with a sad past, shunned by the Union. The constant rape that happens within its lands has brought to light a problem amongst the tribes. Half-Albian and half-Isa, these outcasts are shunned, their blood mixed with the impure and savage northern-men. Most tribes have the pity to raise these children to their teenage years before being cast out, their entire existence a reminder of their failures. These misfits of society usually move to the more accepting island of Quiso, where they could work and live as any normal person without the pressures of past failures on their shoulders.
Geography
The different Pa of the Island Red - Te Toa Blue - Te Pākiki Yellow - Te Tika Black - Te Whakahonoretia White - Miscellaneous Small Tribes
The Isang island could be best described by it's many Quisano visitors, as a tropical paradise. Exotic fruits, white sandy beaches, fertile soils and an extinct conical volcanoin the middle surrounded by several smaller, dormant ones and a thick rainforest, many would question the Isa's desire to visit other places. Many colourful plants exist within the tropical biome, these bear fruits of either the incredible delicious variety to portentously dangerous hallucinogenics. It is these hallucinogenics that the Isa use to produce their famed "sweet mixtures" that come in gas or powder form. Greenstone is commonly found in caves near the extinct volcano though they are not traded with, only used to make traditional melee weapons such as the mere.
The four lands of significance, owned by either Te Toa, Te Whakahonoretia, Te Pākiki or Te Tika, are significantly more populous than the other, more ravaged lands of smaller tribes. It is these smaller tribes that Albian raiders are most likely to target, little in the way of grand pa defences nor much sea defences either. The chieftains of these lands must either have a pact with one of the big four or fend for themselves.
Pa are great stone structures built upon the face of a hill or facing a beach, often used as ports, military garrisons and civilian living quarters. At the bottom of these pa are rows and rows of civilian huts, made from wood with roofs made out of large flax weaves and leaves. Due to the tropical nature of this biome, made this way by great heat waves in the form of heated air coming from the seas of the east, these houses are often open at the sides with drop down flax walls and regularly empty. The busy nature of an Isa ensures that he, his belongings and his family are never in the same place at the same time. These civilian districts are usually used by tourists, merchants, passing seamen or older Isang.
The following layer is made up of dug-in trenches and larger closed stone houses for the garrison, protecting the relatives of the chief, his own family and the treasuries up above. This layer is also where most of the illicit drugs the Isa are so famous for are produced. On top of this, lay the treasuries and the Chieftain Village. This is where most of the juicy stuff is, the reason that raids against Isa are so common. Piles of precious silk fabrics, greenstone weapons, muskets and their ammunition, gunpowder, whalebone by the dozen and barrels of whale oil. Riches so valuable and protected that close allies would be lucky to even have a glimpse of the treasury. They are often located on the coast but some are built in land as markers of territory.
Culture/Society
Traders, merchants and journeymen, all Isa possess a mighty urge to explore the unknown. To feel the wind in your sails, gliding across the oceans with your brothers and sisters, that is what it is too be Isa. To be envelop yourself in the Goddess of Wind, to be one with your boat. This is the true nature of the Isang, a people who want nothing more but to satiate their ever-present curiosity. This inner feeling of wanderlust is quickly dulled however by the weight of their own history, filled with blood, rape, murder and pillaging.
Their ancestors came to their island approximately one thousand years ago, an offshoot race from the old Quiso Empire. They carved their laws and history on five immense stone pillars in the middle of the island. These pillars dictate how Isa society shall work. To be an ever present collection of tribes, connected only by their race and religion. To praise the Goddess of Wind who's name was lost to history, praising her glory through sailing the seas, to let her carry them to unknown and unclaimed lands. To be wary of outsiders, their deceit and treachery may be the downfall of the curious Isa. But a Dalawang Chieftain must also bring gifts to his neighbours, asking for gifts back in return, to appease both his people and the wretches who threaten them.
These pillars gave the founding principles every tribe was founded on. Most of the rules and regulations have long been forgotten, eroded by the elements over many centuries. One of the most debated rules given in the five pillars is the "give to thine neighbour and thine neighbour shalt give unto you." Many tribes, both large and small, argue that this justifies the immense drug empire that they have laid across the land, that their gifts gave happiness to both common people and elite. More traditional tribes argue that this reliance on drugs has tainted their culture, that these gifts were cursed. The argument still rages on today but most of the traditional tribes had fallen already, Te Toa being the only large tribe to speak against their fellow chief's reliance on drug trade.
The Goddess of the Wind is the only deity worshipped among Isa and this worship can come in many forms amongst the various tribal states. Despite this, all can agree that the basic foundations of the religion is that the Goddess was not the Creator for there was no Creator. The world was just there and has always been there, existing forever and ever. No, the Goddess of the Wind granted the Isang the great wind to carry them forth into new lands. She was the reason they ever set off from Quiso and bestowed upon them their greatest gift, their curiosity. It was their curiosity that made them build their boats. It was their curiosity that made them travel the world to experience different cultures. It was their curiosity to know all things that willed them to drive forward against the Albian raiders, refusing to be stamped away from history.
Alas, with their greatest gift, also comes their greatest weakness. Curiosity has slain many young Isa, going beyond what was needed to reach newer heights. It is this knowledge, this restraint gained from maturity that older Isang tried to bestow upon their younger ones. Still, these lessons are never learned and many young ones rush to join the merchants, the seamen, the warriors, travelling diplomats to explore the world, some deciding to travel on their lonesome. The Goddess of the Wind is thus honoured and respected, prayed to during these journeymen's travels as they are carried by Her Eternal Wind.
Women are given equal opportunities amongst the men but are also seen as sacred. To insult or desecrate a woman's purity or love for her mate is a great offence against said woman's whole clan. There has been few female chiefs due to the lack of Dalawang women. However, Dalawang women have been rumoured to be extremely beautiful, wild with a curiosity that could never be satisfied.
Multiple relationships between the various countries of the continent have also shaped the island and culture. The most prominent of these relationships has been with Albians and has deeply impacted the Isang Island people.
The Isang's relationship with Alba has been somewhat... tense. For many a century, various Albian Jarls have conducted raids against the tribal peoples, pillaging and raping their women, stamping upon religious ground. They took crops, food and slaves frequently. Constant pillaging and killing, the smaller separated tribes of the island having little defence against such raids. Eventually, the tribes united to fight this force, stealing northern-men's muskets, forging mere and taiaha from hardened whalebone, constructing great fortresses of pa. A deep hatred for all Albians linked these tribes together and are one of the only reasons this Union doesn't fall apart. However, some tribes have allied with friendlier Albian Jarls to work together against rival chieftains, hiring raiders to conduct rape and pillage upon their lands.
A famous example of this was the alliance between Salinas, the chieftain of the great Te Hara tribe and one of the various Jarls. Pillaging Te Whakahonoretia lands when their chieftain was away, setting fire to their great pa and taking the beautiful daughter of the chief. To take a woman or desecrate the holy body of a woman is an affront to the great Goddess of the Wind, a deep insult to the men of the tribe. Unfortunately for Salinas, many survivors of the raid saw his warriors wreaking havoc with the Albians. Summoning a great war party, the Te Whakahonoretia chieftain destroyed Te Hara lands, a once mighty and proud tribe destroyed by an extremely angry father. Unfortunately, his daughter was already whisked away by the mysterious Jarl by the time his party got to the boats. Sinking to his knees, he wept.
The children of Albian raider men and desecrated Isang women were sent away once they reach the age of 13, left to fend for themselves. These outcasts of the Isa are typically very beautiful, fair-skinned with a large range of hair colours and light coloured brown eyes. A product of a most unholy union, if things were different, these half-breeds may have been praised for their beauty, not sent away because of what they represented. Occasionally, however, these half-cast children are sent to Wetlanders, a close ally of the Isa, to be raised and taken care of. This practice has seen a rise in popularity amongst Isa, almost as a friendly insult to the muddies. "Let the awkward Wetlanders handle these half-casts. They might stumble at the sight of a baby with more beauty than their own."
Economy/Industry
The Isa people, long before they ever formed into the Trade Union, had traded independently for centuries in exotic fruits, silks, furs, fish and maybe the most important of all, whale oil. Whale oil, made form the blubber of a large Eastern whale, are used by the early industrial societies of Dysium as fuel for oil lamps, to make soap and margarines. Although valuable, having whale blubber as the only non-luxury resource has resulted in most Isang tribes thinking of more... illegal methods. Large drug smuggling rings, complex webs of contacts and personal trade for goods. These drugs are the backbone for most of the Trade Union and are the reason that it is a country even worth noting on the other side of the continent. Many common people and country elite have fallen prey to their addictive "sweet" drugs, feeding money to Isang coffers.
Traditional tribes survive on uniting together, with their disgust towards drugs, they monopolise on the fish and whale oil trade. These tribes commit great amounts of manpower towards fishing and whaling, earning their keep through providing food to the other tribes and fuel for the lamps of the world. As the populations of local Isa whales and sea life die out, fishermen must venture further and further away from the island, nearing the Great Eastern Seas. It is unknown whether these traditional tribes will survive the next century or so.
Imports:
Food - Poultry and Dairy
Grain
Livestock
Metal
Muskets
Gunpowder
Wood
Stone
Exports:
Luxury silks
Tropical fruits
Furs
Exotic meat
Seafood
Whale oil
Illicit "sweet" drugs
Military
The Trade Union is only truly together in one branch of their government. Their navy. Every tribe must send a portion of their population to the military, to guard their merchant ships, their island and the diplomats overseas. A naval power in their own right, the Union became renown for their incredibly diverse fleet of speedy boarding ships and monolithic galleys. Preferring overwhelmingly fast ships for primitive boarding and ramming tactics, the duo of gunnery galley ships they possess in each fleet is built for sustained cannon fire to take the aggro of incoming ships. The Admiral-Captain at the reigns of one of these monolithic beasts send orders across ships through the use of ika birds, carrying messages towards the faster ships to perform complex manoeuvres they were trained to use prior to engagement. These fleets are often accompanying vast droves of trimarans that merchants often use to carry their goods.
An Isang warrior is a truly fearsome sight, usually young and hot-blooded Isa are chosen to become and most likely stay as one for life. Commonly used for boarding actions, manning ships, protecting the land against raiders as well as diplomats, drug traders and merchants. They serve as the bodyguards, the soldiers and the seamen of the various tribes. Tattoos adorn their bodies, reaching from the tips of their toes to their scalp. The more of these markings adorn a warrior's body, the more battles and encounters they have taken apart of. Clad in tribal furs and little armour, they rely on their martial art and discipline, screaming war cries in guttural speak before battle to strike fear into the enemy.
They are often armed with a musket carved with complex patterns and scratches, representing their particular tribe with pride. These muskets are used in great effect, usually used within the great pa in the trenches or in lines. A taiaha is often used, a short, reinforced wooden/whalebone spear with a heavy curve at one end and a blade of greenstone at the other. The curve is used to bash enemies in the head with, mostly likely ending with their brains mashed into pieces while the blade is used for light stabbing movements. The mere is a short handed, broad bladed club weapon also often used in close combat. Made out of tough greenstone, it can be used against lightly armoured opponents to cave their skulls in but also used against the heavily armoured as stun weapons. There is no uniform for the Isang warrior and sailor, their clothes made of flax, furs and silks.
There is no structure to the Isa army because they have none, no cavalrymen because there exists no horses amongst the Isa. The eldest and most experienced warriors lead in battle and that is that. Most warriors travel in groups of ten to fifteen when guarding roaming merchants and drug traders but can soar up to fifty when guarding diplomats in foreign nations. They are often summoned by their own chieftain individually, called to do certain tasks that they have been trained to do. When they are to be summoned en masse for war parties, the great horn every chieftain possessed would sound, thus calling all able warriors to come to their aid at once otherwise facing consequences of varying degrees. These numbers can number up to the tens of thousands if the tribe was particularly militants like Te Pākiki and in the old glory days of Te Whakahonoretia.
Te Whakahonoretia's revenge party against Te Hara:
Led by Chieftain Ramos, the 10,000 strong force, the largest war party in Isa history, assembled under him to lay siege against the Te Hara pa. Taking each fortress by force and without mercy, it only took a few days for the once mighty pa of Te Hara to fall. Unfortunately, Chieftain Ramos' daughter had been whisked away by Te Hara's Jarl ally, away to Alba. As he wept for her on the beaches of his homeland, he dismissed his mighty war band, swearing revenge against this mysterious Jarl.
Te Pākiki vs Te Waka:
Tensions between the militant neighbours of Te Pākiki and Te Waka came to a climax with the summoning of 1,000 Te Waka warriors to lay siege against one of Te Pākiki's least defended pa. With a small garrison of a measly 100 male and female warriors, it was said by many that this pa was doomed to fall. However, led by an unlikely female Dalawang warrior and possessing a large surplus of ammunition and gunpowder, the Hundred made Te Waka fight for every inch up their hill, fighting to the last warrior. Once Te Pākiki reinforcements arrived, the female Dalawang was still fighting on top of the pa. Many heard her shout over the Te Waka war cries, a powerful bellowing voice that would be remembered for the ages. "We are Te Pākiki, warriors of the West! We claimed this pa as our own and by the Goddess' divine will, we shall keep it!" Her words moved the reinforcements into action but it was too late, her corpse found amongst the Hundred who fought there, names forgotten in history.
Te Toa's defence of Te Wareware:
An Albian raiding party, great in manpower and fleet, approached the friendly tribe of Te Wareware near Te Toa lands. Fearing the worst for their comrades, the brother Aquianos sent for a mighty 5,000 strong war party to protect their ally's only pa. Unfortunately, when they arrived, Te Wareware warriors were already on their back foot against the northern-men, fighting fiercely for their lives and families. Enraged by the sight of their closest friends being butchered, the warriors of Te Toa let loose a mighty cry and as one, charged towards the surprised raiders. All Albians were butchered and beheaded, their heads preserved and sat atop spikes sticking out of the Te Wareware Bay, a warning to all outsiders. Stay. Out.
History
Self-explanatory. This doesn't need to be long; just informative. We encourage players to collaborate and create shared history, in fact, it is almost necessary. No nation exists in a vacuum.
Member
Altered Tundra
