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| People's Republic of Kaitjan - Blood of the Tiger | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 21 2014, 09:09 PM (2,411 Views) | |
| Kaitjan | May 21 2014, 09:09 PM Post #1 |
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The People's Republic of Kaitjan![]() "War is an ever constant reality of this world. No one knows it better than we do. Since times immemorial this land has been home to war, strife and suffering. The pyres of war have burned stronger than the sun for centuries and millennia, fuelled by millions of lives. Men, women and children, heroes and villains, soldiers and civilians. No one has gone untouched by the flames of war. It is both our greatest tragedy and our greatest honour. The division of the Apisteftian people is an unjust reality of history, one that has prevented us from reaching true greatness. But the pyre of war - with all the suffering and death that has come with it - has made it possible to purify us. It took centuries for it to happen. Despots of old had to be overthrown in revolutions and much blood had to be spilled to finally destroy the enemies of the Apisteftian people. You - people of Agredei and Kesh, Abramoz and Korichan - we hold nothing against you. Nobody speaks out against your bravery, your strength and your worth. It has always been there, but your minds have been clouded. History has been cruel to you and given you leaders that fought against what was right, oppressed you and tried to lead you astray. But that is over now. The age of strife has come to an end. You have been liberated of your despots, and through that of your sins. Nothing is held against you or any child of Apisteftia. We have all been purified by the pyre of war, but now it is time to extinguish it. It has burnt for too long. We all step out of the ashes reborn and new. Together we will unite beneath the banner of the Tiger, purified of our past grievances and hatred. For the first time in thousands of years Apisteftia is united, and never again are we going to be divided. We are all the people of Kaitjan. From this day we are one, and together we are to create a grand future. We are One People, under the banners of One Party, forever united by one Purpose! Forward, brothers and sisters, together into the future!" - State General Arzay Nikromov at the signing of the Glorious Agreement. On the northern shores of the Old World lies a region named Apisteftia - “The Blazed Lands.” It is a hot and tropical corner of the world, one blessed with many gifts of nature. The region is cut through by mighty rivers and deep lakes, and the land consists of everything from vast open riverland plains to swamps and unconquered jungles. Apisteftia is home to a great diversity of plant and wildlife, and the ground itself hides a veritable treasury of natural resources - various ores, natural gas, coal and oil. But Apisteftia is also a region shrouded in centuries of violence. Since ancient times it has been a literal pyre, almost constantly ablaze by the fires of war, and the short periods of peace have never been more than hot embers, waiting to burst into a fire even greater than the previous. It is in these fires that Kaitjan was born. The People’s Republic of Kaitjan has dominated Apisteftia since the early 2990s, after it had crushed and subjugated its neighbours and rivals through a series of destructive wars that took place in the second half of the 30th century. Kaitjan is a militaristic, totalitarian communist dictatorship, often described as one of the harshest regimes in Kosmopol. Devoid of political freedoms, open elections and freedom of speech, the nation has been ruled by the Official Communist Party of Kaitjan - the OCPK - since 2930. It is more or less synonymous with the government and the massive bureaucratic machine that is the state, and it administers nearly all aspects of the People’s Republic. Supported by over-inflated security apparatus and a massive military, the OCPK is in complete control of the nation. The economy is run by the state, industrial oriented and designed to work according to the self-reliance policies set by the government. Mainly isolationist in nature, the People’s Republic has always been unhappy with the prospect of being reliant on exports or imports and maintains few to none economical ties with the outside world. Kaitjanese foreign policy have varied between open gun-toting, open threats and aggressive military action to cold nonchalance and complete introversion. One thing that has never changed are the border policies - immigration is more or less impossible and the the borders remain on iron lockdown most of the time. “Nobody gets in and nobody gets out” is the unofficial motto of the Ministry of Migration, the border guard and related organizations. As a political entity the People’s Republic a relatively young, especially in its current form. Its predecessor was the Kingdom of Kaitjan, a semi-feudal state headed by an autocratic monarch, and whose dynasty had once come to power in the 25th century, after 500 years of near constant war between chieftains and warlords. The Kingdom of Kaitjan lasted for roughly another 500 years, but its feudal masters could not cling on to power forever. Slow to modernize and leave its strict feudal traditions behind, the nation went through a long period of war, starvation and internal unrest before finally starting to fall apart in the early years of the 30th century. The monarch was deposed and killed in a bloody revolution, which in turn was followed by an even bloodier nine year civil war. In the end only one faction was standing in the ruins of the country - the communist OCPK and its army. The newly born People’s Republic went through a painful but in the end successful period of modernization, forced collectivization of agriculture and industrialization. At a cost of much human suffering Kaitjan became a regional superpower with a powerful army and a functional welfare state. And then came war - horrible destructive war at a scale that Apisteftia had never seen. The second half of the 30th century became an era of nearly continuous warfare, with all five nations of Apisteftia becoming both willing and unwilling participants. The very existence of Kaitjan as a nation came up to question, but eventually the People’s Republic prevailed. In 2993 the Glorious Agreement was signed, which officially made the subjugated nations into a part of the new, greater People’s Republic. The states of Abramoz, Korichan, Agredei and Kesh ceased to exist as independent states and became districts of Kaitjan. Today Kaitjan is a regional superpower. The People’s Republic rules over the entirety of the Apisteftian region, which makes it one of the largest states in Kosmopol. Military spendings are as high as ever and the OCPK is still in power. Dissidents and traitors are systematically hunted by the secret policy and security services, and the planned economy annually adopts new industrial and agricultural plans. Kaitjan remains a closed and very paranoid nation, with no real friends or partners in the outside world. But times are changing, and the People’s Republic stands before new problems. Despite the best efforts there is the risk that the populace will start clamour for things like “freedom”, “elections” and “democracy.” Not all of the subjugated nationalities are happy with the new state of affairs, and inter-ethnic conflicts and nationalist movements might spiral out of control if left unchecked and maybe even challenge the authority of the OCPK. And then there are the ambitions of Kaitjan itself: the war for Apisteftia might be won, but there is an entire world outside, filled with possibilities and possible conquests. But it also hosts other nations, many of them powerful and dangerous in their own right. Should Kaitjan try to increase its influence with force of arms and money or should it remain in willing isolation? A new age has come - Kaitjan Survachyt - Kaitjan supreme. There are risks to be taken and gains to be made. Kaitjan will prevail - she always has. Who knows, maybe the banner of the roaring tiger will fly over other places as well? For OC Reference Spoiler: click to toggle
Edited by Kaitjan, Dec 13 2015, 03:39 PM.
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| Kaitjan | Aug 7 2014, 12:10 AM Post #11 |
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Kaitjanese People and Culture 2/2 Literature and Oral Tradition Spoiler: click to toggle Sport Spoiler: click to toggle Media Spoiler: click to toggle Famous Kaitjanese People Spoiler: click to toggle Traditional Clothing and Concept of Beauty Spoiler: click to toggle
Edited by Kaitjan, Jan 12 2016, 04:15 PM.
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| Kaitjan | Aug 13 2014, 10:48 PM Post #12 |
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History The "Greater Nation" According to ancient legends and stories there was many thousands of years ago a large and unified nation, spanning the entirety of present day Apisteftia. It was a mighty and powerful kingdom, but eventually the king grew old and died. On his deathbed he asked his many sons to keep the peace, to work together for the greater good of the realm he was leaving to them. For a while his sons did as they were told, but greed, distrust and ambition drove them to war with each other. The kingdom was divided and fell apart into many rivalling tribes and clans. A thousand year long age of war and violence begun. This legend has been around for many centuries, but it is widely considered that there is little to no historical truth in it. Most archaeologists and historians consider it to be a legend and nothing more, created in the attempt to gain claims on different territories. But the story of the "Greater Nation" survived, and has through history been vigorously used by many Apisteftian rulers to justify their wars and ambitions. Kaitjan is a prime example of this. It was popular among the Kaitjanese kings and survived into the times of the People's Republic. Although the OCPK never used the legend in state propaganda, the "Greater Nation" concept became common after the subjugation of Apisteftia - a sort of justification for the annexation of the neighbouring states. Ancient Kaitjan 1-1900 Heavenfall is the first event to have ever been recorded in Apisteftia. The so called “Ancient” age of the region spans from Year 1, through the Protosian Ages, the Pelagian age and ends near the end of the Late Pelagian age. It is a long period of time - 1900 years - during which many civilizations appeared all over the world, gained power and became advanced. This period, however, is badly documented by Kaitjanese history. The people that would become the forefathers of the modern Kaitjanese are known today as the Imortakai - “Before the Tiger People”. These tribes populated the lands of the central Merizta and Malzúr basin, and the confluence of two great rivers is considered to be the birthplace and cradle of the Kaitjan. Fairly little is known about the Imortakai, and there are two main reasons for it. The first issue is language. The written word was introduced very late in Apisteftia, and the first historical documents were written by local scholars as late as in 1800 SH. It is not known why the development of the written language was so delayed, but it remains a fact. Most groups in the region remained illiterate until the 19th century, with the exception being the westernmost tribes living in what would once become Abramoz. The art of writing probably arrived from the Pelagic and Ardania, first settled down in the west and later spread to the Apisteftian interior. But even though the Imortakai lacked a written language, they were far from primitive. They had a rich culture based upon oral traditions and storytelling, and it is through them that the memory of Heavenfall survived until it could be written down in scrolls. There are evidence that the Imortakai were able to write down basic information by carving pictures and signs onto wooden and stone slabs. However, few of these archeological artefacts survive to modern times, as much of what the Imortakai left behind was destroyed by time and war. This brings the second reason - lack of historical evidence. The Imortakai were for most of their existence nomadic tribes, settling downs for a few months before moving on to new lands. Permanents settlements existed, but when the original builders died their sons and daughters cared not for their work. In Kaitjan the remains from earlier ages were often ignored, destroyed and replaced with something new, before the whole process could be repeated again and again. There was little regard for history, and every new generation was more interested in themselves than their ancestors. The 28th century, however, saw a surge of interest for the past, with the Kaitjanese monarchy investing in archeological excavations and the preservation of findings. Sadly, much of what they found is now lost. During the Kaitjanese revolution massive urpsings shook the capital city Mozgúl, and the Royal Archives, which are thought to have contained a great number of historical documents and artefacts, were burnt to the ground. Few had time to mourn as the country was descending into the madness of civil war. The People’s Republic of Kaitjan did not care much for the past either, and many cities and towns lost their traditional flavour when they were replaced with modern buildings and industries. Only recently, in the 31st century, has there been some renewed interest in ancient history. There is, however, some knowledge about ancient Kaitjan and Apisteftia. The Imortakai spoke a language called Kaipar, and was one of several major tribal peoples that rose to existence in along the great rivers - the Coriazta, the Merizta and the Abhad. They, as most societies that developed in Apisteftia, were bound to the rivers and dependent on them for food, transport and water. Most of the region was still covered in jungles and rainforest, making it hard to travel or settle down anywhere but the fertile river valleys and basins. For centuries the tribes were nomadic, surviving by hunting, gathering and fishing, but at some point in the 5th century they started the transformation into agrarian societies. The Apisteftian wetlands and river shores were were prone to floods, but they were perfect to growing rice, which would soon become primary crop of sustenance. The second most important food was fish, and the tribes were early in developing canoes and crafts, which would become more and more advanced as the years went on. Some remained nomads, but most realized that living in larger, permanent communities was much safer and easier than braving the wilderness. Soon the Imortakai tribes realized that instead of producing food and crafts yourself, it was much easier to take it from others. Raiding and warfare soon became integral parts of Imortakai society, which in itself changed to accommodate these new traditions. Castes emerged, simple in the beginning but became increasingly advanced as the years passed. On top of the tribal hierarchy was the warrior class, headed by a chieftains who thanks to his personal bravery and prowess could keep his autocratic position. Hereditary rule was at the time an alien concept, and the death of a leader resulted in infighting to find a new one. Beneath the chief and his warriors were the commoners - peasants, fishermen and artisans. The lines were, however, blurry at times. Taking up the spear or bow to defend one's village or tribe was expected from all men, but expeditionary warfare - such as raiding and plundering - remained the area of the warrior caste. While the fishermen and peasants laboured to supply the triber with food the warriors kept it safe or attacked others. Prizes included supplies, territories, weapons and prisoners of war. Serfdom and slavery was still uncommon, and captured men were mostly killed while their wives and children were “redistributed” among the victors. The tribes grew, both due to natural growth and the assimilation of subjugated peoples. As times passed they became better organized, and this paved the way for new age - the Age of Chieftains. Age of Chieftains 1900-2457 The Age of Chieftains is fairly well documented. Many chronicles and documents survive to this day, as well as crafts, weapons and architectural monuments. Around the 20th century the written language became wide spread in Apisteftia, including the territories inhabited by the Imortakai tribes. History and stories started being written down, and it is through them that much of the knowledge of this period comes. The Age of Chieftains was a period of great technological advancement - the Imortakai grew more skilled in architecture, agriculture, metallurgy, crafts, ship building and organization. It was also now that the word "Kaitjanese" appeared - "The Tiger People". Imortakai is a term that was invented far later, but now the tribes started referring to themselves as Kaitjanese. The concept of a state or nation was alien to them, but they were united by a common language, traditions, religion and culture which set them apart from other ethnic groups. In the coming centuries the word "Kaitjanese" would come to have an ominous ring to it. No Apisteftian people were alien to tribal strife and raiding, but the Kaitjanese quickly became as the most violent people of the period. The Kaitjanese clans arose out of loose tribal confederations and groups of settlements. There were many of them, some larger and powerful than others. Some would consist of nothing more than a city and the villages in its immediate vicinity, while others expanded greatly through warfare and subjugation. The budding caste system which formed in pervious centuries grew stronger. On top of the hierarchical ladder was the high chieftain and a professional class of warriors. They were the ruling elite, responsible for keeping the lower castes in line, defending the clan and raiding others. Beneath them came artisans - smiths, architects, potters, fletchers and tanners - as well as bards, story-tellers and wise men. Later on this caste would come to include clergy, but during the Age of Chieftain the Mzairist religion lacked a hierarchy or individuals specifically responsible for religious rituals. On the bottom of the ladder were the peasants, common hunters and fishermen. The line between serfs and free workers started becoming increasingly blurred around the 11th century. Men and women were free in the sense that they did not have a master and could have their own households and homes. Everyone was, however, bound to the chieftain for as long as they wanted to enjoy his and his warrior's protection. Some historians have described the Kaitjanese clan system as a voluntary extended family. The chieftain was the patriarchal figure ruling the family, while the warriors were often referred to as his sons. Everybody else were in one sense his family, one that he had to defend but at the same time could chastise and punish if needed. Leaving the clan was possible, but it would made them loose most of their possessions and deprive them of any protection. The clan-less were bound to live a dangerous and potentially short life unless they could find another clan that would take them in. Clans were less prone to infighting than the Imortakai tribes had been, much thanks to the codification of the caste system and the role that both the chieftain and those beneath him had to fill. Some clans started the practice hereditary rule, where leadership passed from father to son, but the concept of "the strongest man wins" continued to enjoy popularity for many years to come. Many clans rose to power and many more fell to either internal strife or conquest in an ever-changing political landscape. It has been said that the age contained "not a single day of peace.", which to a certain extent is true. Warfare and raiding was an integral part of Kaitjanese society, where alliances and treaties often were little more than tools for a temporary ceasefire before the sides could go back to fighting each other. As time went on the clans became more and more sophisticated - culturally, economically and military. The Kaitjanese culturally heritage, as well as the self-image of the Kaitjanese, was formulated during the Age of Chieftains. Extensive systems of canals were built to irrigate the rice fields, which were steadily expanding to feed the growing population. The introduction of flat-bottomed longboats made it possible to quickly transport both goods and people over longer distances, which allowed for both trade and military expeditions through the intricate river systems of central Apisteftia. Considering the importance of the warrior class, armours and weapons became increasingly more advanced and ornate. War was important to Kaitjanese culture, and motives of valour, bravery and strength became popular motifs in traditional music, painting and sculpture. The 300 year period - 2200 to 2500 - is considered to be the golden age of classical Kaitjanese arts. Kaitjanese cities of the period were built to be easily defended, surrounded by walls and advanced fortifications. Many were destroyed, but one can still see the well planned layouts in old cities from the air. To defend their domains the clans built grand fortresses, which were made to impress as much as to be military bases. Large hills were with back-breaking labour sculpted into great platforms. On top of them the castle-complexes would be built, and although many fell to fires and war, some still survive to this day as monolithic monuments over the past age, recognizable even from a great distance thanks to their sheer size and the typical peaked roofs. The plethora of statues of wild animals and demons adorning the fortifications and the castle-roofs has sadly been mostly lost to time, but the fortresses remain impressive. Another important advancement made during this age was the bureaucratic system, which from the very beginning was use to measure the numbers of people living on a clans domains. This in turn made it easier for the chieftains to draft large levies, which - despite the elitist attitudes of the warrior class - constituted the bulk of the nearly all armies of the period. Through conquest and colonization the Kaitjanese domain increased in size. The clans spent a lot of their time fighting each other, but they also aimed at expanding their realms outwards. Other peoples and tribes were pushed aside, assimilated or simply killed, and eventually the Kaitjanese became the dominant (and only) people in central Apisteftia. But as the borders moved outwards they were increasingly coming into contact with other major realms. To the northeast were the Agredei, to the southeast the Keshi while the Abramoz controlled considerably territories in the west. The 25th century became a period of bloody external wars, waged by alliances of clans against foreign alliances. But not even an outside enemy could unite the Kaitjanese, and the internal struggle continued. In 2448 few warlords and chieftains knew that the world as they knew it would come to an end in less than 10 years. An especially bloody war which encompassed almost all Kaitjanese clans, both large and small, started in 2448. It would be the grandest and last of the Age of Chieftains. The Mozgúl clan, located on the shores of the Malzúr, had become one of the regional superpowers. It wielded considerably territories of arable land, controlled a good chunk of the river and had the ability to field large armies. At the start of the war it was ruled by the young Poltoyad, a man which has become a legend in Kaitjanese history. The bards and storytellers obviously made sure to inflate his legend, but even without them he remains an impressive historical figure, one that had a great impact on the future of the Kaitjanese people. He was a skilled tactician and warrior, and his exploits and campaigns are still studied in Kaitjanese schools and even military academies. Poltoyad subjugated a great number of lesser clans and allied with others before leading his combined armies against his powerful rivals. In 2457 he met the warlord Kréymar of Humáar in the Battle at the Twisted Horn, and after a two day long struggle he achieved victory. Kréymar was a legendary warrior of his time and his and Poltoyad's duel on the battlefield is a well-known motif in both traditional and contemporary art. Kréymar was slain, and Poltoyad brought him home to Mozgúl in a basket, where it ended up together with the skulls of Poltoyad's other enemies. A gruesome practice to be sure, but one that was popular at the time. The collection has been lost, but it can still be seen on old photographs from the last years of the 29th century. With his rivals dead or in exile Poltoyad gathered representatives for the surviving clans in Mozgúl. With the skulls carefully assembled in this hall for all to see Poltoyad received the chieftains. In their presence he declared himself king and through a mixture of coercion and promises made the chieftains his vassals. He also delivered a famous speech, copies of which still remains in Kaitjanese archives as priceless historical artefacts. "And Poltoyad Spoke: 'All men who bow to Mzair, who shares the common blood (of the tiger) shall turn. No longer should the spear be directed at the other or me, so do I command. Instead, sharpen them and turn them to the west and east, for the enemy lies not within but elsewhere. Together, like the claws on the paw, we shall strike abroad but never to home. Now and forevermore.' And the chieftains bowed to him, pledged their lives in service to his name, and Poltoyad was King." This fragment is the most popular one. Poltoyad's status as the gathered of the clans and the creator of the united Kaitjanese nation has kept him popular through the ages. His descendents used him to legitimate their own rule, and when his dynasty finally withered and died the Topors were quick to ensure everyone that they would rule in his memory and to make him proud. Poltoyad was common in propaganda during the wars of the 29th century and the Civil war, and his memory lives in the People's Republic as well, where it is treated with uttermost respect and where it has been slightly painted to better represent the communist ideals. Poltoyad's victory and the creation of the Kingdom of Kaitjan marked the end of the Age of Chieftains. Kaitjan would continue to be a very decentralized and prone to periods of infighting, but Poltoyad had still managed to do what was thought to be impossible - he had created a nation. Kaitjan had been forged in the fires of war, and this fire would keep burning in the hearts and mind of its people. A new age could begin. Kingdom of the Tiger 2457-2843 Kaitjan had become a kingdom, ruled by one royal dynasty. The clan chieftains lost their independence, but retain a lot of autonomy. They could no longer wage war on each other with the permission of the monarch, and had to pay a regular tribute to Mozgúl. They became feudal lords with more or less complete power over their own domains. In exchange for their loyalty to the king and their levies in the of war, the chieftains were granted the right to administer and tax their territories and peasants as they pleased. The king himself owned vast tracts of land and reserved the right to field the largest armies. Poltoyad died in 2479 but his dynasty would survive and prosper for many years to come. During its rule the central government became more advanced and the Kaitjanese castes became more defined. Poltoyad created the first laws that would apply to all territories within the kingdom. Serfdom emerged, initially as a sort of punishment, but later the serfs became a social class of their own. But although Poltoyad's dynasty would see advancements in the civil field, it is mostly remembered for war and conquest. The great unifier's death was followed by a period of turbulence among the feudal lords. The king had ruled thanks to his war-time exploits and had been both respect and feared by his subjects. With him gone many doubted that the kingdom would remain unified. Several lords wanted to claim the throne for themselves, or even break away and once more become their own masters. Poltoyad II turned out to be worthy his name. He had inherited his father's brutality and cunning, and soon managed to suppress the rebellions and bring the lords back in line. With the realm once more calm and the internal threats removed, he decided to turn his gaze abroad. Many Kaitjanese clans tribes settled along the Merizta north and south of the Malzúr were still independent. The new king decided to bring them under his rule. Several wars and bloody campaigns later the majority of the free chieftains were either dead or bowing to Mozgúl. Kaitjan swelled in size and Poltoyad II turned his eyes to the east. Leaving a trail of destruction in their wake his armies marched eastwards, subjugating the tribes and clans that got in their way and eventually reached Lake Imreal and Penim river. Agredei and Kesh had appeared as more or less unified entities around the same time as Kaitjan, and had embarked on similar campaigns aimed at conquering as much territory as possible. Lake Imreal and Penim river became a natural border between the east and the west, but at the same time it would be the most war-torn region in Apisteftia. Trade mixed with warfare, and raiding the arable and rich coasts became a common occurrence for centuries to come. The intense rivalry between Kaitjan and the east had started. Poltoyad II came to rule for 40 years, and his legacy as a great conqueror lives on, almost as great as that of his father. Kaitjan's power grew and receded over the years, but mostly the kingdom continued to expand. Apisteftia is vast, and many territories were mostly or completely devoid of human presence, which meant that they were ripe for colonization. Subjugated tribes were forced to bow the kings or risk being put to the sword or forced into serfdom. Extraordinary, sometimes even excessive brutality had always been a part of clan warfare, and Poltoyad's dynasty continued in the same fashion. Conquered cities were looted, with significant parts of the population killed or turned into serfs, distributed between the victorious generals and warlords. Those enemies that continued to resist after the fall of the central keep were tortured or killed. When it came to the Kaitjanese the most important trait of a lord, general or warlord was personal strength and gravitas. A strong and forceful personality was key to remaining in power and enjoy the respect of one's warriors and subjects. The many chieftains serving the king did so with dedication, but only as long as the monarch control them. For the royal dynasty the existence of strong personal armies became an important aspect of retaining power. From time to time the kingdom fell into civil war, either due to a succession crisis or a some of the feudal lords rebelling. For centuries Poltoyad's dynasty managed to keep power, but eventually even they started to wither. Ormún III was the last Poltoyad to sit on the throne in Mozgúl. Contemporary sources describe him as a weak man, unable to keep the more boisterous chieftains in line. In 2589 he was deposed and soon after murdered. His place was taken by Kezhev Topor, the leader of the rebellious feudal lords. Some branches of Poltoyad's dynasty survived, but they would never return to power. The Topors were the second and last dynasty to rule Kaitjan. The kings were violent and expansionist, but when compared to the line of Poltoyad they were relatively peaceful. The wars were fewer in between, and Topor rulers seemed more interested in trade and cultural pursuits. The only notable expansion was the conquest of the Korichani tribes, which started in the 2600s and ended roughly a century later. What would in the 30th century become the state of Korichan was divided between Kaitjan and Abramoz, with the Kaitjanese annexing the northern petty kingdoms and the Abramozi grabbing the south. Otherwise things were relatively stable and peaceful. The river lands of Imreal remained an infected issue and a source of conflict with the Agredei and Kesh, but in the 28th century there was a long period of peace between the east and west - a frail one, but it was still peace. Kaitjan controlled the north-western banks of Lake Imreal and the Penim, Kesh the southeast and Agredei the northeast. In 2759 Umrýn Topor even signed a treaty with his eastern neighbours, in which the parts agreed to keep the peace in the region, to easy trade and let the peasants work in peace. This was welcomed by the population. The Kaitjanese bureaucracy had become quite advanced in keeping track of the population, which made it easier to find manpower to field vast armies. Many young men found themselves drafted, and the fact that many never returned home put considerable strain on the rural population. Another source of distress was the frequent raiding and fighting which ravaged the shores of Lake Imreal. The peace came to last for a surprisingly look time - 80 years in total. The era known as "The Long Summer" proved good for overall growth and development. Trade between Kaitjan and the east prospered, and the peasants could work without having to fear too much for their safety. The Topors are remembered for their cultural and economical importance for the development of Kaitjan. The long periods of peace diverted funds from war to cultural and civil pursuits. The classical era of Kaitjanese culture was replaced with the late classical. Themes like war, bravery and combat remained important, but civil and peaceful themes were becoming increasingly popular. The countryside, portraits, cities and nature became a common motif in Kaitjanese art. Traditional music changed in the same direction, and the bards were slowly being replaced with orchestras and choirs. Mansions, palaces and fortresses were being built less for defensibility and more for comfort and a show of wealth and influence. Poltoyad had sown the seeds for an organized Mzairist faith and the Topors contributed to it by significantly strengthening it. Those still clinging on to the old branches were crushed and sent into hiding. The new "scripture" Mzairist also constructed numerous grand temple complexes all over the country, laying the foundation for much of traditional Kaitjanese imagery. The Long Summer was long indeed, but it could not last forever. In 2839 it came to an unpleasant end in form of the Five Year War. It became one of the bloodiest conflicts of the period. Despite huge losses on both sides it ended in somewhat of a stalemate: no considerable territories had changed hands and the participants found themselves in their starting positions, with nothing won except thousands on the shores of Lake Imreal. It was a very costly and humiliating affair for the Kaitjanese, and the war came to have a great effect on not only Kaitjan, but the entire region. "The Great Shuffle" - the Modern Monarchy 2844-2921 The Kaitjanese kingdom found itself in the same seat as before the Five Year War, with a few noticeable differences. The army was in shambles after years of fighting, large areas of land razed and many peasants that used to work it were either dead, maimed or slaves in the east. Even worse were the many humiliating and costly defeats the Kaitjanese had suffered on the battlefield. The Agredei had always been roughly on the same level of equipment and training as the Kaitjanese, but they had proven themselves exceptionally dangerous foes. With help from Pelagic trade and experts they had started modernizing their military and society. Equipped with modern rifles, cannons and tactics they proved impossible to beat. Only thanks to sheer tenacity and large manpower reserves did the Kaitjanese manage to end the war in a stalemate. This was a humbling and scary experience for Kaitjan. For centuries the armies had fought in roughly the same fashion. The bulk consisted out of drafted commoners, led by a small but ferocious group of fighters from the warrior caste. In recent years the Kaitjanese had started to use artillery and firearms, but the overwhelming majority of soldiers and warriors still fought on foot with spear, bow and sword, just as their forefathers had done. Battle was a honourable and brutal affair, where men were to fight face to face. Now the royal family and the generals realized that Kaitjan was hopelessly behind on the international stage. The world outside was much more advanced in their ways of war and economy, especially the Pelagic nations. The changes were noticeable even in Apisteftia. Abramoz was already in the process of modernizing and quickly growing stronger. The Agredei were making significant advances as well, as the Kaitjanese had painfully learnt during the war. If nothing was done Kaitjan would eventually be ripped to pieces, unable to defend itself from its technologically superior enemies. And Kaitjan had plenty of enemies, always ready to exploit a weakness. King Bonár took a historical decision which would change the course of Kaitjanese history. Traditions were well and good, but Kaitjan had to change, and do so quickly. The only chance to survive as a sovereign and powerful nation was to modernize and adopt foreign knowledge and technology. The king and his government had a monumental task ahead of them. They started to realize how backwards Kaitjan was, not only in the ways of war, but also in its economy and social structure. The vast majority of the population lived in the countryside, peasants, fishermen and serfs as their fathers and grandfathers. Few could read or write, even fewer had a real education. The economy was based around agriculture, and there was a nearly complete lack of a industry. Something had to be made. In 2853 Bonár signed a treaty with PRUTENIA, which allowed the Prutons to establish a Kontor in Kaitjan. Osnáat, a minor city at the northernmost part of the Merizta near the ocean, was chosen as the host. Khontor Akhentorp ei Osnáat (Kontor Achenthorp in Osnétt in Low Prut) became a direct gateway to the Pelagos and the modern world. Modern technologies and ideas as well as guns and machinery started flowing into Kaitjan, delivered by Pruton ships. Back home they brought animal skins, silk and exotic Kaitjanese crafts. The trade was lucrative for both sides, and the importance of the Kontor for the modernization of Kaitjan is hard to exaggerate. For hundreds of years Kaitjan had been nearly static in its development, equal parts due to ignorance of the outside world and the genuine unwillingness to move change. The kingdom which had been founded by Poltoyad the Great ended in 2844 together with the Five Year War. As a political entity it would continue to exist for another 77 years, but from now on nothing would be the same. Kaitjan took its first steps towards becoming a modern nation. The primary focus of the Topor kings were military matters. It was a question of prestige and survival as a nation; to fall too far behind the arch-rivals Agredei and Keshi would not only be a blow to the national pride, but also endanger its territorial integrity and status as a great power in Apisteftia. A strong, modern and centralized army had to be created. The feudal lords had always been expected to provide the kings with levies and troops, and so they had done ever since the times of the first Poltoyad. The problem with this system was that if they refused, the monarch's armies would be much weaker than they could have been. It was decided that the Supreme chieftains were stripped of the right to raise personal levies. This decision was far from popular and led to several armed uprisings, but the newly formed Royal Army was armed with modern western weapons and taught to fight with new tactics. After having their rebellions put down the feudal lords lost a lot of their influence and political power. They would remain as a class for many years to come, but it was a far cry from the elitist warrior caste that they had once represented. As the 30th century came it was the king and his centralized government that were in command of the Kaitjanese armies. Society was changing and becoming reasonably modern, at least in the major cities. With the industrial sector appeared a class of labourers and workers, but most people remained peasants, tied to the land. The world had changed, but often the changes were too small to really be noticed. Life was as it always had been - filled with backbreaking labour and life-long servitude to their lords. The Kaitjanese people entered the 30th century without knowing that their entire world would be turned upside down. The new century would shatter the old world completely. The Civil War 2921-2930 Buildup Trouble had been brewing for many years. The first two decades of the 30th century turned out to be harsh for Kaitjan. The border with Kesh and Agredei had once more become dangerous, with sporadic fighting and raids taking place along it. Plague had come from Abramoz and spread like wildfire through the southern and central parts of the kingdom. Large floods caused failed harvest and wide-spread starvation. The countryside suffered, and hundreds of thousands migrated to the cities, hoping for a better life. This displeased both their feudal masters - who through this lost many of their subjects - and the city authorities - who were forced to accommodate them. Migration became strictly forbidden without a special permission from ones lord. Many commoners decided to leave anyway, and the cities started to swell with hungry and unhappy people. Large shanty towns appeared and eventually turned into entire urban districts. Some of the most known were those of Mozgúl, Juramáat and Osnáat. Unemployment, disease and hunger was causing more and more unrest, eventually sparking riots and armed uprisings. Between 2906 and 2920 there was more than twenty large-scale riots in Mozgúl. Two rebellions, one in 2914 and one in 2918 required an intervention from the Royal Army before they could be put down. The summer uprising of 2918 - also known as Kizhal's Rebellion - was the most serious one. It was led by man named Kizhal Khúnor, an alleged priest turned warrior monk. Large flocks of flocks of peasants and disgruntled soldiers gathered around him, and for a while they were quite successful. A hundred villages got under their control, and at one point the host even threatened the major city of Torzok. The government underestimated the rebels and initially only dispatched a few hundred men to put them down. Only after this vanguard being slaughtered did Royal Army detachments move out in full force. The rebellion was crushed in early autumn, the leaders tortured to death and many of the rebels turned into serfs or killed. Kizhal himself was publically dismembered in Mozgúl before having his head cut off. Later he became an icon of resistance and his name popular to give to boys. The two rebellions scared the king and his government, and they responded with stricter and more draconic laws. Anyone not in the army or a part of the high nobility was prohibited from carrying arms, migration became nearly impossible and large gatherings of people except on religious or national festivals became strictly forbidden. This angered the lower castes even further, but it also earned the displeasure of the warrior class. The latter had already been weakened and humiliated by the centralization policies of the Topor dynasty. Although many served in the Royal Army or in related structures, a considerably number of them had remained outside of official military life. A shadow of their former self, the traditional warrior caste had been living as minor landowners, in service to their local feudal lord or chieftain, or even as regular commoners. They had retained the right to carry swords, spears and guns as a token of their position, but now even this was taken away from them. The number of angry warriors quickly grew larger. The situation in the cities was not much better. The population often lived in squalid conditions. The lack of proper sanitations in most cities caused disease to flourish, several times threatening to become epidemics. The creation of industries and factories had attracted hordes of unemployed people who became the working class. This new aspect of the economy had grown considerably in the last few decades, and gave a lot of people a way to survive. It did, however, bring problems as well. With concepts such as "workers' rights", "minimum wage" and "job security" literary non-existent, working conditions were appalling. The Kaitjanese industrialists cared little for the people working for them, and the foreign manufacturers were not much better. Life as a manual labourer was hard, dangerous and short. For many years the workers endured, happy to have a job and an income at all. The problems came with the economical recession which followed a couple of expensive border wars and a breakdown of the agricultural sector. Industries and factories started firing people or closing down, and suddenly thousands of workers found themselves without work, hungry and stuck in dirty and disease-ridden cities. Unrest was stirring on all levels of society. In the countryside the peasants and commoners boiled with anger over the bloody crackdowns. The warrior caste grew increasingly displeased with their loss of privileges. In the cities the workers were desperate for change. There were many who stirred this cauldron. Political movements and ideologies that had been born in the last years of the 29th century came into the light of day. Many of them had come from the west and the Pelagos. The Grothleranstalt university in Osnáat was in many ways the birthplace of many ideologies that would come to play a role. Socialist syndicalism and various leftist movements came there from the west, and from there spread into Kaitjan. Pachtún Leu - a economist and philosopher - is perhaps the most famous and most important Kaitjanese to pass through the university. He formulated Búchtodan - "People's State" - a communist ideology which promoted the idea of workers and peasants forming a state themselves, free from nobles and magnates. His work became popular, with several political movements forming with it as basis. There were democratic organizations, anarchist and liberal capitalists. The largest by far, however, were the leftists and anarchists. Often these two movement intertwined and became one. The socialists spoke about the masses becoming the state and owning the land and industries themselves, the anarchist argued for freedom for the repressive government. The latter often mixed with the want to return to a Kaitjanese "golden age." Speakers and demagogues travelled the kingdom to reach out with their message to the people, local parties were created as well as various attempts at unions. It was dangerous to be politically active in Kaitjan. The government was growing increasingly paranoid, and any movements that were not sanctioned by it and the king were prohibited. The most troublesome activists were routinely arrested and imprisoned. Most organizations had to go underground, and although some of them were crushed by the police, others continued to attract followers and grow. Kaitjan's neighbours looked with both interest and worry at the process which was taking place in the kingdom. Abramoz was already moving towards becoming a democratic state but was worried that potential fighting could spread over into their territory. Kesh was a strict theocratic state and worried that the Kaitjanese unrest would reach them as well. The Agredei saw it mostly as an opportunity, and actively supported groups within Kaitjan in order to destabilize the kingdom. The Korichani people, who lacked their own state and lived in either Kaitjan or Abramoz, felt that it might be possible to become independent. In 2920 Kaitjan was a powder keg, waiting to blow. It only needed one spark. The spark came in the autumn of 2920. Mozgúl was experiencing some of the worst periods of unrest in the last 40 years, and the capital was shook by large demonstrations and labour strikes. One the 3rd of the 9th month a riot broke out in the city district of Geniráat, north of the Malzúr which divided the city. Angry citizens, mostly workers from the nearby metallurgical factories, disrupted the flow of traffic along Khendan Street. It is considered that the arrest of 45 factory workers the day before that had served as the catalyst for the insurrection. A police detachment was dispatched to deal with the protesters, but were met with a hail of stones ripped from the pavement. The troop was forced to retreat, after which they regrouped and returned two hours later with more men. It turned out that the numbers of protesters had swelled, and that improvised barricades were being built to block of the street. Bitter fighting between the police and workers ensued. Word of the incident quickly spread through the district, attracting more and more people. As the crowds on and around Khendan Street grew the police felt that they were unable to disperse the violent protesters. The fact that they were being bombarded with bricks and shingles from the roofs did not help the morale either. Another retreat was ordered and the policemen quickly left the street to the protesters, leaving one dead and two wounded officers behind. The crowds had suffered casualties as well, and the bodies of several dead and wounded lay on the pavement. Fuelled by anger and this minor victory they started rebuilding the destroyed barricades. When night came soldiers and police had yet to show their nose, but most protesters realized that they would return the next day in full force. Other poor, mostly industrial districts in northern Mozgúl started mobilizing as well. Barricades were built and both men and women assembled. Few were armed with anything more substantial than industrial tools, but the sheer number of citizens gave those that gathered a sense of safety. On 4th the protests continued. From their barricades the gathered shouted slogans and demands, directed at the government and the royal family. There was a presence of political movements in the crowds, but the protests were still devoid of any real political colour. They were just a great horde of angry and excited people. Near midday a large contingent of policemen and soldiers from the three military forts crossed the Malzúr and arrived at Geniráat. The commander - the nobleman Irún Akaluc - demanded that the protesters disperse or face the consequences, which the latter refused. Eyewitnesses say that Akaluc asked three times in total, promising pardons for the crowds in exchange for obedience. The crowds answered with shouting and demands of their own. The soldiers opened fire. The 4th of 9th Month 2920 became known as the Mozgúl Massacre. 532 civilians were killed and almost a hundred soldiers dead or wounded. The event sent a shock through Kaitjan and the rumour travelled all over the country in a matter of days. Historians say that it is here that the Revolution started. The massacre soon led to massive uprisings all over the capital, with tens of thousands of people coming out to protest against the government and the monarch. Fights started breaking out between Royal Army detachments and protesters, at first sporadic but soon turning into real skirmishes. Various revolutionary groups had been stockpiling weapons for an uprising and started handing them out too rapidly forming militias. The influx of firearms in the hands of commoners soon led to a massive escalation of the conflict. When the fighting ended 14 days later, on the 19th of the 9th Month, as many as 4000 had been killed or wounded. The garrison failed to resist the onslaught of the masses, and the three garrison forts fell to them when the defenders surrendered. ‘Great Arsenal’ fell on the sixth day when its defenders switched sides. The huge stockpiles of guns and ammunition within bolstered the revolutionaries and militias further, but also fell into the hands or commoners and criminal elements. The monarch - Cunyar II - was when compared with his father a fairly decent monarch. He had been in power for less than 10 years in 2920, and while not the most competent ruler and administrator, he had continued to push for certain reforms within Kaitjan, even though they were met with resistance from much of the elite. He was reportedly very shocked by the Mozgúl Massacre, and did initially try and negotiate with the protesters to end the riots which followed. When this failed he retreated back into the Royal Palace in southern Mozgúl and decided to wait for the city’s garrison to once again pacify it. This decision would prove fatal. The revolt in Mozgúl culminated in two failed attempts to take the Royal Palace by storm by armed militias. Considering that it had been built as a fortress during the Age of Chieftains to resist a classical siege, the revolters were pushed back with ease, but that did not save the monarch. On the 17th of the 9th month a number of officers decided to depose him and fighting between rebel soldiers and loyalists broke out within the palace. Cunyar was shot to death, after which the palace opened its gates. When news of the monarch’s death reached the garrison and loyal units in the city they surrendered. On the 19th the Royal Army officially left Mozgúl and left the city to the chaos. No one managed to fill the power vacuum left behind, by this dooming the city to weeks of plunder and anarchy. To make matters worse roughly a third of the city was burnt to the ground, further adding to the chaos and suffering. Civil War - Placeholder - - Short version and Link to expanded version The Young People's Republic 2930-2960 The Wars of the Tiger 2960-2993 - Placeholder - First Juchoan War (2966-2970) Second Juchoan War (2978-2981) Third Juchoan War (2987-2990) Short and link to the expanded version The Modern People's Republic 2993-present day - Placeholder- Edited by Kaitjan, Aug 31 2015, 10:59 AM.
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| Kaitjan | Aug 26 2014, 09:58 AM Post #13 |
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Wars of the Tiger - Placeholder - The Revolution and the Civil War (2920-2930) The Korichani Conflict (2923-2933) Southern Insurgency (2930-2941) The River-War Skirmishes (2957-2966) First Juchoan War (2966-2970) Second Juchoan War (2977-2981) Third Juchoan War 2987-2990) Consolidation Period and Insurgency Edited by Kaitjan, Jun 3 2015, 03:06 PM.
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| Kaitjan | Aug 27 2015, 09:33 PM Post #14 |
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Cities of Kaitjan 1/2 Due to restrictions on the length of posts I have been forced to create a new post. This one will be dedicated soley to the fluff that is the many cities of the People's Republic of Kaitjan. I hope you will enjoy them, and although the list is as of now incomplete I will continue to update it with a new entry now and then. This page will be edited and change layout, but here you go! Kaitjanese Heartland Cities: Mozgúl Spoiler: click to toggle Juramáat Spoiler: click to toggle Imreal Spoiler: click to toggle Osnáat Spoiler: click to toggle Kerzok Spoiler: click to toggle Avrúl Spoiler: click to toggle Torzok Spoiler: click to toggle Merizal Spoiler: click to toggle
Edited by Kaitjan, Mar 7 2016, 03:04 PM.
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| Kaitjan | Sep 15 2015, 07:03 PM Post #15 |
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Cities of the People's Republic of Kaitjan 2/2 Cities from the Districts Polotáak Spoiler: click to toggle Javuráad Spoiler: click to toggle Nirok Spoiler: click to toggle Edited by Kaitjan, Dec 11 2015, 07:27 PM.
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| Kaitjan | Dec 2 2015, 01:48 PM Post #16 |
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Mzairism 1/2 Category: Cogenar. Very diverse native folk religion with a superimposed organized clerical hierarchy. A mix of animist and shamanist beliefs and a pantheon of supreme gods. Noteworthy deities: Mzair the Celestial Tiger, Afada the Goddess of Life and Death, Gurzhúul the Great Ocean Serpent, Minkór the Lord of Winds and Storms, Pakhú the Mountain King. Branches: Pure Path and Scripture Mzairism Important Scriptures: The Essence of the Spirits, The Path, The Kirzhom Tractate Head of Religion: None, although the Great Temple of Imreal wields considerable authority on matters of faith. Current Status: Banned in the People’s Republic of Kaitjan. Many Mzairist traditions continue, however, to live on in popular folklore, superstitions and some traditional holidays. The state tolerates some of them (or can not be bothered with persecuting them), but does strongly discourage presence of religious symbols in the public space. Small Mzairist communities exist abroad, notably in the Prut Meritocracy. A Quick Overview Mzairism is a religion native to Apisteftia, yet calling it a religion in the usual sense of the word would be incorrect. It its by its very nature extremely diverse and varied depending, a fact helped by the immense geographical size of Apisteftia. Mzairism is set of similar beliefs centering around hundreds of spirits and gods and surrounded by thousands of rituals, traditions and superstitions. It is a nature religion, closely tied to the Apisteftian environment and developed over the millennia out of various shamanistic and animistic beliefs. Like all other religions it was outlawed in Kaitjan in the 2930s by the communist government, and after the subjugation of the rest of Apisteftia this ban has seen the eradication of it from public space. Yet Mzairism lives, if only in the minds and mentality of the people, and is so strong that even OCPK party hardliners have had to look through their fingers at parts of it. Lets start from the basics. Due to its innate diversity and regional variety it is difficult to paint a unified picture of Mzairism. In fact this was often a reason for both war and genocide when powerful lords tried to enforce and promote their particular views. But more about that later. Mzairism has one definitive common denominator: the eponymous Mzair and the Mzairist pantheon. In nearly all religious incarnations, the world as we know it is ruled over by a set of powerful deities. Some benevolent, some indifferent and others malicious. And above them all, ruling as a supreme patriarch over all mortal and immortal beings is Mzair - the Celestial Beast. Described as a huge and blindingly glorious tiger, he is a centrepiece of the Mzairist faiths who travels the night skies with his innumerable host of stars. He is the god of warriors, bravery and martial glory, and in tribal warrior societies of old Apisteftia, it was natural that he became the most revered and important deity. From the swamplands of Korichan to the steppes of Kesh, all mortals believers respect his supreme authority as the king of gods and ruler of the universe. At the pantheon he is joined by four powerful gods that rule over the world. It is important to note that not all of them are “good” in the traditional sense. In Mzairism even benevolent deities (and spirits, but we’ll get to that later) are more than capable to bring their wrath upon mortals who they believe have slighted them. Besides Mzair there is Afada, Gurhúul, Minkór and Pakhú. Afada is the goddess of two contrasts, two conflicting ‘aspects’ as it is called. She is the lord of life and death; loving and caring just as she is terrifying and deadly. All living things of the earth are birthed forth by her, and when their time is up she consumes them without mercy. When it comes to the deity most important for common mortals, she is actively competing with Mzair, as it is more or less by her command that rice grows, fish multiplies and the hunter can find his prey. Minkór is the god of winds, heavens and air, the lord of birds, storms and warriors, although his importance as the latter is lesser than that of Mzair. Pakhú is the ruler of the mountains and rock, the god of minerals, ore and gemstones. He is the least powerful deity, but is nevertheless revered by many - mostly by smiths, artisans and craftsmen. And lastly there is Gurzhúul, the Great Serpent. The closest to an evil god there is in Mzairism, he is described as a enormous snakelike being which dwells in the darkest depths of the oceans. There he stirs the currents with his tail, commands legions of terrible monsters, brings large storms and floods and sometimes rises from the depth to drown the mortal world on land. When he does so he is fought by Mzair, and after each epic battle the serpent is once more cast back into the sea. Their titanic struggle is the cause for the seasonal storms in Apisteftia. Yet the gods are not the only immortal and “supernatural” (an incorrect term to be sure, as according to Mzairism the natural is not limited to what ordinary humans can see or interact with) being in the world. All gods have a number of lesser deities and spirits connected to them, beings that in some way mirror one of their aspect. The best example would be Afada. Being the mother of most mortal beings, there are hundreds and maybe thousands of nature spirits connected to her that each represent a certain animal, plant or natural phenomena. Another example would be Mzair, who only has one “avatar” in the mortal world - the Kaitjanese tiger. To this day it is considered a terribly insulting offence to kill a tiger - which also doubles as the national animal - and is more than likely to result in an execution even in modern Kaitjan. To make it simple - the world is filled with thousands of various spirits, lesser deities and beings that live both out in the wilderness and very close to humans. They are malicious, tricksters, benevolent helpers, indifferent bystanders and just parasites that happen to in one way or another attach themselves to humans. Add to that the popular belief in ghosts and undead creatures and you start to understand why Mzairism is so hard to study to its full extent. Mzairism is not purely a religion, but also mythology, legends and folklore. Shamans of old mixed gods and spirits with the real world, storytellers brought heroes both real and fictional in contact with the otherworldly and the later Mzairist clergy did all of it at once. The creed left behind by Mzairism is a vibrant and colourful one, and although it is not as prevalent now as it was a century ago, it is an integral part of the Kaitjanese - and Apisteftian - identity. Branches For centuries each follower of the Mzairist faith was simultaneously completely independent from all others believers and a natural part of the larger group. With no organized structure or scripture it was impossible for the religion to be unified, and it was far from uncommon to one village have its own interpretations of a particular aspect of it, and the settlement just a day’s travel away to have one which was completely different. For most of the time, however, they managed to peacefully cooperate and coexist. Shaman priests - men and women trained in how to contact or appease certain spirits and gods - existed, but were not a class of their own but rather ordinary citizens. Many wandered from place to place and survived on what was given to them by others. Neither was it uncommon for a holy man to be a farmer or have a craft besides their career of worship and divination. In lack of an actual shaman the eldest and wisest person in a community or village could take it upon themselves to lead rituals without anyone raising an eyebrow. Otherwise it was up to the individual to worship, make offerings and hope that the spirits would be good to him or her. But naturally things would come to change. Poltoyad the Great, the legendary conqueror who subjugated the Imortakai chiefdoms and founded Kaitjan in 2457, was instrumental in bringing it about. The city of Imreal on the western shore of Lake Imreal was home to numerous holy sites and shrines as well as an important and rich trading hub. The chiefs ruling it defied Poltoyad for nearly two decades, time and time again resisting the might of the other Kaitjanese chiefdoms. When they finally fell in 2474 Poltoyad seized control over the chiefdom, including the holy sites. Imreal had always had a religious significance for Mzairists, and both nobles and commoners alike would pilgrimage to the city to visit its shrines. Poltoyad was one of the first to realize the potential in controlling religion to strengthen his own power. He would not live to realize all his ambitions, but his sons and grandsons would eventually carry them out. The Poltoyad dynasty were responsible for bringing influential shamans and holy men from the realm together in Imreal, and there they codified the Mzairist faith. This brought about two very influential holy texts - the Essence of the Spirits and the Path. In ‘Spirits’ 243 of the most important gods and spirits were listed, described, explained how they are interconnected and given a treatise on how to best appease and worship them. ‘Path’ came to contain the origins of the world, the interconnection between its various inhabitants and the ultimate role of mortal man and woman in it. These two texts are known as the Imreal Scriptures and are the first known treatises of that size on Mzairism. The original scrolls can still be seen in the State Archives in Mozgúl, but their worth lies in their profound effect on the development of the Mzairist faith. The most notable effect was the schism it caused. The Imreal Scriptures were copied extensively and many Apisteftian lords and chieftains out to strengthen their power adopted them. There were, however, many who did not want to have anything to do with Imreal or the scriptures and broke ties with those that did. This created the two main branches of the Mzairist faith - the Pure Path and the Scripture Path. The ‘pure’ stuck to their old systems of beliefs and rejected any notion of a supreme authority on how or who they were to worship. Those that accepted the scriptures of Imreal also recognized the importance of the city as a centre of religious authority. This would in no way stop any wars and strife between ‘scripture’ chieftains, however. The first proper Mzairist clergy now emerged in Imreal. At the top of the hierarchy was the Archpriest and beneath him priests, scholars and those that were now considered experts on Mzairism. This institution would be extensively copied to create a body able to enforce the codified beliefs. In Kaitjan and most other realms the clergy would never have much political power, but rather serve as a tool to legitimize and strengthen their power. The conflict between the Pure and Scripture would continue well into the 28th century, often escalating into bloody religious wars. In the end, however, the followers of the Pure Path were unable to withstand their enemies and were crushed. It is worth to mention that even though the Imreal scriptures codified the Mzairist faith, they still encompassed much of the rest of the religion as well. The wars and conflicts between followers of the two branches were not so much a result of the machinations of the Imreal clergy, but rather due to the decisions of individual chieftains and lords. Even in the 30th century it was possible to find rather large communities where worship was carried out a bit differently than the scriptures suggested. The minor religious differences were irrelevant for the commoners most of the time because they were, well, minor. The now dominant Scripture faith was more unified that the Pure, but it was still highly diverse and differed depending on region and the local culture. For example: the Agredei put great emphasis on Mount Chirm as an object of worship and veneration. The mountain was (and still is, to a certain extent) considered holy, a place where the gods and spirits congregate and are more willing to communicate with mortals. There is one branch of Scripture faith, however, that is different enough to be mentioned specifically. Popularly known as the Kirzhom branch, this particular form of Mzairism was only prevalent in Kesh. In the 27th century a particularly radical group of Mzairists came to the Keshi chiefdoms and joined the ongoing civil war. Eventually they came out victorious, subjugated the Keshi tribes and established a theocratic state which became known as the Kirzhom, a word which is a shortened form of the sentence “Lordship of the Holy”. This branch of Mzairism established itself as being the most controlling and brutal of them all. They are noteworthy for having engaged in human sacrifice, a practice that was frowned upon most of the time by other Mzairists. The Kirzhom wrote the so called Kirzhom Tractate, a text which contained their beliefs and rules which were imposed on the Keshi population. The theocratic government respected the authority of the Imreal priesthood, but had their own political and spiritual figurehead - the Komorzhom. The Kirzhom government would be later removed in the 2990s by the invading Kaitjanese. Basic Concepts: The Three Spheres of the World According to Mzairism there are three realms - spheres - of the world. The first one is the Celestial Sphere is the night sky. During day it is invisible, but at night the blue mists (the colour of the sky) which are brought forth by Minkór lift and the human becomes able to see the heavens. Mzairists scholars did study astronomy in the attempt to gain a better understanding of what they saw, but the overall consensus was that the night sky was the realm of Mzair himself and his great host of followers. The sun and star are his servants, and the many stars are the souls of dead warriors and heroes that rose to join him in the afterlife. Mzair himself cannot be seen in his true and glorious form, but a falling star or comet is supposed to be a reflection of him as he runs across the blackness. Therefore the event of Heavenfall, the year on which the Kosmopol calendar starts, has an especially important meaning in Mzairism, and the memory of it survived for centuries through oral traditions until they could be written down. Celestial changes and phenomenas are all signs and omens from Mzair, and throughout the ages they were always cause to great debate among shamans and priest. Usually they were taken as a sign of luck, and many a war or raiding expedition was started when the leading chieftain took an especially bright comet as a token of success in his endeavour. Below the Celestial Sphere is the Earthly Sphere. It is the realm of all living creatures; birds, animals, fish and of course mortal humans. The day sky is also considered a part of it. Afada, Minkór and Pakhú all reside here, as do the thousands of spirits that serve them. Afada is arguably the most important deity here. Everything living is birthed forth by her and when it dies it is consumed by her in an eternal circle of birth and destruction. The many spirits and lesser gods that serve are the embodiments of rivers, forests, the soil, the creatures that dwell there and so on. Then there is the Underworld. It has little in common with the classical underground underworld of other cultures and religions, but is instead the sea. Gurzhúul dwells in the dark abyss together with countless terrifying sea monsters and demons. AS mentioned before Gurzhúul occasionally attempts to drown the Earth in order to consume it, but each attempt is thwarted by Mzair. Gods and Spirits It has become time to speak about the deities of the Mzairist faith a bit closer. As mentioned earlier there are four (excluding Mzair) main gods in the pantheon. Gods have aspects to them, a sort of personality or trait that manifests in either a natural phenomena, a creature or a minor deity or spirit. The best examples are the life and death aspects of Afada as they represent her dual personality. One is the beautiful, warm, loving and lustful mother of all living things while the other one is dark, cold, terrifying and destructive. Spirits that in one way or another embody the positive traits - birth, lust, warmth and so on - are aspects of her ‘life’ personality. Spirits and creatures associated with death, aging and disease are parts of ‘death’. Spirits represent their mother (or fahter) deity in a setting closer to humans, and while the main god or goddess is to be revered and worshipped, the specific spirit is to be respected and offered to as well. Gods Mzair is the supreme king of all gods and the protector of the mortal world against the ocean and Gurzhúul. He is described as a tiger of enormous size, so large that the human mind would not be able to comprehend him, and the only glimpse we can get of him are falling stars or comets, which are bleak reflections of his true glory. His hide is blindingly bright to behold, his tail is like a bolt of fire and his burning eyes would incinerate any mortal that gazes into them. Mzair’s claws can rip mountains and his leaps can shatter the earth. Besides comets a slice of his glory can be witness in the Kaitjanese tiger, which is the largest tiger subspecies in Kosmopol. These animals reflect his ferocity and prowess, but killing one is the greatest offence one could instill upon Mzair and is punishable (even to this day) by death. A dead animal is to be treated with great respect, although the collection of some bones - primarily tooths - for the purpose of creating amulets and talismans is allowed. Mzair is the god of warriors and war, and those that die the death of heroes in battle are allowed to join his celestial host and become a star. Gurzhúul is Mzair’s mortal enemy and the nemesis of both the heavens and earth. He is a humongous serpent that dwells deep in the ocean. The movements of his tail causes currents in the water, and when he rises up to the surface he causes floods. His breath crates large storm clouds which he then sends towards land. The winter storms in Apisteftia are caused by him and last until Mzair forces him down into the ocean again. Gurzhúul has company of demons and monsters that prowl the ocean floor. Some of them rise to the surface to prey on fish and ships. Any human that drowns at sea and whose body is never recovered is doomed to forever wander the ocean floor where they will be tormented by Gurzhúuls demonic servants. Afada has already been mentioned extensively. Although she can take many forms, she is most commonly described as a beautiful young woman, the very epitome of Kaitjanese standards of beauty with black hair, large bosom and child-rearing hips. That would be Afada as the mother of all living beings, the goddess of life, birth and lust. Yet she is also the mistress of death, aging and suffering - a beauty terrible to behold, with her mouth, hands and and breasts covered in blood. All that die a natural death come before her and are eaten by her. The soul is not as much reborn such as simply ended in her stomach, after which some of its essence is born into something else. If you died in a dishonourable fashion or somehow slighted the gods and Afada in particular, you can expect a long and painful digestion instead. Minkór is a god of wind, hunting and storms. Depicted as an expert hunter with a bow or spear, he is a deity one prays and sacrifices to for hunting luck, favourable winds, and speed and agility in battle. Minkór is rather benevolent but is quick to anger, and just as Gurzhúul he is responsible for creating bad weather and rain. He is the occasional lover of Afada, although the goddess mostly disregards his advances and prefers to tease him instead. Pakhú is the least important god of the Mzairist pantheon. Shapeless and formless, he is usually excluded out of mainstream worship. His images is mostly featured in shrines or temples specifically dedicated to him and is worshipped by smiths, artisans and all those that deal with minerals, ores and gemstones. He is thought to reside in a great mountain fortress in the Brúudar mountains, and the spirits that serve him manifest in ores and minerals. Minor Gods and Spirits The Four Water Lords, or the “Zepan Cogur eia Oulhomei” in Kaitjanese, are four rather important deities in Mzairism and folklore. Although they are considerably lesser in power than the gods in the pantheon, they are considered more powerful than most other spirits and creatures. The four lords rule over lakes, streams and rivers, and this makes them very important for the peoples of Apisteftia, as the vast majority of them depends on said bodies of water for fishing, irrigation and just survival. The four lords are the following: Iztaugei the Riverman, Sulnac the King Fish, the Deepwater King and the Water Lady. All bodies of fresh water (or pure water as it is called in Kaitjanese) such as lakes, rivers and natural spring are home to a great number of spirits and creatures, and the four lords are those that rule over all of them. Iztaugei is the master of currents, flows and the movements of water. He is the least benevolent of the four and is as likely to aid a sailor by bringing him a good current as he is to overturn his boat and simply drown him. Sulnac the King Fish is a catfish of monstrous size and is the ruler of the schools of fish and all swimming creatures. He is prayed and sacrificed to in order to secure a good catch. If a fisherman has had an exceptionally good fishing day, it is probably because he happened to stop above the place where Sulnac holds his underwater court. The Deepwater King is, as the name suggests, the ruler of the deep waters and the currents in them. He is the lord of the fish, scallops and creatures that dwell in the deep and the sludge at the bottom. Said to be a skilled shape-shifter and capable of turning into a human, the king is a popular antagonist in many folk tales. His carnal appetite and interest in human women has not helped his reputation either. In folklore his opponent is usually the female Irinai diver, who thanks to her wits and beauty manages to scam him out of some of his treasures and escape unscathed and unmolested. Last but not least is the Water Lady - the water itself. Most rivers in Apisteftia have female names, and the name of the river is interchangeable with the name of the Water Lady which dwells in it. One interesting story tells the tale of how the Merizta (both lady and river) in ancient times fell in love with a beautiful human fisherman. Their love was impossible (probably because one was a mortal man and the other one of the largest rivers in Kosmopol) but the Merizta tried to nurture their romance as the best of her abilities. She convinced the other water lords of giving her lover treasures, good currents for his boat and plenty of a fish. But the fisher was a man and could not love the fair Merizta forever. He married a human girl instead and ended the relationship with the river. It broke the Merizta’s heart. Feeling sad and betrayed she drowned him the next time he went wishing, forever binding him to her. Soon after this unorthodox consummation she gave birth to the Malzúr river. What was the man’s name you may ask? It was Malzúr. The confluence of these two rivers (where it is believed that the man was drowned) became regarded as holy, and later the city of Merizal was founded at the site. The large Merizalian temple was one of the grandest in Kaitjan until it was torn down in 2950. There is a plethora of other spirits and minor deities. Some of the more know, both benevolent and malevolent, is listed below. Gimai Gimai is the spirit of the home. Every house, be it a luxurious palace or a humble fisherman’s hut, it has at least one Gimai living in it. In some cases, especially if the home is a large one, several house spirits can take up residence within it. Usually they will then inhabit a particular part of the house, such as the attic or roof, cellar or foundation or a room that is to their liking. The Gimai stay mostly hidden, and are thought to primarily live within the House Pillar. Most traditional Kaitjanese houses have a supportive strut in the middle of the building which helps support the roof and symbolises the heart of the building itself. The Gimai spirit makes sure to keep the house protected from dangers, rodents and the occasional mean spirit, and in exchange receives small offerings in the household shrine in form of uncooked rice. The homefolk would be wise to carve a small statuette symbolizing the house Gimai and place it in the shrine to further appease him and keep him happy. A Gimai exists for as long as the house does, and when it is destroyed he dies with it. Pavta In agrarian society the production of alcohol was important. It was widely used to ease the hardship of a serfs or commoners life, and in addition it was to be consumed at various festivities. Pavta is the spirit of booze, wine and fermentation. He appears either as a jolly old drunk or a jolly drunk wench and is the one who makes it possible to produce alcohol of any kind. After a batch of whatever drink has been completed, a bowl or glass must be poured up for Pavta as thanks for his work. For understandable reasons this spirit was hailed as one of the nicest and most good-hearted spirits there could be in a village. Afna and Afan Although technically the same entity, Afna and Afan are spirits closely connected to the goddess Afada. Both are young, virile and beautiful, with Afan representing the male sexuality and Afna the female one. Both were prayed to and received offerings to receive luck, virility and success in all the matters of love and lovemaking. In certain festivals the prettiest young man and woman would be dressed up as the couple and lead the marriage-eligible youths of the community on whacky and erotic adventures. Kajat The Kajat is a spirit associated with warriors, and is as such an integral part of the traditional warrior caste society of old Kaitjan. He takes the form of a large predatory cat (never a tiger, however, as all tigers are avatars of Mzair) or a bird of prey. Kajat would be called upon in preparation for a raid or campaign and as a witness to the initiating of a new warrior into a group or warband. Images of him as well as prayers were frequently tattooed on the bodies of men who were part of the warrior caste, and later the army. The worship of Kajat has in some forms survived even to this day. Kajat motifs are often found in military tattoos on servicemen of the PRAK. Men who are serving their third and final year in the army are tattooed as a form of initiation ritual to show that they are “real” soldiers, and not some fresh-faced recruits. Some units are known for taking the practice to the logical extreme, and many of their members tattoo their entire bodies with traditional motifs of both Kajat and other war spirits. Misin Ba The Misin Ba is associated with the death aspect of the goddess Afada. She appears as an ancient, wicked and vicious old crone who inhabits mountain slopes and highland forests, often making her home in caves or rundown shacks. A traveller does best in staying on the right path and avoiding wandering towards the flimmering light in the distance, as the crone is lighting ghost candles to lure them away. An encounter with the Misin Ba is highly dangerous, as her diet consists primarily out of last wanderers, young children and babies. Those that purposefully seek her out take a considerable risk, but in exchange for a life (often that of an animal or the promise of an unborn first child) she can fulfil various wishes. Be mindful of that the blessings she bestows almost always turn out to be indirect curses, and the one who asked for her aid is forced to pay dearly. Hruma Hruma is the spirit of stale water, marshes and swamps. He is in constant war with the Five Water Lords as they represent pure and flowing waters. Hruma dwells in the muck and mud, preying on unwary travellers who he drowns before consuming their flesh. The best way to avoid him is just to stay out of his domain, but those that for various reasons ventures into them should try and protect themselves with amulets and know-how on how to navigate the treacherous water-logged terrain. Nougi Nougi is another aspect of Afada that shares similarities with Afna and Afan, but is much more dangerous. She takes the form of a beautiful woman and lures men (and sometimes women) out into the jungle for some lustful coitous. Afterwards she strips the flesh from their bones and consumes it. Amulets could help stave her off, but the best way to stay out of danger is to just avoid wandering off with gorgeous women with an unusual eye colour, no matter how tempting it might be. It was believed, however, that one who survived an encounter with the Nougi would be blessed with extraordinary sexual prowess, making it dangerous but possibly worthwhile to follow her out into the wilderness. When the act of lovemaking is completed, there is only two more or less sure ways to avoid becoming her dinner - either you show her your protective talisman or amulet and pray and hope that they help, or you simply must leave her impressed with your performance. Either way, the Nougi should be treated with caution. Edited by Kaitjan, Oct 3 2016, 08:29 AM.
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| Kaitjan | Dec 2 2015, 01:49 PM Post #17 |
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Mzairism 2/2 Ghosts Samni A particularly creepy ghost in Kaitjanese folklore is the Samni. It is the floating head and shoulders of a young woman, wrapped in the torn remains of a white dress and with long black hair. Samni are created when a woman is murdered or in some way deeply slighted, and after her death she is unable to pass on into the afterlife, thus becoming a Samni. Besides being generally unpleasant - a head with a pair of shoulders is a sure way of scaring most people - they are also not above attacking the living in the attempt to extract vengeance for whatever crime they suffered. During the night they might fly in through an open window and stop hovering above the bed of the sleeping house owners, staring at them with their black eyes. If you wake up and see them you must not scream. If you do the Samni will happily tear your throat out and devour your face. The best course of action is to try and ignore it, or alternatively get your best talisman and prayer to a guardian spirit ready to drive the ghost out of the window again. The best defense is to have charms already protecting the entrances to your house. If the Samni decides to start doing its nightly visits regularly, it might be time to either invite someone with the ghost-hunting know-how or simply burn the house down. Wayfarer This ghost was much more “common” before the creation of the People’s Republic. When the OCPK came to power it outlawed religion and demolished a great many shrines and temples across Kaitjan, thus making the (un)life of the Wayfarer ghost much harder. It is uncertain whether Wayfarers are actually former people or a form of spirit, but they are usually described as the ghosts of people - merchants, wandering musicians, petty criminals, clanless labourers - that during their life wandered the roads of Kaitjan. After their death some of them would remain restless, and thus continue their eternal wandering from place to place. During life they would frequently seek shelter and sleep at a shrine hostel or temple, and in death they would do the same. If you wander along some ancient path it is possible that you will encounter a stranger heading in the same direction as you. They can be anything from pleasant and chatty to insultingly brash and trying to pick a fight. The point is that they will be hard to get rid off, because no matter if you run or curse at them, they will keep your pace. In some cases the Wayfarer might decide that it is much more fun to ride on the shoulders of the living wanderer instead of walking itself. The unlucky traveller will then have to haul the ghost all the way to the next shrine or hostel. There it will let go and wait until someone else comes along that it can pester with its presence. The Wayfarer is fairly harmless, and does in most cases not cause anything but some inconvenience. Sometimes meeting them might be even a good thing, as some are happy to share some secret or wisdom from their life. Tardun A warrior that falls in honourable battle is destined to join the celestial host of Mzair. But a warrior who dies and is left unburnt on the battlefield is denied his rightful place and is instead bound to the place where he was killed. Their restless spirits are bound to a long period as they are unable to leave their rotting carcasses behind. As the body decays so does its apparition - if the corpse is fresh the ghost looks like a living behind. If it is rotting and filled with maggots the Tardun appears as just that, and if the warrior’s earthly remains are just some bones it is a walking skeleton that is forced to remain in its vicinity. These ghosts become very angry and desperate and will attack any human being that wanders too close to their resting place during their night. For a Tardun there is only two ways of getting rid of its precarious state and joining Mzair. One is that the the body turns to dust, but depending on the place where it rests that might never happen. The other alternative is that someone comes along and purposefully burns it. The Tardun are attracted to fire, and a common way of escaping from them is to throw your torch at them. In their desperate wish to burn they will try - and fail, due to them being mostly immaterial - to set themselves ablaze. With so much of Apisteftia having been a battlefield at one point or another in history, it is littered with mass graves and improper burials that are home to hundreds of thousands of angry ghosts. The only way to get rid of them is to burn them, and that might require a lot of work. Drowner Much like the Tardun, Drowners are the ghosts of people that were left unburnt after their death. The difference is that the Drowners - also known as Oldún - well, drowned. A big fear of most Apisteftians was to be lost at sea. Those that fell overboard and were not saved in time were doomed to wander the dark abyss, forever unable to find their way back to land. Gurzhúul’s many demons and sea monsters would happily spend an eternity tormenting them in the most painful ways imaginable. Being lost on a lake or river was not much better, but here the chance was better of your body floating ashore. If a drowned corpse is found it must be immediately burnt, both to help its ghost to go into the afterlife but also to avoid being cursed by its very presence. Kron Perhaps one of the most dreaded undead apparitions one can encounter is the Kron. The Kron has a historical basis, but the legend itself has in large parts sprung from the belief in the undead Tarabe. In the Age of Chieftains there was a great warrior whose name was Kreymar, and in the second half of the 24th century he had been a warrior serving the Uramáat Clan in central Kaitjan. He was exiled, however, and spent his days wandering throughout the land in search of work and glory for himself. One night he decided to stay at a Mzarist hostel, but there he was told that there was no more room and that his best chance was to sleep outside under the awning of the room, a proposition to which Kreymar agreed. During the night a couple of lowlife thieves decided to cut his throat and steal his grand sword. The warrior woke up, however, just as the knife slit his arteries. He got to his feet and savagely butchered all the thieves but one. When he finally collapsed the survivor returned, cut off his head and made off into the night. Since that day Kreymar has been stalking roads, shrines and hostels looking for his lost sword, his head and the one who cut it off. His vengeful ghost is ironically called Kron - “Head” and is the nastiest kind of undead you can imagine - one that tears you piece to piece with his bare hands and leaves a bloody mess of intestines and broken bones on the ground at sunset. Kreymar was a real man, and is known to have been murdered under similar circumstances, but his bloodcurdling legend has grown to such a degree that sightings of the Kron have been spotted not only in every corner of heartland Kaitjan, but also in the traditional lore of Agredei and Korichan. Worship Customs At the core of Mzairist worship are two concepts known as Sacrifice and Carve (as in “carving”). There is a plethora of spirits, minor deities and gods in the world, and all of them require their own treatment in order to stay benevolent or just not make life miserable for mortal man. Sacrifice and offering is the most straightforward way to appease them. Each case is unique and there are many rituals for various situations, but generally speaking you are supposed to thank a spirit for their help in everyday life. A fisherman should throw back the first catch or last catch of the day into the water to appease the spirits that drove it into his net. A brewer should pour up a bowl of his latest batch to the spirit of alcohol, and a good harvest should be thanked through the sacrifice of some rice to the deities of the fields. The same goes for most other spirits as well. If you want to gain their interest and blessing you should prepare an offering that would suit their taste. After the sacrifice has been made - preferably at holy site or shrine where the deity or spirit you wish to contact dwells - you pray and hope for the best. Being a greedy bunch the spirits are naturally more inclined to listen to you if you sacrifice more to them. The same goes for gods, who due to their high status require considerably more than some pesky woodland entity. Afada accepts blood (usually animal blood, but some cults have been known to offer human) or raw flesh, as well as fresh fruit. Minkór rarely wants anything material, but appreciates flute music instead. If your flute skills are atrocious you can always scatter some rice to the wind and hope it does the trick. Mzair is the only god that does not require anything. Considering the fact that he is a enormous celestial tiger that battles giant sea serpents on a regular basis, offering him food would probably be taken as an insult. Simply praying to him, however, and honouring him and his name in combat is good. Malevolent deities can also be sacrificed to in some cases, but this is mostly to keep them off your back. To prefered method to keep them away is to pray for protection from another spirit or adorn yourself with the appropriate talisman or amulet. This brings us to Carve. The creation of holy items out of wood and bone is very important. So important in fact that it frequently crosses over with traditional Kaitjanese crafts and even architecture. The art of creating talismans and amulets is an intricate one: the material, the method, the shape and the details are all important as they all serve different purposes. Ebony is strong, protects from supernatural evil and grants strength. Bone - especially a tiger’s bones (must, however, be harvested from an already dead animal) - wards the warrior from harm and increases his military prowess. Rosewood has healing properties etc. The list is as long as the list of types of trees and bones in Apisteftia. Children are given talismans to protect them from harm when they are small, and when they grow older and start working they are supposed to make their own that will attract spirits which will in turn aid them in the area they work in - be it fishing, farming or war. For best effect you should produce all your warding amulets, necklaces and talismans yourself, but if you are terrible at carving you can always employ the aid of a master carver or Mzairist holy man that can create your own personal item. Wearing your wards is all fine and dandy, but that is not the extent of what Mzairists do to protect themselves. Tradition tells that Mzairist symbols should be found in architecture and decorations as well. Shrines and temples are the greatest example of this - they are covered in the most intricate reliefs, sculptures and carvings imaginable to the architect - but this style carries over to even the humble village home. The central pillar of the house is stylized and sculptured in all kinds of ways to attract the good spirits and scare away the bad, as well as tell the history of the household family. In appearance they are not unlike a totem pole, and depending on the size of the building they range in size and splendour as well. Porches, doorframes, window frames and roofs (and especially the ridge) are all decorated, and the richer the decorations are the better. But one can not forget about the house shrine. Every proper home is supposed to have its own - usually a small shelf or table in a corner on which one can pray to gods and spirits. It is here that you place the offering bowl, but also where you put your statuettes. To have a better chance to gain the favour of a spirit or deity you carve - or buy - a small idol or figurine of them. They are produced from bone, wood or stone, but all share the same purpose - to give the gods and spirits a permanent presence in your home. Statues found at temples, fortresses and palaces serve the very same purpose, although on a larger scale. The Mzairist of old were not above decorating their natural surroundings either - trees and stones would frequently found themselves covered with carvings and symbols by devout shamans and believers. Natural holy sites would be decorated with everything from flags, carvings and statuettes brought there by pilgrims and locals alike. One is not to forget another Mzairist tradition - the tattoo. The logic is brilliant - if wearing a talisman made out of a tiger’s bone gives a warrior greater strength, would not a tattoo of a tiger serve the same purpose, as well as have the quality of never being lost? The practice of tattooing symbols, characters, animals and spirits on the body started already in ancient Kaitjan, reached their golden age during the Age of Chieftains and continued strong all the way till the collapse of the Kingdom of Kaitjan in 2930. Holy men, shamans and priests would frequently dedicate their entire bodies save for faces, hands and feet for the purpose of their faith. Needle and skin carvings would be used to write down sutras and prayers and depict the gods themselves. Warriors favoured motifs of wild animals and of course the tiger as a way to imbue themselves with power. Courtesans might have an imagine of Afada or a love spirit on their back or stomach, mother’s wards to protect their families. Tattoos were nothing uncommon, but were for understandable reasons most popular among those especially devout and the warrior caste. Today this tradition has become rarer, but can be easily found on the bodies of people both young and old. Soldiers in the army are the single group that have kept tattooing alive the most, and although the Mzairist motif has been mostly dropped, they still decorate themselves with symbols of their branches, military units and tigers. Some traditions die hard. Shrines and Temples The practice of naming a certain place or object in nature as holy or sacred is a fairly common occurrence in Mzairism. This tradition was found throughout all of Apisteftia and was widely practiced by all Mzairist groups. It was abolished by the communist authorities after their rise to power, but some people think that some surviving holy sites are still thought to have some sort of innate power or special quality to them. A holy site or object can be pretty much anything; a peculiar cliff or a mountain, an old tree or an entire forest, a river or lake. There are no real restrictions. The site is usually thought to have been the place where something extraordinary has happened, such as a divine action, a heroic feat, a grizzly murder or just something that can be serve to connect it to something sacred or important. Before the schism Mzairists rarely built anything more significant than a shrine at whatever place they considered important. Either that or the site was just left in its original form, with the only changes being a shaman maybe hanging some flags, doing some carvings and visitors leaving offerings. Temples were occasionally built, but were so mostly in cities and were few and far between. Shrines could vary in size and shape and could be anything from a building to a carving on a rock. So called “wayward shrines” were widespread due to their relative simplicity. Basically a rectangular wooden structure with a pointed roof in which the makers hung some charms or objects they hoped would placate local spirits. Such shrines were put in memory of certain people, to commemorate events (“murder” shrines were erected in hopes to calm possible restless spirits) or just to make the road safe to travel. Travellers could pray or leave small offerings at such a shrine to grant themselves good luck in whatever they wanted to accomplish on their trip. Larger shrine served in many way the same purpose - to commemorate people and events, attract benevolent spirits and scare away those with malicious intent. They were mostly wooden, with large and pointy hip-and-gable roofs, covered in carvings and usually containing a smaller shrine and a place for offerings. After the schism the Scripture Mzairists decided that it was time to undo their Pure counterparts by the means of making their shrines and temples grander and greater. Powerful lords and rulers would pour money into the construction of buildings and worship in hopes of receiving favour from the gods and to garner fame. The coming centuries would see an explosion of temple building across Apisteftia. The realms of Kaitjan, Agredei and Kesh were locked in a violent struggle for supremacy, and to further outdo each other they funnel considerable funds (which they often had acquired through plunder) into their religious projects. As a result the Mzairist faith would come to make great contributions to the architectural and cultural heritage of Apisteftia. The greatest example of this building fervour is the Grand Temple of Imreal, which with its 730,000 square metres of territory and over 200 shrines and temples is the largest temple complex in Apisteftia. Same as with simple shrines, there was no rules on how a place of worship was supposed to look, and the overall mentality of the architects was “the larger and more expensive the better”. If a temple was large it usually consisted out of several ‘halls’, each dedicated to a certain deity or spirit. These buildings were either independent from each other or were interconnected and located in the same same building. This style of architecture was usually dominated by massive hip-and-gable roofs, tall towers with onion cupolas emerging from them and colonnades. The more gold and silver decorations, the more imposing statues, murals and carvings there was the better. Mzairists - and Kaitjanese Mzairists in particular - were never famous for having a sense of subtlety. Shamans and Priests Today very little of the old clerical class remains. Even less is left from the Pure shamans, who mostly disappeared long before the Kaitjanese civil war. When the OPCK communists came to power in 2930 they adopted state atheism, and enforced their anti-religious policies with brutal means. The Heliandist minority had been target during the war itself, but now the Mzairists came under attack. Priests and clerics were imprisoned, deported or executed, their property seized and countless temples and shrines were closed or destroyed. The Mzairist clergy had been very wealthy and had become impressively corrupt over the centuries, and initially the OCPK’s actions against it enjoyed popular support. But their brutal methods and the persecution of the religion itself eventually many commoners against the new government. Their protests, however, fell on deaf ears, and the OCPK succeeded in eradicating all public show of organized religion from Kaitjan. After the states of Agredei, Kesh and Abramoz were incorporated into the People’s Republic, the anti-religious policies are being enforced there as well. Before its destruction the ‘Mzairugei’ - “Mzair’s Men”, the proper title of the Mzairist church - was a large and influential organisation in Kaitjan. It never wielded any political power (Kirzhom Kesh is a whole other story), but was widely used as a tool by the political elite - the monarchy - to influence and control the masses. Outside of serving as a political tool, Mzairist clergymen filled the roles of bureaucrats and scholars, even after the introduction of the first Kaitjanese secular universities and governmental reforms in the later half of the 29th century. The Mzairugei did not only accumulate a lot of wealth, but was also responsible (with help and donations from secular rulers) for in many ways harbour and develop Kaitjanese culture. The grandeur that was many Mzairist temples in Kaitjan is an excellent example of that. It must also not be forgotten that priests - especially those on the lower steps of the hierarchy - filled a very practical role in Kaitjanese society; they ensured smooth relations between mortal man and the spirits and gods and performed various ceremonies and rituals. It is important to note that even in the late years of the Kaitjanese kingdom many priests - although considered a part of the Mzairugei - were not “employed” as such and did only receive a small, nominal pay. Many pursued other careers side by side with their religious duties. Technically anyone could become a part of the clergy - the only prerequisite being that they were studious and could make themselves useful. Having a family and pursuing a civil career was not an obstacle either as far as the religion was concerned. Most shamans and priests were men, but women fulfilling similar roles could be found throughout Apisteftia, mostly living together in collectives at certain all-female temples, shrines and holy sites. The Mzairist hierarchy was mostly centred around religious sites and their perceived importance. In Kaitjan there were hundreds, if not thousands of various temples and shrines, but only a few temples that were titled ‘Great’, such as those in the cities of Imreal and Merizal. They were considered to have the highest religious authority, and therefore the priests and clergymen attached to them had a higher status than those serving in other places. Temples such as those in Imreal, Merizal and Mozgúl were headed by an Archpriest, who were the de facto leaders of the Mzairist faith within Kaitjan. The Archpriest of Imreal was in turn the most important of them all, and technically the spiritual liege and supreme master of all Mzairist believers in the world. In practice, however, he only wielded real power within Kaitjan itself. Ordinary temples and shrines were subservient to a certain ‘Great’ temple, and furthest down on the hierarchy were the common priests who could be found throughout Kaitjan, and were not connected to any place in particular. Some journeyed from place to place in search of people that needed their services, many had professions beside their priesthood and others still tended to local shrines and holy sites. Pure Path shamans were not a part of any hierarchy whatsoever, and there is no real way to categorize them. But just as common Scripture priests - shamans lived among and with commoners, and very rarely existed as hermits outside of Mzairist communities. Notable Holy Sites and Temples Grand Temple of Imreal The Grand Temple of Imreal is the largest surviving religious site in the People’s Republic of Kaitjan, and possible the most important one in Apisteftian history. It was here that the Mzairist clergy was formed and the all-important Scriptures of Imreal were written down, thus creating the schism in the Mzairist faith. It was Poltoyad the Great that first envisioned the great temple in the second half of the 25th century, but the holiness of Afada’s Bay and the city of Imreal goes back into the mists of ancient times. Legend tells that the goddess Afada once took a bath in Lake Imreal, and when she dried her long hair some of it was dragged along the western shore, thus creating a long and deep bay. Over the centuries hundreds of shrines and smaller temples were built around the many holy sites in the area. When Poltoyad the Great finally subjugated the Imreal Chiefdom after a long and costly siege he decided to codify the Mzairist faith. By creating a religious clergy loyal to him and establishing in in his newly created kingdom he wanted to strengthen his own power. He died soon after, but his successors followed up with his grand plan. And thus the Great Temple of Imreal was created: the self-styled high seat of the Mzairist faith, a centre of learning, art and Kaitjanese culture. Through donations from the crown and feudal lords as well as tithes the number of shrines and temples grew exponentially over the coming centuries, and with them the city. It is hard to overstate the importance that the temple had on religious matters, but one must not forget that much of what is considered classical Kaitjanese culture has its roots in the splendour that was Imreal. By the end of the 29th century the city and its surrounding areas had over 200 major shrines and temples that attracted tens of thousands of pilgrims each year, not only from Kaitjan but from other corners of Apisteftia as well. Towering above the city on a plateau of sourts was the Great Temple itself and at its largest spanned over 730,000 square metres. Over the course of the roughly 500 years between its founding in the late 25th century and the early 30th, generations of kings, nobles and powerful paid for expansions and modifications - building new temples, shrines and statues in honour of the gods. To this day the Hall of Mzair is by far the largest and most extravagant of all constructions on the temple grounds. The seemingly never-ending story of splendour and cultural achievement was ended during the Kaitjanese Civil War. The new government destroyed a great number of temples and religious sites in Kaitjan after their victory, but not even they dared to lay a hand on the the Grand Temple and left it alone. The clergy, however, was eradicated and pilgrimage was outlawed, leaving the temples and shrines empty and isolated on top of its cliffs. There they stand to this day, marked by the many wars of the 30th century and gradually worn down by weather and neglect. Some damage have been repaired in later years, but the sheer size of the temple complex makes it unlikely that it will be properly cared for in the future. Chirm Monastery Fortress In the early 2100s a Mzairist cult living in what is today Agredei district decided to leave the jungles and riverlands and venture into the mountains. There they hoped to find solace from the wars and other problems that plagued the lowlands. On the slopes of the holy Mount Chirm they settled, and over the course of 60 years they carved massive fortress monastery on the mountainside. It became an impregnable bastion, only accessible by a narrow mountain path which was under constant threat from arrows and barrages of stone from the steep cliffsides surrounding it. Initially the cultist community pursued a life of peace and isolation, relying on terrace farming on the lower slopes of the mountain to keep themselves fed. Over the years, however, they would come to part of the surrounding territories as well, establishing their own kind of dominion. Thousands of pilgrims sought to visit the holiness of Mount Chirm and the monastery’s temples and contributed to its growing wealth. The cultists would remain on their mountains for many centuries to come, respected by the chieftains of the lowlands but relatively uninvolved in secular matters. Eventually they were subjugated by the Chirm Dominion in the 27th century, but even as subject of the new Agredei nation their fortress monastery retained a status as one of the foremost holy sites of the Mzairist faith of not only in Agredei, but also Apisteftia. After Agredei had been incorporated into the People’s Republic of Kaitjan in 2993, the Kaitjanese had serious plans on demolishing the ancient monastery. Eventually, however, it was decided not to do it to avoid causing even more unrest that followed the Glorious Agreement. The fortress monastery remains on the mountain to this day. The Mzairist cultists are long since gone and their once grand home is left to crumble in complete loneliness, as the state has banned any pilgrimages to the site. Gudol The Kirzhom priesthood of Kesh constructed a great deal of temples and shrines across their country during the centuries they stayed in power. In 2722 the holy city of Gudol was founded by decision of the then ruling Komorzhom (head of the Kirzhom Kesh) Asug the Splendid. Gudol was to become the eastern counterpart to the city of Imreal and the Imreal temples, and not only match them in splendour but to outdo them as well. At its height in the late 28th century Gudol was home to over 90,000 inhabitants - both clergymen and the many servants and labourers needed to maintain it. The city’s centrepiece was the grand Gudol Temple dedicated to the goddess Afada. It is equally famous and infamous as it was the site for mass blood sacrifices that were annually made in her honour between 2750 and 2889, and the number of men and women that whose blood filled the sacrificial bowls are in the thousands. Secularisation of Kesh in the early 30th century put a stop to these practices, but the last known blood sacrifice (although on a considerably smaller scale) is believed to have taken place as late as in 2950. Gudol remained populated, but during the Juchoan Wars its population gradually dwindled down to only 30,000 by 2993. After Kesh was incorporated into the People’s Republic the vast majority of the temples were demolished, and with its only purpose lost and no employment opportunities in the area, only a few thousand residents remain as of 2015. Edited by Kaitjan, Dec 2 2015, 01:57 PM.
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| Kaitjan | Jul 4 2016, 10:21 PM Post #18 |
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Kaitjanese People and Culture 3 Entertainment Spoiler: click to toggle
Edited by Kaitjan, Jul 4 2016, 10:22 PM.
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8:16 PM Jul 11