Difference between revisions of "Rastaban"

Revision as of 02:50, 11 February 2005

Rastaban

Flag of Rastaban
Motto: Spei bonae atque animae
No Map Available Yet
Region	The Heartland
Capital	New Avalon
Official Language(s)	Rastabite, English, Dragon & Lehite
Leader	Queen Cora Julie Artemis Rastaban
Population	2.278 billion
Currency	Mark
NS Sunset XML

Name Game

Is it Rastabann or Rastaban? Both spellings are acceptable, though is written Rastabann everywhere else save The Heartland and with in the country. The name change came about when Prince Al'ver was declaring civil war in Rastaban. He was able to get a hold of information and forms that allowed him to change the spelling of Rastaban from that day forward. Currently, government agents are looking for a way to change it back to Rastaban. Prince Al'ver was quick on his feet and destroyed all means of doing this. He also isn't talking at the moment.

History

Six groups, or Houses officially founded the Queendom of Rastaban over 2,000 years ago. Each House was gifted in communicating with the dragons that roam the land and the magic the Guardians bestowed upon them. These six groups worked with each other to further their abilities and learn from the Guardians.

That was until the House of Azhdeha became greedy and wished to rule over the six Houses. Their leader, Lung'wa, decided that that he'd wanted to be the one with sole power. A council of six men, one from each house governed the Houses, elected by the people, and governed them then. Lung'wa felt that the House of Azhdeha should have sole say in important matters, for the founder of the House was said to be the one of two people first to be taught by the Guardians.

This caused unrest among the Houses. It finally came to a head when civil war broke out among them. The Houses of Draco and Anguis joined Azhdeha, while the Houses of Tiamat, Hashteher and Rastaban join forces. The final confrontation was the Battle of Tres, which included the Houses of Azhdeha, Tiamat, and Rastaban. It ended when Iliana of Rastaban struck Lung'wa dead using a primitive weapon known as an atlatl.

When the council (minus Azhdeha) decided that men were out for domination. They then handed the reigns over to the women. The women, knowing that they would fight then decided that they would give one woman the power to make these decisions. And who better than the woman who killed Lung'wa? Iliana became queen. It was called the Tribal Lands of Wyrm until fifty years afterwards at the end of Queen Iliana's rule. The people changed it to the Queendom of Rastaban, after the House of their first queen.

Queen Iliana was 80 years old at the time of her death, and her only daughter had died three years prior. Her eldest granddaughter, Elspeth, then inherited the throne.

Its tradition that the children (and husbands) take the woman’s name because of an old saying: “Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own”. It is only the queen’s husband who has to option of taking his wife’s name or not. The queen's husband may be called king if he takes his wife's name and prince if he wishes to keep his. This was established in the reign of Queen Ev'lyn I, daughter of Queen Elspeth.

Since the War of the Houses Rastaban has had a few skirmishes and battles with other countries, but over all living in peace. Through time though, the Houses have drifted away from being taught by the Guardians. Now it is usually the First House of Rastaban and affluent families that are taught by them. Almost all the magic as been lost.

Queen Julie III wasn't that strong of a ruler and made some bad decisions based on what her advisors (all men) told her. She let them run her life. She married three times. First to David Vaqles. He died at sea. Then to Cristoff Caze-sen who died in a plane crash. Her third husband was (Her pervious husbands where of the Third House of Hashteher) the least liked husband of all, Al'ver Yfelle of the Fifth House of Draco.

Yet he had to most influence over Queen Julie. Her other husbands had tried to get her out of her advisors' grasp. Then they died under questionable circumstances, except Al'ver, whose father was Queen Julie's Head Advisor

When she died this left her daughter, Queen Cora to try and right her mother's wrongs. She has gotten rid of all her mother's advisors, save one. The young Tanek Ryu. Yet, her stepfather, Prince Al'ver, has pushed advisors upon her. This forced her to create two cabinets, or Nooks. The First Nook is of those she trusts, the Second Nook is of those Prince Al'ver has suggested. The Second Nook is gradually being faded out after someone turned their hair pink.

Still, the young queen is untried, inheriting the throne just before she was 18. By the "prince's advisors" (as they're called) she is being urged to marry a foreign man and many other decisions she isn't sure about.

All she wants is peace and prosperity for her country, to be able to fix her mother's mistakes, and lead her Queendom into a bright future.

This was nearly short to pieces when Prince Al'ver started a civil war that lasted two years. His band of maruarders were small, but they caused a great deal of damaged. They were responsible for the changing of the Queendom's name in all the books to Rastabann (though one wouldn't dare formally call the Queendom of Rastaban, the Queendom of Rastabann). Unfortunately Queen Cora has been unable to change this. Al'ver was captured and sent to prison on a small island of Rastaban's coast along with his cohorts, along with his young wife Lady Lara Vecher (Cr'nobog) Yfelle, who was then carrying his child.

In rebellion Princess Cally asked her father and her friends to suggest a husband to her. They found Emperor Kratos Andrew Mirume of Athan. His wife recently died and he was looking for someone. They were married, Kratos being 21 and Cally just 16. They decided to have a son, not the conventional way. They use Solid Water's Design-A-Person to create him.

This upset Cora, since that Cally's son (Prince Sei Kratos Al'ver Mirume) has just made her heir to the Queendom. Cora is set on avoiding this, should she meet an early death, and is currently looking for a husband (not a leader or heir of a nation).

Current Events

Government

Religion

Many think that Rastaban's religion is solely based on or around dragons. That's not true. Rastaban's religion has been described as having an Eastern touch to it.

Rastabites worship four main, or cardinal gods: Sui, the dragon wind god of the north. Ho'huang, the phoenix fire goddess of the east. Toboga, the dolphin water goddess of the south. And Ois'in, the stag earth god of the west.

Under each cardinal god are two secondary gods-

Sui: Akshi, goddess of war and death; Tarv'aa, god of knowledge. Ho'huang: Kinahau, goddess of the sun and magic; Lugus, god of artisans. Toboga: Mwet-si, goddess of the moon; C'hel, the god of marriage and the home. Ois'in: Uir, goddess of justice; Ishja, god of love.

And under these gods are many, many demi-gods. Sui is the leader of all the gods.

Along side of the gods are angels, but held in a completely different respect. There isn't much information about them. But they aren't worshiped and no one prays to them. All that is known is that the angels rule in the heavens while the gods rule on Earth. Angels concern themselves with the spirit, while the gods look over their mortal lives.

Creation Myth

The creation myth believed by Rastabites is this. The demi-gods were reproducing at rapid speeds and becoming an annoyance to the higher gods. The cardinal gods decided they needed to create a being that would even things out, yet be intelligent. With earth provided by Ois'in and water provided by Toboga they formed two figures; male and female. Ho'huang the fired them so they would not fall apart. Sui then breathed life into them.

The cardinal gods taught them what they knew, and then ordered the secondary gods to the same. Satisfied that the humans knew enough they let them live by themselves among the numerous demi-gods. Soon though the humans had reproduced numbers almost as much near the demi-gods.

This then leads into other myths where the demi-gods discovered that they could couple with humans.

Rastabites and the Guardians

It is said that before the six Houses were founded that two tribes of people were wandering the earth, looking for a place to call home. They came upon a land where being called Guardians were abundant. These were actually children of Sui descended through his coupling with and a demi-god.

These two peoples were already gifted in magical things. The Guardians knew much on this subject for Kinahau herself had taught them. They offered to teach these mortals and how to tame the wild dragon the roams the lands. The leaders of the two people then became know as Azhdeha and Rastaban. Then came three more peoples. Rastaban taught them and their leaders became known as Tiamat, Hashteher, and Anguis. Anguis and his people wanted to know more and asked Azhdeha to teach them. Then lastly came one more people whom became known as Draco and were taught by Azhdeha.

This started a long line of tradition of being taught by Guardians. Today it is mainly limited to those prominent in the six Houses. Guardians themselves have lost touch with this tradition and have slowly disappeared. Still there are those that haven't.

The Queen and her Sacred Creatures

The Queen of Rastaban is identified with both the dragon and the phoenix. The dragon represents the masculine decisions and situations she must deal with while the phoenix represents the feminine side, love and compassion for her country.

Worship where?

Rastabites who practice Traditional Religion (as its been come to called) worship out doors, often within a grove a trees. It is believed that to be come more in touch with the gods while you worship, you need to be free from all man made structures. True, the temples of the gods are built around these places of worship, but the trees were there first, not the people. When the queen make a public statement, she often firsts makes it outside man made confines, for all the people, and the gods, to hear. Only second does she make it in a pressroom with cameras everywhere.

Other Religions

Rastaban welcomes all religions so long as they are peaceful and do not practice the harm of others or hate.

Languages

In Rastaban it has been required by all schools for the past 100 years to have the students learn the four languages spoken widely through out the Queendom. They are the native Rastabite, business English, intellectual Dragon, and ancient Lehite. In the past two years, however, students have been required to pick a fifth language of their choice to learn to be fluent in. Popular choices are German, French, and Spanish. Latin and Greek are gaining in popularity.

The reason for this hard, and often difficult, curriculum is so that all Rastabites may communicate with the citizens of the country and those through out world without having to set aside time during their adult lives to learn such things.