Difference between revisions of "Nolak"

Revision as of 17:48, 27 February 2006

The Nolak Terrorist group is a multi-regional Terrorist group. Currently, it is employed in many Aberdeen RPs as an opponent to the region. This page is dedicated to their existance.

Important Note about these People

OOC: In today's day and age, our concept of Terrorism has taken on quite a different meaning. When someone says terrorist, most people (at least of those reading this) would instantly think of some mid-eastern group or another - even though many more civilized cultures have terrorists in their own right (IRA, Oklahoma City, etc). The thing is that to think of them as such would almost be a crime to what they really are. Yes they are religious fundamentalists - but their religion doesn't have open interpretation to mean anything but violence. There is no such thing as a moderate follower of the Nolak faith. If you look through the histories of many, you'll see that women seem to be raped a lot - but that's because so few women are willing to rape men in that society, not because a woman is considered second class. In the society, a person who wants to have sex has right over the person who doesn't want to have sex in the vast majority of cases. The vast majority of the Servants of Nolak are men, but that's because even in real life, the vast majority of soldiers in modern military is still men. The Night Sisters and Tristan Angel were revered members of the Nolak Clans (admittedly, feared because of the historical fluctuations, but they still garnered a lot of respect and the society was willing to accept them as another person fighting alongside them.) I felt that this is an important aspect of their society that just had to be emphasized.

From Forgotten Territories

The Servants of Nolak are not so much associated with the Forgotten Territories as they are relevant to the Forgotten Territories history - in particular that of Angel Fire, with many of its members including Tristan Angel.

Overview

The Servants of Nolak are terrorists. Period. They operate in dozens of regions (most recently, they are suspected of activities in Aberdeen) and over 200 different sub-factions. They are united by the Council of Nolak which is lead by the 10 Great Groups of Nolak. The other groups get advisory positions on the council (a relatively new gift) and nearly free reign on how to act (so long as these actions match the goals and principles of Nolak).

History

Formation

Nolak, who is known by no other name, founded the group an estimate 2700 years ago. According to the testimates of Nolak, he lead the Servants of Nolak against the impure, slaying those who stood with them. Within a dozen years of beginning, his forces became the most powerful in the world. However, he feared that they would no longer be able to function under one rule and split the Servants, thereby founding the 10 Great Groups of Nolak, each named after their first leaders: Runark, Misnew, LockNall, Baghrak, Truestek, Fallmak, LockHart, Treschev, LamBinjo, and Holnark. Together, with Nolak, they formed the Nolak council. It is said that Nolak cut off each of his fingers, handing a digit to each member of the Nolak Council. He said that so long as the council remained true to the followings of Nolak those that posessed the finger would live forever.

For over 100 years, the 10 leaders served Nolak faithfully. Eventually they too broke off smaller groups from their own Servants to start another clan. These smaller groups were not nerely as successful - some were even obliterated completely. However, they allowed their most talented commanders to have their own feelings of pride and loyalty to the Nolak Council, that their servants now regarded as being filled with Gods (for only Gods lived forever).

However, the peace was not to last.

The Great Servant War

Baghrak, Truestek and Runark disented with Fallmak. Baghrak found another issue to disagree with Misnew and Holnark on. Misnew and Holnark were, themselves, in a feud about a different issue. As the feuds grew, so did the number of old frustrations from 100 years of joint rule - almost none of it directed towards the infallible Nolak. However, Nolak knew that the time of peace on the council was over. Instead of trying to prevent it, he started spreading rumors amongst the council about one another. He divulged his confidences. He made the dissent between the different council members become an infection for all issues. It wasn't long before the council ceased functioning altogether. It was disbanded and the council members declared war upon one another.

The war was brutal. One faction would nearly be destroyed before the two attacking it would find themselves being challenged - allowing that faction to rebuild. Misnew was the first to die - though his faction steadfastly refused to follow. Holnark likewise perished. However, it was on battle in particular that decided the outcome of the war. The last 8 leaders had rearranged themselves into 3 alliances that all marched onto the battlefield at Rushland Mountain. They fought in manners that would not have been tolerated while they had remained united. Baghrak, Truestek and Lockhart perished. LockNall, who had been allied only with Truestek, soon fell. The battle became a two faction contest.

As the last 4 leaders ordered their forces foreward, Nolak appeared amidst the chaos. Before the leaders could stop it, before the leaders could issue any commands, before the leaders were even able to realize he had been there, Nolak was slain. The 4 leaders, realizing their failings, ordered a full retreat and made ammends with one another - and the now leaderless factions. After reuniting the Servants of Nolak, the 4 leaders are said to have picked their successors and have died at the same time (in different locations) from natural causes.

The Council of Nolak was reconvened under the new leaders and the Servants of Nolak swelled in ranks once again. While their history included many competitions between the different Servants and the smaller groups, as well as the forces of many nations, it is rather irrelevant to Aberdeen. So, we skip to some of the more recent history.

The Kane Clan

Nolak is recovering from an internal war which drug it from its peak of nearly 300 factions to a mere 200 - with an additional 50 lost due to its continuing wars with many other nations. Kane Angel, a Servant of Fallmak, was rising through the ranks at an extraordinary speed. His natural leadership skills and his understanding of backstabbing, psychology, philosophy and brutality made him a perfect frontline commander. He stagnated in his rise only breifly after he married an impure woman whom he had captured on one of his many missions. However, he molded Tristan Angel into a weapon casting aside all doubts about him. He was granted the right to form the Kane Clan.

Of all the clans that had ever been formed, the Kane clan was rather unique. Initially, it was notable only for Kane's abilities, but that did not distinguish it from any of the other small clans. However, as his wife founded the Night Sisters and this new group lead his troops into battle, the legends of the Kane clan began appearing. The servants of Kane soon became as revered as much as the 10 Great Groups of Nolak, with only a fraction of the soldiers. Death reigned wherever they marched.

The incited fear within those that opposed them, but also their allies.

Misnew attacked Kane. The attack was swift enough that Kane didn't realize it was coming. However, the few Night Sisters on station were able to respond and immediately set up a defense. They were just starting to battle back when they realized something

Misnew had lured them into a trap.

Two missiles were headed for Kane's main complex which housed the majority of his staff and his family. They could be evacuated without issue, but the Night Sisters would die in the explosion. If, however, they tried to leave with the rest of the Kane clan, they would be killed by those raiding this base and their charges with them.

The Kane clan was scattered. The Angel family, seperated. The Night Sisters lost. Minsew had won their gambit and removed any threat from the Kane Clan.

At least, for now.

History

Formation

Little is known about who the person Nolak was. He never indicated a last name, a history, a family, or anything else for that matter. What is known is that he was a prophet who first appeared in historical some 2700 years ago (0th Nolak Year). He preached about a new order and a new way of life, one born from blood but would award its followers with power beyond their wildest dreams. His preachings attracted many to follow him, and they became the first Servants of Nolak. The Nolak Clan had been formed. Scholars studying both historical documents and the Nolak Testimates (the primary text of the Nolak beliefs) are uncertain whether Nolak actually had a concept of a future society or not. Unfortunately, none of his speeches were ever recorded in historical logs. Some suggest that he merely wanted power. Whether he did or didn't at the time, there is evidence that he did not hold those wishes later in life.

Alas, he got power - a lot of power. Historical documents show that the Nolak Clan became the largest terrorist faction in the world within 12 years of formation. Even when you look at the various terrorist alliances that existed, he had command of the third (by some accounts, including the Nolak Testimates, it was the second) largest terrorist alliance - yet the Nolak clan was allied with no one. He fought both terrorist factions that he considered unworthy and nations. No nation was considered an ally - even the conquered ones.

However, Nolak soon feared an uprising within his ranks. He alone held all the power, and recognizing the frustration of many due to this, he divided the Nolak Clan into 10 roughly equal groups. There was no Nolak Clan, just the 10 Great Clans of Nolak. Like the Nolak Clan before, the first leaders of each clan also became the namesake of the clan they lead. They were Runark, Misnew, LockNall, Baghrak, Truestek, Fallmak, LockHart, Treschev, LamBinjo, and Holnark. The 10 leaders together with Nolak formed the Nolak Council. According to the Nolak Testimates, Nolak cut off his fingers and gave each to a different leader. By accepting, the clan leader was pledging his life and loyalty to Nolak. By giving the fingers, Nolak was "handing over" the command of the Nolak Clans to his followers.

The fingers have greater meaning to them, and brought forth a tradition that is continued even today in all Nolak clans. More information can be found below.

The Nolak Council allowed for the Nolak Clans to swell even further. Each of the Nolak Clans was soon in the top 20 most powerful terrorist factions in the world. The Nolak Clans as a whole became the largest Terrorist Alliance to have ever existed. To address possible uprisings, commanders that had proven themselves both in being able to rally troops and lead them on were given permission to form new clans, breaking off from the Great 10 Nolak Clans while still being in service of the Nolak Council. They were not given a seat on the Nolak council, but they were often given much more freedom in how they could conduct themselves. Some found themselves completely destroyed. Others became powerful terrorist factions that could rival the 10 Great Clans. By the first peak of the Nolak Clans was reached in 122NY, there were over 200 different factions.

While history is fuzzy, the Nolak Testimates seem to suggest that by 122NY, the Nolak Council still held the same cast as it had in 12NY when it was first formed. As a result, it is believed that Nolak and his 10 fellow Council members were Gods. There are many interpretations of this, but the end result was that the time period from 110 NY to 123NY, the way of Nolak moved from being just another terrorist faction to a religion in its own right. This is also the period where we see the first writings of the Nolak Testimates which the Nolak council had been generous enough to fill in the first 50 years with tales so that it was a complete story (enough people were alive at the time to give many tales from after 50NY).

The extended joint rule, however, had the more dangerous side effect of growing hostilities, which lead to the Great Servant War.

The Great Servant War

No records were ever made of what was said by whom amongst the Nolak Council. However, the remnants of the Nolak Council after the battle recorded a summary of the events in the Nolak Testimate. Quite simply, after 100 years of joint rule, they were all sick of one another. Nolak alone seemed to be friendly and cooperative with all of them, and to Nolak alone did they all have any feelings of alliegiance and friendship with. In 122NY, Nolak himself stopped trying to keep the peace. He whispered the secrets he knew, the confidences he had kept over the 100 years to the other members. He spread rumors - both true and false - amongst the many. For nearly a year, he did everything to incite a feud between the Great 10 Clans.

In 123NY, LockNall attacked Baghrak after leaving the council, and Baghrak informed LockNall, "Your faction will be crushed under the foot of mine. Prepare yourself for war." He then struck LockNall, knocking the fellow leader out. Baghrak then too the helm of his forces and began assaulting LockNall's bases. Other factions came to the aid of the two sides.

As more and more of the Great 10 Clans went into battle, Nolak ceased trying to claim they were united. He suspended to Nolak Council, to be reformed the day that his fellow council members could no longer shed each other's blood. He then ordered all the smaller factions to not get involved in the war and to continue to expand. Not all listened and the war between 10 factions became 50. Alliances were made and broken, only to be reformed again. Clans that were loyal to one faction soon found themselves being stabbed in the back. Most of them were destroyed. All of them lost their founding leader. Yet the Gods of Nolak seemed invulnerable, locked in this eternal squabble yet unable to kill one another. Some wondered whether the Nolak clans would keep fighting until those 10 kept striking at one another time and time again, but unable to kill each other.

All of these beliefs were shattered when Misnew died in 137NY. He died to a General under the service of LockNall - who, it happened, was dueling Treschev at the time (both escaped that battle relatively unscarred). True followers of Nolak have been baffled by this for millenia - how could a God die? Some wonder whether Nolak may have withdrawn the invulnerability that seemed to have been given to his greatest of followers. Regardless, Misnew died and his clan joined the ranks of the many smaller clans that had already withdrawn (by 128NY, none but the Great 10 Clans were still participating in the war), waiting for the end of the war. Before the same year was out, Holnark likewise fell - this time to an arrow that had found his eye. For many, it was seen as a confirmation that the end was approaching.

138NY, openned up with the largest and bloodiest battle the war had seen - an impressive feat for the badly beaten factions. The Battle of Rushland Mountain had all 8 factions divided up into 3 alliances: LockNall and Truestek (who had been duelling just under a year earlier) took the northern side of the mountain, Baghrak, LamBinjo, and Fallmark held the south-western corner, and LockHart, Truestek and Runark held the south-east. Within the first two days, 3 more had died - Baghrak, LockHart and Truestek. After a week, LockNall found himself so overwhelmed due to the loss of his one ally that he found himself sitting between LamBinjo and Truestek - effectively surrounding him. He perished within a day.

As the last 4 leaders charged one another in an all-out push, Nolak appeared in the midst of the chaos, only to be struck down by a grunt as he swept by his Lord. The soldiers didn't understand what had just happened. They didn't have a complete sense of what had changed, but they understood something had. The 4 survivors of the Nolak Council did understand. They halted battle and met under peaceful terms where Nolak had fallen. Here, they pledged to end their fighting, to rebuild the Nolak Clans and her council and return her to her former glory. By the end of 238NY, the Nolak council was once again home to the new leaders of the 10 Great Clans (none had been annihilated) and she was once again growing. The 4 leaders also had their chance to write the prelude to the war into the Testimate of Nolak. However, the year ended with their deaths - legend claims they died at the exact same time in 4 different locations. The First Era of Nolak was over.

Transcending the years

Over the course of the 26 centuries that seperate the start of the Second Age and the present day (Seventh Age), many rounds of infighting, plagues, and various other problems have brought us through many ages (Second: 139NY to 1072NY, Third 1073NY to 1354NY, Fourth 1355NY to 1520NY, Fifth 1521NY to 2573NY, Sixth: 2574NY to 2683NY, Seventh 2683 to Present) and into the realm of today. Each age is ended by the conclusion of a major war - one that involved all of the Great 10 Clans of Nolak to address. Longer droughts that lack such wars occur when enemy nations are weak or when massive plagues paralyze the forces. The shortness of the 6th age meant that Nolak couldn't rebuild adaquetely before it was plunged, yet again, into a major war. As a result, the start of the Seventh Age was its lowest point since the start of the Second age, with just under 200 different Clans and having actually disappeared from the top 100 Terrorist alliances (something it hasn't had since its first year when they weren't qualified for the list as they didn't exist when it was compiled). It is a testimate to how much the realm of terrorism has grown in size due to the increasing population of the planet. As we look closer to today, they are once again climbing the ranks with nearly a dozen regions under their control, and many more being attacked (most recently, they have begun moving into Aberdeen).

Society

Religious Ideologies

Principles

Over the millenia, the preference towards people who were born into the religion rather than those that were converted has become a rather central role in the society - allowing for some to be absolutely shunned or passed over for promotions because of such. Those that are not born into the religion are known as the "unclean", perhaps refering to some desire to purge these people from the world. Regardless, they see them as inferior, and the only way one can lose the status of being unclean is generally in combat - either through self-sacrifice (unclean that die in servitude of Nolak are generally given the same rituals as a "true follower" whereas the unclean who die peacefully or are assassinated are often buried like one might bury an animal) or excellence in combat (which indicates they are touched by Nolak himself and therefore must be a true follower). Those that deviate from the treatment of the unclean - especially those that are accepting of the unclean as being friends (civility to an unclean is acceptable) can effectively make you barely more than an unclean yourself.

This belief started at the end of the Fifth age when it was felt that the cause of a war between the Great 10 Clans (the worst war Nolak had ever known) was started by outsiders trying to take control of the Great 10 Clans. As such, outsiders were not to be trusted. In the Testimate of Nolak, it is written that "The unclean corrupt even those that follow the Ring" (by Nolak's hand, the Ring finger represented corruption strategy - visited below). It is unknown how much of this is fact, but it is known that people that weren't born a Servant of Nolak were in command of 4 of the Great 10 Clans.

Children of Servants are obviously born as Servants to Nolak. It should also be noted that nations that the Nolak clans control (especially those under the guide of LamBinjo, the left Ring finger) generally banish placing a new child under any religion and often will have a Nolak priest sitting in the maternity ward, declaring children to ever be bounded a Servant of Nolak. These children are considered to be True Followers and their parents are often brutally killed if they ever attempt to stop the child being taught the ways of Nolak. Through their absolute control of the children of these nations, they maintain their control. Indeed, some nations that they had to abandon in the past still have citizens who - privately or publicly - serve Nolak and either wait for a chance to join the ranks of the Nolak clans or carry out the standing orders of Nolak: cleanse the world, purify it from the unclean, and bring forth a new age where the true followers have unrivalled power.

Biological and chemical weapons - especially ones that have a time limit or disperse fairly quickly into the air - they are willing to use, but ones with longer lasting effects they are much less interested in. Nuclear and radioactive bombs are considered an abhorent tool to use and often those that try to employ them will be defiled and considered an unclean - and executed as any unclean who has worked against the principles of Nolak should be. Bombing from afar is seen as abhorent and a dreadful sin. If every single wall were transparent and you can't see the person or persons that you are about to kill, it's considered a dishonorable kill.

Torture they employ to create new followers, rarely for information. Sometimes they use it to create weapons out of their captives. With women, the choice is normally rape where with men, it often involves attacking their most sensitive area. Other forms do exist and they often are done in a systematic fashion to provide the perfect weapon. Tristan Angel is one of many who are the products of these methods - though she is a more developed and finely tuned weapon than many (there are some who are basically just hostages who were released and are practically timebombs waiting to go off and destroy everyone they can). Mayhem, destruction, chaos, death - it's all combined.

Nolak's Hand

When Nolak formed the Great 10 Clans of Nolak, it is said he cut off each of his fingers and gave them to those who would now lead his clans. The giving of the fingers represents the handing of duty to those 10. However, the Testimate of Nolak shows that the fingers represent more than just duty, but methodology. Each finger represents that Clan's task or place within the organization - specifically, how and where it would strike. The left hand is the "Rear Guard" or, more accurately, for the nations and regions where the Nolak are well organized. The Right hand is for expansion - fighting in newly conquered regions or going into territory never before tried. The fingers also have their own representation of preferred tactic: the thumb representing direct assaults (roaming around gunning people down in the streets, or openly attacking military installations or armies in normal combat), the index finger choosing Guerilla warfare tactics (bombings, attacking supply lines, going after transport methods, weakening the resolve on the enemy while minimizing losses), the middle finger represents destabilization (assassinations, fear mongering, kidnappings, and defamation of leaders), the ring finger represents corruption (bribery, politics and the occasional threat of death), and the pinky was for suicidal methods (suicide bombings, lone gun assassinations, many other operations where the person will not be able to perform another operation). Most clans that are created will devote themselves to one or two of the Great 10, but they have the freedom to switch and some don't devote themselves to any.

The Great 10 Clans are laid out on the hands as follows

Right Left
LockNall Truestek Thumb
Baghrak Fallmak Index
Runark Treschev Middle
Holnark LamBinjo Ring
Misnew Lockhart Pinky

(I'll fix it later)

Societal Structure

The Nolak society is rather astonishing insofar as it actually works and its basically remain a stable society for 2700 years. You blow it up and make it the one society on the planet, it would probably collapse in a hail of glory, but so long as there are more threats than friends, it is a stable society.

Nolak is the beginning and end of the Terrorist network. It isn't even allied with other terrorist networks and lately has found itself at war with terrorist groups nearly as often as its at war with nations or societies. As such, the top level of the society is the Nolak Council, governed by the Great 10 Clans of Nolak - or at the very least, their leaders. Each of the Great Clans is hundreds of thousands of people if not millions - and that's just the terrorist network component. When you consider their families, their civilians that are raising money for the entire army (some years as much 10 Billion UNAD), the Hundreds of million that are in the nations they control and the national armies that are not counted in their tallies, they are one of the best funded terrorist networks on the planet and the funding is considered to be sustainable. It would take some vast multi-regional alliances to be able to deseat the Nolak forces from this position of stability.

The military structure has multiple branches, with the so-called "Primary branch" being the central branch of each clan. The Primary branch goes by a different name in each clan since their use of the primary branch is so much dependant upon the finger they were given. This branch carries out the primary purpose of that Clan. The structure of it is fairly similar to that of a normal military with varying ranks and such in different factions. This branch also exists in every minor Clan - a fact that is not necessarily true of any other branch.

The other branches that exist in every one of the Great 10 Clans are the Political branch (which is devoted to analyzing politics that has come under the focus of that clan), the Research branch (which both develop new weapons and hold the scientists who can create weapons both on and off the field), Religion branch (which hold all the Priests - Clans which don't have a Religion branch must have a Priest from a different clan serve as advisor), and Intelligence branch (espionage, pre-scouting regions for potential new targets, etc). With exception to the religion branch, they always differentiate from clan to clan.

The religion branches are, to some degree, all the same. They follow the same Testimate of Nolak, they follow the same beliefs, they minimize as much as possible the derivation from the texts, they expand the texts as a group (so all texts have all additions from all Religion branches) and have the same Heirarchy. However, they serve at the whim of the Clan they're working for. This proves important as they must know the relevant passages to the Testimate of Nolak for the specific clan's preferred purpose.

Clans of Importance

The Great 10 Clans of Nolak

Misnew

Minor Clans

Kane Clan