Difference between revisions of "The Osage"

Revision as of 01:12, 17 June 2005

The Osage Empire is an average-sized nation located in the A'kada System. Its population is mostly human. Solar Affairs are handled by the 10th general, Irul Kasaros, who oversaw recent contact with Tsaraine and Britmattia. Currently they have applied for membership to Machiavelli Station.

The Osage

Flag of The Osage
Motto: "The Osage is never at peace, unless he is at war
N/A
Region	Space
Capital	Ta'ko Tonwon
Official Language(s)	Osage
Leader	Nonhonzhinga, Irul Kasaros
Population	> 4 billion
Currency	Osage drachma (OD)
NS Sunset XML

National Information

Traditional Long form: The Nautical Magocracy of the Osage

Traditional Short form: The Empire, the Osage

Form of government: Magocracy with the military holding extensive powers

Locations: A'kada system

History

The Osage Empire's history can be divided into five periods, commonly referred to as the Underworld/Civil War, Reconciliation/Anarchy, Unification/Empire, Rebellion/Reformation, and Modern periods.

The Underworld Period

This era of history is the one most clouded in myth and allegory, having happened perhaps a hundred thousand of more years ago and continuing for a thousand or more years. The legends of this time speak of two great wakondagi, Tes'et Li'ca and Os'ya Iri'ma, who were gods of the underworld at this time and related (myths differ as to the exact relation, some say brothers, others uncle-nephew, others father and son). They and their followers ruled the Underworld, teaching the demons and stupid things their laws and customs, and a select few the powers of wakon itself. As this happened, however, Tes'et grew suspicious of Os'ya, and thought of siezing the throne for himself, and Os'ya thought the same of Tes'et. Tes'et did not believe the knowledge of wakon should be taught to the demons, while Os'ya felt that any who possessed the skill to be a wakongi should be instructed. A certain pool of knowledge the two relations kept to themselves, but when Os'ya wanted to teach his particular section of the underworld even this, Tes'et and his followers declared war, and the civil war raged across the entire expanse of the Underworld, which is(was)much larger than the realm of Pahu'ka itself.

Os'ya was the better strategist, but his brother was the better wakongi, yet somehow or another Os'ya and his armies managed to outmaneuver his opponent, confronting them on their own ground. A huge final conflict ensued, in which 'huge, blanketing fire' is mentioned very precisely, and 'invisible warriors struck down all life' in and around I're, Tes'et's empire in the Underworld. Tes'et and Os'ya slew each other, and I're was decimated, yet many of Tes'et's followers survived to carry a veangence war into Bha're, the late Os'ya's section of the underworld.

With the Underworld ruined, the surviving Osage abandoned the demons to their ignorance, and ascended to Pahu'ka, leaving the squabbling, demonic followers of Tes'et and Os'ya to their petty wars.

Reconciliation Period

In the years following the abandonment of the Underworld to darkness and the refocusing on Pahu'ka, the remnants of the wakongi that followed the dead brothers reconciled to each other, but did not come together in any accord. Rather, they each built themselves a city, took on new followers, and created a patchwork of little mini-states, each ruled by a wakondagi, that more or less were always engaged in flinging a bigger fireball at that other wizard's city. This anarchy prevailed for centuries, until a wakondagi had a son, by the name of No'ca'ga. The boy advanced fastly, and by his teenage years he had become the most powerful wakondagi on Pahu'ka, to the amazement of his father. He also appeared to have no morals, and when at age 21 No'ca'ga's father disappeared, most held their tongue as to their thoughts about what had happened to him.

Immediately the young wizard-king began brilliant campaigns of expansion, crushing all opposition. Coalitions rose and fell, ripped apart by cunning combinations of diplomacy and force. Two-thirds of Pahu'ka came under his control, into his vast empire, and his life seemed to extend indefinitely.

Then his wife betrayed him, for reasons clouded amid propaganda, and his son took on the mantle, and proved to be just as competent, having be instructed by his father in all the ways that had made him great. The country was unified under this first great Osage Empire, headed by the powerful Emperor No'ca'ga II, but it was not too last.

After the death of No'ca'ga II, his son, No'ca'ga III, was competant but not nearly as powerful and devious as his sires. The first signs of corruption set in, but the Empire remained stable.

Rebellion Period

Until the advent of the Necromancer. No one knew whence he had come, but came he did, rising out of the depths with many supporters and a huge skeletal army that could not fall. The Imperial Army found that its casulties only formed new regiments for the enemy, and so the Necromancer's dark armies swiftly tore down the old order, and prepared for a new. In the confusion, No'ca'ga III led an army into battle against the personal forces of the Necromancer, met him in battle, and even matched him in magical skill, but was slaughtered when the evil man signaled his army to aid him.

With the fall of most of Pahu'ka to the Necromancer, the remnants of the Imperial Army went underground (literally), forming the core forces of the Nonhonzhinga, the Little Old Men, the former emperors advisors and generals, powerful wakongi, that awaited until the right time.

It was not long in coming. The Necromancer foolishly sent most of his armies off on new expeditions, and maintained a small force to guard him. The Nonhonzhinga struck, and in a titanic clash their combined skill brought him down, signaling the releasing of the enslaved wakon that fueled his undead army, leading into the fifth and final period of Osage history and the Second Empire.

The Modern Period

The modern period began a few thousand years ago and has continued to the present day. After the fall of the Necromancer, the Nonhonzhinga busied itself setting up new laws and governances. Several times former apprentices of the black wakongi rose to try to revive his armies, and each time they met with defeat. Not half a century after their ascendance and creation of the modern Osage government, the wakongi began to develop the spells necessary to create wakon'do, and after the creation of wakon'do as power-sources, asteroids in the hundreds were bent to the will of the Nonhonzhinga and their generals. Soon after the burgeoning population of the Empire colonized all of A'kada in a sort of population osmosis, wherein population flowed from places of greater concentration into places of lesser concentration, although Pahu'ka maintained its status as the capital in'zhu, or rock.

With the development of all of A'kada, the Nonhonzhinga establishing the fleets and the banner-system (under the control of the generals), they now turned their attention to beyond A'kada, to any great sources of wakon that could be detected outside. This led to the discovery of gargantuan amounts of life in the Mi System, known as Sol to its inhabitants, and contact with Britmattia and Tsaraine, and the applying to the Machiavelli Station. [OOC: If you read all of that, you're a saint.]

Government

All branches of government are handled officially by the Nonhonzhinga, with the possible exception of some executive power in the hands of the generals. The Nonhonzhinga makes the laws, rules on the highest echelon of cases, and has the final say on important economic/diplomatic decisions. They also appoint the 10 Generals, ten wakondagi who are appointed, for a greater or lesser span of time, to lead the banners and the asteroid-fleets. To vote, one must make a certain percentage on the Exams.

The Exams

The exams are the cause of many a suicide, banditry, general, and politician in the empire. They are THE tests, and are administered to every individual at age 21. They determined wakon-aptitude, academic aptitude, and physical aptitude. The scores on the Exams determines quite a bit. A comparison would be to think of them as the SATs or ACTs of the College of Life. Failing them generally puts one in the same level as McDonalds' workers in the USA, passing with flying colors points to a career in the military or politics. A certain score on the Exams is necessary to vote. In US letter-grade cognates, one must make a high B to able to vote for members of the Nonhonzhinga.

Military

[to come later]

Religion: Wakonda, O'don, and the Bahi'xtsi

[to come later]