The two Xagrurgian marines, unfamiliar with the foreigners language, scratch their heads at what this newcomer is trying to ask for. Though, the admiral steps forward, assuming its some sort of greeting, though wary as they have weapons at their side and a somewhat large fleet in the horizon. Hello, the admiral speaks, extending his hand towards the stranger.
The Northwestern Village, Northwest Borea
The great caves that were once the homes of the western giants of Borea were abandoned. The sound of laughter and yelling and snoring had been extricated by the powerful hand of man. They had become refugees. They were displaced from home and forced to flee to the northwest. The giants were a great race. Their incredible size allowed them to hunt, haul, heave and hoe, but they were not numerous or intelligent enough to anticipate and repel the attack. They were a proud race and were unlikely to admit defeat or fear. They were afraid of the humans. The giants drank water from the river and ate roasted boar while looking over their shoulders. They were not at ease. In dark corners, were secrets are desperately and quickly exhaled, they admitted to one another that what they were facing was new and greater than themselves. No one dared, however, to admit the possibility of being taken over by the humans.
The chief was not willing to sit and wait for an attack or try to approximate what the humans were capable of or willing to do. He sent his fastest young men to go to the other giants and call them to a meeting. After two weeks, the messengers brought back a positive report from many of the known giant villages and settlements. There was a good spirit in general. A cloud hung in the room, however. There were reports of giants who were working as slaves for the humans. At a distance one of the messengers saw the humans forcing giants to pull massive stone blocks. Some of the giant scouts dared to draw closer to the south. They saw great fortresses erected above the trees, whole forests were cleared, great roads were laid and bridges spanned rivers that once could not be crossed.
This treatment did seem to be limited to the giants alone. The fair-skinned humans were faring no better. Some of them were allowed to go free, but they worked with great effort and cost to pay a tribute to the dark-skinned humans to allay an invasion. The birds still sang, the butterflies still flapped their delicate wings and the mountains remained erect, but there was a difference. There was a subtle change. There was a new sense of fear that did not exist. It was a fear of being caught in a blizzard or being hunted by wolves. It was a greater fear. It was a fear of enslavement, of destruction.
The chiefs congregated at the cavern of the great chiefs. They were quiet as they entered. They solemnly grunted their greetings and sat at their places. When all the chiefs who had indicated that they could attend were gathered, the chief stood up and began the meeting. He said, “I called this meeting because of an urgent matter. We have all heard of the humans who are attacking our villages and capturing our people. We may be different tribes and have our disagreements and grievances, but we must put them aside and be united if we are to survive”.
A chief with a thick head of black hair said, “Well hopefully some of us can understand what that means”.
“What is that supposed to mean”, asked a chief with a great wooden stick. He stood up and looked directly at the black-hair chief. An unsettled feud on fishing in the upper part of the Broken Back River. A long time ago the fishermen of Great Stick Chief had tried to catch fish at the river. Black Hair Chief’s people were unhappy because they felt that the bounty of salmon that had washed up on the shore by a great storm belonged to them. The feud got so out of hand that there was a fight and many people were bruised. Even worse, Great Stick Chief had been humiliated. They did not see eye-to-eye ever since.
Great Stick Chief accused Black Hair Chief of being selfish and unwilling to share, while the latter called the other a thief. They went back and forth and brought other chiefs into the mix and then a fist fight broke out. The more sober-minded chiefs broke the fight, but any possible alliance was broken. Some chiefs left and they could not be coaxed into changing their minds. A few stayed. But they were old and their villages were weak. Northwest Chief tried to remain positive and use this little alliance to some measurable effect.
Xagrurgian settlement, South West Borea
Captain Fayisalu did not expect much from his encounter with the Xagrurgian settlers. He was simply curious. He had no higher intention or greater goal in mind. He wanted to see what these exotic people were like. He simply looked at them and knew that they would not have any meaningful discourse. They replied with some strange greeting and he repeated, “H-E-L-L-O”. He laughed and his crew laughed and repeated this fascinating new word.
“H-E-L-L-O”, he said again. The Xagrurgians seemed to be either insulted or worried. He could not tell the difference, but he was particularly concerned about their opinions. He began walking around the village, looking at who these people were and what they were capable of.
I guess these guys dont understand Codexian, says one of the marines. As the group of forirgners begin walking around the village, the admiral orders a couple of men to follow and watch them in case if they try something. Meanwhile, he attempts to guide them towards the town hall with hand gestures. Over by the blacksmith, the smith was working on sharpening the garrisons katanas to the point they shine brightly and are razor-sharp. By the barracks is a group of soldiers, firing at a bunch of targets with their muskets in an attempt to increase their accuracy, being beaten down upon by their officer if they fail to hit the center point X amount of times under 60 seconds.
[hr]
At the entrance of the village
A group of free natives, escorted by a couple of Xagrurgian soldiers, enter the compound and begin exploring the area, looking at these strange people on their land.
Xagrurgian settlement, southwest Borea
A scribe wrote down everything that he had observed. He described the people, the shelters that they built and their mannerisms. He described their appearance and clothing. He wrote about the straight, one-edged sword that they called a katana. He attempted to collect as much information as possible. An artist drew as much as he could. He drew the people working and playing and doing nothing. He drew a smith forging a sword, a farmer tilling the urth and a bureaucrat looking puzzled. Captain Fayisalu collected a souvenir. He gave the smith a gold coin called a dahab in exchange for a katana. He told his men that it was time to go and they gathered on the beach, bowed to the Xagrurgians and returned to their ship.
The Captain stood on the deck and watched the settlement shrink and then disappear into the horizon as they sailed away. He wrote a letter to the Governor of Southeast Borea, Yeshu Abdullahu, that there was a settlement of advanced fair-skinned people who had come from a faraway land. He rolled the letter and placed it in a small holster. He tied the holster to the leg of his falcon. The bird perched on his arm as he stroked its head. He lifted it up and it flew in the direction of Ahamadu.
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Ahamadu, southeast Borea
General Yeshu Abdullahu was the political and military leader of the Borean colony. He was the highest-ranking official in the colony after the King himself. He was responsible for managing and overseeing the development and occupation of Borea. He was a military commander but was appointed to the position of Governor when he distinguished himself from other commanders who were deployed to Borea. He used to lead massive campaigns in the interior and had commissioned the construction of fortifications and delineation of major routes that expedited colonization and the slave trade.
He was no longer on the frontlines. He now ruled from the coastal town of Ahamadu, as it was colloquially called. He addressed officials, issued decrees and read letters, received complaints and filled out paperwork. He was relegated to a politician; he was not very suited to the job and did not enjoy it. It was a slow day when one of his messengers found a falcon with a muzzle that was emblazoned with the royal seal. The messenger presented the falcon to Governor Abdullahu.
Governor Abdullahu took the bird and placed it on a perch. He untied the holster, took out the parchement and read out the message. His eyes grew wider as he read it and his jaw slackened. He lifted his face and a mischevious grin formed on his face. He wrote a letter to Captain Fayisalu thanking him for this information and promising him a handsome reward for his efforts. Governor Abdullahu called his council and told them about the news he received.
The members of the council expressed various opinions and ideas, but only one member seemed to know these people. Councillor Ishmayilu had traveled to far western Yasteria many years ago to sell spices and silk. The merchants with whom he traded were fair-skinned and had silky black hair. They were Kalatians. He proposed that the Kalatian Empire might be considering colonizing Borea. Governor Abdullahu was disturbed by this report. He thanked Councillor Ishmayilu and concluded the meeting.
He sat at his desk and wrote a letter. He addressed the letter to the King. He told the King about Captain Fayisalu’s report and the speculation of Councillor Ishmayilu and requested advice and instructions on this matter. This letter was very long and official, so he did not send a falcon. He asked one of his messengers to travel to Komodu and personally deliver the letter to the King. The messenger saluted and hurried to his room to prepare for the journey back home.
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Komodu, Hama
He wore his boots, tightened his turbin, fastened his girdle and pinned the royal badge onto the lapel of his cloak. He got on a ship and traveled to Komodu. When the ship moored at the busy port of Komodu, he hired a camel and traveled to the Royal Palace. He called at the gate. The steward let him in and gave him an audience with the King. The messenger presented his letter. The King thanked the messenger and gave him ten gold dahab coins. The messenger was pleased and left the King and returned to Governor Abdullahu.
The King called a meeting of his council. They were worried that Kalatianburg might threaten Hamanian power and trading interests in the Borean Sea. The King issued a decree, commanding Captain Fayisalu to attack the Xagrurgians, whom he falsely believed were Kalatians. He wrote a note and placed it in a holster attached to a falcon. He sent the falcon to Captain Fayisalu. It arrived some days later.
[hr]
Off the southwestern Borean coast
Captain Fayisalu was on his ship plotting the route of his next maritime expedition with his navigator. They sat in his cabin and discussed the possibilities that were available to them. A crew member knocked on the door and Captain Fayisalu told him to enter. He entered with a royal falcon. Captain Fayisalu retrieved the message and followed the instructions that were contained therein. He replied that he had received the letter and would carry out the King’s command. He sent the bird back to Komodu.
He summoned his first mate and instructed him to inspect the weapons and prepare the ship and crew for an attack. The first mate nodded enthusiastically and took leave of Captain Fayisalu. The first mate ordered the cannons to be loaded with gunpowder and cannonballs to be polished and prepared. He ordered the musketeers and archers to prepare themselves. The slaves in the gallows rowed. They propelled the ship toward the Xagrurgian settlement.
The ship sailed closer to the coast until the settlement was visible. The ship was 300 meters from the coast when it began to fore. Its port side faced the beach. Cannons fixed on the deck and projecting from the hull fired at the settlement. There were smoke and a loud noise from each blast. The crew cheered on, taking turns to fire the cannons. They distributed their fire across a wide range. Would the Xagrurgian village still be standing.
The Xagrurgian settlement, still wary of the foriegners even as they left, maintained a level of cautiousness after their near-death encounter with the Kalatians, were somewhat prepared for the attack by the Hama people. Two Xagrurgian warships quickly appeared from a hidden coastal cave near the settlement when they heard cannon fire all of a sudden and appeared from behind the Hamanian ship and fired a broadside at it, hoping to disable it. Meanwhile in the settlement itself, several cannon balls hit a bunch of houses, causing confusion among the civilians. The regular garrison quickly man the walls and its cannons, firing back at the Intruders and musket fire proppeled at the incoming enemy boat. The elite marines grab their rapid-firing muskets and take position in the stone fortifications at the harbor, prepared to launch volley after volley of gunfire. The native group in the village, who were trading with the blacksmith, quickly scurry out of the village after a cannon ball hits the smithery’s sign next to them. “Damn pirates,” they thought to themselves. The admiral himself was not pleased with the sudden attack as well, furious of the unprovoked assault on his village. He grabs his newly-sharpened katana and his own personal rapid-firing musket on his rack in his quarters and joins his men on the walls. “Let’s give them all we got lads!”
A few weeks after landing on the Southern Borean coast, Bogdan Ciolek and his expedition already had a small settlement up and running. It was very rudimentary though, with only the beginnings of wooden structures and tents acting as the primary form of housing for those who didn’t sleep on the ships. Bogdan and his first mate Melchior were on the expedition’s primary ship, the Ślązak, arguing about what to do next. Melchior favored exploring further inland before reporting back to Aseveth on their findings, while Bogdan favored sending one ship back to Aseveth immediately to report on their current findings and to request more supplies and manpower.
Eventually, the two Vulpines came to an agreement. They would send a small expedition to explore further inland towards the end of the day, and they would also send a ship west to explore the coast, also towards the end of the day. Then, only after both expeditions returned, would they send a ship back to report their progress.
After another day of hard work on the settlement, the time came to see both expeditions off. The ship they were sending west, the Mazur, was the first of the two expeditions ready to leave, and was also lightly manned and had enough supplies to sail to the west for a week before turning back. After last minute checks, the Mazur started sailing west.
Not too long after the Mazur left, the inland expedition also left. The inland expedition was to travel northwest for a week before making their way to the coast and heading back to the camp from there.
With the night now fully upon them, the entire Asevethi expedition, minus the crew of the Mazur and the inland expedition, held a celebration on the remaining ships of the expedition. After a few hours of merrymaking, everyone turned in for the night in preparation for tomorrow’s work.
Southwest Borea
[spoiler]http://collections.rmg.co.uk/mediaLib/589/media-589576/large.jpg
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A dou was a Hamanian ship. It was built from wood. It had keels of varying lengths and shapes. Some boats had two. It had lateen sails. These were triangular sails connected by a long yard to a mast. There were three primary types. The Shaha was a large merchant ship. It was 30 to 40 meters long. It had a crew of 30 to 50 men. It primarily had storage space. The Maliku was a large naval ship. It was 20 to 50 meters long. The Bashaku was a small Maliku that was faster than the Adahu but lacked the same firepower. Malikus were equipped with 5 to 8 cannons that had a range of 100 to 400 meters. Maliku and Shaha dous could sail in open seas, but their smaller cousins, the Hamayu were fishing and pearl diving boats that were restricted to the coast. Large ships often had a smaller boat called a Kutanu with which crew could sail to land. The Hamanians used an inclinometer called an astrolabe to measure latitude and a magnetic compass to find direction.
Captain Fayisalu was the leader of the crew of the Samaya, which was a hybrid of the Shaha and Maliku. It had a crew of approximately 30 men. The First Mate, Kasanu, was responsible for helping the Captain run the ship and manage the daily operations on board. Captain Fayisalu was a privateer who was recognized by the Mariner’s Guild and awarded the title of Captain by Governor Abadulahu in terms of a Royal Decree. He protected merchant ships from attack. He was also a mercenary who was hired by the Governor or the King to handle special cases such as the Xagrurgian settlers.
He had no personal disdain for the Xagrugrians, but was doing his job. He hoped to do the job quickly, but the Xagrurgians were going to give him a tough. Luckily for him, he was better acquainted with the geography of the area. It was currently approaching winter. In Xagrurg, where the Xagrurgians came from, it was summer. The winds were fairly strong, the air was cold and the sea was uncomfortable. The tides were generally higher. The cold currents of the north pole brought cold water. It was a good time to fish because there was much fish moving south. The sea was deep enough so ships could get around without a lot of trouble. The challenge was that there was sometimes large pillar-like rocks rising from the sea. They did not sink many ships, but some did sink. These rocks were in an area that was 20 nautical kilometers from the southwest coast.
Captain Fayisalu saw the ships behind him. They were sizeable and fast. It was very strange that the Xagrurgians could send their ships so quickly. Perhaps they had a run in with other nations. Even though the Xagrurgians had two ships, did they need to deploy both? Who was guarding the settlement while they were out? Would they capture, drive out or destroy Fayisalu? Did the ships have enough gunpowder and crew. Since the ships had rectangular sails, could they turn as quickly as a dou? Fayisalu asked himself all these questions. Did the Xagrurgians do the same.
The Xagrurgian galleons, spanning 60 meters long and possessing an armamaent of 20 cannons, were a steadfast and battle-harderned design. Its design had seen service in several skirmishes with Ethalria and pirates, proving its worth. Now it’s all the way in the north, fighting against an unknown enemy. However, instead of destroying the unknown ship, they would try something more diplomatic. The captian of one of the galleons, the XNV Ulysses, orders his sister ship to stay close to him. On the deck, he orders his men to try and hail the ship. Fortunately, he had a native from the island onboard as a crewmate during their last stop along the across to get more men. The native, possessing a pale skin, blond hair, and Stark blue eyes, had encountered the foreign ship before, recognizing the flag. He said to the captain, albiet in broken Codexian, they were a people called the Hama. He was a refugee from his village in the Eastern coast of Borea that was razed to the ground by them. Although angered, he recognized the fact that he could spark a conflict something bigger than Borea if he tried to kill them. He then said to the captain let him try and communicate with the Hamanian people to seek a resolution to the conflict. The captain agreed to the plan, although warily, and told his man on the mast to flash a certain flag code to the mainland settlement telling them to hold fire. Hopefully, it won’t blow up in his face.
In the open sea, some kilometres from Borea
The Captain watched the Xagrurgian ships carefully. They hoisted a white flag and did not fire any cannons, bullets or arrows. They seemed to reduce their speed and control their pace. The Captain thought about the possibilities of meanings that could be ascribed to a white flag. He decided to go with the one that was the most widely accepted. He asked one of his crew members to lift a white flag as well. He remained on his guard and instructed his crew to prepare for any trap that the Xagrurgians may lay. In his mind these were Kalatians who were known to be a violent seafaring nation.
Looking at the white flag hoisted by the Hamanian ship, the captain assumed that they surrendered or it was a sign of peace. He ordered his man in the crows nest to hoist a white flag as well and move cautiously towards the ship while telling the sister ship to maintain her current position.
The Xagrurgian buoyed beside the Hamanian ship. A long wooden plank was thrown over so that the Hamanians could board. The Captain walked over and stood on the deck of the Xagrurgian ship. Cannons and guns were ready on both ships to blow the other to smithereens if they tried anything… The Captain recognised the slave that stood next to what seemed to be the Captain of the Xagrurgian ship. He said, “Wenu Kapitanu na?”
OOC: The timeline of this RP is moved back a hundred years
suddenly a portal opened and sucked both ships backwards in time
The slave translated roughly to the captain, Your captain and. And what?, the captain asked the slave. I think hes talking about both of us, the slave said. Oh. The captain then stepped forward slowly and said, I am the captain of this vessel, the slave then translated, albeit roughly, for the captain saying, Ndiye mkuu wa meli hii.
(OOC: What am I reading here? Here’s some basic Hamanese: http://forum.theeastpacific.com/topic/7014554/1/)
“Minu Kapitanu a li dou. Minu gama Kapitanu Fayisalu”, the Captain said, “Ninu Kalati na?”
The slave responded, Tinu sa hai bonu Kalati. Tinu sa di Xagrurg.
1650
By the year 1650, the Hamanian empire had spread and secured control over the eastern part of Borea. The Xagrurgian settlers were closely watched but they maintained cordial relations with them. The capital of Hamanian Borea was the port city of Ahamadu. It was named after King Ahamadu who began the colonization process in 1590. By 1650, the borders of Hamanian Borea were fixed and its expansionist activities were stable.
Many Hamanian people moved to Borea. They built cities and ports and laid roads and other infrastructure. They started families, built places of worship and universities. They made Borea as much of a second home as they could. The giants retreated to the north, living in relative seclusion and poverty. The white Boreans were enslaved, but luckily they could earn their freedom. It was a morbid situation for some and a prosperous one for others.
[hr]
Ilamu Bihalu was born to a slave woman. He and his mother were once the property of a Shayiku whose name was Asamalu Bihalu. When the Hamanians attacked his mother’s village 18 years ago, they killed all the men and captured all the women. The women were brought to big cities such as Ahamadu and Abadulahu to be traded. Ilamu’s mother was sold to the Shayiku. She was pregnant with Ilamu at the time and the Shayiku’s wife needed someone who could breastfeed their own child. The Shayiku gave the slave woman and her child names according to the customs of the Hamanian people. They lived with him for seven years, then he let them go free.
Slaves are allowed to change their names when they are set free. But many of them chose not to. They were afraid of being ostracized or cast out if they reverted to their native names. His mother did not change her name nor he son’s name. The Shayiku gave them a bag of gold coins and a donkey and a certificate to say that they were free. They went to the Commissioner’s office in Ahamadu. They were timid and uneducated, but Ilamu’s mother bravely and quietly defied the insults of the people and the indifference of the staff until she was attended.
She walked up to the Commissioner’s desk and quietly asked for a plot of land outside of Ahamadu. The Commissioner laughed and said many rude things, but quickly swallowed his words when she placed a gold coin on the desk. The Commissioner promptly signed the title deed to one of the plots that the government of the colony had earmarked for people to live in.
It was a lovely patch of land. It was big. It was far enough from the city to give them peace and quiet, but near enough so they could travel fairly easily when they needed to buy or sell things. Ms Bihalu, as she was now known, gave a builder two gold coins to build them a small but sturdy stone cottage. She then bought ten deer and twenty ducks for another gold coin. She fed the ducks every morning and Ilamu herded the deer. Sometimes he ran into trouble with some bullies, otherwise, their life was peaceful.
Ms Bihalu paid for her son to attend the Abrahamic conservatory in Ahamadu. Every day he got on their trusty donkey and went to Ahamadu. He was bullied by a couple kids, ignored by the rest and belittled by the teachers. He was quiet and hardworking, so he was mostly left to himself. He enjoyed going to the house of worship that was built nearby. The overseer was a very kind man, who gave Ilamu bread and taught him about religion whenever he came. Ilamu enjoyed coming here because he felt accepted. Sometimes the people gave him judgemental looks, but they kept quiet and ignored him.
One day, 17 May 1650, he was polishing the benches when a herder he was well acquainted with ran through the door. “Ilamu”, he said, “Some men came and attacked your farm. Come quickly!”
They went as quickly as they could. When they arrived, his mother’s deer had been slaughtered, the geese were chased away and the cottage was burnt. His mother threw water on the flames. Her hands had blisters and she was crying intensely. Although her effort was futile, she carried on. Ilamu came in and held her close to him. She fell to her knees and they sat crying together. Ilamu cried out, “Allahu! Siza tinu! God! Save us!”
The herder was a very friendly boy. He told Ilamu and his mother that he would ask his parents if they would stay in the barn until they were able to rebuild their home. Ilamu and his mother were very grateful. They walked with the boy and arrived at his parents’ plot. The boy pleaded with his mother who pleaded with his father. Eventually the dad let them stay, but wanted nothing to do with them. They went to the barn and sat down. Ilamu tried to come up with ways of solving the situation.
He said, "Those men are evil! How can they do this us? We have done nothing to them! May Allahu strike them down! One day, I will be a great man, I will avenge us, mama. Maybe we should wake up early tomorrow and tell the Sharifu. HE will find those men and lock them up…
“Ilamu!” his mother interjected, “I am tired. I want to rest”. She lay down on a bail of hay, wrapped herself in an old blanket and sobbed herself to sleep.
Ilamu realised that it was his responsibility to handle the situation and find a solution. His mother needed him now more than ever. He went to the office of the Sharifu early the next morning. He made sure to arrive early, so that no one could push him aside. When the doors opened he hurried inside and took his place at the start of the queue. The clerk seemed not to notice him. Then he lethargically lifted his head and said, “What do you want?”
“I want to report a crime. Yesterday men attacked my mother’s farm…”
“Are you a citizen of Hama?” the clerk interjected.
Ilamu was puzzled, “Yes, I am”.
The clerk continued, “May I please have your certificate of freedom”.
"Are you deaf? Ilamu demanded. “My cottage burnt down. My certificate is gone!”
“Then go back to your original owner and ask him for a letter of confirmation”.
Ilamu was greatly offended. I have been free for 11 years. How am I supposed to find my former master?"
“You’ll have to go to the Court Marshal’s Office and ask them to help you”.
Ilamu begged, “Please help me!”
“NEXT!” The clerk yelled. He was pushed aside by a big boned lady.
He sauntered out, but headed to the Court Marshal’s Office. He had arrived just before lunch, so he had to wait. Unfortunately, the office was already full, so he was never attended to. He got back on his donkey, bought stale bread a the market and headed home.
Disclaimer: Please be advised that the following image may contain content that some users may find disturbing. If you are offended by nudity, please do not open the spoiler.
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There was a pamphlet on the ground as he rode to the barn. It was very soggy, but it was still legible. Ilamu thought that it seemed interesting. He picked up and put it in his jacket pocket and kept riding. When he arrived at the homestead, he ran to his friend and asked him to read the pamphlet as Ilamu could not read. His friend was not a very good reader, but her was able to make out that the pamphlet was criticising the slave trade in the Hamanian empire. There was an awkward silence between them and neither moved. His friend tore up the piece of paper and told Ilamu not to worry himself with nonsense and never to mention this conversation to anyone. Ilamu waved at his friend’s mother who was standing in the doorway. She smiled and went back inside. He went to his mother and gave her the food that he had bought in town. She was still lying down, but he managed to coax her into waking up and eating her food. She sat up and ate heartily. He desperately wanted to share how his day had gone, but he did not want to worry her about such things. He decided to go to sleep as well so he could get an early start.
He got up before the break of dawn and headed for the Court Marshal’s Office. He was the first person to arrive. The gentleman opened the door and let Ilamu in and asked Ilamu to sit down. A Hamanian woman entered and sat next to him, leaving a space between them. She glanced at him in disgust and turned her head. She was magnificently dressed, at least when compared to Ilamu anyway simply because she wasn’t as dirty and scruffy as he was, otherwise she was quite ordinary. The man behind the counter called the lady and tended to her issue. The lady departed and the man continued working behind the desk. Ilamu got up and asked him to see the Court Marshal. The man told him that the Marshal was busy. Ilamu angrily punched the desk and demanded to see the Marshal. The man cowered behind the desk and led him into the MArshal’s chambers.
The Marshal looked at Ilamu disdainfully and angrily asked why the man had let Ilamu in. The man trembled and stumble over is words. The Marshal dismissed him and asked Ilamu what he wanted. Ilamu told him that he needed to find the Shayiku Bihalu. When the Marshal saw that their surnames were the same he was most impressed, “Was the Shayiku your master, young man?”, the Marshal asked.
“It must have been a great honour to serve such a great man”, the Marshal said.
Ilamu replied, “There is nothing honourable about being a slave, but indeed he was a great man, greater than you in any case”. The Marshal scrunched his nose but bit his lip in disgust. The ‘Bihalu’ surname carried a lot of weight even when attached to a slave or former slave.
The Marshal looked through the documents on the shelves. He found the address for Bihalu. He said, “Shayiku Bihalu does not live in Komodu anymore”.
Ilamu looked despondent. He bowed his head, thinking what to do next. He pleaded, "Please help me mister, the Overseer of the House told me to…
“You know an overseer of the house?” The Marshal asked. This boy knows many powerful people, the Marshal thought to himself. “What exactly do you need the Shayiku for?” Ilamu explained the whole. The Marshal walked with him to the Commissioner’s Office and cut in front of every who wanted to speak to the clerk at the desk.
The clerk recognised Ilamu, who looked rather pleased with himself, and trembled when he saw the Marshal. The Marshal demanded that the clerk attend to Ilamu’s matter at once. The clerk quickly went to the Sharifu and demanded that the Sharifu attend to Ilamu’s case. The Sharifu, a tall man with a great mustache and a very long sword, assured the Marshal that Ilamu was in good hands. The Sharifu was very impressed that the young man was able to get a Marshal of the Court to defend him. They got the Sharifu’s horse and rode to the burnt down cottage. The Sharifu walked around and said that there was nothing he could do since he could not find the villains, but he assured Ilamu that the Kingdom would pay for a new house to be erected. In a month or so. A new wooden cabin was built in the place of their old one. Everyone in the community was very impressed by Ilamu. Even his friend’s father spoke to him. "What an interesting young man! He got the Kingdom to build him a house! He must be very special indeed.
They moved into their house, but they could not go back to their old life. They were low on cash and Ilamu’s mother had no source of income since all her animals were gone. So Ilamu could not return to school. Ilamu worked as an apprentice for the black smith. He had a great talent and was able to learn the art of the smiths very quickly. He forged fantastic and sharp daggers and swords. His master was even willing to let him make things for noble people. Ilamu was very pleased with himself. One day a man of the army walked in. He was proud and dressed in the colourful livery of the army. He asked the blacksmith make weapons for the army. The blacksmith was thrilled and enlisted Ilamu to work on the project.
Ilamu was proud to make weapons for the army of Hama. One day he was in the city looking for something to buy for his mother. The saw the slave of a wealthy standing timidly in the man’s shadow. He felt guilty that he was free but one of hhis brothers was not. He shut the guilt from his mind and reminded himself that slavery was meant to make the Boreans more civilised. Soon, the slave would be free just like he was. The slave muttered, “Your own brother makes swords that will be used against you”. Ilamu was amazed and said nothing.
He went to a bar, hoping to find some information. He tried to prod the bartender for answers, but he was mum. Ilamu decided to enjoy his drink in peace. Then he overheard some soldiers, who were on leave, that the slaves were running out since they were being set free in accordance with the Hamanian law of slaves that freed slaves after 7 years. Plantations were facing critical labour shortages and competition from former slaves who were starting their own businesses and farms. The Hamanians attacked villages outside of the Hamanian Realm of Borea so that they could maintain the supply of slaves. Ilamu was horrified by this. He stormed out of the bar looking very upset. He went out and saw another slave. She was light skinned like he was, but she had black hair and black eyes and spoke a very different language. It was not Avanian of the giants, Borean of the natives or Hamanese of the great nation.
Her owner received a lot of praise from other wealthy people. They praised him for being able to afford a Kalatian, who were apparently more expensive than Boreans. Ilamu was bewildered and wondered what it could all mean.
Hamanian expansionism
There were four big issues that drove the expansionism of the Hamanian nation: prestige, protection, people and resources. They wanted the prestige of having a big empire. A big empire gave a nation status and influence, and a sense of superiority and a justification for that idea. They also faced very large, powerful and expansionistic nations. There was Packilvania to the south, Asendavia across the sea to the far east and Kalatianburg to the west. They wanted to create buffers between them and their enemies and hopefully scare them away. They wanted people mostly because they wanted labour. They wanted people who would mine, build, quarry, log, farm and fish. They wanted resources. They wanted their own wood, gold, stone, fish and farmland.
All these places that they conquered already had people on them. There were already people on Borea who lived there. They invented something called divine right, racial superiority and the black man’s burden. Firstly, they believed that the Hamanian nation was intrinsically superior to other species and nations. They believed that they had a right to conquer uncivilised people (broadly interpreted to mean anyone who was not Hamanian). They believed that it was their duty to conquer other people so that they could make the world a nicer more orderly place. A large part of this was based on skin colour and species. Humans were deemed above other species. Other species were regarded as animals really even if the Hamanians feared or respected them. Secondly skin colour played a great deal. If your skin was fair, you did not belong in their order.
They invented slavery because it solved many of their problems. It gave them cheap labour and allowed them to “breed out” the uncivilised nature of the people they conquered. Hamanians also loved obeying laws. They had some law that forbade attacking people who were not a threat. So the establishment invented ephemeral reasons such as that other people were a threat to the order of the world and so on. This went really well between the 1590s and 1640s when they were absorbing more and more land. But when King Ahamadu died and King Musa took over, they became lazy and stopped absorbing more land.
They also had another law that says you can only have a slave for seven years. More people were getting free until there were very few slaves. The biggest punch came when the giants became free. The giants had formed a big part of the labour force. They were used for all the really hectic labour. There weren’t that many giants. So they had to compensate for all the labour that they had lost by getting way more slaves. So they decided to attack other people’s and bring them as slaves.
So that is what they did. They attacked villages that were outside the Hamanian Realm of Borea (by the way, that’s the full name of the Hamanian Borean colony). Just to be spiteful, they started attacking Kalatians in the early 1650s who had settled in far western Borea. They were doing just fine, but there was one massive blunder that started the Kalatian-Hamanian War.
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Night time, Coingos, somewhere on the coast of Kalatian Borea (near modern-day Kyrloth)
Sometime during the early 1650s
Not all Hamanians were as brilliant and clever as Ali Matu, Captain Fayisalu or King Ahamadu (you may or may not disagree). Some were total morons. One such person was Lieutenant Jamalu. He liked to call himself “Jalalu” which meant majesty. Sadly no else called him by that nickname. He was very arrogant but was the least informed person in the room at any given stage no matter the sobriety, age or sanity of the people in it. He was, however, a mountain of a man. He was the type of person to ride bulls for fun (who does that though?).
Lieutenant Jamalu was given a fairly simple task: abduct a fair amount of people in a Kalatian settlement at night and bring them to be sold as slaves (you’ll be surprised how much money the government made from selling slaves). So he came in a large-ish ship, leading about thirty men excluding the crew. They would just go in and take everyone. Simple. He felt very confident. When they moored on the coast, Lieutenant Jamalu ordered his men to announce their arrival with the triumphant blowing of a bugle. So they thundered and made noise and told the people to cower before the mighty Hamanian nation.
The people of the town saw and heard the Hamanians coming a mile away. So they ran for the forests. By the time the Hamanians arrived, the people were gone. The Lieutenant felt cheated. He was angry that he grabbed a torch and single-handedly burnt a whole village down as his soldiers watched from a safe distance. While he was in one of the huts, he bumped his head on the door frame and was knocked unconscious. No one came looking for him. His soldiers left as he burnt to death.
Not only did he announce their arrival and what was supposed to be a clandestine exercise, but he left his royal pin as evidence that the Hamanians were up to no good. Imagine what the Kalatians did next!
Tyrda, Present Day Lostwich
Queen Saenz II and King Fernand Valera sat inside their palace on the island when a messenger rushed in, “Excuse me your majesty, word is that the Hamamians have burned one of our villages to the grown.” Saenz looked up as she finished eating her grapes, “Those filthy animals ! How dare they attack this GLORIOUS NATION!! I’ll make them bow before me, they will feel the Spandard wrath, kill them all women, children set there village ablaze and if necessary you destroy the Xagrurgian settlement this is war! If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it. We owe the conquest of the Concordia to no other cause than continual military training, exact observance of discipline in their camps, and unwearied cultivation of the other arts of war.” The young man stood up and bowed “Yes your majesty!”.
Several Days Later, Coingos Borea
There standing in the ruins a large mass of soldiers close to 20,000 strong, old and young men alike. The entirety of the town seem to volunteer men and women alike, trying to salvage the remains and cope with the loss only increased there anger. The Large Kalatian Navy creeped it way through the strait heading towards the Xagrurgian and Hama colonies fully loaded with soldiers and and weapons. The ships seemed to blanket the waters 70 strong all with special markings representing the clans or tribes they were made up of. Sat dead in the front laid the Queens ships, 6 large 52-gun third-rate frigates. The force also consisted of 48-gun third rate frigate, 40 guns and small frigates with 28 guns. After days of sailing they finally creeped up on the Hama colony coast in the middle of the night under a thick fog, shots started to ring from the ships as the attacked naval ships docked in the town and started there bombardedment of the town while the ships with soldiers unloaded few miles away.
20 Ships arrived along the Xagrurgian coast blocking there entrance and exit from their colony, 3 40 gun ships sat along the edges. Although they didn’t officially declare war on Xagrurg the trust level for Aurora scum was at a low after having a naval battle near Gondwana with the UK months earlier. The Wrath of the empire was upon the Concordian region, the likes never seen displayed…