Oceos'lo'kai
"The wasting powers of Oceos'lo'kai has driven their people to the vast oceans of Ardras, to the untold myriad of adventures they'll go on and the countless people they will meet."
Structure
The many maritime communities of Oceos'lo'kai have a loose chieftain system of assorted communities from across the oceans and coastal villages of the sea peoples. Each tribe has a elected chieftain and their court of spouses who rule with them from the chieftain's "pad." The pad can come in many forms, it may be within the captains quarters of a sea vessel, complete with comfortable cushions, many varieties of crystals and precious stones and dim lit candles, with the aroma of exotic spices and incenses wafting through the air.
The chieftain makes the final decision on tribal decisions, though not often without first consulting their spousal council first. A chieftain may rule over their tribe in any particular style or structure that varies with each tribe. Leaders are often chosen amongst individuals who show the greatest bravery and charisma. Great leaders are born through their trials at sea, either through a successful raid on an Aristolian vessel or protecting an island from the various dangers of the sea.
Great Chieftain - The ruling chieftain of Oceos'lo'kai, they hold a seat of power within their highly ornate and decorated pad at the center of the city of Lo'kai.
Chieftain - A tribal leader who leads their tribe across the vast oceans and archipelago islands. They can work with or against the Great Chieftain towards their ambitions, at their own expense.
Grand Shaman - A solitary figure who leads the people of Oceos'lo'kai spiritually. The are often out at sea in isolation, reading the stars and divining cosmic signs.
Shaman - Practioneers of A'nuiism who guide dead spirits to the afterlife, they hold a position of respect amongst Oceos'lo'kaiians.
Culture
The archipelago islands of Oceos'lo'kai is home to a decaying confederation of allied coastal and islander people unified under the banner of their diversity and openness to other peoples and cultures. Although they are often seen as marauders, pirates, and smugglers, Oceos'lo'kaiians have a unique history and rich ancestry tied into the magical essence of the world.
They are a fiercely independent and self-sufficient maritime and nomadic peoples, who call the ocean their home. They sustain themselves off of traditions of fishing and diving, having an entirely unique currency of seashells, whale's teeth, and pearls, which they adorn themselves with to show off their wealth to others. Oceos'lo'kaiians are particularly loud and boisterous, full of energy and vigor, they radiate a positive outlook on life and do their best to enjoy the moment, wherever and whenever they are.
One's life is best lived adventurously, according to the chieftains of generations past, so comeraderie and friendship is the key to allying with an Oceos'lo'kaiian. However their everchanging nature and chaotic way of life can be a bit much for their more conservative friends. It is said that the people that they descend from, the Meinongian travelers who treaded through the Meino'ng Jungle ages ago, went mad and became the Oceos'lo'kaiians.
Oceos'lo'kaiians are unified through the oral traditions and stories of A'nuiism. When one dies, they join the great Star Ocean, the Oceos version of the afterlife. The Star Ocean is a vast cosmic landscape of sea and sky which goes on for eternity. It is said that all souls flow into the star ocean. Special individuals known as shamans have the ability to connect this world and the next, communicating with the spirits and traveling through the Star Ocean.
Public Agenda
Oceos'lo'kai is a confederacy of maritime communities and factions resulting from the decay of the historical La'Taos confederacy. Officially from the capital of Lo'kai, the Great Chieftain appears to be allied with Aristolia. However, there are various factions of people who oppose Aristolia's influence, and so it's seas are roaming with pirates preying on Aristolian trade vessels plump with treasure.
Assets
History
The shores which make up the eastern coasts of Ardras are where the earliest small villages of the Oceos'lo'kai can be found. The small communities would spread south along the coast lines, relying on the mystical Meino'ng Jungle for resources, while being wary of its sacred spiritual presence. Small sea vessels and rafts made from junglewood aided the early Oceos'lo'kaiians in local trade routes conveying food and goods from different parts of the various bays. It was around this time that the first Tokage sea travelers would meet the early peoples and form a lasting bond between peoples that would last for centuries to come.
Over time, new settlements would continue to be established, until the arrived on the La'Taos Coast, a vast grassland to the south of the Meino'ng Jungle. It was here also that they would make their first contact with the people of Mein'ong, who had carved a path through the jungle. Though first contact was wary, both peaceful peoples began trading; this collaboration between friends led to the establishment of the port city of Roguesport, though it was originally called La'Oceos prior to its renaming by Aristolian travelers who would populate the city during the Era of Twilight.
La'Oceos would be the center of La'taosian power with a palace built in the center of the city, it was from this center of power the La'Taos Confederacy would be born. During the Era of Dusk, the La'Taos confederacy amassed a powerful merchant-navy and established new settlements all along the island archipelagos to the south. However, a fued between chieftain brothers and their right to leadership would split the loyalties of the many people across the vast oceans and eventually led to the establishment of Lo'kai, a seperate settlement made in opposition to La'Oceos. Despite their internal strife, La'Taos would prosper through several more centuries driven by ambitious rivalries between different people until dwindling resources began to spell the end of their golden era.
During the last centuries of the Era of Dusk, La'Taos came under threat by the Empire of Blackhearth in their attempts at eastern expansion, this cause to fight reunified the people once more, beginning the tradition of attacking western galleons full of treasure and goods. However, recorded incidents such as the Terror of Ma'lo'kai and the Mysterious Case of the Tenth Legion indicate that eastern expansion never made it past the natural and magical barriers of the Ma'lo'kai and the Meino'ng Jungle, spelling the beginnings of the conquesting empire's troubles. It was not long after this that the Mein'ong temples entered into the protection of La'Taos, fearing conquest.
Generations of chieftains ruling from the competing seats of power between the two grand cities would lead to their ruin. During the Era of Twilight, wealthy Aristolian settlers would push the native population out of La'Oceos, and a new wave of piracy, smuggling, and larceny gave it it's new popular name of Roguesport. The most devastating blow to this now crumbling empire was the Purchase of Meinong; the sale of the Meino'ng Jungle, Ma'lo'kai and La'Taos Coast to the empire of Aristolia, a sale made by the Great Chieftain to try saving what little remains of their once prosperous economy.
Oceos'lo'kai is a land in political turmoil with no clear leadership, though the petty arguments between chieftains and economical influence from Aristolia are tearing the nation apart from the inside, its common people chart new courses amongst the waves and ocean currents in pursuit of adventure and opportunity.
Demography and Population
The seas of Oceos'lo'kai are filled with danger and adventure, and many peoples make up the various people groups of the maritime confederacy. Historically, the Oceos'lo'kaiians descended from Meinongian travelers, and so many of them trace their ancestry to this group. However, the provacative and virile nature of the maritime people has led to many different lineages and heritages mixed in with mainlander ethnicities like Lithosians and Aristolians. These family trees are so complex and varied that it is nearly impossible to trace back to one's roots.
Primarily Oceos'lo'kaiians are made up of Humans from the following ethnicities:
Meinongian - 58%
La'Taosian - 24%
Lithosian - 13%
Aristolian - 5%
Territories
Oceos'lo'kai claims the oceans as their territory, the various archipelago islands and coastal communities are considered to be the home of the maritime people. Various tribes defend their territory fiercely, while others prefer to cruise from island to island, never setting up a permanent establishment.
Oceos'lo'kai currently controlys the following regions:
Eversoul Ocean
Sea of Free Men
Orkos Steppe
The Ashlands
Ro'kkoko Islands
Pele'uhan Islands
Lo'uhane Isles
Military
This nation has no formal military of it's own, but every tribe has its fair share of warriors and mages, each of which defend the tribe against attack and lead the offense in raids and vessel takeovers. Oceos'lo'kaiians have amassed a vast fleet of stolen galleons and trading vessels from centuries of conflict between them and Aristolian merchants. The Great Chieftain of Lo'kai has their own personal guard as well, but they cheifly maintain security and patrol the city.
Religion
Life and death are the core concepts of the recognized spiritual belief of A'nuiism, there is a great emphasis put on physical love and the creation of life, along with a great reverance for the forces of death. These oral traditions are passed down from generation to generation around campfires and gatherings of Oceos'lo'kaiian storytellers. When a person dies, their spirit joins the great myriad of souls in the Star Ocean, the afterlife. A shaman can guide lost souls of the dead to their final resting place, as well as summon passed on souls for connection with their loved ones.
Shamans spend much of their time alone, reading the stars and divining the future; from time to time they make their appearances to individuals great and small to tell them of their oncoming destiny. Shamans reject the notion of power, believing that the pursuit of power corrupts the soul. Armed with their staff they can call upon the many spirits of A'nuism to manifest them and their power into the world.
Foreign Relations
Oceos'lo'kai maintains its ties to Aristolia through economic explotation, many of the resources of the La'Taos Coast and other coastal communities are expected to produce a quota of exotic goods, all of which travel through Roguesport to be shipped to Mandas, the City of Man.
While the leaders of the declining confederacy are exploiting the less fortunate mainlanders, various factions and tribes fight against the oppression and do their best to sabotage trade routes.
Agriculture & Industry
The Oceos'lo'kaiian diet is primarily seafood, with a expansive menu of many different kinds of fish and shellfish taken from the abundant deep. Divers, fishermen, and delvers fish up various resources from the ocean, while coastal villages harvest tropical fruits and raise spice farms of clover and cinnamon. The most popular export is the bannana, a tropical fruit well loved in Aristolia.
Coastal farmers work under corrupt chieftains who sell the abundant export at a cheap market price through the markets of Roguesport, the result of Aristolian's voracious appetite for foreign goods and trade.
Trade & Transport
Maritime trade is the specialty of Oceos'lo'kai, as different tribes exchange various goods without the use of Aristolian gold, silver, and copper, but through their own unique currency system. It is largely a gift economy, where an item of percieved equal value is gifted to one, with a equally valuable gift expected in exchange. In the case of no item of equal worth, seashells, whale's teeth, and pearls are exchanged in their stead.
Along coastal villages, particularly amongst the eastern bays of the Meino'ng Jungle, local trade is done via a raft system of historic trade routes which have sustained the people there for centuries. As of the Era of Twilight, this system has been used to transport goods to the city of Roguesport for export.
Education
The islands of Oceos'lo'kai have no formal education system, much to the ire of any Lithosian scholar, instead families and tribes pass down oral traditions through storytelling and games. Plenty of Oceos games have some sort of lesson at their heart, and the many stories they tell hide moral truths internalized by young Oceos'lo'kaiians from an early age.
Oceos'lo'kaiian culture is more spiritual than it is formal, and plenty of focus is put into the care and nurturing of children. Of course, rebelliousness starts early in an Oceos'lo'kaiians life, and many leave home around the age of fourteen or fifteen in search of adventure. Life is the best teacher, as an old Oceos'lo'kaiian saying goes.
Infrastructure
As of the Era of Twilight, the structures which held the La'Taos Confederacy have fallen into ruin, and now the residing Great Chieftain of Lo'kai holds little power other than as a figurehead for Aristolian control. Great leaders from the vast oceans, known as chieftains lead massive tribes of people across the waves in pursuit of resources; once taken from Aristolian vessels, many tribes have a home base amongst the many islands or aboard a grand vessel like a galleon to which they return and accumulate their riches.
The forces of the Great Chieftain maintains order and control within the city of Lo'kai, but their influence doesn't spread far beyond the city walls.
Life is an adventure!
The various tribes of Oceos'lo'kai do not believe in constricting concepts such as law, and many make their living raiding merchant ships.
Founding Date
Unknown
Type
Political, Confederation
Capital
Alternative Names
Oshyons, Sea People
Demonym
Oceos'lo'kaiian
Leader Title
Government System
Banana Republic
Power Structure
Confederation
Economic System
Gift economy
Currency
Major Exports
Banannas, oranges, assorted tropical fruit, tea, incense, whale oil, cloves, cinnamon, assorted spices, chocolate, pearls, sugar, jade, light crysts, coffee beans, perfume, toys, artifacts
Major Imports
Textiles, dyes, toys, copper, steel, dark crysts, artifacts
Legislative Body
None
Judicial Body
None
Executive Body
Great Chieftain
Official State Religion
Parent Organization
Location
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
Friendly
Years of overseas trading has developed into a strong bond between the more adventurous of these individuals, leading to much trade and cultural exchange.
Friendly
The crumbling state of Oceos'lo'kai has a hard time managing its rebellious maritime population, who seek out to plunder Aristolian vessels. While the governing bodies of Oceos'lo'kai seek diplomacy, her people seek retribution in other ways.
Friendly
Lithosians have had a long history of friendly trade relations with the seafaring peoples of Oceos'lo'kai. Though they are still not safe from pirating of rogue groups.
Non-Aggression Pact
Fervorians do engage in trade with Oceos'lo'kaiians, but on a very strict and well regulated basis. The ancient warrior people have no patience for smuggling.