The Discovery of the Ougham

Discovery, Scientific

While many discounted the young girl, Gildeh's accounts of a large, translucent creature who spoke into her mind without words, she held fast to the truth of what happened to her and Ethelinda in the forgotten vineyard of the mad elf queen. This changed drastically as Gildeh, many years older and at the end of her life, received an unexpected visitor upon her death bed.

Gildeh Jacobson had lived a long and fruitful life following the events that occured at the Vineyard with Ethelinda Loveridge and the enigmatic creature, "I" . While most believed a great deal of the tale to have been elaborations or even elven trickery and illusion left over from the time when the elf queen, Sharvisal Gwhynndahris was still a frequent guest and resident there. Gildeh never wavered from her story, and while it frustrated her that so many doubted the existence of "I", she made no effort to argue the matter in most cases. "I" was most likely safer hidden away.   As Gildeh reached the end of her days, she was bedridden, old age slowly claiming her. She had said her goodbyes and had prepared herself as best as she could. During one of the rare moments that she found herself alone, she realized that she was not, as a nearly invisible creature moved slowly across the room and she felt a familiar touch upon her mind. "I" had returned, all the way to The Greenlands Commonage just to see her one last time. I was joined by three more creature just like them, and she could sense them curiously exploring her thoughts. While there is no record of the discussion they shared, when someone finally came to check in on her, they were quite shocked to find her with four oddly translucent creatures, just like the one she had claimed to have been on her adventure with. The caretaker, scared by the creatures, ran for help and returned with a young, recently appointed Director of Peacekeeping, Johanna Munkshoud along with a small contingent of militia members. Johanna's level head prevailed and she paused long enough to notice the smile upon Gildeh's face, and the fact that the creature was holding her hand, and the pieces fell in place immediately. Stunned that, after all these years, the story was proven true, Johanna was cautious but optimistic, as Gildeh had painted them as kind and peaceful by nature. Gildeh passed not long after, and "I" and its entourage of "We" were left with the remaining Ongommu Tae.   After an initial, albeit timid, bout of communication to establish purpose and intent with the nervously excited Director, it was decided that it was time for "I" and their people to stake their claim upon their part of the world. While the concept was entirely foreign to them, Johanna saw the need for them to step in of their own accord, rather than potentially get chewed up by political machinations should the other nations get wind of the discovery. She brought the group before the other Directors, and together advised the creatures on how to proceed. It was decided that they would declare themselves an independent state, and lay claim to the Arven Islands as their own. The Ougham , as they decided they would be called, with the help of the Directors of The Republic of Tae , officially declared the The Invisible State of O an independent power within the world of Cairne, not subject to rule of influence of any other nation lest they decide otherwise, and that the archipelago formerly known as the Arven Islands, would from that day on be known as the The Point of Inception .   The documentation and an invitation was sent out to all civilized nations stating this and asking that the new nation-state be recognized. The response was overwhelmingly positive, though each nation had their reservations, questions, and curiosity. Delegates began arriving not long after, and much to the confusion and wonder of the Ougham, the other peoples of Cairne met them with fairly positive reactions. Those with ulterior motives discovered quickly that secrets are hard to keep from the Ougham, and learned quickly to gird their thoughts. Many of these motives were revealed over the course of the proceedings that followed, and Johanna Munkshroud proved her shrewd mind and sharp wit that day, ending the proceedings with the announcement that the Ougham and their lands were under the protection of the Republic of Tae, and that no aggression or subterfuge from any other nation against them would be tolerated under penalty of trade embargo should that stipulation be breached. The Ougham were permitted to travel and explore, and offered official and unofficial freedom to cross borders, though many reserved concerns that they could be used to gather dangerous intelligence information for the Republic of Tae. Many of these concerns were alleviated over the following years as the complete disinterest in politics and the economic policies and processes of the world the Ougham held became apparent. While curious, they held no desire to influence the world beyond existing.