Okina

The road to Okina is rolling farmlands and orchards as far as the eye, with snowcapped mountains to the South. Distant spires of the Grand Temple of Deraksa climb in the distance, marking the city on the horizon. The ancient structure has been twisted beautifully by 2000 years of Feywilds corruption: corkscrewing spires have grown like trees, growths emerging from them that look like barren tree branches (or perhaps a nervous system). These branches sometimes grasp one another forming ties between the ancient spires. Flags, chimes, and banners have been hung from these interweaving branches, Feywild bats and birds perch on them, and cats in hooded robes carefully trot along them from spire to spire.
The city walls are shockingly new in comparison- built in modern military style and bristling with ballistae and cannon. The modern style is punctuated by the unique Okisan decore: sculptures and paintings of eyes all along the walls and pressed into the imposing metal gates.
Passing into the city, many of the doors and windows are extremely small, often only 5 feet high. Much of the population is Vesper, making the crowded streets sometimes difficult to navigate for taller folk. The Vesper apartment buildings can feel very cramped to humans and dryads. Temples spot the city, oftentimes as spires jutting up from the workshops and housing. Oftentimes a smaller, blockier guard tower will be latched onto it, with the occasional crossbow-bearing Vesper inside. Every so often, bells will begin ringing throughout the city and the towers will come alive with chanting. If you come at the wrong time, much of the Vesper population will mimic these chants back, bringing the city of life with the same sounds repeated thousands of times over the din of the bells. Newcomers often find Okina intimidating for a reason.
Following the spires into the heart of the city, one would inevitable come across the Winesper Market: the central marketplace marked by a massive black stone domed building. All around the market are street vendors for caramel apples and honeyed crickets, exotic animal furs, potions and charms, weapons of all kinds, great heaps of raided loot for sale, and just about every shop or cart you coukd imagine. Inside the black dome of Winesper Hall lies the banks of Okina, the Guild Halls, and the headquarters of the Dusk Travelers- the monopolistic heart of finance in Okina.
A final set of walls leads to Old Okina. Mostly in ruins, the remaining sections of the old walls grow into the surrounding builds in roots and branches, like pieces of living city. Old Okina is more pristine, with shops, archives, temples, and even a few gardens more common than the crowded apartments of the outer city. To the South lies the Aterak- an old castle and prison complex connected to the Royal Palaces. Here one can find the Old Cathedral of Deraksa- the massive structure that dominates the skyline.
This is Okina, city of Deraksa- Goddess of Seers, Memory, Vesper, and Magic.

Demographics

30,000 humanoids: 74% Vesper; 18% Human, 4% Dryad, 2% Kobold, 1% Haltia, 1% Other.

Government

The Serene Council is the seat of government for both the city and principality of Okina. One of the Council always holds the position of Lord or Lady Protector, designating them as the primary protector of the city and the manager of city affairs. The Lord Protector works closely with the City Council- the head of the city guard (chosen from among the top ranks of the guard by the Protector), the Emissary of the Dusk Travelers, a representative from the Cult of Deraksa, the Steward of the City (appointed by the Lord Protector), and two representatives elected by the city's elite. This city council manages most internal affairs of the city.
The Serene Council also appoints one of its Ten Tribunals to monitor the city- as head of law enforcement with some governmental power, the Okinan Tribunal is a political entity unto itself.

Defences

The city is defended by recently rebuilt walls. Following the last bout of civil conflict in 1960, the Serene Council began construction of large modern walls and defenses. Siege engineers and architects were imported from as far as Samvara and Asalay, and an artillery foundry was made in the Southern fringe of the city to supply the walls with state-of-the-art armaments.

Industry & Trade

Large smelters and foundries in the South produce iron, copper, bronze, and steel tools and weapons. Much of the rest of the city trades in weaving and textiles, tanning, manufacturing (cobbling, pottery, carpentry, etc), paper milling, etc. Large breweries on the fringe of town also produce cider, beer, and other (mostly fruity) alcohols for export. Glassworks and printing take place in Old Okina, as does some dyemaking.

Guilds and Factions

The Dusk Travelers have a monopoly on all trade and rule over most guilds and trade associations directly. As such, they are one of the largest powerbrokers in Okina. As the Cult of Deraksa has significant control over the Dusk Travelers as well as the city guard, that makes the Cult inordinately powerful.
There are a few organizations not shadow-ruled by the Cult: the Ishkibite church, the Lodge of Haltia, and the Tribunal.
Within the Cult of Deraksa, several factions are known:

• The Songkeepers: Dancing seers and mystics, very public and flashy
• The Crowned Mysteries: A mystery cult that requires anonymity. Often said to swear oaths to never walk in the sunlight, rumored to operate a system of tunnels under Okina. Possibly involved in the training of spies and assassins.
• The Skinkeepers: Incredibly ominously named and dressed archivists that manage the city library. Heavily value magical training and knowledge.
• The Oracles: The Oracles of Deraksa are an institution dating back to the Divine Era- ten Vespers said to contain a unique connection to the divine. Each Oracle is associated with one of the lunar phases, with the phase dictating which Oracle is the Voice of Heaven- the highest position of authority in Okina.

The Cult demands absolute obedience from their members and often force publicly popular individuals to switch positions and identities in an attempt to insulate the sect from outside influences.

History

The valley of Okina has been heavily populated since before the Architects.
Okina was founded 3ME by the legendary Okiza ("Child of the Night")- an enigmatic guardian of the Oracles who slowly brought together the villages surrounding the temple and assembled the first Serene Council. Okina was the first permanent city of the Feywilds. By 100 ME, Okina exerted absolute power over the valley, extorting tribute and slowly integrating tribal groups into the city population. The population of Okina outpaced even that of Nefka for the first millenium.
Okina's Serene Council was largely a function of the Cult at first, but slowly transformed into something more resembling a representative body of Okina's wealthiest families. As families pushed their way into the Council and seats kept being added, a small clique within the Council became dominant. This clique created the position of Archon in 470, as a position to unilaterally lead military expansion and foreign policy whenever the council was divided. In 520, it became hereditary and a period known as "the Dynastic Period" began. The Serene Council became increasingly irrelevant as the Cult and Monarch ruled as the twin seats of power.
Strings of conquests from 200 to 700 saw Okina project power beyond Feywild borders. As Desmian villages began paying fealty to the Okinan monarch, locals of the often-invaded Feywild border regions began petitioning Okina for refuge. In 710, they were granted their request and resettled in the city of Okina- and Orthodox Desmianism began to grow among the populace. At the same time, the Nefkan Traders in Purple had begun to take over Okinan trade. The Traders began attempting to extort a monopoly status from Okina and a trade war broke out in 780. In response, the Okinans armed and let loose Desmian, Ishkibite, and Mathari warriors to hunt Trader in Purple agents with Cult assistance.
Desmian merchants from No Man's Land communities made large amounts of money selling seized goods and Nefkan slaves to Desmian kingdoms, and rose in prominence following the Trade War. Okinan monarchs began attempting to regulate Orthodox raiding groups almost immediately, and tension was brewing. Desmian merchants began bringing in reinforcements from Orthodox kingdoms and there was fear of a Desmian invasion and coup of Okina. In 850, a Vesper Paladin and Cult warrior of Deraksa named Irana forged an alliance of Ishkibites and cult groups to raid Orthodox estates, escalating in the 850 Purge (remembered by some as the Night of Terror). Orthodoxy was brought to heel and tightly regulated as a weapon of the state. Many Orthodox families turned to Ishkibism instead- bringing together the human community under the Ishkibite church.
To bring the feuding merchant communities of Okina together, Irana made a new community of the most loyal families known as the Dusk Travelers. The Cult granted them most of the responsibilities the Traders in Purple had once held as well as direct state support. This small theocratic mercantile clique slowly grew into a massive organization, siphoning the wealth of the kingdom directly into the capital city.
Okina rose as Nefka fell, launching multiple invasions and sacking the city in 1120. The Empire of Okina seemed poised for some time to unite the Feywilds, but internal feuding and rapid successions of dynasties saw Okina stall at the gates of Nefka. Tribal rebellions in the 1200s saw Okina pull out of former Nefkan territory and consolidate its central Feywilds lands. Attempts in the 1300s to stop Nefka from returning to its old strength were too little too late, and the Second Empire of Nefka began turning the tables on Okina in the late 1400s.
The Borim raids and invasions beginning in 1100 and the Kobold invasions beginning in 1500 saw migrations of Haltia, Kobolds, and the unwanted offspring of Kobolds into Okina. The monarchs welcomed each wave (even sending envoys to invite the Haltia in), keeping strict control over where these new communities lived and worked. This is considered by many to be the Golden Age of Okina as a city- when one could find anyone and anything within its walls.
The dynastic period ended in 1650, when a Nefkan invasion killed the monarch and heir, igniting a massive civil war. A terrible plague entered the city in the 1680s, and the city rapidly depopulated. The Nefkan military attempted to take control in 1700, only for Okina to be broken between military warlords; the ruler of the city of Okina being the most prestigious. Periodic attempts to recover the empire were interrupted by terrible civil strife, the worst being the division of the city between two warlords in 1780. The walls were torn down, and the city was struck by periodic internal violence. Much of the population moved into the countryside, and the city was paralyzed until the city was united again by single large warlord in 1830. Civil conflict from the collapsing Nefkan empire led to spillover violence in Okina, and the monarch was overthrown by rebellious rural clans in 1880.
The Dusk Travelers and urban powers jumped into action following the coup, and invited the clans to meet with the Oracles to form a new government. A new Serene Council was formed to rule in 1883, and the Cult slowly weeded out clan influence. In 1944, rebellious clans attacked the council and were captured by the Cult mid-coup. The ensuing purges culminated in a new government in 1945, one that continues to this day.

Type

City

Population

30,000 humanoids; 1000 cats

Inhabitant Demonym

Okinan

Location under

The Feywilds

Owning Organization

Serene Principality of Okina

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