Hawemay

Hawemay is the King of the Nessian empire.

Personality and Behavior

Hawemay is usually focused on nourishing the culture of his people and keeping them happy. He may occasionally entertain diplomatic solutions, but will almost never consider dominating other territories.

Hawemay has a small offensive army but a substantial defensive army. He is also proud of his strong and dominant naval force.

Hawemay is very easy to make friends with, as he will often declare friendship and is particularly loyal. Conversely, if Hawemay another leader as a warmonger, he will turn hostile, which often leads to an outright denunciation from him.

He will usually try to befriend city-states. He may sometimes bully them, but he is very unlikely to attack them.

History

One of the most respected leaders in Nessian history, Hawemay seeks to unify all Gnomes, and establish the independent Kingdom of Ness. His birth and early actions in life fulfilled many ancient Nessian prophecies, and he became one of the greatest warriors in recorded Nessian history. Beyond his military prowess, Hawemay was also a great statesman, and established important wartime edicts which have become the basis for many laws about rights and well-being around the world.

Early Life, One of Prophecy

Ancient legend held that one day a great king would be born who would unite the whole of Ness and Gnome-kind, and a flame across the heavens would herald his coming. One day, a comet streaked across the sky of Ness, and many accounts state that Hawemay was born shortly thereafter. Known originally as Pae (the "hard-shelled crab"), Hawemay was born to Chief Nuki. Nuki was but one of many lesser chiefs on the island, which had been split into multiple districts during a succession war in the previous generation. Alkaua, a rival chief in the area, had reclaimed much of the territory for himself, and was the de facto ruler.

At news of Pae’s birth Alkaua became alarmed, for the great king of legend was also known in other records as the "killer of chiefs" - a unified Ness wouldn’t need tribal chiefs any longer. Alkaua ordered the child slain. Nuki, however, was well aware of his child’s ominous birth and hid him away with another noble family.

For five years Pae lived in secret, until Alkaua (for reasons unknown) invited the child to return to court under his protection. During this time at the court, Pae learned the kingly disciplines of diplomacy and war and earned his more famous name, Hawemay, meaning "the lonely one."

After Alkaua’s death, Hawemay became an aide in the new chief’s court. This lasted until the kingship moved on to a new ruler and Hawemay was promoted to an important religious position. With this new found power, Hawemay began to build himself a support base among the lesser chiefs. Eventually garnering the support of five chiefs, Hawemay challenged the local court. During a battle, Hawemay’s forces defeated the ruling chief and Hawemay became the new ruler of the three districts.

From here, Hawemay successfully conquered a neighboring district, but soon had to face an uprising led by rival Kekuah. Ever a religious man, Hawemay constructed a large temple in a bid to gain favour of his gods and the divine blessing to quash the rebellion. Once the temple was finished, Hawemay invited Nuki to meet with him. Accounts differ on exactly what happened at that fateful meeting on the beach, but in the end Nuki was killed and Hawemay became the king of all of Ness.

More Prophecies, More Conquering

Hawemay was driven to unite more than just a few districts - he had his sights on ruling all of the Nessian nations under one banner. Adding fuel to his wish was another ancient legend, one he was purported to have fulfilled. There was a massive boulder placed by the gods - the 3,000 pound Nawhaah Stone. Legend stated that a mighty warrior would emerge one day who could lift it, and he would be known as the great king and unifier of all the Gnomes. At age 14, Hawemay was recorded as the only person to accomplish this feat. Confident from his round of victories and multiple fulfilled prophecies, he began to lay the plans for the rest of the islands.

He quickly moved to take more territory under his rule. With only 10,000 soldiers he quickly decimated enemy forces until he met with fierce resistance at the cliffs along the east coast of the continent (mostly from a defected commander). However, in the end he defeated the enemy soldiers, driving many over the deadly cliff's edge.

From his capital at Lohlu, he reorganised his forces and attempted his first invasion of the remaining ununified Nessian Gnomes. A rebellion, led by his brother, forced him to return and reassign his forces. Not easily foiled, he tried again, but this time a deadly disease broke out among his troops. Tired of his setbacks, Hawemay then organised the largest military forces in Nessan history. The remaining chiefs who had yet to assimilate viewed the approaching army with perhaps a twinge of trepidation, and decided they’d have better luck of survival with negotiation. Upon becoming vassals of Hawemay, Hawemay became the sole ruling power in all of Ness.

Not just a conquering war hero, Hawemay immediately went to work on improving life across the empire and solidifying the unification. He created a single legal system, establishing taxes, and reprioritized open trade with other nations. Hawemay also created the basis for Ness’ eventual state constitution, the Law of the Splintered Paddle. This law had its humble beginnings during one of Hawemay’s early military engagements. During a raid, Hawemay caught his foot under a rock and was ambushed by two local fishermen, who were quite fearful of the legendary warrior. Scared that he would kill them, they smacked him in the head with their canoe paddle, cracking it in half. While he was stunned, they ran and left him for dead. Twelve years later, the two fishermen were found and brought to justice; at least, they thought they were. Instead, Hawemay apologised for attacking innocents and gave the two men gifts of land, proclaiming that all noncombatants would be protected during war from here out.

Popular Opinion & Legacy

Hawemay is one of the most important people in Nessan history and one of its most respected leaders. He abolished the practice of sacrificing sapient beings, and protects the innocents during war. Whether his birth was divinely inspired or not, none can argue that he is fulfilling the role of the great king foretold by ancient prophecy centuries ago.