The Whitefeather Kingdom
Region 45: Inyoni Crescent
Keat Whitefeather
Diplomacy 3
Military 4+1
Economy 2
Intrigue 1
Faith 3+1
Spoiler: Terrain
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Bordering Uhraiya on two fronts, the Inyoni Crescent is a region of various mixed terrain, that mostly consists of grasslands and large sloping hills. To the Southeast, a large forest called ‘The Barrier’ lies, consisting of mostly oak and elm trees, and is a verdant pasture for wildlife including much game. Meanwhile to the North, a large marsh exists known surprisingly as ‘Dryweather’, where many divers (those who live on marshes) live. To the South, a river marks the traditional boarders to the region.The only other thing of note is a large abundance of a small, red bulb with a pungent scent that frequents the region.
There are three major settlements in Inyoni. The first is the current capital, known as Whitecrest, is situated slightly South of the Dryweather marsh on a large hill, with a small forest around it, marking its city limits. The Second is Greybeak, which is situated on the southern end of the western coast. The final settlement of note is Redtail, on the southern bay of the east coast.
Spoiler: History
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Spoiler: Pre-history and the curse
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The history of Inyoni and the Whitefeather kingdom is a strange one, heavily linked in magic. It is said that many years ago, the people of Inyoni killed all the birds in the region they could find to appease a god of harvest. In response, the Maiden of the Flock laid a curse upon those who declared Inyoni their home. A strange new bulb appeared, red in colour, that had an intoxicating scent. Life continued as normal, until one day, many of the inhabitants of the land awoke to find themselves with feathers and beaks. What actually caused this is unknown, but its existence is very much a fact.
The curse of the Inyoni Crescent as it seems is this: any human who lives in the Inyoni Crescent, and decides it as their home, and smells the scent of the red bulb will be turned into a bird for the next five hours after they have stopped smelling the scent. Those who decide to leave and no longer view it as home will no longer be affected, but those who intend to return will. This means that Inyoni messengers are some of the best around, but can very easily be caught and revealed.
Spoiler: The Conquest of Dejan
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Before Dejan arrived, the Inyoni Crescent had begun to arrange itself into a coherent structure, previously being described as a wildland, where only the mad lived. Around this time, the three Petty Kings of Whitecrest, Greybeak and Redtail agreed to unify themselves as a polity, to better defend themselves against what they were beginning to hear of an apparent genius commander. Thus, the Bluefeather Kingdom was formed, with a Capital at Whitecrest, and a rotating crown between the three houses. It did not last long.
Before long, Dejan stood before the gates of Greybeak, and demanded the utter surrender of the entire land. Those of Greybeak advocated to acquiesce, and those of Whitecrest urged to parlay first, to negotiate for their sovereignty in return for serving as scouts. However, the current king, from Redtail, laughed at Dejan, and asked him how his army could take the land, without falling under the curse.
Dejan obliged, sending in detachments of many non-human soldiers to occupy locations, and used the curse against the Inyoni, throwing the bulbs by catapult into defended positions to weaken the defences. Within weeks, Greybeak had been burnt down, Redtail had been sacked, and only Whitecrest remained, using wave tactics to defend. The ruler of Whitecrest, Keke Whitefeather, secured his parlay, with the Inyoni Crescent remaining mostly whole, with some non-human ‘occupiers’ there to enforce the law. Dejan left soon after, with not one of his retinue calling the Inyoni Crescent home, and with the Greybeak king in a birdcage to remind others of what happened to those who defied Dejan.
Spoiler: After Dejan
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Since the breakdown of the empire, the settlements of Redtail and Greybeak were rebuilt, their noble lines shattered. The line of Keke Whitefeather took over control of the region, declaring themselves an autonomous region around twenty years after Dejan’s death. After a gruelling war against the Avakonian Empire lasting ten years, the kingdom could finally describe itself as autonomous once more, yet faced constant raids, probing attacks and similar ever since. At best, it could be described as being at peace for now.
But in that time, much has changed in the Kingdom. The common people have begun to fully embrace the possibilities of their curse, and now view it as a blessing. The Kingdom is eyeing its boarders, wondering if it could in fact, become more than the wildl and it was once known for. With new trade becoming possible, and new ideas flowing in, it is certainly a time for the Whitefeather Kingdom to take flight.
Spoiler: People
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The people of the Whitefeather Kingdom call themselves Inyoni, as the area of land has existed far longer than the current kingdom, and has a very firm identity.
The Inyoni are generally fair skinned and dark haired, although fair hair is not uncommon. They are a slender people, being almost bone thin and slightly smaller than most expect, standing around five feet tall on average. Generally the general wear is very loose robes, of mostly green and brown, tied very tightly together with bands of hemp rope. Men tend to wear these robes with cut sleeves to help with their work, while woman tend to have long sleeves, with stylised wing patterns on each one. Generally, the Inyoni place a large emphesis on community and family, but also on pushing out to new things when encountered.
Of course, the most obvious trait of any Inyoni is that when they deeply smell the red bulb known as Maiden’s Kiss, they turn into a bird for around five hours. All Inyoni turn into a similar type of bird, being small, fast, and tending to eat insects, worms and berries. The most major difference is plumage. The peasants and common folk tend to have mostly brown and black colourations, though they can quite often be many a colour. The aristocracy and others however, due to much marriage and purposeful choice have much more exotic colours. The Whitefeather family, the royal house, pride themselves on being pure white, to the extent that a noticeable discolouration could be grounds for disinheritance. Similarly, the much reduced Redtails have a red colouration and so on.
Life in the Crescent revolves very much around the near family and community. All children must move from their home to another community for ten years, to learn skills that the crown needs, after which, they are free to return home, or go where the crown bids them. These flocks of young quite often form their own communities and their own settlements, and then return to their original settlements, and fill in there. In the cities, this is less so, as human hands are needed far more than wings, and a system similar to patronage has emerged, though it is still in its infancy.
The most major celebration of the year for the Kingdom is the Festival of the Maiden. This festival mandated by the Crown celebrates the curse, or blessing as it is known in the festival, and is conducted entirely as birds and involves both courtship, dancing, singing and many other things. Obviously, it is utterly incomprehensible to outsiders.
Spoiler: Governance
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The Kingdom is ruled by the Whitefeather family, renowned for their pure white plumage. While technically the King has no limitations on his power, his vassals on the edges of the territory enjoy some autonomy outside of warfare, expanding their settlements as they see fit. Of course, if they do anything out of line, they will have no way to defend them self, as few would defy the Crown, especially after its fighting.
The Crown has a small bureaucracy, centered in Whitecrest which dictates general policy for each major city to follow, as well as what expected tithes are. Also present are the Roost, a small council of many elders, who act as advisers to the monarch, although they have no power in and of themselves. The last position of note is Flock Leader, given to the general of the militia and levies of the region, who is the only role in the hierarchy to have official rights, such as not to be called up or dismissed out of hand.
Succession usually goes to the eldest child of the current ruler, within certain restrictions. The heir must be Inyoni, and must be able to fly the length of the region without stopping. The only other unofficial rule is the hier must be pure white, or only a few spots short as a bird, to continue the Whitefeather legacy.
The current ruler of the Kingdom is the recently crowned Keat Whitefeather
Spoiler: Religion
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The Whitefeather Kingdom officially follows the worship of the Maiden of the Flock, an aspect of Abhidi. They believe the Maiden created everything, and is the progenitor of all. Not so similar is their belief she has far more of an active influence on everything than Abhidi, being more a more worldy herald. The worship of Abhidi in general is also widespread, especially in the cities, where the people spend far less time as birds. Worship tends to be conducted as birds with a ‘chorus’ which is often described as one of the most beautiful in the land, though many of the teachings take place with a human priest, to spread the word out.
The Maiden is very much linked to healing and life magic, but also magic of nature itself, so is often described as providing results that would benefit all, not just her followers. Thus, there is much debate over whether active conversion is necessary.
State Religion: Abhidi
Religious Centre 1 (Temple of the Maiden in Whitecrest): Abhidi
Religious Centre 2 (Temple in the Ashes in Redtail): Abhidi
Religious Centre 3 (Temple to the Heavens in Greybeak): Abhidi
Spoiler: Resource
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Maiden’s Kiss is by far the most interesting resource in the Crescent, not just for its magical effect. It also serves as an incredible incense, smelling both fragrant and fresh when burned. Many other incenses also grown in the area, meaning incense is a major trade in the Whitefeather Kingdom.
What the people really require however, is hard metals, as very little of it can be found in the area, and talons can only do so much. Bronze or copper would do very well.
Resource: Incense
Needed: Hard Metals
Trade Post 1 (Whitecrest): Whitefeather Kingdom
Trade Post 2 (Redtail):
Trade Post 3 (Greybeak):
Re: EMPIRE4! Lands of Emjata
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