Ecmoria
09-02-2009, 23:38
(OOC: I'm tremendously bored and decided to make an account of my nation's history, I'll probably add more later.)
Ecmoria has been a sight of constant conflict and struggle since it's early beginnings. Only recently has the country even begun to see a glimpse of stabilization with the inception of it's proclaimed new leader, Emperor Shnav. The following article documents Ecmoria's history of government, culture, and people up until present day.
The Dark Times (500 B.C.-1200 A.D.)
There is little known about Ecmoria during this sizeable amount of time, but it is generally accepted that Human migration to the land that is now called Ecmoria began around 500 B.C. from archaelogical findings. From what little is known it appears that Ecmoria's landscape was dominated by warring clans and was severly fragmented lacking a central leadership. It is unclear why or how the fighting began but there is much evidence of it, many of the human remains found from this period suffer from broken limbs and fractured skulls. There has also been an almost disproportionate amount of war-like items found from this period including numerous spears, arrowheads and crudely made swords. The few buildings and monuments that remain from this era are almost entirely dedicated to warriors. One example being a statue that still stands to this day out side of Ecmoria's capital, Moralis. The statue is of a man holding a sword in his out thrust left hand and pounding his right hand to his chest, he is dressed in chain metal armor and much of his face has eroded over time. Although it is not officially known who the statue is depicting, it has been called "Monklin the Conqueror" from generation to generation by the Ecmorian people.
The Emergence of the "Big Three"
Towards the end of The Dark Times three dominant tribes rose to prominence by swallowing up their enemies through persistant warfare and ruthless campaigns of expansion. As the lesser tribes of Ecmoria either pledged allegiance to or were driven to extinction by the "Big Three" they quickly began dominating their respective territories in Ecmoria. The Azkans controlled the East, the Monalinians the South and the Amorlians the West. Eventually these tribes came head to head in a series of battles and wars that have continued up until very recently with the new leader Emperor Shnav claiming to have united the country. It is uncertain whether this new time of peace and stability will last forever, as Ecmoria's civil disputes are deep rooted, dating back hundreds of years.
Origins of "The Big Three"
The Azkans
The Azkans come from the Eastern Mountains in Ecmoria which earned them the nickname "Mountain Men". Having a reputation for being ferocious warriors and known for fighting to the death, their culture and customs are viewed as "extreme" by other Ecmorians. For example, it is not uncommon for men to meet in the middle of their villages and battle to the death in a preordained fight when in dispute over a woman. Azkans are also known for their love of festive celebrations, they have at least three in each month paying homage to different gods and events in their tribal history. It is not out of the ordinary for violence to erupt at these celebrations and it is expected beforehand that several people may die or be seriously injured. Women have very little rights in Azkan society and the male is the dominant figure in the family and social structure. It is also an interesting fact that the Azkans have never been led by someone without a beard, to have a beard of great length is to have great wisdom in the Azkan culture. The Azkans were predominately isolated for much of their history, fighting amongst themselves in their mountain homes before they banded as one and descended down into the valleys below. This migration brought about the absorption and elimination of the unsuspecting tribes of the valley and expanded Azkan influence as far as the borders of Monalin and Amorlia. Their advanced was haulted at this point by Amorlian and Monalinian resistance, with all three factions placing extreme importance on the capture of Ecmoria's largest city and capital, Moralis. This bloody stalemate went on from the late 1200's up until modern day with all three tribes having their share at controlling the capital briefly at one time or the other.
The Azkans are now in control of the city and have claimed to united the entire country under their rule but it is questionable whether their regime will be respected and unchallenged by the other tribes. Azkan's leadership has quite a track record with corruption and ruthless action is often taken against leader's political rivals. In all of Azkan history there has never been an election and a leader's rule is ended either by death or violent coup.
The Amorlians
The Amorlians are renowned for their religious devotion which has given them the nickname of "Holy Men" among other Ecmorians. Amorlians place a high value on being spiritually in tune and at peace with oneself within their society. Although Amorlians value religion and in turn value peace, history has shown that they can be fierce warriors as well. Amorlians began their domination of Western Ecmoria by culturally swallowing other smaller tribes and stomping out those that resisted with brute force. Amorlians are very proud of their ethnic heritage and are at times accused of having a supremacist nature among other Ecmorians. Amorlians also value intellect and philosophy, leaders constantly stress to their people the importance of both. There is no seperation of church and state in Amorlia, as the territory's present religious leader is the political leader as well. It is not uncommon for leaders to perform religious ceremonies for advice from the gods when in the process of making important decisions. The Amorlians, unlike their Azkan cousins, view women as equals and have in the past had women military and political leaders.
Amorlia currently holds the title for occupying Ecmoria's capital, Moralis, for the longest amount of time, they were able to hold the city for a period of five years before being forced to retreat after an 11 month seige by the Azkan militia. The battle was one of the bloodiest Ecmoria had ever seen and caused great casualties on both sides. The civilian toll was devastating, since many were caught in the crossfire during pitched urban fighting. Amorlian defenses eventually collapsed and were forced to abandon the city after sustaining heavy losses during the last month of the battle. The defeat was decisive and dealt a hard blow to Amorlia's defensive military capabilties.
The Amorlians found themselves forced to sign a peace treaty with the Azkans, acknowledging them as the leaders of a united Ecmoria, fearing a full fledged invasion of Amorlia if they did not comply. It is rumored that an Amorlian resistance to the Azkan regime is growing and that Amorlia will never accept Azkan reign. Given Amorlian pride, this rumor could very
well hold true.
The Monalinians
A rural people, the Monalinians are without a doubt the most elusive of the three tribes. The Monalinians are traditional hunters and know the woodlands of Southern Ecmoria better than any other tribe. They are the smallest of the "Big Three" only containing an estimated 10% of the entire Ecmorian population. Although they are small in number they have held their own for centuries in battle with their rivals the Amorlians and Azkans. Both of the other tribes have attempted to forcefully annex Monalin on more than one occassion. All campaigns in Monalin have ended in disaster for the aggressor, enemy forces rarely made it past the forests and into a major city. The Monalinians came to rule the south through guerrilla tactics against their enemies and are known for their irregard for civilian life during military conflict. Civilians are targeted just as much, if not sometimes more so, than military targets when at war. Monalin only held the capital of Moralis briefly over 200 years ago and since then almost all their military actions have been defensive. It would appear as though the Monalinians have no desire to control Ecmoria and would rather be left to their own devices within their southern territory.
The Monalinians have no organized religion and worship no particular deity but rather worship the Earth and nature as a whole. It is said that a Monalinian is most comfortable when in the forests of their homelands which has earned them several nicknames among other Ecmorians, such as Treehuggers, Hillybillys and Sasquatches. Monalin is led by a council of 12 elders who come from different villages within the territory, they are only removed by death and there are no elections. Although the forests of Monalin might be beautiful to outsiders but they are home to the graves of thousands of invading soldiers and are to this day still heavily booby trapped.
Monalinians are rumored to have the highest lifespans in Ecmoria which is attributed to their healthy diets and lifestyles. Monalinians do not discriminate against women in their culture, but have only had few female council members in their past history.
The Importance of Moralis
Moralis has been the site of contention between the "Big Three" for well over 900 years. With a population of over 800,000 it is currently the largest city within Ecmoria, ironically it is also the poorest and very undeveloped. Moralis's current state can be blamed on the constant warfare that surrounds the city and gives few opportunities for the city to recover. Moralis is home to a mix of ethnic Amorlians, Monalinians and Azkans that live together in relative peace and only pledge allegiance to whoever is occupying the city at the time. Known as the "City of Blood" it rarely sees peace, but despite the chaos that is connected to the with Moralis it still manages to survive throughout the centuries. Unlike the lesser cities of Ecmoria, Moralis has never been burned to the ground or had its' inhabitants forceably removed. Moralis has no outstanding industry in particular and even if it did it is rarely held by a faction long enough for them to be able to benefit from it.
Moralis is a status symbol if nothing else and to an Ecmorian, if you control Moralis, you control the nation.
Ecmoria has been a sight of constant conflict and struggle since it's early beginnings. Only recently has the country even begun to see a glimpse of stabilization with the inception of it's proclaimed new leader, Emperor Shnav. The following article documents Ecmoria's history of government, culture, and people up until present day.
The Dark Times (500 B.C.-1200 A.D.)
There is little known about Ecmoria during this sizeable amount of time, but it is generally accepted that Human migration to the land that is now called Ecmoria began around 500 B.C. from archaelogical findings. From what little is known it appears that Ecmoria's landscape was dominated by warring clans and was severly fragmented lacking a central leadership. It is unclear why or how the fighting began but there is much evidence of it, many of the human remains found from this period suffer from broken limbs and fractured skulls. There has also been an almost disproportionate amount of war-like items found from this period including numerous spears, arrowheads and crudely made swords. The few buildings and monuments that remain from this era are almost entirely dedicated to warriors. One example being a statue that still stands to this day out side of Ecmoria's capital, Moralis. The statue is of a man holding a sword in his out thrust left hand and pounding his right hand to his chest, he is dressed in chain metal armor and much of his face has eroded over time. Although it is not officially known who the statue is depicting, it has been called "Monklin the Conqueror" from generation to generation by the Ecmorian people.
The Emergence of the "Big Three"
Towards the end of The Dark Times three dominant tribes rose to prominence by swallowing up their enemies through persistant warfare and ruthless campaigns of expansion. As the lesser tribes of Ecmoria either pledged allegiance to or were driven to extinction by the "Big Three" they quickly began dominating their respective territories in Ecmoria. The Azkans controlled the East, the Monalinians the South and the Amorlians the West. Eventually these tribes came head to head in a series of battles and wars that have continued up until very recently with the new leader Emperor Shnav claiming to have united the country. It is uncertain whether this new time of peace and stability will last forever, as Ecmoria's civil disputes are deep rooted, dating back hundreds of years.
Origins of "The Big Three"
The Azkans
The Azkans come from the Eastern Mountains in Ecmoria which earned them the nickname "Mountain Men". Having a reputation for being ferocious warriors and known for fighting to the death, their culture and customs are viewed as "extreme" by other Ecmorians. For example, it is not uncommon for men to meet in the middle of their villages and battle to the death in a preordained fight when in dispute over a woman. Azkans are also known for their love of festive celebrations, they have at least three in each month paying homage to different gods and events in their tribal history. It is not out of the ordinary for violence to erupt at these celebrations and it is expected beforehand that several people may die or be seriously injured. Women have very little rights in Azkan society and the male is the dominant figure in the family and social structure. It is also an interesting fact that the Azkans have never been led by someone without a beard, to have a beard of great length is to have great wisdom in the Azkan culture. The Azkans were predominately isolated for much of their history, fighting amongst themselves in their mountain homes before they banded as one and descended down into the valleys below. This migration brought about the absorption and elimination of the unsuspecting tribes of the valley and expanded Azkan influence as far as the borders of Monalin and Amorlia. Their advanced was haulted at this point by Amorlian and Monalinian resistance, with all three factions placing extreme importance on the capture of Ecmoria's largest city and capital, Moralis. This bloody stalemate went on from the late 1200's up until modern day with all three tribes having their share at controlling the capital briefly at one time or the other.
The Azkans are now in control of the city and have claimed to united the entire country under their rule but it is questionable whether their regime will be respected and unchallenged by the other tribes. Azkan's leadership has quite a track record with corruption and ruthless action is often taken against leader's political rivals. In all of Azkan history there has never been an election and a leader's rule is ended either by death or violent coup.
The Amorlians
The Amorlians are renowned for their religious devotion which has given them the nickname of "Holy Men" among other Ecmorians. Amorlians place a high value on being spiritually in tune and at peace with oneself within their society. Although Amorlians value religion and in turn value peace, history has shown that they can be fierce warriors as well. Amorlians began their domination of Western Ecmoria by culturally swallowing other smaller tribes and stomping out those that resisted with brute force. Amorlians are very proud of their ethnic heritage and are at times accused of having a supremacist nature among other Ecmorians. Amorlians also value intellect and philosophy, leaders constantly stress to their people the importance of both. There is no seperation of church and state in Amorlia, as the territory's present religious leader is the political leader as well. It is not uncommon for leaders to perform religious ceremonies for advice from the gods when in the process of making important decisions. The Amorlians, unlike their Azkan cousins, view women as equals and have in the past had women military and political leaders.
Amorlia currently holds the title for occupying Ecmoria's capital, Moralis, for the longest amount of time, they were able to hold the city for a period of five years before being forced to retreat after an 11 month seige by the Azkan militia. The battle was one of the bloodiest Ecmoria had ever seen and caused great casualties on both sides. The civilian toll was devastating, since many were caught in the crossfire during pitched urban fighting. Amorlian defenses eventually collapsed and were forced to abandon the city after sustaining heavy losses during the last month of the battle. The defeat was decisive and dealt a hard blow to Amorlia's defensive military capabilties.
The Amorlians found themselves forced to sign a peace treaty with the Azkans, acknowledging them as the leaders of a united Ecmoria, fearing a full fledged invasion of Amorlia if they did not comply. It is rumored that an Amorlian resistance to the Azkan regime is growing and that Amorlia will never accept Azkan reign. Given Amorlian pride, this rumor could very
well hold true.
The Monalinians
A rural people, the Monalinians are without a doubt the most elusive of the three tribes. The Monalinians are traditional hunters and know the woodlands of Southern Ecmoria better than any other tribe. They are the smallest of the "Big Three" only containing an estimated 10% of the entire Ecmorian population. Although they are small in number they have held their own for centuries in battle with their rivals the Amorlians and Azkans. Both of the other tribes have attempted to forcefully annex Monalin on more than one occassion. All campaigns in Monalin have ended in disaster for the aggressor, enemy forces rarely made it past the forests and into a major city. The Monalinians came to rule the south through guerrilla tactics against their enemies and are known for their irregard for civilian life during military conflict. Civilians are targeted just as much, if not sometimes more so, than military targets when at war. Monalin only held the capital of Moralis briefly over 200 years ago and since then almost all their military actions have been defensive. It would appear as though the Monalinians have no desire to control Ecmoria and would rather be left to their own devices within their southern territory.
The Monalinians have no organized religion and worship no particular deity but rather worship the Earth and nature as a whole. It is said that a Monalinian is most comfortable when in the forests of their homelands which has earned them several nicknames among other Ecmorians, such as Treehuggers, Hillybillys and Sasquatches. Monalin is led by a council of 12 elders who come from different villages within the territory, they are only removed by death and there are no elections. Although the forests of Monalin might be beautiful to outsiders but they are home to the graves of thousands of invading soldiers and are to this day still heavily booby trapped.
Monalinians are rumored to have the highest lifespans in Ecmoria which is attributed to their healthy diets and lifestyles. Monalinians do not discriminate against women in their culture, but have only had few female council members in their past history.
The Importance of Moralis
Moralis has been the site of contention between the "Big Three" for well over 900 years. With a population of over 800,000 it is currently the largest city within Ecmoria, ironically it is also the poorest and very undeveloped. Moralis's current state can be blamed on the constant warfare that surrounds the city and gives few opportunities for the city to recover. Moralis is home to a mix of ethnic Amorlians, Monalinians and Azkans that live together in relative peace and only pledge allegiance to whoever is occupying the city at the time. Known as the "City of Blood" it rarely sees peace, but despite the chaos that is connected to the with Moralis it still manages to survive throughout the centuries. Unlike the lesser cities of Ecmoria, Moralis has never been burned to the ground or had its' inhabitants forceably removed. Moralis has no outstanding industry in particular and even if it did it is rarely held by a faction long enough for them to be able to benefit from it.
Moralis is a status symbol if nothing else and to an Ecmorian, if you control Moralis, you control the nation.