Inustan
| Expert | PriamNevhausten, Shinigori | ||
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| Capital | Fidelnost | ||
| Largest city | Hydrante | ||
| Government Lupus
|
limited monarchy -- | ||
| Settlement |
609 EP | ||
| Official Language(s) | Inustani | ||
| Official Religion | Following of Fideleo (Church of Inugami) | ||
| Currency | Chi | ||
| Original creator is Nekogami, currently managed by PriamNevhausten and Shinigori. | |||
Contents
Briefly
The Inustani government has power over its people, but has a very hands-off attitude toward governing. The king and queen prefer to allow their lords to govern their lordships largely on their own, interfering with the royal army only to keep the peace. The hierarchy in Inustan is based on loyalty.
The official religion of Inustan is the Following of Fideleo. The more common name for this is the Church of Inugami. Almost all Inustani worship Inugami as a symbol of what it means to be an inujin.
History
The early people
The people of Inustan--known as Inustani, collectively--are comprised primarily of inujin, who refer to themselves as 'gente,' or 'people' in their language. The inujin have long, powerful legs built for running, long snouts with forward- pointing nostrils, smooth fur all over their entire body (of varying colors by descent), and tails--otherwise, they are very similar in body construction to a human.
In the beginnings of what would become Inustani civilization, the inujin would form tightly-knit hunting packs, travelling across their territories swiftly on their powerful legs, bursting up to 35 miles per hour on an approach of their prey. The tails were used to communicate messages silently among the pack, or 'acuerdo' (literally meaning 'pact' or 'contract'), and their forward-facing ears and sensitive olfactory functions made for effecient hunting. Unfortunately, this has left most inujin with fairly bad eyesight when compared to humans. Towards the beginning of their civilizations, the inujin would collect teeth or small bones of their kills, as proof of valor. The teeth would be distributed among the members of the acuerdo, or, if there were only one 'trophy,' it would be given to the leader, known as the 'Lupus,' a term which has endured within the Inustani to this day.
Within the acuerdo, loyalty was the order of things. The Lupus did what was best for the acuerdo, and the rest of the acuerdo (called 'followers' in Common, lacking a descriptor in inujin) acted on behalf of the Lupus, out of trust for his judgment. On very rare occasions, the Lupus's judgment would fall into question, and the acuerdo might call a new Lupus into power, believing the newer to have better judgment with regard to the acuerdo's welfare. In these cases, the Lupus would generally step down peacefully, in serving the will of the acuerdo. On even rarer occasions, the questioned Lupus would believe his methods to be superior regardless of the opinions of his acuerdo--in these cases--which are rarely spoken-of, out of shame--the Lupus was removed by merciless lethal force, and left to rot in the wilds, without even a Death Ceremony, or 'Usanza de Muerte.'
In this regard, females and males had fairly distinct roles. The males would do the scouting for the prey in harder times, and indicate, usually by tail motion, the location of the prey. The females would then move to surround the prey, and bring it down. Females were elected as Lupus as often as males, given a reprieve in times of pregnancy, called 'the birth period,' or 'hora de nacimiento.' In these cases, the pregnant female, though expected to keep up with the pack, was allowed to simply partake of the bounty of hunts, not necessarily needing to be part of the hunt itself (though, especially early in the pregnancy, the female would still contribute). Young were treated similarly--though expected to keep up fairly well, the acuerdo would usually slow a bit to compensate; the young usually simply watched the hunt and ate of it, not participating until their second or third year.
As the years passed, most of these ideals remained, and were adapted to advancing civilization. Small, seven-to-ten-member acuerdos banded together to form clans, presiding over larger territories, or marks. The Lupi of the acuerdos decided a Lupus for the clan, though the acuerdo-Lupi were still allowed some influence over the proceedings of the clan. A great many clans were formed over the territory later to be called Inustan this way, and ruled for many years. Each clan eventually developed their own fur coloration, mannerisms, and, to a lesser extent, body structure. For example, the Collie clan, residing near the mountains on the west side of present-day Inustan, developed long, straight hair and strong jumping legs for survival in the mountainous terrain, whereas the Bichon clan, which ruled over the Bichon Frise river valley during this period, would develop shorter legs and fluffier fur, as a survival mechanism for their rather unique environment. This clan structure functioned for several hundred years, until circa 600, with Rastafa's conquest and the creation of Fidelupa.
-- Priam/Shinigori
Rastafa - the unification
In 578, a very powerful lupus named Rastafa began a campaign to expand his mark. His powerful pack began in the north and spread like a mist over the other Marks. Rastafa's mix of charisma, kindness, but ruthless determination helped him to defeat the other lupuss and gain quickly the loyalty of the inujin. As his power amassed, he allowed the previous lupus to control their old territories but only in his name. When at last in 609 he had gained control of the entire inujin territory, he declared himself High Lupus and returned to the north. The collective territories were called Fidelupa, after their god and the High Lupus.
-- Nekogami
First wars with Nekonia
A large lake in the Mountains, called Fideleo's Tear, is the a sacred place for the inujin. Once ever 5 years inujin make a pilgrimage to the place where Fideleo was said to have created the inujin with the moon. The legend goes that it took so much of the moons energy to create the inujin, that the moon began to disappear. When Fideleo could no longer see the moon, he cried the great lake.
The Cat o' Nine Tails, a large Nekonian river with great branching tributaries, originates in Fideleo's Tear. Lupus Mah Geanne, a fanatic of Fideleo, began a large movement to stop the draining of Fideleo's Tear to Nekonia and divert it's flow to Inustan.
Enraged, Nekonian royalty demanded the lupus cease his plan, as the Cat o' Nine Tails is Nekonia's main source of water. Lupus ignored their demands and retaliated with an assault on Hotte Springs. The Nekonians took up arms.
The Holy Wars lasted for 100 years until the Mah Geanne bloodline ceased and a new one, the Kee Kiskele, began. Lupus Kee's first demand was that the name Fidelupa be changed to Inustan, "Land of the Dogs". Secondly, he stopped unblocked the dam hindering the Cat o' Nine Tails but did not stop the flow of the new river, which he called Papillon after his first daughter.
In the 100 years of war, the great Temple of Fideleo was decimated in a certain campaign, but instead of rebuilding it, he decided to leave it as a testament to foolish selfishness. "If Fideleo wanted to give the river to the nekojin, then who should think we should change his mind?'
Lupus Kee signed a peace pact with the King Kitiwai that officially ended the war and reopened trade routes. Both nations have up until the present experienced excellent economic and international relations.
-- Nekogami
Today: current events
The values that the inujin held in ages past have not seen any downturn in recent times. Loyalty is still the best virtue to an Inustani, and as such, Inustani are prone to deep thought about their relations with others, especially with relevance to their own goals.
Trading is often done by credit, with the buyer's reputation prompting the seller that he is trustworthy, and will pay off the bill, monetarily or with favors, at a later date. Hard currency does exist and is acceptable for those who do not have a sufficient reputation, or when one wishes to pay one's dues, but an Inustani who abuses his capacity for credit will soon find that his reputation will precede him in a significantly less beneficial sense.
Though Inustani are a great deal more sexually free than most other races (in older times, this was a mechanism for maintaining a strong bond with one's acuerdo), marriage is indeed a well-established institution, a recognition of love as the ultimate loyalty between two citizens (regardless of gender), or, in more recent times, a citizen and an outsider. Marriage rarely causes any serious problems within society, with the Inustani's intense scrutinization of a lover before marriage, but those few who do divorce are seen with a degree of contempt and consternation for the remainder of their days, for having broken a sacred bond of trust and loyalty. Most divorcees shortly leave the country.
Relations with Nekonia
Inustan is currently experiencing tense relations with its western neighbor. During a festival celebrating the peace brought by the Kitiwai royal bloodline, the King and Queen were attacked by an apparently inujin rider on a chimera--creatures native to Inustan's Mordo Scar, trained by inujin as both beasts of burden and for combat. The incident at the celebration brough to light a series of arsonous attacks along the Nekonian border; the number of villages razed only grew in number after the attack on the Kitiwais. The Crest of Inugami was found in many of the crime scenes, further casting suspicion, although many faithful inujin suspect that--after the attack during the celebration--the attackers are taking up the suggestions from rumors to cast suspicion elsewhere.
Nekonians, for their part, are furious that the rider remains at large, wanting justice for the insult to their regents and nation. The formerly amiable relations between the country have been strained, with commerce not being the only to suffer as a result.
The attacks have been thoroughly denied and denounced by the current Lupus, who has assured that the attacks are not sanctioned by either the state or the church. While originally insulted by not being taken at his word on this, he has changed his mind; when a trusted dignitary returned from being shown the remains of one of the targeted villages, she brought with her a souvenir of a half-melted icon of Fideleo. it turned out that the Lupus's anger at the mistreatment of his religion was much worse than his anger at a slight. He has, since, personally vowed to the Kitiwais all reasonable help to find the responsible parties.
Miscellany
MUSH description
<I>nustan(#125Rn):
Inustan, shaped something like a half-circle, is separated from Nekonia on its west by a mountain range and bordered along its "curve" by the ocean. There are also various important bodies of water inside the country, including Fideleo's Tear. This large mountain lake feeds both Inustan's Papillon River--named after the daughter of a former Inustani king--as well as the Cat O' Nine Tails, which is Nekonia's primary source of drinking water.
The predominant race of the country are inujin, a bipedal dog-like race. The official and natively-spoken language of the country is Inustani; the Common language is likely to be found only in tourist spots. The official religion of the country is worship of Inugami--known as Fideleo to natives--in a religion referred to as the Following of Fideleo.
Loyalty is perhaps the most prized concept in Inustan, with individual interpretations varying slightly between citizens. Loyalty to government is important, given loyalty from the government to its citizens is assumed by many. Loyalty to friends and family is also important. The strictness to which loyalty must be observed may cause misunderstandings or, at the politest, frequent subject changes between Inustani and foreigners. And there is, of course, a stubborn number in the country who feel that Inustani culture is incompatible with all but the native inujin race itself. The various major and minor clans in Inustan have different official standings on this issue; understandably, the Shisha clan--that is, the clan which represents non-native Inustani--have a more "liberal" point of view on the matter.
Obvious exits: <Ar>gosy <Fi>delnost <Hy>drante <Ma>rme <Ru>ins of Fideleo <Ne>konia Forbidden Plains <FP> Southeastern Frontier <seF>
Major clans
- Barnedi (Saint Bernard) -- Very spiritual people, they herald from the mountainous area near Fideleo's Tear. Due to the nature of that terrain, they have developed very thick fur, and are of a large build. The Barnedi are the most devout and powerful of priests within the Inustani, and they are also known for their skill at the culinary arts.
- Bichon (Bichon Frise) -- Elegant, dignified. Generally they strive towards positions of fame and reknown. This, of course, means they usually have lofty and sometimes unrealistic goals, but this helps inspire hope in those around them. The Bichon are known as highly skilled courtiers.
- Charpe (Sharpei) -- Wise, ponderous, and rather slow to act. Though they are generally cooperative with respect to national affairs, they are not necessarily the most loyal of the families; this can be attributed to their independence where staying informed is concerned--they have to 'see for themselves' before any judgment is made. This sort of deep thought often gives one the impression that a Charpe is 'off in his/her own little world,' which isn't entirely inaccurate. Whatever a Charpe dedicates him/herself to learn, he/she will often become a prominent master in the field. Elder Charpei are almost universally respected as sages.
- Collie (Collie) -- Natural born leaders. Charismatic, devoted, caring, often strong. Since Inustani history has been recorded, there has always been a Collie on the throne, and legend from before history started has stated more of the same. Collies posess the uncanny knack to hold a group together and drive them towards a common purpose singlehandedly. Common work for Collie family members includes such positions as teachers, priests, or any other similar position of leadership.
- Maltesas (Maltese) -- People-minded, these Inustani are always thinking of ways to better life and the nation. They tend to be very sensitive to political matters. Noble-born Maltesas are usually courtiers or lawmakers, and those of lesser status will take up similar positions--somewhere that they can 'make a difference.' They rarely seek the fame that comes with such positions, but that does not mean that they do not get this fame anyway.
- Rusuelo (Jack Russel Terrier) -- Curious, intelligent, rather cloistered. Most of Inustan's research into the sciences comes from here, and all the Rusuelo academies, both magical and scientific, are open-air institutions. The Rusuelo are known for their love of life and their value on knowledge. Young Rusuelo tend to be writers or track-type atheletes; adult Rusuelo tend towards the sciences or other studious disciplines.
- Zul (blue tick coon hound) -- Aggressive in whatever they do, they are often merchants or politicians. Very persuasive, but they often obtain (sometimes rightly, sometimes not) reputations for being less than honest. Regardless, they are almost always very involved in their social groups, and tend to make a great number of personal connections and networks.
- Shisha (Nekonian for "emissary") -- Originally formed by a group of Nekonians who happened to agree more with the Inustani way of life than the Nekonian way, they took up residence in Inustan and eventually gained respect. As a House, the Shisha act to collectively represent all non-native Inustani living in the country within the governing council, be they Nekonian, human, or otherwise (though the Shisha house is still predominantly nekojin in heritage). Some clans will never like the Shisha, simply because of what they are. And some clans respect the Shisha more than other native Inustani houses, simply for the fact that Shisha weren't just given a vote in the council--they earned it through displays of loyalty.
Minor clans
- Aleman (German Shepherd) -- These staunch gente comprise the majority of Inustan's standing home defense. Loyal to a fault, they will do anything in the name of duty, and even more in the name of protecting their homeland.
- Chou (Chow) -- Detail-oriented in mentality, often to the point of 'nit-pickiness,' they are always looking for what is wrong with things. And they are usually loud about it. Members of this family often have difficulty finding employment due to their complaining nature, but when they are taken into a co-supervisory position, they are found to be astounding assets to productivity and work quality. A few are involved in legal proceedings, a few are critics, but they will almost always hold a position where they can say bad things about other people's work and get away with it. They work very well with a Shihua accomplice.
- Fudel (Poodle) -- A prideful people, they place a significant value on their appearance and performance, which usually means that you can trust any product of this family's work. Very often Fudel are atheletes--they are especially good at swimming, though running and hunting are also popular.
- Llorke (Yorkshire Terrier) -- Eccentric, experimental personalities are predominant within this clan, and more often than not one would notice a sort of 'mad scientist' motif with any given Llorke. Despite their moderate recklessness, the Llorke are constantly pushing technology and magical research to the limit, testing the boundaries until they snap, and explode in their faces (sometimes literally). Llorke tend to hold positions of independent research, but will often have a position within a group that allows them to tinker and mess with stuff.
- Masteo (Bull Mastiff) -- Very large, but, similarly to the Ovejas family, they are usually warm-hearted. Fate placed them geographically near the Toreo homeland, and this has granted them the strange role of keeping the Toreo in check, and protecting the rest of the clans from them (as well as vice versa). It was they who decided upon the erection of an official coliseum for the Toreo to hold recognized games of battle, and their massive strength and ferocity under fire has kept the Toreo from upsetting them. Together, the two clans live in a strange social symbiosis, somewhat separated geographically from the rest of the nation.
- Oesti (Westmoreland Terrier) -- Dedicated, friendly, very casual and sociable. Of all the clans, this family has the least cohesiveness with regard to its members, but this is mainly on account of the amazing comfortability the Oesti have among others, regardless of current political machinations or rumors or even family name. They tend to work best as part of a team, and are a good addition to almost any group, of any sort.
- Oro (Golden Retriever) -- This clan has, for the most part, stayed true to the practices that Inustan has relied on for centuries--farming. Despite the nature of Inustani farming (note: native Inustani are carnivores, hint hint), these people retain a strong appreciation for the sanctity of life, and do not let any part of any animal they breed go to waste. Similarly, they treat family members with great respect, but expect them to haul their fair share of the load, as it were. This sometimes leads to bad feelings towards the more flamboyant, showy clans, as they 'have never known real work,' but this does not get in the way of the strong sense of community that the Oro hold despite small complaints.
- Ovejas (sheepdog) -- Compassionate and warm, they are gentle despite their large size. They can, however, become very fierce if those they are close to are threatened. In work, they tend towards positions like counselors, or doctors.
- Shenzo (Schnauzer) -- These Inustani have a love for the old ways of life, and a certain amount of disrespect for the chaotic new ways that the nation has been taking lately. Steadfast (some would say stubborn) in their ways, they much prefer the known and safe to the unknown and unpredictable. Frequently they accompany the Aleman on the border guard, protecting the homeland; but they also make skilled lawmakers and police.
- Shihua (Chihuahua) -- Very alert, members of this clan have extraordinarily keen eyesight. They are highly reactive, which can sometimes be (rightly) mistaken for nervousness. Despite their rather short stature, the Shihua make excellent scouts, and are also known to have several skilled archers within their ranks. Outside of the military, Shihua can usually find a living as appraisers or inspectors.
- Toreo (Pitbull) -- Passionate, aggressive, and generally uninterested in the affairs of the rest of Inustan. They frequently get into fights with one another, and as such, it is rare to find the Toreo who does not have a multitude of scars. They wear these scars with pride, though--the creed of the Toreo may as well be "of the fittest." Most gladiators are Toreo, and they are very good at it."
Money matters
Inustan has the chi, which come in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 100, 1 000, 5 000, and 10 000. Chi come in coins, gems, and paper currency, an are differentiated by metal, ridging, and shape. Each coin has a separate name.
- 1 - (Chi [ki]) smooth-edged bronze coin; paw on the front, a mace on the back
- 5 - (Rasta) pentagonal copper coin, smooth edged; Rastafa on the front, Inustan on the back
- 10 - (Pup) smooth-edged, octagonal coin of copper and bronze; King Mani on the front, Temple of Fideleo on the back
- 100 - (lupus) octagonal silver coin with ridged edges; symbol of Fideleo on the front, chimera on the back
- 1,000 - (Pact) a jack like ruby with 4 points
- 5,000 - (Mark) a jack like sapphire with 8 points
- 10,000 - (Fid) the only paper currency of Inustan; only 100 were printed, numbered and signed by King Kee; his face is on the front, the Temple of Fideleo and the capital castle are on the back
