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Map of Vesperio

A THUMBNAIL HISTORY

An ancient rock-strewn land abounding with well-worn hills, shrouded in frequent, thick fogs, and above average rainfall, Vesperio could best be compared with the Highlands of Scotland on Earth. Archaeological investigations have unearthed artifacts at Dy-Oh that have been dated to about 16000 PA. Vesperio was founded in 52781 PA, when 5 vesper tribal chieftans met in a valley located deep in the mountains between the twin peaks of Bal-Vo (to the north) and Bal-Na-Vo (to the south) on Vesperio Island. Their names and regions were: Quan (far north), Khas (far east), Tsu (central northern coast), Fak (western coast), and Wing (southern coast).

Prior to this time, Vesperio was a heavily populated island divided into many self-governing cities and towns, loosely gathered into regional confederations. Cooperation was minimal, and religious factionalism made trade and even travel somewhat dangerous. The 5 regions represented the areas under the protection and control of more or less autonomous military units loosely loyal to tribal chieftans. These military units patrolled the countryside, usually within a 10-20 square mile area, acting as police, led by self-appointed commanders who formed them. The support of these units was he responsibility of cities and towns in the area, and was not voluntary! If a military unit became too troublesome, however, a competing unit was normally formed by a new commander, and either took over part of the troublesome unit's territory, or all of it, after a showdown battle which, interestingly enough, resulted in very few casualties. Battles between units were highly ritualized (similar to martial arts and some tribal battle ceremonies on Earth), with many magic and religious overtones, and participation by elders of both supportive and aggrieved cities and towns. Offending commanders and troops were usually retired or exiled, with more violent actions limited to particularly nasty individuals who had hurt many citizens.

THE FOUNDING

"The Founding" as the 52781 PA meeting is known, was the first attempt to unify the government of the continent. Because of the natural and long-standing devoutness of the vespers (who made up more than 98% of Vesperio's population at the time), the five chieftans based their agreement and the form of their government on structures and functions familiar to the population from the vast body of Dy-Oh-Ku mythology, which is rich in metaphoric storytelling and fable.

The five chieftans assembled themselves as the mythical "Five Powers" (Light, Sound, Wind, Heat, and Thought) who sit at a table in the shape of a pentagram to receive and interpret the pronouncements of the Diety. The table is said to sit at the very top of Bal-Vo. A representative of the Powers, a Dy-Oh-Ku cleric, sits in every city or town, and is chief cleric in the Dy-Oh-Ku temple that must be built before the habitation is recognized as such. Lay runners, considered clerics-in-training (although only about 25% of them actually go on to be ordained), are responsible to carry daily messages between the temples in a particular pair of cities or towns. They are seen by the people as a combination of government clerk, church deacon, and town crier, and are highly respected. Candidates, who must meet strict requirements of literacy, religious training, and intelligence, and who must be male, can be appointed as young as 14 years old.

For many centuries, the society was very close knit, tied tightly together by its religious beliefs. Because visitors unfamiliar with the religious and cultural customs so easily ran afoul of citizens and the government, few outsiders ventured to Vesperio, and most that did were persons seeking to immigrate. Times were basically good and the people very hardworking, Vesperio thrived despite its less-than-ideal climate. The population became very self-sufficient, though lack of outside contacts and that self-sufficiency also led to a cultural isolationism that saw Vesperians lose all interest in what was going on outside of their continent and the islands of the Vesperian Atoll that were included over the years. At the same time, Vesperio took on mysterious and quite negative connotations in the minds of the outside world. Racial attitudes toward vespers in general led many individuals and even some governments (particularly those to the east on Spiritio) to consider Vesperio as a deviant, dirty, and confining place to be avoided at all costs.

AFTER THE ONDEGO

Like everywhere else on Drak, however, Vesperio's world changed radically in 1729 BK with the first ondego. Vesperio was the continent closest to the northern areas of Ark-Cram that were the first to be destroyed. Refugees flooded the southern coast of Vesperio, overwhelming the existing population, who, after centuries of isolated, tradition-bound, but relatively peaceful life, suddenly found themselves to be outnumbered by people of strange races and even stranger lifestyles and beliefs. The first reaction was to cluster into enclaves, but the newcomers were too many. Eventually, the newcomers came to a wary truce with the vesperians, and integrated to some degree, especially among the better educated and the merchant class. The enclaves, usually divided by race, became ghettos where poverty kept both native vesperians and refugee descendants in very dire circumstances.

Vesperio did not receive as many new refugees as the other continents as the years of the ondegoj passed. The population diversity in the south led to a less theologically-oriented lifestyle, particularly among the young. The descendants of the refugees moved slowly northward, even though it was quite clear that they were unwelcome, and many violent confrontations occurred over the years. Several notable massacres of non-vespers were reported, while many others were not, remaining both hidden and unpunished. The rest of the world, also working to settle the many Ark-Cram refugees, began to look upon Vesperio as an evil, hateful society.

Over the ensuing 800 years, attitudes toward isolation, particularly in southern Vesperio, were changing. Opportunities for trade were seen as a benefit for Vesperio as well as nearby nations. Entrepreneurs began building business empires. The government at first saw trade as culturally destructive and religiously heretical. The Powers remained staunchly conservative, and made certain that they maintained a majority of northerners. But the Temple Clerics in the southern cities often supported a more open approach, not to mention the financial benefits of cooperation with the merchants. Conservative southern vesperians, mostly of the vesper race, moved northward to avoid the changes, concentrating the already crowded population in the major northern cities. Then, in the year 101 PO, the bloodiest single event in Vesperian history occurred, the Massacre of the Million.

THE MASSACRE OF THE MILLION

The city of Dong-Zhu was an ancient traditional city with a beautiful and massive protected harbor on the west coast of Vesperio. On 47Spring 101 PK, a fleet of 10 large trading ships from Vorin and Nagel sailed into the harbor with the intent of establishing a trade outpost. The temple cleric, Mong, an elderly vesper with very traditional attitudes, attempted to turn the ships away. The captains of the ships refused. Not understanding the close tie between church and state, 7 captains came ashore and asked to see the city's governor. Mong confronted them, physically attempting to restrain the powerful human captain, Tjeudas VanderGriff, who was leading the shore team. VanderGriff, pushed Mong aside, and the elderly cleric fell to his death off the pier into the sea below.

Within 5 minutes, the crowd that had gathered to witness the confrontation attacked and killed the 7 captains who had come ashore, along with 20 crewmembers, mostly humans and felines, races that were not common in Vesperio, and are not to this day. The crowd decapitated the bodies, flew the heads, to Captain VanderGriff's ship, where they were dropped on the deck. The commander of the military force in Dong-Zhu flew to one of the ships on which a Captain still presided, and forcefully demanded that the ships leave port immediately. Having seen what happened, a young archer-crewmember, thinking the vesper was threatening the life of his Captain, skewered the vesper commander with a crossbow, killing him instantly.

When the growing crowd realized what happened, it became chaos. The military force and hundreds of young civilian vespers flew to every ship in the harbor, killing every crewmember on all the vessels. Two vespers from Vorin were carried ashore and tortured to death, inflaming the passions of the crown which had, by this time, grown to over 10,000 mostly young, bloodthirsty vespers, almost all insane with anger. The crowd broke into mobs that scoured the streets of Dong-Zhu killing every non-vesper, regardless of age, sex, or belief. Within days, the mobs had begun a campaign to "purify" Vesperio, fanning out from Dong-Zhu in all directions. The government could not react quickly enough to quell the violence, and attempts to interfere by cooler heads were generally fatal. Word of the massacre moved quickly along the runner network, and within a month, "purification teams" were roaming in all major cities and many smaller towns. While only about 20,000 people were killed at Dong-Zhu and its aftermath, the name "Massacre of the Million", a phrase used by runners reporting the tragedy, has stuck.

Two of the Powers, Heat and Sound, both originally from south Vesperio, pleaded within the government for orders to curtail the slaughter, but the other three powers refused, and sent their support to the purification teams. The two dissenting powers resigned, an unprecidented action, and they were replaced by supporters of the purification. On 76Spring, a council was held in Portal's Gate led by both former Powers, and including the military force commanders of over 100 cities and towns in southern Vesperio. After hearing horrifying reports of purification massacres taking place in virtually all parts of the country, the attendees agreed to unify the command of their forces under the leadership of "Restored Powers", including both former Powers, and with the remaining three positions held by the temple cleric of Blue Portal (Light), a popular academic from Dy-Oh (Thought), and the military forces commander of Seaspray (Wind). It was further determined that the first priority would be to root out the purifiers in each city and town throughout the south, then work their way north as a unified force. For the first time in the history of Vesperio, non-vespers would be allowed to join the military forces. Finally, at the discretion of the military commanders, temple clerics and runners could be replaced with local people the commanders felt would be more supportive and dependable.

CIVIL WAR

On 89Spring, the dictum went out from Dy-Oh declaring the Restored Powers to be heretical to the Dy-Oh-Ku, sentencing all 5 members to death in absentia, and declaring war on the unified forces. The war was to last 11 years, during which time over 1,000,000 persons were either killed in battle, or executed by purification teams. A virtually impenetrable border was established along a line from Dong-Zhu (now called Tang-Zhu, or "Fort Zhu") to Tang-Lok, and from Tang-Fa to Tang-Woo. Lake Vesperio and Vesperio Island were declared a non-combat area, and refugees flowed freely to ports on the other side of the Lake.

During the Winter of 111 PO, several assassination attempts were made on the Powers and on the Restored Powers. Three were successful, killing the Powers' Light, and the Restored Powers' Heat and Wind. It was at the instigation of the Restored Powers' Thought, the still popular former academic known to everyone in Dy-Oh, that a plea for peace was made. All 10 Powers were invited to a small town 20 miles south of Tang-Fu, in one of the most beautiful areas of Vesperio, now known as Peace Grove. The peace overture was gratefully accepted by all parties, who by then were exhausted, and had seen their country reduced to rubble. The meeting was set for 47Spring 112 PO, the anniversary of the beginning of the Massacre of the Million.

PEACE & PARTITION

The peace talks took until well into Summer, but it was decided that the only hope of calming the hatreds that had resulted from the war was to partition the country, and encourage people of like mind to emigrate to the nation of their choice. Because of the free flow of refugees to both sides during the decade of war, there was actually very little movement as a result of the decision. South Vesperio formally seceded, with the border set along the fortified line that resulted from the war, but that also crossed Lake Vesperio, passing through the valley between the peaks on Vesperio Island in which the original founding was held. A new city would be constructed at the southern tip of Vesperio Island to be named the Holy City, and would become the seat of government and church for what was to be named the Trade Alliance of South Vesperio. The Restored Powers would be based on Bal-Na-Vo, and would simply be referred to as the Powers.

The period after the partition has not gone without problems, but both sides have attempted to coexist in good faith. While the border remains heavily defended, formal gateways and procedures have been set up at Place of Waiting for those moving from South to North, and at Place of Welcome for those wishing to emigrate from North to South.

GOVERNMENTS & RULERS

OTHER FACTS AND STORIES

WOMEN: In the Theocracy, women have virtually no rights, but are treated as pampered pets. Physical mistreatment of a woman can result in death for the man who does so, however, conviction must be on the word of a another man, as the word of a woman alone is not considered "hard evidence". An unmarried woman is the property and responsibility of her father, the eldest of her father's brothers, or her eldest male cousin on her father's side. A widow reverts to the status of an unmarried woman, though if she has male children, she is the responsibility and property of her eldest son, or grandson. For purposes of this practice, a grandchild through a daughter doesn't count. Although the condition of women in the Theocracy is decried throughout Drak, it can honestly be said that the vast majority of women living there are devoted to the practices, and work very hard to maintain them. A "liberated" daughter will be treated more harshly by her mother and female relatives than by anyone else.

Women in the Alliance are treated as total equals to men, and can even serve as clerics in their version of their religion. The status of women, particularly in the church, was a primary reason for the civil war that split the island into two countries.

EMIGRATION: While it is not a crime to attempt to emigrate out of the Theocracy, once declared, emigrants (male or female) no longer have any rights as a person, are not legally able to return for any reason, and all their property reverts to other members of their family, by a strict set of legal rules. A non-person who returns can be legally murdered by any citizen who is certain of their status, and for this can be rewarded by the church. If, however, they kill someone who is not a non-person, they can be summarily executed. An unlawful returnee is often killed by distant cousins seeking religious status, or by religious assassins who make a living searching out such people.

The Alliance welcomes any refugees from the Theocracy, and has a well-organized process of integrating them into Alliance society that includes a place to live (free for 5 years), a guaranteed job and training if needed, and virtual adoption by an Alliance family to guide the newcomer through the very different cultural and belief system.

Refugees, especially non-vespers from the north, who seek a more independent integration tend to flock to Vaatmus Island, part of Zuracio, from which most emigrate to other nations.

While immigration into the Theocracy is much less, it is not unknown. A very strict examination of the life of potential immigrants is undertaken, and religious tests must be passed. Immigration is most common among very religious elderly men. Living conditions for elderly men and their wives is superior to life in the Alliance where there are no organized "pension" rights. In the Theocracy, elderly men are accorded a high level of respect, especially if they are highly skilled and educated, and live in luxury paid for by the church. Elderly couples do emigrate, but because of the religious laws that would leave the woman virtually destitute if her husband should pre-decease her, this is far less common. Among immigrant (and childless) wives, there is a high suicide rate upon the death of husbands. This is considered a scandal in other nations, but is considered a noble religious act in the Theocracy.

PLACE NAMES: Names of places in the Theocracy are given in the ancient language of their religion, by law.

RELIGIOUS LAW: Non-vespers living in the Theocracy must strictly follow all the religious laws, although they are not allowed to actually be a member of the religion or participate in any of the ceremonies. Failure to follow religious laws is a serious offense that can result in execution, long imprisonment, or involuntary exile. Vespers who are imprisoned for life or involuntarily exiled often have the added penalty of having their wings disabled. This is also a custom in the Alliance for life imprisonment.

The Alliance, on the other hand, while just as religious, conforms to a different philosophy, much more in keeping with the rest of Drak. Technically, their religion is part of the same faith as the Theocracy, but their interpretation of the laws has become very modernized and non-invasive.

The many cities on the shore of Lake Vesperio are the most conservative in both nations, are populated almost exclusively by vespers, and are the result of the belief that living within sight of the holy mountains on Vesperio Island is of great spiritual benefit. The mountains are quite tall, and can be seen on clear days from anywhere on the shore of the lake.

ECONOMY & TRADE: Trade in the Theocracy is primarily with the Atoll Islands. Food production is very high, many valuable minerals exist, and there is virtually no poverty. Vesperio, as a continent, is about as self-sufficient as any place on Drak. Theocracy trade with the outside world is limited to a few large ports on the western coast. Trade with the Alliance is almost nil, as the relationships between the two countries are icy at best. Such trade is not prohibited, however, and is conducted mainly by non-vespers.

The Alliance carries on extensive trade with the rest of Drak, and are even wealthier than the Theocracy, though the church in both countries levies a high tax on all financial transactions carried on with other countries.