On the edge of civilization, along the Yensai River, the state of Krato was really a union of several dozen to over a hundred families, which were not only bonds of kinship but economic units as well. The world’s main source of ivory (and, for that matter, elephants), Krato was dominated by the Council of Chiefs, and was a major power. Their longstanding alliance with the Duroc Republic turned into a union; the Senate of the Duroc being integrated seamlessly with the Council of Chiefs. Even more important was the conquest of Thearak by the newly united nation, though they ended up converting to Iralliam, the faith of their supposed subjects. Nevertheless, after a Satar invasion, Duroc rebellion, and massive civil war, the very survival of the ancient Uggor state came into question. It eventually fell to pieces, and was later reunited under the rule of the Holy Moti Empire.
History[]
The Great Family and Its Collapse[]
In the Uggor mythos, it is common belief that long ago, there existed one perfect and almighty family, simply known as Yensai Uggor (the Great Family). It extended across the world, rich, stable, and filled with families cooperating with one another. Basically, the ideal Uggor state. Internal disputes were handled justly and fairly by a wise Hnoyto un Hnos (Council of Chiefs). It was a heaven on earth, and it was said that entire mountains of gold were built by the Yensai Uggor. Millions of farmers provided bountiful harvests, and not a single family went hungry. These days were said to be the hayday of the Uggor people, and that not until the entire world was once again united under one banner would the world experience such a golden age.
However, with such wealth and power came greed. Chiefs bagan to realize that they held the power, and that if they used weapons against their brothers, they could force others to work for them for little in return and therefor gain more power. Slowly but surely a group of evil Chiefs seized more power for themselves, exploiting and corrupting wherever they could. Eventually they became bold enough to attempt an overthrow of the few just and honorable Chiefs left. The Yensai Uggor fractured, and a civil war of epic proportions. In the end, the cowardly and evil Chiefs divided amongst themselves, while the upstanding Chiefs stuck together and continued to rip apart the opposition. When the dust settled, the evil Chiefs had been driven off and eradicated. But the cost was great. Yensai Uggor was utterly destroyed, its members scattered and confused. They spoke different tongues, held different values closest to their hearts, and some even denied being Uggor. The only true remainder of Yensai Uggor was a small enclave in the south, beyond the great Kotthorns and surrounded by the mighty Yensai River. This enclave was known as Krato...
Founding and Early History[]
Early Liealb records first make mention of the Uggor at about 850 BK according to the Oppian Calandar. They were described as mere elephant herders and hunter-gatherers. Indeed, this is likely how the Uggor of Krato lived prior to the founding of Krato proper. Said to be a center for the ivory trade by Liealbian records in 700 BK, it rapidly grew as the demand for ivory grew in the northern regions of the world. Kroth, the legendary founder of Krato, made it his capital. While he and his family personally controlled the land Krato proper sat on, the Council of Chiefs of Krato would eventually become the true rulers of Krato and its people. Many Uggor tribes and clans joined Krato, their leaders joining the ever growing Council. They pooled their resources together, conquering those unwilling to join the Kratoans. Expansion along the Yensai was rapid, although it was temporarily stopped by the fellow Uggor state of Lumada. Hesitant to raise their swords against fellow Uggor while fighting numerous wars with Thearak in the east, Krato expanded along the Yensai's western branch. However, the presence of the Twe and other similar peoples made expansion along the western branch difficult. While war with its neighbors looked inevitable, luck was on Krato's side, and the March of Lumada occured, bringing the fledgling country into the Kratoan fold.
Eventually frequent wars with the Thearaki Empire brough the Kratoan Chiefs and the Republic of Asandar together. As the final war between Thearak and the allies reached its peak, the leader of the Republic was struck down in battle. His death was thought of as a disaster, and many wondered how the Republic could continue to wage war without central leadership. However, instead of risking the loss of a vital ally to infighting and instability, the Chief of Chiefs offered the Senate of Asandar to join Krato, each becoming a chief. This offer was accepted, as a Thearaki invasion threatened to put the Duroc under a less favorable rule. The combined force of the two countries proved to be too much for Thearak. Brief but intense battles occured near the Thearaki capital, and an expedition to Piatrata drained Thearak's resources. Finally, repeated assaults in the north and more direct attacks in the south from Krato managed to rout the Thearaki armies. The south was unified.
The "Tin Times"
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After the unification of the 3 major southern powers, Kratoan contact with the outside world spiked. Expeditions were launched north, which made contact with Bahra. Trade between the two picked up, although much of it would be funneled through Moti. Meanwhile, the Galas Sea was traversed by Kratoan sailors. They eventually landed in a tropical land to the south, establishing the city of Anzai. Along with this colony, Krato gained control of numerous islands dotting the Galas Sea. To further cement its influence in the southern waters, the navy was expanded to nearly 200 ships.
During this period, the Church of Iralliam grew in importance in Kratoan politics. The Church had retained its autonomy in the face of Krato's conquests, in exchange for supporting the Council of Chiefs. While Krato was the seat of the government, Opios was seen as the capital of The Church. Its splendor was seen as surpassing any other city in the south, and every year thousands of pilgrims would arrive at its gates, paying untold sums of gold to see the Artifacts of the Prophet. Massive tin deposits were discovered in the Kotthorns (after which this period is named), leading to further trade with the outside world, and further wealth for Krato. Meanwhile Asandar's war-wounds healed during this time, and became a major port on the Galas. As its population boomed, the former Asandar region became more and more Uggor. But the Duroc still retained at least a small portion of their identity, and it is thought that during these times the Order of the One was founded by a group of Duroc unwilling to accept Kratoan rule. However, their occult customs and the general complacency of the local population prevented the Order from growing.
Increased contact with the north lead to the increased popularity of Faroun philosophy and theater. Slave was a favorite at the capital for quite some time, and numerous theaters sprang up in the city of Thaylon. Meanwhile Covo's Expedition, while mostly counterproductive, brought Krato into contact with the Gu Ya Rot, who alone amongst the tribes near Anzai didn't react with hostility to the expedition.
Overall this period of peace would be marked by increased contact with the outside world, as well as a drastic rise in Krato's power and prestige. The Church would also solidify its importance at this time, being a key unifying factor in the empire. However, with newfound strength and wealth, as well as religious zeal, Krato would soon begin to turn on its nieghbors, leading to its greatest victories, and worst defeats...
Fall[]
Krato's position as a large, relatively rich country on the periphery of the cradle allowed it to slowly move in on the constantly warring countries on the interior. The first of its interventions across the Kotthorns was an invasion of the Hu'ut Empire, at the request of Faroun. The result of this opportunistic attack lead to the control of a handful of Hu'ut cities. However, these territories north of the Kotthorns wouldn't last long under Kratoan control. For shortly after, the Satar would sweep into the cradle. Their raids would reach an unsuspecting Krato, whose border garrisons were caught completely off guard. For the first time in hundreds of years, a large scale attack occured on Kratoan soil. Krato withdrew from its northern territories, handing them over to Faroun. The Algoli Exatai now occupied northern Krato. After this shock, Krato's chief colaborated with the chiefs of Moti, and a joint attack was launched at the Satar, who were finally defeated. But the cost of life was great, as was the monetary costs.
But, having assisted in the defeat of the Satar, the War Chiefs of Krato believed themselves invincible. Expeditions were launched against Zyeshu and other of the smaller countries to the east. However, even with a Duroc rebellion buring in the Kratoan heartland, the War Chiefs demanded more plunder, and struck south at Jipha, thinking that the rebellion could be put down easily. At this point, this spiraled out of control. The Algoli Exatai and Dulama expanded more and more into Krato, while the campeigns in Jipha went sour. Clans began to feud, and soon the once mighty empire was split into dozens of squabbling clans. Moti intervened on the behalf of one clan, but instead of handing over the lands it conquered to allies, it held them for itself. Cooperation with the Eso Soggo Clan allowed them to unite Krato, but by then the Eso Soggo were just vassals of the Motian Chief. Krato was conquered, and Moti became the new great power of the south.
Government[]
Independent Krato[]
Krato's government was a fairly complex system, highly decentralized and only held together by the Chiefs in Krato proper. Each clan was allowed to appoint a represenative to the Council of Chief. Although initially this individual was only a represenative and therefor still beneath the Chief of their clan. However, the represenatives became Chiefs, either by manipulating their standing in the capital to gain power over their clan, or the actual Chiesf eventually came to the council, not trusting their subordinates with such a responsibility. And so the Council of Chiefs became literally that, a council comprised of the heads of each clan in Krato. Such governments were common in other Uggor governments, such as Lumada, as well as Moti. However, Moti holds its Chief of Chiefs higher than its Council, and Lumada was annexed into Krato after a lack of stability combined with the rise of Krato convinced its Chiefs to simply join Krato's Council.
The Council itself was not well organized, and its powers were not well defined. It was simply a group formed to help coordinate the efforts of the Chiefs and serve as a place to resolve issues peacefully. However, there were no laws or rules binding the Council, as each Clan enjoyed the amount of autonomy they had, and any attempt to completely bind them to the Council was resisted violently. If a clan disagreed with the policies of the other Chiefs, clan wars were not uncommon. However, they were fairly local and rarely escalated. But since taxes and tariffs were generally pooled together and used together by the Council, it could also cut off a particularly violent clan and force it to seek a peaceful solution. But multiple clans began fighting, or a larger clan decided to war against another, there was little the Council could do, other than let the war run its course. The latest clan war has escalated to that level and beyond. The inability of the Council to cooperate and resolve conflicts between the various clans lead to many simply abadoning the Council and going to persue their own objectives. With their lands under seige, more and more Chiefs left the Council to attend to matters at home, and with them went their troops and resources. The end result was an extremely drained Council, comprising of only a few Chiefs ruling lands near Krato proper. This is a perfect example of the weakensses that the Kratoan government posseses.
Motian Krato[]
Under Moti, Krato's administration was largely left up to numerous clans, none possesing enough power to challenge central authority. The Eso Soggo came close, raising their own army and marching on Triad at one point, despite it being against the will of the Chief of Moti. However, after this act of defiance he was stripped of his title of Chief of Chiefs of Krato, and was made simply the First Chief.
Yensai Krato[]
Emerging from the fall of the Holy Moti Empire as the capital of the Yensai Chiefdom a newly independent Kratoan Uggor state. Governance consists of a Chief of Chiefs who sits at the head of a council of chiefs who decide matters of state, a system that emerged from the origins of the Chiefdom as a republican entity.