Nation Name: The Chee Nation Flag: Government: Brief:The Chee Nation does not have a set leader of its territories, but rather, is run on a patchwork of local chieftains. Long: The Chee Nation is a military and defensive pact formed between 36 tribes inhabiting the barren region known locally as Odase (Oh-das-y). As a result, it in theory has 36 leaders, all of whom hold sway over their own individual tribal territories. However, recent conflict with North Adara has forced the tribes of Odase to form a coalition, and with it, an Elder Council. The Elder Council is more or a less a political body formed by the 36 chieftains, and functions democratically. To call it efficient would be a travesty to the word, as it is only convened annually, and deals only with matters deemed pressing at the time. This leaves big room for crises to develop, especially regarding incursions from the North. If a chieftain wishes to rally his neighbours against foreign aggression, he can end up waiting 12 months for the chance to ask, by which time his lands have been taken and he’s facing the executioner’s block. Naturally, this means the tribes have an unmoderated amount of freedom. So, other than adhering to a few Elder Council policies and declarations every twelve months, they’re free to act as they please. Tribes will unify against aggressors, or sometimes, take the opportunity to remove a rival from their ranks by siding with aforementioned aggressors. They will trade with who they want, and there’s little to be done if a tribe wishes to sell its lands to a northern mining company. Economy: The Chee Peoples are barterers; they have no use for coinage. Typically, a man creates or procures an item of value, and trades it for life’s necessities. These goods range from herbal medicines, furs, foods, metal craft, wood work and basic raw materials, to foreign devices and technology. With recent North aggression, firearms and more modern equipment has been outlawed in 26 of the clans. The remaining ten however, all on the borderlands, allow any goods to pass between their borders. This has resulted in a black market of forbidden merchandise, and a slow decline into modernisation. The real value of the Chee Peolples however, unbeknown to them, is the vast Elan reserves many of their tribal dwellings sit upon. Important People: Chieftain Marak Tor – Chieftain of the Tor Tribe Marak is a great warrior of middle years, and respected by many of the Elder Council. He advocates War against the North, and holds great sway over the northern tribes. Chieftain Hanan Sechs – Chieftain of the Sechs Tribe Hanan Sechs is like Marak, a great warrior of much renown, but is more cautious. He wishes careful modernisation, that his people may benefit from the North, but not in a way that would jeopardise their freedom. Chieftain Ferod Kalan – Chieftain of the Kalan Tribe Ferod sees a war with the North as the End Times. He is a religious type, praying constantly to the Sun for deliverance. He seeks peace between peoples more than anything, but shuns technology completely, describing it as evil. Chieftainess Alaya Fer – Chieftainess of the Fer Tribe. Alaya is the only female leader of the 36 tribes, and this is because she has much love for murder. Were the North not on the Chee Nation’s doorstep, then she’d be on everyone else’s. Her braves outnumber those of all other tribes, and their fighting skill is beyond repute. She stands with Marak, and believes the South could win a war, if it chose to unify. Desired Map location: Important Locations: The Chee have no permanent settlements, and are nomadic in nature. However, there are the Sun Steps, which is a small mountain range appearing naturally as a staircase. It is said that he, or she, who climbs them becomes one with the Sun Spirit. It is here that the tribes gather, during the annual Elder Council. Cultural Overview: The Chee are a multitude of cultures and values, with no dominant form of either. Depending on your location, laws and customs change rapidly. Some of the Chee tribes are warlike, putting the ideals of the warrior before all else; others are peaceful, keeping to themselves and only straying from their paths in times of great distress. In some tribes, women are baby factories, and treated as such. In others, they are almost equal with men, and can pursue their own interests. Regardless of their varying customs and beliefs, all are united in Sun Worship. The Sun, called various names, but usually ‘Zu’, is praised across the board. All tribes believe the Sun to be a living spirit, responsible for the creation of all things, and their chief benefactor. The Chee pay tribute to the Sun in various ways. Child sacrifice is not uncommon, but outlawed in some of the more progressive tribes. Other tributes take the form of oxen, crops and mass prayer. Temples to Zu are established throughout the Chee nation, and are gathering points for roaming tribes. Attitudes towards the North vary also. Some of the Chee have embraced the North’s technology, and guns are beginning to frequent among their weaponry. Steam engines are slowly replacing oxen, and some permanent settlements are starting to take shape. Technology Overview: 10 of the Chee tribes have access to, and use, third-rate Northern technology, and are open to further trade. These tribes have put their few rifles and steam engines to great use, but in the grand scheme of things, their activities are very much a minority. Generally speaking, the Chee people are almost prehistoric. The horse is the greatest thing they could call a vehicle, and weaponry is still predominantly made from flint – although bronze and iron are beginning to make an emergence. Military Overview: The Chee People are skilled hunters and excellent survivors in a barren wasteland that knows no mercy. However, they are reluctant warriors. If at war, the Chee Nation can rally a million braves to its cause – this accounts for every able bodied man in the population. Owing to their nomadic nature, this mobilisation is a quick process, and sustainable indefinitely if the women are put to work. This is known as a War Path, but such a unity is rare, and now almost impossible to achieve. Still, one should be careful of giving the Chee the excuse they need to put their warriors under a single flag. Typically, Chee braves are horse-mounted troops, relying on speed and manoeuvrability to harass and ambush opponents. The bow is their primary weapon, however axes and short swords form their melee backups. A force of Chee usually assault their opponents with volleys of arrows, before retiring when they have no more ammunition… only to return the following day re-stocked. They repeat this process, until their aggressor either decides to withdrawal, or is weakened to a point where a frontal assault becomes an option.