Hashkorrakh/Ascor
Denonym: Egerrakh, Ascorian
Description
Long, long ago, the Egerrakh and the Lycans lived in peace in what is now exclusively the Lycan's land. To the west lied an untamed land, filled only with giant beasts. Around 1500 years ago, the Lycans pushed the Egerrakh out of their land, and forced them west, into this untamed land, expecting them to perish there. But instead, the Egerrakh formed a new school of magic, Beast Magic, used to tame these wild beasts, and they adapted to this new land.
A hundred years later, the Egerrakh had created a beast army, spearheaded by the Be'emot; the three species of massive beasts, and attacked the Lycans. The Lycans were nearly defeated, when the Egerrakh became disunified, and the Be'emot were used to turn against eachother, with their masters hungry for power. The Lycans used this to their advantage, and unified momentarily to push the Egerrakh back to their land. Because of this, a new rule was created among the Egerrakh, that only one of each type of Be'emot could be tamed at a time.
Now, the human-like Egerrakh still live in their land of Hashkorrakh (called Ascor by foreigners), unified only in the face of a foreign threat. Their primary tool, both in combat and in practicality, is the Shokhma, a machete like utensil, with each part of the weapon for a different use, such woodcutting, butchering, or carving. Egerrakh society is based around the animals and beasts which inhabit Hashkorrakh, with each tribe having a different set of animals they're traditionally allowed to hunt and tame. These animals make up their tribal totem, which, contrary to foreign belief, have nothing to do with how that tribe worships, except for in their burial ceremony. The exception to this, of course, is the Orok kingdom, which denies tribalism in favor of a semi-autonomous monarchy.
Government
The Egerrakh are largely disunified, with most of the population seemingly independent tribes. That said, ever since the great Lycan war 1400 years ago, there has been one central warlord who maintains an army to defend Haskhorrakh from foreign threats (mainly Lycans). Who exactly the Warlord is is decided simply by who has the most support and the largest army. If a Warlord refuses to give up his position to someone with more support, they will fight a war.
Once someone becomes the Warlord, they will create a hold, the only true town or fortification in Hashkorrakh (besides the new Orok capital). From this hold, they will control their army, mainly through the use of their warchiefs, who are usually either their close personal friends or well known individuals and warriors. If the previous warlord had abdicated his position voluntarily, he will often be made a warchief by the new warlord. The warlord also has direct control of the three Be'emot.
Again, the exception to all of this is the Orok kingdom, which is a unified entity under one king, rather than many disunified tribes. That said, the Orok King still respects the power of the Warlord, and has been made a warchief, in charge of the somewhat sizeable Orok army.
Economy
Industry is largely nonexistent in Haskhorrakh, with no monetary system present. The economy, as with everything, is based on the animals of Hashkorrakh, with trade facilitated by the Marrmbakh, the mammoth riding nomads who travel the Mammoth Trails. The Mammoth Trails are the only sort of infrastructure present in Haskhorrakh, with the location of Holds and villages usually based around them. The Marrmbakh are another non-tribal group, who carry the goods of each tribe around and trade via a barter system, with they themselves creating mammoth products. They also trade with the Orok, and facilitate practically all trade with outsiders.
The main exports of Hashkorrakh are fur, meat, leather, and ivory. A capacity for a lumber industry is also existant, but at the moment is unexploited. Iron also exists in a quantity, though is not developed enough for exportation, only for domestic use. Fish and other seafood is also in abundance. While other commodities may be available, the lack of development and infrastructure in Hashkorrakh limit the amount of recources that can be utilized, although a lack of precious minerals is a known fact, as is tenable land. While the warlord has little to no control over economic activities, he does collect food from the tribes to maintain his army, though doing so is usually the responsibility of the warchiefs. As for the Orok, their livelihoods are based around the Aurochs, which they have domesticated.
Religion
There never has been nothing; there never will be everything.
The first world was far too small, and The Land was cracked and crushed, so she left. The second world was too large, and The Land became thinned and brittle, so again she left. When she came to the third world, she found that it was perfect, and so The Land became content there. But The Land grew lonely. She saw ahead to the fourth world, where the Ocean lived, and she wished to talk to him, but he could not hear her. So she called again, louder, and created the Wind. The Ocean heard her, and they began to speak. Soon, they fell in love, and created three sons; the Forest, the Wolf, and Ege. Satisfied in her company, she allowed the Ocean to return to the Fourth World, and raised their sons.
Her children, born of a father from an imperfect world, marveled at the perfection of the third world, except for the forest, who was far closer to the Land than the Ocean. He remained neutral on the perfection. Meanwhile, Ege marveled at the perfection, and simply seeked to bask in it. Unfortunately, the Wolf did not share his wisdom, and seeked to control the perfection of the Third World for himself. The Land, seeking to protect her other two sons, cut off her hair and gave it to them, then sent them to live with their father in the Fourth World. Their father allowed them to stay, where he took the hair of the Land and placed it upon himself, allowing his sons to walk upon him. The Land, meanwhile, trained one of her eyes, Moon, upon the Fourth World, which she used to pull back the ocean further, and to inspect her sons.
But the Wolf was enraged by the special attention given to his brothers, which he saw as treachery. He followed the Wind to the Fourth World, where he confronted Ege. Ege took a sharpened stone and stabbed the Wolf three times, and from the blood that poured from each wound, the Beast, the Bird, and the Fish were created. Embarrassed by his defeat, the Wolf chased after them, to destroy the proof of his loss, but as his blood poured out, more beasts, birds, and fish were created, and they gnawed at the Forest, causing him great pain.
Horrified by the blood shed between brothers, the Land cried out, and the wails were so horrific and full of despair that the winds they created took away whatever perfection Ege had been given by the Third World. This made him hungry and cold, and the Forest gave him a spear to remedy both their problems, so Ege began hunting the beasts, birds, and fish, using their meat to feed himself and their furs to warm himself, and hunted so much better than the Wolf that he became known as Ege the Hunter. But the more blood was shed, the more imperfect the Fourth World became, and out of this imperfection Sun was created.
Sun was powerful, and blocked the Land's eye, but Land was powerful too, and could block away Sun for half the time. The time when Sun blocked the Land's eye became known as day. During this time, Ege the Hunter remained attentive, since he did not have his mother's protection. But when the Land's eye was out, which became known as night, Ege would rest. Sun came to sympathize with the Wolf, who would cry pitifully at the Land's eye during the night, hoping to create a wind powerful enough to carry him back to the perfection of the Third World, and so Sun shot flames down at Ege. But Ege was smart, and used to flames to warm himself and cool his meats. His father too wished to protect him from Sun, and created clouds to help block him. Some of these clouds would shoot down great sparks, which the Ocean used to teach Ege how to create fire of his own, and drops of water to cool the thirst created by Sun's beams.
But as Ege became more powerful, the imperfection of the Fourth World became even greater, and this imperfection became a Shadow of the Fourth World, or Hashkorrakh, where many small shadows of Ege, Egerrakh, do battle with the shadows of the Wolf, Kalorrakh. If one of these Egerrakh properly follow the spirit of Ege, they are allowed to return to the perfection of the third world upon their death.
The first world was far too small, and The Land was cracked and crushed, so she left. The second world was too large, and The Land became thinned and brittle, so again she left. When she came to the third world, she found that it was perfect, and so The Land became content there. But The Land grew lonely. She saw ahead to the fourth world, where the Ocean lived, and she wished to talk to him, but he could not hear her. So she called again, louder, and created the Wind. The Ocean heard her, and they began to speak. Soon, they fell in love, and created three sons; the Forest, the Wolf, and Ege. Satisfied in her company, she allowed the Ocean to return to the Fourth World, and raised their sons.
Her children, born of a father from an imperfect world, marveled at the perfection of the third world, except for the forest, who was far closer to the Land than the Ocean. He remained neutral on the perfection. Meanwhile, Ege marveled at the perfection, and simply seeked to bask in it. Unfortunately, the Wolf did not share his wisdom, and seeked to control the perfection of the Third World for himself. The Land, seeking to protect her other two sons, cut off her hair and gave it to them, then sent them to live with their father in the Fourth World. Their father allowed them to stay, where he took the hair of the Land and placed it upon himself, allowing his sons to walk upon him. The Land, meanwhile, trained one of her eyes, Moon, upon the Fourth World, which she used to pull back the ocean further, and to inspect her sons.
But the Wolf was enraged by the special attention given to his brothers, which he saw as treachery. He followed the Wind to the Fourth World, where he confronted Ege. Ege took a sharpened stone and stabbed the Wolf three times, and from the blood that poured from each wound, the Beast, the Bird, and the Fish were created. Embarrassed by his defeat, the Wolf chased after them, to destroy the proof of his loss, but as his blood poured out, more beasts, birds, and fish were created, and they gnawed at the Forest, causing him great pain.
Horrified by the blood shed between brothers, the Land cried out, and the wails were so horrific and full of despair that the winds they created took away whatever perfection Ege had been given by the Third World. This made him hungry and cold, and the Forest gave him a spear to remedy both their problems, so Ege began hunting the beasts, birds, and fish, using their meat to feed himself and their furs to warm himself, and hunted so much better than the Wolf that he became known as Ege the Hunter. But the more blood was shed, the more imperfect the Fourth World became, and out of this imperfection Sun was created.
Sun was powerful, and blocked the Land's eye, but Land was powerful too, and could block away Sun for half the time. The time when Sun blocked the Land's eye became known as day. During this time, Ege the Hunter remained attentive, since he did not have his mother's protection. But when the Land's eye was out, which became known as night, Ege would rest. Sun came to sympathize with the Wolf, who would cry pitifully at the Land's eye during the night, hoping to create a wind powerful enough to carry him back to the perfection of the Third World, and so Sun shot flames down at Ege. But Ege was smart, and used to flames to warm himself and cool his meats. His father too wished to protect him from Sun, and created clouds to help block him. Some of these clouds would shoot down great sparks, which the Ocean used to teach Ege how to create fire of his own, and drops of water to cool the thirst created by Sun's beams.
But as Ege became more powerful, the imperfection of the Fourth World became even greater, and this imperfection became a Shadow of the Fourth World, or Hashkorrakh, where many small shadows of Ege, Egerrakh, do battle with the shadows of the Wolf, Kalorrakh. If one of these Egerrakh properly follow the spirit of Ege, they are allowed to return to the perfection of the third world upon their death.
Above is the belief of practically all Egerrakh, although the Orok have also incorporated some of the beliefs of their foreign neighbors. Because of the cyclical nature of this belief system, Egerrakh burial rituals are far different from any other. When an Egerrakh dies, their body is fed to a predatory animal of their tribe's totem, with mud painted over the parts of their body which should not be eaten, which are usually the genitals, hands, feet, eyes, and nipples on a woman. The Orok, who, unlike all other Egerrakh, believe in land ownership, bury their dead in a style similar to most foreign entities.
The professors of this belief system are the Shamans, who also are the main practitioners and teachers of beast magic. Shamans, though not officially organized, are who keep all tribes to their traditions, and who are centered in Khu'ege, the highest mountain in Hashkorrakh, which is seen as the place where the boundaries between the Shadow of the Fourth World and the Fourth World are at their thinnest. Shamans also coordinate the taming of the three Be'emot.
Geography
A cold land, the geography of Hashkorrakh is defined by mountains, forests, and Mammoth steppes. The southern borders of the Orok kingdom and much of the borders of the Ashberr region are defined by the Berrnar mountains, and the Ashberr region is covered with mountains indepent of the Berrnar range. The current Warlord's hold is placed on a hill in between the Berrnar range and one of the independent mountains.
The Orok Kingdom is mostly forest and plains, the grasses of which are not quite as high as the southern mammoth steppes. There are many small rivers which run throughout the Kingdom, creating an ideal environment for the Aurochs they herd.
To their northeast is the region of Yoklawo, which is mostly a Taiga forest. The very north of Yoklawo contains an ancient Ogre port city, which has since been abandoned and is now used as a Kraken hunting base. Yoklawo also contains some mountains.
South of Yoklawo is Veshan, which is varied terrain, defined by mountain, forest, and, at the southeast, Mammoth Steppe. Veshan also contains the highest mountain in Hashkorrakh, Khu'ege, which carries much religious significance.
South of Veshan is Marrmekhlon, which has the highest concentration of Mammoth in the land. The Mammoth of Marrmekhlon are a different species than those tamed by the Marrmbakh. While the Marrmbakh use the highly migratory Forest Mammoth, the Mammoths in Marrmekhlon are Plains Mammoth, which are much larger, and whose migrations are significantly shorter. South of the Berrnar mountains, Marrmekhlon also has the Tzurrek springs, a group of hot springs that are a favorite getaway for lords and warchiefs.
To the east of Veshan and Marrmekhlon is the final region of Hashkorrakh, Narbarrakh. Though it is also a Mammoth Steppe, their animal population is much smaller due to the constant state of war that exists there. Narbarrakh is home to much of the conflict between the Egerrakh and the Lycans, due to its low defensibility. The tribesmen there are war hardened, and, though the Warlord's Hold is rarely in Narbarrakh, there is usually at least one war chief there to coordinate battle against the Lycans.
As far as ecology goes, each of the biomes of Hashkorrakh contain far different animals. The megafauna of the steppes include massive herds of bison, the Plain Mammoths, rhinoceroses, cave lions, dire wolves, ground sloths, various types of oxen, and giant warthogs. Meanwhile, the megafauna of the forest include bush antlered deer, moose, saber tooth cats, regular wolves, Forest Mammoths, and giant bears. The mountains contain similar animals as the forest, in addition to the elusive Saskwakh; large, bipedal apes, who are nearly impossible to tame due to their intelligence, but can be befriended with magical assistance, and have been used in battle before. Lions, sloths, and rhinos also exist in the forests and mountains, but like the mammoth, are much smaller than their grassland counterparts. In utilizing animals for his army, a warlord has to carefully coordinate with the tribes and his warchiefs to achieve the balance of these fauna that he desires. Other animals of economic and societal importance include giant beavers and salmon of the rivers, as well as the completely untamable kraken which inhabit the oceans.
Demographics
Population: 2,600,000
The sentient population of Hashkorrakh is entirely composed of the Egerrakh (Ascorians to foreigners), a nearly human people who stand a few inches shorter than the average human, and are somewhat wider and stockier. Because of this, Egerrakh are significantly stronger than the average human, and are better at sprinting, but have far less endurance. Intellectually, they are equivalent, although most humans would contend otherwise due to the seemingly primitive nature of the Ascorian lifestyle. Another major difference between humans and Egerrakh are their diet. While 80% of a human diet is plant based and 20% animal, the opposite is true for Egerrakh, who are far more carnivorous, though still consume plant matter.
Around 78% of Egerrakh hail from tribal villages which cover all of Hashkorrakh besides the Orok Kingdom, which makes up around 20% of the population. The last two percent are either Marrmbakh nomads or Kraken hunters. Surprisingly, there is a common Egerrakh language, spoken by the entire populace.
Personalities of Note
Khabar Greathand is the current Warlord protecting Hashkorrakh. As technology advances all around him, Khabar wishes the same to happen in Hashkorrakh, something which tries to keep secret from his fanatically traditional society. Khabar was a Warchief ten years ago under the last Warlord. After the Orok Kingdom and Army was formed, the last warlord refused to accept any authority that the Orok might have. Khabar then approached the Orok King and told him that were he the Warlord, he would make the King a warchief, and a war ensued, in which Khabar was victorious. Because of this, and some knowledge of his wishes for modernization, opinions on Khabar are split, with his saving graces being his intelligence, the respect paid to his choices of Warchiefs, and his army's success in fighting Lycans.
Murrmon was a warrior during the reign of the last Warlord, and one of great renown and skill, killing many Lycans, and felling many beasts as a hunter. When there were reports of a force of a few dozen Lycans heading into Ascorian land, Murrmon and a small group of elite warriors with their beasts were sent to kill them. Nobody heard from anybody in that group of warriors for a while. At the same time, that group of Lycans was never heard from again. Some people reported seeing Murrmon travelling with a group of Marrmbakh nomads, but since they wear masks nobody was certain. Finally, around the time of Khabar's ascension as Warlord, Murrmon appeared at a village in his home region of Veshan. He simply wished to live with them, but after a couple of months, he was made chief. After hearing he had become a chief, Khabar asked him to be a Warchief, but he declined, and started a family.
Pala was born in a small village in the Taiga of Yoklawo. From a young age, she showed a great aptitude for magic, taming rabbits and other small animals in her free time. She had dreams of becoming a Shaman, but, while this was not prohibited, was uncommon. A couple years ago when she was 16, the hunters of her village, of which her brothers and father were included, had discovered that a Taiton, the land Be'emot, was coming dangerously close to their village. Seeing as their village shaman was at Khu'ege at the moment and their was already a Taiton currently tame, they had no choice but to kill it, something incredibly dangerous. Pala knew that their was no chance the hunters would defeat it, and worried for her father and brothers. After it had been a week since the hunters left to kill the Taiton, Pala departed, and, using beast magic, found the Taiton before the hunters did. Then she did something that had never been done before; she tamed it alone. When she came back to the village, the people were shocked as the massive beast followed behind the small girl. The hunters returned, no idea as to what would come next. When the village shaman returned from Khe'ege, he was even more mystified, and informed the villagers that he had gotten word while on his trip that the previous tamed Taiton had died. Pala was quickly made a shaman, and is now the controller of the land Be'emot.
A childhood friend of Khabar, Nakhse is a well respected warrior and tamer, perhaps only surpassed in skill as a warrior by Murrmon. Nakhse is also a skilled weaponscrafter, his polearm a large deviation from the usual Egerrakh spear. He is named for the albino rhinoceroses he rides, and has been made one of Khabar's warchiefs.
The first King of the Orok, Pulo is behind the Orok unification, and is loved and respected by virtually all Orok. He is marked by his ambition and cunning, as well as by the authority with which he carries himself. Some believe that he wishes to become Warlord. Others believe he wants more than that; that what he desires is for all of Hashkorrakh to come under the authority of the Orok kingdom. But for now, he still maintains his loyalty as Warchief to Khabar.
Institutions
Marrmbakh: Though not an organization, the Marrmbakh carry significant authority in Ascor. People are rarely Marrmbakh their whole lives, rather, people who feel lost, rejected, or are fleeing some kind of threat, will often join a Marrmbakh band for some time, where they may maintain complete anonymity for as long as they like. Mammoth herders and nomads, the Marrmbakh, though seeming to lead them, actually follow the mammoths on their migration, meaning the Marrmbakh paths are based completely on migratory mammoth trails. While the Marrmbakh collect milk from the mammoths, the vast majority of ivory come from the plains mammoths of the steppes. Due to their frequent trade with foreigners, the Marrmbakh are more technologically advanced than most of their fellow Egerrakh, and use metal armor.
Krakaba: The most depraved and thrill seeking members of Egerrakh society, Krakaba live in bases along the Ascorian coast, and, as a livelihood, hunt Krakens. While their meat is somewhat valuable, most agree that the Krakaba simply do this for the thrill, and simply to say they did. Their, of course, is a high mortality rate among the Krakaba, and like the Marrmbakh, there are hardly any Krakaba who are such for their whole lives. Known by their massive barbed harpoons and their special canoes, the most famous and largest Krakaba base is the old Ogre port up north.
Orok Kingdom: Around a hundred and fifty years ago, many Egerrakh became displeased in the disunity and simplicity of Ascorian life. Believing that they, as sentient beings, have a right to own the land, they gathered in the west of the country, and domesticated wild oxen to create the Aurochs, which they named after themselves, the Orok, meaning "Third System", since three is seen as the number of perfection in the Egerrakh religion. They also domesticated wolves, creating a new breed of dog, something especially controversial with wolves being symbolic of evil. Turning away from traditional spear and rhino warfare that the Egerrakh usually fought, the Orok villages started maintaining specific people as warriors, armed with shields, whatever armor they could get, and a new type of axe-like machete. They would also use their dogs, known as 'Balto', in warfare.
A decade or two ago, the Orok villages, led by an Orok chief named Palo, decided that, to be truly unified, the Orok must form a kingdom. The warriors of all the villages were put together, and a new Orok capital started to be built, designated to be the first Egerrakh city, known as Ornishken. Due to the removal of all intertribal warfare, as well as a constant food source, the Orok population began growing fast, and now make up 20% of the whole population. Now, Palo seeks to form new relationships, and end the previous isolation of Hashkorrakh.
Military
Organization: The warlord leads the army of Hashkorrakh, and does so from his hold. The recruitment and management of this army is coordinated by his warchiefs, the number of which is his decision. Money doesn't exist, so the main benefits of joining the Warlord's army are fulfilling a traditional sense of duty and food. Egerrakh warriors prefer to avoid pitch battle, and rely on ambush tactics using spears and the Shokhma, the traditional machete. Meanwhile, the Orok army prefers to use shieldwalls.
Troop Total: 10,000 tribesmen, 3,000 Orok, around 4,000-5,000 tame beasts
Army: In addition to the Warlord's Egerrakh warriors, the driving force behind the Ascorian army are the tame beasts, which are either tamed by tamers employed by the warlords and warchiefs or traded for in exchange for food and other commodities.
Navy: Little to no navy exists in Hashkorrakh. The water Be'emot, the Krakumal, is the only thing that could be used to combat foreign navies. Aside from that, the Krakaba kraken hunters are the closest thing that could be seen as any sort of navy.
Other: An extremely important part of the Ascorian military are the three Be'emot. One Be'emot lives on land, one in the ocean, and one in the sky.
The Flying Be'emot, native to the southern Berrnar mountains, is the Rok. These massive eagles will travel miles from their mountainous homes to hunt suitable megafauna, and have been known to even hunt mammoths in the past, being about twice the size of one.
The Water Be'emot, living off the coast of Hashkorrakh, is known as the Krakumal, or Kraken Whale. Though they are best known for eating krakens, which are a mainstay of their diet, they will eat practically any sea creature they can get their jaws around.
Finally, the Land Be'emot, native to the forests of Yoklawo, is known as the Taiton, or, to foreigners, the Tree-eating Rhino-Sloth. As their name implies, the mainstay of these surprisingly herbivorous creatures' diet is trees, which they crush with their powerful jaws. Because of the obvious difficulties in uprooting trees, Taitons have also been known to consume wooden structures, something which has caused conflict in the past between them and Ege'rrakh. Due to their size and thickness of skin, trees will sometimes grow on their backs, which they usually remain unaware of.
Magic is used to enhance tame Be'emot's strength, speed, durability, and whatever other traits would be helpful in combat.
Additional Strengths and Weaknesses
One of the major strengths of the Egerrakh are their hunters. In addition to the Warlord's army, the Egerrakh hunting tradition allows for hunter militias to form if invaded, who craft their own weapons.
A weakness is the lack of any sort of monetary system. This prohibits major advancement in technology and industry. Another weakness that is tied to this is the lack of infrastructure, with the mammoth trails being the only true infrastructure that exists.
Something that acts as both a strength and a weakness are the krakens which live off the coast. While this inhibits naval invasion, it also blocks off trade, and the development of a proper navy.
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