Difference between revisions of "Rokan-jin"

Latest revision as of 01:11, 11 April 2013

The Rokan-jin were a tribe of the Northeastern Threshold, allies of the Linowan and tributaries of the Realm. Their domain was not so vast as Linowa, but they were known for the transition of their lands from tribal hunters and small-plot farming towards a more specialized economy, at the encouragement of the Imperial Satrap Tepet Broken Wall. A number of urban settlements had been growing with cobbled roads and fixed buildings in place of the tents favoured by tribal tradition, including the capital at Dan-jin and the settlement atop the fertile rise known as Carnelian Peak, where the satrap had sponsored the planting of vineyards.

In addition to such new developments, the traditional of gathering Truffles and the feathers of Oscillated Seven-faced Birds for payment of tribute had been undergoing expansion into larger scales, bringing some wealth into the local economy and arousing the jealousy of some neighbouring kingdoms.

Rokan-jin society was highly segregated, with women and children engaging in most craft and economic activity, inheritance occurring matrilinealy, and men engaging in hunting and logging as well as raids and military defence.

When the War with the Bull broke out, the Rokan-jin were on the front lines, facing attack from Haltan forces and their Icewalker allies. Forced to retreat, the Rokan-jin lost Carnelian Peak which was sacked by the invaders, but held the line when the Linowan honoured ancient alliance and launched themselves against the Haltan forest. Realm Legionnaires were soon bolstered, and the war seemed to turn in their favour, though they had been bloodied. The front moved north, and their lands saw a brief time of peace.

And then the Bull brought about the end of the Rokan-jin. Demons bombarded their camps and their capital with stone and flame while their armies were in the field fighting amongst the redwoods. This sorcerous assault did not halt until nearly every woman and every child of the Rokan-jin was dead, every home reduced to rubble. The men of the tribe, when the news reached them, lost all morale and expended themselves on wasteful vengeance attacks.

In the wake of the war, there is no more Rokan-jin… no country for it is now under occupation by the Bull of the North, and no tribe for they are mostly dead and the remainder hunted and put to death. A handful persist, in their ancient homeland or amongst the Linowan, still raiding and calling for aid in liberating their land and slaying the Bull, with little success.