Vo'lin Krae Khaa

Founded in AB INITIO 50

Structure

The Vo'lin themselves are supposed to be the rulers of the country. As a group, they're in charge of the laws, the well-being of the people, trades, and how to handle criminals. They've permanently changed Saraa, as they have turned the Saraai violent and individualistic. Those who know of the Vo'lin and want them to stay in power for as long as they live are given honorary titles, as if it were a sort of secret society membership pass. Take Ukari- her name would be Kh'ukari, as she's a part of them.

Culture

As a part of the Vo' or Vo'lin, one can only be able to accept a ruthless and explosive demeanor. Those from Saraa almost never have a heart or time for anyone immigrating to their land; they can hardly stand each other long enough to stand outsiders.They believe that they're the only people who should get to live in the desert, and as such, almost constantly try to expand into the Sajavi. Yet they don't want to move- they think the plains or forest too 'easy' living for them, and would much rather showboat their own survival skills to others. Within their own country, many of them interact but few ever get along.

Public Agenda

The 'public' agenda of the Vo'lin Krae Khaa is to take care of the country, keeping the people in check and the country safe from harm. They keep up with a slight façade, one that makes it seem as if the most important thing they want for the whole of the Saraa is important to the people. The truth is they're only in it for themselves, keeping intruders out for personal benefit and preferring to start a war as it's "good for training". The Vo' may care about more than themselves if they were in power, but the Vo'lins' only decisions are ones they make for themselves.

Assets

The Vo'lin Krae Khaa have all the resources of the kingdom at the disposal. They won't always use all of it at once- to keep up the charade, so they tell themselves. Some of these things include the military, the treasury, the limited materials of the desert, and the cities. They also happen to be placed in an underground city with a large mass of water at its disposal- water is scarce, especially where they live in the desert, and having the cache freely available is something treasured for whatever people live in the hidden city.

History

The Vo'lin Krae Khaa may have been founded in A.B.I. 50, but it wasn't officially recognized until the first century, A.B.I. 100. The reason for this is the Kierism- originally, the Vo'lin were maintained as seven atop a secret uprising for the government. When one of them chose the wrong side, he went from Vo'lin to Ov'lin. No one in the kingdom of Saraa is allowed to speak his name. If they do find out, however, and they get caught speaking of him to others, they are to be executed as a public display as soon as one of the Vo'lin is there.

Demography and Population

The Vo'lin Krae Khaa own the entire Saraa, even though they never claim to. They don't have any particular demands for their people- seemingly good governments, while still remaining a good government in general ruled by not-so-great people. In Saraa, most of the land is divided evenly. There is one large settlement in central Saraa, with other, smaller settlements all the way through the desert to both borders. Most of the population, however, is centered on the water- port cities. The average birth and death rate for this area is clearly unstable, but changing in different cities. The birth rate is higher than the death rate in the coastal cities, while in the central cities, the death rate is higher. Closer to the plains, the rates are on average the same.

Territories

The Vo'lin may own all of Saraa, but they also are in control of the Toran Isles. No one quite knows how they got in control of land so far away, only that they happen to own it, and they share the land with the entirety of Chavro. The Vo'lin own the islands unpopulated by foreigners, as per Chavran and Vo'lin agreements. The only way anyone knows the Toran Isles even are part of Vo'lin territory are because of the few Vo' stationed there. For one, there is Kh'ukari, who has lived in the Toran Isles near her whole life. Then there is Vo'adilin, a trained member of the Vo'lin military sent on political affairs making peace with islanders. The Toran Isles are loosely related to Vo'lin Krae Khaa's history. High Vo'lin Tan'tari and Vo'lin Vakori were raised there, despite being born in the southernmost area of the Saraa- directly bordering Mariner's Channel. It was decided on being a great source for resources based on the two, henceforth claimed by the organization.

Military

The Vo'lin have no personal military. They are in control of the militia all over of Saraa, with only a small portion of it dedicated to protection in the Toran Isles. The forces are in all the bigger cities, with much smaller portions of the military guarding the tinier cities. The militia itself is trained, but nowhere near professional. They can be bribed, tricked, and turn the other cheek as long as someone has some money to throw at them- yet always loyal to the Vo'lin. However, there is one section of the military entirely loyal- all of them in the capitol city of Saraa, Kiel'kari. In Kiel'kari, the military is fiercely loyal to both the Ton'ae and the Vo'lin. No one would ever be able to bribe them, not even close to what they could for others. Try and you'll be on your back with a weapon at your throat or stuck in prison.

Technological Level

The first and foremost technology available to the citizens is the cal'ii. The parts may be hard to attain, but it's still something that the majority of Saraai own as there's not many ways to travel and survive long distances without one. For the military, the Vo'lin have equipped them with special weapons. These weapons spray sand, and sometimes shards of glass, after being shot. A mechanism in the bullet itself creates a sort of scattershot, opening to be lethal as soon as it leaves the barrel. This weapon, specifically, is only available to the 'inner circle' of their military. There is only one domestic technology they've created, something helping the Saraai to survive in the difficult Sarajavi terrain. This is known as the Ali'kir, panels of sorts, channeling seawater to make a cooling system for houses in everyday Saraa.

Foreign Relations

Foreign relations in the Vo'lin Krae Khaa are tense. Most other governments around Chavro are in negative terms with the Vo'lin, while the Vo'lin would rather form allies and non-aggressive communications around all of Aora. While the Vo'lin would rather not 'make friends' with other organizations, they realize the importance of being on at least semi-good terms. While they have more resources than the normal human, they still live in the desert- they need resources unattainable from the Sarajavi, and trading with other countries might be the only way. Their own relations are 'foreign', in a way, since they aren't directly attached to the Ton'ae Saraa. The Ton'ae Saraa has a more tense bond with them, mainly from the close vicinity. However, the Ton'ae has only a few members, while the Vo'lin has many. They are unable to act in aggression based on power.

Agriculture & Industry

The Vo'lin's culture relies entirely on industry, as they hardly have the right resources for agriculture. Normally, they trade with other places, offering things such as metal and glass in exchange for wood, canvas, or even things just as food. The desert settlements tend to make their cities out of stone and metal, keeping machines so they can refine sand into stone enough to use for the walls and buildings. And yet, the coastal cities depend on their fishing trade, houses made of insulated metal to preserve their trade goods better.

Trade & Transport

Over land, resources are transported using extremely swift sand ships known as 'cal'ii'. The cal'ii are controlled by a split sail, tied down by ropes. A loose piece of wood is used to control whether the sails are open or closed. Most ports have one- they make it easier to get things to inner Saraa. It does make something of a delay, since cal'ii are entirely wood and canvas. Those are hard to come by, only made in ports as they're the center for trades between Arko and the Sarajavi. As for across borders, the only border trades they make are overseas; their cal'ii can be modified as ships, but are only used for contact with tribes in the mountains or forests. As for the Toran Isles, they often trade with the Plains folk and other Islanders- while the Vo'lin may not like it, they have to survive there as well, and the only way to do it is to make use of resources and attempt at easier use of overseas cal'ii.

Education

The members of the Vo'lin's 'entourage', so to speak, are normally already highly trained. There is, however, one central school for all of the less-educated members such as new people or children. It starts out with basic classes, branching out into different jobs after the sixth year. The Vo' people are highly educated, smartened by their classes in whatever they took. The few who are uneducated, and there are some, choose not to take classes at the only school and instead remain with their families as they are. Classes are separated based on intelligence rather than age, and so has made their system for intelligence that much different. So someone who was twelve could be at the same level as someone thirty, provided they had the same skills. Their intelligence system is also not based on 'classroom knowledge' so much as application.

Infrastructure

Inside the framework of Saraai cities, there's a natural method to the changes and neighborhoods revolving around the 'nobles' area toward the center of the city. In the two capitols, Kiel'kari and Kir'aer, there are something akin to castles- in Kiel'kari, a castle for the Ton'ae. In Kir'aer, one for the six Vo'lin. They have a system of shoddy stone roads connecting their cities for anyone wishing to travel on foot. Otherwise, there's merely a space directly between dunes for the cal'ii to travel on. Each town is surrounded by a massive stone wall, protecting against the vicious sandstorms often hitting the southern Sarajavi. In the cities themselves, there are two main things. Their sewage heads directly underground, straight into a large cesspool of waste leading in a pipe out into the eastern ocean. The other is interconnected city structures, marking places where a shop or hall would be that way in another city, they can be similarly easily located.

Ton'ae Vo'lin

Founding Date

AB INITIO 50

Type

Secret, Government

Alternative Names

Vo'lin

Demonym

Vo Name, Kh'Name, Name'kr

Leader Title

Vo'lin Krae Khaa

Head of State

Ton'ae Kh'rijav

Government System

Oligarchy

Power Structure

Unitary state

Economic System

Market economy

Currency

To say there is an "official" currency of the Vo'lin might be crude. The commoners tend to follow by whatever they can find even remotely close to a currency, from coins to small rocks and even, given the chance, small pieces of wood. It's not entirely a trade system, as the people still rely on these few specific things for buying and selling. The richer side of the Saraa tend to be more into pure coinage- liviros, they're called. They are worth a lot in their day and age, seeing as it's hard for commoners to find these pieces of purified sand and cloth. Many just call them 'livs'.

Major Exports

As far as exports go, the main necessary export the Vo'lin take advantage of is the need for metals and sands. Metals may not be found within the earth, for them, but it's a resource they make and refine better than the other islands have produced thus far. While the metal export trade may be important, other countries and even islands seem to value sand. Sand could be their own way of making fertile soil, as it's useful for that to an extent. With the Vo'lin, it doesn't make too much of a difference as long as other islands are at least somewhat interested in their main geographical attribute.

Major Imports

While the Sarajavi produces metals and stone, it's much more efficient- both cost-wise and economically- to buy stone from travelers who've been to either Mount Cossa or Frost Mountain. Metal, maybe not, but stone is less of a problem for a mountain. As far as necessary imports, both the Vo' and the Saraai desperately need lumber and wood from forests such as the Arko. They could request things from the Plains or Isles, yet those resources aren't as vast and wouldn't be able to support an entire society's method of transportation.

Location

Sarajavi Desert

Official Languages