The Khilaia
'Khilaia' means 'community' or 'assembly' in the old language of Motosui. It is the community that all Selkies are born into, the great family that unites every selkie fleet and community on the planet. The Khilaia decides who gets to undergo the Test of the Depths- the ritual that grants every selkie their sacred pelt and marks a selkie. One's pelt defines a selkie, marking them as a competent adult. As the Test can only be undertaken on the holy islands, the Khilaia has an absolute monopoly on who is a selkie and who is not.
Once the Khilaia was not unlike other governments, but the selkies have multiplied rapidly in the past 2000 years. What was once a few thousand people living on two remote islands has now become millions of people actively migrating around the world. The Khilaia cannot track each individual, but rather keeps a tabs on communities as a whole- if a community is in excommunication, they must seek special exemption to be allowed on the holy isles.
The Khilaia also stores the pelts of the dead for safekeeping and keeps copies of every selkie fleet's agreements with outsiders. While it does not micromanage the affairs of each fleet, it does track agreements made in its name and put serious effort into limiting the number of pelts are in circulation.
The kingdoms of Arashoka and Kakoru are also technically "marches" of the Khilaia, united into a confederacy. These marches as well as fleets seeking glory and loot, will sometimes form "Imperial Fleets" for the Khilaia- used to threaten and extort resources, trade deals, and port treaties with nearby kingdoms.
Structure
Within the Khilaian islands, the administration has multiple ranks
- The Revered Speaker is the most prestigious of the Circle of Elders and the tie-breaking vote.
- Grand Elders sit on the Circle of Elders, the supreme authority of the Khilaia. Ten Grand Elders exist at any time, selected by the rest of the council
- The Watakilaia, or assembly callers, are the officers of the Motosui assembly. This group of 25 coordinates between the Motosui Assembly and the Circle of Elders and serves as the leadership of the Motosui Assembly
- The Motosui Assembly, once a meeting of community elites from across the islands, now sits as the secondary authority of the Khilaia. This group of 370 manages the affairs, treaties, and direction of the Khilaia. Each member is chosen from a Pod, coordinated through the Sea-Marches. The Holy Islands receive 10 representatives, and each exarch gets five.
- The Exarch of Motosui manages the Holy islands directly, along with a small council. They are chosen by the Revered Speaker.
- Marches, led by Exarchs: Land kingdoms that are permanent members of the Khilaia
- Sea-Marches or Navies, led by Viceroys: 200+ crews, typically managing selkies in an established region
- Pods or Armadas, led by Grand Admirals: 100-200 crews
- Fleets, led by Admirals: 20-100 crews
- Flotillas, led by Grand Captains: 2-20 crews
- Crews, led by Captains: A single ship, usually manned by 1-3 extended family units. Crews typically man 1 sanctified ship (a ship that has been verified as up to standards by Motosui officials), but can have several auxiliary vessels as well.
History
The Khilaia originated as a meeting of island elders that predates the divine intervention and birth of selkies as a race. As the island ventured further and further out and made contact with the outside world, the Khilaia became a permanent council of the ten tribes in 80ME. This unity only strengthened as the number of selkies colonizing Arashoka skyrocketed and the need for lumber and cloth increased. In 275ME, the council was seized in a coup by a young druid that crowned himself king and led the united selkies into the War of Five Deserts. Through great luck, several betrayals, and a brilliant commander (Kova) that seized power herself as the first Empress of All Seas, the selkies hijacked the existing empire of Marsham and conquered all the way to Shenerem in the East in 300. After Kova's death in 305, the empire was split into many pieces. The claimants turned on one another, fighting viciously as one after another fell to local rebels. By 500, no claimants remained and the empire had vanished as quickly as it had appeared. The circle of elders was restored in 400 after several failed emperors, and it was business as usual. The massive tidal wave of loot and prestige that had entered the holy islands supercharged expansion, as the selkies surged across Samvara and Larazel. The two colonial march kingdoms slowly formed from intermixing of selkie colonists and local tribes, forming into fully-fledged states by 600. The arrival of a meteor of Starmetal in the South only prompted more expansion.
In 900, a Khilaian priest named Milen, who had accumulated a large and successful expedition crew, petitioned the Khilaia for permission to launch an invasion of the nearby Samvaran kingdoms for tribute, using the old claims from the first empire. Through shrewd politicking, he received permission to invade Marsham. Rather than invade directly or begin raiding, Milen supported a candidate in a Marsham coup in exchange for tribute- seizing his loot without ever seiging a city. Building up clout and prestige, Milen hit bigger and bigger targets, raiding and extracting tribute and he interfered in local politics and took control of trade routes. By 915, Milen had become a steamroller that no longer needed Khilaian permission. When a minor rebellion in Arashoka broke out in 916, Milen had himself declared Emperor of All Seas after he put it down. In 920, Milen had forced treaties and tribute from most of the Samvaran coastline, even launching expeditions up the Emprian rivers, and yet he hungered for more. He began setting up outposts along the Northern coast, preparing for a grand invasion. After putting down a series of rebellions and taking hostages from most Samvaran kingdoms from 920 to 930, he prepared his most ambitious gambit: the conquest of Shirpatra, the land of Aysha the Immortal Suntower and the Lunar God Haru. Hoping to extract blessings, magical loot, and powerful warriors from this mystical land, Milen launched a grand expedition in 931 to Shirpatra. He was struck down in the ensuing siege of Suwirsha, city of light, taking down the powerful solar light-giver Ponder the Lightbringer with him. The Khilaian Elder Council, never having been disbanded, simply did not appoint a successor after his death.
Infighting and corruption within the Khilaia prevented them from capitalizing on the massive wealth brought to them by Milen. It did fuel continued massive expansion, especially with a reliable series of outposts through the North. March kingdoms had their civil wars, but the Khilaia remained apart from it all. Reforms from 1200 to 1600 came in bursts, but turned the system into a functional bureaucracy. In the middle of all this rejuvenation, there was a brief disruption- a brutal civil war in Arashoka led to a selkie fleet being hijacked by a human warlord named Veshita and sent to the holy islands. As her fleet betrayed their selkie allies and attempted to attack the islands to crown her as Empress of All Seas, she became the first person to survive the island guardian Kailio . Sacrificing her men to distract the Kaiju-otter, she hurried to Okailu with her closest retinue and stormed the Khilaia Chambers. Slaughtering many of the elders, she crowned herself Empress of the Seas before being successfully killed by sacred guards the next day.
Veshita's 1580 attempted coup was a startling wake up call for the Khilaia, prompting aggressive reform. The moment of wakefulness was countered by its own reactionary wave, and the Khilaia was muddled in infighting and corruption from 1600 to 1950. A slow reform movement has been unifying the islands and reducing corruption as of late, and the Khilaia is slowly returning to its former power. What it intends to do with that remains to be seen.
Demography and Population
The number of Selkies beholden to the Khilaia number somewhere around 30 million, not counting the March-kingdoms.
Over 5,000,000 Selkies travel the world in Khilaia-represented migratory crews (with even more being unrepresented due to slow administration even more live in fleet-associated trading posts in foreign lands (this number is uncertain, but at the very least 2,000,000 permanent residents worldwide). 300,000 Selkies live permanently on the Holy Islands. Another 700,000 live on the collection of satellite islands colonized by the selkies in the Western ocean. At least another 5,000,000 travelling Selkies are associated with the fleets while moving on their own in small bands or settling down outside the fleets.
Territories
The Khilaia claims the surface of every ocean, a claim that few challenge or take seriously. More substantially, they control the Khilaian Isles, a smattering of satellite islands across the Western sea, and over 180 outposts in foreign ports. It is illegal for non-selkies to step food on the soil of the holy islands- all foreigners seeking a meeting with an important Selkie must wait in a luxury guest barge off the coast.
Military
The Khilaia has never called every fleet together as a navy, but the idea of 150,000 high-quality ships (well over 1000 Spanish Armadas) manned by the best sailors and armed to the teeth sailing at one target is enough to scare even the mightiest emperor. The Khilaia expects every ship that docks at Motosui to meet Khilaian standards: as a warship, a travelling ship, and a merchant ship. These ships are expensive to build and maintain, but the entire model is built around doing just that.
Selkie fleets work as mercenaries, merchants, and pirates and selkie children are often trained at both sailing and naval warfare from a young age. Even the threat of a full armada attacking a settlement is enough to scare most armies off of attacking.
In the rare instances where the Khilaia has actually gone to war, it typically gathers together a grand Armada around a commander elected by the gathered crews. Participation in armies is somewhat voluntary, but incentivized, as participating fleets gain both loot and clout within the Khilaia.
The Khilaian land military is essentially non-existent outside of 2,000 sacred guards that patrol the holy islands (largely to deter thieves and coups). The Khilaia has not ordered a land occupation since the 400's ME, and individual selkies who try often recruit local governments or mercenaries to do so for them.
Religion
The Khilaia safeguards the Selkie traditions, referred as Hamekun, and is the center for organized priesthood. Those of the islands are allowed to practice other religions as long as they perform the rituals and traditions loyally, though the ban on outsiders means that foreign temples are more like informal shrines.
Those born on the Khilaian islands have access to a meritocratic university system, which selects a handful of the best and brightest to become Imperial Priests- high status religious employees of the Khilaia. The majority of imperial priesthood positions are sacred guard and clerk positions that are not particularly holy, but there are a few sacred orders that are a little more unique.
- The Keepers of the Dead, who gather, protect, organize, document, and do itineraries of the pelts of deceased selkies, kept in the Sacred Crypt of Motosui (a fortress in its own right). They also coordinate pelt shipments and track reports of stolen pelts. Keepers are high-status priests capable of excommunicating crews if they lose pelts to outsiders, and may even organize armed expeditions to retrieve caches of pelts. This is a part of the cult of Daykai
- War Callers, who organize raid reports and bring reports of threats before the Motosui assembly. This martial cult often sends its members abroad to gather intelligence and make connections. This is a part of the Cult of Kiasian
- the Children of Glass, priests who specialize in purifying in impure. Some are trained as doctors, others as ship inspectors, but all know how to perform the rituals sanctifying the Holy Islands. This is a part of the Cult of Otala
- the Threadbearers, who tie ritual knots of sanctified thread before the assembly as a physical manifestation of each treaty. More importantly, they gather, copy, store, and organize the many treaties made by Khilaian crews. This is a part of the Cult of Daykai
- The Loremasters, who master magical and scientific arts to better equip the Khilaia. Some arrange to be sent to foreign courts to acquire arts, magic, and technology; others study their own arts in the university. This is a part of the Cult of Runae
- The Wardens of Land and Sea, two groups that manage the land use of the holy islands and prevent the exhaustion or resources or extinction of species. Associated with the cults of Padimak and Kanaido
- The Cult of Kanaido, Goddess of the Seas
- The Cult of Daykai, God of the Selkie People
- The Cult of Kailio, God of Protection and Safety
- The Cult of Padimak, Goddess of the Earth
- The Cult of Runae, God of Magic, Knowledge, and Death
- Cult of Kiasian, Goddess of War, Storms, and Hunting
- Cult of Otala, God of Peace, Rain, Fertility, and Music
Foreign Relations
The Khilaia has no formal allies, but a massive number of trading partners. Its influence is extreme, yet few kingdoms call it a friend. Individual fleets often have great relationships with their host countries, but the Khilaia as a whole is often seen as distant, imperious, and threatening. It prefers this- it is a useful negotiating resource for individual crews and the Khilaia has little need for formal friends.
Agriculture & Industry
After the island was almost completely deforested several times and the ecosystem was demolished before the Circle of Elders appointed the Wardens of Padimak- a holy order of druids- to reorganize land use in the 900s ME. Now farming is kept very carefully within marked bounds and made more bountiful by druids, while carefully curated forests and preserves sit fallow. They do produce food- edible produce is planted and protected- but not very efficiently. The Warden's powers were expanded to fishing in the 1500s after overfishing began depleting the waters around the isles as well. Constant magical enhancement is the only thing allowing for the island to maintain its current population, which is carefully capped at 300,000 (surplus population is sent out either with a new crew, on an expedition, or to a march kingdom). Thanks to food imports and careful management, the holy islands are comfortably fed. This system does not lend the population much to farming or natural resource production, leading to a very urban population.
The dense semi-urban population led to education reform, which has in turn led to a large number of administrative jobs.
Trade & Transport
Selkie fleets work to bring both children looking to undergo the Trial of the Depths and goods to and from the holy islands. Motosui, as a nexus for selkie travel from around Halika, has a ludicrous variety of trade goods.
Education
Crews educate their children abroad on-deck as a community. There are specific formulas of stories and teaching methods to educate young selkies in the ways of being proper crew-members. Much of this is built around teaching cultural norms and sailing skills as well as otter handling and fishing. It also includes a literacy and basic math skills, with particularly astute selkie children continuing their education while apprenticing with the crew treasurer. Outposts imitate many of these practices, as they work to act like landed crews.
The actual holy islands have a very rigorous education system for those who have the privilege of living there. From ages 10 to 20, selkie children of Motosui are educated in public schools funded by the Island Exarch. This can continue at the Grand Academy from 20 to 25 for those selected to pursue higher arts. The Grand Academy teaches children to become priests, engineers, natural scientists, architects, druids, bards, and wizards. All graduates of the academy are inducted into the priesthood, typically dedicating their lives to the Holy Islands. Graduates keep the pelts, analyze treaties, keep the island biome healthy, perform rituals, keep fleet ships up to standard, and research new innovations in naval technology. Given the informal state of the religion, this is only semi-theocratic.
The Seas Belong to Us
Founding Date
300ME/1681ME
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Alternative Names
The Community, The Selkie Empire
Demonym
Khilaian
Government System
Oligarchy
Power Structure
Transnational government
Economic System
Traditional
Currency
Ekedian Gold Suns, Silver Moons, and Copper Bats
Major Exports
The concept of being a selkie
Major Imports
Food, lumber, iron, tar, spices, cloth, textiles, spices, luxury goods, stone, precious stones, precious metals, sulfur
Legislative Body
The Circle of Elders
Judicial Body
The Moon Court
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Official Languages
Related Traditions
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Species
Related Ethnicities
Related Plots
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments