The Onyx Kingdom/Xhou Xhourdo- (Xsh-ou Xshou-Rdoo)
Dark Star
Unlike most kingdoms, Dark Star, or The Onyx Kingdom to outsiders, is ruled by a military general who also holds political power. Typically the military general is considered the ruler, with the political mess left to advisors and nobles. Under the free spirited rule of Jackal, or Hgeh, Dark Star has risen rapidly since their formation.Structure
The Shlnndt (echlng-dt)
The Shlnndt is the title of the first queen, and is assumed to be the title carried by future rulers of the kingdom. The Shlnndt oversees all of the kingdoms operations, and has the power to enact "Selective Pardons", allowing criminals, bandits, and even opposing warriors freedom from their cells in exchange for brief military service. The Shlnndt also can create building projects, as well as overrule passing laws if enough support for the veto is gathered from the citizens of the capital. They have to attend a weekly meeting, along with their advisors and other powerful figures in The Onyx kingdom, unless they are on a campaign.The Shlefh (Echle-fu)
On the military side the second in command is called The Shlefh, and typically refers to who assumes command of military forces if the Shlnndt isn't present. However the Shlefh is also known to lead command the Shlnndt into battle on occasion. The Shlefh is also responsible for overseeing the training and recruiting of soldiers, organizing equipment, and personally training specialized troops. The Shelfh must be able to speak common and at least one other language for military meetings. And must be strategically intelligent, as well as book smart.The Dtouzo
The people tied by blood to the Shlnndt are called Dtouzo (Due-zhoo), they handle matters the Shlnndt is unable to attend to due to more important matters. Things like pirate relations, political relations, weekly meetings, as well as handling the staff of the Shlnndt's castle. That's not to say the Dtouzo are without political power of their own, as the blood relation holds bias for the citizens and other political figures. The Dtouzo are allowed to take on any political role, as long as they earn it as any other person would. They can also rally troops of their own under The Onyx Kingdom banner, speak personally with religious figures to garner support, and host banquets in the Shlnndt's castle. However, a Dtouzo cannot pass or veto laws, demand tax or loyalty, recruit specialized troops unless given express permission by the Shlefh, or handle diplomatic relations with other kingdoms. For this reason, The Dtouzo are often reffered to as a "Lesser power".Rdozhou (rrdoo-zshou)
Members of the original Dark Star clan, their blood relatives, and other figures of importance like religious leaders, and leaders of other tribes and settlements and their blood relatives, Rdozhou is a general term for political leaders. A rdozhou could have a number of individual roles within the kingdom, like treasurers, governors, and shamans. A single Rdozhou typically has ownership over a field they specialize in, so a shaman or doctor Rdozhou will typically have some say over things like hospitals, medicinal practices, and can even initiate lockdowns or quarantines. Some Rdozhou specializations cross multiple fields, so a Shaman trained Rdozhou could handle both medicine and spiritualism matters, like churches dedicated to divines or wild gods. Or even diplomatic relations to the local tribes. However, if they seem to be doing more harm than good, through a voting process, their title can be revoked.History
Originally starting out as a small tribe around a small oasis, Dark Star wasn't considered anything more than a local settlement. That was until one of their members, daughter of the chieftain, left the tribe suddenly for eight years, only to return with a small girl holding her hand. The mother declared the child to be the future of the Dark Star tribe.
That child, as soon as she was declared warchief, utilized unorthodox tactics to wipe out numerous bandit clans that surrounded her tribe. And, much to the confusion of her warband, added the spared and wounded bandits to her forces, then proceeded to march her forces through a local settlement's village. The act, as planned, drew out the previous kingdoms forces. The kingdom before hand was considered tyrannical, even by other kingdom's standards. Not only that, their military was heavily armed, using their wealth to supply their soldiers with incredible gear. As soon as these forces were visible, the warchief began raining arrows upon them, but no arrows hit a single soldier. Instead, these arrows pierced the dune they were crossing, displacing the sand and causing them to rapidly sink.
These tactics quickly made Jackal popular, the following she gathered allowed her to enact one long campaign of hitting soldier encampments, and liberating villages from their rule. and when she arrived at the gates of the capital city, the gates opened, letting her forces march in and wipe out those loyal to the tyrants rule. This ended the notion that the capital was impossible to capture.
And, just like that, the Dark Star tribe became a clan, then a kingdom with Jackal as queen. The youngest queen, or ruler in general, claiming the dunes at the young age of seventeen. The young queen quickly grasped politics, ensuring no threat to her rule through those means. Her liberation also included the opening of the borders to outsiders, and the creation of a merchant port for travelers. Ever free spirited, Jackal also created a port and harbor town specifically for pirates on the outskirts of the capital, just outside the sandstone walls that surround it.
Comments