Umjtia Tribal Zu'aan

History

Neighbouring the Vesia Dense Forest derives its name from the fact that it has been inhabited for many many centuries, way before the kin’toni outbreak even occurred. It was a large expanse of trees such as pine, larch, spruce, and fur as well as birch and poplar in small minorities, which proved to be very useful and important for a nation to survive. Hence, many early civilisations used the region as a place to get these useful resources and then leave for their own nations, until a few people chose to become settlers and claimed a large majority of the forests as their own.

Claiming they would make a new nation there and called themselves the Umjtia; this provoked mixed responses from the neighbouring nations with some being sceptical and believing that the rulers would fail to turn the region into a new nation, whilst others were fearful that they would lose the woodland which could be detrimental for their communities. Predicting the latter, the Umjtia chose to give away sections of land on the borders of the region to the neighbouring nations as gifts, and also made a line of woodland that was said to be a clear border that should not be trespassed or taken.

And that if this took place military action would take place. For many years, the neighbouring nations were compliant with these conditions and were satisfied with their share of land, yet some leaders chose to become more greedy and enter the buffer zones that had been set, thinking they were discrete and would not be caught. To their surprise, the Umjtia were prepared and the lumberjacks sent into the buffer zone were taken hostage, with the leaders of the Umjtia interrogating the hostages to find out what nation they were from and then contacting that nation.

To which they would say how the nation could either pay a ransom or have their actions exposed to the public. Many were willing to pay the ransom to avoid embarrassment and also anger from other nations who would have condemned them for these actions, and hence the Umjtia made a large profit as a result of this. Some nations even tried to use military force only to be met with the surprisingly powerful Umjtia who would capture the enemy soldiers and then threaten their nation’s leaders with an invasion.

This continued on for many years but the Umjtia were always successful and continued to grow and thrive as well as prosper with the influx of migrants into the region, seeing its potential – even those that had been cynical beforehand were left in a state of shock and surprise by the progress that was being made. As the location became one of the most advanced nations in the area, the kin’toni outbreak suddenly took place which would have caused tensions had it not been for the Umjtia accepting the kin’toni after realising how the kin’toni would be beneficial due to their stronger, faster and overall better nature than zu’aan.

And hence the Umjtia decided to name themselves the Umjtia kin’toni clan. As years progressed on and on with kin’toni domination increasing, a divide took place in the region which resulted in a large section of forest to the north of the Wlaic Old Taiga becoming the Vesia Dense Forest and then inhabiting a new kin’toni clan called the Utaie kin’toni clan. Despite this division, both nations were still powerful and successful, and continued to live on with their rich history.

Psychology

The Wlaic Old Taiga has always been a soothing location and rich in history, with the belief that it has been populated for many centuries and was one of the earliest civilisations. The people that inhabited it were spread across the expanse and had plenty of space so always felt a sense of liberation and freedom, as well as relaxation as a result of the calm atmosphere with the peaceful trees that towered overhead, letting in glimmers of aureate sunlight and being the resting place of the cheerful birds that chirped away without any hassles or worries, whilst the other animals made their noises that were almost like music to the region.

Birdsong was the most notable and famous aspect, as a myriad of birds would fly into the region, each with their own tunes and melodies that could soothe the mind. As a result of this, it was the goal of the inhabitants to make sure that this tranquillity was never disturbed and that all these aspects of the region were preserved, which is why the zu’aan made it their priority to protect and preserve the land from any issues such as cutting down too many trees or destroying the homes of animals to make room for housing and other buildings.

As well as being gleeful, delighted people, the zu’aan of the Wlaic Old Taiga were very disciplined and took inspiration from nature by claiming that structure was necessary for success. A philosopher that had resided in the region for most of his life says how “the reason why this region is so beautiful is because of its structure. Look at how everything works together, how systematic it all is. For instance, observe the trees – they are necessary as they provide resources for us zu’aan and habitats for the animals. Then look at the animals, and how the plants grown can be food for us and them.

Then those animals are eaten, either by us or by other animals. As time progresses, this continues, and more seeds grow into food and more babies grow into adults and then when the right time comes, they die to make room for the future. This is all a stunning, complex yet intriguing way of life, one I have learnt from this forest.” Relating to philosophy, the ethics of the Umjtia were that they would practise meditation to soothe the mind and connect with their surroundings as well as any possible deities, and that anger should be controlled and if possible, dispersed out as a form of useful energy such as working extra hard.

The Umjtia tended to be pacifist which is why they gave the shares of land as gifts to prevent conflicts where violence may have had to be used, but as voracity and ravenousness corrupted some politicians the Umjtia were forced to start a military and were determined to train them and mould their troops into some of the greatest and most formidable defenders of the region, protecting it from all threats and preserving it for future generations.

Culture

Since the origins of the Umjtia, there has always been plenty of culture in the Wlaic Old Taiga, with some traditions and customs from centuries ago still being practised. For example, the region has always been very talented in wood carving, with many carpenters and also architects being extremely prodigious in their art and allowing for beautiful creations to be made, ranging from comfortable, durable furniture like tables and chairs to large scale houses and huts, designed with lavish, impressive wood engravings. As time progressed, housing improved with the use of new materials for better insulation and strength.

Such as an increase in the use of stone that could be mined from the hilly parts of the region or bricks that would be imported from foreign nations. In the northern regions, housing started incorporating a lot more stone due to their access to the Oughray Boreal Rockland, however, as more settlers settled in the Oughray Boreal Rockland they were no longer able to make quarries in the region and would instead have to purchase the stone. There was also the construction of roads that were intended to be able to be a way for all the small communities to be linked and have routes to access each other.

Which proved to be very useful for the transport of people and goods across the expanse of the Wlaic Old Taiga. The expanse of the Wlaic Old Taiga was rich in wildlife with many animals. As well as an abundance of fauna, there was also plenty of flora with many beautiful flowers and items that could be foraged – the pretty orchids and stunning sundews were so beautiful that they would be collected by travellers through the region, making floristry a key aspect of the income of the region. Furthermore, many berries could be found all of which could be made into jams or even sauces to have with other dishes, as well as juices as a refreshing beverage.

The multitude of mushrooms that could be found could be made into a sauce or even barbecued or be an addition to another meal; the mushrooms were known to go particularly well alongside a meat dish. As for clothing, simple outfits would be worn which would usually consist of fabrics made out of rabbit hide, fox hide and the furs of many other animals, combined with leather overcoats and caps that could provide extra warmth and protection against harsh winds or a wintry climate.

During more special occasions, which include traditional festivals celebrating the Wlaic Old Taiga and its history or religious events, the clothing would tend to be more lavish with the wealthier members of society obtaining silk clothing that would be imported from foreign nations far, far away from the region. One of the most expensive silks was mulberry silk, which could only be found in the clothing of the region’s leader due to its pricy nature.

Government

When the Wlaic Old Taiga was first inhabited by its first settlers called the Umjtia, they were in small communities spread across the expanse of land, with no centralised government that would make any decisions or actions that were to be followed by all communities; however, there was a sense of mutuality with all communities having similar rulings with slight adjustments and overall agreement about most subjects and topics. One of these includes the fact that all communities were in agreement that there should be a buffer zone between neighbouring nations.

And that each neighbouring nation has its share of woodland that they can use to gain the valuable, essential natural resources that could be found. Whilst there was no formal leader, the founder of the Umjtia was Darius Alexis and it could be argued that he was the ruler of the new nation and made many of these important decisions that involved foreign affairs. However, as there was an increase in the population size and the number of regions, there was a need to become more united and hence each small community would appoint their own representatives that would go on to discuss with other representatives what events took place in the region.

And other important factors such as taxes, supplies, trading, any issues, and other topics of interest. This ultimately was a step in bringing the region closer together in rule, and slowly there was the foundation of a possible government. After a few talks, the Umjtia decided that the best course of action was to form a centralised government with a single leader and a council of representatives from each community, but there was an issue – how should a leader be decided? There was a difference of opinion with some believing that the descendants of Darius Alexis were rightful heirs to becoming ruler.

Whilst others felt that the communities should be allowed to decide. After heavy discussions, the latter was chosen and a system was formed to elect a new ruler every five years; this system worked by having each community vote for who they wanted to be leader, and then the person who was voted the most in that community meant that the candidate had one representative – the candidate with the most representatives was deemed the leader. This system continues on even after the kin’toni outbreak, although a major event took place once the Umjtia had decided to become the Umjtia kin’toni clan – there was the division of the region.

In the northern areas, some of the kin’toni felt that the region was so big that it could be its own nation or at least clan, and even went so far as to claim that it deserved to have its own rulers and laws separate from the ones followed in the Wlaic Old Taiga. As a result of this, there were severe tensions to the point where the ruler of the Umjtia clan at the time - Domnius Iza - was fearful that this could lead to a civil war, and he was correct as a kin’toni called Velten Warner was determined to make this division take place and declared himself the leader of a new clan called the Utaie kin’toni clan.

Fearing this, Domnius Iza tried to secretly send forces to put down Velten Warner but was unsuccessful as Velten Warner managed to use the support of foreign nations to declare the northern region as the Vesia Dense Forest that would be under the rule of the new Utaie kin’toni clan.

Military

The origins of the Wlaic Taiga Forest and its inhabitants has always been one of peace and harmony. The majority of the early settlers were pacifists and felt that war was unnecessary and saw it as creating unnecessary struggle and harm in the world, taking away the lives of many and leaving the corpses of civilisations, destruction being a tombstone of it. Therefore, the region did not have any active military or combatants, which would have been a very risky move had they not had neighbouring nations with strong militaries and a sense of complacency to allow the region to live the way it liked.

However, it can be argued that the main reason why the Umjtia were able to survive for so long without a military is due to their negotiation skills, which were prodigious and powerful that they may have been more useful and essential than having a strong military force. An instance of these skills being vital was at the very start of the Umjtia, who had decided to offer sections of land to the neighbouring nations so that they could still have parts of the forest and also making a buffer zone to make it clear what part of the Wlaic Old Taiga was theirs.

However, this all had to change when some nations made an attempt to claim more territory than their allowance in the region and thinking they could do so without the Umjtia realising they were met with a surprise when the workers were ambushed and taken hostage to be ransomed. In order to make sure that no further conflict would occur, these prisoners would be looked after very well – with some even willing to stay in the region – and the fact that these nations were trying to infiltrate the Wlaic Old Taiga was kept hidden from other nations so that there would not be harsh feelings between nations.

The Umjtia troops tended to be extremely skilled in guerrilla warfare and could navigate the region extremely well, as well as manipulate stealth and camouflage for powerful ambushes. Traps and snares were also a common option, and as for weaponry they would often use bows with some opting for melee weapons. For armour it would usually be light layers of leather to allow for dexterity and agility that was useful in combat. Yet, there was still the issue with many of the pacifists feeling that the Umjtia would begin to involve themselves in unnecessary wars.

Although this never took place and in the end, it could be seen how the idea of pacifism was too extreme and unsustainable for the nation. There was conflict however during the time when the northern Umjtia clan members tried to split into their own clan and Velten Warner declared himself leader. The Umjtia ruler at the time had the intention of sending troops to secretly put down this threat but was unsuccessful due to the preparations that had been taken by Velten Warner, who had worked out different routes that may have been used to attack them and try to put him down.

A small civil war was believed to be in sight because of this, but Velten Warner decided it would not be best to start a conflict and contacted the neighbouring nations about his decision to split the northern region; it can also be noted that Velten Warner still kept his supporters active as soldiers in the event that he was attacked and those that wanted independence lost their leader. The foreign nations surprisingly offered their support (likely because they saw better opportunities and more malleability with a new clan rather than the already established Umjtia clan) and then it was made official how the northern part of the Wlaic Old Taiga would become the Vesia Dense Forest.

Religion

In the Wlaic Old Taiga, there have been many faiths within it due to its long history of occupation, with a multitude of people of different origins and nationalities migrating into the nation. The Umjtia were very democratic amongst themselves but would act very liberal around those of other faiths, permitting them to worship their own deities providing that they did so out of belief and not to push any ideologies or agendas upon the population. Seeing the conditions as fair, there was no animosity from those of other faiths and there was peace and harmony with all religions being very welcoming to each other and sharing many goods as well as providing care and hospitality to each other.

Soon, many temples were constructed and even shrines, with each community making sure that all members could practise their faith without fear or a lack of facilities. Whilst some faiths started to fear that other religions would overpower them, the ruler of the Umjtia at the time made a ruling stating that it was the duty of the Umjtia to fight against those who tried to oppress and persecute someone due to their beliefs, and hence any sense of anxiety was removed. The faith that the Umjtia practised was one involving the worship of what they called “forest spirits”.

Who were described as beings that roamed around the Wlaic Old Taiga and provided for it such as by bringing rain, sunlight, allowing the plants to grow and the trees to stand strong, etcetera. These spirits were described as being beings of light that would have an emerald, green glow to them, and that they had the ability to hover around at great speeds, running their errands and cultivating the Wlaic Old Taiga so that it was successful and thriving. After their duties, they were perceived to return to their realm which could not be entered by zu’aan, where a mystical being would be reported to by the spirit about what the spirit had done.

And then sent away to do more tasks and watch over the region. To commemorate their beliefs, the Umjtia would construct many shrines which would be decorated with idols and valuable gifts and offerings which were intended to be given to the spirits and give thanks to them for preserving the forest. There would also be many festivals that would take place which involved the zu’aan dancing and singing as well as wearing masks and putting on performances of traditional stories and folklore, whilst others preferred a more liturgical form of worship involving a service where holy people would speak and then everyone would meditate together.

Believing that they could channel the energy within them and project themselves into a state where they could meet the forest spirits and see their actions as well as experience them. With the arrival of the kin’toni into the region and the formation of the Umjtia kin’toni clan, there were no changes made to the allowance of people to follow whatever faith they pleased as long as they did not enforce their beliefs on others, and many of the natives still continued to practise their worship of the forest spirits.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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