Mordel Tribal Zu'aan

History

There are many tribes in the world, following the kin'toni plague, but there are few prouder than those who inhabit the City of Mordel. Mordel, roughly translating to 'Death's End', was founded on the cold flower hills on the site where the zu'aan that would become the Mordel managed to defeat the kin'toni in battle for the first documented time in The Battle of Petals' during the late spring. The Mordel had staged multiple fighting retreats until their leaders decided that there could be no more running. There was nowhere safe left in the world for them and they decided they would rather die on their feet than live in continual fear.

This was a sound judgement. The Mordel were well equipped for battle, their soldiers in bronze breastplates and helmets, armed with long pikes and heavy shields that allowed them to keep the kin'toni at bay when they remained in formation. The cold flower hills gave them an uphill advantage, allowing them to bring their pikes to bear and the kin'toni, crucially would advance with their sun in their eyes. When the kin'toni came, they advanced hard and fast, throwing themselves again and again at the Mordel phalanxes, which held despite the fear that gripped all of them. Men behind the lines lobbed javelins into the kin'toni from safety and lucky strikes saw several leading kin'toni fall, creating gaps in their line which further hampered them against the Mordel.

After hundreds of them had been killed trying to break through the lines, the kin'toni's instincts took over and they retreated from the field. 1,000 zu'aan handed the kin'toni their first defeat, though the Mordel knew that it would not be forever. The site of their victory saw the rise of a settlement, it's streets gridded to allow the Mordel to block and defend them as walls were raised. Several of the hills that surrounded the battlefield were flattened to provide the stone to build a wall tall enough and thick enough for the Mordel to hide behind, surrounding the largest of the hills on top of which they built a large, granite tower with which to keep watch on the kin'toni beyond.

The walls of Mordel are considered an object of quite stunning beauty, despite the haste of their construction as the Mordel, once safe behind them, began to adorn the walls with intricate carvings of their victory over the kin'toni. They hope, perhaps foolishly, that their struggle will be an example to other zu'aan that the kin'toni can be defeated if faced with bravery and skill. Behind their walls, the Mordel began to set up their society. The army became a key fixture of daily life, patrolling the streets with the same style of equipment that won them the day in the Battle of Petals. An interim government was put in place which would be a council, alternatively staffed by different citizens who would be drawn by lottery from the local records.

Schools and other amenities were constructed and an architectural revolution took place as zu'aan were able to finally attempt to recapture some of the glories of their past in this place of relative safety, at least on an aesthetic level. Fine, smooth roads were constructed over the original simple dirt ones and fine, pale stone structures of quite exceptional beauty began to appear of theatres, temples, bath houses,libraries and even personal homes did not lack a spark of engineering genius with primitive heating supplied by running heated water through brickwork and even the smallest houses having multiple rooms across two floors, luxury unheard of to many zu'aan.

These factors are among many that make the Mordel more prepared for the current climate shifts than other Zu'ann. Located near the centre of the world, they are blessed with a significant time gap to prepare for the oncoming increase of ice. Work has already begun to think of new methods to slow the increasing climate disaster or to find elsewhere to flee to should it be unavoidable. Optimism, however misplaced, remains high for the Mordel.

Psychology

The Mordel are fiercely proud of their achievements, though this has made them somewhat insufferable to other Zu'ann. Seeing themselves as a beacon of hope against the kin'toni, the Mordel welcome members of neighbouring tribes to visit them, trade and return with goods and the wonders they have seen. While often impressed, the level of self satisfaction displayed by the Mordel makes many other tribes reluctant to become too close to them. This is not helped by a certain aloofness displayed by the Mordel. Despite their attempts to be a guiding light for their fellow zu'aan, the Mordel have found themselves exasperated by the reluctance of their neighbours to come into their fold.

This has lead to the Mordel remarking that other zu'aan simply aren't very good at anything, be it city craft or bringing an end to the horror of the kin'toni. This attitude has lead to more than a few potential allies being lost to the Mordel, who make little attempt to hide their beliefs. Despite this, the Mordel are highly justified in their pride. Their stubborn nature and their ingenuity lead them to where they are today, in being the first zu'aan to defeat the kin'toni in pitched battle and in their successful establishment of a relatively prosperous city. Despite the mislike of them, several smaller groups of zu'aan live on the outskirts of Mordel, farming and living hard, but safe lives under Mordel protection.

The Mordel have made strides in their development, even with the technological regression of the current era, which has allowed them a level of comfort that is all but dreamlike to other, more primitive zu'aan. Their encouragement of thinkers in their society has allowed them a great advantage, allowing them to fortify their walls with great stone throwers and even alchemical creations that have proved highly effective against those kin'toni who have attempted to breach the walls of Mordel.

Culture

Above all things, the Mordel believe in the virtues of Democracy and of individual brilliance. These two form the core of their culture and the core of their identity. The Mordel are above all things, free and independently minded zu'aan and this is expressed throughout their daily lives. Academic study and theatrecraft are both highly encouraged, as both improve vastly the lives of the people in the city, in terms of entertainment and in terms of comfort. Brilliant playwriters are celebrated members of society, even more so than military heroes or great politicians, but it is the thinkers who are the true soul of the society. To the Mordel, it is far better to be strong of mind than of body and so the city finds itself a strong medicinal culture to keep its best and brightest alive as long as possible.

Some believe a cure for the kin'toni plague is a desired goal of this lifestyle, but as of the modern day, little progress has been made towards this as the kin'toni gene type has diverged so significantly from its origin point that no effective panacea can be conceived. This is kept quiet from the people however to avoid causing a panic. The relative safety of Mordel and the comfort however does lend itself to an individualistic culture. Relatively safe from the dangers outside its walls, the average Mordel has more time to ponder the great mysteries of life. This has lead to some consternation within the city itself as citizens begin to clamour for reform.

The Mordel have a proud, if violent, history of its people protesting what they see as unfair treatment and this has lead to a society in which the zu'aan within are citizens, rather than merely tribal, being bound by social contract in which they serve the city and reap the benefits of doing so. Rights and protections have been fought for and won by the Mordel and while bloody, this has not been entirely discouraged by those in power. Rights and privileges are seen as excellent motivation for a zu'aan to work hard and fight hard for the safety and security of the city and this in turn makes them all safer and more free. ducation is vital to the Mordel to do anything of value in society.

Rather than dedicated study in any one field, the Mordel are encouraged to study a wide ad vast array of subjects to get the broadest understanding of the world around them. This and the theatre has caused a share of problems in Mordel society. Particularly subversive plays and individuals have occasionally caused riots and bills have been introduced to ensure the protection of the theatres themselves as some riots lead to them being dismantled by the crowds, costing a great deal of money to the tribe. Despite this, they prove valuable enough to keep the people in order that the Mordel allow them to continue running, as long as each play is approved by a council vote.

Government

The Government of Mordel is unusual in that is both organised and disorganised at once. The model of legislature is clear - a body of fifty citizens will convene daily for one year and they will vote on any and all decisions related to the running of the city. Where this system differs, however, is in the manner of its choosing. Citizens are bound by social contract that they will serve on the council at least once in their life, though in practice this only applies to men. With Mordel women given the task of controlling the domestic issues of family and maintaining the home, it is only male Mordel that are permitted to engage with the political process. Each individual member is chosen by lottery from a collected roster of male citizens between the ages of 25 and 65.

These men are immediately removed from their daily jobs and are returned to them when their year is over. One man cannot consecutively hold the post more than two years in a row, though may return after a year of absence. Decisions by the council are read by the eldest member and each individual member has the right to give a response to the measure for as long as they are standing. This measure is designed to ensure the members are clear and concise in their arguments, but there is no rule to state that a given members response has to be in any way related to the discussion at hand. This has lead to vehemently opposed members refusing to stop talking in order to prevent the implementation of a particular law and in some cases members have been forcibly removed from their feet to continue proceedings.

This has lead to the presence of specialist soldiers whose job it is to ensure that debates are conducted in timely manners. Inter tribal diplomacy is important to the Mordel and a priority of their foreign policy is to establish alliances with other major cities across the world to form what they see as a defensive coalition against the kin'toni, hopefully eventually the base of offensive action against them. To this end, Mordel ambassadors appear in the major courts of any sufficiently large tribe. While successful on occasion, the often uptight seeming nature of the Mordel does cause some potential allies to keep relations simply cordial.

This tendency to only prioritise relations with other cities has robbed the Mordel of potential allies, but to the Mordel mindset this is practical - only another city state has the appropriate level of development and technology to co ordinate with the Mordel on the same level in their eyes and to compromise with simpler tribes would lessen the effectiveness of overall strategy, or worse, see Mordel troops constantly forced to relocate around the world to defend incapable allies, turning them more into a hinderance than a help. In wartime, the Mordel elect one of their number to be a dictator for the period of the conflict, granting them total power over the armed forces and any relevant city manners as are deemed necessary for the prosecution of conflict.

While staggeringly powerful in theory, the dictatorship is a position of some trepidation. Dictator power lasts only as long as is necessary and can be removed by a majority council vote. This makes it necessary for the wielder to avoid making enemies through strong uses of the power as once they are returned to their previous station those they wronged could seek revenge. This dictatorship has only been taken once in Mordel history to clear bands of kin'toni from the area surrounding Mordel in order to facilitate safer trade routes and construct roads, as well as dealing with corsairs on the river routes that threatened the city trade. Since then, the military might of Mordel has proved sufficient to deter rivals.

Military

The army of the Mordel follows the same model as it did in the days of the Battle of Petals. Its size remains locked at 10,000, though this can be augmented by a general levy of service which draws in all able bodied men from ages 20 to 40 for service. These men will receive the same equipment as professional soldiers, though not nearly the same training. Because the Mordel army is a volunteer force, strong financial incentives are in place to keep men in the army and, as such, it is a choice career for many regardless of station with many Mordel becoming army 'lifers' serving all of their career, barring time on the council, in the ranks of the army.

What has changed is the quality of their equipment. Where the Mordel once fought with scavenged and simple bronze equipment, they now find themselves with advanced and well smithed iron, intricately carved and detailed with the rose that makes up the emblem of the city. Their breastplates and helmets are mirror shined and their thick shields of wood are covered with leather and rimmed in iron, making them thick and sturdy to stand up to heavy damage. Their pikes stand at one and a half times the height of a man and with them now they carry thick bladed swords, excellent for hacking through the thick skin of the kin'toni should they get too close. Javelins are still kept for traditions sake, but compound bows have been phased in to allow soldiers on the walls to effectively deter attackers.

It is the ballistae however, that make the Mordel army to be feared. War engines that look like large bows on mounts, the ballistae are loaded with glass balls containing a thick, gelatinous liquid which ignites on contact with the air. This burning substance has been of particular use fighting the kin'toni who struggle to adapt to its searing blaze. This creation has been the lifeblood of Mordel repeatedly, though it is limited in availability due to the difficulty and danger in manufacturing it. As such, the Mordel rarely deploy it, saving the resource in case of a return of the kin'toni legions to the walls of Mordel. The Mordel also maintain a navy of stout wooden ships which they use to defend both the nearby coastlines and their trade ships and river access which allow them to keep in contact with zu'aan from further afield.

This has allowed for some trade with the Xerea Empire, although attempts by the Mordel to purchase Xerea technology has always been refused. This has lead to a cooling in relations between the two cultures and there has been some call for the Mordel to invade and take the technology by force, though this is always called foolish as sending a force sizable enough to do so would leave the city entirely at the mercy of the kin'toni. In this manner, the Mordel instead use their ships trawl the coastlines around, with orders that any old technology that is found is the be returned to the city at once to fuel the Mordel's continual quest for improvement and understanding.

Religion

Contrary to many other tribes, religion plays no part in Mordel society any longer. While it once was an important feature, the Mordel have long abandoned the spiritual and esoteric in favour of a near fanatical devotion to the academic. Reports from visitors of other tribes have declared their fear or concern on encountering particularly eccentric Mordel thinkers, who have challenged the bounds of conventional thinking. This has caused problems within and without with several thinkers dying at the hands of terrified visitors or even being killed by members of their own who have considered them a nuisance. A smaller amount, though not insignificant have been their own downfall with often bizarre experiments being carried out on themselves in the absence of willing test subjects.

This has included one thinker who believed the power of thought would allow him to fly, a theory he tested by jumping from the watchtower in the middle of the night. Another believed that a potential way of curing a kin'toni would be to have them drain themselves of their own infected blood. Without a kin'toni subject, the thinker took it upon himself to give himself an infection, then try to drink away his infected blood. While attempts were made to save him, they were not successful. This is not to say that all Mordel thinkers are quite so self defeating. While all are unusual men, some have made great strives. Aside from the aforementioned liquid fire, Mordel thinkers have also developed techniques for smithing which make iron less brittle.

Alongside cunningly wrought devices to improve navigation at sea and have made wondrous strides in the field of medication, discovering the health boosting qualities of chalk and other natural minerals which have allowed the Mordel to reach such a large population. This allowed them to convert their old temple buildings in houses of healing and may one day lead to the discovery of either a cure for or an immunity to the kin'toni plague. The abandoning of religion was initially controversial. As a state institution, most of the academic structures were initially under the control of the church and fellows within simultaneously held church positions. This lead to the educational structure of the Mordel being profoundly conservative.

Backlash against this was slow incoming, but when enough fellows refused to engage in both secular and religious duties, the practice was abandoned. This had the effect however of removing charitable academia which meant that payment was now required for education, barring poorer Mordel from the practice. This separation of study from faith however did lead to more time to hone studies which improved the quality of Mordel education.

Miscellany

Mordel trade is famous for two things - Pottery and Wine. Pottery is easily carried out in the lands around Mordel, requiring only the abundant supply of clay in the ground and charcoal, which makes the hills a prime source of both products. Mordel pottery tends to be pale in colour and is decorated with images of Mordel history and culture, particularly scenes of battle and sport while others tell short stories when followed around the perimeter of the product. This trade is done in vast ceramic workshops filled with individual kilns which operate in batches of four, with one kiln firing while another cools, another is loaded and another unloaded. This allows the Mordel to produce a staggering amount of pottery each day from a relatively small workforce.

These ceramics are wrapped and transported delicately, usually by boat to prevent breakages. What pottery remains in Mordel is used in decor and functionally, making up earthenware jugs and plates which allow for the Mordel reputation for fine living to be fully realised. While Pottery is rarely bought en masse by other tribes, barring those more advanced cities or tokens bought by more primitive tribal warlords, wine is universal. The zu'aan love of wine is ancient and the hills provide plenty of space for vineyards. Vast wine estates exist alongside vast irrigated fields of other crops which keep the city fed and watered. This wine is prized not only for it's flavour, but its safety.

With a lack of access to clean water, Mordel wine provides a lifeline to multiple tribes as a viable alternative and is shipped by the cask to tribes across the world, including being one of the few remaining interactions between the Mordel and the Xerea Empire, though both sides are happy to pretend this doesn't happen for the sake of national pride. Mordel wine comes in two varieties, though their pale golden wines are far more common than the more prestigious reds which only grow in select areas of the city. These wines range in flavour from sharp and tangy to sweet and full bodied. As such, Mordel wine is a staple on the tables of the wealthy elite within and without the city, while the cheaper more watered down wines flow through tribes all across the world.

Mordel wine is one of the few luxuries to still be easily available across the world. Such is the value of wine to the economy of Mordel that strict rules exist to mandate its safe production. Prior to this, it was not unknown for unscrupulous vinters to add any number of suspect ingredients to their product, including lead to sweeten the taste or dyes to add interesting colours. This lead to backlash due to blindness caused and even some deaths to the point where some tribes threatened to withdraw from Mordel wine and others even threatened war, believing that the wine was part of some plot to destabilise them. Handsome subsidies were paid out and the vinters responsible were killed. Since then, Mordel wine has regained its reputation for quality.

Outside of exports is the Mordel love of sport, particularly that of boxing. Athleticism of all kinds is prized among the Mordel as they see it as an important part of keeping men fit and ready to defend the city should need be. While this makes sporting competitions of all sides highly common, with lavish prizes laid upon the champions, boxing is by far and away the most popular, at least for spectators. This sport is taken part in by both male and female Mordel, though in exclusive divisions and is performed with hands wrapped in leather until the opponent is unconscious. There is no fixed time for the match, only until one fighter surrenders or is unable to continue.

This has lead to some particularly stubborn fighters carrying on well into the night and some even lasting multiple days, even after all other spectators have gone home. Deaths, while mercifully few, do happen in the ring. This is one of the times where a Mordel would be exempt from a murder charge however. The deceased competitor is deemed to have failed to surrender and so their death is deemed their own doing. Cheating scandals have rocked the sport previously, but have since been bought under control by strict legislation.

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