Koscia Tribal Zu'Aan

History

The Koscia zu'aan clan were a fearsome warrior clan founded by a former slave named Omuraura Krefft. She was once a member of the many small warring clans that roamed the Sionel steppe region. She was raised on combat and taught to value her bow and mount as her only possessions. They accompanied her wherever she went and she dedicated a lot of her time tending to them and polishing her skills. Her bow was polished with the resin of desert cacti and imprinted with her grip marks from constant usage.

When she was eighteen Omuraura's tribe was attacked by another tribe known as the Engmi. The attack happened at the crack of dawn when most of the camp was asleep and undefended. She would be taken captive along with many other members of her tribe and sold as slaves to other zu'aan settlements in the Wegivart region. She endured almost a decade in captivity before she escaped along with many of her followers during the chaos caused by an outbreak of plague in the region.

She would return to her homelands in the Sionel Shrub-SteppeSionel steppe with a substantial following that she had amassed through the course of her escape. She lured many smaller warrior clans to her cause with her fiery rhetoric and her promises to give them combat and a chance to gain glory and fame in the coming wars against the Engmi. Many of these clans were very aggressive clans who thrived on constant combat, and were easy amenable to Omuraura's plans. Omuruara would name this group the Koscia clan.

She conquered the Sionel tribes, one after other and subjugated them under her rule. As her victories increased, so did her numbers. They became the scourge of every free clan in the region. Leaders and mighty warriors knelt before her advance hoping that they would be spared the worse of her attacks. The Engmi on the other side of the Sionel heard about her return and began their own preparations for war. They feared for their own survival and were prepared to fight for their lives.

The two sides would meet on the epic battle on Sionel, resulting in massive casualties for both sides. Omuraura would come out victorious and started a brutal regime of vengeance. Under her, the Koscia would rise to become the strongest zu'aan clan in the region. She organized the Koscia into a militaristic clan that valued the principles of warfare and conflict. The Koscia clan would be known for their tyrannical leadership which included very harsh punishments and the ferociousness of their armies.

They sowed destruction and havoc on many of the lands that they conquered and took many slaves and plunder. These captive slaves would be forcibly assimilated into their clan and used for labor or as cannon fodder and tactical bait during battles. There were no economic systems within the clan and each member had only their mount and weapon as their personal possessions. The Koscia preferred an isolated existence and discouraged all attempts at trade or outside contact. The only time they conducted diplomacy was when they asked for their opponents surrender.

Psychology

The Koscia had very violent tendencies and were known for their disregard for life and property. They were very chaotic personalities and reveled in the chaos and brutal nature of combat. They were mostly composed of lifelong warriors from the Sionel steppes and had an innate desire for combat and conflict. They were very brave and sometimes, foolishly so. They would take on any opposition without first weighing out the pros and cons and their chances of success. This made them a strategic and tactical nightmare to work with.

Instead, they relied on their intuition and fierce fighting abilities to overcome their lack of organization and strategic awareness. This was suited to the steppe warfare where conflicts often took place at any moment and would be over just as quickly due to the lack of planning. The army who could inflict the most damage and cause panic within their opponents was usually the victor in most cases. The Koscia were a very easy-going clan and were known for their heavy drinking and love of fun.

This practice was common among the clan and celebrations followed every event or victory. They did not take themselves too seriously and were known to crack very harsh jokes. Their jovial mood was vital to help them overcome many of their toughest times. The Koscia also had very deep attachments to their horses and were known to give them names as well as have very personal connections. The death of a mount was equivalent to the death of a clan member and was often mourned in the same manner.

Their mounts and their personal clothing and weapons were the only possessions that they had. They believed in travelling light and with only the essential materials. They scoffed at the foreign zu'aan tribes love of possessions and property which they considered as foolish. Their limited possessions allowed the clan to pack up and travel in a hurry, which was a vital skill in the vast open terrain of the steppes. A significant portion of the clan were also slaves who had served with Omuraura. They detested the slavers and the Engmi clan who were responsible for their capture.

Due to their very chaotic nature, the Koscia clan responded to only the toughest form of authority. This was the reason why Omuraura had to resort to tyrannical and brutal measures in order to show his dominance over the clan and make them respect his authority. The Koscia were not the most amicable zu'aan and would be embroiled in many fights and arguments within their own clan as well as with members of other clans and tribes. They preferred to live in isolation and their settlements and camps were usually homogeneous places containing only members of their own clan.

They refused to take in or allow outsiders to enter their settlements and discouraged all attempts at trade or outside contact. Negotiations and diplomacy were also heavily neglected by the clan and were only used to deliver demands for surrender.

Culture

The Koscia culture was known for its love of war. Most of the clan's activities during peace were all geared towards combat and training. These included their most famous game involving the catching of cattle while riding atop their mounts. The riders would be divided into their own teams and allotted points based on the animals they had collected in their cattle pens. The sport could turn into a brutal affair as the riders were very rough individuals who were only concerned about winning the competition.

The sport helped the clan maintain their riding skills and helped them hone their natural aggression and desire to win. These were vital skills in the steppes where most activities were done while mounted and clans had to regularly travel hundreds of miles in search of new hunting grounds and water. The sport also accounted for a lot of broken bones which were considered as a sign of good luck. The tribe's ancient healers were adept at the treatment of such conditions and regularly proclaimed that a healed bone was twice as strong as an uninjured bone.

These healers were known for their deep knowledge about many plants and herbs in the region and were known to regularly mix these into concoctions and pastes that they would use to cure many types of ailments and diseases. The Koscia tribe was famous all over the steppes as one of the best mounted riders. They were known for their ability to shoot accurately while in full gallop and their almost telepathic ability to communicate with and control their mounts. Their cultured treasured mounts and some of the best mounts were accorded better treatment than their slaves.

Their mounts were among the only few acceptable possessions that were allowed within the clan. These events were held regularly and would be devoted to their gods. The leader of the clan would present the winning team with the choicest meat of the nightly feast and would be given a place of honor at his/her right side. These events served as fierce grounds for competition where the clan would choose its next leaders and commanders. The clan were known to be gifted wood smiths and carpenters.

This was a relic from Omuraura’s time as a slave when she was forced to pick up the craft. They could shape the sturdy tree into strong bows and instruments that were known for their durability and reliability. Most of the clan's weapons had been passed down for generations and could still withstand rough handling and the weather conditions while only requiring basic maintenance work. This was a testament to the skill of the underrated Koscia craftsmen. The Koscia's food culture was known for its association with meats.

They were primarily hunters in their free time and would make a game of it when they came across large flocks of animals. They devoured all sorts of meat without seasoning and after ust simply roasting them over large bonfires that they erected in their campsites every night.

Government

The Koscia zu'aan clan's leadership was centered on an authoritarian leader who was responsible for all the affairs of the clan. This precedent was started by their leader Omuraura Krefft when she assumed leadership of the clan after forming them from among the smaller warring clans of the Wegivart region and escaped slaves like herself. Due to the very aggressive, combative attitudes of the members of the Koscia, Omuraura had to regularly show some tough love to get them to become a clan. She used her authoritarian streak to get them to function together.

She would assert her dominance among them by using very harsh punishments for any individual who disobeyed her commands or for anyone who failed in their duty. Their leader was expected to lead through a combination of charisma followed by brutal methods of punishment that were guaranteed to restore the faith of the public. The leader had to be capable of driving fear into the hearts of the Koscia clan members in order to effectively command them. Their society was divided along two distinct classes- the “members” who were the people and tribes who had followed Omuraura since her return along with the clans who willingly surrendered to her authority.

The others were the slave classes who were the tribes that had been forcibly assimilated into her clan. During war the slave classes were used as cannon fodder or as tactical bait to supplement their main battle plans. The “member” classes were only reserved for main attacks and decisive battles. They were thus better armed and trained. The government had a different set of laws for each class that was based on the principles of an eye-for-an-eye. The leader was the final judicial authority who determined the guilt or innocence of an accused along with the punishment.

Due to the unorganized and chaotic nature of the clan, the leader had to be aware that he/she was always the most powerful member of the clan and able to dominate the rest of the clan’s members. If the people perceived that the leader’s power was waning, they would eventually begin to fight amongst themselves to decide the strongest member to challenge for the leadership of the clan. Thus, power or the illusion of holding power was very vital to a leadership position in the Koscia clan.

The leader was expected to lead the clan in the clan’s battles and the members followed his example in the battlefield. It was vital for the leader to display bravery and initiative in these attacks as the clan had no battlefield strategies and merely followed the actions of the leader. There were no economic systems within the clan and each member had only their mount and weapon as their personal possessions. The clan was known to melt all their plunder and use them to create new weapons and tools since they had no use for material possessions.

The leader was given the privilege of overseeing the diplomacy and negotiations with other clans although very few of their leaders would effectively implement this freedom.

Military

The Koscia tribe were fierce warriors from the Sionel steppe region and had a military tradition that dated back to hundreds of years. They were known for their fearsome appearances and skills with the bow as well as their ability to utilize their mounts effectively in combat. Their reliance on their mounts was due to the massive distances in the steppes that were impossible to cover on foot. They trained regularly in the use of their weapons and would hone their riding skills through their tribal games which involved the catching of cattle while riding atop their mounts.

The riders would be divided into their own teams and allotted points based on the animals they had collected in their cattle pens. The sport could turn into a brutal affair as the riders were very rough individuals who were only concerned about winning the competition. The sport helped the clan maintain their riding skills and helped them sharpen their natural aggression and desire to win. These were vital skills in the steppes where most activities were done while mounted and clans had to regularly travel hundreds of miles in search of new hunting grounds and water.

The range of freedom and movement that the riders had from atop their mounts made them scary to the unaccustomed clans who were not used to this form of combat. The Koscia army could charge through enemy ranks with no thought of self-preservation. Their healers would provide the army with special herbal concoctions before battle that increased their heart rates and made them maniacally brave during vital moments of combat. They had nerves of steel and were not known to break easily, even when the situation turned against them.

Despite their remarkable bravery and fearsomeness, the Koscia had a major weakness that arose from their naturally unorganized way of life. They did not have the patience or aptitude for planning or strategic discourse. They went into battle without any tactical or strategic plans and mostly relied on following their leader's actions. The leader of the Koscia clan was expected to set an example in the battlefield for his fellow clan members to follow. It was vital for a good leader to display bravery and initiative in these situations in order to motivate and assure his clan that he was in charge and knew what he was doing.

The Koscia would achieve many military success and victories in this way and became known for their relentless and fearless charges in battle. Most of the members of the clan were also expected to fight and help out in the military. This was quite a simple principle to adapt since all the members of the clan were adept riders. The children were left behind with armed adolescents and teenagers who were already proficient in their use of weapons. The Kosca zu'aan would also bring their slave classes into battle as cannon fodder or bait.

They were useful to soak up casualties and to make them seem more numerous than they actually were. If a slave distinguished himself in combat and pledged his loyalty to the clan, they were given a chance to join the tribe as a citizen. Although, this was very rare given the nature in which the slaves were deployed.

Religion

The Koscia worshipped a god that they called Ciakan. They believed that Ciakan appeared to the tribe in the form of a sae-kol, an animal that the clan used as their mounts. This god was popularly depicted in many of their sculptures and cloth paintings as a giant beast that was almost two times the height of any conventional sae-kol while possession dull red eyes and pale skin that was spotted with black ink. Its figure was heavily muscled and could put even the best bred Koscia mounts to shame.

The clan would worship their god by bringing the blood of their enemies in leather flasks that they would then pour over their effigies and sculptures as a sacrifice to their god. The Koscia had a dedicated priestly class who were responsible for the performance of these religious duties. They also acted as mystics and were consulted by all sorts of clients for advice or predictions. Their specialty included predicting the birth of children and suggesting names and auspicious dates for marriages and events.

The priests were trained in the art of reading the stars which were clearly visible on most nights in the steppes. They would also help the clan leader select dates for attacks and also advised them on what the clan's policy should be towards different clans as well as the chances of success in their attacks. The priests would also carry out the final blessings and prayers on behalf of the clan, asking for Ciakan's blessings and favor for their coming wars and conflicts.

The clan's reverence towards their sae-kol mounts were religiously motivated. They believed that their mounts were an attachment of their god, Ciakan- and in looking after their mounts, they were indirectly gaining favor with their god. It was considered unlucky for any clan member to return home alive if their mount was killed in action and most of the clan members preferred to commit an honorable form of suicide than to face this indignity. The Koscia were known to shower their mounts with unnatural acts of love and devotion,

They regularly saved the best portion of their meats for their mounts and also created padded armors and protection to help them survive in combat. When a new adult was given charge of his own horse, he or she was taught to see it as an extension of themself and to not let it go through anything that they themselves wouldn’t be part of. The clan would also famously assign names to their horses which would all be derived from the name of their sae-kol god. Their religious fervor would also take over their mindset during their lethal charges into battle when they would shout oaths to their god.

The Koscia did not fear death because they believed that they would be reunited with their sae-kol in the afterlife and would ride it across the endless steppes for all eternity alongside their fallen comrades who had passed before them. Their Koscia clan’s banner also carried a representation of their god and was seen as a holy symbol that would bless them during combat.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Koscia Tribal Zu'Aan

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