Knak-Vari City Zu'Aan

History

The Knak-Vari city zu'aan were a clan of ultra-orthodox, religious fanatics who worshipped their founder, Momeni Tazareeram. She was a native of the city who rose to prominence as a monk in the local religious order. She received the title of "truly wise" at the young age of twenty, following which she branched out to preach her own set of teachings. She eventually amassed a large band of followers who worshipped her and followed her in her missions across the entire continent.

She attracted zu'aan from all walks of life and word about her would quickly spread across the lands. She became a recognizable figure even in the most remote corners of the world and crowds would line the streets to catch a glimpse of their new savior. This following would lead to an increase in Momeni's megalomania and she began to feel the need to form a new clan that banded together both religion and state. Her influence had reached in peak by this time and most local leaders and chieftains were scared to oppose her.

They reluctantly accepted a compromise that allowed their people to join Momeni- at the cost of their own numbers. With her large following in tow, Momeni finally made her way back to her home city of Knak-Vari with the intention of starting out her own clan. Her efforts were met with a lot of resistance from the then, leader of the Knak-Vari city who asserted his sovereignty and asked Momoni to withdraw with her followers. He would continue on a propaganda campaign across the region, openly exposing her misuse of religion and her wanton manipulation of her followers to commit many deplorable acts.

Seeing the threat that this could pose on her plans to form a clan, Momoni instantly went on the offensive and initiated a siege of the city. The siege was the first military action undertaken by the clan and would ring in a new age for her followers, who had- until recently, only been a religious cult. She would capture the city after a five-year long siege and would rename her followers as the Knak-Vvari city zu'aan. The victory strengthened the clan's position in the region and instilled fear in the hearts and minds of many of their neighbors who feared a similar religious war against them.

They tried to appease her in many ways, bringing her more gifts of zu'aan and wealth and pledging their alliances to her cause. Momeni bided her time in this new position of power, using these gifts to cement her position and building up the city's defenses as well as her armies. During the Zu'aan outbreak the Knak-Vari city would receive the full attention of the kin'toni on account of their large numbers and resources in the region. The movement caught the city by surprise but were able to mount a heroic defense inspired by their leader, who called for a holy war against the kin'toni.

The years she had spent shoring up the city's defenses came to use as they withstood continuous sieges at the hands of the kin'toni.

Psychology

The most obvious characteristic trait of the Knak-Vari city zu'aan was their obsession with religion and their strict adherence to the words of their leader Momeni Tazareeram. They were passionate and gullible and took her word on almost everything without question. They perceived her as a supernatural being who was destined to lead them to greater glory. The clan's members were historically composed of the zu'aan who were moved by Momeni's preaching and decided to abandon all their previous livelihoods to become followers.

They were committed to her cause and were willing to carry out any action to gain her favor. Momeni was able to leverage the clan's dedication for her own benefit- turning even the most peaceful members among them into vicious warriors. This single-minded belief helped the clan conquer much of their early problems as a clan. They did not have to deal with any internal rebellion or dissent since their loyalty was reserved for Momeni. The clan was known for their resolve and ability to overcome any kind of hardships.

They had to face off against the trained armies and defenses of the Knak-vari city very early on after their formation. Despite their inexperience and minimal training, they were able to overcome the armies through sheer fanaticism and a viciousness that had never been seen in the region. They were known to charge suicidally through enemy emplacements and formations where they had no chance of survival. This was done with minimal armor and weapons that they scavenged off the field.

They got their inspiration from her presence and had a maniacal desire to give the best impression of themselves. They would happily march to their death for the good of the clan. This suicidal nature made them feared among the more civilized clans of the region. They had very little individualistic desires and thought only about their leader’s wishes and commands. They had a psychological obligation to follow his commands. Liberty and democracy were unheard of within their society, and every member was expected to perform whatever the leader asked of them.

They took the word of their leader for granted and never found the need to question it. Their psychology was molded to be very gullible and loyal. Their herd behavior could be compared to that of cattle and they could be led to blindly commit all kinds of atrocities by their leader. They were very aggressive in spreading their values and beliefs to their surrounding zu'aan. They looked down on other cultures and believed it was their duty to forcefully assimilate these zu'aan into their clan.

Thus, they were very prone to conflicts and were constantly involved in holy wars. They lost many of their numbers regularly and welcomed many more each day. Their changing membership meant that there was little to no room for emotional attachment. Their only attachment was to their leader who fulfilled the role of a religious head, a clan leader, and a family.

Culture

During their early days, the followers of Momeni Tazareeram were a nomadic band who followed their leader across the entire continent. They maintained very few material possessions which were discouraged in their culture and instead, lived off the donations and charity of any surrounding zu'aan settlements. They were relatively passive during these early years and did not resort to their hallmark aggression which became more common towards the later stages. Their culture encouraged a live of religious devotion and worship of their leader, Momeni who was perceived as their divine savior.

Their way of live would evolve along with their circumstances. Once they won the siege of Knak-Vari, the clan slowly started to settle down and moved away from their nomadic lifestyle of the past. They occupied the available buildings and built their own over the already existent structures. The victory also opened their eyes to their military capabilities and the clan began to pursue a more aggressive policy as a result. They conducted seasonal campaigns every year where they marched out in numbers along pre-planned routes, recruiting and conquering any opposition that they encountered on the way.

These campaigns became a popular part of their culture and was a source of bonding and comradeship among their members. Their social life revolved around their leader's daily speeches which were conducted each morning. This practice was a continuation of their early nomadic days when the people would gather to listen to their leader's preaching. The speeches covered everything from the religious philosophies of the leader, political propaganda and their military activities. They were an opportunity for the clan to socialize and align their beliefs and actions.

This was vital due to the communal nature of the clan and their inability to think for themselves. They relied on their leader's speech for guidance and advice on how to lead their own lives. Religious celebrations were a regular part of the Knak-Vari city zu'aan clan. These celebrations were closely monitored and had to comply with the religious instruction of their leader. Not much leeway was provided in how the people led their lives. They were expected to conform to a strict lifestyle and individual freedom and thinking was highly discouraged.

This propagated a very conservative culture and a very intolerant society. They looked down on members of other tribes and cultures, and considered it their duty to conquer and convert them to their ways. This was a reason behind many of the clan's campaigns. Their culture was not very advanced due to their strict adherence to backward religious beliefs. They were very resistant to change and viewed all new ideas with skepticism and suspicion. Most of their supplies came from their campaigns when they would pillage entire settlements for food and weapons.

Their clan was known for the undignified manner in which they treated the dead, after their battles. Their culture had no reverence for the dead and they were known to loot bodies for their armor, clothes and weapons. Willing sacrifice was a common part of their culture and they were known for their suicidal charges where they would rush opponents without any regard for their own life and safety.

Government

The Knak-Vari city zu'aan's government was closely associated with their religion. This was a pattern that existed from their early days. Their founder, Momeni Tazareeram was also their religious leader who founded their religious order. She gained her first followers through her compelling sermons that she delivered all over the region. Her quickly rising influence and followers allowed her to take a more political role and kickstarted her ambitions to become the leader of her own clan. This organization was unique in its blend of religion and politics.

They both tied into each other and her teachings played a major part in her decisions as clan leader. Her fanatical followers elevated her to the position of a god and followed her every command and wishes. As a leader, she had complete control over all aspects of the clan's life. She dictated their social policies, diplomacy and their military affairs. There was no room for dissent or individual thought within this kind of society. They resented democracy and individualism and had a strict belief that they should prescribe to the views and orders of their leader whose judgement was infallible and beyond their mortal understanding.

The leader assumed an authoritarian role and was free to create laws as she saw fit while punishing those who did not prescribe to it. The high level of fanaticism and trust placed on the leader meant that their society did not require a great deal of policing. There was a fear of disobeying the clan leader as it had spiritual as well as mortal consequences. The people could be trusted to police themselves as evident by the fact that the clan never witnessed a civil insurrection or rebellion throughout the course of its history.

The clan’s laws were made to preserve the order and the leader’s authority within the clan. It prescribed very harsh punishments, including death for anyone found guilty of practicing any ideals and beliefs that were opposed to the clan’s beliefs. It was meant to dissuade the clan members, mostly the new recruits from reverting to their previous practices. The military aspect of the leader's role was heavily exaggerated in their clan as they relied on their constant campaigns to attain vital food and material resources.

She was responsible for planning out the season's campaign every year where they travelled through a pre-planned route- collecting new members and fighting all who opposed them. This long military started out with their siege and takeover of the Knak-Vari city which became their capital city. The clan would witness a flood of new members after each campaign from the recent converts or forced captives that were taken from among the defeated clans and settlements.

These new recruits had to go through an arduous reconditioning process before they were eventually accepted into the clan. They had to be willing to accept the leader’s teachings and prescribe to the lifestyle and belief systems of the clan. Failure to comply or pass this test resulted in execution since the clan had no intention of displaying mercy to those outside their own.

Military

The Knak-Vari city zu'aan clan's military history dated back to their five-year long siege of the Knak-Vari city. The victory strengthened the clan's positioned in the region and instilled fear in the hearts and minds of many of the neighboring zu'aan clans who feared a similar religious war against them. The captured city would eventually become their home and the conflict would set the pattern for all of the clan's future military ventures and interactions with other groups.

They grew increasingly aggressive and rose in power after this initial success and would become feared for the blind ferocity and suicidal nature of their warriors. They embarked on campaigns every year where they would march through well prepared routes- collecting resources and zu'aan to add to their clan's ranks. The clan had no designated army like the rest of the civilized zu'aan, instead they relied on the mandatory participation of all their members. They worked as an entire community and fought as the same unit.

This usually granted them a numerical advantage in most situations. They never travelled in small groups and always functioned as a large, single unit. This could limit their mobility and sometimes drain the resources of their surroundings but they needed the numerical advantage to successfully implement their famous suicidal charges. These famous charges were a result of the clan's fanatical devotion to their leader- for whom they were willing to perform all kinds of sacrifices.

They followed a strict warrior code and were expected to carry out huge sacrifices, even give their own lives in service to Momeni Tazareeram. In return she ensured that at least one progeny of every soldier survived to become the next generation. The success they achieve with this tactic was unprecedented. It drove fear into the hearts of the civilized zu'aan who had never encountered such methods and fanatics with no regard for their own lives. Their weapons and armor were largely varied among the clan.

They rarely made their own tools and relied on scavenging the battlefields and pillaging settlements for their weapons. This discrepancy affected the way in which they fought. They had a chaotic and unorganized warfare style that mixed together all kinds of weapons and all forms of combat such as ranged and close combat. During the Zu'aan outbreak the Knak-Vari city would receive the full attention of the kin'toni groups. The movement caught the city by surprise but Momemi was able to rally her people by calling for a holy war against these unholy abominations.

She was also able to convince her mass of maniacal followers to pursue the kin'toni into their camps in suicidal missions meant to sow chaos and destruction among the kin’toni. She would enjoy a great deal of success and became one of the only zu'aan armies, bold or stupid enough to carry out these acts. They would break many sieges against their city in this way and further cement their position in the region.

Religion

The Knak-Vari practiced a nameless religion that was centered on the belief of their founder Momeni Tazareeram's teachings. It originated during the latter part of the first era when Momeni began her preaching and pilgrimage across the continent. She attracted large crowds wherever she went along with some listeners who became so influenced by her words that they decided to become permanent followers. This loyal group would continue to expand throughout her travels, until they rivalled most of the regular zu'aan clans in terms of their numbers.

This order became the Knak-Vari city zu'aan clan after they turned political and began to carry out their militaristic policies of aggression and conquering. The clan had its roots as a religious order and would continue to remain so even after they proclaimed themselves as the Knak-Vari city zu'aan and took over their namesake city by way of a five-year long siege. Momeni Tazareeram was born into an abusive home in Knak-Vari city where she suffered repeated abuse at the hands of a scarred, former veteran and a negligent mother who had her constant battles with addictive substances.

Her experiences made her mature at a very young age and led to her choosing to abandon the safety of her own home in search of a higher purpose in life. She wandered the streets for many years as a beggar until she finally found refuge at a monastery. As a young beggar her acceptance into the monastic order was viewed with apprehension by many of her peers who saw her as a leech, just looking for her next meal. She endured this torrid time of bullying and constant ridicule with the help of a blind priest who opened her eyes to her capacity to lead other souls like herself into greatness.

Her dedication to the monastic order would pay off when she was ordained as one of the "truly wise" at the young age of twenty. This marked the end of her journey in the monastery and Momeni decided to leave the order to fulfil her true destiny. She would embark on a cross-country journey, preaching of a new religion and slowly growing her band of followers. This religion was heavily influenced by her hardships and difficult upbringing during the early part of her life. She sought to attract many of the zu'aan who had been raised under similar circumstances.

Her preaching’s dealt with a surrender of the self to the higher purpose and acceptance of this will. She preached that every individual had to disassociate themselves from their material possessions and pursue an internal journey of discovery and commitment to his fellow zu'aan. This spiritual idea of surrendering to her will would allow her to manipulate the masses into performing some of the most vicious acts that had been committed in the region's history.

The clan maintained their religious zeal with the help of constant preaching sessions that they would attend each morning. Their religion was strict and laconic, and had very little cause for celebration.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Knak-Vari City Zu'Aan

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