Hakuukulga
Hakuukulga
Religion
Traditions
+2% Missionary Strength
+1 Attrition for Enemies
Disciples of the DoorBased at Shattered Pass, the Disciples of the Door are a loose collective tasked with warding off hostile spirits, although they also take the lead in diplomacy, trade, and raids. They are often invited as advisors by allied Runsukhi rulers, expanding their influence and spiritual leadership. While their rule is confined to Hakuukulga, the order’s mandate is to guard all the plainward entrances in and out of both mesas. Any Plateau Runsukhi wishing to travel the waste are required to undergo the Disciples' training and satisfy their strict standards. However, though each plateau has a cadre of disciples - all sworn to Shattered Pass - the order’s sway is limited in the north and its porous border of rolling hills.\n\nLeadership within the Disciples is determined through trial by fire. Candidates from temples across Hakuukulga are tested with the heat of a metal circlet, heated to a glow. Their resilience and piety are judged by their ability to continue reciting sacred texts while ignoring searing pain. The scorched ring, henceforth worn as a symbol of their office, marks them as wardens of Hakuukulga's ways.
-25% Administrative Advisor Cost
+1 Random Candidate Bonus
Brothers of the Sealed GazeThe Brothers of the Sealed Gaze are a heretical cult within Hakuukulga, viewed with hate in part due to their practice of enchantment magic, specifically “karma sealing” - sealing the mind against malignant spirits. The cult's origins trace back to a nameless Disciple's experiment. To force spiritual fortitude, he cast a spell during deep meditation to permanently cauterize his mind. This killed his 7 emotions and 6 desires, leaving him spiritually inhospitable. He then recruited among the grieving and reckless, creating a cult dedicated to warring against all that threatens their lands.\n\nThe only reason why the cult has not been purged is that their cultists are always on the frontline, their fortitude and fearless strength making them too useful to expel. Thus, they are confined to Forsaken Approach to guard the lowland passes, which also keeps them isolated should the need to forcefully exile them ever arise.
+3% Discipline
+15% Reinforce Speed
Boiling Beast ArtA rare, near suicidal martial style, monks use rage and forced breathing to raise their heart rate and blood pressure to deadly levels, utilizing internal energy to multiply their physical strength. In combat, the skin will turn into splotches of alternating paper white and bruised crimson red, and they must forcefully chug water to fuel the all-consuming boiling inside their body. The practice is fraught with death, increasing the chance of heart failure and stroke, and is rumored to be influenced by the voracious nature of the oni.\n\nThe Brothers of the Sealed Gaze have become common practitioners over the years, and are simultaneously the deadliest and weakest combatants. Their lack of self preservation allows them to unleash near explosive power, but many brothers die during their first real battle. Tales like these include an account of a nameless initiate who filled the valley between Hakuukulga and Azjakuma with piles of dead oni and horses, ultimately dying on his feet.
+0.15 Infantry Shock
The War UnceasingThe Day of Ashen Skies shifted the long feud between Oni and Runsukhi. Before, both spilled each other’s blood with great violence and vigor. However, as the spirits of Khaashalg became more malicious, the Runsukhi were forced to focus on containment, while the oni lost interest in a northern invasion. Over time, land invasions by amassed armies transitioned into deadly dances between monks and Shirgrii.\n\nEven diplomatic overtures follow this lethal formality: envoys are "on campaign", capable of turning raider at a moment's notice. Runsukhi travelers are informed that forays into oni land is tantamount to entering enemy territory. Trade too reflects this unique relationship, with Hakuukulga's goods from Nomsulhyan and Azjakuma's teimarji acting more as mutual tribute than a simple exchange. The Ogres’ disinterest in the infested plateau and Hakuukulgi's duties ensures this strange peace is punctuated solely by ritual lethal combat.
-0.03 Monthly War Exhaustion
Serpent's Blood WineIn Hakuukulga, the locals cherish a unique spirit concocted from a distilled mix of animal blood, milk, and the body of a snake, sealed in a jar and left to ferment underground. This peculiar liquor is beloved by the Hakuukulgi for its complex and creamy flavor, and is considered a great aphrodisiac and vital supplement. To outsiders, however, the drink is quite revolting - so much so that some mischievous Hakuukulgi take delight in serving it to foreign guests in expensive glass containers, ensuring the coiled snake corpse remains conspicuously visible. The most popular varietals are made in Sarinaigh province, where the monasteries there add cave moss and bury the jars in the seams of the ancient Serpentspine mountains, resulting in a shorter aging period and a sweeter taste.
+1 Yearly Prestige
Flying Veil DanceSpirits and storms obscure travel between the villages and temples of Hakuukulga. To give youths the opportunity to meet new people, villages rotate hosting a yearly spring matchmaking festival. The festival kicks off with potlucks, where bashful singles are introduced, as parents adorn the temple ruins with banners and decorated nets.\n\nAt night the roofs are a riot of color, as young couples painted with animal patterns and veils spin and leap in time with the music. Dancers "hunt" each other with flourishes and spins, dazzling partners with form and prowess. The great spectacle of the dance is the leap: a dancer leaps across the sky between ruins, where their partner tries to catch them. The act is greatly symbolic; catching your partner blesses a marriage with trust and fortune.\n\nThe sight even attracts visitors from nearby Runsuhki tribes and masked Shuvüüshudi, who marvel at the unique air of acrobatics and romance. Often, visitors join in the feast and dance, and decide to stay with their new loved ones on the plateau.
-2 National Unrest
The Great GateHakuulkulga's stone giant ruins include the iconic Great Gate which gives Hakuukulga its name: a towering wall between two mountains with an immense circular gateway. Originally the exit used by the exiled ogres, the colossal gate now serves as the main temple of the Hakuukulgi monks.\n\nThe walls bear unknown, worn words overlaid with Runsukhi graffiti. At its base, bricks are hollowed out into homes and shops. The gate’s sill is a plaza for public assembly, with a mammoth speaking horn whose acoustics carry the sound for miles. Atop the gate, monks have carved shrines and fountains fed by spring aqueducts. Exclusively used by monks, water-powered lifts offer swift descent and ascent, while others must take carved stairs.\n\nThis gate is also the main training ground for those entering the wasteland plains. Day and night, trainees run its length or scale the walls, gaining the physical and mental fortitude to brave the untamed wastes - a prerequisite for permission to enter the lowlands.
+10% Domestic Trade Power
Ambition
+25% Mercenary Manpower
History
TBD
Strategy
TBD