Taka

The Kingdom of Taka (Nevurusarese: Korajayanava Takangâ, Halēnawega: ꦏꦺꦴꦫꦗꦪꦤꦙ꧊ꦠꦏꦚꦺ) is a state of the Empire of the Mejakepai. It is located on Kada’s southern half, south of the Queendom of Nevurusari and the Kingdom of Mataka. Its fields are still ripe with golden fields of wheat and millet. Its cities are overseen by foreboding fortresses, older than the empire they are made to protect. This is the Kingdom of the Taka, the land of sharks and castles.

Dark Ages
The first lords of House Taka began their rule over the town of Şâjānangeva at a date long lost. Their rule came at a time of strife and chaos. The indigo-skinned people from the west no longer brought in their arcane goods. In their place arrived a different people, a race of sailors and pillagers, which called themselves the Koravi. They ravaged the lands of Şâjānangeva’s western neighbors, taking their villages and lordships for themselves. For all the Javepakata, the world, it seemed, was ending. History was entering a new age, the wheel of the six lives turning once more.

The turbulent times called for extraordinary measures to ensure the Taka’s lands would remain intact. Unlike their neighbors, they openly greeted the invaders, giving them houses to live in and land to till and rule over. In exchange for their generosity, the invaders would share their knowledge and craftsmanship. With time and newly gained wisdom, the Taka amassed a formidable army, much stronger than those of their neighbors. Their menacing fleet bore depictions of sharks on their standards, eliciting fear as they cruised along the shoreline.

Soon, each of the rivaling clans fell, one after another. First the Sanda, then the Kunda, followed by all the others. By the end of the Dark Ages, the Taka’s dominion enveloped the entire southern lands.

Kingdom Period
As the smaller kingdoms of Kada began to dwindle, the five strongest remaining factions arose to create a new system of warring states. The Taka, masters of Koravi warcraft and Javepakata statecraft, proved themselves as one of the most powerful of the remaining five, but also the most decadent.

They never saw benefit in unifying Kada, thus they were rarely the ones to attack the other four. The Taka resisted the armies of the Nevurusari and Mataka for decades, their numbers, albeit, growing smaller every time.

What little motivation for war they had, they turned on themselves. Brother against brother, father against son, nephew against uncle. Time and time again, the last Taka kings raised fearsome armies, only to turn them towards their own people. Their gall blinded them, and they were unable to see the armies of the Sujatasas on their doorsteps. In the end, the kingdom’s throne was vacant, and their people were conquered.

Under the Mejakepai
The kingdom, although now relegated to a subject of the new Mejakepai crown, enjoys a rare moment of stability in what has been an era of constant warfare ever since the last indigo ships departed from Şâjānangeva's harbor. The life of the average Taka has only improved with the unification of Kada. The old rivalries of the unification wars slowly lose their bitter taste.

Geography
The hills of southern Kada provide Taka with vast terraces on which to grow grain. The uneven terrain also proves great land for bastions and castles. The cities of Taka are for this reason a complex of a fort, settlement, and farmland.

Government
Taka is a hereditary province under the Mejakepai empire, but the throne still lacks a monarch. For this reason, the province is currently under the regency of Taladā Rabunjāne, the imperial prime minister. Upon the regency’s end, the newly crowned king will become a hereditary Nakile, and the province will be able to exercise its will in the Nakilah. The royal court is still archaic, magistrates are still appointed according to need, and no office exists forever.

Culture
Taka culture is a blend of Javepakata and Koravi tradition. Much of the two cultures have merged to create an environment where the two races coexist and see each other as one people. Though united amongst themselves, they wish to stay distant from the new foreign influences entering the empire through Peiklaten.

The Azerdan faith, along with all other religions that aren’t aligned with Tulukatva, are practically banned. Foreigners are looked down upon, and are expected to follow basic Kada customs.

The Koravi’s seafaring practices bleed into local folklore and tradition. Sharks are the kingdom’s symbolic representatives. They are widely admired for their ferocity and beauty. They enjoy a cult-like following amongst the locals, who make offerings and create bonds with individual sharks in the sea.