Ancient Makva (Project Exodus)
Kingdom of Makva | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2101 AA–495 | |||||||||
 A recreation of what a flag of the Kingdom might look like, based on inscriptions of the symbol shown in the center, a representation of the "Sumahaxa" of Mukaism. | |||||||||
| Capital | Mi-Sozika | ||||||||
| Common languages | Makvan, Oratian, "Tulzean" native languages | ||||||||
| Religion | Makvan Animism, Mukaism, Ona | ||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Makvan | ||||||||
| Government | Absolute Monarchy | ||||||||
| Kulva | |||||||||
| Toka | |||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Maxiz Culture | 2101 AA 2101 AA | ||||||||
• Emergence Time | 2064 AA | ||||||||
• Golden Time | 1823 AA | ||||||||
• Warring Time | 1504 AA | ||||||||
• Middle Time | 962 AA | ||||||||
• Later Time | 186 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 495 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Ancient Makva was a civilization of Ancient Methona, located on the island of Oltuma. The island has been home to many unique cultures and religions over the years. The history of Makva begins with the emergence of the Maxiz culture on the island, which would soon spread its influence over the northern portion of the island. While the south remained "uncivilized", the Maxiz culture in the north would grow to become the Kingdom of Makva, beginning the Emergence Time of Makvan history. The periods of Ancient Makvan history are divided into the Emergence Time, the Golden Time, the Warring Time, the Middle Time, and the Later Time.
The cultures of Makva were famous for being incredibly diverse and well-cataloged, thanks to dedicated Makvan historians from the various five Times. From fantastical stories to lengthy histories, these determined scribes would save a large chunk of Makvan history that would survive into the modern day. These famous scribes were known as the Maki, and many modern historians believe the word was the origin for the name Makva. Their writings are considered by most modern historians to be the most comprehensive history of any ancient country, even if parts of it were lost to time.
Etymology
The sound "va" in "Makva" is likely from the old Maxiz word "vuh", meaning "strength." The "mak" is likely a result of the combined influence of the "Maki", the famous scribes that wrote Makva's history, and "Maku", the first king of the Kingdom of Makva. Many historians believe the name "Kingdom of Makva" would be known in modern language as "Kingdom of the King's Strength," if translated directly.
History
Pre-Emergence Time
Before the "five great Times" took place, Makva was simply the tiny Maxiz culture, one of thousands of little cultures on the island. However, things would change when around half of the Maxiz culture began centralizing around the first monarchy on the island, ruled by King Maku I. This monarchy would go on to conquer both the rest of the Maxiz culture, and, when that was done, many of the neighboring cultures and tribes. Though actual historical records of these wars are scant, they are the subject of the legendary story Maku, King of Kings, a story that glorifies Maku I and describes his reign, albeit with a lot of exaggeration. When Maku passed away, he gave the crown to his firstborn child, his daughter Lexi, setting the precedent that the firstborn child should always receive the crown. During her rule, Lexi I would go on to conquer almost the entire northern part of the island, and the Kingdom of Makva would become the dominant force on the island.
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Emergence Time
The Emergence Time, starting in 2064 AA, is aptly named, as the Kingdom of Makva's ascension to power began here, with the Makan Dynasty serving as its first series of rulers, all descended from Lexi. During this time, the Kingdom would consolidate their claims to the north by suppressing rebellious tribes and peoples of other cultures. The Kingdom would promote cultural assimilation, and many of the northern cultures would be merged with the Maxiz culture to form a new Makvan culture. At the same time, the Maki, the diligent scribes of Makva, would do the opposite by cataloging the many cultures of both the north and south to the best of their ability, preserving much of the cultural history of even the northern tribes, but especially the southern ones. Some Maki were even from the south, enthusiastically cataloging their own tribe's histories. The Emergence Time would last until the last king of the Makan Dynasty, Maku IV, was overthrown by his cousin, Shuzu, beginning the Golden Time.
Golden Time
The Golden Time, starting in 1823 AA, was by far the height of the Kingdom of Makva, but also the least documented of the Five Times, as most of the history cataloging the Golden Time is told through heavily exaggerated legends, mostly about the legends of how King Shuzu and his successors in the Shuzan Dynasty conquered the south. A broad term used to refer to the people of the hundreds of cultures of the south was "Tulzeans", and the many languages they spoke were collectively referred to as Tulzean as well. The Golden Time would also see many technological revelations within the Kingdom, especially with the appreciation of the arts, as they would soon become promoted instead of shunned like in the past, becoming just as influential as writing. In the later years of the Golden Time, the Kingdom began to become feudalized, with central authority withering away somewhat as nobles, religious leaders, and other rich people gained more influence and land. This gradual decline of central authority would eventually lead to the end of the Golden Time and the beginning of the Warring Time.
Warring Time
When the last king of the Shuzan Dynasty, Ekvo III, split the kingdom among his five children in 1504 AA, the island would descend into chaos, and the kingdom would undergo over 500 years of war and division. There would be no clear dynasty to succeed the Shuzan Dynasty, as instead hundreds would claim to be the rightful successor to the Makvan Kingdom. These claims would gradually fade over time, with domains instead seeking to merely gain power instead of conquer the entire island, which seemed to be an impossible task. Despite the chaos and confusion covering this Time, it is easily the most documented of all of the Times, as the Maki were more active than ever despite belonging to hundreds of different domains. The Warring Time is often split into its own miniature eras, mostly corresponding to the dominant powers during certain times, these miniature eras being called Periods. In the final Period, the Shining Period, the Tengo Dynasty of the Kingdom of Maisuza would unite the northern part of the island once again, reforming the Kingdom of Makva in honor of their supposed royal ancestry, and to assert their claim over the entire island. The Warring Time would be considered over by modern historians in 962 AA, marking the beginning of the Middle Time.
Middle Time
The Middle Time, beginning in 962 AA, would be the longest of the Times, lasting for over 1000 years in total. The Middle Time would see the feudal system continue, but the Kingdom would gradually grow more centralized. The Time would also see multiple dynasties rise and fall over its course, unlike in previous Times. Religion would take hold during the Middle Time, as Mukaist Mekas (priests) would gain more influence in the Kingdom than ever before. This Time would mostly be characterized by exploration and interaction beyond the Island of Oltuma. The Makvans would build a navy for exploration and defense, and many nearby civilizations would influence the developing culture of Makva. Makva would also carry out the occasional campaign or expedition, even attacking the Orats at one point to establish a short-lived city-state there that lasted only 10 years. The Middle Time would last until the great conqueror Tuga the Mighty would unify the island one last time in Ancient Makvan history, beginning the Later Time.
Later Time
The Later Time began in 186 once the island was once again unified. The Later Time would see the Kingdom of Makva begin to decline in power, as the invasions of Upper Orat and the XXX and the rebellions of the "Tulzeans" would gradually weaken the once-strong kingdom. Though its fortunes would go up and down over the next 400 years, the Makvan Kingdom would finally collapse with a Tulzean rebellion in 495 that would end Makvan rule on the island for the first time, and see the establishment of Tulzean hegemony over the island, albeit with the presence of the Tulzo-Oratians in the north and the XXX in the south. The Makvan culture would remain, but would see a steep decline in its influence over the island.
Religion
Makvan Animism
Makvan religion is largely characterized by its origins from animism. Originally, in the time before and during the Maxiz culture, thousands of different animist and shamanistic religions dotted the island, mostly exclusive to its home tribes and clans. The Maxiz culture was no different than the others in its religion, practicing a religion known as "Tu'tuski", better known to historians as Makvan Animism or, occasionally, Proto-Mukaism. Thanks to the hard work of the Maki, Makvan Animism is one of the only well-documented Animist religions that no longer exists today, and many historians believe it to be the best-documented one that does not exist today as well. Makvan Animists believed that certain animals were sacred beings that were the reincarnated spirits of their ancestors, and they would worship and feed them to appease their supposed animal-bodied ancestors.
Mukaism
During the Golden Time, Makvan religion did not change, but instead evolved. People no longer merely thought that certain animals were the spirits of their ancestors - they believed that their ancestor's spirits had been given these new bodies by deities from another plane of existence (The "Exodent Plane"), and that they had been shaped into the various deity's likenesses. Thus, a polytheistic deity-worshiping practice began to take hold - many more traditions and practices would be born, along with new scriptures (most likely written by certain religious Maki). Mukaism gets its name from the supposed most powerful deity, the Goddess Muka, Deity-Queen of Fire and Light. A particular hatred of Tulzean religions developed in most Mukaists, as many Tulzean religions used animal sacrifice to make offerings to spirits or ancestors, to the horror of the Mukaists.
Ona Cult
Makva also has a history of theology among its Maki, with them studying and expanding upon foreign religions that fascinated people at different times in Makvan history. During the reign of Tutti II in the nearby civilization of Orat, and the early Golden Time of Makva, the Ona Cult was brought to Makva by merchants who had visited the foreign land. The relatively simple religion of Ona flourished in Makva under the direction of famous philosophers such as Mukti, who went to the effort of heavily expanding on the religion after supposedly receiving a vision from Ona himself, essentially then claiming to be writing Ona's word. Interestingly enough, the strong influence of Mukaism would be blended with the Ona religion, with the deities of Mukaism simply being adopted into the religion as more servants of Ona, with Ona remaining the one supreme deity. Naturally, some practices would be significantly changed - animal sacrifice would be abolished, with only flora and fauna-based products (milk, etc.) being used in offerings, as many still believed in the reincarnation of their ancestors as animals. Additionally, Mukti and other philosophers and theologians created new doctrines and holy texts for the Ona religion, most notably the Doctrine of the Followers of Ona by Mukti himself. Sects began to emerge during the late Golden Time with the rise of feudalism, and eventually reached their peak during the Warring Time.
Muktist Ona
Muktist Ona is considered to be the "original" form of Ona as it appeared in Makva. Based on the teachings of Mukti, who claimed to have a vision where Ona told him to translate his true teachings to the people, this sect follows the mixed traditions of both original Ona and Mukaism.
New Ona
As Muktist Ona was on the decline after the end of the Warring Period, New Ona arose. This sect would instead follow the teachings of Haten III, which, naturally, were significantly different then the earlier traditions of Muktist Ona. Conflict between the two sects was common, as New Ona followers did not believe that animals were their ancestors reincarnated, and did not incorporate Mukaist elements in general, leading to them practicing animal sacrifice. This would be the Ona Cult's downfall in Makva, as eventually, a series of rulers would enact purges of Ona followers in general due to their "blasphemous" practice of animal sacrifice, driving them out and leading to a very steep decline in the practice of the religion. However, as always, thanks to the Maki, the traditions and scriptures of both sects of Ona were relatively well-preserved, although even some Maki were persecuted by the last of the line of rulers for trying to preserve the Ona religion's practices.
Douism
With the decline of Ona, Douism was introduced to Makva in a similar fashion to Ona - through famous philosophers. The philosopher Ti-So was the most famous of the Makvan Douist philosophers, as he did most of the writing on Douism in Makva. Douism was extremely controversial when it was first introduced to Makva, as the rulers feared it undermined their unrestricted power. Thus, Douism was mostly practiced in secret during its time in Makva during the early to late Middle Era. However, the study of Douism was immense - Makvan philosophers like Ti-So were very fascinated by the religion, and wrote quite a lot about its concepts. Over all, though, Douism did not affect Makvan society in at all the same magnitude that Ona had.
Art and Architecture
Originally, art in Makva was looked down upon, as writing was considered the only "proper art", and architecture was simply in a "brutalist" style, per se, taking no interest in actual style or appearance and only made to serve its purpose. However, during the Golden Time, art would become more accepted and praised in society, developing into nearly an equal to writing, although writing would still be considered the most important art of all. Additionally, architecture would transform too, with architects designing much more elaborate and fanciful buildings. Most prominently, the churches of Makva were extravagantly decorated and designed, as a sign of respect to the deities of the Exodent Plane and their ancestors within the Earthly Plane, in the bodies of animals.
Administration
Very little is known about the Makiz culture prior to its kings. It is commonly assumed by historians today that they were a collection of direct democracies - small tribes that would decide things together, with no defined leader. But despite the dedication of the Maki, the knowledge of if any central government existed prior to Maku I's rule remains a mystery.
Maku I essentially defined the administrative system that would exist all the way until the late Golden Time. The King or Queen essentially held all power as an autocrat, sometimes even ruling as a divine being by claiming to be a Kinder (closest direct translation is "Soul Piece", but often treated like a child or descendant) of one of the deities. The ruler of the Kingdom would often directly appoint their family members to serve as governors for the different areas of the kingdom, following the will of the ruler. The only family members to remain by the ruler's side would be the ruler's initial partner and their firstborn child. Gender was, for all of Ancient Makvan history, considered to play no role in who could rule, as Maku had set the standard by being a male ruler and appointing his female firstborn as the new ruler. This would not change even as the Golden Time set in.
During the late Golden Time, feudalistic ideas began to emerge within the Makvan administration. Those who were rich and influential, such as nobles, priests, merchants, and even family members of the ruler, would become even more powerful, beginning to own their own lands and have less allegiance to the ruler. It also began to become tradition for the ruler to split the kingdom among all of their children when they passed, as to offer them all power and dis-include none. This dangerous tradition set the stage for the end of the Golden Time and the collapse of the Makvan Kingdom, and the beginning of the Warring Time, also known by many Maki as the "terrible chaos."
During the Middle Time, feudalism would remain, but the tradition of splitting the kingdom equally among the ruler's children would fade away somewhat. Instead, the firstborn would receive the majority of the kingdom, and all of the other children would still receive smaller titles. This system let the Kingdom be much more centralized. Additionally, the Maki began to become very wealthy, joining nobles and priests as some of the land-owners of the Kingdom. This was mainly due to their talents being recognized, and that Maki would begin demanding higher pay and better conditions for their difficult and very valued work. Very little would change in the Later Time, and this system remained in place in the Kingdom of Arijati for some time, too.
Society
Social Hierarchy
In general, the social hierarchy of Makva was not very restrictive, per say, although it would certainly require would to change one's position in the hierarchy. The hierarchy was divided, from highest to lowest, as Kulva, the ruler, Toka, the ruler's closest associate, always elected at the decision of the Kulva, Kulviva, the family of the ruler, Tengira, the rich and powerful, including nobles, priests, and later Maki, Tengorva, merchants and artisans, Tuja, the common peasantry, and finally, at the very bottom, Sodo, slaves or prisoners. The Kulva, Toka, and Kulviva originally held all the power in the Kingdom, but during and after the late Golden Time, Tengira held lots of power as well. The position of Toka, which held almost equal power to the king, was one of no restriction - in all technicality, even a simple Sodo could become Toka if the Kulva deemed them as such.
Sex and Marriage
Very little existed in terms of something similar to marriage in ancient Makvan society. Two bodies intertwining was considered a sacred bond, however, one that could not be broken by anything but death. Disrespecting the bond of sex by shunning the other was considered blasphemous, and although it was not a crime, people would often shun those who were known to have broken a bond.
Like many ancient civilizations, it was not uncommon for rulers to keep large harems. However, certain details distinguish Makvan practices from others. Most notably, due to the lack of a gender restriction on who could become a ruler, male harems also existed - in fact, they were often quite common. With the absolute power of the ruler, they could also have harems of those of the same sex if they so desired it, as it was not looked down upon in society. Homosexuals were considered "confusing" by some Maki in their writings, but they were not persecuted, as the faith Makvans practiced mentioned nothing about biological sex when it came to love whatsoever. What was persecuted, however, was incest. Considered a huge disrespect to the ancestors, incest was one of the worst crimes a Makvan could commit, and they would be subjected to agonizing ritualistic torture if caught or accused. Likely not even a ruler would be able to hold power, it was so looked down upon. Harems were often "built" of Sodos and Tuja - the Kulva would hold a festival known as "Laimas" (Love Gathering, if translated directly) where they would personally select those they wished to have in their harem. This privilege of harems of commoners would extend to the Toka and Kulviva as well, and eventually even to upper-level Tengira after the early Middle Time.
