Liberation war of the Klazk, The

The Liberation War is perhaps the most monumental event for Natum'we during the early bronze age. The tyranny of Hoshi was challenged by the Klazk, a collaboration of military and political figures which gained grassroots support. 
==Members of the Klazk==
Gahat
Japhari Ja'we
Zabani
Zami
==Prelude ==
The second rule of Hoshi started benignly enough. But after emergency powers were activated after a white flag attack on Jezki was blamed on the Joined Hands movements, the situation turned for the worse. Hoshi became a legitimised Dictator using his powers to outlaw and imprision dissenters, usually torturing them and cutting of their hands. Many people left the main islands to relative peace and stability of Oppizki Nu. 
The first counter coup was launched by Gahat attempting to capture Hoshi's son and the head of the military Raki ja’Hoshi. This coup unforturnately failed after Raki jumped over board his boat when he was attacked by Gahat. Gahat went into hiding after he rescued the political prisoner Zami who had been the leader of the opposition and Hoshi's politcal rival. They went into hiding in the neighbouring Cambu'we Confederacy. 
Zabani a merchant adventurer, and Japhair Ja'we a holy man and leader of the Joined Hands movement were fermenting rebellion in Oppizki Nu. It was full of dissident tension and was away from Hoshi's corrupt power systems. It was also the only province that had a gold mine. 
==The Battle of Zemlakebeke ==
The mining village of Zemlakebeke was the first target for the 500 Klazk warriors who had been trained by Gahat. They seized the town by sending in prostitutes with drugs, and simply captured all the men after the orgy had finished. Some even joined this new movement. 
The capturing of the town caused the Governor of the Oppizki Nu region to send 700 Tuzki to retake the town. The main force of 500 Tuzki heads towards the town, and 200 intend to encircle the village. The smaller force of 200 are ambushed by Gahat with 400 of his warriors. They quickly dispatch the force, and mimic the Tuzkis' signals burning bush to signal that the main Tuzki attack can commence. 
This makes the main tuzki force strike towards Zemlakabeke, and the main battle can start. The main entry to the village is a narrow rope bridge over a roaring stream, while a more narrow path leads up the slopes from the west. Zemlakabeke is a very small settlement, barely 50 people, and it is not even surrounded by any defences. But the position makes it very defensible. The 100 klazk warriors manage to hold of 500 tuzki until Gahat joins the battle with 300 men, surprising the tuzki from the south and encircling them.
In the town and capital of Oppizki Nu, at dawn two days earlier, Japhari Ja'we is starting to preach before a mob, urging peaceful resistance. This forces the governor to send out his bodyguards. At the same time, Zabani and twenty of his men successfully infiltrate the governor's residence by sneaking in below the ground. They kill two bodyguards and manage to arrest the governor, Mellak ja'Bizwa and his family. Mellak becomes more cooperative when he hears that Zami has joined the Klazk, as Mellak once worked in an election campaign for Zami. He however orders the rebels to tie him up and keep him in prison, out of fear of his children and grandchildren, who are living in the islands.
==Hoshi intervenes ==
Hoshi reacts with towering rage towards the news that the most valuable Natum'wean possession has fallen into the hands of his enemies. Raki is sent to hold a speech in front of a crowd, where he says that the "renegades, traitors, blasphemers and whores" have risen up, threatening the mines and Oppizki Nu, but that the army of brave Tuzki would defeat the "enemy of light, beauty and everything that is great, good and true", and that was inevitable because "they were going to be led by a living God in the Creation."
To instill a sense of patriotism and fear in the population, Raki burnt twelve prisoners alive. Two of them were children below age 12. Then they arranged "Patriotic celebrations". Hoshi set out with 4000 men, 1000 of them elite warriors from Hunziland, mercenaries secretly promised half the gold of Oppizki Nu. He left his two sons as regents in his place, with Raki responsible for the public performances while Quadi was the administrator of the budget and public order.
Hoshi transported his forces through Cabum'we through his friendship with a certain Cabum'wean pirate. The Klazk were prepared for Hoshi's invasion, but Hoshi initially outfoxed them, by launching two fake landings near Oppizki Nu, drawing Gahat and Zabani there while the main host of 3900 men landed in the north-western shore of the colony. Hoshi moved his force in three columns south-west, sweeping forward like a broom. However, the destruction during his campaign was enormous. Two of the villages were completely destroyed, and over 2500 peasants were murdered, most of them being raped and murdered by the Hunzi mercenaries.
The Klazk, led by Gahat and Zabani, felt forced to defend Oppizki Nu, as they fought their war for the people, and if they did not protect the people - they reasoned - they would prove Hoshi correct that they were criminals. Zami and Japhari were however relocated, despite Japhari's insistence that he stay.
The Battle of the Oppizka Field mounted 2000 Klazk Warriors against 3300 men of the Natum'wean army and Hunzi mercenaries. The territory favoured the Hunzi warriors, who were led by Neshgi kwaBatta, one of Tigraini's old lieutenants, who had been forced to flee from his kinsman's court after being accused of conspiration. Neshgi's 1000 Hunzi completely ran through the left flank of the Klazk, led by Zabani, killing 300 Klazki while enduring only 30 men in losses. Thus, Gahat was forced to abandon the field.
A fallout also happened between Zabani and Gahat during this time, as Zabani had a breakdown and wanted to defend Oppizki Nu from Hoshi's army, and Gahat was forced to restrain him and drag him from the city. The citizens of Oppizki Nu prepared to fight for their city, but Hoshi sent an emissary to them, wearing a Battan banner. The emissary just grinned towards the elders of Oppizki Nu. Instead of coming with any terms, he just asked them a question. "Do you know what happened to the town of Ashwadi?"
Oppizki Nu immediately surrendered and allowed Hoshi to march in. Hoshi took up residency in the governor's two-storey hut complex, and then proceeded to have a local storage building turned a shrine for himself. He assembled the people of Oppizki Nu, telling them that they had betrayed the Living God and Saviour of the People, and therefore had committed a grave sin. But he, Hoshi, in his "limitless forgiveness and kindness" forgave them their transgressions and allowed them to purify themselves. In return however, they must offer him a sacrifice.
The nature of Hoshi's sacrifice soon became clear. A hundred men were to be executed. The people of Oppizki Nu were allowed to vote on who was going to be executed. The fortunes of those executed would then be given out by Hoshi to the people. The arrangement of the vote took place during the following weeks, and 100 men - most of them from the finest families - were taken out and burnt alive. Hoshi then took half their fortunes personally, and gave the other half to the poorest citizens of Oppizki Nu, thus formally making them his clients.
==Stalemate and alliances==
After the defeat at the Oppizka Field, the Klazk moved into the woods and the mountain valleys, stealing food and regaining their positions. They had lost many men, and were in no place to openly challenge Hoshi. Hoshi sent out his Hunzi warriors to raid the villages and kill people suspected of supporting the Klazk. Especially one Hunzi commander, named Satwa, made himself a very nasty reputation, as he had as a habit to roast the body parts of people that he interrogated slowly, and then promising to kill them if they told everything they knew. He was a short, ugly man with a round head, a hunchback and an evil grin, and he usually sat and ate on a fruit while watching his victims writhe in agony.
Zabani, Gahat, Zami and Japhari were becoming more loved by the people, not less. They lived in nature, ate from what the nature gave them, hunted and fished in the streams, and made raids against Tuzki commandos sent out in the woods to hunt them. Several tuzki commandos were defeated, but they were small forces, at most two dozens of men. Painful to Hoshi, yes, but hardly anything that could turn the tide. At the same time, the Klazk grew slowly, as farm boys and adventurers joined their ranks in the forest. Gahat was however careful with who he let in, as he knew that Hoshi sent agents to betray them.
Eventually, the Klazk agreed that they needed to move this towards an open war. Therefore they wanted to make an alliance with Huzippi, a tribal chief of the Oppi Nu tribe to the north-east, who feared and loathed Hoshi. Zami and three of Gahat's men were sent to Huzippi, to discuss the alliance. Huzippi wanted Zabani to marry to his granddaughter and become a member of the Zippa tribe and learn their customs, and also wanted 0,5 gold from Oppizki Nu. 
Zami returned with the proposal, but Zabani protested violently and exited the meeting grove in angry mood. Zami planned to follow him to talk him to order, but Gahat was quicker, had him kidnapped and sent bound to Zippa to be married with Razane, granddaughter of Huzippi. Well there, Zabani fell immediately in love with the woman, and gladly started to partake in the Zippa hunt for buffalos.
At the same time, Japhari Ja'we came with a request, saying that the Zippa warriors would not sneak into the border woods undetected, unless Hoshi was preoccupied with something else. He thus came up with an idea which Zami refused to allow, as Zami had become a friend of the prophet. Japhari said, with a sad tone that: "We need a sacrifice of our own. Hoshi is willing to kill anyone to rule over the ashes of the world. I am willing to die to protect even the feeblest newborn. Let us see whose sacrifice will determine the future."
Then he left, with Gahat's silent permission.
Japhari sat sail through a small boat towards Oppizki Nu. Entering the harbour, he was immediately apprehended by the guards, after a fisherman had betrayed him for a month's worth of food for his starving family.
Japhari was brought in ropes made of buffalo skin before Hoshi. He had been whipped and covered in manure, starved and beaten. Neshgi kwaBatta placed his foot on the Prophet's shoulder, forcing him down before Hoshi, who sat on a throne carved with ebony wood.
"So," Hoshi said, "here you are, my little prophet, covered in shit and blood. Your spirit crushed."
Then Japhari looked up, bleeding from his nose and mouth, but with a gaze like steel.
"Soon, Hoshi, son of Joni," Japhari said, "you will answer. Answer for every man, woman and child that you have killed or corrupted. And you will be thrown, thrown down from your heights, down into the darkest pit. And all that you've done will turn into ashes and spread for the wind."
Hoshi's face twitched. And he ordered Japhari bound to one of the poles inside the hut. Then he took a whip made of rhino skin, a gift to him from Tigraini, and proceeded to whip Japhari personally and in many ways humiliate the prophet. Then he issued a statement, that in seven days, Japhari Ja'we would be burnt alive, and that all inhabitants of the colony were asked to attend and watch "justice be meted out".
This gave the Klazk the opportunity to move in the Zippi into the woods. And the king of the Zippi called his friend, the king of the Xefërie, farther to the north. That man was a fierce and bored warrior, and their hosts numbered 2000 men each, but were undisciplined and fought on the basis of clans. When seeing them, Zami asked Gahat "is not 5000 men too much?"
"Never enough men," Gahat answered.
Gahat also struck a deal with a Cabum'wean pirate, who he had waged war on during the 12 weutis time, to provide 500 men to assail Oppizki Nu from the harbour.
"Can we come in time to save him?" Zami asked.
"We shall move as soon as possible."
==The Death of Japhari ==
The host moved out from the woods during the evening, and marched for one night uninterrupted. They approached Oppizki Nu as the sun was rising in the east. Outside of the town, they found it strangely abandoned. Then they saw that in the centre, thousands of civilians had assembled, all watching a pyre. Hoshi had built a wooden tower for himself, where he sat, and the most clear-sighted of the people of the Klazk could see that a man was hanging from his wrists on a a gallow over the pyre. It was Japhari.
A horn was blown. It was belonging to Zabani, who was dressed in a red tunic and with a red headband, a round shield garbed with zebra skin and a long spear. He was commanding a group of Oppi warriors, which made a fun sight as he was shorter than all of them. The crowd surrounding the execution site suddenly pointed towards the host, and started to mumble and shatter.
Hoshi stood up, widening his arms and started to chant before the sun. His servants rushed to have the pyre lit. And the self-declared God said: "Look now, I will now commit a miracle. This host that has come to oppose the Living God will be destroyed and shattered by my invincible power. Behold!"
And the smoke started to engulf Japhari's writhing body. 
"We need to save him!" Zabani yelled, and suddenly the army started to move towards Oppizki Nu. As they saw it, the crowd started to flee, but they fled not south but north, towards the advancing Klazki. The result was chaos in the ranks and that the commanders lost control over the army. Zabani rushed forward faster than anyone, trying to save his closest friend. Hoshi was now laughing, standing on his tower. Zabani rushed out on the square alone, throwing his spear against Hoshi, who's laughter temporarily ended when the spear almost pierced his head.
"You should be careful where you are pointing that towards, boy!" Hoshi yelled and grabbed the spear. Zabani spat towards him and rushed towards Japhari. He ran into the fire, getting a burn wound on his arm, but he lifted up Japhari's body and carried him from the pyre.
At that point, several other horns were heard. Hoshi's army had laid hidden in the grass south of Oppizki Nu. Now they attacked from three directions, driving back the flanks of disorganised Oppi warriors. Gahat was forced to retreat yet again with the core of the Klazki, the Oppi following them. Over 1500 Klazk coalition warriors (including the Oppi) died, and Hoshi had won another victory.
But Hoshi was not happy. He had lost Japhari Ja'we.
==The Battle of the Burning Forest==
The Klazki retreated towards their hidden base in the woods. However, Hoshi leads his army north. Neshga kwaBatta was killed by the Zippi prince Juhippa, who used his boomerang to strike down the Battan noble, and the Hunzi force was somewhat demoralised by that loss and demanded to stay to lit a funeral pyre for Neshga. Hoshi was forced to accept, which did not make his mood any happier.
Zabani was constantly watching over Japhari, not minding his own wounds. Japhari had many infected wounds and was dying, and Zabani was holding the tiny man in his hands. What few people remembered about Japhari was how short he was, and how weak he had been during life. Zabani promised to give up all his wealth and his life for his friend. Then Japhari grabbed his hand.
"No such promises. I have done... what I have come to do. It will be your task to continue my heritage. The world will burn, but you will win. Be happy, don't cry! For your woman is bearing a son, and you will be victorious..."
"I will kill him slowly... torture him..." Zabani promised.
"No!" Japhari ordered. "Fight with light, not darkness."
Hoshi on his side appeared outside of the Kwemkabane woods. He ordered the townspeople of Oppizki Nu to march in front of his army with torches, setting the woods on fire as they advanced.
Zabani was dragged by his war-like wife from the place where Japharie lied dying. She called him a little girl and then placed a spear in his hand, and screamed, "Go out and pierce Hoshi!"
The Battle of the Burning Woods began. The rebels and their Oppi allies built barricades made of trees and bushes, while using bows and slingshots to aim for their enemies. Many were suffocated in the intense heat and smoke, and the battle raged for two nights. It was complete chaos, men, women, children, warriors, civilians, wild beasts mauling everything in their paths. It was "a hundred battles in one", with small parties defeating one another.
But Gahat was not outwitted. The king of the Huzippi regrouped south-east of the woods and struck behind Hoshi's ranks, trapping Hoshi's army inside the woods and defeating the Tuzki left behind as a rearguard. Meanwhile, 200 Cabum'wean pirates joined the battle from the north-west, aiding the Huzippi.
Eventually, Hoshi was isolated from everyone but his band. And the same for Zabani. As the dawn arose the second morning, and thunder crept in from the west, both men met one another in a small, dried out creek near the woods. Zabani rushed towards Hoshi, wielding his spear. Hoshi, who was strong despite his 62 years, held his ground, and despite losing his battle axe, he used his shield to disarm Zabani, and then drew a flint dagger from his belt, cutting Zabani over the arm. Zabani fell down into an area covered with bushes and shrubs, and Hoshi walked through it, wielding Zabani's spear and piercing through the thick vegetation while saying: "come here little kitty. come here... i just want to pet you."
Zabani lied silent, but then Hoshi saw a movement behind a fallen tree. He cut through with his spear, then laughed as he heard a scream. "You scream like a pig!" he exclaimed.
The next moment he was mauled by a wild warthog, his left leg skewered. Hoshi screamed of the sight of his own blood, and then crawled towards a tree. Zabani rose up, holding his spear, arresting Hoshi.
As the news travelled throughout the woods, the war slowly ended. Hoshi was defeated and would be sentenced to a grim punishment.
==Consequences ==
Hoshi's fate
Hoshi was brought to Oppizki nu in a cage. Gahat insisted that Hoshi would be tortured and then have gold poured over his head. However, one of Hoshi's servants was a hunzi warlock woman. She smuggled poison to him, that silenced his heart. Gahat did however cut off his head, embalm it and cover it with a layer of gold.
The events in Jezki
The two brothers had never liked one another, but hardly surprising it was Raki who began. Raki descended down into pure "nuttery" during this time. He wore an elaborate robe in seven colours, wore several gold rings on every finger, had his hair dyed blue and violet, and had a pattern reminiscent of scales tattooed into his body. He also ordered prepubescent girls to be deflowered at the temple before being burnt before the Likeness of Hoshi (or "The Fat Golden Abomination") that everyone called it.
Raki tried to assassinate Quadi. Why is not important. Only that it happened.
Quadi had during this period reformed the Natum'wean bureaucracy, instituted a more effective taxation system and established a system of accountants as well as a formal written report underlining the entire budget of the state. Raki sent one of his Adjiri to attack the younger brother. Quadi was wounded, but not shaken, and then moved to have Raki arrested. Raki was however always at the temple, and Quadi was unwilling to threaten the symbol of their family's power. So he instead opted to have Raki's home raided and several Adjiri arrested.
Quadi personally led the raid at night, capturing his brother's fortune, and his wife - the princess Bezinie ja'Tigraini, discovering that Bezinie and Raki have two sons, Hoshi and Hunzabi. Raki never cared much for his family, but this slight was too much. He assembled his adjiri, armed them and suddenly flew over the Hoshki, Quadi's militia. All of Jezki was suddenly engulfed in a very confused civil war between two brothers, which lasted for three weeks.
Quadi had always been a coward, so he fled Jezki and the Hoshki were defeated, leaving the Adjiri in control. Raki ordered a public celebration, but then rumours started to emerge that Hoshi was dead. Upon hearing that, the people of Jezki rose up in a leaderless rebellion. Raki went out, dressed in his robe, his beard and hair nicely curled by oil, and with all his golden rings - even in his toes.
He was lynched by a mob, and his adjiri were defeated. Then the mob moved into the Great Temple and dragged out the Hoshi statue through the ground. It was flayed from all the gold and then Raki was tortured, had molten gold poured over his head and the head was cut off and placed on a pole. Hoshi's statue was burnt. 
Following was a series of military encounters with Hoshi's remaining loyalists outside of Jezki. Anarchy unfolded, and lots of unrelated murders took place. Jezki itself fell into yet another civil war, when factions related to local mob leaders emerged. Eventually, tuzki forces from Qashi landed and were welcomed as liberators. They placed a lenmetti - Ashi ja'Suwani - as weuti, but dissolved all elected bodies in order to await a restoration of order. Jezki was in a state of anarchy for the better of one year.
==Legacy==
The war had a very long lasting war on Natum'wean Culture and History. Firstly Qadi the son of Hoshi led an initially successful war to place his Nephew Hoshi II on the Throne of Battan. 
The Klazk then became the legitimate rulers of Natum'we who implemented a new form of Government. The Klazk Confederacy. With power decentralised to judges and regional leaders. The 5 heads of government then ruled the rest of the confederacy, with 10 year terms and rotated elections every 2 years. Two positions were opened up to political choice, with the other 3 being open only to bureaucrats. 
Category:History
Category:Battles
Category:Natum'we
Category:Wars