The History of The Ratlands

### Overview:

The Ratlands (referred to by the citizens as The Hanozay Vana), is a Ratkin nation-state founded on the eastern coast of Murdova. It is an agrarian community of towns and burrows descendent of discriminated Ratkin who had migrated from Teiros past the eastern mountain range. Originally led by an order of druids called The Hanozay Order, an isolationist society of druidic and animist living developed, before the eventual fall of The Hanozay Order following their integration with the state of Murdova. The Ratlands is now led by The Vasashana, a democratic confederation government made up of district representatives. The Ratlands has mostly maintained a presence of neutrality, acting as a safe hub of travel and trade past the eastern mountain range. While druid practice remains active within The Ratlands, its presence has been otherwise removed from public policy and from the overall culture of the nation-state.

### Origin:

Following extreme prejudice and decreased chances of economic and social advancement for the Ratkin in Teiros, a segment of the Ratkin decided to migrate out of the city to find social liberty and opportunities elsewhere in Murdova. While most of the Ratkin that left Teiros either returned or integrated with neighboring cities, a group informally led by Tarmo Sej-ko, an amateur ex-arcanist of the University of Teiros, made their way past the eastern mountain ranges through cave tunnels and mountain trails. This migration took its toll on many of the members in this group, with over half of the members either retreating or passing due to malnutrition and environmental conditions. Most of the goods that the group had were foraged and/or hunted, forcing the members in the group to adapt to nature and the outdoors. Morale was only kept by Sej-ko, who would often use her limited knowledge of arcane magic to entertain and guide the group. Eventually the group was able to make it through the caves into a vast forested area, which would become the future boundaries of the Ratlands.

### Hanozay Vana:

After a brief period to set up camp in the outer perimeter of the forest, Tarmo Sej-ko decided to lead a select group of Ratkin deeper into the forest in order to map the area. Eventually, after piercing the thick outer boundary of the forest, Tarmo Sej-ko reportedly began to feel a presence in the center of the expanse, attracting her team as they ventured deeper. Eventually, they would reach a glade circling around a supernatural tree that future Ratkin would call the Vana Alij. According to oral lore, Sej-ko guided her group into a deep meditation around the Vana Alij in order to access a spiritual connection. Following success, all members were given permission to homestead within the forest and access to ancient Druid knowledge the Vana Alij held, referred to afterwards as the Truth of the Alij. In return, the Ratkin (now referring to themselves as Hanoza) and subsequent generations were to preserve the forests and the creatures that lived within, as was the will of the Vana Alij. Once Tarmo Sej-ko returned to the base camp, the citizens began to settle within the dense vegetation, creating neighboring burrows and common centers within the forest. Sej-ko and her team began to use their Druid knowledge to create animist infrastructure within settlements. Eventually, this would lead to the nation-state referred to by the Hanoza as Hanozay Vana.

### Formation of The Hanozay Order:

The original members of Tarmo Sej-ko’s expedition team formed The Hanozay Order, a Druid covenant dedicated to the preservation and innovation of the Hanozay Vana. The original members of The Hanozay Order were Arch Druidess Tarmo Sej-ko, Druid Suta Kuz, Druidess Iso Zeva, Druid Sallidad Dar’Atha, and Druid Drena Mibek. This covenant acted as an elder council that oversaw the development of Hanozay Vana as it developed further. They also individually formed five distinct clans referred to as Shirs, which acted as minor chiefdoms, leading local sentiment within the larger governance of The Hanozay Order. The Hanozay Order would be made up of only 5 members from the five Shirs, should a descendent be born and capable of understanding the Truth of the Alij. If not, then a qualifying member from another family will fill the vacant position, which only had a single occurrence during its history.

All decisions made by The Hanozay Order must meet a majority vote of three druids. Those decisions would then be presented by the Arch Druid to the people of Hanozay Vana in public concert. All members would maintain their roles until death, as the position was seen to be sacred and a lifelong commitment. Although Arch Druidess Sej-ko and the descendents of the Sej-ko family made intentions to utilize the various crops and herbs of Hanozay Vana to create diplomatic relationships with neighboring city-states, many of The Order preferred if they remained isolated, as to not draw attention to their existence and prevent invasions. The unifying belief among all members of The Order was to maintain independence and to uphold values of ecology, animism, and Unified Energy among all citizens of Hanozay Vana.

### Pihalko:

A halcyon began around this time referred to by the Hanoza as Pihalko, or otherwise known as The Peacetimes. This area is characterized by the rapid expanse of architecture and development of the Hanozay Vana. Many of the citizens focused their efforts on spiritual enlightenment through meditation, asceticism, harmony with nature, and study of the druidic practice. Although only the descendents of The Hanozay Order were authorized to study the Truth of the Alij, The Order still taught the Hanoza basic Druid magic and study, creating an education center within the burrows. There was even development of barter and trade amongst the burrows, leading to the creation of trade centers within. Most interactions outside of Hanozay Vana were seldom long, with high suspicion of outside cities and people.

Although citizens were allowed to travel outside of Hanozay Vana to other areas and return, most didn’t see the need to do so at all, since Hanozay Vana had enough resources for everyone to live within their ascetic lifestyle. An exception to this isolation would be the interactions with the Badgerkin of Barsukja, who offered an alliance with The Hanozay Order due to the fortitude of their land and similar views on communalism and class equality. This alliance was spearheaded by then Arch Druid Khedun Sej-ko, who advocated for greater relations with those outside of Hanozay Vana. This alliance was approved with a bare majority of Arch Druid Khedun Sej-ko, Druid Da’Khe Zeva, and Druidess Buluti Mibek, with Druids Hara Kuz and Kethba Dar’Atha opposing the decision. Although this period would seem to last for much longer, there soon would be a terrible event that would shake the entirety of Hanozay Vana and The Hanozay Order.

### The Murdovan Conflict:

During Murdovan expansion, the Murdovan government had discovered activity in the woods east of the mountain valley, eventually discovering the hidden towns within the Hanozay Vana. Envoys were sent to the forests in order to inform those within Hanozay Vana of their integration into the new nation of Murdova, but they were either unable to penetrate the thick vegetation or were attacked by defending Hanoza, who saw the envoys as invaders. Eventually, this led to some scourges between the Featherguard and the Hanoza. All members of The Hanozay Order decided to resist any assimilation into the Murdovan government, as it would violate their principles of autonomy and liberty. This would force Hanozay Vana into the conflicts that came with the Murdovan Expansions. Various assaults were made by the Featherguard against the Hanozay Vana, mostly focusing on using their aerial abilities to attack the Hanoza from the canopies, which were substantially more vulnerable than those defending the outer perimeter.

Druid magic changed use from development and growth of crops and buildings to the development of defensive arts, featuring fortification of armor and body, offensive manipulation of nature, various forms of entrenchment, and other forms of combat and military development. Sentiments within began to turn towards outsiders, with most Hanoza seeing all outsiders more as invaders and pillagers than as equals. The public discourse consisted of debates on if the Hanoza should start to rig lethal traps and attacks, which would be in violation of their druidic values. Less people roamed the forests, preferring to stay in burrows to avoid Featherguard attacks. Eventually, strategic escape tunnels were made that led in and out of the Hanozay Vana, in case the Featherguard were to successfully penetrate the outer boundaries.

The Hanozay Order was finding itself at a schism, with its members questioning how to best defend their homeland and the forest from invasion. Many instantly blamed outside interactions and activity for their subsequent targeting, resulting in more isolationist policies and sentiments. Some even argued for abandoning their views on preventing murder and advocated for the use of Druid magic to create an army. This tension would come to a peak with the induction of a new Arch Druid and the first ever inducted Druid who came from the family of another Druid.

The last induction of Druids into The Hanozay Order featured a rare occurrence in which there wasn't a druid member of Shir Sej-ko. Along with the induction of Druid Halthu Kuz was the induction of the Arch Druid Keth of Shir Kuz. Arch Druid Keth advocated for a militaristic offensive against the Featherguard, resulting in increased casualties of the Hanoza population and the first recorded fatalities committed by Hanoza. These actions were approved by a majority of The Order, with only Druids Athra Mibek and Owaz Zeva protesting against these new measures. This further radicalized many within the population, leading to further polarization and division both within the Hanoza and within The Hanozay Order. Despite this militarism, The Hanoza were still unmatched by the technological, arcane, and aerial advantages of the Featherguard, with vast losses occurring day by day. Eventually, the Featherguard would extend a deal to the Order. A ceasefire was issued, with the Hanoza maintaining autonomy as a nation-state under Murdovan rule, but they will have to participate in a strategic offensive against their greater threat: the Badgerkin of Barsukja.

A factor influencing this agreement was the unforeseen consequence of adopting fatal tactics against the Featherguard, which is the loss of Druid power from the Vana Alij. Part of the Truth of the Alij was that all beings were to be held equally and thus would not be subject to murder or capital punishment. By Arch Druid Keth Kuz adopting fatal offensives, this violated the Truth of the Alij, forcing the Vana Alij to withdraw its supernatural influence from Druid practices. Starvation, weakened offensives, and deteriorating structure would ultimately culminate in the worst event in Hanozay Vana history, referred to by The Hanozay Order as the Siirto Huna Offensive, later recorded as the Siirto Huna Massacre.

### Siirto Huna Massacre:

(INSERT BADGERKIN BETRAYAL AND DEAL WITH CROWKIN)

### Dissolution of The Hanozay Order

After the news of both the Siirto Huna Massacre and the subsequent deal with the Featherguard was released to the citizens of the Hanozay Vana, public sentiment turned against The Hanozay Order, especially against Arch Druid Keth Kuz and Shir Kuz. Protests and riots against the Order unleashed, as well as some Hanoza leaving the Hanozay Vana to avoid subjugation to Murdovan rule. With weak magical and social influence, The Hanozay Order eventually dissolved, with Shir Kuz druids being banished for eternity by the Hanoza. Without much social influence and guidance left, most of the Hanoza began to find other means of survival, relying on agriculture and trade work used in their settlements previously in their homesteading period. Trade with the outside world opened up, with the Ratlands serving as a passing hub for those traveling through the eastern coast to Teiros. Eventually shipments of produce and natural goods became a staple of the Hanozay Vana, with many neighboring cities offering other goods like tools and technology as trade. Some illicit markets opened as well, due to the low visibility of foot traffic within the area.

The escape tunnels used during wartime were later repurposed for smuggling operations by seedier caravans, offering paths and smuggling routes underneath the eyes of the west Featherguard sentinel station. Due to the Ratkin Hanoza population within the Hanozay Vana, the woods became known to outsiders as The Ratlands, since only the Hanoza within know how to truly traverse the area effectively. The economy began to pick back up and the Hanoza there began to have a reputation as friendly, earthly forest-dwellers, with their crimes against others only known to the Featherguard and the vilified Barsukjans. The later generations of Hanoza would rewrite their history to follow a more appealing outlook of themselves in the war as merely defending themselves against Badgerkin assault, rather than the opposite.

### The Vasashana:

In the modern era, The Ratlands has adopted a more pragmatic government, operating as a confederacy of districts known as The Vasashana. Districts, based on the unofficial boundaries of the Shirs, elects a representative who then speaks with other representatives on decisions and actions to represent The Ratlands as a whole. Each federal policy must reach both a majority public vote and a majority representative vote in order to pass. Local district policies only require a majority public vote within the district. The Vasashana are more focused on their economic position as an exporter of produce and other natural goods. They still uphold the traditional values of conservation and prefer to abstain from international relations, but are willing to sell goods to whomever is willing to respect their neutrality.

Focus on agrarian architecture is seen in newer developments on the outskirts of The Ratlands, with housing resembling more of ranches and homesteads than community burrows. While some within the government and among the population still respect and even practice Druid magic, they are not in the same positions of power or influence as they once were. It is seen more as an archaic form of agricultural practice than a representation of Ratlands culture. The future of the Ratlands is that of economic and agricultural expansion, with many of the Hanoza focusing on peace and harmony with all members of their nation.