Boves

## The Old War

The mighty Boves once held dominion over the other races of the world. It is believed by some Boves now that it was they who began the Old War due to the actions of the mighty Josiah the Gatebreaker, their former Emperor. The Boves remember him as their peak in power, the might of their civilization, its apex, in which they enforced their justice, their righteousness. The Boves have always been mighty warriors and steadfast in their beliefs, and Josiah was no different. However, instead of merely conquering others to his rule as the leaders before him, the Emperor began to force slavery upon the victims of their war, and his insatiable lust for land and the spread of his authority brought more under this tyranny, working to construct monuments and buildings dedicated to justice, and from atop his throne the Emperor saw that it was good. He believed all were playing their respective part in the balance of all things, and thus he was blindsided, shocked, when the slaves decided they were not going to bear their place in the Emperor's machination any longer.

Josiah ordered his men to fight back, to kill any and all associated with the revolt, but this only stirred the masses further, causing more to join into the fray. The Boves believe this is what caused the Old War, this utter disrespect to the other races of the world and to individuality. The Last Emperor, or the Old Emperor, fell not to slaves, but to his own people, for as the days of the Emperors grew, the faith of the boves drifted from worldly balance to a balance crafted by their government. The remnants of the old believers formed a collective called the Heart of the World, led by shamans and working to freeing many of the slaves, far more than the slaves could manage themselves. These wise boves eventually gathered enough of a following and voice to make their way to the emperor.

It is traditional in all boves society in the past that the current rule could be challenged physically in a duel called the Trial of the Broken Arm. The challenger had his dominant arm broken prior to the duel, and if he could defeat the current ruler in this state, his arm would be re-set, and he would be made the new ruler. Thus, not many of the rulers in boves society were old, wise men, but younger, strong ones. Makar, one of the head shaman of the Heart of the World challenged Josiah to this trial, and after a battle of six hours, Makar had beaten down the Gatebreaker. Though stronger, the Gatebreaker's pride and assumption that all would fall in accordance with his own will brought him great surprise at the dexterity and energy of Makar, who came back up whenever the Emperor believed to have put him in place. Makar merely shouted 'We cannot be contained!' and stood up again. In the end, the exhausted Josiah was defeated by a single blow from Makar. Another tradition held in boves society was the granting of a title, validated by one shaman and forty-nine civilians minimally, or an additional shaman counting for ten civilians until the requirement was met. Josiah earned his when attacking a fortress perceived to be impenetrable, but he demolished the gates with his fists. Makar was granted the title 'Freedom's Harbinger.'

The Emperor was brought down from his throne and placed upon a guillotine. From the ground, he saw not his glorious marvels of engineering, but the corpses of the overworked slaves that littered the ground around his monuments to justice. He closed his eyes and accepted his death as a necessary act.

Despite all this, the boves had to abandon much of their land to appease the other civilizations from whose people they enslaved. And when the Great Dark came, the boves empire was a mere kingdom.

## Faith

Makar represents the newfound value of personal liberty for the boves, for freedom. The boves now believe that nothing is stronger than a man's will, and they refuse to have an iron-fisted government again. They view oppressive regimes as evil and believe that all people deserve to pursue their will.

Josiah shows the boves that balance and natural justice exist, and they are a force that cannot be contained or controlled. In the end, it is what killed the one who believed himself to be the greatest follower of it. The boves hold firm in their belief of following justice, and that they need not enforce the beliefs on others, as justice and the balance of the world will hold for them, so long as they do not attempt to disrupt it themselves.

The boves hold no pantheon, their religion compromised of faith in the world's very being and shaman to guide others in the understanding of this. They also hold their old traditions, believing tradition to be very important to them culturally.

## Government

Boven government now consists of small governments interwoven into a larger one. Communities of tauren decide among themselves, to their preference, who should be considered the leader, governor, of their community. Each bove is considered the master of his own land, and the government is merely the willing connection, an alliance, between each individual. These communities share resources in trade, and those large enough have law enforcement. Disruptions in boven communities are largely handled by the community itself, and laws differ from community to community. The government above is called 'The Confederacy' and consists of all communities whose elected leaders, Governors, have banded together in an alliance. From the Confederacy comes mutual laws that keep the Tauren together, one of which is recognition of the King. The King is usually a governor of a Community as well, but he decides the overall course of the boven government. The Boven King, though still able to be challenged by the Trial of the Broken arm, is usually the Governor believed to be the best strategist or leader for the time, and he is usually elected by the Governors. Thus, the communities look at him not as an oppressor or an overarching lord holding dominion over them, but someone chosen from the boves willing to put forth effort and time in keeping the tauren stable, led, and united. He cannot force any tauren to fight for him, but due to the nature of his station, most boves are willing to fight for him, if he is considered a good bove. If not, the communities become restless, and an election is called.

## Army

The Confederacy often recruits workers to be dedicated to the Confederacy and the King, and among these occupations is the Collective of Free Hooves, the boven army. It is led by the current King, and it largely consists of powerful, slow infantry with the addition of Stegus Riders. Only one combat group is dedicated to the King himself, a royal guard simply called 'The Kingsmen.' They are typically only defensive, but if the boves' current King is a fierce warrior, they can be seen as the most terrifying force in the Collective, for the very King himself and his elite soldiers lead the charge.

## Traditions

(Ancient) The Trial of the Broken Arm - For so who wishes to take rulership over the boves may have his arm broken by a shaman and declare the Trial of the Broken Arm to the current head of boven society. The head may refuse, but must give over the position straight away, or he may fight.

The challenger and the head must fight bare apart from leather leggings. Attacks below the waistline cause the attacker to forfeit. None may interrupt the Trial once it has begun. The Trial continues until one of the combatants is unconscious.

(Post-OW) Ammendum: If the head kills the combatant during or after the trial, save for times of rebellion, he is to be dethroned.

(Post-OW) Ammendum: Governors may be challenged by the Trial of the Broken Arm.