Luther of the Capuchin

Luther's official portrait, ca. 1 ALC

### Relatives

Caloua the Large of the Capuchin, Lorenzo of the Capuchin, Captain Monkey of the Chimps

## Physical description

### Weapons and items

Luther's dual blades, Tribeck's retractable bowstaff

### Summary

**Luther "Lightbringer" of the Capuchin** has been noted by Monke historians as one of the most influential and effective tribal leaders of his time, as well as one of the most powerful of those learned in the Way of Safashu. Moreover, his research papers and historical commentary has been ranked among the most respected literature in the Isles, and are quoted to this day in many Monke texts and scriptures. As a warrior, Luther brought his species back from near extinction in the years prior and proceeding to the Lebowian War and later on served as a commanding leader in most Isle-wide conflicts spanning centuries, from the Bugman Uprising to the Republic's Rebellion. He met his death in 193 ALC at the hands of Hush "the scarred" of the Chimps, following the complete decimation of the capuchin at The Fall of Cape Capuchin. As a priest, Luther served in the priesthood of light during the Shadow Wars and beyond, drawing magic from Safashu and the Light, and as Gardenkeeper of the Sacred Garden and the Tree of Bananachi. To his enemies he was a respectable and formidable foe, to his friends a kind, wise, yet taciturn capuchin who picked his battles wisely and his bananas ripely.

### Early Life (69 - 7 BLC)

#### A Life on the Run

Born in 69 ALC during the dying years of the Chimp-Gibbon war, young Luther knew no home, but constantly wandered the Chimp and Gibbon lands with the remaining few of his species, constantly in danger of being caught in the deadly crossfire between Chimp and Gibbon skirmishes and battles. At the time, during Luther's teens and early life, the Capuchin were lead by his uncle, the old king Caloua the Large, who mentored his nephew in the ways of the capuchin tribe, their tragic history, and in leading them when the time came. He spent his formative years on the run, relying on himself and his faith in the Light of Safashu, to guide his people to safety.

#### Luther the Scout

During Gamba's rebellion in 32 BLC, Luther was recruited by Lamont and The Council to serve as a scout and as a spy in search of the fabled Golden Banana. He commanded a group of two dozen of his most loyal capuchin comrades go secure the position of the relic, and make sure it did not fall into Gamba's sinister hands. The capuchin he lead into the field of battle would later become the Capuchin Honor Guard, and some of Luther's most trusted allies and warriors. Serving in Gamba's rebellion gave Luther his first true taste of war, outside of past skirmishes with chimp and gibbon soldiers in years prior, and it introduced him to many Monkes that would become his great friends, such as Babhood, Johnson, Chimtar, Lamont, Hector, and others who had joined together to protect the Isles.

#### The Capuchin Leader

Not long after the Chimp-Gibbon war was effectively ended in 21 BLC, King Caloua grew too sick to lead. Luther assumed unofficial leadership of the capuchin, and left on his first initiative to ask the Gibbon King for the cliffy territory that would later be known as cape capuchin. Luther successfully negotiated the Cape Capuchin Deal of 9 BLC, with King Sombex of the Gibbons, which effectively gave the stranded capuchin tribe (only about 2000 strong at the time) a place to rebuild their civilization in the eastern Gibbon lands. With this new land, Luther and the capuchin raised the first capuchin city for a century, and named it Caloua's Rest, as it soon became the final resting place of the old capuchin king, in 7 BLC. After the passing of his predecessor, Luther became the Capuchin King, though he never permitted himself to be called that, preferring the humbler title "leader". He was inducted into The Council of the Isles that same year, on the recommendation of Council members Tribeck, Hector, and Sombex, making him the first capuchin Council member since Caloua, who had been expelled a century earlier, when the capuchin kingdom was usurped and the Chimp-Gibbon war began.

### Rise to Prominence (7 BLC - 23 ALC)

#### The LeBowian War

When LeBow declared war upon The Council, beginning his legendary conquest, Luther and the capuchin could ill-afford to spend much resources or troops in the defense against the Dark Ape's takeover of the Northern Isles. He was still a young monke at the time, and his opinions in council issues and debates of war were not as heavily regarded as they would be in later years, so his capacity for participation was limited. The young capuchin leader was ever tasked with weighing the future of his weak and recovering tribe versus the fate of the isles as a whole, and the threat LeBow presented. When all was lost, and LeBow had taken all but the Gibbon lands, Luther knew surrender was the only option, and heavily advised his friend Sombex to act accordingly, but to no avail. In the end, it took Lamont's death, and the nuclear winter that it caused for the Gibbon King to step down, and Luther alongside him. After the war was ended, and LeBow began negotiations with Chimtar and Lamont (resurrected), the nuclear winter cast over the gibbons forced the Capuchin South into warmer areas. Babhood and Hector accepted Luther and his people into his kingdom until Cape Capuchin became habitable once again.

#### The First Banana Rebellion

The Republic's Rebellion, or the First Bananoon rebellion of 3 ALC was the beginning of Luther's true path towards prominence, and the beginning of his career as a member of the high council. Sparked by Crotac and Bongo, monkes unhappy with the council's rule, the rebellion garnered support throughout the Isles, which were still recovering from the destruction LeBow had sowed, and attempting to rebuild anew. In proposing the establishment of a second main government, it went against council doctrine, and the council banded together to crush the rebellion. Luther, seeing an opportunity to show his metal, vehemently opposed the movement, and fought bravely alongside his brothers on the council during the battle of the Banana Forest, after which the rebellion was ended. He gained respect and new recognition through his efforts after Bongo had been banished and Crotac imprisoned, furthered by his forgiveness of Crotac, which resulted in his nomination and selection for the Spider Monke council representative years later. In the Monke community, forgiveness became a staple of Luther's traits, and he became known as one of the main advocates for the "Monke Forgive" philosophy.

#### The Breninho Dissents

In 8 ALC, Luther's dedication and loyalty to the unified isles and the council was yet again illustrated when Breninho the Golden Griller wrote his series of scathing articles against the High Council, painting them as war criminals and liars, and individually criticizing or praising each member. These series of pamphlets would be known as the Breninho Dissents, and would become dangerously well read among the isles. These articles refer directly to Luther at points, calling him a "Young, inexperienced, and easily corruptible monke." Eventually, Breninho was let into the council, to resolve the growing adversity. Luther took proactive action towards the gorillas infiltration, writing two scathing pamphlets dubbed Luther's Rebuttal, in response to Breninhos criticism, exposing his fraudulent claims and labelling him a corrupt and bad monke. These too would be extensively read, and are considered the main reason that The Golden Gorilla was eventually kicked from the council and forced into anonymity.

> *"I do not, as Breninho did, harbor any wish to spark dissonance and disingenuous feelings within the council or the isles as a collective. This is merely a response to the accusations leveled against my person by the golden Breninho, who sought through whining and wringing his hands achieve power and dominance where neither were needed." - Luther, 9 ALC*
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#### The Human Invasion

In 11 ALC, the isles faced what could have been its doom, were it not for the courage of many brave apes, and the sacrifice of one Gamba II. Human ships armed with deadly projectiles invaded the isles' shores and bombarded the sacred banana forest, striking suddenly and with uncanny power. Fortunately, the Elders foresaw the invaders arrival, so monkes deployed by the council had been stationed along the bay armed to the teeth with the latest armor and swords. Luther, along with several other high-profile monke commanders, took charge of Moloksir Palace , and used it as a bastion to deflect their onslaught. But their technology was too advanced, and try as they might none could fully halt the human naval advance. Hope seemed flimsy indeed when Gamba II, the son of Gamba the Dark Ape, climbed to the top of the temple and clapped so hard he died, and the entire fleet was sunk to the bay's bottom due to the magical waves that produced. In years later, Luther and Chimtar oversaw the funding and construction of Gamba II statues in The Garden and in Shabamont, though these would later be removed after the Shadow Wars.

#### The Mandrillian Conquests/The Bugman Uprising

In ~20 ALC, the Mandrillian conquest began. Lead by Mondo and the now disintegrated Old World Alliance, the Mandrills established a grand empire over the newly discovered greater isles, and monopolized on the undiscovered lands, decimating any and all resistance they faced. Since these lands were as yet undiscovered, the Mandrills and the OWA posed little threat to the main isles, so the council did not get involved. Luther took the same path, and kept to himself throughout, not wanting to waste blood and precious resources. All was ended when Bugman Glu, a gorilla native to some remote isles off the mainlands, was invaded by the Mandrillian fleet in 26 ALC. Prior to this conflict, mondo faced little opposition from these outer isles, which were mostly comprised of a peaceful and unobtrusive kind of primate. When Bugman met the Emperor on the battlefield, mondo showed bloodlust like never before, and slaughtered the entire settlement, leaving only Bugman who escaped by boat in the nick of time. It took the power of four council members, (Crotac, Luther, Snowflake, and Hector) along with the power of Harambe himself to stop Mondo's wrath. The evil was eventually, and with great effort, evacuated from the mandrill, but he was killed in the process. It was evident that a sinister force had taken over this monke, and had been infesting him for years. **A force none yet dared put a name to.** As the mandrillian empire collapsed without its leader, Luther assisted Crotac in his efforts to find Mondo's heir, stop Bugman's vengeance, and eventually execute the Gorilla in 30 ALC.

### Holy Era (35 - 85 ALC)

#### Initiation into the Church

After the Bugman incident had been safely concluded, with the beheaded corpse of the ape sealed in some Farlands iceberg, Luther began to actively pursue his faith in the god of life and light, Safashu. He had always felt close to the Gods, and felt that hope and power issued from the Sun at all times. So, seeking a focal point for his faith, he approached Greford the Priest, and his disciple Darnelious, two Orangutans who had been leading a movement of religious rebirth since the days of LeBow. In The Garden, within the old temple of the Gods, Luther was brought into the faith of Light. He studied avidly under Greford until he earned the rank of priest as himself, and in the year 37 ALC, helped form The Church Convocation, a council of priests and holymonkes meant to embody the fate of the Church of Light. The Convocation attracted many promising monkes, such as Dill, Ali, Tzar, Tomat, and a young Randi, whom Luther had rescued from a chimp attack that killed his family. This organization catalyzed what is known as the Golden Age of Safashuism, a period of intense religious development and progress in the Isles. Luther was entirely dedicated to the gods, and his very soul was bent to increase the power of church.

#### The Shadow War

This conflict is widely regarded as the culmination of the Golden Age of Safashuism, as well as its end. In around the year 41 ALC, Mondo, recently resurrected, had been attempting to regain his old power through any means necessary, even going so far as to secretly raise Gamba II from his resting place in the Temple of the Gods. Mondo needed great knowledge of magic, so he sought it in the power of Gamba II, who he believed had made contact with strange powers after his death. As it played out, the good Gamba II seemed to have died that fateful day on the Banana Forest shores. He corrupted Mondo the Mandrill, and turned him to a shadow lord, tempting him with great power at the cost of his sanity, and his connection to the light of the world. Mondo became consumed with the darkness, and Gamba fled to the shadow realm to let his victim wreak havoc on the isles.

Ripping a hole in the fabric of the world itself, the mandrill drew forbidden power from the darkness beyond, which caused new rifts to open up all around the isles, leaking black shadow energy and strange beasts into the world of the living. Sacrificing himself in a desperate attempt to stop the Shadow's expansion into the realm of light, Luther was killed by the shadow lord with a swift blow from his evil blade, and the Sun itself went eclipsed as the isles were cast into darkness. Reeling from the sudden disaster, the council of the isles conviened as Mondo fled to Exile to build a city of shadow where he made his throne, and began churning out his army of death. Seeing no option but the Convocation of Light to resolve this matter of shadow, the council elected the body to lead the attack against the city of Shados, and return the sun to its rightful place. The students under Luther, his paladins, gathered their masters body and placed it upon a plinth of stone, calling upon the Gods to reanimate his fallen form. Their prayers granted, Luther led Tzar, Tomat, Randi, and Dill to the City of Shados, alongside Darnelious, Warybar, Jimbo, Hector, Bongo, and various other notable monkes in a final fight for the side of Safashu. Under dark skies the forces of a united isles fell upon the city with all their might, breaking through rank after rank. Mondo fought bravely against the Paladins of light, but Gamba II saw that defeat was evident, and summoned his true master, Creed, killing himself in the process.

In 47 ALC, after Vanquishing mondo and razing the city of Shados, the isles celebrated, naive to the fact that Shadow Incarnate himself was within the isles. But the shadows did not cease their infection, and the isles bacame more corrupted than ever with the scourge of darkness. Knowing something was afoot, Bongo the Dragon Rider rode his beast to the lands of exile and discovered creed weaving his webs of shadow in the ruins of the dark city. Barely escaping with his life, the orangutan informed the council of what he saw. Militarizing once again, the isles attacked the master of shadow realm with double their previous might, but faced heavy loses, unlike they had ever seen. Luther still fought bravely with his paladins, and shot rays of light from atop Randi's dragon while Tomat and Tzar fought side by side below, obliterating one shadow beast after reanimated corpse after another.

Eventually, with the help of his paladins, Luther was able to restore the sun to its glory, (earning him the nickname "**Lightbringer"**) removing its blinding eclipse and allowing the God of light access to the isles once again. This gave the light-practitioners a supreme boost in their power, and in one last desperate push, during which immense power was channelled into Luther from other monkes present, the capuchin struck Creed with a mightly sword blow, sending him tumbling back into the shadow realm, with threats of a greater danger on his black lips, a danger that would overwhelm both light and dark in its horrible ascent upon the isles. It would only be later that the monkes would truly realize that what he meant was more than empty threats from a devious tongue.

#### The Garden-Keeper

After defeating Creed, Luther was put into a deeply incapacitated state, baring injuries from the immense power that he was host to during the final battle of the Shadow Wars. During this time, (57-70 ALC) the capuchin leader spent much time in the sacred Garden, where he recuperated from his wounds and deepened his understanding of the gods. In his meditations he became disillusioned with the convocation and its warlike ways, and removed himself from its ranks, choosing a life of private seculsion between ruling in Cape Capuchin and spending time in the Garden. Notably, also took on a pacifist mindset and began in his pursuit of a new method of Safashuism which involved the peaceful resolution of all worldly problems, and a higher level maintained devotion. This devotion manifested in Luther's renewed dedication to the maintenance of the Garden, which he took care of as much as was possible. This extended even to the point of criticism from his fellow council members, who commented that the Capuchin Leader had become overly detatched from his governing responsibilities, and more withdrawn than what was healthy. Regardless, Luther would later view his tenure in that sacred place as one of the parts of his life most blessed with clarity, and the closest he'd ever gotten to the Gods' true will.

#### The Horrors of Onimoff

*"'Her' is not her name. To use the word 'her', is to protect ones self from her influence, and to ensure that her power grows no more. Her nature is not one as a God, or a monke, but rather... An essence. A fundamental aspect of the monke reality which has not failed to act in its brutally impartial wrath for billions of monke years. To explain it best I can: Her is, through some strange, supernatural monke force, a marking of a terrible tragedy - one that will change, or even destroy this world as we know it. It was her that originally started the great war. Her influence has met us before, and it will meet us again in ways we are unable to comprehend."*

*- Chimtar the Old, ca. 20 ALC*

Few times in the history of the isles have the Gods themselves, and their power, been called into question and opposed. The age of Onimoff was one of these times, and a brutal time it was. Elders of the isles, those sensitive to the forces of the universe, or gifted with the power of foresight, began to feel the evil presence long before it had completely manifested. Orangutans like Maurice the Smart, Lamont the Wise, and Chimtar the Old all referred to this entity as "Her", for a name equal to its calamity had not yet been coined. It did not, however, embody death. Nor did it life. This anomaly was comprised entirely of non-existence, an impossible threat, made so much more horrid through being so. Upon death, a living organism, be it a monke or a tree, would be sent to the spirit realm, or the shadow realm. Their soul would continue to persist, and face whatever fate remained behind the vale of realms. But a victim of Onimoff, now that was something else entirely. Their soul would be erased from the face of existence, rubbed out of space and time. She represented the antithesis of the gods, both good and evil.

Bringing the isles to their knees, the utter devastation began festering deep in the forests of the isles around 70 ALC. Reports began rapidly growing of disappearances and unmentionable horrors that drove their witnesses to insanity, with hundreds of monkes simply vanishing from existence. Light monkes felt their power s, and Luther, as in touch with the garden and the gods as he was, felt his own life force weakening, pulled by the vacuum of Her absolution. Knowing he could not fight Her physically, he finally devoted himself completely to the garden, and let the gods take his power for their own, so that he may fight through them when the time came, and save the isles when it mattered most. The monkes of the isles were left to fend for themselves, after Dill, Luther's best student and one of the greatest light practitioners, was absorbed by Onimoff, increasing her power tenfold.

Under great peril, the monkes and leaders of the isles watched as the isles were devoured by a terror they had no means of fighting. For years they watched as monkes were consumed and their isles contorted and transformed into something unstable and horrific beyond their wildest imagination. But the tides would turn when the God's found their strength from within and, through Dill, entered back into the world to fight their enemy, all fighting side by side or the first time since the war of the gods, millions of years prior. In that moment, Luther appeared alongside the Gods, having returned with them in the great rush of magic. United with the creatures of their creation, monkes and Gods stood side by side in a war similar to none in magnitude or granduer.

Eventually, in 85 ALC, Dill destroyed onimoff from within, ascending into the sky having surpassed mortality and the burden of material existence. The tendrils of Her evil that had long held the isles in their grasp evaporated around the battle-weary monkes. Luther, not seen for years, fell forth as the Gods departed to their realm above the sky. Reunited with his home, Luther knew that his spiritual journey had been fulfilled. He returned home to deal with the damage at Cape Capuchin, and join his brothers in rebuilding the Isles anew.

### Post-Onimoff Era (85 - 162ALC)

#### The Aftermath of Onimoff

The defeat of Onimoff left The Isles reeling for decades; the Convocation of Light was disbanded, the church was in shambles, and almost every monke tribe had lost at least a third of its population to Her great consumption. More than that, any trace of Magic was scarce at best, and Luther's once unparalleled connection to the gods above was all but silenced. Entire cities had been leveled, and it was the initiative of every tribal leader to build up from within, and repair what they had lost. Luther was among them, and in doing so he grew closer to his capuchin folk than ever before, sharing in their dance and finding a vibrant culture that he never knew existed, even within his own kingdom. He realized that his death-breaking bond to the church of light had blinded him to the needs of his people, and kept him in the Holy City for too long, his eyes turned ever upward to things higher than the mortal plane. Diving deep into the governing of Cape Capuchin, Luther was rarely seen outside his homelands, as he helped heal his monkes in their time of need.

#### The Crudian War

Luther was still tending to his homeland when Crude, the lost son of LeBow, began recruiting monkes for his imperial ambitions in 110 ALC. Figures like Menma, Draco, Titano, Shadow Gorilla and, perhaps most notably, a chimp named Hush, began their war against all things holy and magical. They served the whim of their master through deadly assassin missions carried out against monkes across the isles they deemed threatening to their cause. Oblivious of the brewing trouble, Luther's attention was only drawn away from his people when he heard news that two former convocation members, Ali and Kawa, had both been brought low by the daggers of Crude's goons. Enraged by this insult, and grieving the loss of two old allies, the capuchin leader sought to build up a legion in defiance of this new threat to the isles. After the newly proclaimed Crudian Empire assembled a fortress and allied with Ymir of the Nordic Empire, Luther sought out Ukaz the Mandrill, a former Crudian general who had abandoned the empire and now plotted its downfall. Working alongside Ukaz and Lamont and using his influence on the council to garner support for the anti-crudian republic, he began swinging at the foundation of the empire one small battle at a time. Fatty of the Macaques and Titano betrayed the Dark Ape, Shadow Griller was executed for treason, and both Menma and Draco fled into exile, leaving Hush the last of Crude's loyal generals. Seeing opportunity ripe, Luther helped execute the famous march on Mount Creed, the final and most deadly attack of the war against the crippled and compromised Crudian Empire. When the white flag was raised in 140 ALC, the Son of LeBow had been killed by Sombex, and Hush had been captured.

#### Operation Solisios/The Randi Incident

Prior to the end of the Crudian war, Luther would face a scandal that would haunt him for the rest of his years, and permanently tarnish his once sterling reputation in the eyes of the isles. During the latter days of the war effort, accusations of torture and church conspiracy began to circulate with increasing magnitude through isles newspapers. Confounded by these allegations, he sought out their source with vigor, meaning to end their spread and focus on the war. But one dark evening, while pouring over books in his study, the capuchin was confronted by a robed stranger on his windowsill, wearing a wooden mask. The events that followed brought Luther's memory backward over a century, to the peak of his religious devotion to the church....

When Randi the young Orang Paladin had gone missing in 52 ALC, the convocation attributed it without public question to yet another casualty of the Shadow War. A promising monke in the church, he was given full honors and a ceremonial burial in the garden to commemorate his services to the Way of Safashu. But beneath the temple, something entirely different had transpired, a magical, alchemical operation of unprecedented magnitude and secrecy, privy to only the highest ranking of the Convocation. Luther, among other high church leaders, were terrified of a shadow resurgence in the wake of the devastation Mondo and Gamba II had wrought upon the isles in just a few years of control. In Randi, they saw a deep well of power not recorded since the light apes of old, paired with a kind and courageous heart. After being struck with a shadow poisoned arrow during the final battle for the isles, Randi fell from atop his dragon mount and disappeared among the many corpses that covered the shadow-blighted battlefield. A servant of the church discovered him, days later, part of a search party deployed to locate the missing orang. When Randi was brought before Luther, barely clinging to life, some deep, cunning curiosity seized the capuchin, who intervened in standard procedure and took the wounded ape deep below the church's headquarters in the Holy City. There, he issued orders for "Operation Solisios", a procedure banned by the elders, one devised by religious zealots banished from the isles under council decree. It had never been successfully completed in the recorded history of Safashuism, but what Luther saw in the young orang gave his pause, and the prospect of a successful attempt drove him onward with blind ambition to honor his God. Attached to various cruel mechanisms designed to infuse a monke with unparalleled magic power, the half dead Randi was tortured the point of insanity as Luther watched with poised expectation. At the pinnacle of the procedure, the Orang's body began to constrict, as light shot through his very pores. Foreseeing disaster, Luther fled the temple as the monke ruptured in a burst of light, killing 14 servants of the church in a devastating explosion of light. Haunted by guilt at the presumed death of Randi (who had been his mentee and apprentice), and terrified of his own cruelty in the name of the church, the capuchin leader withdrew into solitude in the garden in 57 ALC, aiming to rebuild his relationship to the gods in solitude within The Garden.

But, as fate would have it, death did not take Randi that day. Removing his wooden mask, the stranger revealed his identity. Beneath it was a face layered with hideous scars, and pale eyes which racked Luther with terror. The familiarity was undeniable; it was none other than Randi, gone for 100 years, now standing before his former mentor and torturer alike. When the Orang spoke, he told with bottomless sorrow his journey of the past century, throughout the isles, hidden from the eyes of the world. He viewed wars, cosmic invasions, kingdoms rising and falling, all events that had transpired through the eyes of a wretch and an outcast, an outcast even to the gods it seemed. He even told of watching Luther for weeks in The Garden, peering through trees with a drawn dagger, breathing vengeance, yet unable to exact the mortal blow. For even though the operation had severed his spiritual connection, and mutilated his mind and body, his kind and courageous heart persisted yet, and stayed his hand. Luther was forced to relive his regret, and asked Randi what he could possibly give him to compensate for his grave injustice. In return, asked only for the capuchin to heal his face and mind, with the same magic that had disfigured both. Luther led Randi into the garden, and placed him below the tree of Bananachi. Summoning the energy from the sacred bananas it bore, he healed the broken monke in a ritual which would sap his power for years to come, finally paying the price for his wrongs. Randi thanked Luther, and returned to his home in the marshes once again, where he one day would become defender and king.

As for Luther's reputation, once the details of Operation Solisios had been leaked by former members of convocation, it never fully recovered. He was, till the day of his demise, haunted by his heinous misdeeds, although he knew in his heart that Randi had forgiven him, and that that was enough.

#### The Rule of 10/Council Reformation

When the Crudian War ended, the isles became aware of its shortcomings, and the reduced influence of the council in the post-Onimoff years. That the various tribes of monkes had taken so long to respond to the Crudian threat was a signifier of the inefficacy of the council's rule, and how separated the kingdoms and republics of the land had become. Seeing fault in its workings, Luther of the Capuchin set to work in 160 ALC, writings bills and laws that would concrete Earl's legacy, and give council once again a more active role in the governance of The Isles. Many of these propositions were considered outlandish and over-progressive by many members, and therefore were widely dissented in many council votes. But Luther's true aim was not necessarily to get all of his propositions passed, but indeed to spark council activity and action against said propositions, unifying them and forcing them to consider the future of the isles from the standpoint of a ruling body. Perhaps the most notable of Luther's Laws was "The Rule of 10", which effectively upon passing cut the number of members permitted within the council to 10, less than half of what it had previously been. Utterly controversial at first, and opposed by the majority of stalwart tribal leaders, Luther's dedication and patience eventually won him the case, and the council was effectively reformed in 162 ALC. Now smaller in number, they were able to function more efficiently and with more tact than ever before.

### War & Final Days (165 - 193 ALC)

#### Bananoon War

##### Rise of Dutch

But as did the council rise in prominence and vigor, so did the threats against it. In the late 160's ALC, a young baboon named Dutch became disillusioned with the council's rule, outwardly and outspokenly criticizing them as tyrannical rulers. Moreover, he was sick and tired of the reign of baboon king Phillius, who he viewed as week, and a pawn to a council in which he had no seat. Receiving funding from an anonymous, yet open-handed donor, Dutch and his brother Arthur quickly usurped Phillius in 171 ALC. Not long after, he began working with the chimp drug lord Chevo El Chimpo to beggar the Holy City by getting the population thoroughly addicted to a new drug called banana dust. Among Dutch's ranks was a young Captain Monke, Luther's adoptive chimp nephew, coerced by the baboon into joining his naval forces. The capuchin travelled west from his homeland, to the Holy City where he would attempt to convince captain to change sides. Upon arriving, Luther discovered the dilapidated state of the once grand city, its streets now crawling with homeless addicts. Meeting Captain Monke in the ruins of a LeBowian-era temple, he convinced his nephew to betray the baboons, just before Dutch, El Chimpo and their guards arrived. When they did, they did not like what they saw. Under heavy crossbow and eventually a tank fire, Luther barely escaped with his life, dodging through the cramped streets and hiding on a trade vessel, the merchant of which he paid to take him home. Not long after, the Chimp and Baboon declared their control over the Holy City. Captain was angered at Dutch's violence towards his uncle, turned on his former commander, later ambushing one of his vessels at sea. Ultimately, and tragically, Captains heroism was cut short and the chimp was vanquished by Dutch's armada. A furious Luther called a council meeting, and proposed another alliance be assembled to extinguish this growing tyrant. Warybar, an long time ally, agreed, and returned north to begin mustering his forces. Subsequently, Crotac the old spider monke king, Phillius of the baboons, the former Crudian general Hush, and the powerful proboscis king and magic practitioner JuJu all declared their loyalty to Dutch. Also, to everyone's surprise, Bongo, the leader of the Republics Rebellion of 3 ALC rose from the dead to help with this new cause, as a necromancer. With this, in 175 ALC, all out war against The Council was underway, dubbed The Second Bananoon Rebellion.

##### War in the East

Taking his vessels east, Dutch and his fleet of unmatched naval power swiftly seized the scattered isles. But Fatty, Luther, and Dillion were there to meet him. Cornering the Baboon, the three forces trapped his armada within the scattered isles through a series of coordinated ship maneuvers. Arresting Dutch and El Chimpo, Luther brought both to Cape Capuchin to negotiate a surrender, upholding his belief in forgiveness and pacifist values, despite the murder of his nephew. The Bananoon forces agreed to a surrender which lasted all but 12 days. Quickly and forcefully thereafter, Dutch invaded the Gibbons, sailing east from the scattered isles and taking first the town of Plumouth, and then the city of Pluton within 48 hours, such was his tactical brilliance and speed. Amassing his forces with the help of El Chimpo, the baboon broke his pact of peace with Hush, and swept south, invading the Chimp Kingdom just 9 days after taking the Gibbons. Furious at this betrayal, Hush militarized the chimp armies against Dutch, but was swiftly overpowered by vastly superior numbers, and pushed to the southern shores of the isle by King Crotac and his command. This all happened while Sombex and Luther were North, fighting battles against Dutch's generals in the Gibbon Lands, weakening his hold over Pluton and defending Cape Capuchin. After Johnson City was taken, Luther sailed south to meet the foe on the battlefield, only to discover he was too late, and that thousands of Chimps had already been killed in futile defense of their capital. The Chimp Lands were under Dutch's control. It was a military feat never before seen, he had conquered most of the East in under a month.

On the smoking battlefield, Luther found Crotac, an old ally-turned-enemy who had participated in the Republic's Rebellion of years passed. Summoning his fire dragon, the spider monke met the capuchin, who in turn summoned from the well of his soul the light magic of centuries past. Battling over the ruins of the chimp lands, fire fought fire until at long last Crotac landed a well aimed blast at the Luther, sending him hurtling into the ground, seemingly defeated. Turning from his vanquished enemy, Crotac made to rally his troops. Then, it began to rain. From a thundering nimbus, an arch of lightning zigzagged through the air, making contact with the unconscious capuchin, reanimating his body with terrible resolve. The air itself was electrified as Luther rose once again from the crater of his defeat, to meet the flaming Crotac once more. Manipulating water and lightning alike, he battled his foe relentlessly until his foe fled into the jungles, defeated.

##### Turning the Tide

As the spider monke forces were repelled, Sombex and Fatty issued aid to the survivors of the attack, and began planning the downfall of El Chimpo, who Dutch had placed at the head of Chimpian government. Meanwhile the baboon himself was off the chimp shore, celebrating his victory aboard his gargantuan flagship, the *Bananamarc*. It was here that Luther turned his electric sights. Gathering speed, the monke propelled himself over the dark water and through the blinding rain, his lightning power branching out and over the ocean. Dutch saw Luther headed his way, and ordered his fleet to aim and fire on the magic wielder. Deflecting every artillery shell and bullet, Luther conjured a massive tsunami, bending the water and infusing it with lightning. Mounting his power, he rose above the great wall of water and let it crash upon the iron sides of the *Bananamarc,* sinking both vessel and baboon to the depths of the Chimp Bay, where they still rest*.* The capuchin had quite literally turned the tides of the war. Floating to shore, clinging to a broken beam of iron, a half-dead Luther was discovered by a gibbon search party the following morning, once the storm had cleared. Hearing news of Dutch's death, Warybar called a meeting of the newly formed S.I.A or Seven Isles Alliance, a group of tribal leaders and councilmonkes opposed to Bananoon Rule. Among them were Babhood, his son Chimtar, Luther, Sombex and his son Dillion, Warybar, General Luke of the Gorillas, Gendir of the Howlers, and Fatty of the Macaques. Added to their ranks was Hush, who joined with hopes of retaking the land so treacherously stolen from him. Sombex and Dillion came with news that the Gibbons had been liberated. Spies for the S.I.A uncovered intel that suggested Arthur would immediately take his brother's place as head of the Bananoon Rebellion. Moreover, they had yet to deal with El Chimpo, who still reigned in the Chimp Lands.

##### Arthur's Conquest

As Arthur assumed power, Luther met with El Chimpo in an undisclosed location to discuss a negotiation of the Chimp Lands from his territory, but soon learned the mad Mob Boss had only called him there to taunt him. Vastly outnumbered, Chevo El Chimpo had little hope for victory against a mobilized SIA, which soon swept upon the chimp lands from either side, without Dutch's massive naval fleet to defend its shores. Moreover, after his brothers's death, Arthur had taken his remaining forces and fled the unsecured isle, heading east to his secret refuge in the scattered isles to muster his militaries and plan his next attack. Crotacs unit of spider monkes fought bravely for Dutch's cause, but were eventually forced to surrender by Warybar and Greford, which cleared a path directly to the bunker of El Chimpo himself. Luther led the charge forward through the thick jungles and broke open the doors of the safe house, instructing his generals to wait behind as he went to confront the last Bananoon leader in the East. The capuchin discovered the chimp slouched in a chair, in a room loaded with banana dust crates, cackling. A click, followed by the sound of ticking allowed Luther seconds to flee the area and remove his unit, before the Bunker went up in a great inferno along several other key locations across the chimp isle, leaving nothing but scorched earth behind. The SIA considered the Chimp Lands liberated, and began attempting to rally a central government from the remnants of Chimpian society.

SIA forces were forced to regroup in the East, and deal with civilian losses in both the Chimp lands and the Gibbons. In an attack nobody expected, Arthur struck the Gorilla Lands at a weak point near Hectorine, piercing through Babhoods forces and later Fatty's reinforcements. Gorilla defenses were obliterated, and Arthur took Baufoni in a matter of days, winning attacks with impossible consistency, as if he was privy to information only discussed in SIA meetings. The SIA, now rebranded to the AAA (Anti-Arthur Association) convened once again, where in Babhood expressed his anger and insisted that Arthur must have been fed information about Gorilla defensive positions, to stage an invasion with such accuracy and causing such vast damage. Luther agreed to lead an investigation with Fatty into the source of the leak, to locate the Rat. Hush, the Chimp King, who by now had almost completely united the chimps under his reign, insisted fervently that the culprit was Dillion, the heir of Sombex, and a main player in the Bananoon war.