Kjeropan/History of Kjeropan

# History of Kjeropan

Like its people, Kjeropan is young. Its history is characterized by interaction, vision, and (foolish) ambition.

## **Expansion Era**

### Creation of Kjeropan

The Kjero, a small but rich fur-trading tribe from the plains in the North, and the Owampapan, a large bison-trailing nomadic tribe from the savannahs to the East, met on Sun's Vein (the river). Per the founding myth, a strange, small-statured foreigner named Little Jan led the Owampapan to the Kjero's camp and organized a grand feast, sharing stories of rich nations far away, whose wealth granted them endless joy and eternal life. Enamored, the tribes easily bonded over a dream of achieving the same. Further linked by a shared appreciation for beauty, freedom, and the sunny valley they found themselves in, they established the city of Sunsleep, and the nation of Kjeropan around it, shaping its culture around festivals, freedom, aesthetics, and a duty to their common prosperity. Little Jan, of course, disappeared, and was never seen again.

### First Contact with Iskelkla

A lone soldier called Oie roams along the Northern border of Kjeropan. He hears a strange song, and ventures over a hill to discover a strange, plantlike group of Iskelklans performing a ritual. Drawn beyond fear by the beautiful song, Oie joins in the singing, and after a few hours he can understand the Iskelklans, and they can understand him. Oie, giddy with success, hurries to Sunsleep to inform the Janpēto and organize a more official meeting between the nations' leaders. Bonding over a shared appreciation for beauty and nature, the meetings end on good terms and Iskelklan wisdom, including their language of Kelkla Sse, begins being taught in Kjeropani schools.

### The First Famine and founding of Nip/Moss

Not long after settling down in Sunsleep, famine devastates the Kjeropani. Months of festivals and feasting following the unification of the two tribes has depleted the river's fish, and hunting parties increasingly return empty-handed due to shrunken animal populations. Malnutrition and sickness takes its toll as citizens eat nothing but Sunfruit and foraged nuts and berries, and as pressure mounts, the Janpēto desperately orders scouts to move further and further from the city's surrounds. One group of scouts, led by the witch-turned-hero **Oie**, gets lucky — in the West, at the very edge of the forest bordering Kjeropan, they stumble upon a stunning cave in the side of a cliff, covered in large patches of small, thick, lilac-coloured mushrooms that cause a pleasant tingle on the lips when eaten. Giddy with success, the scouts return to Sunsleep with mounds of the sweet and protein-rich mushrooms, which the population immediately names “Little Saviors”, also nicknamed “tinglies”. The Janpēto, satisfied, asks the scouts to gather their chosen families and return to the cave to build a new settlement able to consistently supply Sunsleep with Little Saviors. They do so, and name the city Moss.

### First Contact with Yonange

After founding the city of Nip, some brave Kjeropani, led by Oie, ventured to explore the labyrinthian caves that lead west. Upon emerging somewhere in the forest, they run into a group of individuals from Yonange. The Kjeropani mumble anxiously amongst each other, unsure of how to approach the sophisticated-looking strangers. Oie, never one for nuance, throws his arms up and lets out a jovial "BĀJIPONE!" as he approaches the person who looks like their leader for a hug. The Yonange, made curious from Oie's tall tales about Sunsleep, decide to visit Nip and write a report about Kjeropani culture. Once there, the Yonange are disappointed. They looked down on the Kjeropani's primitive society, and chose to not write a report at all. The Janpēto, upset by this piece of intel, soon set in place new policies all aimed at one thing - impressing their colonial neighbor in some other way.

### First Contact with Noveos

One sunny day, a ranching family from East Jorkwam is hanging out in the shallow Bilji river. Two young bison stand lazily in the current as a group of kids, each standing on a ladder, washes them with care, barely supervised by a man wading drunkenly through the water around them telling stories whilst sipping from a jug of cold tea. One girl, sat on the back of a bison to braid its fur, notices silhouettes approach on the other side of the river. She's immediately confused - they're clothed, just like most Kjeropani outside of Jorkwam, but they clearly don't use the same familiar orange and lilac dyes. The only Kjeropani adult there is fairly trashed, so one of the other kids dares the girl to make contact. Too young and proud to turn down a dare, she gently asks the bison to take her to the center of the river, and it does. She looks at the strangers, lets out a nervous "bājipone!", and hopes they're friendly.

The members of the Noveosian Expeditionary Party have travelled far from their hometowns as they have continued to explore the reaches of the newly claimed territories. The land is different from what they know. The ground is covered with tall grasses and dotted with small trees, extending towards an unbroken horizon. The grass moves gently around them as they trudge forth, and the air moves with a slight breeze. They stop. Voices are heard in the distance. The leader motions to the party, putting a finger to his lips as the rest move their hands to their swords. Laughter. Children's laughter. The warriors-turned-explorers relax, and peer towards the source of the noise. Great beasts of burden lazily lounge in the river, the children tending to them, washing them. But then the explorers and children make eye contact. Much to their surprise, the children giggle, and a lone girl walks forth to meet them. "B-B-Bajipone!" she nervously calls. The explorers exchange bemused glances, not understanding the spoken tongue. Perhaps, they theorize, the girl belongs to the savannah tribes that traders have told stories of. The Noveosians, ever curious, spy the girl's clothing, with its gentle oranges and lilacs. One of them suggests that with such soft colors, perhaps these mystery people are a welcoming folk. Another, suggests otherwise. As the party continues to debate, a young man steps toward the girl, shaking his head at the arguing party. Realizing his intentions, the party falls silent. "Ahmenio," says the man, smiling. He raises both hands with open palms, showing them to be empty. Curiously, a mark not unlike a swirling cloud can be seen on the left palm.

He beckons the girl forth, and she nervously follows. The man bends down onto one knee, and reaches into his bag, pulling out a wooden carving of a strange, cyan-colored creature. It was his son's good-luck gift for the expedition. He cups the girl's hands, and gently places the toy in them, smiling. The man glances towards the older man careening through the water, and asks "Ahbeotji?" The girl, guessing the meaning of the words, nods and grabs the man's hand and pulls him towards her father.

The Noveosian party of explorers approaches the man. He's hella confused, maybe because of the booze or maybe because of the weird language they're speaking. But the kids get what's happening. Lejo (the later-legendary Girl Who Spoke First) is happy and put at ease by the amazing gift, and finds courage in her excitement to lead the Noveosians to the city of Jorkwamik. Along the way she tells them about the stories she carves into her house, her favourite way to eat duck, who's who in her chosen family, the recent death of her village's Mother Bison, and even though the explorers barely understand any of it, she feels she can trust them. The Janpēto soon hears of the guests, and its three members rush to Jorkwamik. They invite the Noveosians to a lavish dinner in the main city square, welcoming each guest with a group hug. On the table stand about 12 roast ducks glazed with grape sugar, big baskets of soft mushroom bread and whole burnt eggplants, and four massive jugs of fresh, bitter bājibush tea.

### First Contact with Masat

At the very first regional Sun's Fair held in Sunsleep, many drunk Kjeropani pass by Masat’s tent, giggling, making rude comments, and teasing the mute visitors and their humble tent. However, soon after the Masati begin to drum, a huge crowd of Kjeropani begins to gather to watch them perform. Over the course of many hours, the Kjeropani dance, sing, cry, and try as they might to communicate how much they appreciate their drumming, offering booze, cheese, and even small clay statues hastily made to resemble their image. It seems that the Masati have introduced Kjeropan to the power of music. As the drummers finish, the Janpēto personally come by to thank them, begging them to return sometime to teach the art of drumming in Kjeropani schools, and even offering to organize a festival in their honour on their next visit.

In a symbolic gesture, the drummers untie the straps which hold their Bahns in place and hand them to the Janpeto. The Bahn is a percussive plate-like instrument strapped to the forearm and is used by the Masati to communicate. At first, the Janpeto are reluctant to take the Bahns, but the drummers are insistent. They then return to the drumming, much to the excitement of onlookers. At the end of the festival the drummers pack up and leave as quietly as they arrived, all save for one. One of the drummers, an ageing woman by the name of /:::- ;: ;:: ;:/ (VANA), requests to remain behind and live the rest of her days in Kjeropan as she is too weak to make the journey back to Masat. She offers to teach any who will learn the ways of the drum. The city of Sunsleep takes Vana in as one of their own, and soon an entire school is built in her name. She joins the nation's pantheon of heroes, associated with music in legend forever. The more the people get to know and love her, the more people vow to visit her home in Masat one day.

### Settling of Jorkwamik

Jorkwamik had been blossoming, growing for years before the Janpēto officially visited to evolve it into a city. Hordes of civil servants accompanying them decorate the entire city, carving stories of the city's future success and riches as powerhouse to the entire Kjeropani population.

## First Golden Age under Otino

### The Otino Accession

Under the watch of the new Janpeto, Kjeropan has joined a wide federation. This brought unprecedented changes to Kjeropani society, causing shockwaves to the foundations of the nation. The agreement itself was a cause of tremendous uproar, both positive and negative. For the first time, signs of internal conflict began to show in Kjeropan. A faction of hardline traditionalist individuals called **Defenders of the Sun** criticize the current Janpeto and their decision to join Otino, alleging foreign meddling and disproportionate influence of Yonange and Calai in domestic affairs.

Most Kjeropani, however, are happy with the immense improvement to their quality of life and access to new forms of construction, education, living, governance, luxury, and so much more. Sunsleep’s markets flood with new kinds of goods, simple dwellings grow into multi-level living compounds, and a massive university begins construction to share newfound knowledge with historic allies in the region. Surprisingly, the section of happy Kjeropani includes Old Jepi, the only ethnically native member of the Janpeto. He was recorded stating the following: “These changes will bring prosperity unseen to Kjeropan. This historic exchange will bring us so close to Kapawa, our Big Dream, and gives us a chance to spread our love and wisdom across the entire world.”