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History
3000 BBY? - 3 ABY
Translated from the words of an Optui Turico Priest
The elders often speak of an ancient time from long ago when their people ruled a vast empire in the lands to the north. Their ancestors were a benevolent people until the time when the Great Father breathed his hot breath onto the face of the land. The people fled as their crops and children turned to salt and sand. The Great Father had foretold the ancestors of a paradise where they would be safe and the great empire of the fathers began to walk. Everywhere they walked the grass drowned in the sands and the rivers dried up. They walked first in circles for many years until they came to the Bridge of Paradise, a small strip of land and it was here where their footsteps did not scorch the land. They came to a region where grasses lived with the sand and continued on until the grasses grew into trees taller than a thousand hands.
Sacred Holy Blue Mountain
The forests were lush with food and life and for the first time in years the Great Father held his fiery breath. The elders speak further saying: But the People of the Sand were too new of a generation, ungrateful and inattentive to the plight of their grandfathers. For a further hundred generations the People rebuilt their Great Empire and ignored the Great Father. They lived debauched lives in the trees, and there was murder between brothers. The Great Father became sad and let out his cry at the wickedness of the People. His hot breath once again fell upon the Wicked People and turned paradise into salt and sand. The trees and plains withered to dust and there was great starvation and drought on the land for many years. The Wicked People fled in fear and wandered the desert for years in their ignorance.
The Elder stops to catch his breath
My Great Grandmother told me of a time when the Sadness overcame the Wicked People and they turned their back on the Great Father no more. The ancestor Thanta Turico led the Wicked People to the slopes of the Blue Mountains. He told them of their wicked ways and begged them all ask forgiveness of the Great Father. Thanta Turico told them that he would climb the Blue Mountaints and if he survived he would speak to the Great Father and ask forgiveness on behalf of them all. The People cried and relented that they too wish to speak to the Great Father so they might end his sadness and hot rage.
Thanta Turico led the People to the slopes and foothills of the Blue Mountains. Along the way many would tire and Turico told them to rest and eat the food Great Father had sown into the mountain soil and they did. The people continued the climb and continued to tire, settling on the slopes. Thanta Turico continued on up the mountains till he came upon an outcropping of rock in the morning. That morning the Great Father emerged from behind the Great Blue Mountain and Thanta Turico cried in shame for the wickedness of the people. Great Father bade Turico to climb his mountain and speak in his ear and look upon his land.
Thanta Turico climbed until he became bloodied and reached the cold summit of the Great Blue Mountain. Great Father breathed fire no longer and spoke to Turico. He told him to look north to the land of his fathers and said that he would return the forests but the People Of The Mount will no longer return there. They will turn from their wickedness and live in peace on his holy mountain and eat the foods he prepared in the soil.
Farming Terraces in the Mid-RangeThe People shall care and tend the Great Fathers crop and live in communion with him in the holy place. Great Father commanded Thanta Turico mark the outcropping where he first commanded him climb his mountain and send him his sons once a year to speak with him at that same spot and he will no longer burn the land with his breath. Great Father and Thanta Turico spoke for two more days and Thanta Turico descended from the summit back to his people telling them of his journey and his conversations with Great Father.
The people bowed in humility at the sight of the aged Turico. His once black hair turned white and his youthful face became aged and they knew he had spoken to Great Father. He told them of the pact he made with Great Father to keep the balance of the world on his holy mountain. They submitted at once and thereupon lived as we do today here on Holy Blue Mountain.
3 ABY-Present
Settlers
By the time that settlers began to populate Harakoa the Gioki tribes managed to sustain their isolated nature. However over the course of time the occasional settler would find their way into tribal territories. Tensions escalated when settlers wishing to climb the Great Blue Mountain were incidentally killed while being escorted out off the holy lands by the Turicos. The settlers responded with brute force killing a few Giokis and severely wounding others. The cousin tribes in the northern jungles came to their aid driving off the invading settlers. As a closed society the Gioki naturally shun strangers for the benefit of upholding the sanctity of the mountain however as of 30 ABY they have allowed a handful of Tythonian scientists and researchers seeking to document the tribe.
House Odan-Urr
The Giokis have no combined term for the non-Harakoan invaders on their planet and would rather handle each individual visitor (while still rare) an a case by case basis. The Giokis were not contacted by the Jedi of Odan-Urr until 34 ABY prior to the Great Jedi War. The Giokis foretold of a time of great catastrophe because the purity of the Blue Mountain had been tainted with the deaths on the mountain causing an imbalance. The Jedi however did not heed the primitive warning when war erupted in 35 ABY. The short war brought no devastation to the tribe but did awaken in a traveling Nagai Jedi the importance of protecting the ancient tribe.
The Jedi was allowed council with the Optui Turico and spoke on behalf of Odan-Urr offering protection to the tribe. He was refused being told that they were the upholders of peace of the universe. His offer was greatly appreciated and in turn the Optui offered the Jedi protection in the form of offerings and prayer.
Drodik agreed to their offer as a sign of goodwill and respect and returned to Menat Ombo. He realized that their history and importance to the heritage of all Harakoans was grounds enough to add them to the roll of Tribal Protectorates.
Currently the Giokis and Odan-Urr have a commonality as peacemakers and have allowed Drodik special permission into their villages.
Culture
Gioki culture is reputed to be the oldest of the Harakoan cultures still in existence. Given their age it is surprising to modern researchers that their culture has changed little in the thousands of years they’ve existed. Religion established the Gioki culture and stands as the central focal point for the tribe. All aspects of their lives including the food they eat, the clothes they wear and the customs they practice are rooted in their history and religion.
Language
Gioki language is an amalgamation of ancient dialects produced from the same family suggesting they and their northern cousins below the Honunom Desert were indeed the more isolated of tribes in ancient times. Given that the language is so far removed from basic Harakose, researchers suspect that the language and culture of the Gioki predates other modern Harakoan languages.
Attire
Tribal citizens are plain clothed peoples. They often wear dresses and tunics of pure white un-dyed cottons in the tradition of Thanata Turico who taught of the Holy Color of Great Father. The color symbolizes love, purity, harmony and humility; cherished values at the very heart of Gioki identity.
Religion
The Gioki religion is based on their history of the Wandering Scorched Tribe and their seeking penance from the Great Father at the center of the universe, the Blue Mountain summit. Thanata Turico, the mythical figure from the age of the People of The Mount essentially founded the Gioki on the slopes of the Mountain range. His teachings on how the tribe were deigned to live have been upheld strongly to this day and his legacy controls the overall character of the tribe.
The religion is largely pacifist and centered around offering reverence for the Great Father and upholding his pact to the People of The Mount. The pact states that the Gioki are the guardians of time and peace in the cosmos. Their offerings to the Great Father will balance the universe and provide them with peace and blissful living.
The Priests of the Gioki, the Optui Turico are the sole successors to Thanata Turico’s legacy. Their role is to uphold the faith of the people in the Great Father and honoring the pact much as Thanata did in his time. As the spiritualists of the society, the Turicos in the monasteries often undergo great periods of meditation using psychoactive substances by eating the fermented resin from the Cucya-Shob Caterpillar. The resin induces amazingly profound spiritual journeys and visionary states from which the monks derive great revelations from.
The Arts
Music plays a specialized role in the culture and various types have been developed over time. Music is said by the Gioki to be the language of the Great Father. When he spoke to Thanata Turico he spoke in a language so beautiful and melodious that Thanata’s body aged from its gloriousness. Modern day Giokis simulate this by utilizing instruments designed to harness full capacity of their nasal crests as they annually recreate the spiritual Madrigal taught to and passed on by Thanata.
Visual Art is also an important facet of Gioki culture. They find great power in the creation of something that is aesthetically pleasing as they feel that they are bringing glory to the Great Father. The People have erected beautiful intricate stone temples and shrines over the years which dot the villages and roads. Gioki art is far from lavish however as they find reverence in being humble and the Gioki artisans minimalists.
Villages
Their villages dot the landscape and total populations fall somewhere between 1100 and 1200 individual Giokis. The Giokis have masterful knowledge of every square foot of the Blue Mountains and are experts at mountain living. Gioki villages like Munsi, Zuelduxa, and Nundushi are situated in long bands along the slopes of the mountain at various altitudes with their tiered farmlands where temperatures remain between warm and cool annually.
Munsi
The oldest of the three villages; the village is reputed to have been founded upon the place where mythical figure Thanta Turico first met the Gioki following his meeting with the Great Father. The village is along the northernmost of the slopes and spans several miles in length.
Zuelduxa
Established around the same time as Munsi, Zuelduxa is situated on the southernmost and highest latitude on the Blue Mountain range. In order for the Optui (Priests) to process their pilgrimage to the summit of The Holy Mountain they must pass through the city and bless it. The site is founded upon the spot where the last of the pilgrims stopped to eat the food Great Father prepared for them.
Nundushi
Nundushi is the spiritual capital and the main village of the Gioki. The village spans several miles resting in the mid-range on the slopes. The village as the spiritual capital houses many shrines and temples in honor of the Great Father and Thanata Turico. Thanata Turico established the city following his great journey to the summit. The holy man made his home on the spot and others followed. The village is synonymous in name with the religion of the People of The Mount. Nundushi is reputed to be the place where Thanata Turico is said to have made his home in a cave where a yellow bellied bird came to rest. The cave rests inside of a stone temple and serves as a monastery for the Optui Turicos or Devoted Brothers.
Regional Biome
Iwu Gioki spans several hundred miles on the lower, mid, and upper slopes of the Blue Mountain range; named so for the deep thick blue mist often blanketing the range.
The biome of the region consists of a mix of tundra and temperate flora and fauna. Arid grasses and shrubs carpet the meadows and plateaus as well as the rocky outcroppings of the slopes. Various species of trees exist but tend to be very angular, thick, and with stiff leaves. The ground has a tumultuous supply of tuber and legume type plants which are able to survive in the cold temperatures for which the native Gioki’s farm and cultivate for trade and consumption.
The predominant animals of the region are quadruped docile animals like the Histya, a fur covered four legged animal. Histyas are the main pack animals of the Giokis and are revered for their docility. In exchange for their service to the tribes Giokis often sacrifice Histyas to the Great Father in reverence for them.
Avian species also dominate the harsh skies of the Blue Mountains. Species like the massive Yuyas and Gerwiks compete as scavengers and birds of prey. Smaller birds such as Red Barsas and Chiyubos have adapted themselves to cliff nesting and fishing.
There is virtually no insect life above the central region except for a small black and white larval insect nicknamed the Cucya-shob or the Eyes of World. The caterpillar is reputed to produce visionary states for which only the Optui Turico are allowed to consume.
Government Structure
The Gioki Tribe is governed primarily by the monastic Optui Turico caste of priests. Given that there is virtually no military, the tribe is entirely pacifist. There is no singular chieftain to the tribe but rather a council of holy men devoted to rule by equanimity.
Monastic Order of The Optui Turico
Being that their religion and laws are synonymous with each other, lawlessness is a very rare situation. Should punishment be necessary the Turicos have devised a method seeking to instill penance in the violators by exiling them to the icy rock desert south east of the Blue Mountain Range for a set amount of time. The journey there and back is said to be spiritually fulfilling and upon return the punished are said to have found forgiveness. More serious crimes like murder while still extremely rare are punished by the Turicos banishing the offender to return to the primordial sea by giving themselves over to the cliffs to the west.
The Virem Guard
The Virem Guard, while not entirely Gioki comprise one of the castes of Gioki society. Their origin dates back to the time when those who rejected Thanata Turicos teachings were banished from the sacred mountain. The ones who left but later returned to repent and worship Great Father were welcomed back but they were given roles as sentinel guardsmen to the mountain living Gioki. Theirs is a society devoted to the protection and continuity of the Gioki people from outsiders. Their villages lie at the base of the mountain range straddling between mountainside tundra and the forests below.
The Virem recognize and pride themselves on being the sentinels to the Gioki and have such also taken up the teachings of Thanata some 300 years ago. Since then the Virem peoples were welcomed back into the mother culture as full-fledged members yet retain their devotion to the defense of the Gioki. The Virem guard numbers to approximately 500 defenders.
Virem Form
The Virem practice an abstract form of ritualized physical meditation techniques which was in turn transformed into a martial art synonymous with its creators.The form places an emphasis on defense for not only the practitioner but also defends their enemies from injury by using the opponents’ momentum against them as they strive to create peace and harmony rather than invoke chaos. In this way the form has been criticized by neighboring tribes because practitioners’ pacifist nature yet highly regarded for the forms volatile flipside.
Alternatively the Virem counteracted the harmonious character of the form by tapping into the grounds of lethality for larger scale combat involving multiple armed enemies. Weapons utilized by the Virem Giokis can be described as short rock bladed clubs and wooden pole-arms and pikes.
Commerce
The Gioki are fundamentally and truly a subsistence culture. They cultivate their own foods, tools, and possessions. Being that their history of the Gioki had cut off the tribe from all contact with other Harakoan tribes they managed to create a sustainable and thriving culture in one of the harshest regions of Kammeukiko.
Villages in the northern region closest to the equator produce fruits and vegetables for which they trade with the other regions for goods. Those villages in the mid range produce textiles and art for which is also exchanged for necessary good. Meanwhile villages in the colder southern range produces the holy tuber and legume foods as well as produce textiles and stone tools for export to northern regions.
Each region of the Gioki are aware that they are in a cyclical commerce system where each plays an important part in spreading their specialties to other regions. This sense of responsibility further strengthens the ties between the villages further enhanced by their religious devotions toward assisting each other rather than mingle with other ‘heathen’ tribes to the north.