Tale of an Egg: A Rapa Nui wank (99.9% ASB-free)
- Thread starter Harald Sigurdson II
- Start date
The Fate-Changing War: Part II
July, 1666 CE
Puakatike, Eastern Rapa Nui
Fareani only heard the beating of his heart. Without emotion, he saw the large field ahead of him, and beyond that, the sea. He was sprinting as fast as his short legs could bring him, and dared not look behind, for it might slow him.
What lay behind him was a sky filled with smoke, the screams of women and the wailing of children, the shouting of men. Puakatike was burning, sacked by an army no one thought would dare march so deep into enemy territory.
Fareani fell to the field, blood gushing through his chest. The warrior who through the javelin took his bluish pebble bracelet, hoping to sell it for a decent profit.
The chief of Orongo had almost just ended the war, killing any fear of Eastern attacks into the southwest. However, the Terevakans were swift to respond, and weren't going to give up easily. The march had missed many small dwellings in the lightning speed attack, and the western forces would be busy subduing the remaining rebels not yet reached, giving the Terevakan chief time for him to launch a decisive attack of his own.
Almost immediately, he amassed his forces in Terevaka, most of which had been raiding, with only days on hand. He ordered them to sack Vaka Kipo, and when he arrived with his army, he took a small contingent of his finest warriors, and embarked on a journey of revenge, revenge for the Birdman's insult against him.
They snuck through the countryside, and while the army was still in Vaka Kipo, waiting for the enemy army to return to fight, they arrived in Orongo, the dozen devout followers of the Terevakan, soon to be know as Hoomauakla I Mi Hale [1], in sight of the sacred village resting near the cliffs upon which the Birdman was coronated.
He let out one last shriek, echoed by his men and followed by the attention of shocked locals. They ran for the residence of the representation of Makemake on earth, who was likely scared beyond death, not knowing it was 15 men, not an army at his door.
The Birdman's personal retinue ran to the scene, where the guards on duty were overwhelmed, and according to legend Hoomauakla I Mi Hale was slain by spear the wingspan of three manu taru from the foot of the throne, no less then 5 gashes across his body.
Not a man escaped, and ironically, the Birdman clubbed the head of the dead Hoomauakla as he did to the messenger, before decapitating the body and parading his mutilated body through Orongo. To this day, almost every family in Rapa Nui claims ownership of a slice of Hoomauakla's finger, to which was once said a sofa could be built with the tanned skin of the souvenirs. [2]
The rebel army deep in Vaka Kipo, the western army jogged back in a mess, but were strengthened by peasants from all over wishing to finally rid the heretics from the land. The eastern army was trapped, and utterly slaughtered at A Kivi, where they were tired and matched man for man by the enemy.
The moai war prospects in tatters, the inspired army was split in half, one to deal with dissidents in the southwest, another to raze the country side of Terevaka and northern Rano Raraku, in which bands of rebels where still at large. Early in September, the armies recombined and surrounded the last rebel stronghold on the summit of Terevaka.
Less than half a year after it began, the war ended with the last, disorganized, rebels laying dead upon the highest point of Rapa Nui, overlooking the ocean beyond.
With power over Rapa Nui consolidated again, the chiefdoms of the east were redistributed among war heroes, and prominent moai cultists were executed. Whatever moai still stood were knocked down, and ancestral idols were banned. Peasants were converted on pain of torture and death, wherever it existed, the moai cult was destroyed; the worship of the pantheon and veneration of the Birdman as Makemake, the only one who could bring prosperity, was now the sole faith of the island.
Although not without fierce resistance, the ability to raise warriors, should it ever be necessary, was vested in the Birdman alone, and the chiefs would now reside in Mataveri, near Orongo, the village of which, along with village of Orongo (not chiefdom) would be controlled by the Birdman directly. The only real power of the chiefs would be to rule on feuds, and if the case was inter-chiefdomal, the ruling would be made by the Birdman.
In addition, to stop any chiefdom from becoming too powerful, the large chiefdom of Terevaka was divided into four chiefdoms, the chiefdom of A Kivi, which also included sections of Vaka Kipo and O Tu'u, the chiefdom of Terevaka, which consisted of the center of former Terevaka, the chiefdom of A Tanga in the north, and finally the chiefdom of Nau Nau in the east. The chiefdom of Pui was carved out of northern Oroi and Ana Marama, as well as the chiefdom of Taharoa out of northern Ranu Raraku and northwestern Poike.
Thoughts? Disclaimer: I wrote this late this night, so please ignore grammer/spelling mistakes, which I will correct next morning.
1.) Hawaiian for Revenge Seeker. (I can already hear the Harry Potter jokes)
2.) Points for any that gets the reference. The hint is that it involves Sassanid Persia and made Heraclius a hero.
July, 1666 CE
Puakatike, Eastern Rapa Nui
Fareani only heard the beating of his heart. Without emotion, he saw the large field ahead of him, and beyond that, the sea. He was sprinting as fast as his short legs could bring him, and dared not look behind, for it might slow him.
What lay behind him was a sky filled with smoke, the screams of women and the wailing of children, the shouting of men. Puakatike was burning, sacked by an army no one thought would dare march so deep into enemy territory.
Fareani fell to the field, blood gushing through his chest. The warrior who through the javelin took his bluish pebble bracelet, hoping to sell it for a decent profit.
The chief of Orongo had almost just ended the war, killing any fear of Eastern attacks into the southwest. However, the Terevakans were swift to respond, and weren't going to give up easily. The march had missed many small dwellings in the lightning speed attack, and the western forces would be busy subduing the remaining rebels not yet reached, giving the Terevakan chief time for him to launch a decisive attack of his own.
Almost immediately, he amassed his forces in Terevaka, most of which had been raiding, with only days on hand. He ordered them to sack Vaka Kipo, and when he arrived with his army, he took a small contingent of his finest warriors, and embarked on a journey of revenge, revenge for the Birdman's insult against him.
They snuck through the countryside, and while the army was still in Vaka Kipo, waiting for the enemy army to return to fight, they arrived in Orongo, the dozen devout followers of the Terevakan, soon to be know as Hoomauakla I Mi Hale [1], in sight of the sacred village resting near the cliffs upon which the Birdman was coronated.
He let out one last shriek, echoed by his men and followed by the attention of shocked locals. They ran for the residence of the representation of Makemake on earth, who was likely scared beyond death, not knowing it was 15 men, not an army at his door.
The Birdman's personal retinue ran to the scene, where the guards on duty were overwhelmed, and according to legend Hoomauakla I Mi Hale was slain by spear the wingspan of three manu taru from the foot of the throne, no less then 5 gashes across his body.
Not a man escaped, and ironically, the Birdman clubbed the head of the dead Hoomauakla as he did to the messenger, before decapitating the body and parading his mutilated body through Orongo. To this day, almost every family in Rapa Nui claims ownership of a slice of Hoomauakla's finger, to which was once said a sofa could be built with the tanned skin of the souvenirs. [2]
The rebel army deep in Vaka Kipo, the western army jogged back in a mess, but were strengthened by peasants from all over wishing to finally rid the heretics from the land. The eastern army was trapped, and utterly slaughtered at A Kivi, where they were tired and matched man for man by the enemy.
The moai war prospects in tatters, the inspired army was split in half, one to deal with dissidents in the southwest, another to raze the country side of Terevaka and northern Rano Raraku, in which bands of rebels where still at large. Early in September, the armies recombined and surrounded the last rebel stronghold on the summit of Terevaka.
Less than half a year after it began, the war ended with the last, disorganized, rebels laying dead upon the highest point of Rapa Nui, overlooking the ocean beyond.
With power over Rapa Nui consolidated again, the chiefdoms of the east were redistributed among war heroes, and prominent moai cultists were executed. Whatever moai still stood were knocked down, and ancestral idols were banned. Peasants were converted on pain of torture and death, wherever it existed, the moai cult was destroyed; the worship of the pantheon and veneration of the Birdman as Makemake, the only one who could bring prosperity, was now the sole faith of the island.
Although not without fierce resistance, the ability to raise warriors, should it ever be necessary, was vested in the Birdman alone, and the chiefs would now reside in Mataveri, near Orongo, the village of which, along with village of Orongo (not chiefdom) would be controlled by the Birdman directly. The only real power of the chiefs would be to rule on feuds, and if the case was inter-chiefdomal, the ruling would be made by the Birdman.
In addition, to stop any chiefdom from becoming too powerful, the large chiefdom of Terevaka was divided into four chiefdoms, the chiefdom of A Kivi, which also included sections of Vaka Kipo and O Tu'u, the chiefdom of Terevaka, which consisted of the center of former Terevaka, the chiefdom of A Tanga in the north, and finally the chiefdom of Nau Nau in the east. The chiefdom of Pui was carved out of northern Oroi and Ana Marama, as well as the chiefdom of Taharoa out of northern Ranu Raraku and northwestern Poike.
Thoughts? Disclaimer: I wrote this late this night, so please ignore grammer/spelling mistakes, which I will correct next morning.
1.) Hawaiian for Revenge Seeker. (I can already hear the Harry Potter jokes)
2.) Points for any that gets the reference. The hint is that it involves Sassanid Persia and made Heraclius a hero.
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twovultures
Donor
Damn dude, give us a day at least!
Alright, so The Birdman now reigns supreme, and rule is more centralized than OTL (from what I've read, anyway).
Not sure how much help that's going to be when the Peruvian slavers show up, though. Still, I anxiously await first contact, which isn't that far away.
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So there's the monarchy. The Dutch references are very cryptic - will the Birdman try to create landmass? Is that even practical on Rapa Nui?
No, and not really. Jacob Roggeveen, a Dutchman sailing for the Dutch West Indies Company to find Terra Australis, was the first confirmed European visitor to Rapa Nui. He arrived on Easter Sunday, hence Easter Island.
D'oh! Hopefully the contact will be peaceful ITTL. Regular trade during the 18th century will bring disease, but the Rapa Nui will develop resistance sooner, and regular trade could also get them boats to maintain a fishing economy and even help reforest the island.
It was relatively peaceful OTL, the contact with the Aztecs killed some 300,000, while Roggeveen's men killed a dozen over percieved theft
Hooray, I caught a good timeline early!
Only 300,000? Are you sure?
It was relatively peaceful OTL, the contact with the Aztecs killed some 300,000, while Roggeveen's men killed a dozen over percieved theft
Only 300,000? Are you sure?
Glad to see you like it, and those 300,000 were only those Aztecs killed during the conquest, they killed millions of Mesoamericans, let alone the rest of native America. The highest estimate is that it killed 90 million, 90% of the highest for native population at 1492.Hooray, I caught a good timeline early!
Only 300,000? Are you sure?
As for the hiatus, that will be over soon.
Oh, sorry.
Bizarrely, I read that as Pitcairn, not Chatham Islands. I'm not sure how I did that - maybe he edited it from the original.
Anyway, what I was creating was a Pitcairn wank. Not to go too off-topic (or rather not to go there for very long), but the POD was a hole to nowhere opening up at the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 1789. The Earth's oceans slowly start to drain as a result. The worst-hit areas are those with shallow seas, like Europe (climate and crop failure, the wars after the English channel closes, etc.). A population on the open Pacific, capable of receiving a trickle of European refugees, though....
Anyway it was awfully dystopic. After all, the core premise was basically the end of the world. And then I got into reading about trends in Pitcairn Anglo-Polynesian culture and decided it was not really something I wanted to deal with on an extended basis.
Easter Sunday, 1722
A westerly breeze blew over Rapa Nui. As always, the people continued with their daily tasks, beginning by praying to the pantheon of gods but especially Makemake, and then moved on to their various professions.
Life was easy; and most had time to relax in the afternoons. This was controversial with the chiefs: everyday they had to settle a feud started by kava [1].
Twice in the past year that damned [2] chief of Terevaka died, the first secretly welcomed by the Birdman, everyone seeing that same glimmer of rebelliousness that Hoomauakla had in his eyes, but his successor died of pneumonia shortly after and was in turn succeeded by his cousin, who almost openly admired the Revenge-seeker and in turn was believed by a large minority to be one of the dozen or so secret Moai cultists still around who make do without idols, or say that the figure being prayed to represents Makemake.
Much would change in the decades to follow, beginning the next day.
The African Galley had sighted the island yesterday, but it was the next day that the commanders had convened and agreed to disembark upon the island. Swarmed by canoes paddled by excited islanders, Roggeveen chose to bring one up to the deck of the Thienhoven in his canoe. The Indian wrote Roggeveen in his journal, beheld the ship with the greatest wonder. The Dutchmen and natives exchanged gifts, but the Dutch remained cautious and somewhat annoyed by the thieving of the intrigued natives.
Within minutes, two messengers had arrived in Orongo and Mataveri, and word of white bearded men in three giant canoes spread like wildfire. As soon as word arrived to Terevaka the new scuttlebutt was that the new chief believed that the newcomers were the ghosts of Moai cult warriors. The Birdman, Koroharua, was accompanied by some Hopu, his bodyguard and the chiefs of Orongo, Tuutapu and Vaihu to Oroi to examine the unfolding situation.
I now enjoy leaving you at a cliffhanger.
1.) An alcoholic drink made from the kava crop.
2.) Terevaka is like how the American South is now; different, backwards, and detrimental to progress.
A westerly breeze blew over Rapa Nui. As always, the people continued with their daily tasks, beginning by praying to the pantheon of gods but especially Makemake, and then moved on to their various professions.
Life was easy; and most had time to relax in the afternoons. This was controversial with the chiefs: everyday they had to settle a feud started by kava [1].
Twice in the past year that damned [2] chief of Terevaka died, the first secretly welcomed by the Birdman, everyone seeing that same glimmer of rebelliousness that Hoomauakla had in his eyes, but his successor died of pneumonia shortly after and was in turn succeeded by his cousin, who almost openly admired the Revenge-seeker and in turn was believed by a large minority to be one of the dozen or so secret Moai cultists still around who make do without idols, or say that the figure being prayed to represents Makemake.
Much would change in the decades to follow, beginning the next day.
The African Galley had sighted the island yesterday, but it was the next day that the commanders had convened and agreed to disembark upon the island. Swarmed by canoes paddled by excited islanders, Roggeveen chose to bring one up to the deck of the Thienhoven in his canoe. The Indian wrote Roggeveen in his journal, beheld the ship with the greatest wonder. The Dutchmen and natives exchanged gifts, but the Dutch remained cautious and somewhat annoyed by the thieving of the intrigued natives.
Within minutes, two messengers had arrived in Orongo and Mataveri, and word of white bearded men in three giant canoes spread like wildfire. As soon as word arrived to Terevaka the new scuttlebutt was that the new chief believed that the newcomers were the ghosts of Moai cult warriors. The Birdman, Koroharua, was accompanied by some Hopu, his bodyguard and the chiefs of Orongo, Tuutapu and Vaihu to Oroi to examine the unfolding situation.
I now enjoy leaving you at a cliffhanger.
1.) An alcoholic drink made from the kava crop.
2.) Terevaka is like how the American South is now; different, backwards, and detrimental to progress.
Really interesting concept and choice of culture; can't wait to see where this TL goes!
It's often said that the number of claimants to owning a piece of the True Cross was so great that if all the claims were true, Christ must have been crucified on an entire forest
It's often said that the number of claimants to owning a piece of the True Cross was so great that if all the claims were true, Christ must have been crucified on an entire forest
I wish this TL would continue soon
The genie grants your wish.
Really interesting concept and choice of culture; can't wait to see where this TL goes!
It's often said that the number of claimants to owning a piece of the True Cross was so great that if all the claims were true, Christ must have been crucified on an entire forest
Merci, the way I learned it that you could build a ship, sail it across the world and completely repair/restore it with the splinters. Atleast here in America the Catholic churches can't claim to have one without looking like the-Holy-Grail-is-in-Arizona conspiracy theorists.
After reading 1491 and some other books, lurking 4chan (please don't judge me!), playing through my Steam library until I felt good about my in-game accomplishments (including using CK2 console cheats and ruler designer to create a very evil Israel at perpetual war with the cheat-strong Byzantines and also-cheat-created Zoroastrian Persians), dicking up my school's computers and other generally nerdish things, I have returned to finally present you the rest of my timeline, hopefully with regular updates.
An Overview of the Island of Rapa Nui, from the Eastern Rebellion Until Contact
Excerpt from 1721: New Revelations of the -nesias, by Charles C. Mann.
After the centralization in the years following the war, much happened politically. The Moai had been proselytized everywhere by 1670, and they, excluding Pui, remained as a minority in pockets directly around Mount Terevaka and the former chiefdom of Poike.
The exception, the chiefdom of Pui, was initially converted, but as the rural areas elsewhere where thoroughly, and brutally, 'cleansed', Moai peasants escaping persecution, many of which were now landless, immigrated to the relatively safe chiefdom of Pui. As the new class gained more and more positions, the countryside-focused government became less and less able to halt the growth of this new stronghold. By 1675, Pui's workings were controlled almost completely by the Moai. In 1678, a Moai merchant who married into the ruling family (who accepted him for his wealth) became the last Moai chief for a day before travelling to Orongo to convert in full ceremony to avoid the wrath of the West.
In 1673, a peasant revolt broke out over much of Terevaka, over the perceived tyranny of the officials enforcing the state faith [1]. It was swiftly put down with the superior militia of the proper West, the leaders, some of which were already Birdman, converted if not already, and pardoned. Eight years later, a much stronger religious revolt swept through former Terevaka, and almost became too strong for the West to immediately stop. It took the personal bodyguard of the chiefs and Birdman, and levies from the rest of the island to brutally destroy the revolt in a series of battles. This time the perpetrators were not so lucky. They were tied down to Mata Nui, were they starved to death, and during the nesting season a few weeks later were removed and displayed within the shrine of Makemake in Orongo. In 1730, in prevention of theft the bones were placed in a box and buried under the moai statue saved by the first Birdman, where they remain today.
Surprisingly, the Pui wisely avoided association with either rebellion, and by 1690 they, along with the rest of the Easterners, had been completely converted into the Birdman faith. By the time of Roggeveen's arrival, there was no longer any distinct East or West, and little between the nobles, skilled workers and peasants, as life either way wasn't covered [2] in hardships as in other places. Moai was used as a term similar to Nazi is today, and it is unknown if those labeled as it were actually the last of their kind.
In 1676 the Birdman who reigned since 1662 died of old age and was posthumously named Nui Tangata-manu, or Great Birdman. Along with the other Birdmen, his body was placed within the shrine of Makemake in a room accesible only to the nui ivi-attua. Apparently, according the current nui ivi-attua, his wrap, formerly containing his flesh but now only his bones, was, and is, placed on a stool higher than the others to give him an elevated position over the rest. An eager Ana Maraman would replace him.
Ecologically, [2] the island had gone through the worst, the moai building long-gone and the rats eating the forest now being eaten in return. The population, now around 4,000, would remain stable after the war.
[1] Faith, not religion, as in that it keeps the same cosmology and pantheon as the Birdman cult does.
[2] This assumes a metric shit ton about the island. For my purposes, the moai were built around 1500 and the forests were eaten by rats, which were eaten by farmers who's crops couldn't be relied upon during ENSO periods. Rapa Nui, wasn't affected by winter and sickness, etc like Europe, and as such, the only hardships would be human, like, IDK, your dog (even though they didn't have any) dying?
An Overview of the Island of Rapa Nui, from the Eastern Rebellion Until Contact
Excerpt from 1721: New Revelations of the -nesias, by Charles C. Mann.
After the centralization in the years following the war, much happened politically. The Moai had been proselytized everywhere by 1670, and they, excluding Pui, remained as a minority in pockets directly around Mount Terevaka and the former chiefdom of Poike.
The exception, the chiefdom of Pui, was initially converted, but as the rural areas elsewhere where thoroughly, and brutally, 'cleansed', Moai peasants escaping persecution, many of which were now landless, immigrated to the relatively safe chiefdom of Pui. As the new class gained more and more positions, the countryside-focused government became less and less able to halt the growth of this new stronghold. By 1675, Pui's workings were controlled almost completely by the Moai. In 1678, a Moai merchant who married into the ruling family (who accepted him for his wealth) became the last Moai chief for a day before travelling to Orongo to convert in full ceremony to avoid the wrath of the West.
In 1673, a peasant revolt broke out over much of Terevaka, over the perceived tyranny of the officials enforcing the state faith [1]. It was swiftly put down with the superior militia of the proper West, the leaders, some of which were already Birdman, converted if not already, and pardoned. Eight years later, a much stronger religious revolt swept through former Terevaka, and almost became too strong for the West to immediately stop. It took the personal bodyguard of the chiefs and Birdman, and levies from the rest of the island to brutally destroy the revolt in a series of battles. This time the perpetrators were not so lucky. They were tied down to Mata Nui, were they starved to death, and during the nesting season a few weeks later were removed and displayed within the shrine of Makemake in Orongo. In 1730, in prevention of theft the bones were placed in a box and buried under the moai statue saved by the first Birdman, where they remain today.
Surprisingly, the Pui wisely avoided association with either rebellion, and by 1690 they, along with the rest of the Easterners, had been completely converted into the Birdman faith. By the time of Roggeveen's arrival, there was no longer any distinct East or West, and little between the nobles, skilled workers and peasants, as life either way wasn't covered [2] in hardships as in other places. Moai was used as a term similar to Nazi is today, and it is unknown if those labeled as it were actually the last of their kind.
In 1676 the Birdman who reigned since 1662 died of old age and was posthumously named Nui Tangata-manu, or Great Birdman. Along with the other Birdmen, his body was placed within the shrine of Makemake in a room accesible only to the nui ivi-attua. Apparently, according the current nui ivi-attua, his wrap, formerly containing his flesh but now only his bones, was, and is, placed on a stool higher than the others to give him an elevated position over the rest. An eager Ana Maraman would replace him.
Ecologically, [2] the island had gone through the worst, the moai building long-gone and the rats eating the forest now being eaten in return. The population, now around 4,000, would remain stable after the war.
[1] Faith, not religion, as in that it keeps the same cosmology and pantheon as the Birdman cult does.
[2] This assumes a metric shit ton about the island. For my purposes, the moai were built around 1500 and the forests were eaten by rats, which were eaten by farmers who's crops couldn't be relied upon during ENSO periods. Rapa Nui, wasn't affected by winter and sickness, etc like Europe, and as such, the only hardships would be human, like, IDK, your dog (even though they didn't have any) dying?
twovultures
Donor
Hmmm....rat...
So there's still a little forest saved ITTL? That will do wonders for island agriculture.
So there's still a little forest saved ITTL? That will do wonders for island agriculture.
I like this timeline so far. I don't think I've ever seen a Rapa Nui timeline before. I really like your detail when it comes to the events and politics of the island and the rationale for why events happen why they do. But with a population of 4000, will the people of Rapa Nui be able to effectively resist European encroachment?
And 4chan? We expected better of you...
And 4chan? We expected better of you...