Showing posts with label Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army. Show all posts

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc, God of Brakhani Butter Coffee

Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc is an ancient god, long brought low in the hierarchy of Yu Shan. She serves now under the god of Brakhani cuisine in the Bureau of the Divine Witnesses of Human Works and Deeds, whom she serves (in part) as a tentative liaison with Ahlat, god of cattle and Southern war.

Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc is served by a mere couple hundred Brakhani priests throughout all of Harborhead, but occasional honors are thrown her way by most Brakhani at some point. Many Harborheadites of the other Peoples have also said a quick word of appreciation after a particularly good cup. Well, those who have acquired the taste for Brakhani butter coffee, that is.

Butter coffee is a drink particular to the Brakhani People, and especially to that subset that lives high in the Summer Mountains. The Brakhani begin, obviously, by boiling water. When the water boils, a great handful of ground coffee beans is crumbled into it and allowed to stew for between ten and fifteen minutes, until the whole infusion is so opaque that it looks almost black. At this stage a pinch of salt is added; the Brakhani always put salt, never sugar, in their coffee. They sometimes add a little soda, in order to give the beverage a pinkish tinge, but this is very rare. They very seldom, on the other hand, drink coffee without butter in it. If a Brakhani is at home, e empties the saucepan into a big wooden churn, straining the coffee through a colander made of reed or horsehair. Then e drops a large lump of butter into it, and, after being vigorously stirred, this brew is transferred to a huge copper teapot and put on a brazier to keep it hot. When Brakhani travel, they do not normally take a churn with them, so everyone fills eir wooden bowl with coffee, scoops a piece of butter out of a basket, puts it in the bowl, stirs the mixture gently with eir finger, and, finally, drinks the tea.

As mentioned before, Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc serves as an occasional liaison between the Sub-Sub-Ministry of Brtakhani Cuisine and Ahlat, god of cattle and Southern war. This is due to the afore-mentioned custom of adding butter to one's coffee among the Brakhani. This association has, naturally, carried over to the Brakhani People themselves, who consider butter coffee a warriors' drink, prizing the energy, stamina, and focus provided by the drink. This is thje reason why there is as much of a cult for this minor goddess as there is, though elements of the cult's theology suggest a much more ancient and powerful aspect for her.

This element of Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc's theology is particularly played up by the Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army, which has as much as a full quarter of priests dedicated to her service. This is because she is one of the three gods their Eclipse Caste leader Fesojynok has built a relationship with, who use lost Charms to lend him their power and share his body. When Fesojynok and Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc are joined in this way, he gains great powers of speed and agility.

Notes on Brakhani Cuisine in General
Brakhani cuisine reflects local climes and customs. Few crops grow at the high altitudes that characterize the inner portion of Brakhani territory in the Summer Mountains, although some areas in the Summer Mountains are low enough to grow such crops as rice, oranges, bananas, and lemon. The most important crop is barley. Flour milled from roasted barley, called apmast, is the staple food of the Brakhani. Pelab is Brakhani bread eaten for breakfast and lunch. Apkuth is mainly consumed for dinner. It consists of noodles of various shapes, vegetables and meat in broth. Brakhani cuisine is traditionally served with wooden chopsticks, in contrast to other Summer Mountain cuisines, which are eaten by hand. Small soup bowls are also used, and rich Brakhani feed from bowls of gold and silver.

Meat dishes are likely to be beef, goat, or mutton, often dried, or cooked in a spicy stew with potatoes. Mustard seed is cultivated in the Summer Mountains, and therefore features heavily in its cuisine. Yoghurt, butter and cheese are frequently eaten, and well-prepared yoghurt is considered something of a prestige item.

Other Members of the Sub-Sub-Ministry of Brakhani Cuisine
  1. ???, god of apkuth, a Brakhani noodle dish
  2. ???, god of pelabash, a bread stuffed with seasoned beef and fashioned into semi-circular or circular shapes and which according to regional variations is either deep fried or pan fried like pot stickers.
  3. ???, god of pelabnukrok, a central Summer Mountain flatbread cooked on a skillet rather than in an oven.
  4. ???, god of somom, a type of steamed dumpling, a heavier version of the Realm's jiaozi.
  5. ???, god of kuthneth, a type of cold-weather soup made with noodles and various vegetables.
  6. ???, god of bashart, stir-fried meat tossed with celery, carrots and fresh green chili.
  7. ???, god of amryug, Brakhani blood sausages with cow or sheep's blood and roasted barley flour or rice as filler
  8. ???, god of edkuth, a type of soup that includes beef or sheep stock along with rice, different types of Brakhani cheeses and amord which is a type of gourd-shaped Summer Mountain root.
  9. ???, god of kuthmast, a type of soup that uses beef or sheep stock and roasted barley flour as well as a variety of Brakhani cheeses.
  10. ???, god of iserd, Brakhani sweet dish using rice that is cooked in unsalted butter and mixed with raisins, amord, dates and other nuts. This dish is usually served only during Calibration.
  11. ???, god of yepsakh, Brakhani cookies or biscuits that are deep fried and usually made during Calibration or celebrations such as weddings. Yepsakh are fashioned into many different intricate shapes and textures. Some are sprinkled with powdered sugar while other shapes such as the donkey ear-shaped yepsakh are used for decoration.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army

The poisoning death of Reshoom Keshara, Leopard of Harborhead, in RY 766 at the hands of Realm satrap Cathak Voper marked a period of intense turmoil. The fierce Brakhani feared the loss of their traditional dominance of the military; though all Harborheadites see themselves as warriors, the Brakhani train harder and from an earlier age than the rest.

That year, a God-Blooded Bride of Ahlat named Anekwal, the daughter of one of his war aurochs, established the ??? Movement, a resistance movement she claimed to be inspired by Ahlat himself. She portrayed herself as a prophet who received messages from Ahlat. Twisting Immaculate messages against the Realm, she believed that the Brakhani, and by extension all of Harborhead, could defeat Cathak Voper and his newly-appointed puppet Leopard by casting off witchcraft and spiritualism embedded in their culture, dedicating themselves fully over to the worship of Ahlat. In short, she was a monotheist. According to the messages she claimed to receive from the Bull-God himself, her followers should cover their bodies with nut oils as protection from Charms, never tke cover or retreat in battle, and never kill snakes or bees. Fesojynok, leader of the Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army, preaches a similar practice, encouraging warriors to use oil to draw his caste mark on their chest as a protection from Charms.


The Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army is a sectarian religious and military group based in the Summer Mountains of Harborhead. The group formed last year and is now engaged in an armed rebellion against Realm forces (and, occasionally, with Harborhadite nationalist groups). It is led by Fesojynok, a Brakhani Solar Exalt of the Eclipse Caste who proclaims that he holds the Exaltation of Tkamuh and works as a spirit medium.

In Ascending Air RY 767, Fesojynok made his first appearance as a spirit medium. Few took notice as numerous cult leaders claiming to be the torchbearers of a holy war emerged after the initial success of the ??? Movement of Akwenal. Throughout RY 767, Fesojynok gained military strength by absorbing small units of the Harborheadite nationalist rebel Harborhead People's Transcendent Liberation Army, and through violent competition with other Brakhani rebel groups for resources and fighters. Former Harborhead People's Transcendent Liberation Army commander Ngodo Ketal convinced Fesojynok to adopt guerrilla tactics, primarily surprise attacks on civilian targets, such as villages. The Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army has also occasionally carries out large-scale attacks to underline the inability of Leopard Oshom Kurgaz and satrap Cathak Voper to protect the populace. They raid the populace for supplies, which are carried away by villagers who are abducted for short periods. While many abductees are taken to carry items looted from raided villages, some are also used as soldiers and sex slaves. The Army performs abductions primarily from the Brakhani people.

In late RY 767, he agreed to join the Harborhead People's Transcendent Liberation Army in attacking Bent Creek; however, he then betrayed them by attacking their headquarters in retaliaton for their attempts to steal food being delivered by Fesojynok's supporters. Around this time, Fesojynok changed the name of the group to the Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army, reflecting the increased importance he placed on the religious aspects of his insurgency and revealing himself to be a Solar Exalt. Specifically, he claimed that he was the latest incarnation of the ancient Eclipse Caste called Tkamuh.


In the lore of the Tkamuhi Glorious Revolution Army, Tkamuh was an ancient Solar Exalted who fought in the Primordial War. He was personally given the first daiklaive, called Only By Death Are We Freed, by Autocthon himself, and later used it to slay the first Primordial to be killed by the Exalted, creating the Underworld and the First Neverborn. Stories are also told in the Army that, during the Usurpation, an Air Caste Dragon-Blooded named Thnalro stole Only By Death Are We Freed from an incarnation of Tkamuh named Truth in Death in an attempt to kill the Unconquered Sun and destroy the Solar Empire in a single blow. After Thnalro – who is said to be a previous incarnation of Cathak Voper – was slain by the Unconquered Sun, Truth in Death disassociated himself from the Terrestrial Exalted and any connection with the Realm. In this way, say the leaders of the Army, he maintained his honor and strength, and was not imprisoned in the Jade Prison.

The Army claims that Tkamuh maintained his position as bringer of Death to all throughout the entire time of his Solar brethren's imprisonment. They say that he became a god of mercenaries and soldiers, and could be found on all sides in any conflict. This last, according to their stories, made him both an ally of Ahlat the Bull, and occasionally a rival, as Ahlat clearly chooses sides in any conflict. Tkamuh, in Army theology, encourages honor and courage and disdains pointless slaughter. He keeps the Underworld well-populated by honorable warriors.

Soldiers in the Army (often abductees) are told that worshipers of Tkamuh can look forward to a special section of the Underworld, corresponding to a secret valley in the Summer Mountains, reserved for them by the ancient Solar to practice and prepare for a coming Final Battle. From this secret base, they are also said to protect the Underworld from the machinations of the Neverborn. The Army cares little what happens to the corpses of their dead, save that they are treated with local respect and do not become undead. Members of the Army usually sing a song of victory over any grave, commemorate the dead with a feast, then move on. It is not uncommon that the broken sword of the member is left stuck into the grave or funeral area.

In the name of Tkamuh, incarnated as Fesojynok, the Glorious Resistance Army claims to seek to establish a theocratic state in Harborhead, ruled by the Brakhani.


At the beginning of RY 768, prominent ex-soldier Yomonyokul joined the Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army He was popular for his high moral standards for the conducts of the Army, especially in their treatment of civilians. This resulted in a rivalry with Fesojynok, but the two managed to reconcile before it led to a split in the organization.


Anekwal has distanced herself from Fesojynok, claiming that Ahlat doesn't want them to kill innocents or prisoners of war. Fesojynok being a devotee of the Unconquered Sun rather than of Ahlat himself, of course, doesn't care about her Ahlat-centric theology. Meanwhile, he has gained a reputation as being possessed by spirits (having built a mutually beneficial relationship with several spirits possessing the rare Ride Charm and ghosts possessing the Puppeteer's Masterful Hand Arcanos). He has become a spiritual figure or a medium. Anekwal scored several key victories on the battlefield and began a march towards Kirighast. Fesojynok seized this opportunity to recruit members of the ??? Movement who had remained behind. When Anekwal was defeated at Bent Creek last year and fled to the Republic of Chaya, Fesojynok became the leader of the Ahlat Mobile Force II, which he rebuilt into the Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army.

Last year, the Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army attacked the ??? Girls Boarding School in Tiraktou.

The Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army henotheistically worships the Unconquered Sun. That is, they acknowledge the existence of other gods, but believe that the Unconquered Sun is supreme above them all and therefore is the only fitting object of worship. This is tied in with a highly detailed eschatology describing the Age of Sorrows as the Final Days before the world is destroyed. Politically, they use this religious structure to support Brakhani nationalism, setting them against the Realm and its interests and winning them no friends in the growing Harborheadite nationalist movement. Their goal seems to be to expel the Realm from Harborhead and rebuild it as a theocratic nation under the control of the Brakhani. This combination of ideologies quickly becomes complex and nearly impossible to understand.