Loa Empire

The Aría Káámarakatu (Estates of the Celestial Masters), or Loa Empire as its commonly called in non-Loa sources, was a Kiravian tribute state and proxy colony that existed from 1701-1875 CE in Vallos and the nearby islands. It had decent autonomy for a colonial state, able to wage wars and conduct minor trade and diplomacy so long as it managed to deliver adequate tribute to Kiravia in the form of sugar and exotic spices such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and mace. For much of its history, it maintained little diplomatic relations with non-Coscivian nations except to wage war or smuggle goods, such as Burgundie just before and during the Bourgondii-Loa Wars. Despite this relative self-imposed isolation, it managed to expand dramatically to encompass the entirety of Southern Vallos and the nearby Kindreds Islands and hold onto most of these territories from the peak of its size in 1770 until its collapse in 1875, with certain exceptions such as the loss of its holdings in Puertego and other Kindreds region.

In 1699, Káámarakatu Raiatia'atiauelao of the Loa Kingdom founded the Empire after the conquest of the Masa Highlands, thus beginning the Imperial Period of Loa history. The reigns of the first three Empresses was characterized by the consolidation of southern Vallos and the surrounding islands, as well as the consolidation of Kirian territories and power in the area. However, the latter two Empresses focused largely on internal development and nation building. The penultimate Empress, Káámarakatu Kantirao, led the most significant periods of change. Her predecessor did much to establish widespread literacy, native manufacturing and a general transition from being a functional slave state. Kantirao expanded industrial infrastructure to match that of Occidental contemporaries and modernized both the military and general society to some level of normalcy after two centuries of plantation labor. However, she also enacted the process of nationalization known as Loafication, leading to the assimilation of the Polynesians into the Loa culture and the deaths of around 35 million people. This period led to significant social instability, and the assassination of Kantirao and her heir. She was succeeded by her 15 year old daughter who was deposed by the Grand Minister, thus inciting the Takatta Loa Civil War.

The Loa Empire was marked especially by the destruction of the mainland Polynesian cultures and kingdoms, as the Loa systemically annihilated existing power structures in an attempt to establish absolute control. The complex caste systems that existed at the time were abolished with the Loa forcing every caste into the plantation system to facilitate the development of the Loa sugar industry. Only common customs, such as burial customs, folk religion and cuisine survived while the Loa selectively chose specific aspects of their conquered kingdoms to adopt, such as the Polynesian Script, the architecture, the dress and the religious philosophy that became the Kapuhenasa. Further, the later periods of the Empire from 1785 to 1825 was associated with a Polynesian renaissance as old customs were revived and reestablished, although these customs were eventually subsumed into the Loa identity alongside the Polynesians. Most especially, the later years of the Loa Empire signified the coming strife that would characterize not only the next quarter century but also the future states that succeeded it, especially Takatta Loa.

Overview


Founded by the Katu Raiakono in 1550 CE after she managed to overthrow the existing Aliali Kingdom and its allies, the Kingdom of the Loa was established on the grounds of being a merchant state as Raiakono was of the merchant class in comparison to the royal ali'i class that ruled the Loa Islands at the time. The term Katu at this time referred to somebody who owned tenured land, as it was thought that the gods gave all land to the ali'i to rule and rent out. For the next 150 years, the Kingdom managed to establish extensive trade with the Polynesian kingdoms, then reaching the nadir of their influence via piracy and cultural development, as well as the Occidental countries such as Caphiria. Around 1650, contact was made with both Kiravia and the BRTC. Trade was amicably established with both, but the BRCT eventually tried to establish an economic dominance over the Kingdom, which resulted in strained relations towards the end of the century. In 1660, the Loa conquered the tribal Polynesians of the Satana Coast. The Septrine Alliance which had established peace over the mainland was impotent to respond to the invasion of the coast, and regarded the tribal lands as being outside of their concern. The Loa were approached by Kiravian authorities who offered the sale of weapons to the Loa in exchange for the establishment of Kiravian sugar farms in the conquered areas. The Loa agreed and proceeded to launch several expeditions against coastal regions and islands, such as the Wild Peninsula, Usomo and Jennasura.

In the 1680s the Loa were approached by Kiravian diplomats who proposed that they would fund the Loa wars so long as the Loa submitted to Kiravia as a tribute state. The then queen, Raianaoko was incensed at the thought and was set to refuse. She was however deposed by her daughter, Tia'a who accepted the deal with the conditions that the Loa will be the ones to run the sugar plantations and maintain administrative autonomy. The Loa then launched an invasion of the Masa Kingdom's highlands who had no support from their fellow Septrines and so broke off from the alliance. In 1699, following her success in the Masa Invasion, Raiatia'a declared herself Káámarakatu Raiatia'atiauelao, thereby marking the transition from Kingdom to Empire. She began to use her supplied weapons to fund rebel groups and dissident tribes to weaken the Septrine Alliance. In 1700, she also formally ceased trade with the BRTC due to discoveries that they were suppressing Loa silk in order to maintain a monopoly on silk as a whole. The BRTC escalated this into war, and the Bourgondii-Loa Wars began to take place as a result. In 1712, the Loa Empire launched a full-scale conquest of the Septrines when the Masa Kingdom agreed to assist in exchange for the return of most of their lands. The resulting Conquest of the Six Kingdoms ended around 1718 with the Loa managing to unite the Polynesian heartland for the first time in recorded history.

Raiatia'atiauelao died a few years after the conquest from cancer and was succeeded by her daughter I'ikao, who was crowned as Káámarakatu Raiai'ikaokao in 1720. During her reign, she led the extensive conquest of Southern Vallos and the establishment of indigenous firearm manufacturing amd shipbuilding. Prior to her ascension, the Loa struggled against the superior naval power of the BRTC due to their small transport-based navy, but with the sudden acquisition of the pirate fleets of the Septrines, they found themselves able to more adequately contest the Burgoignesc on the waves, though they always had an advantage on the land due to relatively equal technology alongside superior numbers and knowledge of the landscape. She oversaw many technological advancements, such as the developments of offensive rocketry derived from native firesticks and Daxian rocket technology acquired at ruinous costs, the formalization of the navy and adaption of indigenous pirate tactics and ships to conventional warfare and the establishment of an organized infantry and artillery army called the Celestial Eighteen Standards Army. In addition, she systemically annihilated existing power structures in place, with the mandate that a kingdom's land be divided between all the king's daughters upon his death, resulting in the fragmentation of the previously powerful Masa vassal kingdom as well as the further obliteration of the submitted kingdoms. She is thus credited with igniting the roots of Loafication as she mandated matrilineal inheritance and other Loa cultural elements not found on the mainland. She also forcibly migrated people to guard and work sugar plantations, often placing guards onto the lands of a hated enemy tribe to ensure loyalty. Her economic management and military development meant that the Loa Empire became the most valuable overseas asset of Kiravia and upon her death in 1745, the Empire consisted of most of southern Vallos with the exception of the Polynesians in current Almadarian territory and the Romany Kingdoms. After she passed from cancer, these would be conquered by her successor who would also lead the conquest of the Kindred islands.

Káámarakatu Raiatia'atiauelao was the following Empress and was especially notable for overseeing the greatest extent of the Loa Empire. She extended conquered the northern Polynesian kingdoms which had developed a coalition to resist the Loa. in 1748, the northern kingdoms were conquered and the attention of the Eighteen Standards was turned to the Romany Kingdoms of the northeast. The conquest was completed in 1751, which resulted in the severe persecution and migration of the Romany into the nearby lands, forming the basis of Navidadian Delepasians. However, the majority of her attention was devoted to expanding the navy and conquering the Kindred Islands. The Loa Empire served as the primary force behind Kiravian efforts during the Kindred Wars. The western islands were quickly conquered throughout the 1750s and 60s, with the eastern islands being heavily contested between Kiravia, the Loa Empire, Pelaxia and Caphiria. These wars ended with the Loa keeping the Krasoa Islands while Pelaxia maintained control over it's colonies. These islands were then transferred to Kiravian control in 1774. In the last years of her reign, the Empress had planned for a conquest of the northern regions, but a succession crisis ensued when her direct heir died from cancer at the age of 19. This meant that her sister, Pueakao, rose as the heir to the Empire, and when Raiatia'atiauelao died in 1780 she succeeded her mother.

Káámarakatu Raiapueakaoiso'o became the fourth Empress, though her succession was unexpected. She retreated on her mother's plans to invade the north. This characterized her reign, with a strong focus on inward development and defensive wars against Almadarian and Delapasian incursions. She expanded agricultural development, focusing on balancing sugar and spice export alongside internal agricultural improvements. Occidental and Kiraivic techniques were imported alongside improvements to existing strategies, developing modern Loa wet rice agroforestry. She also invested in significant manufactured goods, such as in firearms, processed sugar, textiles and ceramics. This led to a significant population boom. However, one of the most significant elements of her reign was the encouragement and tolerance towards Polynesians and Polynesian culture she demonstrated. The Empress led significant efforts to revitalize Polynesian culture, such as the establishment of a new writing system utilizing elements of the old Polynesian scripts and the transcribing of old works for the common people. Further, she enabled the Polynesians to exit the plantation system through examinations modeled off of the Imperial exams, which led to the quick establishment of a Polynesian merchant class. This was facilitated by the further establishment of independent companies to forge connections with outside nations to strengthen the Loa position in both the world and in comparison to the relationship with Kiravia. However, the latter years of Raiapueakaoiso'o were defined by a succession crisis in which her heir and only legitimate daughter dies unexpectedly from cancer. When she died in 1818, her daughter by a Polynesian lover ascended to the throne.

Káámarakatu Kantirao ascended to the throne as the penultimate and the most influential Empress. She was originally contested by the vassal kings and the court for her ignoble origins but in 1819, the three queens of Saikao, Imerai and Andirao as well as 34 members of the Imperial family were executed for a supposed plot to overthrow the Empress. Contemporarily, it was understood that they had no plot, and that this was done to consolidate her authority. Throughout her reign, there were constant purges of dissident nobles and stripping of noble privileges which resulted in the consolidation of the nobility from nearly two hundred landowning nobles, to seventeen at the time of collapse and eventually twelve in modern times. FUrther, Kantirao presided over a time of great turmoil, as the social autonomy of the preceding Empress resulted in a desire to achieve political independence, ceasing to be a vassal state to Great Kiravia. Analysis of her diaries indicate that she held this same sentiment and was preparing her entire reign to create the grounds of an independent Takatta Loa. The primary means to which she wanted to achieve this were education, industrialization and nationalization. During the 20s, she enacted a system of national education to try and promote literacy across the country, enforcing Insuo Loa as the national language. Further, she looked towards trade with non-Kiravian nations. Trade with outsiders has occurred throughout the history of the Empire, but it has always been unofficial due to their status as a subject state. The Burgundians especially had significant contact with Kantirao, as they wanted to diminish Kiravian influence in the region and potentially gain Takatta Loa as a dependency. However, their funds were put specifically towards the efforts towards state building as well as navy not to specifically resist Kiravian objection but to enforce absolute Loa independence. Industrialization was also focused on, as Occidental countries were beginning to advance significantly in this measure. Diplomats to Burgundie were specifically instructed to try and find advisors who could assist in the industrialization of the nation.

Bourgondii-Loa Wars
Main article: Bourgondii-Loa Wars

The Bourgondii-Loa Wars were a series of low intensity conflicts between the Burgoignesc South Levantine Trading Company and the Empire over trade freedom and rights, with the BRTC attempting to restrict the Loa's foreign trade in order to extend and maintain their control over world trade. The conflicts took place from the early 1700s to the middle and late 1800s, ending formally in 1875. The conflicts took place across the Kindreds Sea and Vallos, with early naval conflicts being largely Burgundian dominated, but as the Loa expanded their navy, they managed to eventually match the BRTC in regional power and managing to successfully defend their insular territories. However, the Loa were never able to breach their trade blockade, except to deliver trade to Kiravia.

Government
Th government of the Loa empire notably developed across history to a very developed bureaucracy that still survives in some ways down to modern Takatta Loa. However, its early governing power rested entirely in the hands of the Empresses, especially during the reigns of the second and first Empress. The first Empress was notably an extremely authoritarian ruler, directly commanding her armies even when spread across the terrain of Takatta Loa. The second Empress laid the foundations for a strong yet delegated government, as the realities of continental conquest required a degree of delegation. As such, generals were dispatched to manages fronts, while the Empress directly advised and commanded them, maintaining central control. Her successor created the imperial examination system to establish a bureaucracy to manage the land, in line with her ideals of a more sophisticated state.