Royal Court of Greater Raktam

Royal Court of Greater Raktam

Royal Court of Greater Raktam|-style="background-color: #c3ddc3; text-align: center;"		In-game page
Leadership:	Blue Hummingbird, Queen of Greater Raktam and Empress of the Mountain
Members:	30+
Goals:	The greater glory of Raktam.
Recruitment policy:	open to all.
Contact:	see the thread in the Natives forum.

All hail the Queen!

As blood heir to the royal throne of Raktam, Blue Hummingbird established a throne room/the Summer Palace in close proximity to the trader's hut and to the herbal hut.

All Raktamites are required to pay homage to their Queen, and be bound by her command. She will be dispensing largesse to certain of her more amusing subjects. Raktamites who attend upon the Queen and sufficiently please her can expect gold trinkets. Foreign visitors and peaceable outsider envoys can expect the same.

Gifts to the Queen are not mandatory but will be warmly received by Her Majesty. She will be dispensing justice and otherwise guiding her people from time to time.

Any suitors seeking to be Crown Prince of Raktam should also present themselves to the Royal Court for assessment and with a view towards possible matrimony. Bear in mind she might not be interested.

If you wish to join the Court, you must visit the Queen and pay your respect to her Majesty, and be involved in Court protocol and intrigue, and tell tales of Shartak. Outsider nobles speaking the native tongue and willing to abide by the whims of Her Majesty are welcome.

The forum page is here: http://raktamcourt.proboards61.com/index.cgi

History of the Royal Court of Greater Raktam

The history of the Royal Court is short but influential.

Recognition of the Crown

Azuma and Flange were the first to pay homage to the Queen, in July '07. Skepticism of the intentions of a sovereign ruler of Raktam was deep, particularly amongst Raktam elders in the medical hut. Jhelai, the leader of the Cheetahs, was amongst the first to recognise the benefits of organised resistance against foreign raiders, following the demise of the Raktamites.

Battle of Pirates' Graveyard

In August '07 the Queen lead a core group of Raktami warriors and their allies to defeat the Brotherhood of the Coast in the Battle of the Pirate's Graveyard. The success of this battle and the subsequent end of the Brotherhood of the Coast's attacks on Ratkam assisted the Court gain credibility.

Expansion of Greater Raktam

In September '07 Greater Raktam expanded, so that three new provinces were created: the Province of Babuwabia (named after Raktam's greatest hunter) extending to the northern shore, the Province of Umslopagaasia (named after its second greatest hunter) extending to the southern shore and the eastern bank of the Margaret River, and the Province of the Pirate's Graveyard, extending west to the mountain.

Battle of Archer's Pool

In October '07 the Queen headed a relief column to fight pirates at the Battle of Archer's Pool assisting the Dalpoki. This lead to the composition:

The Ballad of the Queen's Charge

Verse One

Good Queen Hummingbird was on her throne one day

When grim news arrived of the outcome of the fray

She took off her crown and she locked it away

And grabbed a machete to make the pirates pay

[Chorus]

Oh she travelled through the jungle to kick some pirate heads

Oh she travelled long, she travelled hard, and lots of blood she shed

The pirates had truly outlasted their stay

The Queen and her machete were going to make them pay

Verse 2

She found Joey Rocket and said, "Bad luck my friend!"

"You say you're no pirate so you'll have one chance on which your life depends

"Pirates have sea legs so walk straight or shed your blood!"

And before he could take a step she dropped him to the mud.

[Chorus]

Verse 3

She ran through the jungle and maimed Shinji at the pool

She skewered Arr and stabbed him, he ran like a fool

The pirates were many and she was but one

Cadmus said surrender, she said "We'd sooner die than run!"

[Chorus]

Verse 4

(slower pace)

And so now the Queen's ghost stands in fury by the lake

The pirates in living a mockery they make

The Queen's angry spectre says, "Go back into the sea!"

"Pirates surrender, for never will We!"

The lack of following amongst the people of Raktam to travel great distance to assist their Dalpoki brethren made the Queen realise that mercenaries were needed to provide Raktam with sufficient military force to meet Raktam's strategic objectives.

Further expansion of Greater Raktam and Outsider Recognition

In late October '07 Greater Raktam expanded again, with the planting of a sign 50 paces to the north-west of Raktam, reading, "Province of the Empty Quarter, Sovereign Land of the Kingdom of Greater Raktam", and established the Winter Palace at Chikram.

On 5 November '07 the Eastern Federation formally recognised the Crown of Raktam as a sovereign power. To date no other settement has recognised the Crown of Raktam.

Visa Levy

In November '07 the Queen introduced a visa levy on all outsiders travelling through Greater Raktam, and went on a Royal Tour to parley with the Necromancers' Guild in Wiksik and the Eastern Federation in Derby. The visa levy has proved to be very unpopular amongst outsiders, especially after its strict enforcement by Loughbridge the tax collector at Santa's Grotto in December '07.

Establishment of Commonwealth and Free Trade Zone

In December '07 Greater Raktam and the Independent Republic of Fort Creedy formed a commonwealth, and the Queen dispatched a large force of mercenaries and Raktami warriors to operate as a garrison at Creedy and protect it from Durham aggression. The Queen also established the Grand Vizier's Markets, a free trade zone to the south of Raktam.

The Burgundy War

In January '07 rogue members of the Durham Pistoleers attacked the Raktam garrison at Fort Creedy, killing several members of the garrison plus President Eptavian of the Creedy Republic. This was apparently triggered by Durham politician Ron Burgundy's comments that citizens of Durham should be secretly encouraged to kill members of the garrison.

In retaliation, the Raktam garrison attacked the Pistoleers, killing several members, following orders from the Queen that the Pistoleers "be crushed". The 1st Colonial Militia, a paramilitary extremist group from York, travelled to Durham to assist the Pistoleers, and the Eastern Federation initiated Operation Moonwalk, a plan to kill Raktam garrison members who were attacking Durham Pistoleers not directly implicated in the initial attack.

Under intense pressure, and facing invasion from Raktam as well as de facto invasion from the 1st Colonial Militia, the Pistoleers initiated parlay with the Court.

The result of this was the appointment of former Pistoleer The Malice as ambassador to Durham, the cessation of hostilities between the two parties, and a joint operation between the commonwealth forces and the Pistoleers to repel the 1st Colonial Militia.

Under criticism from other outsiders for the alliance with the commonwealth, the Pistoleers disbanded, thus inadvertantly fulfilling the Queen's directive.

The Wiksik Insurgency and the Raktam Insurgency

Meanwhile in Wiksik, fighting between the Necromancers' Guild and other Wiksikians resulted in the dispatch fo Raktam troops as peacekeepers and observers. Following negotiations between the parties and the queen's offer of Chikram as a hoem to the Guild, the conflict ended in late January.

In Raktam, however, insurgences repeatedly attacked the Court, hoping to bring down the monarchy. The insurgency quickly became a side issue as the queen rallied the Court to fight the Delta War.

Membership of the Royal Court of Greater Raktam

The Court is the largest clan on Shartak. Current membership is (as to January '07)

Black Fang

Morningstar

Spirit Speaker

Angus

Bondage Princess Une

VKatt

Shaltec

Tik Tok

Ambrose Bierce

Teachdaire

Moha Chipa (Governor of the Province of the Pirate's Graveyard)

Eudaemon

Taiaka (a Viceroy of the Realm)

Tlotzin

Achoo Pichtu (the Court Fool)

Skinwalker

Nathan Explosion (a mercenary employed by the Court)

Gronthak

Starvin Marvin (a member of the Raktam garrison in Creedy)

Nyarlathotep (the Royal Physician)

Rancor Pigskin

Mnyama Tabibu

Rincewind

Marvin (a mercenary Captain employed by the Court)

Baron Robert Surcouf (commander of the Raktam garrison at Creedy)

Dappled Shadow (a member of the Raktam garrison at Creedy)

Blue Hummingbird (the Queen)

Neil Tathers (Grand Vizier)

Conundrum

SofaKing (leader of the Bear Warriors, a cult devoted to the Queen)

Quest (Royal Advocate to Derby)

Azguz (Protector of Raktam)

Loughbridge (a mercenary employed by the Court, and tax collector)

JB Aristide

Traveller

Umslopagaas

Armadox

Flying Mandarine

Chief cookpot

Kamikui (inactive) (Royal Assassin)

Balcony Jedi (inactive)

My Life for Aiur (inactive)

frogman302 (inactive) (Royal Chamberlain of the Court and a Viceroy of the Realm)

Warrior5678 (inactive) (a General of the Court)

csycica (inactive)

haze death1 (inactive)

Clurichaun (inactive)

Tracker (inactive)

Hogshine (inactive)

waterspark2 (inactive) (the Court's Herald)

Crazywombat1 (inactive)

Namedis (inactive)

labsf (inactive)