How The Indoi Killed Their King (Patreon)

Check out my introductory post to the world of Kalinea here. I’ve made some edits to it since it was last published.

When the Indoi first arrived on the shores of Kalinea, they settled on the sparsely populated islands of the South, in between the edges of the Ike Confederacy and the Maya Union. Hundreds of ships with massive sails moved in from the West, as though brought by the many-named gods of the oceans, fate, and destiny: Atlokun & Vasa. Hundreds of years prior, the Oloroan ancestors of the Ike and Ifarada arrived similarly, albeit under different circumstances. They came from the East, seeking refuge from the empire that had descended upon their ancestral lands. They found peace and prosperity, making themselves at home.

The Indoi, however, seemed to bring a whole kingdom with them, settling on what they called Hatibari. Tens of thousands were ruled by the paranoid high patriarch, King Gupta I. Once a rebellious lord, he fled his homeland with his army and peasants to settle anew, free from the demands of his former king. The small communities that once lived on the island of his burgeoning kingdom were forced to flee under the threat of the sword.

Ike fishermen and Maya hunters brought word of this new people back to their communities. As they hotly debated the next course of action, the isolationist Gupta I died, succeeded by his son, Gupta II. Early intelligence indicated that he was more open to trade.  A General Meeting of the Kalinean Pact was called; an incredibly rare moment in Kalinean history. Several delegates from each island, chosen by the communities of each island, gathered in Hayiti, each bringing the final decision of their people after lengthy deliberation. It took years to organize the entire population, but The Meeting would determine the next course of action for the Pact, in the face of the Gupta Kingdom’s threat. The meeting was carried out with Kalinean Sign Language, due to the diversity of dialects and languages present. While some voted for isolation or war, the majority agreed to use outreach efforts to subvert and overthrow the Gupta dynasty.

As Ifediaso, the delegate from Ugwu, argued in sign, “We are the people. The Indoi are the people. We are all the people. The king and his elites are something else entirely.”

Ships were organized and trade routes were established, exchanging furniture, food, and other supplies with Gupta City. With every trip, Ike spies would slip into the city and gather as much intel as they could from the people before they had to leave. The language barrier took some time to overcome, but through a pidgin tongue, they managed to piece together the people’s history. The spies would learn that on days when Ike and Maya traders were barred from entering the city, it was because of some ongoing peasant uprising. There were many in that time. All struck down by an elite caste of well-trained, well-armed soldiers known as the Taroyala. The consequences of revolt were always dire. They knew that their chances of success were slim without careful planning. Ike spies, Maya traders, and Indoi peasants would spend the next two decades doing just that.

While there were several uprisings in that period, and they lost allies along the way, their preparations were not yet complete. Sometimes, they’d arrive on caravan, then hide in the many attics and barns of the expanding Gupta City over weeks or months, coordinating with the people, until the next trade caravan arrived. Children were born into the Rising Tiger Movement, and resistance would mount steadily, sabotaging the gears of Gupta Empire.

The Rising Tiger was ready. But somehow, so was the Taroyala. A raid on several Rising Tiger homes would leave dozens of members dead, and dozens more either marooning into the jungle of Hatibari, fleeing to Ugwu, or going deep into hiding. The Tiger needed to go back to sleep. Communication with the Ike and Maya went dark.

Decades passed. A new king would ascend to the throne: Gupta III. Whispers of his expansionist aspirations would reach the ears of dormant Tigers, who would pass the message on to warn the Ike and Maya. Sleeper agents in the new king’s own court knew that an expansionist war would not end well. Something needed to be done.

Priyanka, one of the king’s captive concubines from a small farm near Gupta City, did what it took. But she and her sisters would be beheaded just as swiftly as he was. Hearing the news, the maroon Tiger community moved back into the city, to join the protest movement against Priyanka’s execution. It was the largest uprising in the history of the kingdom.

The succeeding king, Chandra I, would mobilize the Taroyala to crush the revolt, but it was too late. As the fighting wore on, Tigers fired up the smoke signals, and Ike and Maya forces moved into the city from both sides. Outnumbered, the Taroyala and the rest of the elites would surrender. After only three generations, the dynasty would be dissolved. Besides some who had renounced and betrayed their own caste, the elites were marked and exiled. Weapons were destroyed. The Rising Tiger was also dissolved, and the Indoi cultures of the former Gupta kingdom were finally brought into the Pact.

Ifediaso didn’t live to see the people unite, succumbing to old age after dedicating years of his life to the Rising Tiger cause. But his children would echo his sentiments from all those years ago: “We are all the people.”