Osore Kingdom Briefing

Osore Kingdom Summary

General Info: A fairly large island situated deep on the route of the Grand Line known as "Path V", Osore Kingdom is a sprawling expanse of terrain, cities and ruined histories that are buried every few decades whenever a new regime takes over. One of the few islands with no "true" royal family that can call itself a kingdom, it is a place of civil war and unrest at all times, with the four main factions of the island in constant fighting, leaving the ordinary populace with little besides poverty and death.

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Appearance::
Osore Kingdom is a large vista of an island, a sprawling layout of a country with four distinct 'kingdoms' situated on its face, each of which are home to a one of the different major Houses of the island. Osore itself is subject to the specific season that it holds, thanks to being in the Grand Line. There are four major ports on the island, each at a cardinal point on the island - North, South, East and West. Each of these ports obviously belongs to one of the major cities on the island, with the current capital (Osore) being the only one that holds an active Marine Base at a time. There are a number of smaller island offshoots near the main island that barely count as anything inhabitable. It wouldn't be difficult for a ship to dock at any other point on the island, it has a rather gentle slope running along almomst the entire edge and any number of smaller coves that would be easily docked at.

Climate:
A technical "Winter Island" as far as these things are determined in the Grand Line overall, Osore is not a generally snowy place but it is a cold one due to one determining natural factor - wind. Due to the relative flatness of the overall island the wind here is biting and beyond freezing at night, it is not uncommon for the unprepared adventurer or for those who are the most poor on the island to freeze to death in a single night for the wind is as unrelenting and unforgiving as death itself. Snow is not particularly rare here however, any rain that would otherwise fall is almost always snow except in the heat of mid-summer where it turns to a slush on the ground that mixes with the mud and makes travel otherwise difficult anyway.

Notable Wildlife:

Island Challenges:

• Taking the Queen
  Hunt down and capture a Queen Mystos Remora - these enormous fish-like beasts fly through the skies almost a full mile above the ground of Osore but the largest of each of their schools is known as a Queen, a Mystos Remora that has lived for several hundred years and can be in excess of thirty feet in size.
  
  
• Doing "Wild"
  Survive a night in the wilderness of Osore without dying, somehow managing to battle the death-touched winds, the vicious predators of the night and general exposure to the elements otherwise. Rug up!
  
  
• The Darkness of Eroso
  Find the hidden ruins of Eroso within the Forest, the only one of the fivefour main powers of the island that has been truly removed from the history books, and learn the truth of the island.
  
  
• Checkmate
  Procure a famously difficult to acquire audience with one of the four "Kings" of the island, being wary of course that their famous flippancy and paranoia about "commoners" does not result in your death. If you're truly feeling crazy? Assassinate him and live to tell the tale.
  

Notable NPC(s):

• King Neogung - The high seat of House Lurug and the current 'ruling king' of the Osore Kingdom, Neogung is an imposingly large man with dark hair, fair skin and a deep laugh that booms out of him many times a day. The least paranoid and fanatical of the current Four Kings of the island he rules solidly, treating (most of) his citizens well and keeping them healthy and fed, even while keeping his own military solidly trained and constantly ready for an attack from one of his rival kings.
  
• First Captain Codral -  The prime minister, grand general and effective leader of House Lurug - where Neogung is a figurehead king who does hold some power Codral is the true power of the land at the moment; a solidly built man in his later-years he is said to possess a Devil Fruit, though none have seen its effects and lived to report on it, and he rules Osore with an iron fist for those few decisions he does not allow Neogung to make. Exceptionally paranoid he will strike down someone over nothing if he feels he must.
  
  
• King Ledengs - The high seat of House Sodkar, Ledengs is a young boy, perhaps eleven or so, and has only recently become the high seat of Sodkar and become its "king". As he is so young he has perhaps not picked up all the bad habits of the other kings as of yet but he is being groomed quite easily by his Head Chief and he sees himself as a potential new king for the island once his own military might is amassed and he has grown some more.
  
• Head Chief Mi - Again the true power of his House, Mi is an enigmatic man who keeps his body entirely shrouded at all times from head-to-toe and speaks only to Ledengs, the boy king then decreeing what is said as needed. He is however an exceptional fighter and also commands the Sodkar military from the front lines, wielding an enormous blade three times the size of a normal human with complete ease.
  
  
• King Stava - The high seat of House Selyesna, Stava is an elderly man who is known to be part-android after losing his legs in the last kingdom war against House Lurug and losing them in battle to Neogung's father and predecessor in the decisive battle that renamed the kingdom from Esoro to Osore some thirty years ago. He is power hungry, quite mad, and exceptionally paranoid, ordering things that would be considered insanity from any lesser man at all hours of the day, though thankfully his own general is able to temper this. Usually.
  
• Sword Prince Matse - The general of House Selyesna and a very tempered man, Matse is known as the "Sword Prince" in more of a personally-earned title than one bestowed like the other 2nd-in-commands for the other houses as he earned this title whilst spending twenty-two years in service to the World Government as a former Marine, reaching the rank of Vice Admiral due to his intelligence and sword skills. Said to be a deadly foe to cross, he is rather calm at all times, perhaps as a conscious decision to counterpoint his 'kings' orders at all times.
  
  
• King Riaterra - The high seat of House Robos and the least well known of the four kings of the island, Riaterra has been the king of Roseo for many years but has been the least involved of the four Houses in terms of the conflict of war on the island, instead dedicating his money and military in defense rather than offense. As a result his own city is a literal fortress to behold and the king himself reclusive, spending times personally detailing architecture work for his city than particularly ruling it, often even doing it himself for his motto is commonly known in the city - "Work done personally is work done on your person."
  
• Lady Nerte - The effective day-to-day ruler of Roseo and House Robos, Nerte may be Riaterra's second in command but everyone knows it is Nerte who holds the true power over the citizens and military and rules it in truth. She is however extremely loyal to Riaterra, so due to his orders of defense she does just that, meaning while he may be obsessive over keeping his city safe she also makes sure her citizens are well-fed, well-educated and constantly informed, making Roseo the nicest of the four cities to live in for the ordinary citizens.
  
  
• Rear Admiral Bunce - The unfortunate Rear Admiral of Marine Base TO-3, Bunce has been posted to the island ever since it was renamed from Esoro to Orose, taking over the empty military base in the city of Osore and establishing the newest Marine outpost there. He takes no interest in what the four "kings" do and instead simply keeps to himself and watches out for pirates who enter the city, though he prays for another war between the kings so his own posting to this hellhole of an island can end and a new Rear Admiral can be called in to man one of the other bases at one of the other cities.
  
  
• Pelar - The hermit of the Snow-marshes, Pelar is an enigmatic man who has eaten a Frog-Zoan Devil Fruit and remains in a perpetual hybrid state. Appearing like so it is said to be either good or bad luck to meet him - good luck if he leads you out of the marshes; bad if he leaves you to die. Or just eats you himself...
  

Groups:

• Royal House Lurug - The current ruling house of the island, Lurug is situated in the city of Osore and is ruled by the King Neogung. Lurug as a house is a brutal one, their nobility are taught no mercy to the commonfolk and while Neogung himself does not necessarily reflect this in his own decrees, his second-in-command Codral who rules in truth does espouse this philosphy heavily and his policies reflect it. As a result their city may be the ruling one but it certainly has the lowest satisfaction and standards of living of the four overall. Currently in a 'truce' with all three of the other houses due to their supreme military for the moment.
  
  
• House Selyesna - The most recent ruling house of the island prior to its change some thirty-one years ago, Selyesna is situated in the city of Eroso and is ruled by the "King" Stava. Selyesna as a house stands for peace and tranquility on paper, but in truth is one of direct and brutal rule to any who oppose them, using superior numbers to crush their foes. The noble members of this house are all trained in the art of the blade at a young age and are the most prolific of the houses due to the larger number of their members staying on the island and never leaving it. Currently in a 'truce' with Houses Lurug and Robos and at 'active' war with House Sodkar.
  
  
• House Sodkar - The least recent of the four houses to have ruled the island, Sodkar is situated in the city of Seoro and is ruled by the young "King" Ledengs who only recently took over three years past after his father died. Sodkar is a chaotic house, their leaders often dying young in various fantastical ways and the house itself is one of debauchery and savagery, often having enormous 'parties' that result in numerous deaths. However they are also the most welcoming of the 'common' people and they are often invited into the House itself as members - usually as fodder for more parties of course. And yes, we mean literal fodder. Currently in a 'truce' with Houses Lurug and Robos, at 'active' war with House Selyesna.
  
  
• House Robos - The house that ruled the island prior to Selyesna, Sokar is situated in the city of Roseo and is technically ruled by the "King" Riaterra. House Robos is one of order and law in truth, their iron hand of justice being firm and direct whilst remaining fair for any in their city - be it nobility of the House or the commoners who live in the city. Everyone is upheld to the same standards and nobody complains about it, for order is a sign of a house well kept and since theirs is the statistically safest city overall they are happy to live their lives as law requires. Currently in a 'truce' with all three houses.
  

Vicinity:

• Osore
  The current 'capital' of the island and also its current namesake, Osore is a beautiful city of stonework and marble houses and plinths situated on the Eastern-most edge of the island, with the upper- and middle-class citizens rubbing shoulders equally and easily, content in their own positions as the current rulers. The city is laid out in a grid shape, with the most prestigious of citizens living closer to the center of the city where the Royal Palace of Lurug is situated, ruled by the King Neogung and his First Captain Codral. Royal House Lurug is the only house present in the city, with all the members of the nobility and most of the other citizens belonging to it in some form. This city has exceptionally thriving fish and antique markets on the Eastern and Western edges respectively. Also the home of the active Marine Base TO-3.
  
  
• Roseo
  The home of House Robos, Roseo is a gorgeous city to behold once you can actually see it, as the walls surrounding it are approximately a mile high at this point, made of stone so dark it looks like night and with an intimidating buttress and moat surrounding it at its position on the Western-most edge of the island. This is a city that is ready to be defended for all time if attacked as House Robos is not one that is interested in offense and instead focuses more on consolidating their own. Inside the city is a thing of beauty, with works of art and statues on every corner; every house made to link with the buildings around them and carved so exquisitely it is like the stone has come to life where it depicts the things on it. The palace in the center of the city (laid out in concentric circles) is a thing of pure wonder, so breathtaking it almost defies explanation.
  
  
• Esoro
  The previous capital of the island, Esoro is a little more run down than the other three cities of the island and is primarily made up of bare wood and stone at the fringes with only the interior homes and buildings featuring gilt and beautiful appearances, though the Palace of Selyesna is a thing of true beauty to behold. Situated on the Northern-most edge of the island it is a place of sobriety and somberness and has an extremely heavy military presence within the walls of the city, every third person is an armsman of House Selyesna and they are very discriminatory of outsiders or of those who make their way to the city from the Slum Towns to trade and barter.
  
  
• Seoro
  The home of House Sodkar, Seoro is arguably the least cared for city on the island for House Sodkar is not one for beautification or ego but instead a place of chaos and whim, full of casinos and bars and brothels and the like in its position on the Southern-most edge of the island. The citizens here live in a state of near-perpetual drunkenness due to the lack of caring about the rest of the world - House Sodkar and Seoro as an extension have the ideal of 'do whatever the hell you like and damn the consequences.' As a result it is a little rundown (except the casinos and bars that are pristine and overflowing with Beri) and the palace in the center is more like an enormous party mansion, with only the uppermost of the eleven floors being a sober one for rest and meetings between the otherwise chaotic and eccentric nobles of the House of Sodkar.
  
  
• The Slum Towns
  No specific names exist for these places that dot the island, one a mile or so from the walls of each of the major cities and three in a rough triangular shape in the center of the island; these slum towns are essentially the places where those who are not fortunate enough to be born into one of the noble Houses or into at least a life of medium wealth all dwell. They are lawless zones, where the strong eat the weak (often literally for food is scarce) and no policing can be found anywhere within them. The houses are ramshackle and falling down, malnutrition and disease are rampant, and the towns are often demolished and rebuilt due to the constant fighting between the noble Houses of the island, having not a care for the thousands of poor souls who live in these difficult and broken places.
  
  
• Varili Snow-Marshes
  Covering the entire North-Eastern stretch of the island (effectively the entire area between Osore and Esoro), the Varili Snow-Marshes are a thing of strangeness; a mixture of mud and perpetual underground hotsprings that mix with the often-falling snow of the climate here, creating a place of slush and death, inhabited only by the Haze Frogs who cover the many miles of marshes in a thick fog, causing the unwary to drown quite often in the rumoured mile-deep quagmired pools that are a mixture of ice-cold and bone-melting hot. It is rumoured there is a hermit who dwells in the marshes somewhere in the center, a being who will either lead you to safety, drown you there himself, or simply kill and eat you - though which he will choose is never clear.
  
  
• Forest of Aglun
  Situated in the very center of the island between three of the unnamed Slum Towns, the Forest of Aglun is arguably one of the less inhospitable places on the island, as the trees provide much-needed shelter from the harsh winds that otherwise kill travellers and the thick canopy overhead prevents snow falling in between much of the time. However it is still deathly cold under the branches and snow-pits are common if one falls asleep against a tree. The only beings who dwell here permanently are the Boto Bears who make dens of the fallen trees, as well as the Mystos Remora who nest in the branches of the trees during the noonday.
  
  
• Zilli's Lake
  A small crystal-clear lake a few miles West of Sokar, Zilli's Lake is named for it being the resting place of the explorer who first charted the island now known as the Osore Kingdom - Zilli Boto. A small grave rests on an island in the center of the lake marking the final resting place of this brave adventurer who returned here to die in her final days of life. A pilgrimage is made twice a year at midsummer and midwinter to visit this grave by those who see Zilli as a pioneer of the old times, when the world was new and there always more things to discover, and it is seen as great treason by all of the Houses to be known to have desecrated the grave, for any reason.
  However it is rumoured a great treasure is buried somewhere beneath it...