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The Tashwa Symbol

The Tashwa are the militant group of tyats who believe that galdori rule has placed shackles on the wicks, humans and passives of the world. The Tashwa believe that the only way to alleviate the societal blockades the galdori have spent generations erecting is to take down the societal standing of the galdori, and they have had some success in kingdoms outside of Anaxas, though their efforts inside the kingdom of Anaxas have been hindered the plethora of other factions present.

The Tashwa runs separate cells in different kingdoms, each headed by a Koga, which is a bastardized Tyek word for "bastard". In Anaxas, the Koga is Tinu Veshel. stationed in secret in Old Rose Harbor.

History of the Tashwa

The Tashwa formed from the growing dissent of the nomadic wicks in the Mugrobi Desert. Subjugated by the galdori in Thul Ka, the wicks were forced to take to the desert for freedom, coming to learn to live off the harsh land, but adopting it in many ways. Disenfranchised, the wicks disowned their own clans and came together to form the tyat subculture, uniting into a force much larger than any of the traditional wicks or the galdori could have ever imagined.

The Tashwa quickly earned a name for itself as desert skirmishers, with the tyat comprising its ranks being especially gifted at using the mona to enforce their guerilla tactics. It didn't take more than a decade before the Tashwa had spread its fingers into each of the six functioning kingdoms, quickly establishing Kogas in each who operated independently from one another. Coming to boast a few thousand members, the Tashwa became a truly concerning force for the galdori, especially in Mugroba.

In recent times, the focus has shifted to unseating the galdori power presence in Anaxas. Tinu Veshel's group in Old Rose Harbor have been as troublesome of late as the Bad Brothers have, and it's a wonder that the two factions have not had any bloody showdowns thus far.

The Tashwa as a Social Movement

Many tyats join the Tashwa through some sort of social recruitment, and are often enticed to the group by their carefree and seemingly well-to-do lifestyle. Many young tyats find that the acceptance they gain when they join the Tashwa is all that they ever wanted, and the participation in the group's tactics simply become a way of life. The Tashwa teach that what they do is not crime, because they are committing the acts against the unjust. The galdori see a terrorist cell, operating outside the law to bring down the establishment. The Tashwa brand themselves as liberators, coming to set free the oppressed races and restore the natural dignity of each race in all the kingdoms.

Of course, that rhetoric is a simplification of the ideal that the Tashwa now upholds. When the group first began, that was their purpose, but power has corrupted the group. The Kogas all understand that it is through adversity and struggle that their numbers grow, and to bring about the world they espouse to their members would lead to a swift disbanding of the group itself. Instead, they have turned to criminal activity to both support the growing numbers and needs of the Tashwa itself, as well as to the line the pockets of those getting rich off the crimes being committed by the Tashwa.

Treating each member of the cell as a member of family, the Koga buys their loyalty through a mixture of brainwashing and bribery. Since many tyats are poor or destitute in the kingdoms, the Tashwa offers a way for the tyat to improve his material station, though it is never easy and often requires life-risking situations. Still, though, the members of the Tashwa don't seem to mind, and the tyats that the group seems to attract enjoy the kind of work they do, even if it means they are on the wrong side of the law.

And the wrong side of the traditions the wicks have held dear for generations.

Life in the Tashwa

The Tashwa affords a large amount of personal freedom to its members. Though they do not dictate the way that a Tashwa agent should live, the Tashwa encourages its members to remain inconspicuous until they complete their tasks, and to fade away into nothing after they are done. The group doesn't care for personal alignment or ideal, as long as the job given to the member is completed effectively and efficiently, without leading authorities back to the Koga or the Tashwa specifically.

Those who perform exceptionally well are rewarded as such, though it often takes more than a few jobs being perfectly executed before the Tashwa recognizes its better agents. Each member of each cell is logged in a book called the Book of The Kogas, which is shared between the Kogas in all the kingdoms so that the Tashwa can identify one another should international jobs be undertaken. Aside from this, the Tashwa agent is allowed to live as they wish, and those rewarded by their Kogas live just that much better than the tyats that aren't as fortunate.

Blackout

The Tashwa's secret nature make its entrance and exit policies incredibly stringent and dangerous. To join the Tashwa, one has to be contacted by a Koga or an agent sent by the Koga, and they are directly inducted through a ceremony called the Heshuu. This involves a ceremonial 'cutting of the tongue and eyes', and is an oath in tyek'ja to remain true to the organization. Those who break this oath are subjected to four years of bad luck, including a disconnect with their mona that makes it hard to cast and may even remove their spellcasting altogether for the duration of the curse. Those without mona aren't affected as such, but still have bad luck.

A Tashwa agent who wishes to leave the organization may only do so through death. Because the identities of the members are highly regarded as secrets, having the ability to release them makes an alive agent a liability. Tashwa agents who manage to escape will be hunted, and when they are killed, their names are burned from the pages of the Book of the Kogas.