Episode 5 - What Could Go Wrong
This week, we resume right where we left off in Episode 4, where Ajimi will avoid suspicion and take power, leaving the old powers in the Consortium helpless to her senseless and wasteful policies endured by the people. Then, as all bad Nelepas do, she will capitulate, leaving only one man to step in and fill the power vacuum.
Listen to this Epsiode!
Links to the Podcast
Media
No media yet! Time crunch does that to you. Check back soon :)
Episode Script
Note: This is not a direct transcript! This is the script I used to record the podcast audio. Some rephrasing or ommittance may have occured in the actual podcast, but the information remains by and large the same.
Hello, and welcome to the History of Onaki.
Episode 5, What Could Go Wrong.
Last week, we talked about the New Year's traditions of the Onaki! But the week before, we told the story of the Kanso's first arrival in Onaki, detailed the Onaki tax system and military, and then delved into the Battle at Osilusa Point, taking place in 2174, and the assassination of Osaki. This week, we will resume right where we left off in episode 4, where Ajimi will avoid suspicion and take power, leaving the old powers in the Consortium helpless to her senseless and wasteful policies endured by the people. Then, as all bad Nelepas do, she will capitulate, leaving only one man to step in and fill the power vacuum.
Alright, let's get started. Immediately after Ajimi assassinated Osaki, she placed the shard of Luminasuta into Osaki's hand, and presumably also dressed herself properly. Afterwards, she snuck through a gap in the underside of Osaki's tent, seamlessly blending into the bustling camp streets outside. Several minutes later, she would enter through the front of the tent. The guards knew Ajimi well, and that Osaki would be awaiting her. But when Ajimi entered, she screamed. The guards rushed in, and saw Osaki in a pool of blood on her bed. Obviously shocked, all members of the guard frantically searched the tent and its surroundings for any sign of a suspicious person. It did not take time for word to spread among the masses that Osaki had been killed. Unfortunately for the guards, the absolute pandemonium of the camp quickly destroyed all efforts. Quickly, they informed the highest military general and council member for the Alekikanale's Guild, whose name was Pulonli, of the killing. The command structure upon Osaki's death was unclear, as she had never selected a successor or defined any sort of succession protocols. Her guards, on instinct, defaulted to the next highest superior in the military command chain, who was of course Pulonli. He made a panicked decision, unsure himself, desperately wanting to find Osaki's killer. In the midst of this chaos and uncertainty, Pulonli, standing on the podium that once echoed with Osaki's triumphant words, assumed a stoic and commanding presence. The air was thick with tension and panic as the news of Osaki's demise spread through the camp like wildfire. Pulonli's voice, firm and resonant, cut through the tumult, addressing his troops with the gravity befitting the occasion.
He proclaimed, "Soldiers of the Alekikanale's Guild, sons of Ona, hear me now. We have been dealt an immense blow. Our beloved Osaki, our beacon of leadership, has been extinguished. Let the memory of our Osaki be the flame that ignites our resolve. As we stand in this uncertainty, let us not succumb to the chaos that seeks to engulf us. However, I ask you to not constrain your emotion. Osaki's killer is among us. We will find them, and we will bring them to justice. Our adversaries, may seek advantage in this moment of vulnerability. But we shall not falter. Rise, my comrades, with the strength of conviction and the spirit of duty. In the unity of our purpose, let us forge ahead, for Osaki and for the sons of Ona."
The men certainly did not let their emotions be constrained. It initially began as just a few men, beating surrendered and restrained Kanso soldiers, demanding they fess up to the crime of their comrade. Then, one of them unsheathed their weapon, and removed the head of a soldier who protested their innocence. The spark had just met the kindling. The Alekikas began a wholesale slaughter of the Kanso men, leaving not one man standing. With this, they presumed that they had gotten Osaki's killer somewhere in there. If this slaughter was true, thousands of men lay slain at the mouth of the Kasa. With this, the soldiers prepared a solemn triumph. Osaki was changed into her best robes, supposedly her chest tied to a post that rested on her back. She was then mounted on her horse, and Osaki's Triumph began. The men processed, in silence, across the First Settlement and to the Temple of Luminasuta. Beneath the oculus of the temple, Osaki was laid to rest on a bed of mushrooms and flowers. At the head of this procession was both Ajimi and Pulonli, who were then shortly thereafter joined by Ponsaka, grieving immensely. Ajimi stepped forward onto the steps of the Temple of Luminasuta, where the whole of the First Settlement appeared to be watching. She announced to them, "Before her passing, Osaki and I talked at length at what was to happen after her death. She simply stated to me, that Luminasuta would choose her successor. After our great victory this past day, I heard a voice call out to me, it was that of Osaki. She called to me, from across the Kasa. She cried for mercy, and for help. I ran for her with all my strength, but alas, I was too late. As I lay, grieving at her bedside, I felt Osaki's soul process onward. She waited for me... or perhaps Luminasuta waited to take her. Being the closest person to Osaki, I feel as if it is only natural that I step in as a temporary Nelepa, just for a short time. The Guilds may decide who becomes our next Nelepa, but with regards to our Osaki, I can tell you with certainty that I will continue her legacy. Glory to Osaki, and glory to the daughters of Ona." The people erupted in cheers. The Guild members, instead, stood terrified. If this wasn't the definition of a power grab, what was.
So, what would the Guild members do with this new temporary Nelepa Ajimi? They pretty much did as she asked, where they held a vote. The leaders of the eight most major guilds processed into the Council Hall. The eight seats around the table were supposedly deliberately placed for the eight guilds with the most members in the Consortium. These guilds were the Ponsakan Syndicate, Alekikanale's Guild, Luminala Celestia, Craftmen's Alliance, Stonewrought Syndicate, Harvester's Union, Mason's Accord, and Academian Society. Among them, by far the most powerful members were the Ponsakan Syndicate and Alekikanale's Guild, headed by Ponsaka and Pulonli respectively. Ponsaka, due to his age and general political seniority, had always been the figurehead of the Consortium, even though he held no distinct title in name. For the guild members, this made their choice for Nelepa crystal clear. There is no doubt in their minds who should lead them, Ponsaka.
Unfortunately for them, Ponsaka believed differently. At this time, Ponsaka was pushing into his 95th year on our planet. He had left with Osaki to found the first settlement half a century before, in his 40's while Osaki was just a teenage princess. By this time, with all due respect to the man, he was a sack of bones. He was old and frail, and was not able to move long distances or right himself on his own. Ponsaka was tired, and had no desire to serve at the centre of Onaki's growing power apparatus. But, under the pressure of many of his colleagues, Ponsaka agreed to stand for election by the Council Hall members, on one condition. He would be allowed to retire, anytime he liked, for any reason, and with political and legal immunity when he did so. This tradition would be kept intact for many, many centuries to come, for better or for worse.
Just a few days after Osaki's death, the vote proceeded. Around the table, each representative made his vote clear. A yes, another yes, another yes, looking quite good for you Ponsaka. A yes, yet one more yes, and of course, a yes from yourself! Almost there Ponsaka, you're just two votes away from yet another ledger under your name in the history books. A penultimate yes, and finally, the moment we've all been waiting for. Here comes Pulonli, ready to cast his vote. And he casts... No. Wait, a no? What? How could this happen... Hmm, do I smell shenanigans afoot? Yes, I think I do.
Pulonli had long been courted by Ajimi, under the nose of Osaki. Ajimi had used tax cuts and large sums of wealth, likely laundered or stolen, to sway Pulonli into her court. In addition, she very willingly responded to Pulonli's attempts at intimacy, reflecting more on the gross nature of Pulonli rather than Ajimi. It is told that she was willing to use anything, including her body, for power. This was a common theme of ancient literary works containing powerful women, even as far back as from ancient Masutan. Women in power were often seen as snakes, seeking to subvert their way into a seat of power. This reputation, as unfortunate as it is, continued to last even until this period. It would take many more female Nelepas to finally squash this trope. Later Onaki writers would instead attribute this attribute of Ajimi as a message to others, that power cannot be truly bought with bribes. It seems their morals finally got the better of them. Modern historians actually attribute it to both aspects, as both ways are perfectly valid interpretations of the text. As we will soon see, Ajimi as a literary character is used to display all of the improper and deceitful ways of achieving power, and the consequences of such. She is almost a devil to the angel of Osaki in every conceivable way. In turn, Pulonli shows what can happen if you are complicit with characters like these. Ajimi had a choice to use Onaki for her own power struggle, and so did Pulonli. Instead, they took the selfish route. For the collectivist minded Onaki, both are poor examples of leaders.
For now, though, Ponsaka seemed to be okay with letting Ajimi's rule stand. It was not entirely his fault, 95 is far too old for any man to be a leader of a state, especially a rising one like Onaki. Although his mind would remain sharp until the end, he simply does not have the energy to maintain the growing government the Nelepa serves as the center of. Already he was just a figurehead of his own guild. Ponsaka's son Jameka had been truly running operations for years, and now in his late 60's, even he had largely passed on the torch to his own son, Sulaton. In his position as a sort of figurehead for the Consortium, Ponsaka felt comfortable with the power he already held. It was all the muscle, with none of the work to maintain it. At any rate, it's easy to understand why Ponsaka felt comfortable with Ajimi at the helm of governance . Sure, it was clearly a power grab, but at the same time, she was at the center of Osaki's administration. Presumably, there would be little bumps transitioning between the two leaders, and policy would remain largely the same. At least, that's what he thought. Even in the case that it went sour, the people knew she was simply an interim leader. Once the Consortium had the votes available to elect a man, they would. Certainly they would quickly act to replace Ajimi in such a case. Riiiight? Well, we'll just have to see about that.
Ponsaka was right about one thing, Ajimi initially did leave all the structures of Osaki's administration in place. No one was fired or shuffled around, no immediate new laws or changes. In contrast with later leaders who made the most changes in their first 100 days in power, Ajimi made almost none. It was clear that she did not want to immediately press on with a pro-Kanso narrative just yet. So quick off of a shocking death and ultimately a Pyrrhic victory, one could imagine her reasons for doing so. First, she would have to display to the people, and most importantly the Consortium, that she was a trusted figure of governance, just as much as Osaki was. Her first action as Nelepa was to commission the construction of a Mausoleum for Osaki, adjascent to the Temple of Luminasuta where her body was temporarily interred. Publicly, Ajimi's intention was for the Mausoleum of Osaki to be her only true act of governance, and the rest of her time in office would only be spent maintaining the state for a Consortium elected representative. At the time, everyone bought it. But, for this time, it truly was her greatest project, and the one that lasted the longest.
Osaki's Mausoleum would not be a grand structure, but one built to last. Indeed, it would last intact far longer than almost any other structure in the old First Settlement. If it wasn't for its location so close to the sea, it would have lasted with us to this day, undoubtedly. The mausoleum would be in the form of a pyramid, one with no door, or any openings at all. The structure was made of large stone blocks, exactly one Onaki meter in length. One hundred total blocks made up each side of the structure's base, resulting in a total footprint of 100 square Onaki meters. The pyramid topped out at about 125 meters in height, being fairly slender in appearance. Within said pyramid would be a cavity in which Osaki's remains would supposedly be buried, although in later periods that cavity was looted and left empty. Extending from the wall facing the Bay of Onaki was a portico, where a small inlet in the pyramid walls allowed for items to be left for the founding leader, or for prayer and reflection at its foot. Supposedly placed at the spot Osaki first slept on the ground that would later become the grand city, some say the pyramid was supposed to resemble a tent, perhaps a place for Osaki to permanently rest her head. It would take 9 months to construct, and would be consecrated by Ajimi on the anniversary of Osaki's death.
In reality, we have no way to say whether the pyramid was truly a monument for Osaki. We do know that it was built before the sacking, as the structure is present on maps dating to the very first descriptions of the First Settlement. It certainly wasn't built by Ajimi, she is not a historical figure, but it still may have been built for a figure like Osaki after the fragments that form our legend began to arise. It may have also been a mausoleum built for a previous king of Onaki, or perhaps a rich merchant might be more fitting. We have no way to know, as there exist no inscriptions on the monument that date before the sacking. The great fire that engulfed this part of the First Settlement reduced great portions of both the Temple of Luminasuta and Osaki's Mausoleum to lime, leaving only their foundations. Although both were rebuilt, they did so only after the legend of Osaki was well known, and thus, we cannot trust the restoration's inscriptions to have been historically accurate. Despite the nature of the structure's construction being contested, it really does not change the sheer ancient nature and longevity of the structure.
Anywho, back to the consecration. During said consecration, Ajimi announced that in light of the Consortium seemingly unwilling to elect a new permanent Nelepa, she would presume full powers of the office, and continue in the legacy of Osaki for what she hoped were many decades to come. This would signal the start of what would be called the Follies of Osaki, actions and reforms that were not exactly detrimentally harmful to the state on the surface, were very foolish, and, quite frankly, were stupid. First curse word on the podcast folks.
Now, Ajimi, bless her heart, had a problem. Not a hostile army and a state to build like Osaki, but something far more insidious, the profound indifference of her people toward ger. They neither cheered her triumphs nor mourned her losses. They simply shrugged, muttered about the price of pomegranates, and went about their day. Everything Ajimi did fell under the lens of Osaki's reign. Repairing what had been lost in the war with the Kanso, remembering the legacy of Osaki, maintaining the policies and procedures put in place by, you guessed it, Osaki. This, of course, wouldn't do. Ajimi craved power, and now getting into her 40's, she was running out of daylight to have it. So Ajimi, in her naivety, decided to shower her subjects with what she had intended to be virtuous acts. The first of these was the "Edict of Peace". It outlawed any mention of the recent war with the Kanso, including the death of Osaki. After she unilaterally declared the edict in the Consortium House, she declared "Peace is built on forgetting the sting of battle! Making peace with the Kanso depends on our cooperation. Allowing another war on our soil will only bring more death, and more sorrow."
The Onaki were not exactly fans. They did not see this edict as something to promote peace, but a gag on their memories. The war, with its scars both mental and physical, was a fresh wound, not a historical footnote. To pretend it never happened was like ignoring a gaping wound. Not even the Consortium could do anything to stop her. Pulonli remained adamantly in Ajimi's court. The Council Hall needed unanimous agreement to overturn edicts issued by the Nelepa, but Pulonli would never play ball. The edict stood, it never even made it to the wider Consortium. The whispers started, among the city's streets. "Is she afraid of the Kanso, of Tonsulun coming back from the dead?" some muttered. "Does she want to erase Osaki's memory?" others grumbled. Although on grounds owned by the Onaki government there seemed to be some enforcement, private businesses and households never complied. The Alekikas would never enforce such a thing, they didn't agree either. This was not a great look for Ajimi. In fact, it had seemed like power was slipping even further from her hands.
The next year, she tried an even more reaching edict, one to moderate and open trade with outside forces. Ever since the Kanso turned the Aloki Sea into their lake, they controlled shipping lanes and ports, for the most part. With few exceptions, they had the power to enforce a tax upon those transiting goods through what they claimed as their waters. Of course, if they could enforce it. Onaki merchant ships were, as previously mentioned, armed to the teeth. The Kanso often opted to go for the unarmed pudgy ships incoming from the Pihano Sea, as opposed to getting themselves sunk. This allowed Onaki traders to essentially wind themselves up anywhere in the region, they had the muscle to ward off all but the strongest aggressors. In this way, goods made by the Kanso and Nika were able to find their way into ancient Onaki, just not in large amounts. Local goods were by far and wide number one, and anything else could easily be supplemented by the nearby and everpresent Takeni people. Onaki farmers and craftsmen had no competition except for themselves, and every man dealt with the same climate and size restrictions. Ajimi decided to blow all of this to smithereens. Touting her message of peace, Ajimi opened up trade to "all nations," with the distinct inclusion of the Kanso. Kanso ships were certainly not welcome in Onaki after their recent aggression. It was just too high of a security risk. Not for Ajimi! With these new releases on trade, huge grain barges began to dock in Onaki. Cheaper produced goods and tools flooded the market. The dedicated craftsmen and farmers of Onaki were furious, they would get better use from their product keeping it for personal use rather than selling it. Of course, the Craftmen's Alliance, Stonewrought Syndicate, and Harvester's Union were fuming at this. In response to this crisis of local grain, instead of reimplementing the restrictions, Ajimi chose instead to shift Onaki tax credits. The Onaki government would accept nearly all of the locally produced Onaki grain and rice, and many of its handcrafted products, as tax. In the end, despite the near constant rice and bread dolls to the public, the majority of Onaki grain sat and rotted in massive storehouses outside the walls. It was said that if you stuck a tap through the side of one of these storehouses, alcoholic sludge would come pouring out. Spirits would have definitely been a better alternative to the stench that supposedly washed over the city as they thawed the next spring.
That spring, another unmarked merchant vessel docked in Onaki. Yet again, the vessel was left docked, empty. The parallel to Ajimi's own arrival was not a coincidence. It was another agent of the Kanso, who embedded themself in Ajimi's administration. Unlike Osaki, she picked them right out. When confronted, the Kanso agent only had this to say. They whispered, "It's been almost three years. You're out of time." She personally executed them on the spot. Increasingly paranoid, Ajimi began to make a purge of her administration. She could not trust anyone except herself to do the job of running government. However, after she would purge someone, she was hard pressed to find another to fill their position. It seemed her house of cards was imminently collapsing.
In response to her paranoia, Ajimi made yet another change. The Alekikas would no longer be responsible for her personal guards. Instead, she would be hiring private guards from a neighboring city, one she did not specify. Although some of her few supporters may have claimed that these fighters were from a Takeni city, everyone knew the Takeni where not the most prestigious fighters. Ajimi had hired mercenaries from a neighboring Kanso city, likely from Niwan, just to their north. For Pulonli, who was still Council member for the Alekikanale's Guild, I don't think any amount of bribes could save his seat.
With everything seeming to be coming crashing down around her, Ajimi appears to give up this pretense of trying to make things right. On the third anniversary of Osaki's assassination, she declares that as their relationship has become so important and necessary, she would be resuming political relations with the Confederation of the Kanso. Two Onaki representatives would be sent to their capital, adequately named Kanso, in order to help this transition. With them, Ajimi would be sending what effectively amounted to a nonaggression treaty. The document was an agreement that the forces of the Kanso and Onaki would never again clash so long as the other party maintained the same. It was this, she said, that would ensure that the thousands of lives lost three years ago would never again be lost. The Onaki and the Consortium did not buy it.
Ponsaka, who by this time was growing fed up with everything, including being alive, had noticed that these terms Ajimi laid out were almost exactly the same as those offered by the Kanso to Osaki. It was almost as if Ajimi was joining the Kanso Confederation under their noses. Wait a minute. All the restrictions on speech, the open and unrestricted trade, and now political integration? It was now obvious in hindsight what she had done. Even if the Council and Consortium were to hold a vote now, her power was in place. She had effectively sidelined them all, with Pulonli as an accessory to murder. Ponsaka felt he was the only person with the power to convince the Consortium, and the people at large, that Ajimi had to go.
With the help of his grandson Sulaton, Ponsaka made his way to the steps of the Consortium House. A crowd remained amassed from Ajimi's speech announcing the resumption of relations, not even an hour before. Where Ajimi got nearly no applause at all, Ponsaka received a resounding ovation. Ponsaka's eyes scanned the faces of the crowd, his weathered features etched with determination. The air was thick with tension, and the echoes of Ajimi's dubious declarations lingered. Sulaton stood by his side, ready to amplify his grandfather's words to every corner of the gathered assembly.
"People of the First Settlement! We stand at the precipice of a future that has been manipulated and distorted by the whims of one who seeks to rewrite our history, silence our voices, and barter away our sovereignty! Today, we face a leader who, in her pursuit of power, has betrayed the very essence of what makes us sons of Ona. She has shackled us with an Edict of Peace that serves only to erase the scars of our struggle against the Kanso, denying the truth that defines us. Our pain and sacrifice are not to be forgotten, and cannot be forgotten. Trade, a vessel that once brought prosperity to our shores, has been perverted into a tool of subjugation. Our hardworking men suffer as our own produce rots in the darkness. We all can smell this stench of treachery now. " Ponsaka's gaze hardened, reflecting the resolve that burned within. "We are not mere pawns in a game of posturing for a people whom have only brought us pain and loss! Our strength lies in our unity. Ajimi's false promises of peace are nothing more than a smokescreen for her surrender to the Kanso Confederation. She seeks to bind us to a fate we did not choose, and she has capitulated on the points our Osaki died for." The crowd, now fervent and impassioned, hung on Ponsaka's every word. "Let us reclaim our heritage, our autonomy, and our pride! Rise against the follies that threaten to consume us. For Ona!"
The roar of the crowd, an amalgamation of frustration, defiance, and hope, echoed through the city streets. The call for change had been sounded, and the people of Onaki were ready to reclaim their destiny. Led by Sulaton, a mass of people entered the Consortium House. Seven of the eight Council members were quickly assembled, all but Pulonli. In fact, Pulonli was currently cowering in the cellar of a winery, afraid his own soldiers would mutiny due to his support for Ajimi. "Well," certainly thought Sulaton, "No one ever said anything about quorum if we don't have a roll call." All seven men voted unanimously for Ponsaka to become the next Nelepa, in front of all of Onaki to see. The crowd rejoiced.
Ajimi looked down over the courtyards surrounding the Consortium House. She was barricaded in her private quarters, the Nelepa's wing only barely able to ward off the rioters outside. The Kanso guards she had hired abandoned her and disappeared into the crowd. Those Alekikas who remained did so halfheartedly, many were simply waiting in the halls to join their brothers outside. It was only the locks and physical barricades that prevented Ajimi from the hands of those who sought to persecute her. She wandered the halls, stepping almost to the outermost door. Only three Alekikas remained there, waiting. They stepped toward her, and her heart jumped. She reached into her cloak and grabbed a fist full of bronze shavings, a potent dust that suffocated and blinded those who encountered it, and thrust it into the faces of the three men. They collapsed writhing, as she rushed back into her quarters. Ajimi was not dumb, she saw the writing on the wall. She removed Luminasuta's shard from her neck, what now seemed to be a symbol of the Nelepa's power, placed it on the bed. She wedged it between two pillows, with the sharp end facing upward. Ajimi climbed onto the bed, standing up. She glanced at the blade, and turned round. Outside the grand window, she looked out onto the growing skyline of the city. In the distance, the dome of Luminasuta's Temple sparkled. She sighed, grasped her face in her hands, and fell backward. It was awkward when Sulaton burst into her quarters to haul her to trial. Ajimi would reign as Nelepa for exactly three years, to the day.
Ponsaka's reign as Nelepa can be summarized in a simple phrase, short but sweet. I would love to do an entire episode on the man, but we have history to cover.
First, Ponsaka would mount what was effectively a purge on Ajimi's administration and laws. Everyone in the Nelepa's wing was fired who Ponsaka did not already know and trust from before her tenure. Even then, many of them were simply shuffled to roles that hardly held any real power. He vowed not to execute any of her men who were not of sufficiently high rank. They were simply following orders, the consequences of violating which would have meant death all the same. In the place of these people, Ponsaka placed many of the individuals he trusted most from his long tenure in the Consortium, but mostly from his own guild, the Ponsakan Syndicate. After that, they quickly got to work undoing most of what Ajimi had done over her three years in power. Discussion of the Kanso was once again allowed in public, trade was again disavowed for Kanso vessels, and the Alekikanales were back in the Nelepa's personal guard. In a show of publicity, Ponsaka and Sulaton would each take a corner of Ajimi's nonaggression pact with the Kanso, and rip it in two in front of a crowd. It seemed that the only reform kept in place was her true first act, the consummation of Osaki's Mausoleum.
Then, Ponsaka would establish a formal succession for the office of Nelepa, finally. The sitting Nelepa would first present their chosen candidate for the office. It could be anyone, of any class, any sex, any standing. The only limitation was that this person must be an Onaki citizen, born and raised in the city or land it administered directly. Foreign agents would no longer be allowed to rule over their city. Once a Nelepa had chosen their candidate, that choice would be delivered to the Council. The Council would then evaluate this pick, and if they voted unanimously to confirm them, that person was officially the next Nelepa in line for the shard. In a case that there was some sort of gridlock and a successor was never ratified by the Council, the Consortium as a whole would then vote to choose a new successor. This would take a supermajority of members to ratify a Nelepa, 3/4 of the body. Of course, Ponsaka also defined how a Nelepa's reign could be constrained. A Nelepa had the right to rule for their life if they wished, but it was not mandatory. A Nelepa could now retire, whenever they liked. However, when they were in office, they would not enjoy the legal protection retirement gave them. A Nelepa could be legally prosecuted and removed from office in very strict circumstances. In order to remove a Nelepa from office, they must first commit a clear crime. A Nelepa should never be removed for petty politics. The Consortium would vote to convict, and again, a 3/4 supermajority would be required. After this conviction, the Council would then vote on what the punishment would be for this crime. They must unanimously agree on some sort of punishment, whether it be a slap on the wrist, or removal from office. Once removed from office like this, a Nelepa could never serve again.
Finally, in his last act, Ponsaka wanted to dedicate Osaki himself. Ajimi could not have the greatest monument to his closest friend and lifelong partner. But what, you ask, could be more long lasting than a pyramid that stood for millennia? It has been said by many that although you can kill a leader, destroy a monument, or burn a book, you cannot destroy an idea. Ponsaka's dedication to Osaki was the idea that these people, the First Settlement, were special. They were entirely unique. Not just that, but they were chosen by god to be here. As such, he gives these people, and their city, a name. That name was Onaki. Supposedly a condensed form of an ancient phrase translating to something along the lines of "Ona as Osaki saw it," this would be the name that stuck. The most well known, most powerful, longest living state on Earth got its name that day. And no, shut up, it was not the words Ona and Osaki smashed together. Don't ruin this for me. If it was true to them, it's just as good as true to us.
Ponsaka, now 98 years old, never really wanted to do this anyways. He couldn't even walk on his own anymore, and hardly talk. He was constantly sick and frail, and relied on his grandson, Sulaton, for almost everything during this time. To stay Nelepa would be deliberately driving Onaki off a cliff. So, Ponsaka had one last thing to do. He went to the Council, now not headed by himself, but by his son Jameka. He brought forward his candidate for the next Nelepa. It was a slam dunk pick, and his candidate was ratified in no time at all. That day, Ponsaka announced to his people that he would be retiring, free to finally rest after an exhausting and tumultuous life. He would rule Onaki as Nelepa for just over a week. And, oh yeah, you all have a name now. Onaki, meet your next Nelepa. His name is Sulaton. I think you'll like him a lot.
Next week on the History of Onaki, we're going to start with Sulaton's background and reign as Nelepa. Although the finer details of his reign and birth are still largely fictional, this is where confirmed historical events start to occur. The Onaki seemed to pin the founding of their city just fifty years before it began to expand past its borders, which may seem quite funny to us now, but it made sense to them. After all, they were the chosen people.