The Ono (pronounced OH-noh) are a nagaji people and some of the oldest inhabitants of Vaothan. Though many saw opportunity in the collapse of Sangiran and sought to restore their ancient rule over the region, the civil war and subsequent rise of the circles instead drove the Ono out of the lush lowland forests and into the South Vaothani Hills.
History
Prior to the arrival of Sangiran settlers from Kea Racha, the Ono accounted for the largest population on the mainland of modern Vaothan. Many of their sprawling palace complexes can still be seen today, repurposed into fortifications and government halls in cities such as Sungato, Kadassa, and Mimika. In line with Sangiran's official policy of coexistence and tolerance, provided all venerate the Eternal Suzerain, interactions throughout the period of colonization between the new arrivals and the Ono were largely peaceful, as the nagaji saw no objections to adding yet another god to their pantheon of many others. Even still, they found themselves slowly crowded out, their traditional lands around and between the Crocodile and White Stone rivers encroached upon by the ever-growing number of those of Kea Rachan descent.
This status quo was finally broken by Suzerain's death in Y9606* and subsequent declaration of independence of Vaothan in Y9612*. With opportunity in the air and with the possibility of reclaiming their slowly-lost homelands seeming very real, their mage-kings, long relegated to ceremonial roles, set to work. Some tried diplomacy, while others marshaled armies to war, but soon all were brought into the new civil war, of which the Ono were only one faction. Of the others, they were primarily in contention with the government in Kaluran, with which they became locked in a stalemate lasting several years.
Upon the formal cessation of hostilities between the other three factions in Y9619*, the forces of Kaluran were free to turn their attentions away from their eastern coasts and towards the south, and the Ono were driven out of their hard-regained territories and into the South Vaothani Hills. Though comparatively few of the nagaji lived in the region prior, they soon established new strongholds there, from which they now continue to resist the infrequent attempts to subjugate them.
Location
Most Ono live in the South Vaothani Hills within Vaothan. Some can be found elsewhere around the nation, including on the islands of Senarena and Timutara, their ancestors having moved there long ago in more peaceful times. Others have found themselves across the former territories of the Sangiran Empire.
Culture
Ono religion is based upon the worship of thousands of gods. Each family, village, and city has one, as does each and every ruler. These deities are primarily concerned with the protection of those who venerate them and their particular interests, with rarely any involvement in broader matters. Worship takes place at household or personal shrines, or else at shrine-columns in the middle of a community. The official prohibition of religion in Vaothan has had little to no effect on the Ono.
Traditionally the Ono have been, and are once again, ruled by mage-kings, powerful figures who derive their legitimacy through their magical prowess. Unlike many other societies on Kishar ruled by magical individuals, such as the scholar-kings and scholar-princes of Eita and Yurukan, for example, who are typically wizards, the Ono prefer to elevate sorcerers as mage-kings. The term mage-king is gender neutral - most Ono leaders are female.
The elaborate architecture of the Ono was and remains well-regarded around the Gulf of Timakal and on Kea Racha. Their large, sprawling gardens, still maintained and built within the palaces of the South Vaothani Hills, are the envy of the wealthy and powerful elsewhere in Vaothan, places of twisting paths amongst plants and miniature ecosystems that are carefully tended over centuries. Ono gardeners are second only to their mage-kings in prestige and status, and often serve as the most trusted advisors of their leaders.
To discourage weakening themselves, conflicts and disputes between rival Ono are settled not by fighting each other directly but rather by having trained animals fight in their stead, typically fish.