12 October, 2008

The Gift of Osai

(Revised 27 September, 2011 and 2 April, 2012)

The Origin of Power
Osai was the second king of Catarika. Being just one generation away from Rinniken, he still had lots of power. Rinniken had full deity powers and as he and his wife had children different levels of these powers were passed down to each in succession. Being the firstborn, Osai inherited the most powers of his siblings and was considered half-deity half-human. He also inherited the throne and was set to rule for at least another 1000 years.

From Nialli to Rihanu
King Osai's established his castle in Rihanu, which was a fair distance away from his father's castle in Nialli. He felt that by being more in the center of the country, as opposed to the northwest corner, he was an equal distance away from the farthest cities. This meant that when he called meetings with the city officials, they would not argue over who had to travel more. Within 50 years of his reign, the ministry and other important meetinghouses had all moved from Nialli to Rihanu and this city eventually became the official capital of Catarika. It was this principle of equal distance conflicting with the location of Rinniken's castle that spurred the argument today over whether Nialli or Rihanu should be the capital.

The Guards of Osai
King Osai was a just and true man who wanted the best for his people. Naturally, as the country began to take root, there was opposition. Several races, many which do not exist today, tried to take over the bountiful island of Catarika. Wanting the best for his people, Osai appointed five of his closest family members to always keep guard over Rihanu, the most sought-after and attacked city at the time, and literally trusted his life with them. Three of these guards were Osai's brothers, one was his nephew, and one was his wife's brother.

Osai's Gift
One day, Osai called these five brave men into his throne room. He had decided to give them all a piece of himself- a gift- that would greatly help them guard the city. He bestowed upon these guards a totally unique ability known as the Power of Threes. Using the ratio of 3:1, his five guards gained the ability to need 1/3 the sleep as a normal person, recover from injury three times faster than normal, and to have within them three times the strength of someone with a similar body type. Osai also loved the moonlight so he granted them the ability to see with crystal clearness in the dark, have great direction and navigation skills, excellent nocturnal hearing, and stealth. In addition, he also used his mastery of vision and infinite perspective to give these guards and every Man of Osai (Catin: Osanokai) after him to be able to receive flashes of vision from Osai himself of events or things to come in the future, relevant to them and those around them. It is this collection of remarkable abilities that make up what became known as the Gift of Osai (Catin: Osai Naori).

In a flash, all five guards changed and began to feel these changes take place. In order to distinguish those with his gift from others, he put a mark in their eye. When in the light of the full moon, in the company of another, or when receiving a vision from Osai, their eyes glow brightly with a ring of triangles in the iris. This mark in the eye inspired every other significant person who bestowed a gift upon a group to mark their line or chosen ones with special markings in the eye.

The First Great Catin Gift
King Osai, and his guards, and actually all royalty back then, lived for a very long time to get things established and going. When he died, around the time Kiillaana was created and beginning to be inhabited, he told the world that his gift would remain. It would be spread out and uncommon, but there. This became the first of two very powerful gifts known as the Great Catin gifts, the other one being Terabi Tana. Today, it is very rare (28 people in the world have it today) but it definitely exists. There are many similarities between all of the Osanokai and all are direct descendants of Rinniken (with the exception of the last one). Besides being some of the greatest figures in Catin history, Osai and his guards were also the fathers of six of the greatest family lines in Catarika.

The Pure Crests of Rinniken
The people of Catarika and Rinniken came from two separate creation points and because of this there were (and still are) thousands of different crests, constantly changing, but always recorded. With the birth of several sons, royal blood was added into the population and prominent crests were quickly established. It is by this royal blood that Osai Naori operates; every single Man of Osai is a descendant of one of the five. A brief description follows:

King Osai
Kribana Crest
King Osai's sons and grandsons went on to establish the Kribana Family Crest. There aren't many people with this crest and it is a fairly small line. The Kribana Family has been known throughout Catarika and as well as Kiillaana for its many advances and talents in music.

Seranu
Sorela Crest
Osai's younger brother Seranu went on to establish the Sorela Family Crest. Though he was considered a city guard, he was sent both by Osai and his own accord to reside in the Circle of Mages after about a hundred years, where he harnessed his portion of deity towards the ways of magic. He was a compassionate man and though he never became or desired to become a head mage he was well loved and respected by all who knew him. It was he who Terabi first encountered after his birth in Das Verdun and the two were good friends for many years in the Mage's Circle. He was also given an additional blessing that his line would become the biggest in all of Catarika and would have prominence in several places. This was made possible by raising the probability of having a firstborn son from 50% to 90%. Sorela is the most common last name in Catarika; at least 20% of the population holds this crest. Sorela blood is also in every Jadali-Kiillra and it is by this blood that there will always be an Eldin to lead them. The Sorela Family is well-known for the ability to trust, listen, and comfort.

Rakanta
Morlean Race
Osai's second younger brother, Rakanta, had a very large family. His people eventually left Catarika with Morlea (see below) and colonized the small island of Morley Atoll to the north. Rakanta never established definitive family crest here but instead has an entire race with his blood. Catin-Rakanta (Morlean) people have a very distinct skin tone and features. Nearly every Morlean man is eligible to receive Osai Naori.

Simonzu
Mohola/Mohaili Crest
Osai's third younger brother, Simonzu, had a very large family as well and has numerous descendants. His people, like the Sorelas, spread out all over Catarika and elsewhere. His crest became known as the Mohola Crest, which means universe, describing their early nomadic ways. Sometime around the creation of Jadali this crest split again with a name change, giving rise to the Mohaili Crest. If Sorela is the most common last name, Mohola/Mohaili takes a very close second.

Morlea
Res Crest
Morlea is the son of Simonzu and is Osai's nephew. His people are synonymous with the Mohaili Family crest, obviously, but another family crest came from him as well- the Res Family Crest. Morlea traveled with Rakanta to colonize Morley Atoll, which is named after him. Res is an uncommon but recognizable family name in Catarika and is a very common last name in Morley Atoll.

Akira
Migali Crest
Akira is the brother of Osai's wife, Airi. He is unique in that he is not a descendant of Rinniken but since he was transformed by Osai he took on those powers and passed them down through his blood. His crest is known as the Migali Family Crest, known for gardening and farming skills. Migali is a very common last name in Catarika and Kiillaana and is almost always synonymous with floral gardens and landscaping.


Traits of Osai Naori
  • All must be direct descendants of one of the original 6.
  • All have Catin blood. It doesn't have to be much, some Osanokai have to trace their line back several generations before they find their ancestor with the crest.
  • The blood that holds their power can be given by either mom or dad.
  • The Power of Threes: 1/3 the sleep, 3 times the strength, 3 times the healing power.
  • The ability to see clearly in total darkness.
  • Stealth- they are able to make no sound when they walk.
  • The ability to see into the future and receive personal visions of Osai.
  • The inherent ability to speak and understand Catin.
  • A dark appearance with deep-set eyes, a furrowed brow, and a shadowed face.
  • Similar careers dealing with helping others and taking advantage of the absence of sleep.
  • All Osanokai are introverts although some are more outgoing than others.
  • All gravitate towards forested areas to ponder and walk by moonlight.

There are 28 people known with Osai's Gift in the world today. There are 14 in Catarika, 8 in Kiillaana, 2 in Jadali, 1 in Cayadora, 2 in Rakia, and 1 in Lisjovala. The most common crest of Osanokai is Sorela. Spotlights have been done on all but one.

The Eldin of Leena
Osai and Terabi worked together to create the country of Jadali, which symbolized their friendship. Terabi's work was more prominent, since Osai was already celebrated and famous among the people of Catarika, but he promised the Jadali-Kiillra that they would always have a Man of Osai to lead them. This man is called the Eldin and rules for about 100 years. A new Osanokai ordained to become the next Eldin is always born before the current one dies and spends his youth learning valuable things of the country matters.

The Symbols of Osai
Osai loved the moon and darkness so much that his name is in the Catin word for moon (Osano, which literally means "thing of Osai"). In addition, he made his mark visible most readily in moonlight. Though it works best on the High (full) Moon (Catin: Daso Osano) one of his symbols is a crescent moon. The reason for this is mainly for identifying purposes. His other symbol is a Catin eye with a furrowed brow, known as the Dark Eye.

The Man With Both Great Catin Gifts
S. R. Sorela is the only person in the history of the world has both Osai Naori and Terabi Tana. He was born an Osanokai near Jadali and was discovered when given an Eldin's Blessing by Ilonwyn Lochmont. He also had the Curse of the Realm which later was used to gain victory over the beast that cursed him, gaining him Terabi Tana and making him an extremely rare and treasured figure.

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