Fool's Fortune

4 days ago

She heard the sound of the door opening and immediately stopped her walking. Facing the direction of sound, she kneeled and bowed her head to the floor. The action was difficult as her hands were locked to her belt but she had long since learned how to bow her head to the ground without her hands.

More than one person entered her cell and she was surprised. Her master never invited anyone over. When two pairs of hands grabbed her, she knew something was wrong but with her hands shackled, her mouth gagged and her eyes covered by a mask, there was nothing she could have done.

Even as she was kidnapped, Astrid couldn’t even scream.

3 days ago

Just my luck! Isak Larsson silently cursed his luck the moment he saw the 3F logo on the wall of the crime scene. Silently fuming at the run of bad luck he’s under, he walked over to his partner. “Please tell me this is just a simple robbery.”

Birk Zerguina looked at his partner and gave a sad chuckle. “You wish. Are you blind or did you miss the big fat red 3F logo on the wall there?”

“Even in Nordker a man can pray, can’t he?” Isak said looking at the logo. “Free Females Forever…it’s really them?”

“Looks that way,” Birk didn’t bother to hide his disgust. “If it’s them, then Martin Kauranen’s property is gone.”

“That’s the owner? Where is he?”

“Outside near the police van,” said his partner. “Came back from his work at the dock, saw his property was gone and called us immediately.”

“How is he?”

“He’s emotional, in a panic…and looks like he will burst into tears at any moment.”

Isak didn’t like the bemusement on the part of his partner but it was one of the things that beyond his job scope as Birk’s mentor. “Considering the situation, that is understandable.” He looked back at the 3F logo on the wall. “But what would an international group aiming to free women from male suppression want with the property of a simple dock-worker?”

“Why don’t you go and find out,” Birk asked. “I’ll clean up here but be careful with him. He’s not exactly the brightest bulb in the room.”

Yesterday

After talking to Martin Kauranen, Isak not for the first time wondered if there should be some sort of intelligence test for masters. It’s a thought shared by his superior at the moment.

“Let me get this straight, this man took a photo of his property and this is her?”

Captain Edgar Taw was an old veteran who did not take kindly to fools, so Isak wasn’t that surprised that he was angry at Kauranen. “Yes. She was an orphan whose parents were killed in an accident. She was placed in state care till she reached 18 when she was put up for the lottery. Martin Kauranen was the lucky winner.”

“And let me guess, this idiot then took a photo of his beautiful property and showed it around to her friends?” Captain Taw asked. “Even when she looked like this?”

“Especially when she looked like this,” Isak said wearily. “He was a poor dockworker who was never going to be rich enough to pay the sale price for a proper bride. That’s why he went through the lottery…and then hit a looker.”

“Moron!” The captain spit out the word like a curse. “So this might not be the 3F group then, it could just be criminals who thought they would steal away a beautiful woman and get away with it.”

“That’s my thought,” Isak agreed. “The 3F group usually “liberates” female property of politicians, wealthy businessmen, or religious figures in Nordker. After freeing these women, they then brainwash them into speaking out against the social system in our country. No reason for them to target a simple dockworker.”

“So we…”

The captain never finished the sentence as Zerguina burst into the captain’s office. “Reports of a firefight down by the docks, Pier 34…and a naked woman running around. It’s our girl.”

Today

Martin Kauranen was a big, shaggy giant of a man. He looked like the prototypical warrior in the ancient times of pirates, and Isak always thought he was the kind of man who was open with his feelings. That feeling was correct as the man was currently crushing his property in a bear hug.

After too long a time, Martin finally put his girl down and was now whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Amazingly, the girl was smiling instead of being out of breath…or dead!

“Mr. Kauranen,” Isak interrupted. “May we have a moment please?”

“Oh detective,” Martin let go of his property and gave Isak a huge hug which Isak had no choice but to return as Nordker custom dictate. “Thank you so much! So happy I got my girl back!” Martin finally released the hug. “Hope you got the guys who did this.”

“Yes, we did. That was what I wanted to speak to you about.”

Martin looked at Isak in expectation and Isak found that he had to nod his head to the woman beside them. After a moment, he finally got the idea.

He bended down and opened the bag he carried with him. Reports of the girl being naked were in error as Astrid was wearing her one-piece bodysuit. Of course in Nordker, that was almost naked.

Showing the trust between the two, Martin handed a belt to Astrid and she immediately locked the belt around her waist. A handcuff was hanging by each side of her body and Astrid locked one of her hands to the handcuff. She then calmly placed her free hand by her other side, waiting for her master.

Martin concentrated on his property’s legs, locking her feet together with a short chain. With the chain limiting her movement, Martin stood up and locked Astrid’s free hand to the handcuff. Isak saw that Astrid was smiling the whole time.

Her smile grew wider as Martin placed a ball-gag over her mouth and whispered something to her ear. This time Isak was close enough to hear what was said. “You will never leave me again.” With that said, Martin placed a black hood over her head. Padded on the inside, the hood limited Astrid’s hearing and Isak saw that the mask had no eyeholes either.

With her property lock, secured and blinded, Martin took out the sack burqa and collar from his bag. He covered his property totally with the burqa and then collared her. A leash connected to the collar would help Martin lead his property around.

With her property properly dressed for public, Martin turned to Isak and saw the detective’s smile.

Now

“So you delivered the good news?” Birk asked.

“Yeah, he was a happy man.” Isak said. “Promised to use the reward money to get better security for his property, anything here?”

Here was the crime scene at Pier 34 where the shootout happened. All ten men involved were dead, including 6 wanted men with reward money on their heads.

“What we got so far is that a group was here and another group came up. Shooting began between the 2 groups and ten men ended up dead.”

“Any leads?” Isak asked. “Anything that would make us less like the headless chicken we are so far on this case?”

“In the confusion of the shootout, Martin Kauranen’s property took her chance and escaped out the back.” Birk pointed to the direction where Astrid ran to. “She was found screaming by some passing men, one of which remembers her from the picture Kauranen was carrying around and showing off. He remembered Martin’s property was stolen and immediately called us.”

“Talk about dumb luck,” Isak can’t help but shake his head in amazement. “And then?”

“Dispatch arrived and only 3 men were left alive.” Birk now started to read from his notebook. “One died of critical wounds from the shootout while the reminding 2 shot themselves in the head rather than surrendering to the police.”

“Fanatics,” Isak said. “So it was the 3F group that stole Martin Kauranen’s property.”

“Maybe not,” Birk still do not believe the group would want anything to do with a dockworker’s property. “We know some of the dead men were criminals, mostly likely slavers. Maybe they stole Kauranen’s property, used the 3F group as a red herring and the 3F group found out. The 3F group were naturally unhappy with the criminal group and came by to kill them. Martin Kauranen’s property presence could be just a lucky break for us.”

“If that’s the case, why wasn’t Martin Kauranen’s property chained and locked up?” Isak asked. “Why was she allowed to go about with her hands and feet free?”

“She was in an unknown location with lots of men with guns around her. The criminals probably didn’t think she was going anywhere.” Birk answered. “They sure weren’t expecting any company.”

Isak had to nod his head at that. The theory made some sense however…“Too many unanswered questions.” Isak said. “And the people who could give us answers are all dead.”

“You got anything from Martin Kauranen’s property?” Birk was still at the age where hope springs eternal.

“Nothing,” Isak replied. “The group didn’t talk much in her presence and when the shooting started, she was too busy trying to get out.”

“We did get one thing though,” Birk said. “On the disks we recovered, a name keeps popping up. Someone by the name of “Mrs. Henderson,” looked like a major player in one of the groups.”

“A woman…” Isak wondered. “Anything else on the disk on her?”

“Nothing”

“So we don’t even know if our mysterious Mrs. Henderson a player for the slavers or for the 3F group?”

“A criminal?” Birk was incredulous. “A woman is a criminal?”

“It’s possible.” Isak said. “By the name she should be a foreigner.”

“But…she…a woman…”

Birk still could not get over the shock. Like most men from Nordker, he had a hard time imagining women as anything else other than property to be protected and cared for.

“Anyway,” Isak moved on to more likable news. “And as it was his property’s escape that led to this crime scene, Martin got the reward money for the 6 wanted men here. He is now a well-off man.”

“Lucky dumb bastard,” Birk was sour on the reward money. “And he didn’t even do anything! It was his property that led us here.”

“Jealousy doesn’t become you Birk,” Isak had to smile at that. In a way, he agreed with his partner. “Guess that’s why they say fortune favors the foolish.”

Friends & Owners

A meeting of old friends is a grand thing in Nordker. A chance meeting of old friends however is a grand excuse for a celebration.

            That was exactly what Sven Thorist is going to do now. It had been a total surprise when he met his friend Erik Larsen by accident. An old schoolmate, the two of them had drifted off in different directions years ago. The last he heard Erik was part of some research project that was based on the moon. Even for a mathematician like himself, Sven can’t imagine what the odds are for meeting Erik here on the streets of Onega City.

            Erik’s house was a small 2 storey building at the junction of Timlet and High Street. Erik must be doing well for himself as that was one of the most exclusive areas in the city. The house however was a little disappointing. Dark and gray, it looked a little worn-down. However, all that was forgotten was Erik met him at the door.

            Forgetting his pet, Sven took 3 quick steps and engaged Erik in the oldest form of greeting there was among men. The bear-hug! Only when he felt the pull on his waist did Sven understood what had happen.

            A leash connected his silver bracelet to the animal that had fallen to the ground. A chuckle escaped from Erik and Sven had the good grace to be slightly embarrassed at the situation. “Get up.” Sven pulled up his waist as he ordered. The tight collar around the neck of the animal gave the creature no doubt that his order was serious.

            The creature tried her best to slowly skip to her feet. Shackled as she was it was never going to be easy but Sven was embarrassed at his earlier forgetfulness and wasn’t going to allow the creature to embarrass him anymore. He swung the small walking stick in his hand and hit the creature hard across the back. “UP!”

            The creature grunted and was quicker in her movement but it took another 2 more strikes before she managed to get on her feet. “You still have it, my friend.”

            At Erik’s word, Sven turned to him and apologized for his creature’s rude behavior. As expected, Erik waved it off as nothing and invited him in. The inside of the house was far grander than the outside. A series of lamps gave the house a soft yellow glow that warmed the heart. As Sven took off his thick fur coat, he found that Erik must have installed some sort of high tech heating system in the house. The temperature of the house was just right.

            The dinner table was set already and as he went forward, Sven saw that Erik had a creature of his own. The creature was dressed just like his. Known as a ‘Sack Burqa’, all Sven could see was the enveloping blue outer garment that was worn by all women in Nordker. Crowned at the head, the garment cloaked the entire body with no eyeholes or handholds for the creature. The only ornament was the collar that was wore tightly around her neck. The creature was kneeling on the ground with its head on the ground. The leash on the collar was locked to a hook on the ground, giving the creature no place to go and no room to move.

            At Erik’s invitation, Sven locked his creature alongside Erik’s. Leaving them there, the 2 old friends took their dinner and catch up on old times. Sven heard right as Erik was now based on the moon, doing particle research that was deemed too dangerous to be done on the planet. The last thing anyone wanted was to have something go wrong and blow up the planet. He had only just returned to Nordker a few days ago for a 2 week break.

            Compare to his cutting edge research, Sven’s tenure at the university paled. However, Sven was saved by the fact his creature already had 3 babies, 2 of them boys. Erik bitterly complained that all his creature had given him was 2 girls which were of no use to anyone. He had thought of buying another creature but Sven gently encouraged him to give his current creature another chance. After all, there was no need to spend money on another creature when he already had one which was still of childbearing age.

            Once the dinner was over, it was time to feed the pets. At Erik’s suggestion, Sven agreed to put some pills in the creature’s porridge. The pills would make the creatures hornier and, more importantly, would prevent pregnancies.

            Sven unlocked his creature’s chain and ordered her on her feet. Beside him, Erik did the same. Both creatures struggled to obey their master and, after sharing a smile between themselves, the 2 old friends used their walking sticks to encourage their creatures.

            After 4 strikes, his creature finally managed to stand on her feet. Sven unlocked the collar and lifted the burqa off his creature. Beneath the burqa, his creature was revealed. With blond hair and green eyes, his creature was a woman who was aged 24. However, nothing of her face could be shown outside his own house.

            Right now, his creature’s face and hair were totally covered with a black hood. Outside small holes for the nose, the only other hole in the hood was for the mouth. A red ball-gag was locked there. Standing there silently, blinded and shackled, she was a thing of beauty. Sven spent a good part of his savings to buy her from her father and so far, the creature has not disappointed him. 

            Sven looked over at Erik’s creature and was surprised. Erik’s creature was a small petite woman that was far shorter than a normal Nordker creature. Sven looked at Erik and Erik quickly explained. Researchers from all over the planet were based on the moon research station and not all of them veiled their women from birth like Nordker. Erik saw the creature on the research station and his offer to ‘marry’ the woman was quickly accepted by her father.

            As per custom, Sven saw that Erik’s creature was shackled. Like his creature, Erik’s creature was wearing the black hood with a normal skintight temperate bodysuit covering the body. Only her hands and loins region were uncovered. Both her hands were locked to her belt and a short chain locked her feet together.

            Both men unlocked the ball-gag and ordered their creatures to kneel. As the creatures did so, the men placed their feeding dish in front of the creatures. At the order to eat, both creatures’ head went to the ground. Sven placed the feeding dish to the side of his creature and it took her a while to find it with her head. He always got a kick out of this.

            Once she found her dish, his creature attacked the porridge. This came with experience as creatures never knew when their masters will order them to stop eating or even when their next meal will be. So when the chance comes, they knew they must eat everything in front of them as fast as possible.

            The 2 friends were kind today as they both had a wonderful day and allowed the creatures to finish their porridge. Once they were finished, both creatures sat on their knees and waited for further instructions. Erik hand Sven a washcloth and they cleaned the mouth of their creatures. As creatures must always be shackled, Sven (like all men in Nordker) had to spend a lot of his time cleaning and washing his creature.

            Although she was property, Sven still has to send her for a medical check-up once every 6 months at a government clinic to ensure that she was in good health. If she was found to be in poor condition due to his negligence, she could be taken away from him and Sven would have to pay a fine. He could even be barred from owning another creature for a period of time. The time spent washing and cleaning after the creatures was more than enough reason to stop men from owning more than one creature. The only exception Sven could think of were men who were rich enough to afford to hire other men to do the cleaning for them. These male servants were usually from the lower-class but they were still very expensive to hire.    

            After the cleaning was completed, the men put the ball-gags back on the creatures. An order to stand was given again with even more encouragement from the men’s walking sticks.

            As the creatures stood up, Erik unlocked the chain at his creature’s feet. Sven immediately did the same to his creature as well. Sven then walked over to Erik’s creature and he was dying to ask what her name was. However, Sven knew better than to insult Erik. A creature’s name could only be known to her family and old friends they may be, Sven was not family. He settled for the next best thing. He asked where she was from.

            Erik replied that the creature was from Himbaya where only married women needed to veil. Sven wondered what it was like to see the face of a creature before buying it. He never the face of his creature before he bought her, though he did carefully checked out her medical records and family lineage. She was medically fit to have babies and all the women in her family had babies before. To the men of Nordker, that was what’s important. Women were just creatures to produce babies; anything more was a direct threat to Nordker society.       

            Sven bought the creature over to the sofa and laid her down. Blind as she was, the creature could only react to what Sven did. Sven push her legs apart and entered her without any word or sound. The creature was like a doll which obeyed Sven every touch.

            As Sven ramped his manhood into her, he looked over to Erik and saw that Erik was doing the same to his creature. The only difference was that Erik was taking his creature up her ass. Sven smiled, now remembering how Erik always had a thing for ass–taking. Erik saw Sven’s look and both friends shared another smile. With an unspoken bond, they came together in their creatures.

            As he took a breath to calm himself, Sven released the ball-gag around Erik’s creature. Roughly he pulled her to his manhood and without order, the creature started to clean his manhood. She was well-trained.

            As his manhood was being cleaned, Sven wondered if there was any opening for a mathematician on the moon. He has never been to the moon before. Maybe he can ask Erik about that later.

Veila's Tale

The Birth

The cries of the baby indicated that it was finally over. The father stood up and faced the door of the emergency room. A few seconds later, the nurse exited the door holding a small chain in his hand. Although the ultrasound had informed him earlier, the father's expression clearly showed his disappointment.

The father took the chain from the nurse and entered the room. The only person in the room was the midhusband who was standing in the room. The father acknowledged the man with a small nod. He then walked to the creature in the bed. The creature’s head was covered in a black hood and a red ball gag was strapped tightly around her mouth. The hood has no eyeholes and outside the 2 holes for the nose, the hood covered the head totally.

The strain the birth had taken from the creature was clearly to be seen. The father showed pride seeing his property. The creature was carrying the baby at it’s’ breast, and the father couldn’t help but took a look at the baby. She was cute but now wasn’t the time for that. Tradition dictates he must make a show of his displeasure.

He walked besides the creature and savagely squeezed the nipples of the creature. The creature grunted in pain and it didn’t turn away. The father felt pride again as the creature just laid there accepting the pain given to her. “You had born me a girl.” The creature grunted in apology at the father’s words. The father then took the chain and gently chained the baby’s hands together. The father said, “With this chain, I claim this girl. Her name will be Veila.”     

The Ceremony

Veila tried her hardest to stay still but it was almost impossible. Today’s is a big day for her. Today, she will be 10 and she will become a big girl.

Veila was kneeling on the ground with her hands chained loosely by her ‘children’s chain’. Her sundress was discarded already and she was dressed in the bodysuit of an adult woman. No, Veila quickly corrected herself. She is no longer a woman, she will not even be human; in a few moments, Veila will be changed to a creature.

Veila looked beside her and saw her ma and grandma kneeling quietly her. Both of them were wearing the ‘sack burqa’, blinded to the world. A blue garment, the burqa covered the whole body of the 2 wom…creatures with no eyeholes or handholds. Veila knew that below the garment, both creature were chained and soon she will join them in bondage and darkness. She couldn’t wait and wish her father will hurry up.

At that moment, the door opened and Veila found new concentration on the ground in front of her. She heard the cell door opened and could hear the footsteps of the men. She knew it would be her father and 2 brothers. Although one of them was younger than her, he was a male while Veila was not. Veila bowed her head to the ground in respect to the 3 males. Beside her, she could feel her ma and grandma doing the same thing.

Her father spoke, “Today you are 10, Veila.” Veila stayed silent as she wasn’t given any permission to speak. Her father continued, “Today, you will be an adult. Chained and hooded as a creature should be, silent and obedient to your master, doing the only thing a girl is good for; giving birth to strong sons.” 

Veila raise her head and without a word, her world became dark. The hood had covered her head and Veila fought down her panic. She knew she has to stay silent and quiet or her father and 2 brothers would take the strap to her with relish. The first thing Veila discovered about the hood was how silent it was. The hood had a cushion at the area of the ears and not only was she blinded, Veila was deaf to the world. She could only hear a word if it was shouted.

Veila could feel the chain belt being put around her waist. Soon her hands were locked to the belt and her legs were locked by a chain. A ball gag then forced her mouth opened. Veila could feel a garment being put over her. It could only be the sack burqa. “Stand!” Her father’s orders were to be obeyed immediately and Veila tried to stand. With her hands and legs chained, blinded and burdened by the burqa, she couldn’t. “Stand!” Her father ordered again. Veila tried again but then she felt the cane across her back. Veila tried to cry out in pain but all that came out was a grunt.

“Stand!” Her father ordered again. As the cane rained down on her back, Veila did not give up and tried her best to stand. It’s what a big girl would do.

The Sale

She was outside the house. Although she was blinded to the world, Veila could hear the sound of the outdoors. The noise of cars, the shouts of passersby, even the barks of a dog; things she hadn’t heard of in over 8 years. The leash on her collar was pulled and Veila speed up her steps. The leg chains that had limited her steps since her coming-of-age ceremony gave her only a quarter of a step at most, however Veila was an obedient creature and she quickly shuffled her steps behind her master. Veila wondered if it was her father or brothers that were holding her leash. She quickly admonished herself. It did not matter; they are all male while she was not.

She knew she must be punished for her improper thoughts and would have to confess to her father later. She was wondering how many straps she would get when they came to a stop. No orders was given to her so Veila stood in the position she was left in and soon she felt 2 other bodies beside her. From her body, Veila knew that the 3 of them were facing one and another, shoulder to shoulder. Veila moved her head forward slightly and soon she felt the head of the other 2 creature. Together the 3 creatures stood there in a circle with their head together. Veila believed that it was her ma and grandma. A family outing was unheard of, even when her father took her ma and grandma out, she was always left behind. Her virgin status was extremely important for her sale price. Veila grunted in surprise. Her sale!

Veila suddenly became very nervous. Today was her sale. She wondered what kind of master would buy her.

Veila felt a tug in her collar leash. Like the doll she was trained to be, Veila followed the direction of the leash. After a while, she was stopped again. The collar was taken off her and then she felt the sack burqa being taken off her. Like the day when she was 10, Veila could feel the butterflies in her stomach. However 8 years of training and beatings had caused her to abandon all thoughts of moving. Veila stood in her spot like a statue. 
Quietly, her ball gag was removed. Veila wanted to stretch out her mouth but she controlled herself. She wasn’t going to embarrass her father in front of her new master. Then her hood was removed. Veila was shocked by this. As a creature, her face must always be covered in public. In fact from the day of their coming-of-age ceremony, all adult women must have their face hooded and eyes blinded till the end of their childbearing age, which is considered to be 50. In fact, outside the 1 hour shower and rest period each day, Veila had always been hooded since her coming-of-age ceremony 8 years ago.

What was even more shocking to Veila was the stranger standing in front of her beside her father. Veila fought the urge to hide herself behind her father. If her father didn’t want to show her off, he wouldn’t have taken off her hood. “She looked like of plain,” the stranger said.

“A woman is only good for the babies she can produce,” her father replied. “Nothing else matters because they are good for nothing else.”

“Of course, of course.” The stranger graciously conceded the point.

“Veila!” Her father was addressing her. “This is Sven Thorist. He will be your lord and master from today. Give him many strong sons or know his wrath.”

Veila did the only she could. She kneeled and bowed her head at her new master’s feet. As her head was on the ground, she would hear a door opening and closing. “Stand up Veila.” Veila stood up at her father’s commands, long since discovering the way to stand while her hands and feet were shackled. She saw her 2 brothers in the room, each holding on to a leash to a creature. It was her ma and grandma.

“Say your goodbyes.” Her father said kindly.

Veila first approached her father and kneeled before him. He had been a good father, strict without being cruel. Veila bowed her head at his feet grateful to be born to such a man. She then stood up and shuffled to her brothers. One after another, she bowed at their feet as well. She didn’t know them that well, expect for the time they needed each other for training. Veila stood and went towards her ma and grandma.
They were the ones she would really miss. She remembered all the time the 3 of them were freed from their hood and how they would talked and advice her on her training. Veila fought back the tears in her eyes as she shuffled to them. She stood facing them and placed her head on their shoulders. In response, her ma and grandma placed their head on her shoulders. Veila felt their head on each of her shoulder and for a moment, she truly understood the closeness of the bond they had. Quietly she said her goodbyes, “Goodbye mama. Goodbye grand. I’m leaving now; you two take care of each other.”

Her ma and grandma grunted softly in response to her words. Veila understood. Slowly the 3 of them raised their heads and rubbed against each other. In their world of silence, this was the woman’s way of saying farewell. Veila’s tears flowed. 
She knew she would never see them again.

The United Islands of Nordker

The United Islands of Nordker

Born of Pirates

The archipelagic nation of Nordker is now known for its great education system, its vast scientific research centers, and as the world’s leading nation in space exploration, but that has not always been the case. Knowing Nordker now, one would be shocked that it is a nation born out of piracy.

Since ancient times, the archipelago of Nordker had been a haven for pirates. Although no one truly knows who built the first settlement, the first notable town was the port town of Malam. From this town, pirates from all over the world came to repair and restock before going out at sea again. Soon more and more pirates’ towns came into being which in turn attracted even more pirates to the area. As you can expect, this lead to vast problems with other nations and some of the greatest sea battles in history were fought in the ice cold waters of Nordker.

The big change came during the period of Nordker history called “The Agreement”.

As trading ships became better armed, the pirates faced more and more problems with raiding. This in turn harmed the financial health of the pirate towns in Nordker. In short, piracy became too unstable to be used as an effective economic policy and the towns had to find another way to survive. The various pirate towns decided that they had to work together.

The various towns decided to spilt resources among themselves and would secretly trade with each other without taxing each other trading ships. As some towns in more fertile islands would concentrate with farming and fishing, other towns would concentrate on trading with other nations, while others would continue to be a haven for long-time customers, the pirates. Amazingly it worked.

The geography of the island made it possible for the trading towns to say that they had nothing to do with the piracy towns, while the piracy towns made an agreement with the pirates that the towns within the archipelago of Nordker were off limits to their raids. All the time, the farming towns made sure all the towns weren’t lacking in resources. Money made was then disbursed fairly among the towns within the agreement.

Things changed again when piracy became a loss some nations refused to accept. Fleets of battleships were sent out to Nordker to crush the pirates. The great sea battles of history were fought during this time and the pirates’ fleets fought fiercely to maintain their grip on the area. Most notable were the battles the pirates had with the navy from the trading nation of Trisban; these battles are still considered to be the most brutal sea battles in history.

The other towns couldn’t help the pirate towns directly and soon the pirates were beaten off Nordker. Malam itself was burned to the ground. As years had passed already, the other towns had prospered and not wanting to share in the fate of the pirate towns, they decided pirates would no longer welcome in Nordker.

Thus began The United Islands of Nordker.

Political System

Nordker still maintain the system the founding towns put in place during the original agreement. The various islands within the archipelago are spilt into 72 sectors. Each sector consists of 1 to 5 islands and each sector is charge with one main factor of business. There are farming sectors, business sectors, research sectors etc. Elections are held in each sector once every 4 years.

2 positions need to be filled in the elections. One will be the ‘Overseer’ who will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the sector while the other elected member will be the ‘Sector’ who will represent the sector in the ‘Horn Chamber’, the parliament of Nordker.

Bills in the Horn Chamber are passed with a two-thirds majority. This usually leads to a series of coalition governments as few political parties are capable of securing two-thirds of the chamber by themselves. The Nordian men prefer it this way as they feel this gives balance to the government and it can also prevent the sitting government from taking their power from granted. The leader of the ruling coalition is named Prime Minister and is the head of the nation.

Only men are allowed to vote and only men are allowed to stand for elections.  

The Social Framework

Nordker is a society that runs on a mentoring system. The biggest factor for respect in the country is experience. Throughout their life, Nordians are taught to respect the people with the most experience. Fathers teach their sons, mothers teach their daughters, seniors teach their juniors etc. Usually, organisations in Nordker have several apprenticeships schemes in place for almost every job on their payroll where the seniors in the group would impart their knowledge to their juniors.

This national trait has leaded some to complain that seniority is more valued than talent in the archipelago but the people feel that this is the fairest system to have in place. As they are fond of saying, “Even if you don’t have talent, experience is something you can pass on. Besides, the truly talented ones will always shine through in the end.”

This national trait is also credited by some for the stable society that is Nordker. As an archipelago, the differences betweens the various islands can be huge (in fact, the nation has a huge gap between the rich and the poor) but the mentoring system helped to left the poor. Various government and business organisations usually hold free seminars for business success and people from all walks of life are always welcome to attend. Although the gap between the rich and poor is wide, it is also highly fluid and it’s no surprise for men in the islands to go from rich to poor and finally back to rich. 

Men and women have very different roles in society and are thus treated accordingly. In simple terms, men are in charge of everything in the country. Whether it is in business, science, finance or even housework, men are the one who are doing in. The concept of gender equality is foreign to the people and most Nordian men treat any attempt at gender equality as an attack on the Nordker culture.

Women are only respect (or tolerated, depending on who you ask) for their one contribution to society; their ability to give birth. The Nordian family believed that children is a must for a complete and go to huge lengths to ensure this happen. From the day they were born, women in Nordker are locked in chains and are not allowed to do anything remotely dangerous. Most houses in the country have a woman room where all the females in the family are locked. What the women fell about this does not matter as in Nordker, women do not matter.

Women in Nordker Society

From the day they are born, female babies in Nordker will undergo what they call a naming ritual. The father (or guardian) of the baby will named the baby and at the same time, he will put a light chain around the baby’s hands; a symbolic gesture showing the locking of her body. Girls are basically treated the same as boys, they go to school, they play along with the boys, with only one difference. The girl’s hands are always chained together. Usually, this will be a light breakable chain as to prevent accidents from happening and the chain is more symbolic than anything else. However it does remain the girl even from a young age what her role in Nordker society will be.

The next change for the girls is the coming-of-age ceremony. On their tenth birthday, the girls light chain will be replaced by the standard shackles of a grown woman. A belt will be worn around the waist of the woman and both hands will be locked to the belt. This prevents the woman from using their hands for any purpose. A chain will also lock their feet together, giving them limited leg movement. A black hood will also be put on the woman. This hood has no eyeholes and is usually padded as to prevent the woman from hearing any ‘unnecessary’ noise. A ball-gag will then be secured around the mouth to prevent them from speaking. Blinded, gagged and senseless, the woman would then be locked in the woman’s room of the house. If there is a need for an outside trip, the woman will be covered by a ‘sack burqa’. A burqa with no eyeholes or grills, the woman needed to be guided by a man whenever they are outside. Usually a collar would be place around the neck of the woman and the men would guide the woman using the leash attached to the collar.

For 1 hour per day, the woman would be freed from their bondage. This is widely called the shower hour, though some do call it the rest hour. After a quick shower, most Nordian women will do what women do. They will talk. Gagged for the rest of the time, Nordian women speak in a very fast matter during the limited time they are allowed to do so and this sometimes result in culture shock for women from other countries. As one Vipponese woman sarcastically commented, talking to a Nordian woman is like standing in front of a bullet train. They will stop for nothing.

At least till the hour is up and the gag has to go back on.

Marriage is the big stage of a woman’s life. Again, marriage is the men’s decision. Usually men who has daughters of marriageable age (age 18 and above) would inform family and friend (or in this modern age, put advertisements in the papers and internet) and wait to see if there are any interested parties. If there is, both side will release details like family history, personal medical reports, financial details (only for the men), even their family tree. It is considered accepted practice to hire private investigators to ensure that all details provided are accurate and honest.

If both families can come out to an agreement, they will then discuss a ‘sale price’. Called a dowry by most other cultures, the ‘sale price’ will then be paid to the girl’s father and the girl will be taken away by her new family. Although not a must, a girl’s virginity does affect the sale price and as such most families also check on the girl’s virginity before agreeing on the sale price. Like in all matters of her life, the woman has no say in this. In Nordker, women believe that being a good wife and mother is the highest aspiration a woman can have and most look forward to the day of their ‘sale’. All of them have been taught by their mothers the submissive demeanour Nordian men have come to expect from their women and the last thing on their mind is to object to a decision made by their father.

A woman’s worth in Nordker is based on how many sons she can give birth to and this is a source of pride for them and their families. This is without doubt the first priority for a Nordker woman and women has come out with all sort of superstitions and folklore to ensure a male birth. Having said that, woman also played an important role as a teacher to their daughters. As stated earlier, mothers are expected to teach their daughters everything about marriage, sex and men. As such, daughters are usually very close to their mothers and tearful farewells are the norm during a daughter’s sale.

At their new home, the women are still hooded and gagged. This continued till the woman reached the age of 50. This age is traditionally accepted as the age when woman can no longer have children. Though science has changed that, Nordian men are loathed to change such an accepted practice. At this age, women are no longer hooded and when they leave the house, the burqa has the grill which allows limit sight for the old women. Outside those small changes however, everything remained the same as they are still gagged and chained like a normal woman.

Names are of vital importance to a Nordian woman. Like the men, Nordian woman is only known by a single name but women are not allowed any family name behind. Their names are also to be kept secret to be known only to members of the family. Even if they are life-long friends, Nordian men would never release their wife’s or daughter’s name to each other. Outside a record put with the government, only family members will know the name of a woman.

Despite all these restrictions (or because of it), Nordian law is heavily on the side of the woman. Men must send their women for a through medical health check once every 6 months. These checks are to ensure the well-being of the women and heavy fines are regularly issued even for the most minor infractions. An injury could cost a fine of a few hundred dollars for the men, even if it’s through no fault of their. If the injury is due to a fault of the men, the fines could reach thousands of dollars and a heavy jail term is not out of the question. Due to this reason, the health of their women is of vital importance to Nordian men. However most men leave the day-to-day care of their woman to their sons as it is felt this is a good way for the young boys (usually teenagers) to learn responsibly from a young age.

The Nordker Economy

Education & Science

For decades Nordker has tried to be a self-subsisted country, but all the science in the world can’t make up for the icy cold conditions of the islands. Much like their ancestors, Nordker has to import a lot amount of food to feed its’ growing population and that usually take a good part of the annual budget. However whereas their horned-helmet ancestors raided and stole, modern Nordians trade.

The Nordker economy is based almost entirely on science. The country has a very robust research sector and they are at the very edge of research in almost all areas of science. Secret research facilities are located all over the archipelago and Nordker pride itself on being at the forefront of research and knowledge. The government give various grants for research in return for a percentage of the profits generated by the results of the research. They also hold a good number of copyright and patents rights and this generate good annual income as well.

However various Nordker governments know that it policy will only work as long as Nordker keep their lead in the science sector. To make sure their research centres has a ready supply of young eager researchers, Nordker also has one of the world’s best (and most heavily funded) education system. Most of these are directed in the science sector and it’s not surprising to see a great number of foreign students studying in Nordker universities. Everything from physics to sports science is covered by at least one of the universities in Nordker.

Some countries have bitterly complained about Nordker only accepting men in their universities and have petition against the ‘unfair’ practices. However this is a policy that is unlikely to change as the last time a Nordker government tried to change it, it got voted out of power in a landslide.

The Space Island

Just like their ancestors who travelled far and wide on the waves of the sea, Nordker men still has a reputation for wanderlust. Since every part of the world has been discovered already, the men of Nordker now look to the star to satiate their wanderlust. Taking full advantage of their lead in science, Nordker has turned Whitebeard Island into the world’s only space port.

There are other space launch areas in the world, but only Whitebeard can call itself a space port. Everything in Whitebeard City has something to do with space and its exploration. Outside the launch centre, training facilities are also in the city. The training grounds even extend to the whole of Whitebeard Island and some of the world’s biggest conferences on space and its exploration are held on Whitebeard. This has lead people to call Whitebeard the Space Island, a name most locals are quite proud of.

Nordker is also the primary financial backer to the newly built space station on the moon. The Moon Station was a joint venture by several countries but the primary financing comes from Nordker. This has gained Nordker the admiration of many people and greatly enhanced the status of the country in many places. Although some in Nordker still balked at the money spent in the building of the Moon Station, the ‘soft power’ gained by the country has kept the grumbles to a minimum.    

Nordker: Culture & Customs

Shackles and the Sack Burqa

In times past, people grew fearful when they sighted the ships of the Nordker pirates. Men fear for their lives, and women fear for their freedom. When raiding, the pirates often considered women to be part of the spoils and thus treat them accordingly. To this day, Nordian men still consider women to be property and nothing more. Captured women are chained and shackled to prevent them from escaping or from attacking their abductors and the practice has also been maintained to the modern days.

The blinding and sack burqa practices are harder to explain. Nordker men can’t really explained when the practice first came into being but most believed it’s due to fact that pirates were away from Nordker for long periods and thus tried to find ways to ensure the ‘safety’ of their possessions. The burqa and preventing their women from ever being seen in public were good ways to stop people from having designs on their women when they were away on voyages. 
  
The typical Nordker ‘uniform’ for a woman consists around the shackles and hood. A belt is worn by the women and both her hands would be locked to the belt. A short chain will lock their feet and a black hood will be place on the woman. This hood has no eyeholes and is usually padded as to limit the woman’s hearing. A ball-gag (usually red) will then be secured around the mouth to prevent them from speaking.

Outside these, men are allowed to dress their women in any way they wish. The current fashion is a one piece bodysuit designed to keep the women warm in Nordker cold climate, but practices do varied from island to island. Some islands have their women naked while other islands dressed their women from gothic dresses to T-shirts and jeans. It’s all up to the men to decide and few women in Nordker have any say in how they are dressed.

Consequences of the Burqa

One of the main results of the ‘unseen and unheard’ treatment of women in Nordker is that men do considered women to be lower beings than men. Men (and women) in Nordker feels that there nothing wrong with this view and more than one Nordian scientist has tried to convince the world through this by their work. However, this also leads to Nordian men underestimating women, especially women from other countries. Nordian men are also usually surprised at how much freedom a woman has when they are overseas and more than a little amused by the concept of a henpeck husband.

The introduction of the hood in Nordker has also seen to the rise of a match-making business in Nordker. As most men are unable to see the face of women, their family usually turn to these match-making agencies for a good match for their sons. Usually they will look at the women’s health records, as well as their family history. If there is one which they like, the family would inform the agency who will approach the woman’s family and come to an arrangement. If both parties are happy, then the ‘sale’ will take place. Husband and wife (or owner and property, depending on who you ask) do not meet face to face till the day of the ceremony.

The Nordker Marriage

Relations between husbands and wives in Nordker are a very simple affair because women are expected to do whatever their men wants them to do. A good wife is one who can follow instructions to the T and accept whatever is done to them by their husband without question or complaints. If there is more than one woman in the marriage, the newer wife is expected to follow the instructions of the more experienced wife even if the newer wife is older. Age does not matter as she is expected to obey the wife who has been married longer to the husband. Nordian families believe that this keep order in the family and women accept this without question.

Men are allowed considerable freedom in their treatment of their wives. A husband can punish or train his wife in anyway he deem fit as long as the woman does not suffer any long term injuries. The full extent of control that a man has can be very scary for a woman unused to Nordker culture and more than one foreign woman has been scared off by the marriage culture of the archipelago.

In the case of the death of the husband, the wife is automatically ‘transferred’ to the next of kin. Usually this will be the closest male member of the husband’s family, but if there are no male family member in the husband’s family, the wife will then be ‘transferred’ back to her family. If there is still no male family member available, the Nordker state government will put them up in a shelter.  

Education of the Young

 Boys and girls are allowed to mingle and play with each other till the age of 10. Once they reached that age, boys and girls are separated with the girls kept in the house to undergo training for their marriage. Boys are sent to school for education.

However anyone who thinks the boys has it good is sorely mistaken. The status of most men in Nordker is linked to their education levels and as such competition to get into the best school is intense. The scramble for the limited places available in universities place incredible pressures on the boys and unsurprisingly, Nordker has one of the highest suicide rates for young men in the world. There have been talks for years about lowering the pressure for the young men but nothing has been done thus far as the Nordker government worry about losing their scientific edge on the rest of the world.

Women are not educated beyond their tenth year.
 

Religion in Nordker

To call Nordker a secular society is a total understatement. As a country built on modern science, most Nordian has a less than impressive view on religion. Most Nordian men consider themselves free-thinkers. Having said that (or because of that), the people are very tolerant of religion. The Nordker government allowed the building of temples, mosques and churches due to the amount of foreigners in the country but outside that takes a very hand-off approach to the issue of religion.