Oel
The Oeli are the most unique of all the five tribes. Although they do have a melkyate, they do not have clans in the formal, caeric sense of the word. They instead have families that compete furiously for dominance, of which Isabel d’Uley has been able to gain preeminence.
Melkya Isabel d’Uley
| | Isabel is perhaps the hardest working of all the melkyas, for she not only gained the position but also built it into Oeli life. Following a Lonsan, rather than Caeric, model Isabel first gained domination over the other Oeli families, and then turned them into loyal followers. From this power base, she has then begun to cement her family’s supreme position by creating a trained, loyal mini-army armed with rifles and muskets. Although Isabel has no aspirations for national leadership, she is the principle power on the seas, controlling the lucrative overseas trade.
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Mel Raquel of the Uley Family-Clan
| | Raquel is Isabel’s younger sister (and carries an amazing likeness to her), and is being groomed by Isabel to be the next melkya. Raquel has already demonstrated command abilities, and is developing as a power in her own right.
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- The other Oeli Family leaders do not qualify for the title ‘mel.’
Chagatino Toineto
| | The Toinetos and the Viajes are the oldest Oelian trading families, but year of strife betwen them have lead to their mutual decline, allowing the rise of newcomers Uley and Vondejo. Chagatino would like to see this change, but his family’s weakness gives little oppurtunity. Although he secretly covets Isabel’s position, he public declares loyalty, and would do so in a crisis.
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Ferzdinando Viaje
| | Ferzdinando, much like Chagatino, desires dominance within Oelia but has not the strength to do anything about it. Unlike Chagatino, however, Ferzdinando is trying to form ties with the continental Minola and Gentileschi families, and therefore strengthen his position. It is unsure whether any alliance he makes will last; his footing for the time being is unsure.
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Piet Vondejo
| | The Vondejos actually rose before the Uleys, but their leader, Piet, was less interested in centralized power than in surviving the strongman conflict that is Oelia. Piet is well suited for such a struggle; he is much taller than anyother Oel, and has the build to match. While Isabel was gaining power, Piet simply focused on physically beating his competition. This emphasis for the physical makes him unready for any diplomatic confrontation, and it this trait that Isabel used to her advantage. Piet is often called Isabel’s unknowing strongman.
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