Uzin

The Uzin (WIS: uzin [ʊz̻iːn̻]) are a smaller Wistanian people group of about two million people that occupy a majority of the western section of the island, as well as parts of the Northern island.

History
The Uzin immigrated to Wistania as explorers shortly before the Peace Treaty was signed. The Bwolotil feared that they would bring even more people to the island, so they forced the Uzin away from the shores and burned their ships so that they’d never return. For the rest of the war, they spent their days seeking refuge in caves and Taliv towns, fighting along the Taliv and Nati for the final months of the conflict. However, they were excluded from the Peace Treaty since it was assumed they would return to their homeland and continue to be under the protection of the Taliv until then.

This period of Uzin history was full of contradictions. Because they were not part of the Peace Treaty, they were not protected from the withholding of goods and were not immune from “battle without negotiation.” Because of this, the Bwolotil continued to restrict the Uzin access to materials, land, and other resources to rebuild their fleet of ships. The Taliv were also intermarrying with the Uzin. Intermarriage was forbidden in the Peace Treaty, but since the Uzin were not a part of the Peace Treaty, the Taliv interpreted that it would be okay to intermarry with them. These Uzin-Taliv children would become the bringers of revolution and inclusion into the Treaty. Eventually, the Taliv rejected the Uzin because of conflicts that they were instigating with the Bwolotil, and they took refuge with the Katapu instead, who promptly moved them to the North Island. Resourceless, homeless, and under constant threat, the once younger generation of Uzin rise to more prominent power, they go against their immigrant elder’s wishes and submit a request to be included in the Treaty, at the cost of agreeing to never travel beyond sight of the island. They are finally given a place in the Treaty, 43 years after it was originally signed. Most of the Uzin moved out of the North Island to settle in the mostly uninhabited East Island and began to establish their first capital city, Jauzni. The Bwolotil agreed to allow them to settle anywhere north of the isthmus, therefore granting them a huge plot of land to develop. The Katapu also donated several schools and temples, while the Nati and Taliv often helped through advice and assistance with manual labor. A generation later, the second capital city Baulavin was built on the far eastern corner of the island.

Culture
Despite the amount they have endured, the Uzin are still perceived as helpless, weak, and poor people. They hold the least influence in the culture and governance of Wistania, and many people still do not trust the Uzin to be faithful to their Treaty. Stories of the original Uzin land have been passed down for generations and often fantasized; therefore, trying to keep an Uzin from wanting to look for it again is a hard thing. Although the Bwolotil guard has a presence every-where, they have a special presence in Baulavin, which would be the ideal place to sail from to find the home of the Uzin people.

Much of the original Uzin culture has been lost due to assimilation with the Taliv and then Katapu.