North Borneo, the Demon Country

Year 1882:

     On this year, King Rutherford Alcock gained control of an entire land and renamed it North Borneo. A new country was born, requiring its own constitution, laws and hierarchy. Instead of using the tried and tested British colonial administration structures, King Rutherford Alcock used a new political system, a brainchild of his after reading extensively on the failure of democracy, monarchy and aristocracy in his youth. The new system was called “Democratic Aristocracy”.

    The ruling class was established using the concept of aristocracy and monarchy. The founders of North Borneo and their closest associates, together with their entire bloodline, automatically form the royals of this country with various terms and conditions.

     In monarchy, absolute power was given to one person with no checks and balance. In democratic aristocracy, absolute power is divided between the heads of royal families, with each head possessing the voting power equivalent to the number of family members. It is also possible to remove or include a royal family through voting.

     It was under this environment that Prince Wilson Alcock was born, leading a privileged life with not a single worry in life, until life shows how unfair it can be.       

   

Year 1894:

     On this year, Prince Wilson Alcock, aged 12, experienced first-hand the horrors of war. The sudden management shift in the country wasn’t well received by the locals. Authority resentment was high after the imposition of taxes and loss of land to Europeans. Many voiced their dissatisfaction directly (war) and indirectly (incompetence). The local rebels were led by Mat Salleh, a capable and famous leader among the locals. North Borneo’s attempts to supress the rebellion were thwarted by the incompetence of their own fighting force, which consists mostly of dissatisfied locals.  

    King Rutherford Alcock, in an act of desperation, ordered the mass conscription of all foreign men in North Borneo, including royalty.

     Prince Wilson Alcock experienced an incredible culture shock as he transitioned from the pampered lifestyle of royalty to the harsh lifestyle of soldiery. No special privileges were given to members of the ruling class because of lack of funds.

     It is noted here that military service not only granted Prince Wilson Alcock a new, hardened mind-set, but also exposure to tribal magic. Local rebels have employed tribal magic in their inter-tribe warfare long enough to sharpen its brutality and effectiveness to the point they made gunpowder invention useless. A spell can be cast much faster than a reloaded bullet, causing heavy casualties in early encounters.

    North Borneo forces employed every scientific method to counter this tribal magic but technology at that era was insufficient to build anti-magical weapons. Thus, the white men were forced to practice witchcraft which they despised so much to defend their precious wealth. Greed is universal, with money; you can buy everything, even a traitorous magical teacher.

    In the early days before North Borneo was formed, magic was only limited to the selected few who were gifted. However, harsh environment and constant warfare requires more witch doctors than available. Therefore, techniques to force magic out of people without the gift were created. At first, the survival rate of these forcing techniques was abysmally low and only improved gradually with time.

    As luck would have it, Prince Wilson Alcock was one of the few who possessed the gift to manipulate magic.            

    The existence of this wild magical eastern battlefield wasn’t kept a secret from the rest of the world. North Borneo offers employment and sanctuary for all magic users from foreign lands in return for military service or magical education. Soon enough, North Borneo became the magical equivalent of America gold rush.

Year 1897:

    On this year, King Rutherford Alcock passed away and nominated Prince Wilson Alcock as the next King of the Alcock family.

Year 1900:

    On this year, Mat Salleh and his rebels were defeated by North Borneo military forces. King Wilson Alcock, aged 18, contributed greatly to the war effort by cursing every rebel leader to their death. Military awards were bestowed to him by the Medjai Army of North Borneo.

    As part of the post-war reconciliation, an amendment was enacted in the North Borneo constitution. Citizens of North Borneo can vote annually whether to punish the royalty or not. The citizens can vote for a Hunger Games to be held with the children of royalty as participants. King Wilson Alcock wanted a way to check the power of the ruling class without totally removing them and he is a strong believer of survival of the fittest.

    Peace and prosperity came upon North Borneo until the Rundum Rebellion.

Year 1915:

    On this year, North Borneo was consumed again by war. It started when North Borneo tried to monopolize forest products. The Murut natives, who were the most badly affected by the monopoly, rebelled against this breach of their livelihood. The Murut tribes were led by the strongest tribal magician of that era, Ontoros.

    King Wilson Alcock, aged 33, was pressed into military service again on the same year he married Lady Mary-Jane Watson, the famous “Divine Eye” witch. A prophecy was foretold to the Alcock household; stating the “Four Horsemen of Apocalypse” have been reborn and their destiny were deeply entwined with the Alcock family line.

   Ontoros war strategy involves massive fortifications, guerrilla hit-and-run tactics, and attrition. A massive fortress was built deep in the forest named “Petallica”. North Borneo supply trains were constantly raided. Many North Borneo military outposts were besieged by angry Muruts. North Borneo military forces, at that point in time, were too thinly spread to deal with the angry population effectively.

    King Wilson Alcock was made the Grand General of Medjai, leading what’s left of North Borneo military forces. After much consultation, astral visitations and premonitions, King Wilson Alcock decided to seek out the help of a dear old family friend, Lady Samwise Gamgee, the famous teleportation witch.

    With Lady Samwise Gamgee teleportation magic assistance, the thinly spread and besieged Medjai army were quickly gathered for one quick decisive battle at Petallica, the enemy’s headquarters. The combination of Queen Mary-Jane Watson’s Divine Eye magic and Lady Samwise Gamgee’s teleportation magic proved crucial in Medjai army’s victory. Accurate information paired with instant movement does wonders in any military campaign.

    The battle was historically named “Petallica Assault” and lasted more than an hour. All the soldiers in Petallica were teleported to the nearest river where the Medjai army were armed and afloat in their war boats. Their commanding officers, including Ontoros, were teleported into anti-magic cages set on public display in their war boats. It was here that King Wilson Alcock gave his famous “I Dream in Swords” speech, a speech that rivals “I Had a Dream” by Martin Luther King in terms of popularity and impact. The Rundum Rebellion ended with the conversion of the entire Murut forces to North Borneo cause, Ontoros bloodline joining nobility and Ontoros elected as the Royal Vizier.     

    King Wilson Alcock battle prowess earned him the title “Horseman of War”.

Year 1917:

    On this year, Prince Rohan Alcock, first-born son of King Wilson Alcock and Queen Mary-Jane Watson was born. A huge feast was thrown in celebration of the new Alcock family member. North Borneo was in a state of euphoria for a month, at least.

    King Wilson Alcock decided to leave behind a giant and lasting legacy for his descendants by re-building and upgrading the damaged and abandoned Petallica. By using wood-bending magic, King Wilson Alcock completed the South East Asian version of the Forbidden City of China in one week’s time. Petallica was renamed as “Dragonspire” and made the new capital of North Borneo.

    A very little known fact at that time was King Wilson Alcock performing a forbidden ceremony to embed a horcux into Dragonspire, thus making it literally a living city.  

Year 1919:

    On this year, Princess Eowyn Alcock, second-born daughter of King Wilson Alcock and Queen Mary-Jane Watson was born. Her birth was celebrated with a little less fanfare than Prince Rohan Alcock.

    Lady Samwise Gamgee marries Admiral Cheah Ho, of the Chinese Navy. Relations between North Borneo and China were at an all-time high. 

Year 1921:

    On this year, Prince Gondor Alcock, third-born son of King Wilson Alcock and Queen Mary-Jane Watson was born.

Year 1942:

    On this year, the Japanese invasion of North Borneo started. This is the final military campaign of King Wilson Alcock, aged 60, against the Japanese forces of World War 2. Malaya and Singapore has already fallen to Japanese hands. The entire Medjai Army was mobilized, assisted by Western Allied forces which retreated to North Borneo, a small contingent of Chinese Navy ships (thanks to Lady Samwise Gamgee and Admiral Cheah Ho influence) and hired mercenary armies.

    This war was the shortest war in all three Sir Wilson Alcock military campaigns but also his most bitter. The Japanese forces were no match to the magical might of the Medjai Army. Therefore, they bribed the Royal Vizier of North Borneo, Sir Ontoros, to join their cause with promises of money, power and women. Sir Ontoros agreed and brought with him the majority of Medjai forces.   

    The odds were stacked against King Wilson Alcock but Sir Ontoros have no idea the true extent of Divine Eye’s power, for it also includes precognition. King Wilson Alcock knew this day would come thanks to his wife. He gave a casual shrug and merely flicked his hand to activate “Operasi 66 Lalang”.

    When the battle commenced, all sabotage done by Sir Ontoros were made futile by advanced preparations and the living city assistance. The defected Medjai were exterminated in what was later also called as “The Great Medjai Purge”. The most difficult part was the defeat of Sir Ontoros because the man knows every trick up King Wilson Alcock’s sleeve. Luckily, King Wilson Alcock’s children have developed tricks of their own.

    Prince Rohan Alcock, a specialist in demon taming, summoned his demon army to deal with Sir Ontoros bodyguards. The entire contents of Hell ascended to Earth to do battle for one man’s summons. The resulting battle was a tactic to distract the bodyguards and buy time for Princess Eowyn Alcock and Prince Gondor Alcock to defeat Sir Ontoros in his hidden lair.

    Princess Eowyn Alcock, a specialist in time magic, stopped time when they both entered Sir Ontoros hidden lair. However, Sir Ontoros revealed his newest skill: Magic Immunity. No magic targeted at Sir Ontoros can affect him. Princess Eowyn was shocked for a moment but quickly recovered. She engaged Sir Ontoros in a sword fight instead of a spell fight. Princess Eowyn is the proud owner of the sentient magical sword Excalibur but it is evenly matched by Sir Ontoros’s demon blade Muramasa, a gift from the Japanese forces. Princess Eowyn augmented her own speed and reaction time with her magic to gain an advantage. Both were locked in a heated stalemate until the hidden Prince Gondor Alcock makes his spell.

    Prince Gondor Alcock, an elite sniper and beginner elemental magician, used the air around him to create air pressure bullets. He sneaked behind Sir Ontoros and shot him at his vital organs. Sir Ontoros managed to dodge at the nick of time but got his feet shot. Princess Eowyn doesn’t need any more urgent yelling from Excalibur to take this golden opportunity to slay Sir Ontoros.        

    After their mission completed, the three children of King Wilson Alcock returned to their father’s side at the military headquarters in Dragonspire. They were all shocked to see the face of Sir Ontoros again there, albeit in ghost form. King Wilson Alcock and Sir Ontoros were having a deep discussion to resolve the grievances both had against each other. After baring their hearts to each other across the realm of life and death, King Wilson Alcock burned a huge offering of joss paper for Sir Ontoros and performed the second forbidden ceremony in his life to bind and alter Sir Ontoros’s spirit.

    From that fateful day onwards, no known Japanese can step on North Borneo soil with a peace of mind. Whenever a Japanese sets foot on North Borneo, the spirit of Sir Ontoros will appear in front of them to scare them away. The Japanese sees no value in conquering a land which they cannot govern directly. The invasion of North Borneo was cancelled and North Borneo kept its independence just like Thailand.     

    The events in North Borneo during World War 2 left a deep imprint on the world’s perception of North Borneo. Thereafter, the country was also called the Demon Country.