Background Information

Through the 19th century, the British Empire was easily the greatest military and commerical power in the world. Its supreme might had enabled it, beginning with the cession of the island of Penang by the Sultan of Kedah in 1786, to conquer most of what would become Malaysia and Singapore, driving out the now-bankrupt Dutch East India Company. British control of India had become nearly total as well, as they had, by this time, from their triangular power base of Madras, Bombay and Calcutta, managed to achieve mastery over the entire subcontient. A desire to expand further into Southeast Asia to upstage their arch-rivals, the French, who were doing the same thing, combined with Burmese arrogance in dealings with India made an expansion into Burma almost inevitable. Trade with Burma had been disappointing at best, contacts with Burmese rulers had been generally inauspicious, and Burmese suspicions that the British were associating with the Mons and other races against the Burmese monarchy were on the rise. The British were not free of arrogance either, and the arrogance of the two states is largely the reason that British diplomatic missions to Burma failed, and the first Anglo-Burmese war broke out in 1824. Further wars between the British and the Burmese weakened the latter to nearly its breaking point, and in 1885, the British made their final thrust to the north, towards what was then the Burmese capital of Ava. This was a push into the heart of Upper Burma, and this awakened a fighting spirit in the people not seen before, resulting in a bloody guerilla war as the Burmese army, local nobles, princes, and others of importance threw everything they had at the British. Loss of life was heavy on both sides. Needless to say, this was nothing short of genocide for some of the smaller tribes that chose to engage the British. Once such campaign, codenamed the "Operation Venus Island," was kept especially secret because it involved quite violent conflict with women, something that would certainly offend 19th century sensibilities. Though they were eventually suppressed, as was the rest of the country, OVI was quite bloody for the British, as the warrior women they faced, nicknamed "Amazons" by troops in the field, were some of the most deadly opponents they had ever encountered. The Amazons had finely honed guerilla tactics, and the conflict with them encompassed a fairly broad area, including a few islands and regions of uncharted wilderness in the southern regions of Burma and down the Malay penninsula. "Venus Island" itself was the location of their capital, which fell shortly before Burma finally capitulated to British rule. The Amazons themselves appeared to be an all-female sect, as no males were ever sighted within their ranks. There were several distinct castes in their social order, leading scholars to believe they were at least partially influenced by Hindu beliefs. However, their religion appeared to not be Hinduism but a simpler polytheistic religion. Though unconfirmed, at the very bottom of the Amazon social ladder were believed to be the few males that existed within their group, for the purposes of pleasure slaves for the upper classes, temple sacrifices, or for continuing the race. It is unknown if and how male births were prevented, and what role, if any, males had in the society. The lowest known class were the slavegirls, who were responsible for most of the mundane activities of the group. They were not as tall or as muscular as some of the rest of the women, though they were reportedly still quite beautiful to the eyes of a lonely soldier. As they were also more docile than the warrior castes, this left them open to the advances of certain particularly wily British soldiers. Still, care was always advised in approaching any of them, even the lowest slavegirl, lest the unwary soldier find himself the slave of a slave. The slavegirls were basically unadorned, rarely bothering with any clothes, or at the most, a simple sarong. Slavegirls were not permitted to cover their chests, arms, or legs below the knee. In addition, jewelry and other adornments were thought the domain of the upper castes, so they were denied these as well. Next up on the social ladder were the artisans and other skilled laborers. They too were denied most adornments, for example, all but the most basic of jewelry, frequently just a few simple piercings in the ears, but they were permitted body paint, which they used in great amounts. They were permitted to cover their chests and arms if they chose, but many were as scantily clad as the slavegirls in order to display their elaborate body paint. The next caste was perhaps the best known; the bronze, toned, beautiful but deadly warrior caste. They, unlike those below them, were permitted both fairly elaborate jewelry and weapons, though the former is often sacrificed in favor of the latter for practical concerns. They were generally far taller, faster, and stronger than most women, or many men, for that matter. They were the deadly foe that was so feared. Still, the warriors were not highest, for above them were the priestesses. They presided over the Amazons' religious order, in addition, they performed most of the fertility rituals, important in a sect which seems to be denied the usual means of reproduction. They were also responsible for the selection and carrying out of temple sacrifices, making them powerful and feared. Their exact duties and the extent of their powers, both political and otherworldly, is unknown to this day. Highest were the ruling class, the noblewomen and others who presided over the villages, developed the military strategy, and in general, guided the destiny of the Amazons. They were permitted any amount of clothing and adornment, and many had truly beautiful wardrobes. For the purposes of enhancing their beauty further many also honed their bodies to be on par with any among the warriors. This was also beneficial should one wish to defend herself; which often became necessary, seeing as in addition to the constant battle against the grip of colonialism, there was a good deal of infighting among the various noblewomen.