AFSNES II - Quintessence of Dust

Wrymouth3 · Mar 2, 2014

Culture Name: Chufriel (CZ1; OTL Northern Israel and Southern Lebanon)

Mythology: The people of Chufriel have approximately twenty Gods and Goddesses whom are worshipped with fanatical devotion. The elite nobility known as the Kniefe require strict devotion to all of these deities, whereas the merchants and peasantry known as the Neieth primarily worship the three main deities of Chufriel. All of those deities had a significant role in the creation of the world and her inhabitants in an event known as the Tefrim. During the Tefrim, the goddess Higal gave birth to a giant cosmic egg which then hatched to reveal her two children Torolch and Riyan. As is inferred, Higal is the Goddess of fertility, love, and beauty. The women of Chufriel aspire to be as close in their everyday actions to that undertaken by Higal, and men are considered as the loved children of Higal. Torolch is the God of the Sky, and a favorite of Chufiel’s army due to Torolch’s hostile and violent manner to those who do not agree with him. Torolch also created the concept of evil and wrongdoing in Chufriel society, with such actions as rape, murder, and petty thievery being looked down upon. It is because of this that many imprisoned individuals from other civilizations and criminals worship Torolch, and seek to bring him back to the world so he may rule over all other gods. Riyan is perhaps the most mysterious of all the deities of Chufriel, and the most mysterious of the three main gods. What is known of Riyan is that he is the water god of Chufriel, takes the form of a lobster, and occupies the water realm known as Ietrith. Inhabitants believe that the world consists of 4 realms where all the events that occur in the universe take place. Ietrith is the water realm/oceans, where Riyan rules from his kingdom over all the creatures of Ietrith. Mothiah is the realm where the known civilizations live, such as Chufriel. Daehanna is the realm which Toroloch rules alongside his Renah (princes) who are his council and also his lovers that engage in debauchery and evil against the fallen dead souls of Chufriel. The last realm is a name that must not be spoken. Higal and 17 of the 20 deities rule from this realm, and only the most pure and good of all souls from Chufriel may enter this realm after they exit Mothiah.

Society: Chufriel is a patriarchal society that is very much defined by a social strata of four tiers. The bottom tier are the Toulef or “peasants,” the peasants have little to absolutely no rights in Chufriel. The Toulef comprise about 80% of the population and are mostly farmers and slaves, they cannot own any land and can only have very few personal possessions. The third tier is the Nuran or “merchants,” the merchants are relatively educated individuals who can be granted titles and eventually ascended to the nobility if they accumulate enough wealth. The Nuran comprise about 5% of the population and primarily live in the large urban centers practicing their trade.

The second tier is the Pelith or “priesthood,” and the priesthood is perhaps the most exclusive and well-educated of the four tiers. The Pelith are exempt from every law and determine the laws that are created in Chufriel. The Pelith also enforce the laws of strict devotion to the three main gods of Chufriel upon the peasantry. The priesthood comprises about 5% of the population. The first tier is known as the Iyeth or “nobility.” The Iyeth is perhaps the most complex and honored of the four tiers, as it comprises the king’s family and all of his court favorites. About 95% of Chufriel’s total wealth is held by the Iyeth and live extremely lavishly.

As for the general laws of Chufriel, like many early societies, incest is very much tolerated and is encouraged amongst the Iyeth. Much of the peasantry is separated far away from the nobility and are bound to strict laws that they must follow alongside the merchant class. Murder, rape, and thievery are not at all tolerated and are instantly punishable by death. The priesthood and the nobility live in a lifestyle of excessive lavishness and wealth, and are oftentimes looked at with disdain by the foreign dignitaries and peasantry who are honored enough to step into the halls of the palaces. The king of Chufriel is a polygamist and has many wives and concubines, some of whom are his own blood relatives. The inheritance system is through primogeniture, however all of the legitimate and illegitimate sons of the king become Renah or “princes” who make all of the domestic and foreign decisions of Chufriel.

Material Culture: Chufriel maintains a small mining facility which contains iron and bronze, and most of those materials are traded with nearby polities and shipped to small cities. Fish is another commodity which is readily available and also highly desired by most citizens as a general trade product and food. A recent demand for incense and certain vegetables has occurred amongst the elite, unfortunately most of these products are found in foreign lands and are very expensive. In the southern valleys of Chufriel, a recent discovery of mint and cereals has brought much fascination amongst the inhabitants.

In its early history Chufriel was known for its pottery, however a lot of that pottery and instructions for the ceramic materials were lost in a series of natural disasters and an invasion by unknown peoples. Many peasants in Chufriel also desire to see the reappearance of the Astratae, which is a material that is similar in appearance to a gourd, but the taste has been described like coffee. Being a largely agricultural society most people in Chufriel enjoy the abundance of core crops such as wheat and potatoes, though recently the nobility has sent out excursions to find new foods to enjoy.

Despite all of this, Chufriel hopes that it can transition from an agricultural based society to an urban one extremely soon. Because of this, the Renah have ordered the miners in the facility to speed up the process of recovering the ores. Much of the nobility recently has desired to live more lavishly, and as such has enslaved many inhabitants to go work at the mining facility to gather these rare items. The recent rumors spreading around court of the discovery of gold in the east has much of the nobility extremely excited as well.

Abv. History: The history of Chufriel is a short, but very complex and mystifying one. After the creation of the world by Higal and her sons, a wandering blind man known only as “The One.” The One consistently wrote down in his journal about the voices that had told him to “save your people.” Not much more is known about the one besides a small passage which suggests that he led a group of terrified individuals out of a cave to establish a foundation in the area of modern Thabora. Shortly after “The One” died, a young woman by the name of Aithiea started to write down that she also heard the same voices that “The One” heard about saving the people. As a result of this, Aithiea established Chufriel’s priesthood, and ordered the erection of massive statues to Higal.

Aitheia was assassinated by the priesthood only 28 years into her life due to her supposedly “committing evil” against the priesthood, although no definitive record exists of what exactly this “evil” consisted of. As a result, the priesthood declared that no woman may be able to inherit the throne of Chufriel. Aithiea’s successor was Turan, and Turan is perhaps regarded as the greatest of Chufriel’s rulers. Turan defeated the unorganized princedoms surrounding Chufriel and also officially organized the social strata which is in existence to this very day.
The establishment of the small mining facility in the north occurred during the reign of Turan, and the merchant classes enjoyed great prosperity during his reign.

Turan died after an 18 year reign and unfortunately did not name a successor. A civil war ensued between his 6 sons. The son who ended up on top was Zerial, and Zerial is coming to the end of his reign to this very day. Chufriel still enjoys much prosperity in the present, however the growing tensions with her neighbors points to a possibly troubling time ahead. Zerial must again unite the people of Chufriel under one cause so that she may continue her prosperity.

Geographic Errata: Chufriel is located in a hybrid between a desert and high plain grassland surrounded by many small rivers and the realm of Riyan to the west. Chufriel has recently engaged in massive project building to urbanize and transition from a mainly agricultural society. The two massive cities of Qiryal and Thabora is where approximately 40% of the populace of all of Chufriel lives. There are 9 smaller cities where 35% of the populace lives, and the rest of the society are landless peasants and wealthy farm owners in the southeast.

Thlayli · Mar 2, 2014

Okay, that marks the cutoff for BT 1. Don't worry, there will be plenty of room for new nations in BT 2 and BT 3.

Today I will post critiques for azale, wrymouth, SK and Arrow. I've already begun the update and I am confident we will see it by the promised date of one week from now.

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What can I do during this week to stay involved while you update?

Write interesting stories to explore your mythology and early history, or further flesh out your templates as recommended by me.

erez87 · Mar 2, 2014

Thlayli said:
What can I do during this week to stay involved while you update?

Write interesting stories to explore your mythology and early history, or further flesh out your templates as recommended by me.

Should I consider the Gedolm existing for that? You didn't say if it is accepted yet (in particlar the elongated history I added)

Thlayli · Mar 2, 2014

I'll take a look and also make a judgment call later this evening. But you're probably good.

Nuka-sama · Mar 2, 2014

How do you guys get the font so small? D:

@Thy, can I wait to make changes until you finish my culture critique so I can do it all in one go?

Thlayli · Mar 2, 2014

Sure, that's fine.

Thlayli · Mar 3, 2014

Okay, azale is making progress, but he's still editing his submission as of the last time I checked, so let's start with wrymouth. Just a small RL note: I'm suuuuuper busy this week until Thursday evening, so I'll be slightly less responsive until Friday.

I've gotten a good start on the update and I don't anticipate any issues finishing by Sunday, especially since I'll be on spring break (woo).

Spoiler Chufriel Critique :

Thlayli · Mar 3, 2014

Arrow, in light of SK's submission which was the more cohesive of the two, I am accepting him for the CZ2 region. However, if you work with him in the future, we can establish a variant of your culture later on, assuming you can change a bunch of your vocabulary to fit a little bit more with the setting. As SK is of Indian ancestry he can help you with this.

Or, you're always welcome to join elsewhere in the world later on.

Spoiler Kayula Critique :

This is one of the best submissions I've seen so far; it mixes conciseness where needed with historical detail and good legendary and mythological anecdotes. I'm honored and pleased to have you working with us, SK.

I'd say it's probably a three-way tie between nuka, SK, and NK for best submission, but overall everyone's done a fantastic job. No slouches in my NES, that's for darn sure. I will endeavor my best to honor this with a good update and many more to come. I will have critiques for azale, erez, and the rest of nuka's up tomorrow, assuming azale completes his work.

Azale · Mar 3, 2014

Aye, tried to finish it but crashed last night. Feeling pretty ill. Have to go to class soon, I finished everything but some material culture and some names for geographic features.

Culture Name: Selamai (CZ1; OTL Cyprus) - Azale

Mythology:

At one time, man lived among gods, lesser and greater. This interaction lessened the godliness of the gods over time and made them susceptible to the base natures of man (jealousy and fratricide) and his greatest enemies (age and plague). The gods all died, their names are not remembered.

In this age, individual man was a village unto himself, highly atomized due to the presence of the gods and their magics to satisfy any need. As the Creation was destroyed around them, they faced extinction. The Shoru emerged to unify man under her leadership gods.

The Shoru communed with the All Encompassing Sokol who told her the previous creation was lost. It was the Shorus job now to lead her people out of the apocalypse, but also to collect new gods so that Creation (as it was meant to be) could be recreated through the person of the Shoru.

Never ever turn away a guest. This is due to the kindness shown by the High-Priest of the Eshylamites.

Society:

There were Selamites on Ykeyefra for generations before the Third Pilgrimage and the settling of the Shoru. The ruling elites and elders could not very well cast off the Shoru, so they incorporated him into their ruling structure. The Shoru followed willingly as the structure was very similar to the old High-Priests council of Eshylam.

Upon the attainment of a certain age, a man of high standing may (it is voluntary, though often coercive in power struggles) become part of the Shorus esteemed and highly secretive Hurathurasha'im communion. They undergo a process whereby some of the Shorus essence is transferred to them (they are under constant drugging with whatever is available), and thereby ascend to the highest decision-making body. The Hurathurashaim have total control of economic, political, and spiritual life in the polity and especially the Selamite community (so this would include any diaspora, though the words of wisdom will surely become distorted even more with distance and certain sects will flourish). There may be hundreds of Hurathurashaim members at a time, though the turnover rate is high undoubtedly due to the intense pressure of interacting with the gods. The planes of existence become so melded that the contradictions become too much to bear and the man expires, to live amongst the gods. This whole process needs of course a dedicated group of caretakers, which it has in the form of the Shoru-shin.

There is a small class of literate scribes, holdovers from Eshylam times, whose job it is to translate new religious texts, incorporate new gods who the Shoru may accept or reject and decipher the words of the Shoru.

Other societal groupings include viticulturalist-merchants, craftsmen, subsistence farmers, and slaves. The V-Ms grow vineyards as well as dabble in other psychopharmacology (highly sought after for other reasons as weve seen) using appropriately primitive methods. Merchants who have grown wealthy on the copper and other trades often branch off into viticulture, sometimes to expand their commercial operations but other times as prestige projects. Craftsmen and builders are usually wealthy enough to live in an urban dwelling. Dozens may be patronized by a V-M and find their living working on their request. Subsistence farmers are neither too oppressed nor particularly liberated and their space becomes ever smaller as the operations of the V-M expand. Slaves exist in number as a subject labor force and status symbol, but their status is mostly fluid, a Shoru dictum long ago have declared their servitude to last no longer than twenty years. Shoru dictums can be overturned by newer dictums however

The relations between man and woman are more poisoned than theyve ever been. The matriarchal cult of the evil death god Keth, started as it was by a small group of women, has undoubtedly stained the reputation of the sex with their blaspheme and rabble-rousing. As it stands, despite the first Shoru of legend being a woman, Shoru is about the only position open to them.

Material Culture:

For the few literate, a written collection of the Shorus wisest sayings passed down through the year.

The adaptation of these deeply spiritual desert peoples to the necessities of a commercial and seagoing existence (especially in their position as officials in a wider empire) was a long and grueling process. There remain vestiges of their connection to the desert in their flowy open dress, aversion to layers except when absolutely necessary, personal temples and other not-for-living-in architecture built underground or in mountainsides to simulate "retreating from the elements in meditation" as their ancestors used to do.

Funerals often take place on the beach to simulate the old sand dune funerals. As in generations past, the body is burnt to ashes. A pinch is offered to the Shoru (it is literally given to the Shoru as part of a pilgrimage by the chosen individual of the family) and the rest to Sokol by throwing it in the ocean.

Abbreviated History:

Primordially, the Shoru was undoubtedly one individual.

In ancient but still more recent past, the Shoru, (an anachronistic amalgamation of a bunch of different clan heads) led her people through the Days Without (probably several waves of migration, not one giant pilgrimmage). She communed with the Encompassment, and It only.

When Eshylam accepted the Shorus people and they become successful as a strata above the great mass of Eshylamites (social control for the High Priest), the Shoru is appointed ceremonially as the Holy Protector of the Selamites. The Eshylam, themselves an officialization of smatterings of tribes from hither and thither, accepted the Selamites as chief among us.

At this point the Shoru indisputably really is one man/woman, the High Priest of Eshylam having taken it upon himself to decide winners and losers in ancient Selamite disputes. Now the Shoru communed with the All Encompassing Sokol, but also Belaal and Asphet.The Shoru served as a conduit between his/her people and the gods.

The Eshylam in their numbers became envious of the Selamites and when the First Communion was felled by a small plague in the capital city of Qidris, a war ensued for control of the Empire. The Shoru of this time, Thaerg, made a bid for supreme power in the name of the All Encompassing Sokol.

The Selamites lost and were scattered. There already were some Selamites in Ykeyefra (yik eye eefra) (Cyprus), so others followed in due time including the Holy Protector/Shoru and his coterie.

Now in Ykeyefra, the Shoru resides in a stone construction with statues of the gods he communes with always present around him. Chufrei gods, Eshylam gods, exotic foreign gods hardly known to the common people, and of course the All Encompassing Sokol all exalting the ears of the Shoru.

Arrow Gamer · Mar 3, 2014

Ah, well, that's too bad.

I suppose I'll try for next time.

Thlayli · Mar 4, 2014

Spoiler :

Update 1 Preview - The True Gods

Arshun wiped the grit from his eyes, squinting into the sun. His staff held a silver bell on the end, its clear dulcet tone ringing out before him and marking him as one of the true vaish. But Arshun was more than a mere vai; he was a bearer of the Ier glyph, one of the proudest to ever rise above the Shanalash. His family held sway over five thousand cattle and a fifth as many men.

And he was a priest of the Old Light, so marked by the torch his servant carried lit, even in daylight. And making him a priest made him a student of the designs of the Guardian of the Old Light. Mathematics, astronomy...the priestly arts. To know God was to know the architecture of the world, and Arshun had learned all that could be taught. But he had never been satisfied. With the courtly world of the vaish now closed to him thanks to Urgmeshdah's meddling, the acquisition of knowledge was all that was left to him.

The desert gave him too much time to muse on his failures.

It was better this way, for him and his family, that he had left the Old Light. He might lose his soul in the process, but perhaps he could bring something back to ennoble his people, his name and his family once more. It would almost be worth being imprisoned by demons for the sin. The vai wearily stretched out his knees, smelling the air. It smelled almost like water. Though he had been fooled by that before. It did seem that they were getting closer to the river, though. If this river even existed at all, and wasn't just a tale crafted by demons to lead men into bleak wastelands from which they would never return. He began to trudge up the largest of the dunes that obscured the view before them. Judging by the noise of the camels approaching behind him, his party was finally catching up.

Though the sun...certainly did not seem any less bright in this corner of the world. Even though they were far from the Old Light. "There are lights, and then there are lights," his mentor Rurstehf had always said, especially during the late evenings as their conversation turned to arguing points of theology and drinking clay mugs of wheat beer under the endless dome of stars. Arshun suddenly realized how much he missed that man. He had not thought of him in years...but there was something of this endless desert that spoke of loss.

Truly the account of his journey would merit a reckoning on cylinders of clay, perhaps even stone. The rumor that these Eshylam supposedly used something as weak as dried reed pulp to carry the eternal records of their people seemed almost blasphemous. But of course, they were far from the Light, and demons could twist men's minds in such perverse ways.

And he had seen monstrous and incredible things worthy of demon-haunted lands: Lumbering, grey-skinned beasts with eyes of wisdom and ancient sorrow, and a creature with the shape of a man but skin as black as night. But by far the strangest thing he had seen had been a lion on the high desert, dimly illuminated by their caravan's fire, carrying a bleating kid in its mouth. The kid had cried out 'mnar,' which was the word for bread, as it struggled hopelessly against the lion's jaws. It crouched there in the darkness, body wreathed in shadow. It had stared at him for what felt like an hour, its eyes reflecting the firelight like the twin emeralds of Zaalyah's pendant, before vanishing back into the desert.

Arshun still mused on the portent of this occurrence weeks later. He was convinced that the lion was a demon.

He rubbed his eyes again, cursing the visions that the desert sometimes gave him.

But truly this was stranger than all the visions he had seen before. The various porters and attendants trundling along in his wake stood and stared with him at the crest of the dune they had just surmounted, their sudden stop alarming the camels.

"By the sacred Light..." his servant Tis said in disbelief. Around them, the Zubites they had hired during the journey were suddenly all gabbling at once in their awful tongue, yelling something incomprehensible at each other. Then they abruptly stopped chattering, and began to hum in a low voice, shoulders swaying back and forth, voices merging in some wordless hymn.

They had reached the great river valley at last. But that was not what had stopped them in their tracks.

On the distant side of the river, surrounded by thousands of workers and overseers, its base obscured by a great cloud of brown dust, a giant pillar was rising into the sky.

thomas.berubeg · Mar 4, 2014

I'm looking forward to the whole thing!

Nuka-sama · Mar 4, 2014

Jigōn is in Gold, Yinú is in Silver, and Bǎoyuè is red.

The Helian: The Helian is a group of river city states on the Yellow River. Born from a desire to maintain trade against outside enemies, the Helian is generally incredibly divisive, with the three great cities at war with one another, or interfering with the smaller cities. Most of the Helian are Jinzé, though there are Rénwù ruling the small ones. The three great cities form the basis of the Helian, giving it much of its strength, but also causing much of its friction. The Helian is in no way shape or form a standardized government of any sort; it is a defensive alliance from outsiders. No more.

Thlayli · Mar 4, 2014

Awesome, thanks nuke. I'll probably use that as the *basis* for my map, but I'm going to introduce a few more things as well and get the states to mess with each other.

I already have a few interesting political scenarios in mind.

SouthernKing · Mar 4, 2014

Thlayli said:
This is one of the best submissions I've seen so far; it mixes conciseness where needed with historical detail and good legendary and mythological anecdotes. I'm honored and pleased to have you working with us, SK.

Thanks! I'm certainly excited for what's shaping up to be a great NES

One critique I have is that the Vijayaka obviously didn't have a thousand-year hegemony, but naturally this can be explained away as being a legendary hegemony based on an ancestral history introduced after the Desa invasion, perhaps as a written chronicle utilized to glorify Kayulan ancestry as a means of bolstering the local defense against the threat of the outsiders. Depending on when writing systems are really solidified this could give you a potential out, but I'll leave it up to you how to resolve.

My personal thoughts on this were that the historical state the early Vijayaka was a mythologization (?) of was only the clear emergent as most powerful of those states, and that hegemony over the entire region was probably not achieved until the latter half to third of the period. The explanation you came up with sounds good.

Anyway, I'll repost my stuff here, and will make edits as requested.

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Culture Name: Kayula (Located in CZ2)

Mythology:

Before Earth was even a figment of any imagination, there was Jadha. Jadha was the androgynous master of the gods, divine among divines, who lay resting at the center of the Many Worlds. Indeed there were many worlds, thousands upon thousands of them, each represented by a single point of light far into the sky; each point of light was the form of the divine’s consciousness. As they do now, the divines mingled, flirted, ate, drank, screwed each other, had children, and so forth.

In the beginning, our world was but a dream; a dream of Jadha. The earth, the seas, its inhabitants, all these were merely elements of Jadha’s consciousness. But alas, while he was deep in sleep, Jadha’s kinsman (the relation various depending on the storyteller) Yedha, the Vagabond, the Naughty One, with the intention of playing a small prank on him. He struck him with an axe to the head, but the blow was far more powerful than Yedha ever intended, rending Jadha’s skull, mind, and consciousness in two, and his dream spilled out into reality, covering Jadha’s form, which would ultimately be trapped in the abyss deep below the Earth, where he would spend millennia, regenerating.

Needless to say, the unintentional exit of Jadha from the divine realm broke the fragile peace there. The other divines noticed the great disturbance from afar, turning their attention to the center of the Many Worlds; everyone knew that. There would be great turmoil. In particular, five divines, all Jadha’s sons and daughters, came swirling towards where he once was, becoming the planets, angling to avenge him. Yedha, thinking quickly, took this new world upon himself; his consciousness took the form of the sun, effectively claiming this world as his own and shielding it to prevent Jadha’s form from being used and abused. Yedha’s wife, Kalyani, knowing that the others would soon pounce, stayed with her husband to protect him, her consciousness taking the form of the moon. Their many children would, over the eons that followed, proliferate across Earth, forming another layer of consciousness across the world, taking the forms of Earth’s many natural features.

Kayula mythology can thus be roughly divided into two categories: stories of the old divines (the stars, constellations, etc.) and stories of Yedha and Kalyani’s children (the earth, its animals, natural features, etc.) The former are relied upon for guidance, as their positions and movements in the night sky are believed to be able to mirror and predict events on Earth; the latter are the ones actually worshipped, as the Kayula believe the latter can protect them and provide them. For instance, the divine whose consciousness serves as one particular river may be worshipped by farmers along that river.

It’s also important to make a distinction between the divine him/her/itself and the manifestation of the divine’s consciousness; the two are separate bodies but form a single entity. A divine of one river is eternally tied to that river, a divine of a mountain is eternally tied to that mountain, etc.

Perhaps the greatest theme that underlies all Kayula mythology and fables and stories is that the concepts of “good” and “evil” are largely meaningless. Neither the divines nor the humans nor anyone else is inherently one or the other. This also ties into the fact that the Kayula have great choice in which divines they choose to worship. A secondary theme is that the divines do not see mortals as subjects or slaves, but more as pupils; the divines are there to teach humans the ways of the world.

There exist temples to some of the more popular divines, including Yedha and Kalyani, but there are no true priests, unless one counts those scholars who devote their entire lives to studying the divine and arcane – the dakshina. Worship can be done anywhere, and in a multitude of forms; that is largely determined on region.

And of course, Jadha lies, slowly regenerating deep below the Earth. The Kayula believe that when Jadha’s form and consciousness stir, the Earth stirs with it, and thus we have earthquakes. Jadha regenerates, and many millennia in the future, he shall wake, and as for what happens next, no one, not even one of divine knowledge, knows.

Society:

On class:
-Each Kayula state has a single ruler, located at the top. A ruler can become ruler through any number of means: dynastic succession, peaceful election by an assembly of the nobility, military coup, or merely raising a lantern from the apex of a city’s palace are all not unheard of, although the latter are not usually heralds of stability. In times of severe instability, or when the ruler is judged to be unfit to rule, a council representing various interests usually steers the state in the ruler’s stead, until a new ruler emerges or can be elected.
-While the nobility was once drawn from the general population as first among equals, over the centuries of the Vijayaka they became further and further removed; the five percent of the population that is the nobility now (following the Desa integration into society; most of the more powerful Desa became nobles) acts as a proper aristocracy, marrying and wielding power amongst itself; nevertheless, it is still not unheard of for others to be elevated into the nobility for any number of reasons. The nobility are the ones that have roles in administration and government, and command of the military, and are the largest landowners in the countryside.
-The Kayula have a strong merchant middle class – indeed, some of the richer merchants are almost as influential as the nobility – and a strong artisan tradition, and then peasantry and the lower class; there is little here to differentiate the Kayula from anyone else.

On military: Warriors can be and are drawn from anywhere; joining the army is seen as a means by which Kayula can escape their birth families and forge their own destinies, and is seen as noble to boot. In wartime, civilian levies are used; in peacetime, a nevertheless sizable force is maintained as a police force. Chariots see common usage, as does the horse; it is the Desa-descended element amongst the nobility that has mastery of the horse, and they use this to their advantage when it comes to power.

On gender roles: They are freeform and more dependent on locale than anything else. Rulers that gain their power through peaceful means are usually female, rulers that gain their power through military means are usually male; that can be extended to say that bureaucrats are female and generals are male, but there is a large gray area – respected and formidable female generals are not unheard of. The Desa were traditionally patriarchal, but the Desa women saw the adoption of Kayula culture as a means by which to gain power. Traditionally – such as with the Vijayaka – the most powerful Kayula rulers have been female. The Kayula also have certain other genders: the baja (MTF transgender), the baji (FTM trans), and the jat (bigender/androgynous), among other less common ones; these consist of no more than one percent of the population in total. Homosexuality is accepted, although same-sex marriages are not really a thing. Sexual relations outside marriage are also accepted.

On priesthood and temples: As mentioned previously, “priest” is not a concept that exists in Kayula society, unless one stretches the definition to include the dakshina. Temples do exist, however, for dakshina and other devotees of a particular divine to gather and discuss matters; they often become open public forums as a result.

On scholarship: The dakshina are the only real scholars to exist, but aside from their not-particularly useful-to-everyday-life arcane studies they are the ones with scientific and philosophical knowledge, and amongst the Kayula, and a rather respectable amount at that. Dakshina can be drawn from anywhere, and largely exist outside of the class system – they are largely respected although have a reputation for being somewhat mad.

Traditionalist Desa culture is still prevalent to varying degrees in the far north, where some of the Desa have not quite yet assimilated into Kayula culture. In the distant past, when the Desa still lived in Central Asia, their society was patriarchal and clan-based; their clans were usually lead by large extended families, with a male head and which frequently practiced polygamy. The large extended families formed loose and constantly shifting alliances, often based on arranged marriages. The extended families, after the Desa assimilated into Kayula culture, morphed or dissolved into noble families in Desa-conquered lands.

Material Culture:

The Kayula common script is read from right to left and from bottom to top. It of geometric glyphs, some ten thousand of them. The dakshina and parts of the merchantry and nobility are the only ones who use the script out of necessity, as it is difficult to learn.

Kayula architectural design is primarily based around the triangle and derivative shapes, such as the hexagon; pyramidal shapes are common – Kayula palaces and the houses of the greater nobles are almost always great pyramids. Kayula cities are centered on the pyramidal palace, the tallest building in the city by law; around it are arrayed in rough concentric circles following a hex grid, from inside to outside: the houses of the nobility and rich merchantry, temples, marketplaces, the houses of the merchantry and “middle class”, more marketplaces and red light districts, the houses of the poor, and city defenses. All of these are interspersed with plentiful and lush gardens. It is such that Kayula cities are quite large and sprawling in area but relatively low (for cities) in population density. Kayula cities also feature functional and modern sanitation systems and large public baths.

Villages in the countryside are less geometrically calculated, usually being a village center in a convenient location and plots arrayed around it, with plentiful and modern irrigation systems. Pyramidal houses are a sign that one is nobility (this holds true to a lesser extent in the city as well); peasants live in less impressive buildings. The most important time of year, for obvious reasons, is the joshi (monsoon)

Cannabis is used frequently by almost every Kayula starting from a very young age, for religious, medicinal, and pleasurable purposes. It is seen as a means by which one’s consciousness can be rebalanced.

Knowledge of mathematics and geometry is advanced. The year is known to be 365 odd days long, although a unified calendar system has not emerged yet; various local calendars are generally used instead. Knowledge of astronomy is also advanced, as the Kayula follow the night sky closely.

Abbreviated History:

It was in about 3500 BCE that the first true state societies formed amongst the Kayula. At first, they were merely a number of petty states, each centered around one major urban center, or tribal societies towards the fringes of the Kayula lands that slowly urbanized. They fought constantly; alliances constantly shifted between them. The divines watched from afar, as the race they had sworn to protect matured. The southerners, the seafarers, plied the sealanes further and further from shores, comforted by the stars and the night, and found new lands to trade with. The cities along the Jalneer prospered from trade both up- and downriver.

Ultimately, the warring cities coalesced into larger states, and by about 2700 BCE there were only five left in the Kayula heartland. It was at that approximate that the ruler of one of them, the state of Kamathaka, centered around the city of Kamath, found her realm invaded by neighboring Hemanthaka, by all accounts the largest of these five states. This ruler was Ikshni, beloved by her people. She personally led the Kamathakan army into combat to drive the Hemanthakans back, and after an afternoon of combat, her battered army retreated, defeated.

The night after her defeat, Jal himself, divine of the Jalneer itself, appeared before Ikshni, giving her a golden scepter, an impressive diamond mounting it, seemingly radiating light in all directions. “This is the wing to lift you from your nadir,” Jal said. “And truly, this is your nadir, but it is you who should win this war, for then it is prosperity, not war without end, that shall rule over this land.”

The next day, Ikshni commanded that her army go on the attack once more. Many thought she had gone mad, but the Hemanthakans saw the light radiating from the scepter’s jewel, and the Kamathakan army cut through them like a knife. And in the end, over the course of a decade and with the power of the scepter, the other three states were subjugated, unified under Ikshni’s rule.

So, with her enemies conquered and Kamath the newfound hegemon of the land, Ikshni became the first Vijayi of all the Kayula – a state named the Vijayaka. She ultimately took one of her best generals as consort, and the women of the dynasty they founded would rule their large state, the Vijayaka, for centuries.

But the scepter’s power was not to last.

But the Vijayaka fell into sharp decline after 1700 BCE thanks to the sudden arrival of the Desa, the north-people (aka Aryans). Thanks to their master of horsemanship and the utilization of the chariot, the more tribalistic, clan-based Desa were able to sweep aside the Vijayaka’s armies, and their chieftains were able to establish themselves in positions of power; some became monarchs of existing city-states, integrating into Kayula society along with their supporters to establish their rule, while others attempted (and largely failed) to carve their own tribalistic polities. Kamath itself was sacked by Desa raiders in 1597 BCE; this is considered by most to be the canonical end of the Vijayaka, as the last Vijayi of Kamath was killed and replaced by a mere monarch of Kamathaka.

In the aftermath; the north had already coalesced before 1600 BCE under a large in area but otherwise weak, overarching Desa polity, which by 1550 BCE had already collapsed into numerous squabbling petty states; Kayula cultural hegemony, usually under Desa-turned-Kayula rulers, began to return there. Further south, the Desa simply integrated themselves into greater Kayula society, mostly in capacities as first mercenaries then as established warriors for the various southern city-states. Kamathaka has begun to regain the influence she once enjoyed as center of the Vijayaka, having reestablished some semblance of hegemony over her neighbors using a combination of carrot-and-stick methods, but other, if less powerful, states – Dhanvadaka and Salmanka in particular – act as potential stumbling blocks. The dream of reestablishing the Vijayaka remains strong amongst nostalgia-inclined Kamathakan rulers.

Geographic Errata:
-The largest city (and former capital of the Vijayaka) is named Kamath. Other potential city names: Nagraj, Dwarak, Dhanvad, Harish, Salman, Hemanth. In times when the Kayula are ruled by city-states, nations are generally named after their capital city, followed by –aka. So we have Kamathaka, Nagrajaka, Dwarakaka, Dhanvadaka, etc.
-The sea, we’ll call the Shekabhi. The Indus River, we’ll call the Jal or Jal-eer (neer meaning river, Jal also being the name of that river’s divine) The Ganga is the Yamneer. The Hindu Kush Mountains are the Kiranthal. The Himalayas are the Momothal.

Thlayli · Mar 6, 2014

Just a quick update folks - I'm extremely busy today but I will be doing the bulk of the update tomorrow and Saturday. Probably written around 10% of it so far. We're definitely still on track for a Sunday update.

I know I still owe a few people some additional commentary. I'll try to get some more of that up tonight though the update currently has highest priority.

Stories and historical artifacts are strongly encouraged in the interim!

Nuka-sama · Mar 6, 2014

Are you going to do the update all at once or is it going to come in pieces by CZ?

North King · Mar 6, 2014

Text from a tablet found west of the River Janashak.

I am Shuryah, styled the Great, styled the Mighty, styled the Wondrous, and by the grace of the Assemblies, styled the Tyrant of Ieresah.
I have united the Shanalash in peace and prosperity. I have given the shamans strength of unity, and we have brought strong rains for twenty successive years. I have cleared the roads of banditry, and standardized the weights and measures. I have unstoppered the canals and sown grain in great multitudes.
I have laid low those who would subvert the power of the Assemblies to nefarious ends.
I have rewritten the laws to reflect JUSTICE, and enforced even-handed and sane rulings.
I have washed my boots in two seas, and bathed in the source of the two sacred rivers.
I have led armies to victories uncounted; I have never been defeated.
I have subdued the Gonsham in their vale; their kings lie prostrate before me.
I have subdued the Shufrael; their kings lie prostrate before me.
I have enforced the decrees of the Assemblies with renewed vigor; none dare defy them now.
I have maintained this empire in the face of all who would challenge it.
I have enshrined the Shanalash as the rightful center of the world.
I am Shuryah, styled the Great, styled the Mighty, styled the Wondrous, and by the grace of the Assemblies, styled the Tyrant of Ieresah.
Let this tablet stand testament to my deeds.
For mine should be a name immortal.

Thlayli · Mar 7, 2014

NK, I was agonizing over what the Shanalashians would call the Gwonsaum all day, thanks for resolving that for me.

Though you should make sure you're subduing the Chufriel and not their predecessors; the way wrymouth wrote it his kingdom is relatively new. Maybe it even formed as an imitative response to Shanalashian conquest...

<nuke> said:
Are you going to do the update all at once or is it going to come in pieces by CZ?

Both. I will update all at once but each CZ will have its own section.

thomas.berubeg · Mar 7, 2014

My name is Ethal, Known by Men and Ensha as the Lawgiver. Let these words be inscribed on a thousand stones, and disseminated throughout the Great City of Ther, that my people may know the punishments for their crimes.

Let it be known:
A commoner who raises his hand in violence towards a commoner will be beaten and forced to compensate the victim.
A commoner who raises his hand in violence towards a noble will be killed.
A commoner who kills a noble will be killed and his family given to the Enshasal to work for a period of three years.
A noble who raises his hand in violence towards a commoner will be forced to compensate the commoner a price determined by a Shekem
A noble who kills another noble will be killed and his family will be forced to compensate the family of the noble who died.
A commoner who raises his hand in violence towards a Shekem will be forced to work for the Enshasal for an indeterminate period, determined by the Megshekem.
A commoner who kills a Shekem will be killed, and his family given to the Enshasal to work for a period of three and three years.
A commoner who raises his hand in violence towards the Krek will be killed
A commoner who kills the Krek will be killed and his family given to the Enshasal to work for a period of three and three years.
A noble who raises his hand in violence towards a Shekem will be forced to compensate the Enshasal.
A noble who kills a Shekem will be killed and his family forced to compensate the Enshasal.
A noble who raises his hand in violence towards the Krek will be forced to compensate the Krek.
A noble who kills the Krek will be killed and his family given to the Enshasal to work for a period of three and three years.

As Shekems are beings who speak for the Ensha, Punishment for a Shekem will be dealt by the Megshekem.

Any man, woman, or child who enter the lands and walls of Ther will be bound by these laws, be they Gwonsaum, Tshufrel, Shanalash, or savage.

These laws are put down to stone by Me, Ethel, Krek of this city, and witnessed by Jeyna, Megshekem of Ther, and by the Great Ensha Ther, Theran, and Krewer.

AFSNES II - Quintessence of Dust

Emperor

Le Pétit Prince

Lord of Random

Le Pétit Prince

See ya! It has been a fun decade!

Le Pétit Prince

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Deity

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Le Pétit Prince

Wandering the World

See ya! It has been a fun decade!

Le Pétit Prince

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Le Pétit Prince

See ya! It has been a fun decade!

blech

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Wandering the World

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