Katikwa
Culture
The establishment of Zaul came at the cost of millions of Katikwan lives in the valley between the Ashbow Mountains. Vowing to never let another period like the Kafara Period happen again to the Katikwan people, a new law called Kodamu (roughly meaning "blood tax") was mandated and has become an important part of Katikwan culture.
According to Kodamu, every Katikwan must travel to Wonungu between the ages of 16 and 20 to receive training at the massive military academy there. Over the course of three years, they receive basic combat training, adopt a rigorous fitness regime, and are officially considered part of the Katikwa army should their service be needed. They are provided shelter, food, and water during their stay and when their "blood tax" has been paid, they are allowed to travel back to their home if they do not want to remain in the army. They are given a small gold stipend for their service, and take their sword home with them.
In times of dire need, it is extremely common for able-bodied Katikwans to form very capable militias to fight against the undead forces of Zaul. Not performing the Kodamu is extremely taboo, and punishable by death usually.
As many other cultures shaped by giant rule, Katikwans entombed or buried their dead for most of their history. After the rise of Zaul, a cultural shift occurred in which it was seen as too dangerous to continue treating their dead this way. Now, it is much more common for Katikwans to burn their dead to prevent Zauli necromancers from raising them.
Because the area that Zaul occupies was once part of Katikwa, and their culture was to bury and entomb for so long, it is often the case that modern Katikwans find themselves combatting the raised bones or mummified corpses of their distant ancestors.
History
Prior to the Withering, the people of Kamazar had primarily been ruled by giants and were taught to revile dragons. This hate and distrust extended to the lohiken as they arrived in Mbakar to their west circa 100 DC, a land that was far more welcoming of dragons and their kin. For a little over a hundred years, lohiken were not welcomed by most in Katikwan borders and faced great prejudice there.
In 283 DC, Katikwa came under attack by a coalition of dragons that came to claim the Wonungu bay, and Kamazar desert, and the volcano in the east of the Ashbow Mountains as their homes. These dragons were evil and malicious and demanded great tributes from the people of Katikwa for four years. Mfalme Sefu, who was ruler at the time, offered lohiken people up as sacrifice to the dragons every month to placate them and show them reverence, and when not enough lohiken could be found for tribute, he offered his own people instead. From 283 to 287 DC in Katikwa is known as the Kafara Period.
Kafara came to an end when four lohiken dragoons visiting Wonungu after having heard of their dragon troubles were arrested by Sefu's palace guards so that they could be offered as tribute. The dragoons freed themselves, and their fellow Katikwan prisoners, and led a successful coup against Mfalme Sefu. Knowing that the dragons would be coming for their tributes soon, the four dragoons trained as many able bodied warriors in Wonungu in how to defend against a dragon, which they were successfully able to do. In the following years, the dragoons led parties to each of the dragon's lairs and slew them all. Since then, lohiken have been welcomed and embraced by most Katikwans, and their cultures have closely intertwined since.
Worship
Katikwans worship Itanya, among other gods. They depend on her grace and blessing for bountiful harvests throughout the year. In their desert climate, all their crops are grown in the limited fertile land along the Nafsi River. If their crops fail or the harvest is poor, their people are in danger of starvation or getting food from Abwani at exorbitant costs.
Throughout Katikwan settlements, one will find many shrines to Itanya rather than any large dedicated temples. These shrines are found along streets, either built into the sides of buildings or nestled between them. In Katikwa, Itanya is depicted as a humanoid woman with the head and feet of a gazelle with long arcing horns. This imagery usually reflects the animals of the region where she is worshipped. Statues of her at shrines depict her as holding a woven basket, urn, or other container. Townsfolk will leave a small portion of crop that they have grown or bought so that Itanya's basket is always full.
It is believed by the people that Itanya will give back to them tenfold what they offer her, and it is a terrible sign for her hands to be empty. An empty basket could anger Itanya and bring about famine, and as such communal donations are expected to contribute to prevent this. Anyone found stealing items from a shrine will be severely punished for threatening the livelihood of the community. Attendants are employed by the city usually to collect spoiled or dried food from baskets, which is then used in fertilizer or animal feed. Because of their association to the goddess, the gazelle is a common symbol found throughout Katikwan design and architecture.
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