Adair

Adairians, formally known as the Adair people, are people who identify with the nomadic populations of Adair. They are wandering groups of raiders who live across Mahka Nata. Occasionally, they can be found settled around the walls of Astorian or Hilael kingdoms. Their social and religious traditions revolve primarily around the imbibement of a sacred elixir.

Core Beliefs

THEFT

Theft is the primary method of sustainability for the commune because Adairians travel often; they are raiders out of necessity. Therefore, theft within the commune is punishable by law and theft against other communes is strongly looked down upon. If a perpetrator is caught, the victims involved may propose a punishment for the guilty party and, if permitted by state officials, proceed with said punishment.

POLYTHEISM

The Adair people are polytheists; their pantheon comprises six deities, each deity having their own domain that explain or reinforce some part of Adairian society. These deities are also patrons of certain branches of the Adairian military.
These deities are:

• Seólta - Deity of cunning and tricksters. Patron of tacticians

• Ghri - Deity of the sun, light, and fire. Patron of blacksmiths and bladesmiths

• Talamh - Deity of earth and harvest. Patron of alchemists

• Lèigh-Lann - Deity of medicine and healing. Patron of medics and healers

• Murtair - Deity of the night, moon, and stealth. Patron of spies and assassins

• Láech Cathaí - Deity of hunger, survival, and conquest. Patron of soldiers and cavalry

Prayer occurs every eighth night to a different god; they devote a general prayer to all six gods as well as separate prayers for each individual deity. Children learn these prayers through attending their specialized schools before the age of fifteen.

TROSCADH

Troscadh is the day of rest, fasting, and prayer that is celebrated every eight days. On this day, there is no working or warring; the only way you may partake in war or work on this day is if inaction would endanger your livelihood. At sundown, the sacred elixir is taken as a society to commune with one of the six Adair gods. Following the consumption of the elixir, a vision may take place for some, which may indicate a change in leadership; however, not all visions are true, and every alleged vision must be confirmed by a religious leader called a cea. The recipient of the vision must have irrefutable proof of the vision’s occurrence, or it will be dismissed by the cea. If suspected of malintent, the recipient will meet with a government council where the recipient’s vision is judged. If it contains falsities, the offender may be banished from the commune.

Traditions

INFANCY

Adairians partake in a fortune-telling ritual when an infant child turns eight months old. Multiple objects are splayed out before the child, symbolizing each of the six gods. The ritual predicts what the child's future will be and assigns them a deity that they pray to depending on which object the child chooses.

COMING OF AGE

When the children turn thirteen, they partake in a coming of age ritual. To enter adulthood, a ceremony is held where the child takes the sacred elixir for the first time and learns who they will apprentice under to prepare for their military service. Participants celebrate afterwards surrounded by friends and family.

CHA

After every successful raid, a large feast is thrown with the newly acquired bounty. These feasts are celebrated with everyone in the commune coming together and sharing food and drink. These post-raid feasts are called chas.

CORONATION

Adairians host a coronation for every newly appointed cea.

TROSCADH

Troscadh takes place every eight days, and it is dedicated to a different deity in the Adair pantheon each time. At sundown, the sacred elixir is consumed to connect to that day's celebrated deity as a society.

DAY OF DEITIES

There is also an annual holiday that the Adairians celebrate called the Day of Deities, where all six deities are worshipped and celebrated on the same day.

Hierarchy

The Adair people don't have an extensive organized government. They live in communes at the edges of other kingdoms. Their loose government structure consists of a head of state and a religious ruler, called a rial and a cea, respectively.

CEA

Each commune has a cea that oversees the religious practices of the commune, judges alleged visions, and holds a lot of power determining the availability and accessibility of the elixir. For example, although the ingredients for the elixir can be grown by anyone, only certain people—namely the cea and their assistants who are destined or envisioned to—can create it.

RIAL

The rial is the political head of Adairian society and rules over both the government and military. This position is highly unstable, as anyone who receives a confirmed vision can replace the current rial and become the new rial. They are the executive decision maker and communicator for the commune. When tensions arise between kingdom and commune, the rial orders a relocation. In the event when communes encounter each other, there is often conflict. If there is a clear victor, the victorious commune takes in the remaining inhabitants of the defeated commune. If there is no clear winner, the communes continue to obey their own rials.

Social Principles

MILITARY SERVICE

Everyone in the commune must fulfill a military requirement of some sort, regardless of societal position (gender, religious belief, class order, etc.) for fifteen to twenty years. This requirement can be fulfilled in two ways: through traditional service as a footsoldier; or through apprenticeship or service to a militaristic trade. These trades include blacksmithing, alchemy, or medicine. Draftees who choose the trade path will serve the occupation patroned by whichever god was chosen during their infancy ritual. They will train with master artisans and army captains for two years. At fifteen, these trainees graduate and formally enter their military service.

AGENDER SOCIETY

The Adair people do not follow the concept of gender compared to other cultures; they do not have expected gender norms or roles. Adairians have generally negative reactions to gendered people, and thus converts are strongly urged to renounce their gendered identity.

Symbols and Iconography

The Adair have two symbols to denote their wandering enclaves.

TREE OF LIFE

This stylistic tree contains many intertwining roots and branches, symbolizing the many different enclaves that are connected by following Adair principles and the connections the communes and their people have with one another.

ADAIR KNOT

This tangled knot is another symbol used by Adair communes that contains the same interlocking and intertwining symbolism as the Tree of Life. This is an alternate symbol that may be used by Adairians instead of the Tree of Life.