Litha
FOUNDING OF LITHA
Only a handful of generations ago, the forefathers of Litha settled their families around the natural formation of a unique and profitable entity in the plains near Kirihara Forest (also called The Sea of Trees): a hive of Salen Bees. Lithians tended the hive for its honey and fur over several generations, eventually coming to worship the Queen goddess Khaliish - a apisary figure representing peace through order - as their patron deity. As the town grew, their traditions and laws came to reflect this relationship. Today, Litha is known throughout the empire as a source of the finest honey and mead in the empire - and the only place where one can get salen fur clothing.
SYMBIOSIS BETWEEN BEE-AND-HUMAN-KIND
Several generations after the first Lithians settled around their hive, a storm devastated large parts of the hive. Taking it as their solemn duty to aid the creatures, Litha elevated the surviving hive parts and constructed a latticework beneath, which the bees proceeded to enclose - but not populate. The new hive the creatures constructed was exclusively utilized above the ground level, leaving a large complex within which the townspeople installed a temple to Khaliish - the queen goddess of peace through order. This temple is still in use today and is the seat of Lithian worship and government.
There is a caste of civil servants who are responsible for servicing the various parts of the hive, called “Beachaire.” Made up entirely of Gnomes and Halflings, the Beachaire are clothed in fur suits, anointed with special pheromone dust, and sent into the hive via the bees’ own tunnels to collect excess honey/wax. They also deliver any crucial nutrients which are lacking in the hive and keep track of reproductive rates, the general health of the hive, and any structural issues that might need servicing.
THE HIVE
The bees surge out of their hive each morning, swarming down to the Sea of Trees or to the nearby Grave Meadow, to collect natural materials such as pollen, wood pulp, and water for the hive. Many of the things the hive needs are collected and offered by the town (including calcium from the bones of peasants laid to rest in the Grave Meadow), but the bees are driven to follow their instincts nonetheless, and it is occasionally possible to spot a bee returning to the hive with a large rabbit or wild cat.
Several types of bees exist in the hive, which grow into a unique role they perform - gatherer bees, construction bees, cooking bees, nursery bees, and, of course, the queen bee. The queen is roughly the size of a large man, and lays a handful of eggs at a time which are then tended by nursery bees in larval chambers underground. While most of the larval chambers are reused by the bees, some are abandoned every generation or so, and these are reused as crypts for wealthy or highly honored Lithians. Those who cannot afford a hive grave or are not gifted one by the city are buried in the Grave Meadow outside town, where their bodies fertilize a variety of flowers and plants used by the hive and their bones can be harvested directly by gatherer bees.
CIVIC BUSINESS
The bees move freely through the town and laws prohibit any person from interfering with them. Many Lithians keep small gardens with their favorite flowers, hoping to entice a bee to stop at their house, which is seen as a blessing of good luck. Employees at the temple care for the hive and provide it with resources donated by townspeople through taxes or benediction, and they also care for the bees themselves, shearing their fur and harvesting excess honey. Businesses in the town then buy these resources and transform them into goods for export or local sale - such as culinary honey, mead and liquors, art, and clothing. Lady Karliah is the current Queen Priestess of Kharliish, serving dual roles as the religious leader and defacto governess of her city - as have all her predecessors.
Bees are also used as a form of capital punishment, and those convicted of high crimes or offenses against the hive itself might find themselves restrained in the Grave Meadow, being slowly harvested by bees until their eventual death.
SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES IN LITHA
Litha is a large but compact city-state with minimal military forces at its disposal. Guards and soldiers that are present are mostly temple guards in service to Karliish, with their funny marching style and salen fur hats. The Lithian Guard have specialized polearms that resemble guisarmes on one end, and on the other is mounted a large, leather bulb, similar to a lacrosse paddle, which is used to safely interact with bees in the event they get stuck or become agitated and attack someone. There are also a small number of army soldiers on business for the local imperial magistrate.
Litha has several yearly festivals related to harvests or the phases of hive cycles. The townsfolk prize dancing and special dances are performed during festival ceremonies with fanciful costumes made for that purpose. Trade with neighboring communities is important and many carpentry, ironwork, and logistical businesses are here to facilitate that, most of which will turn private projects like farming equipment or adventuring gear for extra coin. Litha also has a thriving tourist industry utilizing salen wax spas, luxury clothes and honey liquors, and resorts with plush fur accommodations - but most people in town work jobs related to general city upkeep such as farming, maintenance, artisanship, or trade.
There are, of course, a variety of taverns and businesses catering to the layman, the farmer, the servant - but these are usually away from the city landmarks and more respectable businesses, in order to protect the veneer of a lush and beautiful tourist destination.
Demographics
Litha is a primarily human and halfling settlement with a few families of gnomes and orcs living along with them.
Government
Litha is mostly run by Lady Karliah, Queen Priestess of the Goddess Kharliish, who serves a dual role as the city's spiritual leader and its primary governess. She is attended by an advisory committee made up of the heads of the various trades and town production companies that operate in Litha.
Founding Date
Unknown
Type
Large town
Population
1500-2000
Inhabitant Demonym
Lithian, Lithians
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location
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