Shelitan
"Trailing every terrifically tenacious warrior in the stretching verdure of the prairie, there is a shrewd woman with an ink-filled calamus in one hand and a blubbery manual in the other. The most powerful menages are those that have a balance of obscene strength and guileful acumen. May this wisdom guide you in your search for a perfect partner." - Meira Shain on organizing the household.The Shelitan people aren't native to the Azuvah Prairie. They're immigrants from a faraway desert across the Eld'Gammal Sea, but like an invasive species, they destroyed the natural order of the prairie and took it for themselves. Now the natives are extinct and only the Shelitans are left.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Shelitan is the language that is spoken by everyone within the Empire, whether they're actually of Shelitan lineage or not. The language itself, however, has a long history, because the original language for Shelitah was very different back when the Shelitans still lived in Lefubelu. In fact, present Shelitans may recognize the characters of the ancient language, but they wouldn't be able to read what it said. this is because the modern language is actually a creole of the ancient Shelitan language and the dialect spoken by the natives of the prairie, which were assimilated and driven extinct by the Shelitans. Most of the words spoken are from the native language, while the script and some of the most foundational grammar comes from the Shelitans of Lefubelu.
Shared customary codes and values
From the very beginning of recorded history, the Shelitans have valued violence, war, and expansion above everything else. At first, they were in the rolling dunes of Lefubelu, which had sand stained the color of blood. When they were banished from that distant land by their enemies, they moved to the south and found a new place to live: the Azuvah Prairie. In those ancient days it went by a different name that has been lost to time, but the small settlement of Sakkan that was established by the Shelitans would grow and grow. With that growth, events that would show their true ideals and codes. For you see, the people who were driven away from their desert home were not innocent refugees. They were cheats, liars, and bandits. The city they founded reflected this, and so did their approach to diplomacy with their neighbors. (that is, no approach at all)
Ultimately, it was the friendly and easy-going nature of the natives to the prairie that led to their downfall. The Shelitans were thirsty for blood and gold, but the natives didn't realize just how far they would go to attain it. Thus, most of the natives were enslaved to the growing civilization, while others were killed. In only a few short centuries, pureblooded natives were completely eradicated, leaving only descendants of mixed blood and sterilized slaves. Most Shelitans believe that brown eyes are an indicator of native blood, which is considered lesser than Shelitan blood. The evidence for this, however, is nonexistent. It's likely conjecture used to further prop up the nobility and further separate them from the common people.
The shady beginnings of the Empire are still reflected in the values of its modern descendants, as combat prowess and militaristic power are still held at the highest esteem, while arts and kindness to strangers are still highly discouraged. Helpfulness and friendliness are both considered signs of weakness, so stern faces and monotone voices are the norm in the Empire. At least, it was. As the Empire has interacted with its neighbors more and more, it's dropped some of its traditions in favor of those practiced elsewhere. Art, while still looked down upon as a waste of time and energy, is no longer outlawed. Nor will a kindly gentleman be challenged to a duel that the first hint of a smile anymore. Specifically Janata, the eastern neighbor of the Empire, is who can be thanked for this shift in attitude among Shelitans.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Black and shiny hair is considered ideal for Shelitans. Hair of lighter color or more curly instead of straight are considered ugly in comparison to straight, dark hair with a sheen. Men have long and tightly-braided hair that's normally pulled back behind their heads so that they don't get in the way during battle. Meanwhile, women have shorter hair that only go down to the base of the neck and they use braids sparingly and comb it straight instead.
In addition, green eyes have long been associated with nobility and wealth in the Shelitan Empire, so it's no surprise that the Shelitans believe that green eyes are the best-colored eyes that one can have. Even hazel eyes with the slightest hint of green are more sought after that pure brown eyes, which is the norm among commoners in the Empire. There is a common superstition among Shelitans that if you can see the slight glow of green in someone's eyes in the dark, that they are destined for prosperity and renown.
Gender Ideals
The Shelitan Empire is a very patriarchal region, which most widely reflects the attitudes of the Shelitans themselves. In the typical Shelitan family, the man is the head of the household and has most of the responsibilities that are concerned with the broader world. A lot of this is centered around how militaristic the culture of the Empire is, which means that a strong physique is considered more desirable than lithe and dexterity.
Anything that is to be expected of your average soldier is the responsibility of the male in a household in the Empire. For instance, sewing (which is greatly utilized by soldiers while they're on the move through dangerous territory to keep their uniforms ready) is almost exclusively done by the males and it's considered a taboo for women to be seen sewing in the Empire.
Meanwhile, the women are tasked with all the work within the household that doesn't deal with the outside world. Cooking is one huge aspect of their role, including foraging for ingredients and experimenting with new recipes. All hunting--which has the secondary use of practice for battle--is done by the males.
The greatest responsibility of Shelitan women, however, is scholarly pursuits such as writing, reading, and science. In fact, many Shelitan men cannot read at all and use their time to educate themselves in things that rely more on perception and intuition rather than raw intellect and critical thinking. Because of this dichotomy, women of the house are the premier sources of information and are thus considered to always be right.
The strange roles of men and women in this society have strange edge cases in the way that they interact. For instance, due to the nature of scholars in Shelitah, most acolytes and clerics are women, despite their very public role in the community. This is even the case for followers of Raggeldyn, which are very male-dominated in other parts of the world such as Janata. In fact, this very issue brewed a lot of animosity between the Empire and a religious sect of Raggeldyn called the Zealots. The Zealots wanted to follow the ancient texts of Raggeldyn as closely as possible, which meant equal opportunity with both men and women. Most other worshippers in the Empire wanted to remain true to their culture, so they rewrote the old texts to be more accommodating of their beliefs.
Men and women do not normally sleep in the same bed. Instead, the men sleep atop the roof so they can remain extra vigilant while the women sleep inside the house, surrounded by their work.
The Estranged Community, which isn't based in the Empire, but stretches over the entire continent, is very countercultural when it comes to the way that it treats gender roles. Half of the prelati that call the Community home are men and the Community values knowledge and study above everything else. In a normal Shelitan community this would be unthinkable and utterly perplexing to those involved. The Community, however, welcomes men with open arms, as it means that there's double the brains thinking about the future of the world. In fact the leader of the Estranged Community, the Aeternus, is most likely a man. (hardly anyone's ever met the Aeternus face to face, but most accounts describe it as though it was male.)
Major organizations
The Shelitan Empire, The Blue Hand, Acolytes of Raggeldyn, and The Sacks
Art: By Chandra Pandhita (modified)
Related Organizations
Related Locations
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