Ansoori

Ansoori is the name given to the alossi centhiri who reside in the Republic of Ansoor. Though they have good relations with most of the local ethnicities and political entities, they maintain a standing military and partake in regular military exercises.
Almost every able-bodied adult Ansoori is capable of wielding a weapon to some degree of proficiency, in part due to living in the hostile environment of the Pāll-tanír, but mostly as a means to ensure that never again would they face the same kind of oppression that they once faced under the heel of the ancient empire of Mulrakh.

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

The Ansoori have a culture that is rooted in centuries of oppression and slavery, much like the tretâllë. However, unlike the long-lived elves, who suffered only for a generation, dozens of generations of Ansoori suffered and died under the yoke of their bondage under Mulrakh. While there were still those, at the time of their uprising, who yearned for things like justice and equality, the ancestors of the Ansoori fought for their freedom as a matter of survival, not righteousness or retribution.
As the children of former slaves, whose families still bear the scars of their past, Ansoori culture places a strong emphasis on personal responsibility, independence, and liberty. Despite this, many Ansoori still willingly and enthusiastically partake in the years of military service mandated by the government of Ansoor. This is in large part because one of the cornerstones of Ansoori culture is the ideal that, should the day come that another nation, person, or group of people ever seeks to subjugate the alossi and, specifically, the Ansoori, every man, woman, and child old enough to carry a weapon, will have the means and skill to fight tooth and nail, to the last breath, for their freedom.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

It is customary for Ansoori who receive foreign visitors to bake ssilla, a type of unleavened bread made into braided loaves, served alongside either stonesteer milk and meat, or dried, salted fish. The braided ssilla is meant to represent chains, and it is expected for both host and guest to take part in breaking the loaf. Doing so is considered a vow of protection: the guest will not attempt to attack or enslave the host and the host's community, and in return the host will provide for the guest's needs and see to it that the guest is comfortable.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

One of the first rites that any Ansoori individual experiences in their lifetime is a sort of baptism as a hatchling. During the first week or so of life, alossi centhiri children are incapable of consuming solid food. Furthermore, until they are capable of doing so, it is not unknown for an alossi hatchling to die of any number of reasons. It is believed that this is the case because the ancestors do not know of the child, and are thus unable to protect it. As such, the first time that a child is able to eat solid food is considered a significant milestone of development, and a prime opportunity for the baptismal rite to take place.
The Ansoori baptismal rite requires a drop of blood from the mother and a drop of blood from the father. These are added to a small square of meat that is being roasted over an open flame, and fed to the child to symbolize the passing on of blood from its parents. Furthermore, by becoming the "blood" of its parents, the child becomes known to its ancestors and comes under their protection for the first time in its life. It is believed that once the child has the protection of the ancestors, its likelihood of surviving increases dramatically.
Once an Ansoori priest confirms that the child has been embraced by the ancestors, typically done through burning knuckle bones and examining the results, the rest of the rite can proceed. With the ancestors protecting the child from threats that might try to attack it from the spirit world, it is now up to the parents to prove that they can protect the child from threats that might try to attack it from the material world. A ceremonial "battle" is conducted to this end.
For this battle, the parents each produce another Ansoori, typically a family friend or a relative. All four individuals kneel in pairs, the mother and her chosen, and the father and his chosen. They cross the blades of their weapons. Then, the parents draw blood from their chosen. Then the chosen draw blood from the parents. Afterwards, all four arise, and the chosen are named the Ssikala (sing. fem.Ssikali, sing. masc.Ssikalan), "blade-parents," of the child and are tasked with protecting it should it ever transpire that the parents are unable to.
Once the Ssikala are named and have taken their vows of protection, the child officially becomes one of the Ansoori.