Sorry I became so enthusiastic that I wrote a whole bunch.. If this is too much or if there's something missing, I'll change it.
Also, sorry Pixie, I stole you format x'D
Da-HyunGeographyDa-Hyun is a relatively small island nation to the far west of Azukhar and encompasses the nine most western islands known. The islands are home to beautiful, rough nature with large woods, beautiful beaches and enormous cliffs. The largest island, Daseom however, is the only one with average soil in some parts of the island. On most of the smaller islands, agriculture is impossible and because of this, the only source of income for them is fishery, wood cutting and livestock in the form of sheep. Some of the richer farmers posses and cows. The capitol Doa Jun is located on Daseom and most trade and treasure flows through this city. [/hider]
EconomicsThe life in Da-Hyun is a hard one and so are its people. With the lack of food sources in the kingdom, the population is rather small and most Da-Hyunin have resorted to piracy as a way of life. There's also a form of 'legal piracy', established by the kings of Da-Hyun. The so-called 'The Jongsa Company' regulates what ships are allowed to be attacked, where ships or coastal villages may be attacked and it's in charge of the fair distribution of loot. When official Jong die while on duty, the company also provides widows a compensation or monthly financial support. No wonder that unregulated Da-Hyuni piracy isn't common these days.[/hider]
Arts Despite the regular stream of treasure flowing into Da-Hyun, the arts never really flourished. It's said that in days long forgotten, the Da-Hyunin knew how to weave beautiful tapestries, filled with such colours that there was no doubt magic involved in the process. Of those days, only a few tapestries, sculptures and paintings remain. These days, the only arts that still thrive in Da-Hyun are the traditional music, ship building and navigation. Since their marine is superior to their neighbouring countries, the Da-Hyunin specialize in weapons that are practical when fighting on boats. Besides that, they've perfected their ways of sacking coastal cities and are trained to fight with any weapon they can get their hands on. Fair swordplay is a concept that'll only cause laughter in Da-Hyun.[/hider]
The traditional faith is called Tatsu Zheng Dao (or the faith of the Nine, as it's commonly called). This faith is bound to a strict set of rules, to make sure not to risk the Nine's wrath. The Nine don't desire their followers to hold a sermon. A few examples are listed below.
Rituals
- One has to pray each day, to all the Nine Gods. There exists a standard prayer that can always be followed.
- Followers who feel attracted to one god or want to ask them a special favor, must follow the god's special desires. For example, Gashi desires woman to pray for their husbands safety, San-Geob desires to pray to Yun-Yeong for strong guards and followers of Luong must say all their prayers in a way-that's-close-to-insulting-the-gods-but-not-exactly.
- Both Jun Haemosu, Yun-Yeong and Zhu-yì ask for blood offers. (It is said that Zhu-yì makes his heavenly wine from the blood of his followers.) These are given every year in the capitol, combined with a great festival that lasts 27 days.
- All Da-Hyuni have to return to the sea after their death. Preferably, the dead are anointed with oils, cremated and scattered across the ocean. Sailing out and dropping the body into the sea will also suffice if the family can't pay for the oils or if the deceased died at sea.
Mythology
Jun Haemosu
The god of the ocean. He's the most important god in the Da-Hyuni pantheon and can be concidered to be the High Saeng among the gods.
Yuwhae
The goddess of rivers and sweet water, she's the wife of Jun Haemosu
Yun-Yeong
The god of plunder and battle and holds a very prominent position.
Amatsu
He is the god of the moon and shadows. Often worshiped by thieves and sailors.
Gashi
The goddess of family, village life and marriage
Fen
The goddes of death and new life, usually depicted as a beautiful woman without a face, dressed in a long white gown covered in blood.
San-Geob
The god of trade and money.
Zhu-yì
The god of wine, parties and hedonism. Da-Hyun has a relatively large amount of alcohol addicts since there aren't that many things to distract people from the daily grind.
Luong
The god of deceit, lies and delusions. He used to be human and is called the Trickster. He has been known to have tricked the gods themselves on several occasions, after which Jun Haemosu made him a god and let him live in his undersea palace, so that he and the other gods could keep an eye on Luong. He's mainly worshiped by thieves, some traders and other deceivers.
The Da-Hyunin have a habit of calling upon their gods at any time. They also like to use parts of their gods in creating elaborated curses. A few examples are: "Fen's bloody dress..." "By all San-Geob's treasures.." or "Zhu-yì's chamber pot...".
The main human representative of the gods is the High Yo Ju. He lives in a palace deep in woods. He has a residence on every island and from time to time he moves. The High Yo Ju also functions as an oracle and some claim he can see the future.
Below him stand the Yo Ji, a group of 9 men and 9 women who function as high priests in the traditional capitols on all nine islands (in groups of two, one man and one woman). They are in charge of local festivals, offerings and provide council.
Below them are the Jima, the local priests in villages. They are also the ones who assist the Yo Ji and Yo Ju. Altough they cannot claim to speak for the gods, they are trained in the proper ways of executing rituals and can call upon the Yo Ji if necessary.
These religious leaders don't ever mingle themselves in politics, or 'We are not concerned with things of this world, only with those of the other' as they describe it themselves.
Stance on envokersTraditionally, the Da-Hyunin aren't against evokers as long as they use their abilities for the common good, they were even welcomed with open arms. A few High Saeng who ruled for longer periods of time are known to have been evokers. Some even whisper that even the High Yo Ju is an evoker. With the recent infiltration of the Holy Order of Idris however, envokers are hunted down and killed. If that's not possible, there's a bounty placed on their head or they're simply exciled. Currently, the Holy Order is gradually increasing its influence in the major cities, influencing politics as well. On the country side the Nine are still followed though, and none of the spiritual leaders have been hurt as of yet, to prevend unrest among the Commons.
Da-Hyuni is ruled by nine noble families, each tracking their origins to one of the first men to step foot at the Kingdom's islands. They're ruled by a king (the High Saeng), who is chosen from among the nine family heads (or Saeng as they're called). When the High Saeng dies, the Saeng gather to elect a new one from among their mid. The High Saeng resides in the capitol and he usually gathers the Saeng or their representatives in the city to council him. Da-Hyun has a history of High Saengs killed by poison or knifes and it's no wonder that the commons call the High Court 'Luong Pis' (snake pit, or pit of Luong).
There is no way for commons to gain political power. The only way is to fight and plunder well, for those who gather enough treasure stand a chance to have their son or daughter be married to a high born. If such a marriage is arranged, the whole family of the lowborn will be raised to the status of high born, but they'll usually still be looked down upon by the high born. There have been many attempts to change this system from the bottom to the top, but as of yet none have succeeded in doing so.
The current High Saeng is called Jok Lu. A powerful man, both in connections and physically. He has survived several assassination attempts and has been in power for seven years now. He isn't exactly loved, Da-Hyunin never truly love their leaders, but he's considered to be a just ruler, which is as close at it will get.
ArchitectureMost cities are built in a triangle shape, the harbour being one point, the houses of the high born another and a temple is located in the third point (to the Nine or to the city's protective sprit or favourite god). Most cities are walled, especially near the harbour and throughout there are walls and gates that can be closed in case of an attack. This way there are certain levels where people can flee to in case of an attack from the sea. Everything is build expecting a sea attack, so the defences to the land-side of the city are usually rather weak. (If this makes no sense at all, please say so and I'll try to draw it lol). The houses are usually built in the typical Da-Hyuni style of pointed roofs and walls made of either white stone or a sort of bamboo.