A female Edimmu
Name of Species Edimmu
Genetic Compatibility humans and regulli
Physical Characteristics of Males: They are an average of seven feet tall, and have blue or, rarely, green hair. They have white skin, pink lips, and blue or green eyes. The hair on their head grows quickly, so that it is normal for them to have hair down to the bottom of their back. However, they do not grow hair outside form on their head.
Physical Characteristics of Females: They are about eight inches on average shorter than males, and their appearance is feminine as opposed to masculine. However, many of their features, such as skin color, eye color, and things concerning hair are the same as their male equivalent.
Lifespan: 100 – 120 years
Diet: Omnivore
Racial Attributes: Their intelligence and strength is comparable to that of humans. They do not do well in cold environments, and tend to avoid them altogether, as extended contact with the harsh cold will kill them.
Age: 200,000
Differences from Human Biology: The Edimmu lack breasts, and likewise Edimmu females do not produced milk, nor do Edimmu children need milk. This lack of the necessity of milk and the lack of breasts also carry over to interspecies children. The reproductive system and sexual organs are noticeably different yet very similar to that of humans, but the full repercussions of this are not known. Their pale skin and light colored hair points to an even greater divergence.
The flag of Ashkar, symbolizing the unity and division of the gods
Name of City: Ashkar
Population
250,000
- Males: 125,000
- Females: 125,000
Known For: Their civilization came into existence completely independent of the Prometheans. They focus on building on an advanced society through the sciences, and have a spiritual society very focused on religion.
Culture: Society is divided between the ruling class and the lower Class. Edimmu society is patriarchal, but there is a greater deal of equality than in other patriarchies. Women can run their own businesses, hold professions, and there is no-fault divorce. They wear simple attire, at least for now, which consist of light brown robes, and similar for both sexes. The ruling class uses dyes to color their robes in order to differentiate themselves from the commoners; the nobles use blue, and the priests use white.
There is a complex society consisting of many professions, including pottermen, fishermen, and weavers, healers, diviners, artisans, warriors, hunters, teachers, academics, nobles, and priests. The battle between order and chaos is considered very important, and each man and woman sees their profession as their own part in the battle of order against chaos. The ruling class consists of the nobles and the priests, while the rest belong to the ruling class.
Concubinage is practiced, but it is only allowed for men. There are no prejudices against homosexuality, and in fact the heterosexual-homosexual binary does not exist within Edimmu society. When someone’s spouse does not satisfy them, it is common for them to gain a homosexual lover if they do not want to divorce.
Religion Overview: Edimmu religion is polytheistic. At the very head of the pantheon is Eliyahu, who rules as King of the gods. According to traditional Edimmu cosmology, Eliyahu forged the world by the bodies of the primordial gods, and thus order triumphed over chaos. The gods are seen as physical beings, not transcendent forces. There are also daemons, some good and some bad. The burial of the dead is a religious ceremony. Priests oversee all religious ceremonies, and divination is a religious practice overseen by people called diviners.
Government Type:Despotism
Calendar The Edimmu Calendar – current year 85
The Monarchy
The head of state is known as King of Ashkar, Shepherd of the Edimmu people. The title refers to his rulership over the city of Ashkar. This very city would later expand over a relatively vast Kingdom, and the monarch’s power by extensions includes also the places the citizens of Ashkar and their descendants founded. He is known as Shepherd of the Edimmu as, being the King over their territory and monarch over them, he must take care of them as shepherd takes care of his flock. The King is responsible for the welfare of his people and ruled in accordance with divine will. The dynasty is claimed to be have divine blood, the first King claiming and is recognized accordingly to have been the son of Iyanna.
The monarchy has tried as much as it can to keep the whole of political power within its own hands without needlessly micromanaging. The priesthood, while intimately tied to the state, has its political power limited by the monarchy. The nobility has the same problem, and the monarchy sees the nobles as the greater threat. They cannot to be destroyed entirely, so the monarchy relies on them as administrators, but makes it so that they cannot become anything more.
List of Monarchs
Early Mar-Tu Dynasty
Mar-Tu “The Conquerer”-75 – 15 E.C. (-159 - -69 A.E.) 1 – 15 E.C. (-83 - -69 A.E.)
Alaraem II -46 – 22 E.C. (-130 - -62 A.E.) 15 – 22 E.C. (-69 - -62 A.E.)
Sarru-Kinu -23 – 40 E.C. (-107 - -44 A.E.) 22 – 40 E.C. (-62 - -44 A.E.)
Sumu-abum -2 – 85 E.C. (-86 – 1 A.E.) 40 – 85 E.C. (-44 – 1 A.E.)
Sumu-Abum 24 – 85 E.C. (-60 – 1 A.E.) 63 – 85 E.C. ( -25 – 1 A.E.)
Anvor 45 – 88 E.C. (-39 – 4 A,E.) 85 – 88 E.C. ( 1 – 4 A.E.)
Samu-Sumu 80 E – 89 E.C. (-4 – 5 A.E.) 88 – 89 E.C. (4 – 5 A.E.)
Sumarael I “the Great”52 – 131 E.C. (- 32 – 47 A.E.) 89 – 131 E.C. (5 – 47 A.E.)
Sumu-abil 82 – 163 E.C. (-2 – 79 A.E.) 131 – 163 E.C. (47 – 79 A.E.)
Illedrazki “The Wise” 100 – 194 E.C. (16 – 110 A.E.) 163 – 194 E.C (79 – 110 A.E)
Middle Mar-Tu Dynasty
Akhar 137 – 215 E.C. (53 – 131 A.E.) 212 – 215 E.C. (128 – 131 A.E.)
Ettrewahu 157 – 229 E.C. (73 – 145 A.E.) 215 – 229 E.C. (131 A.E. – 145 A.E.)
Sumarael II 176 – 240 E.C. (92 – 156 A.E.) 229 – 240 E.C. (145 – 156 A.E.)
Akhaku 198 – 283 E.C. (156 – 199 A.E.) 240 – 283 E.C. (156 – 199 A.E.) Iyannaabu 223 – 313 E.C. (139 – 205 A.E.) 283 – 289 E.C. (199 – 205 A.E.)
Illedrazki II 247 – 315 E.C. (163 – 231 A.E.) 289 – 315 E.C. (205 – 231 A.E.)
Sumarael III 267 – 318 E.C. (183 – 234 A.E.) 315 – 318 E.C. (231 – 234 A.E.)
Akaku 288 – 335 E.C. (204 – 251 A.E.) 318 – 334 E.C. (234 – 251 A.E.)
Samu-Sumu II 311 – 407 E.C. (227 – 325 A.E.) 334 – 407 E.C. (250 – 325 A.E.)
Sumarael IV 332 – 420 E.C. (248 – 336 A.E.) 407 – 420 E.C. (325 – 336 A.E.)
Yamu 350 – 445 E.C. (266 – 361 A.E.) 420 – 445 E.C. (336 – 361 A.E.)
Anvor II 374 – 445 E.C. (290 - 361 A.E.) 445 E.C. (361 A.E.)
Late Mar-Tu Dynasty
Itu 401 – 489 E.C. (361 – 405 A.E.) 445 – 489 E.C. (361 – 405 A.E.)
Abatu 452 – 500 E.C. (368 – 416 A.E.) 489 – 496 E.C. (405 – 412 A.E.)
Akhar II “The Great” 473 – 555 E.C. (389 – 471 A.E.) 496 – 555 E.C. (412 – 471 A.E.)
Anvor III 532 – 571 E.C. (448 – 487 A.E.) 564 – 571 E.C. (480 – 487 A.E.)
Girbranu 554 – 615 E.C. (487 – 531 A.E.) 571 – 615 E.C. (487 – 531 A.E.)
Note 1: Samu-Sumu II is the longest-reigning King so far, who reigned seventy-three years.
Satrapies
The Satrapies are the provinces into which the Kingdom is divided. There are currently twenty-four Satrapies. Its overseers are the Satraps, the highest-ranking nobles in the country, whose role is synonymous with governor. They oversee the administration of the satrapy, and their duties were collecting taxes, overseeing local administrators, and retaining control and stability of the area. They ruled entirely through the authority of the King, not their own authority. Their position, however, was hereditary.
The Satrapies
Law
The first collection of laws was organized under Sumarael the Great in 99 E.C. (15 A.E.). As the centuries wore on the educated so them they were seen as increasingly out of touch and superstitious. A newer and more modern code was created by Akhar the Great in 530 E.C. (430 A.E.), although in truth the core of it was kept.
The law is overseen by a judge. When a case is brought forth towards him, both sides, the accuser and the accused, present the judge with the evidence. The judge will then decide, with the evidence given to him, what is the proper ruling. As always, Sumarael’s maxim “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is the prevailing principle of the law. A faulty ruling by the judge, if proven, will result in his disbarring, the ultimate shame.
The head of state is known as King of Ashkar, Shepherd of the Edimmu people. The title refers to his rulership over the city of Ashkar. This very city would later expand over a relatively vast Kingdom, and the monarch’s power by extensions includes also the places the citizens of Ashkar and their descendants founded. He is known as Shepherd of the Edimmu as, being the King over their territory and monarch over them, he must take care of them as shepherd takes care of his flock. The King is responsible for the welfare of his people and ruled in accordance with divine will. The dynasty is claimed to be have divine blood, the first King claiming and is recognized accordingly to have been the son of Iyanna.
The monarchy has tried as much as it can to keep the whole of political power within its own hands without needlessly micromanaging. The priesthood, while intimately tied to the state, has its political power limited by the monarchy. The nobility has the same problem, and the monarchy sees the nobles as the greater threat. They cannot to be destroyed entirely, so the monarchy relies on them as administrators, but makes it so that they cannot become anything more.
List of Monarchs
Early Mar-Tu Dynasty
Mar-Tu “The Conquerer”-75 – 15 E.C. (-159 - -69 A.E.) 1 – 15 E.C. (-83 - -69 A.E.)
Alaraem II -46 – 22 E.C. (-130 - -62 A.E.) 15 – 22 E.C. (-69 - -62 A.E.)
Sarru-Kinu -23 – 40 E.C. (-107 - -44 A.E.) 22 – 40 E.C. (-62 - -44 A.E.)
Sumu-abum -2 – 85 E.C. (-86 – 1 A.E.) 40 – 85 E.C. (-44 – 1 A.E.)
Sumu-Abum 24 – 85 E.C. (-60 – 1 A.E.) 63 – 85 E.C. ( -25 – 1 A.E.)
Anvor 45 – 88 E.C. (-39 – 4 A,E.) 85 – 88 E.C. ( 1 – 4 A.E.)
Samu-Sumu 80 E – 89 E.C. (-4 – 5 A.E.) 88 – 89 E.C. (4 – 5 A.E.)
Sumarael I “the Great”52 – 131 E.C. (- 32 – 47 A.E.) 89 – 131 E.C. (5 – 47 A.E.)
Sumu-abil 82 – 163 E.C. (-2 – 79 A.E.) 131 – 163 E.C. (47 – 79 A.E.)
Illedrazki “The Wise” 100 – 194 E.C. (16 – 110 A.E.) 163 – 194 E.C (79 – 110 A.E)
Middle Mar-Tu Dynasty
Akhar 137 – 215 E.C. (53 – 131 A.E.) 212 – 215 E.C. (128 – 131 A.E.)
Ettrewahu 157 – 229 E.C. (73 – 145 A.E.) 215 – 229 E.C. (131 A.E. – 145 A.E.)
Sumarael II 176 – 240 E.C. (92 – 156 A.E.) 229 – 240 E.C. (145 – 156 A.E.)
Akhaku 198 – 283 E.C. (156 – 199 A.E.) 240 – 283 E.C. (156 – 199 A.E.) Iyannaabu 223 – 313 E.C. (139 – 205 A.E.) 283 – 289 E.C. (199 – 205 A.E.)
Illedrazki II 247 – 315 E.C. (163 – 231 A.E.) 289 – 315 E.C. (205 – 231 A.E.)
Sumarael III 267 – 318 E.C. (183 – 234 A.E.) 315 – 318 E.C. (231 – 234 A.E.)
Akaku 288 – 335 E.C. (204 – 251 A.E.) 318 – 334 E.C. (234 – 251 A.E.)
Samu-Sumu II 311 – 407 E.C. (227 – 325 A.E.) 334 – 407 E.C. (250 – 325 A.E.)
Sumarael IV 332 – 420 E.C. (248 – 336 A.E.) 407 – 420 E.C. (325 – 336 A.E.)
Yamu 350 – 445 E.C. (266 – 361 A.E.) 420 – 445 E.C. (336 – 361 A.E.)
Anvor II 374 – 445 E.C. (290 - 361 A.E.) 445 E.C. (361 A.E.)
Late Mar-Tu Dynasty
Itu 401 – 489 E.C. (361 – 405 A.E.) 445 – 489 E.C. (361 – 405 A.E.)
Abatu 452 – 500 E.C. (368 – 416 A.E.) 489 – 496 E.C. (405 – 412 A.E.)
Akhar II “The Great” 473 – 555 E.C. (389 – 471 A.E.) 496 – 555 E.C. (412 – 471 A.E.)
Anvor III 532 – 571 E.C. (448 – 487 A.E.) 564 – 571 E.C. (480 – 487 A.E.)
Girbranu 554 – 615 E.C. (487 – 531 A.E.) 571 – 615 E.C. (487 – 531 A.E.)
Note 1: Samu-Sumu II is the longest-reigning King so far, who reigned seventy-three years.
Satrapies
The Satrapies are the provinces into which the Kingdom is divided. There are currently twenty-four Satrapies. Its overseers are the Satraps, the highest-ranking nobles in the country, whose role is synonymous with governor. They oversee the administration of the satrapy, and their duties were collecting taxes, overseeing local administrators, and retaining control and stability of the area. They ruled entirely through the authority of the King, not their own authority. Their position, however, was hereditary.
The Satrapies
Law
The first collection of laws was organized under Sumarael the Great in 99 E.C. (15 A.E.). As the centuries wore on the educated so them they were seen as increasingly out of touch and superstitious. A newer and more modern code was created by Akhar the Great in 530 E.C. (430 A.E.), although in truth the core of it was kept.
The law is overseen by a judge. When a case is brought forth towards him, both sides, the accuser and the accused, present the judge with the evidence. The judge will then decide, with the evidence given to him, what is the proper ruling. As always, Sumarael’s maxim “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is the prevailing principle of the law. A faulty ruling by the judge, if proven, will result in his disbarring, the ultimate shame.
Society
Ashkarian society is split between the High Class and the Low Class, and no concept of a middle class exists in Ashkar. This is because the distinction High Class and Low Class is not truly based on wealth, although the High Class tend to be wealthy and the Low Class tend not to be. The true distinction was around power. The High Class consisted of those who ruled, and the Low Class consisted of those who were ruled over.
In recent times, the merchant profession has seen itself become steadily more profitable. In the mercantile and trading hub of Argilo, the Kingdom’s second largest city, the merchants have become so powerful they have effectively usurped the traditional nobility of their power in the city. They have subsequently acted little better or worse towards the populace.
Ashkar is a patriarchy, and males are in control of the political, social, religious, and military institutions of the civilization. In regards to families, fathers have power over the mothers. Inheritence is settled along the lines of primogeniture, with sons being given precedence over daughters in inheritance even in cases of seniority by the females. Women are not allowed to serve in the military at all.
Nonetheless, Ashkar has a given women a considerable (for a patriarchy) number of liberties. Traditional customs and written laws are clear that women have rights, although women are not equal to men. Women have the right to own businesses, make contracts in trade, and own property. Women can divorce their husbands without a reason given, and must simply bring forth their desire before a judge.
Although children are not considered property per say, they must obey an arranged marriage organized by their father. Divorce laws, however, make it so that the marriages could end as soon as that child turns sixteen. However, this is not a problem, as loyalty to the family as well as the tendency to gain an attachment to one’s spouse as time passes negates the desire.
Every man and woman’s profession is considered important for theological reasons. A profession is stated not to be merely a job, but each person’s small part in preserving the force of Order and fighting against the force of Chaos. Ashkarian society tends to lean towards collectivism and the greater good. The exception, of course, is with the King. No matter how tyrannical he is, his word is law.
The Edimmu are, in general, monogamous moderate polyamorists, and this is not so much of a contradiction. Marriage is strictly between a man and a woman, and its primary focus is on procreation and the proper raising of the young. Despite this, romance in marriage is seen as the ideal state, and idealists say it is actually the norm.
Concubinage is allowed only for the nobles and the royalty, and it is only allowed for men. For the royal family, it is expected that the princes and, above all, the King will take a good many number of concubines; at least a dozen. The men often have their favorite among their various concubines. The nobles have much stricter rules. Noble men may only take on a maximum of four concubines.
Outside of official business is the business of lovers. Lovers are by tradition of the same sex and have no legal connections, only emotional, romantic, and physical relations. Often these relationships are formed between a wealthy patron and an attractive youth from the Low Class, although there are no strict traditions regarding it.
Despite all this, some Edimmu may be completely monogamous, and may have sexual relations with only their spouse. Some take lovers when they are sexually unsatisfied, but many do not. The Edimmu generally try to keep the whole thing low-key, and are upset by how loud the Reguli are about it.
Or’Rouzi Culture
The Or’Rouzi are the indigenous of the northern territories beyond the Sea of Ashkar, and continue to make up a clear majority of those lands. Prior to being conquered by Ashkar, the Or’Rouzi lived in villages, towns, and cities, the largest cities becoming the cities of Hamusi and Gemeti. If the Ashkarians did not to utterly decimate the population, they would continue to do so.
Religion played a large part in Or’Rouzi society. The shamans were both the political leaders of their settlement as well as the religious leaders. Settlements were built out of wood, and were often walled by a collection of tall wooden spikes side by side. Warfare between city-states was common, so a type of defense was necessary. It did not, however, help during the Ashkarian takeover.
The Or’Rouzi, however, did not base their entire life on religion, and had an eclectic lifestyle. Their favorite sport and pastime is a type of association football, known as Ilihaus. Or’Rouzi also enjoy hearing the tales of professional storytellers and folklorists, and eventually wrote these down. Similar to their imperialist overlords, the Or’Rouzi formed a society made up of varied professions including builders, merchants, farmers, warriors, and shamans, among others.
Currently, Or’Rouzi is in a period of upheaval and disruption due to the Ashkarian invasion and their subsequent subjugation under the Rosians. Many Or’Rouzi from outside Ashkar proper are taken from their homes and sold as slaves to the rich and powerful. Many of the others have had their standard of living plummet in comparison to their ancestors, working as unskilled laborers in contruction projects for little money.
Rosian Culture
The Rosians originally were the result of the relations between Ashkarian soldiers and the indigenous Or’Rouzi, but today the origins of the Rosians are far more varied. The Rosians are the feudal lords of the northern territories, known as the Rosian Lands in their honor, instead of the Or’Rouzi majority. Despite their genetic ties with the Or’Rouzi, the Rosians elite are seldom beneficial to the Or’Rouzi majority. The Rosian nobility enjoys lavishness, wealth, and power, often building great architectural structures to expand their own glory.
The elite make up about a tenth of all Rosians. The rest serve as merchant and artisans, forming a type of proto-middle class. They are kinder and more beneficial to the Or’Rouzi, although their own interests are rarely the same as those of the Or’Rouzi, and their thoughts on their ruling brethren tend to be kinder.
The pride of the Rosians is Lord Addu ibn Baraku (508 – 596 E.C., 424 – 512 A.E.), who is the first major figure of Rosian intellectual thought. A philologist, social theorist, and philosopher, he was one of the major early figures Esagilianism. A rare philosopher to ultimately ignore metaphysics, he analyzed society and was a great influence on Dammu. As a philologist, he studied etymology and the meanings of texts, taking a critical outlook even on religious texts.
Reguli Culture
The Reguli immigrated to Ashkar first starting in 334 E.C. (250 A.E.), after their home was destroyed. They were in shambles after the destruction of Ilitscium, and a great many of them migrated to Ashkar. Poverty-stricken and depressed, things likely would have been quite different had it not been for the leadership of Philon the Great (69 – 290 A.E., 153 – 374 A.E.). They were disorganized and poor, but Philon made them an organized force, and gave them hope with his talk of divine providence.
The Reguli arrived in Gemeti, and while a few stayed most left further south, mainly to the cities of Ashkar and Argilu. They proved unpopular with the Edimmu natives at large, and Race Riots occurred in Ashkar against them, but King Samu-Sumu II was sympathetic to them, and such uprisings were quickly crushed through force of arms.
The Reguli tried to carry on as they once had before. Their standard of living had been greatly reduced, and now their home was a slum, and they were segregated away from the Edimmu majority. They found themselves barred from most professions. Prostitution, always a cultural landmark, thrived just as it had in their homeland, although now the prostitutes were destitute. Many Reguli turned to the mercantile professions, becoming merchants and financiers, while others worked inside their own community to improve the situation of the slums. The situation was better in Argilu than in Ashkar, as the mercantile rulers of Argilu were more accommodating to willing merchants, even though they were hostile to competition.
The Reguli brought forth a unique philosophy to Ashkar. They were hedonists in the absolute sense, and had a love of sensual pleasure. The Edimmu were not adverse to sensual pleasure, but they were unused to someone being so barefaced about it, and proclaiming wanton sex was a virtue rather a vice. Reguli thought was made clear by Philon the Great, who wrote plenty after arriving in Ashkar for the purpose of making clear Reguli thought and making it defensible. Philon wrote of the intrinsic value of life, and the purpose of pleasure in life as something that ought to be fulfilled. He made clear a monotheist doctrine completely foreign to the Ashkarians as well. Then he wrote the Praevian (283 A.E., 367 E.C.), a collection of five books that would soon become holy to the Reguli.
Antonia (500 – 698 E.C., 416 – 614 A.E.) brought philosophy further still with her own philosophy. Drawing from Inakkya, Edimmu defender of sex and sacred prostitution, and from the logician Zu-lum-ra, she sought to show Reguli religion was logically true. Those urges, for one thing, were not so bad, and were merely the attempts of the potentiality to reach its actuality, or the x to reach to y. Then there was the deal of the Divinitus, the Great Divine, also known as God, which she also calls the Demiurge or Great Architect, who she sees as a logical necessity for the creation of the world. She lived life as a mystic, focusing on meditation, the Divinitus, and the life of roving traveler.
Calendar
The current calendar was created by Adauya 460 E.C. (376 A.E.), who fine-tuned the earlier calendar by Apil-Seun in 160 E.C. (76 A.E.). There are four seasons, Elu-Karulla (Summer), Ahisthu, Ramman, and Aramma. Months are divided by the season they are in.
Elu-Karulla 1 (June)
Elu-Karulla 2 (July)
Elu-Karulla 3 (August)
Ahisthu 1 (September)
Ahisthu 2 (October)
Ahisthu 3 (November)
Ramman 1 (December)
Ramman 2 (January)
Ramman 3 (February)
Aramma 1 (March)
Aramma 2 (April)
Armma 3 (May)
Ashkarian society is split between the High Class and the Low Class, and no concept of a middle class exists in Ashkar. This is because the distinction High Class and Low Class is not truly based on wealth, although the High Class tend to be wealthy and the Low Class tend not to be. The true distinction was around power. The High Class consisted of those who ruled, and the Low Class consisted of those who were ruled over.
In recent times, the merchant profession has seen itself become steadily more profitable. In the mercantile and trading hub of Argilo, the Kingdom’s second largest city, the merchants have become so powerful they have effectively usurped the traditional nobility of their power in the city. They have subsequently acted little better or worse towards the populace.
Ashkar is a patriarchy, and males are in control of the political, social, religious, and military institutions of the civilization. In regards to families, fathers have power over the mothers. Inheritence is settled along the lines of primogeniture, with sons being given precedence over daughters in inheritance even in cases of seniority by the females. Women are not allowed to serve in the military at all.
Nonetheless, Ashkar has a given women a considerable (for a patriarchy) number of liberties. Traditional customs and written laws are clear that women have rights, although women are not equal to men. Women have the right to own businesses, make contracts in trade, and own property. Women can divorce their husbands without a reason given, and must simply bring forth their desire before a judge.
Although children are not considered property per say, they must obey an arranged marriage organized by their father. Divorce laws, however, make it so that the marriages could end as soon as that child turns sixteen. However, this is not a problem, as loyalty to the family as well as the tendency to gain an attachment to one’s spouse as time passes negates the desire.
Every man and woman’s profession is considered important for theological reasons. A profession is stated not to be merely a job, but each person’s small part in preserving the force of Order and fighting against the force of Chaos. Ashkarian society tends to lean towards collectivism and the greater good. The exception, of course, is with the King. No matter how tyrannical he is, his word is law.
The Edimmu are, in general, monogamous moderate polyamorists, and this is not so much of a contradiction. Marriage is strictly between a man and a woman, and its primary focus is on procreation and the proper raising of the young. Despite this, romance in marriage is seen as the ideal state, and idealists say it is actually the norm.
Concubinage is allowed only for the nobles and the royalty, and it is only allowed for men. For the royal family, it is expected that the princes and, above all, the King will take a good many number of concubines; at least a dozen. The men often have their favorite among their various concubines. The nobles have much stricter rules. Noble men may only take on a maximum of four concubines.
Outside of official business is the business of lovers. Lovers are by tradition of the same sex and have no legal connections, only emotional, romantic, and physical relations. Often these relationships are formed between a wealthy patron and an attractive youth from the Low Class, although there are no strict traditions regarding it.
Despite all this, some Edimmu may be completely monogamous, and may have sexual relations with only their spouse. Some take lovers when they are sexually unsatisfied, but many do not. The Edimmu generally try to keep the whole thing low-key, and are upset by how loud the Reguli are about it.
Or’Rouzi Culture
Contrary to popular Ashkarian mythology, the Or’Rouzi were not backward savages in need of civilization before their unwelcome arrival. Gemeti, founded three centuries prior to Ashkar, was once Sahba, and Hamusi, founded five centuries prior to Ashkar, was once Dil’miyun.
The Or’Rouzi are the indigenous of the northern territories beyond the Sea of Ashkar, and continue to make up a clear majority of those lands. Prior to being conquered by Ashkar, the Or’Rouzi lived in villages, towns, and cities, the largest cities becoming the cities of Hamusi and Gemeti. If the Ashkarians did not to utterly decimate the population, they would continue to do so.
Religion played a large part in Or’Rouzi society. The shamans were both the political leaders of their settlement as well as the religious leaders. Settlements were built out of wood, and were often walled by a collection of tall wooden spikes side by side. Warfare between city-states was common, so a type of defense was necessary. It did not, however, help during the Ashkarian takeover.
The Or’Rouzi, however, did not base their entire life on religion, and had an eclectic lifestyle. Their favorite sport and pastime is a type of association football, known as Ilihaus. Or’Rouzi also enjoy hearing the tales of professional storytellers and folklorists, and eventually wrote these down. Similar to their imperialist overlords, the Or’Rouzi formed a society made up of varied professions including builders, merchants, farmers, warriors, and shamans, among others.
Currently, Or’Rouzi is in a period of upheaval and disruption due to the Ashkarian invasion and their subsequent subjugation under the Rosians. Many Or’Rouzi from outside Ashkar proper are taken from their homes and sold as slaves to the rich and powerful. Many of the others have had their standard of living plummet in comparison to their ancestors, working as unskilled laborers in contruction projects for little money.
Rosian Culture
I am neither Edimmu nor Or’Rouzi, your majesty. I am of the Rosian line.
The Rosians originally were the result of the relations between Ashkarian soldiers and the indigenous Or’Rouzi, but today the origins of the Rosians are far more varied. The Rosians are the feudal lords of the northern territories, known as the Rosian Lands in their honor, instead of the Or’Rouzi majority. Despite their genetic ties with the Or’Rouzi, the Rosians elite are seldom beneficial to the Or’Rouzi majority. The Rosian nobility enjoys lavishness, wealth, and power, often building great architectural structures to expand their own glory.
The elite make up about a tenth of all Rosians. The rest serve as merchant and artisans, forming a type of proto-middle class. They are kinder and more beneficial to the Or’Rouzi, although their own interests are rarely the same as those of the Or’Rouzi, and their thoughts on their ruling brethren tend to be kinder.
The pride of the Rosians is Lord Addu ibn Baraku (508 – 596 E.C., 424 – 512 A.E.), who is the first major figure of Rosian intellectual thought. A philologist, social theorist, and philosopher, he was one of the major early figures Esagilianism. A rare philosopher to ultimately ignore metaphysics, he analyzed society and was a great influence on Dammu. As a philologist, he studied etymology and the meanings of texts, taking a critical outlook even on religious texts.
Reguli Culture
The Reguli immigrated to Ashkar first starting in 334 E.C. (250 A.E.), after their home was destroyed. They were in shambles after the destruction of Ilitscium, and a great many of them migrated to Ashkar. Poverty-stricken and depressed, things likely would have been quite different had it not been for the leadership of Philon the Great (69 – 290 A.E., 153 – 374 A.E.). They were disorganized and poor, but Philon made them an organized force, and gave them hope with his talk of divine providence.
The Reguli arrived in Gemeti, and while a few stayed most left further south, mainly to the cities of Ashkar and Argilu. They proved unpopular with the Edimmu natives at large, and Race Riots occurred in Ashkar against them, but King Samu-Sumu II was sympathetic to them, and such uprisings were quickly crushed through force of arms.
The Reguli tried to carry on as they once had before. Their standard of living had been greatly reduced, and now their home was a slum, and they were segregated away from the Edimmu majority. They found themselves barred from most professions. Prostitution, always a cultural landmark, thrived just as it had in their homeland, although now the prostitutes were destitute. Many Reguli turned to the mercantile professions, becoming merchants and financiers, while others worked inside their own community to improve the situation of the slums. The situation was better in Argilu than in Ashkar, as the mercantile rulers of Argilu were more accommodating to willing merchants, even though they were hostile to competition.
The Reguli brought forth a unique philosophy to Ashkar. They were hedonists in the absolute sense, and had a love of sensual pleasure. The Edimmu were not adverse to sensual pleasure, but they were unused to someone being so barefaced about it, and proclaiming wanton sex was a virtue rather a vice. Reguli thought was made clear by Philon the Great, who wrote plenty after arriving in Ashkar for the purpose of making clear Reguli thought and making it defensible. Philon wrote of the intrinsic value of life, and the purpose of pleasure in life as something that ought to be fulfilled. He made clear a monotheist doctrine completely foreign to the Ashkarians as well. Then he wrote the Praevian (283 A.E., 367 E.C.), a collection of five books that would soon become holy to the Reguli.
Antonia (500 – 698 E.C., 416 – 614 A.E.) brought philosophy further still with her own philosophy. Drawing from Inakkya, Edimmu defender of sex and sacred prostitution, and from the logician Zu-lum-ra, she sought to show Reguli religion was logically true. Those urges, for one thing, were not so bad, and were merely the attempts of the potentiality to reach its actuality, or the x to reach to y. Then there was the deal of the Divinitus, the Great Divine, also known as God, which she also calls the Demiurge or Great Architect, who she sees as a logical necessity for the creation of the world. She lived life as a mystic, focusing on meditation, the Divinitus, and the life of roving traveler.
Calendar
The current calendar was created by Adauya 460 E.C. (376 A.E.), who fine-tuned the earlier calendar by Apil-Seun in 160 E.C. (76 A.E.). There are four seasons, Elu-Karulla (Summer), Ahisthu, Ramman, and Aramma. Months are divided by the season they are in.
Elu-Karulla 1 (June)
Elu-Karulla 2 (July)
Elu-Karulla 3 (August)
Ahisthu 1 (September)
Ahisthu 2 (October)
Ahisthu 3 (November)
Ramman 1 (December)
Ramman 2 (January)
Ramman 3 (February)
Aramma 1 (March)
Aramma 2 (April)
Armma 3 (May)
Main Deities
Eliyahu – Allfather and King of the gods and god of the heavens
Ashrata – Consort of Eliyahu and goddess of motherhood and fertility
Iyanna – goddess of love, fertility, and warfare; the most popular deity
Ramman – god of rain, weather, storms, hurricanes, and thunder
Enka – goddess of crafts, skill, art, law and justice, civilization, mathematics, wisdom, and water
Anshur – god of the wind
Iluta – goddess of social justice and prophecy
Elu-Karulla – the sun goddess, and Khatalul’s consort
Khatalul – the moon god
Ninurta – champion of the gods and god of agriculture and manliness
Imkhas – god of war and destruction
Tummazi – god of food and vegetation
Arzigal – god of death
Nuu – goddess of darkness
Gabalu – the god of strength, heroes, athleticism, health, and beauty
The Holy Texts
The Abada (55 E.C., -29 A.E.)
Ekagony (186 E.C., 102 A.E.)
The Epic of Marduk (204 E.C., 120 A.E.)
The Epic of Urshum (414 E.C., 330 A.E.)
Isu’s Folktales (578 E.C., 494 A.E.)
Theology
According to the religion, there is a constant battle between order and chaos. The strongest force of Order is civilization and the layout of an orderly society. Each man, woman, and child is expected to do their duty to order and not become disorderly. Consequently, there is a strong focus on duty and rituals. Criminals, delinquents, and other malcontents help the forces of chaos through their disorderliness.
The world is cyclic. Although currently the forces of Order are in control, they will only be in control for so long, as things deteriorate over time. The forces of Chaos will once again rise and overtake the world, and it will descend into nothingness once again. However, the forces of Order shall once again rise and overtake chaos. This will happen forever.
The gods are the highest being and the objects of worship. They have interacted personally with mortals and gone among them on a number of occasions. One of the prominent features about them is a terrifying brightness around them known as “melammu,” which brought a feeling of awe and reverence to others who saw them. The gods are anthropomorphic and often acted like humans, but are thought to be more powerful, more knowledgeable, and above all immortal.
The afterlife is comparatively bleak compared to other religion such as Ilaism. The afterlife occurred in a land below the Earth called Suwala, and all go to here in death, regardless of their deeds in life, with the exception of Gabalu, who became a god. The souls are given no reward here, where they are surrounded in all-encompassing darkness and become meek and powerless ghosts.
The Myths
The traditional religion of Edimmu holds that there are many gods which are all worthy of worship, although some are more important than others. There are for instant the main deities and then dozens of named deities below them.
In the beginning there existed nothing except the primordial Chaos, and her name was Ghena, primordial goddess of Chaos. Then out of nothing came Eliyahu, whose very nature was the opposite of Ghena. Eliyahu confronted Ghena and defeated her, and from the bodies of chaos create the world.
However, Ghena had not truly disappeared. Chaos remained, and it was destined that one day Ghena would return to end the world and Chaos would once again reign. Even so, Order would not be vanquished completely either, and would once again triumph. This cycle will continue forever. Whether this is the first cycle is unclear and unknowable to mortals, and admitted by theologians to be statistically unlikely.
Eliyahu, upon creating the world, created his spouse Ashrata. They had children, and their children had offspring. Soon an entire pantheon of gods was born. The world, chaotic and unorganized, soon would become orderly. The world was infected with demons, creatures that were dedicated to the forces of chaos, led by the monstrous-looking winged Urlil, the demonic and ethereal vampiric spirit Lamashtu, who would suck the soul out of someone, and Zavreg, the first dragon.
With Eliyahu (Iyanna) as the general, the gods led the gods to fight against the demons. with Ninurta serving at the head of the army. Ninurta slew Urlil and Zavreg, but Lamashtu proved unassailable. The demons were driven to the edges of the world, and the world began to sprout as we would recognize it. The gods created plants, animals, and men.
The greatest gift of the gods to men was civilization. With the aid of the gods, the first kingdom was established under the rule of Alu-men-shar, the holiest of wise men to have ever lived. He was blessed and lived for millennia, and was consort to Iyanna. He eventually died, and his descendants were even more godlike. During this mythic period, the capital was moved several times, as the cities simply collapsed with age.
List of Antediluvian Kings
Alu-men-shar ruled 25,000 years
Abi-yanna-hu ruled 84,000 years
La-mun-sha-rum ruled 49,400 years
En-rim-shipar ruled 23,100 years
Dramizid ruled 36,000 years
En-shi-pra-ir ruled 66,000 years
Iralibashur ruled 35,000 years
Uti-zi-mashur ruled 17,000 years
The most famous of these clearly mythological kings was Dramizid. He was a shepherd, but he also became Iyanna’s lover, as she adored him. In one of the myths, Iyanna descends to the underworld, but is only allowed to return if an entourage of demons follow her. The myth originally went that the demons see Dramizid sitting peacefully alone and seize him immediately, and Iyanna slays Lamashtu for revenge. Later accounts say that the demons only attempted to seize Dramizid, and Iyanna saved him by slaying the demons. Then Dramizid ruled as the consort of Iyanna.
After Uti-zi-mashur’s death, a great flood came that covered over the entire world. The flood had come by divine intervention, as the world was not as it should be. Despite being an important event, the reasoning for the flood is not clear, although it seems the sins of mankind was responsible. Of the survivors, Noachanu is made king, as he is the most virtuous of men, and he reestablishes civilization.
List of Early Kings
Noachanu ruled 350 years
Qaradarqu ruled 225 years
Gabalu ruled 300 years
Darashqu ruled 240 years
Bira-itui ruled 280 years
Albo-hubur ruled 210 years
Dinuyashtur ruled 290 years
Marduk ruled 800 years
Makurahhu ruled 250 years
Ellulalahhu ruled 150 years
Mesh-ne ruled 70 years
Gabalu, who served as the third king, is the greatest of all the Epic Heroes of the Edimmu. He was born a sheepherder, and was said to be the most beautiful and pleasant of all the mortals. Eliyahu went down to the world and tried to abduct him, but Gabalu outran him. Eliyahu agreed to leave him alone if he could defeat Ninurta, and he did so. He promptly became a hero, doing a number of impossible things and becoming King of the land. He is fated to die a heroes death, and he does not try to escape his death. For Edimmu warriors, he is the ideal, an impossible perfect hero impossible to emulate. After death he was elevated as the god of strength, heroes, health, athleticism, and beauty.
Marduk, the eighth of the post-flood kings and a demi-god, and subject of the eponymous Epic, was initially a cruel king. When Kamesh went to stop him, both of them became distracted and travel to the abode of the gods and slay the monstrous Humbraaba, but Kamesh is killed after Marduk refuses the advances of Iyanna. Marduk mourns his best friend and fears for his own death, and mourns as he comes in grasp of achieving immortality but it is stolen from him.
After the death of Mesh-ne, Noachanu the city was destroyed by the new forces lead by the great conqueror Mar-Tu. Mar-Tu claimed to be the son of Iyanna, and is the first King to be known to be historical.
Eliyahu – Allfather and King of the gods and god of the heavens
Ashrata – Consort of Eliyahu and goddess of motherhood and fertility
Iyanna – goddess of love, fertility, and warfare; the most popular deity
Ramman – god of rain, weather, storms, hurricanes, and thunder
Enka – goddess of crafts, skill, art, law and justice, civilization, mathematics, wisdom, and water
Anshur – god of the wind
Iluta – goddess of social justice and prophecy
Elu-Karulla – the sun goddess, and Khatalul’s consort
Khatalul – the moon god
Ninurta – champion of the gods and god of agriculture and manliness
Imkhas – god of war and destruction
Tummazi – god of food and vegetation
Arzigal – god of death
Nuu – goddess of darkness
Gabalu – the god of strength, heroes, athleticism, health, and beauty
The Holy Texts
The Abada (55 E.C., -29 A.E.)
Ekagony (186 E.C., 102 A.E.)
The Epic of Marduk (204 E.C., 120 A.E.)
The Epic of Urshum (414 E.C., 330 A.E.)
Isu’s Folktales (578 E.C., 494 A.E.)
Theology
According to the religion, there is a constant battle between order and chaos. The strongest force of Order is civilization and the layout of an orderly society. Each man, woman, and child is expected to do their duty to order and not become disorderly. Consequently, there is a strong focus on duty and rituals. Criminals, delinquents, and other malcontents help the forces of chaos through their disorderliness.
The world is cyclic. Although currently the forces of Order are in control, they will only be in control for so long, as things deteriorate over time. The forces of Chaos will once again rise and overtake the world, and it will descend into nothingness once again. However, the forces of Order shall once again rise and overtake chaos. This will happen forever.
The gods are the highest being and the objects of worship. They have interacted personally with mortals and gone among them on a number of occasions. One of the prominent features about them is a terrifying brightness around them known as “melammu,” which brought a feeling of awe and reverence to others who saw them. The gods are anthropomorphic and often acted like humans, but are thought to be more powerful, more knowledgeable, and above all immortal.
The afterlife is comparatively bleak compared to other religion such as Ilaism. The afterlife occurred in a land below the Earth called Suwala, and all go to here in death, regardless of their deeds in life, with the exception of Gabalu, who became a god. The souls are given no reward here, where they are surrounded in all-encompassing darkness and become meek and powerless ghosts.
The Myths
The traditional religion of Edimmu holds that there are many gods which are all worthy of worship, although some are more important than others. There are for instant the main deities and then dozens of named deities below them.
In the beginning there existed nothing except the primordial Chaos, and her name was Ghena, primordial goddess of Chaos. Then out of nothing came Eliyahu, whose very nature was the opposite of Ghena. Eliyahu confronted Ghena and defeated her, and from the bodies of chaos create the world.
However, Ghena had not truly disappeared. Chaos remained, and it was destined that one day Ghena would return to end the world and Chaos would once again reign. Even so, Order would not be vanquished completely either, and would once again triumph. This cycle will continue forever. Whether this is the first cycle is unclear and unknowable to mortals, and admitted by theologians to be statistically unlikely.
Eliyahu, upon creating the world, created his spouse Ashrata. They had children, and their children had offspring. Soon an entire pantheon of gods was born. The world, chaotic and unorganized, soon would become orderly. The world was infected with demons, creatures that were dedicated to the forces of chaos, led by the monstrous-looking winged Urlil, the demonic and ethereal vampiric spirit Lamashtu, who would suck the soul out of someone, and Zavreg, the first dragon.
With Eliyahu (Iyanna) as the general, the gods led the gods to fight against the demons. with Ninurta serving at the head of the army. Ninurta slew Urlil and Zavreg, but Lamashtu proved unassailable. The demons were driven to the edges of the world, and the world began to sprout as we would recognize it. The gods created plants, animals, and men.
The greatest gift of the gods to men was civilization. With the aid of the gods, the first kingdom was established under the rule of Alu-men-shar, the holiest of wise men to have ever lived. He was blessed and lived for millennia, and was consort to Iyanna. He eventually died, and his descendants were even more godlike. During this mythic period, the capital was moved several times, as the cities simply collapsed with age.
List of Antediluvian Kings
Alu-men-shar ruled 25,000 years
Abi-yanna-hu ruled 84,000 years
La-mun-sha-rum ruled 49,400 years
En-rim-shipar ruled 23,100 years
Dramizid ruled 36,000 years
En-shi-pra-ir ruled 66,000 years
Iralibashur ruled 35,000 years
Uti-zi-mashur ruled 17,000 years
The most famous of these clearly mythological kings was Dramizid. He was a shepherd, but he also became Iyanna’s lover, as she adored him. In one of the myths, Iyanna descends to the underworld, but is only allowed to return if an entourage of demons follow her. The myth originally went that the demons see Dramizid sitting peacefully alone and seize him immediately, and Iyanna slays Lamashtu for revenge. Later accounts say that the demons only attempted to seize Dramizid, and Iyanna saved him by slaying the demons. Then Dramizid ruled as the consort of Iyanna.
After Uti-zi-mashur’s death, a great flood came that covered over the entire world. The flood had come by divine intervention, as the world was not as it should be. Despite being an important event, the reasoning for the flood is not clear, although it seems the sins of mankind was responsible. Of the survivors, Noachanu is made king, as he is the most virtuous of men, and he reestablishes civilization.
List of Early Kings
Noachanu ruled 350 years
Qaradarqu ruled 225 years
Gabalu ruled 300 years
Darashqu ruled 240 years
Bira-itui ruled 280 years
Albo-hubur ruled 210 years
Dinuyashtur ruled 290 years
Marduk ruled 800 years
Makurahhu ruled 250 years
Ellulalahhu ruled 150 years
Mesh-ne ruled 70 years
Gabalu, who served as the third king, is the greatest of all the Epic Heroes of the Edimmu. He was born a sheepherder, and was said to be the most beautiful and pleasant of all the mortals. Eliyahu went down to the world and tried to abduct him, but Gabalu outran him. Eliyahu agreed to leave him alone if he could defeat Ninurta, and he did so. He promptly became a hero, doing a number of impossible things and becoming King of the land. He is fated to die a heroes death, and he does not try to escape his death. For Edimmu warriors, he is the ideal, an impossible perfect hero impossible to emulate. After death he was elevated as the god of strength, heroes, health, athleticism, and beauty.
Marduk, the eighth of the post-flood kings and a demi-god, and subject of the eponymous Epic, was initially a cruel king. When Kamesh went to stop him, both of them became distracted and travel to the abode of the gods and slay the monstrous Humbraaba, but Kamesh is killed after Marduk refuses the advances of Iyanna. Marduk mourns his best friend and fears for his own death, and mourns as he comes in grasp of achieving immortality but it is stolen from him.
After the death of Mesh-ne, Noachanu the city was destroyed by the new forces lead by the great conqueror Mar-Tu. Mar-Tu claimed to be the son of Iyanna, and is the first King to be known to be historical.
The Or’Rouzi folk religion has been practiced by the Or’Rouzi for as long as it has been known, since time immemorial. As anthropology is yet to exist, no detailed studies on the roots of the religion has been done.
The Or’Rouzi folk religion is widely animist. It holds that it is not humans, Edimmu, Zaqiri, et cetera alone that have a spiritual essence or soul. Animals, plants, rocks, and inanimate objects also possess a soul. All things which have a soul are said to possess personhood and all things, in essence, are equal.
Worship takes the form of veneration of ancestors. The dead are buried in large burial grounds, each person having a mound which has their name carved in. After they die, their spirits are said to live on and watch over their descendants. As time passes, their essence slowly ascends, and they are said to become “divine.” They remain watchers, but they are no longer truly human. The ancestors are venerated in order that they may continue to watch over them even in death and bless them, and so that they will not become angry due to neglect.
The world was created by the first being and trickster spirit Siwa, who is said to still enjoy tricking the men, animals, and spirits of the world. The earth was at first only water, but then from the water earth sprouted, and then came the plants and animals.
There is said to be a world separate from the physical world, which is called the spiritual realm. Although things there are not said to be reversed, it is said to be the “other side” of existence. This is where spirits, divine beings, and demons dwell. The spirits and divine have already been dealt with. The demons are similar to the divine, but they are malevolent spiritual beings who were corrupted through negative emotion, and are believed to mostly consist of ancestral spirits who were neglected.
Religious worship is led by the shamans, who lead the religious ceremonies of the Or’Rouzi. When someone is born, a shaman blesses them. The shaman blesses both the husband and wife in a wedding, sanctifying the marriage. Burials and funerals as well are led by the shamans. In the religious ceremony, the Chanting of the Sun, which occurs at sundown at the end of every month, the chant is led by the shaman.
Shamans reach altered states of consciousness through forms of religious ecstasy. During these trances, they are said to wander around the spiritual realm and converse with spirits. It is for this reason they are revered.
The Or’Rouzi folk religion is widely animist. It holds that it is not humans, Edimmu, Zaqiri, et cetera alone that have a spiritual essence or soul. Animals, plants, rocks, and inanimate objects also possess a soul. All things which have a soul are said to possess personhood and all things, in essence, are equal.
Worship takes the form of veneration of ancestors. The dead are buried in large burial grounds, each person having a mound which has their name carved in. After they die, their spirits are said to live on and watch over their descendants. As time passes, their essence slowly ascends, and they are said to become “divine.” They remain watchers, but they are no longer truly human. The ancestors are venerated in order that they may continue to watch over them even in death and bless them, and so that they will not become angry due to neglect.
The world was created by the first being and trickster spirit Siwa, who is said to still enjoy tricking the men, animals, and spirits of the world. The earth was at first only water, but then from the water earth sprouted, and then came the plants and animals.
There is said to be a world separate from the physical world, which is called the spiritual realm. Although things there are not said to be reversed, it is said to be the “other side” of existence. This is where spirits, divine beings, and demons dwell. The spirits and divine have already been dealt with. The demons are similar to the divine, but they are malevolent spiritual beings who were corrupted through negative emotion, and are believed to mostly consist of ancestral spirits who were neglected.
Religious worship is led by the shamans, who lead the religious ceremonies of the Or’Rouzi. When someone is born, a shaman blesses them. The shaman blesses both the husband and wife in a wedding, sanctifying the marriage. Burials and funerals as well are led by the shamans. In the religious ceremony, the Chanting of the Sun, which occurs at sundown at the end of every month, the chant is led by the shaman.
Shamans reach altered states of consciousness through forms of religious ecstasy. During these trances, they are said to wander around the spiritual realm and converse with spirits. It is for this reason they are revered.
Divinitism was introduced into Ashkar during the great Reguli Exodus of the 4th century E.C., as Ilitscium had been destroyed in the war with Zaqir. Ashkar blames it all on Zaqir. An influx of Divinitist Reguli entered Ashkar, and since then they have been about eight percent of Ashkar’s population.
The Divinitists believe in the "Divinitus" or "Grand Divine", an omnipotent being who takes on different forms depending on who see them and is the ruler of their Nobililis, the hivemind the Reguli. Their creation myth is that the Divinitus had created the world and then summoned life out of the sea. The Regulii will often change the Divinitus's gender at will as they believe it does not matter and worship the Divinitus by way of prayer, meditation and what can only be called "holy orgies".
The Divinitists found themselves in slums, and were unable to build the larger temples that they were used to. Instead, they were forced to found the smaller houses of worship known as Churches. The churches were often the center of the communities, and priests often served as community leaders. Many Edimmu (erroneously) view Divinitists as immoral sex worshippers.
The Divinitists believe in the "Divinitus" or "Grand Divine", an omnipotent being who takes on different forms depending on who see them and is the ruler of their Nobililis, the hivemind the Reguli. Their creation myth is that the Divinitus had created the world and then summoned life out of the sea. The Regulii will often change the Divinitus's gender at will as they believe it does not matter and worship the Divinitus by way of prayer, meditation and what can only be called "holy orgies".
The Divinitists found themselves in slums, and were unable to build the larger temples that they were used to. Instead, they were forced to found the smaller houses of worship known as Churches. The churches were often the center of the communities, and priests often served as community leaders. Many Edimmu (erroneously) view Divinitists as immoral sex worshippers.
Illaism declares there is only one God, the omnipotent Illa. There are no holy figures and prophets, only Illa, who spread the faith among the Ayels. When the faithful die, their service is reward in death, as their souls go to the moon. The Ayels are the chosen people of Illa, who generally hide from the public eye, communicating only with the Prophet of Yossod.
Illaism is a rapidly growing movement in Ashkar. It was first spread by missionaries from Yossod who had went to the Or’Rouzi colonies to spread the faith. It struck a chord with many of the Or’Rouzi. Having lived in serfdom and slavery and their old shamans being unable to give any reprieve, many of the Or’Rouzi have seen hope in Illaism and converted. About a tenth of all the Or’Rouzi have converted after the faith having been active for a century. The Ashkarians have not interfered in the spread of Or’Rouzi.
According to religious legend, the first convert was Sulay ibn Asyir (444 – 512 E.C., 360 – 428 A.E.). Sulay subsequently was one of the key missionaries of the early period. Many missionaries were driven away by the power of the shamans, and some were martyred. However, many were not, as the Or’Rouzi were looking for something new. This new faith brought them hope.
In the next century, the key figure of Illaism in Ashkar was the holy man Jabrir ibn Bakr (326 – 487 E.C., 400 – 471 A.E.). Converted to Illaism by Sulay ibn Asyir, followed him until his death, and then spent ten years in the desert. He reemerged from the desert in 522 E.C. (438 A.E.) and rapidly became the leader of the Illaist community. By 500 A.E., a tenth of the Or’Rouzi and a smaller portion of Rosians were converted to Illaism.
Illaism is a rapidly growing movement in Ashkar. It was first spread by missionaries from Yossod who had went to the Or’Rouzi colonies to spread the faith. It struck a chord with many of the Or’Rouzi. Having lived in serfdom and slavery and their old shamans being unable to give any reprieve, many of the Or’Rouzi have seen hope in Illaism and converted. About a tenth of all the Or’Rouzi have converted after the faith having been active for a century. The Ashkarians have not interfered in the spread of Or’Rouzi.
According to religious legend, the first convert was Sulay ibn Asyir (444 – 512 E.C., 360 – 428 A.E.). Sulay subsequently was one of the key missionaries of the early period. Many missionaries were driven away by the power of the shamans, and some were martyred. However, many were not, as the Or’Rouzi were looking for something new. This new faith brought them hope.
In the next century, the key figure of Illaism in Ashkar was the holy man Jabrir ibn Bakr (326 – 487 E.C., 400 – 471 A.E.). Converted to Illaism by Sulay ibn Asyir, followed him until his death, and then spent ten years in the desert. He reemerged from the desert in 522 E.C. (438 A.E.) and rapidly became the leader of the Illaist community. By 500 A.E., a tenth of the Or’Rouzi and a smaller portion of Rosians were converted to Illaism.
Demographics
Total Population: 9,804,000
Species/Ethnicities
Edimmu: 8,275,500 (84.65%)
Reguli: 800,000 (8.19%)
Or’Rouzi: 610,500 (6.24%)
Rosians: 118,000 (0.92%)
Religion
Edimmu Polytheism: 8,388,250 (85.56%)
Divinitism: 800,000 (8.19%)
Or’Rouzi Folk Religion: 549,450 (5.6%)
Illaism: 65,800 (0.65%)
Religions by Species/Ethnicity
Edimmu: 8,275,500
Reguli: 800,000
Or’Rouzi: 610,500
Rosians: 118,000
Rosian Lands
Gemeti: 400,000
Ibbi-Sin: 150,000
Kamasi: 100,000
Lenaza: 100,000
Hamusi: 250,000
The Heart of the Kingdom
Ashkar: 1,300,000
Layahu: 400,000
Enkidu: 300,000
Yaz: 300,000
Dyena: 800,000
Iliung: 800,000
Hegal: 300,000
The East
Anvor: 500,000
Sumarael: 300,000
Argilu: 1,000,000
Dipatsu: 200,000
Edigu: 300,000
Uzubar: 400,000
The Frontier
Gan-Sannu: 400,000
Allumana: 350,000
Dumuzi: 350,000
Eridug: 300,000
Marlishtar: 300,000
Lana: 400,000
Total Population: 9,804,000
Species/Ethnicities
Edimmu: 8,275,500 (84.65%)
Reguli: 800,000 (8.19%)
Or’Rouzi: 610,500 (6.24%)
Rosians: 118,000 (0.92%)
Religion
Edimmu Polytheism: 8,388,250 (85.56%)
Divinitism: 800,000 (8.19%)
Or’Rouzi Folk Religion: 549,450 (5.6%)
Illaism: 65,800 (0.65%)
Religions by Species/Ethnicity
Edimmu: 8,275,500
- Edimmu Polytheism: 8,275,500 (100%)
Reguli: 800,000
- Divinitism: 800,000
Or’Rouzi: 610,500
- Or’Rouzi Folk Religion: 549,450 (90%)
- Illaism: 60,550 (10%)
Rosians: 118,000
- Edimmu Polytheism: 112,750 (95.55%)
- Illaism: 5,250 (4.45%)
Rosian Lands
Gemeti: 400,000
- 208,000 Or’Rouzi (52%)
Or’Rouzi Folk Religion: 187,200 (90%)
Illaism: 20,800 (10%) - 140,000 Edimmu (35%)
- 40,000 Rosians (10%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 38,400 (96%)
Illaism: 1,600 (4%) - 12,000 Reguli (2%)
Ibbi-Sin: 150,000
- 100,000 Or’Rouzi (60%)
Or’Rouzi Folk Religion: 90,000 (90%)
Illaism: 10,000 (10%) - 30,500 Edimmu (27%)
- 19,500 Rosians (13%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 19,110 (98%)
Illaism: 390 (2%)
Kamasi: 100,000
- 65,000 Or’Rouzi (65%)
Or’Rouzi Folk Religion: 58,500 (90%)
Illaism: 6,500 (10%) - 23,000 Edimmu (23%)
- 12,000 Rosians (12%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 11,760 (98%)
Illaism: 240 (2%)
Lenaza: 100,000
- 75,000 Or’Rouzi (75%)
Or’Rouzi Folk Religion: 67,500 (90%)
Illaism: 7,500 (10%) - 14,000 Rosians (14%)
Eddimu Polytheism: 13,580 (97%)
Illaism: 420 (3%) - 11,000 Edimmu (11%)
Hamusi: 250,000
- 162,500 Or’Rouzi (60%)
Or’Rouzi Folk Religion: 146,250 (90%)
Illaism: 16,250 (10%) - 32,500 Rosians (13%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 29,900 (92%)
Illaism: 2,600 (8%) - 47,500 Edimmu (19%)
- 7,500 Reguli (3%)
The Heart of the Kingdom
Ashkar: 1,300,000
- 969,500 Edimmu (74.6%)
Divinitism: 969,500 (100%) - 330,500 Reguli (25.4%)
Divinitism: 330,500 (100%)
Layahu: 400,000
- 360,000 Edimmu (90%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 360,000 (100%) - 40,000 Reguli (10%)
Divinitism: 40,000 (100%)
Enkidu: 300,000
- 98,000 Edimmu (98%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 98,000 (100%) - 6,000 Reguli (2%)
Divinitism: 6,000 (100%)
Yaz: 300,000
- 297,000 Edimmu (99%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 297,000 (100%) - 3,000 Reguli (1%)
Divinitism: 3,000 (100%)
Dyena: 800,000
- 760,000 Edimmu (95%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 760,000 (100%) - 40,000 Reguli (5%)
Divinitism: 40,000 (100%)
Iliung: 800,000
- 728,000 Edimmu (91%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 728,000 (100%) - 72,000 Reguli (9%)
Divinitism: 72,000 (100%)
Hegal: 300,000
- 300,000 Edimmu (100%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 300,000 (100%)
The East
Anvor: 500,000
- 475,000 Edimmu (95%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 475,000 (100%) - 25,000 Reguli (5%)
Divinitism: 25,000 (100%)
Sumarael: 300,000
- 297,000 Edimmu (99%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 297,000 (100%) - 3,000 Reguli (1%)
Divinitism: 3,000 (100%)
Argilu: 1,000,000
- 779,000 Edimmu (77.9%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 779,000 (100%) - 221,000 Reguli (22.1%)
Divinitism: 221,000 (100%)
Dipatsu: 200,000
- 184,000 Edimmu (92%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 184,000 (100%) - 16,000 Reguli (8%)
Divinitism: 16,000 (100%)
Edigu: 300,000
- 292,000 Edimmu (98%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 292,000 (100%) - 8,000 Reguli (2%)
Divinitism: 8,000 (100%)
Uzubar: 400,000
- 384,000 Edimmu (96%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 384,000 (100%) - 16,000 Reguli (4%)
Divinitism: 16,000 (100%)
The Frontier
Gan-Sannu: 400,000
- 400,000 Edimmu (100%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 400,000 (100%)
Allumana: 350,000
- 350,000 Edimmu (100%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 350,000 (100%)
Dumuzi: 350,000
- 350,000 Edimmu (100%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 350,000 (100%)
Eridug: 300,000
- 300,000 Edimmu (100%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 300,000 (100%)
Marlishtar: 300,000
- 300,000 Edimmu (100%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 300,000 (100%)
Lana: 400,000
- 400,000 Edimmu (100%)
Edimmu Polytheism: 400,000 (100%)
States of Evolution
Late Ancient Era Nation Summary
The flag of Ashkar, symbolizing the unity and division of the gods.The Kingdom of Ashkar
Lightning Summary: Often described as a mystical and esotic land, Ashkar is a land where the King is said to be of divine blood and he rules with absolute power. Here, the humanities and sciences have always flourished. Religion and the gods take a central role, and each individual wishes to contribute in the eternal struggle between order and chaos. The people may look soft, but they are not. No matter how many crises occur, the people will endure.
Population: 10,000,000
- Edimmu: 8,520,000 (85.2%)
- Reguli: 800,000 (8%)
- Or’Rouzi: 600,000 (6%)
- Rosians: 80,000 (0.8%)
Religions:
- Edimmu Polytheism (state religion): 8,600,000 (86%)
99.07% Edimmu
0.93% Rosian - Divinitism : 800,000 (8%)
100% Reguli - Or’Rouzi Folk Religion 540,000 (5.4%)
100% Or'Rouzi - Ilaism: 60,000 (0.6%)
100% Or'Rouzi
- Edimmu
100% Edimmu Polytheism - Reguli
100% Divinitism - Or'Rouzi
90% Or'Rouzi Folk Religion
10% Ilaism
Famous Technological Developments:
- Philosophy – 3 A.E.
- Sophisticated Astronomy – 281 A.E.
- Catapult – 408 A.E.
State Government:
- Name: Despotism
- Type: Monarchy
- Girbranu – King of Ashkar
- Sumarael – Crown-Prince of Ashkar
- Dimtu – minister of counsel concerning “special cases” (spymaster)
- Hamsu – minister of counsel for diplomatic matters
- Elurmu – minister of counsel the treasury
- Tegal – Chaplain of the Royal CourtInfrastructure Summary
Capital City:- Ashkar
- Known For: Center of Culture, the Arts, Sciences, and Religion
Other Major Cities:- Argilo
- Known For: Trade Hub
- Gabala-du
- Known For: Metal and Jewels Production
- Iliung
- Known For: Marble Production and Engineering
- Ashkar
Transportation Network Summary: There is a system of roads of stone that create a path to all the cities, and they are always a top priority. They are a consistent public work project which the King ensures is in good condition. As a steed, people use unicorns to travel. They are used either alone or to carry a carriage or caravan. Fezagh, large and brutish but loyal animals, are often used as large, moving caravans. Fezagh, due to their strength, lessen the need for bodyguard mercenaries. Fezaghs are also occasionally used to travel, which are far slower but their incredible strength guarantees safety.
Military Summary
Standing Army Size: 100,000
Crisis Army Size: 400,000
Outline of Military Tactics and Doctrine: Ashkar has held a professional army since Sumarael the Great organized it into one almost five-hundred years ago. Its core is the heavy infantry, covered in armor of leather and iron, whose main weapon is an iron spear along with their iron shields. The infantry is supported by arches, who shoot bows with iron tips with wooden bows, which can kill enemies from far away. Light infantry consists of men in leather armor, who are armed with javelins and swords. Unicorns are used as cavalry, and will carry a cavalryman wielding a long spear. Their horns are used to great effectiveness. Chariots were drawn by a pair of unicorn and holding a spearman and a pair of archers, and are used to break the enemy’s formation. The Fezagh are used as a type of heavy cavalry, and are used to break enemy formation.
Ashkar has a sense of military tactics. The army generally stands in an organized formation, although this does not extend to the light infantry, whose chief strength is mobility. The heavy infantry can engage in a shield wall formation, which will block any from breaking their formation.
Navy Size: 350
- Heavy Ships - 50
- Medium Ships - 230
- Light Ships – 70
Crisis Navy Size: 800
Outline of Naval Tactics and Doctrine: Once the Ashkarian navy had been built and designed solely to counter Zaqir’s raiding-base naval forces, the end of the raids and wars between the two have led to a complete restructuring of the navy. Heavy ships serve as the center of the navy as the powerful vanguard supported by the medium ships, while the light ships serve an auxiliary role. Consisting of galleys, the method of destroying enemy ships consists of ramming them to pieces. This does not cause real damage to the ship which is engaging in the ramming. In regards to many things, it is clear that the navy is modeled on Zaqir’s.
Industry and Trade Summary
Nation's Natural Resources: iron, bronze, obsidian, livestock, wheat, barley, grapes, olives, papyrus, stone, marble, clay, jade, silk, gold
Goods Available for Trade: raw natural resources listed above, weapons of iron and bronze, jewelry, wine
Trade Pacts: Zaqir and the Scalethein Empire
Estimated National Income Through Trade: 20%
Through Their Eyes...
Leaders
Character Name: Girbranu Mar-tu
Character Gender: Male
Character Race: Edimmu
Character Age: 30
Character Appearance: Girbranu is short. His hair is fine and others have called him “pretty,” his eyes gushing with innocence.
Character's Role Within Nation: King of Ashkar, Shepherd of the Edimmu People
Character Background Info: The son of a cruel and egotistical tyrant, he thankfully did not take after his father. He is unable to excel in anything, and has a fragile soul and reserved nature. It is precisely for this reason that he became beloved by the people. As a youth he would try to impress his domineering and tyrannical father. He never would. When he was seventeen, he became King. He always preferred men to women but, in typical Edimmu fashion, he still took a slept with a wife. Her name was Misira. In the plague, Misira died, and Girbranu wept and mourned bitterly. He was soon pressured into marrying again, this time to a young noble woman named Karalia. Girbranu was surprised by her spirited attitude, and she helped him get through the mourning process. About a year ago he first encountered Hugu, and felt as if he had been swept off the floor. The two are lovers today.
Other: Insulting his father, no matter how well-warranted, is the only thing that can make him angry.
Character Name: Karalia
Character Gender: Female
Character Race: Edimmu
Character Age: 23
Character Appearance: Karalia has above-average physical attractiveness, a clean complexion and an unusually thin figure even after pregnancy.
Character's Role Within Nation: The Royal Consort
Character Background Info: She was born into the high nobility, being the son of a Duke. She was a woman with both a strong heart and strong personality, her animated yet polite personality made it so she was able to thrive in the political arena of noble courts. She was glad to do so, as being a passive woman never interested her. She was the candidate for marriage to the King that eventually went through, marrying King Girbranu. She surprised the timid King, and she helped him get through his mourning crisis.
Other: She is a fearsome woman who will always stand up for her husband, as he has a problem doing this himself.
Character Name: Sumarael
Character Gender: Male
Character Race: Edimmu
Character Age: 12
Character Appearance: Sumarael is still a child, small but growing. His features are strong, and his hair is long.
Character’s Role Within Nation: The Crown Prince
Character Background Info: Sumarael is the son of King Girbranu and his former consort Misira. He was born with a fraternal twin, and her name Assiriya. The two were extraordinarily close, but during the Plague Assiriya died along with his mother, and his father mourned them bitterly. Sumarael as well would be haunted by the very memory. He always had a tense relationship with his mother-in-law Karalia. When he five, he began to be tutored by the famed Sophist Gishru. However, the teacher’s thoughts on virtue and goodness seemed to fall flat. He has been spending some time with Atu instead…
Others: Everyday he seems more and more like his grandfather, although only time will tell what the result will be.
Character Name: Edu
Character Gender: Male
Character Age: 5
Character Race: Edimmu
Character Appearance: Edu is small and growing. He tends to stare, and has a spacey look in his eyes.
Character’s Role Within Nation: Prince
Character Background Info: Edu is a young child, who is in many ways still developing. He is constantly curious, always asking questions.
Character Name: Atu
Character Gender: male
Character Age: 86
Character Appearance: Atu looks every bit his age. His hair has the characteristic longness (down below his waist), but has grayed. He has a stern, serious, and noble expression and a thin figure. He wears the flowing brown robes of the magistrates.
Character’s Role Within Nation: Minister of Counsel concerning “special matters”
Character Background Info: An austere man with an incredible intellect, he has served in the government palace for seventy years, serving with distinction. He knows everything there is to know about plotting and counterplotting there is. He is cold and calculating along with being a realist. However, he has no real ambitions, and has utter loyalty to the King, and intends on having the King keep all of his power.
Character Name: Assuritu
Character Gender: Male
Character Race: Edimmu
Character Age: 20
Character Appearance: Assuritu has a sharp appearance, and well-groomed hair.
Character's Role Within Nation: Court Noble; Count of Salimat
Character Background Info: Assuritu is a young and ambitious noble hailing from eastern Ashkar, best known for their rebellion. His family was among the nobles who were disgraced by King Anvor III. Assuritu would like to see his family once again become prominent and to increase his own personal power.
Government Officials
Character Name: Gishru
Character Gender: Male
Character Race: Edimmu
Character Age: 64
Character Appearance: His hair is long, but slightly short for an Edimmu, and his appearance is youthful. His expression is always emotionless.
Character's Role Within Nation: The Royal Tutor
Character Background Info: Previously the greatest of the living public teachers of morals. Born into the middle nobility, at the age of fifteen he began to read Amartu and his path in life was chosen. At the age of nineteen he left to join the Academy, but soon became dissatisfied, seeing the Academicians as arrogant agnostics. What really bothered him was that they discussed metaphysical skepticism, and not virtues and ethics. He became a Sophist, who became famous for speaking virtue among the people for money. Gishru was hired as the royal tutor for King Girbranu’s two sons.
Other: Along with his career as an eminent orator on morality, he wrote a number of tracts, treatises, and essays; Essays on Morality (565 E.C., 481 A.E.), On Morality (558 E.C., 474 A.E.), The Realization of Virtue (563 E.C., 479 A.E.) and Ethics (572 E.C., 488 A.E.).
Character Name: Hugu
Character Gender: male
Character Age: 29
Character Race: Edimmu
Character Appearance: Hugu is noted for his great physical attractiveness, which was what drew the eye of the King. He is thin and tall yet also quite muscular.
Character’s Role Within Nation: Chief personal aide and bodyguard to the King.
Character Background Info: Born into the warrior class, he entered into the Ashkarian Ring of Valor as a gladiator. He was incredibly unpopular with the organizers, and he would only fight in fair duels. Then he won the Almurzani and became famous. Although Girbranu does not like the arena, that was where he caught he first saw Girbranu. After a number of chance and picturesque encounters, the two of them become lovers, and Hugu became the chief personal aide to the King.
other: He is definitely the dominant half of the relationship.
Character Name: Dammu
Character Gender: Male
Character Race: Edimmu
Character Age: 26
Character Appearance: Dammu is a young Edimmu. He is plain-looking and does not stand out.
Character's Role Within Nation: Royal Aide
Character Background Info: Dammu is a commoner who went to work into the Palace in order to help support his family, struggling from the loss of income that came with the death of half of his extended family. Now he works as the Royal Aide, conducting business people have the King as a third party.
Other: Despite being a commoner, he is extraordinarily concerned with intellectual matters. He went in to the streets and talked with the teachers and sophists in order to learn philosophy and history, and his role as Royal Aide has made his quest much easier.
Generals
Character Name: Pelim
Character Gender: Female
Character Race: Elan
Character Age: 38
Character Appearance: Covered always in an array of garments befitting a great alchemist, his features are fair but fragile, and are rarely seen. Like other Elan, his skin is extremely pale and white in color.
Character’s Role within Nation: A rising star of the army of Ela’Susam; former alchemist
Character Background Info: A talented and famed alchemist, he eventually revealed his prowess at combat while commandeering a band of mercenaries his father had hire while overthrowing the old King Mekh. Since then, he has been steadily rising the ranks, but the old military brass is distrustful.
Scientists/Inventors
Character Name: Amanu
Character Gender: Male
Character Race: Edimmu
Character Age: 45
Character Appearance: Amanu is a reasonable good-looking Edimmu, although he has a number of average flaws with his complexion. He generally seems to neglect his grooming, especially his hair.
Character's Role Within Nation: Doctor and Biologist
Character Background Info: Amanu is the son of a history teacher who taught philosophy. Amanu would go down a different path, although his father’s love of philosophy was passed down. He became a doctor. Influenced by Esagilio’s confidence in scientific experimentation and impressed by his biological methodology, he sought to continue where he left off in biology. He has a reputation as an elite doctor, and he is trying to promote his own studies in biology.
Other: Amanu is an enthusiastic Esagilian, and he has eclectic interests that include philosophy and poetry. He never engages in the latter, having no skill in it.
Character Name: Ellapu
Character Gender: Male
Character Race: Edimmu
Character Age: 81
Character Appearance: He is now beginning to look older, although he doesn’t tend to care of such things. In recent years he has put on considerable weight.
Character's Role Within Nation: Botanist, Biologist, and Anatomist; former Doctor
Character Background Info: Born into a long family of doctors, he took up the family position. Gaining fame for his skill, he once was the personal physician to a number of wealthy and powerful patrons but, as he himself as said, “that was a long time ago.” Now, he is mostly interested in physiology, having since retired from the medical profession after having acquired a large sum of money.
Other: His wife, Abalya, has always been very supportive. He is estranged from his son, who disapproves vehemently of his dissection of human corpses.
Explorers
< E M P T Y >
Soldiers
< E M P T Y >
Common Folk
Character Name: Idris
Character Gender: Male
Character Race: Or’Rouzi
Character Age: 20
Character Appearance: He has a youthful appearance, yet appears waifish and thin. His clothes is ragged and well-worn.
Character’s Role Within Nation: stoneworker
Character Background Info: Born into a family of Or’Rouzi workers, he was little higher than those fellow Or’Rouzi who worked as chattel slavery. Since he was ten years old, Idris has been engaged in wage slavery, working for very little under the Lord of the Manor.
