Kingdom Profiles ~ Raykin

[annarti.livejournal.com]

This took half an hour to just code =D;;; Template nabbed from billraddish and poked a bit to fit what I have. I had a few profiles before, but they weren't particularly good, so, bettter ones =D

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Land and history

Geography
Primarily red, sandy desert, sparsely vegetated with spinifex and saltbush, with a few palms by the river. Stony desert in the north-west, unvegetated dunes in south-east, north-east hillier with more spinifex, as well as dry, brown grass. The Ra-Lin is the river of Raykin running from north-east to the sea in the south-west. Main transport route and water source. Oases in desert that dry up within a month or two.

Population and Density
Generally confined to cities and towns along the Ra-Lin, few living in the desert.
Major population centres:
Ni-Yana: 5000
Ni-Qewira: 3500
Ni-Aneka: 2000
Ni-Mytaa: 2000
Ni-Badra: 1000
Ni-Yuyaa: 1000
Ni-Menoa: 750
Ni-Horia: 136
Total: 17 500

System of Government
Monarchy, ruled primarily by the king or queen who is the descendent of Qewir, though his/her spouse does hold much power. Generally the monarch deals with issues relating to lands outside Raykinian borders or with the more major issues within them. All other problems are directed to the police or the administrations type people (all of whom are scribes, but not all scribes deal with this kind of thing).

Industry, Currency and Trade
Trade most with Llayad and, reluctantly, with Kazin. Raykin imports most of the raw materials, such as wood, then exports finished pieces like furniture or pottery. For the upper class, Llayan rugs are much sought-after, and will go in pride of place in a villa. In return, Llayad prizes Raykinian artwork.
Aside from wood and steel, Raykin is pretty much self sufficient. They have extensive farming along the Ra-Lin, and know well how to conserve water.

Main Historical Events
0: First yrae discovered. Others were probably discovered earlier, but this was the most significant
7: Kingdom of Yraekin founded by Yan—extended through the river systems of all Tsyllaes.
33: King Yan killed, family banished to the desert, Qewir crowned king, kingdom renamed to Raykin
254: Northern region rebelled and became their own kingdom—presently northern Kazin
302: Northern Kazin reclaimed
989: Kazin broke off again, this time including the mountain regions—all of present day Kazin and northern Llayad
1239: Kazin took control of half the Ra-Lin and Tsayla rivers
1468: Kazin ruled all of present day Raykin and Llayad
1503: Tsayth broke off from Raykin and drove Kazin back
1567: Raykin reassumed itself, tried to take Llayad as well, but Llayad defended by Tsayth and declared own kingdom
1853: Raykin invaded Kazin
1934: Kazin drove Raykin back
2000: Second yrae discovered, but nobody knew about it save the desert people
2345: Kazin invaded Raykin
2480: Raykin returned the favour. Again.
2566: Kazin drove Raykin back. Again.
4000: Third yrae discovered, but again, nobody knew about it. Even the desert people are dubious

Language
Soft and mumbling. They never use harsh sounds in the language (S, Z, X, T, J), and if they come up in a foreign name or word, they pronounce them as though they have a lisp. Z in particular they have trouble with. They’re particularly fond of M, N, Y, L, W, R and vowels. Q is pronounced as K, unless followed by a U, in which case it sounds like it does in English.

People

Family Structure and Roles
Mother: Runs the household, looks after children, cooks, often works
Father: Works, does wife’s bidding when he’s home, except cooking
Children: Usually three per family. Taught from a young age how to do various chores, girls especially taught how to cook
Desert people: Each tribe is headed by a group of around six men, depending on how large the tribe is. Men do the hunting, women cook, and everyone helps with whatever else needs doing.

Crime and Punishment

If someone is found guilty of murder, or even plotting murder, they are put to death, whether the victim, or intended victim, was a peasant or a member of the royal family.

Robbery is punished by the thief having a line scolded into his/her right wrist. Once they have five scars, one of their fingers is cut off.

Those conspiring against the king, and are in danger of starting a coup, are punishable by death or being placed in the palace dungeons, depending on the king’s leniency.

Leadership falls to the most qualified of the current ruler’s children. This is generally the eldest, as most time and effort is put into teaching them how to rule, but this is not always the case.

The law is enforced by police-like people. They determine the crime that was committed and the culprit, but it’s the king or queen who decides their fate.

Valued Traits

Alcohol tolerance

Skill with a weapon

Loyalty

Scorned Traits

Abuse of skill

Irrational hatred

Jealousy

Historical or Cultural Prejudices

Kazin: Raykin is jealous of Kazin’s abundance in water and trees, and have also been taken over by Kazin a number of times. The two kingdoms have been rivals since Kazin came into existence.

Desert People: They are the descendents of King Yan, the worst tyrant in the kingdom’s history, and that alone gives the riverfolk enough reason to hate them. They have also inherited some of the ancient king’s magic, which is thought of as being more instinct than magic, and so they have been deemed animals. In turn, the desert people don’t think much of the riverfolk.

Tall poppy syndrome

Staple Foods

Staple diet—bread

Otherwise vegies—eggplant, lentils, beans, garlic, cucumbers, leeks, onions, etc

Fruit—figs, dates & grapes

Occasionally meat—beef in the north and Ni-Yana, fish from river, any wild animal they can kill

Generally make a stew with vegetables and spices, then scoop it onto bread like a sauce

Housing and Architecture

Mud brick houses with flat-topped brick roofs

Lower-class—one room hut

Middle-class—1-2 storeys, at least 3 rooms

Upper-class—2-3 storeys, bottom for business, upper(s) for living

Nobles—villas with up to 70 rooms. Reception area, living area & hall

Little furniture—stools, table, beds & clothing chests

Linen bed sheets

Kitchen
o Corner of the courtyard, on flat roof
o Open air, lightly roofed with palm fronds
o Cook with iron pots & open fires

Clothing

Light-coloured linen clothes

Half to ¾-length skirt for women, shorts or ¾-length pants for men

Top: right over left for women, left over right for men

Blue reserved for the upper class, lower class varying shades of red and brown

Green not used particularly often, usually reserved for healers

Arts and Religion

Arts and Music
Art is highly prized in Raykin. Roughly half the artists in the kingdom are nobles because of their trade. Music doesn’t feature so much.

Religion and Associated Titles
Belief in Lin and Aeia: Generally referred to as Raykinian religion, since the vast majority (85 to 90%) believe in them. No church/temple/etc, people simply pray at the beginning and/or end of the day, and that’s about it. Belief in the Yrae: Not religion so much as mythology. The closer one lives to Ni-Yana, the more likely it is they believe in it. In Ni-Yana, people are frowned upon for not believing, while in Ni-Horia and Ni-Badra, the opposite is true. All of the desert people believe in the yrae.

Core principles and Doctrines
Raykinian religion believes strongly in equality, hence the tall poppy syndrome of the kingdom, and the emphasis that is put on murders and such crimes. This stems from the fact that both goddesses must be worshipped equally, lest Aeia get jealous and take it out on them. Not a particularly strict religion. There’s only one holiday through the year, no church, just simple praying and generally treating everyone as equals.

Deities

Lin: Goddess of life and water. Keeps the Ra-Lin flowing, makes it rain occasionally.

Aeia: Goddess of death and the desert. Stronger of the two goddesses, but weaker mentally. Jealous of Lin because she’s obviously more well-loved than Aeia is.

Yrae: One appears every 2000 years. Bird itself isn’t magical, only the stone.

Priests and Priestesses
Ni-Yana and Ni-Qewira have priestesses, most of whom work as healers, but not all. Primary role is to officiate at religious ceremonies. The profession is looked at as any other, except of course the very few atheists.

Birth, Death and the Afterlife
Births: When born, the baby’s head and chest are sprinkled with water from the Ra-Lin, usually by the father, but in Ni-Yana and Ni-Qewira, and even some villages nearby, this rite is performed by a priestess, regardless of the family’s beliefs of the goddesses.
Deaths: Dead person is carried into the desert by his/her family where they are buried to be with Aeia. The nobility are given a tombstone engraved with their name and a few words about them. When a member of the royal family dies, they are thrown into the Ra-Lin, regardless of how good or bad they were as a leader. If they were a good ruler, they are thought of as going to live with Lin. If they were bad, their ‘burial’ is compared to that of King Yan. In Ni-Yana and Ni-Qewira, a priestess may attend the funeral if the deceased believed in the goddesses.
Afterlife: Regardless of what kind of a person they were, they go to live with the goddesses. According to Yan, it’s like a dream.

Important Ceremonies

Ceremonial robes: Worn at special occasions, eg hrai-dani, wedding or solstice celebrations. In poorer towns/families, only celebrated person wears robes. Lower class have plain calico robes, middle class have dyed fabric, nobles and royalty have embroidery and beading on robes, royalty wear silk robes. Women right over left, men left over right.

Hrai-dani: celebrated on eve of 20^th birthday (or 17^th in Yan’s era). Feast begins just after sunset, father of child makes speech, cheer at ‘high moon’, go home about two hours later, sleep until noon or later the next day.

Summer solstice: Celebrated as whole city/town. In Ni-Yana, the palace grounds are opened up and the whole city goes in to celebrate. Head of city/town makes speech to ‘bless’ crops, fishing, Ra-Lin and people in city/town. King also ‘blesses’ army and Raykin in general.

Winter solstice: Purpose is to celebrate the goddesses to help them through winter. Lin, goddess of water/life, and Aeia, goddess of the desert/death. Celebrate Lin, make offerings to her by tossing palm leaves into the Ra-Lin. So Aeia won’t get jealous, they also go to a shrine in the desert not too far from the town, kiss a stone and leave it there for her.

Weddings: Before his hrai-dani, a boy will choose his wife (she can decline if she wishes), then on the full moon after, they marry. Generally a very low-key affair, with just the immediate family and a priestess if in Ni-Yana or Ni-Qewira and the family believes in the goddesses. Mothers and fathers of the couple cook a large meal for the two families and the priestess, if she’s there, will ‘bless’ everyone in attendance, not just the couple.

Government Involvement
None, aside from the emphasis on murders.

Other Denominations

Cities

Ni-Aneka: Much like Ni-Mytaa, but smaller. Don’t hear about stories of desert crossings.

Ni-Badra: Very much ocean-oriented. Trade with Tsayth. Beliefs like those in Ni-Qewira, only not as strong.

Ni-Horia: Few believe in yrae magic, and they ridicule those who do. Trade with Llayad and sometimes with Kazin. Know little to nothing about what happens downstream, eg about the royals, battles etc.

Ni-Mytaa: Half believe in yrae magic, those who don’t often make snide remarks at those who do, but mostly just poking fun. Many stories about people who’ve tried to cross the desert to Ni-Yana. Small port, room enough for two ships, people generally friendly.

Ni-Qewira: Can see cliffs over sea from boundaries, belief in yrae magic very strong, as they take Qewir to be Raykin’s first king, as well as a hero who destroyed Yan. Strongly believe that yrae magic is evil.

Ni-Yana: Most believe in yrae magic, only a select few who don’t. Hostile to outsiders, dangerous at night.

Desert People

Descendents of Yan, hence have traces of his magic left. River-folk take this to be ‘desert instinct’ rather than magic.

Can find water and other desert people with ease, certain understanding between each person, can ‘talk’ without words (verbal or mental)—remnants of Yan’s power of telepathy and mind reading, generally heal faster than River-folk and are less prone to disease and poison (eg snake, spider or scorpion venom).

Thought of as savages—several are, but only because River-folk hate them so much. Both groups of people believe the other wishes to overrun them. For the most part, the River-folk would be happier without them, but the desert people couldn’t really give a stuff.

Live in family groups of about 20, no one leader. Men go hunting, women prepare food.

Each group has five or six large tents: circular, held up by ex-palms and ropes (made from coconut husks) tied to the ground. Meter-gap between edge of tent and ground to allow for ventilation during the day, dropped down at night to keep in heat.

Sleep for a few hours in the middle of the day, then from about midnight to just before dawn.

Comments

[xella.livejournal.com]

I get most of it (even if you did leave out a LOT of "if"s, "and"s, "but"s, and the like X3;;), but... tall poppy syndrome? Oo;;

[annarti.livejournal.com]

...Is tall poppy syndrome really that Aussie that nobody else even knows what it is? Well there you go then.

Ok, basically, a tall poppy is someone who does exceedingly well at something. Someone who's the smartest in the class, or famous actors or singers, whatever. Having tall poppy syndrome means you cut down the tall poppies, poke fun at them because they're too good.

Despite the name, it's not a disease, just a thing that tends to be typical of the country. Australia very much has tall poppy syndrome X);;