Tsayth Profile
Sep. 24th, 2004 09:43 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
annarti.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
yrae
'nother kingdom profile, for Tsayth this time. They're an odd bunch of people.
Geography
Entire kingdom is white, sandy desert, either flat or with dunes. Numerous salt lakes. Vegetation only along coast, primarily beach-adapted plants. River Tsayla only flows for half the year.
People have ventured into the desert to see if it had an end, but they have either returned empty handed or not at all.
Population and Density
Very sparse population density. Everyone lives on the coast in small villages. Ryas, the capital, is more a formality than anything. The vast majority of the population lives on boats in the sea, making it near impossible to determine the true population of the kingdom.
Major Population Centres:
Ryas: 500
Suti: 300
Tasi: 200
Thuy: 150
Netsu: 100
Ytu: 75
Total: 1500 on land, ~15 000 on water
System of Government
Monarchy, jointly ruled by king and queen. Both have equal rule over the kingdom, but neither can do anything without the other’s consent. The queen is almost constantly pregnant so she can produce as many heirs as possible, since the various sons and daughters tend to have a habit of bumping each other off so they’ve got a better chance of being crowned.
The most competent of the sons and daughters is crowned on their 25th birthday rather than when their parents both die. This is so the new king/queen has a better chance of starting out without stuffing up. If the parents die before their 25th birthday, then the court rules in their place.
There is a palace of sorts in Ryas, but as with the rest of the city, this is just a formality for when foreign dignitaries wish to pay a visit to the monarchs without having to spend three years searching for them on the ocean.
Currently ruled by King Sian and Queen Tusa.
Industry, Currency and Trade
Trade extensively with all three kingdoms, mainly deep sea fish/shellfish such as crayfish. Also specialise in oysters and pearls. They rely heavily on Llayad for wood, and likewise, Llayad relies on Tsayth for protection against Kazin and Raykin, so the profit works two ways.
Coins are gold, silver and copper.
1 gold = 10 silver = 50 copper = $10
1 silver = 5 copper = $1
1 copper = 20c
Main Historical Events
~500AY: People first sailed down the river Tsayla. Some stayed at the river mouth, others sailed down the coast, most braved the ocean.
7MY: King Yan founded kingdom of Yraekin, which extended as far south as Tasi, but not the ocean. Tsaythis couldn’t really give a stuff since most of them were in the ocean, and Yan didn’t really do a lot in Ryas anyway, it just meant a few Yraekinians appeared there.
1468: Kazin ruled all of present-day Raykin and Llayad and was encroaching upon Tsayth.
1503: Tsayth broke off from what was left of Raykin and drove Kazin back.
1567: Tsayth and Llayad declared their own kingdoms, formed an alliance.
3001: Kazin gave up on trying to invade Raykin and instead went for Llayad. Major battle at the then-capital, Niryad.
3003: Tsayth attacked Kazin from all sides, traversing all rivers including the Tsayla to Niryad.
Language
Short, clipped words, rarely more than two syllables, particularly fond of T and TS sounds.
Family Structure and Roles
Family is an incredibly important part of Tsaythi culture, since they essentially rely on each other to stay alive on their ship. Ships are generally crewed by the siblings of one family, with their husbands, wives and children. All members pull their weight on the ship, though the original siblings are joint captains, with the eldest usually assuming most control, regardless of gender.
When the children of the respective families are old enough, the whole family will order a new one made for them in one of the Llayan ports or Tsaythi land settlements. Further upstream in Llayad or even from Raykin or Kazin if the family is rich.
People living on land are generally too poor to own their own boat, so they have a dinghy or two and fish just offshore.
Crime and Punishment
No concrete laws. People take the law into their own hands, as it were. Killing is not generally frowned upon, so long as there was a good reason behind it and a formal challenge was made.
Valued Traits
Physical strength
Loyalty
Fighting qualities
Team attitude
Scorned Traits
Selfishness
Illegitimate birth
Historical or Cultural Prejudices
None really, but they keep a close eye on Kazin and Raykin to make sure they’re not going to attack Llayad any time soon.
Staple Foods
Anything that comes from the sea, usually sashimi-style.
Housing and Architecture
Most commonly, boats built from Llayan wood, or tents on the mainland.
Palace in Ryas built from stone, but very small in comparison to those in Raykin and Kazin.
Clothing
Made from white, light fabric
Diamond with a hole in the middle for the head. Corners reach to ankles and wrists on the mainland, halfway down shins and halfway down upper arms on the sea
Shoes only worn on land—made from the same material. Bandannas always worn.
Arts and Music
None. Some children on land occasionally make pearl necklaces, but these are sold mostly to Llayans. Tsaythis are a very practical people and see no use in decorations.
Religion and Associated Titles
Again, none. Tsaythis believe the ocean is there because rain flows down the rivers into it, not because some deity decided it would be picturesque to have all the water in one place. They don’t care where life came from, just so long as it keeps going.
Birth, Death and the Afterlife
Birth is highly celebrated, unless it was illegitimate somehow, in which case the mother is very ashamed. The ship will fly a triangular white flag for the first month of a newborn baby’s life.
When a Tsaythi dies, they are ‘buried’ in the ocean. The crew will mourn their loss with a rectangular flag at half-mast for a month after their death.
As far as the Tsaythis are concerned, there is no afterlife. When a person dies, they are dead, there’s nothing more to it.
Important Ceremonies
None as such. Birthdays celebrated in varying degrees depending on the family.
Land and history
Geography
Entire kingdom is white, sandy desert, either flat or with dunes. Numerous salt lakes. Vegetation only along coast, primarily beach-adapted plants. River Tsayla only flows for half the year.
People have ventured into the desert to see if it had an end, but they have either returned empty handed or not at all.
Population and Density
Very sparse population density. Everyone lives on the coast in small villages. Ryas, the capital, is more a formality than anything. The vast majority of the population lives on boats in the sea, making it near impossible to determine the true population of the kingdom.
Major Population Centres:
Ryas: 500
Suti: 300
Tasi: 200
Thuy: 150
Netsu: 100
Ytu: 75
Total: 1500 on land, ~15 000 on water
System of Government
Monarchy, jointly ruled by king and queen. Both have equal rule over the kingdom, but neither can do anything without the other’s consent. The queen is almost constantly pregnant so she can produce as many heirs as possible, since the various sons and daughters tend to have a habit of bumping each other off so they’ve got a better chance of being crowned.
The most competent of the sons and daughters is crowned on their 25th birthday rather than when their parents both die. This is so the new king/queen has a better chance of starting out without stuffing up. If the parents die before their 25th birthday, then the court rules in their place.
There is a palace of sorts in Ryas, but as with the rest of the city, this is just a formality for when foreign dignitaries wish to pay a visit to the monarchs without having to spend three years searching for them on the ocean.
Currently ruled by King Sian and Queen Tusa.
Industry, Currency and Trade
Trade extensively with all three kingdoms, mainly deep sea fish/shellfish such as crayfish. Also specialise in oysters and pearls. They rely heavily on Llayad for wood, and likewise, Llayad relies on Tsayth for protection against Kazin and Raykin, so the profit works two ways.
Coins are gold, silver and copper.
1 gold = 10 silver = 50 copper = $10
1 silver = 5 copper = $1
1 copper = 20c
Main Historical Events
~500AY: People first sailed down the river Tsayla. Some stayed at the river mouth, others sailed down the coast, most braved the ocean.
7MY: King Yan founded kingdom of Yraekin, which extended as far south as Tasi, but not the ocean. Tsaythis couldn’t really give a stuff since most of them were in the ocean, and Yan didn’t really do a lot in Ryas anyway, it just meant a few Yraekinians appeared there.
1468: Kazin ruled all of present-day Raykin and Llayad and was encroaching upon Tsayth.
1503: Tsayth broke off from what was left of Raykin and drove Kazin back.
1567: Tsayth and Llayad declared their own kingdoms, formed an alliance.
3001: Kazin gave up on trying to invade Raykin and instead went for Llayad. Major battle at the then-capital, Niryad.
3003: Tsayth attacked Kazin from all sides, traversing all rivers including the Tsayla to Niryad.
Language
Short, clipped words, rarely more than two syllables, particularly fond of T and TS sounds.
People
Family Structure and Roles
Family is an incredibly important part of Tsaythi culture, since they essentially rely on each other to stay alive on their ship. Ships are generally crewed by the siblings of one family, with their husbands, wives and children. All members pull their weight on the ship, though the original siblings are joint captains, with the eldest usually assuming most control, regardless of gender.
When the children of the respective families are old enough, the whole family will order a new one made for them in one of the Llayan ports or Tsaythi land settlements. Further upstream in Llayad or even from Raykin or Kazin if the family is rich.
People living on land are generally too poor to own their own boat, so they have a dinghy or two and fish just offshore.
Crime and Punishment
No concrete laws. People take the law into their own hands, as it were. Killing is not generally frowned upon, so long as there was a good reason behind it and a formal challenge was made.
Valued Traits
Scorned Traits
Historical or Cultural Prejudices
None really, but they keep a close eye on Kazin and Raykin to make sure they’re not going to attack Llayad any time soon.
Staple Foods
Anything that comes from the sea, usually sashimi-style.
Housing and Architecture
Clothing
Religion
Arts and Music
None. Some children on land occasionally make pearl necklaces, but these are sold mostly to Llayans. Tsaythis are a very practical people and see no use in decorations.
Religion and Associated Titles
Again, none. Tsaythis believe the ocean is there because rain flows down the rivers into it, not because some deity decided it would be picturesque to have all the water in one place. They don’t care where life came from, just so long as it keeps going.
Birth, Death and the Afterlife
Birth is highly celebrated, unless it was illegitimate somehow, in which case the mother is very ashamed. The ship will fly a triangular white flag for the first month of a newborn baby’s life.
When a Tsaythi dies, they are ‘buried’ in the ocean. The crew will mourn their loss with a rectangular flag at half-mast for a month after their death.
As far as the Tsaythis are concerned, there is no afterlife. When a person dies, they are dead, there’s nothing more to it.
Important Ceremonies
None as such. Birthdays celebrated in varying degrees depending on the family.