traizar

the unraveling of reality

Corruption: any persistent, anomalous behavior of physical matter that is symptomatic of damage to the typical consistency of Structure

Corruption can only result in shifts and degradation of normal physical properties, it cannot create entirely new behavior. It can affect relatively isolated and specific interactions in specific circumstances, including emergent properties, and does not necessarily change everything that might have otherwise been governed by the principle it is affecting. Because small shifts can result in major upheaval of typical arrangements of matter, corruption is mainly known to be a destructive force. The knowledge of corruption throughout the world is not uniform and sometimes these effects may be misidentified.Corruption is frequently compared to an infection or a disease due to the apparently haphazard way that it spreads. Most particles correspond to their own points on Structure's anatomy and infection can only occur when unaffected particles are forced to interact with affected ones in a way that may cause them to overlap with the damaged part of Structure in a way that changes their own relationship to Structure. Infection usually happens as a result of direct contact of infected material with unaffected material. Depending on the susceptibility of proximal matter, it may stay isolated around that point of contact, or it may disseminate outwards. In the majority of cases infection is significantly rare but occurs frequently enough and has dire enough consequences to be cause for concern, especially as it cannot be reversed or repaired.

Structure: the thing that exerts force on the measurable universe to give it consistent, predictable behavior

Subatomic phenomenon gain the appearance of specific behaviors and relationships due to the presence of Structure. Structure is a complex quantum phenomenon. It can be understood as a thing, but is more accurately explained as a perpetual occurrence. It is described as owning anatomy but it cannot be compared to a dimensional object as dimensions are one of its products.Various civilizations have developed to the point where they are able to detect and influence Structure itself, but the technologies behind this have been lost. Structure itself is only known because small sections of the population have held onto the basic principles.Corruption is symptomatic of damage but is not synonymous with the damage. The spread of corruption is the result of how subatomic particles get their behavior from Structure and does not necessarily indicate worsening damage. Exactly what kind of alteration to Structure "damage" entails, including whether it is truly damage at all, is subject to theoretical thought.

Channeling: an ability caused by a specific strain of corruption that allows influence over Structure itself

Though scientific means are unable to sense or influence Structure, corruption itself can facilitate these abilities and any instance of this is falls under the umbrella of channeling. The main strain that grants the ability to channel allows function of sound emitted by afflicted material to manipulate Structure. These manipulations are usually temporary, used as a momentary push or pinch of Structure, and do not create lasting effects like corruption. The use of channeling has a risk of resulting in new damage to Structure and new damage has the potential to be catastrophic. Because of this, channeling is considered extremely dangerous.Acoustic channeling techniques are not incantations and do not usually sound similar to speech. It is generally the case that only specific sounds will have any effect. The ability to find and create sounds that can channel is something that takes years worth of experimentation and practice. Species that have more versatile vocal chords (like travira) are generally considered to be better channelers. The effect of different sounds on Structure will not be uniform across all instances of the strain. Each instance will have access to different repertoires and must learn for themselves their capabilities.Strains that facilitate channeling are not readily available. The ability is unheard of outside of circles where deliberate corruption of the relevant strains can be acquired.

Blackout: an area that is corrupted to the extent that it becomes dangerous to approach or enter

An area is considered a blackout zone if proximity to it is potentially life-threatening or if the distortion of reality in the area significantly impairs the ability to enter or move through it. Blackout zones have a high degree of corruption saturation and are likely to infect anything that comes near. Most blackout zones are slowly growing outwards.

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The Cranach and the Purge Era

"Cranach" refers to humans who have still extant symptoms of genetic engineering. It was common on Earth at the time of the Fracture Event but many symptoms have either disappeared or have dispersed within the human population. This leaves only the most rare and egregious cases to stand out in modern times.There is a particular case of cranach called chimeric cranachism that features a heavily modified the immune system. The exact mechanism and intent behind it are unknown, especially as it is likely to have mutated over time. In an uncontrolled setting it has been known to cause strange discolorations and growths on affected individuals that look vaguely like plant sprouts. Visible symptoms do not usually appear until around age 10 or 12 and will gradually become more pronounced as the individual ages. It is considered to be disfiguring and has the potential to interfere with functioning but it may be treatable.Cranachism is sometimes mistaken for corruption. This is compounded by the fact that the individual many more superstitious humans claim is the devil is affected by a kind of cranachism.Some of the more egregious cases of cranach, including chimeric cranachism, precipitated an era of human history on Traizar known as the Purge era. The era officially is thought to have lasted a little over a century in duration and is considered to have come to an end approximately 500 years ago. During this time, lead by the increasing concern over corruption, many cranach were alienated from their communities, hunted, and exterminated. There was no centralized or official cause behind the effort, though the false conflation between cranachism and corruption spread quickly by word of mouth.

Avi-ah

Avi-ah is an international organization that is driven by humanitarian pursuits, focused on providing education, as well as relief in the form of food, medical assistance, asylum and refuge, as well as techniques to manage the effects of corruption. Often cast as dubious for their palliative approach to corruption and for their skeptical regard for the wujinika, they are not welcome in many states. The members of Avi-ah believe that knowledge without the pretense of dogma is the path to true prosperity, made up of intellectuals and scholars who hold themselves to saintly standards.Avi-ah came into being around 400 years ago, attributed to the acts of two cranach-affected humans by the names of Ada and Zurich, who were working with and providing aid to Airistatan plague colonies 400 years ago. Ada and Zurich were a part of a sect of humans that sought audience with the wujinika to ask for aid as well as answers. Their efforts were cut short when, without provocation, the city Ada and Zurich were staying in was uncharacteristically eradicated by wujinika, an action that struck those who would go on to form Avi-ah with a deep unease.Their son, a cranach named Lin, facilitated the transformation of individual efforts into a unified organization under the name Avi-ah, carrying on the spirit of Ada and Zurich's humanitarian work, while also using the organization as a front to cast a wide net in effort to find evidence of the wujinika's presence in the world.

Maria, Trocia, and the Sel'maria

The Maria are an especially curious Olsward clan in that they have been unified since the very early days and that they do not appear to have a singular national origin that unites them. The speed at which they unified and their staunch isolationism even among Olsward clans has lead many to be skeptical of their origins, intentions, and goals. There is reason to believe they were involved with or have some knowledge pertaining to the events that lead to the apocalyptic event that destroyed Earth. It is known that Maria, to some extent, has participated in human experimentation. It is also known that they are interested in the wujinika.The clan is still extant, living mostly within the far eastern region of the Secries Mountains, but had an additional compound within KK's south east in a city now known as Trocia. Trocia, under unknown circumstances, was destroyed approximately 150 years ago. The blame for the attack in the modern mind has been directed at Avi-ah, but, in truth, it remains a mystery unsolved. Avi-ah was previously a peaceful group and potential motives for their involvement in Trocia's destruction are unknown. Additionally, a forensic study of the remaining ruins seem to indicate that most of the damage came from the inside and not from an outside assault. Since that time, the ruins have been repurposed as a military base by Ketz Kradle.After the destruction of Trocia, survivors of the attack started appearing in towns and cities who called themselves the Sel'maria. The sel'maria were noticeably different than the average human in that they had very little pigment to their skin and that they tended to have patches of what seemed like small scales on their bodies. As the region as a whole was largely rural at the time and no official records were kept, many of the accounts of the sel'maria during that time have been lost. In recent times, the work of the Lassans has picked up keen interest in tracking down and bringing in those who descended from the original survivors for the purpose of study. It appears, by many accounts, that the sel'maria failed to significantly thrive, as their numbers in modern times are relatively few.

The Lassans and Mercer

The Lassans—an olsward family lineage—have long been a part of the military in Ketz Kradle and are renowned for how they've helped develop the standards of medical practice and quarantine in the country. Despite working as a part of the military, they have used the platform in order to pursue their own research, largely ignoring the military's hierarchy, needs, and goals. Soldiers during a time of war, after all, make fitting test subjects for human experimentation. The Lassans openly acknowledge that they use humans as experimental subjects, arguing there is not only a great need but also a lack of alternatives when it comes to any advancement of knowledge over the human physiology and how the corruption affects it.Currently, they are invested in Project Mercer. Mercer aims to expand their understanding of the specific strain of cranachism that is known to affect Avi-ah's Titan Lin. They have found that it facilitates transplantation of other biological organs and tissues, mitigating tissue rejection when applied correctly. Mercer techniques have been used mainly on severely injured soldiers who had little hope of alternative treatments, usually affected by corruption.

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Ketz Kradle, commonly called KK, refers to both the general territory and the military organization on the northern part of the continent Techano. Although the national identity and the military are technically separate, the distinction between them has gradually been lost as a consequence of the history of conflict with Airistatan factions. Much of KK was destroyed in the war over 60 years ago and the effort to regroup and rebuild has been headed primarily by military organizations in preparation for the return of conflict. It returned as expected 5 years ago, and has taken a progressively more devastating toll on KK since then. KK as a faction is defined by military life, as well as a strong aspect of religious evangelism and dogma.

Most of northern Techano can be associated with KK. Not included in KK territory are towns that have refused military alignment as well as Olsward cities. The east coast is marked by the arid Secries mountains, the north is characterized as being cold, wet, and frequently overcast, and the west owns sweeping plains and rocky cliffs. The majority of the central country is covered in thick, winding plant-life with sometimes humid, but mostly temperate climates. Many central KK cities were rebuilt up from old ruins into massive fortresses and bases. The more south one goes, the more one encounters what are called deepwood forests, where vine-like growths form giant tangles that sometimes grow to the size of mountains, and much of the southern country is shadowed in canopy, but cities and towns in the region will be built in the gaps between Deepwood tangles and not within the tangle itself. Most military cities still have civilian populations and also account for refugee camps made of those fleeing east. Of note is the front of the conflict, which has progressively been pushed further east over the past five years, and much of the related territory is composed of ruins, scorched ground, and blackout zones.

KK is by-and-large comprised of humans, mostly of the holwen people. The initial humans who went on to be considered holwen mostly originated from poorer, less developed areas and countries in comparison to the Olsward. They may still retain various phenotypical traits or cultural identities similar to those that existed on Earth; "holwen" as a term only exists as a term in order to contrast with Olsward. Other species like shura, yain, or silfae may be represented as part of KK, as the military rarely turns away volunteers regardless of origins or species. It is rare to see peoples from nations that are not directly allied with KK.

KK is ambiguously divided between its military and its general territory. Although it is the main organizing force, the military in KK technically only rules over military matters and has control only over those who have joined or aligned themselves with the military voluntarily. It does not force itself on peoples who do not accept affiliation with the military and does not make any decisions concerning them. However, given that the military within KK is a powerful and resourceful presence, it is difficult to avoid affiliation without also accepting the consequences of that isolation. Affiliation with the military is often the only way to access modern healthcare, any kind of education or technology, reliable, adequate food supplies, utilization of the train systems, as well as any kind of protection or aid in response to Airistatan aggression. Towns or cities will sometimes have a partnership with the military where they agree to share in their resources (mainly agriculture) in exchange for support and protection from the military, but will still retain their own local governance.The military body itself is ruled by a Council whose members, referred to as Premiers, serve potentially indefinite terms as determined by the Council itself. The Council is in control of replacing its own members, supposedly based on merit and service, though commonly the positions will be hereditary due to the influences of nepotism that exists in the close-knit and elitist groups of the upper military. They will frequently meet to discuss and vote on topics, and have found themselves especially active since the advent of the war. However, each Premier will have more say in decisions relating to their own department, and sometimes the influence of the Council will seem more like advisement than it does any kind of governance when it comes to each other. Although each member is thought to be equal, the Premier of State, Asherra Haran, will commonly act in an executive capacity with only the Church able to outright veto her decisions.

The primary division in the military's social structure occurs as a product of ranking systems inherit to military life. The upper military is a relatively tight-knit group who set the standard for the kind of values, beliefs, and behavior that are worthy of promotions in rank, ensuring that only those who are of similar background and attitude as them rise up to their level. This often involves a significant amount of prejudice, hand-shaking, nepotism, and selective grooming of promising underlings. In spirit, soldiers, regardless of rank, are expected to live a life devoid of luxury, but the reality is much different. Upper military often enjoy better food, have more spacious housing, have more flexible schedules, and occasionally make space for social events such as Officers' dinners or balls, along with the fact that their function as a managerial body allows them less risk involved with the war efforts. However, most of this is a product of the past 50 years of relative peace, and much of their luxury has vanished given the current state of the war.Involved with KK hierarchy is the ever-expanding divide between military populations and rural populations. The divide exists within the military itself when it comes to specific characteristics associated with military backgrounds as opposed to those of a rural background, involving mostly things like accents and regional culture. As educational resources are nearly exclusive to the military, rural backgrounds are considered to be uncivilized, superstitious, and unintelligent. Though many are mindful of these prejudices and sometimes certain officers, like those in the Templar will favor strong religious beliefs associated with rural populations, soldiers of rural backgrounds will normally be considered more risky and less reliable, leading many feeling forced to assimilate. Complicating this association is an anti-intellectualism at work in holwen populations that associates more rational, reserved mindsets with Olsward (who are more openly detested) and thus many have pride their rural origins, seeing themselves as more purely holwen, whereas the upper military have been polluted by Olsward influences and ideologies. All that is associated with Olsward is generally ill-regarded among holwen populations, as Olsward are viewed as a people who turned their backs on humanity when their help was needed most.

Humans first arrived on Traizar approximately 2,000 years ago in numbers of roughly one million from a wide range of geographical and cultural sources. The first 500 years were characterized as a period of turmoil and upheaval as a large, diverse group of people who were left to fend for themselves on an alien planet tried to organize themselves and their resources while facing significant losses. Some groups attempted to isolate themselves from the rest of the population and became known as Olsward (or "Old World"). They took most of the surviving knowledge base with them, leaving the majority of the population with no connection to their previous lives as they existed on Earth. Set back thousands of years in development, the population that was left struggled to gather themselves back to a peaceful existence. Despite several periods of relative prosperity, overall they remained technologically underdeveloped. As corruption began to worsen and reach the point where it significantly interfered with daily on-goings, any prosperity proved to be short-lived.The most recent era of calm ended when Airistata first engaged in campaign against KK as a united faction. Airistata and other forces had occasionally interfered with KK in the past, but most aggression before King Fateris's rule was segmented, isolated to specific houses or groups, and ultimately without pressing motivation. Although still relatively disorganized, Fateris's army was an unprecedented force in comparison to what KK had faced in the past and they were wholly unprepared to deal with the invading army. Agents in KK worked quickly to pool and organize their military forces, but much of western KK had been lost by that point.The war ended not because of victory on KK's part, but due to the assassination of Fateris at the hands of a third party agent of some notoriety. Airistatan forces began to withdraw as they lost cohesion and their interests were directed internally in an effort to claim the position Fateris had left vacant. KK knew they had been utterly at a loss and, though grateful for the reprieve, had no idea how long it would last and had no official agreement to substantiate its persistence. They spent the years after Airistata's withdrawal preparing: rebuilding cities, organizing people, negotiating with foreign powers under the notion that Airistata would return in full force at any moment. As a result, the military grew in power until it became the dominant force of the country, and the backing of the allied nations helped push them into a new era of industry and structured organization.Gradually, the dark cloud of fear lifted as they noted their progress and experienced a clear superiority when they encountered Airistata opposition either through isolated skirmishes by rogue agents or through reclamation of occupied territories. Bolstered by their successes, at the same time they failed to account for how Airistata itself had changed in the meantime, and when the new Queen's army stood against them, KK once again found themselves at a great disadvantage. Not only were the Airistatan forces under Queen Emtio more organized, they were better trained in new techniques and strategies relating to channeling. KK has lost city after city in the past 5 years, faring better than they had in the past, but still pressed hard to come up with strategy to fight against those who could alter reality itself. Many in KK genuinely believe that it is the end of times and view the conflict under a religious lens.

Most of the region of KK speaks a language they refer to as Latin. It is not Latin as it existed on Earth, it is instead an amalgamation and bastardization of several different languages, most notably English and Spanish. Additionally, there was a trend in the early days of naming children based on bodies within Earth's solar system and many of these are still common names.

According to religious beliefs in KK, corruption is viewed as a great evil, both because it is understood to be the thing that destroyed Earth as well as the belief that the wujinika openly spoke ill of it during their initial encounter, framing it as adverse to the divine and all that is good and pure. Corrupted individuals are not seen as inherently evil, but may be more prone or even sometimes guaranteed to commit amoral acts, as it is believed the corruption eats away at their soul. "Demons" are those who have embraced corruption unrepentantly, have lost their humanity and are thought to desire only to spread the corruption further. At one point holwen factions may have been more merciful, even accepting of corruption as an unfortunate reality, but the relationship between KK and Airistata has exacerbated these beliefs towards the extreme, causing even the most harmless of individual affected by corruption to be cast under intense suspicion.As understanding behind how it works or what causes it has been lost, corruption has began to be associated in a superstitious light with black magic, and those who experience its effects are said to be cursed. Although the military attempts to educate soldiers as to the mechanics and origins of the corruption, many hold onto those beliefs regardless; talk of "black magic" is associated with rural outlooks. But beliefs that portray corruption as something larger-than-life with supernatural importance tend to be discouraged in the military, as it often leads to soldiers who cannot be trusted to handle situations relating to corruption. The biggest problem within the military is soldiers who fear becoming corrupted to the point where they will avoid direct confrontation with demons and KK forces are kept far from their full potential by fears like this. But the fear is not entirely unfounded, as corruption is a serious problem within the military that faces off against those who use corruption in order to cause harm. The majority of lives lost in duty are lost due to corruption and the military takes these matters with grave responsibility. However, even the most pragmatic of agents within the military have a long way to go before they are free from prejudice.Quarantine procedures are highly developed and regulated in KK, relying mostly on expertise and technology they gained through interaction with the NKTA. All soldiers returning to secure areas must be tested and all individuals found to be corrupted must be categorized by specific rankings called Reyes Thresholds to determine the danger they pose to those around them. Often individuals are euthanized if their corruption is too much of a danger to their own functioning or for its potential to spread. Corrupted zones are often closed off and equipment as well as bodies are disposed of in a landfill to the east, referred to as the Plaguelands. Individuals who can still serve are moved to their own section of the military called the Breach, regardless of the rank or position they held previously. Due to influences of prejudice as well as a twisted notion that placement in the Breach should be some kind of deterrent, the Breach is regarded as an extremely unfavorable place, equivalent to a prison. Soldiers in the Breach are often unwillingly detained and isolated under guise of quarantine, have their basic rights overlooked on a day-to-day basis, and are frequently sent on missions where they are expected to die. Breach soldiers may sometimes be used for their ability to cause corruption in order to attempt to fight fire with fire, and some Breach soldiers may even be used as experimental subjects in order to better understand the corruption itself.Outside of the military, many northern cities like Londsfeld and Crephen tend to be much more liberal when it comes to corruption, allowing corrupted individuals to live in towns without as much oversight, partially due to their subversive connections to Airistatan merchant houses. Crephen in particular houses many individuals who sought refuge with Nekta only to be turned away due to their corruption.

KK is far from the level of technology humanity had before the exodus, only just starting to use basic firearms again back in the original conflict with Fateris' Airistata. In the past 60 years they have made great leaps and bounds, often through aid provided by Olsward influences, making them one of the most technologically developed of civilizations that resides on Traizar. Still hundreds of years behind most Olsward cities, they rely mainly on basic rifles and train systems, with limited access to motor vehicles or more advanced weaponry. But their relationship to the Olsward influences that have provided them with technology is complicated, as Olsward agents often are reluctant to give them any real power for fear of what they would do with it. NKTA especially, as an organization that is ultimately pacifistic, shares only what knowledge with KK they think is absolutely necessary, and then often only of a nature that cannot deliver harm, such as of a medical capacity. As a result, the level of technology present in KK can be strangely patchy, with modern-equivalent practices in medicine, while their technology in warfare kept hundreds of years behind.Additionally, because much of the development happened rapidly in the past 50 years in response to an immediate need, much of the development is isolated specifically to cities that the military worked to build and fortify. This causes some cities to appear developed, with multi-story buildings and public train systems, while many other cities appear to be stuck in the past. Rural areas have next to nothing when it comes to development, and non-military-aligned rural areas even less so, sometimes seeming nearly medieval in character.

Almost all trade in KK occurs as a result of the military's presence and needs. KK itself is deeply in debt to their allies who provide them with resources in the hopes that those resources will do in the stead of actively providing reinforcements and that KK will be able to stave off Airistata at least long enough to ensure that Airistata does not immediately turn to them. NKTA's contributions to KK are strictly under the premise of charity for the good of humanity, though oftentimes their relationship can be quite strained due to factors like this.The military prints its own currency and provides soldiers with an allowance equally. This is not done with a capitalistic mindset; soldiers are not wage-earners and not expected to be incentivized by capital; soldiers can even request additional stipends to be approved by a superior officer. Referred to as KT (Ketz Tithe), this currency is mainly for use outside of the military itself, as unaffiliated agents who are paid with KT can then use it in order to buy things from the military. Within the military itself, most things are provided or may be requested through bureaucratic means without any sort of currency exchange, including basic provisions as well as clothes, housing, etc, but soldiers will frequently trade among themselves using KT since it retains value outside of the military.

When humans were saved by the wujinika, many associated them with the angels of Abrahamic religions. They had appeared as saviors, exhibited a kind of nobility about them, some even appeared to have a multitude of eyes like that of seraphim, and appeared at a time of crisis that could be associated with the Apocalypse. This association has kept strong in rural areas throughout the past two millennia, drawing mostly from Christian practices, but much of the specific aspects behind the modern form of religious beliefs in KK have lost their immediacy as the wujinika have taken center stage as the focus. It is universally agreed among KK sects that the wujinika are of divine origin and that they must be revered and worshiped as saviors with the utmost devotion. Piety, faith, gratitude towards the wujinika are at the focus of religious belief in KK.The military itself tries to follow a pragmatic approach because their situation often demands it, but they still follow religious framework and rely on religious guidance. The leader of the KK church, Reilisana Ionia, still holds sway as a part of the military's Council. Her role is to provide guidance based on what the church declares is in line with the wujinika's values and the Council often honors her advice. Though they do not value associated superstition as much, absolute piety is still essential to military life. The military does not make practice or belief in their religion compulsory but it will severely impact the lives of soldiers, including the chance for promotion and the propensity they have to be considered a threat or judged a traitor. This will vary by branch; religious affiliation is required in the Templar and atheistic or agnostic leanings will prevent soldiers in the Breach from becoming anymore than cannon fodder.Though the events do not exactly fit, much of the details for the Book of Revelations were used to understand history and experiences from a holwen perspective. The strict divide between the people who are the chosen people and those who have strayed to worship false idols and prophets is a major component of modern conceptualization. Corruption's association as something evil and explicitly profane factors into this, with Airistata's people often being viewed as a conglomerate of heretics who are of weak hearts and have been manipulated by the devil. The corrupted of Airistata are referred to as "demons" in KK and some believe that they will eventually prevail despite obvious signs of their impending loss, believing that the wujinika will come to save them in the end. That one of the leaders of their enemy faction is frequently cast as the devil is engaged in direct conflict with wujinika serves to bolster this perception.

The holwen at large see themselves as an honest and hardworking people who are focused much on day-to-day life, put great value on their friendships and families, and are charitable towards the needy and the stranger. This partially draws from the general experience of finding themselves on an alien planet with several, already developed civilizations and the humility that was hard learned through the tragedy itself. Though wary to accept them as kin, most holwen are accepting of the idea that other peoples or communities are beyond their influence or control. When it comes to each other, especially in situations that involve outside influence, holwen tend to be fiercely loyal and protective, owning a general sentiment of their own plight as humans that creates a close sense of camaraderie and shared family. They are stereotyped as an expressive people who care little for strict manners or formality, associated with being boisterous, rowdy, loving, but also often stubborn and foolhardy.They are also a people who have lived through great tragedy and know it well in their hearts. Holwen of KK, especially in the military or places closer to or affected by the front can often seem of an excessively fatalistic and cynical mind, inheriting years of hardship and gloom from their history that has worn them down to the bare basics. Much of the general demeanor or habits of those in the military, even those of a jovial nature, can often seem hollow or as though it is compensating for a deliberate coldheartedness that aims to steel them from sight of their predicament. Through this kind of cynicism, those in the military can easily dismisses cruelties, inequalities, or violations of rights on the basis that there is much greater things at stake and that they are unable to account for more minor issues until their immediate conflict is resolved. Upper military especially is a culture defined by fatalism in the past five years, where officers speak on subjects or decisions with a kind of distance uncharacteristic of the holwen culture at large.

Traditional monogamous marriage between two individuals based on romantic feelings remains a common ideal in holwen culture. The goal is more about the romantic aspect, however, and not necessarily about offspring or ownership, and people care little of the status or gender of the individuals involved. Romance, however, is very rarely framed by the rhetoric of of "true love", "soulmates", or "there is a special person out there for everyone", instead understood to be something that potentially exists between any two individuals, letting the happenstance of shared life experiences instead form the foundation of any potential pairing. Strong bonds form between soldiers in battle and such are how bonds between lovers are ideally formed as well; through facing hardships together and not by any essential quality or characteristic owned by the people as individuals.Within the military itself, the concept of marriage or relationships are often placed low on their priorities, but simultaneously, those who have no obvious history of romantic endeavors are sometimes considered to be closed off and suspect to not have genuine feelings of camaraderie for their fellows they fight alongside. However, many pairings that take place within military circles occur or have occurred as a component of social and political maneuvering, sometimes with genuine intentions, but sometimes as a deliberate contract. Weddings between military officers are often big events that all of the upper military attend.

Children are born and raised as a part of a nuclear family in most regions of KK, with heavy emphasis of a religious upbringing. However, children who are born to military parents are considered to be a part of the military automatically and are put through military education and expected to provide active support as early as age 15, though commonly through non-combative positions until they are older. The KK military has well-established provisions for providing for children of soldiers, including housing and assistance for families and generally displays positive associations with children, treating them as one of the few good things among their otherwise unfortunate circumstances. Parents of even minimal influence will be able to have say in where their children are placed or how they are treated and the military infrastructure will usually honor their wishes. Deliberately ignoring wishes of parents or allowing avoidable harm to occur when it comes to children is an action culpable and able to be brought to court against the officer in charge.As a county where orphans are common due to conflict as well as generally poor health conditions, the KK military has a long-standing practice of adopting orphans to provide them with food, housing, education and training, as well as expecting eventual service from them. The military also carries the reputation for being the place that the homeless and lost can seek refuge and is known for accepting almost anyone who seeks placement with them. Many who had been adopted into the military have very strong feelings about the organization as a whole, equating them with family, seeing it as part of their larger duty to protect those who are lost as they once were.

Although KK is covered in forests, these forests provide little edible substance for humans to consume. One thing they do produce, however, is plenty of sap, and various syrups are a staple of most diets in KK, used as sauce or a component of soups drinks, fermented for alcohol, or dried into a powder. Many types of fungus can also be eaten in deepwoods, but they can be a bit precarious to procure in large amounts as venturing too far into deepwood areas can be potentially dangerous. Otherwise, much of KK consumes mostly meat, relying on livestock for meat and other animal products, while plains areas will farm for grains. Areas alongside rivers often feature a diet of marine life, including a kind of fruit like cranberries that grows from shallow waters along riverbanks.

KK will differ depending on region and military association. The biggest divergences are of Northern KK and the Mideast.Northern KK: Northern KK is a much older region, still featuring some of the first cities and towns built by humans on Traizar like Crephen and Londsfeld. It is also colder and more barren, and the people there are considered rougher and much less friendly, driven instead by basic preservation and trade. As the most easily accessible region of KK by foreign parties, the north is much more diverse in both species and faction, sometimes having connections to Airistatan mercantile agents that have well established influence over the areas. These groups, however, tend to be more interested in maintaining their connections than supporting the Airistatan war effort and remain relatively neutral. As a result of foreign influence, the regions tend to be much more permissive and is often ignored by Airistatan aggression, leading them to be largely disassociated from the war at large. Londsfeld and Crephen are still military-aligned cities but understand their alignment to be mostly for the sake of trade and are otherwise begrudgingly accepting of military presences with little strong opinion one way or another.Mideastern KK: Far away from threat from Airistata, the eastern portion of KK is also largely unassociated with military influence. The military mostly had interest in rebuilding and fortifying cities and lands that would act as a barrier to ward off invaders from the west and paid little attention to the east. The Mideast is deeply rural and takes pride in being holwen, rejecting Olsward and whatever influence can be attributed to them. It is even believed by many in Mideastern lands that the military is secretly under Olsward control and is a part of a conspiracy to weed out the holwen or otherwise place them under Olsward rule. The Mideast is also known for being deeply superstitious and evangelical, as well as for their lack of education opportunities and health resources. Literacy rates in Mideastern regions are relatively low. Most Mideastern settlements resent military factions purely because they represent a wealthier, more intellectual class. Some Mideastern cities accept military affiliation with mind to exploit it to their benefit alone.Within the military, each branch will carry its own culture.Armed Forces: The majority of the general force of the military, they are under the command of Grand General Daedalus Haran. The General himself was an orphan who found refuge within the military and the Armed Forces carry on that general close-knit camaraderie that views the military as their family. All soldiers enter the military and are processed through the Armed Forces, only later joining other branches. Because of this, they are associated with having a more simplistic outlook and owning a kind of naivety as they are kept separate from some of the darker ongoings within the military.Templar: The Templar recruits from the Armed Forces to be trained specifically in defensive tactics. Templar are often considered to be more religious, devoted more strictly to a holy duty than sentiments of fellowship. They are stationed in specific cities, often as guards and lookouts, in charge of protecting specific assets or personnel, and are given titles reminiscent of Medieval nobility such as Duke or Knights. The leader of the Templar, Marquis Gregory Bath, is regarded as a noble and honorable leader and many within the Templar carry on a sense of honor and nobility of spirit in his name.Breach: The Breach is specifically for soldiers who are corrupted or are otherwise thought to be high risk for defecting or turning traitor. They are treated as disposable in many circumstances, kept in quarantine, and often mistreated. All officers in charge within the Breach are hand-picked for their strict devotion to religious ideals and revilement for both corruption and the corrupted by Grand General Keyser, nicknamed "Cerberus" to imply that he guards the gates of hell. Because they are kept isolated and details do not often go beyond General Keyser's reach, much of the rest of the military is unaware of the specifics of what goes on in the Breach.Tiamat: Headed by Grand General Nerye Quill, Tiamat is a relatively small group of highly trained, vetted individuals who are entrusted with dangerous and sensitive missions, many that have the potential to damage the military's reputation or incite unrest should details be revealed at large. In truth, they are often associated with and under the direct influence of Olsward agents. General Quill is of a bureaucratic mind and her forces tend to be much more pragmatic and goal-orientated, less focused on any specific dogma or belief system, claiming they have allegiance only to KK's survival and little else.Engineering: As they are headed by and composed mostly of Olsward, the Engineering branch is by-and-large, of sovereign mind from the rest of the KK military. Many of those in Engineering do not answer to nor are of under any the control of any of the other powers in KK, and will act according to this division. The figures of real power in Engineering such as the Lassans do not engage with the Council in an official capacity at all, often minding their own business and carrying on their own work without any oversight, leaving Premier Kane's position on the council as more of an ambassador than a leader. Their focus is mainly in research, pertaining to the corruption, technological development, and to potential strategies to enhance the efficiency of the military's fighting force. Often they can be a bit lax to mind how their research is directly applicable to the current conflict, owing more allegiance to their own clan and what will ultimately benefit them than to the overall longevity or prosperity of the holwen.

Olsward: Olsward are viewed as selfish, arrogant, entitled, sometimes associated with oppressors of the distant past, and understood to be a people who abandoned the people in need and left humanity as a whole to rot while they prospered in secluded locales. Especially in current times, this is exacerbated by their silence and lack of presence while KK was destroyed and now faces extermination once again. In Olsward populations, there is often present overt racism that regards holwen as unsavory and primitive, retaining associations of holwen with the poor of the distant past. The two factions do little to maintain an amiable attitude towards each other outside of the military, but Olsward working in KK like those of Odense will sometimes guard themselves with a show of polite mannerisms and cooperation.Nekta/NKTA: Although they are an Olsward faction and do not completely escape that association, much of KK's renewal of the past 50 years and current development owe much to the influence of Nekta. The NKTA is an especially wealthy faction in influence, resources, and knowledge, and their support of KK has brought them into good graces, if not obvious gratitude among the military organization. Over the past 50 years, their partnership has been a positive, mutual one, but in recent times since the advent of the war, their relationship has become strained. Not only does Nekta hold the ability to crush Airistata but does not because of humanitarian, pacifistic ideals, they have also become especially suspicious of KK's practices. KK works hard to hide the things that defy the agreements behind their alliance from Nekta, such as experimentation with corruption and mistreatment of corrupted individuals that exist as an aspect of the Breach and the Engineering branch that works under Engineer Birch of the York clan. The ambassador to KK from Nekta is named TL Souku (sometimes transliterated as Teel Souku). The Nektan scholar on Airistata, named TL Yon (or Teel Yon), is often the main source for providing intelligence to the KK military.Rainetwen: Rainetwen answered the call when KK sought out allies after the Fateris' war, recognizing the similarities between them and their shared reverence for the wujinika. But their association is equally complicated, as Rainetwen cares not to interact much with the holwen, seeing them as ugly and a little too similar in appearance for comfort. They really only agreed to help in hopes that it would delay any interest Airistata had in their own country. KK, on the other hand, knows well that most of those who now live in Airistata originally migrated from Rainetwen, and, though they are grateful for the assistance, remain suspicious of Rainetwen's connections to Airistata.Dayrenal: As the country directly south of KK territories, Dayrenal and KK have maintained a strong friendship, especially in the past 50 years as that relationship was renewed by further interaction and exchanges. Dayrenal is a country that is openly dogmatic and has zero tolerance for corruption, having a policy to root out and execute all those who display symptoms. They additionally have no love for Nekta or their ideals and beliefs. With Dayrenal's more aggressive extremism, they often act as the devil on KK's shoulder to Nekta's angel, and KK often turns to Dayrenal when they need assistance that Nekta cannot or will not provide. However, Dayrenal is notably less advanced than KK, and has only limited assistance they are able to provide. Notably, prisoners in Dayrenal, taken in on suspicion of being corrupted, will often be sold to KK to serve in the Breach.Aernoa: Though the two factions have little official affiliation, travira associated with the Aernoa region are migratory due to their ability of flight, and commonly cross into eastern KK territory. A century ago, the two factions had disputes over ownership of the island territories, with many humans assuming they were uninhabited only to find travira returning and wanting the land back, enraged by the alien presence in their lands. But the travira maintain a much simpler life and are not regarded as people who could make any impact on KK or in the current conflict, and are largely left to their own devices by KK agents.Airistata: Airistata and KK are at war and much of their association is dictated by this. Airistata doesn't particularly have a strong impression of KK other than that they are people who claim allegiance to the wujinika and have persecuted the corrupted, and therefore are their enemy. Much of the initial decision to invade KK was lead by their immediate geographic proximity by forces desiring to claim land and people for themselves and was not lead by overt dogmatic motivation. But under Queen Emtio, the belief that KK should belong to them and be subservient to their rule has become a symbol of Airistata as an expression of their power and legitimacy. Avi-ah, who influences Airistata, takes specific issue with humanity, but Airistatans do not necessarily think of KK of any more special a case than any other purist/vioujsshrik faction.Avi-ah: Avi-ah takes specific issue with humanity at large due to the fact their progenitors and founding leaders were humans who held judgements over humanity. The group that came before Avi-ah had kept close eye on the on-goings of KK and held onto stories from the beginning, as well as the fact that they were of cranach background (meaning that they exhibited obvious traces of genetic engineering) and knew well the history of cranach in KK. Their artificial longevity prevented these impressions from fading along with the rest of cultural memory and they believe they have keener insight into human nature because of it. KK is aware of Avi-ah, but only as a mysterious group who has connections to Airistata, and the majority of KK fails to separate Avi-ah and Airistata into two separate factions, believing them to be one and the same. Avi-ah used to have chapters in northern KK, but began abandoning them shortly before Airistata renewed aggression in full.

Airistata is a nation made up of corrupted individuals who were all, at one point, refugees from their home nations. The nation is based on a romanticization of revolution, the supremacy of the individual's will to power, and a rejection of standard morals and beliefs. Airistata as a faction is represented by the aristocracy of the nation, whose lives are decadent, focused on art, philosophical discourse and imperialistic ventures.

Airistata lies on the eastern half of continent Shurana, adjacent to the northern pole. The region is an arid tundra with harsh winds, the Kuhn mountain range takes up most of the northern part of the continent, while the east coast is relatively temperate due to proximity to the ocean. The western region of the country is taken up by massive blackout zone and cannot be traversed. Each member of the aristocracy owns significant portions of land, some multiple cities worth, most of which lies in caves underneath the mountains. Any communal settlement not associated with a noble house are often terrorized or preyed upon by their interests.

Airistata is comprised of a large variety of species from various points of origin. Raina yain are most common, followed closely by silfae and vi, then travira, laligtnéra, shura, and humans. Shifow yain are relatively rare, as are any of the residents of the far east (hyrin, etc). Peoples from impoverished and disparaged origins will be more present in Airistata than those of wealth.

Airistata identifies itself as a nation, albeit one defined by anarchy. They have a Queen (Queen Emtio or sometimes just "E"), but her role is only as central celebrity figure that the others organize themselves around and seek to emulate. She does have considerable influence, but all of her actions are taken to be actions of a free individual enacting their will and not actions of a ruler. E's closest ally—a patron by the name of V, sometimes called the "Crown Prince"—is the main figure in charge of organizing their war effort on E's behalf. Otherwise, they are feudal; land and people are divided between members of the aristocracy, who own governance over their own estates. There are no laws nor agents to protect individuals or possessions, nor any standard for how an aristocrat should organize their own possessions or behavior, including how they should relate to their queen. Social pressure among the aristocracy is the main force keeping any semblance of order in Airistata.

Airistata is divided on two levels: externally between competing feudal estates and internally between the owner of the land and those who dwell within it. Land-owners are often called "patrons" and those within their domain are given a native word, "lochsen", which is meant to convey the subject of a patronage but can sometimes be translated more dubiously. Because of this system, power in Airistatan society is highly polarized, exploitation is relatively common, and social situations can frequently allow for abuses to go unchecked.Each aristocrat owns an estate, which can be any size from single manor to encompass multiple cities. The type of relationship the aristocrat has to their lochsen depends entirely on the aristocrat in question. It is not always correct to term those under an aristocrat as serfs; the source and structure of those considered lochsen varies by large degrees. Some estates are comprised entirely of family members, while others buy slaves or seize people from other houses. New immigrants tend to form clusters surrounding a central figure who can represent and protect them in aristocratic circles, some essentially acting as a unified nation under one estate name. Spouses and children both count as lochsen, as well as individuals under protection or tutelage. The idea of being lochsen to a patron is more of an association used between aristocrats to determine who holds responsibility for those people should they cause trouble rather than to dictate the relationship between aristocrats and their subordinates. There is no widespread code or cultural understanding used to enforce subservience or to keep those in subservient roles in check. On the other hand, lochsen who wish to be free from the whims of their patron are expected to pursue their freedom through whatever means necessary, otherwise it is taken as consent to their terms of subjugation.The patrons themselves are organized into clique groups where they help each other and sabotage others purely based on social and cultural perceptions. As such, any sort of social interaction, including hosting or attending parties, can be a perilous enterprise. Houses may be more influential or less influential depending on their level of popularity and how well they are established within aristocratic circles, with lower houses commonly at risk for being overtaken by more prominent names. Uprisings and in-fighting are encouraged and embraced by their culture, and competing aristocrats will often freely lend aid to revolts or offer support depending on their personal whims. Social pressure does allow for backlash against aristocrats who are discovered to have done particularly heinous things and the clique can quickly turn against those seen as unsavory, but allies will also frequently protect each other and deny both any unscrupulous allegations as well as whether or not those allegations have any real moral significance. Shows of force, either by lochsen over their patron or by one patron over another, are commonly lauded, even at the expense of supposed allies, as it is commonly believed that any such fate must have been deserved or else it would not have transpired in the first place.

Roughly 400 years ago, Airistata started as a series of plague colonies along the Oranteum shore; comprised of people who were exiled. They settled in small, close-knit communities that lived difficult and brutal lives, but it quickly became known for being a safe-haven among an unfriendly world. As it grew, the people began to organize and have gone through several eras in which their identity and culture has shifted significantly. In the early days when they were attempting to unify, they were lead primarily by a loose network established by two individuals named Ada and Zurich, both cranach humans and considered the founders of Avi-ah. After their deaths, the Avi-ah affiliate Athras would act as the primary executive figure over the newly unified colonies, but, without any sort of formal legal structure, government, or a constitution, it was not long before others rose to prominence and their deeds overshadowed his own. As time went on, the heart of Airistata shifted from the coastal colonies westward into the mountains as individuals and groups moved to make claims for themselves and appoint themselves positions of power, establishing concrete territories and rivalries that would remain largely independent for over 150 years. These initial feudal kingdoms have all but disappeared, save a few of the old orders.100 years ago, the country was experiencing a period of instability marked by the work of a corrupted shura named of Fateris in an effort to unify the country under his mantle. This unification was a bloody one and many formerly independent kingdoms within Airistata were deeply unhappy and uncooperative with Fateris' rule, but also feared him and his supporters. Known as The Shadow King by the east, Fateris set about expanding Airistatan territories outwards, coming to war with the eastern nation of Ketz Kradle as well as escalating existing aggression with their western neighbor of Meriký. Despite displaying a clear dominance over yet disparate regions in Ketz Kradle and claiming a sizable amount of territory, the Shadow King was killed 60 years ago by an unaffiliated individual by the name of Tesca Shadate'a, and Airistata fell into chaos as various agents tried to secure influence for themselves. Much of this territory they gained was subsequently lost in the interim.The civil war ended when Emtio secured her position as Queen, helped by a cadre of cultish loyal supporters. She is responsible for turning Fateris' actions and outlook—often with her own take on the matter—into an ideology that became a concrete, faction-wide identity that acts as the main unifying force in the region. Renewing Fateris's goal of conquest, she reinterpreted the call to action as vengeance upon the world in the name of the corrupted in order to unite the aristocrats in a common aim. Emtio first set about taking territory from their western neighbor, the nation of Meriký, who had long been in a caustic relationship with Airistata. But they were forced to stop in their conquest when the area became inhospitable due to the severity of corruption. Instead, they turned to KK in order to take back up Fateris's old mantle, and the two factions are currently at war.

There are many languages spoken in Airistata, but the common tongue in modern times is referred to as Blue Ker. It is an intentional bastardization of several different languages over the past four centuries. It is recognizable by its long, rolling vowel sounds that abruptly end into harsh consonants. Most aristocrats and houses also still speak languages derived from their place of origin in addition.When it comes to names, patrons are expected to use a mononym, while their lochsen are expected to list that they are lochsen of their particular patron when giving their name. For example, Eirio, a lochsen of the patron Mara, would be "Eirio lochsen Mara".

As a nation primarily defined by their corruption, Airistata has great pride in their level of corruption. Privilege goes hand-in-hand with visible corruption, and ability to channel is paramount to both their individual standing as aristocrats and the nation as a global power. Uncorrupted individuals are referred to by the slur "vioujsshrik" that literally translates to "untouched", used in a similar fashion to a pejorative usage of the term virgin.There is so much corruption in Airistata that nearly everyone who resides in the nation will, sooner or later, be infected by it whether they intend to or not. Aristocrats will often go out of their way to expose themselves or their children to corruption to gain the ability to channel and as a symbol of status. Sudden death or disability as a result of corruption is culturally embraced, even if individuals can sometimes be wary of courting misfortune. Severely corrupted individuals who are unable to manage themselves are often taken in as trophies and objects of curiosity by other aristocrats. Some of Airistata's zeal and extremism can be attributed to corruption interfering with typical neurochemical functioning.The study and utilization of corruption is relatively advanced in Airistata in comparison to the rest of the world, to the point where they have identified several strains and effects and will use them to their advantage, including the ability to channel, but also mundane purposes like the use of corrupted material as sources of artificial light and heat. Their invention and resourcefulness when it comes to corruption is second only to Avi-ah, but they tend to focus on destructive techniques and care little for meticulous strategy or thought for consequence. Most aristocrats are regarded as powerful sorcerers and an aristocrat who can't channel is usually not in power long without allies who can.

Airistata as a faction is not technologically advanced and often abhors non-magical technology, associating it with their enemies and oppressors. However, individual aristocrats are sometimes intrigued or invested in importing and tinkering with technology. Interests and reach are specific to individuals, but it is uncommon for someone of a more technological mind to own much status.

Airistata itself has no stable economy nor currency and is resistant towards the establishment of such things. Possessions are a vacuous concept in Airistata, as all things are only yours as long as you can retain power over them. Theft and coercive labor is a non-issue insofar as the culture itself is concerned. Instead, social intrigue is the most profitable enterprise in Airistata itself, and much of the things aristocrats do is done in order to provide for and gain favor with other aristocrats. Allied aristocrats will freely exchange possessions or give gifts to each other as symbol of their friendship, and collections or rare items are often procured entirely for the sake of social currency.Though it does not technically have one itself, Airistata is involved heavily in foreign economy. Foreign currency will still retain value in Airistata as long as there is desire to spend it, and many aristocrats are involved with mercantile efforts overseas as an extension of imperialistic fervor. Some aristocrats even organize their houses similarly to mercantile companies, where all people under their employ are literally employed as a part of a business venture. They're also heavily involved in criminal markets elsewhere in the world, supporting the criminal organizations in Rainetwen and pirates in Dayrenal. Besides other things they have acquired through conquest and trading, most of what Airistata has to offer the outside world are services: protection, connections, procurement of otherwise illegal goods or items, training and purposeful corruption, etc.

Airistata rejects all wujinika-based religion as most wujinika-based religions demonize corruption and corrupted individuals. They believe that they are free from the chains of religion, however, there are two predominant practices that can be understood as equivalent to a religion. First is worship of their Queen, whose following closely mirrors that of a cult. Much of social status in Airistata revolves around how passionately or devoted one is to the ideals put forward by Emtio, and, as such, many aristocrats will tear and claw at each other to win the Queen's favor, often by acting outright sycophantic and evangelical.Similarly, there is the Cult of Avi-ah. Not to be mistaken for the actual faction of Avi-ah, the Cult of Avi-ah in Airistata is formed through the same fervor and impulse as their Queen-worship, but with Avi-ah as their object. Avi-ah has long been involved in Airistatan history as an ally and is the locus for all research into and understanding of corruption, but it is a closed faction that does not outwardly advertise itself and thus has an air of mystery and prestige for many aristocrats. Following suit from the Queen's interest in Avi-ah, many members engage in romanticizing and idealizing Avi-ah's activities, particularly regarding Avi-ah's leader dealings with the wujinika. It should be noted that Avi-ah and its leaders do not find the cult charming in the slightest and often begrudgingly accept its existence for the sake of their alliance. Many who seek official membership in Avi-ah as a result of the cult are outright rejected, though it only seems to encourage them.

Airistatan culture is defined by romanticism. They idealize and cling onto big ideas like Beauty, Tragedy, Love, Heroism, Justice, etc, and believe emotions are of the utmost value rather than things to be dismissed or controlled. Above all else, a person must be passionate, no matter what the object of their passion is, and they must act on their passions. To do otherwise is seen as a symptom of cowardice and frailty of will. They love stories of underdogs, where heroes win out against insurmountable odds, and identify heavily with marginalized people despite many having long since been in that position.Passion and will can be applied to many different pursuits, but Airistatans value more traditional romantic activities than things like business. They love art, design, architecture, music, performance, with particular interest in opera, owning a celebrity culture surrounding famous composers and singers. The aristocrats are also famous for their extravagant parties, often where they are expected to engage in discussions and debates on politics and philosophy alongside various hedonistic activities. But the true test of character is through adversity, and participation in the war effort is seen as one such opportunity to forge the soul into greatness through glory of conquest and combat. Some pride themselves on army building while others lend their skills personally on the battlefield in a gladiatorial mindset. Not all act as an organized army, as those associated with the Queen's daughter, V, comprise the organized forces while many individual agents trespass into battlefields on a whim without any direction.Although otherwise permissible about coercive displays of power over others, Airistatans dislike any kind of trickery or subterfuge, seeing it as only what people do who cannot manage more obvious methods and therefore a sign of weakness. "You only hide when you do not have the power to be open," is a common sentiment. Following from this idea, they abhor politeness, reticence, reluctance to speak one's mind, and things that are designed for the purpose of guarding themselves. In the same vein of thought, aristocrats have taken to the practice of abstaining from clothing outside of jewelry or the occasional shawl, believing that primacy of the self is at home in the naked skin, while shame or embarassment are only products of weakness.

Airistatans are as upfront about sex and romance as it can get, reveling in the abandonment of social mores and taboo, often discussing or even engaging in otherwise explicit acts out in the open and even hosting events specifically for the purpose. Love and passion are kings in their country, and display of such is seen as a thing to be admired and talked about. They have little rules regarding such engagements, as well as having little care for things like ritual, monogamy, or separating out who can and cannot love between genders or species, sometimes nearly fetishizing dynamics for their strangeness. Relationships are expected to be outwardly emotional, and, though culturally sanctioned monogamy does not exist between aristocrats, jealousy most certainly does.But, though they may profess love and passion for one another, patrons rarely form committed couples, as official partnerships complicates their rabid sense of individualism. Occasionally they will marry or take a spouse, but marriage will technically count as surrendering themselves to ownership under the other's estate as a kind of lochsen. Aristocrats do frequently find suitable spouses among their lessers, though, sometimes taking multiple, forming harems or even keeping concubines. Though their relationships may be superfluous at times, Airistatans would resent any implication that their actions are not meaningful, and would vehemently disagree with the assessment that casual sex or romance devalues each individual act. Understanding their valuation of impulsivity, impermanence, flux, emotions, and extremes are all vital to framing their practices of courtship.

The decision to have or adopt children or what to do with children that are born as a result of their activities is often completely a personal one. Many in the aristocracy heavily romanticize the act of procreation and parenthood, but there are no rules or structure to determine how children should be raised or valued. Though occasionally children may be reared with intention of taking ownership of the estate after the death of their parent, it is far from a culture-wide practice and there is nothing to ensure possessions are actually inherited from parent to child. Often children will stay under power of the parent that owns them their entire life, with only a few who successfully take power from their parent or go on to form their own estates. Upon the death of their parent, they may find themselves under completely different ownership as a family friend or rival takes control of the estate instead, including claim to them. Many aristocrats, however, still practice similar family-structures and parent-child relationships as the culture they originate from. The main difference is that children in Airistata can only be under official patronage of one estate, which often leads to fighting and disputes between aristocrats who have romantic entanglements.Given the interference of corruption as well as the infrequency to which Airistatans actually partner with someone who is reproductively compatible to them, many aristocrats who want children have need to specifically seek it out. Adoption is common, sometimes in large numbers and even if the individual they are adopting are far past childhood, sometimes with adults claiming to adopt each other, as well as making claims of official relations to those who they are not related to by an official capacity. But the decision to give the child up for someone else to take is equally common, even after they were already adopted. Many Airisitatans care little for the fact that the influence of fluctuating whims on children can be traumatic, instead arguing that adversity is vital for the purity of the soul.

Most food eaten by aristocrats in Airistata is either specially imported from elsewhere or its source is imported and then grown on their estate by their employ, providing special conditions if need be. Rarely do aristocrats eat substances that grow natively in the area, allowing that for lesser people. Part of the factor in this is the large variety of species that make Airistata their home, all of which favor different types of foods and have different dietary needs. Of what grows naturally in Airistata are mostly grains that grow on the plains outside the mountains, various river and cave dwelling creatures, and a large variety of fungi and lichen that grow underground.Airistatans are famous for their consumption of both various brands of alcohol and use of other chemical substances to alter mood and experiences, often imported directly from Rainetwen. They are mostly fond of narcotics and stimulants as well as psychoactive chemicals that enhance or augment other sensations.

Each individual patron will count as their own subfaction. There are upper houses, which are usually more stable and more strongly tied to the Queen, as well as mid-level and lower houses, which experience a higher degree of chaos and upheaval. Houses are always identified exclusively by the name of the patron they belong to, who usually do not claim a surname.

Airistata's only ally is that of Avi-ah, who begrudgingly accepts the state of their relationship. Avi-ah was involved with founding Airistata in the beginning, and has their headquarters in Airistatan territory, treated as an estate run by Avi-ah's leader. Airistata often takes for granted anything in specific about Avi-ah, reveling in their existence more as a symbol than as an actual organization that does things out in the world. Seeing as most of Avi-ah's values (rooted in stoicism and rationalism) are in direct contradiction to Airistata's, it is probably in their benefit that Airistata doesn't think about them more critically than they need to.Most of the world abhors Airistata as the land of demons and sin, and pass around horror stories of the kind of things that happen in or because of Airistata. However, Airistata has ties to the pirates of Dayrenal, has significant influence over Rainetwen through underground agents related to the recent mass exile, and has many affiliates who are posted in Northern KK, Eastern Dayrenal, and Inefou, mostly as a part of capitalistic endeavors. Nekta offered them representation, but Airistata declined. Nekta keeps an expert on Airistata activities nevertheless, named Yon, who acts as advocate for Airistatan people in Nekta's peacekeeping activities.Though Airistata is engaged with direct conflict with KK and generally dislikes them, they don't carry any excessively strong or storied vendettas with humanity and instead see the conquest both as a trial through which they will elevate their beings as well as a kind of Manifest Destiny that entitles them to that conquest. It was started by their former King as a pure act of expansion and aggression and many regard the path as simply the right thing to do, sometimes rationalizing after the fact that humanity represents all those who have stood against them and must be taken down. Though many Airistatan nobles disagree with and try to stay away from the war, such stances are considered a rebuke of their Queen and her decisions and will result in social consequences when made known. But there's nothing to enforce participation so long as the individual is able or willing to risk the backlash should the knowledge become public.

Dayrenal is the republic on the southern portion of Techano, home mainly to shura with a silfae minority. Formed out of a union of formerly independent territories, they are a democratic republic with a celebrity political culture. The war that preceded their union still hangs heavy over them, peace often seeming tenuous and vulnerable, especially in the intense regional divide between the central country and their eastern shore. Dayrenal is also notable for having a zero tolerance policy on corruption and executes many corrupted individuals apprehended within their borders. As they reside in the center of most global powers in the west, they are a major player in international trade and are known as bankers and merchants abroad.

Dayrenal resides on the southern portion of the continent of Techano, just south of KK territories, claiming a large domain, though some of it is disputed. The northern and adjacent western coast is home to prominent deepwoods forests, where tangles of giant vines reach up to enormous heights, trapping in water at their base to form deep bogs and swamps, while the southwest coastline is home to a low-altitude mountain range, having long since been eroded down. The border between KK and Dayrenal is generally regarded to be a belt of especially dense deepwoods forests called the Gegrel. The midcountry is home to sweeping plains and savannas, while the east coast is cut off by the sandy Oya desert in the Mideast that makes travel to and from the coast especially difficult. The Oya desert, while only partially stretching into the north, takes up most of the southern half of the country, with only the very most southern coast as a much-isolated waypoint of civilization.

The country of Dayrenal is home mainly to shura. The relan shura whose tones are more green comprise the majority, while the yellow-ish muynren shura live in Oya desert in nomadic tribes, and southernmost are the blue-toned phelgre shura. Silfae originate from Dayrenal and still maintain a significant presence in the area, but experience a great amount of prejudice from the shura majority, and many have moved outside of Dayrenal or into less regulated areas over the years, such as into deepwoods. Given their proximity to such regions, there is a prominent presence of humans, yain, and vi in the area, mainly as traders. Vi, in particular, are famous for living communally with shura populations on the east coast, and intermarriage between shura and vi is a heated political issue in the country. Yain who are closely related to the raina yain of Rainetwen are common in the regions of Belkon and Thephen.

Dayrenal presents itself as a democratic republic, with a president and representatives elected from their constituents in specific regions. There is a great deal of national pride in their system of governance, with many of their politicians or those involved in the political field as household names. The relationship between constituents and representative is often one of loyalty and patronage nearing a feudal kingdom, especially as most politicians serve indefinitely and are known for openly investing their own money in their districts and even upfront offering incentives to voters in exchange for their loyalty. The current president, a shura by the name of Synath, has also worked long and hard to ensure only those loyal to him reach office.All political power of their government resides in the capital state of Anstal and most political decisions benefit mainly Anstal. Regions outside of Anstal are, at best, left semi-independent, and, at worst, totally disenfranchised and neglected. The Republic came about as a result of peace negotiations after a long and brutal war, many in other regions believe Anstal has used their system of governance to emerge as victors from a war that truly ended only in devastation. The extreme of such a position is the region of Muya on the east coast. Though it has many cooperative vestiges of the Republic as official governance, the people are known for their fierce refusal to acquiesce to the Republic's vision and demands. But, because the horrors of war are still fresh on the minds of many, there is a hesitation to directly challenge the system for fear their peace is only an easily shattered illusion.

Much of the social structure in Dayrenal is dictated by a nationalistic devotion to their post-war identity and the structures that led to their recovery, including to their current president and representatives. These values are synonymous with peace to many, as the ways they moved forward have become inexorably tied to the act of moving forward at all. Additionally, in the aftermath of devastation certain groups and ideas found themselves as scapegoats and others as undeserving saints, and these divisions created in post-war society still remain today. Anstal, as the locus for reform in post-war society, has come out on top, and the lifestyles and racial phenotypes associated with Anstal are heavily tied to visions of a brighter future. For example, as Anstal was a region of widespread farming and ranching, the farmer has become the picture of the ideal citizen. As the new government came to represent peace, politicians and political life gained an impervious austerity. As international trading built back up a ruined countryside, traders and bankers became pillars of society. Sentiments defending independents, questioning the peace or the way the war is talked about now, or asking how things could still be different are quick to paint any individual expressing them as a sympathizer to the causes of war in the first place.But there have also always existed deeper divisions in dayreli populations. Silfae, for example, have always been a neglected minority, held in suspicion by dayreli authorities, unable to assimilate to any meaningful degree by divergent biological needs, and carrying with them a history of older persecutions inflicted upon them by the shura majority. Issues of religion, also, have always caused deep divisions within dayreli civilization that still persist despite the part they played in the war.

The silfae and shura arrived in the same group, collectively referred to as the Grizan races, somewhere between 4,000 to 3,000 years ago. The two groups had minimal contact with each other before this point despite being from the same planet of origin. Silfae were in smaller numbers upon arrival, while the shura outnumbered them by hundreds of thousands. Given their larger numbers, many shura believe themselves to have been favored by the wujinika, while the silfae are directly held responsible for the great calamity. Today, most of the silfae have left Dayrenal or have gone into hiding in inaccessible areas, and are generally regarded as vagrants and thieves not only in Dayrenal, but throughout the allied provinces.For most of Dayrenal's history, settlements and regions grew organically outwards from their origin. Part of the group that expanded southwards found themselves running into the yain civilizations of Velekton and Ikthivin on the southwest portion of Techano. These encounters are considered to be prolonged confrontations that often escalated into violence and ultimately ended with Dayrenal's control of the territory. Many yain fled to Rainetwen, though still regard the ruins of Velekton (now Belkon) and Ikthivin (now Thephen) as their ancestral homes. The yain who remained continually found themselves under the heel of dayreli entities, often to their loss, and especially so in the current state of affairs.Dayrenal had never been a united territory until recent times. Even Anstal, though claiming a united past, was historically much smaller and much more fractured than it is today. Feudal aristocracies controlled most of dayreli countries throughout time, often taking their people to war over personal disputes, especially as religion became more deeply entrenched and universal in dayreli life. The Republic was formed following the heels of the Gurze War, when a tightly knit web of aristocratic allegiances and enmities saw nearly the entire continent face off against each other in battle. Though it was made of countless individual conflicts and had times of fervor and times of passivity, the Gurze War is considered to have lasted over span of a century. At it's end, both land and population were ruined to the point where widespread starvation forced the conflict to its final breaking point. Though it was not considered a major player in the war, the then country of Anstal took the lead in brokering peace deals and making way for a recovery, able to fulfill that position by their relative passivity in the conflict, mostly unscathed by the level of material devastation faced elsewhere. The major players have since been wiped from history, their old authorities stripped of their powers by the new republic, and the names of their countries becoming only dragons and devils in the minds of many.It has been nearly 80 years since the war closed out. The Republic brought with it countless reforms, renewal, and prosperity for many. But it was simply a return to relative peace from tragedy and the new governmental forces have also moved to consolidate an incredible amount of power behind them since their inception. Many people view it as a great promise fulfilled, but many of the things it has afforded them are only paradisiacal when compared to the 100 years that came before.In modern times, much of Dayrenal's attention is invested struggling to gain a semblance of control over the region of Muya on their east coast. Though the old powers in Muya have little influence now and the population ostensibly takes part in the dayreli democracy, the region itself is considered lawless. Cities and towns tend to be unofficially run by pirates and rebellious insurgencies, often with direct support from foreign powers. As the region is cut off from the heart of the country by the Oya desert, it has proved difficult for any federal authorities to police. Complicating the situation is that Dayrenal's foreign ally of Inefou has increasingly put pressure on Dayrenal concerning the problem, as they also are affected by piracy, and have threatened to take control themselves if Dayrenal cannot.

The official language of Dayrenal is dayreli, which originated out of the region of Anstal. There are prominent dialects in other regions and many in these regions may be bilingual due to the preservation of languages native to their region, but there is significant pressure from the government to accept only dayreli as the language of their country in official venues, including in schools and courts. Many muynren in the region of Oya do not speak dayreli and instead speak mu, thought to be a much older form of the language. The phelgre shura in the very southern horn of Pheli also speak their own language which is completely independent from other language groups found in Dayrenal.

Dayrenal is incredibly stringent on issues of corruption, going so far as to arrest and supposedly execute any who are thought to be corrupted. Even merely taking a stance sympathetic to the issues facing those who are corrupted is a prosecutable offense, as such beliefs are believed to be dangerous in-and-of themselves. Raids on so-called "corruption-friendly" areas or safe houses is commonplace and even the vaguest of connection to anyone suspected of being sympathetic can ruin a political career. Added to this is the fact that many cases of corruption are not visibly detectable and the government claims ultimate authority for determining who is or who isn't corrupted, sometimes erroneously. The government uses this to silence dissident voices on all manner of platforms, as the idea that those opposed to anything the government does are more likely to be corrupted is taken to be a matter-of-fact truth by the majority in Dayrenal. Executions are generally not public though, where outsiders only assume the individual in question is now deceased. Many of those intended for execution are instead forced into labor, or, increasingly in recent times, are sold off to various buyers, including researchers and army affiliates in KK, but also to houses in Airistata as slaves.Corruption is seen as a disease of the soul and is considered to stem from humanity to the north and Airistata. Distrust of non-shura species within Dayrenal is closely tied to anxieties concerning corruption and much of this prejudice falls on the silfae minority within the country. Though their belief that corruption is an evil is heavily tied to their faith to the wujinika, the tendency to associate the phenomenon with magic is less common—though still significant—than their northern allies and they tend to voice their concerns in a more secular manner. Instead, it is mostly regarded as a profound sickness that twists both body and mind into something evil and the potential of it to spread is a cause for great hysteria.Though measures are strict, the eastern coast is known to be less regulated and home to various safe houses that have funding and support from Avi-ah in what they see to be a humanitarian crisis. Additionally, pirates and uncontrolled immigration are common in the area and the Dayreli authorities, which are primarily based out of Anstal in the west, have difficulty controlling these influences.

Dayrenal has a growing interest in technology and has designs for widespread industrialization, though there is some political push-back against such designs. Before the arrival of humanity and the settlement of Inefou by the Vi, the shura had little idea of such things, and they still largely lack much of the know-how to carry out these objectives on their own. In order to achieve such ambitions, the shura are forced to rely on aid from outside forces, though many are hesitant to share information them for their violent zealotry. But, as KK has increasingly relied on Dayrenal with advent of the war, they have started to share technical knowledge, including bringing Dayreli experts into KK territories for more formal training. This, along with the regular exchange of culture between Dayrenal and Inefou, has lead to a recent investment in projects like railways and radio. But the expertise is mostly reserved for federal agents and specific mercantile groups, neither of which are amenable to share it publicly. Famously, their President owns his own lavish motor vehicle. However, individuals on the east coast commonly have interaction with Inefou and many amateur engineers and chemists are known to live in the area, sometimes among pirate factions who traffic stolen goods from more technologically developed civilizations.

Dayrenal's economy is heavily reliant on being couriers of resources to and from other countries. Because of its geographic location, most trade between allied countries goes through Dayrenal before arriving at its destination. As such, shura have a reputation for being merchants, famous for large bazaars of imported goods, fleets of merchant ships, and banking industries that grew from the need to exchange currencies. Many of these empires have connections to the politicians, who actively promote their businesses, and such merchants are well-respected in Dayrenal as symbols of nationalistic pride. The banking empires are also largely responsible for funding KK's military via contracts and loans. These commercial markets sometimes have subversive ties to entities trafficking migrant workers, involvement with Airistatan slave markets and ties to pirates who prey mainly on traffic in Inefou. The country is still largely rural and more disconnected areas will frequently have local organizations and groups that take advantage of the lack of local law enforcement to offer their services instead, sometimes taking the form of protection rackets.Most of the more rural plains areas are invested into farming and animal husbandry. Agriculture is thought to be the heart of the country and the government is heavily involved in investment and subsidizing such things, including ranching. In particular, breeding and rearing of animals known as rhuoun, who are used as mounts for transportation, working animals, for companionship, and for competition and sport forms a substantial part of their economic activity. Pedigree rhuoun breeders are usually high-profile, as racing or beauty competitions with rhuoun are popular among shura. Ownership of a rhuoun is considered to be an essential part of life and pedigree rhuoun are often a visible symbol for status. Proficiency in riding, jousting, and chariot driving are essential qualities not just for the average citizen, but also for any potentially elected official.

Dayrenal and its territories have always been deeply religious concerning the wujinika. They regard them as gods who are connected to and reign over deep truths in the universe, standing for righteousness, goodness, purity and always standing against chaos and evil. There is no greater being they serve nor does Dayrenal pick out individual wujinika to give praise to them over others, instead recognizing the entire group as deeply divine and sacred. Putting precedence on one over the other is considered sacrilegious, as is representing them in pictures and sculpture. The ground thought to be walked upon or objects thought to have been touched by wujinika are considered sacred, including the point they claim as their origin on Traizar. Shura travel to these locations in hopes of being close to such divinity, that they might be blessed by what of such powerful beings has made its mark upon them. They are thought to be omnipresent and omniscient, only occasionally making their presence known if they deign there to be purpose to the act. Dayrenal has also has various canonical accounts of encounters with wujinika other than the ones who saved them, detailing conversations and instances where shura witnessed their majesty, but whether these accounts are factual is often dubious. The current president, Synath, claims to have had an encounter with a wujinika and is revered by the public for the thought that he might have the ear of one such being, and, thus, divine approval of his character.According to dayreli beliefs, there is only an afterlife if an individual is chosen by the wujinika for their deeds and quality of character. This afterlife is imagined as a world of excess and pleasures, but not necessarily one considered a perfect paradise or free from hardships, as it is often portrayed as a place to prepare to assist the wujinika in the greater war with an unknowable evil. What manner of character would be lauded by the wujinika has shifted significantly throughout time. In the modern time period, it is considered to be a matter of devotion, mainly demonstrated through involvement with the church, but in the past piety was often demonstrated by rooting out unbelievers and purifying the land of evils. In modern times, true believers spend large amounts of money on elaborate churches who require regular payment from their members, charge excessive amounts for proper funerary practices, and spend most of their focus only affirming their duty and calling out the evils in the world. Many prominent sects also believe that there will be a day of reckoning where the wujinika return to cleanse the planet and save the righteous as they did before, the rising threat of the corrupted seen as sign that this time might be drawing near.Religious fervor was waxed and waned, though, and violent evangelism is associated with the Gurze War. In the current time, though religious devotion to the wujinika is still all but mandatory and they openly mix religion and government, there is care taken when it comes to letting those beliefs become cries for active persecution or retribution. Yet, though they may voice concerns in a secular manner, the moralistic and impassioned overtones to any such discussion carry their roots entirely in religious beliefs. Same holds true for the attitudes towards silfae and other species, who are regarded by many shura to be devoid of the necessary quality of character that would allow them to be righteous people, influenced by the fact that they often hold differing religious traditions.The muynren who live deep in the Oya desert, however, carry significantly different religious practices. They praise only a single wujinika named Urkushgal, sometimes regarded as the Lord of the Abyss or the Antecedent of Long Shadows. She alone determines salvation or annihilation upon death, said to eat the souls of the righteous where they will live on through her. The muynren sometimes regard other wujinika to be nefarious beings and pretenders who seek to lead shura astray. Many mainland shura regard the muynren beliefs to be equivalent to pagans who practice obtuse and outdated traditions.

Much of the modern culture of Dayrenal is based in the feelings of a new age following a time of darkness. For many, it is hopeful, prosperous, with an eye for new ideas, inventions, discoveries, and places. There is an interest in imported ephemera, in strange wares, foods, travel, as well as novel inventions and technology. Their populace has little solid foundation to understand such things, making many otherwise mundane things seem intensely curious and almost magical. It's a time for unhinged inventors and traveling salesmen of seemingly useless gadgets and nicknacks, plenty of whom are fame-hungry charlatans and snake oil salesmen. As travel has become easier and easier, a great many have invested in seeing new parts of Dayrenal, especially the old ruins in Belkon and Thephen, marveling over what those civilizations may have been like despite the fact that the ancestors of those two still exist and struggle today.Though there is an air of cosmopolitanism, these things and attitudes are dalliances for most, and do little to offset the fervent loyalty to Anstal authority, deeply held conservatism, and zealous religiosity. At their heart, the shura of Dayrenal are a dogmatic people with longstanding traditional values. The ideal picture of shura life is that of large, devoted families, vibrant small-town communities, harmonious marriages, dutiful children, work in the land or with animals, and piety to the wujinika. With exposure to the larger world and new horizons have also brought fears, both of legitimately dangerous ongoings such as war, as well as imagined ones, such as a sense of chaos the shift of fortunes may bring to the values of the people. With the newer generations come the notion of a people who didn't know the war, who have no sense of the loss, disconnected from what is at stake, who know only the frivolities and none of the perceived cost may descend into decadence and immorality. As such, there has been a great amount of suspicion from older generations cast onto the youth, with worry they may go down a path that erases the weight of their hardships. Their concern is offset by an incredible amount of pressure to keep the war current in their national dialogue, to always watch for threats, and to remain pious and humble. Many try to anchor the state of the country with increased religiosity and doomsayers touting visions of an oncoming apocalypse are a common sight.

Shura form families are centered around a primary couple who have children and are well-connected to an extended family. Although they regard marriage itself as strictly heterosexual, shura are a people who have little precedence for strictly heterosexual behaviors and their cultural identity is openly and unabashedly bisexual. Affection, romantic feelings, and sexual behaviors between same-sex individuals are regarded as normal—albeit adolescent—a thing to grow out of as one prepares themselves for adulthood and focuses on more important things than personal pleasure or indulgent feelings. Even as adults, most shura are openly physically affectionate with each other and place a high value on feelings and gestures, such that adult homosexual relationships easily pass undetected.Dayrenal is especially hard on interspecies relationships, to the point that even friendships between members of different species are viewed with suspicion. This is mostly due to Dayrenal's history concerning shura and silfae, but the modern incarnation is contributed to by a somewhat recent phenomenon of partnerships between vi and shura in towns along the eastern coast. Associated with eastern liberals and pirates, it has been picked up for political outcry as a symbol of the degradation of Dayreli values and is portrayed in political arenas as both exponentially more prominent and more problematic than the actual truth of the situation.Though they are expected to enter into formal marriages, shura as a species have an especially prolonged period of adolescence and generally don't settle down to start a family until they are much older, generally around 30-40 years of age. Biologically, shura don't fully develop sexually until they reach about 24-28. This lends to their tendency to form close bonds of friendship and for casual physical affection before this time, as they are largely unaffected by overt sexual impulses during early adulthood and those sort of bonds form the basis of shura life experiences during this time. At 30 they will be considered officially adults and will be expected by their parents to pursue more formal arrangements. Family members do not often assist in finding a spouse for their child as the challenge of marriage is thought to ultimately be a test of individual character that will determine their success going into adulthood. Finding a spouse who is a good match and will reflect well on the family is lauded as a personal achievement. Dating during this time is thought to be serious business that involves a great deal of forward thinking and negotiating. Parents do not often forbid unfavorable marriages, but will still consider it a reflection of character if their child chooses poorly in their eyes. Troubled marriages are thought to be karmic to poor decision making and divorce has little social support, as shura often believe instead that the individual should suffer the consequences of their choices or otherwise make the best of a bad situation.Despite shura having relatively little sexual dimorphism, Dayrenal is still a largely patriarchal society. In marriage, men are expected to pursue prestigious careers, while married women are expected to assist their husbands in their work, often performing more technical and data-orientated tasks like managing finances in a way that compliments the work of their husband. Couples are considered a package deal when pursuing careers and are expected to work cooperatively both as a romantic pair as well as in business. But the success of either is ultimately placed on the husband, as the success of his wife is only an extension of his good judgement in picking a spouse and ability to create an efficient team.

Children are intended to primarily belong to their biological parents in their family unit. Families often rely on grandparents and other extended family members in order to substitute their role as caregivers, as both primary parents are expected to be working. Public education is widely available in Dayrenal, as it is a product of the reform period following the Gurze war, and children enter into a collective educational environment relatively early in their lives. Teachers, however, are not usually of specific education or training, mostly consisting of local community figures—commonly both a man and his wife—who volunteer to take on the job. As a product of post-war reform, dayreli education is focused primarily on teaching history, religion, and basic literacy, with little intent to instill critical thinking or technical skills. Additionally, public schools only accommodate students up to about the age of 12, after which children are expected to assist their parents with the family farm or business up until they are full adults. Any further education or training is reserved for private institutions of learning, which are often costly to attend.Shura children are widely considered unruly and in need of strict boundaries and guidance, and upbringing is heavily focused on preparing them for adulthood through proper discipline. As noted, shura have a prolonged period of adolescence and are not considered fully matured adults until about 30 years of age. There is a great amount of legal precedence that favors adults over adolescents and public opinion of adolescents will consider them yet unqualified for any serious position or pursuit. Notably, only individuals over the age of 30 are able to vote.

As a people involved in animal husbandry, most of the diet is of animal products, with grains and vegetables commonly grown in Anstal. A kind of wheat grain is popular, usually paired with steaks, and sometimes ground and shaped into flatbreads or rice-cakes. The shura diet is high in starch and protein, and they are famously uninterested in sweets. As traders, foreign cuisine finds a prominent place in big cities, often modified to include tastes and textures more familiar, and KK cuisine is especially popular. Experimentation and invention with cuisine is widespread and novel food can often be found in bazaar vendors. The consumption of alcohol is also an exceptionally common practice in Dayrenal, mainly relying on fermentation of the aforementioned grains, also one of their biggest imported goods.Silfae, however, cannot eat the same kinds of foods to their shura cousins, and food markets between shura and silfae are highly segregated. This has been a major factor in silfae being pushed out of areas in Dayrenal, forced to form their own groups in order to meet basic nutritional needs.

The Muynren: the shura who live deep in the Oya desert retain an ancient way of life in nomadic tribes who shepherd desert rhuoun. It is thought that they practice similar ways of life to the original shura. They live in small groups led by a female mystic who divines with the wujinika Urkushgal.The Phelgre: the far southern territory of the continent known as Pheli is inhabited by the phelgre shura. It is a region considered disputed territory. According to official maps of Dayrenal, Pheli is often included in their official territory, but the shura living in Pheli do not officially associate with Dayrenal. They are far separated from the mainland by the vast desert and are generally free from dayreli influences or authority. However, Dayrenal claims use of the port town in the city of Agrabe to aid in maritime commerce between Rainetwen and Inefou. The phelgre have lived separate from the main shura populations for thousands of years and own distinctive cultures and phenotypes that differ significantly from the relan shura to the north. It has only been within the past 200 years that Dayrenal has reconnected with this isolated population. The main contact between the two occurred during a period of significant turmoil within Pheli as multiple powers vied for dominance and many natives regard the northerners favorably, believing that the influence of northern shura was instrumental to bringing peace. However, many in modern times are resentful of Dayrenal's claim upon their territory, especially as this association has shown itself to be exploitative and prejudiced against the native customs, people, and language.Muya and the Sea of Pir: The conflict during the Gurze War bled into the eastern region between native factions who had allegiances to those in the west. Though not as ravaged by the conflict as the interior of the country, Muya was still destabilized to the point where many of the major factions assented to taking part in the treaty. Not all from Muya found representation within the new system, as some groups were left out of the negotiations if only because the central authorities did not know of them, a fact that more prominent powers took advantage of to secure their place in the new government. The east grew increasingly grew suspicious and resistant to western supremacy and the representative powers over Muya quickly lost control of the region. Much of the rebels took to the sea, taking in others who had cause to resist central dayreli authority, including those affected by corruption as well as silfae and other disaffected populations. Over time, they found support from Avi-ah and Airistata, who funded their resistance and encouraged their efforts, pinning the Dayrenal state securely as an enemy.Silfae living in Dayrenal: Silfae have found themselves at a disadvantage when faced with the shura majority. They have had a history of persecution, in some ages more severe than others, and many refuse to identify with Dayrenal. But many silfae have tried to live in dayreli spaces, in cities and towns, and many others have found places for themselves within dayreli society. There are many challenges to this endeavor, as silfae have different physiology that can make assimilating difficult, such that they require different diets, are generally much smaller than the towering shura, and do not have the kind of physical stamina and resistance to the heat. However, many have carried on regardless, determined to make a place for themselves. In many larger cities there will be a part of the city that caters to silfae, though they tend to be overlooked by the authorities and thus more vulnerable to exploitation or violence. Additionally, there are social pressures involved that cause the two populations to stay away from each other, such as a paranoid concern over interspecies relationships and widespread suspicion of corruption. Silfae can technically vote, but many do not, as countless entities in Dayrenal have incentive and means to stop them from doing so and the population has—to some degree—accepted that it is not a viable option for them, especially as those means have sometimes included violence in the past. Some silfae travel in groups, staying on the roads and away from shura settlements, contributing to their reputation of being rogues and vagabonds. They find relatively more freedom on the east coast and many have found welcome among pirates.The Lost Woods: Many silfae over the centuries have seen no other choice than to seek refuge in far isolated and dangerous terrain that their oppressors dare not traverse, settling the deepwoods in highly insular groups that are often overtly hostile to trespassers. Calling themselves "The Lost People" or, in native languages, "Wvafa'fine", they form a myriad of conclaves nestled deep within the woods that are otherwise isolated from the world at large. The regions occupied by the Lost are still claimed by Dayrenal as a part of their territory, even if they have little interest or ability to try to exert any control in those areas. Most dayreli authorities have orders to capture or kill Wvafa'fine on sight and most Wvafa'fine are openly hostile with any who trespass into their territories. The Lost have taken on mythic proportions as a mysterious and dangerous people, leading many to consider the deepwoods dangerous if only for their potential presence.

Dayrenal is situated in the center of the world of western politics and is deeply involved in international trade. The population itself is also ravenous to devour new ideas, cultures, and foods, albeit as novelties. Securely a member of the factions who stand in stark opposition to Airistata, much their allegiances reflect a galvanized need for solidarity.Ketz Kradle: As fellow true believers in the wujinika with much to offer in terms of technology, Dayrenal has found a secure ally in KK. Both find Airistata to be a force of evil and agree on the severity of the situation. Additionally, it is clear to both that should KK fall, Airistata would be free to target Dayrenal next, a fact that casts a shadow of desperation over their support. However, KK is also allied with Nekta, whom Dayrenal has poor relationship with and KK's impending doom is viewed from afar rarely as a situation with which they can personally identify.Nekta: Nekta and Dayrenal have a poor relationship, purportedly due to Dayrenal's practice of executing the corrupted and widespread authoritarianism, but actually due to a history concerning their previous ambassador to Dayrenal, named Juran Furoe, who became compromised by dayreli powers. He had been afforded a lavish position and used as a pawn to lobby their own agendas both with Nekta as well to carry the Nektan authority when negotiating abroad. Nekta has tried to keep the situation quiet, partly embarrassed by how badly they lost control, instead sending others to try to work in tandem with and reign in Juran, but most of them have either joined him or have quietly disappeared. The political tug of war over Juran is an ongoing dilemma, as both Juran and Dayrenal repeatedly deny they have done any wrong. Because of this situation, their relationship is so poor that their mutual ally of KK often has to keep their exchanges with Dayrenal a secret for fear of endangering their own support from Nekta.Rainetwen: The continent of Disir that belongs to Rainetwen is rich with resources desired by many factions and most of these resources travel through Dayrenal in order to make it to their destination. As such, Dayrenal is lock and key to most international trade, tying their fates closely to Rainetwen as trading partners. The Raina people are also believers in the wujinika and enemies of Airistata, placing them firmly in the alliance between vioujsshrik factions. Though united by religion and trade, Rainetwen's and Dayrenal's relationship remains tenuous, partially due to the fact that Dayrenal has many yain who live in their Belkon and Thephen regions who remain under the heel of the shura majority. Rainetwen is divided on whether these yain have any meaningful connection to them, as they have different enough phenotypes to bring the question of race to the table when Rainetwen is a faction that defines itself by race. But there are enough individuals within Rainetwen that claim connection to either the vestiges of the ancient civilizations or to the living populations for the concern to reach select figures of power within Rainetwen who occasionally bring them to the negotiating table with Dayrenal. Dayrenal, on the other hand, tends to find Raina piety to be bordering on heretical, especially as they seem to regard it with much less severity than would be expected by Dayrenal.Inefou: The vi and the shura have had a long, sometimes fraught relationship, dating back to the days the vi were first colonizing the islands of Inefou long before either was a unified force. They've often had tension over ownership of the islands off of Dayrenal's east coast in the Sea of Pir, whose residents in modern time reflect a generous mix of both species. Dayrenal has claimed those islands as theirs, while Inefou maintains that the border of their territory ends only where the continent of Techano begins. Their cultures are also largely incompatible, with Inefou's staunch secularism in opposition to Dayrenal's zealotry, Inefou treatment of corruption as a medical issue and Dayrenal as a root of evil, and Dayrenal's patriarchal values butting up against Inefou's matriarchy. Additionally, the problem of the Muya coast and the pirates who inhabit the region threaten both Dayrenal and Inefou, often preying on shipments traveling between the two, and the situation has put their relationship under a great deal of strain. Inefou accuses Dayrenal of being lax in their responsibility for reigning in the region, even threatening to take charge if Dayrenal does not. They've yet to find a collaborative solution to the problem, instead spending their time passing the buck between them. Despite all this, the two remain inexorably tied together through economic interests and none believe the tension would ever boil over into anything overtly violent.Airistata: Dayrenal stands in stark opposition to Airistata and there is widespread sentiment in Dayrenal that they would be the true targets of Airistatan aggression if KK territories did not separate them. As a nation with deeply entrenched religiosity about the wujinika, there is no doubt that Airistata represents as close to pure evil to the Republic as could be imagined. However, because they still define their nation as a post-war society, Dayrenal is hesitant to become directly embroiled in the war. The powers in Dayrenal attempt to aid KK however they can otherwise, keeping their exchanges mostly out of the public eye. Airistata recognizes Dayrenal's ire for them as well as the full the extent to which Dayrenal persecutes the corrupted and keep them in mind when speaking of vioujsshrik in general, but most do not specifically call them out, as the nation is majority yain who have little personal connection to Dayrenal. Silfae and sometimes shura within Airistata, however, carry a very different message, eager for any excuse to point out Dayrenal as the exemplar of the such transgressions.Avi-ah: As a humanitarian organization, Dayrenal's treatment of corrupted individuals is of dire importance and they have a great amount of investment where they can gain a foothold in order to combat the problem. But, because they are equally an enemy in Dayrenal, that foothold is limited to the Muya coast. Avi-ah is actively involved in supporting the anti-establishment population of Muya, including sheltering people affected by corruption and spreading oppositional sentiment against Anstal. The activities of Avi-ah powers within Muya covers a wide breadth, as they are one of the only safe houses for liberal thought in the region. Dayrenal, on the other hand, has little grounding to be able to understand Avi-ah or their actions, especially as they have yet to connect the dots to realize the extent to which there are foreign factions at work in Muya in the first place. They are aware of corrupted individuals in Muya, but seem to assume that their agenda is somehow inherent in the state of being corrupted, as though all demons no matter their origins will seek to oppose the righteous. It is unlikely many in Dayrenal know the name of Avi-ah or—if they do—realize they are in any way separate from Airistata.

Rainetwen refers collectively to a grouping of poleis belonging to the specific race of yain known as Raina on the continent of Disir. Though each polis is technically independent, people of Rainetwen identify as a unified body of people based on their outlook, values, and ethnic identity, and the poleis will often collaborate and deliberately mirror each others' laws and practices. Rainetwen as a faction can be described as ethnonationalist, defined by a firm declaration that their identity as a people will not be trampled by or made second to circumstance, corruption, technology, or mortality. They are Raina and protecting, observing, and upholding that identity as a people is the single most important thing. Individuals are upheld and judged by the idea of the ideal Raina and divergence from their cultural identity is seen as a form of treason.

The poleis of Rainetwen are kept to the eastern part of the continent of Disir, with Shifwen to the south of them and the west kept out of their reach by untraversable mountains. The climate is tropical and much of that area is covered in what are essentially rainforests. The plant-life on Disir mainly consists of thin, winding, white tree-like growths that erupt in bushy, yellow foliage, while the native fauna are mostly avian and grow colorful feathers. To the north and south of Sollem alongside the mountains of Ruile are the giant ruins of cities left behind by the sheyher civilization, covering more land than any two raina poleis combined. These ruins and the land beyond the Ruile mountains are forbidden territory for most yain, enforced mostly by the authority of Sollem.

Rainetwen is composed exclusively of raina yain. Yain of mixed race where one parent is recognized to be raina will generally be accepted as raina if they were born in the city and their lineage is verifiable. The burden is on the government to prove or disprove citizenship instead of on the citizen, but the culture of cities is such that everyone knows each other and therefore it is unlikely a foreigner or stranger could pass unnoticed forever.

Most poleis are divided between 4 powers: the Celes, a council of powerful oligarchs, the Architects (Krelsmier) and then the Inquisitors (Joreim). In truth, Rainetwen is almost entirely controlled by powerful merchant groups, as the continent of Disir is full of valuable resources when their neighbors are lacking, and, thus, money is the true lifeblood of the country. But the oligarchs are faithful to the supremacy of the Raina cultural identity, as upholding those values was vital to their success and continued good graces within their society. Some merchant groups have influence and positions in multiple poleis, which contributes much to Rainetwen's overall unity. The oligarchs select a ruler known as a Celes, who is meant to embody the cultural ideal of their polis, often a youth from the oligarchical families and under their control, a figurehead with no real power backing them.Where the activities and decisions of the oligarchs are often unknown to the public and the Celes is a cultural idol who leads ceremonial events more than an acting body of governance, most instead know the people called Architects as their main governing body. Each polis has a different number and arrangement of Architects. Architects are chosen for their job by the polis administration based on their skills and merits, and are responsible both for planning and making decisions concerning the architecture and layout of the city itself, as well as for making decisions with goal of upholding, embellishing, or protecting the Raina cultural identity within the civilian body. They are responsible for the creation and maintenance as what is known as the Code of Raina, which is a code that conveys the core values and identity of the Raina people, covering everything from proper dress to behavior in courtship. Intentionally breaking the code is treated as treasonous, even if it is as simple a thing as disheveled hair.The inquisitors are the body that enforces the code within the polis itself, sometimes as law enforcement, but other times functioning as surveillance and symbol of power. Inquisitors are universally trained and sanctioned by Sollem and often have jurisdiction far outside of the polis to whom they belong, sometimes employing contracted soldiers from various poleis to work as their aid. Actual enforcement of the code is relatively lenient compared to the minutiae of things they take offense to, relying mostly on warnings, hearings, and non-forceful discipline like fines, but it often depends on the individual Inquisitor in question and discrimination or personal bias is a common feature in their responses. Additionally, when moved to action, there is little in place to restrict or question their authority. Under no circumstance do they practice capital or corporal punishment; in severe cases they rely on public shaming, with removal of citizenship being the most extreme response.A Rainetwen polis is a socialist body that will work to provide housing, education, and jobs for its citizens, so long as they are true citizens. Poleis are seen as a unity of individual and community, where the whole is no more vital to the parts than the parts are to the whole. Even concerning the oligarchs, the wealth of one is considered wealth for all. For most citizens, the relationship is one of pride and unity. But their laws, code, and socialist programs apply only to citizens, who must belong to the polis and must be a raina yain. Removal of one's citizenship will divorce them from these programs, making it much harder to find housing or employment, as well as putting them in danger to being removed from by force should they cause trouble. Otherwise, they tolerate non-citizen presences in their cities, often letting them go on their way and business without even a second thought as to their behavior or presentation, even if they will always be inferior to a true Raina. There are honorary citizenships available for those who are not raina yain, but citizenship cannot be regained once it is lost. However, there is some room for error, as any individual will commonly be profiled based on their appearance to evaluate if they are actually a citizen long before any effort is made to verify their identity with public records, making it easy for foreign raina to pass through undetected and difficult for citizens who do not consistently pass as raina in the public eye.

Raina yain belong first to the polis they were born in and only elsewise to Rainetwen as a whole. Their surname following their given name will literally translate to "belongs to [polis name]", appearing as "auf Vestin" or "auf Sollem". They cannot belong to anyone else, all raina yain in a polis are essentially wed to their state and are expected to remainful faithful in that association. They are judged by how well they uphold the values and their contribution to the good of their people. Though educated by state institutions, most people are encouraged to follow in their family profession, only occasionally being requisitioned or allowed transferred by the state. Encouragement of inherited professions has, over time, essentially created castes where citizens generally stay at the same social status that they were born into. Wealthy castes are referred to as bluebloods, and are often involved in the polis administration, appealing to merchant groups or aiming at one day becoming an Architect.Of note are two native terms: velsmer and vulf. Velsmer denotes a citizen who reflects the appearance and attitude of what is seen as an ideal Raina, while vulf refers to one who falls far from the ideal appearance. Velsmer are usually androgynous, taller, with long noses, narrow eyes, thin lips, rectangular faces, and well-defined spots, but the actual determination is subject to opinion. Vulf includes any significant divergence from this archetype, but also any characteristic that could be interpreted to be shared with their shifow cousins: blotchy spots, vestigial tails, coarser hair, etc. Those understood to be velsmer will be treated with privilege while vulf will experience discrimination and prejudice. Physical beauty, including fashion sense, is tied to Raina perceptions of dutifulness and embodiment of the ideal, so much so that those who are not beautiful are assumed to be inferior in character.

The yain people have been on Traizar for many thousands of years and have gone through multitudes of different societies and organizations. The modern conception of the Rainetwen identity has been an invention within the past 200 years, often thought as a response to interactions with human civilization and deep-seated fear caused by worsening corruption. It is an attempted renewal of the cultural identity of the Raina people during an distant age of prosperity, intentionally taking on the look of their dress and social structure as thought to be the "true form" of the Raina people. As a part of this, however, much of the information on their own past (outside of bits and pieces used as propaganda) is unknown to most citizens of Rainetwen, leaving their modern society with only a vague memory of years of strife before peace had come to them.Despite public perception, the history of modern Rainetwen has been far from peaceful. Not only are their practices ultimately authoritarian, the free reign of their oligarchs has allowed for labor and economic exploitation to go unchecked, especially with regard to those not official citizens of the major poleis. Countless times have dissident groups tried to call attention to the inequalities and injustices, but, so far, Rainetwen authorities have succeeded both in controlling them and making sure to frame the events to their favor in the public eye, often keeping much of the information restricted and dismissing uprisings as small groups of belligerent minorities or non-citizens. Yain who are on the dissident side of this conflict are almost always held up as examples of deplorable people, removed from citizenship, and forced to leave Rainetwen territories along with anyone who may have aided them. Because of this and their immediate proximity, a majority of those who have ended up in Airistata originated from Rainetwen exiles.The most recent incident occurred roughly 50 years ago when the Architects of Sollem made the decision to integrate orchards and farmlands on the far outskirts of the city into the jurisdiction of the polis. This meant processing and reallocating land, property, and individuals, all of which was poorly administrated and culminated into an active rebellion. Though the resistance proved to be the most effective stand against a Rainetwen authority in many years, the Inquisitors eventually took control through more drastic measures, much of the details of which were kept from the public. In its wake, the Architects exiled a substantial number of their citizenship in both Sollem and Akravit, even some who were only casually affiliated. Many of these exiles found themselves in positions of power within Airistata and, though not directly at war, organized themselves to take action in Rainetwen through subversive means. The major group involved is known as the Ulvargard; an organization based in Akravit that is funded by Airistatan agents that acts mainly as a criminal organization: offering and soliciting illegal goods and services, including information and protection from authorities, often pulling select authorities under their influence.

The people of Rainetwen speak the language of akravitae (based in the polis of Akravit), said to sound like it is spoken mainly on the front of the teeth. There used to be many more languages among them, but the Code of Raina made their use of akravitae official policy.Of note: akravitae completely lacks any sort of gendered cases or pronouns as their culture completely lacks any semblance to the human understanding of maleness or femaleness. It is considered to be improper translation (and disrespectful) to assign yain gendered pronouns in foreign languages unless they have specifically chosen gendered cases for themselves (though they tend to do this rather superfluously, often failing to identify with the significance behind the words).Of note, when pronouncing akravitae the sound that is made for "wh" consonants can sound more like an aspirated "v". Akravitae also rarely articulates plurals, indicative of their world-view that one and many are equivalent. "Yain", "whastaehilor", "vulf" do not change forms regardless of the amount.(example words)
whastae: corruption, usually used as a noun, ie "the whastae"
whastaehilor: a person who is corrupted
auf: belongs to / originates from
urem: person who carries you (used similarly to "mother", but more faithfully refers to a child's primary guardian)
joreim: translates more faithfully to "inquisitor", but "police" also works
vanadier: translates literally as "weaver", denotes a subsection of joreim who can channel
krelsmier: architect, originally had a more general meaning but developed over time to be a proper noun
velsmer: a yain seen as close to the ideal raina
vulf: a yain who is seen as far from the raina ideal, often understood by foreigners to mean "ugly"
fallea: often translates as "beauty", but technically is closer to "purity of spirit / being"

The yain understand corruption, called the whastae, to be a form of disease. Ability to channel has never been common to the strains present in Rainetwen and corruption is not associated with magical abilities. Instead, it poses a threat as a health crisis, but, more importantly, as something that undercuts the supremacy of Raina identity. A person who is corrupted is viewed to be less raina, less pure, less beautiful, and thus less valuable. Corrupted members of their society, referred to as whastaehilor, are not removed from citizenship nor subjected to violent countermeasures, but are instead forced to cover their skin and wear masks over their faces, are often housed in separate parts of the city, and agencies are given legitimacy in denying them entry or services. There are also laws forcing whastaehilor into chastity, with the fear of spread and potential corrupted offspring. But Rainetwen does not blame the individual for their own corruption and, while still viewing them as potentially less moral and valuable, is overall sympathetic, seeing it as an unfortunate tragedy that has befallen the individual who once was a valued and cherished citizen. In this way, Rainetwen often treats corruption as a kind of social death, so that the individual's life as a pure citizen is remembered in the past tense and the whastaehilor is allowed to go on with their lives in the form of penance for their condition. Of note is the fact that Rainetwen has no advanced methods for detection and thus a person is only considered a whastaehilor when they start to exhibit obvious symptoms.However, Rainetwen authorities will use corrupted individuals and artifacts when pressed to do so. Control of this belongs entirely to a subsection of Inquisitors called Vanadiers (translates roughly as "Weavers"). Vanadiers are purposefully corrupted, an act seen as a form of sacrificing oneself for the good of Rainetwen as they are held to the same standards of chastity and shame as normal whastaehilor. Rainetwen rests on territory that once belonged to the sheyher civilization in the far distant past and research or investigation of these ruins is controlled entirely by Sollem authorities. Vanadiers are intentionally corrupted using ancient strains still active beyond the Mountains of Ruile, a kind of corruption far divorced from strains active elsewhere in the world that trace their source back to humanity. As such, Vanadiers are known to be powerful arcanists, said to be able to scorch the ground and leave nothing left. Although during the uprising 50 years ago Vanadiers were brought in to finally bring the rebels under control (being the only authority with the sanction to endanger lives), their presence is normally only used as symbols of Rainetwen's power. Their abilities and source of their corruption are far from common knowledge.Even uncorrupted members of the Ulvargard have started wearing the same masks and covering as the whastaehilor, both in solidarity and protest, as well as to align themselves to something other to the state. This has lead the symbol of wearing full covering and a mask to become a sign of suspicion that the person might be an enemy of the state and has resulted in more overt prejudice against whastaehilor in recent times.

Through their interactions with other civilizations, they have come to distaste industry, seeing it as something that yet again undercuts and has the potential to take away from their cultural selfhood, being something that seems ugly and other from them. Seeing areas of KK and Inefou that are defined only by the edifices of industry, they believe that those people have lost themselves to the machine, and have vowed to keep themselves from that same path. Architects are responsible for all buildings constructed or allowed in their cities, and have proved effective at keeping them free from egregious symptoms of industry. However, agents seeking to construct structures in Rainetwen have two options: either make the building and activity seem as glorified and beauteous as possible to win the approval of the Architects or construct outside of the city. Oligarchs tend to favor the latter for the conduction of their businesses. In particular: the Tanaret Mines north of Akravit, which are seen to be outside of Akravit's jurisdiction, leaving the companies responsible for mining in the area free to build and run their businesses however they see fit.Rainetwen is famous for its technology in chemistry and medicine, having a tradition of illustrative alchemical labs that most Architects have little issue with. However, invasion into the body through surgery is highly illegal in Rainetwen, seeing it as a kind of desecration and anathema to the solidarity of their identity, so their practices of medicine are kept strictly chemical. Pharmacy and use of chemical substances is mostly unregulated outside of what measures any specific lab might seek to control their own products, allowing the average citizen to procure whatever suits them with ease. The Ulvargard is extremely interested in surgical and other technology, often seizing whatever foreign devices or information they can get their hands on.

Rainetwen acts as the source for almost all imported goods among the western states. Their neighbors all either do not have the organization or interest to support regular collection and transportation of goods or do not have an adequate amount of resources in their area to support their activities. Mining and refinement of minerals used in electronics and construction are nearly exclusive to Rainetwen, making Nekta, KK, and Inefou almost entirely reliant on their business. Rainetwen's tropical climate makes it rich with potentially valuable flora and fauna, including a large variety of fruit, various kinds of plants for building materials, creatures and plants that produce materials used for clothing, and even things like winged beasts large enough to use for transportation. They also have control over many of the resources from Shifow, in particular the salterns. Raina food and livestock are popular in Dayrenal and many exiles in Airistata seek to collect reminders of their home in various forms.The main forms of internal commerce concern artfully crafted clothing and food, both of which are regulated by the polis itself. Commerce is not controlled entirely by the polis, they will instead work to regulate and support agencies so that their operations are cheaper and of ensured quality for their citizens. A business must agree to cooperation with the polis, but business that refuse that oversight are not explicitly outlawed. The polis will allow them to continue operating with the knowledge that sanctioned businesses will be ultimately more successful, as with sanction goes hand-in-hand with the success of that business through building rights, consumer appeal, and the investment and safety net the polis itself provides. Most poleis also have a highly developed system of taxation and reimbursement for their citizens. Non-citizens are not taxed as they are not officially a part of the polis, but prices from things under regulation by the polis will generally be much higher for non-citizens than they are for citizens.

All yain recognize a plethora of wujinika but center their faith on three, characterized as Ayl the Luminous, Ozza the Messiah, and Som the Martyr. In various traditions they may be called by different names or may be given varying degrees of significance, yet these three are always recognizable in some fashion or another, thought to represent the specific wujinika that delivered them to Traizar . All yain sects share religious festivities and cultural signifiers—including such things as calendar years and stages of life—associating the three with three aspects seen as fundamental to existence: the day, plenty, prime of life (Ayl), the twilight, illness, time of suffering (Ozza), and the dead of night, death, loss (Som).While southern yain take such beliefs with a more solemn reverence, the northern raina takes them more as symbols of cultural celebration rather than esoteric beings who demand worship or penance. Stories about their pantheon of wujinika exist largely for the purposes of entertainment, accepted as hyperbole even by the citizens themselves, depicting them as admirable and virtuous but far from perfect, omnipotent beings. These depictions form the main body of cultural artwork that exists in Rainetwen and most poleis are plastered with statues and murals of their idols, often in styles heavily abstracted and anonymized.It is official dogma in Rainetwen to believe that they were delivered into paradise from a distant, vaguely described suffering by the wujinika because they had risen above the chaff and were specifically chosen, as though paradise was a reward for their superiority. These beliefs function as a part of their overall narrative that they were delivered into the ultimate peace from conflict that is mirrored as the foundation behind Rainetwen's current form and is used to validate the supremacy of their current social structure. Most raina yain genuinely believe that their land and current state of affairs is paradise and that they are the chosen people despite any evidence to the contrary, including the fact that other civilizations also claim deliverance by wujinikan hands. As such, the wujinika's influence over them mainly serves to reinforce and remind them of their own self-importance, otherwise unconcerned about the wujinika's lack of presence or role on Traizar in modern day.

Rainetwen is known for their focus on what is called fallea. Although often assumed by foreign agents to literally mean beauty, fallea differs from the standard interpretation and function of the idea of beauty. It is used to refer to an appearance of things that is generally recognized to be aesthetically pleasing, but to a yain, that appearance is indicative of the purity of the object's essential properties. Something that has fallea can also be interpreted to be intentional, orderly, clean, simple, self-contained, synchronized, efficient, elegant, harmonious, free from pollution of extraneous properties, and nothing other than what it is. A hairbrush that has fallea is approaching the purest form of a hairbrush. A yain who has fallea is approaching the purest form of a yain. As a consequence of this concept, the perception of aesthetic beauty is bound together with the perceived value of an object or person.Fallea can be applied to almost anything, including art, architecture, music, theater, as well as things like conversation, mannerisms and even relationships, as well as general skillfulness and efficiency, even in regards to business and administration. In the daily life of a Rainetwen citizen, it often manifests by taking great care of their appearance and body. On one hand this entails measures to preserve and honor their natural physical features and body like practicing cleanliness, but on the other hand it entails deliberate practices to fit their appearance into an imagined archetype as defined by their culture. The Code of Raina covers many of these practices: requiring yain to have hair no shorter than chin-length, that they cannot augment their body with things like makeup or desecrate their flesh in order to wear piercings, that they must maintain a regular diet, as well as that they must wear elaborate, culturally-sanctioned dress. Clothes are tailored in accordance with the code of each polis, usually with rich, well-coordinated colors, decorated with arrangements of colorful feathers and jewelry made of porcelain and turquoise-colored gems. Divergence from the Code and things associated with fallea is generally seen as a rejection of Raina values and identity, and thus is considered with extreme scrutiny.

Yain do not have a cultural standard for exclusive, long-term monogamy like marriage. It still happens that yain can end up in that kind of situation, there's just no cultural ritual to officiate or recognize such unions. In fact, Rainetwen has little cultural sanctions for how relationships are formed, operate, or their permanence, other than the overarching belief that they are ultimately second to more important matters. Otherwise, yain are expected to love all other citizens, especially those of their own polis, and romantic feelings are characterized more as longing for oneness with their people as a whole, with specific individuals acting only as catalyst or focus for that general feeling. The quality of relationships can be judged based on principles of fallea just like everything else. Most relationships happen fluidly between friends and allies with no expectation they will lead to anything long-term.However, Rainetwen identity is severely split in its feelings towards the actual physical body. On one hand, it regards the body as sacred and essential for their identity as raina yain. On the other hand, the mortality of the body and its functions that mark it as an impermanent, fluctuating thing are things that have created a great unease and insecurity. All things seen as purely biological functions are considered obscene, and reproductive functions are the main focus of this. The result is a veil of silence and secrecy concerning their sexual behaviors, making it extremely impolite and considered repulsive to even casually acknowledge that such activities exist at all in a public setting. Bodily functions to them are extremely far from owning the any sense of fallea, even if they are a necessary evil for the sake of love and progeny. This includes reference to sex in an anatomical sense, insinuations of an individual's specific sexual organs, as well as anything involved with pregnancy and childbirth. On the circumstance that a yain becomes pregnant they are required to keep show of it away from others, sometimes by secluding themselves to their homes.To be clear: yain do not have a concept of maleness or femaleness. To any individual's identity, there is only what is raina or what is not raina. To assign words associating an identity with them other than raina, even when speaking in foreign languages, would be considered offensive. This does not mean they do not have a basic understanding of sexual function and anatomy, but, rather, given reproductive matters fall under something that is other to what is raina, sexual anatomy is viewed as ultimately an intruder to their sense of self that shouldn't be given credited with any importance. Thus, it has very little effect on how yain go about forming relationship.

Though their feelings about reproduction are often complicated, most people of Rainetwen still have a desire to have children in order to one day carry on their legacy and work. In order to subvert their disquiet over explicit acts involved with reproduction, many with the resources to do so favor hiring the services of a surrogate mother in order to carry the infant to term and spare them the shame of bodily changes and the inconvenience that goes with, sometimes with the help of alchemy. Being a birth mother is both a prestigious role due to the demand and potential for riches as well as something that is seen as deeply unclean and shameful, held in somewhat of a similar regard as prostitution. Surrogate motherhood is not a regulated practice in Rainetwen and there is no official standing upon which to protect the people involved nor their agreements.Children in Rainetwen are not viewed as special or unique forms of life, instead understood simply as incomplete, imperfect adults. They are cherished with the understanding that they belong to Rainetwen and may one day go on to work in unity with their fellow citizens. Though there is no standard for committed monogamy when it comes to courtship, parents will often still be involved in the lives of their children, and being a parent is seen to be an honorable role. But there is no legal precedent to assign children specifically to their biological parents, as children belong to the polis more than any individual, and the involvement of specific guardians can fluctuate throughout their lives. Additionally, given that children are expected to follow in the vocation of their parents, fellow members of that caste may be openly involved in raising or caring for the child to an equal extent of their biological parents.The presence of children is usually frowned upon in public spaces, being evidence of the behaviors of their parents as well as general perceptions that children are far from possessing fallea. They are required to stay away from public venues until they can better integrate with society, which often means they stay home or in spaces designated for their care. When they reach the age where they are managing movement and speech, yain are usually sent away to boarding schools that reside in a special part of the city. They are allowed home for holiday breaks, but otherwise spend their entire childhoods in school until they become full citizens. It is technically illegal to keep children out of school, but this is not strictly enforced, resulting sometimes in those who were raised entirely in secret. When they leave school, the polis administration will evaluate them to consider their placement, but will usually just send them back to live and work where they originally came from.

Each polis relies heavily on orchard farming and the majority of their diet are fruit, nuts, and tree cores akin to heart of palm procured from these orchards. Orchards are beauteous structures usually around the outskirts of the polis, and growth and production of food is regulated by the polis itself. Additionally, they raise livestock around the same areas for a variety of purposes: feathers, fibers for clothing, but also for eggs and meat. Most of the diet in Rainetwen consists of unprocessed foods, with minimal grains or confections. They are especially fond of fruit juices and nectar and will pair them with poached eggs, salads, noodles made from hearts of palm, and paste made from a fruit similar to an avocado. Instead of confections, they are fond of chewing on what is essentially sugarcane after meals. Poleis try to maintain independence from reliance on outside markets, but imported salt, kelp and seafood from Shifwen are common. Raina yain are not fond of alcohol, but a medium-grade stimulant of similar strength to caffeine is made by alchemical laboratories as a powder called wiva that is popular to add to drinks.

Each individual polis counts as a subfaction.Sollem often takes the lead among the poleis, characterizing itself as older, more knowledgable, and with more prestigious traditions and lineages. They are keepers of knowledge, of what it means to be truly raina and how to create things the way a true raina would. They claim the forbidden cities to their north and south as their domain and police trespassers with trained flying creatures. More centrally located within the forests, now that the more rural orchards in their reaches have been claimed as part of the polis, they export a great amount of food and natural resources.Akravit, south of the Tanaret mines, is a commercial hub largely under the control of the Tanaret Family. There is great wealth to be found in the mines of Akravit, and by that merit it is closely connected to foreign agents, including a number of black marketeers. The Ulvargard makes their headquarters there in an old, abandoned mine, and have a great deal of influence on the local politics.Vestin along the shore is the hub for international trade. Their outlook tends to be more worldly when it comes to the common person—largely fishers, couriers, and sailors—a fact that has made the oligarchs overseeing the city more wary of outside influence. There are a number of influential families in Vestin with ties to the yain who live in what is now Dayrenal that have thus far bit down on their losses of those territories.Trade organizations founded by specific oligarchs will own their own internal cultures (like The Gold Nail or the Tanaret Family).Different trade castes within a specific polis also often own their own cultures. There is still much resentment between farmers and the central authorities of Sollem, for example.

Rainetwen is a highly xenophobic faction and makes great efforts to stay as uninvolved as possible when it comes to other factions. The behaviors and beliefs belonging to other factions seem anything from silly or stupid to outright repulsive and devoid of fallea to a raina yain. Ultimately, they believe they are a superior people and all that is not raina is crude and ugly. They tend to characterize other species as unenlightened and brutal, taking especial offense to their unfamiliar appearances. There is a great deal of anxiety over even cultural influence from foreign factions as something that could potentially pollute or undermine their cultural identity, even if that influence is otherwise of a positive nature, and, thus, even exposure to foreign art and philosophy are deemed potential threats.Allied Nations: Rainetwen does not particularly care for the likes of KK, Dayrenal or Inefou, and pays their state of affairs and people little mind. However, they respect their shared acknowledgement and reverence for the wujinika and Rainetwen authorities understand fully their precarious position in the global landscape. Should KK fall to Airistata, they know well that they would likely be next, and try to put forth efforts to support the war as much as possible without getting directly involved.Shifwen: Shifwen provinces are considered separate from Rainetwen, but are often under various degrees of control and regulation by Rainetwen authorities. There are two sides to this: for Rainetwen to lay claim to many of Shifwen resources and for Rainetwen to offer protection and isolation to Shifwen from the rest of the world's political ongoings. As far as their opinions go on other factions, they share more of a brotherhood with shifow yain, regarding them better than they do completely foreign peoples, but still insisting that they are inferior to their own people (mostly characterizing them as crude and impure in regards to what it means to be yain). Shifwen and Rainetwen have had, at times, a volatile history, and some of their relationship with Shifwen is based around reparations for that past.Nekta: Though they normally dismiss other factions, Rainetwen has a respect for Nekta for their orderliness and prestige. The two are both factions founded on socialist principles and share in the ideal of unity of citizen and community, even if Rainetwen thinks it got it right first and Nekta must be copying them. Additionally, they have a highly regarded and well-established relationship with trade of minerals and resources and many older oligarchs of Rainetwen go on to retire by buying themselves Nektan citizenship before passing off control of their business to their children. Nekta supports the polis administration and was responsible for providing relief during the famine caused by Sollem's past revolution.Airistata: Although Airistata is largely composed of exiles from Rainetwen over the course of its history, Rainetwen does not acknowledge the fact they are related at all. Airistata is an abhorrent, sinful, ugly, and cruel place to Rainetwen and they cannot stand the thought of any interaction with them. But, as stated, many underground agents within Rainetwen are secretly allied with Airistatan factions and there is a significant connection between Airistatan and Raina culture. A great deal of Airistatan culture can be considered reactionary in respect to Raina values and tradition and many exiles from Rainetwen still hold strong personal feelings and investment in their former homes.Avi-ah: Similarly, Avi-ah has been putting forward interest to be involved with Rainetwen's underground as Airistatan members have brought it to their attention. Avi-ah agents have historically had a hand in providing dissident groups with aid and support, even during Sollem's revolution, but have tended to put more interest on nations affected by religious persecution and thus have paid Rainetwen less mind on the whole. Avi-ah has good relationships with many oligarchs behind the scenes for the fact of business and connections. Though many figures of prominence in Airistata have a more personal connection to Rainetwen, most members of Avi-ah and the organization itself does not share that sense of personal connection.

Inefou is a large and prolific civilization belonging mainly to the Vi that claims a great expanse of islands throughout the Nonten ocean as well as the southern tip of the continent of Tallcama. Including the surrounding bodies of water, the territory claimed by Inefou totals to nearly an eighth of the area of the entire globe, making it the largest faction by far. They are industrialized and invested heavily in commercial enterprises, with expansive fleets of ships and an imperial navy. Though governed mainly by a judiciary body, Inefou sustains a high quality of life for its citizens and has substantial global influence. They are known for their valuation of secular law, their sense of reason and practicality, and for their rigidly matriarchal culture. Inefou maintains close ties with the organization of Avi-ah and hosts Nekta's headquarters for international diplomacy, but otherwise refuses to become involved in foreign disputes.

Inefou is centralized around a long chain of islands in the southern hemisphere, scattered throughout the Nonten ocean between the continents of Techano and Tallcama. The capital is located on the largest island of Ive but the empire claims islands far in every direction, including vi settlements on the southern shores of Tallcama. The main islands host subtropical to temperate climates with high humidity, while islands closer to the equator are more tropical. Effusive volcanic activity and earthquakes are prominent in northern portions of Infeou, as the region resides on a convergence point for multiple tectonic plates. The central islands are composed of an ancient mountain range on a continent now almost entirely underwater and are not especially volcanic. An incredibly large variety of flora and fauna can be found throughout the region. Reefs are common and the seas around Inefou are known for large mollusks, some occupied by teeming colonies of aquatic annelids, while open waters closer to the equator are known to host gargantuan, ocean-dwelling serpents.

Inefou is comprised primarily of vi. Though there are influences and powers in their nation that clearly favor vi over other species, there is nothing barring others from becoming citizens or living comfortably within Inefou. As partners with Dayrenal and Rainetwen, many shura and some yain live within the country. Inefou is also home to a number of travira and silfae who left their original homes in hopes of the opportunity and freedom that Inefou promises. There is high demand for travira workers by some companies due to their ability of flight and some may be directly recruited from the north. There may be some indigenous hyrin still living in some parts, but the empire remains dubious about how to place them in the legal world. The southern state of Kalthkas, however, is notable for acknowledging and accepting their indigenous hyrin population.Within the vi there remains distinct separations based on cultural perceptions and physiology. The central islands host the Ive vi, who commonly have a pointed coloration and larger ears and tails. The Vál vi of the eastern islands tend to be smaller with thick stripes covering their bodies. The Kritis of Kalthkas more commonly have piebald patterns with heterochromia and short tails. The Io of the northern islands tend to be larger, wider, with bigger spikes and reddish tones. The Ku of the island of Ku are darker with thinner frames. The Banta of Tillantath diverge starkly, being much smaller, more androgynous, with spots and thick tails; they often face prejudice within central Inefou.

Inefou is an empire primarily of law, owning a constitution and is governed almost entirely by their court system. Regions throughout Inefou may have various degrees and forms of local governments according to what has been deemed legally permissible by the High Court, including state and city governments in each of the 12 federated states. But the group of 12 Imperial High Justices is responsible for ruling the empire as a whole, making decisions on anything from taxes to divorce to treason that makes it to their level, each reigning over—but not necessarily from—one of Inefou's main 12 states. The Imperial High Court has the ability to make, amend, interpret or repeal laws, as well to create and review governmental organizations responsible for public works. Imperial Justices rise to their position through service to the judicial system. When a spot on the Imperial High Court becomes open, usually through death of a sitting figure, the remaining judges will then go through the process of evaluating potential candidates based mainly on their merits and values. Candidates are gathered from recommendations of colleagues, personal acquaintances, as well as from direct applicants, and are then subjected to strenuous hearings and debate, and must be voted in by at least a 9-2 majority. Non-judicial governmental organizations mostly operate independently, but are considered subordinate to the court and must adhere to the mission objectives laid out in their creation or else are legally liable. Though they are not technically democratic, court cases are frequently required to call for surveys of public opinion as a part of their case and these votes will be highly considered in court, including to inform confirmation votes for Imperial Justices. Additionally, the public can petition the court to put priority on certain cases or to push forward civilian testimony. High Justices can be removed from their position with a 10-2 vote, which has occurred twice in Inefou history, both times due to corruption charges. As Inefou is gender segregated, 96% of those who work in all levels of the court system are female.Besides the 12 main states, Inefou includes several large swaths of ocean and islands designated as frontier regions that have since been claimed by the empire. Being a "frontier region" is a legal designation and they have different laws governing them, ensuring they belong only to the Empire itself and not to any of the 12 provinces. The frontier states have no legal infrastructure of their own despite paying taxes, forcing them to appeal to one of the 12 federated states in order to bring forward cases.The courts do not officially have juries nor do they include a traditional police force, though they do include defendants, prosecutors, and judges. Summoners are a key part of the judicial system, often traveling with bodyguards or with an employ of bounty hunters in order to deliver and ensure sentencing is carried out according to the ruling. It is entirely up to the lawyers involved in a suit to obtain evidence in order to make their case, which can be done in absentia of the parties involved. With most cases settlement outside of court is illegal, as it is considered an obstruction of justice. Once a sentence is made, it is usually the case that a bounty is put out for the figures in question to be brought in if they were not already present, supporting a prominent culture of bounty hunters. Rulings include a wide variety of punitive practices, including capital punishment, as well as a kind of intentional disfigurement, usually in the form of clipping the cartilaginous protrusions extending from various bony joints on the vi body. Prisons exist as both non-judicial governmental organizations and as independent for-profit institutions with government contracts. Sometimes rulings will include addendums to existing laws or creation of entirely new laws.Notably, Inefou is the only power on Traizar that currently protects free speech, religious and cultural freedom, individual liberty, and right to representation and trial, and does so vigorously when cases concerning those rights are brought to them. The courts are expected to be impartial and pure from bias or politics, instead making decisions based entirely on the foundation of logical argumentation with the help of scientifically grounded evidence. Unfortunately, the actual truth of the matter can often be more complicated, as they are still free to interpret the evidence and characters of those involved as they see fit.

Inefou is a capitalistic empire and the primary determinant of their social structure is purely a function of economic factors. Wealthy oligarchical groups control most of Inefou, but many of them only exert influence so much as it allows them to continue their business without oversight and they are limited when it comes to influencing the courts. Additionally, they will frequently fund or host charitable NGOs, sometimes at the request of or in cooperation with the courts. Many of them have economic ties on a global scale and a great deal of global influence, as Inefou has built itself as the oldest, most stable and largest economy on Traizar.The biggest division in Inefou society is between gender, partially due to the more extreme sexual dimorphism present in the vi species. The smaller females of the vi species are unequivocally assumed superior, mainly in an intellectual, emotional, and moral capacity, while larger males of their species are assumed to be unintelligent, prone to emotional instability, violent tendencies, sexual perversion, and lacking in firm moral grounding to be able to make balanced decisions. Men, on the whole, perform physical and unskilled labor, while women occupy technical and managerial positions. This division does not apply by law to species other than vi living in Inefou, as the Vi maintain that the differences are purely a product of their specific sexual dimorphism, but doubt and prejudice are often cast upon males of other species regardless. Because of this, expectations based on gender roles are a major source of prejudice within their society, causing those determined to be women or men acting outside of their assumed roles to face social repercussions. Inefou maintains the perspective that their interpretation of the psychological manifestation of vi sexual dimorphism is based in science, but, in truth, any differences are far from uniform across the entire species and any actual evidence should not be considered to be moralistically prescriptive. Those who do not fit the model are still assumed, pressured, and often forced to adhere to their societal design regardless. Vi gender roles are specific to their culture, though, and do not exactly reflect assumptions of masculinity and femininity that those words imply for humans.

The Vi arrived nearly 4,000 years ago on the continent of Tallcama with the aid of the wujinika. They retained a sense of order from their previous society and were able to preserve some of the knowledge and values they had achieved at home. However, from the point of their arrival near the Gulf of Taese, they immediately had to content with harsh climates and terrain, the effects of corruption, as well as their often less-than-friendly neighbors to the north. Perian factions immediately took interest in the vi, though the two often found each other incredibly alien and nearly incomprehensible. When they did develop a relationship and the basics of communication, Perian quickly set about questioning them as to their origins, their views, their plans for the future, and tried to convert them to their religion and value system. Though many vi at first assented to asca interference in hopes to securing better fates for themselves through cooperation, they quickly became alienated by the asca's extreme evangelism and harsh persecution of their own people and neighbors. Their interactions with Perian factions quickly taught the Vi the things they wanted to avoid and where they wanted to take their society, with special emphasis on securing independence from those kinds of influences in order to ensure the best possible future for their people and take their fate wholly in their own hands.Though the Vi society existed in Tallcama for nearly a millennia by then, this resolve, coupled growing concern of corruption and dissatisfaction with the climate and terrain, saw them move south in hopes of finding a different home. The south was hyrin territory, and, though, they had been previously aware of the hyrin's presence in the regions they now sought to claim, they underestimated their numbers and were altogether apathetic concerning their well-being, associating them as just another backwards people on a hostile, alien planet. The only thing that mattered was their own prosperity, and, believing that surely better fates lay ahead—although some groups split off in protest of the actions of the majority—the main body of vi pressed on, ultimately displacing the indigenous people to make settlements along the southern shores and the islands stretching out to the west. Not all vi moved at once, but others quickly followed suit in order to seek better fortunes or found themselves without much alternative as the northern Cress blackout rendered the land uninhabitable.Though still having to contend with indigenous hyrin and the occasional travira tribe throughout the years, the vi quickly secured their claim to the region, rapaciously building a plethora of independent settlements and kingdoms stretching far westward throughout the island chain. But with the losses and chaos they faced during the migration, they had lost much of their societal cohesion and struggled to reach a state of cooperation between disparate sects. Many of the states remain in fierce competition with each other, just now with a higher form of arbitration to help settle their disputes without bloodshed or protracted embargoes.The United Empire of Inefou was officially formed about 600 years ago with the creation of the High Court and the drawing of official territorial borders for each of the 12 provinces. With a treaty agreed upon, it cleared many of their internal disputes, paving the way for economic interests to quickly set about expanding and swallowing up everything in their periphery so long as they promised the frontiers would remain relatively beholden only to the Empire itself. Inefou today stretches from the southern shores of Tallcama all the way to the seas just east of Dayrenal, and, though there still exists tensions between island states with old rivalries, they remain unified in their pledge to secure prosperity for their people.In modern times, though, there is a good deal of internal tension as many feel the nation's rule has not kept up with the needs of the people and the changing global political landscape. Concerns include calls for expanded rights for male vi, accusations of political corruption in the courts, fears concerning (metaphysical) corruption and war abroad, concern over the growing population of non-vi, all coupled with the fact that the justice system has failed to keep up with the needs of the populous. The Imperial High Court promises to look into and resolve these issues, but a great deal of faith in government has been lost over the past century in Inefou. As freedom of speech is protected, the High Court has allowed this discourse to go on unimpeded, going on about their business as they are brought suits regardless.Inefou's main official actions as of late concerns the prolific presence of pirates targeting trade and diplomatic vessels, mainly in their western waters along prominent trade routes between allied nations. As an island nation dependent on sea travel, the consequences of pirate activity weighs heavy on them.

There are six predominant vi languages, but all share the same roots and are loosely intelligible to each other. They are collectively known as the Mivas languages, breaking down into the Secluded, the Windward, the Westerly, the Mivas of Ive, Mivas of the Vath, and the Old Mivas. Old Mivas is spoken primarily in southern Tallcama and the far eastern islands, while Windward Mivas is spoken throughout the eastern islands, Vath by the southern, Ive Mivas by central islands, Westerly Mivas by western islands, and Secluded by more north-eastern islands inhabited by vi known as the Ku. Words in mivas rarely end in vowels, while successive vowels within words are pronounced individually with a glottal stop to separate them. For example, the word "Faith" in mivas would be pronounced "Faʔeeth". Possessive forms are usually truncated, such as "Ine" for "of Inefou", and it is by this rule that vi surnames are often only one or two syllables.Notably, the name of many places within Inefou still retain their old hyrin names, including the word Inefou itself.Consonant inventory: b d k kh l ll lθ m mv n nt r s t tt v ð ɣ ɸ ɹ ɹk ɹθ ʃ ʒ β θ θl θɹ
Vowel inventory: a aɪ aʊ eɪ i iː æ ɑi ɑː ɒ ɔ ɔɪ əʊ ɛ ɛə ɪ ɪə ɪ̈ ʊ ʊə

Though Inefou is comprised of people who originally migrated south at least partially due to the effects of corruption in Tallcama and are well aware of the effects and dangers of corruption in individual instances, Inefou maintains a skeptical position as to the apocalyptic image many other factions paint as the fate of the world at large. This is partially due to their association with Avi-ah and how they have benefited from Avi-ah's ability to treat dangerous cases, but it is also due to the fact they remain a nation isolated in the middle of the ocean and lack exposure to first-hand effects of the widespread corruption that plagues other factions. Even should corruption become a global crisis, Inefou maintains skepticism as to whether it would affect them personally, though they try not to voice this belief too loud in the presence of foreign entities. Though they originate from Tallcama where corruption is a more severe problem, they left in ancient times, and that reality does not feel current to most of Inefou.They do, however, maintain strict laws outlawing channeling, possession of corrupted artifacts, and otherwise treat individual cases more as a medical issue than as a moral issue, providing care and treatment, though this has resulted in asylums where the corrupted are detained indefinitely. Immigrants may be turned away for the level of their corruption, but there is no stringent testing or investigation done into each individual case unless litigation is brought into the mix, so it often happens purely at the discretion of customs agents. Because of this, minor cases of corruption are not uncommon in Inefou, but the nation remains overall unaffected by their presence. Cases where corruption does pose immediate danger are dealt with by responsible agencies on a case-by-case basis, often with overarching politics and skepticism preventing them from connecting the instances in order to make conclusions about the bigger picture.

Vi are not as technologically proficient to the extent of the Olsward or Nekta, but still retain clear technological superiority in comparison to much of Traizar. Much of this technology is invested in the engineering of ships, including armaments, propulsion, and radio communication used by the navy, as well as in more regular modes of transportation on privately owned speedboats and sailboats around and between islands. They have systems for electricity, water, sewage, and communication, most of which are run by commercial companies. Electric lighting and multi-storied buildings are common in Inefou, especially on the central islands. Each island is small enough that there has never been a need or ability to support effuse land transportation such as highways for motor vehicles or extensive railroads, though the capital has a small suspended rail system and a kind of motorized bicycle is popular in some places. They have recently been trying to work out agreements with Nekta over building aircraft, but it has been a slow process and some especially savvy individuals have gone ahead and built them anyway. Though surgical and physical healthcare is relatively advanced in Inefou, there is no governmental support to finance it and it can sometimes result in significant debt. Additionally, understanding of biology belonging to species other than vi can be lacking and many healthcare organizations struggle to treat patients who are not vi.Much of the higher quality technology has never disseminated through the public and remains in the hands of the wealthy, especially with private companies invested in that specific technology. Information and tech are often gated as trade secrets and are rarely shared freely, so the actual extent of their advancements can be fragmented between disparate internal factions who intentionally keep their developments to themselves, leaving some specific groups on a much different level than the average citizen.

As a society built on free-market capitalism, the vi are heavily invested in commerce and trade of many sorts, with special emphasis on manufacturing. Powerful companies tend to specialize in things like clothes, healthcare, food, engineering and construction, maritime transportation, amenities, defense, intelligence, energy, and mining. Factory work, construction, mining, and maintenance jobs are all common employments for men and are generally lower paying jobs. Men are also thought to be better at forming connections with animals and plants and also often work as farmers or ranchers, but do not usually own the property they work on. Technical skills like engineering, management, science, or law are considered jobs for women, but service jobs are also frequently taken by younger, uneducated women, since women are considered to be better with social skills.A large portion of the jobs that could traditionally be viewed as a governmental undertaking are instead carried out by corporations, including managing properties as big as towns or cities. However, though much of the military used to be run by independent militias and private security forces that would have contracts with the government, there has been work in the past 13 years to consolidate them into a single navy with significantly more judicial oversight, as these mercenary groups often turned to piracy when they failed to sustain themselves and represent a significant portion of the modern pirate problem. There is still quite a bit of reliance on law enforcement from outside the government, as bounties are frequently offered for the capture of pirates or notorious criminals. Commercial enterprises also commonly employ their own security forces and may even be involved with paying privateers to target their competitors.Companies in Inefou trade internationally, mainly with Rainetwen and Dayrenal. They also trade with Nekta, albeit in a somewhat limited fashion. Most metals are mined in the mountains of Rainetwen, bought by Inefou and Nekta and shipped through Dayreli and Ine territories before reaching their destinations. Basic building materials like screws or steel beams are manufactured to be sold abroad and because of this a great deal of Ine steel has found itself to KK in the past 50 years, either through Dayrenal or through Nekta. Inefou also has their own mining operations, especially for coal, which they use to power ships, while their cities mainly use geothermal power and ocean currents for energy. With some collaboration with Nekta, they have also invested heavily into plastics, which is bought back up mainly by Nekta itself.Most manufacturing in Inefou is not automated, done instead by workers who are mostly male vi. The subjugation of the male vi within Ine society has such economic significance that if their gender politics were to dramatically shift, it would likely disrupt their entire economy. Because of this, many corporations are involved with efforts to push back against the rising call for expanded rights for men, as their business model relies on the cheap labor their continued subjugation provides.Entities intent upon gaining capital through less than ethical means such as usury, lies, fraud, extortion, racketeering or theft are prominent throughout Inefou. There has existed little oversight to be able to control these entities in the past, but their connection with the pirate problem has caused a shift in the court's stance in the past 20 years. Regulation regarding such things remains a controversial subject and many continue to fight back against them in court, sometimes successfully.

The vi loosely acknowledge the existence of the wujinika and the fact that the wujinika were responsible for transporting them to Traizar when they were in danger, but also are wary of making conclusions considering the lack of facts or information concerning the events in question. Focused more in the present, these concerns are viewed as ancient history and many disregard the immediacy of any issue with the wujinika's influence as a thing of the past. Helped in this is the fact that they retained a cultural distaste for religion and evangelical beliefs from before their arrival on Traizar and their subsequent exposure to overtly religious factions only emboldened that distaste. General distaste for religious rhetoric is widespread and many will doubt accounts given by religious factions if only on the grounds that they are thought by vi to lack credibility in the first place. When faced with criticism from religious factions, they maintain that they can be grateful for their original salvation and potentially open to the events having a deeper significance while ultimately remaining secular as a people. This cultural stance has made them close allies with Avi-ah, who has further secured their doubts over the nature of the wujinika, and many with personal ties to Avi-ah will share Avi-ah's belief that the wujinika's actions are dubious and potentially malicious. However, there are isolated sects in Inefou that have picked up practices or beliefs from abroad, particularly from Dayrenal, as well as a small minority who adhere to a version of beliefs from Perian picked up in ancient times. These sects are tolerated by the empire, though with some hesitancy as some fear the phenomenon has potential to spread.

The Vi present themselves as a people focused on rationality and pragmatism. Above all else, Inefou culture endears practices of puzzle-making and puzzle-solving. This applies not only to how they approach debate and law but also to the kind of popular games and pastimes, as well as to economic ventures. Figuring out how to navigate the markets and maximize profits while still adhering to the proscribed legal rules is only another kind of puzzle to solve in Inefou. But they are also a highly competitive people and even the seemingly most insignificant of activities will give rise to their competitive spirit. This manifests mainly in their economic market, but also results in them being invested in various games of strategy played with small pieces similar to chess as well as competitive sports such as boat racing, marksmanship, and wrestling. Games that focus more on intellectual or strategic ability are usually valued over more physical ones. Physical sports like wrestling focus on male athletes and is one of the only ways for men to gain high status, but even these athletes are usually treated as a commodity for women to enjoy. The Ine Vi are also incredibly pedantic and seem to enjoy arguing with each other over seemingly innocuous points or scenarios. Debates are frequently hosted or broadcast for purely public entertainment, with professional judges, prizes for the victor, celebrity debaters and long-standing rivalries. In general, though, Inefou is a complex society that has venues for a wide range of interests and vocations, almost all of which rely on an exchange of currency.Inefou tends to devalue overly extravagant displays as well as beliefs they determine to be superstitious or things that appeal to emotions or idealistic fervor, mainly due to the cultural baggage they carry with them from exposure to Perian and hyrin culture in the past. They are ultimately a people steeped in legal ethics and ordinance and maintain a persistent stance of skepticism about most things. Overt emotional displays meant to provoke outrage or sympathy are considered manipulative and potentially dangerous. Artistic or creative expression are not highly valued and, even when they are, such as Ine music, it is often from an intellectual, puzzle-solving mindset. Aesthetics revolve around practicality and function, appearing overall clean and minimalist. It should be noted, there are no overt associations of gender with practices of beautification, though care for an individual's personal appearance is considered necessary to present themselves as capable, mindful, and cleanly.Radio programs are an important part of life in Inefou, mostly taking the form of talk shows, educational lectures, and various news programs. Inefou is one of the only places on Traizar where reporting and news organizations are prominent and culturally embraced, and most vi are exposed to a great deal more information concerning global sociopolitical events than many citizens in other parts of the world, although this information can be severely lacking in objectivity. Radio programs are usually not free: service providers usually charge subscription fees and devices are built to require verification before they will connect to popular stations.

As a gender segregated nation, customs of courtship frequently follow along prescribed expectations regarding those gender roles. Men and women do not normally occupy the same spaces in public or even have much opportunity to speak to each other and it is rare for relationships to occur as a result of casual interaction. In the past, many marriages were arranged between associated families. This practice still continues to an extent in modern Inefou, but has largely fallen out of favor, though there still exists the informal equivalent where potential spouses are recommended to single women by relatives and business associates. Prolonged periods of dating or casual encounters are heavily discouraged, but women can sometimes get away with pursuing such things as long as the man in question is disposable in some manner. Marriage is assumed to be custodial in fashion, where the woman is the head of the house and the husband is her charge, and her approval is necessary to make decisions concerning his travel, employment, and health. However, while husbands commonly take on domestic chores and housework, men must still maintain work outside of the home, sometimes leaving for long periods of time on a contract-basis, and taking care of children is a woman's responsibility. Pay for male vi is not usually enough to comfortably live on, the sentiment is instead that they must contribute and keep themselves busy or else they will become emotionally unbalanced. When not married or living with their mother, male vi live in separate parts of the city, where the housing is significantly of lower quality, living with multiple packed in per room in what are basically barracks. Upon marriage they will move into their wife's house and many men aspire to marriage if only because it is the only way for them to live comfortably.Vi are homosocial and both women and men form close bonds with others of the same gender. Homosocial relationships are considered sacred and sometimes regarded as preparatory for actual relationships. However, though their segregated society creates precedence for it, homosexual relations in Inefou are regarded as unnatural. The prevailing sentiment against it is simply that it is dangerous and has the potential to upset societal order to result in chaos and the downfall of the empire. Of note, however, is that relationships between women are more heavily scrutinized and face higher penalties, while activities between men are more likely disregarded. Women, it is thought, should hold themselves to a higher standard, while relationships between men are often dismissed as a product of the immorality inherent in their gender. Similar sentiments are often aimed at mixed species relations as well. How any of these things plays out, however, can be largely dependent on the local forces at play as well as other variables, and there are many vi engaged in relationships outside of the heteronormative paradigm within Inefou.

Children belong primarily to their mother with little involvement from their father, often intentionally. Seen as potentially prone to violence, men are often kept away from children and have few custody rights. In ancient times, some vi practiced infanticide of male vi children and, although this has been outlawed, death rates among male vi children continues to be higher than those of female vi children. Most children are raised by their mother and female relatives, but may also have the help of one or more child care professionals. Work taking care of children is a highly respected job in Inefou and privileged vi children usually have a nurse to tend to them while their mother is busy. Additionally, having children accompany their mother along to their place of work and professional spaces is common and considered perfectly acceptable in Inefou and other female coworkers often help look after children in the workplace.Education is only a right for female vi children in Inefou, who are sent off to prestigious schools that train them in such things as economics and law, while male children are often sent into the workforce from an early age. Pressure to succeed and to be competitive with their peers in the educational system is high and can cause many lasting insecurities about success. There exist schools for male children that also more readily accept non-vi, but they are often lacking adequate resources and will usually not be considered as reputable by comparison. While it is normal for girls to live in their mother's house as adults and are only expected obtain their own housing in preparation for marriage, men are commonly pressured and forced by their families to leave upon reaching adulthood. Though living apart, they are able to visit and will still be the legal responsibility of their mother or other female family members until marriage.Children born out of wedlock are usually given up for adoption or raised alone by their mothers. Though single mothers may have the financial stability to be able to sufficiently care for their children, being a single parent is still a source of prejudice due to its association with sexual promiscuity, a trait associated with males.

The diet of vi living in Inefou is almost completely composed of seafood. Commercial entities take responsibility for procuring large amounts of aquatic life to be sold to various distributors and restaurant industries. Many of these creatures can be deliberately bred and reared as livestock in bays and reefs. A great deal of food is cured with chemicals instead of being cooked. Creatures resembling mollusks are especially common to see in dishes throughout the island chain. They also cultivate hard-shelled fruits from tropical flora that contain a white, viscous, musky juice used for drinks and sauces. A flowering plant that creates slick petals, mainly used for texture is also farmed. Dishes made with baby eels used as noodles are especially popular. The vi are known for favoring strong bitter tastes and slick textures in portions that are meant to be swallowed whole, a quality that often baffles non-vi who try to partake in local cuisine only to find it to be horribly bitter, slimy, and impossibly chewy. Venues where food can be bought are prolific throughout Inefou and many vi do not cook for themselves. Food services that offer options more palatable to species other than vi can be found in most major cities.

Each of the original 12 territories and the smaller colonies that were later absorbed into Inefou retain a sense of their original identity and sense of independence. Additionally, corporations and various industries often act as a subfaction, especially when they have staunch rivalries.Some internal factions have stronger ties to Avi-ah or Nekta than others, including those who are officially members in Avi-ah or work for Nekta. These two allegiances often have oppositional relationships with each other.Kalthkas: Encompassing a large southern region, Kalthkas has a strong sense of independence and self-sufficiency. Though they have a diverse economy that tries to stay competitive, the character of the region is comparatively rural, as they’ve been resistant to many of the trends of the northern islands. When the Empire was formed, Kalthkas found themselves in a poor position to negotiate when faced with the more unified northern territories, and is still resentful over many decisions made. Notably, some of the territory that was traditionally claimed by Kalthkas was not included within their official borders, instead designated as the Kalth Frontier. Kalthkas is notable for openly recognizing its indigenous population of hyrin.The Faul: The Vi who live in The Faul on the southern shores of Tallcama experience a significantly divergent way of life than the rest of Inefou. They are more connected to their history, uphold more of their older traditions, generally lack the same level of technological infrastructure as the island chain, and have to personally deal with the direct threat from Tatsune to the northeast. They care little for the politics of the west and are more fearful of corruption. They occasionally request more provisions and aid from the mainland, but these pleas often fall short, leading many in the region to resent their wealthier, more stable cousins to the west.Frontier Regions: Frontier regions have varying degrees of identification with Inefou itself, as most of them are relatively autonomous, considered neutral and belonging to no one but the Empire itself, free game for corporate interests. However, because of limited land and the inherent competitive spirit of the official territories, most occupy a strange, unique place within the Empire as a whole. For example, many local governments of the region of Pir play off the rivalry between Tillantath and Bamveunt for representation and aid, seeming at alternate times to be beholden to one or the other. Kalth, as mentioned above, is otherwise continuous with Kalthkas. Some of these regions include territory which rightfully belongs to other factions, such as the islands of the Shithen Frontier which are a part of Shifwen. Other regions are almost entirely uninhabited, the playground of corporate interests who build factories or outposts to scout for resources.Corporate Cities: There are cities and townships within some regions in Inefou that were founded and are managed by a corporation. Grand Dawn is the company that is most well known for these. They operate like a standard city government and collect what could be called either rent or taxes as their revenue in exchange for upkeep of the city. They often have partnerships with other corporations to do brand deals and to train and recruit workers for them. These cities tend to be rather surreal expressions of capitalism. Those who buy into the advertisement/propaganda believe they are utopian, but many feel viscerally trapped, especially as it is common for those cities to prevent their citizens from accruing enough wealth to move away. Often citizens are required to sign a contract that mandates they maintain the company's positive image and not speak out against them or else risk penalties, sometimes including prosecution for breach of contract.Ku and Bant Vi: When the vi first started to migrate to Inefou, a small group broke off from the majority, mainly in reaction to attitudes and practices concerning the hyrin. The Bant and Ku wanted nothing to do with the rest of Inefou and avoided engaging in any direct confrontation, instead sailing immediately as far away as they could across the ocean. The Ku ended up in the northwest in what is now the Ettes Frontier, on a series of smaller islands that was far north of the reach of Inefou for centuries, while the Bant ended up in the far southeast in what is now Tillantath. The Ku islands were uninhabited by hyrin, but did occasionally receive travira visitors. When the central Inefou powers expanded outwards, both the Ku and Bant resisted joining with them, only assenting later when they threatened military action. This region tends to be far less developed than other places, partially due to the fact that many still resent the mainland and refuse to participate into their culture. Some Bant and Ku have become political advocates for their people and sometimes the hyrin, but there is significant effort from the mainland to discredit and silence them.Fraternities: There have existed prominent groups of men organized for the purpose of support, safe spaces, discourse and advocacy of equal rights, and educational purposes for centuries. Hundreds of years ago, such groups would be forced to meet in secret, and many were exposed using suspicion of homosexual conduct in order to investigate their activities. Some ended up being tried for treason and sedition, the leaders would were executed by the empire. In modern times, these groups are tolerated, but even vague association with them will result in prejudice. They largely operate outside of the scope of mainstream attention purely for fact that they are populated by men and most people in positions of authority have little idea what actually goes on in them, often dismissing them as dens of homosexuality that no sensible mother or wife would let their son or husband associate with. They will sometimes include female sympathizers, particularly gay women, and are known to be safe havens for those who do not identify with or fit into the strict vi gender binary in general.

Both as a powerful empire with a vast international reach and as a people who immigrated from across the seas, Inefou has connections and associations with many factions from across the globe.Avi-ah and Airistata (special note): During the early days of Airistata and Avi-ah, there was significant presence of vi in the region who had been involved with secret fraternities and were forced to flee Inefou in order to escape capital punishment for treason charges. One of these male vi, named Athras, became involved in the early work that constituted the foundation of both Airistata and Avi-ah. Athras is still highly regarded in Airistata as a founding father and is still one of the leaders of Avi-ah, having been kept alive for centuries by immortalizing corruption. As a male vi who personally saw many of his close associates killed by the empire when he was younger, he still retains a strong connection to Inefou. He frequently works with individuals to provide opportunities and asylum for minorities adversely affected by the powers in Inefou. The decriminalization of fraternities can be partially attributed to his influence. Many who wish to challenge the matriarchy see him and his efforts as a symbol for their cause.Avi-ah: Aside from their leader's personal connection, Avi-ah has found Inefou to be a strong ally due to their skepticism relating to corruption and the wujinika, and their general pragmatic nature. Inefou enjoys the expertise that Avi-ah brings them concerning corruption and the awareness their research elucidates into history and global politics, often claiming such gems to bolster their own sense of superiority over other nations. However, there is tension between Inefou and Avi-ah regarding Avi-ah's connection with Airistata. Though Avi-ah acknowledges that their association with Airistata is far from ideal, allies in Inefou push them to move their headquarters to Inefou territory and cut ties with Airistata completely. Avi-ah's leadership has vehemently refused such propositions in the past, seeing it as an attempt by Inefou to dissolve their independence and claim Avi-ah as their own.Airistata: Though connected through their mutual ally of Avi-ah and kept from more overt opposition by this connection, Airistata nevertheless takes a hostile stance in regards to Inefou. Dissenting voices from Inefou have continued to move into Airistata over the years and current Airistatan philosophy takes special offense to Inefou's rule of law and enforcement of social mores, proposing that such things are as suffocatingly dogmatic as any belief in god or magic and reveling in the abandonment of such things. Equally, Inefou views Airistata similarly to any other allied nation: as a den of perversity, lawlessness, insanity and death. But the two do maintain some direct commercial connections through specific Airistatan merchant houses and, though many in Inefou would love to take a stronger stance against them, they tolerate their passing association with Airistatan factions if only for the sake of capital.Nekta: Nekta and Inefou maintain a loose, but relatively secure alliance. As one of the only other major contenders with Nekta's international influence, Inefou makes an effort to maintain friendly relations with Nekta and occasionally benefits from their diplomatic reach when trying to deal internationally. Nekta relies on Inefou's stability as a nation and, as foreigners are not allowed into Nekta, they have set up their diplomatic headquarters on an island belonging to the Inefou Empire. But the two remain wary of each other and critical of many of their actions and associations. Nekta puts Inefou under suspicion because of their association with Avi-ah and Airistata, while putting pressure on them to address their issues of inequality and failures of their judicial system. Inefou, on the other hand, insists on their utter independence and dislikes Nekta's meddling and influence, inoculated against Nekta's claim to moral righteousness by intelligence and perspective given to them by Avi-ah. Individual vi will still sometimes aim to retire in Nekta, either through working for them or by purchasing their citizenship.Ketz Kradle: Inefou has little care or mind for Ketz Kradle, as they've been barred from having much economic influence over the region by the Secries mountains along KK's east coast. Airistatan merchant families that trade with Inefou will still sometimes route through KK, avoiding much of the Dayreli authorities until they quietly sneak back across the border just in time to arrive at Dayrenal's east coast. Their associates in Inefou fear losing those connections because of the war, but they have pledged to stay as far removed from the war as possible and refuse to aid either side. KK has little impression of Inefou because of their geographical separation, but have occasionally bought resources from them through third parties. Vi are regarded in KK with positive association, regarded as intellectual, powerful, and altogether savvy, while the Vi regard humans as mushy and irrational.Dayrenal: Dayrenal and Inefou have had a long and sometimes tumultuous past. They frequently fought over ownership of island territories in the Sea of Pir, some of which is still contested territory. Though they are allies in modern times, they often resemble squabbling siblings more than they do willing allies. Before the arrival of humanity, they were each other's main contact with another people and experienced a long tradition of trade back and forth that helped secure Inefou as a stable world power. But Dayrenal also made effort to block this trade and criticize Inefou's people and politics, mainly for their lack of faith in the wujinika. Fearful the influence of secularism might have on their society, Dayrenal has had a long history of trying to discredit Inefou dignitaries. Inefou has similarly took a strong stance against Dayrenal for their evangelism, disregard for rule of law, and for the ability their loosely patriarchal society might have to corrupt traditional matriarchal values. Despite this strong oppositional stance, trade has never completely stopped and many powerful figures in Dayrenal benefit directly from association with Inefou. Their governments begrudgingly work together on international issues, such as to deal with the problem of pirates preying on their trade routes, but they often end up spending more energy criticizing each other for not pulling their weight more than they do to effectively accomplish their goals. Many vi seeking to escape the rigid structures of Inefou have moved to the eastern Dayreli shore, while shura have moved to Inefou in order to escape religious persecution, and pirate leagues often feature individuals hailing from both factions. There is also a growing concern over interspecies relationships between vi and shura that both factions have tried to stamp out.Aernoa: Though most migratory patterns of travira take place in the far northern ocean, many tribes used to travel through islands and territories that are now claimed by Inefou. Inefou, additionally, has been slowly expanding into the northern islands, considering them to be up for grabs, and many travira take offense to their presence and their tendency to interfere with food sources. In the past they sometimes directly contended with the travira, especially travira of ashen tribes, but found themselves woefully ill-equipped to deal with opponents capable of versatile flight who relied frequently on irregular tactics. On the islands they have an older presence on, most of the travira have simply moved on by now, but with more recent acquisitions that lack civilian inhabitants, Inefou has decided instead to try to leave the travira alone, while still claiming the territory as officially theirs. They still occasionally have to deal with travira who are incensed at their presence and sabotage their outposts, but repairing the damage has been deemed less costly than trying to deliberately drive the travira out. They both regard each other mostly as a nuisance. But many travira affected by the allure of the more industrious civilization or otherwise alienated by Aernoa's own internal struggles have immigrated to Inefou over the years. They have little trouble finding work, owning an ability of flight that makes them useful, and some companies deliberately try to recruit travira.Rainetwen: Both Rainetwen and Inefou are ultimately driven by capitalistic enterprises and mainly know of each other through trade, primarily concerning building materials. Separated by a continental landmass in between them to both the east and west, natives of both factions have little ability or interest in directly making contact with each other, instead mainly using Dayrenal as their middleman. Oligarchical families in Rainetwen know and enjoy close connections with influential contacts in Inefou and may travel to meet, but the culture of each faction remains obscure to each other outside of a general impression that the two value systems must be utterly alien. With the yain, frequently their impression is that Inefou culture seems distastefully plain and devoid of identity, while the vi regard the colorful extravagance in Rainetwen to be primitive. Despite this, their value of their economic relationship prevents them from forming too oppositional an opinion.Tatsune: As the indigenous people who the Vi killed and displaced in order to settle the region of Inefou, Inefou and Tatsune still experience a staunch oppositional relationship. Inefou builds fortifications and walls to separate their settlements from Tatsune in southern Tallcama, they prevent hyrin from becoming legitimate residents within Inefou territories even if they had lived there for millennia, and instances where the two powers come to violent opposition still occur, especially in Tallcama. Inefou uniformly believes hyrin to be grotesque and chaotic and spreads this view to their allies, including putting pressure on their associates not to develop sympathy with or look too closely at Tatsune.Perian: As the people who first made contact with the Vi, Inefou still has strong impression and association with Perian factions. There is no trade between Inefou and Perian and the two do not even maintain a diplomatic relationship, but they will occasionally send emissaries to check up on each other every so often. Inefou knows Perian factions would prove dangerous foes if they sought expansion or decided to interfere with their business and has interests in keeping tabs on the state of their affairs in order to ensure their own longevity. Perian, on the other hand, does so in the way that a parent might occasionally check up on an estranged child, and still retains hope that one day they will see the light and adopt the values and religion of Perian cultures. Inefou wholly rejects Perian values, criticizing them as detrimental to stability and prosperity, while Perian believes the people of Inefou to be too focused on the physical world to see the truth.