Tzitlasen

* Flag
* Map

Location: Tzitlasen's capital (and currently only ) province was originally named Goldkeep and is now named Tzitlaken.

Neighbors:

* Calai (They are located to the South and centered in the province of Rivercave
* Soom (They are located to South and centered in the province of Helmwater)

The nation of Tzitlasen, named after The Savior - Tzitla, is a relatively young nation and a comparative newcommer to the region in comparison to it's neighbors. It was founded ~400 years ago, after Tzitla led her people Southeast to escape their fallen home and in search for a new blessed/holy land. After a long, confusing, and somewhat forgotten line of monarchs, Tzitl TlachaKepZekol took power one year ago.

The inhabitants of Tzitlasen are mainly humans belonging to the Tzitlac Culture. There is a minority population of humans belonging to the Okore Culture. Additionally there are several non-human families/communities as well as slightly mutated humans who have traveled from the South.

Basic Statistics

## History

The foundation myth:

* It is believed that long ago a people only remembered as "the Old Tzitlac" resided far to NorthWest. For centuries, these people thrived and pursued many technological advancements and knowledge to honor the Aspects. Slowly the Old Tzitlac became corrupted. They participated in great wars, began embracing cruelty, violence, and lies over honor, harmony with nature, truth, and knowledge. After a particularly terrible king, only remembered as Orkalkep, fell out of the Gods' favor, the old Tzitlac were pushed out of their previous home, eden, and cradle. Tzitla, the mother of the Tzitlac, slew this king and led her people South East until they encountered the Sea of Hope where they settled. It is believed that this journey took 400 days. By the time they got to their new home (~160 years ago), they had lost many of their own to hunger, exhaustion, and nature. In addition to losing many of their people, the Tzitlac lost their knowledge. They had to incorporate/invite nearby native peoples to maintain their society. They named this new settlement Tzitlaken.

The Between:

* In the ~160 years following the founding of Tzitlaken, several ShakepkenKen (Dynasties) vied for power. Carefully avoiding open conflict with one exception, some of these dynasties lasted for only a few years while a select few lasted for more than a generation. The first ~30 years after the migration where tumultuous. One dynasty, only referred to as the Orkalkepken was able to briefly consolidate power similarly to a centralized nation. However after the current Tzitl became viewed as corrupted, the villages and their individual minor ShakepkenKen rose up to demand a new Tzitl from a different ShakepkenKen. The Orkalkepken refused to relinquish the nation they had centralized and so Orkalkot Ek Shapwi (Holy War) began. After a bloody 13 years, the last of the Orkalkepken were killed. This war increased the power of the villages, which had previously been reigned in during the centralization. As a result, Tzitlasen was no longer considered a true nation until Zekol finished re-reigning in the villages around 100 years later.
* Around 80 years ago, the grandfather of Tzitl TlachaKepZekol, assumed the title of Tzitl, after the previous ShakepkenEkKensep (The Tree Family) fell out of favor. The villages and Priests believed their family and dynasty to be too corrupted and refused to obey them. They were ousted when the villages and Priests began supporting Tzitl TlazoKepOtztlak, Tlacha's grandfather. He founded the ShakepkenEkTzokelpwikotl (The Rain Family).
* Tlazo ruled for around 43 years, but this was a difficult time as the outsted ShakepkenEkKensep (The Tree Family) still held considerable influence in the nation. His reign was primarily focused on suppressing and dismantling the ShakepkenEkKensep (The Tree Family). Tlazo was followed by his eldest child, Keshutzi. However Keshutzi died only a few years into her reign and had no living descendants. As a result, Zekol the mother of Tlacha and the next eldest sibling of Keshutzi was chosen to succeed her sister. Zekol had a long and prosperous reign of 23 years, during which she fostered great relations with her neighbors which helped spread Tzitlac culture and the Tzintli language. It was under Zekol that the idea of a more closely unified Tzitlasen nation began to be accepted by the populace. Upon her death, her eldest child, Tolok, took power and reigned for a good 8 years. Tolok followed in her mother's footsteps and shared knowledge and trade with the neighboring nations of The Sea of Hope.

The Now:

* Tlacha took power a year prior after the untimely death of his sister Tolok during childbirth. His niece, Kwitzi, survived her mother but as Tzitla culture favors age, Tlacha was chosen as Tzitl. Kwitzi is expected to assume the throne upon his death.

## Geography

The above image is a map of Tzitlasen with names for Rivers, Hills, and other geographic features. The vibrant green is tropical forest, the darker yellowish green is wet savanna, and the lighter yellowish green is dry savanna. The capital is in purple and smaller notable settlements are in yellow (they are not full fledged cities yet).

The geography of Tzitlasen features a lush and beautiful valley formed by the TzokelEkSha. Much of Tzitlasen society revolves around the flow of the TzokelEkSha, which leads into the fertile grounds of the river delta known as KenpwikelEkSha. This is where the capital, Tzitlasen sits.

### Fauna

* Sea Serpents
* Higers
* Dartbugs
* Namera (See the Central Lakes page)
* RichukEkPish (See the Central Lakes page)

### Flora

* Bog Berries (See the Central Lakes page)
* Naldoel Trees (See the Central Lakes page)
* Nuldoel Trees (See the Central Lakes page)

## Languages

* Primary:
	+ Tzintli
		- Okore (Spoken by a minority population)
* Secondary:
	+ Kata (Language of Katsuko)

## Politics

* Government Type:
	+ Tzitlasen is a monarchy however the individual villages and communities exert a great deal of influence in the nation. As a result, the government acts similarly to an elective monarchy.
		- For example, if a Tzitl is unpopular due to the laws he passes or their ShakepkenKen (Dynasty) becomes viewed as corrupted, the villages may decided to disobey until the law is repealed or they may begin supporting another claimant to the throne.
* Factions:
	+ The monarchy
		- The family/dynasty is committed to maintaining and expanding  its power. They are focused on reigning in the power of the villages.
	+ The Priestly Faction
		- The Supreme Priest and their followers are committed to maintaining the harmony of nature and ensuring that outsiders don’t disrupt this harmony
		- They usually act in conjunction with the monarchy faction but occasionally disagreements erupt and they may seek to support a different claimant to the throne.
	+ The Okore
		- The largest culture in Tzitlasen that isn’t Tzitlac. They are a fairly integrated culture but they are committed to maintaining and preserving their unique culture/religion/traditions. They are usually happy/complacent so long as their practices are not infringed upon.
* Social Classes (In order): *note that an individual may belong to multiple social classes (Example: A Young Priest will be far less respected and will be treated worse than an Elder Priest)*
	+ Nobles:
		- These are families who are said to descend directly from Tzitla and carry her blood.
		- There are high expectations of Nobles.
			* They are expected to be fit, wise, kind, and holy.
			* If they do not meet these expectations they may be considered ‘corrupted’ by all society.
				+ This corruption brings great shame onto the family and dynasty. This shame is so great that if enough members of a family are considered corrupted, their noble status may be diminished or removed.
			* Corrupted nobles lose all noble social status.
	+ Priests:
		- They are treated with much respect.
		- Similarly to the Nobles, much is expected of their etiquette/behavior.
			* If they mess up certain important rituals or there is a natural disaster they may be blamed and considered corrupted.
	+ Elders:
		- Elders are considered wise and great.
		- They are treated with great veneration and are almost worshiped.
	+ Parents:
		- Parents are considered somewhat wise as they will impart their knowledge onto their children.
	+ Young Adults/ Youth:
		- Young individuals / children fall into this category.
	+ Freed slaves:
		- No matter their occupation or good deeds they will never truly be equal in society but will still live as a free person.
		- The children of Freed Slaves will not be born into this Social Class.
			* They will be considered equals to any other citizen.
	+ Corrupted:
		- The Corrupted are the lowest status in Tzitlasen society.
		- Many will go out of their way to make the day of a Corrupted worse.

## Religion and culture

### Moral values and principles

* **War and violence** are understood to have their place in society, but are typically avoided if possible
	+ Ideas such as total war and violence against civilian populations is shunned
* **Dress code** is somewhat strict, but only pertains to colors.
	+ Citizens belonging to the Tzitlac culture are expected to wear simple yet flowy white shirts/blouses and pants/skirts/shorts of a dark purple or black color. Those of higher status typically wear dark blue shawls that can be embroidered with geometric or flower patterns.
	+ Citizens belonging to other cultures are allowed more leeway to express their separate identities.
* **Slavery** does exist but in a limited fashion
	+ Chattel slavery is outright banned
	+ Prisoners of war may be enslaved and forced to work on fields or construction, but this typically only lasts for a matter of years depending on the severity of the war.
		- Once this period is over, these POWs may choose to remain in Tzitlasen as free citizens (of lower status) or seek out their futures abroad.
	+ As a consequence of war, Tzitlasen may demand tribute in the form of a population of able bodied workers for a period of time dependent of the severity of the  war.
		- Once this period is over, these workers may choose to remain in Tzitlasen as free citizens (of lower status) or seek out their futures abroad.
* **Children** are typically encouraged to be self-sufficient and be able to take care of themselves from a young age
	+ This includes foraging/hunting/learning a trade
* **Knowledge:** The population as a whole, especially the Tzitlac people, values ingenuity, knowledge, problem solving, and new products/technology
	+ For this reason, elders are well respected as they are believed to have collected much knowledge throughout their life. This is also why children are encouraged/forced to be self-sufficient since it means that they have the knowledge to take care of themselves. The moment when a child reaches self-sufficiency is a huge milestone in their life and they'll begin to receive much more respect from their community.
* **Inclusivity and religion:** The foundation myth of Tzitlasen has two major effects on the people
	+ They are fairly inclusive of others as they recognize that they could not have survived had they not incorporated the native peoples and those who they encountered along their exodus.
	+ They are fervent in maintaining harmony with the Gods as they do not want to be cast out of their home again.
		- They are inclusive of other religions and love to incorporate new deities into their pantheon. However if they view a certain religion as overly destructive and harmful to the balance of nature, the people of Tzitlasen may persecute these individuals and 'encourage' them to leave for new lands.

### Traditions

* Holidays
	+ The summer solstice usually coincides with a 12 day celebration of Kweri, the sun goddess.
	+ The winter solstice usually coincides with a 13 day celebration of Pweri, the Earth goddess
		- Pweri and Kweri are wives are simultaneously two aspects of the same divine being
	+ During the fall month of Tlakor there is a day that is viewed as a holiday
		- For self proclaimed followers of Orkal, this day is full of celebrations, pranks, and tricks
		- For others it is typically a day of mourning
			* Mourning for those who died in the last year, those who are ‘corrupted’, and for the fallen original home of the Tzitlac people

### Religion

* **Kuritze:** The religion of the Tzitlac
	+ **Beliefs:**
		- Maintaining harmony with nature
			* Not extracting too much from the land
			* The dead are cremated/used as fertilizer
		- The sea of hope is the center of the world/cosmos and those who reside on its shores are living on blessed land.
		- The world is composed of three parts.
			* The sky where only deities/aspects exist
			* The earth where humans live and where uncorrupted humans will be reborn
			* The underworld where Orkal (Deity and manifestation of all evil and suffering) exists along with the souls of humans he has corrupted
		- A ‘hell’ sort of exists but only the souls of ‘corrupted’ humans go
		- Uncorrupted humans are reborn back into the earth upon their deaths
	+ **Structure:**
		- It is lead by a supreme priest who has a great deal of power and influence in Tzitlasen
		- There is a multilayered priestly class
		- Priests typically wear beads/hardened berries around their necks
			* More beads = higher rank
	+ **Rituals:**
		- Priestly bloodletting and the Noble bloodletting is a common occurrence throughout the year
			* The blood is typically cast onto a fire as an offering to the gods
		- Wood burning is also commonplace in many events as a way to inhale the work of the gods
		- Individuals looking to prove themselves or become priests typically venture out as far into the wilderness as they can in 40 days to pay tribute to Tzitla’s journey. After 40 days, they return to civilization with an animal pelt, plant, or some other trophy to demonstrate the length of their journey.
	+ **Creation Myth:** In the beginning there was nothing yet everything. This was a primordial era where everything mixed and blended with itself. As a result, nothing was distinguishable. This was truly a world of beauty, purity, peace, and chaos. Slowly all these aspects of reality and existence congealed into the One Divine Being, Sha. After their formation, Sha looked around and saw nothing because Sha was everything all at once. Both lonely and able to see a bigger future where other life could flourish and interact with one another, Sha willingly shattered themselves into all the Aspects of nature/Gods we know today. Of these new Aspects, there was Pweri, the earth, Kweri, the Sun, Orkal, the suffering, Tlara, the Gas Giant and sea, and so many more.

### Art

* The nation is known its geometric architecture including beautiful arches, domes, and patterns into every aspect of the buildings/structures
	+ Great measures are employed to include curves into designs and pillars
* The nation is known for its art in the form of pottery
	+ Even pottery for everyday use is ornate and intricate in the manner than different aspects of nature(plant and animals) are represented in the designs
		- Spouts of pots are shaped into the necks of cranes for example
		- Handles may look like branches, vines, wings, or legs.