Lhóssok

Lhóssok [ ɫʷɔ:.ʂokʰ ] is located on in a small gulf in the south eastern side of the the continent. The capital is Ovhéshíty [ ovʷ.ˈe:ʃ.itʲ ], which lies on on the coast and connects to the river that runs north, Naegcrroþ [ n̪æ:.ɣʀ:oθ ]. The nation is inhabited by the Lhósskyí people and the primary language is Lhóss. Day-to-day life is run by a strict caste system, where daily life for higher and lower castes are completely different. The current Emperor is Jyóðik the Greater... or Cyean Jyóðik Ghoi an [ cɛɑn̪  ɟɔ:ðɪkʰ  gʷɔi:  ɑn̪ ] in Lhóss.

### Basic Information

* Name of the nation in local language: Lhóssok
* Years of existence: year 2-present
* Ruling figure's name: Emperor Jyóðik the Greater / Cyean Jyóðik Ghoi an
* Founding player's name: CedRed
* Controlling player's name: CedRed
* Languages: Lhóss

### Unlocked Technology

**Level 1**

* Trade and Diplomacy
	+ Nation's representative
	+ Trade Rules
* Education
	+ Schools
	+ Indoctrination
* Laws
	+ Complex law systems
	+ Citizen's Assembly
	+ Outer Urban Areas
* Land
	+ Animal taming
* Technology
	+ Basic Recreation
* Construction
	+ Stone Houses
	+ Basic Paths

**Level 2**

* Trade and Diplomacy
	+ Translator's Schools
* Education
	+ Apprenticeships
* Peacekeeping
	+ Identification
* Sea
	+ Small Boats
* Technology
	+ Writing

**Level 3**

* Sea
	+ Sailing Boats

**Caste System**

The caste system in Lhóssok dictates everyday life. There are complex greeting systems when on meets someone within and outside of their caste. Casteless and slaves are seen as below the caste system and not apart of it. Within each caste are additional hierarchies of power as well

* (Ancestors, Honorable Dead (‘heroes’) and Gods)
	+ Although not actually apart of the caste system, they are seen to be above the Emperor
* Royalty/Emperor
	+ To be the Emperor, you must be born into the Honor caste -- it is possible to be from the Memory Caste in rare situations, typically a high acting religious figure but this is very rare. Within the Honor caste is the Council of Honorable Warriors -- an assembly of warriors who advise the leader on various aspects of government. The council votes on a new leader when the previous one dies. They can vote within the same family or pick new ones. The Council is made up of older warriors and young successful warriors with high amounts of honor and/or success in battle.
	+ The Emperor rules for life or they alert their counsel of their resignation. The Council has a lot of control, but the Emperor has the final say. He/she is also the main general during times of war.
	+ Fighting on the battlefield is encouraged to show their strength as a warrior and leader. There are random festivals and shows that the Emperor performs in
* Honor Caste - Warriors
	+ Members of the highest caste (not including the Emperor) reap in the best benefits that Lhóssok offers. Many events are open to them. They are respected and feared in the lower castes
	+ There are different factions and ranks within the caste
		- Religious warriors
		- Army
		- Navy
		- Law Enforcement
		- Gladiators and/or Strength-Showmen
		- Military Strategists and War-Leaders
		- Council of (honorable) Warriors
	+ Men and women are respected equally in combat, respect/disrespect lies in rank and honor
	+ Have a different type of schooling than the Memory caste
		- Starts at 7, small groups of kids
		- Learn about teamwork and group success. Less emphasis on the individual, more on the team
		- Learns basic history, warrior history, grammar, warrior etiquette, sports
		- Learn how to read or write at a basic level. Has opportunities to learn more, but it is not required and typically for strategists and officers
		- From 16-20 they apply to different factions; Religious warriors, Land warriors (Army), Water warriors (Navy), Law Enforcement.
		- Gladiators and Strength-Showmen are the celebrities of caste. They perform various shows of strength, endurance, and warriorship. These are typically the people performing in the Show of Man
* Memory Caste - Priests, Academia, Scholars
	+ “Those who hold the words”
	+ These are the people going to traditional schooling for long periods of time...
* Tradesmen Caste - Merchants and skilled Craftsmen
* River Caste - Laborers, Workers, Common-Folk
* Casteless and Slaves

**Greetings**

-When meeting royalty…

* Castless will get on their knees and bow their heads
* Slaves will put their foreheads to the ground
* All other castes will bow with their hands behind their back, but they bow lower than for warriors and hold it for longer

-When meeting someone of the warrior caste…

* Warriors will grasp each others forearms and bow their heads. Some may put their fist over their heart (and bow head) or bow when meeting someone of higher rank
* Priests, Scholars, and Academia; and Merchants and (skilled) Crafters will put their fist over their heart and bow their head
* Laborers, Workers, and Common-Folk will put their hands behind their back and bow
* Casteless will get on their knees and bow their heads
* Slaves will put their foreheads to the ground

-When meeting someone of the Memory caste (Priests, Scholars, and Academia)...

* Warriors will bow their heads
* Priests, Scholars, and Academia will grasp each others forearms with their heads up
* Merchants and (skilled) Crafters; and Laborers, Workers, and Common-Folk will put their fist over their heart and bow their head
* Casteless will get on their knees and bow their heads
* Slaves will put their foreheads to the ground

-When meeting someone of the Tradesmen caste (Merchants and skilled craftsmen)

* Warriors; Priests, Scholars, and Academia will bow their heads
* Merchants and (skilled) Crafters; and Laborers, Workers, and Common-Folk will have no formal greeting for eachother, maybe a polite/respectful ‘hello’
* Casteless typically bow their heads, some will bow
* Slaves will put their foreheads to the ground

-When meeting someone of the Common Caste (Laborers, Workers, and Common-Folk)...

* Warriors; Priests, Scholars, and Academia; Merchants and (skilled) Crafters will do no formal greeting
* Laborers, Workers, and Common-Folk will have no formal greeting for each other, maybe a polite/respectful ‘hello’
* Casteless typically bow their heads. Some will have no formal greeting, especially if they work with a lot of common people
* Slaves will put their foreheads to the ground

-Slaves and Casteless are owed no formal greeting… unless you count insults about their caste as a greeting

-Foreigners of equal-ish status or lower, they appear to be of the same or similar social caste as them... they will bow their heads while looking at the person. Meeting a foreigner of higher status they bow at the waste with their hands behind their back for a short period of time

**Religion**

- Lhósskyí people worship ancestors, heroes/honorable dead, geographical features, and spirits

-Heroes/honorable dead are kind of like gods without being gods. When an Emperor dies, he/she becomes a god in a sense. But so can a lot of other ‘hero’ type people

-Spirits are the aura/spirit of animals and nature objects. Different things have different meanings. Meanings can be from bad/good luck to an answer to a question. Spirits meanings come from folk tales and their meanings and context may vary regionally

-Spirits (and geographical spirits, such as the river Naegcrroþ) tend to be more important for lower castes a while ancestors and heros are more important for higher castes. However, all these are worshiped in all Lhósskyí castes

**Additional Info**

-Currently, there are the cities…

* Ovhéshíty [ ovʷ.ˈe:ʃ.itʲ ], the capital. Lies along the coast
* Rraeþmhoa [ ʀ:æ:θ.mʷˠoɑ ], a city that lies within the forest lands. It is known for the Greater Black Bear (Vhorraeþghoi), which is native to the territory, hence the name of the city… Bear-Land

-Casteless tend to be criminals and smugglers due to being slightly cut off from society, but they might find jobs among common laborers, they’ll just be on a lower standing than them. Slaves are completely outside of the caste system and viewed as the same type of property as livestock

-People are more divided by caste than anything else, so there really isn’t sexism, homophobia, or racism (unless you’re a dick). People are far more likely to have prejudice against certain castes, depending on who they are. They see people in other nations in the light of their own place in the caste, there is no outward prejudice on outside nations... unless you're lower class than them

-Addressing someone of a higher caste requires varying levels of politeness and respect. Also different ways of addressing someone in high power positions within that caste. ‘Impolitness’ markers can be used if one is trying to be rude… those speaking to people lower than them don’t use impolite markers (unless they’re being a dick… or talking to slaves)

-Arguments in the Warrior caste are oftentimes decided via the result of a duel (to the death or first blood). Only warriors do this. Honor is important for warriors, not other castes

-There is an olympics of sorts for members of the warrior caste. Casteless and slaves are not to attend unless they are helping with the production of the event. The event is mainly for the Emperor, Honor caste, Memory caste, and Tradesmen caste. Common folk may attend… if they can find a place to watch -- seats are reserved for higher castes and they are required to give up their seat for them (as well as apologize).

-Various festivals/shows put on from the Emperor. Many of them available for common folk

-Art is typically made by members of the Memory and Tradesmen caste

-Memory caste members are trained extensively in writing, so many of them write stories, shows, and poetry for the elite

-Skilled craftsmen can include any skilled artist that sells their work

-Many of the skilled craftsmen are woodworkers and lumbermen. Woodworking and wooden art is common. Some woodworkers only use axes to carve artwork. Others make artful pieces for furniture, boats, or architecture. Stone carvings are less common as they are more expensive. These craftsmen typically carve statues or religious/mythological text

-Many of the buildings are made from wood. Temples and important walkways are made from stone. Memories are recorded on stone slabs

-Lower caste culture has a lot of folk songs and local mythology. Spirits will have varied tales and meanings in different places. There might also be songs or stories about a certain spirit. Spirit stories are popular with children, similar to fairy tales