Stryng

## Nation Overview

String is a nation in the center-north of Idaros. Founded with the capital city of Alyama by the prophet Emmanuel that discovered biological magic, shared it with his people, united the northern tribes, and is the focus of their religion. String is ruled by the 3 councils, each representing a type of group at the center of their society; familial tribes, housing clans, and economic guilds. Their biological magic allows them to modify DNA at an abstract level, creating a vast amount of useful artificial species. Intelligent artificial species are named servitors.

## History

### Pre-Bronze Age (?-50BE)

Along the northern coast existed human tribes that came into conflict with each other, possessed weak nature magic, and believed in harmony with nature. Their religion worshiped a deity named the First Mother, the source of all life. Few oral stories survived from this time, but many mention their migration across the coast, conflict with an ancient enemy from the ocean, and receiving knowledge of magic from visions.

### Prophet Emmanuel (50BE-0AE)

A tribesmen named Emmanuel received a vision of magic while sleeping during a hunt. Unlike previous visions, he saw the the very foundation of nature, the strings of life, and gained the the ability to change them. Emmanuel gradually united dozens of tribes, acting as a mediator and incentivizing or forcing cooperation, to found a city not reliant on hunting-gathering through agriculture and free from violence through unity, Alyama. At the center of this city, he founded the first temple from his most dedicated followers to preserve his project of unity, holding a council of the leaders of each tribe and creating a pool for shared resources. The dating system of BE/AE began with his death.

### Growth of Alyama (0AE-100AE)

The city of Aylama gradually expanded around the site of the first temple, building homes from wood, brick, and stone that was supported by trees shaped from magic. The surrounding forest was either modified with weave into orchards or logged for material and food. Agricultural plants and animals were modified to be far more productive, resist pests, and diversify into a huge variety. Cures were made for most diseases. The prosperity of the city created explosive population growth and attracted more tribes from along the coast to join the city or try founding their own settlements nearby, mostly upstream or along the coast. As the economy developed, specialized work appeared and new types of groups split from the tribes: Clans that organized communal housing and Guilds that organized the economy.

### Southern Expansion (100AE-200AE)

Settlers that settled upstream far enough to reach the grasslands faced the hardship of higher temperature changes, various predators, lack of building materials, and unconventional agriculture.

## Geography

The city of Alyama is located between the fertile river deltas of the Avoro/Tesora rivers and at the tip of a natural harbor, surrounded by many smaller settlements. The northern coast contains forests of giant and normal trees interspersed with rocks, a sandy beach, and a vast kelp forest.

## Magic (Weave)

Stryngers have the ability to see and manipulate DNA at an abstract level, (the string of life), named the Weave. Half inherited and half taught, every strynger has differing abilities in different areas with it. The inherited part of the weave is named the Holy String. Stringsmiths are those that specialize in the weave, healing wounds, curing diseases, modifying bodies, and making new species. Modifying fetuses to have more desirable traits is taboo and done by only the most skilled stringsmiths. Crops and livestock are far more diverse, productive, and pest/disease resistant. Trees are shaped to support structures and grow into objects like boats and furniture. Intelligent domesticated animals named servitors are widespread and provide cheap labor.

## Religion (Emmanuelism)

Stryngers believe that the world is suffering due to natural selection, and that everything good in the world is from defiance of it. Achieving dominance over nature by replacing it with civilization is a moral act, since agriculture, servitors, and society are seen as inherently better. Several holidays are derived from the life of Emmanuel and by extension the founding of Stryng. Selflessness, compromise, and resisting instincts are considered virtues. Temples act in part as religious centers alongside small shrines. When writing was developed, the various oral records were combined into holy books named the Orida(s), causing many religious schisms to form around their own versions.

## Groups

Groups are the foundation of Strynger life, derived from the nation's tribal origin. Supporting fellow members of a group is considered a social and often legal obligation. Each group chooses its leader (named "Speaker") in usually democratic ways, represents itself with a colorful symbol, and is a cultural microcosm. Competition within and between groups rarely becomes violent. Transactions are made between groups more often than between individuals for the benefits of collective bargaining and bulk purchasing.

### Tribes:

The original group that was general purpose until clans and guilds split from it as the economy developed. Each tribe is a vast extended family with its own internal gift economy. Each tribe's familial values vary and often interact with the clans of its members. For example, several tribes value incest, removing genetic diseases with the weave, while others seek to always partner outside their tribe. Arranged partners are most often made by tribes. Became less important over time.

### Clans:

Clans organize the housing complexes of cities. Each person has their own personal room, containing personal items and beds, paying rent to the clan based on its quality. All other areas are shared by clan members, such as kitchens, cafeterias, living rooms, latrines, and bathhouses. Property like clothing, books, toys, tools, vehicles, etc are also shared. The bottom floors are usually rented out to guilds.

### Guilds:

Guilds organize the economy, controlling businesses and economic sectors. The markets have as much diplomacy as competition due to monopolizing councils negotiating with each other. Guilds regulate the quality of goods, seek to stabilize/improve prices, and develop their craft. Usually rent the lower floors of clan buildings to sell and produce goods, but sometimes rent buildings of various size in their entirety, especially in smaller settlements. Became more important over time.

### Councils:

Councils organize and represent various interests from the local to national level, mostly categories of groups. The 3 national councils each represent all the tribes, clans, and guilds of Stryng, with the approval of 2 of them required to make changes to the Codex, the book of laws. "Council Guilds" are formed and altered by these councils for public services like temple management, law enforcement, and emergency aid.

### Temples:

The location of religious ceremonies alongside smaller shrines elsewhere. Are learning centers from young to elderly with teaching groups based on skill instead of age. Contain libraries of property shared between groups of its settlement, (not just books).

## Food

Plants: Nuts, fruits, berries, vegetables, legumes, mushrooms, leaves, roots, flowers, bark, and kelp. (Grains).

Animals: Birds, lizards, insects, snails, turtles, earthworms, their eggs, crustaceans, bivalves, barnacles, urchins, cephalopods, seals, rodents, and honey. (Cattle and dairy).

Every farm has its own variations on the food it creates by using the weave (like the Brassica plant), creating a massive variety of ingredients. This led to cuisine seeking to find and create new ingredients over new ways to process them until the southern expansion. The massive variety also makes crops innately resistant to disease.

Stryng farmers practice mixed use farming. On forested land, small plants and pest-eating animals are kept below orchards and vineyards with the aid of bees. On the coast, nets are hung underwater in shallow areas to grow kelp with bivalves below. Nearby rivers are used to create canals, irrigation, and fish farms. Fishermen buy tree boats, catch fish using huge nets, and gather small crustaceans/mollusks with the aid of servitor seals and large groups, in addition to harvesting kelp stalks and beach seaweed.

Hunting on land is a rarity due to the conversion of the surrounding forest into farmland, but hunting a variety of creatures in the harbor occurs. The beaches have bivalves, snails, crustaceans, kelp, and seaweed. Hunting and gathering is considered lesser to farming due to the association with their primitive past and the lack of the artistic weave. However, some hunting occurs as a sport with specially raised animals released into farms.

After expansion into and trade with the southern grasslands, grain and cattle species were introduced, undergoing the same diversification and improvement. Rice was integrated into canals/fish farms alongside kelp/seaweed in addition to dedicated farms and salt rices were developed that grow in saltwater. Giant earthworms were created to help till and enrich the soil of grain farms. Fermentation and dairy was learned from the Aurians and spread throughout society after lactose tolerance from them was integrated via weave, creating a huge variety of foods including cheese, alcohol, kimchi, chorizo, and chocolate. This caused a cultural shift in how Stryngers process foods and view microorganisms.

Bacteria and root nodules replenish/enrich the soil with giant earthworms tilling it. After the discovery of the vast mycelium networks in the soil, they were used to share crop resources and vaccines.

## Species

Avians: Intelligent and varied domesticated birds. Used for communication, delivery, mapping, warfare, music, mathematics, translating, and general service. Also used to produce feathers, meat, and eggs. Their alula is modified into a simple hand.

Lightbeetles: Generate bright bioluminescent light in various colors, pressed on to turn on/off, self feeding/following. Created after encountering the So-Kan and discovering bioluminescence.

## Culture

The massive variety and customization of crops and livestock from the use of the weave with Stryng's agricultural population led to a high valuation of art and novelty.

Clothing is a significant part of self and group expression. Large variation in colors, patterns, and shapes. Holes provide ventilation and reveal layers underneath. Wide sleeves are made to look like the wings. Jewelry includes polished and carved wood/shells/bone/rock, feathers, scales, pearls, rocks, metals, gems, and modified flowers/beetles. Dye is used in hair, clothes, and paint. Weave is used for body modification, such as melanin tattoos and feather hair. Sewing and weaving are popular pastimes.

## Military

Bioweapon diseases are made to target specific nations and their crops/animals, released after their population is vaccinated against it.