Judikael

Judikael Flag

The Judikaels are a pre-kepian culture that existed on the kepian continent around and on the Fionnbarra Mountain Range. They are a loose collection of tribes with no specific national identity.

## Geography

The Fionnbarra Mountain Range is a long, thin strip of mountains that separate the eastern and western parts of Kepia. It is separated into three major ecosystems according to elevation level.

Most of the Judikael reside on the first and second level, with a few living on the third.

### Arsenius Plateau

A large, tall plateau separates the ascent of the Fionnbarras from the rest of Kepia. A number of Judikael tribes live here, both at the base of and on the plateau. The tribes at the base of the Plateau often trade with Nuria. Trails do exist to get to the top of the plateau, but many of them are steep, treacherous, and essentially impossible for traditional mounts such as horses. The Judikael tribes on the plateau sometimes make the trek down to trade with the lower tribes.

### The High Wall

The Fionnbarras are tall and thin. Past the Arsenius Plateau, there is a small stretch of flat grassland, followed by an almost immediately vertical ascent straight onto the peaks of the mountain range. Most Judikael tribes live at the base of the wall, but a few live in vertical, hanging villages that anchor themselves onto the terraces along the cliffs.

### Pyrrhic Ascent

Although there could be more, only a single documented Judikael tribe is known to have lived long term at the top of the Fionnbarras. This tribe, known as the Pyrrhus, survived almost entirely off of trade with the lower tribes from The Wall.

## History

The Judikael existed alongside many other peoples during the First Age as hunter gatherers. Come the start of the Wars of Creation, they saw themselves gradually outmatched by the various other groups fighting for territory on the Kepian Continent.

Suffering defeat after defeat, the Judikael would be gradually pushed back from more populated areas, eventually becoming isolated in the harsh and unforgiving tundras of the Fionnbarra Mountain Range.

Initially settling down onto the frigid Arsenius Plateau, the Judikael lacked the resources to evolve into an agricultural society, and remained as hunter gatherers. They would later go on to scale the mountains and discover valuable materials within them. Some tribes decided to settle on the Wall, becoming miners that traded with those below them for a living.

Legendarily, one tribe, known as the Phyrrus, managed to make it to the peak of the Fionnbarras, creating a settlement in the area known as the Pyrrhic Ascent. They would go on to become the Judikael Mountain Monks of present day Kepia.

### Historical Figures

#### Rulers

The Judikael do not believe in the idea of a ruler. For tribes on the plateau and the wall, the highest authority is typically an elder appointed by the rest of the village. The Mountain Monks typically have an elder member responsible for making decisions, but their words are taken more as advice than law.

#### Legends

The legendary figure who led the Judikael to climb the Arsenius Plateau to the Fionnbarra peak is called Hildur. This figure has since been deified by the Judikael people, and is interpreted differently in terms of gender, personality, physical characteristics, etc.

#### Heroes

Aldegar Stein was an elder priest who led the Judikael in defending the Fionnbarras against the invasion of King Magellan. He is historically depicted as the one who descended the Wall to bring the residents of the Arsenius Plateau up to the Pyrrhic Ascent.

#### Adversaries and Wars

King Magellan and the Three Kings attempted to invade the Fionnbarras sometime during the start of the High Era due to the Judikael refusing to acknowledge his right to rule. As Judikael Monks held significant sway in the political scene at the time, Magellan attempted to make them submit by force. His defeat paved the way for the Elder Families to take over and create Kepia.

## Society

### Warfare

The Judikael, despite being classified as a tribal society, lack many of the war based elements that other tribal societies such as the Kres Jah and Phrica peoples do. This is generally linked to their relative isolation up in the Fionnbarras, which in combination with their small population size heavily discouraged large scale conflict. Instead of aggression, the Judikael philosophy of war considers its own land to be sacred, and is characterized by a much larger emphasis on defending their existing territory rather than expansion.

### Technology

The most technologically advanced tribes of the Judikael are those who reside on the wall. The Genkovian Technological Revolution affected the entire world, and the stacked mining settlements of the Judikael were made possible as a direct result of it.

### Economy

The Judikael are generally hunter gatherers. However, tribes that have settled on the wall have become heavy exporters of valuable minerals and metals.  A number of valuable materials exist on Judikael land, which are traded to the rest of Kepia. For more info, see the tabs on Judikael cuisine and manufacturing.

### Manufacturing

#### Handicrafts

Judikael residing on the base of the Fionnbarras make their handicrafts using plants and fiber. Settlements of the wall and peak have less access to plants, and make handicrafts using clay, creating all manner of pottery.

#### Energy

The Judikael aren’t particularly advanced in terms of technology, so most of them don’t actually need much energy. Wall tribes may need coal and oil to power their mining machines, but otherwise the most advanced fuel they use is often animal fat for candles,

#### Food

Although the Arsenius Plateau is a tundra, it still sees plenty of wildlife for a hunter gatherer culture like the Judikael. Settlements on the wall make due with herbs, fungi, the occasional fruit, and import everything else. Mountain monks hunt the occasional animals such as birds, bugs, etc, and eat everything settlements on the wall eat, only in scarcer amounts. The rest of their food is typically obtained as donations from pilgrims and trade with the lower Judikael tribes.

#### Construction

Judikael settlements along the wall are built vertically in nature, with a complex system of pulleys that allows one to traverse up and down the wall. Shops, taverns, and other economic buildings are situated at the bottom of the wall, residential districts are at the middle, and the mines are situated at the upper levels.

Judikael architecture was only made possible as a result of the various inventions developed during the Genkovian Technological Revolution, and as a result much of the infrastructure has a somewhat clashing mix between rural, traditional wooden homes amidst a large sea of steampunk machinery.

The mountain monks have a very traditional temple aesthetic for their settlements. A small lift takes one from the highest mines onto the base of their temples, which are situated among multiple narrow, winding paths leading ever higher.  A significant amount of agility is required to be able to reach the temples themselves, which are situated amongst precarious cliff paths constantly beset by strong winds.

#### Textiles and Clothing

Judikael clothing, although similar in aesthetic and design, are made of different materials depending on the location of the tribe in question. The Aresenius plateau has enough vegetation to allow for the weaving of fibers into clothing, and many of its inhabitants wear simple outfits composed of tightly woven grass along with various accessories. Often, a small piece of twin is tied to the wrist and ankles to prevent clothing from getting in the way of everyday labor.

Tribes residing on the wall have less access to plants, and make clothing primarily from leather. Animals such as mountain goats and birds are regularly hunted, and provide fur, feathers, and skin for use in clothing. In addition, the various ores and minerals mined out from the wall make jewelry relative cheap and a common accessory for these peoples.

Mountain monks residing along the peak of the Fionnbarras have little to no resources for making cloth, and must import it through trade with lower tribes and outside areas

#### Metallurgy

The Fionnbarras are home to a number of valuable metals and minerals, the most notable of which is a crystal-like ore known as Neifion. Such crystals shine a pale purple, and act as catalysts for magical energy, acting almost like batteries which power the various pulleys operating along the wall.

#### Currency

Prior to the development of the Magellan standard, the Judikael did not have any widely used currencies other than the traditional bartering system.  A unique type of necklace developed by an elder priest called Raakel is a representation of Judikael favor, and is distributed to people deemed to have helped the Judikael people as a whole. They can often be displayed in return for a free night and meal at the temple, or among the more faithful residents of the wall.

### Services

#### Retail

Basic necessities such as food, clothing, tools and equipment, etc. Small amounts of luxury goods such as jewelry.

#### Real Estate

The Judikael lifestyle is one of hard work an minimalism. Many of the Fionnbarras’ residents are pilgrims who have decided to remain after visiting the Phyrrus Temple, and the rest are those who were born there in the first place.

For those along the Arsenius Plateau, moving in is as simple as simply building a house in an empty area. The land isn’t owned by anyone, and no taxes need to be paid. On the other hand, living on the wall requires one to hire one of the various construction guilds to build a house instead, often for a fee that can be paid back in rental sums.

To reside within the Phyrrus Temple, one must be accepted by the mountain monks living there already. Often, this requires a test of will, along with a lengthy apprenticeship that can last many years.

#### Legal

The Judikael lack a real legal body to govern the processing of criminals. In most cases, due to the small population, its often enough to simply gather the population and have a discussion regarding the punishment that should be dealt. On the more populated segments of the wall, public trials are sometimes held, but have no real order or process to them.

#### Tourism

The Judikael religion, while not considered a major religion of Kepia, does have a significant influence in the surrounding regions, especially amongst the civilizations residing in the Canopy of Jure and the High Greens. It is customary for those following the way of the mountain monks to make a yearly pilgrimage to the Fionnbarras. For many, it is generally enough to reach the Arsenius Plateau, where they will often remain in worship for about a week before heading back. A select few who are more dedicated will often scale the wall settlements, making their way up onto the peak to catch a glimpse of the Phyrrus Temple.

The Arsenius Plateau has a small encampment in which pilgrims stay during their worship. In many cases, the villagers living in the area will often travel down to the encampment, setting up temporary stalls to sell food and various accessories.

#### Gambling

Gambling is strictly outlawed within the Phyrrus Temple, and is generally discouraged by the Judikael people, though this disapproval gradually starts to disappear as one goes further down and away from the Fionnbarras’ peaks, becoming much more accepted at the outskirts of the Judikael Plateau.

### Infrastructure

#### Education

The Judikael do not have a formal system of education. Children growing up in such tribes will either take on a trade (typically from their parents) or migrate elsewhere.

### Hospitals

The Judikael do not have a proper system of healthcare. In most cases, they employ traditional remedies in an attempt to cure maladies. Licensed doctors from larger cities will sometimes stay in the nearby area, acting as mobile doctors who tend to the seriously ill. There is one hospital located in UNKNOWN NAME.

#### Transportation

Tribes along the plateau travel by foot. Due to the lack of faster methods such as mounts, people rarely leave their home village.

Considering the verticality of settlements along the wall, it isn’t convenient to scale it using steps or ladders. Instead, a large number of pulleys work to carry people across the various levels. A single, large pulley situated at the very bottom of the wall serves as a sort of conveyor belt, possessing multiple platforms that travel all the way up to the Phyrrus ascent before returning back down. Smaller pulleys are sprinkled along the rest of the wall, connecting different areas. All in all, the pulley system is complex and quite maze like. However, they have multiple points of intersection, making it relatively easy to jump from one pulley system to another

Mountain monks train in a unique martial art known as cliff fighting. This style focuses on utilizing a grappling hook to swing along the cliff face, and offers a large amount of mobility to those who are experienced in it.

#### Public Spaces

Judikael settlements typically have a temple dedicated to mountain worship. Many are physically unable to make it up the winding passage to the Phyrrus temple, and will instead worship at these communal ones scattered throughout the various tribes.

#### Water Transport

A relative majority of the Fionnbarras is composed of a mineral called Aqua Insitus, which can absorb large amounts of water (roughly 20 times its size), taking on a sky blue hue upon doing so. If placed over a flame, it will heat up to a certain temperature, before rapidly releasing all of its water. The mineral will gradually turn into a pale white as it loses moisture.

Due to the weight of Aqua Insitus in its blue state, most of it can be found at the base of the Fionnbarras, near the settlements on the Plateau. The Plateau becomes blanketed by heavy snowfall in the winter months, and much of this will be absorbed, allowing for harvesting during the rest of the year.

To transport larger stones, people will often use pickaxes to break them down into smaller pieces, lugging them back to their settlements and eventually up the wall. In many cases, people will store a barrel of Aqua Insitus pebbles, leaving them in their yards to store moisture over a long period of time.

### Government

#### Laws and Legislation

Law varies from one settlement to another, as there is no centralization of the Judikael people. In most cases, settlements will gather together to create rules on a case to case basis.

#### Law Enforcement

There is generally no organized group dedicated to law enforcement. In many cases, the physically strong members of a settlement will simply pause in their daily work and team up to form a temporary militia, resuming their normal activities afterwards.

#### Trials

Villagers will hold trials for criminals, but there is no consistent or organized system of trying criminals. Lawyers don’t exist, and the trial is simply a debate between the accused and accuser in an attempt to sway the rest of the town.

Punishments vary according to the settlement and circumstances, and can be anything from banishment to short term imprisonment to the death penalty.

## Culture

### Architecture

Judikael architecture varies according to elevation.

##### Arsenius Plateau

The plateau is very flat,with hard earth not suitable for digging into. Settlements here lack any particularly distinctive architectural features, consisting mainly of small shacks built of wood, straw, and whatever else the villagers can dig up.

Although lacking in any distinctive traits due to the lack of civilization progress, settlements on the Plateau do have a number of elements that seem to contrast with their rustic lifestyle. Namely, many buildings have elements of Genkovian technology such as mechanical windmills and steam pistons, which are often obtained from the wall.

##### The Wall

Judikael architecture is most well known due to the unique verticality of settlements situated along the wall. The Fionnbarras’ nearly vertical cliff face results in buildings being literally anchored into the wall and hanging off the air, and in some cases even hanging off of other buildings.

The cliff face of the wall slopes ever so slightly, though it is small enough that it appears almost flat to a person standing up close. Buildings however, especially tall vertical ones, will feel this sloping much more, and because of this settlements along the wall have slanted buildings which tilt backwards at an angle. This tilt isn’t noticeable from the inside of a building, as the floor and windows have been adjusted in turn, but from the outside Judikael buildings looks to be leaning backwards, almost as if they were about to fall over.

In order to lessen the load on the anchors holding down the buildings, settlements will have buildings with large bases that gradually narrow out at the top. This in combination with the tilted angle allows buildings to partially lean onto the mountain, taking off some stress from the anchored supports.

The complex pulley system used to traverse the wall is made possible using Genkovian tech, which is steam powered. While wall settlements look relatively rustic from the front, they actually have a large amount of industrial materials underlying their buildings, especially at the points where buildings are anchored into the wall.

##### Phyrrus Temple

The peaks of the Fionnbarras are very thin, making it impossible to find a large enough area of flat land to build on. Just like on the wall, buildings are often built into the cliff face itself, though there is a lot more room to create three dimensional buildings due to the cliff wall being not nearly as vertical as it is lower down.

Main buildings are built on multiple peaks, and are connected by bridges which hang in the air. This normally wouldn’t be possible, but Genkovian steel is strong enough to support such buildings.

### Calendar

The area surrounding the Fionnbarras is mostly grassland, which switches between cool temperatures in summer and spring and tundra-like conditions during fall and winter. Prior to the global standard, the Judikael had a very simple calendar which differentiated between two seasons, one warm and one cool.

The warm season is known as Vidrias, and lasts approximately half of the year. In Judikael myth, Vidrias is believed to be a period of time when the mountain god Fionnbarra is most active, thus warming the world with its presence. Worshiping Fionnbarra is believed to increase the length of Vidrias, so a number of religious festivals take place during the season, along with increased religious activities such as prayer. Villagers will also work to stock up for the latter, colder half of the year during this time

The cold season is known as Aglaea, and lasts the other half of the year. After spending energy to bring about Vidrias, the mountain god Fionnbarra must then rest, resulting in a cold period. A number of ritualistic practices, especially amongst the mountain monks, involve performing actions believed to help shorten the rest period of Fionnbarra.

### Death and Burial

The Judikael worship the Fionnbarras mountain range, viewing it as a deity. This deity is believed to have created life, and upon a person’s death, it is customary to bury them into the stone of the mountain, as a way to give the life bestowed upon them back to their god. In many cases, upon someone’s death, they will often be placed into one of the many crevices among the rocks making up the base of the Fionnbarras before being sealed up using stones and dirt.

### Cuisine

The Judikael live in an unforgiving biome that only gets harsher the higher up one goes, and thus have a food culture focused on making the most of everything. Many dishes incorporate grass, weeds, and various other plants often considered to be trash elsewhere, and any animal that is hunted will be used entirely, with no parts going to waste.

See Judikael Cuisine

### Social Classes

The Judikael do not have a particularly well defined social class system. In many cases, the only distinction made between people is that of a village elder.

In the Phyrrus Temple, monks are divided by seniority, but there isn’t a well defined separation between different ranks, nor is there a well defined classification of what duties each rank is responsible for. However, in general it is common for lower ranks to take care of things such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc, though it isn’t uncommon for higher ranks to do so as well.

### Social Interactions

The Judikael are relatively soft-spoken and have mild mannerisms. They typically try to avoid initiating conflict, and will attempt to bypass it as quickly as possible if confronted. This is only a generalization as it appears to an outsider however, and many exceptions do exist. Judikael festivals tend to be quite rowdy, and interactions between friends are much more bombastic compared to that of strangers.

Due to the rural setting, it is typically common to offer lodgings and food to visitors, provided they are civil. If a native, the visitor will also bring their own ingredients for the host to cook with, or in the case of a foreigner, they will often be asked about news from the outside world.

Members of the Phyrrus Temple are treated with solemn respect, typically in the same manner that a religious person would talk to a priest. In many cases, priests come down to trade with residents  on the wall and plateau, and it is often customary to throw in a little something extra as a show of appreciation towards the priests, as they are the ones responsible for tending to the mountain.

### Entertainment

A number of Judikael festivals exist, most in Vidrias, but a number in Aglaea as well.

#### The Festival of Returns

A celebration that occurs at the start of Vidrias to honor the work done by the mountain god Fionnbarra to bring in the warm season. It is customary to keep all doors open, along with food stocked inside the house for any person or creature who happens to wander in.

People will not work during the Festival of Returns, instead spending the day at home preparing food to bring to a nighttime potluck. The food that is prepared is generally any leftover winter stores. A number of small rituals are done during this festival, such as the consumption of Seared Snow as a way to symbolize the fading of the cold season Aglaea.

#### Day of Stone

A tradition commonly practiced amongst the mountain monks, but also on occasion by the rest of the Judikael. To become spiritually closer to the mountain god Fionnbarra, practitioners will make Nisculor Tea Soup with the addition of a rock which is boiled alongside the soup. The rock is taken out afterwards, but it is believed that the spiritual essence of Fionnbarra could be extracted from the rock by doing so.

In general, the higher the altitude at which the rock was obtained, the greater the spiritual essence inside it is believed to be, so members of the plateau or wall will sometimes travel up to the peak in search of them. Afterwards, they will generally make another trip to return the rock where they found it.

#### Aglaea Ritual Day

A ceremony that occurs near the end of Vidrias. Individuals will scour the Fionnbarras for stones, to which they will inscribes wishes onto, often for things like a longer Vidrias season or shorter Aglaea season.

It is believed that the cleaner the writing, the more likely the chance of the wish reaching the ears of the mountain god Fionnbarra, so people will make an attempt to specifically search for flatter stones that provide an even writing surface. The stones are then buried throughout the Fionnbarras, with each individual having a preferred burying spot. Some families have used the same spot for generations, piling up these inscriptions.

#### Day of Mending

A ritual believed to restore the strength of the mountain god Fionnbarra, thus shortening Aglaea and lengthening Vidrias. It is typically done when there is an excess of foodstuffs, and involves taking said food up to the Pyrrhic Ascent and throwing it down the peak. Doing so is believed to give back the energy spent by Fionnbarra to create the food, thus shortening its recovery period.

In times when food is scarcer, instead of making the trek up to the Pyrrhic Ascent and throwing raw ingredients off the peak, individuals will typically pour out a small portion of their meal into the ground where they live. This is also done by those not fit to make the climb.

### Arts

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Music and dance are commonly performed during Judikael festivals. The more solemn events have no music at all, where as the happier ones are characterized by jolly beat patterns produced by wooden drums and lutes that are simple and easy to dance to. Singing typically involves less actual lyrical ability and more simple chanting to the beat. A number of Genkovian instruments are also popular amongst the Judikael, the prime example of which being the Acriell, a bronze lute which can create solid images of sheet music and music notes around the player.

Literature and visual arts are less popular amongst the Judikael due to their hunter-gatherer lifestyle being unfit for such specialized areas. In many cases, there simply isn’t enough time in between working to learn to write or paint. Mountain monks who travel out of the Fionnbarras seeking greater enlightenment may return with these skills, but those who stay on the peak generally don’t learn them either.

### Superstitions

Heavy footsteps and stomping is believed to be disruptive to the mountain god Fionnbarra, and can bring bad luck.

Rotten or bad food must be buried underneath the rocks of the Fionnbarras, as that is the only way for their energy to be reabsorbed into the mountain god Fionnbarra. Not doing so will waste the energy, resulting in a shorter Vidrias and longer Aglaea.

The body isn’t good at absorbing a lot of nutrients at once. It is better to eat continuously throughout the day rather than to eat a set amount of meals.

### Philosophy

The Judikael worship mountains as gods. They believe that every mountain is a god, and that each one exerts a sphere of influence in its surrounding area. However, the Judikael don’t believe that the Fionnbarra mountain god is omnipotent. Rather, the relation between the two is more symbiotic than anything. The Judikael people perform a number of rituals which are believed to give energy to Fionnbarra. In return, the warm season of Vidrias is granted to the people, allowing one to gather food and other essentials. In this way, a god cannot survive without its worshipers, and the opposite is also true.

The give and take relationship between the Judikael and their god results in a mindset focused more on active action rather than passive reaction. When one suffers through a bad year, they simply carry on and work harder for the next year. Fionnbarra is benevolent, but not perfect, and cannot always guarantee one’s survival, so the Judikael simply express thanks for what they have and continue on.

## Religion

The central deities of the Judikael religion are mountains. Each mountain range is believed to be a god, and each god exerts an influence in the area surrounding it. The mountain god that the Judikael worship is called Fionnbarra.

A number of rituals for worshiping Fionnbarra exist, though some are unique to settlements at a specific altitude. As Fionnbarra is believed to exert energy to bring about Vidrias before entering a rest period during Aglaea, most of these practices involve giving energy back to Fionnbarra so as to shorten Aglaea and lengthen Vidrias.

1.) The Day of Mending sees a large number of people sacrifice foodstuffs as a way to help restore the energy of Fionnbarra, though this practice also exists during the rest of the year as well. It is very common for people to pour a small amount of their meal into the ground as an offering to Fionnbarra.

2.) Lizards are an especially common food source on both the Arsenius Plateau and the wall. The dependence many people have on them has led to the lizard being viewed as a sort of holy animal symbolic of Fionnbarra. The many sharp peaks of the mountain range have often been viewed to be scales of a lizard. People will sometimes make small lizard dolls using straw, rocks, and whatever else was food during scavenging and hang them either on themselves or around the house.

3.) It is believed that one is closest to Fionnbarra at the peaks of the mountain range. Mountain monks live their entire lives on the harsh climate of the Pyrrhic Ascent so to be as close as possible to their god. Sometimes, they will flatten themselves against the rock in an attempt to hear the essence of Fionnbarra. When done in winter, this often ends up with monks becoming completely buried in snow.

The Judikael believe in reincarnation, not an afterlife. After death, one’s soul is believed to re-assimilate with Fionnbarra, and later on will be recreated in a new creature, be it a human or animal.

## Combat Arts

The Judikael are noted for having developed Cliff Fighting, a martial art that incorporates the highly vertical terrain common to higher altitude portions of the Fionnbarra mountains. By extensively training mobility and flexibility, mountain monks are able to scale the walls surrounding their temples freely using tools such as grappling hooks, ropes, and even more unconventional tools such as reinforced pickaxes.

Although famous for its unconventionality and uniqueness, Cliff Fighting remains as an art practiced only by the Judikael monks, as it has very little practical application outside of the vertical terrain found in the Fionnbarra's peaks.