Octuvian

**Octuvians** were a cultural group of people living on the planet Octus, situated at the northeastern edge of the Lanh Sector. While most Octuvians were Human, some were any of the various other sentient species found throughout the Cassiopeia Galaxy.

## Society and Culture

As Octus lacked a completely centralized planetary government for much of its history, the Octuvians were split into different factions and polities over the course of hundreds of years. Because of this, the Octuvians had their own set of sub-races that differed from one another on a cultural and societal level. The most prominent Octuvian races came from the first three families believed to have settled on Octus.

### Hehisdans

The **Hehisdans** lived under a medieval, theocratic kingdom known as Hehisda, which upheld a monarchical system that chose its leaders through a right of primogeniture. As a collectivist society, the Hehisdans believed in the power of unity and community, and thus largely worked together for the betterment of their society and kingdom. Their religion dictated the importance of body purity, which made them prefer herbal medicines and reject forms of body modification like tattoos or prosthetics. This belief that the human body should not be debased was essentially what kept societal developments for the Hehisdans to a minimum.

Above all, the Hehisdans paid great respect to the trees of their homeworld, and so they built their settlements within both boreal and aspen forests. They considered trees to be the essence of life, which gave the Hehisdans a natural affinity to the natural world. Most if not all Hehisdans used trees for prayer and meditation.

Sky blue was the national color of Hehisda. The Hehisdans wore sky-blue-colored masks, both as a sign of societal unity and as a sign of respect to the forests that surrounded them.

### Tedourini

The **Tedourini** lived under a medieval, theocratic kingdom known as Tedourin, which upheld a monarchical system that chose its leaders through a right of male-preference primogeniture. The Tedourini religion dictated that they carried the weight of the sins of their progenitors, and so guilt and atonement shaped their society. They believed that pain was a mark of mortality and should be welcomed, and believed that slaughtering animals was wrong, which gave the Tedourini a vegetarian diet.

Similarly to the Hehisdans, the Tedourini greatly respected the natural world and placed its splendors above themselves in terms of status. Their structures were not especially grand, as they believed that mining for building materials was only for bare necessities and not for lavish displays. Anything that harmed Octus' environment, animals, and natural land formations were generally frowned upon. The Tedourini wished to spread the word of their religion, sometimes through violent means that made them hostile towards outsiders.

### Andradites

The **Andradites** lived under the sworn protection of their empire, the Andradite Sovereignty. Having named themselves after the mineral andradite, the Andradites usually adorned themselves with brown and yellow jewelry. The Andradites generally enjoyed the presence of the cold, as it was believed that colder temperatures kept them together as a society. By the 60th century ASA, the Andradites utilized technology that was only a few steps behind from the Cassiopeian Republic during the early Noir Era.

Although they were considerably advanced in terms of their use of technology, many viewed their customs and beliefs to be rather archaic. The Andradites were entirely loyal to their empire and upheld patriarchal customs that put men over women in terms of social status. Men were allowed to have several wives, whereas women were not granted such a privilege. Slavery was common throughout the upper echelons of Andradite society; those enslaved came from either the lower class or were unwanted citizens and/or prisoners of neighboring factions.

## History

### Ancient History: Colonization

Centuries and possibly even thousands of years before the 60th century ASA, the first settlers of Octus were said to have come from three different families. Having began the colonization process together as a community, these three families eventually split off to become their own factions. These three kingdoms would continue to grow independently from each other for many centuries, eventually become Hehisda, Tedourin, and the Andradite Sovereignty.

Over time, kingdoms like Hehisda and Tedourin would lose some of their previous technological advancements as a result of the changes in their societies.