Seha tu Ah'tua

Seha tu Ah'tue is an island nation settled between the large southern continent of Argossa and the slightly smaller continent of East Continent. The theocratic nation has its roots deep on the island from the birth of their people by the gods Ata'le and Totu'a to the shift in power to the temples. The Deh'Kalanua people of the island have a hope for the future and a deep belief in their gods.

## Geography

The Island of Saletta is split into three geographic areas, the coast, the inland temperate rainforest and the spring at the heart of the island. Each geographic area has rules on who can live there or visit there which makes moving around the island difficult if you don't know the rules.

### The Coast

The coast is home to the most villages including the current largest city on the island. On the west coast of the island there are a few sand beaches while on the east coast the beaches are all rocky. Outsiders are welcome in the villages and cities along the coast and even allowed to live on the island temporarily. Several canals run from the spring at the center of the island delivering the holy water to the common people.

### Inland

The inland temperate rainforest is difficult to navigate for those who do not have the skill. Tall trees of bigleaf maple, douglas fir, red alder, and black cottonwood. Plants clog the forest floor and large rotten trees create winding mazes. Some say there are a thousand types of moss in the forest alone. Small villages have sprung up mostly along the canals from the spring. Outsiders may visit these villages but never settle and are not permitted beyond to the spring.

### The Spring

The spring is home to many temples but few people live there. The spring is settled in a small basin in the center of the island with three large canals coming off from the spring. The largest temple on the island is located here with a smaller branch in the largest city for diplomatic measures.

### Off Island

Any land held by Seha tu Ah'tua that is not the island is welcome for outsiders to settle and live there as long as they are open to fair discussion and acknowledge the rule of the temples

### Native Wild Life

Animals on the island: Pigs, Albatross, sea eagle, foxes, rabbits, mice, owl, sparrows, finches, hummingbirds(summer only), chickens, crane, tanuki, white tailed deer, black tailed deer, giant ants, sable, moles, qilin, flying foxes

Animals in costal waters/migrate through costal waters: Tuna, black marlin, basking shark, blue whale, bull shark, salmon, crabs, cuttlefish, eel, elephant seal, flounder, fur seal, great white shark, grouper, hammerhead shark, harbor seal, jellyfish, octopus, killer whales, Mako shark, moray eel, nurse shark, salmon shark, sea otter, sturgeon, kelpie

## Culture

### Architecture

The homes of a Deh’Kalanua family are very communal in nature, usually centered around a water garden in the center with each part of a family taking a room or small set of rooms off the water garden. In the back would be the dining area, a study/library/other room, and a kitchen. The buildings are mainly constructed with wood and paper paneling but the very rich have wood and stone. Homes of a Deh’Kalanua family are situated in a nest consisting of 4-6 houses surrounded by a wall, towns are just groups of nests put together as towns grow into cities some nest clusters will group together becoming a family compound.

### Art

Music: Erhu as the main instrument of our people, with the flute, harp, Chinese zither, taiko drums, and koto as other instruments

Most art is painted on canvas with high-priced art painted on wooden boards that have waterproof sealing applied afterward.

### Clothing

Common clothing are dresses called Hanfu, the flowy fabric provides excellent coverage of skin to keep in warmth but also doesn’t restrict movement. During the summer sea silk woven in certain patterns are used for most clothing due to its breathability and during winter the patterns change to keep warm. The fur rabbits, tanuki, foxes, and sables are used to line winter clothing. Temple clothing is restricted in the dyed colors to mostly golds and blacks or lighter variants of their color. These color restrictions are not seen in commoner clothing though the most common color is green.

### Cuisine

The ideal place to find food are not the big restaurants along the water's edge but instead the small renovated home shops. It is a requirement you are introduced by a previous customer but the quality of not only the food but service is more than worth the introduction. When you arrive you are shown to one of the rooms and introduced to your host for the night, they will ensure your comfort and take all orders. It starts off with the first course usually some sort of fruit or vegetable dish but can be substituted for a poultry dish instead for those who cannot digest plant matter. Personally, I recommend the honeyed berry jam on flatbread. The dish is sweet and savory if cooked right and is a staple of the home shop restaurants. The second course comes alongside a mint leaf meant to be chewed between meals to refresh the pallet. Each home shop restaurant will have its own main course special but the common theme is fish. It changes upon the catch of the day but my favorite has been seared tuna alongside pickled radishes and cabbage served to me by a sweet old mother whose eldest children caught the fish served to me. After the second dish comes the third and final dish. These dishes are red meat heavy but alternatives of poultry are usually offered. I recommend eating a dish with qilin meat it is juicier than the more common white-tailed or black-tailed deer. Of course, if the rare opportunity to each wild hunted boar occurs do not disparage the idea. While pig is often left off the menu wild hunted boar is a rarity and usually reserved for the family of the hunter themselves. All throughout the meal performers have come and entertained you, your host has been sitting in the room providing conversation and companionship. There has been a full sake cup at hand. When you leave for the night there will be no bill it is all paid for by the homeowner for the night. You will receive the full total in five days and if you do not pay you will be turned away by all the home shop restaurants. The person who introduced you will be responsible for the bill and will have a mark on their record. If they earn more than three marks they will be refused service as well. A mark is taken off after five years.

### Religion

The Deh’Kalanua people believe they were crafted by their two gods from the fresh waters of a spring and a pearl from the ocean on the islands where the two gods Ata’le(At-a-lay) and Totu’a(toe-two-ah) met. The first Deh’Kalanua people learned how to live on the island from the gods and made it their home. When Ata’le and Totu’a left to take residence as the north and south guiding stars in the sky they left three jade relics. Ata’le and Totu’a are depicted at the north and south guiding stars or as two snakes biting the tail of the other snake. Ata’le is the god of the north, sun, light, warmth, dawn, spring, summer, war, land, birth, and chaos. Totu’a is the god of the south, moon, dark, cold, dusk, fall, winter, peace, sea, death, and order. They are worshiped in a single temple together with Ata’les altar on the north side of the building and Totu’as on the south side. As the sun rises candles are lit on the altar for Ata’le and doused for Totu’a the opposite happens when the sun sets. In most houses, there is a single altar set against the eastern wall in the dining area with offerings to both gods placed there. Common offerings are sea shells, small beads, woven bands, and small little disks of glass. Uncommon offerings are jade and pearls. Rare offerings are jade and pearl jewelry. Wearing jewelry is only for festivals. There are 4 main festivals, the Rûa’le, the welcoming of the north guiding star in the sky that takes place sometime in February, the Mo’kari, which takes place on the longest day of the year and is the day when Ata’le and Totu’a met, the Tu’ale, which is a combined harvest festival/return of the south guiding star sometime in later September early October, and the Mo’naru, the shortest day of the year which is when Ata’le and Totu’a made the Deh’Kalanua and then ascended to the stars ten years later. Priests are made up of those who are long enough to have a nest but have put aside building a nest to serve the gods, they have a long list of duties the most important being ringing the large bell situated at the top of the temple that marks the passing of an hour, the bell is run three times at sunset and three times at sunrise.

### Other Culture Info

The homes of a Deh’Kalanua family are very communal in nature, usually centered around a water garden in the center with each part of a family taking a room or small set of rooms off the water garden. In the back would be the dining area, a study/library/other room, and a kitchen. The buildings are mainly constructed with wood and paper paneling but the very rich have wood and stone. Most art is painted on canvas with high-priced art painted on wooden boards that have waterproof sealing applied afterward.

## Government

Saletta is a very formal way of referring to the island and is generally lumped in with the leading government and/or leading religion, some variation of Seha(Seh-ah) is the informal way of referring to the island. The “government” is very theocratic centered, the most influential temple is the “national government,” however it has not changed in a long period as the Deleâ Aeu Saletta(Deh-lewā A-hew Sah-leh-tah) has gained influence and popularity. Temples are organized into 7 ranks, at the top is the Me'le Yę Ka'ai (mee-le ye ka-aii). Two God’s Chosen Water Maiden. At the bottom of the ranks are the Deî Ata(Dē At-ah) and the Deî Totu(Dē Toe-Two), lit. Sun Maiden, Night Maiden. Both are the bottom 7th rank so technically there are 8 ranks with 2 ranked 7th.

As the Deleâ Aeu Saletta has gained power so too has the Dai Tulu the most powerful family on the island, of the last 5 Me'le Yę Ka'ai three of them have been from the Dai Tulu family.

## History

Ata'le and Totu’a 10 years after creating these new peoples could no longer reach the island as they had become stars. So the people grew with only the holy maidens to guide them. They were guided by the goddesses of the sun and the moon who told the people that they needed to build a temple for both gods so that they may live forever.

As the nests grew larger, they became more permanent and the heirs of the nests started building permanent residents in their nests. Eventually, they started growing into towns and cities, which led to the founding of the first temples. Before long, the people began traveling to other islands trading for resources, and establishing trade routes across the sea. Their religion didn't change and they continued to worship both gods at the same time. However, when the people settled down and built villages around each nest, the nature of the worship changed. Altars were installed in homes and water gardens began prevalent in almost every building. Water was considered sacred by their ancestors and it remained important to them to this day.

After the founding of the first temples, the island was split into two separate nations. One of the nations was formed from the people who worshipped the sun god Ata'le while the other was made up of those who believed in the moon god Totu'a. The two nations fought over the years but eventually, they came together under one name, which is marked by the Festival of Booths.

As the people live in Seha they are close to the east continent, Solareas. And there is plenty more pearls and gems there than on Seha, common trade and commodities for the Deh'Kalanua people. In fact, most of the resources and materials (apart from common plants) used by the people come from the mainland. It's not uncommon to see ships traveling back and forth along the coast.

The oldest city in Seha is called Kala'taka, which means "the place of the stones". The city itself is surrounded by walls and it looks like a giant turtle shell. The center of the city is a plaza where the major temple is located. This city is important as it is the major trade hub between the east continent and Argossa. Other cities include Kaladar (city of the moon), Tairan (city of the sun), Yal'ka (city of the sea). Each of these cities is home to a temple or shrine. Yal'ka is also important for trade as the inter-island canals lead to this city, to Kala'taka, and the current Seha Seha. Along with the four main cities, there are many smaller towns and cities scattered throughout the island nation. These places mostly consist of farms and fishing villages. They are all connected through well-maintained roads and canals.