Avikan/Culture

Water is a commodity in Avikan society. And healthy plants were a sign of wealth. This was lessened after Avikan exodus, since they could collect water from planets they passed. The value of water is deeply ingrained into their culture though. If you offer an Avikan water, they'll definitely be grateful, especially so if they're thirsty. If you offer it to one who grew up in the deep deserts, they may see it as a rather special gift despite the fact that they now have more access to it.

The current Avikan numerical system uses 10 as its base, after the fashion of the Centensian system found in Vas Vha'leih. Ancient numerical systems used before the discovery of Vas Vha'leih used 8 as their base, in keeping with the number of fingers the Avikan have. Avikan numerals work the same way as in Arabic system, the symbols for one and zero together form ten.

## Government

The Avikan have always had a meritocracy, meaning that their leaders are the ones who have contributed the most to their society. Historically, this meant that their leaders were the best hunters - who provided the clan with the most food - but since their transition into a more technologically advanced species, other merits have helped different leaders arise as well. Back on Kadavan, the Avikan used to live as individual clans with no real global community, until the Era of Vhelin in which Ilyalat ande Vhelin united all the clans under a single banner. The clans were nearly always meritocratic societies as well, but after the unification, Ilyalat ande Vhelin installed the Council of Elders as the global Avikan leadership. The Council of Elders was a group consisting of all of the Elders of the various clans, and even after the exodus from Kadavan, that's still the way their society works.
Now, however, the Clan Elders are also the captains of the clan flagships, and also the commanders of the individual clan flotillas. The title of Captain is quite a revered one in their society, for only the most meritorious Avikan are granted the right to command a ship of their own.
The Avikan don't have a single leader, but are instead governed by the Council of Elders. The members of this council are all the elders of the largest Avikan clans, and are also the captains of their respective capital ships and commanders of their clan flotillas.
The meritocracy definitely derives from their nomadic origins, and the Rhaiod certainly encourages meritful deeds too. However, the meritocracy has been ingrained so deeply into their culture that even without the Rhaiod, the Avikan would still be a meritocracy. The leaders of their society are all Elders - meritful Avikan, usually of higher age, who've proven their worth to their clan and Avikan society as a whole. Avikan eggs are given to hatchmothers and raised by the community, often not even knowing their true parents, which means all Avikan start equally. They are taught to be meritful from birth, and that culture has persisted for thousands of years now. The Rhaiod certainly helps maintain the meritocracy, but every bit of their culture is built around with.

### Economy

As for Tokens of Merit, they are actually very small bits of metal, not too different from our coins. They come in different values, with unique sizes, markings and shapes, and function very similarly to our currencies. They never made a switch to paper currency though.

## Professions

Many jobs in Avikan society that are similar to ones we have: engineers, soldiers, researchers, musicians, teachers and much more. In general though, the Avikan have more practical jobs compared to what we have. There's far fewer jobs in entertainment and administration, for example, while there are proportionally far more engineers, researchers, soldiers and farmers.
Jobs aren't handled quite the same in Avikan society, either: every Avikan has a profession, one that offers some measure of merit to Avikan society as a whole, but there's no strict jobs and salary, since their economy is nothing like ours. Education is very different too, and relies more on practical application and apprenticeship rather than studying for years and getting a diploma.
There's also fewer "jobs" in service, such as waiters, bartenders, shopkeepers etc. than we have in our society. The Avikan are a lot more independent in that regard.
Starfarer is simply the Avikan title for any star-faring Avikan: they're not really an organization of their own.
On paper, factions like the Rhaiod, Seekers, Centlars and more are individual organizations, but in practice the lines between them tend to get blurred. These three factions work together very closely on many things, so they share some of the same responsibilities and can sometimes be hard to distinguish.

### Hatchmother

Avikan hatchlings are raised by a hatchmother: an adult female Avikan who's primary occupation is to feed and raise hatchlings and younglings. Younglings will live with their hatchmother for a couple of years, and are given a very broad basic education. In general, a youngling will show particular interest in one or a few areas, and eventually, they'll be encountered to start living together with Avikan of occupation that they show interest in. From here on out, the younglings will become the apprentice of their adopted parent, learning their trade through observation and practical and theoretical teaching. Since younglings are raised by a hatchmother, families aren't very important in Avikan culture, and many Avikan don't even know who their biological parents are. The eggs are brought to local hatchmothers soon after they're laid, with only very few Avikan deciding to keep the eggs and raise the hatchlings on their own.
This practice also ensures that all Avikan are born equal: it doesn't matter who your parents are, as all eggs are given to the hatchmothers and all hatchlings are treated equally.

### Terve leader

A Terve leader is essentially the same as a Clan Elder, though a Terve leader can also refer to an interim leader who takes control of a Terve if the previous Elder dies unexpectedly and no successor is chosen yet.

### Vanguard

The Vanguard is the equivalent of a military force, tasked with the protection of the Nomada from any outside threats. They're used for large-scale military operations as well as some smaller military incursions, but they are not well-versed in stealth and secrecy. The Vanguard is the Avikan military branch, and is deployed in things like conflicts with alien invaders. The Vanguard may sometimes be deployed to assist the Clanguard, too, but such occurrences are very rare.

### Clanguard

The Clanguard is more akin to a police force - it protects the people of the Nomada from any inside threats, acting as the Nomada's law enforcement. There's also a sub-group of the Clanguard called the Elderguard, which is tasked specifically with protecting the Elders of the Nomada (they're basically bodyguards with very advanced equipment). They have greater authority in Avikan society than the Clanguard does, and generally have access to better equipment too.
The Elderguard are a sub-faction of the Clanguard, and use mostly the same weapons. Their weapons will always be just as effective, and sometimes have some minor upgrades, but also often feature some more ornamental features. The importance of the Elderguard has fallen significantly since the start of the Era of Vhelin, since there's been far less competition between clans and thus less danger to the Elders (which usually came from rival clans). Before the Era of Vhelin, the Elderguard generally had the superior equipment, but nowadays the Clanguard and Elderguard aren't that different.

### Keffrider

A Keffrider is a scout, a hunter, and generally a provider of resources for a Terve. A Keffrider nowadays isn't quite as admired as it was back on Kadavan - the title is less exclusive nowadays - but back on Kadavan a Keffrider would take one of the few Keffs available in a Terve to head out into the deserts and scout ahead, gather resources, deal with threats etc. They were often prime candidates for becoming Elders later in their lives, since they were some of the most meritful individuals in Avikan society. (and since Avikan society is a meritocracy, they are ruled by those who have best proven their merit to society) Back on Kadavan, they were more vital to the clans than they are now, but they still exist and try to help the clans in any way they can.

### Rhaiod

It is still the Nomada's primary religious institution, but it has grown beyond just being a religion. Over time, the religious aspects have started fading away - though they're still present - and the organization has shifted more towards science. They worship Rhadeis more as an individual of incredible merit, rather than as a purely divine entity. The Rhaiod is also the Nomada's primary medical institution, working closely together with the Seekers (the primary scientific division) to develop new medical treatments.

### Seeker

The Seekers are the primary scientific division of the Avikan Nomada: they are responsible for the development of new technologies, they research old ruins and new discoveries, and work together with the Rhaiod to develop new types of medicine and medical practices (often in cooperation with the Rhaiod). Avikan younglings who show interest in science are encouraged to live with members of the seekers, and will grow into their own roles within the group from there. Adult Avikan who later decide to become Seekers can contact existing members and requests to join them on their daily routines, in what's essentially an apprenticeship.

### Centlar

The Centlars are a subdivision of the Seekers, who focus almost entirely on studying the Centens. They are responsible for artefact recovery, reverse-engineering of Centensian technology, and general application of Centensian studies. In general, younglings will start as an apprentice to a Seeker, and become Centlars later on by starting a new apprenticeship with an experienced Centlar. Adult Avikan who decide to switch occupations can often start an apprenticeship with a Centlar without first going to the Seekers.

Most members of the Centlars have also received extensive combat training - often with Centens-inspired weaponry and equipment - so they make for an excellent combat force too. That combat training is vital to anyone who studies Centensian ruins up close, since there's always the risk of assault by Thelean forces.

Centlars would confiscate any Centensian artifacts to be studied and likely locked away. If Non-Avikan explorers found them, they wouldn't even get to talk to the Centlars about the artefact they found - the Nomada doesn't accept non-Avikan visitors in canon. Some high-standing Avikan explorers - likely ship captains and people of even higher rank - would be allowed to keep the artefact for themselves, but the Council of Elders would have the final say in such matters.

### Fleet Captain

Position of a Fleet captain is held in high esteem in Avikan society. Admission to become one can be requested of the Council of Elders, who will decide whether or not Avikan may become one.

### Watcher

As for the Watchers. They are the Nomada faction in charge of espionage and other forms of intelligence gathering, especially when alien civilizations are concerned. Whenever the Avikan encounter some new alien civilization, the Watchers are the first to be sent out to investigate that new civlization. They won't necessarily be the ones making first contact - though in some cases they do - but they'll try to gather as much information as they can before either sending in diplomats, soldiers or issuing a warning to the Nomada to avoid contact entirely.
They have some responsibilities within the bounds of Avikan society as well - they keep track of all Clans and are generally the first to detect any signs of conflict between Clans, for example - but Avikan society is largely unified and so there isn't generally much need for internal espionage. They peacekeeping elements, but Thelean intel is their main thing. The Watchers perform sabotage operations, assassinations and other special combat missions when necessary.

If the Watchers need some target taken out without raising any alarms, they handle such operations themselves.

### Treatment of wounded

As Avikan society has always been about merit, it usually came down to whether or not a wounded Avikan could still be meritful. Any Avikan who could still prove their merit was kept around, usually as a cook, a watchman, to set up tents or to do some other small tasks so that the rest of the clan could focus on larger tasks instead (such as hunting and gathering). In the deep desert clans, Avikan who were unable to perform even the smallest of tasks were left behind, left to fend for themselves. They usually died within a few days, but if by some miracle they could recover and return to the clan they were welcomed back with open arms. The clans in more fertile regions were usually softer, and only a few clans really left behind weak members of the clan. Most clans would care for the weak, being grateful for their merit before the injury.

## Architecture

Like the Centens, the Avikan have reasonably varied culture, and such have various architectural styles. The most prominent of these are the styles are: camps made up of various tents, underground colonies making heavy use of Avikan metals and Terves.

### Tent camps

Most tent villages have a large central elder's tent, a Rhaiod tent made of purple leather, and plenty of civilian tents. There's often a market located in a shallow pit, and smaller farms to provide the camp with food in addition to what the hunters bring in. These camps are generally surrounded by a trench - sometimes filled with spikes or the like - with several bridges bridging the gap, and watchtowers erected near the bridges.

### Colonies

Underground colonies are mostly built because it's easier to protect them from Theleans: they are harder to detect, and easier to defend since they can't be bombed from above and have only a few choke points serving as entrances. Underground colonies generally have their entrances hidden inside caves - further protecting them against detection by Theleans - with only hangar doors exposed on the surface. Oftentimes these hangar doors will be covered by sand, and combined with the sand-coloured metal, the doors are made of, even these exposed entrances would be difficult to spot from the air. The Avikan use a lot of hard angles in their architecture, with smooth curves being very uncommon. Entrances to Avikan structures are usually elevated to prevent too much sand from entering the structure, though the rooms themselves are usually placed a bit lower - this way, whatever sand does enter the structure will collect in rooms instead of in bulkheads separating the rooms. While other races may find this inconvenient, the Avikan actually enjoy having a small layer of sand collect on the floors of their rooms.

Above-ground colonies are relatively common too, but are generally a lot smaller in size. They usually comprise of only one or a few buildings, alongside tents for (often temporary) housing. These above-ground outposts are scarcely populated and often serve more as a forward operating base or as a temporary encampment rather than a full colony - any place where the Avikan leave behind a good number of civilians will be built underground to help defend against detection by the Theleans and other potentially hostile alien forces
Space stations are very rare for the Avikan, since they are large and costly constructs that have little to no mobility, making them essentially sitting ducks. The Avikan prefer constructing large spaceships if they need a large spaceborne habitat, as those can travel alongside the rest of the Nomada and always stay ahead of any Thelean pursuers.

### Terves

A Terve is a permanent Avikan settlement. Many of these are either underground settlements or settlements built into mountain ranges, but there's also settlements built in oases. Large camps are also considered Terves, so long as they are semi-permanent settlements and not the smaller campsites used by nomads that get moved frequently.

Terves, back on Kadavan were generally cities located inside and around low mountain ranges, but they were mostly built on the surface, not underground. These Terves are densely packed with buildings of various sizes, with narrow streets in between all the buildings. The buildings were generally multiple stories high, with loads of leather and fabric sheets hanging in between the buildings to provide more shading during the day. Multiple open plazas are marketplaces, filled with colourful market stands and crowding with people. These Terves were often circular in design, with large Rhaiod temple at their centre, and a tall ring-shaped wall surrounding the entire Terve. As Terves grow, new city sectors are constructed outside the walls, and new walls are erected around these new sectors. Old and large Terves therefore often have multiple rings of walls inside them.

The statue of Rhades is usually found near enterances to Avikan Terves. It makes a gesture of greeting and welcoming, It serves to welcome visitors. The gesture is closely connected to the saying "Vas Vha'leih".

The first of these were built in the mountains of Avikha, being carved into the rocks with larger and taller structures eventually being added on top. During Ilyalat's time, terves used far more metal in their construction too rather than just stone, though not as much as you see being used in Starbound.

A mountain terve in Ilyalat's time often had large underground sections and parts carved into the mountains, with watchtowers all around and some larger structures in the centre. The layout of the terve is largely determined by the terrain, though there'd always be some kind of central structure for the elders of the clan. Terves out in the plains were generally more structured, and were relatively common during Ilyalat's time. These often had a circular design, with the Elders' palace in the centre and the terve being divided into sectors. When built in the deserts, they often had large slanted walls to keep out the worst of the sandstorms, and plenty of workers and machines built to transport sand out of the city after a storm.

### Other building materials

Sandstone was used frequently in early Avikan history, before quarried stone and metal became the norm for large, permanent structures. Almost anything that's stable enough to be used for construction has been used by the Avikan, who were starved for resources for most of their history. Wood, however, was truly rare, as there's very few trees on Kadavan and they are generally not worth cutting down for use as construction material. It did get used, but extremely rarely.

Wood has definitely become less valuable to the Avikan after the Exodus, since they can now visit forested worlds and harvest plenty wood there. It's still a bit of a status symbol, though.

Avikan sandstone structures were quite extensive. There's a lot of kavanite and concrete-like materials in modern Avikan settlements (the exclusive use of kavanite in Starbound isn't fully accurate to the canon), and they certainly use far more metal for construction than we humans do, but also remember that the Avikan settled Vas Vha'leih roughly 2500 years before the Exodus and have had much longer to progress their technology. Sandstone isn't used frequently in the modern age, but it is still used sometimes. Old Avikan settlements, like the first large Terves in the mountains, were mostly stone and sandstone, and the Avikan built many houses and even large buildings using it.

## Family

Family is also a different concept for them than it is for us. Most Avikan do not even know who their biological parents are, and family lineage and inheritance are alien concepts to them. Every Avikan stands on their own merits, and they will only be judged by their own actions. So the children of a clan elder may end up being nothing more than simple farmers, while an Avikan born of farmers has equal chances as any other to eventually become a clan elder.

Avikan children may become attached to their hatchmothers, but the relationship is rarely as close as human parent/child relationships are. The Avikan generally also place more value in clan relationships rather than familial relationships, but there are always exceptions.

## Relationships

The Avikan join before Rhadeis - a ceremony somewhat similar to weddings -  marking two Avikan as partners for life.

They often marry within their own clan, but that's mostly because their clansmen are the ones they grow up with and fall in love with. There are no laws against inter-clan marriages, not do the Avikan have arranged marriages - they are completely free to choose for themselves.

Avikan romantic relationships aren't too different from ours: it's two people loving each other, wanting to spend time together, grow old together and have fun together. Children aren't as important though: almost every pair has children, but the eggs are always given to the hatchmothers to care for. In some clans, the children never even get to know who their parents are, in others, the parents do get to spend time with their offspring. An individual's merit to society also definitely makes them more attractive to others, though that isn't the only thing that matters, obviously.

The Avikan, in their meritocracy, care very little for the sexual preferences of others: everything is accepted, since this preference doesn't impact the individual's merit to society at all. There's a very small group which disagrees, stating that the inability to procreate impacts merit, but this is a tiny and not very vocal minority. For the Avikan, it's perfectly normal and accepted, and isn't even something most Avikan ever think about in their lives. Things like a pride rally are entirely alien to them simply because they don't see any issues with differing sexual preferences. The fact that the Avikan generally give children to the hatchmothers and don't have anything like our traditional family structure also reinforces these views. And of course, since the Avikan have very little sexual dimorphism, the line between male and female is much thinner already. You don't see a lot of transsexual individuals because of how thin that line is, the concepts of male and female simply aren't as well defined for them.

The Avikan have less of a sex drive than humans/Aegi, so there's less sexual activity overall (which also limits their numbers a bit). There also isn't all that much sexual dimorphism, so males and females are very much alike and don't have as many differences as humans do. And beyond that, the Avikan treat clothing very differently, and aren't opposed to or offended by nudity. Clothing is often for practical or religious purposes, or to display status. For them, sexual activity is mostly about reproduction and less for casual fun, though it does happen a bit.

## Entertainment

The Avikan spent a lot of time hunting, and organize hunting competitions within dedicated spaceships (and sometimes on planets they pass) since they can't hunt on Kadavan any longer. They have Keff races, music and other arts too, and while the specific activities are often different from those the Aegi partake in, their leisure time is spent in much the same way as the Aegi spend it.

Avikan entertainment involves a lot of physical activities such as sports and hunting, but they have countless hobbies just like we do. Some enjoy creative activities - creating clothing is a popular one - while others enjoy more laid-back activities. They enjoy music a lot, and have movies and videogames too, though those two aren't quite as prevalent in Avikan society as they are in ours. Reading is also popular.

In Nomada media, the Theleans are always portrayed as the villains of stories. You'll often find shooting range targets styled like a Thelean, and videogames very frequently portray them as the villains as well. Games about taking back Kadavan are very popular.

The Avikan love hunting, of course. They don't get to do that too much on the Nomada, but they scout alien worlds for challenging wildlife to hunt, and there's a few ships on the Nomada dedicated to breeding native Kadavan wildlife. Those ships offer large artificial hunting grounds, the spoils of which are directly used as food. Avikan children love playing in the sand, building elaborate structures and digging small hide-outs to play in. They love bonecrafting too, where they are given the bones of hunted wildlife and try to make toys and tools with those bones. Keff racing is very popular too, as is Gad'hur racing.

## Naming

The 'as' in Avikan names translates to 'of the', and the 'surname' is the name of the ship(or clan) they belong to.

So Avata as-Rhadein would have likely been born on the ship called Rhadein, or belongs to the clan whose flagship is called the Rhadein.

Back on Kadavan, the Avikan used "ande" instead, so pre-Exodus names were things like Ilyalat ande Vhelin
Who was an Avikan (and a very famous one at that) of the Vhelin clan, and their Terve was named Vhelin as well.

The Avikan have the Vanguard Nomada, but they generally don't use a prefix for their ship names: the Avikan were a united faction when they achieved spaceflight, and so they never had the need to distinguish their ships as they had no internal wars after the Era of Vhelin.
Instead, their ships either carry the suffix "as-Nomada", "as-Vhelin" to denote the clan and the flotilla the ship belong to. They often just call their ship by a single name though.
Yeah, they either take the name of their ship, or no name at all
Though Avikan in the Nomada also take their name from their ship. The flagships of each of the clan flotillas carries the same name as the clan though, so most Avikan have bost the name of their ship and their clan as their surname at once.

## Language

The Avikan language does have some Centensian influences in it, and so while there isn't a direct connection, it's possible the Avikan unconsciously use Centensian-sounding names.

The Avikan speak with a bit of a growl, and have a lot of harsh sounds in their language.

Vathra doesn't actually have a meaning: it's originally a name. Vathra was the name of a clan (and its terve) that was home to many bandits and other criminals. The clan was little more than a nuisance at first, but grew over the years and became a significant threat to trade and smaller terves in the area. Eventually, the clan of Vhelin - one of the largest at the time - had several of its allies raided, and it decided to perform a counter-attack. The clan of Vathra was almost completely wiped out that day, its few remnants scattering to the deep deserts. After that, the name Vathra eventually became a curse word, much like how Vas Vha'leih, the name of the ancient Centensian city on Kadavan, became a blessing. Vathra nowadays is mostly used as a curse word, or as a rather serious insult to someone.

If Avikan calls someone a Vathra, they've probably done something very wrong, and they are very angry at them. They'll also use it as a curse word when something goes wrong.

There's words for individual things like Keffs, Terves and Skoffs - all things that don't really have a name in English - but the rest of their language is still in development.

## Clothing

Avikan live in warm climates and generally don't need (much) clothing in order to keep warm. They wear some long robes (like the Deep desert set) to protect themselves from sandstorms, but otherwise long clothing is often incovenient.

The flaps on their arms make it difficult to tailor that fits neatly around (or even envelops) the flaps. Short sleeves are much more comfortable to them, and generally allow for greater mobility.

For their feet, it's even more difficult. The Avikan have a very unique feet which don't really fit with the human concept of a shoe. Making shoes or pieces of armored footwear is quite complicated for the Avikan, and unlike humans, they don't really need shoes to walk comfortably.

For their tails, armour (and clothing) would be easier to make, but since the Avikan use their tails for balance, they don't like to put much weight on them. Any pieces of armor they would wear on their tails would have to be made of especially light materials.

The Avikan don't have those same feelings of shame/embarrassment while naked that we humans do: walking around without pants (or without any clothes) is pretty normal in their society. Clothing is used for protection, sometimes for heat retention, for displaying social status etc., but not wearing clothes is normal to them too. Their private bits also aren't quite like ours: if they were just as exposed as ours, they'd be extremely vulnerable in Kadavan's frequent sandstorms.

Before Vas Vha'leih, fashion was mostly practical, with clothing for protection against the elements and many Avikan walking around without clothing when they didn't need it. In Vas Vha'leih, the Avikan started wearing more ornamental clothing, such as long, thin, flowing garments and the purple waistcloths worn by priests of the Rhaiod. White was already a prominent colour for clothing, but purple and purple accents became very popular after Vas Vha'leih. Fashion/clothing for aesthetics rather than practical reasons or ceremony only really started after Vas Vha'leih's discovery.
White-painted kavanite armour  was often used for lesser priests of the Rhaiod, and small pieces of painted kavanite are often worn by followers of the Rhaiod who have no access to Centensian metal.

They can use Kadavan gemstones in their clothing to show off wealth.

Rhaiod officials, like the priests, all have their own variations of standard attire, but general members/followers of the Rhaiod do not. There's more styles than the ones in the mod, but the purple skirt of the priests is a very common element.

## Tattoos

The Avikan sometimes use tattoos to colour their flaps, like Zaheed has done: he has red flaps and red facial markings, all permanent tattoos. They sometimes also use dry dyes for temporary markings and colouring. It's unusual for them to dye (or tattoo) their entire bodies, but it's done for some ancient ceremonies and such. A green Avikan would be extremely unlikely, but not impossible through the use of dyes.

Clan tattoos aren't a standard for all clans, but every clan does have its own banner. The design of the banner and the clan tattoo are often the same, although some clans with very elaborate banners will have simplified designs for the tattoos, if they have them. As for what the clan banners usually look like, there's often some references to the history/foundation/occupation of the clan in them. For example, clans like Vha'leih, Rhadas and Rhadein have symbols in their banners representing Rhadeis and the ancient city of Vas Vha'leih, to show that their clans were founded on holy ground.  Other clans may have symbols representing hunters or hunting weapons, or symbols for the Gad'hur (for clans of herders or traders) etc.
In general, every Terve has its own clan, with only the largest of cities housing multiple clans. Members of a clan don't even need to have any biological connection to the other members of the clan: since the Avikan are usually raised by hatchmothers instead of biological parents, family connections are vague at best, and oftentimes an Avikan won't even know who their biological parents are.

## Color perception

Red would be considered a warning color. As for the shape combination of a 'hazard line', the Avikan would mostly use triangular shapes arranged next to each other - one right side up and the next upside down - which would be reminiscent of teeth. Red is also heavily aasociated with war and Theleans. It's used in Vanguard's banner.

Purple is generally associated with the Centens and the Rhaiod, and as the Rhaiod priests have always been healers, it's also become associated with healing and health in general. Red is the colour of danger, as Avikan blood is red much like ours, while blue is a colour of great value: it represents water, which is one of the most valuable resources in nomadic Avikan life.
Green is a colour representing life and the oasis, while black is death and rot. White is often associated with the Centens as well, given that their ruins are usually made of a largely white metal.
Orange and yellow are often associated with wealth and festivities, as can be seen in the orange fabric tents which are generally the domain of clan elders. Those pigments were quite rare back on Kadavan, so it was a good way to display your clan's wealth.

Black can also be associated with the night/darkness in general, which is why the Watchers use the colour (they're like the Avikan secret service), but for the Seekers, black can also be associated with the expanse of space - which ties into the role of the Seekers to explore the galaxy in search of Centensian relics. The Seekers also do combat with Theleans on occasion, as their searches have often led to confrontations with the Theleans, so black fits in there a bit as well.

Some Avikan may actually respond pretty negatively to the use of Centensian metal (or color scheme) by aliens nations, to them it would seem as a bit of a desecration. The Rhadeihan (the group that originally wore the Rhadeihan armour set) were seen as chosen warriors of the Rhaiod and of Rhadeis, so for them, it'd be a sign of their sacred duty. But for an alien race that never met Rhadeis to strip Centensian ruins and make armour from it for their regular soldiers is quite a different thing.

## Music

The Avikan use a lot of bone instruments (some like a xylophone, others are more like flutes or completely unique instruments), but also drums and a variety of other instruments. Their music is pretty comparable to ours, but their styles can differ quite a bit. Their music would sound familiar and strange at the same time.

It's be closer to classic Arabic and Asian styles rather than more western styles, though.
They do sing, too. To them it sounds good, but to humans it'd likely sound very odd, given that Avikan voices are so different from ours.

## Cuisine

They eat lots of meat, often only partially cooked, and they often make smoothie-like drinks using meat or native Kadavan cacti. They have a wheat-like plant called a dunestalk which can be made to use a hardy kind of bread (usually made into dunebuns) which they often stuff with a variety of plants and meat. There's a particular vegetable called a bolbohn which they eat very often. It's a purple vegetable with two distinctive bulbs, which most aliens think tastes awful but the Avikan enjoy it. One popular type of snack is the spicebol, a cooked bolbohn served on two bone sticks, covered in a lot of spices.

## Education

Avikan are given a wide education as children as part of their upbringing by the clan's hatchmothers. Once an Avikan child is old enough to become independent, they choose a field of expertise and become an apprentice to someone experienced in that field. Usually, those experienced Avikan take on multiple apprentices and teach them all at once, but there's no formal schools like we have (though they do have some regulations for masters to follow). The wide education provided by the hatchmothers covers many fields, including mathematics, biology, chemistry etc., so all Avikan are relatively well-educated.
Seekers and other Avikan specialized in Centensian research are taught much higher-level physics by their masters - they need it to properly study Centensian tech.

## Religion

Religion is important to the Avikan too, but they don't spend too much time on it - they don't have daily prayers or anything of that sort.

Ancient beliefs of the Avikan were quite varied, much like they were here on Earth. Many clans had their own stories and legends about the world, and invented different ways to explain the world and its origins. There were a few trends, however. The three most common types of religion were sun worship, sandworm worship (of the giant variety - I should really give those a better name) and worship of the Centens. Even before Vas Vhe'leih, the Avikan had encountered countless minor ruins and artefacts of the Centens, and they had some idea of what the Centens would have looked like from murals and statues too. Vas Vha'leih and the following eras solidified worship of the Centens - and particularly of Rhadeis - as the universal belief of the Avikan, but some clans held on to their ancient beliefs. It weren't the Thelean invasions that killed most of those ancient religions, but rather Ilyalat ande Vhelin: when he unified the clans, he also unified them all under the Rhaiod, and ancient religions were mostly eliminated save for small cults and deep desert clans that weren't known to the more modern Avikan. The Thelean invasions were like a final blow, although some minor remnants of ancient religions still exist on the Nomada.

Worship of the Centens started around the same time as worship of the sandworms and the sun, but the discovery of Vas Vha'leih (or rather the influx of Vha'leihans into the deserts after the exodus from Vas Vha'leih) did change the ancient religions in some cases. Some clans that worshipped the sandworms instead came to see the sandworms as the servants of Rhadeis, for example, though worship of the sun didn't change much. These changes in the religion further divided the ancient religions, which only accelerated their decline as fewer and fewer Avikan believed in them.

There definitely are (and were) various cults and strange religions amongst the Elithian races, as well as a lot of mythology. Some Avikan did indeed worship the sandworms, and there's a lot of mythology about those creatures too since their massive size has always fascinated and terrified the Avikan. There are ancient tales about the end of the world, when a massive sandworm will reach up into the sky and consume the sun, and many other tales.

There's some groups of Avikan that believe in an afterlife, but the majority doesn't. Even the Rhaiod doesn't officially recognize an afterlife in their teachings (at least not anymore - they did long ago). There are splinter groups of the Rhaiod which still hold to the old beliefs of the Rhaiod, where Rhadeis was truly seen as a divine entity, and the afterlife was a place beyond death that Rhadeis had gone to. He'd welcome all Avikan there after they died, but few still believe in this. The Rhaiod isn't purely religious and is a large scientific institution as well, and as they learned more about Rhadeis and the Centens their teachings evolved as well. There's some other minor groups that have their own takes on an afterlife as well, but these are certainly not common beliefs.

There's a couple of religions in Avikan cultures which used to be quite sizable. Here's a brief overview of the biggest historical religions:

One of the oldest Avikan religions was focused on Avan Andrava, the star around which Kadavan orbits. Very little is known about this religion due to its age: it fell out of fashion well before the Avikan settled Vas Vha'leih and the mountains. Barely any writings from that time remain, and some of what remains has yet to be fully deciphered since there was no global language back then.

A slightly more well-documented religion is one focused on the sandworms, which was also practiced before the settling of Vas Vha'leih. There's still a fair bit of mythology related to that ancient religion, including ancient tales about the creation and the end of the world. A massive sandworm was said to one day rise from the deserts and reach up into the sky, consuming the sun leaving Kadavan in darkness forever.

The precursor to the Rhaiod, which saw the Avikan worshipping the Old Ones rather than Rhadeis specifically, is still relatively recent and not yet fully extinct either. It definitely rivalled (and for some time was far more popular than) the Rhaiod, but that quickly changed. Nowadays, the Rhaiod is essentially the only large-scale religion among the Avikan, though the Old Ones still hold a place within the Rhaiod.

The only religion to coexist with and rival the Rhaiod was its direct precursor. Other religions, like those focused on Avan Andrava and the sandworms, were very common too but they existed long before the Rhaiod and went extinct long before the Rhaiod formed too.

## Crime

Especially serious crimes are judged by the Council of Elders, while smaller crimes are judged by the Elder of the clan the offender belongs to. If the victim is of another clan, then that clan's Elder also gets a say in the matter. Most lesser crimes are met with a kind of labour duty: the offender will be forced to partake in some kind of labour to either help the clan or the specific victim. Any crime is also met with a "fine" paid in tokens of merit, and a very serious loss in standing within the clan: committing a crime makes you less meritful to the Nomada, after all. It severely reduces the chance the offender will ever be appointed as an Elder, or any other high-ranking position: you basically lose to trust of your clan for life, and it'll take a lot for that trust to be restored
More serious crimes are brought before the Council of Elders, who generally decide on one of two punishments: permanent exile, or the death penalty. Which one the offender gets depends on the offender and the situation.

Any Droden committing a crime would likely be sent off for recycling without any sort of trial.

If an Avikan was found helping or guiding Thell to them, the likely punishment would be death: an Avikan committing such high treason is a risk to the entire Nomada, and so they cannot afford to let the traitor live.
Also there's no imprisonment in Avikan culture: the space on their ships is too valuable to waste on prisoners.

Crime rates in the Nomada are incredibly low: their culture is very much focused on the clans and the overall society, and much less on the individual. The sense of honour the Avikan try to live up to makes it very unlikely for Avikan to behave criminally, and there's no poverty to motivate it either.
They may turn to torture for interrogations, but if they don't need any more information from a traitor they see no point in allowing them to live. (even in pain)
Their resources are better spent on helping the Nomada than on taking revenge on a criminal.

If someone stripped down a Centensian site for the metal, the Centlars and Rhaiod would kill the offender for desecrating a holy site. If the offender is also an Avikan, then they might either imprison or outcast them.

## Drugs and alcohol

They can also process alcohol, though alcohol never became as important to them as it has for us humans. Alcoholic beverages exist, but they are more of a rarity in Avikan society.
Avikan definitely have a bunch of different drugs. Some are very much harmless, while others can be quite addictive and cause harm after many uses. In general, the Avikan don't look too kindly towards drugs, so they are mostly an underworld thing.

The Avikan don't use many recreational drugs, other than a small handful of very light drugs. These are mostly plants and such which can be smoked. The Nomada has some minor regulations on drugs, but since their entire society is based on individual merit, destructive use of drugs is very rare. A severe drug addict can't properly contribute to society and will not receive a lot of support, so very few Avikan let things spiral that far out of control.

## Andas Vhelin

It's a celebration that lasts a span (the Avikan 'week' of four days), and it celebrates the unification of the clans under Ilyalat ande Vhelin. It's the favourite yearly celebration of many Avikan, and a time when most Avikan are free from work and get to spend time with friends or loved ones. The festival has most Avikan dressed in bright colours, streets are decorated, there's music and food everywhere, and it's generally just a few days of joy for the nation. One of the primary activities during the festival are the Games of Vhelin: a series of competitions that allow Avikan to show their merit to society. There's sports competitions, even some scientific ones, but the biggest attraction is usually the hunting competition.

Back on Kadavan, hunters would set out to bring in the largest and most dangerous creatures within a set amount of time, and with a pre-selected set of gear and equipment that's the same for all competitors. Bringing in creatures like Sandstalkers was always an incredible feat, but some would bring in even larger and more dangerous creatures. The winner of the competition would get an artefact from Vas Vha'leih, which would be theirs to keep until they die and the prize is returned to the festival organizers.

On the Nomada, the hunting competition works mostly the same, but the Nomada usually selects a planet teeming with wildlife for the hunters to descend to. These planets are always carefully scouted out beforehand, to make sure they are viable. Some years, no viable planet could be found, and the hunting competiton would take place on board the Nomada. There's a few areas on the larger ships which can be turned into large hunting grounds, where specially bred wildlife is released for the hunters to track down and return. The rules are different during these years, but the overall feel and the rewards are the same.

The Avikan have made medals and trophies out of Centensian metal, but only on rare occasions for very unique situations. The Avikan won't tear down a ruin for the materials - that's often a task that's too hard to achieve even if they didn't see it as sacrilege - but plenty of Centensian sites have spare metal lying around for construction. This metal is also used for the armour of the Centlars and other bits of Centensian metal found in Avikan technology and equipment.

The prizes were usually just trinkets, or minor practical items for everyday use. The exact prize is different every year, of course, so there's quite a bit of variation. Some winners received a trinket that acts like a whetstone, allowing the winner to sharpen their weapons without ever worrying about the whetstone losing its functionality (since the Centensian metal wouldn't wear). Others were given small daggers and the like, or drinking cups. The benefit of each of these items is that they'll last a lifetime, and are nearly indestructible by normal means.

The rules for vehicles differed each year, but usually the hunters were given a Keff so they could quickly navigate terrain. If they got a kill that was too large for them to bring in on the Keff, they often built their own sleds and the like to make transportation easier. Craftiness was a big part of the competition.

## Funerary rites

For funerary rites, there's a few different rites used by various clans. In the Nomada, Avikan are usually spaced: there's no place to bury them, and cremation has never been popular amongst the Avikan. Sometimes they are buried on planets they are stationed on too, but spacing is most common. Some clans do cut out hearts or other organs first, keeping them for the clan to remember the deceased by. Back on Kadavan, in the deep deserts, no resources could be wasted. Deceased Avikan would be utilized fully: their blood was valuable moisture, their flesh was eaten in a celebration of the deceased, and their bones were used to create ceremonial tools and the like. Somewhat gruesome, and it made the deep desert dwellers cannibals too, which is a practice most modern Avikan disagree with.

For non-Nomada and non-Deep desert Avikan it was usually burial, to give a little back to the land at the end of one's life. The practice of cutting out hearts or other organs was also used by some clans back on Kadavan in the more fertile regions, but it wasn't universal. Some other clans also mummified their dead, but this was uncommon.
Later on, when the Avikan grew more advanced, they also started building some crypts and the like, but regular burials were still the most common practice.

In the pre-Vas Vha'leih days, the rites of the deep desert dwellers were far more common than they are now, even in the more fertile regions of Avikha. Some clans already used burials - including the first clans to find Vas Vha'leih - while a few also did sky burials, leaving their dead exposed for scavengers to feed on. The Rhaiod almost entirely eliminated that practice.

On death, all the property of the deceased individual goes either to the spouse, or directly to the clan. The clan elders - the most meritful of the clan - decide what to do with it next. Usually, homes are given to the young or to others who are without housing - the difference between the biggest and the smallest homes in Avikan culture isn't quite so drastic as it is in ours. Other possessions are distributed amongst the clan according to the needs of the people, or are stored in a storehouse for future use.