Ha’Shun Theocracy

## Religion

### Cult of Ha'shun

The cult of Ha’shun is the state religion of the Ha’shun theocracy. It is a monotheistic belief system that worships a God named Ha’shun. The cult of Ha’shun is an organized religion with a hierarchy of priests, high priests and a prophet as its leader. Due to how the nation is a theocracy. Religious leaders don’t just have spiritual authority but also legal authority they rule. The hierarchy of the church goes the following:

#### Hierarchy:

##### Monks:

The lowest of the cult hierarchy. Monks make up the bulk of the administrative bureaucracy of the Ha’shun theocracy. They transcribe both religious and legal law onto text and generally ensure that the bureaucracy of the nation is organized into a working order. Monks can also specialize as teachers and healers in the nation though not all teachers and healers are monks. As the lowest of the caste, they are given a certain level of liberties that higher castes are not allowed to have. They are allowed to marry and have a family. Monks are also allowed to voluntarily leave the cult hierarchy and pursue another career.

##### Clerics:

The class above monks. Clerics serve as elite law enforcement officers of the cult of Ha’shun. While not the only law enforcement or soldiers within the Ha’shun theocracy. It is the military wing of the cult of Ha’shun, the primary enforcer of religious law within the nation. Clerics are professional soldiers who are recruited at a young age. Many clerics are often recruited as young children from local orphanages. They are then trained in the art of warfare and philosophical debate until the age of 18 where they are given a choice to continue being a cleric or become a priest. If an initiate decides to continue being a cleric then they are given certain liberties similar to monks but they are barred from advancing in the cults hierarchy, instead they will advance a hierarchy that is closer to that of a military organization. Clerics are allowed to have families but only after either 5 years of service or after they have been wounded in the defense of the faith.

##### Priests:

Priests are technically equal in rank with clerics but in reality have more legal authority then clerics. The responsibilities of a priest include organizing religious festivals and dealing with everyday religious matters. Besides organizing religious festivals, they often serve as lawyers for court cases. While often serving as prosecutors, priests can also serve as defense lawyers to those who can afford their services. Priests are often chosen from the same group that clerics are chosen from. Initiates are given a choice of becoming either a priest or a cleric. In order to ensure both a stratified hierarchy and the undivided loyalty of a priest to the cult. Priests are banned from having family and this is enforced by making it a requirement for priests to become a eunuch.

##### Elector Priests:

Elector Priests are the primary political power of the nation. Elector priests serve many functions. They administer subdivisions of the nations, organizing how resources are spent, lead and execute religious ceremonies and often serve as judges to settle disputes. Elector priests are a lifelong position and are appointed by the Prophet from among the priests that serve that respective diocese. Despite being an appointed life long position, Elector priests can be removed via vote of no confidence by the local priesthood. If the vote passes, the elector priest is exiled from the nation for ten years and is often encouraged to serve as a missionary abroad.

##### Prophet:

The Prophet is the leader of the nation. The voice of Ha’shun. Despite being the voice of Ha’shun, the power and authority of the prophet is limited to religious, military and foreign matters. The prophet has no authority in how civil laws are made or dictated in each individual diocese of an elector priest outside of their own. The prophet is responsible for leading important religious holidays of the faith. They are also responsible for organizing the various clerical orders of the cult of Ha’shun during times of conflict and are responsible for representing the nation to foreign dignitaries. The position of prophet is an elected position. Elector priests vote amongst themselves on who shall receive the title of prophet. To prevent Elector priests for voting for themselves. A candidate can only run if another elector priest nominates them for the position.

#### Beliefs

The cult of Ha’shun creation myth believes that reality is a cycle and that they are currently living in the 4th cycle. The cult believes that the current cycle was created when the world of the previous cycle was destroyed during a cataclysmic event. Ha'shunites believe that each cycle is merely a repeat of the events of the previous cycle and it is up to the Ha’shunites to ensure the events that they believe that occurred during the previous cycle are repeated in the current cycle. This belief in cycles means that Ha’shunites are strong believers of the idea of destiny since they believe that everything has happened before and will happen again.

This forms the basis of their afterlife myth. Ha’shunites believe in reincarnation. They believe that everyone who is currently living, has lived before. They believe that when a person dies, a person is taken to the hall of Ha’shun where their souls are judged. If they are judged to have lived a good life then they will be taken to a grand feast where they will enjoy unending happiness until the start of a new age where they will be reborn. Those who have been deemed unworthy are sent to a pit where the damned must rewatch their greatest regrets in life occur over and over again until the start of a new cycle where they are reborn but with a crippling disability.

A key religious practice of the cult of Ha’shun is the ritualistic usage of narcotics. Practitioners of the cult of Ha’shun believe that the usage of certain stimulants and hallucinogens allows them to connect closer with Ha’shun with some even claiming that it allows them to see their past lives in previous cycles.

## Moral Values and Principles

### Beliefs regarding drug usage

The nation of Ha’shun follows certain moral values that may be considered taboo in other culture. Drug usage is not just tolerated but encourage within the culture. It is used both for religious ceremonies and personal usage. Drugs are ingested in many different ways, it can be breathed in as a powder, burned as an incense, drank as a tea  and even used as a food spice. It is common to see various drugs sold in open markets in both in its raw forms and a more refined version.

### Opinion on slave labour

Slavery is openly practiced within the nation. There are two types of “slaves” within the nation. Regular slaves and thralls. Regular slaves are compromised of entirely of foreigners. Citizens of the nation are banned from being turned into slaves. These types of slaves are commonly brought into the nation from foreign traders but can be also brought in as prisoners of war during times of conflict. Despite being slaves, children born of slaves are considered citizens of the nation and are thus born free. Slave owners must either raise the child as their own, or hand the child over to a local orphanage. Thralls are the 2nd types of slaves. These types of slaves is a type of punishment reserved specifically for criminals and heretics guilty of the most serious crimes. These types of slaves are reserved only for the cults usage.

### The morals of war

The public opinion on war is mixed. Offensive wars are looked down upon and unpopular among the people. Defensive wars however are considered a righteous cause. Despite looking down on offensive wars, expansion via religious evangelization is encouraged among the people. The defense of foreign converts from persecution is considered a worthy cause to wage war over.

### Ideal role models and morality

Loyalty to the faith is an idea that is taught to every child by their parents. Adherence to religious laws are taught to them from a very young age. Besides loyalty, children are taught to be kind everyone, even to slaves and non-believers as even slaves can convert to the true faith. The most ideal role model in the nation would either be the prophet as they are considered the most pious individual in the nation or the clerics as they are willing to risk their lives in the defense of their fellow believers.

## Traditions

### Cultural past times

The most commonly used drug in the nation is called Shuns nectar. Derived from a local flower. The effects are dependent on how the drug is consumed. If taken as a tea, it serves as a painkiller and stimulant. Blocking out pain for several hours while increasing focus. If breathed in as a powder (like burned as an incense), it can have hallucinogenic effects with its severity depending on how refined the nectar is. Shuns nectar is also used sometimes as a spice in certain meals to further enhance a meal.

### Holidays

Common holidays follow the seasonal calendar. Solstices and equinoxes are celebrated as days of symbolic representation of the cycle system. A favorite yearly tradition amongst hunters and fishers is a competition to see who can catch the largest ivory pieces from the wild. This includes both land and sea based animals. Known as the wild hunt night and celebrated during the winter solstice. The elector priests themselves often personally judge these competitions themselves. The winners of the competitions would receive a financial reward and a reprieve from paying taxes for a year. The competition concludes with a night long feast.

## Art

The art style of the Ha’shunnite people is famous for its usage of vibrant warm colors in its art. In a cold and snowy environment, many people like to decorate both themselves and buildings in warm colorful fabrics and paints. Colored fabrics is seen as a status symbol as dyes must be imported from other nations. The paintings of the nation follow a similar trend. Buildings are often painted in warm colors as well to distinguish themselves from the snowy environment. Painting buildings is the preferred usage of how paint should be used though paints on canvas is not unheard of.

### Architecture

The architecture of the nation is defined by wooden buildings with stone buildings reserved only for military and religious buildings. These buildings look slavic in nature but with an emphasis on infinite and spiral symbols. Spirals and the infinite symbols are used extensively in religious buildings to symbolize the the nature how everything cycle in the cult of Ha’shun. Ha’shunite craftsmen are also famous for their ivory carvings. The carvings are often left unpainted. Like previously mentioned, these carving are often decorated with spirals and infinity signs to symbolize cycle system of the Ha’shunite faith.

### Fashion

The northern climate of Ha’shun means that the dress code of the people is often very practical. The people wear clothes that cover every inch of their body to protect themselves from the climate.

## Government

### Administrative structure

The official government is religious theocracy but in reality it acts more like a federation with democratic elements. The nation is divided into subdivisions called dioceses which are administered by an elector priest. The position of prophet is an elected position voted by elector priests. The prophet can only directly control the civil matter of only the capital city. They have no authority in how other dioceses should be governed. However they do have authority over religious matters which extends to every faithful believer both within the borders of the nation and abroad. The prophet also directly controls the various militant clerical orders of the faith. Ensuring the prophet is the defender of the faith.

### Factions

#### Lorcasa Faction:

A political faction that consists primarily of regular priests. The Lorcasans push for further democratization of the political system such as pushing for the position of elector priest to be an elected position rather appointed by the prophet. The faction pushes for a pacifistic foreign policy agenda. They push for further evangelization of  people but oppose expansion of the nation itself.

#### Kodosa Faction:

This political faction consists primarily of militant clerics. The Kodosans push for the centralization of political power within the nation towards the prophet. The faction opposes the decentralized state of the political system of the nation prefering to see prophet be responsible for all civic matters within the nation as well as religious matters. The Kodosans are also openly expansionist. Pushing for a policy of evangelization by conquest.

#### Sogo faction:

The sogo faction is the dominant political faction of the nation, consisting of the majority of the priesthood and almost all of the elector priests. The Sogo faction pushes for the status quo amongst the nation. It pushes for decentralization of political power amongst the nation. The sogo faction is also pacifist and would prefer to see the Cult of Ha’shun spread through peaceful means rather then conquest.

#### Hutai faction:

The Hutai faction is a political faction that has been deemed heretical. The goals of the Hutai faction is to remove the position of prophet entirely. The Hutai’s push for decentralization of political authority but also religious authority as well. Due to this heretical stance. Most Hutai’s live in the wilderness and away from urban population centers.

### Laws

#### Civic Law

Civic law carried out primarily at the diocese level. Elector priests are the ones responsible for the execution of civic law. These laws are enforced by local law enforcement hired by the office of the elector priest. The punishment to those who violate civic laws is dependent on the elector priest. Criminals can face punishments ranging from fines to public humiliation.

#### Religious Law

Religious laws are set by the prophet and they must be obeyed by everyone in the nation. Religious laws overrule civic laws and could in theory result in the expulsion of an elector priest if an elector priest passes civic laws that violate religious laws. Religious laws are enforced by clerics. Clerics only answer to the prophet and in theory do not need to adhere to elector priests though this has never been tested. Violators of religious law are divided into groups. Minor and major violations. Minor violations are often cases of corruption amongst the cults hierarchy. Punishments for minor violation is often exile from the nation. Major violation is reserved for heretics, murderers and others who had been accused of serious crimes. People convicted for a major violation face enthrallment, a form of slavery. The process of enthrallment involves a cocktail of various drugs and surgeries that effectively lobotomizes a person and removes all free will from a person while retaining working motor functions. Enthrallment is permanent and there is no way to reverse it.

## Prejudice

The people of Ha’shun are very welcoming to foreigners as they seek to further spread their religion. People of different religions are treated differently depending on which diocese they are located in. Some dioceses ban all foreign religious worship while other dioceses tolerate other religions but require a special tax to be paid.

Older people tend to be respected as older age is often associated with wisdom.

Offensive wars are looked down upon but defensive wars are considered a righteous cause. Going to war over the persecution of the cult of Ha’shun is considered defensive in nature and as a result is considered a just war.

Reading and philosophy is considered a noble skill to have within the nation. People who are skilled at the art of debating are often placed in high regard. Illiterate people on the other hand are often looked down upon. However there is an exception to people who are illiterate but are capable of speaking multiple languages. They are often considered skilled are admired for the ability to speak multiple languages.