Dalmer Life Cycle

Dalmer age slowly, and could live very long if they didn’t lead such violent lives.

## **Birth**

Naturally born Dalmer babies become children one year after birth, grow up to physical maturity at their twelfth birthday, Dalmer become full-grown at around 18-20 years of age

### **Conception**:

#### **Gestation**:

The gestation period of a Dalmer child is three years from fecundation of the ova to viable birth. this is mostly done via a Mohenthar Incubator.

#### **Birth:**

Dalmer newborns generally measure between 10 to 15 cm and weigh between 5 and 10 kg. Natural born twins are rare, but not unheard of. Despite the bulkiness of a Dalmer babe, female dalmer have discreet pregnancies and can maintain continued activity in all domains all the way up to the birth of the child.

## **Youth**: 0 to 2 years

### **Naming**

*Main article: Dalmer Names*

Is regarded as the first day of a Dalmer's life.

First the relatives take the baby to be recorded in the nearest annals of history to obtain its administrative acknowledgement of birth and state existence. Once this operation is done the babe obtains its nationality.

Then the baby is then handed over to the family, who go in celebrate. Generally after this the local community hosts parties in the babe’s honor (usually government funded).

The naming ceremony in itself endows the Dalmer babe with its names.

#### **Title**:

The title of nobility or the trade of the Dalmer, inherited from its parents if they are state or military nobility.

#### **Outer name**:

The first name of the newborn dalmer, and the one most commonly used throughout its life after its ancient name.

#### **Inner name**:

Or secret names, the Dalmer did not reveal their inner names, rather adopting new names and keep their real names secret.

Technically the inner name is given by the parents of the child and they are the only ones who know this name.

But it is of note that recently more and more tombs feature all six names of the deceased Dalmer, and the subsequent Animi adopt different parts of the name, so as to avoid confusion in case of multiple animi from a single Dal.

#### **Descriptive name**:

The nickname of the Dal. the Descriptive tells something about the Dal, descriptive names are not handed down. They are in fact earned, and can change several times over a lifetime, for better or for worse.

#### **Ancient name**:

The family name of the Dalmer, upon becoming an adult the Dal decides if it wants its family name, or claims a new one entirely.

## **Childhood:** 2 to 7

For the first three years of its life, the child is under the care of its parents (who receive funds from the government). The child is expected to speak basic Dal, wield a weapon and armor correctly before being sent to daycare.

The young dalmer as soon as it can walk usually spends the next years learning to fight, craft, traditions, and places in Dalmer society.

Dalmer are considered too young for heavy labor or war until they are around 7 years of age.

### **Day Care**:

A room where Dalmer children are placed and safeguarded while their parents work.

Day care is where Dalmer children learn the basic knowledge for everyday life, weapons training, civility, geography, civics, customs, law, sports, mechanics, tinkering and technology.

Day care is equivalent to boarding school, the youth only leave to visit family or on vacation.

### **Ward of the state 7 to 10**

When the youth turns 7 it becomes a ward of the state and is given three to five years government funded leave, depending on accomplishments, to “learn of the world”. Wards generally leave their home in order to return to their families as an adult.

At the end of their leave, the 10 to 12 year old Dalmer must report for military service.

## **Pre Adolescence:** 10 to 15

A Dalmer entering adolescence is done by a ceremony between it and its parents, the youth puts away its childhood toys, draws a mustache and beard on its face, plays music too loud, bathes less and less, and decorates the room with pictures of heroes. Soon after the youth goes to military training.

### **Military training**:

Being trained from birth to fight in the day care programs, the Dalmer youth then spend the next 5 years as soldiers in the Empires army or local force, once there, they can apply for their preferred corps, or can be designed to certain specializations (based on reports made by instructors during daycare and supervising officers at military camp).

## **Adolescence:** 15 to 20

### **Omunica**:

After 5 years of military service, the Dalmer is sent back to its family for Omunica, a five year period where it will travel the empire to formally meet every member of its family or clan, in order to make contacts and opportunities as well as to broaden its horizons when it will become a member of a clan.

After the Omunica the Dalmer picks an optional educational pursuit.

### **Education**

Dalmer education has five stages, Scholae, Accomplis, Collegium, Universalis and finally the Masterat. Who last respectively five, three, three, two and three years. Meaning a total of 16 years of education in order to receive a Masterat.

#### **Basic education**

##### **Scholae**:

After its years of service, the Dalmer then has to learn whatever crafts will suit him the best for the rest of its life, so using the contacts it has made during Omunica, it will become an apprentice to an master for a minimum of fifty years (although changing masters is common during scholae). Once it has completed this, it can pursue its studies at collegium or continue to produce its Accomplis. Once Scholae is finished the Dalmer becomes a full citizen of the Dalmer Empire.

#### **Higher Education**

##### **Collegium:**

Dalmer who wish to pursue their studies can continue to the higher degree of education for a Dalmer, Collegium. Dalmer who chose this path are dispensed of creating an Accomplis

During these 30 years the Dalmer will study and apply professional or scientific endeavours, once it completes this degree it can continue to Universalis or create its Accomplis.

##### **Universalis:**

The second highest degree of education for the Dalmer, universalis focuses another 30 years on practical applications of the field of study the Dalmer has studied, and the resulting research is often published in the scientific or professional community.

#### **Superior Education**

##### **Masterat:**

The highest degree of education, the Dalmer who finish their 20 year Masterat most often become teachers in their own right, captains of industry or members of government. Most Elected kings have Masterats in political science and leadership of one form or another.

#### **Accomplis**:

Once the dalmer has finished its education it will proceed to the next step to its citizenship.

It will once again travel the Empire for five years to recount its achievements to its clan for a skill show, it will carry with it a tome called an Accomplis, where it has compiled all its achievements to show to connections made during Omunica. If the connections are satisfied, they will stamp and sign the book, if not the young Dalmer must prove its worth to the unimpressed member.

Once the Accomplis is over, the Dalmer must show its Accomplis to an overnationality census officer who will approve or not it's citizenship application, if it does, the young Dalmer becomes a citizen of the elected kingdom where it studied.

## **Adulthood**: 20 to generally 80

The longest part of the Dalmer’s life, upon reaching adulthood, the Dalmer is awarded full supranationality and its many benefits most notably permanent universal revenue, access to healthcare and the protection of law, permanent border permission, and the right to marry accordingly to Dalmer law. Having accomplished its duty towards its Elected Kingdom and the empire, the Dalmer can now pursue its own activities freely, as a full Elector consumer contributor of the Dalmer empire.

### **Elector Consumer Contributor**:

These are the three essential roles a citizen must take part in in Dalmer society at large, they form a basic layout of a citizens role.

#### **Elector**

The Citizens must express their views by electing rulers in accordance to its knowledge, creed and free will.

#### **Consumer**

The citizens are to consume as well, what the empire produces for them because it is their right and freedom to do so.

#### **Contributor**

The citizens are to contribute to the empire through their actions and their power, how they do so must be within their rights and freedoms without compromise the rights and freedoms of others.

### **Family life**:

The fact that dalmer have little contact with their children once they leave for their military service except when they return home from their education. As a result family bonds are few and far between.

This makes a sense of family difficult to achieve except when the youngster returns home an adult, but by this point it will have much closer ties with its fellow citizens, comrades in arms, and teachers than its parents.

## **Elder**: 80 to 100

In their 80th year, those Dalmer that have lived this long earn the privileged status of elder. Though not yet regarded as a clan elder, elders are respected for their wisdom, skill and knowledge of clan traditions and crafts. Their reputation will have spread beyond the clan, and they may begin to receive commissions from outside clans as well. Some elders continue to accept apprentices, but this is the time at which a Dalmer is generally expected to pursue mastery of their craft without the burden of an apprentice. The most spectacular examples of Dalmer craftsmanship comes from the elders. A few elders marry at this age, however the vast majority have decided to dedicate their lives to their crafts.

## **Ancestor**: 100+ years

The title of ancestor is mostly ceremonial, as the Dalmer who attains it will have lived 100 years in Dalmer society.

The title of ancestor is akin to retirement, the Dalmer is dispensed of fiscality, and will often begin amassing a hoard, acquiring assets, and often go on adventures alone into the empire.

# **Death:**

Upon death, a Dalmer’s corpse is recycled, and a tomb is constructed using a percentage of their amassed wealth. However to any Dalmer who feel that their work is not finished, death is certainly not the end,

The Dalmer have plenty of options in the afterlife, they can separate their incorporeal forms from their undead body in a multitude of ways.

See Dalmer afterlife for more details