Firkin

Years of Existence: 0-present

Current Kings: Rixpzanw the Old, Kmii the Warrior, Taapmeev the Herder

Founding Player's Name: Emperorty#1484

Controlling Player's Name: Emperorty#1484

Primary Language(s): Proto-Firkin(at the moment)

Secondary Language(s): D'onja(badly spoken version)

Capital: Tadpruvk

Foreign Representative: Baat the Young

Education > Schools

Inventions > Construction > Basic Paths

Government > Laws > Complex Law Systems

Mobility > Land > Animal Taming

During the first season of the first year the three kings Rixpzanw, Kmii and Taapmeev were appointed.

During the first season of the first year one hundred cattle were sacrificed in the hopes that it would cause someone suitable for diplomacy and representation to foreign powers to be unearthed. The three dead gods visited the youth Baat in a dream for this purpose so he offered himself up to represent the nation and was appointed.(researched Trade & Diplomacy > Nations Representative)

During the second season of the first year one hundred cattle and multiple promising holy men were sacrificed in the hopes that a more organised solution of passing on the wisdom and knowledge of the lands to the youths than the old ad-hock one was unearthed. From the sacrifice a school was appeared and this building was taken as an example for many more around the nation, it also let many of the learned ones learn the second language d'onja, albeit somewhat crudely.(researched Education > Schools)

During the third season of the first year many guides sacrificed their time to ease the passage of travellers to and from important meeting and gathering places. The leaders tried to think of a less intensive way for this job to be done and so one of the master guides had a vision while definitely not being high which showed how to mark basic paths for the safety of travellers.(researched Construction > Basic Paths)

### Other Information

#### People

The Firkin people are a humanoid species very similar to humans.

They wear complex clothing as a part of their culture and like to play and compete in games in order to enhance and show off their martial ability, vitality and fertility.
They keen herders, hunters, fishers with some warrors and holy men in the mix.

They are considered adults at the age of 15 but are fully grown at the age of 20.

They are considered young until the age of 30 and usually live about 60 years if they die of old age.

They have mottled skin somewhat similar to humans with vitiligo, the two colours being pale-brownish-grey and the tawny/olive skin colour found in humans.

Their men are usually between 160 and 180 cm tall once fully grown.

Their women are usually between 150 and 170 cm tall once fully grown.

Their men are usually between 50 and 70 kg in weight once fully grown.

Their women are usually between 40 and 60 kg in weight once fully grown.

#### Creation

The three double-edged gods were travelling as one across the abyss for all of eternity until they came upon a stopping place.

It seemed so marvelous to them in that spot and there were all levels of harmony.

That point was the only one where their highest sacrifice could truly count and still it was a massive gamble.

All of them sacrificed themselves to make the world as we know it, each one able to live on forever through the three classes of men as well as their unique surroundings.

The first god to die was the embodiment of peasants and craftsmen, the god of fertility and labour, they created the grasslands suitable for herding.

The second one to die was the embodiment of warriors and huntsmen, the god of destruction and creation, they created the forest suitable for hunting.

The last one to die was the embodiment of priests and shaman, the god of spirituality and cynicism, they created the sheer and inhospitable mountains suitable for fasting, hiding, meditation and revelations.

#### Sacrifices

To commemorate these great sacrifices many sacrifices are to be made on special occasions, the rarer occasions having greater sacrifices.

Sacrifices are overlooked by all those who might be affected by them well or badly.

The lowest kind of sacrifices are inanimate goods such as grain, the second lowest kind of sacrifices are animate inhumans like cattle.

The lower-middle kind of sacrifices are foreighn and domestic slaves, with the higher-middle kind of sacrifices being peasants and craftsmen.

The second greatest kind of sacrifices are warriors and huntsmen and the greatest are holy men; priests and shaman.

#### Clergy

The holy men are in charge of preserving knowledge and traditions that may benefit the people for future generations as well as observing and supervising middle and great sacrifices.

Sacrifices are also overlooked by all those who might be affected by them well or badly.

The holy men are roughly organised; meeting on special occasions and sharing tales of the land that they have heard.

The most senior holy men are greatly respected and their suggestions will be heeded by all but the most foolhardy.

#### Afterlife

It is believed that when someone or something dies by a sacrifice they live on through the creation of things that are born after their death.

When people are suspected to die of old age they will ride out to battle a superior enemy or be sacrificed by their own successors, to ensure the continuation of their soul.

Those who do not die by sacrifice are considered to not live on so no belongings are buried with them and their inheritors get nothing.

#### Holidays

On the anniversary of the beginning of the world(at the start of spring)each year there are great sacrifices and smaller sacrifices like fasting are mandatory.

There are lesser versions of this at the start of each season but none are as important as the early-spring one.

#### Moral Values and Principles

Things involving personal sacrifice like fasting, war, periods of voluntary slavery and the sacrifice of animals and humans, burning of food and pouring of drink into streams are considered virtuous to this group of people.

Gaining riches is encouraged as the more riches you have means more can be sacrificed.

Those who have sacrificed themselves for the good of others like great warriors are held in high regard and seen as heroes.

#### Traditions

Common sports and games include things that prepare for martial matters and demonstrate ability like polo, football type games with dancing also being popular.

Not only warriors engage in these activities however, with many peasants and priests doing these things to show vitality, fertility, or alignment with the physical plane.

#### Art

Simple stylistic lineart and complex patterns are very common as decoration and can be seen in many places.

Verbally spreading gnomic(poetry whose goal is to pass on wisdom, it is in verse as a tool to remember it) poetry is very common and most men are expected to be able to recite and abide by many examples by the time of their adulthood.

The architecture is mostly simple hide tents but there are some buildings intricately carved into rock faces as well as circular mud huts with grass roofs in important places as these people are mostly nomadic.

#### Government

The tri-kingship of the nation must always be filled with one priest, one peasant and one warrior.

From the most noble families are chosen experienced leaders to fill these roles with the best performing kings being sacrificed sooner after their rule starts than the more mediocre ones whereas badly performing kings are abdicated and retired for the rest of their lives.

#### Current Kings

The current holy man king is called "Rixpzanw", an old man only now appointed after many years of stewardship of a small order of holy men seeking enlightenment by spending months alone in the mountains, always coming back emaciated and skeletonic.

He is a short, temperate man, his long still-dark hair reaching below his shoulder.

The current warrior king is "Kmii", his warriorhood only started years ago but he is a natural born leader and commander.

He is a tall, broad man with deep eyes and a wide grin but despite his size he is able to ride and fight nimbly against any opponent he comes across and win.

The current peasant king is called "Taapmeev", a young man and an experienced herder despite his young age, he was herding since before his sixth year and as an adult he had done nothing but it until his name was spread across the nation by his father.

He was quickly seen as a hero by the people as the number of cattle he had sacrificed each year was greater than anyone could remember.

He still brings the best of his herd with him as a king although with less focus on it his productivity has grown rather lower.

He still looks like a scrawny boy and has the temperament to match but he is a great herder and adviser to all of the herders in the nation.

#### Method of Government

A great moot is held once a year during the time of the great festivities.

It is attended by the chosen representatives of each region and is used to discuss what needs to be done for the following year including resource management, etc.

Regional moots are held during the times of the lesser festivities, with any man in the region attending if he so wishes.

These are used similarly to the great moots but on a regional scale, they are also used to choose the representatives that will attend the next great moot in the name of the region.

#### Law Enforcement and Slavery

The peace is held against outlaws by the local warriors acting on their own accord.

The normal punishment for any crime is being taken as a slave and being worked into shape for years by the household that buys you.

Better performing slaves and those who committed small crimes are released sooner, after only a few years, whereas disobedient and useless slaves can be kept for the rest of their lives.

Since useless slaves are often a drain on the family they are part of it is common for them to be fed only as much as their work is worth, leading to a dishonorable form of death, involuntary starvation, this is considered a reasonable part of the punishment.

#### Views on Foreigners

Foreigners are foremost seen as potential slaves, to be molded into virtuous men before being released or die trying.

Already known, noble foreigners are treated with respect but the initial view is always that they can't be as good as our local heroes.

#### Prejudice

People with the greatest potential left yet unfilled are considered the greatest sacrifices but older, wiser, more experienced people are considered to be the ones with the greatest skill.

Foreighn nations are always seen as worse than this one by its people, this ranges from them being seen as a rival territory down to a rotten group of people that should only be enslaved.

#### War

More ritual civil wars as well as wars with other nations are seen as great sacrifices as well as opportunities to get more wealth that can be sacrificed, with the greatest enemy warriors captured being sacrificed ritually on the battlefield even if that causes great loss to our own forces.