Tarnost the Great
These kingdoms had intermittent warfare, which had been happening for centuries before, basically since they began to develop into what could be considered nations.
One tribe of people, barely able to be called a kingdom, began to rise to prominence. They began to win more and more battles against their foes and as they did so developed more and more advanced tactics for their armies. One of their warcheifs in particular was instrumental in their victories, eventually gaining enough support among his own people to declare himself their king. His name was Tarnost. In the brief course of several years, when he was still a young man in his twenties, he conquered all of the kingdoms surrounding the desert, thus moving from king to emperor of an empire he called Nostia, from his own name. There are numerous legends about his daring in battle, his many victories, and rumored supernatural powers. Even remote people's who he did not conquer paid tribute to him.
Not only did Tarnost rule as emperor, he was also known as a great scholar and philosopher. He created legal codes, wrote poems, even created a number of philosophical theories (more to come).
Wanting to be an even greater ruler, Tarnost sought to see into the future. Following an ancient tradition of his people, the emperor drank quicksilver to see visions of what was to come. Though he became very sick from this, he didn't die, and indeed as he had planned, began to receive prophetic visions and insights.
One of the most significant revelations that he received was that his blood, and the blood of his people to a lesser degree, was of great spiritual significance; and that other races of people were animals in comparison that were only worthy of service. This lead to the brutal oppression of the people which Tarnost had conquered. Turning them from citizens of the empire into slaves, though they rose up in revolt, Tarnost brutally put down all resistance, inflicting horrible punishments on rebels.
Another policy that resulted from Tarnost's revelation was that to have the ideal offspring, Tarnost's children must have as much of his blood in them as possible. Tarnost took a number of wives, each one chosen for great virtues she possessed, such as intellect, beauty, physical prowess, etc. He had numerous children with each wife, when each of his daughters came of age, he took them as wives also and had children with them. When each of their daughters became old enough (first period) he had children with them as well, and so on. He continues this for the greater part of his sixty year reign (ruled from his 20's to 80's) and produced 5 generations of children in this a way.
In later years, he declared himself a divine being, that would return from the dead to rule his kingdom in the future. To help facilitate this, he had a huge temple/pyramid/tomb build for himself and ordered his body preserved and buried with his arms, armor, and bodyguards. After Tarnost's death, the empire was split up among a number of his children (err, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren, etc.)
For the first generation after Tarnost's death, his progeny managed the divided kingdoms reasonably well. Successive generations did not do as well. After the example of Tarnost, many of the kings married their own daughters, though often they married their sisters or cousins. Intermittent civil war occurred and invasions from other kingdoms weakened what was left of Tarnost's empire. Today many of the kingdoms created when the empire was divided still exist, but are shadows of the former glory that of when Tarnost reigned.
The Dark Age of Nostia
The slave system of the kingdoms that were once Nostia (from now on just called Nostia) is exceptionally brutal and demeaning to the slaves. Most of these policies were established by Tarnost himself and continue to this day. The majority of the slaves are crippled in some way as to make them less threatening or less likely to be able to escape. Many male slaves are castrated, others are hobbled, or blinded, or have hands cut off - depending upon the specific nature of their slave role. Women are less often mutilated, though many are. Often female slaves end up as concubines for wealthy free men, these slaves are made to drink an herbal concoction that prevents pregnancy. Any child that results from sex between a free man and a slave woman is killed, as race mixing is seen as a horrible crime and abomination. The slaves are bred like cattle, male slaves used for breeding must be slight of build and stature - a decree made by Tarnost to make them weaker and more easy to dominate. Slaves who disobey are dealt with extremely harshly, though torture and murder of slaves is not an uncommon source of amusement among the wealthy.
The nobles who still rule the kingdoms often marry within their own families, though not much as was done in the past (cousins usually).
Nostia is officially atheistic. People there acknowledge no deities, aside from minor beings that are no more significant than helpful or harmful spirits. The closest thing to a deity there is the great veneration for Tarnost and the belief that he will return from the dead. This belief has become stronger with the decline of the region's influence. The closest thing that there are to priests or religious leaders are prophets. These men and women follow in the footsteps of Tarnost, drinking quicksilver so that they can see visions. Many use other methods to see visions as well, such a hallucinogenic herbs, sensory deprivations (sometimes being placed in a dark room for a week alone, sometimes deliberate blinding). The words of prophets are highly respected by nobles of Nostia. It is believed that those who have much of Tarnost's blood in their veins are cable of great feats or even magical powers.
The afterlife that Nostians believe in is called The Dungeon - this a small enclosure of utter darkness, silence, and solitude. When a mortal dies, they go into their own private dungeon where they eat their own flesh (which constantly heals back) for all eternity. Everyone goes to The Dungeon, the good, the evil, the slave, the master, people of all faiths, none escape. Since Nostians believe that resurrection is possible (Tarnost will do it some day), they think that it is possible that one day too they can be resurrected and saved from The Dungeon. For this reason free people within Nostia have their bodies preserved and placed within protective tombs. Slaves seldom have this luxury, though a “lucky” few may be preserved and buried with their masters.
There is little sexism within Nostia. Though traditional male and female roles prevail, women are entitled to the same legal rights as men are. Many of Nostia's notable rulers have been queens. Even on the battlefield there are occasionally women, generally female soldiers serve as horse or chariot archers. Female infantry is rare.
Nostians are racist with regards to all foreigners, but do not show the same disdain for people's of other nations as they do for their slaves. It is still forbidden to mix one's blood (have children) with foreign people. Friendship is also discouraged, but not illegal.
Nostia is divided up into many small city states, each ruled by a noble family which is descended from Tarnost. Members of these families are generally warriors and have a fighting tradition that goes back to the time of Tarnost. These families are extremely inbred, and often have strange characteristics as a result. The eldest member of each family is called the Patriarch or Matriarch and controls the family and rules the land as lord or lady.
Nostians are Caucasian looking people, having fair or medium skin tones and dark hair, straight or wavy. One unusual characteristic of Nostians is that they virtually all have green eyes, it is seen as one of the unique traits of their people and as a result is something they take great pride in. The slave race of the Nostians, the Athavi, are more darkly complected with somewhat Asiatic or Amerindian features. The Athavi are also quite small, while Nostians tend to be a large and burly people, the Athavi are small and slight, standing at least a foot shorter than the average Nostian.
All Nostian men have beards, though they keep their beards trimmed short along with their hair. Nostian women shave their heads, in fact the style for women in Nostia is to shave or wax all of the hair on their bodies, including eyebrows. All Nostians, rich and poor, wear basically the same variety of clothing, flowing robes and cloaks, black in the winter and white in the summer, usually their cloaks are reversible. Athavi wear their hair long and usually free flowing or in lose pony tails. The Athavi are not allowed to wear either white or black clothing, as those are the colors of Nostians, rather they wear red, usually basic tunics.
Lineage is very important to Nostians, and most Nostians can trace back their family line to the time of Tarnost. Because of this, marital fidelity is extremely valued to them. The exception to this is with slaves. Having sex with one's slaves is a common practice in Nostia, even among women. Between Nostians homosexuality is rare, but in regards to sex with slaves it is not seen as usual or in any way objectionable - in fact, for women it is encouraged, since sex between a Nostian woman and Athavi male offends most Nostians' sensibilities. Having children with slaves is expressly forbidden, any child that results from such a union is killed, though Nostian herbalists have knowledge both the prevent and end pregnancies. Having children with non-Nostians is forbidden as well, though not seen in the same light as having one with a slave.
To Nostians combat is a way of life, every sport and pastime is related to combat in some way. Archery, wrestling, fencing (more like sca stick fighting), and tests of horsemanship are all things which every Nostian boy does from a young age. Even girls learn combat, generally focusing more on archery and horse riding. In the days of Tarnost, Nostians trained together to form highly disciplined military units. Currently, Nostians often suffer due to lack of organization. Every Nostian is a highly trained fighter, and one on one they are superior to most foes, but their units often have trouble moving and maintaining unit cohesion because each man fights as an individual.
Among Nostians, tattooing is an extremely common practice. The Nostian alphabet is extremely large and complex, it also lends itself to artistic expression. Most Nostians have tattoos with the names of important ancestors, great personal accomplishments, etc. They also have a number of symbols for greater philosophical or spiritual concepts, which are another variety of tattooing that is common. Some Nostian tattoos, particularly on women, have no deeper meaning but are simply meant to be attractive. Slaves are tattooed as well, though usually just with the names of their master.
Nostian slavery is exceedingly brutal. The majority of male slaves are castrated or crippled in some way to prevent them being a threat. Female slaves are routinely raped, beaten, and taken advantage of. The Athavi are worked incredibly hard, forced to do hard menial labor while the Nostians have more pleasant jobs and also have extra time to hone their fighting skills. The majority of Athavi males never reproduce, only the smallest and most docile are spared from castration and bred with Athavi females, resulting in small size of the Athavi. Any lack of complete obedience on the part of the Athavi is met with extreme cruelty - torture, rape, execution of loved ones - all common practices against the rebellious Athavi. Such torments are not only reserved for punishment however, a sizable minority of wealthy Nostians abuse Athavi for their own amusement.
Nostians believe that when Tarnost returns from the dead that he will raise other Nostians from the dead as well to serve him in a great new kingdom. Because of this, they believe that their bodies must be kept in reasonably good condition. Nostian cities all have a large tomb complex where Nostians' preserved bodies are placed along with objects of personal value, usually weapons and armor. These tombs are protected at all times by guards, usually members of the local ruling family.
The Tomb of Tarnost is a huge Pyramid which was build in the desert, away from other cities or sources of nourishment. It is guarding by its own small army, which lives in a series of building which surround the pyramid. This army is a noble family which has guarded the tomb since the death of Tarnost, originally the most elite soldiers in the army of Tarnost, they have continued the military tradition for 500 years. Every man, woman, and child of the Tomb Guard fight; they are the exception to the Nostians' lack of disciplined unit fighting skills. Among the Tomb Guard, your place the a military unit's formation is determined from birth and each member of the unit has learned to fulfill his or her fighting role very well. Since the Tomb Guards only fight, they must receive a tithe from the other noble families of Nostia. Because of the important role that the Tomb Guard serve, few other families mind paying the tithe, those in the past who decided not to generally met with terrible fates. The eldest member of the Tomb Guard is the closest that Nostia has to a king or queen, they use their family's military strength and influence to unite the Nostian families in times of trouble and generally quell family vs family conflict if they become too severe.
When the empire of Tarnost fragmented, many of the Nostian lords began to adopt local customs and intermarry with the locals, basically being assimilated into the local culture. Later when in periods of civil war between the Nostian families, some regions managed to throw off Nostian rule, often with help of Nostian families that oppose that region's ruling family or outside invaders. A few areas around the jungles of the northeast, there exist small kingdoms of free Athavi. Free Athavi hate the Nostians with a passion and would destroy them if they could.
Nostian armies fight with a variety of units. Chariots and cavalry (both horse archers and heavy cavalry) are common among the nobility. In infantry units, Nostians generally aren't armed uniformly. It is not uncommon for a soldier with a large shield and a spear to be next to someone with an axe in each hand, a two handed weapon, or maybe even just a bow. Armor varies from person to person as well, depending on the wealth and preference of the individual. The exception to this are the Tomb Guard, they are nobles who fight primarily as infantry using body shields and long swords. Most of the Nostian soldiers use bronze weapons and armor (if they have armor), the exception to this is the Tomb Guard who often use iron swords.
Nostians have a greater appreciation for the effects of heredity. Just as they have bred the Athavi to be small, they have also bred their animals in similar ways. Nostian oxen are large and powerful, their cattle are fat and give lots of milk, etc. Most well known are Nostian horses, which are widely known as the best in the world. They have a number of horse breeds; extremely fast horses for mounted archers, docile and hearty horses for labor, and extremely large, powerful, and ferocious horses for heavy cavalry or chariots. The have a number of dog breeds are well, mostly breeds for herding or tracking. They breed less pragmatic animals as well, cats are a favorite for Nostians and are bred for friendly behavior and for attractive coat colors. Even large cats such as lions or panthers are kept as pets by some nobility, these cats are usually bred for large size. Birds with bright plumage are also popular among nobility.
When Tarnost ruled his empire, he decided that there should be a standard monetary unit that could help facilitate trade and commerce. He had a single small gem which was cut and polished into a perfectly round sphere. He called the gem the Osteri, and said that copper coins would be made to weigh exactly the same as the gem. Thus he created the standard monetary unit called the osteri. The usage of these coins and the standard caused these coins to be used through out the known world, even coins of different size or material were assigned a value in osteri. Today many nations still use the osteri as a standard coin size and weight, many of the coins minted by Tarnost remain in circulation. The original Osteri gem is still in the possession of the Tomb Guard and still used as a standard for making coins in Nostia.
Nostians as a people are generally atheistic, though a number of deities are worshiped. A large minority of Nostians see gods as minor supernatural beings, powerful enough to give good luck or advantages here and there, but nothing overly significant. Many people have little idols or charms which are thought to bring fertility, luck, good harvests, etc. Such use of idols or charms are seen as somewhat superstitious by the most Nostians, particularly those who are well educated. Many other Nostians frown on the worship of deities because of the foreign origin of those religions. Nostia has no historical religion, any deities worshiped by Nostians now have been adopted from other cultures and the natural ethnocentrism of most Nostians cause deity worship to be viewed in an unfavorable light. Despite the fact that superstitious behavior is frowned upon by many Nostians, no one really cares as long as the practitioners don't get carried away with it (much like superstition in modern America). The idea of extremely powerful or omnipotent gods is foreign to Nostians and the mere idea is would seem absurd to them, aside from the way that Tarnost is held in high regard. If any particular religious belief or practice is at odds with the veneration of Tarnost, the belief in prophesy, or common Nostian mores then it is seen in a much worse light.
The noble families of Nostia trace there lineage back to the inbred daughters of Tarnost. When a noble formally introduces himself, he will name every ancestor between himself and Tarnost and tell the number of Generations. The ruling noble families take their names from the most inbred daughter of Tarnost from which they are descended. The degree to which one of the daughters of Tarnost is inbred is their generation. The daughter of Tarnost and on unrelated woman is a a daughter of the first generation, Tarnost's daughter with that first generation daughter would be a daughter of the second generation. It is often seen as prestigious to be from a more inbred daughter, some families trace back their lineage to daughters of the 6th generation. The exception to this are the Tomb Guard, who trace their lineage back to the sons of Tarnost instead of the daughters.
Nostia once controlled vast stretches of land, with numerous foreign people's under their dominion. When Nostia fragmented after the death of Tarnost, most of the Nostians within the far ranging kingdoms were assimilated into the local populace. These kingdoms exist all over the continent, many of them speak a form of Nostian or or are an obvious mixture of Nostian blood and the local racial stock. These relatives of Nostians are collectively known as “Nulns” in Nostia, almost as a form of racial slur. Despite being seen as inferior to true Nostians, Nulns and Nostians often ally with each other in times of need.
Nostians believe in a great duty to one's family. This of course includes children, parents, siblings etc. Nostians take this even farther, extending the idea of family out to distant cousins. The political structure in Nostia works to a large degree because of the ruling families, all of the members of which are expected to show loyalty to family and especially the Patriarch or Matriarch. The idea of family extends even farther that that within Nostia, as many see the entire race as a form of extended family, leading to a unique form of racial nationalism within Nostia. Since Nostians don't believe in a pleasant afterlife, the primary goal of the Nostian is to reproduce and to insure the survival of their own and their family member's children, and to a lesser degree, to strive for the propagation of Nostians as a whole. When trouble faces Nostia, men of fighting age are pressed into military service; the exception to this men who do not yet have children, for them fighting is optional. For Nostian women, military service is always optional though often it is considered unwise since the number of women limit reproductive ability of Nostians.
Nostia and the areas that once were Nostian contain large numbers of palaces and other architectural works. Tarnost had majestic palaces built for himself all over the his empire, he also had numerous other structures built that still stand today. Nostian noble families dwell in some of Tarnost's most impressive structures, though in some areas where culture has dwindles in the past 500 years, one may find a castle which has been turned into a peasant dwelling or even abandoned ruins. Statues of Tarnost, defensive structures such as walls or towers, and stone roads are also common through out Nostia and the surrounding areas.
As Nostians breed animals for specific purposes, so too do they breed Athavi. Athavi have not yet formed into distinct breeds to the degree that dogs and horses have, there are hereditary lines of Athavi that are known for certain qualities or or tendencies, such as Athavi that are generally attractive or those whom are good at working for long hours, etc. If current practices continue, these Athavi lines should become even more distinct. Because of the breeding practices used by Nostians, the majority (80%) of Athavi born are female. This is because the majority of males are castrated relatively early in life and therefore females are more likely to pass along genetic material.
One of the most popular forms of entertainment in Nostia is called Savorta, a two man hand to hand fight. There are coliseums across Nostia where people from all walks of life come to see these fights. In Savorta anything is allowed, biting, low blows, eye gouging, wrestling, etc. The only restriction is that no weapons are allowed. A match only ends when one man gives up, loses consciousness, or dies. The combatants are not slaves or forced in any way to compete, they do so for the fame and fortune that they gain by fighting. Savorta is not only practiced by the athletes, it is common (in a slightly more subdued form) across Nostia. Just about every Nostian has participated in a Savorta match at some point in their lives, just as most Americans have played baseball or basketball at some point.
New Nostian Empire
With the unifying rule of Tarnost II, Nostia has been able to expand to a size even exceeding that of the great empire of Tarnost the Great. The empire expands to the ocean to the west and north, its southern border stops at the desert and the eastern frontier ends at the ocean at the northeast and ends with the ending of civilization in the vast plains and deserts of the southeast. Nostia also has a presence in the islands to the north of the main continent, owning several islands there and demanding tribute from and/or trading with many of the sea faring nations of the region.
The New Empire began its initial expansion to the north, taking back the plains that were once part of the Old Empire. Several groups of plains people were crushed as Nostia began the war against them, including the country carved out by the renegade army of Paxia. The king and commanding soldiers of the once Paxian army were subjected to horribly painful and humiliating deaths to make examples of Nostians who would betray their rightful rulers. This cruel treatment bolstered Tarnost II's popularity among Nostian nobles, who feared and hated the traitorous soldiers who betrayed the Paxia family. The surviving nobles of the Paxia family were given large expanses of plain land to compensate them for their own land being seized and distributed among other families. This act also made Tarnost II popular among the Patriarchs, who appreciated the respect shown to the Paxia family and their noble blood. Because the plains people come from the same racial stock as Nostians, they were given the option of Nostian citizenship. Most of the tribal leaders accepted this offer and swore loyalty to Tarnost II, those who were not would face not only the Nostian army but also their fellow plains people. It took a number of years to take the plains, after that expansion halted as Tarnost II faced internal reforms, and attacks from the Athavi kingdoms, Barbarians from the northeastern jungles, raiders from the desert, and attacks from northern forces from across the ocean. During this time the Nostian military underwent a number of changes, including becoming much more centralized and organized. When Tarnost II died, all of the attacking forces had been beaten back, but no further land had been gained. Tarnost II feared that his empire would break down after his death, just as it did when Tarnost the Great had died. In the last years of his life he devised a political system whereby an emperor is elected by a combined council of the family Patriarchs. He longed to appoint his own successor, but feared that the support of the Patriarchs was needed for any future Emperor to succeed. This system lasts to this day. Over the next few generations of Emperors, the Empire expanded further. With new emperors and new reforms in the military, more and more land was conquered. Eventually the various barbarian tribes were conquered and all of the land north of the great desert became Nostian land. The former inhabitants ether becoming Nostian citizens, slaves, or being exterminated completely.
As Nostia began to seize more and more land, the Nostian noble families struggled with each other for ownership of the nation's new property. With the help of the Emperors, land was divided up among the families based on which were most helpful in seizing the land along with the desire to try to maintain some degree of stability among the families. Since distribution of newly acquired land, citizens, and slaved was based largely on participation in conquering said land, each noble family was encouraged to participate in conquering the lands, helping to further militarize the new Nostian empire. The resulting army consisted of a single unified military of Nostia which was made up of noble soldiers from among the 17 families each of which fought for the wealth of his family as well as the nation.
The use of and belief in Prophets has significantly waned over the years. Most modern Nostians are unwilling to risk insanity or even death for powers which are not fully understood or even believed. The rare few Prophets that remain are respected by some and not by others. Most Patriarchs have a Prophet or two working for them but their influence is limited. The organizations of prophets that existed in the early days of Nostia no longer exist. In these now advanced and knowledgeable days, a Prophet's words are as likely to be seen as madness as visionary insight.
Tarnost the Great said that all men would go to the dungeon when they die, to eat their own flesh forever. He was also buried with a number of his own slaves. According to Tarnost II, after death a master would eat his slaves instead of his own flesh. This radically changed burial practices throughout Nostia. Anyone who could afford to buried an Athavi slave with them, even long dead Nostians had slaves buried with them by descendants. Athavi corpses began to become a commodity and old and decrepit Athavi suddenly had their value on the slave market increased. Wealthier Nostians had sex slaves buried with them as well, with hopes that those slaves could keep them company in the dungeon as more than addition to a food source. Perhaps in anticipation of the afterlife or as a ghoulish social trend, some Nostians have begun the practice of eating Athavi. This hasn't caught on among the populace to any large degree, but it is still done in small circles and is seem as something of an exotic gourmet dish.
In older days the desert people to the south almost universally despised the Nostians. One exception to this was a desert tribe called the Yetsheh. The Yetsheh freely traded with the Nostians, bringing them exotic items from the desert and from lands to the south. Because of their ties with Nostians, the Yetsheh became wealthy among the desert people. When Nostia became united and began to face more raids from the southern deserts, the Emperor and Patriarchs realized they needed to be able to bring the fight to the desert people in retribution for their raids. Nostia adopted Yetsheh and signed treaties with them to work together. Peasant male Nostians were allowed to join Yetsheh tribes and take wives there, thus mixing Yetsheh and Nostian blood, making an alliance more acceptable to Nostia. The Yetsheh caravans would be protected by Nostian soldiers and the Yetsheh would provide information to Nostian soldiers about how to strike out against other desert tribes, such as common trade routes, locations of oases or natural shelters, etc. With the help of the Yetsheh, Nostians could make successful attacks into the northern part of the desert and better defend against desert raids. In addition, the treaty allowed the Yetsheh to buy opium from Nostian farmers for relatively low prices in order to sell that opium to other desert tribes or to peoples they encounter in their journeys south. Some of the people that the Yetsheh trade with have become such avid users of opium that they will trade their own children to the Yetsheh - these children are invariably sold in Nostia as slaves. Because of this, the Yetsheh have gained vast wealth and have their own palaces on the borders of southern Nostia. Despite not being true Nostians they are respected within Nostia and allowed to have far more rights in Nostia than any other non-Nostian could dream of, including the right of a female Yetsheh to marry a male Nostian - though the child would be considered a Yetsheh. Yetsheh like Nostians are divided into families, based on their nomadic tribal groups. Each family has sworn an oath of fealty to a Nostian family and bears a tattoo of that Nostian family. In recent years the Yetsheh have expanded their trade empire, and own a number of merchant ships that sail the sea to the north of Nostia and even sending out explorers across the western ocean or into the eastern plains. In all cases the Yetsheh seek to gain wealth from trading between Nostians and other cultures, especially favoring deals involving opium for slaves.
Nostians of the New Empire are more virulently racist than ever before. In order to enter Nostia a non-Nostian must be the property of a Nostian or have special permission from the local noble family or Emperor. Even the Yetsheh have limited ability to enter Nostia, also having to get special permission to enter - though permission from the ruling families are generally given to. Any foreigner who finds their way to Nostia without a Nostian master is either put to death or taken as a slave. It is also against the law to practice any religion in Nostia aside from the veneration of Tarnost. Any practice of religion or worship of deities is seen as a foreign influence that must be purged from Nostia.
When a country is conquered by Nostia, all of its culture is systematically annihilated. Books are burned, buildings and structures are toppled, and the language and religions are banned completely. In order to ensure that no traces remain of the culture, many slaves have their tongues removed. This not only makes it impossible to pass down their language, it also makes it much harder to plot against their masters or to speak about a life of freedom to slaves that have known nothing but servitude. When a slave is caught writing they are subjected to horrible torture and usually death, though some lucky ones are spared by simply have their hands removed. When a conquered people have some special skill, technique, or technology (blacksmithing, tools, farming methods, medicine, arts, etc.) then experts in that field are allowed to be privileged slaves as they use their skills to serve Nostia and teach Nostians their knowledge and skills. These privileged slaves are not mutilated or castrated as long as they enthusiastically serve and teach, though one mistake or sign of defiance and they will suffer as their countrymen do or worse.
With a new generation of slaves, the breeding techniques used to increase desired traits and reduce undesired traits can cause a number of unwanted defects as a result from inbreeding. Babies who bear such deformities are put to death immediately.
Because so much of Nostian society is based upon breeding and lineage, there is a special profession in Nostia called an androcus. The androcus is master of a science which is one part gynecology and obstetrics, one part animal husbandry, and one part genetic engineering. Of course, Nostians have no knowledge about genetics or DNA, they have a very good understanding of heredity, including dominate and recessive traits. An androcus specializes in mating all manner of creature to ensure offspring with the most desirable traits. One major role that they have within Nostia is the breeding of slaves; it is their knowledge that was used to create not only the Athavi, but the Athavi subraces. In the same respect that they are used to guide Athavi evolution, they do the same thing for all animals that are bought, sold, or bred within Nostia. Each Patriarch has a special master androcus in his service to help regulate the breeding of animals and slaves. In direct service of the Emperor is the Androcus Megalos, who is in charge of all slave and animal breeding through out Nostia. The Androcus Megalos makes laws regarding how animals may be bred and under what conditions, these laws are particularly numerous and strict concerning the breeding of slaves who could pose more of a threat if bred incorrectly. An androcus also participates in the breeding of free Nostians, all marriages in Nostia are prearranged and generally before the arrangement is made, an androcus will be hired advise the family elders on the best possible mate for the child to be marries based upon the features of not only the prospective mates but on genealogical records that any respectable Nostian family has going back at least 5 generations. Noble families have their own androcus for just that purpose as well, though the androcus is often limited by the tradition of inbreeding in that case.
When Nostia invades another nation it shows a level of brutality towards the conquered that is unrivaled by any other civilization that they have encountered. Nostian soldiers and commanders have no reservations about using what ever method they can to win. This includes mass executions or torture of civilians, destroying property, kidnapping leader's family members and using them as leverage, and a number of other horrible methods. When a Nostian army finds it too inconvenient to lay siege to a city, they simply scour the surrounding country, enslaving all civilians and salting the fields - forcing the fortified enemy to leave their fortress and fight or else face starvation in the years to come as their country's entire food producing capacity is ruined.
Another technique used in a war that is expected to last a significant amount of time is the mutilation of enemy soldiers. Though Nostians are famous for taking slaves, when they have captures soldiers and cannot conveniently return the captures soldiers to Nostia they instead gouge out the eyes and cut off the hands of the prisoners, in some cases their feet are cut off as well. After mutilating the POWs in this way, they leave a single unharmed prisoner to lead the rest back to the enemy encampment; in the case of footless prisoners they are left at a location where the enemy can find them. The prisoners who return will never be able to contribute to the war effort or their countries' productivity. They will only be a drain on the economy and will most likely be allowed to starve to death because of the high costs of war with Nostia. When crippled soldiers are allowed to starve in such a way, it can be a terrible blow to enemy moral. If they are not allowed to starve then they consume as much as any healthy soldier, despite their inability to fight or work.
When Nostians succeed in taking a country they punish the conquered people for what ever resistance they offered. If the enemy surrender with little or no resistance then the rulers are spared from special mistreatment. Kings and generals who lead their armies against Nostia are not so fortunate. Rulers of a country that fights back (including kings, nobles, generals; and their families as well) are immediately subjected to rape by the conquering Nostian. Every member of the Nostian army is allowed to rape any high ranking official that he desires, and in Nostia it is very prestigious to rape those in positions of power. So it is not uncommon for a conquered nations entire royal family to be raped literally hundreds of times each by Nostian soldiers. After the first week or so, if the nobles survive the mistreatment they receive, they will generally face a bloody execution - the most favored of which to use against foreign nobles is to be dragged to death by horses. Staking (Turkish style) is also fairly common. Officers in the resisting army and even other soldiers are often given the same treatment as well. All combatants of a conquered nation are crippled so that they may never raise their hand against Nostia again.
The peasantry of a conquered nation will become slaves to Nostia and will live lives not unlike those of Athavi. The first generation of conquered slaves generally receive much worse treatment than do Athavi who have served for many generations. Almost all males of a conquered nation are castrated, the only ones who are spared are those who have helped Nostia in some way and thus are spared from the terrible fate of their countrymen. The women of the nation are then forced to bear children with Athavi, creating half breeds with many Athavi traits and therefore saving Nostian slave breeders a lot of time and effort breeding those traits into the newly acquired slave race. Within several generations of controlled breeding, the conquered people and Athavi crossbreed will have all of the desirable Athavi traits such as small size and docile natures. This process has created several subraces of Athavi slaves, those created by crossbreeding them with various conquered people.
Nostians are experts at breeding animals, they have been since the time of Tarnost the Great. They have created a huge variety of animal breeds that are now used through out Nostia and even in some other places. Nostian noble families all have a special kind of animal breeder in their service : those which breed poisonous animals. Over the centuries androcus, animal breeders, and poisoners have bred a variety of highly poisonous snakes, scorpions, and spiders; each producing poison so power that even tiny amounts could kill massive numbers. Because of the political intrigues that still plague Nostia, Nostian nobles live in constant fear of assassination especial with poison. Because of this, each noble family has expert poisoners in its employ. The Nostian nobles all expose themselves to the poisons in small doses and work their way up until they are eventually immune. They do this with every possible toxin that their poisoners can concoct and therefore are immune or resistant to most poisons known in Nostia. This being the case, they also have their poisoners and breeders work on new and different poisons that may be used against political enemies. In order to use or work with poison or poisonous animals, you need special permission from either a Patriarch or the Emperor. Of course, poisoning any other Nostian is illegal and if questioned, noble families would say that their poisoners are solely for their own safety.
The 17 inbred noble families of Nostia own all the land within the Nostian empire aside from the city of Tarnost, which belongs to the Emperor and Tomb Guard. The Nobles are of course a minority with Nostia; the majority of people living within Nostia are the Athavi slaves, with Nostian commoners comming in second, and Nostian nobles are third. The nobles own vast expanses of land and large numbers of Athavi who work the land and bring the nobles the majority of their wealth. The commoners live on the noble's land as well, though they more closley resimble employees of the Nobles than their serfs. Nostian commoners are all trained soldiers and in exchange for living on the noble's land and receiving having labor done for then by Athavi (such as providing food, building shelter, etc.) they protect the land from invasion and go out to conquer more land for their ruling noble family. When commoners are not going to war they generally learn professions that can make them extra money, they generally work for and are paid by the noble family. Nostian commoners often take up professions that would be inappropriate for Athavi - skilled professions such as androcus, blacksmith, archetect, scribe, historian, prophet, etc. The Nostian commoners make the skilled labor force of Nostia.
Nostian nobles are the truely elite warriors of Nostia. They are trained to fight from their birth and it is believed in Nostia that excellence in combat flows from the blood of their ancestors and ultimately from Tarnost the Great. A few Nostian nobles take up other professions, those of high prestige such as androcus or prophet, but all are trained in warfare. As the nobles grow into old age, their role as warrior changes into that of politician, the open combat of their youth replaced by hidden political intriges. To be noble in Nostia is to be able to trace your lineage back to Tarnost the Great, and only Nostians who can do so are allowed to own land within Nostia.
When the Emperor declares war against another kingdom, each noble family is required to offer a minimum percentage of their army. The nobles can, if they choose, send more soldiers. Since all land conquered goes into the possession of the nobility, the Emperor distributes conquered land and captured slaves to the noble families who participated the most in the conquest. This encourages every noble family to send what ever troops that it can so that they other families do not exceed them in wealth or power. Nostian commoners get paid when actively involved in military action as well as for what ever profession they take up. The commoners must obey the commands of the nobles, failing to do so would cause them to be expelled from the land and to no longer have the Athavi to do menial labor for them.
Nostian commoners are the majority of the Nostian army, though another large chunk is called the Imperial Army. The Emperor demands 10% of commoners who live in Nostia to joint the Imperial Army, that which serves the Emporer directly instead of a noble Patriarch. Unlike other commoners, these men usually become professional soldiers, not leaving the Imperial Army until they retire in late adulthood. There is another force which directly serves the Emperor, the Tomb Guard. The Tomb Guard are the elite soldiers of Nostia. It is their purpose to protect the Tomb of Tarnost the Great and the capital city which surrounds it. They are a volunteer force, whim only the most elite of Nostian soldiers may join. Much of the Tomb Guard is made up of Imperial Army soldiers who have proven bravery and skill in combat, though it is not unheard of for Nostian nobles to join the Tomb Guard, nobles who have done so are often well respected in political circles and it is common that the Emporer is a nobleman who has served in the Tomb Guard. No man may be drafted into the Imperial Army unless he has at least one child, for the Emporer would not want to force a man to face death when there is no one to continue his bloodline.
In the time before the New Empire, it was common for women to serve in the armed forces of Nostia. Today this practice is less common. The Androcus Megalos of Ahanik : Tarnost IV, siad that it was unwise for women to go to war when they were far more precious to Nostia in their ability to produce children. Since his time, Nostian women have been discouraged or bared from going to war. The Imperial Army and Tomb Guard are entirely male, though the wives of wsoldiers in those groups may sometimes serve the army i a non-combat role. Noble ladies still have the option to go to war if they wish, though it is frowned upon because of their ability to bear noble children is too highly prized. Despite this trend, it is still not uncommon for Nostian peasant women to fight for their Noble family, particularly if she is a widow or from a family in need of money. Like noblemen, noble ladies are trained to fight and are lethal combatents; they are, however, discouraged from putting their livs in danger during a real war - unless as an absolute last resort.
Because of arranged marriages, inbreeding, and high importance placed upon evolutionary concerns as a race, Nostians (particularly nobles) tend to be large and powerful people. Over the years Nostian features (nose, eyes, bone structure, etc.) have become more recognizable and distinct, making Nostian a little easier to distinguish from other similar peoples. The average Nostian common man is 5'9” and the average woman is 5'4” - noticeably large. Nobles on the other hand, having been warriors for so many generations and being so closely inbred tend to have men who are 6' in height and women who are 5'6” on average. Both commoners and nobles tend to be rather muscular and broadly built. Of course, as any Nostian would tell you, Nostians (especially nobles) have superior intellect as well; though this claim is a bit harder to verify than the size difference.
Each noble family has its own unique features that have appeared over the course of tens of generations of inbreeding. Most Nostians with any knowledge of nobility can recognize a Nostian nobles family by his or her distinctive features. These features can include facial features, bone structure, skin coloration, eye color, hair structure and quantity, number of digits, body size and shape, and a number of other characteristics. Personality traits and other little quirks are also present within some families. Most of the physical traits are highly valued and seen as a sign of pure and noble blood. Some of the mental quirks are seen in this way as well, though certain others are not really acknowledged and mention of them can sometimes provoke a noble to great anger. Because of the hedonistic lifestyle that many Nostian nobles practice, older family members who spend less time exercising and fighting tend to suffer from obesity.
Among the Nostian noble families, there exist groups called Polidelphos, or brotherhoods of warriors. These are organizations are extend beyond family lines, including all kinds of nobles through out Nostia. They are part of a very old tradition that goes back to the armies of Tarnost the Great, who created special units of his army that he named after animals. These traditions virtually disappeared in the feudal period saw a rebirth with the New Empire. These groups tend to be tightly knit, training with each other, sharing secrets, fighting together in battle. Membership in a Polidelphos is a good way for a Nostian noble to make allies and gain prestige, much like joining the Tomb Guard. In order to gain membership you must have enough funds to supply the necessary weapons and armor and show enough skill and dedication to stand out. Nostian commoners may also gain partial membership in these groups if they enter in the service of a noble member as part of his or her retinue. Because of this policy, a large percentage of the Nostian military (which isn't in the Tomb Guard or Imperial Army) are members of a Polidelphos. Just as they did in ancient times, the members of a Polidelphos base their combat styles on animals, though very roughly.
Lion : These Nostians are elite heavy cavalry. They wear heavy armor and ride upon huge, heavily barded horses. All members wear a lion's skin over their armor with the lion's head fixed onto the helmet. They carry large shields, a lance, a long sword, and a mace that has a head shaped like that of a lion.
Leopard : Like the lions, but more lightly armored. They wear leather armor with leopard skin covering and ride smaller faster horses. Like the lions they carry shields, though the are medium sized round shields. Their typical weapons include a slashing sword, a lance, and several throwing darts.
Crocodile : Crocodiles of the Atav river are the largest creatures that Nostians have any experience with, it is therefore fitting that chariot riders are known as crocodiles. Nostian chariots are large ones, drawn by four strong horses and fitted with scythes of the wheels. The horses and riders are covered with heavy armor or barding in addition to the crocodile skin that identifies the Polidelphos. Each chariot has four riders, one drives while two others have shields and spears, while the third has a bow. All four riders carry an extra weapon, such as a short sword, in the event that they need it.
Scorpion : The Scorpion Polidelphos is the largest and most popular of the Polidelphos. This is largely because the scorpion was part of Tarnost the Great's personal banner, but because of the success that Scorpion forces have upon the battlefield. Scorpion soldiers wear partial plate armor that resembles the chitten of a scorpion, it is usually scorched black to mimic the appearance of the most poisonous of Nostia's scorpions, the Night Scorpion. Within a scorpion army there are two kinds of soldiers, the claws and the stingers. Claws have broad swords and large oval body shields, the stingers have long two handed spears. These two troop types operate together in the same unit to maximize the unit's effectiveness.
Cobras : Cobras are expert archers armed with composite long bows and scale armor. Like other members of a Polidelphos, they adorn themselves with the skin of their animal - so the Cobra archers wear cobra skin. Occasionally when Cobra archers go to battle, they will poison their arrow tips with the venom of real Nostian cobras. Doing this makes them extremely lethal, since even the slightest prick from the arrow would be lethal to any human aside from a Nostian noble.
Falcon : Falcons are light mounted archers. Like the leopards, they have fast maneuverable horses, light armor, and swords. The major difference is that they carry composite bows and adorn themselves with feathers, sometimes their horses as well. Some Falcon warriors have learned from the Cobras and use venom to poison the tips of their arrows. Those who do so often call themselves feathered serpents.
Spider : the spider Polidelphos are recruited from the most intelligent and industrious of Nostians, their specialty is the creation and operation of war machines. They create siege towers, catapults, balistas, chariots, and the like. There are all varieties of these machines that are used by Nostians, both on the battlefield and during the sieges. Members of the spider Polidelphos also work as battlefield engineers, overseeing the construction of basic fortifications. Spider warriors/engineers often adorn their clothing or armor with web-like patterns.
Fox : The Fox Polidephos is made up entirely of women, which are banned from the others aside from the Spider, Falcon, and Crocodile Polidephos. Like the Falcons and Cobras, they are archers, sometimes mounted sometimes not. There is a bit more variability in the fighting style of Fox warriors however, and some like to use (mounted or on foot) spears and round shields. They typically wear a breastplate designed specifically for the female form. When not mounted, the archers often protect themselves with large rectangular shields that they prop up in front of them before they open fire. Just as one would expect, they wear fox furs.
Many Nostian farmers grow poppies to make opium. It is a tradition that has stretched back to the First Empire when prophets would use the opium to help subdue their prophetic powers. From that, it grew into a recreational drug used by many Nostians. During the reign of Tarnost II, it was made illegal to use opium or to grow poppies with the consent of the Emperor or the local Patriarch. This reduced the large number of opium addicted Nostians, transforming a major problem within Nostia to a minor one. Generally now, only prophets are allowed to use opium, most farmers who grow it are only allowed to sell if the final destination is in another country. Yetsheh take opium to the south, and Nostian merchants go in other directions, taking opium to foreign markets for sale.
In Nostia, the law is enforced by the nobility. When ever any legal dispute arises between commoners, a Nostian noble will be called upon to arbitrate. Often this is an older and wiser noble who no longer goes to war, but any will suffice. Often in the case where an alleged crime must be investigated, interested parties must try to gain information on their own in order to present to a noble or somehow motivate a noble take action. Because of the close knit families that make up Nostian society, when a violent crime is committed a perpetrator is usually found. Nobles take such cases seriously because solved crimes or unpunished offenses can result in feuds between common families. It is not rare for bribes to be used to motivate the adjudicating noble to rule favorably, though if such actions become known it will cause the noble to lose standing among his peers as well as face possible punishment. Nostians punish criminals by assigning a value to all crimes. When you commit a crime against an individual, you must pay him or her an amount of money based on the severity of the crime. In the case of theft, you must return to the victim twice the value of the object(s) stolen. If you are unable to pay the victim(s) the money owed, you become an indentured servant to the wronged party until the debt is paid. An indentured servant has limited rights, much more than a slave does, but further violations of the law while serving as an indentured servant will cause the criminal to become a true slave, subject to torture or execution at the will of his or her master. Particularly severe crimes will have accordingly severe punishment that transcend monetary fines - murder or rape generally results in a life of indentured servitude, while the punishment for treason is a grisly execution. A master is fully responsible for any crime committed by one of his slaves. Any violent act by a slave against a Nostian - even in self defense - is punished with a painful death.
Nostians do not measure time by month, but rather by 10 day weeks, each year consists of 36 ten day weeks, each of which is named. The rise of Tarnost the Great as first emperor of Nostia is considered to be the Nostian new year, the day itself (corresponding to November 15th) and the two days preceding and following it are not within the official 36 week year. During these five days all Nostians celebrate the birth of their nation and the successes of Tarnost the Great. This celebration includes grand feasts, lighting of bonfires, drinking, dancing, and even sexual orgies for some.
Nostians take pride in their architectural abilities and enjoy beautiful and elaborate constructions. Every major Nostian city abounds with finery, large palaces, statues, gardens with beautiful flowers and exotic plants or trees, fountains, artificial ponds or lakes with strategically placed stepping stones, extravagant public buildings, and other visual marvels. Most of the buildings have finely carved artwork upon their walls and pillars, often the insides have carvings or murals upon the walls. All Nostian cities have roads through them, and the major trade routes of Nostia also have paved roads. Even armor and weapons are made to be beautiful. Many Nostians have intricate designs upon their weapons or armor, sometimes even gold or silver plating in inlays. Of course, poor Nostians have less access to such finery; but even they can walk through a Nostian city, experience the splendor and ambience, and take pride in calling themselves Nostian.
In order for an Androcus to properly do his job breeding slaves or animals, he must know not only about the traits of the individuals to be bred, but also about the ancestors. Because of this, all Androcus keep records of their slaves and animals that go back many generations. Successful Androcus often have huge libraries with records of thousands of individuals, information including numerous physical traits, behavioral observations, and relationships with others. This includes both slaves and animals. Cities usually have an Androcus with a similar library including such information on free Nostians. This information will be available when marriages are arranged. Every ten years, all sanctioned Androcus are required to bring any new records to the Androcus Megalos, who has a vast library in the city of Tarnost. Though a percentage of people, slaves, and animals have slipped through the cracks; the goal is for the Androcus Megalos' library to contain genealogical records of all creatures (noble, commoner, slave, and animal) that lives in Nostia. All noble families have extensive records that trace their ancestry back to Tarnost, Nostian common families keep ancestral records as well.
After the reign of Tarnost II, the laissez faire tolerance of religion common through out Nostia was put to an end. There had been a growing resentment of religions within Nostia as the influence of lesser races that insinuated its way into Nostian society. With the rise of the New Empire, the Patriarchs were ready to put an end to outside cultural practices that had taken root and “corrupted” pure Nostian culture - this included religion. Tarnost II was himself strongly against the idea of the worship of any deity, saying that the mere thought of doing so interfered the veneration of Tarnost the Great and for a Nostian to worship a foreign god was a disgrace to the greatness of Nostian blood and the Nostian race. As a result of this movement, religions were purged from Nostia, idols were destroyed and practitioners were forced to renounce their beliefs or face terrible consequences. Now, whenever Nostia encounters a religious practices of a conquered people, it takes strong measures to make sure that every shred of the religion is destroyed, including holy texts, temples, statues/idols, holy locations, etc. Priests and other religious leaders are often made an example of, being tortured and humiliated in public, made to renounce their religion in front of (former) followers and then forced to “pray” to the presiding Nostian torturer for death before the execution is carried out.
When Nostians get married, an Androcus is there to preform the marriage and give his blessing to the couple. The marriage ceremony involves the Androcus reading the entire genealogical record of both participants, then cutting the left wrist of the bride and groom. After both are complete, they raise their hands up and interlock fingers, allowing their wrists to touch and the blood to intermingle. Two white cloths are then tied around their joined wrists, signifying the unity of their blood and their families - or the preservation of pure family blood in the case of inbred nobles. From that point on, the couple each wears one of the white cloths around their wrist, the white cloth stained dark reddish brown from the blood a mark of marriage. The family or families of the couple then have a celebration, usually this includes a dance/performance/sex show by attractive Athavi slaves. While the family does this, the couple have a ritualized night of sex, this ritual includes Athavi slaves to help out and make the experience more pleasurable for each. For nobles, these Athavi are generally owned by the couple or their family, for commoners who may not be able to afford the Athavi, sex slaves can be rented for the evening. The day after the wedding, the couple each receives a tattoo with each others names. Commoner weddings take place in a large and well adorned public marriage building that every Nostian city or town has, the building is accessible to all, but only the family or families are allowed to come to the wedding. Noble families have their own special marriage buildings.
In the old days of Nostia, Prophets were wealthy and powerful individuals. Every noble family sought to have one in their employ and when a prophet spoke, people listened. Today prophets can no longer expect the same respect or credibility, and as a result no longer have such lifestyles. Most prophets of the New Empire become prophets for almost religious reasons, being traditionalists and seeking to maintain the tradition of prophesy even if others may view them strangely. Because Tarnost the Great was a prophet, they do not suffer from persecution, but very often are ignored or avoided. Many Nostian prophets become wanderers or hermits, living away from civilized areas to avoid the reaction their mental quirks cause. A few hermit prophets have become well known for their prophesies and there are sometimes local stories about the mad man in the wilderness who can foresee the future. Other prophets scrape by on the minimal payment for a quick prophesy, almost like a Bourbon Street palm reader. A few nobles still have enough marginal belief in prophesy to have one on the payroll, though they usually aren't taken extremely seriously. Despite these minor roles for them, prophets aren't people the average Nostian gives much thought to.
Among the different subraces of Athavi there is some degree of resentment and rivalry. For the most part, this rivalry breaks the Athavi population down into three major groups : the sex Athavi, the pure blooded worker Athavi, and the mixed race Athavi. Rethva Athavi are used for sex by Nostian, as a result they seldom have to engage in hard labor, they are also well treated, fed, clothed, and sheltered. In general, they have significantly higher standards of living than do the Quilon Athavi. Quilon Athavi see themselves as more useful and harder working than the lazy Rethva Athavi, while the Rethva see the Quilon as beasts of burden, who are only good for physical labor while it is they who can truly please and serve their masters. Both groups seek the praise of the Nostian masters, and sometimes strive to prove themselves the more useful breed of Athavi. This rivalry hardly ever extends beyond rudeness or subtle behavior. Both of the pure blooded Athavi groups see themselves as superior to the mixed race Athavi, who have not been perfected by the Nostian breeders. The mixed breed Athavi see the pure breeds as weak and inferior, and resent the better treatment that the pure blooded Athavi receive. They especially hate the Rethva Athavi. Because Hurist Athavi tend more towards rebellion, every so often this resentment can extend to a Nostian master or even result in direct acts (which are severally punished) against other Athavi. The other Athavi groups (aside from Rethva, Quilon, and Hurist) are too insignificant to Athavi subculture for any rivalry to matter.
When an Athavi slave is born, it is taken from its mother and given to a group of similar Athavi women who are currently nursing. The baby never sees it real mother and is passed around between nursing Athavi mothers keep any one from becoming too attached. A number of babies will be raised by this mothering group, taught by them the ways of being Athavi. This process is observed by a Nostian overseer who makes sure the training/indoctrination goes correctly. Male Athavi are taken from their mothers after being weaned, they are then raised by other male Athavi. For the most part male Athavi are segregated from females, only seeing them briefly when the Athavi studs impregnate Athavi females. Athavi are not only taught about how to do their jobs, but also indoctrinated in Nostian philosophy. They are taught to believe in the superiority of the Nostian race and the very special place that Athavi have as their servants. They learn that the greatest achievement is to please their masters and to live their lives in dutiful service. Athavi tend to be almost as racist as Nostians are, they believe that all foreign races are inferior to Athavi because they do not have the ability to serve Nostians with the same ability and dedication. Athavi are taught that the world outside of Nostia is full of perils, monsters, and savage barbarians that only the Nostians can protect them from. Very few Athavi would ever consider leaving Nostia.
For a brief time, the free Athavi nation had some degree of success. They lived along the river, which they named Lephira - or “freedom” in Nostian, and divided into small tribal groups, each of which was governed by true democratic voting. The little villages each had a representative who was sent to a counsel of tribal representatives to vote on policies that the nation as a whole would take. This system was somewhat awkward and prevented major unified action. Every so often the Athavi free tribes would go to war with ethnic Nostian plains people, and only when this occurred would all of the free Athavi unite with a single purpose. Sometimes a village's governmental system would change a bit, the democracy slipping into something of a monarchy. Sometimes these monarchs would seek to gain power over other tribes and this would result in intertribal warfare. The armies of the Athavi tribes were all militia, all training and going to war voluntarily - because of the great hatred inspired by the idea of forced actions. As time went by, the Athavi began to forget about the slavery of their past. They remembered it as an important historical story, but Athavi who were generations removed from the slavery of the past had less objection to the formation of a stronger government. When the New Nostian Empire arose, it wasn't long before the Athavi tribes heard of the event. Along with the changing attitudes of the Athavi, the New Empire inspired them to unite under a king appointed by tribal representatives. The king was able to organize and militarize the Athavi to some degree, forming a standing army, raising taxes, and becoming able to mount and organized attack. Unfortunately, their efforts were too little and too late. When the Nostian Empire attacked the Athavi free kingdom, it met with more resistance than it had expected, but the organized Athavi were still easily defeated in open combat by the superior Nostian forces. The Nostians sent a fleet of boats down the Lephira river, sacking every Athavi village that they encountered. The Athavi were forced to flee into the depths of the jungle. The free Athavi escaped complete genocide or slavery by their ability to hide in the jungle and conduct guerrilla warfare there. After destroying the major Athavi population centers, the Nostians left the jungle. Small jungle villages of Athavi still exist and try to maintain contact in an attempt to try to rebuild their short lived kingdom, though they live in constant fear of raids by Nostian slavers if they grow too large. Nostians for the most part ignore the jungles aside from keeping the land around it lightly patrolled. Some Nostian nobles have speculated that the best solution would be to burn down the jungle completely, though most don't care enough to.
One of the most popular forms on entertainment in Nostia is animal fighting. Nostians fight a huge variety of animals, many of which have been bred to fight for generations. It is not uncommon to see lions, leopards, fighting dogs, roosters, boars, or bulls in the arena - against animals of the same kind or of different kinds. In recent decades, one kind of animal has become particularly popular - monkeys. Monkey fights are now the rage in Nostia and thousands come out to see two monkeys fight to the death. The monkeys are entertaining because of their ability to use very rudimentary fighting tactics and the lack of short lethal matches - the monkey fights are generally long and bloody. The monkeys are often fitted with little suits of armor including an owner's mark. The armor is also usually attached with little razor sharp blades. Because of being bred for generations to be fearless and violent, these fighting monkeys show a level of brutality that almost rivals that of the Nostian nobility - tearing apart their foes with teeth, cannibalizing or sexually mounting the corpses, sometimes even killing themselves by continuing to beat at a dead foe. The monkeys have a size limit of 26 pounds so that they cannot significantly threaten an adult Nostian. Because of the popularity of the monkey fights, extremely successful monkeys can be incredibly expensive, particularly studs who can often be literally worth their weight in gold. Its not unheard of for a monkey owner to commit suicide after a prize monkey is killed - the financial loss is devastating.
The Nostian Polidelphos are not the only regular units in Nostia that use standardized tactics. The Nostian Imperial army does so as well. The bulk of the Nostian Imperial army is made of of infantrymen with large rectangular shields and short spears, they are armored with breastplates of iron. A small number of the Imperial Army is made up of fast cavalry, armored similarly and armed with a light slashing sword (much like a scimitar) and a round shield. The third part of the official Nostian army are the archers, men on foot with short bows and a breastplate. These soldiers often are not as well trained or equipped as the Polidelphos, but they are always there and ready to serve the Emperor in time of need. When major battles occur, the Emperor must go to the nobles to raise an army of Polidelphos, but for daily use, the Imperial Army serves well.
The Tomb Guard is not intended for fighting a true war with another country, not unless Tarnost City itself were threatened with destruction. They are the personal guard of the emperor and of the capital city. They mainly protect against potential assassins who may try to harm the emperor or other internal threats. The standard Tomb Guardian wears a coat of plates for armor and wields a large glaive-like weapon. As the political and military climate of Nostia changed over the years, the fighting style of the Tomb Guard did as well. They originally used large shields and swords, then later moved to the glaives. Now many members of the Tomb Guard wear civilian clothing and carry concealed weapons. Some Tomb Guardians protect from the shadows - walking amongst a crowd when the emperor makes public appearances or infiltrating groups that may be treasonous. The Tomb Guard now serves many roles, that of body guards for the emperor, as guardians of the tombs, as counter-spies, and as special forces soldiers who can fulfill roles that other soldiers cannot.
There are soldiers in Nostia that are not nobles, nor are they in the Tomb Guard, Imperial Army, or in a Polidelphos. These are commoners who are required to fight for a noble family when they go to war. These commoners tend to be poorly equipped and trained compared to other soldiers in Nostia, having what ever weapons they provide for themselves and having only militia training. Such troops as these used to make up the bulk of Nostian armies. Now with more organized and well trained forces, they are becoming less and less common and are now a small minority of the total Nostian armed forces.
The New Empire has been settling/conquering several islands in the ocean to the north. Their presence in the region currently consists of trade with the island kingdoms there. Some of the wealthier Yetsheh families have bought ships and sail the seas selling opium (and a few other trade goods too) to any people they encounter. Nostian warships also sail the region protecting their interests and trade routes from pirates. A few island countries pay tribute to Nostia in exchange for protection both from piracy and from Nostia. Many Nostian noble families own warships in the area that they use for privateering, attacking ships from nations that do not have favorable agreements with Nostia. Because of the growing influence of the Nostian naval forces in the ocean to the north, a new Polidelphos is being proposed by some of the nobles of Nostia. The official formation of the “shark” Polidelphos is probably only a matter of time, considering the growing use of naval warfare and advancements that have been made in ship to ship combat by Nostia as of late. Nostia has formed an alliance with the D'Potri people. They have been slavers and pirates for generations, and the red triangle of their flag strikes fear into the hearts of many people. The D'Potri established trade agreements with the Nostians, giving Nostians low priced slaves in exchange for Nostian military protection of their trade routes and their ports. The D'Potri have also agreed not to raid a community that is allied with or pays tribute to Nostia, creating a major incentive for nations to do so - since retaliations against D'Potri raids are now difficult due to Nostian protection.
Imperial Armor is worn by the Imperial Army. It consists of a thick iron breastplate and open faced iron helmet. The protection on the arms and legs are minimal, usually just boiled leather plates on the shins and forearms. Imperial cavalry horses wear no barding.
Scorpion Armor is worn only by those of the Scorpion Polidelphos. It is made up of overlapping plates on a leather backing and reinforced underneath by metal strips. The plates give the appearance of a scorpions chittinous armor. It has a metal helm that covers most of the face aside from a horizontal slit that crosses the eyes and a vertical slit that starts at the eye slit and goes down to the bottom of the face piece.
Heavy armor is worn by Lion and Crocodile soldiers along with miscellaneous nobles who do not belong to a Polidelphos. This armor is simply a coat of plates, where interlocking plates are riveted onto a leather backing. The torso, arms, and legs are all well protected by this armor, which typically includes a metal helm. The exact style varies from individual to individual. The horses of the the Lion and Crocodile Polidelphos wear heavy barding made with soft leather with small closely set metal disks or scales riveted on.
Light armor is worn by Leopards, Falcons, Sharks, and sometimes Spiders. It is also occasionally worn by commoner soldiers or very poor members of the nobility. This armor is made from leather or hide. The most common version is simply soft leather clothing with hardened leather plates riveted on, making a coat of plates much like that of the heavy Nostian armor. Sea faring nobles like to wear shark's hide, with thicker hide on the immobile sections of the body and thin soft hide at the joints. Usually Falcons do not have barding on their horses, Leopards' horses have minimal armor that is made from soft leather.
Cobra armor is worn by archers in the Cobra Polidelphos. This armor consists of a shirt of overlapping iron scales that are made to resemble those of a snake. The shirt is long, forming a skirt that comes down to the knees, partially protecting the archer's legs. The scales also protect the shoulders and come a little ways down the upper arms, protecting them as well. The armor also has a helm that matches, basically a hood of scale armor over a boiled leather headpiece to give it shape and support.
Fox armor is worn by women in the Fox Polidelphos. The most noticeable part of this armor is the breastplate, which is shaped to to appear like the nude torso of a woman. There are also plates on the upper legs, shins, and forearms of the armor; all usually held in place with leather straps or riveted onto a leather backing. It is also generally worn with a closed faced iron helm, many noble women like to have the face plate shaped to resemble their own faces. When Foxes ride horses, the horses tend to wear light barding such as soft leather, linen, or silk with a few boiled leather pieces to protect the horse's head and neck.
A variety of other armor is sometimes worn, since it is common for Nostians not affiliated with some organized military group to supply their own armors, almost anything can be see on the battlefield, including the captured armor of enemies. Most non-standard armor tends to be of lower quality than the armors described above
This is the last of the Nostian Fluff, totaling over 26 pages. This last bit involves descriptions of both a Nostian prophet's insanity.
Madness
There are a number of ways to become a Nostian Prophet, but the most recognized method is the drinking of mercury. Often this is accompanied by other events as well, such as using drugs, being enclosed in darkness for a prolonged period of time, fasting, ritual scarification, sometimes even permanent blinding or deafening. Some Prophets do not drink mercury at all, a rare few are born with the ability, others receive it after some traumatic event. Regardless of the cause of the prophetic abilities, all Prophets share a degree of madness which is inexorably linked with the ability to Prophesize.
Prophets see visions of future events, of things that happened in the past, or even present events happening far away. Often prophets have trouble distinguishing these visions from the present or from their own past memories. For example, a Prophet may be inside of a house and suddenly begin yelling that the house is on fire and that everyone should flee; the house however is not on fire, though it will burn down ten years later, perhaps long after the Prophet even cares what happens to the house. A prophet may walk down the street and observe two men making small talk, though the conversation that the Prophet witnesses happened the previous day. Many times the original source of the visions will never be known, perhaps the Prophet and his companions will never learn that years later that the house burned down, making some skeptics of prophesy believe it was merely a hallucination.
Sometimes Prophets confuse dreams or memories of the past for visions of the future and vice versa. A Prophet may warmly greet a person whom he has never met and begin talking about the wonderful times they have had together, times which have not yet happened but will in the future. On other occasions, the Prophet will not greet a friend, thinking perhaps that the friendship was a vision of things to come. It is not uncommon to see a Prophet speaking to apparently nobody, having a conversation with himself, while the Prophet relives a conversation that he had in the past or one which he will have in the future. For the Prophet, often the past, present, and future blend together and he has trouble distinguishing between them.
Prophets also are prone to bouts of extreme irrationality. These are often linked with dreams or visions that the prophet has had. If a Prophet has had a vision or dream about some weird action or method being successful, often he will feel inclined do that action even at inappropriate times in anticipation of the vision he has had. Visions of misfortune can also heavily influence a Prophet's actions, it is not unknown for a Prophet to avoid certain things at all costs because of some vision that they have had linking that thing to some bad event. Occasionally Prophets will be fearless to the point of foolishness, walking casually into dangerous situations without giving it the slightest thought - because as many Prophets believe, if the situation was that dangerous they would have known before hand. Sometimes this irrational behavior benefits the Prophet more than some would think, then again, because of the vague nature of many visions or insights that a Prophet has, the irrational behavior is for all intents and purposes arbitrary. Sometimes what a Prophet believes is a prophetic insight or dream is just an intuitive hunch or normal dream, which can cause even more trouble if the Prophet places too much importance on it.
Aside from the odd effects that a Prophet's abilities have on them directly, there are many indirect affects that can cause emotional instability. It is not uncommon for Prophets to slip into bouts of deep depression, occasionally from knowing how loved ones may die or from frequent visions of death and suffering. Sometimes friendships or long term relationships are hard for a Prophet to establish or to maintain, not only because of what the Prophets may see in visions but also because of their generally odd behavior and lifestyles. This can cause further depression and feelings of isolation for the Prophet, suicide is a common fate for many. Prophets often overindulge in alcohol or other mind affecting substances to escape from their troubles, others try to acquire fame or worldly power to distract themselves from other things that trouble them. Despite the tremendous respect that Prophets receive in Nostia, the life of a Prophet is a hard one.
The slave system of the kingdoms that were once Nostia (from now on just called Nostia) is exceptionally brutal and demeaning to the slaves. Most of these policies were established by Tarnost himself and continue to this day. The majority of the slaves are crippled in some way as to make them less threatening or less likely to be able to escape. Many male slaves are castrated, others are hobbled, or blinded, or have hands cut off - depending upon the specific nature of their slave role. Women are less often mutilated, though many are. Often female slaves end up as concubines for wealthy free men, these slaves are made to drink an herbal concoction that prevents pregnancy. Any child that results from sex between a free man and a slave woman is killed, as race mixing is seen as a horrible crime and abomination. The slaves are bred like cattle, male slaves used for breeding must be slight of build and stature - a decree made by Tarnost to make them weaker and more easy to dominate. Slaves who disobey are dealt with extremely harshly, though torture and murder of slaves is not an uncommon source of amusement among the wealthy.
The nobles who still rule the kingdoms often marry within their own families, though not much as was done in the past (cousins usually).
Nostia is officially atheistic. People there acknowledge no deities, aside from minor beings that are no more significant than helpful or harmful spirits. The closest thing to a deity there is the great veneration for Tarnost and the belief that he will return from the dead. This belief has become stronger with the decline of the region's influence. The closest thing that there are to priests or religious leaders are prophets. These men and women follow in the footsteps of Tarnost, drinking quicksilver so that they can see visions. Many use other methods to see visions as well, such a hallucinogenic herbs, sensory deprivations (sometimes being placed in a dark room for a week alone, sometimes deliberate blinding). The words of prophets are highly respected by nobles of Nostia. It is believed that those who have much of Tarnost's blood in their veins are cable of great feats or even magical powers.
The afterlife that Nostians believe in is called The Dungeon - this a small enclosure of utter darkness, silence, and solitude. When a mortal dies, they go into their own private dungeon where they eat their own flesh (which constantly heals back) for all eternity. Everyone goes to The Dungeon, the good, the evil, the slave, the master, people of all faiths, none escape. Since Nostians believe that resurrection is possible (Tarnost will do it some day), they think that it is possible that one day too they can be resurrected and saved from The Dungeon. For this reason free people within Nostia have their bodies preserved and placed within protective tombs. Slaves seldom have this luxury, though a “lucky” few may be preserved and buried with their masters.
There is little sexism within Nostia. Though traditional male and female roles prevail, women are entitled to the same legal rights as men are. Many of Nostia's notable rulers have been queens. Even on the battlefield there are occasionally women, generally female soldiers serve as horse or chariot archers. Female infantry is rare.
Nostians are racist with regards to all foreigners, but do not show the same disdain for people's of other nations as they do for their slaves. It is still forbidden to mix one's blood (have children) with foreign people. Friendship is also discouraged, but not illegal.
Nostia is divided up into many small city states, each ruled by a noble family which is descended from Tarnost. Members of these families are generally warriors and have a fighting tradition that goes back to the time of Tarnost. These families are extremely inbred, and often have strange characteristics as a result. The eldest member of each family is called the Patriarch or Matriarch and controls the family and rules the land as lord or lady.
Nostians are Caucasian looking people, having fair or medium skin tones and dark hair, straight or wavy. One unusual characteristic of Nostians is that they virtually all have green eyes, it is seen as one of the unique traits of their people and as a result is something they take great pride in. The slave race of the Nostians, the Athavi, are more darkly complected with somewhat Asiatic or Amerindian features. The Athavi are also quite small, while Nostians tend to be a large and burly people, the Athavi are small and slight, standing at least a foot shorter than the average Nostian.
All Nostian men have beards, though they keep their beards trimmed short along with their hair. Nostian women shave their heads, in fact the style for women in Nostia is to shave or wax all of the hair on their bodies, including eyebrows. All Nostians, rich and poor, wear basically the same variety of clothing, flowing robes and cloaks, black in the winter and white in the summer, usually their cloaks are reversible. Athavi wear their hair long and usually free flowing or in lose pony tails. The Athavi are not allowed to wear either white or black clothing, as those are the colors of Nostians, rather they wear red, usually basic tunics.
Lineage is very important to Nostians, and most Nostians can trace back their family line to the time of Tarnost. Because of this, marital fidelity is extremely valued to them. The exception to this is with slaves. Having sex with one's slaves is a common practice in Nostia, even among women. Between Nostians homosexuality is rare, but in regards to sex with slaves it is not seen as usual or in any way objectionable - in fact, for women it is encouraged, since sex between a Nostian woman and Athavi male offends most Nostians' sensibilities. Having children with slaves is expressly forbidden, any child that results from such a union is killed, though Nostian herbalists have knowledge both the prevent and end pregnancies. Having children with non-Nostians is forbidden as well, though not seen in the same light as having one with a slave.
To Nostians combat is a way of life, every sport and pastime is related to combat in some way. Archery, wrestling, fencing (more like sca stick fighting), and tests of horsemanship are all things which every Nostian boy does from a young age. Even girls learn combat, generally focusing more on archery and horse riding. In the days of Tarnost, Nostians trained together to form highly disciplined military units. Currently, Nostians often suffer due to lack of organization. Every Nostian is a highly trained fighter, and one on one they are superior to most foes, but their units often have trouble moving and maintaining unit cohesion because each man fights as an individual.
Among Nostians, tattooing is an extremely common practice. The Nostian alphabet is extremely large and complex, it also lends itself to artistic expression. Most Nostians have tattoos with the names of important ancestors, great personal accomplishments, etc. They also have a number of symbols for greater philosophical or spiritual concepts, which are another variety of tattooing that is common. Some Nostian tattoos, particularly on women, have no deeper meaning but are simply meant to be attractive. Slaves are tattooed as well, though usually just with the names of their master.
Nostian slavery is exceedingly brutal. The majority of male slaves are castrated or crippled in some way to prevent them being a threat. Female slaves are routinely raped, beaten, and taken advantage of. The Athavi are worked incredibly hard, forced to do hard menial labor while the Nostians have more pleasant jobs and also have extra time to hone their fighting skills. The majority of Athavi males never reproduce, only the smallest and most docile are spared from castration and bred with Athavi females, resulting in small size of the Athavi. Any lack of complete obedience on the part of the Athavi is met with extreme cruelty - torture, rape, execution of loved ones - all common practices against the rebellious Athavi. Such torments are not only reserved for punishment however, a sizable minority of wealthy Nostians abuse Athavi for their own amusement.
Nostians believe that when Tarnost returns from the dead that he will raise other Nostians from the dead as well to serve him in a great new kingdom. Because of this, they believe that their bodies must be kept in reasonably good condition. Nostian cities all have a large tomb complex where Nostians' preserved bodies are placed along with objects of personal value, usually weapons and armor. These tombs are protected at all times by guards, usually members of the local ruling family.
The Tomb of Tarnost is a huge Pyramid which was build in the desert, away from other cities or sources of nourishment. It is guarding by its own small army, which lives in a series of building which surround the pyramid. This army is a noble family which has guarded the tomb since the death of Tarnost, originally the most elite soldiers in the army of Tarnost, they have continued the military tradition for 500 years. Every man, woman, and child of the Tomb Guard fight; they are the exception to the Nostians' lack of disciplined unit fighting skills. Among the Tomb Guard, your place the a military unit's formation is determined from birth and each member of the unit has learned to fulfill his or her fighting role very well. Since the Tomb Guards only fight, they must receive a tithe from the other noble families of Nostia. Because of the important role that the Tomb Guard serve, few other families mind paying the tithe, those in the past who decided not to generally met with terrible fates. The eldest member of the Tomb Guard is the closest that Nostia has to a king or queen, they use their family's military strength and influence to unite the Nostian families in times of trouble and generally quell family vs family conflict if they become too severe.
When the empire of Tarnost fragmented, many of the Nostian lords began to adopt local customs and intermarry with the locals, basically being assimilated into the local culture. Later when in periods of civil war between the Nostian families, some regions managed to throw off Nostian rule, often with help of Nostian families that oppose that region's ruling family or outside invaders. A few areas around the jungles of the northeast, there exist small kingdoms of free Athavi. Free Athavi hate the Nostians with a passion and would destroy them if they could.
Nostian armies fight with a variety of units. Chariots and cavalry (both horse archers and heavy cavalry) are common among the nobility. In infantry units, Nostians generally aren't armed uniformly. It is not uncommon for a soldier with a large shield and a spear to be next to someone with an axe in each hand, a two handed weapon, or maybe even just a bow. Armor varies from person to person as well, depending on the wealth and preference of the individual. The exception to this are the Tomb Guard, they are nobles who fight primarily as infantry using body shields and long swords. Most of the Nostian soldiers use bronze weapons and armor (if they have armor), the exception to this is the Tomb Guard who often use iron swords.
Nostians have a greater appreciation for the effects of heredity. Just as they have bred the Athavi to be small, they have also bred their animals in similar ways. Nostian oxen are large and powerful, their cattle are fat and give lots of milk, etc. Most well known are Nostian horses, which are widely known as the best in the world. They have a number of horse breeds; extremely fast horses for mounted archers, docile and hearty horses for labor, and extremely large, powerful, and ferocious horses for heavy cavalry or chariots. The have a number of dog breeds are well, mostly breeds for herding or tracking. They breed less pragmatic animals as well, cats are a favorite for Nostians and are bred for friendly behavior and for attractive coat colors. Even large cats such as lions or panthers are kept as pets by some nobility, these cats are usually bred for large size. Birds with bright plumage are also popular among nobility.
When Tarnost ruled his empire, he decided that there should be a standard monetary unit that could help facilitate trade and commerce. He had a single small gem which was cut and polished into a perfectly round sphere. He called the gem the Osteri, and said that copper coins would be made to weigh exactly the same as the gem. Thus he created the standard monetary unit called the osteri. The usage of these coins and the standard caused these coins to be used through out the known world, even coins of different size or material were assigned a value in osteri. Today many nations still use the osteri as a standard coin size and weight, many of the coins minted by Tarnost remain in circulation. The original Osteri gem is still in the possession of the Tomb Guard and still used as a standard for making coins in Nostia.
Nostians as a people are generally atheistic, though a number of deities are worshiped. A large minority of Nostians see gods as minor supernatural beings, powerful enough to give good luck or advantages here and there, but nothing overly significant. Many people have little idols or charms which are thought to bring fertility, luck, good harvests, etc. Such use of idols or charms are seen as somewhat superstitious by the most Nostians, particularly those who are well educated. Many other Nostians frown on the worship of deities because of the foreign origin of those religions. Nostia has no historical religion, any deities worshiped by Nostians now have been adopted from other cultures and the natural ethnocentrism of most Nostians cause deity worship to be viewed in an unfavorable light. Despite the fact that superstitious behavior is frowned upon by many Nostians, no one really cares as long as the practitioners don't get carried away with it (much like superstition in modern America). The idea of extremely powerful or omnipotent gods is foreign to Nostians and the mere idea is would seem absurd to them, aside from the way that Tarnost is held in high regard. If any particular religious belief or practice is at odds with the veneration of Tarnost, the belief in prophesy, or common Nostian mores then it is seen in a much worse light.
The noble families of Nostia trace there lineage back to the inbred daughters of Tarnost. When a noble formally introduces himself, he will name every ancestor between himself and Tarnost and tell the number of Generations. The ruling noble families take their names from the most inbred daughter of Tarnost from which they are descended. The degree to which one of the daughters of Tarnost is inbred is their generation. The daughter of Tarnost and on unrelated woman is a a daughter of the first generation, Tarnost's daughter with that first generation daughter would be a daughter of the second generation. It is often seen as prestigious to be from a more inbred daughter, some families trace back their lineage to daughters of the 6th generation. The exception to this are the Tomb Guard, who trace their lineage back to the sons of Tarnost instead of the daughters.
Nostia once controlled vast stretches of land, with numerous foreign people's under their dominion. When Nostia fragmented after the death of Tarnost, most of the Nostians within the far ranging kingdoms were assimilated into the local populace. These kingdoms exist all over the continent, many of them speak a form of Nostian or or are an obvious mixture of Nostian blood and the local racial stock. These relatives of Nostians are collectively known as “Nulns” in Nostia, almost as a form of racial slur. Despite being seen as inferior to true Nostians, Nulns and Nostians often ally with each other in times of need.
Nostians believe in a great duty to one's family. This of course includes children, parents, siblings etc. Nostians take this even farther, extending the idea of family out to distant cousins. The political structure in Nostia works to a large degree because of the ruling families, all of the members of which are expected to show loyalty to family and especially the Patriarch or Matriarch. The idea of family extends even farther that that within Nostia, as many see the entire race as a form of extended family, leading to a unique form of racial nationalism within Nostia. Since Nostians don't believe in a pleasant afterlife, the primary goal of the Nostian is to reproduce and to insure the survival of their own and their family member's children, and to a lesser degree, to strive for the propagation of Nostians as a whole. When trouble faces Nostia, men of fighting age are pressed into military service; the exception to this men who do not yet have children, for them fighting is optional. For Nostian women, military service is always optional though often it is considered unwise since the number of women limit reproductive ability of Nostians.
Nostia and the areas that once were Nostian contain large numbers of palaces and other architectural works. Tarnost had majestic palaces built for himself all over the his empire, he also had numerous other structures built that still stand today. Nostian noble families dwell in some of Tarnost's most impressive structures, though in some areas where culture has dwindles in the past 500 years, one may find a castle which has been turned into a peasant dwelling or even abandoned ruins. Statues of Tarnost, defensive structures such as walls or towers, and stone roads are also common through out Nostia and the surrounding areas.
As Nostians breed animals for specific purposes, so too do they breed Athavi. Athavi have not yet formed into distinct breeds to the degree that dogs and horses have, there are hereditary lines of Athavi that are known for certain qualities or or tendencies, such as Athavi that are generally attractive or those whom are good at working for long hours, etc. If current practices continue, these Athavi lines should become even more distinct. Because of the breeding practices used by Nostians, the majority (80%) of Athavi born are female. This is because the majority of males are castrated relatively early in life and therefore females are more likely to pass along genetic material.
One of the most popular forms of entertainment in Nostia is called Savorta, a two man hand to hand fight. There are coliseums across Nostia where people from all walks of life come to see these fights. In Savorta anything is allowed, biting, low blows, eye gouging, wrestling, etc. The only restriction is that no weapons are allowed. A match only ends when one man gives up, loses consciousness, or dies. The combatants are not slaves or forced in any way to compete, they do so for the fame and fortune that they gain by fighting. Savorta is not only practiced by the athletes, it is common (in a slightly more subdued form) across Nostia. Just about every Nostian has participated in a Savorta match at some point in their lives, just as most Americans have played baseball or basketball at some point.
New Nostian Empire
With the unifying rule of Tarnost II, Nostia has been able to expand to a size even exceeding that of the great empire of Tarnost the Great. The empire expands to the ocean to the west and north, its southern border stops at the desert and the eastern frontier ends at the ocean at the northeast and ends with the ending of civilization in the vast plains and deserts of the southeast. Nostia also has a presence in the islands to the north of the main continent, owning several islands there and demanding tribute from and/or trading with many of the sea faring nations of the region.
The New Empire began its initial expansion to the north, taking back the plains that were once part of the Old Empire. Several groups of plains people were crushed as Nostia began the war against them, including the country carved out by the renegade army of Paxia. The king and commanding soldiers of the once Paxian army were subjected to horribly painful and humiliating deaths to make examples of Nostians who would betray their rightful rulers. This cruel treatment bolstered Tarnost II's popularity among Nostian nobles, who feared and hated the traitorous soldiers who betrayed the Paxia family. The surviving nobles of the Paxia family were given large expanses of plain land to compensate them for their own land being seized and distributed among other families. This act also made Tarnost II popular among the Patriarchs, who appreciated the respect shown to the Paxia family and their noble blood. Because the plains people come from the same racial stock as Nostians, they were given the option of Nostian citizenship. Most of the tribal leaders accepted this offer and swore loyalty to Tarnost II, those who were not would face not only the Nostian army but also their fellow plains people. It took a number of years to take the plains, after that expansion halted as Tarnost II faced internal reforms, and attacks from the Athavi kingdoms, Barbarians from the northeastern jungles, raiders from the desert, and attacks from northern forces from across the ocean. During this time the Nostian military underwent a number of changes, including becoming much more centralized and organized. When Tarnost II died, all of the attacking forces had been beaten back, but no further land had been gained. Tarnost II feared that his empire would break down after his death, just as it did when Tarnost the Great had died. In the last years of his life he devised a political system whereby an emperor is elected by a combined council of the family Patriarchs. He longed to appoint his own successor, but feared that the support of the Patriarchs was needed for any future Emperor to succeed. This system lasts to this day. Over the next few generations of Emperors, the Empire expanded further. With new emperors and new reforms in the military, more and more land was conquered. Eventually the various barbarian tribes were conquered and all of the land north of the great desert became Nostian land. The former inhabitants ether becoming Nostian citizens, slaves, or being exterminated completely.
As Nostia began to seize more and more land, the Nostian noble families struggled with each other for ownership of the nation's new property. With the help of the Emperors, land was divided up among the families based on which were most helpful in seizing the land along with the desire to try to maintain some degree of stability among the families. Since distribution of newly acquired land, citizens, and slaved was based largely on participation in conquering said land, each noble family was encouraged to participate in conquering the lands, helping to further militarize the new Nostian empire. The resulting army consisted of a single unified military of Nostia which was made up of noble soldiers from among the 17 families each of which fought for the wealth of his family as well as the nation.
The use of and belief in Prophets has significantly waned over the years. Most modern Nostians are unwilling to risk insanity or even death for powers which are not fully understood or even believed. The rare few Prophets that remain are respected by some and not by others. Most Patriarchs have a Prophet or two working for them but their influence is limited. The organizations of prophets that existed in the early days of Nostia no longer exist. In these now advanced and knowledgeable days, a Prophet's words are as likely to be seen as madness as visionary insight.
Tarnost the Great said that all men would go to the dungeon when they die, to eat their own flesh forever. He was also buried with a number of his own slaves. According to Tarnost II, after death a master would eat his slaves instead of his own flesh. This radically changed burial practices throughout Nostia. Anyone who could afford to buried an Athavi slave with them, even long dead Nostians had slaves buried with them by descendants. Athavi corpses began to become a commodity and old and decrepit Athavi suddenly had their value on the slave market increased. Wealthier Nostians had sex slaves buried with them as well, with hopes that those slaves could keep them company in the dungeon as more than addition to a food source. Perhaps in anticipation of the afterlife or as a ghoulish social trend, some Nostians have begun the practice of eating Athavi. This hasn't caught on among the populace to any large degree, but it is still done in small circles and is seem as something of an exotic gourmet dish.
In older days the desert people to the south almost universally despised the Nostians. One exception to this was a desert tribe called the Yetsheh. The Yetsheh freely traded with the Nostians, bringing them exotic items from the desert and from lands to the south. Because of their ties with Nostians, the Yetsheh became wealthy among the desert people. When Nostia became united and began to face more raids from the southern deserts, the Emperor and Patriarchs realized they needed to be able to bring the fight to the desert people in retribution for their raids. Nostia adopted Yetsheh and signed treaties with them to work together. Peasant male Nostians were allowed to join Yetsheh tribes and take wives there, thus mixing Yetsheh and Nostian blood, making an alliance more acceptable to Nostia. The Yetsheh caravans would be protected by Nostian soldiers and the Yetsheh would provide information to Nostian soldiers about how to strike out against other desert tribes, such as common trade routes, locations of oases or natural shelters, etc. With the help of the Yetsheh, Nostians could make successful attacks into the northern part of the desert and better defend against desert raids. In addition, the treaty allowed the Yetsheh to buy opium from Nostian farmers for relatively low prices in order to sell that opium to other desert tribes or to peoples they encounter in their journeys south. Some of the people that the Yetsheh trade with have become such avid users of opium that they will trade their own children to the Yetsheh - these children are invariably sold in Nostia as slaves. Because of this, the Yetsheh have gained vast wealth and have their own palaces on the borders of southern Nostia. Despite not being true Nostians they are respected within Nostia and allowed to have far more rights in Nostia than any other non-Nostian could dream of, including the right of a female Yetsheh to marry a male Nostian - though the child would be considered a Yetsheh. Yetsheh like Nostians are divided into families, based on their nomadic tribal groups. Each family has sworn an oath of fealty to a Nostian family and bears a tattoo of that Nostian family. In recent years the Yetsheh have expanded their trade empire, and own a number of merchant ships that sail the sea to the north of Nostia and even sending out explorers across the western ocean or into the eastern plains. In all cases the Yetsheh seek to gain wealth from trading between Nostians and other cultures, especially favoring deals involving opium for slaves.
Nostians of the New Empire are more virulently racist than ever before. In order to enter Nostia a non-Nostian must be the property of a Nostian or have special permission from the local noble family or Emperor. Even the Yetsheh have limited ability to enter Nostia, also having to get special permission to enter - though permission from the ruling families are generally given to. Any foreigner who finds their way to Nostia without a Nostian master is either put to death or taken as a slave. It is also against the law to practice any religion in Nostia aside from the veneration of Tarnost. Any practice of religion or worship of deities is seen as a foreign influence that must be purged from Nostia.
When a country is conquered by Nostia, all of its culture is systematically annihilated. Books are burned, buildings and structures are toppled, and the language and religions are banned completely. In order to ensure that no traces remain of the culture, many slaves have their tongues removed. This not only makes it impossible to pass down their language, it also makes it much harder to plot against their masters or to speak about a life of freedom to slaves that have known nothing but servitude. When a slave is caught writing they are subjected to horrible torture and usually death, though some lucky ones are spared by simply have their hands removed. When a conquered people have some special skill, technique, or technology (blacksmithing, tools, farming methods, medicine, arts, etc.) then experts in that field are allowed to be privileged slaves as they use their skills to serve Nostia and teach Nostians their knowledge and skills. These privileged slaves are not mutilated or castrated as long as they enthusiastically serve and teach, though one mistake or sign of defiance and they will suffer as their countrymen do or worse.
With a new generation of slaves, the breeding techniques used to increase desired traits and reduce undesired traits can cause a number of unwanted defects as a result from inbreeding. Babies who bear such deformities are put to death immediately.
Because so much of Nostian society is based upon breeding and lineage, there is a special profession in Nostia called an androcus. The androcus is master of a science which is one part gynecology and obstetrics, one part animal husbandry, and one part genetic engineering. Of course, Nostians have no knowledge about genetics or DNA, they have a very good understanding of heredity, including dominate and recessive traits. An androcus specializes in mating all manner of creature to ensure offspring with the most desirable traits. One major role that they have within Nostia is the breeding of slaves; it is their knowledge that was used to create not only the Athavi, but the Athavi subraces. In the same respect that they are used to guide Athavi evolution, they do the same thing for all animals that are bought, sold, or bred within Nostia. Each Patriarch has a special master androcus in his service to help regulate the breeding of animals and slaves. In direct service of the Emperor is the Androcus Megalos, who is in charge of all slave and animal breeding through out Nostia. The Androcus Megalos makes laws regarding how animals may be bred and under what conditions, these laws are particularly numerous and strict concerning the breeding of slaves who could pose more of a threat if bred incorrectly. An androcus also participates in the breeding of free Nostians, all marriages in Nostia are prearranged and generally before the arrangement is made, an androcus will be hired advise the family elders on the best possible mate for the child to be marries based upon the features of not only the prospective mates but on genealogical records that any respectable Nostian family has going back at least 5 generations. Noble families have their own androcus for just that purpose as well, though the androcus is often limited by the tradition of inbreeding in that case.
When Nostia invades another nation it shows a level of brutality towards the conquered that is unrivaled by any other civilization that they have encountered. Nostian soldiers and commanders have no reservations about using what ever method they can to win. This includes mass executions or torture of civilians, destroying property, kidnapping leader's family members and using them as leverage, and a number of other horrible methods. When a Nostian army finds it too inconvenient to lay siege to a city, they simply scour the surrounding country, enslaving all civilians and salting the fields - forcing the fortified enemy to leave their fortress and fight or else face starvation in the years to come as their country's entire food producing capacity is ruined.
Another technique used in a war that is expected to last a significant amount of time is the mutilation of enemy soldiers. Though Nostians are famous for taking slaves, when they have captures soldiers and cannot conveniently return the captures soldiers to Nostia they instead gouge out the eyes and cut off the hands of the prisoners, in some cases their feet are cut off as well. After mutilating the POWs in this way, they leave a single unharmed prisoner to lead the rest back to the enemy encampment; in the case of footless prisoners they are left at a location where the enemy can find them. The prisoners who return will never be able to contribute to the war effort or their countries' productivity. They will only be a drain on the economy and will most likely be allowed to starve to death because of the high costs of war with Nostia. When crippled soldiers are allowed to starve in such a way, it can be a terrible blow to enemy moral. If they are not allowed to starve then they consume as much as any healthy soldier, despite their inability to fight or work.
When Nostians succeed in taking a country they punish the conquered people for what ever resistance they offered. If the enemy surrender with little or no resistance then the rulers are spared from special mistreatment. Kings and generals who lead their armies against Nostia are not so fortunate. Rulers of a country that fights back (including kings, nobles, generals; and their families as well) are immediately subjected to rape by the conquering Nostian. Every member of the Nostian army is allowed to rape any high ranking official that he desires, and in Nostia it is very prestigious to rape those in positions of power. So it is not uncommon for a conquered nations entire royal family to be raped literally hundreds of times each by Nostian soldiers. After the first week or so, if the nobles survive the mistreatment they receive, they will generally face a bloody execution - the most favored of which to use against foreign nobles is to be dragged to death by horses. Staking (Turkish style) is also fairly common. Officers in the resisting army and even other soldiers are often given the same treatment as well. All combatants of a conquered nation are crippled so that they may never raise their hand against Nostia again.
The peasantry of a conquered nation will become slaves to Nostia and will live lives not unlike those of Athavi. The first generation of conquered slaves generally receive much worse treatment than do Athavi who have served for many generations. Almost all males of a conquered nation are castrated, the only ones who are spared are those who have helped Nostia in some way and thus are spared from the terrible fate of their countrymen. The women of the nation are then forced to bear children with Athavi, creating half breeds with many Athavi traits and therefore saving Nostian slave breeders a lot of time and effort breeding those traits into the newly acquired slave race. Within several generations of controlled breeding, the conquered people and Athavi crossbreed will have all of the desirable Athavi traits such as small size and docile natures. This process has created several subraces of Athavi slaves, those created by crossbreeding them with various conquered people.
Nostians are experts at breeding animals, they have been since the time of Tarnost the Great. They have created a huge variety of animal breeds that are now used through out Nostia and even in some other places. Nostian noble families all have a special kind of animal breeder in their service : those which breed poisonous animals. Over the centuries androcus, animal breeders, and poisoners have bred a variety of highly poisonous snakes, scorpions, and spiders; each producing poison so power that even tiny amounts could kill massive numbers. Because of the political intrigues that still plague Nostia, Nostian nobles live in constant fear of assassination especial with poison. Because of this, each noble family has expert poisoners in its employ. The Nostian nobles all expose themselves to the poisons in small doses and work their way up until they are eventually immune. They do this with every possible toxin that their poisoners can concoct and therefore are immune or resistant to most poisons known in Nostia. This being the case, they also have their poisoners and breeders work on new and different poisons that may be used against political enemies. In order to use or work with poison or poisonous animals, you need special permission from either a Patriarch or the Emperor. Of course, poisoning any other Nostian is illegal and if questioned, noble families would say that their poisoners are solely for their own safety.
The 17 inbred noble families of Nostia own all the land within the Nostian empire aside from the city of Tarnost, which belongs to the Emperor and Tomb Guard. The Nobles are of course a minority with Nostia; the majority of people living within Nostia are the Athavi slaves, with Nostian commoners comming in second, and Nostian nobles are third. The nobles own vast expanses of land and large numbers of Athavi who work the land and bring the nobles the majority of their wealth. The commoners live on the noble's land as well, though they more closley resimble employees of the Nobles than their serfs. Nostian commoners are all trained soldiers and in exchange for living on the noble's land and receiving having labor done for then by Athavi (such as providing food, building shelter, etc.) they protect the land from invasion and go out to conquer more land for their ruling noble family. When commoners are not going to war they generally learn professions that can make them extra money, they generally work for and are paid by the noble family. Nostian commoners often take up professions that would be inappropriate for Athavi - skilled professions such as androcus, blacksmith, archetect, scribe, historian, prophet, etc. The Nostian commoners make the skilled labor force of Nostia.
Nostian nobles are the truely elite warriors of Nostia. They are trained to fight from their birth and it is believed in Nostia that excellence in combat flows from the blood of their ancestors and ultimately from Tarnost the Great. A few Nostian nobles take up other professions, those of high prestige such as androcus or prophet, but all are trained in warfare. As the nobles grow into old age, their role as warrior changes into that of politician, the open combat of their youth replaced by hidden political intriges. To be noble in Nostia is to be able to trace your lineage back to Tarnost the Great, and only Nostians who can do so are allowed to own land within Nostia.
When the Emperor declares war against another kingdom, each noble family is required to offer a minimum percentage of their army. The nobles can, if they choose, send more soldiers. Since all land conquered goes into the possession of the nobility, the Emperor distributes conquered land and captured slaves to the noble families who participated the most in the conquest. This encourages every noble family to send what ever troops that it can so that they other families do not exceed them in wealth or power. Nostian commoners get paid when actively involved in military action as well as for what ever profession they take up. The commoners must obey the commands of the nobles, failing to do so would cause them to be expelled from the land and to no longer have the Athavi to do menial labor for them.
Nostian commoners are the majority of the Nostian army, though another large chunk is called the Imperial Army. The Emperor demands 10% of commoners who live in Nostia to joint the Imperial Army, that which serves the Emporer directly instead of a noble Patriarch. Unlike other commoners, these men usually become professional soldiers, not leaving the Imperial Army until they retire in late adulthood. There is another force which directly serves the Emperor, the Tomb Guard. The Tomb Guard are the elite soldiers of Nostia. It is their purpose to protect the Tomb of Tarnost the Great and the capital city which surrounds it. They are a volunteer force, whim only the most elite of Nostian soldiers may join. Much of the Tomb Guard is made up of Imperial Army soldiers who have proven bravery and skill in combat, though it is not unheard of for Nostian nobles to join the Tomb Guard, nobles who have done so are often well respected in political circles and it is common that the Emporer is a nobleman who has served in the Tomb Guard. No man may be drafted into the Imperial Army unless he has at least one child, for the Emporer would not want to force a man to face death when there is no one to continue his bloodline.
In the time before the New Empire, it was common for women to serve in the armed forces of Nostia. Today this practice is less common. The Androcus Megalos of Ahanik : Tarnost IV, siad that it was unwise for women to go to war when they were far more precious to Nostia in their ability to produce children. Since his time, Nostian women have been discouraged or bared from going to war. The Imperial Army and Tomb Guard are entirely male, though the wives of wsoldiers in those groups may sometimes serve the army i a non-combat role. Noble ladies still have the option to go to war if they wish, though it is frowned upon because of their ability to bear noble children is too highly prized. Despite this trend, it is still not uncommon for Nostian peasant women to fight for their Noble family, particularly if she is a widow or from a family in need of money. Like noblemen, noble ladies are trained to fight and are lethal combatents; they are, however, discouraged from putting their livs in danger during a real war - unless as an absolute last resort.
Because of arranged marriages, inbreeding, and high importance placed upon evolutionary concerns as a race, Nostians (particularly nobles) tend to be large and powerful people. Over the years Nostian features (nose, eyes, bone structure, etc.) have become more recognizable and distinct, making Nostian a little easier to distinguish from other similar peoples. The average Nostian common man is 5'9” and the average woman is 5'4” - noticeably large. Nobles on the other hand, having been warriors for so many generations and being so closely inbred tend to have men who are 6' in height and women who are 5'6” on average. Both commoners and nobles tend to be rather muscular and broadly built. Of course, as any Nostian would tell you, Nostians (especially nobles) have superior intellect as well; though this claim is a bit harder to verify than the size difference.
Each noble family has its own unique features that have appeared over the course of tens of generations of inbreeding. Most Nostians with any knowledge of nobility can recognize a Nostian nobles family by his or her distinctive features. These features can include facial features, bone structure, skin coloration, eye color, hair structure and quantity, number of digits, body size and shape, and a number of other characteristics. Personality traits and other little quirks are also present within some families. Most of the physical traits are highly valued and seen as a sign of pure and noble blood. Some of the mental quirks are seen in this way as well, though certain others are not really acknowledged and mention of them can sometimes provoke a noble to great anger. Because of the hedonistic lifestyle that many Nostian nobles practice, older family members who spend less time exercising and fighting tend to suffer from obesity.
Among the Nostian noble families, there exist groups called Polidelphos, or brotherhoods of warriors. These are organizations are extend beyond family lines, including all kinds of nobles through out Nostia. They are part of a very old tradition that goes back to the armies of Tarnost the Great, who created special units of his army that he named after animals. These traditions virtually disappeared in the feudal period saw a rebirth with the New Empire. These groups tend to be tightly knit, training with each other, sharing secrets, fighting together in battle. Membership in a Polidelphos is a good way for a Nostian noble to make allies and gain prestige, much like joining the Tomb Guard. In order to gain membership you must have enough funds to supply the necessary weapons and armor and show enough skill and dedication to stand out. Nostian commoners may also gain partial membership in these groups if they enter in the service of a noble member as part of his or her retinue. Because of this policy, a large percentage of the Nostian military (which isn't in the Tomb Guard or Imperial Army) are members of a Polidelphos. Just as they did in ancient times, the members of a Polidelphos base their combat styles on animals, though very roughly.
Lion : These Nostians are elite heavy cavalry. They wear heavy armor and ride upon huge, heavily barded horses. All members wear a lion's skin over their armor with the lion's head fixed onto the helmet. They carry large shields, a lance, a long sword, and a mace that has a head shaped like that of a lion.
Leopard : Like the lions, but more lightly armored. They wear leather armor with leopard skin covering and ride smaller faster horses. Like the lions they carry shields, though the are medium sized round shields. Their typical weapons include a slashing sword, a lance, and several throwing darts.
Crocodile : Crocodiles of the Atav river are the largest creatures that Nostians have any experience with, it is therefore fitting that chariot riders are known as crocodiles. Nostian chariots are large ones, drawn by four strong horses and fitted with scythes of the wheels. The horses and riders are covered with heavy armor or barding in addition to the crocodile skin that identifies the Polidelphos. Each chariot has four riders, one drives while two others have shields and spears, while the third has a bow. All four riders carry an extra weapon, such as a short sword, in the event that they need it.
Scorpion : The Scorpion Polidelphos is the largest and most popular of the Polidelphos. This is largely because the scorpion was part of Tarnost the Great's personal banner, but because of the success that Scorpion forces have upon the battlefield. Scorpion soldiers wear partial plate armor that resembles the chitten of a scorpion, it is usually scorched black to mimic the appearance of the most poisonous of Nostia's scorpions, the Night Scorpion. Within a scorpion army there are two kinds of soldiers, the claws and the stingers. Claws have broad swords and large oval body shields, the stingers have long two handed spears. These two troop types operate together in the same unit to maximize the unit's effectiveness.
Cobras : Cobras are expert archers armed with composite long bows and scale armor. Like other members of a Polidelphos, they adorn themselves with the skin of their animal - so the Cobra archers wear cobra skin. Occasionally when Cobra archers go to battle, they will poison their arrow tips with the venom of real Nostian cobras. Doing this makes them extremely lethal, since even the slightest prick from the arrow would be lethal to any human aside from a Nostian noble.
Falcon : Falcons are light mounted archers. Like the leopards, they have fast maneuverable horses, light armor, and swords. The major difference is that they carry composite bows and adorn themselves with feathers, sometimes their horses as well. Some Falcon warriors have learned from the Cobras and use venom to poison the tips of their arrows. Those who do so often call themselves feathered serpents.
Spider : the spider Polidelphos are recruited from the most intelligent and industrious of Nostians, their specialty is the creation and operation of war machines. They create siege towers, catapults, balistas, chariots, and the like. There are all varieties of these machines that are used by Nostians, both on the battlefield and during the sieges. Members of the spider Polidelphos also work as battlefield engineers, overseeing the construction of basic fortifications. Spider warriors/engineers often adorn their clothing or armor with web-like patterns.
Fox : The Fox Polidephos is made up entirely of women, which are banned from the others aside from the Spider, Falcon, and Crocodile Polidephos. Like the Falcons and Cobras, they are archers, sometimes mounted sometimes not. There is a bit more variability in the fighting style of Fox warriors however, and some like to use (mounted or on foot) spears and round shields. They typically wear a breastplate designed specifically for the female form. When not mounted, the archers often protect themselves with large rectangular shields that they prop up in front of them before they open fire. Just as one would expect, they wear fox furs.
Many Nostian farmers grow poppies to make opium. It is a tradition that has stretched back to the First Empire when prophets would use the opium to help subdue their prophetic powers. From that, it grew into a recreational drug used by many Nostians. During the reign of Tarnost II, it was made illegal to use opium or to grow poppies with the consent of the Emperor or the local Patriarch. This reduced the large number of opium addicted Nostians, transforming a major problem within Nostia to a minor one. Generally now, only prophets are allowed to use opium, most farmers who grow it are only allowed to sell if the final destination is in another country. Yetsheh take opium to the south, and Nostian merchants go in other directions, taking opium to foreign markets for sale.
In Nostia, the law is enforced by the nobility. When ever any legal dispute arises between commoners, a Nostian noble will be called upon to arbitrate. Often this is an older and wiser noble who no longer goes to war, but any will suffice. Often in the case where an alleged crime must be investigated, interested parties must try to gain information on their own in order to present to a noble or somehow motivate a noble take action. Because of the close knit families that make up Nostian society, when a violent crime is committed a perpetrator is usually found. Nobles take such cases seriously because solved crimes or unpunished offenses can result in feuds between common families. It is not rare for bribes to be used to motivate the adjudicating noble to rule favorably, though if such actions become known it will cause the noble to lose standing among his peers as well as face possible punishment. Nostians punish criminals by assigning a value to all crimes. When you commit a crime against an individual, you must pay him or her an amount of money based on the severity of the crime. In the case of theft, you must return to the victim twice the value of the object(s) stolen. If you are unable to pay the victim(s) the money owed, you become an indentured servant to the wronged party until the debt is paid. An indentured servant has limited rights, much more than a slave does, but further violations of the law while serving as an indentured servant will cause the criminal to become a true slave, subject to torture or execution at the will of his or her master. Particularly severe crimes will have accordingly severe punishment that transcend monetary fines - murder or rape generally results in a life of indentured servitude, while the punishment for treason is a grisly execution. A master is fully responsible for any crime committed by one of his slaves. Any violent act by a slave against a Nostian - even in self defense - is punished with a painful death.
Nostians do not measure time by month, but rather by 10 day weeks, each year consists of 36 ten day weeks, each of which is named. The rise of Tarnost the Great as first emperor of Nostia is considered to be the Nostian new year, the day itself (corresponding to November 15th) and the two days preceding and following it are not within the official 36 week year. During these five days all Nostians celebrate the birth of their nation and the successes of Tarnost the Great. This celebration includes grand feasts, lighting of bonfires, drinking, dancing, and even sexual orgies for some.
Nostians take pride in their architectural abilities and enjoy beautiful and elaborate constructions. Every major Nostian city abounds with finery, large palaces, statues, gardens with beautiful flowers and exotic plants or trees, fountains, artificial ponds or lakes with strategically placed stepping stones, extravagant public buildings, and other visual marvels. Most of the buildings have finely carved artwork upon their walls and pillars, often the insides have carvings or murals upon the walls. All Nostian cities have roads through them, and the major trade routes of Nostia also have paved roads. Even armor and weapons are made to be beautiful. Many Nostians have intricate designs upon their weapons or armor, sometimes even gold or silver plating in inlays. Of course, poor Nostians have less access to such finery; but even they can walk through a Nostian city, experience the splendor and ambience, and take pride in calling themselves Nostian.
In order for an Androcus to properly do his job breeding slaves or animals, he must know not only about the traits of the individuals to be bred, but also about the ancestors. Because of this, all Androcus keep records of their slaves and animals that go back many generations. Successful Androcus often have huge libraries with records of thousands of individuals, information including numerous physical traits, behavioral observations, and relationships with others. This includes both slaves and animals. Cities usually have an Androcus with a similar library including such information on free Nostians. This information will be available when marriages are arranged. Every ten years, all sanctioned Androcus are required to bring any new records to the Androcus Megalos, who has a vast library in the city of Tarnost. Though a percentage of people, slaves, and animals have slipped through the cracks; the goal is for the Androcus Megalos' library to contain genealogical records of all creatures (noble, commoner, slave, and animal) that lives in Nostia. All noble families have extensive records that trace their ancestry back to Tarnost, Nostian common families keep ancestral records as well.
After the reign of Tarnost II, the laissez faire tolerance of religion common through out Nostia was put to an end. There had been a growing resentment of religions within Nostia as the influence of lesser races that insinuated its way into Nostian society. With the rise of the New Empire, the Patriarchs were ready to put an end to outside cultural practices that had taken root and “corrupted” pure Nostian culture - this included religion. Tarnost II was himself strongly against the idea of the worship of any deity, saying that the mere thought of doing so interfered the veneration of Tarnost the Great and for a Nostian to worship a foreign god was a disgrace to the greatness of Nostian blood and the Nostian race. As a result of this movement, religions were purged from Nostia, idols were destroyed and practitioners were forced to renounce their beliefs or face terrible consequences. Now, whenever Nostia encounters a religious practices of a conquered people, it takes strong measures to make sure that every shred of the religion is destroyed, including holy texts, temples, statues/idols, holy locations, etc. Priests and other religious leaders are often made an example of, being tortured and humiliated in public, made to renounce their religion in front of (former) followers and then forced to “pray” to the presiding Nostian torturer for death before the execution is carried out.
When Nostians get married, an Androcus is there to preform the marriage and give his blessing to the couple. The marriage ceremony involves the Androcus reading the entire genealogical record of both participants, then cutting the left wrist of the bride and groom. After both are complete, they raise their hands up and interlock fingers, allowing their wrists to touch and the blood to intermingle. Two white cloths are then tied around their joined wrists, signifying the unity of their blood and their families - or the preservation of pure family blood in the case of inbred nobles. From that point on, the couple each wears one of the white cloths around their wrist, the white cloth stained dark reddish brown from the blood a mark of marriage. The family or families of the couple then have a celebration, usually this includes a dance/performance/sex show by attractive Athavi slaves. While the family does this, the couple have a ritualized night of sex, this ritual includes Athavi slaves to help out and make the experience more pleasurable for each. For nobles, these Athavi are generally owned by the couple or their family, for commoners who may not be able to afford the Athavi, sex slaves can be rented for the evening. The day after the wedding, the couple each receives a tattoo with each others names. Commoner weddings take place in a large and well adorned public marriage building that every Nostian city or town has, the building is accessible to all, but only the family or families are allowed to come to the wedding. Noble families have their own special marriage buildings.
In the old days of Nostia, Prophets were wealthy and powerful individuals. Every noble family sought to have one in their employ and when a prophet spoke, people listened. Today prophets can no longer expect the same respect or credibility, and as a result no longer have such lifestyles. Most prophets of the New Empire become prophets for almost religious reasons, being traditionalists and seeking to maintain the tradition of prophesy even if others may view them strangely. Because Tarnost the Great was a prophet, they do not suffer from persecution, but very often are ignored or avoided. Many Nostian prophets become wanderers or hermits, living away from civilized areas to avoid the reaction their mental quirks cause. A few hermit prophets have become well known for their prophesies and there are sometimes local stories about the mad man in the wilderness who can foresee the future. Other prophets scrape by on the minimal payment for a quick prophesy, almost like a Bourbon Street palm reader. A few nobles still have enough marginal belief in prophesy to have one on the payroll, though they usually aren't taken extremely seriously. Despite these minor roles for them, prophets aren't people the average Nostian gives much thought to.
Among the different subraces of Athavi there is some degree of resentment and rivalry. For the most part, this rivalry breaks the Athavi population down into three major groups : the sex Athavi, the pure blooded worker Athavi, and the mixed race Athavi. Rethva Athavi are used for sex by Nostian, as a result they seldom have to engage in hard labor, they are also well treated, fed, clothed, and sheltered. In general, they have significantly higher standards of living than do the Quilon Athavi. Quilon Athavi see themselves as more useful and harder working than the lazy Rethva Athavi, while the Rethva see the Quilon as beasts of burden, who are only good for physical labor while it is they who can truly please and serve their masters. Both groups seek the praise of the Nostian masters, and sometimes strive to prove themselves the more useful breed of Athavi. This rivalry hardly ever extends beyond rudeness or subtle behavior. Both of the pure blooded Athavi groups see themselves as superior to the mixed race Athavi, who have not been perfected by the Nostian breeders. The mixed breed Athavi see the pure breeds as weak and inferior, and resent the better treatment that the pure blooded Athavi receive. They especially hate the Rethva Athavi. Because Hurist Athavi tend more towards rebellion, every so often this resentment can extend to a Nostian master or even result in direct acts (which are severally punished) against other Athavi. The other Athavi groups (aside from Rethva, Quilon, and Hurist) are too insignificant to Athavi subculture for any rivalry to matter.
When an Athavi slave is born, it is taken from its mother and given to a group of similar Athavi women who are currently nursing. The baby never sees it real mother and is passed around between nursing Athavi mothers keep any one from becoming too attached. A number of babies will be raised by this mothering group, taught by them the ways of being Athavi. This process is observed by a Nostian overseer who makes sure the training/indoctrination goes correctly. Male Athavi are taken from their mothers after being weaned, they are then raised by other male Athavi. For the most part male Athavi are segregated from females, only seeing them briefly when the Athavi studs impregnate Athavi females. Athavi are not only taught about how to do their jobs, but also indoctrinated in Nostian philosophy. They are taught to believe in the superiority of the Nostian race and the very special place that Athavi have as their servants. They learn that the greatest achievement is to please their masters and to live their lives in dutiful service. Athavi tend to be almost as racist as Nostians are, they believe that all foreign races are inferior to Athavi because they do not have the ability to serve Nostians with the same ability and dedication. Athavi are taught that the world outside of Nostia is full of perils, monsters, and savage barbarians that only the Nostians can protect them from. Very few Athavi would ever consider leaving Nostia.
For a brief time, the free Athavi nation had some degree of success. They lived along the river, which they named Lephira - or “freedom” in Nostian, and divided into small tribal groups, each of which was governed by true democratic voting. The little villages each had a representative who was sent to a counsel of tribal representatives to vote on policies that the nation as a whole would take. This system was somewhat awkward and prevented major unified action. Every so often the Athavi free tribes would go to war with ethnic Nostian plains people, and only when this occurred would all of the free Athavi unite with a single purpose. Sometimes a village's governmental system would change a bit, the democracy slipping into something of a monarchy. Sometimes these monarchs would seek to gain power over other tribes and this would result in intertribal warfare. The armies of the Athavi tribes were all militia, all training and going to war voluntarily - because of the great hatred inspired by the idea of forced actions. As time went by, the Athavi began to forget about the slavery of their past. They remembered it as an important historical story, but Athavi who were generations removed from the slavery of the past had less objection to the formation of a stronger government. When the New Nostian Empire arose, it wasn't long before the Athavi tribes heard of the event. Along with the changing attitudes of the Athavi, the New Empire inspired them to unite under a king appointed by tribal representatives. The king was able to organize and militarize the Athavi to some degree, forming a standing army, raising taxes, and becoming able to mount and organized attack. Unfortunately, their efforts were too little and too late. When the Nostian Empire attacked the Athavi free kingdom, it met with more resistance than it had expected, but the organized Athavi were still easily defeated in open combat by the superior Nostian forces. The Nostians sent a fleet of boats down the Lephira river, sacking every Athavi village that they encountered. The Athavi were forced to flee into the depths of the jungle. The free Athavi escaped complete genocide or slavery by their ability to hide in the jungle and conduct guerrilla warfare there. After destroying the major Athavi population centers, the Nostians left the jungle. Small jungle villages of Athavi still exist and try to maintain contact in an attempt to try to rebuild their short lived kingdom, though they live in constant fear of raids by Nostian slavers if they grow too large. Nostians for the most part ignore the jungles aside from keeping the land around it lightly patrolled. Some Nostian nobles have speculated that the best solution would be to burn down the jungle completely, though most don't care enough to.
One of the most popular forms on entertainment in Nostia is animal fighting. Nostians fight a huge variety of animals, many of which have been bred to fight for generations. It is not uncommon to see lions, leopards, fighting dogs, roosters, boars, or bulls in the arena - against animals of the same kind or of different kinds. In recent decades, one kind of animal has become particularly popular - monkeys. Monkey fights are now the rage in Nostia and thousands come out to see two monkeys fight to the death. The monkeys are entertaining because of their ability to use very rudimentary fighting tactics and the lack of short lethal matches - the monkey fights are generally long and bloody. The monkeys are often fitted with little suits of armor including an owner's mark. The armor is also usually attached with little razor sharp blades. Because of being bred for generations to be fearless and violent, these fighting monkeys show a level of brutality that almost rivals that of the Nostian nobility - tearing apart their foes with teeth, cannibalizing or sexually mounting the corpses, sometimes even killing themselves by continuing to beat at a dead foe. The monkeys have a size limit of 26 pounds so that they cannot significantly threaten an adult Nostian. Because of the popularity of the monkey fights, extremely successful monkeys can be incredibly expensive, particularly studs who can often be literally worth their weight in gold. Its not unheard of for a monkey owner to commit suicide after a prize monkey is killed - the financial loss is devastating.
The Nostian Polidelphos are not the only regular units in Nostia that use standardized tactics. The Nostian Imperial army does so as well. The bulk of the Nostian Imperial army is made of of infantrymen with large rectangular shields and short spears, they are armored with breastplates of iron. A small number of the Imperial Army is made up of fast cavalry, armored similarly and armed with a light slashing sword (much like a scimitar) and a round shield. The third part of the official Nostian army are the archers, men on foot with short bows and a breastplate. These soldiers often are not as well trained or equipped as the Polidelphos, but they are always there and ready to serve the Emperor in time of need. When major battles occur, the Emperor must go to the nobles to raise an army of Polidelphos, but for daily use, the Imperial Army serves well.
The Tomb Guard is not intended for fighting a true war with another country, not unless Tarnost City itself were threatened with destruction. They are the personal guard of the emperor and of the capital city. They mainly protect against potential assassins who may try to harm the emperor or other internal threats. The standard Tomb Guardian wears a coat of plates for armor and wields a large glaive-like weapon. As the political and military climate of Nostia changed over the years, the fighting style of the Tomb Guard did as well. They originally used large shields and swords, then later moved to the glaives. Now many members of the Tomb Guard wear civilian clothing and carry concealed weapons. Some Tomb Guardians protect from the shadows - walking amongst a crowd when the emperor makes public appearances or infiltrating groups that may be treasonous. The Tomb Guard now serves many roles, that of body guards for the emperor, as guardians of the tombs, as counter-spies, and as special forces soldiers who can fulfill roles that other soldiers cannot.
There are soldiers in Nostia that are not nobles, nor are they in the Tomb Guard, Imperial Army, or in a Polidelphos. These are commoners who are required to fight for a noble family when they go to war. These commoners tend to be poorly equipped and trained compared to other soldiers in Nostia, having what ever weapons they provide for themselves and having only militia training. Such troops as these used to make up the bulk of Nostian armies. Now with more organized and well trained forces, they are becoming less and less common and are now a small minority of the total Nostian armed forces.
The New Empire has been settling/conquering several islands in the ocean to the north. Their presence in the region currently consists of trade with the island kingdoms there. Some of the wealthier Yetsheh families have bought ships and sail the seas selling opium (and a few other trade goods too) to any people they encounter. Nostian warships also sail the region protecting their interests and trade routes from pirates. A few island countries pay tribute to Nostia in exchange for protection both from piracy and from Nostia. Many Nostian noble families own warships in the area that they use for privateering, attacking ships from nations that do not have favorable agreements with Nostia. Because of the growing influence of the Nostian naval forces in the ocean to the north, a new Polidelphos is being proposed by some of the nobles of Nostia. The official formation of the “shark” Polidelphos is probably only a matter of time, considering the growing use of naval warfare and advancements that have been made in ship to ship combat by Nostia as of late. Nostia has formed an alliance with the D'Potri people. They have been slavers and pirates for generations, and the red triangle of their flag strikes fear into the hearts of many people. The D'Potri established trade agreements with the Nostians, giving Nostians low priced slaves in exchange for Nostian military protection of their trade routes and their ports. The D'Potri have also agreed not to raid a community that is allied with or pays tribute to Nostia, creating a major incentive for nations to do so - since retaliations against D'Potri raids are now difficult due to Nostian protection.
Imperial Armor is worn by the Imperial Army. It consists of a thick iron breastplate and open faced iron helmet. The protection on the arms and legs are minimal, usually just boiled leather plates on the shins and forearms. Imperial cavalry horses wear no barding.
Scorpion Armor is worn only by those of the Scorpion Polidelphos. It is made up of overlapping plates on a leather backing and reinforced underneath by metal strips. The plates give the appearance of a scorpions chittinous armor. It has a metal helm that covers most of the face aside from a horizontal slit that crosses the eyes and a vertical slit that starts at the eye slit and goes down to the bottom of the face piece.
Heavy armor is worn by Lion and Crocodile soldiers along with miscellaneous nobles who do not belong to a Polidelphos. This armor is simply a coat of plates, where interlocking plates are riveted onto a leather backing. The torso, arms, and legs are all well protected by this armor, which typically includes a metal helm. The exact style varies from individual to individual. The horses of the the Lion and Crocodile Polidelphos wear heavy barding made with soft leather with small closely set metal disks or scales riveted on.
Light armor is worn by Leopards, Falcons, Sharks, and sometimes Spiders. It is also occasionally worn by commoner soldiers or very poor members of the nobility. This armor is made from leather or hide. The most common version is simply soft leather clothing with hardened leather plates riveted on, making a coat of plates much like that of the heavy Nostian armor. Sea faring nobles like to wear shark's hide, with thicker hide on the immobile sections of the body and thin soft hide at the joints. Usually Falcons do not have barding on their horses, Leopards' horses have minimal armor that is made from soft leather.
Cobra armor is worn by archers in the Cobra Polidelphos. This armor consists of a shirt of overlapping iron scales that are made to resemble those of a snake. The shirt is long, forming a skirt that comes down to the knees, partially protecting the archer's legs. The scales also protect the shoulders and come a little ways down the upper arms, protecting them as well. The armor also has a helm that matches, basically a hood of scale armor over a boiled leather headpiece to give it shape and support.
Fox armor is worn by women in the Fox Polidelphos. The most noticeable part of this armor is the breastplate, which is shaped to to appear like the nude torso of a woman. There are also plates on the upper legs, shins, and forearms of the armor; all usually held in place with leather straps or riveted onto a leather backing. It is also generally worn with a closed faced iron helm, many noble women like to have the face plate shaped to resemble their own faces. When Foxes ride horses, the horses tend to wear light barding such as soft leather, linen, or silk with a few boiled leather pieces to protect the horse's head and neck.
A variety of other armor is sometimes worn, since it is common for Nostians not affiliated with some organized military group to supply their own armors, almost anything can be see on the battlefield, including the captured armor of enemies. Most non-standard armor tends to be of lower quality than the armors described above
This is the last of the Nostian Fluff, totaling over 26 pages. This last bit involves descriptions of both a Nostian prophet's insanity.
Madness
There are a number of ways to become a Nostian Prophet, but the most recognized method is the drinking of mercury. Often this is accompanied by other events as well, such as using drugs, being enclosed in darkness for a prolonged period of time, fasting, ritual scarification, sometimes even permanent blinding or deafening. Some Prophets do not drink mercury at all, a rare few are born with the ability, others receive it after some traumatic event. Regardless of the cause of the prophetic abilities, all Prophets share a degree of madness which is inexorably linked with the ability to Prophesize.
Prophets see visions of future events, of things that happened in the past, or even present events happening far away. Often prophets have trouble distinguishing these visions from the present or from their own past memories. For example, a Prophet may be inside of a house and suddenly begin yelling that the house is on fire and that everyone should flee; the house however is not on fire, though it will burn down ten years later, perhaps long after the Prophet even cares what happens to the house. A prophet may walk down the street and observe two men making small talk, though the conversation that the Prophet witnesses happened the previous day. Many times the original source of the visions will never be known, perhaps the Prophet and his companions will never learn that years later that the house burned down, making some skeptics of prophesy believe it was merely a hallucination.
Sometimes Prophets confuse dreams or memories of the past for visions of the future and vice versa. A Prophet may warmly greet a person whom he has never met and begin talking about the wonderful times they have had together, times which have not yet happened but will in the future. On other occasions, the Prophet will not greet a friend, thinking perhaps that the friendship was a vision of things to come. It is not uncommon to see a Prophet speaking to apparently nobody, having a conversation with himself, while the Prophet relives a conversation that he had in the past or one which he will have in the future. For the Prophet, often the past, present, and future blend together and he has trouble distinguishing between them.
Prophets also are prone to bouts of extreme irrationality. These are often linked with dreams or visions that the prophet has had. If a Prophet has had a vision or dream about some weird action or method being successful, often he will feel inclined do that action even at inappropriate times in anticipation of the vision he has had. Visions of misfortune can also heavily influence a Prophet's actions, it is not unknown for a Prophet to avoid certain things at all costs because of some vision that they have had linking that thing to some bad event. Occasionally Prophets will be fearless to the point of foolishness, walking casually into dangerous situations without giving it the slightest thought - because as many Prophets believe, if the situation was that dangerous they would have known before hand. Sometimes this irrational behavior benefits the Prophet more than some would think, then again, because of the vague nature of many visions or insights that a Prophet has, the irrational behavior is for all intents and purposes arbitrary. Sometimes what a Prophet believes is a prophetic insight or dream is just an intuitive hunch or normal dream, which can cause even more trouble if the Prophet places too much importance on it.
Aside from the odd effects that a Prophet's abilities have on them directly, there are many indirect affects that can cause emotional instability. It is not uncommon for Prophets to slip into bouts of deep depression, occasionally from knowing how loved ones may die or from frequent visions of death and suffering. Sometimes friendships or long term relationships are hard for a Prophet to establish or to maintain, not only because of what the Prophets may see in visions but also because of their generally odd behavior and lifestyles. This can cause further depression and feelings of isolation for the Prophet, suicide is a common fate for many. Prophets often overindulge in alcohol or other mind affecting substances to escape from their troubles, others try to acquire fame or worldly power to distract themselves from other things that trouble them. Despite the tremendous respect that Prophets receive in Nostia, the life of a Prophet is a hard one.
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