Cathai

Cathai, officially the Empire State of Cathai, is a unitary state and a meritocratic oligarchy in the Southeast of Akonanada in and around the Aurynth. It has a large population, with almost all living in its capital city of Ilmarin. Cathai is a non-industrial nation, and advocates against the expansion of nations into the wilderness. Led by Alleia von Concord, Cathai is culturally diverse, with a host of traditions, languages and festivals unique to it. Caths hold a high degree of respect for nature and its preservation. The name "Cathai" derives from its Allari name garadh-tìrean, which translates to "Land of Groves".

Geographically, it occupies the regions of Drioch and Wynober, with its capital city crossing the river Marin. To its west is the mainland of the Aurynth, with the regions of Moonrise, Corico, and Yehuda, and the Kingdom of Aupuni, as well as the protectorate of Gaer Fynydd. It also has land in Nihilia, belonging to its protectorate, the Green Republic of Visantium. More vassals include Rhendia, the Orion Isles, Elasia, Collis and Quel'Thalas in the north of Aurynth, and Novummare in the far east. It is a part of the Everlife Union with the nations of Lucre and Istalas, part of a united front against the Undead Hordes.

History
Historically, Cathai was never a state. Occasionally, small city-states would pop up, but then disappear just as quickly as they arrived. Significant city states were Midtarr from 132BA to 92BA, Pklacoss from 388BA to 145BA, and Leigorthe from 34BA to 2BA. Leigorthe, the most recent city-state before the Empire State formed, was a confederacy, led by the Great Houses Concord and Katth. Leigorthe was previously based in Karinne, a ruined city to the south, before moving to Ilmarin in 3BA. Due to the distance between Ilmarin and other holy sites in Folk Mysticism, it was difficult for the central government to ensure law and order. Eventually, this lack of law and order led to its collapse just a few years before the arrival of colonisers to Akonanada.

Around the time that colonisers were arriving, Alleia of the Great House of Concord, the daughter of the previous Diaden Eureyn, who killed himself after his nation collapsed, declared the Empire State of Cathai to protect it from outside harm and to ensure its legitimacy in the eyes of other states.

Religion
Folkling Mysticism is the predominant religion of Cathai, with many Caths following one of two branches of Folkling Mysticism, either Thetan or Crei, the latter of which is native to the Lake Region. Caths tend to specifically worship the Folklings Henwin and Hanera, as they represent nature, agriculture, balance, and respect for the environment, all of which are held in high regard by Caths.

The Folklings are the gods of Folkling Mytiscism. They are entrusted with maintaining the cosmic balance known as the Great Rhythm. Unlike gods in other settings, the Folklings rarely squabble with one another, for any strife between the Folklings is a threat to the balance of nature itself. The Folklings tend to keep to themselves, and rarely meddle in each other’s affairs. Though each Folkling is a powerful being in their own right, holding a great degree of autonomy over their dominion, each understands that they are but a small part of a greater whole.

It is important to note that the Folklings can be separated into 3 distinct categories, Woodfolk, Shroomfolk and Birdfolk. Each category has many different gods who personify the category they are in.

Both Crei and Theta add a new god to the Folkling Mysticist Pantheon, namely the god Ishmael, the manifestation of the earth. Ishmael is inherently connected to both Hath and Hanera, the gods of death and nature respectively, and in other branches of Folkling Mysticism is incorporated into either of them. This has led to their respect of the earth and nature in general. For example, when they make a kill, they spare the Murch, a part of most Lake Region animals have that are rich in nutrients. It is left on the ground next to the corpse, for the earth to retake as fertiliser or other animals to feast on.

Traditions
When starting a new farm, farmers will often make a prayer to Henwin to ensure their farm grows well. Scholars often pray to Gesme, the patron of knowledge and insight, when studying for an exam.

Festivals
Being a heavily religious nation, Cathai has many traditions, ceremonies and festivals dedicated to various Folklings over the course of a year. The most important of which is Blàth Day. The word Blàth is untranslatable, but many speculate its meaning to be "forgiving" or "replanting", as the day symbolises the first day of Spring after Winter. On Blàth Day, villages gather in groups to sow the first seeds and flowers after winter, then light candles around farms as a prayer to the Folklings Hanera and Henwin, respectively the patrons of nature and balance. Other than Blath Day, there are the five seasonal festivals.

The Sun Parade is the seasonal festival at the end of Bright, where the Flame of Knowledge is lit, typically on a high-up tower for the whole town to see. Afterwards, lanterns are constructed and lit, and communities will gather to release them. They will play riddle games, where the players must jump in a body of water and tread water until they figure out the riddle.

Burial Rites
There is a strict religious protocol about how to deal with deceased bodies. Burying bodies or burning them is considered a sacrilege, since it means handing the soul over to the spirits. The same is true if the body is eaten by ground-based scavengers, such as hyenas. Similarly, letting a body get into the water is equally considered sacrilege, since it poisons the water and angers the gods. The exact way to deal with a dead body in a respectful way, however, depends on the family’s economic status.

Poorer families will lay out the body on a raised wooden platform outside the river valleys, where it can rot or be eaten by vultures in peace. The bodies are often decorated with flowers and feathers, oiled with olive oil, and clad in formal but plain clothes. A small offering is placed at their feet, containing jewelry, clothes, money, and bread. Any corpse is given a black blindfold, to protect them from being tempted by the spirits on their way to the Underworld.

Families of artisans, bourgeois and nobles will instead have their dead family members be embalmed and buried in public burial chambers. While every town has its own local burial chamber, usually hewn into the cliff sides at the edge of the river valleys, those who can afford will have their family members transported to especially prestigious burial chambers nearby the cataracts or nearby the capital. Private burial chambers do not exist, not even for the royal family, since Caths believe that in death, everyone is equal. An embalmed body is placed in salt for multiple months to dry it out and then wrapped in leather. The mummy is then decorated with flowers and feathers and clad in formal but plain clothes. A black blindfold is also placed over their eyes. Especially revered deceased are placed under a lion’s pelt, while executed criminals (also when subjected to a sky burial) will be placed under a hyena’s pelt. Much like for poorer burials, offerings will be placed at the mummy’s feet. Those may include jewelry, clothes, money, bread, tea, weapons, statues of beloved family members, a chair, books, and small potted plants.

The families will pay a one-time fee for placing their deceased in these burial chambers, which pays for the burial chambers maintenance and expansion as well as guards to protect the graves from kritters and graverobbers. Caths believe that the Underworld is located at the North Pole, where the living should never stray, lest they never return.

Cuisine
Cath cuisine and how it is prepared and presented is a very important part of Cath culture. Cooking and gifting food to someone is a sign of love and respect within Cathai. Because of the Cath diaspora and outside influence, Cath cuisine, table manners and the meanings of food have become mainstays in every corner of the world. Fragrance, taste and meaning are the three most important aspects of Cath cuisine, having all three fulfilled is considered to be a lucky charm. Fragrance is how good the food smells, the scent and the seasoning used.

Taste is the general taste of the food, as well as the ingredients used. Finally, meaning refers to specific beliefs attributed to dishes or ingredients, for example, fish is seen as good luck to consume, whilst vegetables and meat are seen as bringing good health and knowledge respectively. Table manners include greeting elders at a table before eating a meal, drinking soup from the bowl directly to show one's like of the food, and on certain holidays, eating under the moon.

Food is such an important part of Cath culture because as the saying goes, 'food is the way to the heart'. By cooking a meal for someone, you are telling them that you appreciate them and that you love them. Offering food is also a way of greeting, and asking if someone has eaten yet or has been eating well is a way to express concern and love. In fact, the common greeting in Allari, the majority language of Cathai, is not 'how are you?' or even 'hello', it is 'have you eaten yet?'

Language
There are two predominantly spoken languages in Cathai, Allari and Irindian. Allari is mainly spoken by peasants and the middle class, whilst Irindian is utilised by the upper-class nobles.

Allari
The Allari language is a language isolate. Some of its distinct features are a large collection of prenasalized consonants, a strict noun-class-system based on suffixes and the use of reduplication to indicate amount or continuity. It has a system of six regular vowels [a, ɛ, ɪ, ʌ, ɤ, ʊ] and five nasal vowels [ɛ̃, ɐ̃, ɔ̃, ĩ, ũ]. [a, ɛ, ʌ] also exist in long forms.

Vowels

Consonants

There exist two distinct writing systems for Allari: Allari Runes are an alphabet used for carving into stone and clay tablets and are more widely spread among the population. Allari Cursive is an abugida used for writing with brushes and ink on papyrus and for calligraphy. It is mostly used by the middle-classes and illegible even to people who can read Runic.

Government
The government of the Empire State is centered around two institutions, the National Committee and the Commissions, and the Gendarmerie protect the government and the Empire State as a whole.

National Committee
The National Committee is a legislative body, consisting of the Dianedt, the 3 governors, 5 deputies and 7 commissioners. Each deputy in the National Committee will take their turn being the Chairperson and Steward of the Empire State, and will serve 2 weeks in this position. Deputies are elected in a national election using ranked choice voting. The 5 candidates with the most votes will become deputies.

The Dianedt acts as a generally neutral force in the Government, and one who brings the nation together. They appoint and oversee the Commission, a small council made up of experts in their fields. Commissioners cannot be dual citizens unless given explicit permission. The Dianedt and the Commission are responsible for implementing bills and proposals as dictated by their contents. The Dianedt does not have the power to: Veto a bill, motion, amendment or proposal, appoint anyone to a position in the NatCom, intervene in democratic processes, etc.

The role of a deputy is to draft, propose, debate and vote on bills, motions, amendments or proposals that are in the interests of the people that voted for them. The role of the chairperson is to moderate debates and to vote on bills, motions, amendments or proposals. They ensure the debate does not get out of hand. They must not let personal biases get in the way of their duty. The role of the Steward of the Empire State is the same as a deputy’s, but with additional duties such as engaging in international diplomacy and politics, negotiating deals, etc. The Dianedt and Steward keep each other's power in check, and the rotating positions of the Steward and the chairperson is to ensure no one person can ever hold too much power.

Each region is led by a Governor-General, who is chosen by the people in an election using ranked-choice voting. A governor oversees the region, ensuring its upkeep.

Commissions
The Commissions are the executive body of the Government, who carry out the laws and bills passed by the NatCom. There are seven Commissioners. Each Commissioner oversees a particular aspect of the nation. They are as follows: Ecology and Environment, Architecture and Infrastructure, Finance and Trade, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security, Events and Culture, Home Affairs and Elections. Commissioners are appointed by the Dianedt but serve at the pleasure of the NatCom.

They must be approved by a vote from both the NatCom and the People. The Commissioner of Ecology and Environment manages farms and agriculture, nature reserves and parks, and the general aesthetic quality of nature in Cathai. The Commissioner of Architecture and Infrastructure manages city planning, national projects, building styles, roads, the aesthetic integrity of cities, as well as securing building materials and workers to work on projects. The Commissioner of Finance and Trade manages taxes, financial reports, trades amounting to large quantities.

The Commissioner of Foreign Affairs manages diplomacy, keeping up appearances, and representing Cathai on the international stage along with the Dianedt and Steward. The Commissioner of Defence, also known as the Commissioner of the Gendarmerie and manages its operations and command structure. The Commissioner of Events and Culture manages national events such as parties, festivals and processions, and creates and preserves history and lore. The Commissioner of Home Affairs and Elections maintains internal efficiency and order within the government, holds national elections and votes and ensures democratic processes are upheld.

Gendarmerie
The Gendarmerie are led by the Commissioner of Defence. They oversee Gendarmerie operations and report directly to the NatCom. Below the Commissioner are the General Staff of the Gendarmerie, who are: Field Marshals who are assigned to a province and protect said province from banditry, theft, and vandalism. They are chosen by NatCom by recommendation from the Commissioner and report to them. Centurions, who head units. They are highly skilled in combat and are picked by the Commissioner. The Lumieran Guard make up the bulk of the Gendarmerie. They are well-trained and can hold their own in a fight.

The Gendarmerie is split into watches of 10 to 12 Paladins, Wardens, Knights, Scouting, and Logistics Officers, headed by a Centurion. Watch names reflect important figures politically, historically and militarily.