The Chroniclers

The Chroniclers are an isolationist meritocratic geniocracy governed by a council of scholars. The location of Sar-Panagah, the sole permanent settlement of the Chroniclers, is held in secret. However, several known outposts exist across the world and house seekers and merchants.

The Chroniclers are sometimes called Chrons by those outside of their order. Their native word for themselves is Ahrante. They use a complicated tonal language known Rumi-Na-Ersen, which translates to the ‘essence of words,’ along with an ideographic writing system. The council of scholars strictly regulates both to prevent distortion, and the teaching of this writing system to outsiders is forbidden by law.

It is a little known fact that the Chroniclers have a unique physical form that they take when in private or among their kind, otherwise, they maintain their humanoid form. Speculation over the nature of this ‘true form’ has been the subject of various studies but none have succeeded in their goal of unraveling the mystery.

History
The mythical origin of the Chroniclers circles around Manas Ahra, an exiled scribe from the far west. He traveled across the lands unknown to Rathnir. He collected relics and literature from dozens of fallen civilizations along this journey. His efforts, leading him to the occupied lands of Rathnir, produced a library that still houses hundreds of ancient books and artifacts.

The few scholars and adventurers who were invited to join Manas were of an excellent caliber. These few formed the first council, which chose the location of Sar-Panagah. Supposedly found in ancient manuscripts from a civilization that had explored Rathnir, Sar-Panagah sat on top of an underground lake that granted the city its water supply.

During the reign of Manas, the language of Rumi-Na-Ersen was codified by the first council. Compiling various features from foreign and fallen civilizations to create a profoundly complex language and writing system. With nearly 60,000 unique characters in existence, although only 35,000 are regularly used, the language is difficult to comprehend for those outside of the Ahrante, the writing system being nearly impossible for Rathnirians to remember or understand. Following the death of Manas, 34 years after founding the Chroniclers, the first council dissolved itself in favor of a democratic system wherein every scholar was given the ability to voice or print their opinions on a decision or topic. This system remains in place today. Throughout its history, the Chroniclers have been selective in choosing who joins their ranks and maintains a sparse population as a result.

The only major historical event in the long six-hundred-year timeline of the nation has been the adoption of material displacement. To prevent the invasion of the sacred Sar-Panagah, all literature and valued possessions are stored in many secondary and tertiary locations across Rathnir. The city is merely a place of solitude and peace with little material value inside its open gates.

The Chroniclers are most known for the saying inscribed above the doors of Sar-Panagah, which reads, "As nations crumble into the sand in the hourglass of time, we shall be the ones who count the eras till the end of the world."

Government
Initially acting more akin to an autocracy, the Chroniclers are now a geniocracy where the most intelligent rule. All scholars have the right to express their opinions, in theses or by voice, but only the most intelligent opinions are given any semblance of reverence. In essence, the government values intelligence and the preservation of knowledge above all else.

The government is still hierarchical, and new children are assessed beginning at the age of three, on a three-year basis, until the age of eighteen on their intellect. Those with superior intelligence are allowed to stay in Sar-Panagah and further develop their knowledge. Most begin with menial bureaucratic work and work up to becoming a teacher of children, the highest and most esteemed position one could reach in the Chroniclers. This caste, perse, is allowed to reproduce with others of their class.

Those considered more adept in physical activities, and lacking the mind of a scholar, are assigned to become merchants and seekers. Both are allowed to marry and reproduce with outsiders but must promise their children to the schools of Sar-Panagah or be forsaken by the scholars. Merchants, besides selling goods, are part of the information network of the Chroniclers. On the other hand, Seekers are those who are sent from Sar-Panagah on missions to find and return books from fallen civilizations to preserve the knowledge.

Culture
The Ahrante culture values knowledge, preservation, and deliberation above all else. Slow and methodical decisions are treasured and the priority of any household. Scholars have a luxurious life but spend most of their time training youth, researching for their studies, organizing the collection of books, or reading the many tomes delivered to them by the seekers. Seekers and merchants live a life outside of Sar-Panagah, and hence a more rugged one. All have been taught dedication to their roles from birth. However, those who do rebel are quickly dealt with by the seekers who also seek out those who have left the Chroniclers in bad faith or deliver their people's knowledge to the outside world. Seekers have the additional tasks of acting as the manual labor and agricultural force for the nation when they are not assigned to a mission abroad, which only twenty percent are at any given time.

Pottery, lapis artwork, lyre playing, and sculpture are all valued by the Chroniclers and seen as acceptable hobbies by the scholars. Their religion worships the flame lit by Manas himself. The Ahrante see it as a symbol for the enlightening power of knowledge over the darkness of ignorance. Faith does not go further than being a principle by which they live, and there are no formal rites, clergy, or ceremonies besides funerary. Upon the death of a citizen, their bodies are typically cremated, symbolically giving their final possession to the light of knowledge.

The architecture of the Ahrante is typically carved structures, with a communal gathering in the center of the design. More extravagant construction will include lapis lazuli, bright concrete walls, or carved decorations.

Military
The seekers are the sole protection force for the nation. Preferring hit and run tactics, the seekers have never participated in open warfare or are trained in group tactics. Each seeker is expected to maintain their own, as performing missions alone is the common theme.

While scholars designate missions to seekers, there is little guidance on the path to be taken to achieve the goals. So long as the actions do not violate the tenets of their oath, which is to preserve the state and knowledge so long as they live, they are given the lead to make the choices necessary to procure what is demanded.

Technology
The Chroniclers have compiled, judged, and created a complex system of metrology, the study of measurements, and created various forms of high-level mathematics to solve problems in the world. This knowledge, along with most other parts of their library, is restricted to outsiders. Magnification lenses have also been heavily developed by the Chroniclers and are used by their scholars to study various objects in the sky. Inoculations are a common practice among the scholars, however not among the other classes.