Aurlûnor Velande

Capital and Languages Brief Nation Info The Aurlûnor Velande (Meaning the Sun Dragon Empire) or Aurlûnor (Sun Dragon Realm) is a nation located in Southern Syltör. Its capital city is Lhûmar, located on the northern coast of the Gulf of Heaven, a subsection of the Western Sea. It additionally shares an overseas territorial border with Seaterra to the northwest, the Imperial Center to the southeast, and the Zamotz Union to the north via Isillûnde. Its official religion and state ideology is the Twin Dragon. It is by far the largest majority Elven ruled nation in the world.

Etymology
Main article: Aurlûnoren language

The word Aurlûnor Velandé means "Sun Dragon Empire", which was said to have been the name Velereth Sareariel Lelya-Earcala gave the country. However, the name could also be due to the fact that the descendance of the Velereth from heaven was on the year of the Light Dragon, with the stars aligning in the form of that of a Dragon, and the Sun being at this constellation's center.

"Aurlûn" alone translates to "Sun Dragon" in, as the words aur meaning sun, and lûn meaning dragon, while "-or" while being used alone would mean "land" or "country". "Velandé" means "empire", or literally "[the] empress's country".

Note the é used in direct transliteration from Aurlûnoren is not an accent mark, but a tone marker, as the language features four tones which can effect the meaning of the word.

History
Main Article: History of the Aurlûnor Velande

Early History
The area occupied by the modern-day Velande was once occupied exclusively by human tribes, known collectivley as the Ghûren, ancestors of most of the modern Aurlûnoren humans. Approximately 11,000 years ago the Elven Migration Period began, which coincided with the advent of agriculture among the Ghûren and the settlement of the Kumiho in Hampo. These Elves would spread all over southern Syltör, and it is believed they came into conflict with the people of Bjørn´sberg after settling in the North-Aurlûnor Mountain Range, which after the migration of the local mercenary guild, they easily won. The ancestors of the Celestial Elves would establish a capital in the city of Ardol, in modern day Tacua province.

An elven king by the name of Maxion the Conqueror consolidated the various elves on the Lothranis Sea's west coast, and began the conquest of the northern territories. He would found the Kingdom of Almador, the predecessor of the Aurlûnor Velande, and place its capital in the a settlement known as Sachómar. Almador would begin a period of conquest, dominating the other Ghûren kingdoms as well as the Kumiho. The rule of Almador was legalistic, and at many times excessively cruel. Rebellions were crushed and non-elves were commonly enslaved. However, during the centuries through which the kingdom lasted, the Imperial Humans and Kumiho were eventually assimilated to the level of equals.

Almador would eventually fall into chaos following the mismanagement of King Hireon and a large famine. Governors broke away from the central government to form their own kingdoms, beginning the "Warlord Period" or "Warring States Period". The following thousand years of conflict would see nearly a third of the population waste away from war, disease, and famine.

One small city-state that broke away, was lead by a local warlord by the name of Sareariel Lelya-Earcala. She would capture the fishing village that would become modern Lhûmar and declare the founding of the Aurlûnor Velande following the defeat of the Kingdoms of Melwende and Linye. The various other elven kingdoms that occupied old Almadoran land would be swept up by the new velereth, though many other Almadoran territories were occupied by foreign governments. Years of strife and instability followed the founding of the Velande, but with the reform and stability of the central government the lives of the people improved as famine was eradicated and peace returned to the land.

Foreign Dominance Era
Aurlûnor's earlier days on the server saw the country dominated by foreign nations, and the Velande found itself at the whims of larger external powers. Aurlûnor joined the Syltör Confederation, but Bardonia vassalized Aurlûnor for a brief period as the Confederation broke apart. However, during its time as a vassal of Bardonia, Aurlûnor still remained autonomous and was able to take back old Almadoran lands- first with the Treaty of Smaugonik between Aurlûnor and Takumakken, and the later Partition of Takumakken altogether later on.

After leaving Bardonian vassaldom, Sareariel entered a marriage with Dalatra Mosulia of Ardat/Yimmu-Audal and later CanadianToss of Ryzan (creating the Aurlunor-Ryzan union state), and the First Barbarian Rally was launched- it was a chaotic time. From its membership in the Syltör Confederation, Aurlûnor temporarily acquired Norfthorn as a vassal state and integrated the County of Fornois as a province as its leader retired.

Era of Barbarian Conflict
Around this time, Aurlûnor began a period of political isolation that continues to the present. While foreign volunteers proved indispensable to fighting squatters in the Barbarian Rallies, the institution of the "Sleeping Dragon Doctrine" meant that Aurlûnor would no longer involve itself in unnecessary foreign entanglements and focus on improving its internal strength and relations with only its neighbors. It is through this isolation that many Aurlûnoran citizens and external observers explain the relative stability of the regime compared to other nations in Rathnir.

The Aurlûnor-Ryzani Empire period proved to be chaotic and disastrous, with the Second Barbarian Rally occurring at this time, and Sareariel eventually divorced Tsar Canadiantoss. The Third Barbarian Rally occurred as Aurlûnor went further down its isolationist path, and it concluded the debacle of the rather inconclusive Second Rally. However, the Great Fire of Hloamar occurred during the rally, burning the city down and destroying the old Takumakken architecture. This was the catalyst for the beginning of Mao Meili and Ja'al the Engineer's political careers, as their effort in rebuilding the city earned Mao a position as Nir Province's governor and Jaal as a governmental minister.

Golden Age
After participating in the Ferrymen War, peace and prosperity returned to Aurlûnor during what is now known as the Golden Age. Lasting from roughly May (935 ACA) until September (940 ACA), Aurlûnor saw rapid expansion of its national borders (including the creation of the Viceroyalty of Isillûnde in Eldham), a large population increase, the founding of the Dragon Navy, and many internal building projects such as the Imperial Palace went under construction.

A near-miss war with the Ryzani Republic during mid-May spurred on by the actions of Thy Futo and Entropy (a nemesis of Sareariel at the time) contributed to further souring relations with Ryzan and closer ties with Bardonia that would continue until the Allium-Coalition War in August. The Golden Age also saw the insurrection of a Raajjyn tribe known as the Grey Banner, who until early August (939 ACA) were hated vehemently by the Aurlûnoran Imperial Court as they crept around, stole, and planted IEDs across Aurlûnor. Eventually diplomacy between the two parties was reached, and Aurlûnoran volunteers helped the former Banner establish the State of Kyydrosil.

The Fourth Barbarian Rally, in Eldham, was resolved without bloodshed as Sareariel left temporarily. Mao Meili was promoted to Chancellor and Sel Lelya-Earcala was promoted to Imperial Regent until the Velereth's return. After this, three children- Lanfen, Vahtying, and Hayalal Lelya-Earcala, were revealed to the public. As squatters overran the country in late July, the Fifth Barbarian Rally, the largest to date, was announced, and Bjornsberg was acquired as a vassal.

Despite having been a former Bardonian vassal, Sareariel kept good relations with Bardonia, who signed a mutual defense pact with Aurlûnor. Kaiser Lucius von Savras of Andorn (then part of Bardonia) married Sareariel, further cementing Bardonian ties. When the Allium War broke out in July, Aurlûnor initially joined in on the Bardonian side against the Third Coalition. However, diplomatic breakdowns led to an official withdrawal as a full combatant in the war, and Aurlûnor instead only materially supported the Allium Alliance with a single volunteer, Hydra Blackwater, fighting at the Battle of New Dorasterrock.

The Bardonian Spring saw Andorn and others secede from Bardonia, allowing Aurlûnor and the newly-freed nations to found the Syltör League. The League was a mutual defense organization to protect the northeastern states against foreign intervention and improve intra-continental trade by building roads and highways. While the League did help in construction, and League members participated in the Fifth Barbarian Rally and other conflicts, it slowly degenerated into uselessness as it proved ineffective in keeping peace in Ryzan.

Decline
The Imperial Autumn was a period of relative decline that was observed as September (940 ACA) came to a close. War with the Forest Council squatters, the Great Eclipse and a subsequent famine and lockdown, and the bombing of Twin Dragon temples during the War in Ryzan (inadvertently leading to the Grand Temple declaring war on Aurlûnor, making the leadership of Aurlûnor at war with itself) all occurred over the course of the Imperial Autumn. The War in Ryzan also led to the annexation of the Deutzan region as Malyan Province, as the Ryzani state soon ceased to exist.

October (941 ACA) saw the influx of many squatters into Hampo Province including Islos and the Legion Aleczaender, and the tightening of religious laws including a ban on syncretic Soleannen-Twin Dragon.

The disappearance of Sareariel threw the whole Velande into crisis. A regency council comprised of Mel Lelya-Earcala, Minister Nori, and Chancellor Mao Meili took charge, to guide the young heir Lanfen Lelya-Earcala in her mother's footsteps. Hazel McSpiegel was made the new Celestial Matron, technically separating the Twin Dragon Temple and Aurlûnor Velande government for the first time in any meaningful manner.

The death of the Syltör League was proclaimed by Chancellor Mao as Aurlûnor and its ally Norfthorn were left as its sole founding members in the western Syltör region. This prompted an incursion into the acquisition of the southern provinces by the Huitca Federation, whose leader Tlatoani Quauhtli Tizoc claimed had a right over those lands due to Viridian (a formerly independent Huitcan state) once controlling the lands. Diplomatic talks broke down with the Imperial Court and war seemed to be on the horizon, but re-negotiation and the urges of the rest of the Huitcan government cooled the situation down.

Despite the hardships of diplomacy, the Aurlûnor Velande and its people persisted in building and maintaining a rich national culture. Lasting over a year on the server, Aurlûnor's citizens and leaders kept strong and built many towns, buildings, and more across the land and created all manner of arts to share with the world.

Sareariel would return in the year 942 ACA, and would continue the Golden Age that has influxed on the Velande, and would see to this day, it's glory days once again come back.

Political Geography
The Velande contains 11 provinces, with one special cities known as the City of Lhûmar, which functions as an independent territorial unit from the Imperial Province that contains the Empire's capital. Provinces of the Aurlûnor Velande

Two former provinces existed during the time of the Velande. The Vedassa Province, was the first province to be abolished as a province entirely. Also known as North Fornois, Vedassa was created later during the Velande's expansions to the south and east. Lencamar was the capital until Mid-July, where Drakovien was made the official capital. It was merged with the Alvada Province on October 5th. Drakovien (Lûnwirmar) served as it's capital and largest city.

Malyan Province was also a province that belonged to the Velande up until the year 943ACA, after a back and forth between the Fifth Tsardom of Ryzan, Sareariel, Geo and GreenToss. This would lead to near-war, however, the region was agreed to be split between Ryzan and the Velande, with the Velande retaining the ownership of Duck Island, and the rest of Malyan being transferred to the Tsardom. This move was not popular among Deutzani citizens, who enjoyed living under the Velande.

Natural Geography
The Aurlûnor Velande is located in western Syltör, along the northern shores of the Sea of Lothranis. It also borders the western edge of the Phagosian Sea at some points.

In the north, there are conifer forests and mountains- in particular the Monts del Nors and Monts del Mornan, forming the Fornoisan Ranges. The Soiran River flows through the valley of Fornois, and it is in this river valley that much of Alvada Province's population lives. The valley has a warmer climate than the mountains, and its fertile soil for farming allows large cities like Drakovien to thrive. The Great Timber Expanse is a particularly rich conifer forest to the north; it is protected by law, but regulated logging is permitted.

The central latitudes of the Velande are warm and humid, The eastern hills of the Endanor region across to the Maerun steppes are somewhat dry and cool due to wind patterns, but Tacua, Nir, and northern Hampo experience a humid subtropical-to-tropical climate, with lots of rain and mild winters. Coral grows in abundance in the Bay of Heaven which borders this region, and the abundant fish sustain much of the coastal population. Biodiversity in the Tacua-East Bay region is the highest in the whole country and perhaps continent, with many creatures including the Aurlûnoren Lûn, the national animal, calling the rainforest home. Ha Anga Bayou National Park was established in 941 ACA to protect the wildlife of southern Nir. Tamaka Province is home to Mount Nantian, home of the Nantian Monastery and is the Velande's largest free-standing mountain. Tamaka also inherits a moderate climate, bearing abundant forests that give way to plains in the south.

The central and southern regions of the Velande are mostly dry grassland and desert, terraformed in the ancient past by Dune Elven magic to make way for their herds of livestock and pastoral lifestyle. In days past the area was mostly temperate open forest with a few arid regions in the south, but desertification was desired by the ancient immigrants to the area. Today the vast Ashuran Desert's sands stretch from sea to sea, broken up by the oases and rivers that still dot the landscape-vestiges of the older, wetter world. The largest of these oases is the Sawiya Oasis, located at the very heart of the desert. The desert-dwellers farm the rivers and oases, or engage in pastoral nomadism for food. Resource prospecting and even fossil- and artifact-collecting have become popular in recent years as ways to get extra money from the desert's hidden resources.

Government
Under the Imperial Constitution, the Aurlûnor Velande is an Absolute Theocratic Monarchy, which means that the government entirely falls under the control of the Velereth, a title which means "Empress". The power of the Velereth is seen as absolute, and opposition against the government is usually seen as a form of treason. No political parties are known to exist within the Velande, and while local elections do exist, they tend to be in villages. Government positions and military positions are appointed, and are a lifetime, hereditary position. The Lelya-Earcala Dynasty, the current Imperial Dynasty, is the ruling family of the Velande, and their rule is seen as the most Autocratic in the world.

Though the government is mostly an Absolute Cognatic system, the Imperial throne falls under Enatic succession, which means only women can inherit the throne of the Velande.

Structure
The Government Structure of the Aurlûnor Velande works off a system that is akin to the Royal court system. The court was divided into multiple parts, which help govern the nation.

The Velereth is the supreme authority over all other bodies. Whatever comes to her throne or desk, she decides if it is final or not. The Velereth's power can override any single decision or action made by other ruling bodies, and may issue imperial decrees should may be. Authority is never challenged by the Velereth's word, as it is final, and law, and those who usually do, are seen as rebels and traitors.

The Chancellor 's authority is similar to the authority of the Velereth, and may issue Imperial Decrees on her behalf. They are considered the second most powerful figure in the Empire, being able to do anything without having to ask the Velereth, with only their own power being overridden. The seat of the Chancellor is the highest position that anyone with Citizenship can achieve in the entire Velande.

The Phoenix Advisor is considered a ceremonial title given by the Velereth who has proven to be a rather useful asset in the court. This can be considered anything from being trusted with regency or with tasks that the Velereth herself may give to them.

The Imperial Court is by far the largest body of the Velande, which consists of every single governor of each of the twelve provinces, in addition to others who would stand to give advice and assist with the nation with varying duties. This can include being Minister of Diplomacy, Foreign Affairs, of War among other things. The court is seen as the blood of the government, and is the highest a person with Civilized Status can achieve.

Succession
Succession of the throne of the Aurlûnor Velande is thought to be through the use of the Divine Crown of the Velande. However, legal laws state that in order for one to succeed the throne of the Velande, they must follow through a ceremony, which confirms legitimacy.

To be eligible to become the next Velereth, they must meet the following requirements:


 * The heir is female.
 * The heir is at least 30 or older.
 * The heir must be a daughter of Sareariel biologically.
 * The heir must be apart of the Lelya-Earcala Dynasty.

The ceremony begins with the five questions of the Vale. They must be answered in Primordial.


 * 1) What is the greatest desire of the world that men want the most?
 * 2) Through what divine the blood you descend from? Speak thy names in their original tongue.
 * 3) Upon what do you seek the greatest, when given to you at full strength?
 * 4) Should you slit your left thigh, and drink the Wine of Yunin, while riding a Qivar through the Five Passes?
 * 5) The Ultimate Truth. What is the correct answer to everything that exists around you?

Should they pass through the five questions successfully, they are given a golden chalice, in which inside, is a specially brewed Celestial Tea, made from a yet unknown ingredient. They must slice open their left palm, and drip it into the tea. Should it come up green, they are not legitimate, and are therefore, a pretender, if however, it comes up pure blue, and starts making a sizzling sound, causing the cup to broil, and flame like a torch, they are confirmed to potentially be legitimate.

The final step of the process, is the new Velereth is to strip, and be bathed by Ceremonial Baijiu, and set on fire by their own chalice. Should they wince, the flame asunders reddish orange, and burn, they are not legitimate. However, should it burn white, then crimson red, at the same time, and do not feel pain, cooling down with it absorbing into their pours, they are then knelt down before, and hailed as the new Velereth of the Velande, in which she'd be dressed back up, and sit on her new throne.

Law and Enforcement
The Velande Laws are the mandated code of law in the country. It is known as the harshest law code in Rathnir, as many of these laws involve beatings by bamboo canes, which can be seen as brutal. The law is also among the most controversial due to its suppression of free speech and religion, with the most executions per capita, with many of the laws involving execution. The Velande is also one of the few countries that sends convicts of the more severe crimes to hard labor, mostly in the Erúme Province. It is often called the "Bloody Dragon Empire" due to these causes, and the "Graveyard of Practitioners" due to it's anti-heresy laws.

All provinces and the City of Lhûmar are enforced by the Municipal Police, which functions as law enforcement. Each settlement has a particular police force, and run by the majority or minority of said department. Villages and towns that subordinate are guarded by said force of the more major settlements. For example, the Ruscoliemar Metropolitan Police is ran by a Kumiho, the Aballia Metropolitan Police is ran by a Seraan, etc.

Military
The Aurlûnor Velande military is currently divided into two divisions, the Dragon Army and the Dragon Navy. The Dragon Army is the main force of the country, utilizing pike and shot tactics, as well as arquebuses- being one of the first nations to fully use firearms on Rathnir. They are mostly a defensive military, protecting the Velande's borders alongside local militias that sometimes gather under their banners. The Dragon Navy deals with the domestic affairs of the Lothranis Sea and the Great Southern Ocean, often hunting pirates, and protecting merchant vessels that enter in and out of the sea.

Religion
''"Free Religion leads to societal collapse, civil war, destruction, and no-good barbarians invading your borders. This is what happened to Almador. Never again, shall this happen to the Sun Dragon Empire. The Velereth may not like this idea, but her majesty will understand why we had decided on it." - Unknown Court Official, 2ACA''

The majority of the Aurlûnor Velande adheres to the religion of Twin Dragon with a 94.1% majority. The largest minority religion is the Ashuran Pantheon 3.2%, Soleannen at 1.4%, traditional Hampo Animism at a 1.3%, and various other religions making up varying minorities throughout the nation.

The official religion of the Aurlûnor Velande is Twin Dragon, which is also mandated by law through a method of either forced conversion, persecution of public displays or worship or through integration. It is against the law in the Velande to worship any other religion other than the state religion. Violators are usually subjected to the harsh heresy punishments. However, the law seems to loosen up outside of large settlements, or less densely populated regions that are not made up of a majority Celestial Elven population. The least population provinces appear to have this law less enforced, although cases of anti-heresy crackdowns had been seen upon order of the governors.

The Ashuran Pantheon is the only religion that is legal by the Velande's legal code, but only in Sharla and Erúme Provinces.

Culture
Aurlûnoren Culture is among the most diverse in terms of the Western Syltör region. Almadorian culture that was left over from the remnants of the Kingdom still linger within the Aurlûnor Velande massively, and is present in every day life. Unlike the Almadorians, the Aurlûnorens adopted many aspects of Ghûren cultures, most notably Dawou Culture, blending it together with Almadorian culture, creating a unique identity in which the styles of building, architecture and traditions. Aspects of the Dawou people can be seen today in Lhûmar with the presence of holidays such as Dragon Day with another in Winter and the New Years festival held ever 12th of Feburary.

The Velande is often known as the cultural capital of Western Syltör, and continues to show itself as a shining example of a nation with rich culture.

Food
Aurlûnoren cuisine mostly consists of rice, wheat, berry, fish and meat dishes that are native to the region. Aurlûnoren cuisine mostly appears to mostly steam their foods, most notably vegetables and meat, as said to "enrichen the flavor" and to make food more "savory". One of the most famous dishes in Aurlûnor Velande is known as the Steamed Beef Bun, which composes of a round shaped bun, filling inside with meat, and a flour exterior. Inside, usually composes of either crushed berries, bamboo sprouts or rice, surrounded by the beef.

Sauces are among the most used in any Aurlûnoren dish. Usually, a dish will be seen with sauce being added, which can vary depending on what type of dish it is. Most of the sauces are sweet or salty, with one of the most popular sauces, soy sauce, being used on almost anything to make it tasty. Chocolate Sauce is more widely used in Tacua Province, accompanied with a leaf covering the food as a form of respect to the consumer.

Coastal towns along the Lothranis Sea tend to use lots of fish in their cuisine, often replacing other meats that inlanders would normally eat. A staple food fish of the average Aurlûnoren peasant is the Blue Snapper; Sand Grouper and Red Dolphinfish are more pricey fish. Pufferfish fugu is served as a delicacy, as its preparation must be careful in removing the fish's poison glands. Sea turtles like the Western Hawk Turtle are rarely eaten, and protected by law.

Spice is extremely popular in upper class dishes, and is often used on many dishes to help make the flavors give extra kick. Freshly grown Tacuan Jungle Spices known as Jihaw, Saffron, Anardana, and Sumac are among the most popular spices that are seen, with saffron being reserved mostly for Imperial Family members.

Art
The Velande is well known for talented artists, who appears to have painted many portraits of the Velereth, and that of multiple battle scenes. Famous artists such as Dalatra Mosulia and Aesop Hexen have been renown for their art skills despite their mixed origins. Azan, Governor of Sharla Province is also a famous sculptor, being responsible for such works such as his depictions of the King of Darkness and Queen of Light that still shines outside of the gates of Lhûmar.

Literature
Despite living in a rather conservative country in regards to literature, Aurlûnoren literature is among the most liberal, and open-expressive pieces in Syltör. The most famous of these pieces throughout the country is a book known as The Princess, a currently two volume book written by Aldara Ellan, a well known scholar in the Imperial Court of Seraan descent. Other political works include Chancellor Mao Meili's Harmony and Politics.

The Celestial Fertilizer is an infamous novel written by an unknown author back in 221ACA, which is described to be "raunchy" and "extremely informal" by many, but is widely popular by adults as something known as "Pleasure Literature".

Another huge book is known as the Clash of the Three Kingdoms, which was written by an Aurlûnoren Human by the name of Liu Rundon in the mid-600s ACA, which takes place during the time of the Warring Period of the Almadorians, romanticizing the rise of power of the Velande.

As far as more scientific and theoretical literature goes, the scientist Tara Sauranis has written multiple short works describing ancient beasts, bringing the science of paleontology to the public. Her books are popular, with the Fornost Museum holding a copy of her work on Megalonectes on public display. Hydra Blackwater's philosophical work Systems of Harmony details Twin Dragon's epistemology and metaphysics.

Architecture
Throughout the history of the Aurlûnor Velande, the building style of the varying cities changed overtime, with some having a traditional Almadorian-look, such as the ancient city of Ardol, to having more of a mixture of Neo-Dawou, and whatever regions they settled in. Though the dark history of architecture shows that slaves of the Ghûren peoples were shown to have adopted their traditions, when slavery was discontinued in 0CA, the Aurlûnor Velande adopted many practices of this style, and incorporated into a more varied style. As the nation expanded, and more cultures integrated into the Velande, so did architectural styles. Kumiho style would enter into the scene upon the integration of the Hampo Province, Fornoisan architecture entering the picture in the northern territories blending styles together to create a strange hybrid of the cultures, and even Dune Elven architecture mixing in with the acquisition of the old Ashuran territories from Huitca.

Among all nations, the Aurlûnor Velande is often ranked extremely high when it comes to architectural prowess. Multiple cities, most notably Lhûmar, Dun and Lûnwirmar, which are often called the "Three Titans of the West", in terms of architectural beauty and prowess. The ancient city of Ebonimemar is also an example of rather high architectural prowess, with Ashuran Architecture mixed in with aspects of Almadorian style architecture.

Music
Aurlûnoren music is widely renowned as "cultured", "refined" and "aesthetic". Most Aurlûnoren instruments are inherited from Dawou or Almadorian culture over 900 years ago. The invention of instruments such as the Aurlûnoren guzhen, the sitar, the erhu and the Tacuan style lute, are among the most popular by many musicians around the world. The most popular Aurlûnoren melody is known as "The Prowl of the Tiger", which is known to be one of the oldest pieces of Dawou music that dates back to 4,700BCA. The oldest Almadorian piece known as "The Bamboo Forest of the Shining Moon" is among the most popular wood-wind pieces, which is accompanied by a poem, and is usually sung by many bards in taverns and tea houses across the country.

Later instruments such as the Ashuran Ney, which was introduced in the 1600BCAs, is common among the more lower classes and labourers, as well as many tribes of the Ashuran Desert. The Aurlûnoren Piano, invented in 560ACA by Larcan Jae-Sailanis, became a widely common sight in many houses, taverns, tea houses and even among the elites.