Concept Notes 01

The Ahore

A religion followed by the citizens of Ahurian lands to the south of Posaran Sea, Kolha, Ahuria and Ahurian colonies in Giza and Manascula.

The Ahore is a religion focused on ancestor worship and veneration for the divinity of the royal families.

The traditional belief is that the people of the Ahore are descendants of the mighty Ahuriyata, god of all men, and that the ruling class are the direct descendants of his first 12 children.

Each of Ahuriyata’s children have been given dominion over large portions of Ahorite lands and a mandate to expand and envelop the world, for the prosperity of the whole of Ahuria.

The Ahore, and its ancient texts delineate society in a distinct class hierarchy:

The Royalty: Ansa Ahuriyata

Comprise the 12 princes of Ahuria, and the children of the high prince among the twelve.

The Clergy: Ahurikishki

High-priests, royal staff and various eunuchs that serve the god-princes, the monks and acolytes that make the retinue of the high-priests, the pleasure men and women made to feed the royal line.

The Warriors: Akkibati

Those who wield the blade. They are the house-lords and ladies that are charged with the protection of the lands. They perform tax collection, charged with providing healthcare, ensure that the laws of the Ahuriyata are met to the letter.

The Merchants: Provobati

Those who wield the hammer. Traders, merchants, sailors, craftsmen fall into this class. They perform the specialized labor of society. They run the guilds, make crafts, etc.

The Farmers: Ponsabati

Those who wield the yoke. These are those who work the fields or raise the animals. They are also the butchers or milkers. From among their number also come the headsmen.

The Slaves: Kirsharti

The servants. These are the lowest of people. The kirsharti are divided into two subgroups depending on their origin.

Konti Kirsharti

Those of lowly birth, descendants of those peoples who lived within the lands of the Ahore who had not immediately accepted Ahuriyata as their god and king. They are kept and provided for by their owners, usually of the Akkibati or the Provobati. The Ahurikishki have a few Konhikia on hand to handle excrement within the palaces.

Pariya Kirsharti

Those who are divinely punished by the laws of Ahuriyata. They have transgressed so badly in the eyes of his betters that he is seen as traitor to his class. Pariya are forced to toil in chains without pay, and are kept almost exclusively by the Akkibati, or traded by the Provobati to foreigners.

Ahurian Gender Roles

The females in Ahuria are not typically considered inferior from males in their society, but there is some variation in how they are treated based on their caste.

The Ansa

The Ansa, for example, do not distinguish rank among themselves by gender. What matters is their birth-order and the birth-order of their immediate parents. And so, if two Ansa are joined by union, that of higher rank is typically the more powerful in the marriage dynamic.

The Ahurikishki

The Ahurikishki, similarly, do not have power dynamics based on gender. The closest to gender politics are based on the god-prince they serve. Palace prostitutes of a particular gender may be favored based on the preferences of their god-prince. Room servants are similarly chosen based on either the gender of who they serve, or of those that their more powerful spouse chooses.

The Akkibati

The Akkibati, being warriors, do have a preference for male offspring, but women are respected as mothers aside from being fierce warriors in their own right. Sometimes women are leveraged for familial alliances.

The Ponsabati

Ponsabati also have a preference for males due to their utility in farming and manual labor. The fact that women are physically capable of bearing children makes them valuable in a different way. Women who menstruate, sometimes at inopportune times like during planting days, biases their view of girls.

The Kirsharti

Konti Kirsharti are given different jobs based on their gender. Women are typically given jobs related to women’s needs, such as a chambermaid, or kitchen staff. Men are sent to do more physical labor, like construction or farmhand for richer peasant/Ponsabati families.

Pariya Kirsharti do not have much they can do in society, and so they import their gender stereotypes from their origins. Often enough, they cannot act their stereotypes anyway due to the nature of their station.

Class Interactions in Practice

It is completely untenable to expect no interaction between classes of people, and so it is completely unrealistic to expect that even though the caste system is rigorously enforced, that interaction is completely prohibited. There are specified or formalized means and traditions around cross-class discourse though. There are, of course, non-formalized interaction between classes, not to mention enclaves of poorer segments of each caste that couldn’t care less about the formalities.

The Ansa and the Ahurikishki

The Ansa Ahuriyata, being the divine descendants of the First Twelve, are the object of worship of the cleric class of the Ahurikishki. Thus the Ahurikishki have the sole privilege of serving them directly.

Many of their interactions, especially with the Twelve, are highly formalized affairs.

Morning Routine

A retinue of Ahurikishki cleaning staff, bathing attendants and hairdressers enter as the Ansa awakens. Immediately, and in pairs, they enter after announcing their presence in the most polite register, their heads tilted upwards as a sign of obeisance. The Ansa then beckons them to approach.

The bathing attendants say a quick prayer of penance for having the audacity to touch the Ansa’s person, and for the act of directing them. Stronger attendants carry the Ansa to a bathing wetstone in the Ansa’s apartments as they are washed with the right amount of gentleness and thoroughness. Then the Ansa is dried with silk towels and dressed in a bath robe as the bathing attendants say a prayer of thanks for the privilege of bathing the descendant to godhood.

While the Ansa is bathing, the cleaning staff get to work on cleaning the apartments, ensuring that every nook and cranny is free from any dust or debris. They too say prayers of penance before beginning, and thanks after completion.

The Ansa is then carried to the armoire to be tended to by the hairdressers. After the requisite prayers, the Ansa is clothed, styled and perfumed and showered with great adulation by the entire retinue.

The coordinating attendant then ushers in the wait staff to bring in the Ansa’s breakfast. A smorgasbord of dishes so the Ansa may pick and choose based on interest. The cleaning and washing staff take their leave once the Ansa is served and before they start their meal.

After the Ansa finishes, the wait staff says their prayers, brings the remaining food to the kitchens to be distributed to the Ahurikishki servants.

The Morning Briefing

Depending on the Ansa, this may be dispensed of. Most do, however, keep the briefing as a means of keeping tabs on other Ansa, or to the affairs of their lands and estates.

The Ansa’s high-priests, sometimes accompanied by a high-ranking member of the Akkibati and Provobati, followed by scribes accompany the god-prince to his meeting chamber. Of course, after going through a dance of prayer, absolution, permission and magnanimity.

Upon arrival, the highest-ranking scribe gives the high-priest a scroll containing the day’s news items. They then read and contextualize the entries as the Ansa listens and asks questions. If the Akkibati or Provobati have some pertinent information to add during this phase, they may interject after a short phase of penance.

After the news, the high-priest is handed a scroll with the Ansa’s itinerary, which the Ansa may update according to their will. Invited guests of lower station are most times, ushered out at this point.

The Ansa may choose to go through the tasks listed on the itinerary at this point. If they do, they are accompanied by the high-priest, scribes and as soon as they leave the apartments, are joined by Akkibati honor guards.

Educating the young Ansa

Ahurikishki scholars are tasked with the education and rearing of a young Ansa Ahuriyata. It is rare that either parent give time to such a pursuit, but indeed there are notable instances. Most of the time, a priest is selected by the ranking Ansa in the household to take charge in the child’s education. Oftentimes, the priest is chosen by his charge as high-priest when they come of age; again, there are notable exceptions to this.

In order to establish authority, the parents explicitly absolve the mentor of impiety at the beginning of every mentorship. They usually give a blanket statement giving authority to the priest to do what he must with the promise to ensure the wellbeing of the yet-to-be-ascended fragment of divinity. To reinforce the temporary ascendance of the mentor, the title of Ansa is rescinded during lessons, and is never uttered by the mentor to refer to their student, for the duration of the mentorship.

While lessons are ongoing, the student’s effective caste is below that of a Provobati, but above the Kirsharti. After the day’s lessons are over, the student is effectively a low-ranked Ahurikishki to their mentor.

The High-priest and their Lord Ansa Ahuriyata

As is typical, momentum, even in social contexts requires some work to counteract. So most Ansa, as they grow into their own, retain their mentor priests as their primary advisors and chief stewards. They act also as the prime conduit between the divine and their people in their role as high-priest of their people.

Most Ansa and their high-priests have a very casual connection in that they typically use the familial register when in more relaxed contexts. It is not unprecedented that in private, a high-priest can get away with speaking in a familiar register with their prince.

The Ansa and the Akkibati

A member of the Ansa cannot typically leave their palace without a cadre of loyal Akkibati guards. As the only caste permitted to carry weapons and learn the martial arts, their expertise is required to effectively protect the royal and divine Ansa from peril. Aside from his personal guard, higher ranking Ansa typically have a good working relationship with their generals and their mentors on military tactics and strategy.

The March on a Royal Parade

A royal parade is not the only time a high-ranking Ansa leaves the palace, but it is the most spectacular. It is also the time when the full cadre of their Royal Guard is in full view.

An Ahurikishki overseer coordinates the procession’s initial formation as their Ansa is dressed. The royal performers come first, some of the very few Provobati on the regular employ of the Ansa palace.

Behind them are the Ahurikishki Elementalists. Priests whose devotion lie in the practice of “magic”. Their hair is dyed blonde and eyes adorned with golden eye shadow.

They are then followed by the priestly chanters—those that chant the ancient sutras.

The Akkibati guard then form ranks, escorting the entirety of the parade, flanking them. Providing a barrier between the parade and the common folk.

The elite guard surround the high-priest, their scribes, and the Ansa themself, at the tail end of the procession.

A Royal Visit

Sometimes an Ansa would like to come visit. Most of the lower-ranking ones may easily, comparatively, travel without too large an entourage.

Enough then, would be their honor guard. Trusted Akkibati men or women, usually chosen by the Ansa or their high-priest from the larger household guard.

In most cases, there are always at least two or three directly around the Ansa’s person, with 5 or 6 in more conspicuous clothing scouting for potential problems.

The General and their Prince

High-ranking Ansa are typically given leadership of a large army. The Ansa is usually then advised by a high martial or general depending on the position of said Ansa.

Typically, this high martial or general is an apprentice. A mentor of the Ansa’s during childhood, or one undergoing similar leadership training at the time of the Ansa’s formative years. As such, they have similar bonds of familiarity as one with a high-prince, but one with a larger power-differential.

The general or high-martial only has final say if the Ansa gives the explicit command to do so in a special rite. It is equally common that the Ansa keep supreme military command or to relinquish such a command to the highest ranking Akkibati in their court.

The Ansa and their Tradesmen

There is little interaction between an Ansa and a member of the Provobati. Indeed, there are more chances for a Konti Kirsharti to interact with a prince than that of a Provobati merchant. There are certain exceptions of course, and some common interactions when some counsel is necessary.

The Entertainers

Most Ansa households of rank hold enough social functions as to have a permanent troupe of Provobati performers and artists on staff. They typically supplement the performances of the Ahurikishki Elementalists.

As they are permanent staff members, they are usually on the Ansa’s beck and call, even when there are no important gatherings or events.

Smaller Ansa households have no use for, or money to maintain a permanent troupe in their retinue. So they have to hire a free troupe. Free troupes are those without a permanent patron, and accept commissions from prominent Akkibati and mercantile Provobati.

Different occasions or different tastes call for different types of entertainment. Troupes often offer juggling, drama, music or animal pageantry to cover a wide taste range.

Portraits of an Artist

Most Ansa portraiture are performed by Ahurikishki artists whose sole devotion is to depict their lord. However, not all Ansa households are lucky enough to have one on staff. In such occasions, the household may want to hire an itinerant artist. Oftentimes foreigners are sought, especially ones of great renown.

Of course, the typical artist goes through a purification rite, as would any person of the lower castes are required when they are to meet an Ansa.

The Ansa and the Farmers

The Ansa have even less reason to interact with the Ponsabati caste than most the others, with the exception of the stablemasters that care for their mounts. Even then, the Ansa do not have the horse culture that Northern nobility of Kalassarian descent display. Even with horses. Mostly, if an Ansa has some interest in horses, they’re probably Kolhan.

The Kolhan Ansa and his Horse-Hands

Due to their very close interactions with Poasah, the Kolhan Ansa and the small splinter kingdoms had developed a love of equines, and the culture that surrounds it, like hunting or horse-racing. Jousting, however, is still out of the question for them however, as the Ansa are forbidden to draw human blood with metal or wood.

The palace employs a staff of Ponsabati stablehands since handling live animals are forbidden to even the Ahurikishki.

Most Ansa from the mainland frown upon equestrianism, as Ansa are typically not supposed to handle animals. Kolhans justify the practice by having elaborate bandings separating the Ansa from the horse.

Due to this restriction, however, they do not feed the horse themselves, or personally groom their mounts. The horsehands do these while the Ansa maintains eye-contact to give the illusion that they are the one caring for the horse in order to simulate bonding with them. Of course, due to concerns regarding the animal bond, stablemasters often only give Ansa very docile, obedient animals.

In years past, stablehands were not to speak directly to their Ansa lords, but practicality dictated that this change, and recently the stablemaster is given a ritual cleansing before the Ansa makes his way to the stables. Ahurikishki servants dissolve the stablemaster and is very thoroughly washed with a ritually-made soap while chanting prayers of penance. The stablemaster is taught the correct responses to the litany of praise that follows. The other hands do not do these rituals, and are thus not allowed to directly interact with the Ansa, unless directly referred to.

Hunting in Kolha

Ansa do not typically go hunting in mainland Ahuria, but Kolhan princes are taught the practice as a means of diplomacy with the Poasan nobility, and partly to practice the Ansa for battle with those same Poasans.

Justifications for the Hunt

As the Ansa are typically above such base pursuits as hunting, the Ahurikishki priesthood had drafted a series of justifications that would ensure the “purity” of their gods. Even as the Ansa had gone on hunts with the foreign Poasans, the clergy was pressured to explain how such bloodletting is within the prescriptions of the Great Ahuriyata.

The Blood of an Intellect is that which is Sacred

The words of the sudra against bloodlust is vague on the notion of animals. The only specific prohibition is against those which show an intellect. Thus, the Ahurikishki of Kolha reserves that distinction to only apply to humans. All other creatures that might display an ability to adapt is merely “acting upon the instincts of creation.”

Practicality of Peacemaking Dictates the Rules of Diplomacy

As Kolha is bordered to the north and west by a country renowned for its martial capabilities, the Ansa being the incarnation of gods themselves, must attempt all they must, within the laws of Ahuriyata, to achieve peace. And thusly, the rulers of Poasah deem the hunt an essential tool of diplomacy; it is the responsibility of the gods among men to partake in such sport.

The Eyes Themselves are Tools to Pierce Deception and Perceive Truth

It is only by joining in a simulation of battle that an Ansa may learn of the potential foe’s capabilities, without so debasing themself by coming to direct blows. The Ansa may then learn from the foes themselves the ways in which they would come to face defeat.

Preparation of the Hunter

Due to the nature of Ahurian society, it is quite rare that a new prince knows much about hunting and the necessary forms and traditions associated with it. Even ones that developed in Ahuria itself.

Local Ansa Hierarchy

The prince isn’t the only Ansa in a palace, and the palace Ansa aren’t the only ones in the region. They are also scattered across different regions, districts and townships.

Prince and his Retinue

The prince of one of the twelve regions, or the governor of one of the territories, have Ansa in their own retinue as they are deployed. They displace the previous prince’s staff once the transition is complete. They would then take residence in either the previous prince’s, prince consort’s ancestral residence, or in a grand monastery.

It is rare that a prince be unwed by the time of their ascension. Typically then, the prince’s spouse is the highest ranking in their retinue. Their children are next. Sometimes, relatives of the spouse are brought along, or the children’s betrothed.

What Happens to the Ex-Prince’s Family?

In rare cases, they are allowed to stay in the palace, except in the case of the king’s family. They are definitely retained in the palace in the Isle of Gods. Most of the time though, they are urged to enter a grand monastery, or return to an ancestral home. Some attempt to fight, those are then sent to become Kirsharti or worse.

The Role of the Ansa

What do the princes actually do? Are they really a secular power, capable of making executive and legislative decisions?

Ansa are not mere figureheads! They have the actual executive power in Ahuria, all channeled through their high-priests, of course.

King

The highest ranking Ansa, eldest of the direct line of the Great Ahuriyata himself. Thus the king has primacy in the creation of policy for foreign and domestic affairs.

They are bound only by the word of Ahuriyata himself—the Sudras of Ahuriyata.

All military action against foreign forces must be approved by the king. Taxes levied country-wide are also taken to the king for final approval. Laws not enshrined in the Sudras may be stricken by the king at his leisure as well. In rare cases, the king is also called upon to pass judgment, or reverse it.

They wield supreme and close to absolute power, should they choose to exercise it.

Most do not, however. Choosing to appoint ministers to arrange their affairs, then run through the rituals necessary to put their seal on any action.

Prince

Ansa Ahuriyata of ranks 1 to 12, princes are the rulers of their assigned regions. The king is also asked the prince take in their list of titles.

The princes have the highest power in their region, and have executive powers similar to the king, but restricted to this region specifically. They have control over military force in order to police their lands.

They can make local taxation decisions, but may not override nationwide levies.

The Prince Consort

The prince’s spouse is called the Prince Consort. They are typically given free reign in arranging household affairs, such as appointing the Ahurikishki house staff. Sometimes they are also allowed to select tutors for their children.

They do not hold any real political authority, however.

The Princely Progeny

The prince’s children are typically given the magistratum of each region prince provides.

Children in excess of the number of provinces are given more religious positions, or married to other Ansa for reasons.

Relatives and Hangers-on

Ansa at the end of their careers, like spouse of dead princes may choose to join the household of their children. They typically do not hold real political influence, but may have soft power from connections, experience, or insider knowledge.