Mtzi' tsuặrin (People of the Moon. The name refers to their worship of a moon goddess that is paramount over all their other deities and the Hacanesa royal clan's claim of divine descent from said goddess)
The earliest recording of the Mtzi' tsuặrin is found in the central coastal mountain chains of Anvakhano, where they were a coastal and mountain dwelling people who survived off the bounty of the sea and terrace farming in the mountains, with primitive roadways passing through the terraced hills to the mountain cities from the coastal ones (Naz' Yamu, first capital of the Mtzi' tsuặrin). Through trade with the Deltic and other Oriental city-states(early merchant ship, 400-600 AU), they would prosper and develop a glyph-based written language(as of right now, picture it a cross between the Atlantean language from the Disney movie, Japanese calligraphy and Mayan glyphs.), astronomy(and eventually a lunar calendar by 1000 AU), and navigation. They would establish several colonies on small islands to serve as waypoints for their ships traveling between the Deltic and Oriental cities.
The Mtzi' tsuặrin religion is centered around the worship of (X), the Goddess of the Moon and Oceans. They have four other deities, each associated with an element as well. Below their gods and goddesses are the Wūa, 'greater' spirits who serve the gods and are worshiped along with the deities. The next level in their pantheon are the Ce'awei, spirits(usually those of the deceased) of the deceased and ancestors, with clans usually having a shrine to their ancestors and inside Khả'Ofuei(Temple of the Spirits/Dead), there is a shrine to the Ce'awei for worship. These temples are usually built over the barrows or communal tombs of the residents of a city. Priests of the Fayth can be either of priestly orders that tend to the temples, rituals, and sacrifices(animal and human, the latter being strictly regulated to heretics, enemies of the city-state, and criminals for example.) to the gods or of the more militant orders to hunt down those who oppose the Fayth(wip common name for it), these orders usually worshiping the Wua of Death or the Goddess of the Wind(name is wip, but the Wind Goddess is the only other female deity in the pantheon and the Not-Teisarian goddess of war, travel, and weather). (Example of a Sohei chant based off Mtzi tsuarin prayer.). A third group of clergy would be the Mahokai, who are said to be able to communicate with the spirits for things such as protection from vengeful spirits, cursing one's enemies, raising the dead(not necromancy.), and so on. The spiritis are divided into several categories depending on how they die, if they were granted a proper burial, etc.
Society-wise, the lower classes were farmers, fishermen, craftsmen, and in war fought as light infantry or archers. A middle class of merchants existed as well, and in some cases were the upper class in the coastal cities. The nobles usually would be high priests and scholars, with a few being military leaders or warriors(example of a professional warrior or noble). The Mtzi' tsuarin records known have minimal accounts of warfare besides paintings done on the walls of the interior of temples to the wind/war goddess. By 1000 AU, they would rule a small maritime empire. However, as larger states to the north and south began to rise and conquer those who opposed them, the Grand Priestess at the time had a vision of a new land, past their easternmost colonies that would be their salvation. After several sacrifices and hearing of the spirits warning their descendants of a great threat coming to destroy them all in a ritual overseen by the Mahokai, the Mtzi' tsuặrin would prepare two things, first a great fleet to carry as many people to this new land as possible, and a force to delay the enemy as long as possible. Those who were chosen to remain behind would be blessed in a ritual by the four High Priests and Grand Priestess before going off to fight the enemy(they would later be remembered by the construction of several thousand clay soldiers to honor the spirits of those who fought to fend off the ancient enemy of the Empire)
Arriving on these new islands in 1450 AU, the Tsuặrin would begin to re-establish their society, and by 2200 AU have formed a small empire, referred by them as the Teikaya no Czantim(Lunar Empire). Their culture during this period has shifted with the nobility becoming less dominant in the priesthood as more became warriors and eventually proto-feudalistic lords of entire islands or sections of one as the Tsuarin expanded from their new capital, Paz' Yueuki (Shield of the Moon) and the nearby colonies of the old Tsuarin empire against the Mokiến tribes(Aboriginal/Oriental mix of tribes, ranging from more Aboriginal northern ones, central tribes who had influences from both main types of tribes, these ones would be the first conquered by the Tsuarin, and Oriental southern ones. All three lived in hillforts with their tribe's village located around the hillfort. They would fight over resources with each other, developing a warrior culture in which tribal champions were highly respected and rewarded should one win his chief/king more land/resources. The arrival of the Tsuarin would see many tribes eradicated by their forces, and centuries of warfare between the Tsuarin and collective Mokiến tribes who would form into small coalitions of chiefs to forming their own petty kingdoms over time to fight the expanding Teikaya no Czantim. Some tribes would join the empire, usually smaller ones who wouldn;t be able to resist either the Mokein or Imperial forces.(Tsuarin noble warrior and levies, 1800-2000 AU) |