[OOC] Ecith Codex

[Aegis]

Education in Ecith

The importance of education is a fundamental of Ecithian culture. There are three tenets of self in Ecithian culture, the growth and balance of the mind, body, and spirit. In Ecith, it is important to pursue all of these and achieve balance in them. This has led to a drive to vastly improve the base level education of all citizens of Ecith, as well as anyone who chooses to visit Ecith. Ecith does not believe any information or any education should be withheld from anyone, for any reason. They have a strong faith in their way of life that not only those who receive the information will not use it against Ecith, but even if they do, the citizens and culture of Ecith are strong enough to overcome that.

Education in Ecith begins at a young age, and is modeled after the style developed in the villages, long before any of the cities were built. Children are taught how to read and write at the same time they are learning fingerpainting and rhyming songs, typically by members of their family and village. Upon age 5, they enter school. Ecith uses the one room schoolhouse model that was developed in the villages. Each of these schools has three teachers in it, responsible for teaching the Ecithian balance of life. Additionally, the schools have a scribe, who serves as both an administrator for the resources that the teachers and students need, as well as recording all of the artwork and progression of the students. Every finger painting, every drawing, every poem, every book report is recorded into the Ecithian Archives by the scribe.

While this type of school is open and operating every day (days off are exchanged with the teachers), it is not mandatory attendance. Ecithians are taught freedom of self and personal responsibility, and children get to design their own fates under the guidance of their families and villages. If a child isn't feeling well, or simply does not feel like going to school on any given day, they are encouraged to do what they feel is best for themselves. This is often referred to as 'listening to one's spirit'. Children are always encouraged to attend school, but they are never forced to go nor forced to stay away from it.

Upon reaching adulthood, Ecithians have several options for continuing education, and many Ecithians will continue to further their education for their entire lives. Drathera hosts several academies and universities, with pursuits in many subjects of Ecithian life. Additionally, many will also choose apprenticeships in arts or trade skills. Ecith will fund all of these educational pursuits, even if the Ecithian wishes to pursue them in a nation abroad, excluding those that Ecith is at war with.

[Aegis]

Magic in Ecith

Magic in Ecith is not strictly controlled or forbidden in Ecith. It is treated like every other aspect of Ecithian law. If magic and its use falls within the 27 Tenets of Ecith, then it is accepted like anything else. No individual magic is considered more or less morally good/bad in the eyes of Ecithians. It would be like asking one of them if their hand was good or evil. Magic is a naturally occurring phenomenon in the world in the eyes of Ecith and therefore should be utilized and protected in that same sphere of thought.

This has caused magic to be fairly common among the populace of Ecith and seeing its use is a daily occurrence for many. Many debates around magic have popped up in Ecith due to the rise of the Imperium and their strict control over magic, as well as Zaichaer's more lethal approach to mages. That said, Ecith still sides with personal responsibility and duty in all aspects of one's own life, including with magic.

Whenever an area of the world is willing to subjugate and persecute any peoples, though in this case, mages, they will find that Ecithians show up with open arms. As Zaichaer turns more anti-magic, Ecith reaches out, inviting the mages to come to Ecith and join a world that accepts them for what they are, so long as they are willing to find a place for themselves within it.

Breaking the laws of Ecith while utilizing magic warrants no additional punishment than if that same law had been broken by any other means.

[Aegis]

Technology in Ecith

Ecith is, by choice, not a progressive, technological powerhouse, like the magitech giants of the Imperium and Kalzasi or the Engineers of Zaichaer and the Dwarven Holds. These places would likely think Ecith is lagging behind, inferior, or even incapable of the higher thought necessary to invent things the modern world utilizes. But that is the furthest thing from the truth. Ecith has long since held true that the lands, sky, and waters of Ecith would provide everything they could ever need in life. And by being more in tune with the continent, and by focusing on improving their individual selves so highly, they've found a competitive niche with the progressive technological nations.

Whereas Karnor has a mastery of airships, Ecith has mastered partnering up with dragons, great birds, and other flighted creatures. Whereas Zaichaer has built a railroad to haul great weights at fast speeds, Ecithian caravans are the fastest travelers in the land. Where the Imperium utilizes dragonshard powered weapons, Ecith trains powerful mages and partners with great and unique beasts. And for this southern nation, it has served them well throughout time, allowing them to fight back the Mages of the Hytori in the Age of Dreams, the Clockwork Empire, and the Galerian Imperium.

Ecith is confident in their choice to work with nature and not to pillage it for resources. Their ships are built from the husks of fallen trees and bones of great monsters, but are also accompanied by herds of aquatic beasts and their partners. They do not build roads across the continent, but rather utilize the paths already existing by the migratory animals. Even Drathera was not a city built atop the land, but rather built into a lonely mountain that stood before the sea, a roosting mountain where dragons and Orks lived together long before civilization ever came to the Ecithian continent.

[Aegis]

Trade and Commerce

Ecith hosts a largely free market economy, overseen by the Guilds of the Soul Track of its government. Their economy is entirely self sustaining, having no reliance whatsoever on goods from any other nation in the world. Drathera maintains most of Ecith's internal economy, powered primarily by their massive, diverse, and rapidly growing agricultural sector. They grow fresh food crops for their own people, but much of it is transformed into various preserved foods to be sold abroad. They also grow cash crops that are unavailable in Aizilane such as coffee and chocolate, various spices, dyes and pigments, and textile products.

Ecith practices no form of mining. Any metal and minerals they acquire come from either the meteorites that they find falling from the skies or those produced by the Primals and other creatures aligned with the Metal Elemental Plane. Quarrying is practiced, but only on exposed, surface stone, and it is a small aspect of Ecith life and economy regardless. Lumbering is a massive economy in Ecith, with both utility woods and decorative woods. Fishing and hunting both are large economies as well, in terms of food and sellable resources.

Ecith does purchase many things from foreign lands. They are regular purchasers and curators of any and all types of art, including both originals and copies. Many an Ecithian has returned home with trunks filled with books and scrolls, sacks of paintings. Ornate weapons and armor are often purchased as well, though largely as decorative as most Ecithians have already established their armor and weapon preferences by the time they travel abroad. Additionally, Ecith purchases foreign alcohols and preserved foods in abundance. Finally, Ecith will purchase slaves in countries where it is legalized in order to bring the people back to Ecith and set them free. This may or may not also be accompanied by the disappearance or death of the slavers.

[Aegis]

Racial Variations and Demographics

Ecith is a starkly unique continent on Ransera, and while it has largely been dominated by the Orkhan for millennia, they are not the only kind to live there now. With Ecith's tropical biome, with the strength of the nutrition in its soil, Ecith has allowed for both creatures and races to evolve rapidly, and reach their fullest physical potential. Many of these variations require the nutritional diet unique to Ecith to maintain their lineages, and as such, if they leave, tend to revert back to the normal variations in the next generation to be born. In addition to these racial variants, nearly every race that is born and raised in Ecith is, on average, a head or two taller than their counterparts elsewhere. They tend to reach adult physique at younger ages, and if matched with appropriate physical training, higher musculature. It is a double edged sword, for if they fall to a life of sloth, they are quicker to become overweight and suffer other dietary lifestyle ailments. Finally, being a tropical continent, Ecith tends to bear races with darker shades of skin, eyes, and hair.

Orkhan

Drathera Demographic: 50% Orkhan
Villages Demographic: 95% Orkhan


The Orkhan lineages are vast and varied, and many of them extend back to the olden days where dragons ruled kingdoms on Ecith alongside the Orks. Orks and dragons have always had a close relationship due to the Orks draconic origins.

Ecithian Orks have the traditional coloring of their kinds, in addition to colors that match their heritage tying back to the old dragons. These colorings include the following from the Dragon page.

Amethyst
Black
Blue
Brass
Bronze
Celestial
Copper
Crystal
Diamond
Emerald
Green
Gold
Iron
Opal
Red
Ruby
Rust
Saphhire
Sea
Shadow
Silver
Topaz
Void
Wasteland

Avialae

Drathera Demographic: 1%
Villages Demographic: <1%

Ecithian Avialae aren't too different from their northern brethren. They are bigger, darker of skin, have a higher tolerance of heat, a lower tolerance for cold. Those with feathery wings tend to have colorings matching the much more vibrant styles of the local tropical birds. Additionally, wings in a draconic or flying dinosaur style are both common enough in Ecith.

Awoken

Drathera Demographic: <1%
Villages Demographic: <1%

Awoken in general are extremely, exceedingly rare in Ecith, largely due to the Commonwealth not supporting advanced Magitech. The few Awoken that have ended up in Ecith typically end up having to replace parts of themselves with wood, bone, or stone, as the high humidity and heat often causes issues with rust and corrosion.

Dratori

Drathera Demographic: <1%
Villages Demographic: <1%

Dratori are not an overly common sight in the Commonwealth, but those who've established themselves, generationally speaking, are taller, darker skinned, with darker eyes and hair.

Druskai

Drathera Demographic: 5%
Villages Demographic: <1%

This race is pending the Druskai Update and Overhaul. Ideally, there would be a subvariant for the Crystal Sea, a subvariant for the Freshwaters of Ecith, and perhaps some tie into the Rainy Season.

Fae'ethalan

Drathera Demographic: 10%
Villages Demographic: 1%

Fae'ethalan are a fairly common sight in Ecith, as many migrate there following the legend of the lost temple of the Fae. While many have given up on attempting to find that temple, most have stayed to enjoy a lifestyle where their kind are both welcomed and celebrated. The Fae here are not so different from those anywhere else, due to their capacity for vast changes.

Human

Drathera Demographic: 1%
Villages Demographic: <1%

Humans are not an overly common sight in the Commonwealth, but those who've established themselves, generationally speaking, are taller, darker skinned, with darker eyes and hair.

Hytori

Drathera Demographic: <1%
Villages Demographic: <1%

Hytori are not an overly common sight in the Commonwealth, but those who've established themselves, generationally speaking, are taller, darker skinned, with darker eyes and hair.

Goblinoid

Drathera Demographic: 5%
Villages Demographic: 1%

Goblins, with their highly adaptable biology, have truly come into their own on the Ecithian continent. There has been, so far, three subvariants of the already existing Goblinoid subvariants. Some scholars believe there are more out there just not yet discovered and documented.

Ecithian Grackle - Taller, heavier, lives longer, and equipped with batwings. These are common enough around Drathera and the grasslands of Ecith. As this is a flighted species, adapted for the harshness of Ecith, they've developed perfectly silent flight and are immune to thermal detection.

Ecithian Goblin - These goblins are an amphibious subvariant, able to survive equally well in water and upon land. They absorb oxygen through the skin, are immune to drowning, and have no issues between salt or freshwater. Many of them live on the varying coastlines and have a particular love for mud. They've got retractable webbing on their fingers and toes, and while in water, are immune to thermal detection.

Ecithian Hobgoblin - These Hobgoblins were discovered living in the edges of the Ecithian Jungles, seemingly preferring to live there over to the city or grasslands. It has been documented that they do not appear to have the traditional Hobgoblin racial ability, but instead have one suited to the Ecithian Jungles. They are able to activate a type of camouflage that rapidly adjusts their skin to appear as whatever is on the opposite side of it, no matter what angle it is viewed from. While not true invisibility, in the jungles of Ecith it is nearly such. Additionally, they have the ability to activate thermal vision, largely utilized for hunting.

Lysanrin

Drathera Demographic: <1%
Villages Demographic: <1%

Lysanrin are not an overly common sight in the Commonwealth, but those who've established themselves, generationally speaking, are taller, darker skinned, with darker eyes and hair. Additionally, their horns tend to mirror native species of animal in Ecith.

Moratallen

Drathera Demographic: 15%
Villages Demographic: 2%

The Moratallen were the first of the Non-Ork races to settle in the tropical portions of Ecith. While here, they were able to become more in tune with the natural elements in a similar fashion as the Primals and other wildlife do. This has lead the four well known types of Moratallen to be more fashioned into their element.

However, due to the connections with the Elemental Planes, small populations of Moratallen aligned with Wood, Metal, Light, Shadow, and Aether have also been discovered.

The Wood Aligned Moratallen are most often found living in the great trees at the edge of the Ecith Jungles. They are the largest of the discovered Moratallen, and tend to move similarly to the gorillas of the jungles.

The Metal Aligned Moratallen can be found anywhere in equally rare amounts, and have the toughest skin to penetrate. Their teeth and nails are metallic and stronger than steel, and their skin tones tend to match a specific type of metal, following familial heritages.

The Light Moratallen mostly live in the grasslands of Ecith. They are easily recognizable for their distinct glowing aura around their bodies. During the Hot Season, these Moratallen can almost always be found bathing in the sun, absorbing the light.

The Shadow Moratallen largely live in the forest floor of the Ecithian Jungles. They are smaller, but have strong ties to the shadows and are able to move extremely stealthily in such environments.

As for the Aether Moratallen, very little is known. They've been discovered in the past, but never in a sizable population. It is speculated that they are genetic mutation that can occur rarely in any family of Moratallen. The stories tell that they have a minor, but constant, connection to the Aethereum, and have a high capacity for holding Runes. Being such a rare occurrence, this still needs to be confirmed.

Rathari

Drathera Demographic: 10%
Villages Demographic: 1%

Rathari are decently common in Ecith. Most of the native born Rathari are of the animal forms of Ecith, including the dinosaurs, and also tend to be larger in their Zoan forms. However, Ecithian Rathari have an additional form that is only accessible through Mastery (100/100) of Meditation. These Rathari who have mastered themselves in such a way, and maintain the Ecithian dietary lifestyle, are able to unlock their Centauri form. It is similar in idea to the Lycan form, but able to be larger than their Zoan, Lycan, or Beast forms, individually. The Centauri form usually manifests with having the Beast Body connecting to the Zoan or Lycan torso. This creates a much larger, and typically more mobile and less humanoid seeming form.

Siltori

Drathera Demographic: <1%
Villages Demographic: <1%

Siltori are not an overly common sight in the Commonwealth, but those who've established themselves, generationally speaking, are taller, darker skinned, with darker eyes and hair.

[Aegis]

Sports in Ecith

The concept of sports has been an integral part of Ecith's culture since the days Orkhan ruled the land alone. The inherent, constant need for personal growth, for challenge and difficulty, sports gave more depth and opportunity for the Orkhan to grow as a society. The earliest of sports were often fairly simple, basic feats of physical athleticism between rivals and friends within the first villages. It then grew as a means of uniting villages and giving them some shared culture. And as Ecith society grew larger, more diverse, and more progressive, so did the Ecithian sports culture.

In the current Age, the presence of sports is a daily occurrence in the Commonwealth. Ecith has no such concept as professional sports, all of the athletes participate in them as a hobby, for the love of the game, and to be role models for those who cheer for them. There is no charge for anyone to watch the games, and the equipment, arenas, and other associated costs are paid for from the Commonwealth's taxes, as a way to continue to preserve this aspect of Ecithian culture.

For every major sport that Ecith hosts, Drathera boasts an immensely massive arena for the viewing of it. While outsiders have scoffed, calling the construction of such arenas a waste of resources and time, it is known in Ecith that this is done so that each and every single living Ecithian can watch a game if they wish. No citizen is to be excluded from Ecithian society and culture. These same enormous arenas are also used for things such as art expeditions, music concerts, poetry and book readings, lectures, etc.

Every sport in Ecith is mixed gender, and has a variety of league style setups for competitive play. Typically the only style of separation in sports is between Physical or Magical, with the former not allowing the use of magic, divinity, or other non-inherent powers. The Magical variations allow all of these things. Each sport has a number of idols and celebrities that have reason to fame in their sport, hailed as heroes by their fans.

Common sports include the Colors Game, Vonaiball (Wetball), Vonaeball (Dryball), football (soccer), rugby, basketball, volleyball, combat sports, and a wide variety of racing and watersports. Additionally, Ecith participates in all of the sports that are hosted in the International Cathena Games. It should be noted that the sports that Ecithians tend to prefer most require less gear and equipment and are highly physical. However, typically Ecithians will participate in any type of sport offered up to them, especially trying new ones while abroad.