Who are you?
I am Sivan Elori ur Pazhnatoj, one of the caretakers for this locom.
Who are we?
We are part of the sophisticated and higly social Society that has prospered in this country of rolling golden grasslands and majestic mountains since the earliest of ages. We share a bond with sun, wind and open spaces. The spirit of the land flows in our veins. We are the free people of Obrenaja,
What makes us great?
Our joy of life is legendary. When we run, we meld with the wind, and our hearts soar in the sky. Our feet are made for flying, our hands for crafting, our voices for singing, our lips for kissing.
The Society is the highest known form of culture. While elsewhere people only struggle for their own goals, trampling their next of kin and interfering with each other, we care for each other, striving together for the good of all.
What is the difference between men and women?
As Kovimbra, one of our greatest thinkers, once said: It is variety that makes a society strong. How bland would a choir with only one voice register sound! The duality of genders is a touch of spicein our micture of skills and abilities. The differences are subtle and often deceiving; judge not a person by their gender. Pretty Lari of the Daslue locom wields the weighted chain like no man I've ever met.
While the differences between men and women may seem trivial to you, they play crucial roles in sex and love, and shall soon grow in importance to you when you come of age.
Where do we live?
Pazhnatoj is a locom affiliated with the town of Garanod, situated on the banks of the Celle and looking out onto a generous estate of grain fields. Garanod offers a vivid and colourful market, fine trade opportunities reaching us as far as Sabrinku and Vetsabesh, and plenty of cultural and social meeting places such as the performance hall and the bath-house.
Our locom comprises some 80 individuals and a dozen buildings loosely arranged around the central hall where we enjoy our communal meals, celebrations and singing evenings.
How do we live?
Our fields and the river provide us with grain and fresh fish, and the market of Garanod offers us whatever else we might need: Fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs and meat from the region, fine roseberry wine from upriver, zesty drazno from Casan, and exquisite spices and specialities from all over the world passing through the ports of Vetsabesh.
Though we all have our share of work to do for our Society, we are never short of an excuse to find the time to celebrate the enjoyable things in life. Strike a tone and we'll join you in song; give us a guitar and a tambourine, and we'll dance all night.
What is my lot in life?
That is for the future to tell. The Society can always use a fresh hand on the fields and gardens, and a town like Garanod offers all sort of trades to a young apprentice. If you love numbers, go into accounting; if you love words, become a writer, if you love both, consider politics.
Aunt Javile speaks well of your interest and your efforts in school, so might go Sabrinku or even Vetsabesh for studies. I can well imagine you becoming a masterful architect, a wise judge, a ingenious inventor, or an insightful philosopher.
Finally, you could always dedicate your life to your locom, as I have done. A caretaker's duty might not be as glorious as a town shieldman's but it is nevertheless respectable, and deeply gratifying.
Who rules us?
Within the locom, decisions are simply made by assembling the adults in the hall and discussing the matter until it is settled. Greater matters are handled by councils of towns, counties, provinces and the nation itself. On each of these levels, the council members are elected by the next lower levels.
Thus, the power structure is built like a pyramid onto firm foundation of the Society's will. The Empire of Splendour, on the other hand, is ruled upside down. They view their emperor as a demigod, and expect his wisdom to trickle down the pyramid and enlighten the people with his whims. It is not surprising that the Empire is decaying into unrest and chaos.
What makes a man great?
It is our Society that makes us great, just as we are the ones who make the Society great. Pay no heed to a man who talks of his greatness, you will learn about his wealth and his vanity. Ask a man's friends about him, and you will learn about his true greatness.
The Casanje philosopher Coromajre tells this story: Two men were once brought into a healing house, each of them suffering from the dangerous bite of a goldengrass snake. The master healer, however, had only a single vial of the remedy left. So he asked: "Who are you?" The younger one of them answered: "I am Bepatce, the most influential water merchant of this county. I can pay you any price in gold and gems for this one vial, This old crippled man, however, can do little else than sit in the shade, croak old songs and tell stories to children." The master healer then gave the remedy to the old man, for Bepatce enriched himself on the needs of others, but the old man made people happy.
What is evil?
Evil cannot be defined in a few words. That's why our Society has assembled, refined and perfected a corpus of laws and rights during many millenia of its existence. As the times are constantly changing, so do our legislators constantly adjust and temper the laws.
IN short, it is evil to willingly do physical, mental or emotional harm or cause loss to other people, to the Society as a whole, or to the land that nourishes us. But one must always see the whole picture: In order to save a man's life from a robber's blade, one might well have to spill the robber's blood.
How do we deal with others?
Our Society spreads wide, and you will hear many strange sounds and words in the remote provinces. The Casanje guard their vowels as tightly as they do their underage daughters, and they relinquish them through barely opened mouths or even through the nose, the Viskateroje flute their eloquence through puckered lips, and the Posade seem to take ages to even say hello. Still, the underlying language will always be Obrenje, and with some effort you will understand them well.
Outside of the Society, our language is not commonly known, and you will have to learn Low Imperial to make yourself heard. The laws are different out there, often more primitive than ours and sometimes non-existent. Do not try to force our ways ideals upon them, such actions would kindle more hatred than they would amend. Instead, just live your life the Obrenje way, and be a living example of its superiority. One day, they will understand.
Who are our enemies?
Our Society has friendly ties to many nations, including what is left of the Empire of Splendour and the free city of Llaza. But some have no ear for reason and diplomacy. The Tlaxu, cursed be their rotting pelts, have caused us much trouble and sorrow in the past. We are not at open war today, but our shieldmen on land and sea must be ever vigilant.
Who are our gods?
It is beyond all doubt that some powers dwell on this world that surpass the human scope, see and unseen, benevolent and malign. However, there are yet many more accounts of gods and demons that dissolve onto thin air or collapse into mundane facts upon closer inspection. Do not let your mind jump to conclusions, or believe a stranger's words without deeper thought. It is only too easy to turn the credulity and anxiety of simple people into profit and power.
Our traditions speak of Mali, and ever-young goddess of life who raised our race from its childhood, taught us to harmonize with each other, the sun, the wind and the open lands, and guided us along our way to culture and prosperity. Some people consider her a mere myth, a mere allegory to our social spirit, while others dedicate their life to her. In times of need, talk to her. Whether you believe in her existence or not, it will gather your thoughts and calm you.
