Ra'athaenians

Thaenians are the refugees of the First Thunder Firestorm of R575 who fled to Araela'a. Those not inclined to return to Ra'athaen even if they could drifted into the more central areas of Arae'la'a and dispersed throughout the Haka'am. The rest are concentrated along the Firewalls or within the costal Rhejhe of Crumbling Bay, Ejhes, and what would become Four Rings in R596.
While the haka'a'manem of Araela'a and Ra'athaen do not speak the same language, both languages are from the same historic root, so many of the Thaenians, particularly the younger ones, are able to pick up Araelian relatively quickly, if with an accent. This has allowed the large majority of Thaenians who so choose to become more thoroughly integrated with their new communities. The great majority of these are ones who resettled in the Araela'an interior or even far-western areas. Many of the younger families or family members have come to think of themselves as at least as much Araela'an as they are Ra'athaenian.
By contrast, the refugees who remain closer to the border, particularly those who did not cross over the Firewalls but settled in their eastern foothills, more adamantly maintain their traditional customs and language, sometimes even to the point of being suspicious of or antagonistic to their Araela'an neighbors as though Araela'a was somehow to blame for their circumstances. This is particularly true among older Thaenians who became nostalgic about the conditions in their home lands and romanticized their lives there. Their resentment toward Araela'a only grew as their youngsters, especially daughters, began to pick and choose which Ra'athaenian customs to honor and which to discard in favor of less restrictive Araela'an ones. Ironically, had the Thaenians been more inclined to communicate with their mountain neighbors they would have found their Araela'an contemporaries to have similar feelings regarding their own youth and discarded traditions.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Since the time of the First Flash, Ra'athaenians have been born with strange patterns of fine lines, blotches and dots on their skin, almost as if they are tattooed. Areas of the skin can be ridged, sunken or smooth. This is due to the rain of Hatefire the survivors of the First Flash experienced and their ties to the burned and molten lands. The more elaborately "firemarked" one is, the more desirable and sexually potent one is thought to be, up to a point. Firemarkings cease to be desirable when they cover more than about a third of the body or are concentrated in the genital area as well as other areas of the body. This is because firemarkings not only make the skin particularly sensitive where it is marked but also exude a faint electrical charge which excites the nerves of those who touch them. This can be either pleasant or painful depending on the mood of the one who is marked. The more extensive the bodily coverage of firemarkings, the more charged and sensitive the marked become, making them quicker to excite or anger and greatly undermining the control they have over their tempers. The electrical charge of the markings themselves also becomes more potent, making the heavily marked less desirable. "Never have sex when angry" is as much a warning of physical danger as it is a philosophical tenet. It is also believed that those whose bodies are more completely marked including in the genital areas are prone to intercourse without permission of or responsibility to the community (see notes on courtship ideals below). They are also thought to be prone to raping and torturing.

Gender Ideals

There are two genders in Ra'athaen--male and female. Shuryth--the intersex and genderfluid so common in Araela'a--do not exist in Ra'athaen because Rathellik, the Guardian and ruler of the Haka'am, has proclaimed them a threat to the "natural order of things." In truth, he considers their inherent land-sense and hedgewitchery talents a threat to his own exclusive and possessive control of the Haka'am and its haka'a'manem. Though Rathellik has seen to it that the haka'a'manem of his realm do not give birth to shuryth, there have been instances of relations between Ra'athaenians and those of other Haka'am producing shuryth children. Such births are considered exceptionally bad omens and these children invariably die within a 'Round of their birth (unless the child is removed from Ra'athaen). It has been this way since the establishment of the Haka'am and few understand that the dread associated with shuryth is based, not in some inherent flaw in the shuryth erythselves, but in the  the very nature of the Haka'am compounded by the devastating grief of losing a child. This dread is so ingrained, shuryth visiting from other lands are also considered portents of grief and doom and either beaten and run out of the Haka'am or outright killed. If, for some reason, they escape these fates, the very air of Ra'athaen will kill them within less than a 'Round, leaving them with permanent lung damage even if they depart from the Haka'am before it kills them.

Courtship Ideals

Since the firemarkings of different haka'a'manem have the potential to be antagonistic to one another, sometimes catastrophically, courtship between Ra'athaenians involves a high degree of touching. The basic stages of courtship in order are:

• Mark Assesment
• Flirting
• Touching
• Mark Tracing
• Rubbing Fire
• Full Flame

Mark Assessment. In something of a reversal of the norms of most of the cultures in the Haka'ams surrounding them, Ra'athaenians encourage their children and adolescents to spend time with one another without wearing clothese. In the youngest to the pre-pubescent this teaches ingrained caution regarding one's firemarkings and the firemarkings of those around them. As they begin to develop sexual curiosities and inclinations, they are able to discern what degree of firemarkings exceeds their tolerance. It is also believed to help avoid the emotional distress of developing romantic attachment to someone who has been physically unsuitable from the beginning. This, of course does not prevent heartache completely, but it is considered best practice.
Flirting. As with most other cultures, this is the very first stage of courtship. In Ra'athaen it usually involves an overture of some kind, a brief tracing of one's own firemarkings or a grazing touch to the firemarkings of the one with whom you are flirting. It may also involve the exchange of small gifts. Touch in this instance is restricted to areas not usually covered by clothing such as the hands or arms. It is a less painful way to determine incompatability. If flirting is mutual and does not cause pain in either party, courtship may continue.
Touching. As the name implies, this stage involves more extensive, though not particularly intimate, touching. This can include stroking of faces, massaging of backs or feet, cuddling. Gifts of seeds or bags of fertile soil are also considered a romantic gesture as both are gathered with some effort in the environmentally unstable Haka'am. Light kisses to unmarked areas of skin may occur, but usually indicate movement toward the next stage of courtship and may or may not be greeted favorably. Kissing is not to be done in public as it can lead fairly switly to the later stages of mark tracing.
Mark Tracing. This stage involves the tracing of the patterns of one another's firemarkings with fingertips or light scratching. Sometimes the tracing is done with the tip of the tongue, but this is definitely a precursor to rubbing fire as it can literally create sparks. There may also be more extensive kissing if partners are ready to move on to rubbing fire, but haven't quite gotten there yet. Partners in this stage of courtship may plant fruits, vegetables or trees for one another as an elaboration on the seed or soil gifts of the flirtation
Rubbing Fire. This stage is much more physically intimate. The pair touch firemark to firemark. It often involves rubbing to the point of sexual excitement or even release, but not intercourse. It may or may not not involve focused genital contact depending on the location and concentration of firemarkings. The less sexual experience one has, the more likely this stage is to be gradual due to the physical intensity of the electricity generated. It may even be painful at first. Should it continue to be painful, however, the pair will eventually be forced to acknowledge incompatibility in firemarkings and separate. If they are not compelled by incompatibility to separate and are inclined to a relationship with longevity, the partners will plant a sapling for one another as an announcement to the community of their commitment.
Full Flame. As the name implies, this stage involves all forms of sexual intimacy, including intercourse. Contrary to what you might expect however, this stage is actually avoided except for the explicit purpose of procreation. It is a stage of courtship which actually requires permission from their local hub of elders, since Ra'athaen is not a Haka'am of abundant resources and another mouth to feed may not be welcome or supportable. If approved, the couple may be required to do something to enhance the Wheel's resources first. For example, plant a vegetable garden, purchase communal livestock, establish an orchard or acquire and preserve a set amount of meat.