ˈDaxtɾi

The Daxtɾi culture of Galori embraces a fascinating range of beliefs and practices, centered around their unique approach to gender.
Among Daxtɾi, all individuals are assigned the gender "prurno" at birth, a term that means "third" in Gahal, their native language. This placeholder eschews the constraints of a strict male/female binary: children are encouraged to learn a variety of domestic skills, none being regarded as especially "woman-like" or "man-like", but representing essential knowledge any responsible adult would require to function. They are permitted to play with any toys they feel drawn to, and cultural clothing, haircuts, and other bodily decoration for youth are roughly generic.
At puberty, each individual is given the choice to remain prurno, identifying as a mixed gender, or to choose to identify as male or female. While fully accepted, those who choose to remain prurno are reasonably rare.
Fluid exploration of gender within youth is certainly possible, but not the prime intention of the prurno designation. Daxtɾi more simply regard childhood as a time where sexual division is irrelevant: the culture defines roles for mature men and women, but these are not viewed as such profound things that one's entire youth must be earmarked as necessary preparation for them. These later-stage identities tend to fit surface norms of mainstream Relan society, while offering increased flexibilities.
In stark contrast, the neighboring Ouram-speaking Galorican culture adheres to a highly sexualized and traditional binary gender system. Galoricans practice arranged marriages, often promising children in wedlock based on a strict male/female dichotomy. This practice creates significant legal and social tensions between the Galoricans and the Daxtɾi, as the latter's fluid understanding of gender does not fit neatly into the Galorican norms. Legal disputes over property and marriage rights frequently arise, especially when Daxtɾi individuals choose to remain prurno, nullifying any previously arranged Galorican marriage contracts. Many Galoricans hold demeaning views of the Daxtɾi, but because the latter are a populous, strong economic group within the country, they are able to mitigate these well and infrequently succumb to outright persecution.
The Daxtɾi's cultural expressions are deeply influenced by their gender beliefs. Their art and literature reflect themes of transformation and fluidity, often symbolized by the butterfly idiom, and epic heroes in Daxtɾi culture embody qualities such as inclusivity, wisdom, and courage, and can be male, female, or prurno, contrasting with more exclusively male-focused, "macho" figures found in Galorican tales.
Like the Galorican cultural majority, Daxtɾi are devoted members of the Congregation of the Ascended, however there is slight variance in the latter group's religious thinking. Daxtɾi theologians point to the fundamentally abstract nature of The Aspects as "proof" the divine exists beyond the simpler identities that more often catch with the public. In mainstream Ascendism, for instance, Aspects like 'The Father's Feast Table' are associated in with rites which only the patriarch (or 'rabo', after Drakoyan fashion) is allowed to perform on relevant holy days, but Daxtɾi households permit any household head to do it, bucking tradition if very much within the boundaries of canon. Daxtɾi views on death also inflect Ascended funeral rites, as they celebrate the individual's journey through life's culturally distinctive phases, from prurno to adult.