Kaldiloora
Kaldiloora is at the westernmost extent of south Libynos, on the coast of Mother Oceanus. It has a fertile, if narrow, coastal plain and dense rainforest in the interior. The country is named after the chieftain who united many related tribes into a single group, making them all part of his “house” and doing away with the clan warfare that was devastating the people. All people are considered to be part of the family of the prince, with chieftains being cousins who are in charge of smaller houses under the great house. As infants, people are given facial tattoos that designate their house, so later in life it is possible to recognize where people were born if one knows a great deal about the tattoo patterns. However, the population of Kaldiloora is mobile enough that even knowing a person’s birth town tells the observer very little. A person with no facial tattoos, though, is immediately revealed as an outsider. Towns and even cities are often named after famous local people, with those living there proud to claim to be part of that person’s house. In fact, towns and villages have been known to change their names when a native person does something particularly notable; the smaller the village is, the less notable the action would have to be to cause a name change.
After uniting the nation, the first prince realized he needed something to keep his energetic people busy if he was to keep them away from their clan wars. He took an idea from the country to the north and instituted a series of gladiator games using the ancient stone arenas still standing in Morongle, Yarrunga, and Birriwa. Eventually, this developed into an ongoing set of elaborate competitions, with local winners going on to regional games and eventually nationwide championships. These competitions generated a great deal of excitement without the ill-will that led to previous conflicts and became extremely popular.
The people of Kaldiloora don’t have deities as most people think of them. Instead, they pay homage to a variety of creator-spirits. These spirits were themselves created by the now-distant Sky Father, who gave them responsibility over various parts of creation. Rather than worshipping in temples, devotees of the creator-spirits acknowledge their influence in the many small ways of life, with shrines in the home or in common areas. For more serious occasions (such as weddings or coming-of-age ceremonies), people may travel to ritual locations. Many places in nature could honor one or more creator-spirits, so such locations are not hard to find.
Region
Kaldiloora, Great House of
Comments